After a morning of work, the whistle signaling the end of the shift finally sounded.
Lin Peiru straightened her back and felt like her whole body was falling apart.
She looked down at her hands.
Good heavens—the blisters on her palms had grown even larger. Two of them had even burst, exposing raw skin mixed with blood and tissue fluid. It was a shocking sight.
Wang Wenqing walked over. The moment she saw Lin Peiru’s hands, she gasped sharply.
“Oh my god! Comrade Lin! What happened to your hands?!”
She couldn’t believe her eyes.
This new comrade really was… full of fighting spirit!
The team leader also came over after hearing the commotion. He leaned in and took one look, completely stunned.
“Oh no! Comrade Lin, I know you’re enthusiastic, but you can’t push yourself like this!”
“How are you going to work tomorrow with hands like these?”
Lin Peiru felt a little embarrassed under their gaze, her cheeks slightly red.
“It’s fine. I brought some medicinal ointment from home. I’ll apply it when I get back.”
The team leader looked at her—though she was clearly in pain and grimacing, her eyes were still bright and clear, without any sign of crying or complaining. His impression of her immediately improved.
He grinned, showing a row of white teeth.
“Alright! I like your attitude!”
“Let’s do this—don’t come this afternoon. Go back and rest properly. Let your hands heal, and come back tomorrow.”
He paused, then added:
“Originally, today’s task was only worth three work points. We just wanted you to get a feel for it.”
“Don’t underestimate it—it’s simple work, but in previous years, most female educated youths couldn’t even finish it on their first day.”
“Most of them couldn’t last half a day before collapsing and crying at the field’s edge, begging to go back to the city. Everyone goes through that.”
“I didn’t expect you, young comrade, to not only have strong ideals but also real determination in action!”
As he spoke, he gave her a thumbs-up.
“Your body is just a bit delicate. One morning of corn-picking and your hands ended up like this.”
“But that’s okay! Your spirit is commendable! You’ll get used to it over time!”
Lin Peiru hesitated for a moment but didn’t refuse the kindness.
She wasn’t unreasonable.
Having ambition was good—but in this condition, forcing herself would no longer look like strength to others, but foolishness.
“Then… thank you, team leader.”
She grinned, carefully pulling her hands back. The pain made her gasp, but she still forced out a grateful smile.
“That’s more like it!”
The team leader nodded in satisfaction and reminded her a few more times to rest before leaving to organize the others.
Wang Wenqing also came over. Looking at her badly injured hands, she felt both sympathy and helplessness.
“Let me walk you back.”
“No, no, Team Leader Wang, you go ahead. I can go back on my own,” Lin Peiru quickly refused, not wanting to delay anyone.
She looked at her hands again—calm but unpanicked.
After all, she still had the special ointment Huo Yunqiao gave her yesterday. She could just apply it when she got back.
What a coincidence.
By now it was almost noon. The scorching sun hung high in the sky, and workers were already heading back along the dirt paths to eat.
Lin Peiru followed the familiar route toward the Huo family home.
From a distance, she immediately spotted a familiar tall figure.
It was Huo Yunshen.
He was walking toward her with his head slightly lowered, clearly also heading home.
Her eyes lit up instantly, and the frustration from her pain faded a lot.
Without thinking, she raised her uninjured arm and waved energetically at his back.
“Comrade Huo Yunshen!”
Her voice was clear and bright, full of unrestrained enthusiasm.
Huo Yunshen’s body visibly stiffened.
He slowly lifted his head.
Sunlight filtered through the branches of the locust tree, casting broken shadows across his sharp, cold face, making him look slightly distant and unreal.
His gaze immediately landed on her hands.
The moment he saw the torn, bloodied palms, his usually expressionless face darkened instantly.
A storm seemed to rise in his deep eyes, and his expression tightened sharply.
He stopped walking and waited for her to approach.
Those deep, unreadable eyes stared straight at her, as if trying to see through her completely.
Lin Peiru felt a little uneasy under his gaze, but then she thought—she hadn’t done anything wrong. Why should she be afraid of him?
So she straightened her chest and held out her injured hands, palms up, showing them openly.
“Look!” she sniffed dramatically, forcing a pitiful expression as if she might cry. Her voice softened into something delicate and plaintive.
“I went to pick corn today. Just one morning, and my hands ended up like this.”
“It hurts so much!”
Huo Yunshen lowered his gaze to her bloody palms, his brows furrowing even deeper.
The soft flesh was torn and mixed with blood and dirt—it was a distressing sight.
But the words that came out of his mouth were cold and sharp, like shards of ice:
“Picking corn is already the easiest job in the production team.”
Lin Peiru’s expression froze.
She had expected comfort—at least a word of concern, or even just a look of sympathy.
Instead, she got this.
Huo Yunshen raised his eyes and looked at her steadily.
“If you can’t even handle this much hardship, you should find a way to go back to the city as soon as possible.”
“This place isn’t suitable for you.”
Lin Peiru was completely stunned.
Looking at his cold face and emotionless eyes, a wave of anger suddenly surged from her chest.
How could he be like this?!
She worked so hard all morning, her hands were raw and bleeding, and instead of caring, he was throwing cold remarks at her!
She puffed up her cheeks in anger like an irritated pufferfish.
With a heavy “hmph,” she turned her head away, refusing to look at him.
Huo Yunshen saw her angry expression and mistakenly thought she was in too much pain. The unease in his heart rose again.
His hand by his side unconsciously clenched into a fist.
After a moment, he awkwardly turned his head away and said stiffly:
“Didn’t Yunqiao give you the ointment?”
“That medicine… works well.”
He paused, then added, a bit awkwardly:
“Don’t waste her kindness.”
Lin Peiru, still sulking, replied coldly:
“I know.”
She shook her hand slightly, trying to ease the burning pain, but even the smallest movement made her wince.
Out of the corner of his eye, Huo Yunshen noticed her grimacing.
His heart tightened again—worried, but unsure what to say.
Pressing his lips together, he simply turned around and strode quickly toward home.