Lin Shu replied, “Alright, as long as it’s needed, I’ll definitely cooperate.”

Just then, Fang Dihua returned with some black rice and some immature corn from the fields, which could be cooked for dinner.

Lin Shu told her, “Mother, dinner is ready. Let’s cook the corn when I get back.”

Fang Dihua was pleased.

She believed that such opportunities for her daughter-in-law to be in the spotlight were good things, as she was certain that her son would like such a daughter-in-law.

“Go ahead, I’ll cook the corn.”

At this stage of the autumn harvest, corn is mainly harvested by hand, and tractors are not very useful.

Tractors become most active during plowing and sowing.

So, they adjusted accordingly.

The commune was happy to make a promotional film for a tractor.

The key was that Yao Naiwen promised to help apply to the higher-ups for another tractor.

Buying machinery was very difficult at the time, requiring approval from higher authorities, and getting a permit was challenging.

Many production teams applied every year, hoping to get a tractor of their own, but they often failed.

The main issue was that there weren’t enough tractors, and connections played a big role in the process.

It could take forever to get one.

If every production team had a tractor, it would save a lot of effort in farming.

When Lin Shu went to the fields, she helped drive the tractor for Lu Da.

Song Chunfang was just coming back from the fields with Widow Sun. They whispered to each other, “I don’t know about you, but Zhao Meifeng is introducing her daughter to someone and also to Widow Sun next door.”

Widow Sun replied, “She’s lucky to have a city official interested in her. Ah…”

She only has a bald man to make do with.

Originally, he was supposed to come live with her, but he ran back to help his parents during the harvest season, saying he’d return to help her after a few days.

That cursed short-lived guy, he sleeps with her and then leaves.

Why does Lin Shu have such good luck as a widow?

Her in-laws don’t mind, her sisters-in-law protect her, and her children are well-behaved and not mischievous.

Her son Xiao Liang wanted to play with Panpan and Tiantian, but those two wouldn’t come.

Just then, they heard the roar of a tractor and saw a grand and impressive Dongfanghong tractor approaching.

The driver of the tractor was… Lin Shu!

Widow Sun and Song Chunfang stared in disbelief.

A widow driving a tractor?

Lu Da was sitting with Lin Shu, while Wei Ling and Yao Naiwen were in the front seats.

Lin Shu drove the tractor towards the fields in the north. Seeing Song Chunfang standing there, Lin Shu called out, “Move aside, the plow behind the tractor might hit you.”

Song Chunfang gritted her teeth, probably stubbornly thinking, “I won’t move. What can you do about it?”

As the large tractor approached with its shiny plow, both she and Widow Sun hurriedly stepped aside.

Lin Shu drove the tractor into the fields, where a bean field had just been harvested and the bean pods had been sorted by the kids, ready for plowing.

Lu Da was worried that Lin Shu might not handle the plow well and offered to do it herself.

Lin Shu said, “Sister-in-law, I…”

Sister Lu Da taught her how to plow the fields and then guided her through the process step by step.

Lin Shu picked it up quickly.

Yao Naiwen and Wei Ling were stunned. This… young wife is quite impressive, isn’t she?

If they didn’t know any better, they’d think she had been doing this for a long time.

Lin Shu found plowing the fields quite fun, though the only downside was her lack of strength made turning the wheel difficult.

Fortunately, her cooking and grinding tasks had strengthened her arms, or she wouldn’t have been able to manage.

Yao Naiwen took photos while Wei Ling conducted interviews.

During this time, Lin Shu and Sister Lu Da nearly finished plowing the field.

As it got dark, Lin Shu suggested they head home for dinner, and everyone was indeed hungry.

Xu Guangmao and two other young men on the night shift came to take over.

Xu Guangmao handed Sister Lu Da and Lin Shu large, red pomegranates.

Sister Lu Da handed one to Lin Shu and said to Xu Guangmao, “We have pomegranates at home too. I’ll pick some for you later.”

In the past, everything at home was managed by Fang Dihua, and Sister Lu Da would never make such promises casually.

But now that she had a job and normal social engagements, she had some authority.

This was a privilege given to her and Lin Shu by Fang Dihua and Old Man Lu, not something enjoyed by Second Sister Lu Er and Eldest Brother Lu Dage.

By the time they got home, it was past dinner time.

Fang Dihua had left a pot of fish meat and fish soup, along with side dishes.

The staple was cornmeal and millet pancakes.

To entertain the city guests, Fang Dihua took out the fine noodles for the children.

Even though Yao Naiwen hadn’t eaten pure cornmeal steamed bread in three years, today he actively chose the pancakes, wanting to blend in with the working people and even feeling a bit sensitive about not being looked down upon.

Wei Ling was used to it, often eating and living with the villagers during interviews.

Yao Naiwen initially thought the pancakes would be as bitter and rough as steamed bread, but found them surprisingly flavorful and not bitter at all.

In fact, they had a pleasant aftertaste.

Delicious!

His eyes lit up.

Sister Lu Da kept praising Lin Shu’s cooking, “This fish soup with pancakes is amazing!”

Yao Naiwen and Wei Ling also tried it and agreed, “Indeed, it’s delicious!”

They finished the entire pot of fish and vegetables, and even ate a whole stack of pancakes.

Yao Naiwen, feeling a bit embarrassed, discreetly loosened his belt.

He took out five pounds of grain coupons and two yuan.

Typically, for a meal, people are given one pound of grain coupons and thirty cents.

Lin Shu and Fang Dihua naturally refused, saying, “Reporter Wei is an old friend of ours.”

“Friend, come over for a meal,” Yao Naiwen said.

Wei Ling smiled and replied, “Even old friends need to provide food tickets and money. That’s our rule; we don’t take anything from the people.”

She handed over two pounds of food tickets and fifty cents, “We’ll need another meal tomorrow morning.”

Yao Naiwen insisted on leaving the money, “It’s rare for me to come and have a meal; please don’t refuse.”

Fang Dihua also gave two pounds of food tickets and fifty cents, “The same for both of you, no favoritism.”

After the meal, Yao Naiwen discussed with Lu Da and Lin Shu, “We need to take a few more sets of photos at the tractor factory. This way, we’ll have images of both the fields and the factory.”

The photos of the fields could be used for a photography competition, and the factory images would be for promotional posters.

Fang Dihua agreed, “Okay, go ahead.”

Even though the commune was busy with only four tractors, missing one tractor driver wasn’t a big deal.

Taking promotional photos was a great opportunity for visibility.

Since the mother-in-law agreed, Lu Da and Lin Shu naturally agreed as well.

Lin Shu was attracted by the offer of travel and labor fees.

Yao Naiwen mentioned they could get ten or more yuan in labor fees plus meal allowances.

Why not go?

An ordinary worker earned only thirty yuan a month.

Earning ten yuan for a few promotional photos was good.

At that time, the concept of portrait rights didn’t exist, so being featured in promotional materials was an honor.

Who would care about such things?

Actors were paid for their roles, and even the most popular stars received salaries and allowances.

At the Army Guesthouse

Lu Shaotang and others had just returned from outside. He went to wash up first.

When he came back, he found Chen Yanming shirtless, reading a newspaper.

Annoyed by the strong odor of sweat from the young man, Lu Shaotang waved a towel at him, urging him to take a shower.

Chen Yanming looked up at Lu Shaotang with a mysterious expression, “Brother Lu, guess who I saw?”

Lu Shaotang grabbed the newspaper, glanced at it, and immediately recognized his wife despite the blurry image.

Wow, he didn’t even dare to speak at the wedding, but now she’s become someone who stands out.

He read the article slowly, finding that there were reports about her with his Eldest Sister-in-law Lu Da in this issue, and another one with the elderly lady in a different issue.

The report with Lu Da included photos, while the one with the elderly lady didn’t.

Probably because the interview with Lu Da was about working women and the one with the elderly lady was about military wives and wasn’t suitable for photos.

He took a small military knife from his leg, cut out the two articles, folded them, and put them into a pocket inside his clothes.

In the early morning, a messenger arrived with news, “Captain, we’ve detected unusual activity near the tractor factory.”

Lu Shaotang quickly got dressed.

“Let’s go.”