The afternoon was almost free. Lin Yan handed her ration to her third grandmother and then gave her five yuan from the money she brought.
Although her third grandfather and third grandmother didn't want it, Lin Yan still gave it to them. She even stated firmly that if they didn't accept it, she would move back to the educated youth point.
They had no choice but to accept. After they accepted, Lin Yan noticed that several aunts let out a soft sigh of relief. It was understandable; times were tough. Although slightly better than in previous years, food was still insufficient.
If another mouth were added to the family, it would be a burden.
Now that Lin Yan was proactively contributing her rations and money, they didn't have to worry about saving grain for her.
When Lin Yan lay down in bed that night, a "ding" sounded, signaling the system's prompt.
"Plot alteration degree +10. Please continue to work hard, host!"
It seemed her decision to move out of the educated youth point was correct. It was surprising that such a small matter could increase the plot alteration degree by ten. The maximum value for the alteration degree would certainly not be one hundred.
Lin Yan opened her status panel again.
Host: Lin Yan
Identity: White Moonlight
Points: 102
Quests:
Plot Alteration Degree: 15
Change Original Host's Ending: 10%
The quests had been activated: one was the plot alteration degree that had been constantly prompting, and the other was to change the original host's ending.
It seemed, as the system had said, that its low level prevented it from receiving more quests. For now, there were only two main quests.
However, this was also good. Although the points might be a bit lower, the operability was greater.
Time passed peacefully, and Zhou Qi never found an opportunity to get close to Lin Yan. The summer harvest was approaching, which made it even less likely for Zhou Qi to visit.
During the summer harvest, Lin Yan's several male cousins were also on summer break from school and returned home.
Everyone was busy in the fields, their sickles flashing rapidly as they harvested. Wheat fell in swathes.
Because the family had ample labor and did not lack work points for the two of them, Lin Yan and Wu Xiu were assigned the task of gleaning wheat ears along with the children.
In fact, with Lin Yan's current physique, she could also cut wheat. However, her maternal uncle's family considered girls precious and did not have the custom of letting them do heavy labor. Reaping, threshing, drying, and storing. This busy period lasted for two weeks. Afterward, they plowed the land, transplanted rice seedlings in the paddy fields, and sowed corn and sweet potatoes in the dry fields. Even the corners were planted with soybeans.
After finally completing the work for the collective, everyone was so tired that they had lost weight. But at this time, they still had to plant their own private plots.
The land had been tilled the previous night, and now it only took half a day to sow.
The family's private plot was originally going to be planted with sweet potatoes, as sweet potatoes had a high yield and were easy to grow.
Lin Yan recalled the agricultural books she had read and suggested to her third grandfather that sweet potatoes and corn be intercropped.
Initially, she hadn't expected them to agree so readily and was thinking about how to persuade them. To her surprise, her third grandfather agreed immediately, and then her uncles began to ask her about intercropping.
Noticing Lin Yan's surprise, her third grandfather explained, "You are well-educated, and if you suggest it, there must be a reason."
Then he recounted what Lin Yan's maternal grandfather had always advised him, which was also the reason why their entire family was literate and attended school.
Although they hadn't achieved great success, after learning to read and write, they did live better lives than others.
Even though the children's schooling was expensive, they felt it was worth it, considering Lin Yan's mother became a university teacher and brought her parents to the city.
Therefore, regardless of what others in the collective thought, their family's children would all go to school.
Lin Yan was deeply moved after hearing this. In an era of food scarcity, for her maternal grandfather to have such foresight explained why they ultimately achieved good outcomes.
They put their plan into action. Lin Yan combined her theoretical knowledge with her uncles' practical experience, and soon the private plots were utilized.
Lin Yan's experience was much easier than expected, especially since her cousins no longer had to sneak over to help her. However, the male protagonist had a tougher time.
Zhou Qi, who had always lived a pampered life, could not get into the rhythm during the entire summer harvest. He appeared as if he had never done farm work before.
This performance led many villagers to believe he was deliberately slacking off, thus further worsening the male protagonist's image in the villagers' eyes.
After a day's work, he was too tired to even speak. He deeply doubted if he could get up the next day. But human potential is limitless, and every morning, he was woken up by his housemates and went to work with the rest of the group.
Zhou Qi envied Lin Yan at this moment, or rather, all the educated youths envied Lin Yan. Lin Yan's work was genuinely very easy: picking wheat ears, watching the threshing ground. None of it was heavy labor.
Sometimes he wondered why he couldn't have been reborn later, perhaps before the college entrance examination, so he wouldn't have to work so hard.
But then he thought that if he had indeed been reborn before the college entrance examination, he would have married his rural wife from his previous life.
He desperately wanted to do something to change his current situation. His mind was full of ideas, but he had no way to act on them. Currently, he had no connections, no channels, and no resources.
Moreover, it was the busy summer harvest season, and he couldn't take leave. After much thought, all he could do was to diligently do farm work, earn more work points, and exchange them for rations!
However, this made him want to be with Lin Yan even more. The reason he chose that rural wife in his previous life was to avoid working.
Now, if he were with Lin Yan, with so many cousins, they could surely help him with the work. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?
The weather grew hotter. Corn and sweet potatoes were relatively drought-resistant and did not require much watering. However, the vegetables in the garden needed constant care. Every evening, Lin Yan and Wu Xiu would go to the river to fetch water for the vegetable garden.
Wu Xiu picked a cucumber from the trellis, washed it with water from her thermos, broke it in half, and handed it to Lin Yan.
"Yan Yan, my brother said he'll take us to the city tomorrow. Is there anything you want to buy?"
"I plan to go to the scrap materials recycling station," Lin Yan said hesitantly.
"Why go there? Aren't you going to the supply and marketing cooperative?"
"I don't need anything. I want to see if I can find high school textbooks. I didn't finish high school before coming to the countryside, and I want to complete my high school education." Lin Yan needed to find a plausible excuse to get a set of high school books.
This way, she wouldn't have to find them at the last minute when the college entrance examination came around. She also wanted her cousins to learn more, and Wu Xiu, who had just graduated from junior high, could also continue her studies.
The first batch of university students after the resumption of the college entrance examination was highly sought after. If they could all get accepted, even to a junior college, their future lives would be better. This was the easiest path forward.
"You really love to study. I'm not like that; I barely graduated from junior high."
"It's okay. When we find the textbooks, we'll study together. You don't need to learn too much, just a little each day. I'll teach you," Lin Yan said. "It would be even better if you could eventually take the high school graduation exam and get a diploma."
"That's probably impossible, and I'm quite stupid, so I probably won't be able to learn it," Wu Xiu said, sounding a bit dejected.
"How could that be! I think you're very smart, and your hands are especially skillful. You just haven't found the right way to learn!"
"Besides, we haven't even started learning yet, so don't get discouraged now!" Lin Yan comforted her. "By the way, why is Brother Chang going to the city tomorrow?"
Lin Yan now called him "Brother Chang" along with Wu Xiu, instead of "cousin."
"Probably to see if he can buy some cloth to make a new outfit. Things have been a bit more relaxed recently, and my mother wants to find a match for my brother!"
"Will Third Aunt also go to the city tomorrow?" Third Aunt would never let her second brother go to buy cloth alone.
Buying cloth was a big deal, and cloth coupons were hard to save. Many people borrowed clothes for their weddings.