Chapter 77 Winter

Lin Qi returned to the village from the town and met the team leader at the entrance of the village.

"Are you here specially to guard me?" Lin Qi looked at the captain's posture and wondered how long he had been waiting?

"Someone said you went to town today." The captain indirectly acknowledged Lin Qi's words.

"Okay, I'm going. Do you want to buy anything?" Seeing that he wanted to look at her backpack, Lin Qi simply put the basket on the ground and let him look at it.

There are only a few things in the backpack, and you can see them all at a glance without having to flip through them.

"I didn't buy meat buns this time." The captain's tone was full of regret.

Lin Qi was dumbfounded. "You waited for me just to eat meat buns? I'm really sorry, I don't have food coupons today, so I can't buy them."

"It's not for the meat buns." The captain's face flashed with an unnatural look, and he changed the subject, "Your house has been built, and it's time for you to come back to work. What are your plans now? Continue to cut grass for pigs, or dig sweet potatoes and taro, or go to open up wasteland with everyone else."

"If I had chosen to mow the pigs—"

"If you choose to cut grass for pigs, it means you are not active in your work and your attitude is not positive either." The team leader interrupted Lin Qi, "Cutting grass for pigs is for children and elderly people, how can you be so embarrassed!"

"You're quite embarrassed. I just had circumcision for a few months before!" Lin Qi didn't care.

"Before was before, and now is now. Everyone knows your strength and unanimously agrees that you should go and open up wasteland and dig stones." The captain said righteously.

"Work for half a day or a whole day?" When Lin Qi showed her strength to everyone, she knew that she would lose her job cutting grass for pigs.

"Of course it's one day." The captain said sternly, "Have you ever seen anyone work for half a day?"

Lin Qi frowned. After working for a whole day, wouldn’t she have no private time at all?

As if he knew what Lin Qi was thinking, the captain said, "Winter will come in a few days. The land will be dry in winter, and you won't be able to open up the wasteland then. Just grit your teeth and hold on for a few days."

At this point, Lin Qi could only accept it and asked, "How many work points a day?"

"The highest is ten work points," said the team leader.

"The highest point before was ten. From now on, the highest work point per day is twelve." Lin Qi said.

At the turn of autumn and winter, the sun in the sky no longer shines on people, and Lin Qi joins the land reclamation team without a hat and empty hands.

"Lin Qi, go get a pair of work gloves." Jian Tongyi reminded her.

"No more. The last pair of work gloves was taken away by me." Jiang Wanwan said with a smile, with a hint of gloating in her eyes.

Jian Tongyi frowned and took off the gloves on his own hands. "Then you use mine."

"No need." Lin Qi refused, showing her slender, white hands to others, and said lightly, "My hands don't need gloves, and there's nothing wrong with them."

Jiang Wanwan hid her blistered hands behind her back and gritted her teeth, "Everyone can brag."

"Oh, after today is over, you will know whether it is just bragging or not." Lin Qi ignored her and strode forward.

"Lin Qi, Lin Qi, is Lin Qi here?" the captain shouted in the team.

"Here." Lin Qi raised her hand.

"What kind of work do you want to do?" the captain asked her loudly.

"Captain, why can she make her own choice while we have to obey her orders?" Jiang Wanwan asked sharply.

"Yes, why shouldn't she obey the arrangements? You treat me differently! I don't accept it!" Zhu Qing looked indignant, as if she was really treated unfairly.

Feng Qian raised her hand, "Captain, I also want to choose the job I want to do."

The other people present had complicated expressions and looked at the captain one by one, wanting to know how he would answer.

The captain was questioned by Jiang Wanwan and the other two, but he was not angry. Instead, he sneered and said, "Lin Qi's job is to dig stones or move stones. If you want to do it, you can choose one of these two."

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole place fell silent, and Jiang Wanwan and the other two looked unhappy.

The others looked as if they had suddenly understood.

"I almost forgot. Lin Qi is very good at digging stones. She cleared all the stones on her homestead before."

"No wonder, everyone says she's suitable for pioneering. A few days ago, someone suggested to the captain that we invite Lin Qi to our team."

"With Lin Qi joining us, there will be no rocks in the ground that cannot be removed!"

“…”

With every additional comment made by the people present, the expressions of Jiang Wanwan and the other two became uglier.

Seeing that things were almost done, the captain asked Lin Qi again, "Have you made your choice?"

"Then let's dig stones." Lin Qi said indifferently.

"Okay, then dig some rocks. Use the strength you put into digging your homestead, and let everyone see why you can earn twelve work points a day!"

Twelve work points!

Isn’t the highest work point for the brigade ten?

Everyone looked surprised, but after seeing the example of Jiang Wanwan and the other two, everyone was afraid of making a fool of themselves like them, so no one spoke.

Didn’t the captain say that he wanted them to take a look? So they just took a look.

If it is not worth twelve work points by then, not only will everyone disagree, the team leader will be the first to quit.

After all, everyone knows that the captain is stingy.

Lin Qi didn't have gloves, and she didn't even have a shovel. She grabbed the stone with her bare hands and pulled it out of the ground easily, just like pulling a carrot.

The whole process was so smooth that the team members were stunned!

That’s a huge stone weighing several hundred kilograms!

They finally figured out how the rocks on her homestead disappeared.

On the first day that Lin Qi joined the pioneering team, she successfully shut up those who disliked her.

Because of Lin Qi's participation, today's land reclamation went very smoothly, and the efficiency increased several times. Lin Qi was the only one who took care of the big stones. She picked them up from the ground and carried them to the designated place. She did a job that ten people might not be able to do!

She got twelve work points, and everyone was convinced. The team leader even smiled, and it was obvious that he was very satisfied with Lin Qi.

Xu Hexiao prepared dinner. Not only did he prepare dinner, he also boiled water for Lin Qi to take a bath.

As soon as Lin Qi entered the door, she smelled the aroma of food.

It feels so good to have someone at home cooking dinner for you when you get home, Lin Qi thought.

"Go take a shower first, then you can eat." Xu Hexiao said to her.

Lin Qi hummed and asked him, "It will take about three days to build the house."

Xu Hexiao brought out two buckets of hot water. "Are two buckets enough?"

"Enough." Lin Qi held a bucket in each hand and walked steadily towards the bathroom.

Xu Hexiao watched her walk away, and a thought came to his mind that maybe he should buy her a bathtub.

Lin Qi can weave mats, backpacks and baskets, and even beds and cabinets, but she can't make wooden barrels. Wooden barrels require more skills and need to be painted with oil.

When Lin Qi finished her bath, the food was already on the table, and Old Man Xu had also arrived. He and Xu Hexiao had already sat down, and the two were waiting for her. When he saw her coming, Xu Hexiao started to serve her rice and soup.

"How was your work today? Are you adapting? Is anyone giving you any trouble?" He was worried about her all day today.

"It's not a problem. I always speak with my strength." Lin Qi said.

Xu Hexiao suppressed his laughter, "So you convinced them with your strength?"

"I don't know whether they are convinced or not, but no one is talking nonsense." She didn't care whether those people were convinced or not, as long as they didn't get in her way.

Xu Hexiao picked up some food for her and said, "Take it easy. Don't work so hard."

He was worried that she was exhausting herself.

"Okay." Lin Qi agreed obediently. She would definitely not just work hard. If she used all her strength, those people would probably be scared by her again.

Seeing that she had an idea, Xu Hexiao talked about other things. "I tried the desk in the study at noon. The height and size are just right. There are also brushes, pens, paints and paper. You prepared very carefully. Thank you, Lin Qi."

"It's fine as long as you can use it well." Lin Qi said, and reminded, "If you want to practice calligraphy, practice the words and sentences in the quotations of great men. To be on the safe side, it's best not to write other things if you can."

"Okay, I'll listen to Qiqi." Xu Hexiao's tone was doting.

That night, Lin Qi still had to go back to the mountains.

"Shall I buy two more quilts from Brother Tan? That way you don't have to go back to the mountains every night." Xu Hexiao hoped that she would spend the night here. It seemed that as long as she spent the night outside, he and she would be closer.

"No need. I have saved a lot of rabbit hair. I plan to use it to make two mattresses, one on the cave side and one outside, with a quilt on each side." Lin Qi said.

"Can you sew?" For some reason, he had a hunch that she couldn't.

Sure enough, Lin Qi was stumped by the question.

"Bring those rabbit skins here and I'll help you sew them. But I can only guarantee that the sewing is strong. As for the beauty—" Xu Hexiao thought for a moment, "I'm not sure either."

"It doesn't matter whether it's beautiful or not." Lin Qi waved her hand indifferently, "Then I'll bring it out tomorrow."

"Bring the quilt out as well. Sew it and sleep here tomorrow." Xu Hexiao did not forget his purpose.

"Okay." Lin Qi didn't know why he insisted on letting her sleep outside. Since he wanted to, then she would satisfy him.

On the fifth night after Lin Qi joined the land reclamation team, the weather suddenly turned cold, and the wind was howling like ghosts and wolves, making the thatched roof rustle.

Hearing the sound of the wind, Lin Qi, who had already laid down, hurriedly found her thick winter clothes and put them on, then went out with a flashlight and went to the cowshed.

The cowshed was simple, with some space between the roof and the wall, just to allow for better ventilation. Now that winter has come, the brigade has not yet sent anyone to plug the leak.

Grandpa Xu would probably get sick if he lived in a place like that.

When Lin Qi arrived at the cowshed, Xu Hexiao was persuading his family to move to the new house.

"The floor and walls of the new house are not dry yet. It may not be much better than here." Old Man Xu did not move.

"Go to my place." Lin Qi shouted outside the door, "Go to my bed, go now, and be quick. A cold is not a minor illness."

"Let's sleep in your bed, what about you?" Xu Hexiao frowned.

"I'm going to the mountains. Suddenly, the wind started to blow, and I'm worried about the animals in the mountains." Lin Qi's tone was a little hurried. "You don't have to worry about me. This little wind is nothing to me. You and Grandpa should move to my house quickly. Don't hesitate."

"Okay, let's move. Will you come out of the mountain tomorrow?" Xu Hexiao asked.

"Out, at noon." Lin Qi replied.

"Okay. If you don't come out at noon, I'll go find you in the mountains."