"Go to the countryside, go to the border regions, go to the places where the motherland needs you most."

Revolutionary youth aspire to serve the people, taking root in rural areas and border regions.

"Get covered in mud, forge a red heart, dedicate your life to revolution, and be a good student of Chairman Mao for life."

"Go to the countryside, transform the land, and build a new socialist countryside!"

...

On the island, Bonnie and her friends could hear the propaganda about going to the countryside being broadcast repeatedly on the radio every day.

The older children in the family compound were also getting restless. Last time they cried and made a fuss about not wanting to join the army, but now they were excitedly shouting to go to the countryside and make a career in the vast rural areas!

"Go to the countryside? Isn't this the countryside? You want to start a business? What can you do? Can you hoe the fields or harvest wheat?"

“I can learn, I have knowledge. Who says going to the countryside means doing farm work?”

Similar sentiments were being discussed in many families. The children, living on the island, longed for the outside world. They naively believed the outside world was wonderful, especially during the Great Cultural Revolution when they were forbidden from leaving the island. This island felt like a cage to them, and they longed to break free.

Humans are strange creatures; the more we're forbidden from doing something, the more we want to do it, even if we get hurt and suffer setbacks. We won't turn back until we hit a wall, and sometimes, even after hitting a wall, we might not turn back.

The women in the family compound have been having headaches from the kids' noise these past few days, and they're finally giving in. What else can they do? These kids are so old, they can't join the army or get jobs.

But Beijing presents a completely different picture.

Slogans promoting rural outreach were plastered everywhere, and the neighborhood committees also targeted the local toughs, visiting them daily to persuade them to go to the countryside.

With so much energy, stop struggling and go out into the wider world to achieve great things. This small temple in Beijing is barely big enough for you all. Go to a broader stage and showcase your talents!

In recent years, the city has been in chaos, with people chasing after women, fighting, and fighting for territory... making many people afraid to go out after dark, and social order has been in complete disarray.

Gu Mei ran home excitedly.

"Mom, I want to go to the countryside to build a new rural area!"

Gu Mei's words were so shocking that they almost made Xu Fang faint.

She was worried about how to help Gu Mei avoid being sent to the countryside. Should she ask the old man to pull some strings, or shamelessly approach Gu Ze—after all, he was his sister? Unexpectedly, Gu Mei's words nearly made Xu Fang choke with anger.

"What are you going to do in the countryside? Do you know how to do farm work? Can you cook? Do you know how hard it is to work in the fields from dawn till dusk? You..."

Xu Fang had been through it herself, and she didn't want her daughter to go through it again. She gave up everything back then so that she would never have to go back to the countryside, even though their village was very close to Beijing. It was still a rural area, and there was always endless work to do.

"Brother Han also signed up to go to the countryside. I want to be with him, to be closer to him," Gu Mei interrupted her mother's nagging with a shy smile.

For Han-gege, she would go through fire and water, as long as Han-gege could see her.

"What, Brother Han? You're dating someone?"

"No, I'd like to, but Brother Han won't allow it. Mom, can you ask around and see where Brother Han was assigned? I want to go too."

Xu Fang looked at the somewhat deranged Gu Mei and thought, "What a tragedy! A sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, thinking of nothing but handsome men." She remembered who Brother Han was. The youngest son of General Han, a good-for-nothing playboy.

“No, men and women should avoid suspicion. You’re chasing after that Han guy all day long, what about your reputation? He does nothing all day, leading a bunch of young men, not joining the army, but chasing women everywhere, what future can he have?”

"I don't care, I'm going to go somewhere with Brother Han. If you won't help me, I'll ask around myself and sign up myself."

Not to mention Gu Mei and her mother's unreasonable behavior at home, Gu Sanshu's house was also not peaceful.

"Does Gu Nan really have to go to the countryside? Is there no other way? Gu Ze, have you gone to talk to him?"

Aunt Gu asked anxiously. She didn't want her youngest son to go to the countryside; not only would he suffer, but what future could he possibly have? Her son was a college student, he did so well on the exams, how could he be out of school?

"It's no use asking anyone. I've already asked Gu Ze, and this time it's mandatory; everyone who meets the requirements has to go. Now, you hurry up and prepare things for Gu Nan, and I'll try to pull some strings. It's all Gu Nan's fault; she's practically invisible at work every other day."

"He was thinking of going back to college, who could have imagined this world would turn out like this..."

"Shut up, you're just blurting out whatever comes to mind."

Aunt Gu covered her mouth, regretting it as soon as she finished speaking; she had blurted it out.

Uncle Gu went out again, and Aunt Gu began to sort through the household receipts. Regardless of whether they were going or not, and wherever they might go, they had to make two plans.

The thought of her outstanding youngest son, who was holding a pen, about to grasp a hoe, made her heart clench.

Meanwhile, things are also commotion at Gu Xiaogu's family. There are three children in the family. The eldest is working, the youngest can still manage, and the second child is exactly what they need!

She's a 28-year-old young woman who's been following a group of people in the revolution. She hasn't found a job or a boyfriend, which is worrying.

"Mom, I'm not going to the countryside. Go find Grandpa and my older cousin to find me a job. I'm not going to the countryside."

Gu Xiaogu's daughter, Tian Hui, cried and argued with her mother, her former spiritedness as a young revolutionary had vanished.

All the young men in their team were to be sent to the countryside; none of them could escape it. They felt that they were going to build a new countryside and make a difference, believing that there was much to be done in the vast countryside.

But Tian Hui knew what the countryside was like. Her grandmother's family lived there, and she had been back once before. Everywhere was dusty, the houses were low, and the whole family was huddled together, fighting fiercely over a piece of candy or a piece of meat.

Her aunts still wanted to send their male cousins ​​to her home, believing that boys should be valued and that she, as a girl, would eventually get married and be considered "water spilled out" (meaning she was no longer considered part of her family). The thought gave her nightmares, and she absolutely did not want to go to the countryside.

"Alright, I'll go check on your grandfather later, but I don't know if that'll be okay."

Gu Xiaogu was also at her wits' end. Her daughter knew nothing and wondered how she would survive in the countryside. But she also knew that there were other eligible children in the Gu family besides her daughter, and she wasn't sure if her father could help.

The "Brother Han" that Gu Mei mentioned, Han Weidong, is also a legendary figure in the compound.

As a child born late in life, he disliked being a soldier and didn't want to work. He was around eighteen or nineteen years old and just drifted around aimlessly. His father was a true revolutionary with impeccable revolutionary credentials, even younger than Gu Ye's grandfather, and held a high-ranking position. The key point was that he hadn't retired yet.

Han Weidong's mother was his father's second wife. She was an older widower with a child who married a woman more than ten years younger than him who admired him, and they had several more children. The two families of children didn't get along very well. Han Weidong hated the atmosphere at home and wanted to leave.

"Brother Han, that clingy girl from the Gu family just asked where you're going to work in the countryside."

"Don't tell her, she's too annoying and doesn't understand human language."

"Haha... We gave her a fake address, who knows if she'll travel the world for love!"

"Ha ha……"

"Get out!"

A group of teenagers rode off into the distance on their old-fashioned bicycles!