At the dinner table, noticing his second daughter-in-law’s improvement, Father Lin couldn’t help but offer, "Nan Sheng, would you like to take on a job? There’s an opening for a work-point recorder in Team Three. If you’re interested, I can arrange it."
Being a work-point recorder didn’t require much education—just the ability to recognize the names of the workers, which wasn’t difficult, especially since there was a ready-made teacher at home.
Nan Sheng had been planning to bring it up herself later, but Father Lin had already taken care of it. Truly, it was easier to thrive under the shade of a big tree.
"That’s wonderful! I can read, so it’s perfect. How many work points does a recorder earn in a day?"
"Six points—not too high, not too low."
Sizhe looked up resentfully. Back when he was breaking his back all day, he’d only earned six points too. Father Lin pretended not to notice, though arranging this job hadn’t been easy either.
After dinner, Father Lin started preparing medicinal wine. When he saw the ginseng, his heart ached. "This ginseng must be seventy or eighty years old! Why does it look like it was dug up by a dog?"
The eldest grandson, who had been helping him, didn’t know how to respond. He hadn’t had any tools—getting it out at all was an achievement.
Meanwhile, Nan Sheng was cleaning the kitchen with her mother-in-law—she washed the dishes while the older woman swept. "Even though the recorder doesn’t have to do heavy labor, you’ll still need to stay out in the fields all day. Do we have any straw hats at home? If not, you should buy two quickly. Your Fifth Uncle’s family sells them."
"We’ll definitely need two. I think Siqi will probably go with me too."
The recorder position was finalized three days later. On the same day, Nan Sheng took Siqi to Fifth Uncle’s house. Lin Guocheng, the fifth uncle, had been born prematurely and wasn’t very strong, so he earned fewer work points and relied on handicrafts to supplement the family income.
He could make baskets, winnowing fans, brooms, and straw hats. The villagers, knowing his situation, rarely bought these items in town—they just went to his place whenever they needed something.
"Fifth Uncle, Fifth Aunt, are you home?"
"Who’s there? Come on in!"
Little Ning, their daughter-in-law, was the one keeping watch at home. She was heavily pregnant and hadn’t gone out to work.
"Oh, it’s Sister-in-law and Qiqi! Come in and sit!"
Nan Sheng couldn’t help but feel uneasy seeing her large belly, reminded of what had happened to Sister-in-law Li. The Li and Ma families were still feuding, and word was that Shen Cui could no longer have children.
After returning from the hospital yesterday, Shen Cui had gone straight to the Ma household and turned it upside down. Why? She’d brought them the child—the very one she’d lost when she was pushed.
"I won’t come in. Do you still have any straw hats? I’d like to buy two."
Little Ning was generous. "We’re family—no need to talk about buying. Just take whichever ones you like."
Nan Sheng wouldn’t take that offer. She didn’t like owing favors.
Entering the storage room, she couldn’t help but admire, "Fifth Uncle’s hands are so skilled!"
The straw hats were all the same style, just differing in size. The ones for women and children cost five cents each, while the men’s, which used more material, were eight cents.
"Little Ning, I’ll take two for now. Could you ask Fifth Uncle if he can make three with wider brims? One for me and two for the kids."
"That shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll let him know when he’s back."
Nan Sheng didn’t stay long. She pressed the money into Little Ning’s hand and hurried off. Unfortunately, on her way back, she ran into Shen Cui outside the Li family’s house, carrying out a bucket of slop.
As women, even if they weren’t close, Nan Sheng couldn’t help but pity her for the suffering she’d endured. "Sister-in-law, put that down. Let me help you."
Shen Cui looked up, her expression cold. "I don’t need it. I can manage myself."
Country folk didn’t fuss over things like postpartum rest. Before, she’d taken advantage of her pregnancy to bully her in-laws. Now that she couldn’t have children anymore, she’d become meek, afraid her husband might abandon her, and threw herself into chores.
Seeing her refusal, Nan Sheng didn’t insist. She took her daughter’s hand and walked home. Behind them, Shen Cui watched their retreating figures, thinking of that day.
If Lin Han’s wife hadn’t left that day… maybe her child would still be alive.
Father Lin accompanied Nan Sheng on her first day as a recorder. The leader of Team Three, Zhou Ren, was a man in his thirties who knew how to handle people.
"Uncle Lin, you’re here?"
Lin Guozheng exchanged a few words with him before calling the team together for roll call. Nan Sheng held her notebook as Zhou Ren assigned tasks, pausing after each name so she could match faces to them.
By the end, she had a good idea of who was doing what and how many points they’d earn—though she’d need to double-check before the workday ended.
Lin Guozheng had his own tasks to attend to, but seeing his daughter-in-law adjusting well, he prepared to leave. "Zhou Ren, look after Lin Han’s wife for me. I’ve got other matters to handle."
Zhou Ren smiled. "Don’t worry, Uncle Lin. We’re all family here."
He didn’t leave Nan Sheng hanging, explaining the team’s dynamics. The only awkward part was that Ma Qiang’s family was also in Team Three. Nan Sheng made a mental note to avoid them as much as possible.
Team leaders had to work while supervising others, unlike recorders, who could sit in the shade and only needed to make occasional rounds.
Nan Sheng didn’t want to leave Siqi alone at home, so mother and daughter went to work together, both wearing straw hats. The child, unable to stay still, went to dig wild vegetables at the edge of the field.
As a new recorder, Nan Sheng couldn’t slack off entirely. She made rounds every ten minutes or so—though it was really just strolling around.
But some people were determined to make trouble for her. The moment Zhou Ren stepped away, the gossip started.
"She was already shameless back in her maiden home, flirting with the educated youth. Do you think she was dumped and that’s why she married into the Lin family?"
"Really? So she’s a loose woman? And Lin Han still took her?"
"What else could he do? Someone had to take care of the two kids. Better keep an eye on our men—she doesn’t seem the faithful type."
The women working with the Ma family grew more and more excited. In these times, there wasn’t much entertainment—spreading rumors was the only fun to be had. They didn’t notice Nan Sheng approaching.
"Sister-in-law, are you talking about me?"
Liu Fang, startled, fell onto her backside. "Heavens! You scared me!"
Liu Fang was Liu Dahua’s niece. She’d only married into Xiangyang Village thanks to her aunt’s help, and with Liu Dahua still detained at the brigade office, she held a grudge against Nan Sheng.
"I see all the other aunties and sisters-in-law have done piles of work, while you’re all gathered here doing nothing. So you’ve been badmouthing me? Everyone earns the same points—don’t you think slacking off is unfair?"
Liu Fang could tell Nan Sheng wasn’t someone to be trifled with, but she stubbornly retorted, "Who said anything about you? Don’t go looking for trouble."
Nan Sheng played along. "You’re right. Lin Han did marry twice—maybe you weren’t talking about me. From what you’re saying, his first wife was the unfaithful one? Who did she mess around with? Tell me more."
Liu Fang glanced at the two Ma daughters-in-law, but even they couldn’t match Nan Sheng’s boldness. She was outmatched.
Zhou Ren had been keeping an eye on Nan Sheng, worried she might be bullied on her first day. Seeing her with the Ma family, he headed over.
"What’s this? A gathering instead of working?"
Nan Sheng turned and declared righteously, "Captain, I want to report them! They’ve been slacking off and spreading rumors. Their work points should be docked!"
Zhou Ren didn’t refuse to humor her either. "Liu Fang, how many times have I warned you all before? Still not getting it, huh? Today, half your work points are deducted. If you dare to slack off again, you might as well just stay home for good!"
