She felt her vision go black as soon as she picked up the first bucket of water, and all the water spilled. The women following behind her were also soaked.

Zhao Xiaotong looked at the five or six people who had fallen behind her and knew that she was in the wrong. "I slipped on some water and spilled it all. I'm sorry."

She wasn't in the mood for arguing. She tidied up the empty buckets and then helped them up one by one.

Along the way, someone stepped on her foot, which hurt terribly. She turned back to fetch water, but when she looked up, she saw Lin Yuxi standing there with half a bucket of water, looking at her.

Lin Yuxi carried the water easily up the mountain. She just wanted to rest after finishing her work. She really didn't want to compete with others who had to irrigate seven or eight rows of land a day.

Having a medal really makes a difference; even though it's just a thin piece of paper, it's a blessing for her.

She didn't want to carry the water anymore. After carrying it three times, her shoulders started to hurt. The carrying pole had left marks on her shoulders. Luckily, she was only watering two rows of land. After thinking about it, she was full of energy again.

After Lin Yuxi finished watering the two rows of land, she sat on the ground under the big tree, using her straw hat as a fan. Gu Chen still had one row of land left. She sat there for about fifteen minutes, and Gu Chen had already carried up two full buckets of water.

Her gaze shifted, but she wasn't familiar with anyone in the village, so she finally focused on Gu Chen.

The regulations aren't strict now, so she can eat the wild rabbits and pheasants she catches. She's getting tired of eating only pork and chicken, so she wants to go to a place with water and catch some fish.

However, Gu Chen is a rather introverted person and doesn't like to talk. He was still watering the plants, so she didn't want to disturb him. In the end, she went up to He Meifang's side.

"Meifang, do you know where there are any streams or creeks around here?" Lin Yuxi leaned closer, shaking her straw hat a little more, and the cool breeze felt much cooler on the two of them.

He Meifang glanced at her. "You want to catch fish?"

Lin Yuxi nodded.

“You should have Gu Chen take you there. There are snakes in those mountains, I’m too scared to go.” He Meifang had been bitten by a snake before and was terrified of snakes for the rest of her life. Just thinking about snakes made her shudder. She then said, “Besides, there are snakes in the water too. You’d better be careful if you go.”

"Thank you, Meifang."

Lin Yuxi just wanted someone to guide her, because she wasn't very familiar with the terrain after arriving in Qinghe Village. Once she became familiar with it, she wouldn't need anyone to guide her.

Gu Chen carried the bucket with one hand and quickly finished watering the plants. As a soldier, he was alert and knew that Lin Yuxi kept glancing at him, looking like she wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, she went to He Meifang's side.

Is he that scary-looking?

Looking at the remaining half-row, he quickened his pace. When he turned back to fetch water again, Lin Yuxi was nowhere to be seen.

By this time, Lin Yuxi had already gone home wearing a straw hat.

Anyway, she had earned her labor and work points for the day, and since it was hot and she still had some mung beans left over from the last purchase, she could use them to make some mung bean soup for her family and refrigerate it.

Gu Chen didn't see Lin Yuxi leave, but Aunt Zhou in the field watched without blinking.

She worked hard all day, her skin glowed white, and she looked completely different from the women around her. City people have good genes; their skin is fair and tender. If she had a child, the child would be as beautiful as a piece of jade.

"Old Zhou, what do you think of that girl? She's fair-skinned and pretty. What do you think about having a matchmaker introduce her to our son as a wife?" Aunt Zhou whispered in her husband's ear.

"That's a demotion, that's unacceptable. Do you want our family's reputation to be ruined? You still want to find a wife for your son? Look at how you've spoiled him into a lazy bum, what girl would marry him?"

Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhou became displeased. "So what if she was sent down to the countryside? She's actually marrying up to our family. Others would be begging for her. Just you wait, she'll definitely agree."