Xu Ning went up the mountain alone again, while Xu An rode their bike to the village to get tofu, preparing to fry tofu balls for Xiao Mo.

When Xu Ning returned with a basket nearly full of mushrooms, Xu An had already finished frying the tofu balls and had made some millet porridge, along with a side of fresh greens from the field.

He and Xiao Mo were busy sorting through the mushrooms Xu Ning had picked that day. When they saw her coming back, Xu An went to take her basket, and Xiao Mo fetched some water for her to wash her face.

The tofu balls Xu An had fried were on the smaller side, making them easy for Xiao Mo to pop into his mouth.

As he chewed, he kept talking. “During the spring planting, Grandpa Qi went to see the village head and asked him to separate us, the people from the cattle shed, from the others for work. Uncle Village Head agreed, so we were assigned to the field on the west side.”

Dad, Mom, Uncle Lu, and Aunt Lu were all digging. I just followed behind picking up grass roots. There weren’t many people over there, so at noon we took some steamed buns with us to eat, along with the dried meat and meat sauce that Sister made. It was really delicious!”

Xu Ning added some greens to his bowl and asked, “Did anyone from the youth commune cause you any trouble?”

Xiao Mo finished his greens and said, “A couple of days ago, I was playing at the door when Liu Fang shot me a glare while she was washing clothes. I pretended not to see and just went home.

Lin Miao doesn’t pay attention to me anymore, but she often talks to Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu. The other day, when Aunt Lu went to fetch water, Lin Miao even offered her some snacks, but Aunt Lu didn’t take any.”

Xu An asked, “What about Lin Qiuhua?”

Xiao Mo frowned and replied, “I often see her going to draw water, but now she lowers her head when she sees us, looking all embarrassed. I’m not sure what that’s about.”

Xu Ning chuckled, “As long as she doesn’t cause any trouble, there’s no need to worry about her.”

While the three siblings discussed the youth commune members, a few of the women over there were also talking about them.

Jiaohua sat on the kang, sewing clothes, and said, “Chunhua, I remember you used to get along quite well with Xu Ning. Why does it feel like she’s being so cold and indifferent now? She doesn’t seem to give anyone any face when she speaks.”

Chunhua glanced around to ensure no one was listening and then confided in Jiaohua about the incident with the little brother and Liu Fang.

Jiaohua was astonished and exclaimed, “Is she out of her mind? Bringing her little brother to the countryside at such a young age!”

Chunhua replied quietly, “I just think she’s a bit stubborn. I’m worried she might drag us down later, so I’ve been keeping my distance. The two of us are in unfamiliar territory, with no one to rely on, so we have to be cautious about everything.

Last year, during corn husking, just because she couldn’t stand Liu Fang, she ended up causing such a scene. People like her are bound to get into serious trouble sooner or later.”

Jiaohua nodded in agreement, saying, “Chunhua, you did the right thing. It’s best to avoid people like her; if something happens, you’ll definitely get dragged into it.”

After chatting for a while on the kang, Xiao Mo felt sleepy. Xu Ning told him to rest there, but he refused, saying, “Sister, Dad and Mom said I should avoid coming over during summer when there are so many people around. They want me to stay here in winter when fewer people come out.”

Xu Ning thought this made sense, so she asked Xu An to take him back.

Xu An picked up a basket of tofu balls and accompanied Xiao Mo back to the cattle shed.

As the spring planting wrapped up, Chen Hongjun returned with several men from the village to continue building a house for Wang Juanjuan.

Gu Wenjing also wanted to live independently, but she didn’t have enough money. Although her family cared for her, her father was just a director at a factory, and he sent her a few yuan every month, which she mostly spent on snacks.

Wang Juanjuan suggested that once the house was completed, Wenjing could come live with her.

Wang Juanjuan had her own motives; since she wasn’t very good at hard labor and winter would require a lot of firewood for heating, it would be beneficial to share the responsibilities with another person.

During this period, the workers were mostly weeding in the fields, as the corn had grown to nearly a meter high, and the weeds were particularly abundant.

Xu An had gone to school, leaving Xu Ning to work on her plot of land alone. To her left were Yang Xiaomei and Sun Hao, and to her right were Wei Lanlan and Chen Xiangdong.

She glanced over at them and noticed Chen Xiangdong was using a towel to wipe the sweat off Wei Lanlan’s forehead.

Meanwhile, Sun Hao opened a water bottle for Yang Xiaomei, who blushed as she accepted it.

Xu Ning truly felt like a third wheel, so she decided to work faster to finish up and head home early.

Seeing her speeding up and leaving them behind, Wei Lanlan called out, “Why are you working so fast? We’re here together, and we can chat!”

Xu Ning replied, “I need to set up supports for the cucumbers and beans when I get back. I’ll talk to you all tomorrow.”

But inwardly, she thought about telling the team leader the next day not to assign her to work with those people again; she didn’t want to witness their displays of affection.

Wei Lanlan shouted again, “Don’t close the door too early tonight! I’ll come by after dinner because I need to talk to you about something.”

“Okay, got it,” Xu Ning responded.

After finishing her weeding, Xu Ning returned to find Xu An dragging a bundle of thin branches down from the mountain. They were likely for supporting the cucumbers, tomatoes, and beans.

This year, they had built a wall around the yard, and she had planted vegetables in the corners. The old wooden stakes were no longer enough, and she was just planning to chop down a few more branches from the mountain.

The siblings finished setting up the supports in the vegetable garden and watered the plants. Looking at the lush green vegetables filling the yard, they felt a sense of joy and satisfaction.

After they had just eaten, Wei Lanlan and Chen Xiangdong came over, admiring the vegetables in Xu Ning’s yard.

Xu An and Chen Xiangdong stepped outside to inspect their vegetable garden while Xu Ning chatted with Wei Lanlan inside the house.

Noticing that Wei Lanlan seemed to have something on her mind, Xu Ning proactively asked, “Is there something you want to talk about?”

Wei Lanlan thought for a moment and said, “The day before yesterday, a guy rode his bike over to look for Liu Fang, claiming to be her boyfriend. I thought he looked kind of shady and didn’t seem like a good person. Since you fought with her last time, I’m worried she might seek revenge. You should be careful for a while.”

Xu Ning asked, “Do you know what that guy does? Where is he from?”

“Chunhua said he’s from the city. Liu Fang met him last year when she went to the city, but she didn’t say what he does for a living,” Wei Lanlan replied.

Xu Ning nodded and said, “Got it. Thanks for telling me this. I’ll be cautious.”

After the two left, Xu Ning shared the matter with Xu An.

Xu An said, “Sister, I understand. I’ll ask Liu Shaojie and Zhang Hairong tomorrow if they know what that guy does.”

“Don’t make it too obvious when you ask,” she advised.

“I got it, sister.”

The next day at work, Xu Ning began to pay attention to Liu Fang. She observed that Liu Fang was still acting the same, with no noticeable changes.

Xu Ning didn’t think she was being paranoid; ever since she learned about Liu Fang’s true nature and the way she had looked at her on the mountain, she sensed that this person was indeed malicious.

As the workday ended, Xu Ning passed by Liu Fang and, out of the corner of her eye, noticed Liu Fang subtly sizing her up. Though her face showed little expression, her eyes were filled with malice.

Xu Ning pretended not to notice, simply picking up her hoe and walking away.