Early the next morning, for once, Qin Laidi didn’t wake up early. In her hazy state, she felt as if she had returned to a familiar place. Outside the window, the big pear tree swayed in the wind, rustling…
“Third Sister, why aren’t you up yet?” Suddenly, a round little head poked in through the crack of the door, with two fluffy yellow braids sticking up.
Qin Laidi quickly rubbed her eyes. She had been reborn—no longer the lonely old woman relying on Old He for help. Narrowing her eyes, she said, “Pandi?”
The girl hadn’t come back last night. It was said that the school had organized students to go to a county farm for labor practice, and they stayed there, only returning this morning. Back then, students barely had classes in a week; most of their time was spent on labor, bringing their own food and bedding, staying for half a month at a time.
The little girl seemed slightly surprised, her eyes carrying a mature, appraising look. It felt like Third Sister was a bit strange today, as if she hadn’t seen her in a long time and didn’t recognize her right away.
“Here, Grandma made some porridge.”
Calling it porridge was generous—it was really just a mix of dried sweet potato pieces and rice bran, not a single grain of rice in sight. It couldn’t even stay in the stomach for long.
Qin Laidi gently patted Pandi’s small head. Soft and round. Though already nine years old, she looked only six or seven due to long-term malnutrition. Even her teeth hadn’t fully changed yet, like a little hamster staring eagerly.
After their mother gave birth to Qin Laidi posthumously, she passed away not long after. Pandi wasn’t actually their blood-related sister, but a child Qin Guihua had picked up in the mountains during a heavy snowstorm. Back then, the little girl had been frozen purple, barely breathing like a dying kitten. After years of raising her, she gradually took on traits of the Qin family—especially those big eyes.
As for the name “Pandi,” it was probably Qin Guihua’s lifelong obsession.
Qin Laidi looked at her eyes—round and large, taking up nearly a third of her face. Unfortunately, they lacked the clarity and liveliness typical of children.
Villagers said the girl looked dull, always squinting when looking at people. Especially at night, she couldn’t see anything at all, as if her mind wasn’t very sharp.
But in truth, Pandi wasn’t stupid at all—she was extremely smart. Even though she barely attended school, she always scored full marks in math. Even in middle school subjects like physics, chemistry, and biology, she scored perfectly—a true little prodigy.
It was only later, after Qin Laidi became a doctor, that she realized this was typical night blindness. Back in the village, no one understood or took it seriously. Before she even turned thirty, her left eye went completely blind, leaving her to rely on a severely nearsighted right eye to survive.
With poor eyesight, a small stature, no parents, and caring for a lonely old grandmother, Qin Pandi chose never to date or marry. After sending her grandmother off, she went to a nearby nunnery and lived in seclusion.
“Third Sister, what’s wrong?” Pandi asked, squinting as usual and tilting her head up.
“Nothing, just missed our little fourth.”
Pandi didn’t believe her. She wrinkled her nose, thought for a moment, then nodded like a little adult. “Mm, Third Sister has become more sensible after getting married.”
So marriage cures immaturity, huh.
“Pfft… where did you learn to sound so old-fashioned? By the way, is our rice jar empty?”
In truth, it was partly her own fault. In her previous life, after getting married, the Zhao family sent plenty of rice and flour. Old Madam Zhao even took her into the city to make two new outfits. Immersed in the joy of marriage, she forgot about her family’s situation. After following the army, she barely came back once or twice a year. Each time, her grandmother said they had enough to eat and didn’t need her to worry.
Now, she was the pillar of this family. She couldn’t let her grandmother and Pandi go hungry anymore.
Pandi looked confused. “The rice jar’s been empty for a long time. Don’t you know? Last time we even asked Second Sister to send some grain, but she probably forgot again.”
The current situation was that the Qin family had no work points, no money, and could only rely on the basic grain rations. Qin Laidi remembered what He Liansheng had left yesterday and quickly took it out from under her pillow. There were fifteen yuan in total and a few national grain coupons—this was already squeezed out from his own rations.
“Third Brother-in-law is so good. He knows to give us money. He’s better than First and Second Brother-in-law,” the little girl said cleverly. When she came home and saw Grandma counting money, she knew yesterday’s “Third Brother-in-law” had given sixty yuan—probably the bride price. The others hadn’t given any.
Qin Laidi, perhaps because of her rebirth, felt younger at heart and pouted like a young girl. “Of course. From now on, every cent he earns has to be handed over to me.”
Otherwise, what—save it for health supplements? Hmph, that old man was foolish.
“What’s a health supplement?”
Qin Laidi quickly brushed it off, got dressed, and stepped outside, surveying the yard.
The Qin family was considered poor in the village. Their ancestors had once been prosperous, but after Qin Guihua’s husband, in-laws, son, and daughter-in-law all fell ill and died one after another, everything that could be sold was sold. Most of the house and land had been exchanged away, leaving only a narrow, small room squeezed between neighbors. The remaining seven or eight square meters of open space barely counted as a yard.
A small mud-brick shed against the wall served as the kitchen. The whole family lived, ate, and slept in that single room. There was only one kang bed, which often couldn’t stay warm in winter, leaving them freezing awake at night.
Such a house was worse than city dormitories. No wonder villagers mocked them. Neighbors often took advantage to encroach on their space. As a household of old and weak women, they couldn’t fight back.
The origin of Qin Laidi’s nickname “Little Chili Pepper” came from when she was twelve. Her grandmother was bedridden, and to prevent neighbors from seizing their yard, she stood at the wall holding a kitchen knife, declaring that anyone who took even an inch would see blood. When provoked, she truly injured someone’s hand.
Such a young girl, skinny and frail, yet with fierce determination in her eyes. After that, neighbors restrained themselves somewhat.
Another time, when a local thug targeted her elder sister and tried to climb over the wall at night, Qin Laidi chased him off with a knife, scaring him senseless. From then on, everyone in the surrounding villages knew she was not to be messed with.
Though her reputation was bad, she gained many admirers. Not just her sisters, but even the village children followed her lead.
Wherever Qin Laidi went, Pandi followed closely, holding half a bowl of rice bran porridge, trembling carefully. If even a drop spilled, she would gasp in pain and quickly lick it clean.
The dried sweet potatoes in the cellar had been stored too long, already moldy, hard, and tasteless. Even though Qin Laidi was hungry, she had no appetite. “Let’s eat together.”
The sisters shared the porridge, one sip each. Before they could even put down the bowl, someone shouted urgently from the door, “Is Laidi home?”
“Yes, what is it?” Qin Guihua was alert. Who was this, coming right at mealtime?
It was Xiao Liu, the production team’s scorekeeper. “Emergency! Auntie, quickly send Laidi to the back mountain—the piglets born yesterday are in trouble!”
It turned out that the twenty piglets born yesterday had been left overnight in the care of the team accountant. But he lacked experience and didn’t check on them frequently. By morning, two piglets had been crushed to death by the sow.
The loss saddened the entire village. Two future fat pigs—gone! Next year’s dumplings were ruined!
The team leader and secretary were frantic. Fortunately, Wang Lifen suggested letting Laidi take charge as the sow caretaker. Since she knew how to assist births, she would know how to care for them. Animals were like people—if the first postpartum period wasn’t handled well, future pregnancies would be difficult.
Everyone was counting not only on this litter but on many more to come.
After hearing everything, Qin Laidi felt some regret, but what she lacked most right now wasn’t sympathy—it was food.
“Brother Liu, you know our situation. If I go help, no one in my family will earn work points. My grandma and Pandi…”
The implication was clear.
“It’s fine. The leader and secretary said that if you go and work night shifts, you’ll get twenty work points a day.”
Twenty work points! That was what two strong laborers earned in two days!
But Qin Guihua firmly said, “That won’t do. Night shifts require constant vigilance. It should be at least thirty work points.”
Xiao Liu panicked. “That’s… that’s too much!”
“If no one can stay awake all night, then find someone else.”
Xiao Liu was speechless.
“And,” Qin Guihua added, “work points are only redeemed at the end of the year. Our family can’t even afford food now. Give us grain today.”
Other families struggled too, but at least they could eat coarse porridge. The Qin family could only eat bran—and even that sparingly.
Qin Guihua never delayed claiming benefits. Besides, they now had support. “You know my grandson-in-law, Comrade Xiao He? He works in Haicheng. Don’t think you can bully us like before.”
“Auntie, let’s not talk about your grandson-in-law… you’re really asking too much. The team doesn’t have that much grain on hand…”
Qin Guihua remained calm.
Yesterday, she wasn’t sure about Laidi’s abilities. Today, she was certain—and the team needed her. She wasn’t foolish.
After much persuasion, Xiao Liu finally calculated that half a month of work would equal 450 work points, convertible into 45 jin of coarse grain.
“Alright, it’s settled. I’ll bring the grain later.”
Thus, under Qin Guihua’s firm instructions, Qin Laidi returned to the pigsty once more and officially became the first dedicated female sow caretaker in the village’s history.