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Hu Lin waved his hand and said, “Why would the County Princess need to pay for labor? If it weren’t for you and your husband, we wouldn’t be living such good lives these years.”
Wang Jinhe had done them a great favor, and they had been wanting to repay it for a long time. Now, they finally had the chance.
“No, we should be fair. Besides, clearing several slopes will take more than just a day or two. It’s not right for you to help every day,” Wang Jinhe said. She knew they meant well, but it wasn’t the right thing to do, and she wouldn’t allow it.
Hu Lin nodded helplessly at Wang Jinhe’s words. “Alright, I will inform the villagers. The orchard isn’t busy right now, so the whole village should be able to clear it in about half a month.”
“Alright, I’ll leave it to the Village Chief. Please keep a record of everyone’s work, and we’ll settle the payment once the clearing is done,” Wang Jinhe said.
“Sure, no problem.”
After giving the money for the purchase of the slopes to Hu Lin, Wang Jinhe left with Su Yu. After seeing them off, Hu Lin gathered all the villagers and informed them about the task of clearing the slopes for Wang Jinhe.
Upon hearing that Wang Jinhe needed workers, every household signed up. The next day, except for the elderly and children, everyone in the village went to clear the slopes, striving to finish the task as soon as possible to hand them over to Wang Jinhe.
While everyone was working enthusiastically, Hu Lin went to the town to process the land deeds for Wang Jinhe. Knowing that it was Wang Jinhe who had purchased the slopes, the county magistrate quickly processed the land deeds without any trouble.
This was the first time Hu Lin had come to the government office to handle something, and it went so smoothly.
After completing the process, Hu Lin delivered the land deeds to Wang Jinhe’s house.
“County Princess, here are the land deeds. Our villagers have started clearing the slopes today, and it should be finished in about half a month,” Hu Lin said.
“Thank you very much, Village Chief,” Wang Jinhe replied.
“Then I’ll head back now,” Hu Lin said as he needed to return to help with the clearing.
“Alright.”
“Once the slopes are cleared, we can start planting the medicinal herbs, and there’s also the matter of the workshop,” Wang Jinhe said, carefully planning the upcoming tasks and realizing that they had quite a lot on their plate.
And the planting time for corn needs to be slightly earlier.
We can start now.
“Why do you keep yourself so busy and tired every day?” Su Yu sighed softly. Even when pregnant, his wife never seemed to slow down.
“Were you also this restless when you were at home before?”
Wang Jinhe was momentarily taken aback, and then fell silent.
Seeing Wang Jinhe’s reaction, Su Yu regretted bringing up the topic. “Xiao He, what’s wrong?”
Wang Jinhe smiled and shook her head. “I’m fine. I was just thinking about the past. It feels like it was a very long time ago.”
She hadn’t always been unwilling to rest, but every time she did, she didn’t know what to do with herself. She used to have a boyfriend, but he eventually left her for her friend, feeling that she was too rustic for spending all her time in the fields. The betrayal of the two people left her completely alone, and since then, she had never taken a break.
She didn’t know what to do when she rested, or who to go out and have fun with. She felt out of place at colleague gatherings, and after a while, they stopped inviting her to join them. It felt quite sad to think about.
“What are you thinking about?” Su Yu asked.
“Nothing. Have I ever told you about my past?” Wang Jinhe had heard all about Su Yu’s past, and it felt unfair not to share her own.
“I’ve been waiting for you to tell me about your past,” Su Yu said. Wang Jinhe had shared even the most secretive things, like the spiritual spring, with him, but she had never told him about her past. He had always wanted to know, but he hadn’t asked.
“If you could tell me, that would be great,” he added.
“In fact, I used to feel quite dull. Don’t you think it’s embarrassing for me to be dealing with crops in the fields every day?” Wang Jinhe couldn’t help but ask Su Yu.
He was a high-born young master, and she was just a common country girl. Didn’t he feel embarrassed when Su Yu came to find her in the first place?
“I don’t think so. I think you’re amazing for being able to produce such high-yielding crops,” Su Yu shook his head.
Xiao He had relied on her own abilities to rise from a commoner to County Princess. What was there to be embarrassed about? The embarrassing ones were those who were old enough but still spent their days idling and engaging in illicit activities.
“Even though the circumstances may be different, I believe that as long as one can earn a living through their own abilities, even if it means working at the docks to carry goods for money, it’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Su Yu said. He had never believed that wealthy people were superior to those with less money, nor did he think highly of himself.
Everyone was human, and they all earned their living through their own abilities. The only difference was the amount they earned. What was there to be ashamed of? Those who worked hard to make a living deserved respect.
Wang Jinhe looked at Su Yu in astonishment. She hadn’t expected him to have such a mindset.
“You’re right. Let me tell you about my past,” Wang Jinhe said softly, explaining her story to Su Yu. She wasn’t an orphan, but she might as well have been. Her parents had divorced when she was young, and her father had started a new family, leaving her as the unwanted presence. While her father did provide child support every month, he didn’t want her to live with him. Instead, he left her to be cared for by her elderly grandmother.
Her grandmother passed away the year she was admitted to college, and from then on, she no longer had any family. Her father stopped giving her money after her grandmother’s death. She managed to pay for her education with the little savings her grandmother had left her. Later, she completed her undergraduate studies with the help of part-time jobs, scholarships, and the ten thousand yuan her grandmother had left her. After being admitted to graduate school, she found a decent job with a good salary.
She had thought she would have a warm home with her boyfriend, only to realize that he was after her money. Upon learning about her friend’s wealthy background and developing an interest in her, he promptly broke up with her.
Listening to Wang Jinhe’s calm recounting of her past, Su Yu couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache.
“Xiao He…”
“I’m fine. I didn’t have a family back then, but after coming here, I have parents who treat me well, grandparents, an older brother, and Xiao Bao. Now, with you and everyone else around me, I’m actually very happy,” Wang Jinhe said.
“I’m not unwilling to rest, I just…” She was just used to being busy. Whenever she had free time, she felt as if her current life was unreal, as if everything was fake.
“You’re afraid, aren’t you?” Su Yu looked at Wang Jinhe and said directly.
Wang Jinhe was taken aback for a moment, then nodded.
“Yes, I’m afraid that everything is just a dream, and I’ll wake up to find myself alone again,” Wang Jinhe admitted. She had grown accustomed to having so many loved ones around her, and the thought of returning to being alone was something she feared she wouldn’t be able to accept or get used to.
“I understand your thoughts. When I first came back, I had the same feelings as you,” Su Yu said.