The people in the fields gradually dispersed, leaving the team leader standing alone with his head lowered, staring blankly at the weeds by his feet.  

His mind kept replaying what the educated youth Rong had just said—blah, blah, blah—it had given him a headache listening to it. But now, he couldn’t help but wonder: Could this so-called “scientific weeding” really effectively curb the growth of weeds?  

Was weeding a difficult task?  

Of course not. To be honest, while weeding was tiring, even a child a few years old knew how to do it.  

The problem was that it was too tedious.  

Weeds could never be fully eradicated—no sooner were they pulled than they grew back.  

Yet they couldn’t be left unchecked. Weeds grew fast, sucking nutrients from the soil and stunting the crops. So every few days, a group had to be assigned to weed the fields.  

But what if…  

“Li Si, what’s going on with this plot? Why hasn’t there been any progress all morning?” A shout came from the slope above.  

Li Si snapped out of his thoughts and looked up to see the brigade leader. He took two large strides toward him.  

Brigade Leader Luo frowned. “Whose task was this? If it’s not finished by today, their work points will be docked.”  

“Brigade Leader, listen to me—pah, pah.” Li Si couldn’t help but laugh bitterly, accidentally mimicking Rong’s catchphrase. “Just now, Educated Youth Rong told me some things to pay attention to when weeding, and weirdly enough, it actually made sense.”  

His memory was better than Granny Zhu’s, so he roughly repeated what Rong had explained earlier.  

As he listened, Brigade Leader Luo’s weathered face grew solemn.  

After all, he was a true farmer at heart. Even just hearing about it, he could tell whether something had merit.  

He immediately seized the key point. “How do you establish a buffer zone?”  

Li Si gestured for the brigade leader to follow him back to the field. Pointing at a spot, he said, “Dig pits.”  

The spot he indicated was the result of Rong’s morning labor—two shallow pits, about as deep as a finger.  

Suddenly, the corner of his mouth twitched.  

So, this was all Rong had accomplished all morning? How were they supposed to calculate the work points for that?  

Brigade Leader Luo pulled out a half-smoked cigarette from his pocket. He didn’t light it, just held it under his nose and sniffed. “The higher-ups sent city folks down to the countryside to contribute to development. But look at them—aside from a handful who can actually work, the rest can’t even compare to the old grannies in the team.”  

Li Si wasn’t sure why the brigade leader brought this up, but he nodded along. “Exactly. The six new educated youths don’t seem like they’re cut out for labor either.”  

Aside from the smooth-talking Rong, the others weren’t much good at work either.

But there was one good thing—at least they weren’t causing trouble outright.  

At this point, Brigade Leader Luo changed the subject. “They might not be good at labor, but there’s one thing the educated youths do better than us country folks. The state promotes science, but what do we rural folks know? They’ve had more education than us and know more.”  

“Brigade Leader, what do you mean?” Li Si somewhat understood but wasn’t entirely sure.  

Brigade Leader Luo made it clear: “First, let’s hear what she has to say—then see what she does.”  

Though they were seasoned farmers, each with their own methods, none dared claim theirs was the best.  

He was never a stubborn man. If there was a better way, he was willing to try it.  

“What about her work points…?”  

“Record them as usual. If her method really works, then give her the highest points,” Brigade Leader Luo said. “A good method can save us a lot of trouble. Freeing up labor for other tasks would improve efficiency.”  

At the same time, it would set an example for the other educated youths.  

Rather than forcing them to labor in the fields, it might be better to leverage their strengths. That way, they could actually contribute to the brigade.  

And if it didn’t work?  

Brigade Leader Luo glanced at the shallow pits. Given Rong’s work ethic, she probably wouldn’t accomplish much anyway. Might as well give it a shot.  

……  

Meanwhile, on her way back, Rong Xiaoxiao walked with her hands clasped behind her back, her steps light and carefree—as if she hadn’t just spent the morning working.  

Compared to the other educated youths beside her, she looked like she’d just been out for a stroll.  

“My back is about to break.”  

“I never thought weeding could be so exhausting.”  

“Well, at least we’re assigned a fixed plot each day. Once we finish, we can rest,” Chen Shuming said, having already figured things out. He added, “Of course, we can’t just laze around in front of the team leader, but we can at least take it easy without getting scolded.”  

“Save me! That plot is so huge—I couldn’t finish it even if I worked all day, let alone early!” Jiao Gang groaned miserably.  

Chen Shuming ignored him.  

The two had been working in the same area all morning, and he’d had to endure Jiao Gang’s constant whining.  

He glanced to the side, his gaze landing on Rong.  

All morning, aside from working, he’d kept looking around—partly out of concern that the seemingly delicate Rong might be bullied, so he wanted to keep an eye out.  

But every time he looked over, he saw Rong chatting with someone.  

First, it was Granny Zhu. Then, the team leader.

She hadn’t done any work at all—just talked the whole time. Yet, strangely, the team leader hadn’t scolded her for it, which made him even more curious.  

Just as he was about to ask, he saw Rong heading down another path. He quickly changed his question: “Rong Zhiqing (Educated Youth), where are you going?”  

Rong Xiaoxiao pointed at the sky. “The sun’s too strong. I’m going to ask around if anyone has spare bamboo hats. Do you all want some? I can get them for you.”  

“Yes, yes, yes!” Jiao Gang was the first to respond. “Bring one back for me—I’ll pay you later.”  

“I’d like one too. Thanks, Rong Zhiqing.”  

“Me as well. Could you cover the cost first?”  

No one could refuse a bamboo hat.  

Even though the morning sun wasn’t as harsh as noon, it had already scorched their faces red.  

After all, this was their first day working, and their preparations had been far from sufficient.  

Aside from hats, they’d also need to bring towels and water bottles next time.  

After parting ways with them, Rong Xiaoxiao walked straight ahead.  

It was her first time wandering around the brigade, so she didn’t know the exact directions. She just headed toward where there were houses and people.  

“Girl, who are you?” An aunty up ahead eyed her curiously. “Haven’t seen you before.”  

“Hello, Aunty.” Rong Xiaoxiao greeted her politely. “I’m one of the new educated youths. I realized we were short on bamboo hats while working, so I thought I’d trade for a few.”  

“You want bamboo hats?” Auntie Chen immediately waved her over, leading her to a small hut. “My family has some—just freshly woven. See if they’ll do?”  

Who in the village didn’t know how to weave bamboo goods?  

If she could trade for something useful, even better.  

Quickly fetching two new bamboo hats, Auntie Chen asked, “How about these? They’re brand new—just sun-dried yesterday. The craftsmanship is flawless, I promise.”  

Rong Xiaoxiao examined them. “They’re quite good. How much do you want for them, Aunty?”  

Auntie Chen rubbed her hands together. “They’re just cheap things—no need to talk money. How about a couple of eggs in exchange?”  

Rong Xiaoxiao did a quick mental calculation.  

At the supply and marketing cooperative, an egg cost about six fen and required ration coupons.  

One or two eggs for a hat wasn’t expensive at all.  

Bamboo hats weren’t worth much, but they were labor-intensive to make—especially finely woven ones like these.  

Seeing that the auntie wasn’t overcharging, Rong said, “Aunty, I’m new here and don’t have eggs on hand. How about eight fen per hat?”  

“Of course, that’s fine!” Auntie Chen beamed. “Take your pick—they’re all top quality. If they get any splinters later, just bring them back, and my husband will smooth them out for you.”

Rong Xiaoxiao took both hats. “As you know, there are six of us new educated youths, and we’d each like a bamboo hat. Could you help gather six for us?”  

“No problem!” Auntie Chen immediately agreed. After a moment’s thought, she added, “The family next door should have some. Why don’t you wait here while I ask around?”  

Rong Xiaoxiao nodded and handed over forty-eight fen.  

Auntie Chen accepted the money with a smile, then turned and called into the house, “Sanya, pour our guest some water!”  

With that, she hurried out.  

Soon, a seven- or eight-year-old girl came out with a cup of water, chirping brightly, “Sister, here’s some water.”  

Rong Xiaoxiao took out a piece of fruit hard candy and handed it to her. “Thank you.”  

Sanya’s eyes widened as she stared at the candy in her palm, not daring to blink.  

Rong Xiaoxiao took a sip of the warm water and, seeing the girl frozen in awe, chuckled softly. “Go on, eat it.”  

Sanya snapped her head up, asking cautiously, “Sister, is… is this really for me?”  

Rong Xiaoxiao set down the cup, plucked the candy from the girl’s hand, and—just as Sanya’s expression began to fall—unwrapped it and popped it into the little one’s mouth. “Is it sweet?”  

The disappointment instantly vanished, replaced by sparkling delight. “So sweet!” Sanya exclaimed around the candy.  

But despite her obvious joy, she suddenly spat the candy back into her palm, turned, and dashed into the house. Less than a minute later, she came running back, grinning widely. “Thank you, sister!”  

Rong Xiaoxiao noticed the candy was no longer in her mouth.  

She must have either hidden it away or given it to someone else.  

Shaking her head, Rong smiled. “You’re welcome. In return, can I ask you a few questions?”  

How could Sanya refuse? She nodded eagerly. Even though they’d just met, she already adored this educated youth sister.  

In all her life, she’d never tasted fruit candy before—it was so sweet!  

Rong Xiaoxiao gently patted her head. “In our brigade, which families have few people and are really kind?”