“Granny Lin, stop flattering yourself. Does Lin Zhen even acknowledge you as his grandmother?” someone in the crowd retorted. “And feeding Heidan? We’re not blind. He’s working for your family every day, but he’s dressed in rags and barely eats. If Lin Zhen came back and saw how Heidan’s been treated, he’d probably set your house on fire!”

Granny Lin’s face darkened. She muttered that Lin Zhen would never do such a thing, but deep down, she was uneasy. Lin Zhen had always been wild and rebellious, never afraid of standing up to anyone, even if it meant being labeled as unfilial.

Realizing she wouldn’t get her way, Granny Lin shot Song Wei and Heidan a hateful glare and turned to leave. But Song Wei called after her.

“Granny Lin, now that everything is settled, you won’t be calling Heidan back to your house for any reason, right?”

“Why should I agree to that? Heidan may be working for you to pay off the debt, but I didn’t sell him to you. I’m his grandmother—if I tell him to come home, he comes home! Heidan will gather firewood for the Lin family; that’s his way of showing respect for his grandparents.”

The captain scowled, clearly annoyed. “Heidan’s just a child. Are you trying to work him to death?”

“I don’t care! He’s part of the Lin family, so he has to contribute to the Lin family!” Granny Lin insisted.

The captain shot back, “Then why don’t you send Lin Youfu or Lin Youcai? Lin Youfu is old enough to do the job properly instead of relying on a young boy. It’s absurd that an 18-year-old needs a child’s help to gather pig feed!”

Granny Lin was indignant and threw herself onto the ground, wailing and howling that the captain was biased against her family.

The captain was on the verge of losing his patience. Handling people like Granny Lin, who knew how to manipulate with drama, was exhausting. But his wife, Wu Xinghua, wasn’t one to back down. She marched over, finger pointed directly at Granny Lin.

“You shameless old hag! Do you really think we’re powerless against you?”

Looking around, Wu Xinghua spotted a pail of manure nearby. She strode over, scooped up a ladleful, and held it up threateningly.

In rural areas, manure—often a mix of human and animal waste—was used as fertilizer. The smell alone was enough to make anyone back away.

“If you throw another tantrum, I’ll make sure you know exactly what this manure taste like!” she threatened, striding toward Granny Lin with the pail.

Everyone around immediately backed away, covering their noses. Seeing Wu Xinghua approaching with the manure, Granny Lin scrambled to her feet, genuinely afraid Wu Xinghua might douse her in it.

“Captain, are you just going to let this madwoman bully an elderly person like me?” Granny Lin shrieked.

Wu Xinghua shot back, “Ha! An elder? More like an old pest! You know exactly how old Lin Youfu is, don’t you? He’s nearly grown, and all he’s done is feed pigs, while the young kids are out there doing real work! And you act like he’s some big shot just because he’s been to middle school. What a joke!”

Unable to bear any criticism of her son, Deng Chunhua, Granny Lin’s daughter-in-law, snapped back, “My son is just waiting for an opportunity! He’s preparing for a factory exam. Once he passes, he’ll be a legitimate worker, just like his father.”

Wu Xinghua snorted, “Preparing for the exam? Lin Youfu’s always hanging around with idle troublemakers. If he can pass, then anyone in this village could! And Lin Dahai is still an intern after all these years—barely able to support himself. Your family loves to brag, but do you have anything else worth mentioning?”

“Honestly,” another villager chimed in, “Lin Youfu’s hogging the pig-feeding job is unfair to everyone else. Plenty of other kids need those work points. Captain, just kick him out and give the job to someone who actually needs it.”

“Exactly. I’ve wanted to say this for ages. The Lin family has no shame hogging that job.”

Others agreed, particularly those who had children at home who could use the work points to earn more food for the family. “Besides, unless Heidan helps, the pigs won’t eat the grass Lin Youfu cuts himself. The pigs raised in our brigade are skinny and I don’t know if we can deliver them this year.”

Seeing everyone turn against her grandson, Granny Lin tried to throw another fit, but Wu Xinghua’s sharp glare and the raised pail of manure kept her in line.

The captain finally made his decision. “Lin Youfu’s job of collecting pig grass is taken back from now on. We’ll choose a new worker from the village kids.”

The surrounding crowd broke into smiles and cheers, while Granny Lin was left dumbfounded.

Song Wei, watching from the sidelines with Heidan, could barely contain her laughter. Granny Lin had not only lost the argument but had lost her family’s work privileges. This time, the Lin family had really suffered a double blow.

Once the crowd dispersed, Song Wei noticed Gao Le nearby, munching on sunflower seeds with great enjoyment. When he saw the show was over, he looked a bit disappointed.

Song Wei raised an eyebrow. “Look at you, watching with snacks and everything.”

“Sis, you were amazing out there!” Gao Le said, offering her a handful of sunflower seeds.

Song Wei took a few and shared some with Heidan, smiling. “Just doing what had to be done.”

They finished their snacks and went back to work. Heidan, feeling energized, worked with renewed spirit, helping to plant vegetables. But since he was still young, he grew tired quickly, and Song Wei soon sent him to rest.

“I’m not tired, Sister Song!” Heidan insisted.

Song Wei smirked. “Check the sweat on your forehead, and then say that.”

Heidan just grinned sheepishly. He was overjoyed—they had managed to stand up to his grandmother, and he would get to stay with Sister Song.

Nearby, a group of aunts were gossiping as they worked.

“That Song Wei sure is foolish, letting the boy work off a 130-yuan debt. He’s so young, what kind of work can he really do?”

“Exactly. That’s a watch we’re talking about! Just thinking about it makes my heart ache,” another chimed in.

“She has a watch and even a bicycle coupon. Her family must be wealthy, so why’d she end up here in the countryside?”

“Who knows?” the aunts murmured.

They thought they were being discreet, but their voices were heard by both Song Wei and Gao Le. Gao Le glanced at Song Wei, expecting her to be annoyed, but she looked unfazed, almost amused.

In fact, Song Wei was humming a tune as she worked, completely undisturbed. In truth, the watch wasn’t broken by Heidan—it had been broken long ago. Her older brother had sent it to her, but when she’d tried to wear it back at the Song house, her stepsister and stepmother had tried every trick to take it from her.

Her father even slapped her for not giving the watch to her stepsister, the original Song Wei was so angry that she smashed it right in front of them. It was better broken than to let those two have it.