The Feng Family never pampered their children. Regardless of whether they were grandsons or granddaughters, once they turned five, they were sent to the foot of the mountains to cut pigweed and earn work points.
Feng Yuanling could cut a full basket of pigweed in a day, which earned her two work points. With each point worth three cents, Feng Yuanling brought in six cents a day. Fruit candies cost half a cent each, so Grandma Feng would occasionally have her eldest son trade for a handful to sweeten the children's mouths and give them more motivation to cut pigweed.
"Grandma, you're the best! Yuanling loves Grandma! Oh, oh, oh, I get to have candy again!" Feng Yuanling tossed her wicker basket aside and began jumping and cheering happily around the courtyard.
Ding Xiaotao scolded her with a laugh, "You little glutton, always thinking about candy. That’s not just eating candy—that’s eating money." She then turned to her mother-in-law and said, "Mom, don't spoil that brat. Once she gets used to it, she’ll be asking you for more next time."
"Then I’ll just have the eldest trade for more next time. We can just weave a few extra baskets to cover it," Grandma Feng replied. She was weaving a winnowing tray, her hands moving as quickly and skillfully as any of the Feng brothers. "These baskets and trays don’t sell for much anyway; trading them for a bit of candy makes the children happy and gives them more energy to cut pigweed."
Grandma Feng was the most reasonable mother-in-law in Fengjia Village. She treated her three daughters-in-law even better than their own mothers did. Yet, in the previous life, after tragedy struck the Feng family, Feng Laosan and Ding Xiaotao had packed up and left without a second thought. They didn't even return to look once when Grandma Feng passed away.
Although the original owner’s wish hadn't explicitly stated that she wanted to cast aside Feng Laosan’s family, Yuanchun disliked the couple; they were far too cold and heartless.
On her first day with the family, Yuanchun spoke very little. After weaving a small basket, she went to bed. She shared a room with her younger sister, Feng Yuanzhen. The two sisters had been raised by Liu Qingqiu to be very tidy, and their quilts were frequently washed and sun-dried, leaving no unpleasant odors. Yuanchun crawled in and slept soundly until dawn.
The next day, after finishing a bowl of wild vegetable porridge and a vegetable bun, Yuanchun joined the women of the Feng family at the brigade headquarters to collect their farm tools.
The tools were being distributed by the village chief’s youngest daughter, Feng Caihua, who was a close friend of Feng Yuanchun’s. When it was Yuanchun’s turn, Feng Caihua took out a brand-new hoe, grinned, and whispered, "Yuanchun, I saved this one specifically for you."
"Caihua, I was in line first. Give me that new hoe to use and let Yuanchun have the old one," a voice interjected.
Suddenly, an old hand reached out, trying to snatch the new hoe. Yuanchun was quicker; she grabbed the new hoe first and addressed the old woman, "Aunty Chen, the brigade has rules. Whatever tool you are assigned is what you use. If everyone went around swapping things like you, how would anyone get any work done?"
Indeed, the person trying to snatch the new hoe was none other than Mother Chen.
If it had been anyone else, Yuanchun might have been kind enough to trade, but for Mother Chen? Heh… even if she didn’t use it, she wouldn’t trade. In her previous life, it was Mother Chen who had spread the rumors that the original owner was no longer a maiden. If Chen Shengjun was one of the primary culprits behind her death, then Mother Chen was his accomplice. She was Yuanchun’s enemy.
Yuanchun never showed mercy toward her enemies.
Mother Chen’s expression turned sour. "You girl, why are you so rigid? The rules are dead, but people are living. As long as you’re willing to trade, who could say anything? Look at me, I’m getting on in years and don't have much strength left. Trade with me—you’re young and strong; using an old hoe won’t be any trouble for you."
Mother Chen had been assigned that old hoe the day before. It was too much effort to weed with it, and because she hadn't cleared the field properly, a work point had been deducted from her total—it broke her heart.