Song Wei worked so quickly that when the scorekeeper arrived, they were completely taken aback.

“How did you finish so fast?!”

Upon seeing Song Wei’s progress, the scorekeeper blurted out her surprise.

It just so happened that this scorekeeper was all too familiar: none other than Song Wei’s “rival,” Jiang Xiaowan. The moment Jiang Xiaowan appeared, her face matched the one from Song Wei’s memories.

Jiang Xiaowan had delicate features, fair skin, and wore two black braids, her dress patterned with small floral prints. She appeared more polished, even more “city-like,” than some of the girls in the Zhiqing commune.

Song Wei, on the other hand, had an oval face, and the original owner’s expression often carried a trace of melancholy, giving her a frail and timid look. But with the soul of post-apocalyptic Song Wei now in the picture, there was a hint of heroic spirit in her gaze, and she looked more composed. Her face still held that Jiangnan delicacy, creating a striking contrast with Jiang Xiaowan’s vibrant style. That said, Song Wei’s features were arguably more refined.

Jiang Xiaowan glared at Song Wei, not bothering to hide her distaste. “If you’re well enough to finish the corn so quickly, then I guess your health is just fine. This work is supposed to be for the elderly and kids. Why don’t you take on some more serious work?”

The implication was clear—she was accusing Song Wei of slacking off, avoiding tougher tasks.

Song Wei gave her an eye-roll and shot back, “Are those eyes of yours just for decoration? Don’t you see this bandage wrapped around my head? The team leader assigned me to shell corn and even set me up in the shade, so I wouldn’t pass out under that blazing sun. Who’s going to take responsibility if that happens? You?”

Jiang Xiaowan was at a loss for words.

Nearby, Aunt Wang and the others, who had formed a bond with Song Wei over shared gossip, chimed in.

“Song Zhiqing just works quickly, that’s all. She only just got out of the hospital, so fieldwork would be too much. The sun’s too strong, and she’s still recovering. If anything happened, it’d be a real problem.”

“Right, Comrade Jiang, just mark her work already. Song Zhiqing still needs to collect firewood for the winter. She’s new to the commune, so she’d better prepare properly if she wants to make it through.”

Jiang Xiaowan stomped her foot, frustrated. “Whose side are you on, the village or the Zhiqing (educated youth)? I’m a villager, remember!”

Would Aunt Wang and the other experienced people be afraid of her?

“Comrade Jiang, that’s not right. How are we siding with the Zhiqing? You think we’re not allowed to speak the truth?”

Song Wei nodded in agreement. “Exactly. These aunties are clearly brave enough to help the weak, a noble quality if you ask me!”

The women straightened their backs, pleased by Song Wei’s compliment.

Jiang Xiaowan fumed, her face red with anger. If she’s weak, then what am I?

“Goodness, what’s the fuss?” Aunt Xiu intervened when she saw Jiang Xiaowan on the verge of tears. “Song Zhiqing’s work is done, so just mark it. Why argue and risk getting lectured by the brigade leader?”

Jiang Xiaowan stopped talking and cast one last glare at Song Wei before noting her work on the ledger.

Song Wei stretched her neck to glance over.

“What are you looking at?” Jiang Xiaowan snapped, still seething.

“Oh, just admiring the calligraphy. It has a real Wang Xizhi vibe—bold and forceful,” Song Wei replied with a grin, confirming that her points were fairly marked.

With a final, scornful eye-roll, Jiang Xiaowan lifted her head and strode away haughtily.

The moment she was gone, the aunties huddled together to gossip again.

Song Wei eagerly joined in.

“Can you believe how pampered the village secretary’s daughter is?” one of the aunties said. “They put her through school up to high school, never make her work in the fields, and now she’s even a scorekeeper!”

The role of scorekeeper was easy and prestigious—a coveted job. But it was handed to Jiang Xiaowan, just because of her father’s position, even though there were other literate villagers.

“Only daughter in a family with four sons—of course she’s spoiled,” another woman said with a shake of her head.

“Too bad her eyesight’s so bad that she’s taken a liking to Luo Zhiqing,” Song Wei added, unable to resist.

The aunties turned to her with a look that said, You, of all people, are one to talk?

Weren’t you chasing after him just yesterday?

Song Wei maintained her composure. “I wasn’t thinking straight back then, that’s all. Why else would I have wasted all those tickets and even a bicycle ticket on him?”

The aunties, seeing her acknowledge her own mistakes, gave her a sympathetic look.

“It’s good you’ve come to sense. But really, a bicycle tickets? It’s a bicycle!” Aunt Wang said, patting her chest as if she were the one who’d lost the ticket.

Song Wei’s mouth twitched. “Don’t worry, I’m going to get it back. Anyway, ladies, I’ve got to run. Let’s catch up next time!”

With that, she headed off.

Time to head back to the mountains!

This time, Song Wei brought a large wicker basket and two burlap sacks. She’d spotted a pine grove the other day and planned to gather as many pine nuts as possible. They tasted delicious but were tedious to harvest—each pine cone yielded only a few nuts, so it was time-consuming. The villagers usually left this task to kids, as adults found it too time-intensive.

Coincidentally, she spotted the same boy she’d seen yesterday.

He was rail-thin, his bones visible beneath his tattered, dirty clothes. He was barefoot, his exposed skin marked with bruises.

While most village families were poor, they generally kept their children decently clothed, albeit in patched garments. Only neglected girls from families that favored boys were dressed as poorly as this child.

Upon seeing her, the boy was wary but didn’t bolt as he had the day before.

He was ravenously eating something.

It turned out to be a small fruit known locally as lantern berries, or cape gooseberries. The ripe ones were bright red, like little lanterns, and quite festive-looking.

The boy quickly harvested all the berries he could reach, stuffing them into his ragged shirt for safekeeping.

Seeing his distrustful gaze, Song Wei considered leaving him be. But then her ears perked up.

Something small and gray darted out of the bushes—a rabbit!

The boy was startled, but his eyes gleamed with excitement. Dropping his berries, he ran barefoot after it.

However, he couldn’t keep up with the rabbit’s speed. Seeing that the rabbit was about to run away, he became so anxious that his eyes turned red.

Whiz…

A stone flew through the air, striking the rabbit squarely on the head. It managed to stumble a few more steps before collapsing, legs kicking as it fell still.