With a smack on her thigh, Song Wei put on an exaggeratedly aggrieved expression. “Aunt Xiu, I slipped and fell in the water by accident, and now there’s this crazy rumor. Sure, I liked Luo Yecheng before, but why on earth would I try to drown myself over him? I mean, he’d be fine, still marrying Jiang Xiaowan, while I’m left with this awful reputation! What would I even gain from that? I am so unlucky, right? The folks here are so warm and kind, and the food is so delicious, how could I be so depressed as to commit suicide?”

The women around her, already eavesdropping, broke into approving smiles as Song Wei praised the friendliness of the Ping’an Brigade.

“Well, isn’t that the truth! Our folks here are as warm-hearted as they come.”

Song Wei nodded brightly. “Absolutely! Even though I just arrived, everyone’s been so helpful.”

“Got any tips for shelling corn, Aunt Xiu?” she asked casually, shifting the conversation.

“Oh, I sure do!” Aunt Xiu responded, delighted. “See, you don’t want to use just your hands—that’ll tear your skin up. You take the cob and scrape it with a piece of the leftover corncob, like this,” she demonstrated, showing how to use the rough cob to pull off the kernels with ease.

“Or if you’ve got a pair of Liberation shoes with a grooved sole, you can rub the cob against it. That’ll get a good amount off in just a few tries,” she continued.

Liberation shoes have ridged soles that are perfect for quickly scraping corn kernels free. But, since those shoes are precious, few would use them just for shelling corn.

Though Song Wei didn’t have Liberation shoes, she had plenty of arm strength. After a few practice, she could finish shelling each ear of corn in just seconds.

“You’ve got quick hands, Song Zhiqing!” Aunt Xiu observed with an admiring nod, joined by a few others.

In truth, Song Wei was eager to finish quickly and head back up to the mountains. But this task was light, and she got to hear all the latest village gossip.

Perhaps because she was the subject of some rumors herself, they didn’t discuss on her gossip. Instead, the conversation drifted to other tales from nearby villages. The Ping’an Brigade was made up of four connected villages, with Song Wei living in Laozaogou. Today, the gossip focused on the next village over.

Song Wei joined in without a hitch.

“Apparently Widow Hu never cared for her husband, and now that he’s gone, they say she’s got a stream of men sneaking over.I don’t know whose man is so bad. If the wife finds out, there will definitely be a fight.” one of the women said, eyes widening.

“Forget other villages—some of our own men from the village have been visiting, too,” someone else chimed in, sparking instant interest.

“Who?” Song Wei asked, her eyes gleaming with curiosity as she and the others leaned in closer.

The woman relaying the news beamed with pride, “My son saw it himself just last night. It was Guifen’s husband, sneaking out of Widow Hu’s house.”

“Oh, my…” Song Wei whispered, her excitement mirroring the others. She knew Guifen—one of the locals—and couldn’t wait to learn more.

“So, it was that ‘Old Lady Niu’s’ son?”

“That’s right,” Aunt Xiu said with a knowing look. “Guifen’s husband is a layabout, never lifting a finger. And Old Lady Niu still dotes on him. If Guifen finds out, there’ll be no end to it.”

The woman sharing the gossip had a mischievous look in her eye. “Maybe I should tell Guifen,” she mused.

Song Wei quickly intervened. “Think about it, Aunt Wang. If only your son saw him, Old Lady Niu will trace it right back to you, saying you’re spreading lies out of jealousy. And if her son denies it, what proof would you have? You’d be dragging trouble onto yourself.”

Aunt Wang paused, realizing Song Wei had a point.

“Song Zhiqing is right,” Aunt Xiu added. “Even if your son testifies, no one else would believe it.”

Gratefully, Aunt Wang patted Song Wei’s hand. “Thank goodness for your advice, Song Zhiqing. Otherwise, Old Lady Niu would’ve made a mess of my life.”

“Hey, you lot, are you working or just gossiping here?” the team leader’s voice barked as he approached, frowning at the group.

The “Melon Eating Team” quickly dispersed.

“What’re you fussing about? We’re working, aren’t we?” Aunt Wang retorted with a roll of her eyes. “I might be slow, but I’m still working.”

Aunt Xiu, with a gleam in her eye, asked the team leader, “Da Lin, were you drinking with that old hunter last night? I heard your wife saying you kept her up half the night; she didn’t get to bed until dawn.”

Song Wei nearly choked on her own spit, surprised by the boldness of these women.

The team leader, Jiang Da Lin, turned beet red.

“Ha! No wonder his wife looked so worn out this morning,” Aunt Wang chuckled with a mischievous grin.

The team leader barked a couple of reprimands to get them to work seriously, then made a hasty retreat.

His retreating figure looked like he was running from some terrifying beast.

Muttering as he walked away, “That loudmouthed woman, can’t keep anything to herself!”

He was so embarrassed!

“A bunch of old ladies, gossiping away… And there’s a young girl, too.”

Song Wei: …So someone finally noticed I’m here?
But she wasn’t the least bit shy!

“Oh, uh, Song Zhiqing, I’d forgotten about you, hehe…”

Song Wei’s expression turned serious. “It’s fine.”

She watched the team leader’s awkward departure with amusement.

“Wow, Song Zhiqing, you’re really quick!” one of the women noted, impressed by how much corn Song Wei had shelled, even while joining in on the gossip.

While chatting, Song Wei’s hands hadn’t slowed. She could shell a cob in seconds, and her pile was already halfway done.

The old women looked at her with new respect, realizing she was far from the fragile city girl they’d assumed.

“I’m just trying to finish quickly so I can go up the mountain for firewood. I heard the winters here are freezing,” Song Wei explained with a grin.

Aunt Wang, nodded. “You have to collect more firewood. It gets so cold here that no one wants to leave the house, and if you don’t have a heated kang, it’ll be tough for you city folks.”

Aunt Xiu: “Speaking of which, this season is when the mountains are full of supplies. It’s good to gather more while you can, the few work points you new educated youth have are not enough to get food.”

Without enough grain for the winter, the only option would be to buy food from the brigade.