Zheng Peipei estimated the time and saw that everyone else had started to go home for dinner and rest, so she turned around to find Xue Fu, who was some distance away from her.

Xue Fu was really slow in pulling it out.

But looking at Xue Fu's exhausted and flushed face, Zheng Peipei didn't know what to say.

She said, "We can go back and eat now, we'll come back later."

Looking at the results of her morning's work, Xue Fu glanced at Zheng Peipei's far ahead position, smiled bitterly to herself, and then nodded to Zheng Peipei.

She needs to work even harder this afternoon!

On the way back, Zheng Peipei suddenly noticed the equipment she was wearing.

"Did you bring your own straw hat?" Zheng Peipei asked with a hint of envy.

She didn't have a hat; she brought an extra layer of clothing to cover her head and shield herself from the sun when she went to the fields today.

Xue Fu shook her head and said honestly that someone else had given it to her.

Zheng Peipei's expression changed, and Xue Fu realized that this could easily lead to misunderstandings.

But she couldn't explain it clearly, so she could only offer a dry clarification: "He is a good person."

It's unclear whether Cheng Pei-pei believed it or not, but she didn't ask any further questions.

Xue Fu thought to herself, thankfully, she hadn't mentioned Gu Chong's name.

When we returned to the educated youth settlement, the meal was already prepared.

Xue Fu also saw the new schedule, and it was her turn to cook the day after tomorrow.

She was secretly anxious, wondering how to quickly improve her cooking skills!

The food ordered by the educated youth was as bland and tasteless as ever.

This was a problem caused by a shortage of supplies, and Xue Fu could only adapt.

However, even though Xue Fu wasn't a sensitive person, she noticed that the atmosphere at the dinner table was a bit strange.

She glanced around and received several stares.

She made eye contact with one of the older educated youth.

Although there was no malice in his gaze, his dissatisfaction was still evident.

Xue Fu was stunned by the stare and wondered what was going on.

Soon, Xue Fu realized the reason for their disapproving gazes.

The newly arrived educated youth did not have food rations; the brigade provided them with an advance.

But food was scarce these days, and they couldn't afford to give them much in advance, so they were struggling financially.

The new educated youth had no food, and if they ate from the same pot, they would take advantage of the older educated youth.

If they earn more work points and can receive more grain after the New Year, they won't care much about this matter.

But Xue Fu's performance this morning made everyone see her capabilities clearly.

She could never earn enough.

Of course, the others didn't give her a friendly look.

Rationally, Xue Fu could understand their dissatisfaction.

She couldn't refute it, because she really couldn't get many work points.

But she didn't want to be looked at with that kind of "freeloader" gaze.

She can't earn work points, but she can contribute other things.

She counted her money and ration coupons again. She couldn't earn work points, but she could exchange them for some grain.

She has money and tickets.

When the original owner of this body went to the countryside, her parents had already taken this into consideration, so they gave her stacks of food coupons.

Not to mention that they would keep sending her things.

Don't worry about food.

Xue Fu was still feeling a bit down during her lunch break.

However, when I went to work in the afternoon, I didn't even feel depressed anymore.

The thought of going to the fields made her feel tired.

Xue Fu changed into a long-sleeved shirt and took a clean towel and draped it around her neck.

She carried a small bundle containing a water bottle and a small bag of dried meat.

The dried meat was a thank-you gift she prepared for Gu Chong.

After putting the straw hat on her head to cover herself completely, Xue Fu followed Zheng Peipei into the field.

As she passed by, she saw Gu Chong working in the field next to her.

He was hoeing the ground, his movements as a farmer were quick and efficient.

He wasn't wearing a hat, his face was a little red from the sun, and he was sweating a lot under the sun. His clothes were soaked with sweat, and the sweat clung to his skin, making his clothes cling to his body and accentuate his good physique.

His arm holding the hoe was taut with muscles, the smooth lines conveying power, exuding a raw, primal energy.

Watching his actions, Xue Fu felt a pang of urgency to go and present him with a thank-you gift.

However, Cheng Pei-pei noticed that she had fallen behind by a few steps and called out to her from ahead.

"Xue Fu?"

"Here he comes!" Xue Fu hurriedly followed. She thought to herself, "I'll go find him after work."

So she didn't see Gu Chong, who looked up and glanced at her after hearing the name 'Xue Fu'.

Xue Fu returned to the area where she hadn't finished pulling in the morning and continued working.

The gloves were indeed very helpful at first, preventing direct contact with the barbs and thorns of the weeds.

But the gloves are made of coarse cloth, and if you pull them too much, they will still chafe your palms.

Xue Fu persisted for a while until she finally couldn't bear it any longer, stopped moving, and took off her gloves.

Her hands were covered in sweat, and the heat inside her gloves made them appear white.

Two large blisters appeared on my palms, and they hurt when touched.

Xue Fu held back the tears welling up in her eyes and looked up in that direction. There were still dozens of meters of land waiting for her to pull.

Xue Fu knew that weeding was the easiest part of the farm work.

If someone else takes on the job of weeding, and they're quick, they can finish by 3 p.m. and go home to rest.

Xue Fu first wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, then wiped the sweat from her forehead. No matter how aggrieved she felt, she had to continue pulling the soil.

She saw that Zheng Peipei had already pulled up the last section. She couldn't delay any longer.

"Xue Fu, I'm done pulling!"

After a while, Cheng Pei-pei walked over to her and said, "Do you need my help?"

They were all newly arrived educated youth, and they could help each other at the beginning.

Cheng Pei-pei can understand Hsueh Fu's speed.

She's clearly a young girl who's never experienced hardship.

If Xue Fu could refrain from crying and shouting, Zheng Peipei already thought she was quite good.

But this can't go on forever.

Xue Fu still needs to work hard to change and adapt to this kind of labor.

No one can help her forever.

Upon hearing her words, Xue Fu looked up at the sky.

The sun was still shining brightly in the sky; it was still early, and there were still several hours before it got dark.

Xue Fu was too embarrassed to ask Zheng Peipei for help. It was also Zheng Peipei's first time working.

She still has time to do it herself.

Xue Fu pursed her lips, shook her head and smiled, "No need, you should go back and rest first. I can manage."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Pei-pei was even more impressed. Although she seemed delicate, she was actually quite capable of enduring hardship.

At least they won't slack off or try to cheat.

"Okay, I'll be going now. If you really can't finish, don't force yourself. Just come back and ask me for help."

Xue Fu nodded: "Mm."

She watched Zheng Peipei's retreating figure as she walked away from the paddy field, feeling envious.

With a sigh, Xue Fu buried herself back in the ground and continued her struggle against the weeds.

Xue Fu knew how to balance work and rest, taking breaks here and there.

She was more efficient than before, and she felt that if she kept at it, she could finish pulling them all out.

However, as the sun gradually began to set in the west, and she still had quite a distance to go, she started to feel a little panicked.

When she gets anxious, she loses control of her emotions.

In the countryside, it gets dark quickly, and by this time most of the people doing farm work have left.

The greetings gradually faded into the distance, and the environment began to quiet down.

As evening approached, a breeze began to pick up, rustling the trees along the roadside.

Gu Chong left late today; he left midway to do some things.

When he finished digging the last bit of wasteland and was carrying the hoe to the warehouse to put away his farm tools, he saw a small shadow curled up in the next plot of land.

While pulling weeds, his shoulders would occasionally twitch, and then he would raise his hand to wipe them away.

Gu Chong felt a chill run down his spine.

She cried?

He remembered her tears.

It wasn't the kind of loud, wailing crying that comes with a tantrum. Instead, she would furrow her brow, curve her eyes, and purse her lips, and then let those pearly tears slide down her cheeks, crying with a pitiful expression that made people feel soft-hearted and sorry for her.

So many tears, they must be made of water.

Gu Chong was helpless.

How did you manage to keep so much work after doing such an easy job?

He sighed, even more confused as to why she wanted to go to the countryside.

Her family really wanted her to go to the countryside.

Xue Fu was so anxious that she couldn't hold back her tears.

At that moment, she didn't care that her hands were dirty; she used her dirty hands to wipe away her tears.

She noticed that it was getting darker and darker. When she looked up at the sky again to see how much land was left to be dug up, she found that there was someone in the field in front of her.

That person is helping to pull weeds.

The man moved quickly; with a swift grab, he tore the piece clean in a few strokes.

Xue Fu stared at him blankly, her hands stopping in shock.

Gu Chong quickly pulled over from the other end. He found the idiot was in a daze. He frowned and quickened his pace.

After the land was completely cleared, Gu Chong clapped his hands and found Xue Fu still standing there in a daze.

He said, "I'm leaving."

But the next second, he saw the woman's tears streaming down her face.

Xue Fu was truly moved to tears.

Oh dear, she really met a living Buddha.

It's him again, it's Gu Chong again.

This is the person who has been helping her ever since she traveled through time.

"Why are you crying?" Gu Chong stared at her tears, feeling a little annoyed.

Why are you crying again? Didn't he already help her pull it out? Is there anything else he needs to do?

He looked down at her and asked, "What's wrong? Does your hand hurt?"

Xue Fu raised her hand to wipe her face, but unfortunately her hand was covered in mud, and the more she wiped, the dirtier her face became.

"Thank you, you're so kind, Gu Chong." Her eyes were practically sparkling.

She remembered his hat and gloves, but when she looked down, the gloves were dirty.

"I'll wash the gloves and return them to you. Here, thank you for the hat."

Gu Chong didn't take it, but Xue Fu waved her hand, signaling him to take it.

Her eyes were red, and Gu Chong wondered if she would cry again if he didn't answer.

Besides being troublesome, she also cries a lot.

Delicate and spoiled.

Xue Fu received a somewhat strange look from Gu Chong, but she didn't understand it.

He shook his head: "The hat is yours."

"Oh! Really?!"

Xue Fu's eyes lit up, then she realized that she had taken advantage of Gu Chong.

She remembered the 'thank you gift' she had brought at noon.

She instinctively grabbed Gu Chong: "Wait here for me!"

After she finished speaking, she took a few steps to the side, found her small bag, and then ran back over.

Even in the dim light of dusk, her eyes shone brightly.

Even though her face was dirty, she still looked beautiful when she smiled.

Gu Chong withdrew his gaze from her and lowered his head.

"Thank you for your help these past few days! I really don't know what I would have done without you, Gu Chong."

As she spoke, her voice grew softer and softer.

For the first time, Gu Chong felt that his name could be pronounced so beautifully, and his ears felt itchy.

He swallowed hard, not looking at her, but instead noticing the package she handed him.

Dried meat.

Gu Chong wondered how her family had raised her.

She's been raised to be so innocent.

His help to her was not worth this packet of dried meat at all. This gift was far too extravagant.

Or is it because their family is so well-off that they can just give away jerky like that?

Does she not know what meat means these days?

Gu Chong turned his face away: "Keep it safe. No need to thank me. It's nothing."

He refused.

Xue Fu was bewildered.

Gu Chong picked up his hoe and turned around, but after taking only a few steps, he frowned, sighed, and stopped again.

He turned around and asked her, "Do you have blisters on your hands?"

Xue Fu stared at him, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.

He now seriously doubts that she knows how to treat blisters.

"Go back and get a needle to prick it, then apply the medicine."

He pursed his lower lip and said, "If you don't have the medicine, go to the village entrance and find Doctor Ma."

Finally, he added, "Remember to bring money."

Xue Fu: "Mmm!"

However, Xue Fu didn't know where the village doctor was.

It was Gu Chong, the kind-hearted man, who took her to the village clinic, got her medicine, and then took her to the entrance of the educated youth settlement.

Seeing his departing figure in the night, Xue Fu became even more convinced that Gu Chong was a kind-hearted person with a cold exterior but a warm heart!