Chapter 47: Liuling Farm System (13)

"Strange, strange, truly strange! An incredibly strong girl has come to the Youth Hostel!"

With Gouwa's tireless promotion, and further confirmation from the strongest female commune member, Guo Saozi, as well as Miao Laosan and Chen Youtian who earned full work points year-round, the news that the new female Educated Youth was incredibly strong was turned into a nursery rhyme by the children led by Gouwa and spread throughout the entire brigade.

Commune members who hadn't witnessed it for themselves ran to the gossip hub—the Threshing Floor—after dinner yesterday, curiously asking the members who had been present at the time:

"Is it true or false? The luggage that even Miao Laosan needed two hands to catch was tossed onto her shoulder by that female Educated Youth with one hand? And she looked quite relaxed doing it?"

"It's true! We all saw it. That parcel was at least as big as two of her. Guo Saozi said she couldn't even lift it with both hands and had to put in some effort just to pass it down from the cart, yet that girl just hoisted it up easily and walked off."

"Didn't Lao Zhou's grandson also say she even helped catch a pickpocket when she got off the train? Could she handle a pickpocket without some strength?"

"Goodness! Then that girl really is strong! I just wonder how she'll do with farm work!"

The commune members of the entire brigade were all looking forward to Xie Yang's performance.

Xie Yang appeared under the expectant gaze of countless people.

She was wearing a set of old clothes washed until they were faded, but on her feet, she wore a pair of brand-new Liberation Shoes. On her head, she wore a wide-brimmed straw sun hat, and on her hands, she wore a pair of white cotton gloves. Carrying a military-green canteen, she walked slowly within the group of Educated Youth, arriving at the Threshing Floor where they gathered before work, waiting for the Brigade Leader to assign the day's labor tasks.

With her appearance, the gazes of the commune members fell upon her in a swish.

"Is that her?"

"It must be her!"

"You can't tell just by looking, can you? Such a thin and weak person."

"She's even wearing gloves and carrying a canteen; she's really particular!"

They would wear straw hats under the big sun too, but it was rare to see people working while wearing gloves; only the pretentious Educated Youth from the city would be so particular.

The canteen was even rarer! This thing was not only expensive, but you couldn't buy it without a ration coupon. Even the wealthiest families in the brigade with the most full-point laborers couldn't bear to bring one to the fields to drink water, even if they could afford it. Usually, they would just fill an earthenware jar and use a small, chipped bowl to scoop out water to drink.

"Looks like another show-off!"

"Didn't they say she was very strong?"

"That's only if she's willing to do the work!"

The discussion grew louder, but Xie Yang acted as if she hadn't heard, continuing to admire the mountain scenery in the distance and the lake scenery nearby.

She discovered that the farmland opened up between the villages of the Yuewan Brigade was planted with rice, and the terraced fields on the mountains were planted with winter rapeseed. They were already in bloom, and once the rapeseed was harvested, they could plant another crop of autumn Corn.

Xie Yang couldn't help but look forward to the harvest season.

Seeing her so calm, some of the other Educated Youth admired her good mindset, some held the same opinion as the commune members—that being strong didn't necessarily mean she was a skilled farmhand—and others curled their lips, thinking she was a poor worker with too many tools.

"She really came prepared! She brought everything she could possibly use!"

Yang Qingqing looked at Xie Yang with envy and jealousy, saying to Zhao Wanqing beside her:

"If I had another chance, I would have brought a pair of gloves to the countryside too."

Zhao Wanqing was distracted and didn't say anything, while Feng Xuemei on the other side sneered:

"If I could do it over, I'd rather die than come to the countryside; I'd cling to my home even if I had to. You're actually only thinking about bringing a pair of gloves? What an achievement!"

Yang Qingqing rolled her eyes: "As if you wouldn't have to come to the countryside just because you threw a tantrum."

"..."

Feng Xuemei's face turned pale in a flash.

That was true; there were five siblings in her family, all around the same age. Even if their parents gave up their positions for them to take over, there were more monks than gruel, so someone still had to go to the countryside.

It was true that her parents doted on her, but they doted on their two sons the most, so if she had to do it over again, she would still likely have to go to the countryside.

Recognizing this cruel reality, Feng Xuemei instantly lost the mood to bicker with Yang Qingqing.

She pursed her lips and looked at Xie Yang, who was lazily stretching her limbs while gazing at the distant mountains, wondering how she managed to be so indifferent.

She didn't look very old, and even if she were exceptionally strong and knew how to do farm work, she was used to life in the city after all. Could she really adapt so quickly to a poor, mountainous village that lacked everything?

Their group of Educated Youth hadn't been able to adapt even after being here for half a year.

"This year, our brigade has added five new Educated Youth. They are Chen Gang and Lin Boyu from Haicheng, Xie Yang from Pingcheng, and Lu Jieqiong and Wang Pandi from Jincheng. Let's welcome them!"

The Brigade Leader started by introducing the new Educated Youth, and a smattering of applause rose from below.

The commune members turned their heads back and forth as if trying to identify which one was the strong girl mentioned yesterday.

"Ahem." The Brigade Leader cleared his throat to remind the commune members not to go too far. "... It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat! By the same token, it doesn't matter if you are an Educated Youth or a villager, as long as you can increase production and income for our brigade, you are a good commune member! Spring plowing is imminent, so everyone pull yourselves together! Below, I will assign today's labor tasks."

"Each Production Team listen up! Each team with full-strength laborers must provide 5 people to dig irrigation ditches and fill the rice paddies with water; we'll be transplanting seedlings in two days. Also, each team must provide 20 people to reclaim wasteland on the south slope of Qingniu Mountain... Today it is the Third Production Team's turn to fertilize the fields. You handle the rotation internally; whoever's turn it is must carry the manure, no slacking off!"

"For female labor, all Production Teams must provide 10 people each to screen seedlings in the nursery, and another 5 to weed and loosen the soil on the East Mountain Slope; the rest will go to the Xishan Slope to pick up stones."

"For the half-grown laborers, each team must provide 5 people to pick up cow manure, and the rest will go to cut pig grass."

"For the Educated Youth team, the male Educated Youth are on rotation to carry water and irrigate the fields today; the three new female Educated Youth will go to the East Mountain Slope to weed and loosen the soil, and the veteran Educated Youth will go to the Xishan Slope to pick up stones."

Only when she heard the very end did Xie Yang hear her name; her labor task for today was to go to the East Mountain Slope to weed and loosen the soil.

"Have you all heard your tasks clearly? If you have, go collect your farm tools! Get moving! Don't delay the start of work!"

With a roar from the Brigade Leader, everyone scattered in a rush, went to the Warehouse to collect their farm tools, and headed to their task locations while chatting and laughing.

The East Mountain Slope where Xie Yang was going was located between the lakeshore foot of the mountain and the mountainside.

Due to its geographical location, the Yuewan Brigade didn't have large stretches of farmland like villages on the plains; here, the cultivated land was opened up in patches here and there.

Since there wasn't enough arable land, they had to develop it toward the mountains, turning the relatively flat, low hilltops surrounding the brigade into terraced fields.

However, irrigation for terraced fields wasn't as convenient as on flat land. When there was no mountain water and no rain, they had to rely on manpower to carry it up bucket by bucket.

Today it was the Educated Youth team's turn to carry water. When the male Educated Youth heard this task, their legs began to tremble, and they wailed one by one, looking miserable:

"Why is it our turn to carry water again so soon?"

"It's over! We're going to be walking back with trembling legs again today!"

"Xie Yang! Aren't you quite strong?" Yang Qingqing suddenly asked. "Why aren't you going to carry water?"

Xie Yang raised an eyebrow: "I follow the Brigade Leader's arrangements. As for you, isn't picking up stones on the Xishan Slope? Why did you run to the East Mountain Slope?"

"..."

Yang Qingqing snorted heavily, pulled Zhao Wanqing, and ran toward the Xishan Slope.

Xie Yang carried the hoe she had been allotted to East Mountain Slope, found the three Task fields for the Educated Youth team, chose one of them at random, hung her water bottle on a low bush by the terraced field, warmed up a little, and started working.

By the time Lu Jieqiong and Wang Pandi arrived, Xie Yang had already loosened the soil once and was picking out the weeds she had hoed up.

The two of them were dumbfounded!

They hadn't even figured out exactly what to do yet, and Xie Yang was already working? Wasn't she from a dual-income family in Pingcheng? How could she know how to do farm work?

"Oh my! Who is moving so fast!"

Several women from the Production Team had also arrived; their Task fields were further ahead, and they had to pass through here to get there.

"You wouldn't happen to be the new 'strong girl' from the Youth Hostel, would you?"

Facing the clicking and sighing gazes of the women, Xie Yang: "..."

What kind of ferocious nickname is this?