“Chen Ye!”
Tao Xinyue called out to Wang Chenye, looking every bit the bashful young wife.
She walked with delicate, graceful steps, her hands stiffly hanging by her sides, each movement calculated and demure. Every few steps, she cast him a tender, affectionate glance.
“Something wrong?”
His tone was short and clipped—he clearly didn’t feel like saying even one unnecessary word.
“Brother Chenye, I’ve been assigned to the oil-pressing team!”
Fang Zhijie rolled his eyes. “And? You had to come all the way here just to report that to Brother Ye? Don’t you ever get tired of bothering him?”
Tao Xinyue’s face smiled sweetly, but her eyes flashed a warning. “Interrupting while someone else is speaking—how polite of you. They say education cultivates one’s manners, but in your case…”
She stopped herself there.
No matter how angry she got at Fang Zhijie for butting in, she always swallowed it back. She couldn’t afford to ruin the image she had carefully built in front of Wang Chenye—a composed, intelligent, independent modern woman.
But that single line of hers was sharp enough. Fang Zhijie’s face flushed red with fury.
Wasn’t she just mocking him for being an uneducated brute—like his book learning had all gone straight into a dog’s stomach?
Tao Xinyue had never gotten along with Wang Chenye’s little follower. Every time, he went out of his way to make her look bad—simply because he refused to acknowledge her as Chenye’s fiancée.
Fang Zhijie shoved her angrily. “Why shouldn’t I care? As Brother Ye’s good friend, I’ve got every right to say something!”
Tao Xinyue sneered. “Good friend? You clearly don’t understand what friendship means. A real friend doesn’t meddle in someone else’s choices. Sounds to me like you’ve got personal feelings involved. Don’t you think so, Brother Chenye?”
Her eyes sparkled with expectation as she looked at Wang Chenye, practically begging for his approval.
Wang Chenye’s expression tightened slightly. Though his upbringing stopped him from showing irritation, there was a distinct coldness in his tone.
“I understand. If that’s all, we’ll be going now.”
“Hey—wait! I wasn’t finished talking!”
But Wang Chenye had already turned around and walked off without even glancing back.
Tao Xinyue seethed, glaring daggers at Fang Zhijie. That man ruined everything.
He’d been the same way at school—always in her way. After she’d gone through so much trouble getting her family to arrange meetings with Wang Chenye and finally worked up the nerve to see him, Fang Zhijie had tagged along behind like some noisy child, ruining her chances every time.
She kicked at a pebble in frustration.
What she didn’t realize was that two girls standing not far away were quietly observing her.
“Look at that—she’s the only female educated youth who doesn’t have to go work in the fields!” whispered Ye Meifeng into Wang Manqing’s ear.
Wang Manqing narrowed her eyes, glaring at Tao Xinyue’s back. “She must’ve done it on purpose.”
Ye Meifeng nodded. “Of course. Probably bribed whoever’s in charge of assigning work. Otherwise, how else could she always end up with the easy jobs?”
Wang Manqing’s voice turned cold. “If that’s true, she better hope I don’t catch her doing it. If I do, I’ll make sure she’s publicly criticized and humiliated.”
Meanwhile, Tao Xinyue hummed a cheerful tune, completely unaware that she’d already become the target of gossip.
The sun beat down relentlessly. Even walking a short distance made her forehead drip with sweat.
“Ah—!”
Su Jin threw off the blanket covering her head and sat up in bed in a panic, fumbling to get dressed.
“Oh no! The sun’s already high—I must’ve overslept! Am I going to miss work today?”
She couldn’t help grumbling to herself about Jiang Heng.
Why hadn’t he woken her up?
Just as she was about to rush out the door, she noticed breakfast neatly laid out on the kitchen table in the main courtyard. Beneath the bowl was a folded note.
The handwriting was strong and firm, each stroke so bold it had left marks on the back of the paper.
“You don’t need to go earn work points today.”
That was it—just one short line, no explanation.
Su Jin picked it up and smiled wryly.
Yep, that was exactly like him.
So that’s why he didn’t wake her—she really didn’t need to go to work today.
She touched the note to her cheek, thinking to herself with a sigh, Why’s this man always acting so cold when he’s actually being considerate?
“Hey, Jiang Heng’s wife! You’re not going to work for work points today?”
Su Jin turned toward the voice and saw her next-door neighbor, Sister Xie. Her sallow face was beaded with sweat, drops trickling down her chin as she spoke.
She was panting, her head wrapped in a sweat-soaked cloth that could probably be wrung dry. Her hair stuck to her temples in clumps.
When Su Jin had first arrived, Sister Xie had often been the one to approach her, helping her get familiar with the village.
She’d once told Su Jin that she had been trafficked here from the North and that if not for her current husband, she might’ve been sold off to some desolate mountain village. Life here was hard, yes—but still better than starving up north.
In Su Jin’s eyes, Sister Xie was neither good nor bad—just a typical hardworking rural woman, thrifty and diligent.
“I don’t need to go today,” Su Jin replied, without elaborating on the reason.
If asked, she could always make something up.
“What do you mean you don’t need to go? You’re the new bride here—if you don’t help out with the work, people will talk!”
Sister Xie had already noticed how Su Jin had been wandering around the house lazily that morning—her sleepy eyes and sluggish steps making it obvious she’d just gotten up, even though the sun was blazing high in the sky.
“Well… Jiang Heng arranged it. I’m not really sure why.”
“Oh, I see! But let me tell you, as someone who’s been married for years—you need to stay diligent at home. Otherwise, your husband will start thinking you’re lazy and toss you out one day!”
Su Jin smiled faintly without arguing.
She could already imagine what people must be saying: the whole village was out working while she’d slept in till noon, leisurely eating breakfast.
“Thank you for the advice, Sister Xie,” Su Jin said politely, eager to end the conversation before the woman could lecture her all day.
“Well, as long as you understand.”
Satisfied, Sister Xie nodded and went back inside to prepare lunch.
Su Jin, still having nothing to do, decided to go for a walk. She put on a straw hat, locked the door, and stepped outside.
“Woof! Woof! Woof!”
A sudden burst of barking drew her attention.
She looked around—every house seemed to have a scruffy village dog except hers.
Maybe she should get one too, to guard the house.
As the thought crossed her mind, a translucent screen popped up in front of her—visible only to her.
【Do you have any puppies for sale?】
The resource purchase system quickly replied:
【No live animals. Only dog meat available.】
What?!
Dog meat?!
Su Jin almost cried out. How could anyone eat something as cute as a dog?!
She sighed. Guess the system could only provide non-living items.
