On this side, Jiang Heng was assigning work to the team.
His knuckled hands held a yellowed notebook, and the hand holding the pen paused for a moment. “Isn’t the pig farm short of someone to work?”
A voice piped up, “Yeah, and the pig farm is short one person for shoveling manure too.”
As soon as those words were spoken, everyone went silent. The work of shoveling manure in the pigsties was no easy task.
When shoveling, the pigs liked to nudge people with their snouts, and their hooves would kick at a person, making faces twitch in pain.
By the end of the day, one would be exhausted and reeking, with pig dung stuck to the soles of their shoes. Anyone who did this job was truly a poor soul.
Jiang Heng looked at the list in his hand; everyone had already been assigned work. It was time to clean out the pigsties.
Feng Baoru stood by, hands on her hips, shaking her legs and humming quietly. She was lucky today—she didn’t have to take a labor shift. With the team’s work already assigned, it looked like another day of slacking off for her.
Jiang Heng’s voice boomed as he asked again, “Who else can take this? Shoveling pig manure counts as ten work points for a day.”
That got everyone’s attention. Several people stepped forward.
When Feng Baoru’s father heard “ten work points,” he perked up immediately.
“Team Leader Jiang, our Baoru can do it!” he said eagerly.
Feng Baoru: …
Jiang Heng’s eyes flickered, and he picked up his pen and wrote Feng Baoru’s name under the “shovel manure” section.
Without looking back, he left a single instruction: “Once registered, get to work.”
Everyone then dispersed, grabbed their tools, and got to work.
Feng Baoru gritted her teeth, feeling frustrated, but her father was the one pushing her, so she had to restrain herself.
“Dad, there’s still work left at home! You’re sending me to shovel pig manure?”
Feng Daqiang furrowed his brows and turned his feet inward. “The work at home will be done in seven or eight minutes. But this—shoveling pig manure—you’ll earn ten work points. Each point is eight mao, so that’s eight yuan for one day. Totally worth it!”
Feng Baoru was flustered. After this, she’d be the laughingstock of the village girls, stinking all over.
She stomped her feet, nearly on the verge of tears. “Dad, there are others who can do it. Let someone else switch with me.”
“Switch? The team leader has already registered your name! Go! This is a great contribution to the family. When you get back, you can have extra bowls of corn cakes and some dumpling soup!”
Feng Daqiang put on his straw hat and commanded Feng Baoru with a serious gaze. “Comrade Feng, proceed to execute your manure-shoveling task!”
Gritting her teeth, Feng Baoru took the iron shovel and went.
As soon as she entered the pigsty, the pigs, hungry and restless, charged at her with hooves and snouts.
The ground in the pen was wet and slippery. When she stepped, she lost her balance and fell backward with a thud.
“Waaah!”
The pigs reacted to her scream, squealing loudly as well. Some were startled, running around the pen, and a few tried to break through the pen bars.
The noise was continuous.
“What’s going on?”
“Seems like it’s the pigs in that pen. What’s wrong with them today?”
Everyone shielded their eyes from the sun and squinted toward the pig farm.
One person spotted a mass of flesh not far away, froze for a moment, then realized:
“Oh no, the pigs are running! They’re escaping!”
Everyone quickly grabbed their tools and ran, kicking up dust.
“Catch them!”
“I’ll block them here!”
After a while, they managed to corner the pigs with a large wooden board against a wall and brought them back.
Feng Daqiang squinted his wrinkled eyes, shook his head, and sighed. “Even shoveling manure can make pigs run… sigh.”
…
That evening, Su Jin returned home and smelled the aroma of food.
“Wow, smells so good!”
Her appetite instantly awakened.
Inside, she found that Jiang Heng had already prepared the meal.
On the table: a plate of pork hock, white rice, a small dish of pickles, a plate of stir-fried greens, and stir-fried green beans.
It was incredibly hearty!
Su Jin had eaten the commune’s food at noon—it was truly awful. Full of sand mixed in with brown rice, it hurt her teeth. The hard, unbreakable dough cakes could probably double as hammers—how could she bite them?
But now, she was here, and no matter how good her previous life had been, she could only focus on living this life peacefully.
Jiang Heng’s features remained stern. Su Jin looked at him, and he kept his expression cold, saying little.
Each sentence she spoke was under ten words, proper and concise.
Su Jin shook her head. She couldn’t marry a mute, expressionless husband—otherwise, they’d have trouble communicating!
While washing her hands, she felt the object the Matchmaker had given her in her pocket.
Su Jin tilted her head in confusion—she didn’t even know what it was.
At dinner, the two ate quietly, with little conversation.
Jiang Heng observed his wife thoroughly, making sure her day at work had gone smoothly and she hadn’t done anything too strenuous.
After the meal, Su Jin was stunned by the bathing area—it was just a few loosely arranged wooden boards.
“Is this where I’m supposed to bathe?”
She asked uncertainly, worried about privacy. Even her strong inner resolve couldn’t make her comfortable bathing in such flimsy boards.
Normally, a man might feel frustrated and hesitant in such a situation. Jiang Heng’s voice was quieter than usual, slightly embarrassed. “Yes… you’ll have to make do for now.”
Inside, he couldn’t help feeling guilty—he hadn’t provided his wife with a proper environment. She had fair, tender skin, no calluses, a healthy complexion—clearly raised well, not an ordinary girl.
He thought, marrying such a well-raised daughter and letting her suffer at home was unacceptable. He needed to earn more in the future.
Meanwhile, Su Jin wanted to get closer to her husband.
Last night, they had fallen asleep together in a half-dazed state, which might have been awkward for ordinary people. But for her—her husband was now hers—she could do as she pleased.
Her brows furrowed, her moist red lips pouted, and her voice—flirtatious, soft, and alluring—could outmatch a decade’s worth of professional charm.
“But I’m scared to bathe inside…”
Her tone—sweet, charming, tender—was enough to melt Jiang Heng’s tough exterior.
Su Jin thought: can’t even faze you?
She looked up, trying to read his expression, searching…
She finally realized he was just tense, not cold as before. His face remained stern.
Unbeknownst to her, the moment she spoke, Jiang Heng’s heart skipped a beat, adrenaline surging. He had heated a large bucket of water and brought it inside.
Avoiding her sparkling eyes, he said, “You… you go in and bathe first.”
He planned to wait outside, so she would be safe.
Su Jin took the initiative, holding his strong, veiny arm. “Okay, but can you stay outside with me?”
She then pouted, acting pitiful.
She could clearly feel his body trembling with nervousness, even though he tried to control it.
“Fine, go wash quickly, or the water will get cold.”
Jiang Heng stood nearby, listening to the sound of water, his breath rising and falling with each droplet.
This was just the beginning—tonight would be a long night.
