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Regarding the rumor about her “bad political background”, Lin Ting had nothing to say.
Her grandparents had indeed been merchants, and because of that, her family had been labeled and sent down. It was true—she’d come to the countryside to avoid political persecution.
As for Zhong Shuhe, that was even more obvious. Her family had made their fortune through business. Given how sensitive the current political climate was, her family was worried about old matters being brought up again, so they sent her to the countryside for safety.
Yu Mo was the only one among the three who was genuinely angry.
“This is slander!”
“Too much!”
“Ting-jie, He-jie, why don’t we go confront them?”
Lin Ting looked at Yu Mo’s eyes, glowing brightly from frustration, and gently comforted her:
“If they want to isolate us, then let them.”
“Getting angry is bad for your health, don’t let it get to you.”
Then she added, a little more sharply,
“But if you really need to vent, then go find out who’s spreading those rumors and give them a few good slaps so they’ll think twice next time!”
Yu Mo hesitated. The entire brigade was gossiping now—how could she possibly find out who started it?
Even if she asked around one by one, who would tell her the truth?
What confused her even more was that usually, if there was even the smallest provocation, both Lin Ting and Zhong Shuhe would stand up and fight back without hesitation. But now, when the rumor was spreading like wildfire, they remained calm and silent.
Could it be… they really were the descendants of capitalists?
She was stunned by her own thought—but then reconsidered. Both Lin Ting and Zhong Shuhe were such good people. Even if they had bad family backgrounds, it wasn’t their fault.
Who would want to be born into a “bad” background?
She quickly soothed herself with that reasoning and smiled softly.
“If they want to isolate us, then we’ll just ignore them.”
“As long as the three of us are doing well, that’s all that matters.”
Lin Ting nodded, pleased.
“It’s good that you’re thinking this way.”
Just as she finished speaking, someone came calling for her outside.
When Lin Ting saw the brigade leader, she wasn’t surprised. They stepped aside and spoke in low voices.
“Comrade Lin, don’t worry,” the captain said.
“Those rumors won’t affect you.”
“I haven’t found the source yet, but once I do, they’ll be punished properly!”
Even in this rural backwater, as brigade leader, he still had some authority.
Lin Ting believed he’d handle it.
Then he added, “After work today, someone will come help build your kitchen. You can just tell them how you want it done.”
He pointed to an empty space.
“That patch of land in front of the west wing is all yours. Also, the land further west can be your private garden plot.”
“Do you want to build a fence around it?”
“Yes,” Lin Ting answered without hesitation.
“How much do you estimate the labor will cost?”
The captain replied, “The adobe bricks and such are free. As for labor—just cook them a good meal.”
Then he leaned in, lowering his voice.
“Privately, you can also give them a little sugar or something sweet. That’ll do the trick.”
In the countryside, building adobe houses was done through mutual help. No one expected payment.
Lin Ting nodded in understanding.
“Got it. Thank you, Captain.”
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something.
“Comrade Lin, maybe it’s the hot weather, but our vegetable garden is swarming with flies. Do you know of any solution?”
“Wood ash will do,” Lin Ting replied.
“Really? I’ll go try it right away!” said the captain eagerly.
Lin Ting stopped him.
“Do you have a spray bottle?”
“I’ll give you some of my premade ash solution. You can test it first.”
The captain had been curious about Lin Ting’s concoctions and was eager to test it out.
“Yes, we do! I’ll go grab one now.”
He strapped on the spray tank and walked straight to his vegetable patch. A few villagers saw him and were curious.
“Captain, what are you doing?”
The captain rarely did manual labor, so no one imagined he was really working.
“Spraying pesticide.”
“It’s so hot, and the flies are eating our vegetable leaves to bits.”
Aunt Tian (田嬸子) overheard and rushed over.
“What are you using?”
“Our whole garden’s been wrecked by bugs!”
The captain replied vaguely.
“Let me test it first. If it works, I’ll let you know.”
Aunt Tian frowned.
“By the time you’re done testing, my veggies will be gone.”
“How about this—use it first, then let me borrow the leftovers. Effective or not, I’ll give it a shot.”
“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” she added.
“Exactly!” said the captain.
After treating his own garden, there was a little left, so he gave it to Aunt Tian next door.
She frowned, examining the dark, gritty mixture.
“This stuff is pitch black—what’s in it?”
“Don’t worry about that. If it works, I’ll tell you.”
The captain was playing it safe. If it didn’t work, he’d just move on.
But if it did, Lin Ting could start making fertilizer for the whole brigade—and he’d no longer have to beg for help from outsiders.
—
Elsewhere, Lin Ting was crouching near the entrance of an old gypsum mine.
A gentle breeze blew, and powdery gypsum dust brushed against her face.
She remembered Chen Li saying there was a gypsum deposit near their area.
But none of the locals seemed to know that gypsum was a treasure—it could be used in construction, medicine, and crafts.
She’d even seen that their pigsty walls were made of gypsum blocks. But aside from that, the material was largely ignored.
Now, Lin Ting carefully selected a few pieces of gypsum rock, planning to take them back and process into plaster of Paris (cooked gypsum).
Just then, a voice called out from behind her:
“What are you collecting that gypsum for?”
She turned around to find a man in a military uniform. Seeing him calmed her somewhat.
“To make cooked gypsum,” she replied.
The soldier looked surprised.
“You know how to make that?”
No one in the nearby brigades had ever been able to make proper plaster. He’d once heard of villagers trying to use raw lime as fertilizer—it ended up burning the crops, so people had steered clear of the stuff ever since.
“I haven’t made it before,” Lin Ting admitted.
“But I know the process, so it shouldn’t be too hard.”
She’d only ever used pre-made gypsum before, but she understood the method.
The soldier asked again:
“What are you making it for?”
It finally hit her—he was interrogating her like a suspect.
Not wanting any trouble, she answered quickly:
“For fertilizer.”
“Fresh cow dung, cooked gypsum, and soybean powder can be combined to make ammonia water.”
The soldier was surprised.
“How do you know all this?”
“My family worked in agriculture,” Lin Ting explained.
“I learned a little, but I can’t guarantee I’ll succeed.”
The soldier’s gaze darkened subtly, sizing her up discreetly.
He had followed the gypsum trail here. She didn’t look like a local, but would a real educated youth really get her hands dirty with fresh cow dung to make fertilizer?
She was nothing like the spoiled city girls he’d seen before.
Finally, he asked again to confirm:
“Are you an educated youth?”