If he was really alive and planned to come back to live a good life with her, she still felt he was too cold and heartless. But if he chose to side with the Gao family, she felt this kind of man was unreliable.
She didn’t know what choice he would make, let alone what choice she should make.
Divorce was an option, but what about the two children? Regardless of whether she remarried in the future, a divorce would definitely harm the kids. However, staying married meant wronging herself. It was a dilemma.
Whatever, she decided to wait until he came back to deal with everything. Maybe he was already dead anyway. That night, after coaxing the two children to sleep, Bai Jiu fell asleep harboring the hope that Gao Zhijun was already dead.
Winter passed, and spring arrived.
In the blink of an eye, it was the season for spring labor. During this time, the Bai family kept up their routine of visiting once every half a month. They also sent her some goods. Although she lacked for nothing, receiving these things still made her genuinely happy.
Spring here was different from the Jiangnan region; it didn’t begin until March. There was only one rice harvest a year, and aside from rice, the fields only grew soybeans, corn, and sweet potatoes. The land could be described as quite barren. But to get by, everyone still tried their best to improve their families’ livelihoods.
As soon as spring began and the winter snow on the mountains melted, the village children went up to forage for wild vegetables and fruits. Even though there wasn’t much, they could still find enough to fill their stomachs. Meanwhile, the adults threw on their old clothes and started working in the fields to earn work points.
"What am I going to do with you? What’s so good about raising seedlings? Why did you pick the most grueling job?" Gouwa’s mother intercepted Bai Jiu the moment she finalized her work assignment.
"What’s wrong?" Bai Jiu asked, a little confused.
"What do you mean, ’what’s wrong’? You’re a woman! Do you really think you’re a man?" Gouwa’s mother wanted to crack Bai Jiu’s head open and see what was inside.
Bai Jiu was still baffled. "I know I’m a woman. You know I can be a bit slow, so just tell me what you mean."
Gouwa’s mother was exasperated. "Look at you! It’s early spring, and the water in the fields is freezing. Even grown men are avoiding the paddies, yet you’re rushing right in!"
Now Bai Jiu understood.
She didn’t choose the task out of some noble, self-sacrificing spirit. The team captain had announced that anything found in the paddies would belong to the finder—that was the only reason she was willing to wade into the water. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have bothered.
Besides, the job awarded ten work points. Over the course of a year, that would be enough to support herself and the children, ensuring the three of them wouldn’t go hungry.
"Oh, is that all? I thought it was something serious. Working in the paddies has its perks," Bai Jiu whispered into Gouwa’s mother’s ear. "Think about it. When the oxen plow the fields, won’t all those swamp eels come out?"
Swamp eels were a precious delicacy. She didn’t have the skills to hunt wild game in the mountains, so she naturally didn’t want to pass up the bounty in the fields. She couldn’t exactly eat meat at home every single day. Moreover, she had gained quite a bit of weight over the winter and needed some physical labor to slim down; otherwise, the contrast between her and the other villagers would be too conspicuous.
"You’re overthinking it. Do you think the men plowing the fields would let them go?" Gouwa’s mother rolled her eyes. "You think you’re the only clever one and everyone else is stupid?"
Bai Jiu was dumbfounded. She honestly hadn’t considered that. She had only thought about the eels in the mud. It seemed she had severely underestimated the people’s obsession with meat in this era.
"Is it too late for me to change jobs now?" Bai Jiu wanted to cry.
"What do you think?" Gouwa’s mother laughed out of sheer exasperation. "Alright, stop looking so miserable. Be careful, or someone might see you and report you. Still, working in the paddies has its benefits—it’s physically lighter."
If Gouwa’s mother hadn’t injured her body while giving birth to Gouwa, she would have gladly taken the job herself. The daily routine involved strolling through the fields, checking for wild rice, filling in gaps where seedlings were missing, and managing the water levels. It truly wasn’t too exhausting, and it was certainly better than hoeing the dry fields. That was backbreaking labor. Because the snow had only just melted, the earth was as hard as rock, making it incredibly difficult to break up.
"I guess I’ll just have to look on the bright side," Bai Jiu said, still on the verge of tears.
After collecting their farming tools, the two women headed to their respective work areas.
When the others saw Bai Jiu approaching, many deliberately distanced themselves from her. Their team leader this time was a senior man from the village, a seasoned hand at raising seedlings. Although he personally didn’t care much for Bai Jiu, he was very fond of her work ethic. His expression didn’t change at all when he saw her arrive.
"Liu, you and Qingcai follow me to sow the seeds. The rest of you, follow behind Old Niu and pick up the rocks. Don’t mess around! If any stones are left in the fields and it ruins the harvest, don’t blame me for being ruthless."
The entire brigade depended on these fields to survive. Anyone who dared to slack off would become the public enemy of the whole village.
There were quite a few women in the seedling team, but they all stayed far away from Bai Jiu.
After acknowledging the team leader’s orders, everyone began dividing up the plots among themselves. Bai Jiu waited until they finished choosing before stepping forward. There was a set amount of land anyway, so her share wouldn’t be any less.
The team leader recorded everyone’s assigned plots and then ordered the men into the water to start plowing.
Seeing that the plowmen hadn’t reached her plot yet, Bai Jiu waded into the water to clear out some of the rocks first. Her plot was situated near the mountain, meaning it had more stones than the others. However, it was also quieter, which she quite liked.
But the moment she stepped into the water, she wanted to cry again.
It was freezing.
Left with no choice, she discreetly retrieved a pair of knee-high rubber boots from her spatial dimension and slipped them on. This type of footwear existed in this era, though it was expensive. Average families rarely bought them, but it wasn’t unheard of, so wearing them wouldn’t draw too much attention.
Even with the boots on, the biting chill of the paddy water seeped through the material, making her shiver.
No job could be finished in a single day. However, the seedling team was tasked with plowing the entire brigade’s fields within three days. Those three days proved to be sheer torture for everyone.
Bai Jiu watched helplessly as the plowmen snatched up all the swamp eels and loaches turned up by the tillers. By the end of each day, they had collected a full bucket’s worth. Those who were on good terms with the plowmen could step forward and claim a share. Those who weren’t could only stand by and watch. Even if an eel or loach was about to escape, the plowmen wouldn’t allow just anyone to catch it. Such were the harsh realities of a society built on personal connections.
And Bai Jiu was precisely the type of person who had zero standing with the locals.
She had tried to catch a few strays, but the men were far quicker than she was. In the end, by the time she finished clearing her assigned plot, she hadn’t caught a single one. She had frozen in the mud for three days for absolutely nothing.
Her disappointed demeanor didn’t go unnoticed by Gouwa’s mother. One evening, she showed up with half a bucket of swamp eels—procured from who knew where—and delivered them to Bai Jiu.
"Here, satisfy your cravings. And don’t do something so silly again," Gouwa’s mother teased.
"Please spare me, I’ll never dream of it again," Bai Jiu said. She really had been too naive.
"The man plowing the fields is a distant relative of the Gao family," Gouwa’s mother explained. "Of course he wouldn’t want you taking any of his catch. Really, you can’t even recognize the people around you."
Hearing this, Bai Jiu finally understood why that villager, Gao Jianbang, had looked at her with such disdain. He had even stood there glaring as she picked up stones, refusing to move on until her field was perfectly clear.
Honestly...
"Then I think I’m doomed," Bai Jiu groaned. This was Gaocun Village. Most of the residents were surnamed Gao. If they were out to get her, would she ever have a moment’s peace?
"It’s not that serious," Gouwa’s mother said. Seeing her fear, she began to explain the village’s social dynamics.
Although Gaocun Village was predominantly populated by the Gao clan, very few families were actually on good terms with Old Mrs. Song’s household. The real reason the villagers ostracized Bai Jiu was out of fear.
They were afraid she would send them to the firing squad. They were afraid she would report them to the authorities over the slightest offense. After all, the countryside was incredibly wary of such things.
"From now on, just work alongside me," Gouwa’s mother offered. "My job earns eight work points. It’s not a small amount." If Qingshan hadn’t been opposed to her doing overly exhausting labor, she would have aimed for a ten-point job herself.
"I guess that’s my only option," Bai Jiu conceded. Stripped of her former arrogance, she obediently agreed.
It was a rare sight indeed.