Quick Wear: Cousin, Come to the Bowl Quickly

As the sun sets, the cicadas' chirping fades, and a breeze blows by. Rows of newly planted seedlings sway gently and energetically in the setting sun.

The croaking of frogs gradually began to rise in the rice fields, as if announcing to the people of the Hongguang Brigade that their busy spring planting, which had lasted for several months, had finally come to an end.

Under the tree beside the ridge of the field, there were a dozen educated youths slumped in all directions. These young people who had never done housework when they first came to the village were so weak that they could not lift anything. Now they had completely changed.

Not only have they become darker and thinner, but their clothes are also stained with mud and water. After more than ten days of soaking in the paddy fields, they have been unable to straighten their backs or move their legs. Now everyone looks exhausted and disheveled.

If they had seen me in this state when I first arrived, they would probably have jumped in shock.

Lin Xi washed the mud off her hands and feet with water from the field, then rubbed her aching waist and walked under the tree. She walked crookedly to Chen Lan and stretched out her hand to her.

"Ouch, ouch, Sister Chen Lan, help me up."

Seeing this, Chen Lan, who was sitting on the ground, hurriedly stood up, took Lin Xi's hand, and carefully helped her sit in her previous seat.

Seeing Lin Xi grinning and rubbing her waist, he couldn't help but sit next to her with a bit of amusement, reaching out to rub the back of her neck and jokingly said.

"Who told you to work so hard these past two days? Now it's hard for you to even walk, right?"

Feeling the gentle force on her neck, Lin Xi let out a comfortable sigh, tilted her head back, and said with a bitter face.

"It's my fault for being sick for so long these days. If I don't work hard and earn some work points, I'm afraid I'll be left with nothing when the food is distributed in the fall."

"That's true." Chen Lan nodded, rubbed Lin Xi's neck for a while, then let go and continued, "Fortunately, the rice seedlings are finally planted, and we can rest for a while."

"Yeah, I have to take good care of myself. I feel like my face and body have gotten a lot darker these days." Zhao Xiaoyun hadn't known when he'd come over to the two of them, reached out and touched his own dark red face, and said with a pained look, "All those vanishing creams I put on were wasted."

"Give up as soon as possible. I'm lucky enough that I can wash my face every day. I don't need to spend money on vanishing cream anymore." Hu Aihong, who was beside her, stretched out an arm that was red and black, and shook her head indifferently.

Hearing this, Zhao Xiaoyun stretched out his arm to compare with hers, then shifted his gaze to her face, which was obviously much darker than his. Finally, he sighed, curled his lips and said, "It seems that my vanishing cream did have some effect. I'll keep applying it."

When Hu Aihong heard this, she immediately retracted her arm and glared at her with a mixture of anger and amusement, "You're just being conceited."

Watching the two people who were tanned like black melon eggs playing around, Chen Lan couldn't help but smile and shook her head. She looked at Lin Xi beside her, but couldn't help but be slightly stunned.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, Lin Xi was immersed in a warm golden halo. Her little face was a little red from the sun, glowing with a warm honey-like color. There were a few freckles on the tip of her nose, which were caused by the sun and were trembling slightly with her laughter.

The most eye-catching thing was the pair of eyes that used to always look down and dare not look at people, but now they were as bright as if they were filled with broken gold, and even the cheeks were flushed with fresh blood.

"Sister Chen Lan, what are you looking at?" As if noticing Chen Lan's gaze, Lin Xi turned her head to look at her.

Looking at the little girl in front of her with curved eyebrows and a bright smile, who looked like a cabbage that had absorbed enough rain water and exuded a vigorous vitality from head to toe, Chen Lan couldn't help but feel a sense of relief like an old mother. She reached out to tidy up Lin Xi's messy hair and spoke with a smile.

"Let's not talk about us. It's good for you to get some sun. Look, you're no longer the one who looks like you'll fall over if the wind blows."

Lin Xi was stunned when she heard this. Just as she was about to speak, she was interrupted by Zhao Xiaoyun who had finished talking to Hu Aihong.

Zhao Xiaoyun reached out and held Lin Xi's face, looking at her carefully, and finally withdrew his hand reluctantly, nodding in agreement.

"Indeed, you look much better than before. We seem to get uglier the more we sunbathe, but how come you look better the more you sunbathe?"

"That's because we are dark-skinned to begin with, wouldn't we get darker if we were exposed to the sun? It's a pity that she was too fair before, but now after being exposed to the sun, her complexion is just right, and she looks rosy and festive." Hu Aihong continued.

"But speaking of fair skin, among all of us educated youth, Chen Caiqing from the other room is the fairest. And I've noticed that these past few days, not only has she not gotten tanned, but she's actually gotten even fairer. Today, when she was working in the fields, she rolled up her trouser legs and almost blinded me."

"I hadn't noticed it until you mentioned it, but now I think about it, it's true." Zhao Xiaoyun stretched his neck to look a little further away, then looked away and said, "I don't know how she raised it."

"I heard that her aunt works in a health center. She seems to have some ointment specifically for the face and body. It's said to be more effective than vanishing cream." Chen Lan recalled.

"So amazing?" Zhao Xiaoyun couldn't help but widen his eyes upon hearing this. Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he turned to look at Lin Xi, "Xixi, I see you and Chen Caiqing talk to each other from time to time. Does she really have such an ointment?"

"Huh?" Lin Xi was stunned by the sudden question, then thought seriously for a moment before speaking uncertainly, "Chen Zhiqing's aunt does work at the health center, and she has a lot of ointments. My cousin got sunburned before, and she gave me some ointment to treat the injury. But I don't know if she has any ointment for her face."

"Is that so..." Zhao Xiaoyun curled his lips in disappointment when he heard that.

"Why, do you still want to buy it from her?" Hu Aihong poked her with a smile, "Even if she really has it, in this remote place, the postman only comes once or twice a month. She doesn't even have enough for herself, so why would she give it to you? Besides, whitening requires long-term persistence. If you apply it today, you will have to sunbathe tomorrow. You might as well use this money to buy some meat to nourish your body."

Zhao Xiaoyun was immediately deflated when he heard this, but after thinking about it, he still said to Lin Xi with some hope: "Xixi, you play well with her. Please find some time to ask her if she really has the ointment and the price is right, can she give me some."

"Okay." Lin Xi thought about it and felt that it was not a difficult task, so she nodded in agreement.

"Okay, you've rested enough, shall we go back?" Chen Lan patted the grass on her butt and called to the few people.

"Let's go." Several people supported each other and stood up from the ground, staggering back in the sunset.