Lin Wanwan found a shady spot where the sun could not reach. After carefully checking the surroundings and confirming there were no snakes, insects, or rats nearby, she finally set down her basket and sat down to rest.
The midday sun grew increasingly fierce, making it hard for people to keep their eyes open.
Yingzi returned carrying a basket packed full of pig grass. She swept her gaze around and spotted Lin Wanwan lazily resting in the shade.
Frowning, she walked over and asked flatly: “Where’s the other person?”
“Hm? Ah…” Lin Wanwan had been feeling drowsy. Hearing the voice, she struggled to open her sleepy eyes. Her still-half-asleep voice sounded exceptionally soft and sweet. “I don’t know. Right after you left, she left too. She’s probably somewhere nearby.”
Yingzi’s frown deepened.
“Where’s your basket?”
“Mmm, it’s right there.” Lin Wanwan let out a delicate yawn, wiped away the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes, and pointed beside her.
Yingzi followed the direction of her finger and saw a basket filled to the brim with pig grass. Surprise flashed across her face.
She had assumed this delicate educated youth from the city had been slacking off the whole time. She had not expected that despite looking as though she could neither carry nor lift anything heavy, she actually worked quite efficiently and had managed to cut a full basket of pig grass.
Yingzi withdrew her gaze.
“I’ll find the other person, then we’ll head back together.”
“Okay.”
Lin Wanwan agreed with a smile and watched Yingzi walk away carrying a basket that looked even bigger than she was, moving with remarkable ease.
This girl was really amazing!
She stood up and stretched lazily. As she moved, the shirt tucked into her trousers slipped free, revealing a small section of fair skin.
Finally, they could go back down the mountain~
Although the scenery on the mountain was beautiful, she kept worrying that another snake might suddenly shoot out from the grass. It was definitely better to get down the mountain as soon as possible.
Lin Wanwan walked over to her basket and grabbed the rope, preparing to carry it down the mountain.
She pulled—
Uh… it would not budge.
This was bad. She had packed it too full, and with her limited strength, she could not lift it!
So when Yingzi returned with a displeased-looking Xu Wen, they saw Lin Wanwan standing beside her basket looking somewhat helpless.
“Yingzi!”
An innocent smile hung on Lin Wanwan’s face. Her eyes curved into crescent moons as she blinked and spoke in a sweet voice.
“Well… I packed it too full. I can’t carry it.”
Yingzi: “…”
Without saying a word, Yingzi walked straight over to the basket and transferred more than half of the pig grass into her own basket.
She even stuffed some into Xu Wen’s basket.
Xu Wen immediately objected.
“Don’t put it in mine! I’m not carrying anything for her!”
“Then tomorrow I’ll tell the Team Leader to let you join those female educated youths in fertilizing and weeding.”
Yingzi glanced at her coldly.
“Anyway, you’re no help here. All you do is slack off.”
“…I’ll carry it!”
Xu Wen’s expression froze. Grinding her teeth, she stomped her foot resentfully.
No matter how foolish she was, she knew cutting pig grass was far easier than fertilizing and weeding crops. However, as she lifted her basket, she shot Lin Wanwan a vicious glare.
“Why are you pretending to be so hardworking?”
Lin Wanwan completely ignored Xu Wen. She lifted her now much lighter basket and carried it onto her back.
It was indeed lighter, but the ropes dug into her shoulders and constantly rubbed against them as she walked. A dull ache gradually spread through her shoulders.
She wanted to give up a little, but when she looked up and saw Yingzi ahead of her, almost completely hidden behind the mountain of pig grass in her basket, she gritted her teeth and persevered.
That little girl was carrying so much and had not complained once.
If she started whining about being tired, that would be far too embarrassing.
Just a little longer.
Come on, Lin Wanwan. You can do it!
After delivering the harvested pig grass to its destination, Lin Wanwan rubbed her sore arms and returned to the Educated Youth Residence.
Thin streams of white smoke drifted from the chimney above the kitchen.
Fang Yun and the other two had already returned as well.
“Why does the room smell so awful?” Xu Wen frowned as soon as she entered. Covering her nose with a look of disgust, she said: “Which one of you just used the latrine? Couldn’t you air yourselves out outside before coming back in? It stinks!”
Lin Wanwan smelled it too. Instinctively holding her breath, she stood in the doorway, reluctant to enter.
“You think we wanted this? Don’t even mention it!”
Fang Yun looked embarrassed for a moment before frowning and speaking irritably.
“We had to fertilize the crops, and we had to carry the manure ourselves…”
At that point, she could not continue. Her face turned slightly pale as an unpleasant image surfaced in her mind. Turning her head, she dry-heaved.
Lu Zhaodi’s expression was not much better.
Only Shan Miaoyi sat on the edge of her bed, looking completely unaffected.
Sympathy appeared on Lin Wanwan’s face.
They even had to carry the manure themselves. That was far too miserable.
If it had been her…
She would rather give up the work points entirely than carry manure.
The situation was so pitiful that even Xu Wen could not think of anything sarcastic to say. She merely rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath.
Lunch was still the same two dishes as before, except an extra plate of wild vegetables had been added. Because there were so few seasonings available, the vegetables tasted intensely bitter.
They were so bitter that Lin Wanwan almost spat out the custard buns she had eaten that morning.
Her entire face scrunched up, and she could barely force herself to eat.
The others had worked all day and were already starving. No matter how terrible the food tasted, they stuffed it into their mouths, devouring it ravenously.
In the end, Lin Wanwan gave her portion to Fang Yun again.
After the meal, Zhao Chuan told them,
“Tonight, Educated Youth Wu will teach you how to tend the fire and cook. Our rule here is that everyone takes turns cooking for three days at a time. For now, you don’t need to cook. Just focus on learning properly.”
Lin Wanwan glanced at the large earthen stove nearby and became even more determined to move out of the Educated Youth Residence.
After lunch, they had an hour and a half for their midday break.
Returning to her room, she opened her suitcase and took out a carton of Zhonghua cigarettes that Father Lin had prepared for her. It was quite expensive—more than ten yuan per carton—and contained ten packs.
Father Lin had originally told her to bring two cartons, but Lin Wanwan felt that one carton was enough for the Liu family.
Besides the cigarettes, she added an unopened package of peach pastries, a small bag of White Rabbit milk candies, and a bag of the cheapest fruit candies.
That should be enough, right?
Carrying the bag, Lin Wanwan left the Educated Youth Residence and walked along the country path.
At lunchtime, thin plumes of smoke rose from the chimneys of every household. The aroma of food drifted through the air.
Her memory was excellent. Recalling Liu Genfu’s directions, she navigated through the winding paths.
Most of the homes in Hongxin Brigade were mud houses. As she walked, she looked around curiously. Suddenly, her eyes landed on a slightly better house—half built of gray bricks and half still made of mud.
Although it was not attractive, compared to the uniformly mud-built houses surrounding it, having even one brick room already made it seem quite impressive.
She withdrew her gaze and continued walking.
A few minutes later, she finally arrived at the Liu family’s home.
The Liu family also lived in a mud house. Several dirty children stood in the small courtyard outside. Voices of adults chatting drifted from inside, though they were too far away to hear clearly.
Lin Wanwan exchanged glances with the grimy children and raised her voice.
“Is Uncle Liu home?”
The children immediately mimicked her words, giggling as they shouted,
“Is Uncle Liu home? Is Uncle Liu home?”
Liu Genfu walked out of the main room and opened the wooden gate to the courtyard.
“The girl’s here! Come in, come in.” He greeted her warmly. “Have you eaten lunch yet?”
After speaking, he glared at the two children making a commotion nearby.
“I already ate.” Lin Wanwan replied with a bright smile. She handed him the bag she was carrying. “Uncle Liu, my father asked me to bring these for you. I heard you’ve just welcomed two grandsons. Originally, I wanted to bring two tins of malted milk essence, but my suitcase was too full, so I couldn’t fit them.”
Liu Genfu accepted the bag, his smile widening.
“Your father really is something, making you bring all this stuff.”
His eyes casually swept over the contents of the bag and immediately spotted the carton of Zhonghua cigarettes. His eyes lit up even more.
Turning toward the house, he shouted,
“Wife! Hurry and make a cup of sweet water for Miss Lin! Quickly!”