Su Wanqing dug out the original owner’s small round mirror and took a look at herself.
The foundation was good, but she looked too plain.
She remembered that the original owner still had a tin of clam oil that someone had brought back from the county town last winter. She had never been willing to use it.
After finding it, she scooped out a fingertip’s worth and spread it evenly across her face.
Then she found a wooden comb, smoothed out her hair, and braided it into two plaits tied with red ribbons.
After rummaging through boxes and bundles for quite a while, she finally pulled out a floral dress from the very bottom of a luggage bundle.
The original owner had never been willing to wear it, afraid it would get dirty while working in the fields. She had treasured it and kept it hidden away.
Su Wanqing shook it out and changed into it.
The dress was a little short, ending just below her knees and revealing a pair of fair, slender calves.
She looked at herself in the mirror and nodded in satisfaction.
Zhang Hongying came in from outside carrying a washbasin. The moment she saw Su Wanqing, she froze.
“Oh my heavens, what are you trying to do?” Zhang Hongying set down the basin and looked her up and down. “Dressed like this, are you going to the market or trying to seduce someone?”
Su Wanqing adjusted her braids in front of the mirror without even turning around.
“I’m going to work.”
“Work?” Zhang Hongying’s voice shot up. “You’re wearing that to work? Is that dress something you wear in the fields? And your face is all done up like a New Year picture. Who are you trying to show off to?”
Only then did Su Wanqing turn around and smile at her.
“Do I look pretty?”
Zhang Hongying was caught off guard.
“I’m asking if I look pretty.” Su Wanqing repeated herself and even spun around once.
Zhang Hongying’s face turned green.
“Pretty? What’s pretty about it? You’re dressed all flashy and shameless. What respectable girl behaves like you? Look at the rest of us. Who’s anything like you?”
Su Wanqing looked her up and down.
Zhang Hongying was wearing a faded blue shirt washed nearly white. Her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, her pant legs were splattered with mud, her hair was tied up carelessly, and her face was dark and ruddy from years of working under the sun.
“We are different,” Su Wanqing agreed with a nod.
Thinking she had finally backed down, Zhang Hongying opened her mouth to speak.
Su Wanqing continued, “I’m pretty. You’re not. Maybe you don’t bother dressing up because you’d still be ugly even if you did.”
“Su Wanqing, you!”
Zhang Hongying’s face turned the color of pig liver. Her lips trembled so hard that she could not get another word out.
Several female Zhiqing (Educated Youth) nearby covered their mouths and laughed.
Su Wanqing picked up the slip from the Record Keeper, stuffed it into her pocket, swayed her hips, and walked out.
As soon as she left the courtyard, she could not help laughing.
【Ding. Friendly reminder: The Host must maintain the original owner’s vicious supporting female character persona. A collapse of the character setting will trigger the punishment mechanism.】
Su Wanqing answered inwardly, “Got it, got it. I happen to love this character setting.”
Back at her old workplace, whenever she met someone she disliked, she still had to smile politely. She had to flatter her bosses and pretend to be nice to her coworkers. It was exhausting.
Now things were different.
If she wanted to mock someone, she could.
If she wanted to curse someone out, she could.
The original owner was that kind of person anyway. She just had to play the role.
Drain other people emotionally and drain herself?
Not a chance.
She only drained other people.
By the time she arrived at the threshing ground, the sun had just risen.
It was her first day working as a Record Keeper, so she had arrived early.
There were already people waiting there.
The production team leader stood nearby. Beside him was a young man in his early twenties with skin tanned dark by the sun. The moment he saw Su Wanqing approaching, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Su Wanqing walked over.
“Team Leader, I’m here to report in.”
The team leader grunted in acknowledgment and pointed at the young man beside him.
“This is Erhu. He’ll show you the ropes today. The Labor Points for all three production teams in our brigade, as well as the neighboring two brigades, need to be recorded clearly. No mistakes.”
Erhu did not know where to look.
If he looked at her face, it was as fair as tofu.
If he looked at her dress, the stretch of pale leg beneath it was dazzling.
He had never seen such a fair and delicate girl in his entire life.
“Brother Erhu?” Su Wanqing called.
Erhu jumped as though shocked. His face instantly turned red all the way to his ears.
“Ah? Ah! Here! I’m here!” He flailed awkwardly and even started stuttering. “Um… do you know how to write?”
“Yes.”
“Can you do numbers?”
“Yes.”
“Then… then that’s fine.” Erhu scratched his head and did not dare look at her. “Just follow me. I’ll teach you how to keep records.”
Su Wanqing nodded and pulled out a small notebook and pencil from her pocket. Lu Shiyan had given them to her a few days ago.
Erhu led her to a shady spot beside the threshing ground. He moved over a battered table and a small stool.
“You can sit here,” Erhu said. “When they come to hand in their Labor Point slips, record them according to their names. Do you know the people in our brigade?”
“Some of them.”
“If you don’t recognize someone, ask me.” Erhu scratched his head again. “And there are people from the neighboring two brigades too. Their records have to be kept separately. Don’t mix them up.”
Su Wanqing nodded.
“Got it.”
Erhu stood there awkwardly, uncertain whether he should stay or leave.
After standing there for a while, he spoke again.
“Then… then you sit here for now. I’m going to work. If you need anything, call me.”
“Okay. Thank you, Brother Erhu.”
Erhu blushed again before turning around and running off.
Even after running quite a distance, he still looked back once.
Su Wanqing lowered her head and organized her notebook, separating the names from the three brigades into different lists.
As the sun climbed higher, the workers gradually arrived.
More and more people gathered at the threshing ground, and lines formed as they handed in their Labor Point slips.
Su Wanqing sat there recording them one by one.
Whenever someone stared at her a little too long, she would look up and smile.
The person would immediately look away as though burned.
The entire morning passed busily, but it was not tiring.
As the sun rose higher in the sky, the people working in the fields began taking their midday break.
Su Wanqing was recording numbers when she suddenly felt someone watching her.
She looked up and saw Lu Shiyan standing not far away.
He was wearing a faded gray undershirt with the sleeves rolled up to his shoulders. A hoe rested in his hand as he stood there motionless, staring at her.
Su Wanqing smiled at him before lowering her head and continuing her work.
Lu Shiyan froze for a moment.
Normally, whenever this girl saw him outside, she acted as though she did not know him and wished she could take a detour around him.
Why was she smiling at him today?
He remained where he was, watching her.
After recording the final slip, Su Wanqing looked up and found that he was still standing there.
After a moment’s thought, she stood up, smoothed her dress, and walked toward him.
Lu Shiyan watched her approach step by step, his brows gradually knitting together.
Dressed like this and wandering around the entire threshing ground, she had nearly made those young men’s eyes fall out of their sockets.
That kid Erhu had run over to the record table four or five times that morning, constantly inventing excuses to come by.
Su Wanqing stopped in front of him and tilted her face up.
“What are you looking at?”
Lu Shiyan lowered his eyes to her but said nothing.
He had no idea what she had put on her face. Her complexion was rosy and fair. He also had no idea where she had dug up that dress. Two buttons at the collar were left undone, revealing a small patch of her collarbone.
“Do I look pretty?” Su Wanqing asked again.
Lu Shiyan’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
“I’m talking to you.” Su Wanqing pouted. “You’ve been staring at me all morning. At least tell me whether I look good or not.”
Lu Shiyan’s voice was slightly hoarse.
“Dressed like that, aren’t you cold?”
Su Wanqing burst out laughing.
“It’s the middle of summer. Why would I be cold?”
She deliberately stepped closer.
Looking at her face as she moved nearer, Lu Shiyan caught a faint fragrance in the air.
It was not the scent of clam oil.
It was something much more pleasant.