Chapter 27: Dragging One’s Feet

The third team leader nodded in satisfaction and walked away. Han Li immediately found a spot in the shade beneath a tree and sat down. Thus, in a muddled daze, he endured until the end of the workday. Once the scorekeeper had recorded his work points, he could finally go home.

The scorekeeper gave Han Li seven points; Hao Hongmin and her companion each received four, while the village aunts and older women earned between six and seven points apiece. Those who had borrowed tools now had to return them, and the storekeeper checked each one for damage. Since Han Li and the others had been weeding with their bare hands, they were spared the detour to the warehouse.

At this moment, Hao Hongmin and Yang Xiuying caught up to Han Li, dragging their tired feet, and addressed him directly.

“Han Li, how are you feeling today?”

“I’m doing okay,” Han Li replied. “I think I can easily get a full ten points, but I don’t want to attract attention in the third team.”

The two women rolled their eyes at his words. Was that even something a person would say? They had nearly exhausted themselves to earn just four points each. If they relied on these work points to get by, they’d be the first to starve.

“Do you think we should ask the brigade leader to let us collect pig fodder?”

“Collecting pig fodder?” Han Li shook his head. “Not a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“First, you’re unfamiliar with the local terrain and wouldn’t even know where to find pig fodder. Second, it’s a question of your safety. The tall crops and dense forest would make it impossible to notice if anyone was hiding. And you’re both quite pretty—if someone had ill intentions... If they secretly followed you and waited until you were alone…”

Yang Xiuying shuddered. “Han Li, you’re awful! We wanted your advice, not for you to scare us.”

Hao Hongmin sighed helplessly. “We’re both exhausted today, and Xiuying’s not really thinking straight.”

Han Li spread his hands. “I’m just describing the worst-case scenario; there’s no need to dwell on it. Besides, if you two happened to be hidden martial arts heroines, my concerns wouldn’t apply, would they?”

Yang Xiuying’s voice sounded faintly teary. “I can barely get up onto the kang tonight. How am I supposed to handle tomorrow?”

“If you’re not counting on work points to get by,” Han Li advised, “then don’t work so hard. Learn to take it easy and drag things out.”

“Today, Aunt Liu next to me was a master at that. She always works quickly for a few minutes, then slows down for five, and nobody can fault her. Whatever you do, don’t imitate Liang Wu’s wife—she’s far too obvious about it. Of course, she has Team Leader Liang backing her up, unlike us, who are far from home.”

Yang Xiuying groaned. “I can’t eat well, can’t sleep well, and I’m worked to death—and I can’t even take a bath. How am I supposed to keep this up?”

Hao Hongmin tugged her sharply, only relaxing when she saw no one was listening. “You really need to watch what you say, or someone’s bound to make trouble for you.”

“But we’re already better off than the others. The new arrivals who came with us will probably be arguing all night.”

“Why’s that?” Han Li asked.

“Don’t you see? They ran out of firewood while cooking this morning. If they don’t go out to chop more, how are they supposed to make dinner? Will they go to the villagers’ homes to trade for wood like we did? Can you imagine them agreeing on that? After all, they’d only just decided yesterday that the boys would chop wood and fetch water, while the girls would only cook and wash dishes.”

The more people involved, the harder it is to agree. Now it wouldn’t be realistic for the girls to pay, since that wasn’t part of the deal.

Catching wind of some drama, Yang Xiuying seemed to perk up, pulling Hao Hongmei along as she walked ahead. “Let’s hurry back to cook. Then we can eat and watch the show. I could eat four steamed cornbread buns tonight.”

Hao Hongmei looked at her helplessly. Han Li, in no hurry, strolled behind them.

When he returned to the youth courtyard, sure enough, the new arrivals were quarreling, just as Hao Hongmei had predicted. The young men had spent the day with the first team, feeling as though their bones were about to fall apart. The girls, lacking physical strength, were no better off.

But now, with no firewood for cooking, neither side was willing to yield. After a few rounds of arguing, the boys relented, each paying a dime to trade with villagers for firewood. After all, this was about whether they could have a peaceful meal. It seemed the problem was solved, but everyone could sense a subtle tension growing between them.

After watching the commotion, Han Li slung his bag over his shoulder and left the youth courtyard. He felt thoroughly overheated from the afternoon and had no appetite, let alone the energy to cook. He made his way to Aunt Zhang’s house, whom he had met earlier that day, to trade for dinner.

During his idle time in the afternoon, Han Li had heard that Aunt Zhang’s family plot boasted two large trellises of cucumbers. A few crisp cucumbers, paired with a couple of egg cakes, would make a delicious supper.

“Aunt Zhang, are you home?”

“You’re here, Han! After work, I put the cucumbers in the well water for you—they’re nice and cool now.”

“Thank you so much, Aunt Zhang. If I need anything else in the future, I hope you won’t mind me bothering you again.”

Aunt Zhang chuckled, glad to oblige. The youths often traded for vegetables, eggs, or grain, and in winter, for pickles. No matter what they brought, it was always a profit for the villagers—especially eggs and vegetables, which fetched better returns with the young people than at the supply cooperative, and saved them the trouble of a trip.

With twenty cents, Han Li exchanged for a dozen dewy, tender cucumbers and ate as he walked back to the youth courtyard. Halfway there, he saw Iron Egg, who had eaten his candy yesterday, running towards him in tears, chased by an aunt wielding a broom, with a crowd of villagers watching the drama.

“Zhang Jiu’s wife, are you really going to beat Iron Egg like that? Aren’t you afraid his grandmother will scold you later?”

“She can scold all she wants, but I’m going to deal with him first! If I don’t, this little rascal will be out of control!”

“You little scoundrel, stop right there, or I’ll make sure you can’t get out of bed for three days!”

“I send you to school and all you bring back is a duck egg on your report card. If I don’t teach you a lesson today, I’m not your mother!”

Han Li had been about to step in and protect Iron Egg, seeing how pitifully the boy was crying. But upon hearing the aunt’s words, he reconsidered and pulled back. Sometimes, a little discipline does a child good—a tree grows straight only if you prune it.

A child nearby called out advice: “Iron Egg, are you dumb? Run to your grandma’s house! She won’t let you get a beating there!”