After waking, Lan Xingyu fully geared up, grabbing her small stool and fan, heading straight to the sweet potato field.
She had just flipped a few vines when the main group arrived—over ten people swarming her patch like locusts, quickly finishing all the work, even pulling weeds.
Lan Xingyu clicked her tongue—these people worked too fast. She had nothing left to do, so she picked up her stool and looked for an empty patch.
Walking along the ridges, she spotted an empty peanut field, overgrown with weeds, and decided to pull them—easier than flipping sweet potato vines.
She moved slowly, fanning herself, drinking water, barely pulling a few weeds.
At this, someone got annoyed—like the delicate young lady Wang Na. Seeing Village Chief Liu arrive, she shouted, “We flipped sweet potato vines until our backs hurt, yet he just sits fanning himself! And he’s a man! Worse than us women! Disgusting!”
Village Chief Liu’s expression hardened. “You’re not much better. You earn four work points a day; if you’re unhappy, earn two. Our villagers can still get more food!”
In truth, he had accepted Wang Na’s perks but needed to assert authority, or things would escalate.
Annoyed, Wang Na huffed, “Fine, I’ll earn two points!” She didn’t want to work—exhausting.
Everyone had a monthly quota of work points; if unmet, one paid in money or food. Plenty of villagers could pick up the slack.
So Liu didn’t care—if they worked, they got food; if not, they didn’t. Not afraid of starving? Go ahead and slack off.
The villagers secretly hoped they wouldn’t work, so they could earn more points and receive more food.
Liu said casually, “Whatever.”
Wang Na stormed into Lan Xingyu’s peanut plot, standing beside her. “If not for you, I wouldn’t have been scolded by Liu!”
Lan Xingyu said indifferently, “What’s that got to do with me? I don’t earn points or food—how does it bother you?”
Wang Na snorted, “I just can’t stand seeing a grown man working like a feeble woman. What family raised you like this?”
“What does your family have to do with me!”
Lan Xingyu returned to fanning herself, wearing long sleeves and pants—it was unbearably hot.
“You must be from a wealthy family!”
“You mean me? And you? Your family hides plenty of money—one complaint from me and you’d become a capitalist!”
“You’re talking nonsense!”
Wang Na ran off quickly, keeping her distance—yes, her family was wealthy, but she dared not expose it.
Lan Xingyu smirked, continued fanning and drinking water, then pulling weeds.
The two crawled across the field. Wu Li glanced over: “Wang Na, one point. Lan Xingyu, one point.” She left, clearly not wanting to deal with them.
They kept working slowly in the peanut field until the end of the day—true slacking.
The other educated youths weren’t like the two of them—they worked normally. Some were there to contribute to the countryside, some feared not having enough food, and some wanted to impress someone they liked—like Tang Zhirou.
She followed Huo Nanting tirelessly, flipping sweet potato vines as fast as he did. Even when her back ached as if it would break, she kept going.
Xiao Heng couldn’t keep up with their pace and gave up. That night, he intended to warn Huo Nanting—Tang Zhirou was his fiancée!
“Comrade Xiao, have some water.”
Jiang Wanwan was exhausted too, but she handed the water to Xiao Heng first.
Xiao Heng said coldly, “I’ll drink my own.”
He grabbed the nearby cup. If it weren’t for this woman seducing him, Tang Zhirou wouldn’t have seized the chance to break off their engagement. He hated her with a passion.
“Heng-gege…”
Jiang Wanwan felt hurt, her eyes moist.
The more she acted like that, the more Xiao Heng disliked her. “Call me Comrade Xiao or Xiao Zhīqīng. Using ‘gege’ will mislead others!”
Jiang Wanwan nodded, a flash of determination crossing her eyes: Once I deal with Tang Zhirou, let’s see if you turn back to me!
She wanted to marry Xiao Heng—not just because she liked him, but because his family was well-off. His father was the director of a rubber shoe factory, earning a high salary, and his mother was a women’s committee director in the local street office. Marrying into such a family would bring her immense prestige.
Da Wan Village was a hub of intrigue; everyone had their own schemes.
Finally, work ended.
Lan Xingyu carried her small stool home. Along the way, many village girls came to see her. One blushed and approached, holding a pear. “Lan Zhiqing, this pear came from our tree. Please accept it.”
Lan Xingyu glanced at the pear, showing disgust. “I don’t eat ugly pears, and I don’t want to see ugly people either.”
She passed the girl and left, her attitude both arrogant and cold. She didn’t want to hurt anyone, but she had to—otherwise, these people would pester her.
The girl nearly cried. How could she be ugly? She was Li Taohua, the village beauty, as pretty as a peach blossom.
This was her first attempt to flatter a male educated youth—and she was ruthlessly rejected. Furious, she decided she didn’t like the young master after all. Rich people aren’t good for anything!
She ran home crying, while other girls snickered. The arrogant village beauty had been turned down—haha, they were delighted.
Zhang Weiping caught up to Lan Xingyu. “That girl cried… she’s pretty. You don’t like her at all?”
Lan Xingyu didn’t glance at him, walking ahead with indifference. “I don’t like people who meddle.”
“Oh…”
“Sorry, sorry! I won’t say anything again.”
Zhang Weiping ran off, calling back, “I’ll go get your bath water first!”
Lan Xingyu snorted. Not long after, Huo Nanting caught up. “Want to go to the river to bathe? Carrying water doesn’t feel enough.”
“No.”
Lan Xingyu didn’t spare him a glance and went straight home.
Huo Nanting followed behind, thinking she was too cold and proud. Yet his twisted desire deepened; he fantasized about taking the young master into the forest for… certain activities.
He realized he was becoming perverse. He truly liked men.
Lan Xingyu, of course, had no idea. She went home, entered the toilet space to shower, then attended to Zhou Daju’s infusion—it would take three days to complete.
After her shower, she rested in her room, waiting for mealtime. Zhang Weiping was already cooking; dinner would be minced meat eggplant and sweet potato porridge.
After dinner, everyone engaged in evening activities—some chatted and ate sunflower seeds, some went fishing or hunting eels, others went up the mountain to trap wild rabbits.
Jiang Wanwan watched Huo Nanting. When he and Zhang Weiping went out to catch eels, she timed things carefully, then called Wang Na and Su Mengyao. At the gate, she loudly said:
“Huo Zhīqīng is amazing at catching eels! Let’s go watch. Wang Zhīqīng, didn’t you say Huo Zhīqīng’s moves are handsome? Come on, let’s see him.”
She deliberately spoke loudly to lure Tang Zhirou out for her plan.
As soon as they left, Tang Zhirou called Zhao Jiani, and the two whispered together, waiting for a chance to prank Jiang Wanwan.
Everyone went to the field to watch the men catch eels, walking to the dam. They stood above, looking down.
Jiang Wanwan, having successfully lured her target, signaled the accomplice to be ready.