The kang (heated brick bed) for left-behind women

There is no water source on Wild Fox Ridge; water is obtained from a small stream at the foot of the mountain.

This is an extremely strenuous physical task.

Lin Dachun carries two large wooden buckets on a shoulder pole. Every day at dawn, he goes down the mountain and carries the clear river water up to the mountainside, then carefully waters the roots of each sea buckthorn seedling with a water ladle.

Li Ruoxue was responsible for the easier tasks, using a gourd ladle to scoop water from the bucket and water the seedlings more evenly and carefully, while also checking for any fallen or diseased seedlings.

As the sun rose higher, Lin Dachun had lost count of how many trips he had made.

Sweat streamed down his bronze back like grooves, and the carrying pole left deep red marks on his shoulders.

That morning, he was carrying two full buckets of water, struggling up the steep mountain path, when he ran into several villagers returning from their fields.

Leading the group was Zhao Laobao, who was known for his sarcastic remarks, along with two idlers.

Seeing Lin Dachun drenched in sweat, and glancing at the sparse patch of green on the distant slope, Zhao Laobao curled his lip and spoke in a sarcastic tone:

"Hey! Lin Dachun, are you watering 'Golden Nuggets'? These precious 'Sour Thorn Gymnasiums' need plenty of feeding, don't let them get thirsty!"

A loafer nearby chuckled, "Exactly! They're taking better care of them than anyone else! I think this isn't planting trees, it's worshipping our ancestors!"

"Brother Dachun, when these 'ancestral trees' of yours bear 'golden fruit' and you make a fortune, don't forget to treat everyone in the village to drinks! Let us see how these sour things covering the mountains and fields can turn into money!"

Another idler also mocked.

The loud laughter was particularly jarring on the mountain road.

They deliberately raised their voices, attracting several people working in the nearby fields to stop their hoes and look over, their faces showing either curiosity or mockery.

"You guys are just sour grapes. Let me tell you, once I'm rich, you'll be the ones envious." Lin Dachun ignored their sour grapes.

"No need for you guys to be so sarcastic towards me later, or I might just start dating your wives."

Lin Dachun adjusted the position of the carrying pole to ease the pain in his shoulder, and then continued to walk steadily and heavily toward his sea buckthorn field.

"You're just showing off. I don't know what the point of planting sea buckthorn is. There are tons of wild sea buckthorn on the mountain, and nobody picks it. Even sheep don't eat it. You still want to plant it? Are you out of your mind? Haha."

Zhao Laobao's boasting intensified.

The disdain and anticipation in his eyes grew even stronger.

Lin Dachun carried the water to the edge of the field, and Li Ruoxue quickly took it from him.

She had also heard the mockery, her face turned pale, and she bit her lip.

"them……"

"Ignore them, don't pay them any attention. The more they look down on this farming, the more hope we have. Think about it, are there more poor people or rich people? The things the rich do are the things the poor don't do." Lin Dachun's words are quite interesting.

Li Ruoxue now has no choice but to unconditionally trust Dachun.

"Let them laugh all they want, we'll do ours. This water is for the seedlings, not for their foul mouths."

He picked up a ladle, scooped up a ladle of cool river water, and slowly poured it onto the roots of a somewhat wilted seedling. Watching the water quickly seep into the parched soil, his eyes were focused and gentle.

"Look at this seedling," he said to Li Ruoxue, as if speaking to himself, "It doesn't know that others are laughing at it. It only knows that it's thirsty and needs to drink water. If it drinks water, it can live and grow. We are the same."

Indeed, Lin Dachun is just like the sea buckthorn, living tenaciously on barren land.