She could already imagine what would happen when Grandma Xie became completely obsessed with the third daughter-in-law, and the daughter-in-law decided to ignore her.

Grandma Xie would be left scrambling in panic.

Oldest Uncle Xie couldn’t even go a day without eating his wife’s cooking; it felt like life had no flavor.

If his wife went back to her mother’s house for a few days, his appetite would drop by more than half.

Old Man Lu just chuckled, “All those lessons paid off. Third Daughter-in-Law and Third Son are becoming more and more alike.”

They’re both clever and know how to play their cards right, though they do it in different ways.

Fang Dihua added, “You should remind Third Son to behave and not play too many tricks on his wife. He might get what’s coming to him later.”

Look at the eldest son—he used to despise his wife for being ugly. And now?

He fawns over her all day long, terrified that she might dislike him.

His wife is still as dark and strong as ever.

Lu Shaotang, who had sharp hearing, overheard his parents’ murmuring and couldn’t help but feel a little speechless.

How did the conversation shift to him again?

He thought to himself: I’ve already given my wife all my money and love—what tricks do I have left to play?

Well, there are times at night when he has to be a little cunning.

Otherwise, his wife would refuse and try to get out of things, always warning him that he’s about to break the bed.

Late at night, Lu Shaotang held his wife, who was already fast asleep, gently stroking her soft, silky hair.

His parents only focused on the fact that Grandma Xie would get hooked on the red date cake, worrying about what would happen when there was no more.

But they didn’t notice that his wife never let the old lady have enough cake to be fully satisfied, always keeping her craving for more and making Xie Jinkui jealous to the core.

After a few more times, Xie Jinkui would surely start resenting his grandmother.

She always talked about her beloved grandson, but when it came to good food, she didn’t share with him and ate it all herself?

Without uttering a single word of slander, his wife was steadily sowing discord.

His wife… she’s truly transformed from who she used to be.

Regarding Lin Shu talking about attending classes and preemptively coaxing her in-laws about Lu Shaotang being on a secret mission instead of being sacrificed, Fang Dihua and Old Man Lu didn’t reveal the truth to him.

First, Lin Shu had subtly hinted that they should not tell Lu Shaotang because he is a materialist who doesn’t believe in such things. What if he offended the so-called “Master Ma”?

Second, she feared that knowing the truth might affect their marital relationship.

Third, she hoped that if anyone were to tell him, it would be herself.

Naturally, her in-laws respected her wishes.

Lin Shu, of course, wasn’t going to tell him. Even if he found out by accident and asked her, she would just say, “I made it up to appease my in-laws—a harmless lie. Who knew it would work out so well?”

After the Lantern Festival, Lu Shaotang got busy.

What he was busy with and where he was going, he wouldn’t explain to his family.

The production team also entered the spring plowing phase.

Lu Da and their tractor drivers were the busiest, as night shifts still had to be scheduled.

Old Man Lu and Lu Dage were also occupied—one with medical duties and the other with accaountant.

Fang Dihua, along with Lu Erge and his wife, didn’t have much leisure time either.

They had to work at the production team selecting seeds, tend to their private plots, and prepare the vegetable beds in their yard for planting.

Lin Shu had originally thought Lu Xiuxiu wouldn’t want to return to Guo the tailor, but she chose to go back.

Lu Xiuxiu felt that after paying for two years and learning the basics, the final year would be free, allowing her to learn the master’s special skills.

She didn’t want to miss out on this opportunity.

Moreover, after this year, she could work at the commune’s tailor shop and earn a salary for the family.

Both her parents were earning wages, and she wanted to make money too.

Lin Shu didn’t interfere much; as long as the child was willing, it was fine.

The concerns she had before didn’t matter to this child now.

Everyone was living like weeds, just surviving; being well-fed and warm was already a blessing.

Most children were scolded and beaten by their parents, so what’s the big deal if the master scolded her or hit her hands a few times?

Lu Xiuxiu was sensible; she didn’t want to cause trouble or add to the family’s burdens.

Besides, with her aunt watching over at the commune, Lin Shu didn’t worry too much.

As the spring plowing and planting began, all the commune members were busy, and Lin Shu also had to prepare meals for everyone.

Without fresh vegetables, she had to rely on the dried string beans and eggplants she had sun-dried last year, the overwintered spinach and chives, fresh mung bean sprouts, and a variety of pickles, fermented vegetables, salted duck eggs, and salted chicken eggs stored in the pickle jars.

This was already better than 99.9% of the households in the countryside because everyone else was entering the lean season.

There were no wild vegetables; the winter-stored cabbage had been eaten up, radishes and pumpkins were long gone, and even the homemade soybean paste from last year was finished.

At this point, they were down to eating just salted vegetables, and those without even that had almost nothing left.

They could make do by eating salted water like pickles.

Fortunately, last year’s harvest was good, and the grain rations were decent.

The fresh sweet potatoes stored in the cellar from autumn were almost all gone, with only some left, which had begun to mold and sprout.

Most households were now eating dried sweet potato chunks, which were the most unappetizing coarse food.

Those who could afford it mixed them with cornmeal, sorghum flour, or soybean flour.

For families that she was on good terms with, like Jin Ping’er, Old Lady Qiu, Old Lady Wang, and Aunt Li, Lin Shu would proactively send them some pickled vegetables or salty snacks to help out.

Of course, they didn’t take it for free, often trading eggs or other small things in return.

The goal was to survive until the wild vegetables started sprouting.

Some villagers knew that Lin Shu’s family had several jars of pickled vegetables and would trade eggs or money for some of her pickled goodies.

It wasn’t just the crisp, refreshing pickled cucumbers. Even her regular pickled radishes, cabbage, and turnips left them in awe.

“This year, we should plant more vegetables so we can learn to pickle like Shaotang’s wife.”

“Exactly. Eating these dried sweet potatoes is unbearable. Having a bit of pickled vegetables would make them much more palatable.”

Some people also followed Lin Shu’s example and started making pancakes, which tasted great.

However, most were reluctant to eat that way because good food meant eating more, and with limited rations, eating more would mean running out of food quicker.

Lin Shu’s family didn’t have these worries. Not only did they have plenty of grain and vegetables, but they also had an abundance of meat and eggs.

Last year, they slaughtered a pig, froze part of it, and made some salted pork.

During spring plowing, they used the salted pork to stew with sauerkraut, which was both appetizing and a perfect side dish.

Lin Shu had her eldest sister-in-law bring some to Lin’s father and Lin Yue, which made the other tractor drivers drool.

The ones who were better off brought their own salted pork along with food coupons or money, asking Lin’s sister-in-law to take it home so Lin Shu could make a pot of stew.

Lin Shu didn’t refuse, as her family had plenty of sauerkraut, and it needed to be eaten before the weather got too warm, or it would spoil.

In this way, she also earned a bit of extra money from the sauerkraut and pickles to supplement the household income.

Before long, it was Qingming, and the production team began the spring planting.

This mostly relied on manual labor since there weren’t enough tractors.

By the time the tractor made it to their production team, the optimal planting time might have passed.

Fortunately, the tractors had already plowed the land, so it was much easier for their team to plant.

While the production team was busy planting, a notice came down from the county asking all advanced workers to attend the May Day Labor Conference in the city.

The labor conference at the prefectural-level city included participants from city units and advanced workers from the eight counties under its jurisdiction.

Qing County had seven communes under it, along with the city’s district units, and in total, over thirty advanced model workers would attend.

Three people from Fendou Commune made the list: Lin Shu, Old Lu, and her eldest sister-in-law Lu Da.

Lin Shu was a little surprised—she wasn’t a labor model, so how could she be invited to attend the labor conference?

The party secretary and the brigade leader reassured her, “The higher-ups specifically named you to go, so it’s certainly well-deserved.”

Although Lin Shu wasn’t a model worker, she was the most beautiful military wife and had received multiple commendations from the Public Security Bureau, making her an exemplary commune member.

After Xu Ermao was executed, the Public Security Bureau issued her another certificate of merit.

Based on that alone, she qualified to attend.

Since the higher authorities had made the arrangement, Lin Shu had no objections.

However, the brigade leader was reluctant to let Sister Lu Da go.

It was peak spring plowing and planting season in the countryside, and having her attend the conference would delay production.

After all, she was a key player in the agricultural machinery team.

The brigade leader even complained, “Should we write to the county and suggest changing the date? Maybe around National Day…”

The party secretary replied, “National Day is busy with wheat planting, so that’s even worse.”

Lu Dage chimed in, “Actually, after spring planting and before wheat harvest would also work. It doesn’t have to be fixed on May Day.”

The party secretary responded, “City folks aren’t bound by our farming schedules. We have to align with them; there’s no way they would adjust for us.”

Even though he was reluctant, the brigade leader didn’t stop Sister Lu Da from going to the city—it was a great opportunity to shine.

The county arranged two buses to take all the model workers to the city on the 14th.

Lin Shu thought she might meet her second sister and wanted to visit Grandma Jiang, so she prepared extra gifts.

She was skilled at making various steamed cakes now, so she made a big batch to take along.

Old Lady Xie loved them, so Grandma Jiang would likely enjoy them too.

Before the New Year, the production team had collectively made vermicelli, and the Lu family also made some.

Lin Shu had bought a ticket to send some to the director of the rolling mill factory office as a New Year gift.

She also had someone deliver some to Grandma Jiang.

This time, instead of bringing vermicelli, she packed half a bag of homemade dried sweet potato slices.

These were made by cutting sweet, cooked red yams into slices, sun-drying them in the winter, and letting them develop a natural white frosting indoors.

They were chewy and sweet and could be cut into small pieces and stir-fried in a large pot.

Once fried, they were crispy and fragrant—a favorite among both adults and children.

These gifts were inexpensive but well-liked and offered great value.

When Lin Shu sat on the bus, some people noticed her delicate skin and couldn’t help but express their skepticism in whispers. “She’s so pretty and has such fair skin—how could she be a labor model?”

“She’s probably just good at singing and dancing, like someone from a performance troupe who got selected for her looks.”

The car ride to the city would take over three hours.

To pass the time, a cadre from the County Revolutionary Committee suggested everyone introduce themselves and get to know each other.

After chatting for a while, Qiu Lina, a female model worker from the textile factory, couldn’t help but stir things up, saying, “Comrade Lin Shu, why don’t you sing a song for everyone?”

Qiu Lina had been quietly thinking that Lin Shu, being so beautiful, must have been selected based on her singing and dancing skills.

Everyone liked the lively atmosphere and began encouraging Lin Shu to sing.

There seemed to be a strange consensus: someone as beautiful as Lin Shu, with such a pleasant voice, must surely be able to sing.

Lin Shu was sitting next to Sister Lu.

She didn’t refuse and started, “How about we sing ‘The Members Are All Sunflowers’?”

Just as Lin Shu was about to start singing, Qiu Lina, unhappy again, interjected, “Why not sing ‘We Workers Are Strong’?”