Chapter 28: Apology

Jin Bei’s face turned pale in an instant. She never expected that the whispers she had in her family’s vegetable garden would be overheard by a few children.

The children’s words were earth-shattering, and Tan Yanlu was equally surprised. She immediately seized the opportunity to sternly question Jin Bei, “Jin Bei, what else do you have to say for yourself? It can’t be that these children are just making things up, right? You better think carefully. If I bring those kids over to confront you, it won’t just be your face that’s lost—Accountant Jin’s reputation will also take a hit. You must apologize to me immediately, and you have to compensate me for this water bottle. Otherwise, I’ll go to the brigade leader to settle this.”

The onlookers around them pointed and whispered. Jin Bei knew she couldn’t argue or evade any longer, but she bit her lip, refusing to apologize.

Jin Bei had been spoiled by her family since childhood, and getting her to apologize was as difficult as climbing to the heavens. Moreover, her little scheme had been exposed, and she caught a glimpse of Lian Xiuran standing nearby, which only added to her embarrassment. As a young woman with thin skin, tears welled up in her eyes involuntarily.

Several people tried to persuade Tan Yanlu to back down a little. Tan Yanlu wasn’t unwilling to compromise; she knew she had just arrived in the countryside and shouldn’t stir up too much conflict with the locals. But at the very least, Jin Bei should apologize first. Was it really so hard for someone who had done wrong to lower their head and say sorry?

It was at this moment that Accountant Jin received the news and hurried over. Clearly, he had already understood the situation on his way. Jin Bei had indeed told him the night before that she wanted to drive Tan Yanlu away, but he hadn’t agreed. He had even asked his daughter how Tan Yanlu had offended her, but Jin Bei refused to say. At the time, Accountant Jin thought it was just some petty conflict between two girls and didn’t take it seriously. But now, with his daughter caught red-handed, he realized things weren’t so simple—at the very least, his daughter had ulterior motives.

So, as soon as Accountant Jin saw Tan Yanlu, he began to apologize profusely, “Hey, Educated Youth Tan, I’m really sorry. My daughter has been spoiled by me, and I apologize to you here. I’m truly sorry. How about I buy this water bottle for you? Or I can pull some strings to get you a new one.”

Accountant Jin’s sincere attitude made Tan Yanlu loosen her grip on the matter. After all, it was better to have the local authority on her side. Accountant Jin was an official of some standing, and Tan Yanlu knew when to step back. “Accountant Jin, I was a bit impulsive too. I shouldn’t have said all that in front of so many people.”

Accountant Jin waved his hand, “It’s my daughter who was in the wrong. How should we resolve this water bottle issue?”

Tan Yanlu was now in a dilemma. Her original intention was not to keep the water bottle, but if she really made the Jin family buy a new one, even though she was in the right today, she might end up being seen as unreasonable later. People would likely say, “It’s just a little kid’s urine, right? Just wash it and boil it. Why be so fussy about getting a new one?” Worse still, Tan Yanlu might be labeled as having the airs of a capitalist’s daughter.

After some hesitation, Tan Yanlu said, “You don’t need to compensate me, but it’s not too much to ask you to clean this kettle for me, is it?”

However, Tan Yanlu probably wouldn’t use this kettle again, as it made her feel uneasy.

Hearing Tan Yanlu take a step back, Accountant Jin breathed a sigh of relief. He could afford to buy a new kettle, but his family couldn’t bear to spend money on such things. If he had to buy one to compensate someone else, it would surely break his heart.

He quickly assured her, “Of course, don’t worry. I’ll take this kettle back later and have my wife clean it thoroughly for you. We’ll boil a pot of water to sterilize it, ensuring there’s no lingering smell.”

Tan Yanlu glanced at Jin Bei and added, “Accountant Jin, I hope this kind of thing won’t happen again in the future. This time, I happened to see it. What if I hadn’t? I would have been tricked for nothing. If next time it’s not just a child’s prank, but something else added to it, and I end up getting sick, what would you do?”

Accountant Jin nodded repeatedly, “I promise you, this will never happen again. I’ll make sure to discipline her properly when I get back. Girl, come here and apologize to Educated Youth Tan.”

Jin Bei looked at the stern face of Accountant Jin, tears welling up in her eyes. She mumbled a soft “I’m sorry,” then turned and ran away.

The matter was thus settled, and Tan Yanlu emerged victorious.

Jiang Pan Yu also successfully received her reward. When she returned to work, she unwrapped a piece of Nutrient Milk Candy and ate it, then took a sip of Brown Sugar Water. Life felt sweet and satisfying.

When it was time to finish work at noon, Jiang Pan Yu and Tan Yanlu walked back together.

Jiang Pan Yu reminded her, “Yanlu, you need to be careful when you go out in the future. Don’t be alone.”

“Why do you say that? What’s going on?” Tan Yanlu asked, puzzled.

“You had that argument with Jin Bei this morning. When I went back to work, I overheard the aunties talking. Jin Bei is the only girl in three generations of the Jin family. They say she’s spoiled rotten, and she has many brothers—both full brothers and cousins—totaling over a dozen. No one dares to bully her when she’s out; it’s always her who bullies others. Even though you were in the right today, do you think they’ll reason with you? What if Jin Bei gets angry and gets her brothers to come after you? That’s why I’m telling you to be careful and not be alone.”

Tan Yanlu smiled and replied earnestly, “Alright, I understand. Thank you, Pan Yu. When we get back, I’ll treat you to some Brown Sugar Water.”

Jiang Pan Yu didn’t refuse, “Sure, add extra sugar. I like it sweet.”

“No problem!”

After a day of labor, in the evening, after dinner and washing up, while there was still a faint light in the sky, Jiang Pan Yu carried a small stool and sat in the yard.

She opened her left hand, which had several blisters from using a new hoe all day. The prolonged friction had caused the blisters to form.

Jiang Pan Yu took out a needle and, without expression, popped the blisters. She wiped them clean with a towel, applied Red Medicine, and did the same with her right hand.

Tan Yanlu watched from the side, wincing in sympathy, “Doesn’t it hurt even more when you pop them? Won’t it be worse when you work tomorrow?”

Jiang Pan Yu shook her head and said, “That’s because you’ve never done farm work. If you pop the blisters and apply medicine, they heal quickly, usually overnight. Once you develop calluses, you won’t get blisters as easily.

If you don’t pop them now, it will hurt even more when you work tomorrow. And if the blisters burst while you’re working,

and sand gets into the raw flesh, that’s when the pain becomes unbearable, and it’s also very easy to get infected.”

Tan Yanlu couldn’t help but shiver as she listened, her palms already starting to ache as if she could feel the sand grinding into her flesh. “Ugh, stop talking, stop talking! I can already feel the pain. I’ll pop the blisters like you did.”

“Let me help you. You probably can’t do it yourself,” Jiang Pan Yu offered.

Jiang Pan Yu picked up a needle to help Tan Yanlu pop her blisters. To distract herself, Tan Yanlu asked Jiang Pan Yu a question: “You seem so optimistic. Don’t you find farming hard? Don’t you want to go back to the city?”

Of course, she thought about returning to the city, but there was no opportunity right now.

As for whether farming was hard, Jiang Pan Yu could only say that everyone’s fate was different.

Tan Yanlu was a city girl from a well-off family who had never experienced much hardship, so naturally, she found farming unbearable.