Every year, educated youth fall one by one like dumplings. There are new manoeuvres every time, and sometimes, they get trickier and trickier and can even compete with their village troublemakers.
But no matter what they think, it was all just daydreaming!
The villagers have all the desire to watch the same drama but are currently tied down to the land.
With the lack of machinery, harvesting depends on hard work. The villagers used one hand to grab the wheat and the other hand to cut it from the bottom with sickles. The cut wheat was piled up and then transported to the threshing ground to dry.
They used a roller pulled by livestock to crush it, and then used iron forks to clear the wheat straw. When there was wind, they started winnowing the field, and the wind separated the wheat. The remaining wheat straw was finally piled into a big pile.
Shen Miaomiao found the time to pass by the fields at this time to bring Shen Xingshen some warmth.
Although there was something wrong with the process, and the target seemed too eager, his obedience in stepping on the trap still pleased Shen Miaomiao.
"Comrade Shen Zhiqing, I brought you a straw hat!"
This time, Shen Miaomiao also came with a few of her army of little radishes. Stumbling along their feet, these cutesy little money grubbers approached their targets. Each of them was armed with a straw hat and a pair of gloves sewn by their elder sisters.
Using their milky voice, they easily exchange the straw hats. Even the stingy Li Mengdi and the poor Liu Zhaodi brought it. The gloves are a bit hard to market, but they were prepared and only carried limited supplies.
As for those who want to take something with nothing, hmp! Buy it or not! If I'm bullied in my own turf, I'll call you grandpa!
"Sister."
Shen Xingshen wasn't pretentious. He smiled so beautifully when he expressed his gratitude. He also gave more to the children when he exchanged for the gloves, making a shining existence in the hearts of these kids.
Tsk. Tsk. That face poked at Shen Miaomiao's minimal conscience.
She kicked the butt of a bigger child and gestured with her chin.
The child, who was her family's ninth dumpling, looked at his little aunt, then at the generous educated youth. He gestured 'ok' before squishing the others out to occupy the big brother.
"Brother, what does the city look like? My mom said it has everything. Like pastries! Or milk candies. Or or or…"
He was suffering from his limited education. Wuwuwuwu.
Thankfully, when one chatted about food, the other children also joined in, asking all kinds of wonders about what can be eaten in cities, and whether things were as magical as their imagination.
Shen Miaomiao discreetly squatted with them, interjecting a word or two, trying to further sound Comrade Shen. Her hands weren't idle, and she helped him do farm work.
From the minimal help to eventually doing his task, the relationship between the two immediately transformed. After a few days, Shen Miaomiao was earning full work points for Shen Xingshen.
This made the new educated youth thoughts active, but the villagers had taken countermeasures from the start. Their team four was composed of half-grown children, the old, and the sick. Even if they have the will, they can't find anyone to make friends with.
There were only a few exceptions that could pass the loophole, such as the generous Lu Xia, who was willing to spend money.
She attracted a few children away from Shen Xingshen with candies and coins.
These children were also smart. They didn't directly take her work but did theirs around her, 'accidentally' overlapping with her every time, and effectively reducing her workload.
Although they were having a transaction, they were discreet enough that no faults could be found.
Lin Li was more successful, as she was able to 'reluctantly' accept the help of some teenagers in Shen Ao's group.
The elders usually scold them for not doing their job properly, while Shen Miaomiao lurked around, beating them with a single word of disobedience.
No matter how many lessons they learn, they'll forget them the next time. They are at the age of recklessness, where they think they weren't wrong and are always unconvinced.
This made it easy to coax them into approaching the out-of-place, educated youths.
These city dwellers, who look down on country bumpkins, praised them for their mature intelligence and treated them like adults.
Lin Li showed them appropriate weakness, smiled embarrassingly when they offered help, and spoke nicely, making them feel very capable.
It didn't last for more than a day, though, as their mothers waited at the door with broomsticks.
"You unlucky child! I owe you in my past life! The little kids know not to help for nothing while you run after someone to be their free labor!"
"The little kids know to bring home the good things, but you only know to drag back your tired self that can't do shit at home!"
"You rascal is waiting for me to serve your lazy ass! Why don't you go to heaven?!"
When howling echoed in the village, the seventh and eighth dumplings of Shen Miaomiao's family were so courageous that they took their rice bowls to the main stage, and ate while watching their cousins being beaten, treating the live drama as a performance to enhance their meals.
Shen Che, the most active one who completed other people's tasks, took the brunt of the attack. "Mother! Mother, I'm just making friends!"
"Bullshit friendship! You're the flesh I carried for months! I farted you out, and I know what shit you are stirring, even if you just wiggle your butt!"
"I just felt sorry for Comrade Lin. Mother, you didn't see it, but her hands were so red, and she's sweating too much."
"You feel sorry for her but I don't see you feeling sorry for your mother. I worked my butt off while you, unlucky bastard with a mushy brain, had your soul hooked by a vixen!"
Shen Che was so embarrassed that he wanted to drag someone to die with him. His brotherhood of cousins pushed him to the front, and they were useless, so he decided to pull the strongest one.
"What about Shen Miaomiao? She's making friends with that nerdy educated youth!"
What answered him was a flying stick and his father joining in the fray.
This unlucky child wanted to meddle with the business of that little ancestor! Oh my lord, why did she give birth to this hopeless idiot!