The exhaustion from the journey had yet to fade, and facing the backward countryside put them in a terrible mood.
"We just got here, and we already have to work," Wang Yuan complained. "The scenery isn't bad, I guess, but working like this every day is way more exhausting than a factory job."
Li Qiong gave a bitter smile. "If we had the connections to get into a factory, we wouldn't have needed to come to this godforsaken backwater."
"Alright, complaining is useless now," Yang Guanghui snapped. "You can say this stuff among us, but not outside. If someone reports you, you'll be in for it."
Hearing Yang Guanghui's words, Wang Yuan and Li Qiong didn't dare say any more.
Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuanyang were quiet as could be, diligently cleaning their room inside and out once again, not even neglecting the main hall. It was as if only hard work could set the siblings' minds at ease.
While sweeping up the stone whiskers of the Dragon King that were scattered on the floor, a sharp fragment pricked Zhao Nuanyue's hand. Blood dripped onto one of the black stone whiskers. Unbeknownst to her, a wisp of white light rose into the air and drilled into her body. Zhao Nuanyue just felt a slight ache and dismissed it as fatigue, paying it no mind.
It was a bit hot at noon, so Zhao Nuanyue whipped up a simple meal before taking her brother back to their room to rest.
In her sleep, Zhao Nuanyue dreamed she was a little fish swimming back and forth in the small river in Nianqiao Village. She could see the riverbed, hear the conversations of the families on either side of the waterway, and even see what they were doing.
It was truly incredible!
The water felt cool and refreshing, incredibly soothing.
This was a place she knew well. Following the memories of her past life, she swam through the water, reacquainting herself with Nianqiao Village.
Even in a place this rustic, there were good people and bad people. She even discovered secrets she had never known in her previous life.
For instance, she saw the village troublemaker, Er Gouzi, messing with the rabbits raised by Grandma Li, an elderly widow in the village...
When Zhao Nuanyue woke up the next day, she thought about what she'd seen in her dream and couldn't help but shake her head and chuckle. It had been just too real.
Before she could think about it further, a broadcast from the brigade headquarters crackled to life. Zhao Nuanyue took her brother and followed Wang Yuan, Yang Guanghui, and the others to the large threshing ground at the entrance of the village commune, where baskets of all sizes were laid out.
The baskets were distributed according to age.
Because Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuanyang were young, they were given medium-sized baskets.
Then, they followed the villagers up the mountain to pick mushrooms. Their village had many mountains and rivers but little arable land. The grain they produced wasn't even enough to feed the commune members, let alone meet the state quota. So, what Nianqiao Village turned over to the government was never grain, but rather various mountain products, medicinal herbs, salted fish, and so on.
Miao Cunzheng found a few of the more experienced villagers to take the young city folk under their wing and teach them how to pick mushrooms.
The person assigned to teach Zhao Nuanyue's group was Li Guihua, the director of the village Women's Federation. She was an articulate woman, and with a son serving in the army, she held a special status in the village. Whenever there was a dispute, people would seek out Miao Cunzheng and Li Guihua to mediate, which showed the authority they commanded.
"When it comes to mushrooms on the mountain, the prettier they are doesn't mean the tastier they are. In fact, most of the beautiful ones are highly poisonous. I'll teach you to recognize a few common types. If you find any you aren't sure about, you can bring them to me to check..." Li Guihua said, explaining how to forage for mushrooms as they walked.
Zhao Nuanyue had done this kind of work in her past life, so she already knew what to do. Still, she pretended to listen attentively to Li Guihua. When her brother didn't understand something, she would explain it to him.
While picking mushrooms, Zhao Nuanyue filled her basket quickly and then went to help her brother.
Zhao Nuanyang would become entranced by the beautiful scenery, sometimes just staring, captivated by the picturesque view of the mountain forest.
Whenever they saw Zhao Nuanyang standing there in a daze, Li Guihua and the other villagers would get very annoyed, assuming he was slacking off.
'This can't go on,' Zhao Nuanyue thought. Although she didn't want others to know her brother was different, a few critical words from others weren't going to change him. She decided she had to explain the situation clearly to Li Guihua and the villagers.
Zhao Nuanyue approached Li Guihua apologetically. "Director Li, I'm so sorry. My brother doesn't mean to do it. He's a bit slow... a fever muddled his mind when he was little. But he's very obedient and he's really trying his best to work. If he can't finish his share, I'll do it for him. Please don't blame him."
Li Guihua saw how polite Zhao Nuanyue was, and she had already noticed something different about Zhao Nuanyang herself. As a mother, she didn't want to make things difficult for them. As long as the work got done, it was fine.
"In that case, it's fine as long as you help him finish," Li Guihua said. With her taking the lead, most of the villagers learned about Zhao Nuanyang's situation and stopped being so demanding of him.
That's just how people were. If you bullied someone who was simple-minded, you were considered even worse than a fool and would become a laughingstock.
Zhao Nuanyue was a nimble worker and a fast learner. She patiently taught Zhao Nuanyang, who was withdrawn and lived in his own world. His sister was his only window to the outside. When he heard her patient explanations, he, too, was able to learn what to do.
The siblings were able to complete their tasks perfectly, satisfying even someone as strict and picky as Miao Cunzheng.
As long as they weren't holding anyone back, there was no reason to give them a hard time.
On every clear day, they had to go up the mountain to pick mushrooms and gather herbs. Although Zhao Nuanyue felt exhausted, her heart was at ease. She could take care of her brother while slowly planning for their future. The other three volunteers, however, were starting to break.
Wang Yuan fell ill, and Li Qiong sprained her ankle. The last one, Yang Guanghui, was also completely worn out. Their initial enthusiasm had been crushed by the reality of hard labor, and they wished they could go back to the city right that instant.
But without a change in policy, there was no going back.
Miao Cunzheng had the village's barefoot doctor take a look at Wang Yuan and Li Qiong. The doctor prescribed some herbs to reduce fever and a medicinal plaster, and then left.
Zhao Nuanyue had been careful, and she had taken good care of Zhao Nuanyang, so neither of them got sick. But now with two invalids to look after, Zhao Nuanyue was working around the clock—boiling water, cooking meals, and still doing her daily chores.
"Thank you, Nuanyue," Wang Yuan said gratefully, accepting the medicine Zhao Nuanyue handed her.
Zhao Nuanyue smiled, a little bashfully. "Don't mention it! We're from the same hometown and we came here together. Being so far from home, we should help each other out. Drink your medicine so you can get better soon."
Wang Yuan and Li Qiong were very grateful to Zhao Nuanyue. They had been angry at her for taking the better room, but their anger had faded now. Especially after learning about Zhao Nuanyang's condition, they understood why she had done it.