Chapter 51

In the afternoon, Gu Qinghuan and Qian Caihua deliberately waited until Lin Xiaomeng arrived before starting their work. Their main goal was to do no more than necessary—not even a little extra.

As soon as Lin Xiaomeng arrived, she meticulously questioned Qian Caihua about various matters. However, she found no clues regarding the disappearance of the Fortune Value.

As for the delicious persimmon that Qian Caihua had mentioned, she automatically ignored it.

How delicious could a persimmon be? Qian Caihua simply hadn’t eaten anything truly good before—everything tasted amazing to her.

After all her questioning, Lin Xiaomeng still found nothing suspicious. She could only give up and continue working, feeling rather dejected.

Seeing this, Qian Caihua even ran over to ask her if Liu Guifang had made things difficult for her.

Lin Xiaomeng, noticing her gossipy demeanor, felt a surge of anger burning within her. A dog can never change its habit of eating shit. That nosy woman loved to spread rumors.

Gu Qinghuan, on the other hand, remained as if she were invisible, avoiding conversation with anyone and focusing solely on her work.

She could actually sense that Lin Xiaomeng’s gaze had fallen on her several times, likely harboring some suspicions about her.

She made up her mind—she had to stay away from the male and female leads in the future.

She couldn’t involve her family members either. She could no longer take risks so easily.

They worked until nightfall, yet the three of them still hadn’t managed to finish digging up the three rows of sweet potatoes.

Naturally, they didn’t earn full work points either. In the end, they barely received six work points—and that was only after Qian Caihua spent a long time persuading the Brigade Leader.

Gu Qinghuan returned the farming tools and dragged her exhausted body home.

Today had been an unbelievably tiring day—ten times more exhausting than climbing a mountain.

She could clearly feel that the skin on her shoulders had likely been rubbed raw, stinging painfully every time her clothes brushed against it.

Two blisters had also formed on her hands.

She couldn’t fathom how the original owner of this body had endured such hardship.

She had only worked for a single day, and she already felt like she was going crazy.

Xu Huai’an stood at the doorway like a devoted guardian, waiting for a long time. Finally, he saw a familiar figure walking toward the house.

However, she looked weary and downcast—far from her usual bright and energetic self.

Today, she appeared somewhat disheveled.

A trace of heartache surfaced in Xu Huai’an’s eyes as he slowly stepped forward to greet her.

Gu Qinghuan saw a tall, thin figure walking toward her and immediately guessed it was Xu Huai’an. Forcing herself to perk up, she asked: “Why did you come out?”  

“To welcome you back. You worked hard today.” Xu Huai’an said softly.  

In an instant, Gu Qinghuan felt comforted.

This scene was so much like those in later generations where a wife waited for her husband to return home from work—only reversed.  

“If you know I worked hard, then hurry up and get better. Once you’re well, all this work will be yours.” Gu Qinghuan said, half in jest, half in frustration.  

“Alright!” Xu Huai’an promised earnestly.  

“Mom, you’re back! The dumplings will be ready soon!”  

From the main room, two little ones stretched out their small, fair hands to greet Gu Qinghuan.  

Zhong Zijun was making dumplings with the two children, who were surprisingly skilled at it.  

The leftover pork from before had been turned into chili sauce for long-term storage, while the dumpling filling was made with crispy pork lard residue.  

The two large chunks of pork fat Gu Qinghuan had brought back last time hadn’t been rendered yet, but since there had been time in the afternoon, she had finally melted them down, yielding a large basin of lard and another of crispy pork cracklings.  

Dumplings stuffed with pork cracklings and wild vegetables—nothing could be more delicious.  

After a long day of exhaustion, Gu Qinghuan instantly felt healed.  

Only love and good food were not to be wasted.  

She quickly washed her hands, changed her clothes, and joined in making dumplings. Before long, a pot full of plump dumplings was ready.  

Dipped in sauce, each bite was fragrant and flavorful.  

The whole family ate until their stomachs were round.  

Bei Bei rubbed her little belly and, in an old-soul tone, said: “I’ve eaten more good food recently than in my entire life.”  

Her words sent everyone into fits of laughter. This little one was only four years old—what did she mean by “entire life”?  

“Huan Huan, if you have time tomorrow, check which family has extra vegetable seedlings and trade for some. Huai’an already finished weeding the private plot today, so we can start planting tomorrow.” Zhong Zijun said.  

Beyond just asking her daughter to find seedlings, she also meant to subtly remind her that her son-in-law was doing his best to contribute to their small family.  

To be honest, Xu Huai’an’s legs were still too weak to stand for long periods. He struggled to exert strength and wasn’t suited for heavy labor, especially tasks like weeding, which required constant bending and strain on his legs.

However, Xu Huai’an insisted on doing the work. When he became too exhausted, he simply sat on the ground and continued pulling weeds. A task that would have taken a normal person just a morning to complete had taken him an entire day.  

He felt sorry for Gu Qinghuan. He didn’t want her to bear the burden of both the outside labor and the household chores. These were responsibilities that should have been his to take on.  

Zhong Zijun saw this and could only feel anxious. She felt sorry for both her daughter and son-in-law, but at the same time, she was happy for them. They were both good children, each doing their best. Their days would only get better in the future.  

Hearing Zhong Zijun’s words, Gu Qinghuan turned to Xu Huai’an with disapproval. “Your legs have only just regained some mobility. Don’t injure them again. I can handle these things.”  

“It’s fine, I know my limits. But you—today must have been especially exhausting.” Xu Huai’an said. In truth, he was also very tired, but he was genuinely happy that he could finally contribute.  

Gu Qinghuan shrugged, preparing to stretch her body to show she wasn’t that tired. However, the moment she moved, a sharp pain shot through her. Her face immediately scrunched up like a dumpling, and she froze in place.  

Xu Huai’an looked at her in alarm. “What’s wrong? Did you hurt your shoulder?”  

Zhong Zijun quickly got up and came over to check.  

She gently lifted the fabric off her daughter’s shoulder, only to find that the wound had already stuck to her clothes. She had to use some force to separate them.  

The moment the fabric peeled away, fresh blood seeped out. Her pale shoulder was covered in red, swollen bruises—it was a shocking sight.  

The pain was so intense that tears welled up in Gu Qinghuan’s eyes. She looked utterly pitiful.  

“Mom, be gentle!” Xu Huai’an, forgetting all courtesy, spoke anxiously.  

At this moment, even though her delicate shoulder was partially exposed, Xu Huai’an felt nothing but distress.  

She had once been a pampered young lady, yet she had come here and endured so much suffering.  

The two children quickly gathered around as well.  

Bei Bei’s golden teardrops fell as she sniffled. “Mom’s shoulder is hurt… it must hurt a lot.”  

“Mom, I’ll blow on it for you. It won’t hurt anymore.” he said, puffing out his little cheeks and blowing gently on her wound.  

Gu Qinghuan fondly ruffled her mushroom-shaped hair. “Alright, thank you, Bei Bei.”  

Da Bao suddenly turned and ran outside. Moments later, he returned with some plantago and fleabane.  

Xu Huai’an finally snapped out of his daze and cursed himself internally. He had been so overwhelmed with worry that he had lost all sense of clarity—he wasn’t even as quick-witted as a child.  

“We don’t have any medicine at home right now. The herbs Da Bao brought are common remedies for stopping bleeding and healing wounds. Mom, could you crush them and apply them to Huan Huan’s injury?”  

Xu Huai’an had wanted to do it himself, but he was worried about overstepping boundaries. In the end, he had to settle for asking Zhong Zijun instead.  

Having lived in the countryside for five years, Zhong Zijun was already familiar with many folk remedies. For minor injuries, these methods were commonly used.

There was no time to be particular about it—she quickly ground the herbs and applied them to Gu Qinghuan’s wound.  

Gu Qinghuan hadn’t expected to one day personally experience such a primitive form of treatment. She couldn’t help but laugh through her tears.  

Her space contained all sorts of medical supplies, but right now, it wasn’t convenient to take them out.  

For now, she could only make do.