Chapter 52.3: Director Zhao’s heart is as strong as iron

When Zhao Ke returned to the village, she went straight to the canal excavation site and immediately noticed a lot more people—quite a few, actually.

Zhao Yunyun, taking the opportunity to slack off, scooted over and said, “After you all left this morning, Lao Meng came to help. He came again after work.”

Lao Meng was Sun Jihong’s husband. Seeing Zhao Ke, he just smiled awkwardly before lowering his head and getting back to work.

“What about those two male educated youth?” Zhao Ke looked toward Liu Xingxue and Deng Haixin.

Zhao Yunyun curled her lips and said, “All four educated youth from their point came together. I didn’t ask, so I don’t know.”

In novels, the female supporting character always opposed the female lead. In reality, Zhao Yunyun still didn’t like the female educated youth.

But while the reason in novels was because of the male lead, Fu Hang, in reality, it was because of Zhao Ke.

Of course, as Zhao Ke’s best friend, Zhao Yunyun couldn’t be bothered to argue with the secondary characters.

Zhao Ke turned her gaze to Niu Xiaoqiang and the group of children. “And what’s up with them?”

“Oh, them? Just a bunch of little gluttons!” Zhao Yunyun spread her hands. “As soon as they got here, they asked if I had any sweet water. I told Niu Xiaoqiang to take them to work first and wait for you to come back.”

Zhao Ke: “…”

Her Jiejie, Zhao Mian, was wrong—mung bean water was more appealing than her own charm.

But more people meant faster progress. Even small helpers were still helpers. Once they’d done enough, Zhao Ke shooed them away.

Niu Xiaoqiang looked at her eagerly. “Do we get sugar water?”

Zhao Yunyun, speechless beside him, said, “Does your family really lack a bit of sugar water?”

Niu Xiaoqiang lifted his chin and said, “I have to get benefits for my little brothers!”

That stance really did resemble Zhao Ke when she was a kid.

Amused, Zhao Ke waved a hand. “Take Shu Gen’er and the others to my house and find Comrade Yu Xiulan.”

“Alright~”

A group of children cheered and dashed away.

At home, Yu Xiulan was nearly suffocating at the sight of such a big crowd of “debt collectors.”

As she scooped sugar water, she cursed Zhao Ke in her mind: This wasteful troublemaker!

·

The weather grew hotter and hotter, not even a breeze in sight. Villagers mocked Zhao Ke and the others, saying their efforts were pointless.

Finally, the day of Dong Ni’er and Wang Lao Si’s wedding arrived.

Zhao Ke and her group paused their morning canal-digging to help both families prepare for the wedding.

Although the educated youth had recently gotten along better with the younger villagers, they had no ties with Wang Lao Si or the Sun family. With no obligation to attend the wedding, they all coincidentally showed up at the canal site instead.

Fu Hang and Lin Haiyang stood together. Liu Xingxue and Deng Haixin stood to the side. In the middle, Zhuang Lan and Su Limei glanced nervously back and forth.

On normal days, with so many people around, they wouldn’t have been grouped together. But now, with just the educated youth present, the awkwardness was palpable.

In the end, Fu Hang cast a glance at Liu Xingxue and Deng Haixin and said blandly, “Let’s dig.”

Then, he turned and walked toward the far end of the canal trench.

Ever since their conflict, they hadn’t spoken in a long time.

Liu Xingxue and Deng Haixin exchanged looks before silently following him.

Behind them, Zhuang Lan and Su Limei smiled.

Everyone working together toward the same goal—this was the educated youth life they had imagined before coming to the countryside.

Elsewhere, Zhao Ke and Zhao Yunyun sat in nearly the same spot, enduring the elders’ scrutinizing gazes and being completely ignored in conversation.

Zhao Yunyun, not thick-skinned enough, fidgeted uncomfortably. “For the first time, I feel like I’d rather be out working. If looks could kill, we’d have been hacked to pieces by now.”

Zhao Ke, calm as ever, asked, “Didn’t bring any sunflower seeds?”

“What are you thinking?” Zhao Yunyun shot her a sidelong glance. “They’re already doing me a favor by letting me stay at home. Snacks are completely out of the question.”

Zhao Ke sympathetically patted her head. “No worries, I don’t have any either. Comrade Yu Xiulan controls the household finances. I’m practically the number one spendthrift in her eyes now, my status almost on par with Zhao Feng.”

Zhao Yunyun looked at her with even more pity. “Then you’re worse off.”

The newlyweds had grown up together as neighbors. For the wedding, they deliberately took a lap around the village before returning to the Wang family home.

After the firecrackers were set off, everyone took their seats. Naturally, Zhao Ke sat at the main table.

Her Fourth Uncle, Zhao Xinwei’s father— Zhao Si Ye(Fourth Grandpa Zhao)—kept a stern face and reprimanded her. “Zhao Ke, how long are you going to keep messing around?”

Their family’s Zhao Cheng had joined the canal-digging on the first day but couldn’t withstand Zhao Si Ye’s cold glare. He never went back after that.

As soon as Zhao Si Ye spoke, the other elders also turned their criticism toward Zhao Ke—  

“You see how the village is in complete chaos now.”

“The kids you’ve influenced are all defying their elders. Is this how you perform your duties as the Women’s Director?”  

“If you refuse to reflect on your actions, we absolutely cannot allow you to continue in this role.”  

“…”  

Deputy Team Leader Xu also chimed in with a serious tone, “Just look at the weather. Does it seem like it’s going to rain? Just admit you were wrong to everyone. Don’t make this into such a big deal that the brigade ends up removing you as Women’s Director—that wouldn’t look good.”  

Zhao Xinshan remained silent throughout, but his lack of intervention was tacit approval of the pressure being placed on Zhao Ke.  

Everyone around them was watching their table.  

Yu Xiulan almost stood up to defend her daughter, but Zhao Jianguo held her back and shook his head at her.  

At this table, Zhao Ke was not just their daughter—she was the Women’s Director of Zhao Village’s production brigade, part of the ambitious young generation.  

But Zhao Ke needed no one to defend her. She smiled and said, “Today is someone else’s joyful occasion. There’s no need for all of you, esteemed elders, to make things unpleasant because of me and spoil their celebration, is there?”  

The crowd turned their gaze toward Wang Changhe and Lu Dongmei of the Wang family, as well as the couple from the Sun family.  

The four of them looked somewhat uneasy, but none dared to interrupt when the village elders were speaking.  

Zhao Ke picked up her bowl, stood up, and turned toward Wang Xiangping and Dong Ni’er, raising her voice in congratulations: “I toast with water in place of wine—may Si Ge and Dong Ni’er Jie be of one heart and one mind, and may your love last a lifetime.”  

At a few tables further away, the young men of the village chuckled, “Director Zhao sure is cultured! Listen to how refined that sounds!”  

Someone took the cue and joined in, echoing Zhao Ke’s words as they cheered for Wang Xiangping and Dong Ni’er.  

A group of young people quickly picked up the chant, even pulling Wang Xiangping to join in their water-toasting. In no time, the atmosphere turned lively again.  

With just one sentence, Zhao Ke completely dispelled the tension that had lingered at the main table.  

Then, she turned back to the elders at her table and laughed heartily. “Whether I continue as Women’s Director or not, this canal—I will dig it no matter what.”  

Whether or not the storm in the novel would come, she didn’t care. She believed it was worth trying. She wasn’t afraid of failure. She dared to act.  

The elders all looked displeased, staring at Zhao Ke as if she were an unruly troublemaker.  

Yet, once she sat back down, she ate and drank as if nothing had happened.  

Yu Xiulan’s smile returned.  

The wedding concluded smoothly. In front of the entire village, Zhao Ke led her “troops” out of the village to continue digging the canal.  

Regardless of what the villagers thought, they couldn’t do anything to stop them. Eventually, they just dispersed.  

That day, Wang Lao San stayed home to help clean up.  

Once only family remained, Aunt Dong scolded him, “Why don’t you ever listen? Didn’t you see how unhappy the elders were with Zhao Ke today? Stop going to dig that canal! Can’t you think about your parents for once?”  

He had explained countless times that digging the canal was for the village’s benefit, but they never listened. So, Wang Lao San simply turned a deaf ear.  

Aunt Dong then turned to Pan Cuilian. “What kind of wife are you? Don’t you care about your man? Can’t you talk some sense into him? Instead of wasting time digging, wouldn’t it be better for him to stay home and get some rest?”  

Pan Cuilian remained silent.  

Aunt Dong kept scolding, but neither of them responded.  

In the end, she just stewed in frustration.  

That night, Wang Xiangping and Dong Ni’er consummated their marriage in their small room.  

The next day, despite feeling unwell, Dong Ni’er got up early to make breakfast for the whole family. She reheated the food in the pot, cleaned the kitchen, and caught up on the chores she had missed the previous day due to the wedding.  

A while later, Aunt Dong got up and scolded her disapprovingly. “Why are you making such a racket so early in the morning? Is this how you usually do housework?”  

Dong Ni’er apologized guiltily, “Sorry, Mom. I’ll be more careful in the future.”  

Aunt Dong rolled her eyes and lifted the lid of the pot. “Why is this corn porridge so watery? The whole family has to go work in the fields—how can they work on just water?”  

But she hadn’t left any extra grain for Dong Ni’er to use in the first place. The porridge had been made from the little she managed to take from her own stash…  

Aunt Dong nitpicked endlessly, but Dong Ni’er dared not talk back to her mother-in-law and could only endure silently.  

Just then, Wang Lao San emerged from his room in his work clothes, looking cheerful.  

Aunt Dong immediately turned her attention from Dong Ni’er to her son and started scolding again, “No matter what I say, you still insist on digging that damn canal, huh? Are you crazy? You just have to work for free, don’t you?”  

Wang Lao San treated her words like the wind. “I know what I’m doing, Ma. You don’t have to worry.”  

Since she couldn’t persuade him, Aunt Dong began to vent her anger elsewhere. “Lazy bones! Still lying around when the sun is high in the sky!”  

Wang Lao San had already reached the door but turned back, grinning. “My wife might be pregnant. Keep your voice down—you don’t want to scare my unborn son or daughter.”  

Aunt Dong’s scolding got caught in her throat. She immediately asked, “Really?”  

“It’s possible,” Wang Lao San said smugly. “Her period is late by quite a few days. She’ll go see Third Uncle later to have her pulse checked.”  

Inside the house, Pan Cuilian blushed and muttered, “Shameless. Why do you say everything out loud?”  

Outside, Aunt Dong clapped her hands in excitement. “My son is truly capable! Just married and already expecting a child!”  

Wang Lao San looked extremely pleased with himself.  

Dong Ni’er watched them with envy, unconsciously placing a hand over her stomach.

Aunt Dong no longer had the mind to care about where Wang Lao San was going, nor did she continue nitpicking at Dong Ni’er. She turned around and went inside to prepare things needed for the pregnant woman.  

This left Dong Ni’er alone in the kitchen to do the work.  

Pan Cuilian came in and whispered to her, “You don’t have to listen to everything Mother says. Just let Lao Si stand up for you—Mother can’t do anything to her son.”  

Dong Ni’er shook her head. “Si Ge works so hard at his job every day, I don’t have the heart to trouble him. It’s fine.”  

Pan Cuilian scratched her head. “But you work too, don’t you? It’s not like he’s the only one working hard.”  

“I earn fewer work points.” Dong Ni’er was diligent and uncomplaining. She looked at Pan Cuilian’s belly enviously. “Once I have a child, life will get easier.”  

Pan Cuilian: “…”  

Before she got married, her mother had told her the same thing, but life in the Wang family had been quite good for her—it didn’t seem to be because of the child…  

Dong Ni’er, being kind-hearted, reassured her instead. “San Sao, you should go lie down. I don’t need your help.”  

Pan Cuilian left, turning back every few steps, still feeling uneasy. In the end, she knocked on Wang Lao Si’s door and called for him to help Dong Ni’er.  

Wang Lao Si obediently came out and went into the kitchen.  

Dong Ni’er didn’t want his help. “Si Ge, don’t listen to San Sao. This is women’s work—I can handle it myself.”  

Wang Lao Si was just as obedient. He really didn’t lift a hand, only comforting her, “Mother is just in a bad mood. Bear with it for now—things will get better later.”  

Dong Ni’er nodded. “I understand. Si Ge, you should go back out.”  

So Wang Lao Si left.  

Dong Ni’er busied herself from early morning until after the entire family had eaten. Only after she finished washing the dishes did she finally support her aching waist and return to her room.  

The Wang family had already split households, and each branch was responsible for its own affairs. Originally, household chores in the shared spaces should have been done on rotation, but ever since Dong Ni’er married in, she had taken on the majority of the work due to her diligence.  

The eldest daughter-in-law, Zhao Huahua, felt bad letting her do everything, so she would lend a hand. The second daughter-in-law, Zhou Xiuli, on the other hand, happily slacked off as long as someone else was doing the work.  

When Pan Cuilian’s pregnancy was confirmed, Wang Lao San took over all the work their household was supposed to do, not letting Pan Cuilian lift a finger. But he neither took advantage of the fourth household nor did any extra work beyond his share.  

To integrate into her new family as quickly as possible, Dong Ni’er even took the initiative to help her two sisters-in-law look after their children.  

Yet despite all this, Aunt Dong’s attitude toward her was still worse than the way she treated Pan Cuilian, who had made a scene in the Wang household.  

Dong Ni’er didn’t understand. In the end, she attributed it to the fact that Pan Cuilian was pregnant while she was not, which only made her long even more for her own child to come quickly—preferably a son…  

But the affairs of the Wang family were only a small corner of the village.  

Aside from Dong Ni’er’s parents, Aunt Sun and Uncle Sun, no one else in the village cared about it. They were far more interested in what Zhao Ke and her group were doing with the ditch-digging.  

Zhao Ke, just as she had said, didn’t care what others thought. She led her people and steadily dug out the drainage channel bit by bit.  

Many villagers went to watch, but they remained critical, believing the trenches were useless and only made walking more inconvenient.  

In reality, though, they rarely walked through the wasteland anyway.  

They simply liked to criticize young people’s every move as a way of asserting their authority—the more the young ones refused to listen, the harsher their criticism became.  

When Zhao Ke and her group finished digging outside the village and planned to dig inside, the commune members came out in full force to stop them.  

“It’s one thing to mess around outside, but you can’t go digging up the village!”  

“Don’t even think about swinging pickaxes and shovels in here!”  

“What if someone trips and falls into one of those big pits? Can you afford to compensate them?”  

“No way! You can’t dig!”  

Their resistance was too strong. Zhao Ke had no choice but to give up on digging inside the village.  

But while other places were off-limits, they had no control over the area near Zhao Ke’s grandmother’s and uncle’s yards.  

So Zhao Ke led her team to dig a trench in her grandmother’s empty yard, extending it out beyond the yard, and then digging upward along the yard’s perimeter until it reached the edge of her uncle’s house—where they stopped.  

Zhao Rui sighed. “This isn’t going to work, is it?”  

It had been dug this way before, but when heavy rains came, it would overflow, rendering it useless.  

Zhao Ke said, “Let’s dig up to here first. We’ll finish the remaining section outside the village.” There was no point in lingering in the village.  

Fu Hang’s final design for the drainage channel included a long trench north of the old locust tree. If they could connect it to the village and the river, it would be at a slightly higher elevation than the riverbed, making it perfect for draining the village’s water.  

The air was stiflingly hot, and villagers often gathered under the old locust tree to criticize their “foolish labor that ignored the risk of heatstroke.”  

But over the past two days, the heat had become unbearable.  

Even the people under the old locust tree had disappeared.  

Zhao Ke and her team were drenched in sweat after just a few movements, some even struggling to catch their breath.  

Zhao Rui, feeling dizzy from the heat, said, “Zhao Ke, it’s too hot—we can’t keep going.”  

Zhao Ke wasn’t feeling great either. Seeing the flushed faces of her team members, she ultimately decided to call it off. “Forget it, let’s stop for now and take a break.”  

So the group packed up their tools and headed back.  

But before they even reached the village entrance, a sudden fierce wind whipped through, sending tree branches dancing wildly. Their hair was tousled, and dust blew into their eyes.  

Zhuang Lan, being small and frail, was nearly swept into a ditch by the wind.  

Zhao Feng reacted quickly, grabbing her wrist.  

Fu Hang instinctively looked toward Zhao Ke with concern, but she stood rock-solid among the sturdy young men.  

“Is it going to rain?”  

No sooner had someone spoken than a pattering sound began.  

At first, it was light, but it quickly intensified—until the drops hit them hard enough to sting.  

“Hail!”  

Covering their heads, the group rushed home as fast as they could.