After finishing her makeup, Lin Ruxia looked at herself and, seeing that she now resembled her original appearance again, finally felt at ease before leaving the space.
Back in her room, she saw it was already around ten o’clock. She wasn’t in a hurry to start cooking, so she decided to go find Song Father and ask about the blacksmith.
But she didn’t know where the blacksmith lived. The children were either out playing or working, so she had no choice but to go outside and ask around.
As soon as she stepped out, she saw her neighbor, Aunt Li. Aunt Li had just finished work and hurried back to cook. As she was about to open her door, she sensed someone looking at her. Turning around, she saw Lin Ruxia and immediately assumed she was being mocked—after all, Lin Ruxia didn’t need to work but still had money, and had even bought such a large estate, while she herself had to rush home to continue working even after finishing her shift.
“What are you looking at? Think you’re so great just because you bought an estate? Hmph, I’m telling you, you’ll suffer for it later!” she snapped before slamming the door behind her.
Today, even without going out, Lin Ruxia had already become a hot topic in the village—because she had bought the former landlord’s estate. The villagers were split into two camps: one thought she made the right decision, while the other believed she shouldn’t have bought it. Either way, she had become the center of gossip.
Watching Aunt Li’s behavior, Lin Ruxia was momentarily stunned. She decided not to ask her and would wait until Song Mother returned instead.
Song Mother hadn’t come back yet, but Second Sister-in-law’s family had. Seeing Lin Ruxia standing at the door, Second Sister-in-law assumed she was idle and came out to talk.
“Third Sister-in-law, now that you’ve bought that estate, you probably don’t have much money left, right? You should go work in the fields. You’ve got so many children to raise. If they all go to school in the future, that’s three to four hundred a semester—such a heavy burden!” she said.
In her view, a woman should dedicate everything to her family, plan for the future, and prioritize her sons above all else—even if it meant exhausting herself.
“Second Sister-in-law, thank you. But I know my situation. I’m really not cut out for fieldwork—if I went, I’d probably do worse than a child, and I’d be exhausted,” Lin Ruxia replied. She didn’t dislike her—just thought her mindset was problematic.
She had no intention of changing her thinking. Besides, there was still Sanya, the story’s heroine.
“No one is born knowing how to work! Life teaches you. If you don’t start now, in a year or two, you won’t be able to survive!” Second Sister-in-law insisted.
She wasn’t wrong—the original owner of this body had indeed struggled after the family split, and eventually even sold her children while trying to escape to the city.
“Mm, I understand,” Lin Ruxia said perfunctorily. She knew she needed a way to earn money—but definitely not by farming.
“That’s right! Now that we’re mothers, we have to think of our children first…” Second Sister-in-law continued her lecture.
Lin Ruxia felt she’d be perfectly suited for motivational speeches—or even brainwashing sessions—and suddenly understood how difficult it would be for Sanya to change her.
“Second Sister-in-law, do you know where the blacksmith lives?” Lin Ruxia quickly interrupted.
“Huh? The blacksmith?” she paused, then replied, “Go past the educated youth residence and walk about a hundred meters.”
“Got it, thanks! I have something to do, so I’ll go now,” Lin Ruxia said, quickly leaving before she could be stopped.
She headed toward the educated youth residence and soon found the blacksmith’s house. It was easy to spot—there weren’t many houses along the road, and his was a large mud-brick house.
“Lin Educated Youth, what brings you here?” a scholarly-looking young man asked in surprise—it was Feng, one of the newly arrived educated youths.
“Feng Educated Youth?” Lin Ruxia almost didn’t recognize him. The last time she saw him, he looked refined—but now he was covered in mud and sweat, his clothes filthy.
“You’ve finished work too?” she asked.
“Yes. I was assigned to the blacksmith’s place. Today’s my first day,” he replied. Since it was his first day, he had been sent to work in the rice paddies—and ended up covered in mud within minutes.
“I’m here to see the blacksmith. Is he home?”
“I’ll check for you!” he said and went inside.
Soon, a sturdy middle-aged man came out. “Zhicheng’s wife, what do you need?”
Looking at him, Lin Ruxia guessed he was the blacksmith. “Uncle, I came about the estate. Could you reinforce the doors and windows?”
“I heard you bought that place. No problem—leave it to me. When do you want it done?”
“As soon as possible—preferably within this week.”
“Alright. I’ll go take a look after I eat.”
“Okay. Just calculate the cost later and I’ll pay it all at once.”
“You’ll need iron coupons for the materials. Try to gather at least ten,” he explained.
“No problem, I’ll do my best.”
After leaving, Lin Ruxia didn’t go to the estate. It was probably still being cleaned and too dirty—she’d check it out in the afternoon instead.
“Zhizhi, wait for me!”
Two female educated youths were hurrying along the road, both looking exhausted.
“I’m starving. I don’t have time to chat with those village women!” one of them, Li Zhizhi, said impatiently.
That morning, they hadn’t realized work started at 6:30. They had no breakfast and rushed out after eating just a piece of candy—only to arrive late. The team leader had warned them and assigned them to weeding, but since they couldn’t distinguish crops from weeds, they were scolded again and delayed until nearly eleven.
On their way back, villagers had stopped them to ask questions, and Zhao had politely answered, while Li Zhizhi grew increasingly annoyed.
“Lin Educated Youth?” Li Zhizhi suddenly stopped when she saw Lin Ruxia.
She had been curious about Lin Ruxia and had asked around the day before—only to learn that this young woman had already given birth to twelve sons and was still pregnant.
“Have you eaten?” Lin Ruxia asked politely.
“Not yet—we’ll eat when we get back. Lin Educated Youth, can I come visit you sometime?” Li Zhizhi suddenly smiled brightly.
“…Sure,” Lin Ruxia replied, slightly caught off guard.
“Great! I’ll come find you when I have time!” Li Zhizhi said excitedly, even grabbing her hand.
“Zhizhi, let’s go. We don’t even know if they saved us any food,” Zhao urged, feeling uneasy about her enthusiasm.
“Alright! I’ll see you next time!” Li Zhizhi said before leaving.
“Okay,” Lin Ruxia replied.
After they left, she stood there for a moment, puzzled. She had no connection with Li Zhizhi—perhaps some people just felt an instant affinity for others.
As she walked home slowly, she noticed many people watching her—but she ignored them. She was used to such attention from her previous life.