I've gotten used to this kind of working life and don't feel tired at all. I haven't looked in the mirror for a long time, and when I saw myself, I was shocked. I'm actually quite a beauty! I've also grown taller; I'm already 1.6 meters tall.
After admiring myself for a while, I finally felt better and went to sleep.
The next day, I fed the sheep, milked them, and put all the milk into my space. Now I have two large buckets full of sheep milk. Maybe I'll need it in the future. If I really don't need it, I can even take a sheep milk bath.
The daily water consumption is very high, so Zhang Hongmei has to carry water several times to fill the water tank.
While fetching water, he ran into Liu Maocai. "Uncle, are you planting sweet potatoes today?"
"Yes, I'll go ring the bell to gather everyone in a bit. If you haven't eaten, hurry up and go eat."
"I've already eaten, and I'll fill the vat again this time. Uncle, after the spring planting is finished, could you find someone to help me build up the sheepfold?"
"Okay. I'll come and cover it for you after we finish planting."
Everyone in the village, young and old, who was able to move, came to plant sweet potatoes. The older folks pulled up the vines in the village's sweet potato ridges. Some of the men dug holes in the sweet potato ridges, about 20 centimeters apart, while the rest of the men carried water, some of the older children watered the potatoes, some of the women planted them, and the remaining children and women covered the ridges with soil.
Zhang Hongmei was assigned the task of watering the sweet potatoes, which was actually the easiest part of planting sweet potatoes.
Er Ya covered the soil, following Zhang Hongmei on the same row. First, they watered the soil, and then Li Cuihua planted the sweet potato seedlings. After the water had seeped in, Er Ya covered the soil. She covered the soil whenever there was water; if the soil dried out, the seedlings would become large clumps and wouldn't grow easily.
Listening to Li Cuihua's words, Zhang Hongmei thought to herself, "You need experience in everything."
Li Cuihua was very competitive, so Zhang Hongmei and Er Ya suffered. There was no time to rest, and they had to be quick. Even Jianguo, who carried water for them, sweated more than the others.
Zhang Hongmei, of course, wouldn't say anything else. She would do whatever she was told. Er Ya was much better than Zhang Hongmei. Although she was also tired, she had a foundation in manual labor since she was a child.
Neither of the two girls envied others for being lazy; they did their jobs diligently. This attracted the attention of the women working nearby. In rural areas, the first thing men look for in a wife is whether she can work. These two girls were hardworking and conscientious, and this quality impressed many men with sons.
Zhang Hongmei was unaware that she had unwittingly become a candidate for a good daughter-in-law. If she knew, she would definitely be kicking herself, thinking she didn't want to be this kind of good daughter-in-law.
Li Cuihua was quite satisfied with her two daughters, but looking at her eldest daughter who was far away from her, she felt sad again. Right now, the eldest daughter should be the one making a good impression on outsiders, but the child knew nothing. If she behaved well, perhaps she could attract a good family?
But seeing her like this, I'm so angry I want to slap her. I was supposed to take care of her and share the watering duties with her, but she volunteered to give it to her aunt instead. That's fine, a little extra work won't hurt, but her lazy, perfunctory attitude is infuriating. If her husband saw this, he'd be furious. How did I raise such a daughter?
A moment later, team leader Wang Hongxi came over. "You lazybones, hurry up! If the water evaporates, it'll waste a lot of water. Why don't you go fetch water later?" After the team leader finished speaking, many lazy people still sprang up, but Da Ya and her group didn't take it seriously at all and just did what they were doing. They completely ignored what the team leader said.
Wang Hongxi thought to herself, "Are they looking down on me?" "Liu Baomei, Liu Daya, you two go fetch water." Looking at their indignant expressions, she continued in a slow voice, "If you don't do it, then you won't have to do it at all in the future, and you won't get a single penny or a single grain of rice at the end of the year."
Liu Baomei tugged at Liu Daya, and Sha Zi immediately retorted, "What right do you have? Your opinion doesn't count."
"Hehe, just because I'm the captain, I can make the decision."
The one planting rice seedlings on their row was Liu Maocai's sister-in-law. She had no choice; no one else would group with their sister-in-law, so she had to bite the bullet and do it herself. "Captain, give them another chance, they definitely won't do it this time," she thought to herself, cursing angrily. She was stuck in the mess, what bad luck.
Liu Baomei and Liu Daya both behaved themselves and did what they were supposed to do. Zhang Hongmei thought to herself, "They're like a stubborn mule who won't budge even when led by the hand, and they'll only back down when pushed." But Liu Baomei was quite a character; Liu Daya, on the other hand, was just a fool.
This minor incident didn't cause much of a stir, but it did attract more attention to their group. The group consisted of the village chief's sister-in-law, a niece, and their daughter; if they slacked off, someone would immediately follow them. And if the team leader came, they'd have someone to deal with them.
When Liu Maocai found out, he wasn't dissatisfied. He just said to Wang Hongxi, "If they don't work hard, just make them fetch water. I have no complaints about raising such a daughter."
Wang Hongxi knew, of course, that Liu Maocai was telling the truth. He was also present that night. "Maocai, you still have to do something about it. To put it bluntly, if he smashes up the house, you'll still have to support him. Don't take it personally."
“I know that too. Even if I get so angry when I see her, I can’t lay a hand on her. Cuihua’s health has been poor ever since she gave birth to twins, and I can’t let her get angry. I guess I deserved it in my past life.”
"If that's the case, then it should be better if she stays away from your mother."
“I used to think about finding a way for her to get a government-subsidized food ration, but now I’m afraid she’ll cause trouble, so I’d better give up and find her a better, more reasonable husband.”
Two grown men sat on the ground chatting while smoking pipes, and Wang Hongxi happened to be watching Liu Maocai's antics.
There are only two hours between work and lunch, so the rest time is really tight. But everyone does it this way, so even if someone has complaints, they can't voice them.
Li Cuihua invited Zhang Hongmei to her home for dinner, but Zhang Hongmei refused, saying, "I made it this morning, Auntie, so I can eat it when I get home."
"Okay, then eat and take a nap."
Zhang Hongmei returned home, took off her worn-out, dust-covered coat and shoes, and went into her spatial dimension. She took a comfortable shower before cooking for herself. To be honest, the work wasn't particularly tiring, but the wind was strong, and her skin became very dry.
Lunch consisted of beef stew with tomatoes, broccoli with garlic, and rice. This meal was excessive.
After finishing my meal, I cleaned up the kitchen before going back to my bedroom and lying in bed to sleep.
I vaguely heard a noise outside, which startled me. I quickly left the space, found some clothes to put on, and then went to open the door.
Liu Erya, standing outside the door, brought a bowl of sweet potato noodles with shredded beans. "I brought this for you to try. I didn't want to stay at home, so I came here to rest for a while."
"Sister Erya, come in quickly. I'm too full. You can eat it yourself. I'll get you some pickled vegetables that I made. Otherwise, it won't taste good tonight."
"You really aren't going to eat? I'm really not full yet, so I'll eat."
"I have some leftover cornbread from lunch, do you want some?"
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