Yuan Si worked quickly. After pulling up all the corn stalks in the remaining few rows, she saw the pile at the edge of the field was big enough to keep several people busy husking. So, she didn't continue. Instead, she told the old lady she was heading back to make dinner. She'd eaten so little for lunch and worked hard all day; it had been absolute torture.
By the time her mother led her son home at dusk, the meal was already on the table.
"Oh, my daughter is so considerate. I'm really reaping the benefits of having you." The old lady washed her hands and face with the sun-warmed water from the courtyard. Feeling refreshed, she tossed the dirty water onto the ground.
"This is just the beginning. The days of you enjoying life are still to come." Yuan Si wasn't being modest at all. She was, indeed, a good daughter. For her mother's sake, she had truly changed her ways a great deal.
