An Ning, waiting by the roadside, kept her eyes fixed on An Guoming.

Following an oxcart, another passerby overtook An Guoming on his bicycle yet again.

An Guoming, who was over six feet tall, had two long legs that seemed to be brand new; one wanted to pedal forward while the other insisted on going backward.

The bicycle wobbled from side to side. He tapped his left foot on the ground, lifted it, then immediately tapped his right foot down and lifted it again.

Repeating this process, the bicycle crept toward An Ning at an agonizingly slow speed.

"Hop on, little sis. I’ll give you a ride."

’Hop on?’

An Ning didn’t move. She didn’t dare.

’I still have my seed mission. I can’t die young.’

Seeing An Ning wasn’t moving, An Guoming said, "Don’t be scared. I’ll wait for you to get settled before I start pedaling."

"I’m scared *because* you’re the one riding."

An Ning’s blunt words made An Guoming’s head ache. "Well, what do we do then? Should I go back and get Eldest Brother?"

An Guoming got off the bike. An Ning grabbed the handlebars with one hand and steadied him with the other.

"Wait here."

"Huh? Wait for what?"

Without another word, An Ning pushed the bicycle away. She sized it up for a moment, then started running with it.

"No, no, little sis!"

"I’m fine, I won’t fall!"

An Ning shouted over her shoulder, swung her leg over, and hopped onto the bicycle.

From behind her, An Guoming shouted until his voice cracked.

"Not you! The bike can’t break!"

An Ning, already riding ahead, was so touched by her second brother’s "concern" that she could have cried.

’He’s absolutely right!’

’It belongs to someone else, so it really can’t get damaged.’

An Ning simply infused the bicycle with her spiritual power to protect it. As for herself, ’I’ll be fine,’ she thought. ’I’m tough.’

Watching from behind, An Guoming’s heart was in his throat. Every time An Ning wobbled, he would grimace and jump in fright.

But from a few dozen yards away, An Ning executed an agile turn and rode back toward An Guoming. She was both steady and fast, coming to a precise stop right beside him.

"Second Brother, hop on."

"You got it!"

An Guoming retrieved the basket he had hidden in a pile of grass, slung it onto his back, and swung a leg over to sit on the bicycle’s rear rack.

With a powerful push from one foot, An Ning sent the bicycle shooting forward. It glided along smoothly, and before long, they had caught up to the oxcart ahead.

An Guoming even showed off a little, calling out a greeting. The old man driving the cart stared at the two of them on the bike.

"This is really the first time I’ve seen a woman giving a man a ride on a bike."

"Isn’t that the An family’s second son?"

"Oh... it’s him. Well, that’s pretty normal then."

The people on the oxcart launched into a lively discussion on the topic of the An family’s second son.

Meanwhile, An Ning was riding the bicycle with such speed and stability that An Guoming felt she was even faster than their eldest brother.

Once they reached town, An Guoming gave directions. An Ning pedaled through a series of twists and turns, finally entering a narrow alley.

There was a single house at the end of the alley. An Guoming got off the bike to knock on the door, and someone quickly opened it from inside.

"Guoming, you’re here! What’s it this time, more mushrooms?"

The man who opened the door had a beer belly, pale skin, and a jovial face.

"Brother Fatty, today’s haul is much better than mushrooms."

An Guoming lifted a corner of the basket. The man, Brother Fatty, had rather small eyes to begin with, but they widened into narrow slits at the sight.

"Good stuff! Come on in and we’ll weigh it."

An Guoming went in first with An Ning following behind, the bicycle still hoisted on her shoulder. She couldn’t risk leaving it unattended.

Brother Fatty didn’t try to stop her.

An Ning entered the courtyard, where several other people were gathered. She stood off to the side, her eyes following An Guoming.

An Guoming went to weigh the pheasants. At eighty cents per jin, the six birds weighed in at thirty-two jin, totaling twenty-five yuan and sixty cents.

"Thanks, Brother Fatty."

"Bring any more good stuff you find over here."

"Don’t worry, I will."

Chatting with Brother Fatty, An Guoming seemed like a completely different person from who he was back in the village.

An Ning had a feeling her second brother belonged here. Back in the countryside, he seemed like a fish out of water.

"Let’s go home."

An Ning hadn’t said a single word the entire time. Her small face was dead serious, yet she stood ramrod straight with the bicycle still hoisted on her shoulder.

She followed An Guoming out of the courtyard, and the two of them rode away on the bicycle.

The ride back was smooth; they didn’t run into any robbers or encounter any other trouble.

As they entered the village, the farmers were just heading out to the fields. An Guoming went to return the bicycle while An Ning hurried home.

"Why are you running?!"

Seeing An Ning run in from outside, Lin Cuihua, who had been worried all morning, could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"I saved you some food. Hurry and eat."

"Okay."

An Ning washed her hands. She was starving.

She sat down but didn’t start eating. Lin Cuihua, who had waited at home especially for her, asked, "Why aren’t you eating?"

"I’m waiting for Second Brother to eat with me."

"Don’t wait for him. There’s more in the pot. You go on and eat!"

Since Lin Cuihua insisted and An Ning was indeed hungry, she immediately picked up her bowl and began to wolf down her food.

"Hey, slow down! Don’t choke."

Lin Cuihua nagged worriedly, but An Ning just gave her a cheerful smile and kept eating.

A few moments later, her second brother, An Guoming, returned.

"Mom, where’s the food? I’m starving!"

An Guoming reached for a potato on the table, but Lin Cuihua slapped his hand. SLAP.

"Go wash up! Your hands are filthy."

An Guoming looked down at his hands and chuckled, then scurried off to wash them.

Once his hands were clean, An Guoming sat down across from An Ning. The two siblings ate together, finishing their meal quickly.

As for Lin Cuihua, once both her children were back, she had hurried off to the fields.

An Ning finished first and set down her bowl and chopsticks.

"Second Brother, you clear the table. I’m heading to the fields."

"Alright, alright. You go on ahead."

An Ning strode off and soon reached the part of the field they were working on. Since she’d arrived late, however, there were no tools left.

An Ning didn’t mind. As long as she could work, it was fine. She headed for an empty spot, took on three rows by herself, and squatted down to pull weeds by hand.

The weather in June was pleasant in the mornings and evenings, but once the sun was high in the sky, it beat down on you, leaving you drenched in sweat.

Exposed skin, in particular, would begin to sting from the burn.

Although An Ning could cheat using her spiritual power, she was still human.

Before long, her face was flushed red from the sun and had begun to sting.

An Ning untied the red scarf from her head and used it to shield her face. It was a little hot, but much better than before.

Across the vast, flat fields, An Ning was the most vibrant and conspicuous figure.

So conspicuous that some people found her to be an eyesore.

At some point, Miao Xiaohua had appeared beside An Ning. She tried to catch up to An Ning’s pace, but no matter how hard she worked, she couldn’t.

Perhaps it was due to some twisted part of her psyche, but she was obsessed with competing against An Ning and desperate to do better than her.

An Ning, who had been focused on her work, realized the person beside her was Miao Xiaohua. She frowned, paused her work, and turned to look back.

’So annoying.’

"Miao Xiaohua, you’re not weeding properly."

"If you don’t pull the weeds properly, they’ll steal nutrients from the sprouts, and the crops won’t grow well."

Miao Xiaohua was unconcerned. "It’s a waste of effort," she said nonchalantly. "It’s not like it’s going to rain anyway."

The moment the words left her mouth, Miao Xiaohua realized she’d said the wrong thing. She glanced over at An Ning and saw that she was still staring at the rows behind her, seemingly oblivious. Only then did Miao Xiaohua let out a silent sigh of relief.