How Wang Xiaomei Was Once Tormented

This program was produced by Tomato Listening.

How Wang Xiaomei Was Once Tormented?

When you had nothing to do, why not tell everyone and give them a laugh?

Wang Xiaomei curled her lip. No matter how she looked at Lin Yuzhu, she did not seem like she needed comforting, and Wang Xiaomei began to doubt what she had said earlier.

You said Feifei went to pick up wheat, but Zya had already run off. What would be the point of going back now?

It would be easier to pick up wheat after dark.

Lin Yuzhu shrugged. "Mm, hard to say."

Wang Xiaomei felt that Lin Yuzhu was too proud to admit she had been bullied.

Lin Yuzhu was still curious about how Wang Xiaomei had been bullied back then, but no matter how she asked, Wang Xiaomei would not say. What a pity. Such juicy gossip, yet she could not hear it. How frustrating!

If she had not been hungry, Lin Yuzhu really would have wanted to sleep. She was simply too exhausted.

She bought a bag of soybean paste from the System Store, then picked two eggplants from the vegetable garden. Now that she and Wang Xiaomei had become closer, it was more convenient to pick vegetables from the garden. It was not taking advantage; she would settle the account at the end of the month, and it would only amount to a few cents.

She had been tired from work these past two days and needed some oil in her stomach. Lin Yuzhu planned to make braised eggplant in soy sauce. After washing the eggplants, she cut them up, poured plenty of oil into the pan, and fried the pieces. Before long, the fragrance drifted out.

Once they were nearly done frying, she poured in the prepared sauce, covered the pot, and let it simmer. The rich aroma of sauce filled the entire room. If she could add some minced pork, the dish would taste even better.

Speaking of pork, the pigs in her space were growing wonderfully. Lin Yuzhu planned to slaughter one and eat meat once this busy period was over. She had already planned out quite a few dishes in her head, and the more she thought about them, the hungrier she became.

Ever since she had gotten the thatched cottage, Lin Yuzhu had basically prepared all her staple foods in her space. She had specifically bought a rice cooker to cook rice, because she had discovered that the smell of steamed rice was quite fragrant too. Whenever she cooked rice here, the people next door would come sniffing around like dogs.

Thinking that steaming rice in a clay pot was inconvenient, she simply bought a rice cooker. From then on, she would make steamed rice entirely in her space.

After experiencing the convenience and speed, Lin Yuzhu could not stop herself. She bought quite a few small appliances, including a steamer. From then on, she would make steamed buns, cornmeal buns, stuffed buns, and the like in her space as well.

She refused to believe anyone would deliberately keep watch over her while she cooked.

Once the braised eggplant in soy sauce was ready, the rice in her space was done too. She had the Small Robot serve the rice and place it on the counter, then she could simply take it out of the space.

Other than the lack of meat, it was a wonderful meal.

After working all day, everything tasted delicious.

After she finished eating and washed the pots, bowls, and utensils, Huang Xiaomei came over at just the right time. Lin Yuzhu truly admired Wang Xiaomei for this—every time, she arrived exactly on cue.

What did you make tonight?

I could smell it from my room. You must have used a lot of oil, huh?

Lin Yuzhu wanted to applaud her.

Nothing much. Just two eggplants in soy sauce.

That uses so much oil!

Wang Xiaomei said with a look of disgust.

The eggplants in your vegetable garden are about to get old. Once the autumn harvest is over, you will have to pull them out. Then you will have to buy eggplants.

Hey, no, I did not come here to talk about eggplants. Should we go take a look in the fields? If Lin Yuzhu still has not gone, I have already thought it through. We will block her at her house and make sure she finishes the work no matter what.

Lin Yuzhu had just eaten her fill and did not want to move. How idle did she have to be? Just for two work points, they were going to watch someone finish the job? Not to mention what people would say about the two of them, the wind would blow all night. Could anyone endure that?

Did she have money to buy cold medicine?

Wang Xiaomei instantly wilted. Two work points were still money. It was not worth getting sick over them.

Lin Yuzhu patted her. "I did not expect you to be so warmhearted."

Wang Xiaomei looked a little guilty, her eyes darting around as she asked in a low voice.

After thinking it over again and again, I still feel something is off. Tell me, okay?

Then tell me—how were you bullied by the villagers back then?

Wang Xiaomei curled her lip and fell silent. The atmosphere became a little awkward.

After a while, Wang Xiaomei said gloomily, "The vegetables in my garden and private plot..."

Lin Yuzhu narrowed her eyes. No wonder Wang Xiaomei cared so much about her affairs. She could forget about it.

Wang Xiaomei was speechless. She had not even said anything yet. How could she possibly search it all by herself when the time came?

Help me search, and I will split the vegetables with you.

Wang Xiaomei put on a pleading expression. Being separated from the older educated youths had its downsides too. There was no one to help harvest the vegetables in the fields. Lin Yuzhu played dumb. Did Wang Xiaomei think she could get free labor with such a small amount of vegetables? Dream on.

While things were lively here, over in the fields, Aunt Li was trembling as she carried wheat through the autumn wind. After loading one cart, she still had to push it to the threshing ground and spread it out to dry. The people assigned to push carts and transport wheat had gone home long ago. Who would come keep her company at this hour?

Aunt Li went back and forth until she was drenched in sweat. When the evening wind blew over her, she shuddered all over and could not help sneezing. She kept cursing Lin Yuzhu. That little girl was so cruel, leaving the wheat in the field overnight without fearing it would spoil. When that happened, it would not be a matter of one or two work points.

She cursed nonstop, but her hands did not dare stop for even a moment. If she did not hurry, she would barely get any sleep after returning home before having to get up for work again.

Lisa was regretting it a little now. If she had known that girl would not fall for it, she would not have done this.

The next day, when Lin Yuzhu arrived at the fields for work, she saw that the land was clean except for wheat stubble. She knew Aunt Li had come the night before and finished the work, so she went to the Small Team Leader to have the work points recalculated.

The work had all been done, so no points could be deducted. After verifying the situation, the Small Team Leader did not make things difficult for her and said he had noted it down. Only then did Lin Yuzhu relax.

That day, it was her turn to tie up wheat. She had thought Aunt Li would still be paired with her, but the team leader assigned Song Zhigao to her instead. Xiao Song was no longer such a rookie, so Lin Yuzhu did not pass the buck this time.

Then Lin Yuzhu searched the entire work site and did not see Aunt Li anywhere, so she curiously asked Aunt Wang, "Aunt Wang, where is Aunt Li?"

Why have I not seen her?

Aunt Wang stared at Lin Yuzhu for a long while. Seeing that Lin Yuzhu truly did not know, she said irritably, "She caught a chill from working in the wind last night and could not get up this morning. Her husband is over there asking the Production Team Leader for leave."

Lin Yuzhu looked in that direction and really did see an old man standing beside the Production Team Leader. She rubbed her nose. This was not her fault.

Aunt Wang sighed and whispered into Lin Yuzhu's ear, "You little girl, honestly. You left so much work for her alone. Were you not deliberately trying to exhaust her into illness?"

Lin Yuzhu became unhappy. With a stern face, she said, "Aunt Wang, I do not know what Aunt Li told you, but I worked properly yesterday. When I left, the Small Team Leader checked. I cut all the wheat in that stretch of land myself, and I carried away half the field's wheat myself. I did not take advantage of her in the slightest."

Aunt Wang's expression froze. She and Aunt Li were neighbors, and that morning she had specifically gone to ask Aunt Li to work together. Aunt Li was too sick to get up, and taking leave would cost work points. By the end of the day, she would lose more than ten work points altogether. She hated Lin Yuzhu to the bone. When Aunt Wang came over, Aunt Li pulled her aside and told her at length that Lin Yuzhu had dumped all the work on her alone.

She was deeply aggrieved.

You little girl are really something. I barely said a few words, and you rattled off so much. Fine, I will not say any more. We should get to work.

Aunt Wang left before Lin Yuzhu could respond.

Lin Yuzhu was glad she had specifically asked the Small Team Leader to come over before leaving yesterday. Otherwise, there would have been an argument over who had done more and who had done less.

Her mouth had practically been blessed.

No sooner had Lin Yuzhu said that than the Production Team Leader came over with Aunt Li's old man.

The Production Team Leader stood in front of Lin Yuzhu, his expression so grave it was as if someone had died. "Lin Zhiqing, Li Daxiang's wife said she helped you do more than half the work yesterday and did not finish until midnight. Then the wind blew on her last night, and now she is sick and cannot get up. How do you think this should be handled?"

At first, Lin Yuzhu was confused by "Li Daxiang's wife," but then she realized he meant Aunt Li.

What did Aunt Li getting sick have to do with her?

"I do not know where that claim came from. I completed all my assigned work by myself yesterday. I did not rely on anyone's help."

When the Production Team Leader heard this, he frowned tightly. Li Daxiang's wife could not possibly lie about something like this, could she? For a moment, he took a dislike to Lin Yuzhu. She had left all the work to someone else while going home to eat and drink well. That was utterly disgraceful.

The Production Team Leader felt that Aunt Li could not be lying, but Aunt Li really dared to lie.

She had thought it through well. Everyone was busy at this time. Who could keep watching someone else's field all day?

The scorekeeper had recorded so many people's work attendance. How could he possibly remember every detail of what happened in the fields last night?

As long as she said she had cut the wheat in this field too, someone would believe her. Besides, the scorekeeper was from the village. He surely would not expose an outsider in public even if he noticed something. Aunt Li was confident of that.

What proof do you have that you cut all this wheat?

Lin Yuzhu laughed and mockingly said to Li Daxiang's old man.

"Tell me, since you are elders, I should not speak too harshly. But do you really have the nerve to say such brainless nonsense to fool people?"

Li Shui did not work properly yesterday. His voice chattering beside me all day nearly spread across the entire wheat field. Pull over anyone at random and they will know he did not work properly. Helping my sister? Keep dreaming!

The Production Team Leader, who had believed such brainless words, did not know what to say.

After saying that, Lin Yuzhu turned to the Production Team Leader again. "Actually, before I left yesterday, I specifically went to find our Small Team Leader because Aunt Li went home early, and I did not know what to do with the work she had left behind. Because of that, the team leader even deducted four work points from her. The scorekeeper should have proof too. Just look at whose work points were deducted, and you will know what happened."

After saying that, Lin Yuzhu wondered whether Aunt Li was stupid. The Production Team Leader's face turned green as soon as he heard it. His reputation had been trampled into the ground today. Furious and ashamed, he glared at Li Daxiang and shouted for the Small Team Leader to come over.