Chapter 61: Is That Member of the Qin Family Out of His Mind?

The moment someone began to speak ill of Xu Lin, their words were promptly cut off. As soon as Huzi’s mother heard others criticizing Xu Lin, she was the first to protest.

Xu Lin had generously agreed to exchange her precious malted milk for Huzi’s family; to Huzi’s mother, that made Xu Lin a benefactor for life.

Not only did Huzi’s mother refuse to join in the gossip, but her two sisters-in-law also came to Xu Lin’s defense. What was wrong if the little girl was dark and thin? With good care, she would soon be healthy. And as for her complexion, how many country folk were actually fair-skinned?

It was enough that Xu Lin didn’t look down on their rural background; there was no need for anyone to pick on the girl. Although Huzi’s mother and her sisters-in-law didn’t go directly to Xu Lin to speak, they actively praised her among the villagers.

They spoke highly of Xu Lin, emphasizing how different she was from the other troublesome educated youths, insisting that she was genuinely good-hearted. The other villagers were left rather puzzled—did this Xu, the educated youth, possess some kind of magic?

After only two days in the countryside, she already had Huzi’s mother and her sisters-in-law singing her praises. Doubts remained, but with more and more people recommending her, the villagers gradually felt that the girl didn’t seem like a bad person.

After half an hour’s walk, they finally arrived at the land to be reclaimed. Du Yong showed Han Hong and Zhang Qiang how to dig the ground, while Qian Li instructed Xu Lin on how to pick up stones and weeds.

The work was simple enough, but the repetitiveness dulled the mind after a while. Xu Lin quickly picked up the task, and so did Han Hong and Zhang Qiang; after all, digging was just a matter of brute strength.

Yet, while the task was easy to learn, it was exhausting. After only a short while, both Han Hong and Zhang Qiang had blisters on their hands, which slowed them down considerably. They no longer thought digging was easy.

Xu Lin moved at a slow pace as well; she was in no hurry, had no need to show off, and was content to simply pass the time.

As she picked up the weeds and examined them, she discovered some medicinal herbs among them. What a delightful surprise! Since she had nothing better to do, she set the herbs aside to take back to the educated youth’s quarters for processing. She also sneaked a few into her personal space, where Tian Tian could plant them in the herb garden.

By noon, Han Hong and Zhang Qiang’s blisters had burst, and together they’d only managed to dig a fraction of the field. The scorekeeper came by, shaking his head at their progress.

Here we go again—three more who are hopeless at farm work.

These educated youths, he thought, each generation worse than the last. The previous batch may have been troublemakers, but at least they could work hard. But look at these three.

The two young men, tall and sturdy as they appeared, just weren’t suited to farm labor. The look the scorekeeper gave them made Han Hong and Zhang Qiang’s faces darken; they were deeply disheartened.

Zhang Qiang sidled up to Xu Lin and grumbled, “It’s not like we’re refusing to work—just not used to it yet. Did you see the way the scorekeeper looked at us? As if we’re garbage.”

He showed her his hands. “Look, I’ve got several blisters—two of them already burst. Have I complained?”

The young man was so aggrieved his eyes were turning red. He was cherished at home, after all. If not for the abundance of siblings and the necessity for someone to go to the countryside, he’d never have come here.

“It’s pretty rough,” Xu Lin said sympathetically. “I have some ointment; when we get back, you can use some. Once your hands are calloused, you won’t blister so easily. We’re new here, it’s our first time doing farm work, so it’s normal to not be as good as the others. But if you had to compete with the scorekeeper in academics, you’d definitely win.”

This only made Zhang Qiang’s face fall even further. He looked down and muttered, “I’m at the bottom of the class.”

“The bottom?” Xu Lin was genuinely surprised—he didn’t seem like an idiot.

“Well, there’s no point in studying when we can’t go to college. I started skipping classes, and my grades just got worse and worse.” His face reddened. He nudged Han Hong and whispered, “How about you?”

“Me? Not bad. First in my year, every year.” Han Hong answered absentmindedly, leaning on his shovel and staring off into the distance.

Zhang Qiang was speechless. Was he even human?

“What about you?” Zhang Qiang asked Xu Lin, unwilling to give up.

“I finished elementary school in two years, got into middle school with the top score in the whole school, but then someone took my place, so I had to drop out.” Xu Lin’s expression was one of helplessness—but if you looked closely, you could see a hint of pride.

In both her past and present lives, Xu Lin had never been lacking in brains. Unfortunately, in her previous life, she’d been too harshly suppressed by her family to ever turn her fortunes around.

Zhang Qiang felt even more dejected. He regretted bringing up the topic, but he couldn’t help asking, “Who had the gall to take your place?”

“The daughter of the family who switched my records,” Xu Lin shrugged. Zhang Qiang felt even more sympathy for her.

Clearly a top student, yet deprived of her chance at education—if her records hadn’t been switched, she’d be a sure winner in life.

Thinking about Qin Fang, Zhang Qiang couldn’t help but whisper to Han Hong, “Is there something wrong with the Qin family’s heads? How can they not see the worth of Xu Lin and treasure that fake instead?”

“Are you sure they really treasure the fake?” Han Hong sneered. “They’re clearly treating Su Liang as the real treasure.”

Once again, Zhang Qiang was lost for words. Was that really how it was? The Qin family were truly heartless, choosing profit over their own daughter.

But even if he was frustrated, he had no way to confront the Qin family and scold them for their blindness and cruelty. All he could do was curse them in his heart.

Given Qin Fang’s troublesome nature, it was a wonder how her family had tolerated her for so long.

Meanwhile, at the Xiangyang Commune, Qin Fang had just finished shopping and was about to return to the brigade with Su Liang when she spotted a strange symbol at the ox cart stop. The scrawl looked like a child’s doodle—most people wouldn’t have paid it any mind.

But Qin Fang knew better; it was a secret sign, indicating someone wanted to meet her.

Who could it be? Who would want to see her at a time like this?

Although she couldn’t figure it out, she didn’t dare not go. Ever since discovering she wasn’t the Qin family’s biological daughter, Xu Chenglin had been forcing her to leak information. That leverage was firmly in their hands—if she didn’t obey, she could expect to rot in jail.

“Brother Liang, I just remembered there’s something I forgot to buy. Would you mind waiting for me here?”

“What is it? I’ll get it for you,” Su Liang said instinctively.

“Oh, it’s something for girls. It wouldn’t be appropriate for you to buy it. Just wait here—I’ll be back soon.” Qin Fang even lowered her head in a bashful gesture, making Su Liang’s heart flutter. To him, his Fang’er was perfect in every way.

With things said so plainly, even Su Liang understood it was something unsuitable for him to buy. Perhaps she hadn’t forgotten, but just felt shy about purchasing it with him around.

He even reproached himself for his lack of sensitivity—he should have given her more privacy.

Qin Fang hurried into the supply and marketing cooperative, where someone quickly led her to the back door. Guided by this person, she left through the back and slipped into a neighboring house.