Chapter 11

The sun hung low in the western sky.

Out in the fields, Henry and the others were fertilizing the wheat seedlings alongside the locals.

Sophia, as usual, was working alongside Henry.

She covered her nose and mouth with her left hand while her right hand held the manure scoop. After pouring a scoop of fertilizer, she would rush to the edge of the field to retch a few times.

Her one-handed labor was already slow, and with her frequent retching, she barely managed to scoop a few loads of fertilizer by midday. Naturally, the less work she did, the fewer work points she earned.

Henry decided to let her rest on the field edge.

Sophia felt embarrassed about not doing any work at all, especially since everyone was working together to earn points.

So, after a short break, she would come back and pour another scoop, just for the sake of appearances.

This time, when she returned after catching her breath, Henry took the manure scoop from her hand.

"If you can't do it, don't force yourself," Henry told her. "Just rest on the side. I'll take care of your work. If anyone has an issue, they can talk to me. Don't worry about it."

Sophia covered her nose and mouth, saying, "I feel bad letting you take care of me like this."

Henry leaned close to her ear and whispered, "If you feel bad, marry me."

Sophia blushed furiously in public, raising her hand to push him away.

After that, she stopped working and sat on the edge of the field, clutching her stomach and pretending to be too unwell to continue, making her inactivity seem more justifiable.

Even if her act was convincing, there were always some who were displeased.

Seeing her sitting on the edge of the field again, Lily whispered to Cecilia, "Look, there she is again, just sitting there. How can she be so shameless?"

Cecilia glanced at Sophia and whispered back, "She's holding her stomach. Maybe she really isn't feeling well. Besides, Henry is protecting her. Just let it be."

Lily was still unhappy but didn't say more, instead focusing on her work.

After silently pouring two more scoops of fertilizer, she squinted and looked around, then asked Cecilia, "Hey, have you seen Logan and Summer? They didn't show up for work today, did they?"

Hearing this, Cecilia stopped working and looked around.

After scanning the area, she confirmed, "It seems they didn't."

This was truly strange.

Those two had never missed work before.

Curious, Lily turned to ask Aunt Flo, who was nearby, "Aunt Flo, why didn't we see Logan and Summer? They didn't even come back to the dormitory for lunch."

Hearing this, Aunt Flo answered while working, "Logan and Summer won't be joining us for work anymore. They have other duties now."

Lily's curiosity was piqued. "What duties?"

The other young workers, hearing this, also stopped their work and looked curiously at Aunt Flo.

Aunt Flo continued working as she explained, "Our village plans to reopen the elementary school. The village head and leaders decided yesterday that Logan and Summer would be the teachers. They'll be teaching the children from now on and earning a salary, no longer needing to toil in the fields."

Such a fortunate opportunity!

Everyone was momentarily stunned and then looked on with envy.

Lily raised her voice, asking, "Why were they chosen?"

Aunt Flo laughed, "What do you think?"

Lily was left speechless, swallowing her words.

She resumed her work, the stench of the fertilizer seeming even more unbearable.

***

After work in the evening.

On the way back to the dormitory.

The ten young workers walked in three groups.

Five of the boys walked in the front, Lily, Cecilia, and Grace walked in the middle, and Henry and Sophia lagged behind, keeping a considerable distance.

Lily, in front, complained, "Letting Logan be a teacher, I don't know what they were thinking. Someone like him, who is so two-faced, what kind of good children can he teach? They'll all be corrupted."

Grace chimed in, "I think Summer is even less suited to be a teacher. She's so dull and empty-headed. What could she possibly teach?"

Cecilia said, "But they've made the best impression on the locals."

Grace scoffed, "Being good at farm work means they should be farmers, not teachers. This is an unfair system with unfair rules."

These were very subversive words.

Lily quickly covered Grace's mouth with her hand.

Behind them.

Sophia took a deep breath and said, "I really envy Summer."

Henry looked at her and asked, "Do you want to be a teacher too?"

Sophia countered, "Don't you?"

Henry replied, "Of course not. Teaching a bunch of kids about ideology and giving lectures on big principles doesn't sound fun at all."

Sophia said, "Even if it's not fun, it's easier than working in the fields."

Henry thought for a moment and said, "How about this: I'll talk to Summer tonight and see if she can let you take her place. How about that?"

Sophia looked at Henry, "Isn't that a bit too much?"

Henry smiled, "What's too much about it? I've known Summer since she was little. Her personality isn't suited for teaching. Teaching should be done by someone like you, who isn't fit for fieldwork but is suitable for education."

Sophia thought for a moment and said, "I really can't handle this farm work. These past days, I've only managed because of you. I can't keep dragging everyone down. If she's willing to give me the opportunity, I'll definitely repay her."

Henry reassured her, "Don't worry about repaying anyone."

Sophia felt touched, saying, "I really have to thank you. When I first came here, I didn't know how I would survive. I'm so glad I met you."

Henry said, "Meeting me was the right move."

Sophia smiled, looking at Henry with affection before turning away.

***

In the glow of the setting sun.

Summer stood in the courtyard, taking a deep breath.

She and Logan had spent half the day cleaning the school, inside and out.

Now, looking at the newly cleaned campus, she felt physically tired but mentally satisfied and happy.

Especially when she imagined children coming to school every day, she felt her efforts were worthwhile.

Logan, on the other hand, had no such sentimental thoughts.

He walked straight out of the school gate, throwing a casual, "Don't forget to lock the gate," over his shoulder to Summer.

Summer looked at him and replied, "Got it."

With Logan gone, Summer felt even more relaxed.

She went into the classroom, stood on the platform, cleared her throat, and pretended the room was full of students. Changing her tone and demeanor, she practiced how to be a teacher.

After practicing to her heart's content, she left the school and headed back to the dormitory.

She felt happy on the way back, walking into the last rays of the setting sun, her face glowing with joy.

When she returned to the dormitory and entered the courtyard, the others were noisily eating dinner in the kitchen.

Knowing she couldn't blend into the atmosphere like air, she didn't head to the kitchen but went straight to the dormitory, grabbing three small white burlap sacks.

She filled the sacks with dried sorghum, corn, and sweet potatoes.

While packing the sweet potatoes, she heard Charlie's voice calling out to her, "Summer, you're back?"

Summer turned and saw Charlie, who had finished dinner, standing at the kitchen door.

She smiled politely and responded, "Yes, I am."

Charlie asked, "I heard you're going to be a teacher at the village school. Is that right?"

It wasn't a secret, but Summer didn't want to brag.

So she simply replied, "Yes, that's right."

Charlie, in an envious tone, said, "You're so lucky, Summer."

Summer forced a smile and continued packing the sweet potatoes.

Once she was done, she put away the basket and took a dry sorghum brush, then carried the three burlap sacks out.

Summer had just left when the others finished eating and came out of the kitchen.

Henry glanced around the courtyard and asked Charlie, "I heard you talking to Summer. Where is she?"

Charlie looked at Henry and replied, "She went to get some grain milled."

Henry nodded, "We'll wait for her to come back."

***

Living in the countryside meant there was no machinery to mill grain.

In the Tans Creek Village, every household used stone mills.

There was a communal mill for the village, though some wealthier families had their own stone mills.

Summer didn't want to trouble the locals, so she went to the village mill.

She was lucky today; when she arrived, the mill was empty.

Usually, there was a queue since every household needed milled grain.

Summer had come alone and didn't have much strength, so she avoided the large central stone mill that required strong men or several people to push.

She chose a smaller, lighter mill on the side.

She first swept the mill with a sorghum brush, then poured the sorghum from the burlap sack onto the millstone, feeding the grain while pushing the mill.