Song Jing declared that he would cook, but… he didn’t actually know how.
This realization only made him angrier.
Meanwhile, Lin Zhen cheerfully ran off to cook, even calling back to ask if his future brother-in-law had any particular dishes in mind. He shamelessly praised his own culinary skills, saying, “You’ll love it, I guarantee!”
Song Jing pressed his lips together and refused to respond.
Lin Zhen didn’t mind. “Alright, since you’re not saying, I’ll just make whatever. I caught a fish today—I’ll stew it. You’ll love it!”
He scooped up the two mischievous wolf pups circling Song Wei and dirtying their fur and paws in the mud.
Song Wei gently patted Heidan’s little head. “Heidan, you go home with your brother. I’m almost done here anyway.”
Heidan glanced at Song Jing, then obediently nodded, taking one of the pups and following Lin Zhen.
Song Jing wanted to have a serious conversation with his sister.
If he set aside his bias against Lin Zhen, Song Jing could admit that he admired the man. After all, becoming a battalion commander at 21 was no small feat.
But Lin Zhen had retired.
Song Jing didn’t look down on or discriminate against retired soldiers—he respected those injured in the line of duty. But this was about his sister, his only sibling.
He didn’t want her to be stuck in the countryside forever.
“Do you really want to spend your life here?” Song Jing asked. “I know right now the policy doesn’t allow educated youth to return to the cities, but that could change. If you marry Lin Zhen, would you still go back? Wouldn’t that be unfair to him?”
He worried that if educated youth were allowed to return, his sister might abandon her husband and family, leaving Lin Zhen behind—a betrayal he couldn’t condone.
Song Wei nonchalantly pulled a radish out of the ground. “Why can’t I stay here? If I want to go back to the city, I’ll take him with me. But honestly, I like it here more.”
Song Jing’s eyes widened. “What nonsense are you talking about? You’re too frail for this kind of life! Farming is exhausting. How can you endure it?”
Even as he scolded her, Song Jing continued helping her pull radishes.
Then he noticed something odd: his sister had already pulled out more radishes than he had.
He paused, watching her expertly pull radishes from the ground.
“I can handle it,” Song Wei said casually.
And she meant it. But Song Jing didn’t believe her. He was convinced Lin Zhen had somehow brainwashed her.
When it was time to carry the radishes, Song Jing instinctively reached for the basket, but Song Wei beat him to it. She slung the heavy basket over her shoulder and stood up effortlessly, without needing anyone’s help.
The basket was stacked so high with radishes that it had to weigh nearly 200 pounds.
Yet his sister carried it as if it were nothing.
Song Jing stood there, dumbfounded, his hand frozen mid-reach.
“Come on, brother. I’m done for the day,” Song Wei said.
She was pleased. Today she’d earned eight work points. If her brother hadn’t shown up, she could’ve kept working and hit the full quota.
Song Jing stammered, “I-Isn’t it heavy?”
Song Wei took a few steps forward. “Not really.”
Song Jing’s eyes glazed over as he observed her calm expression. She wasn’t struggling or lying—she genuinely didn’t find it heavy.
How had he never known his sister was this strong?
Oh, right. He’d rarely been home, and there had never been an occasion for her to show her strength.
Still, this was absurd.
In a daze, Song Jing followed her to the drop-off point. After logging their work points, they headed to Lin Zhen’s house.
The whole way, Song Jing was unusually quiet, leaving Song Wei feeling a bit guilty.
But she didn’t want to hide or pretend to be someone she wasn’t.
Song Jing’s voice was thick with emotion. “I’m sorry.”
Song Wei blinked. “What?”
“It’s my fault. I wasn’t there for you. I didn’t protect you from them, and I didn’t even know how strong you are. I’ve failed as a brother.”
Song Wei: …
Well, that saved her the trouble of making excuses.
“Brother, it’s not your fault,” Song Wei said.
Their family situation was complicated, similar to Lin Zhen’s in some ways.
Song Wei’s plight had been like Heidan’s. Fortunately, she had a capable maternal uncle.
When Song Jing was 15, their uncle helped him secure a spot in the military.
Song Jing had a simple plan: enlist, become strong, and protect his sister from their neglectful father and stepmother.
But then their uncle fell from grace, and Song Wei had to return to her father’s household. There, she endured abuse and became withdrawn, her frail health only worsening.
Things changed when Song Jing came home on leave. Seeing his mistreated sister, he erupted in fury, teaching their stepbrother and stepsister harsh lessons. He even intimidated their stepmother’s family into submission.
For a while, the household was too terrified to touch Song Wei.
However, when it came to being sent to the countryside, the reason that mother-daughter duo schemed against Song Wei was that they coveted her job. The original host’s stepsister didn’t want to endure hardship, and since Song Jing’s earlier discipline had been long forgotten, they no longer feared the consequences.
Driven by self-interest, and with the siblings losing their uncle’s protection, coupled with Song Jing’s limited ability to visit due to his military duties, they became audaciously unscrupulous.
Although Song Jing cared deeply for his sister, various circumstances caused him to lack a true understanding of her.
The original host, on the other hand, was consumed by sorrow, even to the point of mild self-isolation. She was unwilling to confide in her brother, which further widened the emotional gap between them, leaving the siblings with only a superficial understanding of each other.
“I only realized how strong I am after coming here,” Song Wei said, smiling at her brother. “Brother, I don’t want to go back. Life here is more comfortable than before.”
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