"What souvenirs? I'm just a country bumpkin and I don't understand. But I'm strong and hardworking. Xiao Feng, didn't you say yesterday that you were going to prepare the land and plant vegetables? I saw that you didn't have a shovel or hoe in your yard, so I brought over my own."

Sister-in-law Qin walked in with a shovel on her shoulder and a hoe in her hand, all smiles.

Yan Jiayi's face froze.

Feng Mingshu greeted her with a smile, "No rush to work, Sister Qin, come and have a cup of tea first."

She took out a tea box, preparing to brew tea for the two guests.

Sister-in-law Qin quickly waved her hand: "I just drank a bowl of thin porridge this morning, and my stomach is full of water. I don't have room for tea. You two don't need to worry about me. I'll help you dig out this piece of land first."

After saying that, he picked up a hoe and went to an open space, where he started digging.

There was no reason for Feng Mingshu to let the guests work while he rested, so he put down the tea box.

Yan Jiayi's face turned completely dark, and she forced a smile, saying, "Ming Shu, you're busy, so I'll head back first."

"Jiayi, wait a moment."

Feng Mingshu stopped Yan Jiayi and quickly took out a box of pastries from the cabinet and handed it to her: "These are pastries from my hometown. Consider them a return gift. Please don't mind them."

Having received a return gift, Yan Jiayi felt much better. She exchanged a few polite words with Feng Mingshu, and then deliberately walked past Aunt Qin, who was hoeing the ground in the yard, raising her chin as she left.

Sister-in-law Qin straightened up, supporting herself with the hoe, and, mimicking Yan Jiayi, raised her chin, asking, "Is this pose attractive?"

Feng Mingshu couldn't help but laugh: "Sister-in-law, we each have our own beauty, we don't need to imitate others."

Qin's wife was also happy to hear this: "Before I married my husband Qin, I was one of the prettiest girls in the surrounding area. Otherwise, would my husband Qin have chosen me?"

Feng Mingshu looked at Qin's dark red face and examined her features. He could indeed tell that she was quite good-looking when she was young, but unfortunately, time takes its toll.

"Sister-in-law, you need to take better care of yourself," Feng Mingshu advised, before picking up a shovel and getting to work.

"I'm already this old, what difference does it make whether it's good or bad?" Aunt Qin said dismissively, then glanced at her working and said in surprise, "Yesterday you said you wanted to prepare the land and plant vegetables, I thought you were just putting on airs, but it turns out you're really capable."

Feng Mingshu smiled but did not explain that in her previous life she had worked on a farm for more than ten years, and even if she was just a show-off, she had become an expert.

However, this body is still somewhat delicate.

By the time she noticed the pain in her hands, several blisters had already formed on her palms.

She was careless; she forgot that her hands hadn't developed calluses yet and needed to wear gloves for protection.

When Sister-in-law Qin saw her stop, she turned her head and saw the blisters on her hands: "Oh dear, your hands are so fragile, you should stop working..."

"What's wrong? Mingshu, what happened to your hand?"

Zhou Jinshan stepped through the courtyard gate, walked quickly, and looked anxious.

Feng Mingshu quickly grasped his hand, shook his head and smiled, "It's nothing." Then he changed the subject, "Didn't you say you wouldn't be back at noon?" He glanced at the sun, "It's not even noon yet."

"I came back to get something," Zhou Jinshan replied, grabbing her hand. She couldn't help but hiss.

Sister-in-law Qin joked, "Commander Zhou is back, so I won't be a third wheel for you."

"Sister-in-law, let me see you off."

"No, you should go back inside and get the blisters on your hands treated." Aunt Qin waved her hand and left.

Feng Mingshu was left alone to face Zhou Jinshan, whose face was dark with anger.

She could only spread her hands and say, "This is the first time I've done farm work this year. My hands are too soft, so I got blisters. Once I do more farm work and calluses form, it won't happen again."

Zhou Jinshan's expression remained unchanged. He picked up a ladle and scooped water from the vat to wash her hands: "You know how to do farm work?"

“When I was a child, my family would go to our ancestral home every year for a while, and I learned farm work from the villagers,” Feng Mingshu said again.

Zhou Jinshan remained noncommittal, dropped the water ladle, and took her into the house.

They quickly took out the first-aid kit, used a needle to prick the blister, applied medicine, and finally bandaged it.

Feng Mingshu quickly withdrew his hand: "We don't need the gauze."

"obedient."

Zhou Jinshan's voice was somewhat deep, and his face was tense. Feng Mingshu dared not move, and in the end, both of her hands were wrapped up like rice dumplings.

She raised her hand and sighed, "We can't cook lunch like this."

Zhou Jinshan suddenly pulled her into his arms, pressed his forehead against hers, and said, "Mingshu, I promised your mother that I wouldn't let you suffer with me."

"Don't bother with the land in the yard anymore. Wait until I'm done with this busy period and have some rest. Whether it's planting vegetables or flowers, just tell me."

Feng Mingshu was somewhat taken aback and blurted out, "You really treat me like a pampered princess?"

“Not a young lady, but my little girl.” Zhou Jinshan affectionately rubbed his high, straight nose against her nose.

Feng Mingshu: "..."

She nudged the man away with her elbow and said, "I don't want to be raised into a useless brat by you. Otherwise, if you kick me away one day, won't I starve to death?"

Zhou Jinshan frowned: "Ming Shu, you're talking nonsense again..."

“Okay, let’s get serious. I came to this island with you without a job or anything else. I was thinking of growing some vegetables to pass the time and to provide some fresh vegetables for the family. You haven’t seen the vegetables in the service station; they’re all wilted and not fresh at all.” Feng Mingshu sighed.

“I’ve inquired about your job prospects. There are three options: one is to become a teacher at a school; the second is to train as a nurse at a hospital; and the third is that the island’s radio station is looking for a broadcaster. Your voice is good, so you could give it a try.”

Upon hearing that there were three options, Feng Mingshu paused for a moment, then quickly began to think. She was slightly afraid of blood, so becoming a nurse was not suitable for her.

The broadcaster is good, but in such an important place, the censorship must be very strict, and it's easy to cross the line.

In the end, only one option remained.

"I want to be a teacher. Are there any openings for elementary school teachers?"

In this day and age, being a teacher is a high-risk profession, but she remembers that in her previous life, the revolutions mainly took place in middle schools and universities, so primary schools should still be safe.

Feng Mingshu had a good plan, but Zhou Jinshan shattered her dream: "Many military wives on the island have only a primary school education, so the primary schools are full. Now the middle school is short of a foreign language teacher, and not just anyone can fill the position. Mingshu, you should have no problem with that."

Feng Mingshu: "..."

Zhou Jinshan glanced at his watch: "You stay home and think about it. I'm going back to the camp first."

Zhou Jinshan left, Feng Mingshu was still hesitating, and the news that the radio station was recruiting a broadcaster spread throughout the entire residential compound.

Yan Jiayi from next door approached her, first marveling at her hands wrapped up like a rice dumpling, then eagerly bringing up the broadcaster job, and tentatively asking, "Mingshu, why don't we apply for the job together?"