Lin Wanning was so scared that she almost turned around and ran back. Her heart pounding, she noticed a little squirrel huddled in a grass nest, covered in blood.
It seemed to sense someone approaching and tried to run, but being badly injured, it didn't have the strength. It could only let out a faint whimper.
Hearing this sound, Lin Wanning felt extremely distressed. "Little squirrel, be good. I won't hurt you. Let me take a look at your wound, okay?"
She reached out tentatively to touch the little squirrel, but it didn't struggle at all, as if it could understand what Lin Wanning had just said.
It even tried hard to stretch out its little paws, asking Lin Wanning to hold it.
Seeing how spiritual the little squirrel was, Lin Wanning immediately gently picked it up. Only when she held it did she discover that the little squirrel's leg was caught in a hunter's trap.
Although it was a small trap, it was enough to make the little squirrel's leg bleed so badly that the bone was almost visible.
She quickly placed the towel that Chen Shufen had prepared for her on a stone on the ground, then gently opened the trap with her hands. Fortunately, this trap was simple and small, probably used by villagers to catch rabbits.
After removing it, she locked the trap and threw it into the river. In case another small animal stepped on it, it would surely lose its life.
The little squirrel on the ground seemed to feel that the trap on its foot had been removed, but it had struggled for a whole day and night. Now, even if it wanted to leave, it didn't have the strength.
Lin Wanning saw that the little squirrel's whimper was getting weaker and weaker. She was afraid that the little squirrel would die like this. She remembered that she had seen some wild Chinese herbal medicines in her mother's medical books before.
Relying on her memory, Lin Wanning found some Japanese thistle, pounded it with a stone, and then applied it to the little squirrel's leg.
She tore a strip from the towel to simply bandage the little squirrel. But in the little squirrel's current state, if she left it here, it would surely become food for other animals at night.
She didn't care about anything else. She still had to go back and cook after digging the wild vegetables.
So, she wrapped the little squirrel in the towel and put it in the vegetable basket, thinking that her mother was a doctor and surely could treat the little squirrel easily.
Just like this, she carried a basket of dandelions, wild celery, and an injured little squirrel back home.
Even before Lin Wanning reached home, she could hear the "clattering" sound of wall - building in the yard.
As soon as she stepped into the yard, the team leader ran over with a big toothy grin. "Hey, girl from the Lin family, do you think these craftsmen are enough?"
"There are five in total. If it's not enough, I'll find another five for you."
"Enough, enough. It's just a repair, and five are enough. Thank you, team leader, for your trouble."
"Hey, it's just a small thing. The wage for these craftsmen is one yuan and fifty cents a day, and they'll go home for lunch."
"It's not easy for you all here. We're all villagers in the same neighborhood. Everyone is willing to help if they can."
The wage of one yuan and fifty cents a day was indeed not high. The main reason was that the team leader thought that Lin Wanning was now the fiancée of the regiment commander. Now many people who had been sent to the countryside were gradually going back.
Maybe one day the Lin family would also go back. As the team leader, he knew the background of this family. He had a little daughter who was just in high school.
Now that the college entrance examination had been resumed, maybe one day the Lin family would go back to teach in a university in Beijing. By then, his daughter might also be able to be admitted to a university in Beijing, and maybe they could help his daughter.
At first, he really ignored the existence of this family. If it weren't for Lin Wanning's visit and her subtle hints, he wouldn't have thought of so many things so quickly.
The other members of the Lin family were a bit unaccustomed to the team leader's change of attitude. After all, before, they had been like invisible people. No one paid attention to them, and no one cared about them.
Now that he suddenly became so enthusiastic, they were a bit uncomfortable. Chen Shufen even suspected that her daughter had secretly given money to the team leader.
In fact, Lin Wanning didn't give any extra money. Facing the team leader's courtesy, Lin Wanning showed very sincere goodwill.
"Okay, you decide the wage. We're not familiar with the local market. And you can have lunch at my place. We can surely afford a meal."
This wasn't just Lin Wanning being overly polite. If these workers went back and forth for lunch, it would not only waste time but also consume their energy.
Moreover, the temperature was getting lower and lower every day, and this project definitely had to be speeded up. Now that her father's health was already poor, if he caught a cold again, Lin Wanning didn't even dare to think about it.
Facing Lin Wanning's suggestion, the team leader and the workers initially politely declined.
Everyone in the village knew that the families of those who had been sent to the countryside lived a hard life. If it weren't for the help of relatives and villagers, they would really have nothing to eat.
"There will be braised pork for lunch. I bought it yesterday." As soon as she said this, all the craftsmen didn't say a word. Even the team leader, who was about to leave, paced back and forth in the yard, giving instructions here and there.
"Team leader, don't leave at noon. Stay for lunch. Thank you so much for this."
Just with Lin Wanning's polite invitation, the team leader's face broke into a big smile. "Sure, sure."
But the team leader, who had agreed so readily, felt a bit embarrassed. Mainly because the Lin family had been like non - existent people before, and they had had very little contact with them.
He looked around awkwardly. His small beady eyes noticed that there was no glass on the windows of the Lin family's house.
"Hey, girl from the Lin family, do you need glass? There are still a few pieces of unused glass in my wood shed. If you need them, I'll go home and get them for you right now."
"Yes, yes. It's getting cold now. I'm just worried that the cold wind will affect my father's health."
While washing the vegetables, Lin Wanning kept thanking the team leader.
It seemed that this lunch invitation really worked. Chen Shufen helped Lin Guo'an to the yard to bask in the sun.
The two of them watched their daughter become so capable and so good at handling interpersonal relationships. They glanced at each other, and they could both feel the overflowing pity in each other's eyes.
Lin Wanning was busy washing the vegetables and didn't notice the pity in her parents' eyes at all. It was her sister - in - law, who was sitting beside her helping to sort out the wild vegetables, who saw the pity in her in - laws' eyes.
She quickly lowered her voice and reminded Lin Wanning, "You've become so capable now. Mom and Dad feel sorry for you."
Lin Wanning pursed her lips and lowered her head. She didn't know why, but she just felt inexplicably guilty, so guilty that she didn't dare to look up at her parents.
Before the whole family was sent to the countryside, she was still a delicate girl. Her growth now was indeed too fast for her parents, but for Lin Wanning, it had taken a whole lifetime.