Tian Shengnan swallowed nervously.
“Alright… fine, then.”
Wen Qiao smiled sweetly.
“Thank you so much!”
Without giving her a chance to refuse, Wen Qiao stuffed all the meat buns into Tian Shengnan’s hands.
Tian Shengnan felt her saliva threatening to overflow.
It had been so long since she had seen anything meaty.
The farm’s daily fare was nothing but coarse rice porridge and sweet potato meals.
Only during the New Year, when the farm slaughtered a pig, could she have a bite of lard mixed with rice.
Sometimes, she could exchange a few cents for two pounds of pork to make sausages and savor a couple of slices a day to satisfy a craving.
Those were her most luxurious memories.
Tian Shengnan nibbled on the buns bit by bit. These were clearly made from white flour, with thin skin and generous filling. Each bite revealed rich, fatty meat—oily and fragrant.
Absolutely irresistible.
Seeing that Tian Shengnan didn’t refuse, Wen Qiao felt immensely satisfied.
She provided the food, Tian Shengnan provided the labor.
A win-win situation.
How perfect.
These large buns had been bought at a state-run hotel in the capital when Wen Qiao was procuring supplies.
She had tasted one at the time—full of fatty meat and lard bits.
Delicious, yes, but overwhelmingly rich.
Yet, the ingredients were top-notch.
For people of this era, fatty meat was a source of nourishment.
Just because she didn’t like it didn’t mean others didn’t.
So she had packed a few buns, and it turned out she hadn’t been wrong.
Tian Shengnan held the buns like they were treasures, savoring each bite, even licking the wax paper clean at the end.
Though she ate carefully, all good things come to an end.
After devouring four large meat buns in one sitting, Tian Shengnan visibly perked up, her energy and spirit immediately reviving.
Gone was the listless, lifeless demeanor from before.
Her smile now seemed sincere.
“Wen Zhiqing, why don’t you go take a walk? It’s dusty in here. Leave it to me; I’ll have it cleaned in no time.”
“Mm, alright, thank you! I’ll step out first.”
The room was covered in dust. With someone helping, Wen Qiao naturally didn’t need to stay inside.
Besides, with the transaction completed, there was no need for her to feel embarrassed.
She’d just check back later to see if Tian Shengnan needed anything else useful.
Wen Qiao didn’t wander far, just nearby, since she was unfamiliar with the area and worried about getting lost.
Just as she was about to return, a round-faced female educated youth blocked her path.
Aggressive from the start, she snapped:
“Wen Zhiqing, all the newcomers work without rest, not even for a minute, yet here you are, twisting an ankle and taking a whole afternoon off. You’re afraid of hardship and labor—your thinking is outdated.”
A tall girl beside her chimed in:
“Exactly! The Chairman said we must have a revolutionary spirit, unafraid of hardship or death.”
“And you say your body is weak and can’t handle hard labor? What’s a pampered young lady doing in the countryside?”
“That’s exactly why a pampered young lady should come down to the countryside—to be educated and transformed physically and mentally.”
Wen Qiao looked closely. The leader—wasn’t she the girl from yesterday who had been snubbed by Zhao Ziwen?
What was her name… Ah, right, Wu Qingyun.
The other girl was unknown, probably her follower.
Earlier, when Yu Jianjun had told Wen Qiao to rest in the afternoon, these two had stood nearby with sour expressions.
When Wen Qiao showed the hospital certificate, Wu Qingyun’s face was full of displeasure.
To be honest, from the moment they met yesterday, this girl had a bad attitude.
Especially after Zhao Ziwen had paid her attention, she was filled with hostility toward Wen Qiao.
The two were clearly ganging up to pick a fight.
Wen Qiao rolled her eyes. Who had she offended?
Life here was already harsh and hopeless.
Since arriving in Yangcheng, nothing had gone smoothly.
First, she encountered a typhoon; trying to save the male lead almost cost her own safety.
After all that flirting, he hadn’t even moved.
Now, on the farm, the environment was again brutal.
She was frustrated!
So frustrated she felt like losing her mind.
Perfect—the vast countryside was ideal for letting off steam.
With troublemakers delivering themselves on a silver platter, she wasn’t going to hold back.
Wen Qiao rolled up her sleeves, her aura blazing.
“This is a work injury. The state even allows rest for illness and injury. Are you more revolutionary than the central government?”
“The Chairman said it himself: health is the capital of revolution. A true revolutionary should labor scientifically, protect comrades’ health, not encourage self-harming dedication.”
“If I don’t recover my ankle and become crippled, how will I work in the future? Are you insisting on revolution just to make me a burden for the organization later?”
“The central command said there’s great opportunity in the countryside. How dare you have objections?”
“My body is weak, so what? Even if I’m physically frail, I’ll still roll in the mud here, temper my heart, and contribute my share to the nation’s development.”
Wen Qiao’s words rang with authority, rapid-fire and unwavering.
Anyone could exaggerate—but right now, she was in a bad mood. Whoever provoked her would be defeated.
The surrounding veteran educated youths applauded spontaneously.
“Well said!”
Weak in body but strong in will—well done.
Wu Qingyun was furious, face red, trembling fingers pointing at her, speechless.
Wen Qiao glanced at her with disdain.
“And you? Your bodies aren’t weak, so why haven’t you participated in the dual-harvest work?”
“You two always pick the easy tasks because you’re afraid of hardship.”
Wu Qingyun was flustered.
“Who are you calling afraid of hardship?”
“You know exactly who I mean.”
Wen Qiao snorted lightly.
“If you really have a revolutionary spirit unafraid of hardship or death, go participate in the dual-harvest!”
“Talking without action is all show.”
“The Chairman said we must train our will and transform our thoughts through labor, not seek comfort and avoid work.”
Seeing the other educated youths staring at her, Wu Qingyun’s face fell.
After a long pause, she gritted out:
“Fine! We’ll go.”
“I’ll tell the farm manager immediately.”
Wen Qiao smiled sweetly.
“But don’t overdo it! If you collapse after two days, then you really will be a pampered young lady.”
“You…”
Wu Qingyun was furious, her fingers clutching her clothes so tightly they went white. She couldn’t get a complete sentence out.
Finally, she stomped her foot and turned to leave.
Her hair whipped as she moved, nearly hitting the tall girl behind her.
She spun and ran.
The tall girl, embarrassed and annoyed, glared at Wen Qiao before following.
The veteran educated youths watched in astonishment.
They had assumed Wen Qiao looked so delicate she’d be bullied severely.
Instead, her eloquence was unmatched.
Citing the Chairman’s words, she had flipped the tables on them.
Two against one, complete victory.
This girl was tough-minded—hard to bully.
No wonder the two new educated youths were forced to join the dual-harvest to prove themselves.
As the rear granary of the Yangcheng Military District, Baiyunshan Farm had vast rice fields.
Labor started at dawn and continued until complete darkness.
They worked over ten hours a day in the fields, sometimes even eating lunch there.
After harvesting early rice, they immediately planted seedlings.
Late rice had to be planted before the beginning of autumn.
There wasn’t a single month when work wasn’t non-stop.
Yesterday, with the sudden typhoon, fieldwork had increased.
Educated youths had to work through the night, holding flashlights and torches, collecting scattered rice grains.
However, by tradition, only veteran educated youths participated in the dual-harvest.
The newcomers from big cities were unfamiliar with farming and still adjusting to rural life.
They couldn’t endure the hardship, and low efficiency would delay the harvest.
They were generally assigned lighter work as a buffer period.