Chapter 16: First Day of Work

She ate pancakes for breakfast, putting the leftover dough in the cupboard for lunch.

After breakfast, Wang Shuning looked at the rising sun, unsure of the time. She decided to wait for Aunt Zhu.

She needed to buy a watch; a Shanghai brand steel watch cost over one hundred yuan, plus it was difficult to get a watch coupon.

Her family had four factory workers, yet none owned a watch; they only had an old alarm clock. Watches were expensive, and coupons were hard to obtain.

When Aunt Zhu was ready to leave, she called out, “Shuning, let’s go.”

Wang Shuning grabbed her water bottle and followed.

In the field, the five newcomers hadn’t been assigned to teams yet. Villagers were already working. The village chief called the three team leaders.

He Daniu, who had picked up Wang Shuning and the others, was the leader of the first team; they didn’t know the other two.

“Assign the five new educated youths,” the village chief said.

He Daniu immediately said, “Village Chief, I want Lü Beichu.”

He Xianfeng and He Liangliang’s faces darkened.

He Xianfeng shouted, “No! You took all the men last time, leaving us with weak women. We choose first this time. I want Lü Beichu and Zhao Heping.”

They needed two men; they couldn’t let the village chief assign incapable people.

He Liangliang banged his shovel. “Last time, you gave us two women. This time, we need all men.”

Wang Shuning, Zhang Meili, and Guo Jingyi felt awkward being so unwanted.

He Haiming assigned Lü Beichu to the third team, Zhao Heping and Guo Jingyi to the second, and Wang Shuning and Zhang Meili to He Daniu.

He Daniu looked at the two thin women, angry but unable to express it after benefiting from the previous batch of educated youths.

“Aunt Dajiao and Aunt Ronghua，take care of these two,” He Daniu called out to two women in the sweet potato field and sent the girls over.

Wang Shuning placed her water bottle on the ridge and stepped into the soft soil, walking towards Aunt Dajiao.

Zhang Meili followed.

The two women looked to be in their fifties, with dark hair and strong bodies.

They looked disdainful and gossipy.

Aunt Dajiao said to Wang Shuning, “Follow me. First, pull out the withered sweet potato vines, then loosen the soil with your shovel. Be careful not to damage the sweet potatoes; damaged ones don’t last long.”

Wang Shuning, watching her work, grabbed a vine and pulled, but it broke.

She realized she needed to grab the base.

The vines were rough; her palms soon ached.

They weren’t broken, but red.

Aunt Dajiao hearing no sound, turned around and saw Wang Shuning twenty meters behind.

“Hurry up! If you don’t collect enough, the scorekeeper will deduct your points. Your hands will toughen up. Don’t be fussy.”

Wang Shuning clasped her hands; they were warm. She used her fingers to pull the vines.

They were tough; it was slow and difficult.

Wang Shuning hesitated and started digging with her shovel, but Aunt Dajiao  stopped her. “The vines are used for firewood. If you dig, the roots will be muddy.”

Wang Shuning swallowed her anger. “I’ll dig them out and then remove the soil.”

Aunt Dajiaoglared. “City educated youths are fussy. You’ll lose half your work points.”

Wang Shuning twitched her mouth. “I’m spoiled; deduct them. I don’t need those work points.”

Aunt Dajiao continued, “Girls get married. If you can’t endure hardship, how will you serve your in-laws?”

Wang Shuning scoffed at this idea. “My future husband will serve them; they didn’t raise me.”

Aunt Dajiao was stunned, her finger trembling. That was absurd.

Wang Shuning ignored her and continued digging.

She drank water three times, finishing her bottle.

Bending over was exhausting; her back ached.

At eleven, the work bell rang. Wang Shuning quickly put down her shovel, grabbed her water bottle, and left.

Aunt Dajia owent to He Daniu. “Team Leader He, Zhiqing Ning is lazy and will hold us back.”

He Daniu sighed. “City educated youths haven’t done farm work. She’s thin and weak. She’ll get paid for what she does. If she does little, her rations won’t be enough.”

Aunt Dajiao rolled her eyes and asked Aunt Ronghua about Zhang Meili’s performance.

Wang Shuning walked on the grassy path; farm work was tiring; only two days off a month.

In the afternoon, Wang Shuning dug up a sweet potato.

She put the damaged ones in another basket; she needed to be more careful.

The hardest part was the bending.

The scorekeeper arrived.

Aunt Dajiao watched expectantly.

He Mingliang, the scorekeeper, looked at the less-than-two-thirds full basket and the basket of damaged potatoes, then at the half-dug field. He sighed. “Zhiqing Ning, you’re slow and damaged many potatoes. Three work points.”

Aunt Dajiao couldn’t help but laugh. Three points—children got more for collecting grass.

Normal villagers earned ten points a day.

Wang Shuning just nodded. “Okay.”

Zhang Meili got five points and felt better hearing Wang Shuning got even less.

She caught up with Wang Shuning. “I heard you need six or seven points for enough rations.”

Wang Shuning asked, “Why didn’t you wait for Guo Jingyi?” They lived together.

Zhang Meili complained, “Because of Lü Beichu. After work, he’s always with Jingyi. He wants to date her.”

Wang Shuning raised an eyebrow. “Does Guo Jingyi like Lü Beichu?”

Zhang Meili pondered. “I think so; she didn’t refuse his advances.”

Wang Shuning smiled. The leads would naturally get together. Lü Beichu had love at first sight; it wouldn’t take long for Guo Jingyi.