Liu Zhixia withdrew her assessing gaze.
The autumn wind brushed against her face—comfortable and refreshing.
Her sickle moved quickly and cleanly. The brigade leader, who had originally been worried she might cut herself, was now completely stunned.
Even Zheng Chunli—the girl who had earlier looked at her with suspicion—had her expression crack slightly.
Was this really the cannon fodder who, in the previous life, was said to be weak and fragile and died on her wedding day?
This woman’s stamina was even stronger than a man’s.
Zheng Chunli thought of her own rebirth, and of the spatial storage she still possessed. Her confidence surged.
In this era of scarcity, her planting space was a priceless advantage.
If she could help the Zhou family through their crisis—and even marry Zhou Yunting—she would never again need to rely on the small favor she owed Sun Haomin in her past life to climb into the Zhou family.
She looked at the refined man before her. Though he stood out even in the countryside, he still could not compare to Zhou Yunting.
Thinking of that man—who, three years later, would return to the capital in glory and brilliance—her heart stirred.
If she married him, she would become a prestigious general’s wife.
Zheng Chunli blushed slightly and quickly picked up her sickle, running toward Old Master Zhou.
“Hello, I’ll help you with your work.”
“It’s so hot today, and you’re already so old—you should rest…”
Old Master Zhou looked at her with obvious confusion, thinking the girl must have something wrong with her head.
Did she not see that most of his work had already been done by his granddaughter-in-law?
And with her build, she wasn’t even half as capable as that girl.
Zheng Chunli believed she had managed her expression perfectly. She knew Old Master Zhou was a shrewd man.
More importantly, he was someone Zhou Yunting deeply respected.
She remembered an interview where someone once asked Zhou Yunting if he had any regrets in life.
He had remained silent for a long time before saying in a low voice:
“Yes. My grandfather.
If time could turn back, I would trade everything for his kind smile—even my life…”
Then came another long silence.
But that moment of sorrow on camera had deeply impressed the audience. Everyone knew how important Old Master Zhou was to him.
Even more important than life itself.
Thinking she would soon gain the old man’s favor, Zheng Chunli felt excited beyond words.
But reality rarely matched imagination.
When she moved to help, she discovered Old Master Zhou had already finished harvesting his entire patch of corn stalks.
He had far outpaced everyone else.
Zheng Chunli stamped her foot in frustration.
Meanwhile, Old Master Zhou sat back with his legs crossed, feeling very proud of his granddaughter-in-law.
He had originally intended to help her more, thinking she was just a delicate young girl.
No matter how capable she seemed, she was still a girl—how could she handle farm work?
But today, she had completely reshaped his understanding.
Not only had she finished her own work quickly, she had also finished his.
The old man felt a little embarrassed—he had once been in the army, after all.
Yet he had been outdone by a young girl.
Then he thought again: this was his granddaughter-in-law.
His pride returned instantly.
He had completely forgotten he was supposed to be under reeducation.
At that moment, Sun Haomin—the original male lead who had also come down to the countryside—approached Zheng Chunli and whispered:
“Comrade Zheng Chunli, we all came from the capital.
The Zhou family is no longer what it used to be.
Before, they were untouchable. Now, we are the ones who can’t afford to offend them.
We are clouds in the sky, and they are mud on the ground.
You must not get involved with them.
Others are avoiding them—why are you still trying to get close?”
A flash of disgust crossed Zheng Chunli’s eyes, but she quickly suppressed it, remembering she still needed his help in this unfamiliar place.
She forced a smile.
“Brother Haomin, thank you for reminding me.
I don’t have any other intention. I just feel sorry for the old man and wanted to help.”
She deliberately kept her distance from him.
Sun Haomin noticed it too.
Ever since coming to the countryside, Zheng Chunli had become increasingly distant.
She was even deliberately maintaining space between them.
What was going on?
He knew she liked him. Their relationship had always been good—it was almost time to break that final layer of ambiguity.
But now she was pulling away.
He felt confused.
Of course, he did not know the woman beside him had been reborn.
In her previous life, she had indeed married him.
But their sweetness shattered after she gave birth to a daughter.
Sun Haomin was a typical “mama’s boy,” and his mother strongly favored sons.
After she gave birth to a daughter, her mother-in-law treated her coldly and even tried several times to force a divorce.
The household became chaotic.
Six years later, when she still hadn’t conceived again, the resentment peaked.
Her mother-in-law actually arranged another woman for him. Though Sun Haomin claimed it was a drunken mistake, what happened still happened.
Worse, that woman became pregnant.
He said he would give her money and let her raise the child…
That was when Zheng Chunli’s heart completely turned cold.
She hated his ingratitude. He had risen in the capital relying on her spatial ability and Zhou Yunting’s connections.
Yet he had still wronged her.
Now reborn, she believed she and Zhou Yunting were a perfect match.
She couldn’t help but think of his sharp, aggressive features—like carved stone.
A man who would later hold real power should be her destined partner.
As for Liu Zhixia, she didn’t take her seriously at all.
That woman was probably just a butterfly-effect anomaly caused by her rebirth. She would die sooner or later anyway.
No need to rush.
It was only a matter of time.
Liu Zhixia finished her work quickly and headed back early.
She glanced at Zheng Chunli and felt an odd urge to approach her.
Her face… not especially pretty.
Her figure… not as good as hers either.
So why did she feel drawn to her?
Was this the so-called “female lead aura”?
So dazzling?
She didn’t dwell on it.
She still had things to do—she needed to go to the county later.
When Zhou’s father and Zhou Yunting saw the two of them returning so early, they were surprised.
Zhou Yunting’s gaze quickly scanned both Old Master Zhou and Liu Zhixia, making sure they weren’t injured before looking away.
Zhou’s father asked in confusion:
“Father, Zhixia, you’re done so early?”
Old Master Zhou chuckled:
“What work? Zhixia finished all of it before noon. She completed both our workloads in less than a morning.
I just sat in the field ditch for a few hours and came back with her.”
Zhou’s father’s mouth fell open.
Was this really the delicate young lady from the Liu family?
Was this the same person he knew?