Xu Changxing and Xu Changshun, along with their wives, came over and said to Xu Tang:
“Little sister, you’re injured. You still came all the way here.”
“Exactly, little sister. What if you fell again?”
Before they could say anything more, Zhao Guifang glared at Liu Ermei.
“Are you hoping my daughter falls again? Your little sister came all this way because she feels sorry for how hard you’re working. She specifically came to bring you water. Don’t take her kindness for granted.”
Liu Ermei and Zhang Yue quickly nodded.
“Yes, yes, yes! Little sister, thank you for going to all this trouble.”
“All right, enough fooling around. Hurry up and drink it so you can get back to work,” Zhao Guifang urged.
After Xu Guoli drank a bowl of water, he felt as though all the fatigue in his body had disappeared. He was suddenly full of energy.
“The water my daughter brought really is different. After drinking it, I feel like I could hoe another two acres!”
Zhao Guifang felt the same after drinking hers. Deep down, she attributed it to how thoughtful her daughter had been.
Everyone else said the same thing after drinking. They didn’t feel tired at all and could keep working.
Xu Tang simply smiled.
“Then I’ll come bring you water again next time.”
Since their daughter was being so filial, her parents didn’t refuse. They also felt that it was good for Xu Tang to get out and walk around a little.
After Xu Tang noticed Xu Qingqing quietly standing off to the side after finishing her water, she walked over and crouched down. With a look of concern, she wiped the sweat from Qingqing’s forehead.
“Qingqing, come home with Little Aunt. Look at how sweaty you are. Come back with me and get some rest.”
Xu Qingqing shook her head.
“Little Aunt, I’m not tired. I’m working with my brothers. We’ll finish soon.”
Xu Tang tried persuading her several more times, but Qingqing kept shaking her head, so she eventually let her be. After all, there wasn’t much to do at home anyway.
As for why she hadn’t asked Xu Wanjia and Xu Wanlin to come home, it was because they were boys. Qingqing was a girl, so Xu Tang felt she should be pampered a little more.
Zhao Guifang said, “Now that you’ve finished drinking, hurry up and get back to work.”
“Little sister, be careful on your way home. We’re going back to work,” Xu Changxing said before leading the others away.
“Mom, I’ll head home now. Leave the water here. You can drink some later when you’re thirsty,” Xu Tang said to her parents as she prepared to leave.
“All right, all right. Hurry home. Don’t stay out in the sun,” Zhao Guifang urged her.
It was the end of April, and Xu Tang didn’t think it was particularly hot yet, but her parents were still worried about her.
“Mom, Dad, I’m leaving.”
Zhao Guifang and Xu Guoli waved at her.
“Go on. Be careful and don’t fall again.”
On her way home, Xu Tang passed by the educated-youth compound. She wasn’t familiar with them, and there were some people she didn’t even recognize, so she didn’t bother greeting them.
After she left, the educated youth Xu Xiaoyun looked astonished.
“That Xu fellow is unbelievably beautiful! I’ve never even seen anyone prettier than her back in the city.”
Another educated youth, Yang Lulu, agreed.
“She doesn’t look like a rural girl at all. Her skin is so fair, and her eyes are so big.”
“Humph. I’ve been sent down to the countryside for two years, and I’ve never seen her work in the fields. Of course she’s fair! She looks just like a little temptress.”
Li Hong had been somewhat pretty herself when she first came to the countryside, but the farm work had worn her beauty away.
Li Hong simply couldn’t stand hearing people praise Xu Tang’s looks. Even though it was true, she was jealous of her. Why did she have to work herself to exhaustion here while Xu Tang could lie around at home?
If Xu Tang had heard her, she definitely would have retorted:
“Obviously because my parents love me. Your parents don’t, so they sent you down here to work.”
Hearing Li Hong call Xu Tang a temptress, Yang Lulu became annoyed.
“What kind of person are you? If you have the nerve, go say that to Auntie Zhao’s face.”
Everyone knew that Zhao Guifang couldn’t stand hearing anyone say a single bad word about her daughter.
Thinking of how fierce Zhao Guifang could be, Li Hong didn’t dare say another word.