Chapter Fifty-Eight: Do You Really Think I Can’t Control You?

Lady Liu and her companions heard Little Gu's words, their eyes drifting toward the trees opposite, silently cursing her in their hearts. After eating a few pieces of meat, she truly seemed to treat them as servants. If she were strong enough, why didn’t she dig up all the fields herself?

“We understand, sister-in-law, don’t be angry. We’ll start digging now. We’re all family, after all, and can’t let you do all the work alone.”

Chu Qingsong, ever perceptive, immediately took up his hoe and began to dig into the earth. Seeing him start, Lady Liu and Chu Qingbai had no choice but to swallow their frustration and join in.

Seeing them finally get to work, Little Gu instructed Little Gu Shu to take the sickle and cut the wild grass.

“Don’t do the heavy work. There are plenty of adults here; you don’t need to strain yourself. Just cut the grass and bundle it up when you’re done.”

“These grasses, once dried, can be woven into mats, so they’re useful. After you finish, leave them on the edge of the field.”

The other villagers had long since been industriously swinging their hoes; they were not like Lady Liu’s group, who only wanted to muddle through the day. These villagers wished they had several pairs of hands, so they could reclaim even more land.

Some noticed Lady Liu’s group actually starting to work and found themselves admiring Little Gu’s ability to persuade them.

The winter sun was anything but warm; it shone coldly on their backs. The mountain air was damp and chilly, and when the wind swept through, it made them shiver to the bone.

“Ouch, my hands are covered in blisters! I don’t want to do this anymore. Why do I have to work? Big brother isn’t even here!”

Chu Qingbai, who had never done such heavy labor in his life, usually exerted himself only at the dinner table. After a short while, his palms were blistered and bleeding, and he could go no further. He hurled his hoe aside in frustration.

“I don’t believe it—she really thinks she can hang me from a tree? I’m her brother-in-law! If she wants to work, she can have the whole field to herself.”

Throwing down his hoe, Chu Qingbai glanced at Little Gu’s back, then turned to leave.

Lady Liu and Chu Qingsong were equally exhausted and sore, their bodies aching all over. Seeing Chu Qingbai about to leave, they exchanged a glance, their courage rising, and threw down their tools as well, preparing to walk away.

“Sister, sister, they’re leaving! They really don’t want to work anymore.”

Little Gu Shu kept working, but when he saw the others about to depart, he quickly told his sister.

Having dug a whole row, Little Gu saw them brazenly ready to leave, so she crouched down, picked up a clod of hard earth, and threw it.

Chu Qingbai, at the front, was struck hard on the head, his vision spinning, barely able to keep his footing.

“Who—who the hell threw that at me? Are you tired of living?” he snarled, his face twisted with anger.

“I did,” Little Gu replied coldly. “We agreed last night, and now you want to renege and run?”

Seeing that the three of them had done far less work than she, her gaze was icy as she questioned them.

Pain clouded their thoughts, and emboldened by the fact that Little Gu was only a newcomer to their family, they felt reckless. Yesterday, caught off guard, they let her have her way, but today, the three of them together believed they could bring Little Gu to her knees.