“Comrade Song, you’re really straightforward!”
Her eyes curved into crescents, revealing charming dimples. Under the moonlight, her smile seemed rimmed with silver, sweet and captivating.
Su Meier glanced at the darkening sky and got straight to the point.
“I need fiberglass. I want to use it for the bow’s structure. It’s durable and lightweight.
Do you think you can get it, Comrade Song?”
She looked at him intently.
Song Cili frowned slightly.
“I can, but it’ll take some time.”
As for how many days exactly, that depended on how quickly his eldest brother could arrange it.
It seemed he would have to visit the town post office tomorrow and send a letter home.
He could also bring the parcel collection notice he had received last month and pick up the package his parents had sent.
If nothing unexpected happened, it would probably be another box full of snacks.
Su Meier waved her hand dismissively.
“No rush. As long as you can get it, that’s already impressive.”
Perfect.
She could spend the next few days hunting a few more times and exchange her catches for snacks.
No loss there.
“As for the bowstring, I’ll need animal tendons. Ox tendon would be best. If you can buy prepared and dried ox tendon, that would be even better.”
Compared to fiberglass, that would be much easier to obtain.
He could look for it in town tomorrow as well.
Money was the least of his concerns.
“Alright. Is that all?” Song Cili asked curiously.
Su Meier nodded.
“There are more complicated options too… but I’d need to research them first.”
That was close.
She had almost let something slip that she wouldn’t have been able to explain.
His gaze deepened.
His tone sounded probing.
“Miss Su is truly different. Compared to the people here… you seem rather out of place.”
Su Meier’s pupils contracted slightly.
What was that supposed to mean?
Was being capable a crime now?
She quickly regained her composure.
“Of course. How many people in Dali Village had the chance to attend school in town like I did?”
After a long pause, she heard a faint trace of laughter in his voice behind her.
“That’s true. There really aren’t many. Miss Su is quite impressive.”
The tips of Su Meier’s ears reddened.
What was this?
Why was he complimenting her again?
Pretending to remain calm, she replied,
“Comrade Song, it’s getting late. I’m going back to sleep. Goodbye!”
She grabbed the compound bow from his hands and turned to leave.
Back in her room, Su Meier placed the tin of malted milk powder on the table.
Unable to contain her excitement, she opened the container.
Instantly, a familiar creamy fragrance filled the air.
Since it was already open, she might as well taste it.
She hurriedly found an enamel cup and scooped two spoonfuls into it.
A moment later, her mouth was filled with the rich aroma of milk and malt.
The sweet, creamy satisfaction was irresistible.
Unable to help herself, she made a second cup.
Only after she felt slightly overstuffed did she finally put the cup down.
The taste was excellent.
It was no worse than the milk powders of the twenty-first century and lacked all the artificial additives.
The next morning, a rooster’s crow rang through the air.
Su Meier groggily rolled over before slowly sitting up.
A worker’s soul belonged to work.
She absolutely couldn’t be late again.
Still half asleep, she climbed out of bed and began washing up.
“Meier, are you awake yet?”
Mother Liang called from outside as usual.
“I’m up, I’m up!”
After tidying her waist-length hair, Su Meier walked outside.
“Meier, you got up pretty early today.”
Mother Liang looked pleased.
She secretly slipped an egg into Su Meier’s hand and whispered,
“Remember to eat it somewhere private. Yesterday you didn’t come back after the morning shift to have breakfast. Don’t starve yourself.”
“Thanks, Mom!”
Yesterday had been too busy for her to return home.
She had only filled her stomach with White Rabbit candies.
To be fair, a few pieces were surprisingly filling.
After tucking the egg into her pocket, she noticed how quiet the courtyard was.
“Dad and the others already left?”
“They just left. Your eldest sister-in-law is still inside.”
Su Meier nodded.
“Alright, Mom. I should go too. Don’t bring lunch for me at noon. I’ll come back and eat.”
Today she had left the compound bow at home.
She wasn’t planning to hunt at noon.
Instead, she intended to bring the bow in the afternoon and perhaps hunt a pheasant in the evening.
“Alright, Mom understands. Be careful on the road!”
Mother Liang watched her daughter leave until she disappeared from sight before turning back inside.
Then she suddenly remembered something.
She turned around and headed to the kitchen.
A short while later, carrying a steaming egg, she walked toward another room.
By the time Su Meier arrived at the grain-drying field, everyone was already working.
Moreover, the section that had belonged to her yesterday was now occupied by a slender young woman turning over the grain.
“Who are you?” Su Meier asked as she approached.
The girl paused and set down her shovel.
Then she warmly grabbed Su Meier’s hand.
“You must be Comrade Su. I’m Chen Qingqing.
You were the one who worked in my place yesterday, right? Thank you for your hard work!”
“I’m feeling much better today, so I came back to work. I originally wanted to rest a few more days, but unfortunately my body wouldn’t allow it.”
She sighed gloomily.
Su Meier was completely bewildered.
What was going on?
Nobody had informed her.
Everything felt so sudden.
Seeing that she neither spoke nor left, Chen Qingqing frowned slightly.
“Since you’re already here, Comrade Su, it wouldn’t be right for you to come for nothing. Why don’t you help me dry the grain?”
She handed over a shovel.
After hesitating briefly, Su Meier accepted it and planted it upright on the ground.
Just as she was about to speak, Jiang Honglian came running over.
“Comrade Su, you’re here!”
Then she noticed the shovel in Su Meier’s hands.
“I was busy removing the nylon sheets earlier and didn’t have time to tell you. Didn’t Lin Siyu come and inform you?”
Confusion filled Su Meier’s clear eyes.
She shook her head.
“No one told me.”
“Oh dear. Since Chen Qingqing is back, you don’t need to do this work anymore.
By the way, what was your original assignment?”
Jiang Honglian asked curiously.
Su Meier thought for a moment.
Although the grass-cutting work hadn’t officially started yet, her father had already arranged it for her.
Since it was practically settled, there was no harm in saying so.
“Uh… cutting grass. Since I’m not needed here anymore, I’ll head back first.”
If she went home now and grabbed her compound bow, she could make a trip to the back mountain.
“You’re on the grass-cutting team? Why haven’t I seen you before?”
Chen Qingqing looked puzzled.
She had crossed paths with members of the grass-cutting team several times and had never seen someone as sturdy as Su Meier.
“Well, I was probably transferred there recently, so you haven’t met me.”
“That’s right, Qingqing,” Jiang Honglian chimed in.
“We only ever saw them from a distance. How could we tell clearly?”
As the three of them chatted, Lin Siyu appeared without anyone noticing.
“Comrade Su, you’re here. I wanted to let you know that Comrade Chen has returned, so our team… isn’t short-handed anymore.
Of course, if you’re willing, I can speak to Captain Su and arrange for you to join the educated youth team.”
Her voice carried the warmth of an understanding older sister.
Su Meier had been hoping for exactly this.
The workload from yesterday alone felt greater than all the work she had done in her entire twenty-first-century life.
Although she kept a straight face, she was celebrating internally.
“That won’t be necessary. I have my own duties anyway. I was only helping out temporarily.
Now that Comrade Chen Qingqing is back, I can retire with honor.”
She tossed down the shovel and lightly dusted off her hands.
“In that case, I’ll be going.”
Lin Siyu looked slightly regretful.
“Then I’ll report to Captain Su later. For yesterday’s work points, after deducting the half-point penalty for arriving late in the afternoon, you’ll receive five work points.”
Jiang Honglian frowned.
“But Comrade Su worked alongside us the entire day yesterday. How could it be so little?”
Even Chen Qingqing was curious about the reasoning behind it.
Lin Siyu explained,
“Here’s the situation. Comrade Su’s performance yesterday wasn’t particularly strong, while Comrade Jiang did considerably more work. I saw it all.
So, in the interest of fairness, I transferred that portion of the points to Comrade Jiang. She earned it.”
“Comrade Lin, I don’t care about the work points. I was helping voluntarily.”
Jiang Honglian hurriedly glanced at Su Meier.
As for Su Meier, she truly didn’t care how many work points she received.
She didn’t even have a clear concept of their value.
“It’s fine. I think Comrade Lin handled it very well. Personally, I agree completely.”
The moment she finished speaking, the other three women all turned to look at her.
None of them had expected her to be so easygoing.