Chapter 52: Trust in Brother Shen, and you shall attain eternal life. Got it?

“That’s all you’ve got?”

“Look at those kids, then look at you guys. Tch, you’re seriously weaklings, not even as good as the little brats!”

“No wonder when it’s time to eat and drink, you can only sit at the kids’ table.”

“Next time, you might as well just squat on the ground.”

The five-man team of stubborn weaklings gritted their teeth and went back to digging with their shovels.

Half an hour later, Lu Jianshen came by again.

“Still hanging in there? If not, go take a break. I’m still going strong. I’ve been digging for almost an hour now.”

The five exhausted workhorses, who were just about to rest, refused to admit defeat and buried their heads back into digging.

Two hours later.

Their hands were covered in blisters, and the five of them were panting like dogs, tongues out, completely drained.

Lu Jianshen strolled over once more.

“Too slow. You guys are way too slow. Look at my sister, then look at yourselves.”

“Sigh, five grown men, all useless. Not a single one worth anything.”

The five “useless ones” turned in unison to look at Lu Qingqiang.

When they saw how far along she was, they all collapsed to the ground on the spot.

Damn, we can’t compete. Seriously, we can’t.

What kind of superhuman is Brother Shen’s sister?

How is she digging so fast?

Was she a reincarnated excavator spirit or something?

And that wasn’t even the end of it.

Once everyone had worked together to plant trees in all the dug holes, filled them in, watered them, and were ready to head down the mountain…

They saw Brother Shen’s sister start hauling logs down the mountain by hand.

She said she was bringing them back to drill holes and plant shiitake mushrooms, snow fungus, lingzhi, and the like.

Oh, but that wasn’t the point.

The point was, she was carrying four logs all by herself!

Four logs!

That made the five of them feel like they couldn’t show their faces unless they each carried four logs too.

What could they do? Grit their teeth and carry them. No way they were going to lose face.

Especially when even the Little Radish Heads were working in pairs to carry one or two logs down.

If they walked down empty-handed, it would be beyond embarrassing.

Many hands make light work.

After two or three trips back and forth, the little truck Lu Qingqiang had brought was finally packed to the brim.

“Great job today, everyone. Let’s go home and eat!”

The moment she said that, Lu Jianshen and his five brothers were so moved they nearly burst into tears.

Freedom. They were finally free!

At that moment, they felt like convicts who had just finished a labor reform sentence.

Now that the hard labor was over, they were about to regain their freedom.

What’s that pounding? It’s their hearts, beating with joy and longing for freedom!

On the way back, Lu Qingqiang drove her little truck alone.

The others rode the orphanage’s shuttle bus.

Lu Jianshen’s five brothers wanted to go home, but Lu Jianshen dragged them off to the orphanage instead.

“If you’re real brothers, come with me. I’ll take you to visit my sister’s orphanage and treat you to a meal.”

“My sister’s orphanage is really something special. You’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Your hands need urgent care.”

“Our Doctor Feng is a renowned pediatric specialist. She can patch up your hands in no time.”

“The food at the orphanage is amazing. I guarantee you’ll be licking your plates clean.”

“Trust in Brother Shen, and you shall attain eternal life. Got it?”

“…”

With that nonstop sales pitch, Lu Jianshen successfully roped all five of them into driving behind the shuttle bus to the orphanage.

Anyway, the work was done, and it was already midday.

Might as well go to the orphanage.

They figured Brother Shen genuinely wanted to treat them to a good meal, not rope them into more labor.

But once they arrived at the orphanage, the five of them realized—too late—they’d been way too naive!

No more work? Ha. As if.

Those logs in the little truck still had to be unloaded, right?

And who was going to do it? Them, of course.

Even the kids and girls were pitching in. Could they really just stand there and watch?

No way.

So, back to work they went.

Argh! Brother Shen was too much. He totally set them up!

Boohoo ?°(°ˉ??ˉ?°)°?

But after finishing the work and finally lining up with the crowd at the canteen to get their meals, their mood did a complete 180.

And to be fair, the food at the orphanage canteen was really that good!

The rice was perfectly steamed, each grain distinct and fragrant.

The braised pork was rich but not greasy, perfect with rice.

The garlic oysters were grilled to perfection, delicious and aromatic.

The vinegar-fried eggs were crispy and flavorful with every bite.

The crispy pork ribs were crunchy on the outside, tender inside, and bursting with flavor.

The cold cucumber salad was tangy, spicy, and refreshing.

The kung pao chicken was savory, tender, and smooth.

The tomato and egg stir-fry was vibrant in color, aroma, and taste.

And the braised little fish? Absolutely delightful.

Before they knew it, each of them had scarfed down two big bowls of rice.

They were stuffed to the brim.

In the end, the five of them begrudgingly drank a bowl of corn and pork rib soup each, and shared three oranges and two bowls of winter dates.

Then, before Lu Jianshen could say a word, they jumped in their car and bolted.

No way they were sticking around. If they didn’t run now, Brother Shen would definitely rope them into more heavy labor in the afternoon.

With a mountain that big and so much land to plant, they’d never finish even if they worked themselves to death.

Forget it, better to run.

The five young men who had arrived all clean and dashing left covered in dirt, silent and defeated.

What they didn’t know was that not long after, they’d be back again.

This time, packed up and delivered by their own families.

Heh.

??????

After lunch, Lu Shenlin, Madam Lu, and Lu Jianshen were getting ready to head back.

Before leaving, they checked the latest news updates.

Sure enough, the story about a psychiatric patient escaping from a mental hospital and injuring five innocent people with a knife had already made it into the top five trending topics.

Local news was also reporting on it.

The knife-wielding psychiatric patient had been subdued by the police.

The injured victims, thanks to a good Samaritan’s first aid, had been rushed to the hospital and were now in stable condition.

The comments under the news were filled with all sorts of opinions.

Debates over whether mentally ill individuals who commit violent crimes should face life imprisonment or even the death penalty had become the hottest topic.

People were voicing their fear, anxiety, and anger.

“A psychiatric patient should stay in the hospital. Why did they let him out? The family and the hospital should be held responsible.”

“My suggestion: death penalty for the attacker. Otherwise, who would dare walk the streets anymore?”

“Exactly! It’s terrifying, ahhhh!”

“My god, just walking down the street and suddenly a lunatic comes at you with a knife? Who do you even complain to?”

“Was he really mentally ill or just pretending? Maybe he was a sociopath seeking revenge on society.”

“This happened near my house. Thank goodness I was still sleeping in and didn’t go out. Sometimes laziness really does save lives.”

“The person who helped looked really familiar. I think I’ve seen her before.”

“She’s Feng Shou, the famous pediatric specialist from Jiang City. Her appointments are super hard to get. My son had a mycoplasma infection and a persistent fever. I was lucky enough to get an appointment with her, and he recovered quickly after that…”