Chapter 54 First Day at Work
Liu Pandi took a breath, her eyes fierce as if she wanted to devour Yao Xueru. "Do you believe I'll report to the brigade leader right now, saying that you have backward thinking, resist labor, and need to be criticized and educated at a large meeting? Don't even think about asking for leave; the dirtiest and most tiring work by the cowshed will be waiting for you. Don't blame me for being rude to you."
This torrent of angry words and blatant threats was like ice water poured over her head, instantly extinguishing Yao Xueru's last shred of hope. Overwhelmed by fear and grievance, her eyes instantly reddened, and tears welled up in them.
Just when the tension was high and Yao Xueru was cornered and on the verge of collapse.
"Tsk."
A very soft, cold, and clearly impatient click of the tongue.
It's Xu Zhili.
She simply passed by Yao Xueru's bedside without pausing for a moment; only her cold, emotionless profile drifted into Yao Xueru's ears on the wind.
"sleepy?"
Xu Zhili's voice was as soft as a sigh, yet it sent a shiver down Yao Xueru's spine. "The cemetery... is peaceful."
After saying that, she walked straight out of the dormitory without looking back.
The faint morning sunlight fell on her slender back, but only reflected an indifference and coldness that kept strangers at bay.
The dormitory was deathly silent.
The people in the dormitory were chilled by Xu Zhili's last words and momentarily forgot to continue their reprimand.
Yao Xueru felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave, forgetting even to cry, only boundless fear and coldness remained—that Xu Zhili… the way she looked at her was truly like looking at a dead person.
Looking at Yao Xueru's deathly pale face, and recalling Xu Zhili's cold and indifferent profile, Liu Pandi felt a sudden pang in her heart.
This Xu Zhili is too wicked!
She kicked the basin on the ground in frustration and yelled gruffly, "What are you all standing there for? Are you really waiting to go back to sleep in the graveyard? Hurry up and get dressed! Get out here and get to work."
This roar, compared to before, seemed to lack a bit of confidence.
Yao Xueru jolted awake and scrambled to her feet with unprecedented speed and agility.
A cemetery...is quiet?
No! She didn't want any "peace and quiet" at all.
At the production team's threshing ground, just as dawn was breaking, the air was filled with the buzzing of voices.
The former educated youth silently merged into the dark mass of people. The air was filled with the smells of sweat, earth, and smoke. Team leader Xie Jianguo stood on a broken stone mill, loudly assigning tasks for the day.
When the names of the new educated youth were read out, several pairs of eyes immediately swept over.
Bai Linlin nervously clutched the hem of her clothes, her face pale, attracting curious glances from several young men.
Xu Zhili stood there, her back straight.
That face stood out too much in the drab crowd, but its eyes were cold and unwavering.
She ignored the stares directed at her, as if the surrounding noise had nothing to do with her.
“…Xu Zhili!” Xie Jianguo paused, his gaze sweeping over her and An’an before settling on her face. “You, go with the strong laborers to weed in Xigou.”
Xie Jianguo had witnessed Xu Zhili's amazing strength before. When working in the fields, she was no less capable than male laborers and was a skilled worker.
It was also with Xu Zhili's consent.
A low murmur arose from the crowd.
weeding?
That barren slope in Xigou?
The grass roots are so deep they're like a net; the hoe shakes so hard it makes your hands numb, and even strong laborers suffer from backaches and pains after a day's work.
Should we send this female educated youth with a child?
Is the captain trying to mess with someone?
Xie Jianguo ignored it and continued distributing the assignments.
The crowd dispersed as they went to retrieve their weapons.
The hoe handle was cold and rough, and the blade was covered in dry mud.
On the slope of Xigou, weeds grow taller than a person, their roots and stems twisted and gnarled, looking quite tiring.
Several shirtless men were stretching their wrists when they saw Xu Zhili arrive. Their faces showed undisguised surprise and anticipation of seeing her make a fool of herself.
"Heh! The new pampered young lady, trying to pick weeds with us men?"
"Tsk, with such delicate skin, don't break yourself with a single blow from the hoe!"
"I heard she even brought her child to the countryside, probably hoping to earn more work points to support her child? Are you kidding me?"
Laughter and whistles drifted over.
Xu Zhili acted as if she hadn't heard.
She walked to where the hoes were kept and picked out the one that looked the heaviest and had the brightest blade.
The hoe looked big and clumsy in her hands.
She weighed it in her hand, walked to the thickest patch of grass, bent down, and gripped the hoe handle.
The movements were swift and decisive.
The hoe was raised high and then slammed down. With a muffled "thud," it dug itself deep into the ground.
With a twist of the wrist and a pry, a large patch of tangled turf, along with its deep roots, was overturned, sending clods of earth and grass roots flying.
One stroke, two strokes... The ground in front of her was quickly turned over as if it had been plowed, revealing dark, damp soil.
The speed and force were so impressive that several men nearby swallowed hard, their Adam's apples bobbing.
Xu Zhili didn't stop.
She changed her posture, gripping the hoe with both hands, using her waist to move her arms, and drawing a short, powerful arc with the hoe. Each strike sank deep into the roots of the grass, then forcefully pried up a large chunk.
She didn't dig one shovel at a time, but rather moved forward rhythmically, like harvesting wheat.
The hoe felt as light as a stick in her hands, but the force with which it fell was terrifyingly heavy.
"Snap! Snap! Snap!"
The sound of the hoe hitting the soil and prying it up was fast and urgent, like a rhythm.
To everyone's astonishment, Xu Zhili moved.
She didn't work slowly; instead, she took big strides and walked quickly across the slope.
The heavy hoe in her hands became a reaping sickle; wherever it passed, dense weeds fell down, revealing bare soil.
Each step he took kicked up dust, each step carrying an undeniable force.
The wind ruffled the hair on her forehead, revealing her eyes, which remained cold and expressionless. It was as if she were sweeping the floor, not wielding a heavy iron hoe.
She walked past the group of dumbfounded men without even glancing at them. Her target was the overgrown weeds ahead.
One piece, two pieces, three pieces...
She was like a wound-up machine. Swinging the hoe, prying up, moving forward, swinging the hoe again… the movements were fluid, without pause or heavy breathing. Sweat streamed down her temples, but was quickly dried by the wind. Only her slightly rising and falling chest and her consistently steady breathing proved that she was still breathing.
The entire Xigoupo area was deathly quiet.
All that remained were the "thud" of the hoe hitting the soil, the "crack" of prying up grass roots, and the sound of her quick, heavy footsteps.
Everyone who wanted to see a joke was gaping, their eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.
"Damn it..." A man dropped his cigarette on the ground.
"This...this isn't even human, is it?" another person rubbed their eyes hard.
“Damn it… she can dig this piece, which is equivalent to me digging three pieces…” someone muttered to himself, his voice weak.
Xu Zhili seemed deaf; her eyes were only on the grass in front of her.
One after another, the speed didn't slow down at all.
The hoe went the deepest, the weeds were cleared the cleanest, and the steps were the biggest and fastest.
She didn't know how long she had been working, but when Xu Zhili swung her hoe again and took a step forward as usual, she discovered that the barren slope in front of her, which used to require more than a dozen people to work until the afternoon, was actually... empty!
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