Chapter 13: I Am a Genius, But I Choose to Slack Off

“Comrade Lin, you’re here so early?” Aunt Chun, the brigade leader’s wife, caught sight of Lin Jingyue among the queue and couldn’t help her surprise. These city girls usually took ages to get used to country life, but Lin Jingyue seemed to have adapted in no time.

Everyone’s thoughts drifted to Lin Jingyue’s stepmother. Life with a stepmother was rarely easy—no wonder the girl had grown so strong. Otherwise, how could she have built up such strength?

Lin Jingyue wiped away imaginary sweat from her brow and suddenly noticed that people were looking at her with a trace of sympathy. How strange. Still, she supposed being pitied was preferable to being resented. She flashed a dazzling smile, revealing her white teeth, and instantly blinded several of the young men nearby.

The men blushed furiously.

Ah, people in this era are truly innocent, Lin Jingyue thought to herself.

Before anyone could shoot her a reproachful look, she quickly stood up straight and lowered her head, looking as demure as could be.

When Jiang Xun arrived, he saw her standing quietly and his eyes darkened imperceptibly. He stopped just a few people away from her, listening to the brigade leader’s rousing speech—full of fire and spittle.

After half an hour, it was time to hand out tools.

It was late June, 1974. The summer harvest had only just ended, so though things weren’t as busy, weeding the fields of corn and potatoes was still important work.

Soon it was Lin Jingyue’s turn. The girl handing out tools wore two thick black braids. Lin Jingyue didn’t pay her much mind, simply offering a warm smile. The girl, however, gave her a long, hard look before handing her a tool—a sickle so nicked and blunt it was barely usable.

Of course she was being singled out.

Still smiling, Lin Jingyue showed no trace of displeasure. “Comrade, there are plenty of tools left over there.”

“You’re strong. This one will do for you,” Sun Lanlan replied with a frown. “Do you want it or not? If not, you can pull weeds out by hand.”

“I’ll take it,” Lin Jingyue replied, accepting the battered sickle and leaving the line, ignoring the triumphant gleam in Sun Lanlan’s eyes.

“Brigade Leader, I want to make a report!”

A clear, melodious voice rang out, abruptly freezing the smug expression on Sun Lanlan’s face. She turned to glare at Lin Jingyue.

“What do you want to report, Comrade Lin?” the brigade leader asked gravely. In these times, the word “report” was no trivial matter.

“It’s just that—”

“Comrade Lin, you were given the wrong sickle. This is yours,” Sun Lanlan hurriedly interrupted, grabbing a good sickle from the side and quickly switching it out for the broken one.

Her expression stiff, she said, “Comrade Lin, hurry along to work. The brigade leader and secretary have a meeting—they don’t need any more interruptions.”

“All right, Brigade Leader, Secretary, I’m heading off now,” Lin Jingyue replied, waving cheerfully and turning away, fully satisfied. She knew Sun Lanlan would curse her out behind her back, but what did it matter? If she had the nerve, she could say it to her face.

The brigade leader and secretary, knowing Sun Lanlan’s temperament all too well, let the matter drop.

“We really ought to rein Lanlan in a bit,” the brigade leader said to the secretary.

Sun Lanlan was the secretary’s daughter, and fancied herself the prettiest girl in the brigade—and with her middle school education, she looked down on others, especially anyone prettier than herself. And, thanks to her father’s position, she was always causing trouble.

The secretary’s face darkened as he shot an angry glare at his sulky daughter. “Wait till we get home. I’ll deal with you then.”

“Comrade Lin, you’ll be in our group from now on,” one of the women in the fields called out with a friendly smile.

“No, we want Comrade Lin!”

“We’re short on girls over here—Comrade Lin would be a perfect fit for our group!”

Everyone wanted Lin Jingyue on their team, knowing her strength would be a real asset. Lin Jingyue understood their motives, but said nothing, only smiling. She wondered if whoever won her in the end would still be smiling later.

In truth, the more you worked, the more work points you earned. Able-bodied men generally earned ten points, some reckless souls managed twelve, while women usually got eight, or six or seven if they weren’t very strong.

Lin Jingyue had no intention of working herself to the bone—she’d never worked the land in either of her lives. She simply couldn’t stand such hardship.

In the end, a robustly built aunt managed to win her over to her group.

“Comrade Lin, just call me Aunt Hua,” she said, giving Lin Jingyue a once-over. My goodness, she thought, how is her skin so flawless, like a peeled egg.

“All right, Aunt Hua,” Lin Jingyue replied sweetly, looking nothing like someone famed for her strength.

“Today our task is to weed the potato field. You’re new, so just follow along and learn from the others.”

“I understand. I’ll be sure to pay attention and learn from all of you.”

No matter what anyone said, Lin Jingyue nodded obediently. The women, seeing her compliant attitude, felt their prejudices against the city girls lessen slightly.

But this good impression didn’t last long.

Lin Jingyue picked things up quickly. She might have been a privileged second-generation rich kid, but she’d attended university in earnest and had even been recommended for a prestigious graduate program, which she’d declined for being too exhausting. She was one of those naturally brilliant types—what people called a “study god.”

Of course, farm work was another matter entirely. She really didn’t take to it. So once she learned the basics, she started slacking off.

“Comrade Lin, you’re pretty strong—can’t you pick up the pace a little?” Aunt Hua watched Lin Jingyue lag behind, her mouth twitching in frustration. She was starting to regret picking her.

“Even strong people get tired, Aunt. Look at my hands—they’re about to blister.” Lin Jingyue held out her delicate palms, already red and on the verge of swelling.

The aunts exchanged glances. City girls really were delicate.

“But don’t worry, Aunt, I’ll do my best. I can at least earn my own food rations,” she added, withdrawing her hand and putting on a look of determined optimism.

Her attitude was positive enough, at least. The women felt something was off, but couldn’t find anything to say.

And so, Lin Jingyue worked at her own leisurely pace. Strangely, she always managed to keep just close enough to the other women—not too far behind, but never pushing ahead.

By noon, as soon as the bell sounded for the break, she shot off like an unbridled colt, vanishing in a flash.

Was this really the same girl who’d been bent over and unable to straighten up just moments before?

Aunt Hua rolled her eyes. She saw it clearly now—Lin Jingyue was just finding creative ways to slack off. But she couldn’t say anything, since the girl had finished her assigned work.

The brigade required each city youth to earn at least five work points a day, or else they’d be considered a burden—no one wanted to support them for nothing.

Aunt Hua’s hopes that Lin Jingyue would help lighten the load were dashed.

Meanwhile, Lin Jingyue dashed back to the youth center, escaping at top speed. The others weren’t as fast, so she hurriedly began preparing lunch.

She scooped out two bowls of rice to steam, saving enough for dinner and breakfast the next day. She took out three eggs—two to scramble, one to boil for tomorrow—and a large cabbage, and began frying some pork belly.

She’d bought the meat at the supply cooperative, practically fighting tooth and nail to get it. She also had a small stock of meat tickets left—enough for a few meals.

Her secret space had pens of pigs, sheep, chickens, ducks, and fish, but she didn’t know the first thing about slaughtering livestock. Chickens, ducks, and fish could wait—she’d cook them herself when the need arose.

Before long, a fragrant dish of scallion-fried eggs and pork belly with cabbage was ready, steaming hot and mouthwatering.

The moment the other city youths dragged themselves back to the center, drenched in sweat and exhausted, their spirits instantly revived at the smell.

PS: The contract is signed—there will be at least four thousand words per update from now on.