Before Li Laoshi could even get close, Qin Shi jumped up and said repeatedly, "I'm fine, I'm alright!"

Tian looked at her in confusion: "Auntie, are you really alright?"

"It's alright! Let's go!"

Qin bent down, picked up her earthen basket, and hurried away. She was afraid that Li Laoshi would see that she was slacking off and make a scene, which would embarrass her.

At that moment, she suddenly felt that talkative people were extremely annoying.

Especially Li Laoshi, who showed absolutely no respect for others, talking nonsense about anything and everything right in front of him.

Li Laoshi was quick on her feet; she and Tian Shi had only walked a few steps before she arrived: "Genyou's wife, who were you just saying had twisted their ankle?"

Qin walked away silently with a stern face and without looking up. Tian said, "Oh, Aunt Qin said her foot was uncomfortable and she was worried that she had twisted it. She was just about to ask her to apply some medicine and rest for a while. But then she said she was fine and that you had made a wasted trip."

Li Laoshi glanced at Qin Shi and chuckled, "I see she's perfectly fine, not sprained, is she? What's wrong, trying to slack off on these easy tasks?"

He was practically pointing his finger at her, and some people around him chuckled. Qin Shi flew into a rage: "Who said anyone was being lazy? We old folks are all carrying soil, and you're the one who's being lazy and shirking responsibility, not even lifting a hoe or carrying pole."

Li Laoshi grinned and said, "Sister Qin, you're joking. You're so young, how can you say you're old? From afar you look like you're eighteen, but up close you're only eighteen. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say you're a beauty."

People in the countryside don't have many rules about what they say, especially married women who say jokes whenever they want.

Even though she knew that Li Laoshi was making fun of her, who was about to become a grandmother, Qin's face still turned red.

She gave birth to Xu Genqing when she was sixteen, and now she is only thirty-six years old. She has been living alone for twenty years. In her heart, she is someone who is waiting to hold her grandson.

Everyone wants to be young, and while people often say they are old, no one truly accepts that they are old.

Being told in public that she was eighteen years old and still a beauty, Qin felt both happy and ashamed, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside her.

At this moment, there were more than a dozen people carrying soil, both men and women. When they heard Li Laoshi teasing Qin Shi, who wanted to slack off, they burst into laughter.

Hearing the laughter of the crowd, Qin was both ashamed and angry. She dropped the earthen basket on her shoulder, grabbed the carrying pole, and chased after Li Laoshi.

She wished she could beat this annoying guy to death with a carrying pole.

While yelling and dodging around, Li Laoshi kept saying, "Sister-in-law Qin, watch your old arms and legs. Hitting me once is fine, but it would be bad if you hurt your back!"

The laughter grew louder, and even Ms. Tian covered her mouth and laughed.

Being ridiculed in public was a huge loss for Qin Shi, who immediately blushed and burst into tears.

Just as she was about to plop down on the ground and throw a tantrum, Jiang Zhi's voice came: "What are you doing? The walls are already covered in dirt, and you're still in the mood to fight! Li Laoshi, what are you doing now?"

Li Laoshi, who had already run away and hidden, immediately came running out: "Sister Jiang! I didn't do anything, I didn't do anything, I was just joking with Sister Qin!"

Jiang Zhi came over, looked at Qin Shi who was almost in tears, and then at Li Laoshi who was grinning, and frowned, saying, "A joke? Who's laughing? I only see a group of people laughing and one person crying. A joke is supposed to make everyone happy. You're making fun of others."

Qin has a whole host of flaws. If we stick to the facts, we should make sure that she is clear about where she went wrong and what punishment she deserves. She should be spanked in public, or even if we have to press her to the ground and beat her from behind.

Making fun of others at this point is equally detestable.

Qin said aggrievedly, "It's that old man Li who's causing trouble. I just wanted to rest for a while, but he kept talking nonsense."

Jiang Zhi didn't indulge her either, and scolded her: "Are you really only going to rest for a while? If you're tired from working and want to rest, just rest openly. Nobody will say anything to you."

If you try to fool people by making excuses, then don't blame them for taking it for granted.

Qin choked for a moment: "No... I was just stopping by to rest, just saying something casually."

Jiang Zhi didn't want to press the matter any further. She clapped her hands and said to the group who had stopped, "If you're really tired, how about we take a break once Tian Gui's wall is finished?"

Pi was also carrying soil when he said, "Carrying soil isn't tiring. Let's finish repairing all the houses before we rest!"

Her house was the first one built in the village. Now the earthen walls have been completed, and even the roof of the main hall has been tiled, while the other roofs have been covered with straw mats.

However, her grandfather was in poor health, so her in-laws stayed home to tidy up, repair walls, and level the floor, and she and Xu Gensheng went to work with them.

Hearing Jiang Zhi say "take a break," and knowing that everyone else wanted to finish repairing their houses as soon as possible, no one wanted to stop.

Sure enough, the others said, "Not tired at all, the sooner it's fixed, the sooner we can rest easy."

As they spoke, everyone picked up their loads and began carrying soil back and forth.

Seeing everyone resume work, Jiang Zhi called Qin Shi and Li Laoshi to her side and scolded them with a stern face: "You two are not young anymore, what kind of time is this to still be joking around?"

Li Laoshi, you're supposed to be catching those who are slacking off and trying to get away with things. Just say what you need to say, don't waste time fooling around, that's unruly!

Li Laoshi was used to being scolded for being shameless, and chuckled, "I'll know better from now on and definitely follow the rules."

Jiang Zhi glared at him: "Go on, do what you're supposed to do!"

Li Laoshi scratched the back of his head and slunk away.

Left alone, Qin panicked. She had already been hit by Jiang Zhi several times, both openly and secretly, and was afraid of being slapped again. She instinctively covered her face and stammered, "I lied about twisting my ankle, but I was really tired and wanted to rest for a while."

Jiang Zhi also knew that Qin Shi had been working hard these past few days, even if she was just being lazy and only picked half a basket, she still made trip after trip.

"Have you been treating Lianhua well these days? Have you said anything mean or insulted her?" Jiang Zhi asked.

Qin shook her head repeatedly, looking unconvinced: "No, no, with that ingrate Genqing protecting me, how could I dare to scold her? She's like an ancestor now, she can do whatever she wants."

Jiang Zhi scoffed lightly: "You're good to her not because she's become an ancestor, but because she's carrying your ancestor in her belly."

Qin's face turned pale and then flushed, and she stammered, unable to utter a word.

During this time, Jiang Zhi inquired several times and found that there was no gossip about Qin Shi circulating in the village.

It seems that if things are done properly, it can teach Qin how to be a mother-in-law, or rather, how to be a decent person!

Jiang Zhi didn't care whether Qin's change was genuine or feigned.

Even if it's just an act, even if it's for the sake of the child, being able to keep up the act for a lifetime is a good thing.

Jiang Zhi continued, "Lianhua has been working for several days. I'm arranging for her to go back and rest, and prepare for your house repairs and moving. You'll have to be more diligent, right?"

Xu Genqing's house is number ten, and there are several other households in between, so there's no rush.

Jiang Zhi made this arrangement so that Lianhua, who was pregnant, wouldn't get too tired.

Although it's not too heavy to fill the soil while standing, it still won't work for a long time.

Lotus left. In the past, Qin would have insisted on resting even if she was tired.

This time, Madam Qin nodded: "Okay, I'll do more for Lotus."

This was already a significant improvement, but Jiang Zhi still corrected her, saying, "The work on the lotus is Xu Genqing's job, and you're just helping your son."