Chapter 57: Lin Girl's Remarkable Skill at Work

After touring the wooden house, Lin Xiaodou was in high spirits. At last, she had her own independent space in the countryside! No one would disturb her, no one would question her. She could live freely, do whatever she pleased!

The wooden house was still a bit empty, but Lin Xiaodou decided to leave it that way. She liked cleanliness; too many things just meant more to tidy up. The real core of her daily life was her personal space—whenever she needed something, she could simply retrieve it from there, which was convenient.

Having kept busy for most of the day, Lin Xiaodou was a little tired. She closed the main door, entered her private space, and began to rest. She slept all the way until evening and woke up groggy. Her stomach grumbled, so she left her space to prepare dinner.

Although her house was far from the village, she still needed to keep up appearances; after all, cooking smoke could be seen from far away. In the future, she would cook rice or porridge over a wood fire in the cabin, while stir-frying dishes inside her space. Doing both at once would be efficient.

Lin Xiaodou originally thought the little golden monkey might visit again. However, even after dinner when night had fallen, there was no sign of it. Since the little creature didn’t come, Lin Xiaodou didn’t dwell on it. She planned to sleep early tonight—tomorrow would be her first day at work, and she needed to be in good spirits.

...

The next morning, Lin Xiaodou got up bright and early. She drank a bowl of hot corn porridge, had two large meat buns and an egg. Satisfied and full, she energetically made her way to the village entrance where everyone gathered.

Every morning before work, the team leader would hold a short meeting, mainly to explain the tasks for the day. After the team leader finished, the new arrivals were asked to introduce themselves.

Chen Guang was the first to rush up. Even though he’d been roughed up by Lin Xiaodou at lunch the day before, she’d landed most of her blows on his body. Overnight, the swelling on his face had diminished considerably. He had also taken care to dress up—white shirt, black trousers, a neat hairstyle, and a charming smile. As soon as he stepped onto the stage, he drew the eyes of many women in the village.

“Hello, everyone. My name is Chen Guang, a volunteer youth from the capital...” As he introduced himself loudly, his gaze swept through the crowd. After scanning for a while, he felt disappointed. He had hoped to find someone attractive in the village, someone who might make work easier for him. But all the women before him were either older or plain-looking. He didn’t even want to take a second glance, let alone try to flirt. Why wasn’t there anyone suitable?

Frustrated, Chen Guang got off the stage.

The second to go up was Zhang Lian, the so-called “white lotus.” She appeared poised, gentle, and gracious. Many of the single men in the village watched her with bright eyes, their gazes following her every move.

The other volunteer youths introduced themselves one by one. The female protagonist, Chu Ling, also took the stage. She was delicate and beautiful, by rights more attractive than Zhang Lian. But she didn’t want to attract male attention, nor make Brother Guoqiang jealous. So she deliberately put on a stern face and spoke arrogantly, leaving many with a poor impression of her.

Finally, it was Lin Xiaodou’s turn. She too considered imitating Chu Ling’s style, but before she could speak, exclamations rose from the crowd.

“My goodness, is Volunteer Lin a fairy from heaven? How could she be so beautiful!”
“With looks like that, how could this girl do manual labor? She should stay at home, eat well, and marry into a good family.”
“Exactly! Look how fair her skin is—what a shame it would be if she got tanned. I dream of being that pale.”

As attention shifted from others to Lin Xiaodou, Zhang Lian’s face nearly twisted with anger. That Lin Xiaodou again! As long as she was around, neither her beloved Brother Chen Guang nor anyone else would spare Zhang Lian a glance.

She had hoped to use this opportunity to win everyone’s favor, so that someone might help her with work later. Now, everything was ruined—all because of Lin Xiaodou! If not for her, she wouldn’t have failed today! Zhang Lian fumed inwardly, clenching her teeth. She swore to find a chance to teach Lin Xiaodou a lesson!

---

After the volunteer youths finished their introductions, the villagers dispersed. Captain Wu of the third team remained behind. His gaze swept over the new arrivals as he shouted in his booming voice:

“Listen up, new volunteers! It’s your first day, so I won’t ask too much. If the men can earn six work points and the women four, I’ll consider your tasks completed for today. Anyone who can’t manage that, don’t expect me to go easy—you won’t hear the end of it, no matter who tries to plead for you!”

As he spoke, his eyes lingered on Lin Xiaodou for two seconds. Yesterday afternoon, his younger brother had asked him to look after this new volunteer. He hadn’t agreed outright—just said he’d see how things went.

Now, he was glad he hadn’t promised anything. The girl was far too thin, like a bamboo pole—she couldn’t possibly handle much work. He wasn’t one for special treatment; it wouldn’t be fair to the others. But since she’d helped his younger brother, he felt obliged to repay her. For his brother’s sake, he decided to lower the task requirements just this once. As long as Lin Xiaodou could earn four work points today, he’d turn a blind eye in the future and hold her to that standard. That way, he could justify himself to everyone without being too excessive.

Lin Xiaodou, you’d better make a good showing today!

Noticing Captain Wu’s earnest gaze, Lin Xiaodou was thoroughly confused. She scratched her head and returned an awkward smile. Captain Wu’s mouth twitched, and he looked away. This girl, trying to win him over with her silly faces—she was quite amusing.

...

Soon, everyone went to the nearby warehouse to collect their farming tools and prepare to work. Heishi Village was nestled in the mountains, and naturally, their fields were on the slopes as well. It was early September, just the time when the corn on the hillside was ripe for harvest.

For the past few days, everyone had been racing to bring in the corn, their hands nearly rubbed raw. All the work—picking the corn, stripping the leaves, drying the ears, and shelling it—had to be done by hand. After a whole day, their hands would be swollen like pig’s trotters.

Lin Xiaodou and the rest of the new volunteers were all assigned to pick corn on the hillside. Each was given a plot of land. To earn four work points for the day, they would have to pick at least half the corn in their plot.

Staring at the endless fields of corn, everyone was dumbfounded.

“What are you all standing around for, like a bunch of fools? Get to work!” Captain Wu’s shout snapped them out of their daze, and they began to move.

Among the group of anxious volunteers, Lin Xiaodou stood out for her enthusiasm. She moved quickly, snapping off ears of corn one after another. Before long, she’d already piled up quite a few on the ground.

Captain Wu, who had been watching her, was stunned. Good heavens! At this rate, Lin Xiaodou would definitely earn four work points—maybe even six! Brother, why did you even ask me for help? She’s more than capable...