Reborn in a virtual world, before the house was taken away

Seeing that Hu Fangming didn't believe her, Feng Qingqing didn't say anything more. She put on gloves and a hat, did two warm-up exercises, and prepared to get started.

Hu Fangming couldn't help but laugh at her actions; even pulling out peanuts required a warm-up.

But before her smile faded, she saw Feng Qingqing start pulling with both hands, one on each side, one on the left, one on the right, each one a perfect target. She didn't even need to use her hands to pull them. Her movements and speed made it seem as if she was pulling up delicate tofu, not peanuts.

Hu Fangming watched her actions in disbelief, then looked at the soil and peanuts under his feet, and, as if incredulous, pulled one up himself.

But she used all her strength, using both hands, and barely managed to pull one out. After pulling it out, she fell to the ground with a thud because of the excessive force, and her buttocks were sore from the impact.

But at this moment, Hu Fangming couldn't care less about the pain in her buttocks, because she saw that there was already a tall pile of peanut leaves at Feng Qingqing's feet.

That speed was unheard of. Now she suddenly felt that Feng Qingqing's suggestion to go back and cook at 11 a.m. was completely unnecessary. Even if she went back at 10 a.m., the two of them could easily finish cooking in the afternoon and still have some left over.

Thinking about this situation, Hu Fangming now wished he could hug Feng Qingqing and kiss her twice.

This sister has given me so many surprises. God has really blessed her. If it weren't for the current campaign to eliminate the Four Olds, she would have gone to the temple to pray. Who did I burn incense for in my past life to let me meet such a treasure sister?

Hu Fangming, having recovered her senses, ran over with great energy to pick up peanuts; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to keep up.

Just as the two were engrossed in their work, working with great enthusiasm, they suddenly heard a loud shout:

"My goodness, who is this person? They are so capable. They have done so much in such a short time. Could it be that they just did it for fun?"

The woman who was talking was a well-known gossip in the village. She didn't have any bad intentions, but these days everyone cherishes food and was afraid that the young people would be ignorant and waste things.

The shout startled not only Feng Qingqing and her companion, but also the people working nearby and the scorekeeper, Jiang Yun.

Yes, that's how unlucky it was. The previous scorekeeper was pregnant, so she went back after explaining the scoring points to Jiang Yun. Now it can be said that this is Jiang Yun's first time working alone.

When she first heard someone shout, she thought something serious had happened and felt a little uneasy. But after getting closer and hearing what had happened, she not only breathed a sigh of relief but also wanted to make Feng Qingqing look bad and leave a bad impression on the villagers that she didn't cherish food.

People in that era were probably terrified of hunger, and they valued having enough to eat and food to the core. Anyone who didn't cherish food would be criticized and punished.

This kind of thing can be a big deal or a small deal, depending on how you want to handle it.

Feng Qingqing could tell from Jiang Yun's expression that she wanted to cause trouble, but she wasn't afraid of anything. She would deal with whatever came her way.

Just then, the captain heard the commotion and quickly walked over. As soon as he arrived, he heard Jiang Yun say, gently yet sternly:

“Feng Qingqing, I know you’re worried about not finishing today’s work and not getting work points, but please also respect the fruits of everyone’s labor. The crops have grown so big because of everyone’s hard work. Weeding, fertilizing, watering – every single one of these tasks is extremely arduous. You can’t just do this carelessly to get work points. If the peanuts aren’t pulled up properly, it’ll be everyone’s loss.”

After these righteous words, the team members who had been watching the spectacle from the sidelines gradually became emotional, feeling that Feng Qingqing was truly a spoiled young lady who didn't understand the hardships of life, and that wasting food like this was too much.

“This young girl from the city doesn’t know anything. She’s wasting food like this. Who will be responsible for the loss?”

"These educated youths are good at working but never miss a meal."

"What can we do? They're educated youth sent to the countryside. Even if we don't like them, what can we do? The production team still provides them with food; they're not going to starve to death."

"But there are good ones among the educated youth. This new scorekeeper seems pretty good to me. Look at what she just said, she looks like a good kid."

Several educated youths were working nearby when they heard the commotion and came over to see what was going on. But as soon as they arrived, they heard these remarks directed at educated youths, and they felt terrible after hearing them.

While some of the team members were telling the truth, it was still incredibly hurtful. Besides, many of the accusations were baseless.

Meanwhile, Feng Qingqing, who caused all of this, calmly listened to everyone's chatter and discussions.

When the educated youth saw this, their expressions darkened. Instead of offering any explanation, they acted as if to say, "That's just how I am, what can you do about it?" This was truly infuriating.

After listening to everyone's comments and seeing that the captain had also arrived, Feng Qingqing looked around at the onlookers and said:

"As the great leader Chairman Mao said, 'Without investigation, there is no right to speak.' I would like to ask the scorekeeper comrade, and the fellow villagers who just spoke, you keep accusing me, especially this newly appointed scorekeeper. Have you gone to the fields to see how the peanuts were pulled up? Without investigation and without understanding the situation, you accuse me of wasting grain. I could also say that you are slandering me. What do you say, team leader?"

“Comrade Brigade Leader, you can’t just start talking like the other comrades just because you appointed this scorekeeper. If I have to report even something as simple as picking peanuts to the commune, I think the relevant leaders of the commune will definitely doubt your leadership ability over the Lanshan Brigade, don’t you think?”

Seeing that the captain's expression was not good, Feng Qingqing knew that she had offended him by not giving him face this time. But looking at the men he had arranged in the morning, she also knew that he was still a petty and vindictive person, not as fair as she had thought he was, at least on the surface.

Adding to the issue of her son, Feng Qingqing didn't want to relive her life and have to compromise with some people. She wanted to live more freely within certain limits, especially after taking the stimulant last night, these thoughts became even stronger.

However, the captain was experienced and wouldn't let such digs affect his judgment. Of course, he would think about Feng Qingqing's attitude later.

He called two experienced, hardworking men to go to the peanut field. They carefully observed the field, even breaking off pieces of soil to examine them. Finally, they nodded to each other and returned to the team leader. In front of everyone, the slightly stern-looking man said:

"The peanuts were pulled out very cleanly, her movements were swift and efficient, and she controlled her strength very well. There were hardly any peanuts left inside. This young lady does a great job!"

After speaking, the corners of his mouth, which rarely showed any other expression, twitched slightly, clearly trying to make a smile, but it didn't seem to work.

The others nearby were all surprised after hearing this. Some even went to the field themselves and came back to fully agree with what the uncle had said. Only then did the incredulous expressions slowly appear on the faces of the people around them.

If the team members present hadn't witnessed it with their own eyes, they would have found it hard to believe that such a delicate and frail young girl could work more efficiently and skillfully than seasoned farmers.

Those who had just criticized the educated youth were now looking rather embarrassed, some even showing awkward expressions.

Feng Qingqing didn't care much about these people who followed the crowd. She looked at the brigade leader, her voice calm but firm:

"Captain, you saw it yourself. Leaving aside the other team members, just look at the scorekeeper. As a cadre appointed by the team to be responsible for the important task of scorekeeping, her remarks and casual slander—if it weren't for the witnesses of the captain and the team members watching, wouldn't I have been falsely accused of wasting everyone's hard work and food? If I were to bear this false accusation, how would everyone see me? How would they see us educated youth? How would the other educated youth treat me? What kind of pressure would this be for a young girl like me?"

Her series of questions left the brigade leader and the team members speechless. They knew that in the countryside, having such a reputation meant that she would miss out on any good opportunities in the future, and she would be disliked and ostracized by other members of the team, not to mention the educated youth who would be implicated.

The captain coughed lightly:

"Then tell me how to handle this matter. Let's hear your opinion first. If it's not excessive, the brigade can consider adopting it."

Jiang Yun, who had remained silent throughout, only became anxious upon hearing the captain's words, but she dared not interrupt. At the same time, she secretly blamed herself for being so impulsive in her words and actions today, giving Feng Qingqing such a big handle against her, and she was secretly anxious about how to deal with it.

"I, Feng Qingqing, am not one to hold a grudge. Since Jiang Yun has slandered me so blatantly today, it's not unreasonable for me to ask her for an apology, is it?"

After she finished speaking, she looked at the group of team members who were watching. Most of the team members nodded in agreement. After all, Jiang Yun's actions were indeed dishonest. They had heard that they were relatives, and their relationship was obviously not good. However, as fellow educated youth, it was still very unfair of her to smear him like this.

"Furthermore, since I came to the countryside as an educated youth in response to the country's call, I am a member of our Lanshan Brigade. I don't ask the brigade to give us educated youth any preferential treatment, but I just ask that the brigade treat educated youth and commune members equally."

Her request was simple and not excessive. The team members nodded in approval, thinking that this girl was a good person, reasonable and not unreasonable.