The morning chill was dispelled by the rising sun, and the damp scent of soil steamed up from the cornfield, mingling with the smells of grass and fertilizer.
The female educated youths bent down cautiously along the two rows of corn seedlings assigned to each of them.
Shen Qingyu looked at the weeds and corn seedlings growing almost intertwined, and took a deep breath.
She carefully pulled out the weeds first, clearing a patch of ground free of weeds and leaving only the corn seedlings.
Her gaze focused intently on the young seedlings before her. Her movements were not fast, but exceptionally steady. Her fingertips accurately pinched a slender, yellowish weak seedling, and with a deft lift of her wrist, the roots brought up a small clump of soil, leaving the sturdy seedling beside it completely unharmed.
Her steps also followed Zhang Mantun’s demonstration, her toes precisely landing in the depressions between the two rows, carefully avoiding the soft root areas of the seedlings.
However, not everyone was as smooth as she was.
Li Aihua stared at the dense corn seedlings and weeds, feeling utterly bewildered.
Her outstretched hand hovered uncertainly for a long time, unsure of what to do. She felt that all these corn seedlings looked the same, unable to tell which were sturdy and which were weak.
After hesitating for a while, she tremblingly pulled out one seedling. Looking at the corn seedling in her hand, then at the ones nearby, it seemed the ones beside her might be even weaker than the one she held.
Lost in hesitation, her feet unconsciously shifted, and she accidentally stepped on a sturdy seedling that had just been carefully left.
“Ah!”
She instinctively gasped softly, guiltily looking up toward Zhang Mantun on the field ridge.
Zhang Mantun took a puff of his pipe, his brows furrowed tightly. He didn’t speak, but the dissatisfaction in his eyes lashed out like a whip.
Liu Caifeng was somewhat clumsy, using too much force when pulling seedlings, bringing up a large clump of soil and splattering herself with dirt, drawing muffled laughter from the women working nearby who were watching the commotion.
Jiang Muxue struggled to maintain a calm expression, deliberately making her movements appear brisk. She pulled quickly, but upon closer inspection, one could see that some sturdy seedlings that should have been left were mistakenly pulled because they were slightly off-position, while some weak seedlings were left because they happened to look somewhat ‘sturdy.’
The corner of her eye constantly monitored the movements of Shen Qingyu, who was diagonally across from her.
Especially noticing Shen Qingyu’s composed and precise seedling-pulling, another wave of irritation rose in her heart.
What annoyed her even more was that Ji Yiqing’s male educated youth team was on the northern slope, far from where they were, and she couldn’t even catch a glimpse of him.
“Comrade Shen, you seem quite skilled. Did you do farm work at home before?”
Jiang Muxue’s voice came from across several rows of corn seedlings, carrying an intentionally amplified ‘curiosity’ in an attempt to break the ‘professional’ image Shen Qingyu’s focus had created.
Shen Qingyu didn’t even look up, her fingertips continuing their work without pause, her voice calm and steady: “Responding to the call, I went to a suburban farm to learn for a few days before coming here. Comrade Jiang is pulling quite quickly too.”
She paused, glanced back at Jiang Muxue, her gaze accurately sweeping over a clearly trampled and bent corn seedling near Jiang Muxue’s feet: “Watch your step. Damaging seedlings will lead to work-point deductions.”
Jiang Muxue looked down, her face instantly flushing bright red. She hurriedly tried to fix it, her heart seething with even greater resentment—she had been caught again!
Mu Yue was in the row next to Shen Qingyu. She first observed how Shen Qingyu worked, how she distinguished weak seedlings from sturdy ones.
She learned very earnestly. Though her movements were slow, they were careful, striving for accuracy.
At the same time, she also heard Shen Qingyu’s words and whispered, “Sister Shen, you really know a lot.”
Her tone carried genuine admiration.
“Take your time, just make sure you see clearly before pulling.”
Shen Qingyu smiled at her and pointed out a weak seedling nearby that was difficult to distinguish.
Mu Yue carefully pulled out the weak seedling and gave her a sweet, gentle smile.
Time passed slowly as they bent over, identified, pulled seedlings, and moved step by step.
The sun gradually rose higher, warming their backs until they felt hot.
This soon left the female educated youths, who had never experienced such high-intensity physical labor, with sore backs and aching muscles. Sweat trickled down their temples, dampening their hair.
Li Aihua was the first to give in, exhausted as she pounded her lower back, unable to hold back a low sigh: “My back… feels like it’s breaking…”
Liu Caifeng was also thoroughly worn out, her movements growing slower and slower.
Jiang Muxue felt her arms aching and swollen, her breathing becoming labored, and sweat blurring her eyelashes.
She raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her eyes with her sleeve, gritted her teeth, and persisted. She didn’t want to show weakness in front of Shen Qingyu.
Lifting her head to look at Shen Qingyu’s position, she saw fine beads of sweat on her forehead as well, but her rhythm of movement remained almost unchanged.
Her composure filled Jiang Muxue with both envy and resentment. How could she hold on for so long?
Of course, Shen Qingyu was tired too. This body was originally delicate, and even though she had been using Spatial Spring Water to recuperate since crossing over, and her constitution had noticeably improved, suddenly facing such prolonged, meticulous farmwork involving constant bending was still physically and mentally exhausting.
Fortunately, there was no rule against stopping to drink water during work. The military canteen hanging at her waist was filled with Spatial Spring Water.
After pulling out a weak seedling, Shen Qingyu picked up the canteen, unscrewed the cap, and took a large gulp of the cool, refreshing spring water.
A warm, gentle flow instantly spread from her throat to every part of her body, like sweet rain nourishing parched land.
It dispelled the soreness in her muscles and the fatigue in her mind, even clearing her head, which had been baking under the sun.
Though it couldn’t completely eliminate her exhaustion, it was enough to keep her working efficiently.
After putting away the canteen, she continued with her task.
Zhang Mantun wasn’t unaware of Shen Qingyu’s actions, but he didn’t say anything.
“Ah!” A sudden exclamation came from Jiang Muxue’s direction, sounding somewhat deliberate.
She was holding her forehead, swaying slightly, her face pale and her voice weak: “I… I feel a bit dizzy…”
Her outburst immediately caught everyone’s attention.
Zhang Mantun stood up and looked over, his brow furrowed.
Li Aihua and Liu Caifeng also stopped what they were doing, their faces showing concern.
Jiang Muxue leaned on her knees, breathing somewhat rapidly, but her gaze drifted toward Shen Qingyu, carrying a hint of barely noticeable provocation and calculation—though she was genuinely tired.
She was even more convinced that Shen Qingyu was more exhausted than she was, especially since Shen Qingyu had maintained an almost unchanged pace for so long.
She refused to believe Shen Qingyu was made of iron! As long as Shen Qingyu also showed signs of struggling or reacted indifferently to her “discomfort,” Jiang Muxue could make something out of it.
Shen Qingyu stopped what she was doing, turned to look at Jiang Muxue, and met her eyes, clearly catching the glint of calculation in them.
She couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. Jiang Muxue really never missed an opportunity to scheme against her.
He then appropriately showed a hint of just-right concern on his face: “Comrade Jiang, are you too tired? Why don’t you go sit on the ridge and rest for a while? Have some water to catch your breath.”