Chapter 78: How Much Unspoken Love Is Hidden Within?
She gently took the bamboo basket off her arm and stuffed it into Xu Nuoyan's hands without saying a word.
The bamboo basket was heavy, containing not only fruits, but also the daughter's heartfelt wishes.
“Mom,” Xu Zhili’s voice softened, but with an undeniable seriousness, she stepped forward, opened her arms, and gently and firmly embraced her mother.
This embrace contained a sense of relief over the difficult past years, and an infinite appreciation for the maternal love that had been lost and regained.
She gently pressed her face against her mother's slightly cool temple, feeling the familiar scent with a faint fragrance of soapberry, and a sense of peace settled in her heart. "From now on, it's my turn to take care of you. Don't keep sneaking peeks at me. An'an and I are both fine, so don't worry. When things are cleared in the future, you can just wait to enjoy your life in peace."
Xu Nuoyan's nose tingled with tears from her daughter's sudden hug and words.
The bamboo basket in her arms weighed heavily on her hands, and her daughter's warm body pressed against her, dispelling the last trace of morning chill.
Her throat tightened, a thousand words stuck in her throat, and in the end, only a nasal reply escaped her lips: "Mmm... okay, Lili..."
She raised her free hand and hugged her daughter tightly, even somewhat clumsily, as if trying to incorporate all her belated love and guilt into the embrace.
Then, like any mother who is not used to showing delicate emotions, she patted Xu Zhili's back twice heavily, so hard that Xu Zhili couldn't help but cry out "Ouch!"
"mom!"
Xu Zhili protested with a laugh, lifting her head from her mother's arms, rubbing her back which had been slapped so hard, and deliberately pouting, "With that kind of strength, am I still your real daughter? I think I was adopted!"
Xu Nuoyan looked at her daughter's exaggerated expression, her eyes filled with a mixture of laughter and lingering tears.
She quickly turned around, her back to Xu Zhili, as if to hide something, leaving behind only a smile and a resolute statement: "No!"
Before she finished speaking, she had already slung that heavy basket of love over her shoulder and walked hurriedly toward the cowshed without looking back. Her figure looked somewhat thin in the morning light, yet it exuded a strength filled with her daughter's love.
Xu Zhili stood there, watching her mother's almost jogging figure as she left, shook her head and smiled helplessly, but her smile was full of understanding and warmth.
She knew that behind her mother's "no" lay countless unspoken "yes" and "love".
The morning breeze ruffled her hair, bringing with it the fresh scent of earth from the distant fields.
She took a deep breath, her smile becoming calm and powerful, and turned to walk with firm steps in the opposite direction from her mother—towards the field waiting to be cultivated.
A new day begins, filled with the warmth of family and the hope of life.
Today's task at the educated youth settlement was to dig drainage ditches. Lu Yanchen and Bai Linlin were assigned to the same group. Each of them carried a shovel. They went to their assigned area and started digging without saying a word.
But after digging for only a few minutes, they came up with a competitive, spark-filled air.
Lu Yanchen straightened up, wiped the sweat rolling down his forehead, stared at the ditch Bai Linlin had dug, his brows furrowed instantly, and he was so angry that he was panting heavily.
Not only were the edges of the ditch crooked and twisted, but the bottom had no slope either. The water that had just accumulated swirled in the ditch and couldn't flow at all.
He plunged the shovel into the mud, ignoring the mud splashing onto his trouser legs, completely oblivious to the fact that he was staring wide-eyed at Bai Linlin: "Bai Linlin, are you drawing dragons here? Do you even know how to do a job?"
Bai Linlin was struggling to shake the mud off her shovel when she heard this and suddenly straightened up. Sweat clung tightly to her smooth forehead, and a few strands of hair clung to her rosy cheeks.
She raised her chin defiantly and pointed the ditch with the tip of her shovel: "Why can't I do it? Look at this depth, is it enough? If not, I'll dig it deeper."
"What good is a deep ditch!" Lu Yanchen was so angry he almost jumped up and down, pointing into the ditch. "Look at this water! Where does it flow? Flood prevention is all about making sure the water flows smoothly to lower ground! You've dug a pointless ditch. If it rains again, won't it flood the seedbeds we just prepared?"
He raised his voice, attracting the attention of several groups of educated youth who were working diligently nearby, who all turned to look at him curiously.
Bai Linlin was immediately embarrassed, but she still refused to back down and stubbornly asked, "Then... then tell me how to dig properly?"
How do we dig?
Lu Yanchen snatched the shovel from her hand and moved it towards the head of the ditch. "Watch, we have to find the drop in elevation by following the terrain! Cut diagonally this way with the shovel. The bottom of the ditch needs to be flat, and the edges need to be even so that the water can flow!"
He demonstrated as he spoke, his movements swift and skillful, unlike any other educated youth from the city. He plunged the shovel into the mud and with a flick of his wrist, he lifted up a whole clod of earth.
Bai Linlin stood to the side with her arms crossed, her face turned away angrily, her lips pursed tightly, and a speck of mud stuck to the tip of her nose, making her look like a little wildcat with its fur standing on end.
She stopped arguing, squatted down, and sifted through the mud at the bottom of the ditch with her hands: "I know, this is my first time doing this kind of work. Nobody is born knowing how."
"Just because it's the first time you do it, you're in a right?"
Lu Yanchen glared at her irritably, but his hands didn't stop. He continued to widen the ditch. "Hurry up and redo that unfinished section of your ditch! If you delay the progress, see how Xu Zhiqing deals with you!"
He deliberately emphasized the three characters "Xu Zhiqing".
Upon hearing the words "Xu Zhiqing," Bai Linlin reacted as if something had been touched. She immediately became like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, but instead of saying anything, she just scoffed and quickly picked up her shovel, no longer swinging it around haphazardly as before.
She imitated Lu Yanchen, carefully adjusting the angle and following the slope he had created, digging down shovel by shovel.
The wet mud was heavy, and her movements were still somewhat clumsy and awkward. Occasionally, she used too much force, and a small piece of mud splashed onto Lu Yanchen's eye.
"Ouch—!" Lu Yanchen winced in pain, turned around abruptly, and glared at her fiercely.
Bai Linlin immediately lowered her head guiltily, pretending to be focused on the mud under her feet, but her hands moved even more gently and carefully.
That look in his eyes...it was terrifying.
No, no, no, she wasn't afraid of Lu Yanchen at all!
It was truly... truly a nerve-wracking moment—if Xu Zhili saw her clumsy at work and dragged her colleagues down, leaving her with the impression of being "unreliable," that would be the death of her.
Yes, that's it!
Bai Linlin is a hardworking and ambitious comrade.
On the other side, Xu Zhili and Li Chunyan's group had already completed their task ahead of schedule.
Xu Zhili works as swiftly as the wind. The shovel seems to come alive in her hands, each strike precise and powerful, turning up the soil neatly and evenly.
With her as the main force, and Li Chunyan's cooperation, the ditches they were responsible for were dug deep and straight, with water flowing smoothly.
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