“It’s fine. I’m doing great. It didn’t take much effort at all.”
Su Meier took the compound bow off her back.
“Meier, what’s this? Did you make it?”
Liang Shufen ran her hand over the wooden bow, fascinated.
Su Meier nodded.
“When I was studying, I became interested in this sort of thing and taught myself a little. Now I’m just putting those skills to use.”
Fortunately, the original owner of this body had been educated. Otherwise, her cover might have been blown long ago.
Liang Shufen had never attended high school and naturally knew nothing about what she had studied. She immediately began praising her.
“Who says a woman’s virtue lies in having no talent? With Meier’s abilities, she can practically hold up half the sky!”
Su Meier felt embarrassed by the praise.
“Mom, that’s a bit much. I only know a few things.”
“Just a few skills, and you’ve already made something like this. My daughter is amazing.”
Liang Shufen continued praising her without restraint.
“Come on, wash your hands. It’s time to eat.”
“Auntie! Auntie! You’re finally back!”
Su Dabao ran over excitedly.
“When I woke up today, you were gone! Yesterday you said you’d take me to catch rabbits!”
His face was full of grievance from feeling deceived.
“Your aunt went to work. How could she take a little child like you along?”
Liang Shufen rolled her eyes.
The boy had cried all morning looking for his aunt. She had barely gotten any work done because she had been busy taking care of him.
Su Meier crouched down and gently pinched his chubby cheeks.
“Look, Auntie didn’t lie to you. I brought back a rabbit. How about we have braised rabbit tonight?”
The moment Su Dabao spotted the injured white rabbit in the yard, his eyes widened.
“A rabbit! It really is a rabbit!”
He ran over immediately.
“Auntie, you really caught a rabbit!”
He danced around excitedly.
The world of a child was simple. All his unhappiness had already vanished.
Smiling, Su Meier sat down and began eating lunch.
It was midsummer, and the dishes had cooled slightly, making them just right to eat.
After finishing her meal, she headed for the grain-drying ground.
As expected, she was late.
Everyone was already there, wearing straw hats and turning over the rice to dry in the sun.
When Fang Zhaodi saw her, she sneered.
“It’s one thing if you can’t finish your work, but you’re already late on your very first day.”
Since she really was late, Su Meier had little to say.
“Sorry. I’ll pay more attention next time.”
Lin Siyu was somewhat dissatisfied as well.
“Comrade Su, let’s try not to be late next time.”
Her tone was gentle rather than accusatory, making it difficult to argue.
“Comrade Lin, today was an exception. I’ll be more careful next time.”
A classic evasive tactic.
She certainly wasn’t going to guarantee she would never be late again.
If there was a next time, she would probably still be late.
Unless…
She took half a day off to hunt in the back mountain.
Honestly, Su Meier felt that was quite necessary.
Still, she knew these gossip-loving women would never let the matter go. Who knew what stories they would spread behind her back?
Ah…
Where there were many women, there was always drama.
As she worked with a shovel, lost in thought, she looked up and nearly collapsed.
Another entire row of grain sacks had appeared.
The hardworking man carrying them over one after another was none other than Shen Jianyang.
“Comrade Shen! It’s so hot today. The work never ends, but your health is important. You should take breaks instead of working yourself nonstop.”
She was practically begging him to stop bringing more sacks over so she could at least finish drying a few.
“Isn’t there still your work to help with afterward? Of course I need to work harder now!”
At the moment, thoughts of rabbit meat were the only thing sustaining him through his endless trips.
So that was why.
The complaint on Su Meier’s face froze instantly.
“Then… take care of yourself and remember to balance work and rest.”
Hearing her concern, a blush immediately spread across the tough man’s face.
He fidgeted awkwardly.
“Um… um… there’s no possibility between us, okay?”
Su Meier seemed not to hear him at all.
Her attention had been caught by a tall figure dressed in blue not far away.
The man carried two sacks of rice across his shoulders and walked calmly toward the drying ground.
He set down both sacks with ease, as if the three hundred pounds of weight was nowhere near his limit.
Comparing him with Shen Jianyang, the difference was obvious.
Shen Jianyang had been panting heavily and drenched in sweat just from putting down two sacks.
Who would have thought?
This fair and refined-looking man was actually stronger than the muscular Shen Jianyang.
Noticing she hadn’t responded, Shen Jianyang followed her gaze.
When he saw the man in blue, he immediately launched into praise.
“My Brother Song is handsome, right? Don’t let that fair appearance fool you. His physique is absolutely top-notch—”
“Stop. Just stop talking and go back to work.”
Su Meier looked speechless.
Did she really seem that interested in men?
Whether in the modern world or in the 1970s, men only slowed down her work efficiency.
Besides, she was living comfortably enough here and possessed a few useful skills of her own.
What use did she have for an accessory like a man?
At most…
She was tempted by the snacks he had.
Realizing he had said too much, Shen Jianyang shut his mouth and returned to work.
Jiang Honglian was working in the area beside hers.
Seeing the ever-growing pile of grain around Su Meier, she finally decided to come help.
“Comrade Su, at this rate, you probably won’t finish even if you work until midnight. How about I help you turn over a few sacks?”
She spoke warmly.
A look of disbelief appeared on Su Meier’s exhausted face.
“But if you help me, will you still have time to finish your own work?”
“I will. I’m strong and work quickly.”
As she spoke, Jiang Honglian immediately began helping.
Looking at her sturdy build, Su Meier had to admit she looked incredibly dependable.
What a reassuring woman.
Since the other party was being so kind, refusing would have been awkward.
Su Meier quickly joined in.
“Then thank you, Comrade Jiang!”
“What’s there to thank me for? When you’re away from home, people help each other. Besides, I really like the way you look.”
There was another reason she didn’t mention.
She genuinely liked Su Meier’s body type.
Aside from being a little shorter and having slimmer limbs, her round and plump figure was quite similar to her own.
It felt as though she had found a like-minded companion.
Moreover, after observing her for a while, Jiang Honglian found her personality gentle but resilient.
Unlike those two troublesome women from Haicheng who were constantly causing problems.
If Su Meier knew what she was really thinking, she would have been speechless.
After three hours of turning grain under the sun, the two women finally reduced the two rows of sacks to only about a dozen remaining.
It would have been impossible not to feel touched.
With the workload much lighter now, Su Meier grabbed Jiang Honglian’s hand and slipped two White Rabbit milk candies into it.
“Comrade Jiang, thank you for your hard work. Have a candy to sweeten your day.”
Jiang Honglian stared at the candies in shock.
“Aren’t these White Rabbit milk candies? How did you manage to buy them?”
Everyone knew White Rabbit candies were highly sought-after goods.
Even with ration coupons, they weren’t always available in state-run stores.
And sugar coupons were generally distributed only in limited amounts to employees of government work units.
Could Su Meier also be an educated youth from the city?
Seeing her expression, Su Meier immediately knew what she was thinking.
She peeled one candy for herself and popped it into her mouth.
“Comrade Jiang, I got these through a lucky opportunity. I only have a few.”
Whether she would get more in the future depended entirely on whether that man still had any.
So they had been given to her.
That made more sense.
Jiang Honglian had never seen her among the educated youths before, so there was no way she was one of them.
Having good manners, Jiang Honglian chose not to ask further.
She eagerly unwrapped one candy and carefully placed it in her mouth.
The rich milky sweetness spread across her tongue.
Unable to resist, she closed her eyes in delight.
It was so delicious.
Today’s hard work had been completely worth it.
Watching her blissful expression, Su Meier found it a little exaggerated.
After all, Jiang Honglian was from the city.
Could White Rabbit milk candies really be that difficult to buy?