Chapter 35 035 Deception
Before leaving, Qin Feng instructed Aunt Liu to keep an eye on Miao Feifei. If she continued to slack off and drag her feet, she would be made to carry manure.
Miao Feifei felt like crying but had no tears left. She squatted on the ground, feeling wronged, and continued to pull weeds. This time, she dared not slow down and her hand speed was much faster than in the morning.
Aunt Liu squinted at Miao Feifei with disdain, snorted, and walked back to her field with her chin held high, pulling weeds while supervising Miao Feifei.
That afternoon, under Aunt Liu's supervision, Miao Feifei finally finished weeding her assigned plot of land half an hour after work. Looking at her bright red hands, Miao Feifei could no longer hold back her tears.
Aunt Liu had already left by then, and before leaving, she took the grass that Miao Feifei had pulled up home with her, leaving nothing behind.
The dried weeds could be used as kindling, saving her son the trouble of going up the mountain to collect firewood; she certainly wouldn't leave that opportunity for her.
Qin Xiaoxiao returned to the educated youth settlement when the work bell rang. She washed up first, then lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) and dozed off for a while. It wasn't until six o'clock that Qin Xiaoxiao went to Old Qin's house for dinner.
For three consecutive days, Qin Xiaoxiao finally finished working on the land assigned to her before leaving work on the third night. She called the scorekeeper to record her work points and excitedly asked if she could be assigned another piece of land.
The scorekeeper was Aunt Liu's youngest son, a high school graduate who had just gotten engaged. He was rather shy, but fair and impartial, and he was speechless in the face of Qin Xiaoxiao's request.
You did three days' worth of work in half a day, how dare you ask for another piece of land?
After all, they were childhood friends and had known each other for over a decade, so Liu Mingyu still took it very seriously to find a piece of land for Qin Xiaoxiao.
This piece of land is located near the foot of the mountain, and it is only half an acre in size. Because the land is rocky and not fertile, it does not produce much grain, which is perfect for someone like Qin Xiaoxiao who dawdles.
After all, if they keep grinding it down, the weeds will grow taller than the wheat seedlings. If this goes on for too long, the land will be ruined. He's afraid that even if he gave her better land, the villagers wouldn't have enough to eat this year.
Qin Xiaoxiao happily carried her little stool to the field, put it down, and plopped down on it.
Liu Mingyu glanced at the gloves on Qin Xiaoxiao's hands, shook his head secretly, said nothing, and rushed off to find Qin Feng.
When they arrived at the village office, Qin Feng was talking to Su Zhiyuan about building a house when Liu Mingyu rushed in in a hurry. The two of them looked at him at the same time.
Liu Mingyu took a breath and pointed towards the foot of the mountain, saying in a deep voice, "Uncle Qin, why don't you let Xiaoxiao come back? She..."
Upon hearing that it was related to Qin Xiaoxiao, Qin Feng immediately became anxious, "What happened to my Xiaoxiao? Is she injured? Did she faint? Or was she bullied? Say something!"
Liu Mingyu quickly shook his head, "No, no, listen to me, Xiaoxiao should stop working. Let her go home. I'm afraid if she continues, the weeds in the field will grow taller than the wheat seedlings."
Upon hearing that Qin Xiaoxiao was alright, Qin Feng turned around and sat back down.
"Don't worry about it. She doesn't live off work points. Just transfer my Qin Ye's work points to her later. As for the land, just give her a plot that doesn't produce much. Don't give her any good land."
He would feel bad if the land was ruined.
Liu Mingyu nodded helplessly, "I assigned her that piece of land at the foot of the mountain to work, but at this rate, I don't think it'll take her more than five days!"
Will this land be ruined in five days? How much grain will be harvested in the fall?
Qin Feng nodded. "You've arranged it quite well. Let's do it that way."
"But……"
Qin Feng waved his hand, "I know what you want to say, but I have no choice. Xiaoxiao's parents just passed away, and she's still grieving. Yet she still went to the countryside to support national construction. This kind of selfless dedication is commendable, and we should support her."
Even though he didn't do a great job, we can't dampen Xiaoxiao's enthusiasm!
What if I say something to her because of this and she cries?
Are you going to coax me?
Liu Mingyu quickly shook his head.
He just got engaged. If his fiancée hears this, she'll break off the engagement.
He had to stay away from Qin Xiaoxiao for his wife's sake.
If you can't stay away, then avoid it; don't let people gossip.
Seeing that Liu Mingyu had been fooled, Qin Feng smiled and said, "That's settled then, let's arrange it like this from now on."
Liu Mingyu thought for a moment, "Uncle Qin, how about we let Xiaoxiao go cut pig feed?"
This job is easy; even a child can do it. Nobody complains about getting one work point a day, and most importantly, it doesn't damage the land or affect grain production.
Qin Feng frowned, slammed his hand on the table, and stood up. "What did you say? You want my Xiaoxiao to cut pig feed? That's such tiring work! There are so many snakes, insects, and poisonous ants on the mountain. What if you scare my Xiaoxiao?"
What if we encounter a wild boar? We'd be dead!
"My third son is my only child. Do you want your third uncle to have no male heir?"
Liu Mingyu was completely bewildered by Qin Feng's scolding.
Five- or six-year-old children can go up the mountain, so why can't Qin Xiaoxiao?
He didn't tell her to go deep into the mountains, so how could she have encountered a wild boar?
Before Liu Mingyu could explain, Qin Feng added, "Besides, who's going to carry the pig feed that's been cut down? You go and carry it."
Liu Mingyu's face immediately showed a look of horror.
He's trying to avoid her all the time; he certainly wouldn't help her carry pig feed.
Qin Feng looked worried. "A basket of pig feed is no light load. What if my little one gets exhausted? And if I send her to gather pig feed, what about the other female educated youths who have just arrived at the settlement? Will they also have to gather pig feed?"
If I don't let them go, they might accuse me of favoritism or something. How am I supposed to keep my job as the team leader?
I spent over ten days figuring out this method; pulling weeds is definitely easier.
She could get the work done sitting on a stool without moving. It was a bit sunny, but Xiaoxiao was wearing a straw hat, so the sun didn't reach her.
And it's hard on the hands. Oh right, he forgot about that. His little fingers are delicate, and he doesn't want them to get calluses!
I'll have my mother prepare some medicinal wine for Xiaoxiao, and soak her in cold water. That should help her get through these days. Once we've pulled the weeds in the field, I'll find a way to arrange an easy job for her.
Liu Mingyu had no idea what Qin Feng was thinking. If he knew, he would definitely complain that Qin Feng spoiled Qin Xiaoxiao too much.
Unable to find Qin Xiaoxiao a new job, and with Qin Feng managing to persuade him, Liu Mingyu turned around dejectedly.
As soon as Liu Mingyu left, Qin Feng and Su Zhiyuan started complaining about how unreliable Liu Mingyu was and how he couldn't stand seeing his little one having an easy time.
Su Zhiyuan listened with amusement as Qin Feng went on and on praising Qin Xiaoxiao. In less than ten minutes, Qin Xiaoxiao was being lauded to the skies, as if she were omnipotent in his eyes. Su Zhiyuan wondered if the person Liu Mingyu had just mentioned was the same person he was talking about.
Qin Xiaoxiao was unaware that Liu Mingyu's attempt to switch her jobs had been rejected by her uncle. At that moment, she was happily pulling weeds, thinking about what to eat for dinner.
These past few days, it's been Grandma Qin and Ma Dahua cooking. Although the food tastes good, it's still a bit different from what she's looking for, mainly because they're reluctant to use oil.
She can't eat meat yet, and there's not much oil in it, so her health won't be good in the long run.
(End of this chapter)
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