Chapter 14 ☆ Rice planting and Leeches

Grain in Ear.

The beautiful countryside is bustling with activity. Men, women, old and young, roll up their trousers and bend over to transplant tender green seedlings into the paddy fields. These seedlings must be planted before the rainy season, or the yield will be affected.

The tender green seedlings were planted neatly in the paddy fields, creating a beautiful ripple effect in the wind. Unfortunately, Cheng Yaoyao had no interest in admiring them.

Cheng Yaoyao rolled up her trouser legs and stepped into the mud. Her scalp burned from the sun. She mechanically repeated the movements of her hands, with sweat flowing into her eyes, irritating her so much she couldn’t open them. She couldn’t wipe them off either—her hands were covered in mud.

The land was divided into strips, with each person responsible for one strip. Cheng Yaoyao was assigned a strip near the middle, which was shorter and manageable for her.

But after diligently planting the seedlings in her hand, Cheng Yaoyao stood up, pounded her aching waist, and looked around, almost in tears. Everyone else had finished and moved ahead, leaving her far behind.

Team leader Lin Dafu stood on a high spot with a loudspeaker, boosting morale: “Plant potatoes at Grain in Ear, weigh ten kilograms. Plant potatoes at Summer Solstice, just the roots. It’s not too early to plant beans, do it as soon as it rains after the wheat harvest!”

He shouted until his throat was hoarse, then picked up the kettle and took several gulps of water. Lin Dafu was anxious. Grain in Ear, Grain in Ear—everything is planted. Rice, soybeans, sweet potatoes, corn, and other crops are planted at this time, and the busy farming season has officially reached its climax. With ample rain this year, these crops must be planted and sprouted before the plum rain season. So, everyone who can work in the village, young and old, is assigned tasks, including the educated youth.

A tall and straight young man walked by the shore. Lin Dafu saw him and shouted, “Xie San, come here!”

Xie San was wearing a torn jacket that revealed his strong, tanned arms. He walked over carrying a large basket, called out “Captain,” and then looked at him silently.

Seeing that there was no one around, Lin Dafu said, “Xie San, have you considered what I mentioned yesterday?”

“No,” Xie San replied curtly.

Lin Dafu almost thought he had heard incorrectly. “Driving a tractor is a good job; Jiajun wants to go too! You earn so little in the village every year, doing odd jobs everywhere. Although hunting supplements your income, it’s not sustainable. If your grandfather hadn’t been kind to my family, I wouldn’t have worked so hard to get this position for you.”

A hint of hesitation flashed across Xie San’s narrow eyes, but his tone remained decisive. “Thank you for your kindness, but I won’t go.”

“You’re worried about who will take care of your grandmother and sister when you’re gone, right?” Lin Dafu sighed. “But it’s not a big deal. You’re twenty years old this year, right? Your family can’t save a penny, so how can you talk about getting a wife?”

Xie San smiled self-deprecatingly. “People like me won’t delay others.”

Lin Dafu looked at the young man in front of him with regret. He had watched Xie San grow from a bullied landlord’s son into such a tall and steady young man. It was a pity that this element was too high…

Xie San looked towards the paddy field. Everyone was bent over and busy, except for a pink figure standing gracefully in the vast field, like a hibiscus flower emerging from the rice paddies. She shielded her eyes from the sunlight with one hand, and her striking figure was visible from a distance.

Lin Dafu also glanced over and was shocked: “Who is that?! Cheng Zhiqing! Cheng Yaoyao! Come here!”

Cheng Yaoyao, who was already worried about not finishing her work, trudged over happily upon hearing this. She propped herself up on the grass at the shore and struggled to pull her legs out of the mud: “Captain, did you call me?”

Cheng Yaoyao’s pretty face was covered in sweat and mud, resembling a beautiful little animal with dirty fur, but she remained in high spirits.

Lin Dafu asked, “What are you doing in the field?”

“I… I’m planting rice.” Cheng Yaoyao had never been scolded before, and Lin Dafu’s yelling left her stunned as she answered automatically.

Lin Dafu pointed at the paddy field and said, “Look at your field, then look at the others’!”

Cheng Yaoyao turned around and saw that the rice seedlings in the paddy field were planted in neat rows, as if measured with a ruler. Her field, however, had crooked and scattered seedlings that looked particularly out of place.

Cheng Yaoyao was dumbfounded and retorted, “I’ve never done this kind of work before. It’s good enough that I can do this well for my first time in the fields.”

As Cheng Yaoyao spoke, she suddenly noticed Xie San standing beside Lin Dafu.

Xie San was also looking at her with an expressionless face, but Cheng Yaoyao saw mockery in his eyes.

When someone is watching you while you’re being scolded, it makes the situation feel much worse. Cheng Yaoyao, feeling shame and humiliation, said, “I… I’m working very hard. I don’t know why this happened.”

Cheng Yaoyao lowered her head to hide her reddened eyes. The only farm work she had done in her previous life was helping her grandfather tend flowers and plants. Today, stepping into the mud required a lot of determination. She had tried very hard to learn, but she was still far behind others.

Standing on the shore, Cheng Yaoyao looked so aggrieved that Lin Dafu was at a loss for words. He couldn’t vent his anger: “You… you are like this…”

Xie San looked down at her legs and was suddenly stunned: “Your legs!”

Cheng Yaoyao looked at him blankly. “Huh?”

Cheng Yaoyao was walking barefoot on the grass, her trouser legs rolled up to her knees, revealing a pair of straight, white, tender calves. At that moment, several blood-red leeches were hanging on her legs.

Cheng Yaoyao looked down and immediately let out a series of screams: “Ah!!!!!!”

Lin Dafu also shouted, “It’s a leech! It’s a leech! Slap it off!”

Cheng Yaoyao jumped around in fear, but the leeches seemed to be stuck to her legs, and she couldn’t get rid of them. Lin Dafu quickly removed his shoes and shouted, “You need to slap them to death! Don’t jump; they’ve burrowed into your flesh!”

It would have been better if Lin Dafu hadn’t said anything. After hearing this, Cheng Yaoyao’s scalp went numb, and she felt utterly horrified.

The delicate young woman was barefoot and screaming on the bank, causing the workers in the fields to stop and laugh. Some scoundrels ogled her snow-white legs with ill intentions and whistled.

Cheng Yaoyao cried out, “What should I do? Help!”

Xie San frowned, grabbed Lin Dafu’s shoes, and strode forward to seize Cheng Yaoyao: “Don’t move!”

Xie San’s hands were warm and powerful, and Cheng Yaoyao froze in place. He half-knelt, picked up the sole of his shoe, and slapped Cheng Yaoyao’s calf hard.

“It hurts, why did you hit me!” Cheng Yaoyao cried and scratched at Xie San.

Xie San tilted his head, his face already marked with a hot scratch from Cheng Yaoyao’s nails. He slapped the leeches a few more times, and several large leeches fell off and wriggled on the grass. Cheng Yaoyao’s heart pounded, and she almost vomited at the sight of the soft-bodied insects on the ground.

Xie San released Cheng Yaoyao and returned the shoes to Lin Dafu without even looking at her.

Ignoring the pain, Cheng Yaoyao quickly examined her legs. There were bright red blood spots where the leeches had bitten her, and blood was still oozing. There were also several bright red shoe prints where Xie San had slapped her. Damn Xie San, was it really necessary to use so much force!

Cheng Yaoyao didn’t dare to scold Xie San and cried, “What on earth are these things?”

Lin Dafu put on his shoes, came over, and stomped on the leeches a few times. “They’re leeches! I’m most afraid of them in the fields. They latch onto your legs and suck your blood without you even noticing. There are tricks to removing them. You have to pat your flesh with your shoes to make the leech fall off by itself; otherwise, it will burrow into your flesh!”

So that’s what it was. Cheng Yaoyao felt guilty for misunderstanding Xie San. She glanced at him secretly; he had a cold expression and didn’t even look at her. There was a bright red scratch from the corner of his eye to his cheekbone. It seemed… she had scratched him?

It’s over! Another mark in the boss’s little book of grudges! Cheng Yaoyao felt a chill run down her spine, and her heart was also cold.

At this moment, a scoundrel in the field shouted loudly, “Cheng Zhiqing, your legs are so white! Xie San’er is so lucky!”

Cheng Yaoyao was so enraged that she turned around and saw that the person shouting was a well-known troublemaker in the village. Cheng Yaoyao picked up a stone and threw it into the field, but her aim was poor, and the stone barely traveled two meters before falling into the field.

Laughter erupted from the field.

Lin Dafu yelled at the workers, “What are you doing, wasting time? Don’t you have work to finish? If you don’t complete your work before the sun goes down, don’t expect to eat!”

Everyone calmed down and returned to their work, though some still glanced at Cheng Yaoyao’s legs.

Cheng Yaoyao’s face turned red with anger as she pulled down her wet trouser legs. “Captain, look at these people—they’re acting like hooligans!”

Lin Dafu was also worried. Cheng Yaoyao was too delicate to work in the paddy fields. If she was put in the fields, the men would lose focus on their work. He thought, “You’re not cut out for this. I’ll find you a different job…”

Xie San showed no interest in the conversation. With a cold expression, he picked up his basket and turned away.

Lin Dafu shouted, “Wait, Xie San, come back! Aren’t you going to plant soybeans? Let Cheng Zhiqing go with you!”

Xie San: “…”

Hearing this, Cheng Yaoyao asked cautiously, “Is planting soybeans tiring?”

Lin Dafu wiped his face and said earnestly, “Labor is glorious. You can’t judge it by how tiring it is. Go with Xie San!”

Anything was better than working in the fields and planting rice! Cheng Yaoyao thought about it and hurried over to Xie San.

Xie San frowned and bluntly told Lin Dafu, “She can’t work.”

At this point, Lin Dafu simply wanted to send the troublemaker away, so he said, “Then you teach her! She’ll have to learn sooner or later.”

Xie San’s brows remained furrowed as he glanced at Cheng Yaoyao beside him. Her previously happy smile froze, and she shrank back, intimidated. Is he that scary?

Finally, Lin Dafu issued an order: “Cheng Zhiqing was sent by the Communist Party to help us build the countryside. You must take good care of her and bring her back safely!”

Cheng Yaoyao, relieved to escape the rice planting, said sweetly, “Don’t worry, Captain, I will study hard!”

Lin Dafu was truly speechless and waved them off. His words had been meant as a critique—Cheng Yaoyao was too pretty, and sending her to work in the fields with a grown man was like sending a lamb into a wolf’s den. However, Lin Dafu trusted Xie San’s character and had given him a stern warning.

Cheng Yaoyao picked up her shoes, washed her feet, and dried them with a handkerchief before putting them on.

Xie San had already walked a long way with the basket on his back. Cheng Yaoyao stumbled after him while picking up her shoes, saying, “Wait for me, Brother Xie San, please wait for me!”