Zheng Mingguang naturally had to back off. "Let me, let me," he said, grabbing at the basket.

The two of them tussled over it, nearly ripping the straps, with other people trying to get in on the action, as if this basket were some kind of treasure.

Zheng Zhong, who had been quietly contemplating how to approach the situation, was interrupted by the commotion. He stepped forward, grabbed the basket, and walked off with purpose. His posture and the way he carried himself seemed to silently say, "Don't try to pull it away from me."

Shen Qiao suddenly realized that this personality of his wasn't too bad, and quickly followed him, quietly saying, "Thank you!"

Zheng Zhong gave no response, as the weight of the basket was nothing to him. After all, he was used to carrying heavy loads for miles, often hauling more than a hundred jin (about 50 kg).

Meanwhile, Zheng Mingguang muttered to himself, "Why does he have to come along?"

It wasn’t just people of the same age who respected Zheng Zhong. No one in the entire village could match his capability. Even Zheng Mingguang, though competent, couldn't compare.

One of the people standing nearby hesitated and said, "Could it be true what everyone’s been saying?"

The gossip in the village lately was about how Zheng Zhong had an interest in Shen Qiao. After all, he was giving her eight work points every day, which no one else would do.

Zheng Mingguang didn't want to believe it. "No way," he said. But then he remembered what the elders had said, and added, "Zheng Zhong isn't a good catch."

They said he had a habit of tricking young girls, and if anyone got involved with him, it wouldn't end well. While Zheng Mingguang knew he couldn’t compete with Zheng Zhong in terms of hard work, his character was much better.

A few of the other boys agreed with that. They were around eighteen or nineteen, at an age where they were particularly attentive to girls, and of course, Shen Qiao's striking appearance caught their eye.

In the past, they had thought Shen Qiao wanted to return to the city, but this year, there was another rumor that her family had abandoned her.

Though most people didn’t visit the youth workers’ point, there were no secrets in a small place like this. Every little action would quickly spread throughout the village.

This year, Shen Qiao had suddenly started putting in more effort at work. No one had seen her receiving any packages, and her behavior indicated something significant. For youth workers, being consistently supported by their families was rare; even close relatives would struggle to help out, and it wasn’t easy to rely on others all the time.

Thus, the young men of the village decided to take advantage of this opportunity and make a move.

They exchanged looks, with Zheng Mingguang believing he had the best chance. After all, he thought he was good-looking, and his family wasn’t doing too badly.

But he knew how to keep his distance. When they reached the village, he didn’t want to continue following Shen Qiao, understanding that rumors could easily ruin a person.

Even Zheng Zhong knew this, and as they reached the village entrance, he handed the basket back to her.

Shen Qiao felt a weight lift from her shoulders, and after thanking him, she hurried back to the youth worker point.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened. They were all supposed to be going to work.

When she arrived, she found she was the only one there, so she got to work, building the fire and cooking.

Everyone lived in the same yard, and since Shen Qiao wasn’t in the best physical shape, she often relied on others for help.

In the past, she had contributed by sharing what little she had. Now, without those things, she helped out as much as she could with physical labor.

Cooking, feeding the pigs, and taking care of the chickens and ducks were chores that everyone took turns with.

But today, she had the time, so she did it all herself.

When Li Liyun and the others returned, they saw her hard work and said, "You’ve worked hard, Shen Qiao."

Everyone in the commune was an outsider, and if they didn’t work together, it would be difficult to survive. Even when there had been only twenty or thirty people living there, unity had always been key to getting through any conflict.

Shen Qiao also had many friends working in other communes and knew a lot of things. Her social skills had developed after she left home, and while she wasn’t particularly experienced, she wasn’t unpleasant to be around.

She felt embarrassed as she said, "You helped me with the pigweed the other day."

It was all about helping each other. The youth workers sat down to eat together.

Each person had a bowl of rice, not too thick, and two generous servings of stir-fried dishes. Given the conditions, it was the quickest and easiest way to prepare a meal.

After finishing her meal and drinking some soup, Shen Qiao felt full, her stomach bloated with liquid.

Though she was satisfied, she stood up to stretch and planned to take a nap in her room.

Washing the dishes wasn’t her turn, as the duty roster for the month was already arranged.

In her room, she took the time to unpack the items she had bought, neatly putting everything away before holding up the fabric and thinking about what to do next.

Originally, she had noticed that Zheng Zhong's clothes were tattered and patched with uneven stitches—clearly something he had done himself. That’s why she had thought about making him a new pair of clothes as a gift, considering that she couldn't let him give her work points without doing something in return.

But clothes weren’t exactly the best gift, especially between a man and a woman.

Sighing, she decided to change her mind. She felt a bit regretful since sewing was the only skill she had to offer.

She put the fabric away and laid down on the table to rest.

After a short nap, she was back to work in the afternoon. On her way out, she ran into Zheng Zhong and smiled at him.

He didn’t show much expression, only watching her turn the corner, before correcting her, "Wrong way."

Shen Qiao looked around, surprised. "It’s not wrong."

She wasn’t the type to get lost in the village after all these years.

Zheng Zhong, thinking he shouldn’t have said anything, explained, "You’re supposed to pull the cart today."

In the commune, oxen and horses were valuable, and only important tasks warranted their use. Pulling a cart was one of those jobs that people did. She was supposed to be working at the warehouse instead.

Shen Qiao glanced at her small arms and legs and said, "Only you should go. Liyun told me I’m supposed to be plowing today."

The work assignments were carefully arranged by the work points manager, so there shouldn’t have been any mistakes.

Zheng Zhong didn’t usually ask about her work partner. These days, he had gotten used to working with Shen Qiao. After all, she was someone who spoke little but could always be relied upon to help.

Plus, he was eating her biscuits every day—real food.

He fell silent, nodding without saying another word.

4o mini