Xu Ning and her younger brother stood there with Wei Lanlan, watching. Father Xu pulled Xiao Mo aside.

He addressed Lin Qiuhua, “Comrade, you’re not wrong. We are indeed here to work, but we’ve already completed the tasks assigned to us by the village.

If you have any concerns, you can bring them up with the village chief. If you want us to help harvest the soybeans, that’s fine too, but it must be approved by the chief.

We still need to go back to feed the cows after work. If something goes wrong because we didn’t take care of them, we can’t bear the consequences.” After speaking, he led Xiao Mo back to continue harvesting the soybeans.

Lin Qiuhua stood there, her face alternating between pale and angry, glaring at the few people in the cowshed with hatred.

Xu An loosened his clenched fists and laughed, “Sis, it’s a good thing we asked big brother for money to build the house back then. Otherwise, who knows how much more Lin Qiuhua would have bullied us?”

Xu Ning patted his shoulder and said, “Little brother, we were young back then, but now no one can bully us anymore.”

Xu An nodded and smiled as he said to Wei Lanlan, “Wei Zhiqing, you don’t need to be afraid of her either. She only bullies those who seem weak. Back then, my sister was bullied so much by her and Li Fengjiao that she had no choice but to fight them. After that, they never dared to make us work again.”

Wei Lanlan nodded and replied, “I know. I’m not afraid of her at all. Worst case, I’ll just beat her up. She’s no match for me anyway.”

After saying that, Wei Lanlan returned to harvesting the soybeans. The siblings exchanged glances without speaking and continued their work.

At noon, everyone ate their lunch in the field. Xu Ning and Xu An found a shady spot and took out the food they had prepared that morning.

There were stir-fried sour and spicy shredded potatoes, meat sauce, and steamed white buns. The meat sauce had been simmered the night before, and they had sent two jars over to the cowshed.

As Xu An stuffed the last bite of his bun into his mouth, he said, “Sis, we can’t just let today’s matter slide.”

Xu Ning finished her meal before saying, “This afternoon, let Xiao Mo go into the village to chat with his friends. Let’s not make any moves for the next couple of days. After a few days, I’ll find an excuse to give those two a beating.

This time, you don’t need to get involved. I’ll handle them myself. Whether I win or lose, no one will say much—at most, they’ll just say I’m tough.

You’re older now, and it doesn’t look good for a man to fight a woman. It’s also a different matter altogether. From the way Wei Lanlan spoke, it sounds like Liu Fang is no pushover, so be on guard around her.”

Xu An nodded in agreement, knowing full well his sister’s strength. Fighting those two would be like playing for her.

After finishing the tasks assigned to them, the siblings reported to the team leader and then headed home.

Xu Ning planned to fetch some water to water the cabbages and call Xiao Mo over as well.

Xiao Mo had already been taken back home by Grandpa Qi during lunch. He was still young, so they didn’t dare let him work in the field for too long.

When Xu Ning reached the cowshed door, she cleared her throat a couple of times. In a moment, the door opened, and a head poked out from inside.

When Xiao Mo saw his sister, he excitedly said, “Sis, you’re done with work?”

Xu Ning smiled and nodded, giving him a quick look as she carried two buckets of water.

Xiao Mo hurried inside to inform Grandpa Qi and then followed his sister.

Xu Ning first went to water the vegetables. In the kitchen, Xu An was stir-frying bean sprouts while Xiao Mo sat by the stove tending the fire. On the table was a plate of stir-fried green beans with meat.

Xu Ning sat down and asked Xiao Mo about what had happened that morning.

Xiao Mo, still fuming, said, “Those two women are really shameless! They asked Dad and Uncle Lu to help them harvest the soybeans, and I ended up arguing with them.”

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Mo added, “Sis, I think the worst one is that Liu Zhiqing. Originally, Lin Zhiqing didn’t agree to come to us, but Liu Zhiqing said, ‘What’s wrong with having them do some work? It’s an honor that their aunt even looks at them.’”

Xu Ning patted his head and smiled, “Xiao Mo, when dealing with people like that, the key is not to get angry yourself. The real skill is to make them angry.”

Xiao Mo’s eyes lit up, and he asked, “Sis, how can I make them angry?”

Xu Ning leaned in and whispered to him, “… Do you know what to say now?”

Excited, Xiao Mo nodded and said, “Sis, I got it!”

He was about to dash out when he glanced at the dishes on the table and, licking his lips, said, “Sis, let me have a bowl of rice first. I’ll go after I eat.”

Xiao Mo quickly devoured a bowl of rice and then dashed toward the village.

Xu Ning, holding a few pieces of clothing, slowly washed them by the well, watching as he disappeared into the village.

As soon as Xiao Mo reached the village entrance, the excitement on his face vanished. He put on a sad expression, looking like he was on the verge of tears as he walked into the village.

In the middle of the village, by the large elm tree, a few wooden stumps were placed for seating. After meals, everyone liked to sit there and chat, making it the village’s busiest gathering spot.

Er Dan, Xiaowang, and three or four other children were playing with mud nearby, while a few older grandmothers sat doing needlework.

Some of the women had already started preparing dinner, though most people were still out in the fields, eager to earn more work points during the autumn harvest.

When the children playing in the mud saw Xiao Mo, they happily called him over to join them.

Xiao Mo walked over, squatted down next to his friends, and suddenly, tears began streaming down his face, startling the little group of kids.

Er Dan quickly asked, “Xiao Mo, what’s wrong? Who bullied you? Tell us, and we’ll go get revenge for you.”

Xiaowang and the other children chimed in, also eager to help him get revenge.

Xiao Mo wiped his tears and said, “Don’t go. We’re still young, and we can’t beat them. They’re really powerful. One of them is even going to marry into the village chief’s family.”

Er Dan asked, “Who? Who’s marrying into the village chief’s family? Is Brother Da Lin getting married?”

Xiao Mo sighed and said, “Not into our village, but the neighboring brigade.”

One of the grandmothers sitting nearby, who was making shoes, asked, “Xiao Mo, are you talking about Lin Zhiqing from the educated youth commune?”

With reddened eyes, Xiao Mo replied, “Third Granny, yes, it’s Lin Zhiqing from the youth camp. She and Li Zhiqing told my parents to harvest soybeans for them.

They said that since we’re already here to work in the countryside, what’s wrong with doing a little more?

They said asking us to help was an honor for us and even cursed me, calling me a brat. That Liu Fang Zhiqing even said she’s our grandaunt.” Xiao Mo added, his voice trembling with frustration.

Xiao Mo continued, “My parents said that after finishing work in the fields, they still needed to go back to feed the cows and really didn’t have time to help with the soybean harvest. That made them angry, and they even wanted to hit me.”

As he spoke, tears began to fall again.

The elderly women listening were furious. One of them said, “They always seem so friendly on the surface, but who knew they were so rotten at heart.”

Third Granny sighed, “When choosing a wife, you really have to look carefully and ask around. If you bring home someone like that, how can a family have peace?”

The other grandmothers all nodded in agreement.

While Xiao Mo listened to their conversations, he played with mud alongside his friends.

Because the educated youth camp was far from the village, and they didn’t work together often, the people in the camp remained completely unaware of the rumors spreading through the village.

Xu Ning hadn’t had a chance to confront Lin Zhiqing and Liu Fang yet, as they hadn’t been assigned to work together. But as the autumn harvest was nearing its end, the female educated youth were grouped with some village wives to strip corn husks. Xu Ning found herself sitting not far from the two, with only Wei Lanlan between them.