How does he deserve to join the reserves?
Not a single member of the Coastal Defense Team was a freeloader.
Pei Yuncheng was simply daydreaming.
The more Song Zhuowei thought about it, the harsher his gaze became.
Under the blazing sun, the team members enduring the extra training behaved even more obediently.
No one dared attract his attention by making the slightest mistake.
…
Still simmering over Song Zhuowei’s rejection, Lin Xizhi returned to Aunt Hui’s house.
To her surprise, the first person she saw after entering was Pei Yunnuo.
“Yunnuo? What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be working at the pig farm?”
Pei Yunnuo smiled as if she’d just picked up a huge gold ingot, her grin stretching from ear to ear.
“Sister Xizhi, I don’t have to work at the pig farm anymore!”
“Aunt Hui said I can stay here from now on. I’ll just be responsible for sweeping the courtyard and sorting the medicinal herbs.”
“She also said I already have a foundation in herbal medicine and recognize all the different herbs in the house. But you’d have to start learning from scratch, and teaching you would be far too exhausting.”
“So from now on, you’ll only be responsible for cooking and washing clothes. I’ll help her gather herbs, prepare prescriptions, and make medicine.”
With a smug smile, she added,
“Don’t worry, Sister Xizhi. We’re practically family. I definitely won’t let you work too hard.”
Lin Xizhi looked skeptical.
“Master clearly said she’d teach me personally. Why would she suddenly change her mind?”
“Where is she? I want to ask her myself.”
Pei Yunnuo reached out to stop her.
“Sister Xizhi, you’ve been living here for two days already. You know Master Hui’s personality.”
“When she makes a decision, she never changes it. I wouldn’t dare lie about what she said.”
“And honestly, this arrangement makes sense.”
“Wherever you work in the brigade, jobs are assigned according to people’s abilities.”
“Before, she didn’t know I understood medicine, so she planned to teach you gradually.”
“But now that she has someone like me who can help immediately, she can save herself all that time and effort.”
She gently patted Lin Xizhi’s back.
“Don’t feel upset, Sister Xizhi, and don’t worry. I’ll teach you these herbs little by little in the future.”
“But you can’t get fat in one bite. You’ll have to be patient and take it slowly.”
Her eyes were filled with sly satisfaction, as though she’d stolen the whole world from Lin Xizhi.
Lin Xizhi simply went along with it and let out a heavy sigh.
“You’re right.”
“I really don’t know any of this.”
“I’m slow, too. I can’t remember all these herbs.”
“I honestly can’t tell which ones are poisonous and which ones aren’t.”
“With you helping Master, things will definitely be much easier for her.”
She even forced a cheerful smile.
“Actually, I should consider myself lucky.”
“It’s a good thing you were the one transferred here.”
“If it had been that Assistant Peng from today instead, who knows how badly she’d make my life.”
Pei Yunnuo immediately perked up.
“Who’s Assistant Peng?”
“How did she bully you?”
“It’s nothing.”
Lin Xizhi shook her head helplessly.
“This morning I heard people saying your brother had been taken by Captain Song from the Coastal Defense Team for physical training.”
“I was worried his body wouldn’t be able to handle it, so I went hoping to plead with Captain Song on his behalf.”
“But before I could even say anything, Assistant Peng publicly accused me of trying to get special treatment.”
“She even claimed I was using my looks to seduce Captain Song.”
“And she said I was two-timing that I was still thinking about your brother while refusing to let Captain Song go.”
Pei Yunnuo covered her mouth in surprise.
“Do all the young women around here like Captain Song?”
“Otherwise, why would they be so hostile toward the two of us sisters?”
“Sister Xizhi, don’t take what they said to heart!”
“They’re just jealous because they’ve never met anyone prettier than themselves. Their jealousy turned into hatred.”
Lin Xizhi looked at her in apparent surprise.
“That part actually makes sense…”
“But why haven’t you asked how your brother is doing?”
So much for that supposedly inseparable brother-and-sister bond.
When it really mattered, wasn’t it every person for themselves?
Pei Yunnuo was stunned for a few seconds before giving an awkward laugh.
“Sister Xizhi, don’t I know you well enough?”
“My brother must be fine.”
“If he weren’t, you definitely wouldn’t just ignore him, right?”
“In my heart, you’re not just my older sister anymore.”
“You’re already my future sister-in-law.”
“We’re family.”
“From now on, the two of us will stand together and never let those bad women in the brigade bully us again.”
Lin Xizhi merely nodded perfunctorily.
That evening, after dark, Pei Yunnuo acted spoiled with Aunt Hui.
“I’m tired. I want to go to bed early.”
In those days, production brigades hardly had any nighttime activities.
And since everyone in Widow Village treasured their reputations, once night fell, nearly every household shut its doors. There were hardly any people outside.
So other than sleeping early, there wasn’t much else to do.
There was nothing unusual about Pei Yunnuo wanting an early night.
But that left Lin Xizhi alone to deal with two large wooden basins full of dirty laundry.
Three entire sets belonged to Pei Yunnuo.
One was the outfit she’d changed out of after leaving the pig farm.
One was the set Aunt Hui had lent her, which she’d accidentally splashed with soup during dinner.
The last was a set she’d brought from the pig farm dormitory, saying she’d changed out of it yesterday but hadn’t had time to wash it.
Adding Aunt Hui’s clothes and Lin Xizhi’s own laundry made the pile enormous.
Sitting on a little wooden stool, Lin Xizhi stared at the mountain of dirty clothes.
Pei Yunnuo really had some nerve.
She actually treated me like her maid.
Just then, Aunt Hui walked over.
Seeing Lin Xizhi sitting there without moving, she immediately scolded,
“Hurry up and wash them! What are you daydreaming about?”
“It’s only a few more pieces than the last couple of days.”
“Don’t tell me you’re planning to protest by going on strike?”
“I’m telling you now not a single grain of rice in this house is free!”
“If you want to stay here, then you’d better work hard!”
Lowering her head, Lin Xizhi answered quietly,
“I understand, Master.”
“Hurry up!”
Aunt Hui glared fiercely.
“If all of us have gone to sleep and you’re still clanging around out here making noise, don’t blame me for yelling at you!”
“Yes…”
Inside the house, Pei Yunnuo lay by the window, watching as Lin Xizhi struggled to carry two buckets of water.
She soaked the dirty clothes…
Then patiently scrubbed away the stains one by one.
Watching this scene filled Pei Yunnuo with satisfaction.
Seeing Lin Xizhi living such a miserable life finally put her mind at ease.
It made all the suffering she’d endured over the past two days worthwhile.
Everything had been worth it.
Only when Aunt Hui was about to come back inside did Pei Yunnuo climb back into bed, turn to face the wall, and pretend to be asleep.
Aunt Hui’s cold eyes swept over her back.
She let out a quiet, mocking chuckle.
The difference between people…
Couldn’t have been more obvious.
Still…
Life was far more interesting now than when she’d been living all alone.
There would be plenty more excitement to come.