AYLS – Chapter 95

Li Yan came to the poultry farm and just sat silently in the office, staring blankly, not saying a word, as if lost in thought.

Lin Qiao knew she had quarreled with Zhang Tuo and offered a small comfort, “Don’t overthink it. Being happy yourself is what matters most.”

Su Weizhen honestly found Li Yan’s behavior a bit off-putting.

She felt that, in this era, Li Yan was just an oddity.

This person wasn’t suited for a life of hardworking simplicity. Her melancholic, overly emotional demeanor was completely out of place in this practical time.

She wasn’t even as peculiar as Su Weizhen, the outsider.

So she ignored Li Yan.

Li Ermei, however, wasn’t as naive as the others thought. She suspected Li Yan was here just to reap benefits. Think about it: this person comes here and sits around, doing nothing. Outsiders wouldn’t know, and they’d assume Li Yan was working. Over time, she might even get assigned tasks without really earning them.

Too cunning. People from the big city were just too clever.

Too many tricks up their sleeves.

Li Ermei didn’t hold back and said, “Hey, this isn’t a place for just sitting around. It’ll give outsiders the wrong idea. Lin Qiao, Su Weizhen, don’t you think?”

Su Weizhen nodded, “Exactly. If the three of us can’t keep up with the work, we can apply for more help from above. But if Comrade Li Yan just sits here, outsiders will definitely think there are four of us working.”

Lin Qiao thought about it and agreed. It could indeed cause misunderstandings. “Why don’t you find a cleaner place to sit? The poultry farm isn’t suitable for that.”

Li Yan looked at them, her heart sinking to the depths of despair.

She hadn’t slept much the night before. Looking at the pitch-black room, she felt scared and lost. Zhang Tuo hadn’t returned in the morning either. She waited for a long time, but everyone else had gone out to work. The entire military compound seemed to be empty, as if she were the only person left.

The more she thought, the more terrified she felt, and reluctantly she tried to find a place to sit.

And yet, even the poultry farm offered her no refuge.

“Oh, crying won’t help,” Li Ermei said, unconcerned. “This is just how it is here. This is the workplace, not somewhere to play. Look at outsiders—who can just come and go as they please? The workplace has its rules.”

Lin Qiao tried to advise her, “Why don’t you talk to Sister Zhang about your situation? Family issues are best handled by her.”

“I’m not going,” Li Yan said. She didn’t want to go, mainly because she wasn’t used to lowering herself first.

“Then you can go back.” Li Ermei spoke bluntly. “Don’t stay here and interfere with our work. If you don’t do anything here but people think you did, isn’t that taking advantage? No way!”

Hmph!

Seeing this about to escalate, Lin Qiao quickly said, “It’s a misunderstanding, a total misunderstanding. Let’s talk it out. But Comrade Li Yan, our chicken farm really isn’t a place for outsiders to come and play. If everyone copied this, it would get chaotic. The farm has strict management rules.”

Li Ermei said, “She just wants to take advantage. Who in their right mind comes to a chicken farm for fun? Isn’t home entertaining enough?”

Li Yan felt deeply insulted. She immediately stood up and started walking out.

Li Ermei smirked behind her. “See? As soon as I exposed her, she left.”

“…” Li Yan stopped. She turned around. “No, I didn’t!”

She looked at Lin Qiao and Su Weizhen. “I didn’t mean to take advantage.”

Su Weizhen and Lin Qiao awkwardly nodded.

“Who’s gonna believe that?” Li Ermei said bluntly. She was determined to eliminate any threat. She had worked hard to get this job—this person just sitting down and freeloading? No way!

If she did the work later, people would think Li Yan did it. That would be too unfair!

Li Yan clenched her fists. Her pride and dignity would not allow her to just leave quietly.

She felt her very character had been gravely insulted.

These people didn’t let her sit there just because they feared she would take advantage.

She pressed her lips together, her eyes red, glanced at the three of them, then looked around for a broom. Seeing the tools in the corner, she grabbed one without saying a word and stepped outside.

Lin Qiao glanced at Su Weizhen. “Is she not leaving?”

Su Weizhen nodded.

Li Ermei huffed. “She got exposed and now wants to save face. Who doesn’t know what she’s thinking?”

“You should have kept quiet,” Su Weizhen thought. If Li Ermei hadn’t said that, the person might have left. But that extra comment pushed her to stay.

Wasn’t that just asking for trouble?

Now, well, they couldn’t kick her out.

“You stay, you’re in charge!” Su Weizhen said.

Lin Qiao nodded too. “Ermei, just hold your tongue a bit. She’s probably in a bad mood lately.”

“I’m the one in a bad mood! And I’m pregnant!” Li Ermei said, sticking out her belly as she went outside. “I need to supervise, so my work isn’t done poorly.”

“Take it slow,” Lin Qiao called.

Then she looked at Su Weizhen. “Do you think these two will cause trouble later? Their temperaments together just don’t seem right.” Clearly, though, Li Yan would end up the one suffering.

“Let her handle it. She opened her mouth herself.”

Lin Qiao agreed. She didn’t particularly like interacting with Li Yan; it felt troublesome. She usually relied on Gu Huayuan to calm people down and didn’t feel like doing it herself. But if she managed too strictly, it might affect Gu Huayuan and Zhang Tuo’s relationship. Better leave it to Ermei.

Outside, Li Ermei fully displayed her “Master” demeanor. One hand on her hip, the other directing Li Yan’s work.

Her eyes were sharp, watching every move, afraid poor execution would affect quality.

She lectured without pause: “Since you’re here to work, do it properly. Don’t expect praise without effort, right?”

“Lots of people want this job. The organization is giving you this chance.”

“Learning a skill is fine, but don’t expect to get something for nothing. You have to work to learn. Just watching won’t do.”

“If you’re coming, come every day. Don’t work today, rest tomorrow, and come again the day after. Then others might think you work every day and have done a lot. That’s taking advantage.”

Li Yan held the broom tightly, eyes swollen, tears streaming down, swallowing her frustration silently.

She was wrong—she shouldn’t have come here!

Even if she withered quietly somewhere else, it would have been better than wasting her life in this stinky place.

“Don’t stop, work! I’ve never seen someone work so slowly,” Li Ermei shouted, shattering Li Yan’s melancholic thoughts.

Su Weizhen and Lin Qiao watched from the window.

Seeing Li Yan like that, Su Weizhen frowned. “Maybe we should let her go. We’re making things too hard for her.”

Lin Qiao waved her hand. “Forget it. If she wanted to leave, she would’ve left already. If she stays, maybe she really wants to do something. Crying doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to work—it could just be a physiological reaction.”

For example, she had learned chicken farming while crying herself before. She understood that well.

Su Weizhen: “…”

Lin Qiao didn’t care much about this issue. She was still thinking about how to raise the chickens properly.

Now that Zhenzhen managed the chicks, she didn’t have to worry, but she had to figure out food sources for the flock.

She feared relying solely on the organization’s arrangements; what if the chickens weren’t raised well?

Watching the chickens forage in the lawn, occasionally picking up insects, she suggested to Su Weizhen that the grazing area should be expanded.

Su Weizhen said, “Sure. We should also tell the family so they can help.”

“Zhenzhen, do you think we should plant a small plot just for the chickens? Relying solely on the army worries me—the flock will grow and consume too much. When I studied animal husbandry, I saw some plants suitable for chickens. We could plant some seeds to supplement their nutrition.”

Hearing Lin Qiao’s idea, Su Weizhen’s eyes lit up. “What plants? Since it requires land and labor, why not plant some grains directly? We have few people; a little plot will do. The harvest can supplement the chickens and won’t waste labor. The army should agree.”

Lin Qiao asked, “What grains should we plant?”

“Wheat, beans, that kind of thing. We’ll get the seeds ourselves. I’m willing to subsidize our chicken farm, so we don’t have to trouble the organization.”

As soon as Lin Qiao heard this, she knew Su Weizhen intended to take seeds from the space. Her eyes lit up immediately—of course! If the chickens could be raised outside, these crops should work too. She just didn’t know what they would turn out like.

She asked, “Can we actually grow them?”

“I don’t know either, but why not try?” Su Weizhen said with anticipation. She had long wanted to plant those crops; if they could maintain even a bit of good genetic quality like the chickens, the yield should improve.

If it could be scaled up, all the better. This was a good opportunity.

Encouraged, Lin Qiao felt excited too. “Alright, Zhenzhen, you’re really amazing! Let’s work hard and plant well together!”

Su Weizhen smiled and nodded. “Mm.”

At noon, when work ended, Li Yan quickly left.

Li Ermei even called after her, reminding her not to be late in the afternoon.

Lin Qiao said, “Ermei, are you okay with her coming here now? Weren’t you looking down on her before?”

Li Ermei rubbed her belly and smiled. “I did look down on her before, but I noticed that even if I watch her closely, she can still work. With her helping, it’s a bit easier for me.”

Then she coughed lightly. “It’s not that I don’t want to work—I just thought if she wants to help, we shouldn’t stop her, right?” Now that she saw the benefit, Li Ermei realized having extra labor wasn’t bad.

She finally understood what it felt like when little Qiao used to boss her around. It felt really good.

Lin Qiao said, “Alright, then. You should treat people better from now on. It’s voluntary work, and they deserve respect. Keep your voice down, and learn to reason with them. You need to set an example for your child.”

Su Weizhen said, “It would be surprising if she changed. Isn’t there that saying—‘some things just can’t be changed’?”

Li Ermei immediately put her hands on her hips. “Su, don’t curse. I know what that saying means. Hmph, I’m a civilized person. I’ll talk properly to people this afternoon.”

“Good, Ermei’s a good mentor,” Lin Qiao encouraged.

Meanwhile, Gu Huayuan went to chat with Zhang Tuo.

He knew Zhang Tuo valued family, and since he had moved out this time, Gu Huayuan worried he might be facing something serious. He wanted to guide him and see if there was any way to help.

Being brothers was like that—sometimes you’d fight each other in anger, but when something serious happened, you couldn’t let go.

Zhang Tuo did look even more haggard, having stayed up all night thinking about the future.

Divorce wasn’t an option, and even if it were, it would have to be initiated by Li Yan. He had proposed marriage back then, so he had to take responsibility.

Besides, divorcing now would be like forcing Li Yan to die—he couldn’t be that cruel.

So life would just be muddled along, each going their separate ways for now.

Gu Huayuan tried to comfort him. Zhang Tuo didn’t go into detail, just said they had some conflicts and wanted time to cool off.

Gu Huayuan asked, “Want to come over for dinner?”

“No, I don’t have the face to see Comrade Lin Qiao now.”

“That’s not true—she doesn’t know anything.”

“I still feel guilty. Plus, I’m worried about running into Li Yan… though she probably won’t go out.”

“Alright, I won’t force you. Figure things out soon. Life can’t be lived in such confusion.”

Having lived a happy married life, Gu Huayuan really couldn’t understand how Zhang Tuo could endure life like this.

When Lin Qiao returned home, she had washed her hands and face and was shelling beans.

Seeing him come back, she immediately updated him on today’s work, saying Li Yan had gone suddenly and would likely come back in the afternoon.

Gu Huayuan looked surprised.

Curious, Lin Qiao asked, “So what’s really going on with them?”

“I asked—nothing serious. Couples arguing sometimes is normal.”

Lin Qiao just nodded, not thinking much about it. She felt there really wasn’t much reason for a married couple to quarrel.

“Then I won’t interfere. Later, if Li Yan wants to come, I’ll let her join the work.”

“By the way, Gu Huayuan, the lawns you transplanted before have started growing well. When there’s time, we can transplant more.”

“And also, Zhenzhen and I have been thinking of planting some crops suitable for the chickens ourselves. It’ll save some feed and increase nutrition. Do you think that’s a good idea?”

Gu Huayuan listened with interest and gave timely advice. “Then officially apply for a plot of land. By the way, do you have time to manage it yourselves?”

“Yes, we’ll start small to test it. If it works well, we’ll plant more. When Sister Zhang sees the results, she’ll surely support it, and we won’t be short on people.”