He apologetically nodded to Wen Nan and poured the water basin beside the vegetable patch.

Wen Nan also reacted, a hint of embarrassment flashing in her eyes. She had been staring at Chief Chen just now, and she felt fortunate that he hadn’t noticed her blatant gaze.

After the noodles were cooked, Wen Nan served Chen Xu a large bowl, ladling on the side dishes she had specially prepared. The aroma was enticing.

Chen Xu glanced at the remaining noodle soup in the pot, “Aren’t you eating?”

Wen Nan shook her head, “I’m full.”

After Chen Xu left, Wen Nan poured out the remaining noodle soup, heated some water for a bath, added some well water to the hot water, and slowly carried a full basin of water into the room. The water was a bit full, and if she walked too fast, some would spill. Chen Xu glanced at the trail of water droplets behind Wen Nan’s feet, hesitated for a moment, and still resisted the urge to help her carry it into the room.

To outsiders, they were cousins, so there was no need for restraint, but both he and Wen Nan understood their positions.

Neither of them was married, and it would be inappropriate for a man to carry a woman’s bathwater into her room.

In the room, Wen Nan washed herself, emptied the water, and went to sleep. She slept soundly again, waking only to the faint sound of a bugle the next morning. The army was some distance from the family quarters, so the bugle call wasn’t very loud.

It was just dawn. Wen Nan didn’t have a watch, so she didn’t know what time it was, but she estimated it was around six o’clock.

When she went out, Grandma Chen was sweeping the yard. Seeing Wen Nan, Grandma Chen smiled, “Why didn’t you sleep a little longer?”

Wen Nan went to the well to fetch water to wash her face, “I promised Xiaomai that I would go to work cutting grass today. I’ll leave after breakfast.”

Grandma Chen was startled, sweeping the dirt into a dustpan, “We don’t need you to eat less at home. You don’t have to do such tiring work under the hot sun.”

Her aunt hadn’t let her niece do farm work even though life was difficult at home. Now that she was here, even if she wasn’t her own granddaughter, she couldn’t mistreat the girl.

“It’s okay, I can’t stay idle anyway.”

Wen Nan got up, grabbed a towel from the rope, and wiped her face. Her eyes, refreshed by the clear water, were bright and radiant, with a smile in her pupils, “Doing more work can also strengthen my body.”

Seeing her insistence, Grandma Chen said nothing more. She knew Wen Nan was embarrassed to live at their house without contributing, wanting to earn some work points to help out.

This child had a strong sense of self-esteem.

Wen Nan saw that Chen Xu’s door was open, and he wasn’t in the yard. She asked curiously, “Auntie, where’s my brother?”

Grandma Chen said, “Something came up in the regiment, he left before dawn.”

Grandma Chen made breakfast. She didn’t let Wen Nan into the kitchen, so Wen Nan went to the vegetable patch to weed. Grandma Chen watched the diligent Wen Nan from the window, thinking that the man with the same surname as their old Chen family was truly lucky to be able to marry such a good girl in the future.

As soon as Wen Nan finished breakfast, Zhao Xiaomai came over with a basket on her back. She also took a large basket from the kitchen, picked up the sickle hanging on the wall, and took the stick from behind the door, leaving with Zhao Xiaomai. This was the first time Wen Nan had ever cut grass. In the new century, although her childhood was difficult, her grandparents had always lived in the city, so she had never done farm work.

Zhao Xiaomai looked at the stick in her hand and curiously asked, “Wen Nan, what are you doing with the stick?”

Wen Nan swung the stick, “To beat snakes.”

The snake by the grass last night still made her heart tremble.

Zhao Xiaomai smiled, “You don’t need a stick. Just sweep the grass with your sickle, and the snakes will run away when they hear the noise.”

That’s what she said, but Wen Nan still felt safer with the stick.

Zhao Xiaomai first took Wen Nan to report to the livestock director. Director Liu came out of the cattle farm and was startled when he saw Wen Nan. He looked her up and down, his wrinkled brows furrowed. This woman looked delicate and tender, not like someone who did manual labor.

Lin Meizhen and yesterday’s companion came along.

Lin Meizhen didn’t have a good expression when she saw Wen Nan. Her words from yesterday still weighed heavily on her heart!

Director Liu assigned Zhao Xiaomai and the other comrade to cut pigweed, and Wen Nan and Lin Meizhen to cut grass for the cows. As soon as the assignments were made, eight or nine more people came to report with baskets on their backs.

Wen Nan carried her basket and stick and walked with Zhao Xiaomai. They separated at the intersection.

Zhao Xiaomai pointed, “Go to that field to cut grass for the cows. We’re not far apart.” She cautiously glanced at Lin Meizhen and whispered, “Wen Nan, you said those things to her yesterday, she must resent you, be careful.”

Wen Nan smiled, “I know.”

She told Zhao Xiaomai to take care of herself, then carried her basket to the nearby field.

The grass in the field was tall and dense. Wen Nan was afraid of snakes, so she first used the stick to beat the grass before bending down to cut it with the sickle. She hadn’t cut grass before, so her hands were clumsy, and several times she almost cut her ankles. Lin Meizhen was beside her, cutting grass quickly. In a short while, her basket was half full.

Wen Nan’s, however, was just barely started.

Wen Nan: …

The sun was rising and getting hot. Wen Nan wiped the sweat from her forehead and continued to cut grass clumsily. Some of the grass was sharp, and her palm was scratched, burning and aching.

Wen Nan suddenly regretted boasting to Chen Xu last night.

She couldn’t do this work at all. Her back ached from bending over for so long. It was terribly uncomfortable.

Lin Meizhen glanced at Wen Nan, who was clumsy and slow, and sneered, “What’s the use of a pretty woman? All looks and no use. Marrying you is a waste of food. Relying on you to cut grass for the cows will starve them to death. I don’t know where you got the face to take this temporary job.”

Wen Nan didn’t look up, cut a small handful of grass, threw it into the basket, and retorted unceremoniously, “Mind your own business.”

Lin Meizhen was speechless, and then heard her say, “Thank you for complimenting me on my beauty.”

Lin Meizhen: …

The sun rose higher and higher, and it got hotter and hotter.

Lin Meizhen had already cut a basket of grass. She dumped the grass into a pile and continued to cut another basket. After cutting two baskets, Wen Nan barely finished one, and it wasn’t even tightly packed. Her palms had several shallow cuts, her hand holding the sickle was stiff and sore, her palms were chafed red, and two small blisters were faintly visible.

Her body in the new century wasn’t this delicate. Although she hadn’t done farm work, she had done all sorts of chores at home, and later she worked while studying to earn her living expenses. Her hands weren’t this delicate. This body was well taken care of by the original owner’s aunt, so she hadn’t suffered much hardship.

It was almost noon, and Zhao Xiaomai ran over with a sickle to help Wen Nan cut grass, quickly cutting large handfuls.

Wen Nan was startled, “Why are you here? Aren’t you cutting pigweed?”

Zhao Xiaomai was sweating, her face flushed red from the sun. She grinned, showing her white teeth, “I finished my work quickly today, and finished the midday quota ahead of time. I came to help you finish your quota quickly, otherwise Director Liu will be unhappy and replace you.”

Wen Nan’s heart warmed. Before she could speak, Lin Meizhen glared at Zhao Xiaomai, “Zhao Xiaomai, does your mother know that you’re working for free for others? If she knew you were giving your work points away, she would break your legs.”

Zhao Xiaomai remained silent, her hands not stopping their work.

Wen Nan looked up and retorted, “I’ll share half of my work points with Xiaomai, she’s not working for free. On the contrary, the more she works, the more she earns. Xiaomai’s mother will be happy, won’t she? Are you jealous?”

Lin Meizhen: …

She glared at Wen Nan, thinking that her mouth was really bad.

Zhao Xiaomai looked at Wen Nan in surprise, her movements slowing down. Nowadays, everyone wanted to earn more work points, to exchange them for more money or food. No one would give away their work points. Wen Nan noticed Zhao Xiaomai’s gaze and smiled at her, “Xiaomai, this is your deserved work point.”

Zhao Xiaomai said embarrassedly, “I didn’t think about sharing work points with you, I just wanted you to stay.”

After finishing the midday grass, they had to carry it basket by basket to the cattle farm. Zhao Xiaomai first went to deliver the pigweed to the pig farm, planning to help Wen Nan deliver the grass to the cattle farm after she was done. The livestock farm had someone responsible for recording work points.

Wen Nan looked at the two large piles of grass and the large basket, then at Lin Meizhen, who kept glancing at her while carrying her basket. While Lin Meizhen went to the cattle farm to deliver the grass, she went to the nearby roadside and cut a large handful of burdock and mixed it into her pile of grass, in case Lin Meizhen played tricks on her grass. There were a few other people cutting grass together, and she wasn’t worried about them.

Wen Nan put down her sickle, took a breath, walked to the large basket, knelt down, and put the straps of the basket on her shoulders, trying to stand up. The weight of an empty basket and a basket full of grass was completely different, especially since Zhao Xiaomai had packed the basket tightly.

Wen Nan tried but couldn’t stand up.

Her face flushed red from the effort, and she pulled hard on the straps before finally managing to stand up. But before she had taken two steps, someone took the basket off her back. The heavy pressure was instantly lifted, and Wen Nan breathed a sigh of relief, turning to look behind her.

Chen Xu was holding the large and heavy basket with one hand. He must have run over, his forehead covered in sweat.

Wen Nan blinked in surprise, unexpectedly seeing him here. In her haste, she didn’t even call him brother, “Chief Chen, why are you here?”

Chen Xu looked at the somewhat flustered Wen Nan. Her skin was already fair, and after being exposed to the sun, a faint blush appeared under her skin. Her right cheek was a little dirty, a mixture of sweat and dirt. Her shirt collar was unbuttoned, revealing two slender, prominent collarbones, the hollows of which moved slightly with her breathing. He quickly looked away, “Grandma asked me to come and find you, to help you finish your work and go home for dinner.”

Wen Nan awkwardly pursed her lips, hesitated, and said, “Brother, why don’t you go back first? You have to go back to the army after dinner. I can carry these baskets of grass myself.”