The tomatoes in the field were ready to be picked, so Mr. Qin and Brother Qin had already gone to the fields, while Mrs. Qin waited at home for Lin Chuxia to return before taking her to the tomato fields with her.
The whole plot was more than an acre; since it was past peak season, at most, only two baskets could be picked this round.
By the time they got to the field, Mr. Qin and Brother Qin had already picked half of it, and when Mrs. Qin and Lin Chuxia joined in, the four of them finished picking the entire field before noon.
The harvested tomatoes could be delivered to the county’s vegetable station, or they could wait until the evening to sell them at the county’s regular night market, where they could fetch an extra two cents per jin.
Lin Chuxia had no plans to set up a stall at the night market; two baskets of tomatoes weren’t worth wasting time on.
She asked for directions to the vegetable station and planned to deliver the tomatoes straight there.
Mrs. Qin was worried, “Better let your big brother do it.”
The two baskets of tomatoes weighed at least seventy to eighty jin; how could Lin Chuxia, so slender and frail, carry such heavy things?
Yet, Lin Chuxia was not planning to bother Brother Qin; since the family had already divided, it was not reasonable to keep troubling others.
Looking at the racks, she said to Qin Han, “Just give me a hand with setting them up.”
A rack is made by connecting two woven baskets with two wooden poles as crossbeams, leaving just enough space in the middle to fit the width of a bike’s rear rack. When mounted on the rear rack of the bicycle, it could carry more items while maintaining the balance of the bike.
In villages like Qin Family Village that mainly grow vegetables, almost every family has such baskets.
Qin Han also thought Lin Chuxia was too slender and frail to lift the racks and wanted to ask his father to help, but Lin Chuxia was already prepared on the side.
He couldn’t say much more, and mentally prepared himself to give his sister-in-law a way out if she couldn’t lift it.
But with a single command, the racks were steadily lifted and placed on the rear rack of the bicycle.
Lin Chuxia clapped her hands, said goodbye to them, and took the bicycle straight on the road.
Qin Han was practically dumbfounded by how deftly she handled it, he was certain that his sister-in-law was stronger than his own wife.
The expertise of professionals is evident as soon as they get to work, and both Mr. and Mrs. Qin, who were old hands in the field, could see that too.
“I was worried that Yangyang’s wife wouldn’t be able to handle our work, but it seems that I was overly concerned.”
Mr. Qin also mentioned, “Didn’t the mother-in-law say it before? Chuxia is competent.”
In front of her eldest son, Mrs. Qin didn’t contradict her husband, but she knew the truth in her heart.
What a competent second daughter; giving them the best was mostly because their eldest daughter probably looked down on their Qin Yang, who was rarely at home, and had a change of heart.
Remembering how a good girl like Lin Chuxia was scorned in her own family, Mrs. Qin decided that in the absence of her son, she should treat her daughter-in-law well.
Lin Chuxia was unaware that her actions had even aroused her mother-in-law’s empathy.
She had been doing farm work at home since she was young.
Her older sister was favored, her younger brother was a boy, and only she was available at home, so she had built up her strength a long time ago.
She had been drinking spiritual spring water lately, and her strength had obviously increased.
She was not boasting of being a strongwoman, but at least she was no less than an ordinary man.
At the vegetable station, people looked at her as a woman, pushing and shoving but never giving her the chance to weigh in her share; Lin Chuxia found an opportunity, moved to the front to weigh her share, and directly lifted down the racks and placed them on the scale.
Even the couple who had already come over with their basket were staring agape, not daring to utter a single nasty word.
The one in charge of the weighing, Li Jian, couldn’t help but swallow.
He had noticed this girl earlier and was thinking of helping her after finishing these two turns.
It’s not easy for a young girl to sell vegetables by herself; if he didn’t help, she probably couldn’t get onto the scale all morning.
He hadn’t even opened his mouth before the girl herself took care of things.
She pulled the steelyard, and including the basket, the tomatoes weighed 85 pounds.
“Girl, you’re quite impatient. If you’re not careful, you could hurt your back for life,” he said as he wrote out the ticket.
“That’s right, just say the word, girl, and who wouldn’t help you out?” a sister-in-law nearby also chimed in.
Lin Chuxia took the ticket, checked the numbers, and then said, “I did speak up, but none of you heard me, right?” She had been lined up at the front but couldn’t seize the scale. “I know everyone is eager to get back for lunch. Once people are hungry, they can’t keep up their manners. Can’t be helped, I had to rely on myself to be well-fed. However, I do have some feedback for your management station: When people are not conscientious, your staff still need to maintain order and ensure the most basic principle of first come, first served.”
The sister-in-law’s face froze. She and her husband had been behind Lin Chuxia in line. If Lin Chuxia hadn’t moved the basket down herself, they would have taken her spot on the scale.
They hadn’t thought much of it before; it was always like this when selling vegetables. But now, Lin Chuxia practically called them out by name, and their faces burned with embarrassment.
Li Jian’s face was all smiles, looking at the well-behaved yet fiery girl, now giving them suggestions.
No one had given them feedback in all these years. It was a fresh experience indeed.
Before he could finish smiling, Lin Chuxia gave him a look, “Comrade, I’m supposed to deliver the tomatoes to Warehouse #3, right?”
Li Jian’s smile remained, “Didn’t you just say you should rely on yourself for a sense of achievement? Why are you asking me for help now?”
“You just mentioned how a fragile woman like me doing manual labor could hurt my back. Shouldn’t I take advice to avoid suffering? I’m giving you a chance to demonstrate your good character,” she finished with a wink.
Li Jian also saw the director approaching from afar, amused beyond measure.
Did this girl know that the leadership wouldn’t care about this matter at all? The director was just passing by on his way to the cafeteria.
But he didn’t want to let the girl lose face, so he put down the pen and helped her lift the frame onto the cart again.
Lin Chuxia exaggerated her thanks, “Thank you so much, comrade. I thought I couldn’t handle this on my own, but it turns out there are still many good people in the world. The staff at An City Vegetable Station are so caring and attentive. Having public servants like you is a blessing for us farmers.”
Li Jian couldn’t help but want to cover his face: My goodness, just go, I’m too embarrassed to even listen to that.
Lin Chuxia didn’t mind, and under the smirking looks of the crowd, she pushed her bike towards Warehouse #3.
Having delivered the tomatoes, she picked out what was left and, along with the frame, needed to go back for weighing and peeling. By then, another comrade had taken over the weighing.
She got a new ticket, took both tickets to the cashier’s window to get paid.
8 cents per pound, after peeling, 62 pounds left, for a total of $4.96.
Money in hand, Lin Chuxia leisurely headed to the back of the warehouse.
While delivering the tomatoes earlier, she had seen several carts there, with a few broken ones piled up in a corner.
The vegetable station was quiet during mealtime; those who could leave had gone to the canteen for food, and those who couldn’t leave had switched to break for meals. Lin Chuxia circled around a few broken tricycles.
“Hey girl, why are you still here? Can’t find Warehouse #3?”