“So, starting today, I’m going to earn the full number of work points.”
“I’m going to show everyone that there are no cowards in the Shen family.”
“A strong laborer can earn ten work points in a day. Then I, Cheng An’an, must earn the full ten work points today!”
After saying all that, Cheng An’an was almost moved to tears by her own speech.
This level of political awareness, this ideological elevation—if this were the present day, wouldn’t she practically qualify to be a political commissar?
Wang Xiulan was completely stunned by her words.
Ten work points!
That was what the strongest laborers in the village could earn only after working from dawn until dusk and practically exhausting themselves.
And An’an had such thin arms and delicate legs.
Wasn’t she practically throwing herself into a life-or-death struggle?!
“An’an, what are you doing?”
Wang Xiulan grabbed Cheng An’an’s hand.
“You’re going to be the death of your mother. I don’t need you to earn that many work points. All I want is for you to be safe and sound.”
Cheng An’an clasped her mother-in-law’s hand with deep emotion.
“Mom, don’t try to persuade me. I’ve made up my mind.”
“For Shen Yu, for this family, I’m willing to endure any hardship.”
Inside the room, Shen Yu, lying on the bed, heard every word of their conversation.
He sneered inwardly.
Putting on an act.
She was really good at putting on an act.
And she wanted to earn ten work points? She probably had no idea what that actually meant.
This woman lied without even needing to think about it.
He wanted to see how she was going to handle things that afternoon!
Suddenly—
The paralyzing sensation he hated with all his heart vanished in an instant.
In its place came the feeling of being completely free to move.
Then he realized he was standing in the main room.
His hand was still tightly clasped in Wang Xiulan’s.
And in his ears came Wang Xiulan’s tearful, deeply comforted voice.
“An’an, with those words from you, Mom could die without regrets. Our Shen family must have accumulated great blessings in our ancestors’ lifetimes to have married such a wonderful daughter-in-law.”
Shen Yu: ???
What happened?
Had they switched back again?!
He painfully turned his neck and looked toward the inner room.
On the bed, the woman who had just sworn that she would earn the full ten work points and hold up the entire family was now lying sprawled out completely flat.
She had even adjusted the position of her head for maximum comfort and let out a satisfied sigh.
Shen Yu’s temples throbbed violently.
Damn it. This woman had dumped the mess on him again!
She had made the promise with her own mouth, but now she expected him to fulfill it using her body!
“CHENG! AN! AN!”
Shen Yu seemed to catch fire from head to toe, his entire head practically smoking.
“An’an, what did you say?” Wang Xiulan hadn’t heard him clearly. She wiped away her tears and looked at him lovingly.
“Nothing.”
Shen Yu’s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.
What could he say?
If he said he wasn’t going, wouldn’t that shatter the hope his mother had just begun to have?
How could he possibly bring himself to say that?
It was only then that he noticed something was wrong.
Strange.
He had done heavy labor all morning, and this body should have been exhausted to the point of falling apart.
But now…
He moved his arms and kicked his legs.
His lower back didn’t ache anymore.
His legs didn’t hurt anymore.
There wasn’t the slightest trace of soreness or pain anywhere on his body.
How was this possible?
Even his own body, tempered through years of grueling training, couldn’t recover this quickly after such intense physical labor.
What exactly was strange about Cheng An’an’s body?
Shen Yu’s brows drew tightly together as a deep sense of suspicion rose in his heart.
“An’an, what’s wrong? Are you too tired to speak?”
Seeing that her “daughter-in-law” had remained silent for so long and was merely moving her arms and legs around, Wang Xiulan assumed she was completely exhausted and felt so sorry for her that tears began falling again.
“Come on, go back to your room and rest with Mom. You’re not allowed to go anywhere.”
Wang Xiulan grabbed Shen Yu and tried to drag him toward Cheng An’an’s little bed.
“No.”
After discovering this strange phenomenon, Shen Yu wanted even more to go back to work.
He wanted to figure out exactly what was going on with this body’s recovery ability.
The best way to test it was to continue putting it through intense physical exertion.
Shen Yu raised his head and met Wang Xiulan’s worried gaze, his eyes filled with unprecedented determination.
“Mom, I’m fine.”
“I said I would do it, and I will.”
“I’m determined to earn those work points this afternoon!”
As soon as the whistle signaling the afternoon work shift sounded, the villagers carried their farming tools and headed toward the wheat fields in small groups.
Several strong laborers gathered together, smoking dry tobacco as they quietly discussed among themselves.
“Do you think Cheng An’an can earn the full ten work points today?”
“Hard to say. People are most likely to slack off in the afternoon. She forced herself to work that hard this morning because she had something to prove. She’ll definitely run out of steam this afternoon.”
“I think she can. You didn’t see her this morning—swish, swish, swish! Even I, a grown man, felt intimidated watching her.”
One of them was named Zhao Tiezhu, the village’s record holder for the fastest wheat cutting.
He blew out a ring of smoke and glanced sideways at Shen Yu in the distance, a hint of unwillingness in his voice.
“How much strength can a woman possibly have? Everyone was just going easy on her this morning. This afternoon, I’ll show her what real skill looks like.”
As soon as he said this, several men around him immediately chimed in.
“Right, Brother Tiezhu. You’d better show your real skills this afternoon. Don’t let some woman steal the spotlight from us.”
“Show her what us men are capable of.”
When they reached the wheat field, Zhao Tiezhu walked straight up to Shen Yu. He pointed with his chin toward the largest patch of wheat nearby and called out loudly,
“Cheng An’an, dare to compete with me?”
The entire scene immediately erupted.
Zhao Tiezhu was openly challenging her.
“Compete in what?” Shen Yu raised his eyes and asked calmly.
“Cutting wheat.” Zhao Tiezhu puffed out his chest. “From this end to that end. Whoever finishes first wins. If you lose, you have to admit in front of everyone that women are inferior to men.”
His words were deliberately provocative, and the men around them immediately cheered.
Wang Xiulan panicked and hurriedly grabbed her “daughter-in-law’s” arm.
“An’an, don’t pay any attention to him. He’s a grown man competing against a woman. Doesn’t he have any shame?”
“What? Afraid?” Zhao Tiezhu sneered contemptuously. “If you’re scared, admit defeat now. Don’t embarrass yourself here.”
Shen Yu pulled his arm free from Wang Xiulan’s grasp and calmly looked at Zhao Tiezhu.
“The stakes.”
Zhao Tiezhu froze.
“What stakes?”
“If there are no stakes, why would I waste my time competing with you?”
Shen Yu’s tone was filled with the disdainful implication: Are you stupid?
“You—”
Zhao Tiezhu was momentarily speechless. His face quickly flushed red.
“Fine! We’ll make a bet. If I lose, all my work points for today go to you. If I win, all your work points go to me.”
“Not enough.”
Shen Yu shook his head.
“Then what else do you want?”
“You, plus those two.”
Shen Yu casually pointed at the two men beside Zhao Tiezhu who had been cheering the loudest.
“You three compete against me. If I lose, all my work points go to you. If I win, all three of your work points belong to me.”
One against three?!
The entire wheat field fell silent.
Everyone stared at “Cheng An’an” as though she had gone completely insane.
Had the sun baked her brain?
Zhao Tiezhu alone was more than enough to handle her, yet she actually dared challenge all three of them at once?