Era: Seven money-losing girls? They're trying to trick me into having a daughter again!

"Such a large area..."

Fang Qiang looked at the old forest farm in front of him, his brows furrowing. He unusually spoke up, asking, "Just the two of us?"

"Uh, it's just the two of us now."

Fang Wei scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly.

Why did he ask his older brother for help first?

He wanted to use this method to send a credible signal to some people in the village that he had changed for the better.

Such a large forest area definitely cannot be managed by him and his older brother alone; they will need to hire more people for subsequent planting.

Given the current conditions, he can only recruit from the village.

To recruit honest and hardworking people, he needs to increase his credibility.

Even his older brother, with whom he had a falling out, was willing to help him with chores. So when he asked others for help, they would at least seriously consider whether or not to do his work.

Fang Qiang sighed inwardly, knowing Fang Wei's situation in the village, and could only hum in response.

Fang Wei slammed the machete in his hand onto the ground, his gaze sweeping across the entire forest, stopping at the area where top-quality wild gastrodia elata grew.

"Brother, this forest is too big; we definitely can't finish it all in one go."

He casually pointed to the eastern half of the forest and said, "Let's clear away the weeds and deadwood in this half first. As for the western half..."

He made a somewhat hesitant expression, "I haven't figured out exactly how to do it yet, so I'll leave it as is for now."

Fang Qiang glanced in the direction Fang Wei was pointing.

The terrain to the east is relatively flat and has better sunlight. Although the weeds are dense, they are not as covered with vines and thorns as they are to the west, making it easier to manage.

Without thinking much about it, he nodded and started cutting the grass.

Fang Qiang was a skilled worker; his grass-cutting movements were steady and fast. With just a few quick "swish, swish, swish," a large patch of weeds was felled.

Fang Wei didn't sit still either; he took off his undershirt, revealing his muscular upper body.

Although he used to be a gambling addict, he was used to farm work, so he had broad shoulders and well-defined muscles in his arms.

He picked up his hoe and dug down into the dead tree roots.

"Bang!"

……

The sun quickly climbed to its zenith.

The August sun was scorching, making people's scalps tingle, and the air was stuffy and hot.

Fang Wei's upper body was completely soaked, and sweat kept dripping down his waist, soaking the waistband of his pants.

Several blisters had formed on his palms.

Fang Wei didn't pay any attention. He simply used his fingernail to pop the blister, wiped the squeezed-out water on his pants, and then picked up the hoe again.

When Fang Qiang occasionally straightens up to wipe his sweat, his peripheral vision catches Fang Wei's side, and his hand movements unconsciously slow down by half a beat.

This kid... is actually actually working?

He originally thought that Fang Wei had called him over because he didn't want to work and that's why he was paying someone else to do it.

But throughout the morning, Fang Wei not only didn't slack off, but worked even harder than him, without complaining about being tired or suffering.

Fang Qiang's lips twitched, but in the end he said nothing and continued bending over to cut the grass.

The sun rose higher and higher, and the weather was so hot that even the insects in the forest became too lazy to chirp.

Fang Wei straightened up, wiped the sweat from his face, walked to the shade of a tree, took out a water bottle and a porcelain bowl from the cloth bag he had brought, and poured a bowl of cool boiled water.

"Big brother—"

He carried the bowl over and handed it to Fang Qiang, saying, "Take a break and have some water."

Fang Qiang stopped wielding his sickle, looked up at Fang Wei, and saw that his lips were dry and chapped, so he knew that Fang Wei hadn't drunk any water himself.

"..."

He silently took the bowl of water and gulped it down.

After drinking the cold water, I felt much better.

"You should have some too."

Fang Qiang handed the empty bowl back and said one more thing.

Fang Wei grinned, poured himself a bowl, and tilted his head back to gulp it all down.

The two sat down in the shade of a tree and rested for less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before Fang Qiang stood up again: "Let's get back to work."

Fang Wei nodded, and the two brothers went back to work in silence.

As the sun was about to set, a large patch of fiery clouds appeared on the horizon, turning the entire old forest farm orange-red.

Fang Wei looked up.

The two grown men worked all day and only managed to harvest four or five acres of land.

At this rate, it will take at least two months!

Fang Qiang wiped his sweat, looked at his work, and a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

"Brother, that's enough for today."

Fang Wei put the hoe and machete aside and patted the dirt off his clothes.

Fang Qiang nodded and began packing his things, saying, "You can come earlier tomorrow; I've already turned down some work in town."

"Okay, I understand."

Fang Wei took out a banknote from his pocket and handed it over: "Brother, this is today's pay. Please keep it."

Fang Qiang was stunned, staring at the one-yuan note for a long time without reaching out to take it.

It wasn't that he thought it was too little; you have to understand that for these odd-job farmers, the highest wage they could earn after a day of hard work in town was only eight cents.

Fang Wei giving one yuan is already more than enough!

He never expected that his younger brother would actually pay him, and that he would settle the payment daily without any delays!

"Take it."

Seeing his older brother in a daze, Fang Wei grabbed his hand, stuffed the one-yuan note into his palm, and said with a smile, "We agreed to settle accounts daily, and I will never be late."

"Brother, since you've decided to work with me, go back and tell your sister-in-law not to worry."

"I guarantee you'll be paid exactly what you're owed!"

Fang Qiang held the coin in his hand, remained silent for a while, and then nodded: "Mm."

Fang Wei breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the man had accepted the money. This one yuan was more effective than any apology!

……

When Fang Qiang got home, it was already dark.

Zhou Li was cooking in the kitchen, while her son Fang Ping'an was squatting in the yard playing in the mud.

Fang Qiang leaned the tool against the corner of the wall, walked to the water vat, scooped up a ladle of water, gulped it down, wiped his mouth, walked over to his wife, and handed her something: "Here."

Zhou Li looked at the one-yuan coin, frowned, and asked, "What's this...?"

"This is what Fang Wei gave me for today's wages."

Fang Qiang's voice was somewhat low.

"...Did he really give it to me?"

A look of shock flashed across Zhou Li's face. She took the one-yuan note and examined it carefully. It really was cash on delivery!

"Daqiang, Fang Wei... did he just sit there watching you work today?"

"no."

Fang Qiang knew his wife would ask that, so he smiled and said in a hoarse voice, "He worked all day too."

"He swung the hoe even harder than I did, and his hands were blistered and bleeding, but he didn't utter a sound. My sister-in-law brought him lunch."

Zhou Li kept looking at the one-yuan note, and hesitated, "He's not faking it on purpose, is he?"

It's no wonder she had this impression; she could tell from the first day she married into the Fang family that everyone in the Fang family doted on Fang Wei!

Although this younger brother-in-law still has to do some farm work, it's far less than his older brothers and sisters!

"It doesn't look like it."

Fang Qiang shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Judging from his appearance, he seems to be really preparing to settle down and live an honest life."