Not being blind to reality is not just a saying; He Tiantian takes every matter seriously and sees through everyone.

"Oh, which families are they?" He Tiantian asked, feigning ignorance. She had been strictly controlled by Qi's mother and didn't know much about the villagers. To avoid being taken advantage of later, she wanted to find out beforehand.

Grandma Qi looked at He Tiantian's innocent face and then at how well-behaved she was. After thinking for a moment, she said, "I shouldn't be gossiping about people from the same village, but since you asked, I'll tell you in detail. However, I'll only say these things here; I won't admit them outside."

Despite her bad class background, missing son, and dead husband, Grandma Qi was still highly respected in Qijia Village. This shows that she was a thoughtful and considerate person, not just an ordinary gossipy old woman from the countryside.

“Okay, let’s just talk about it, we won’t tell anyone else. I’m not familiar with those educated youth, we only met today,” He Tiantian explained, promising not to tell anyone else.

"That's good." Grandma Qi nodded. "Our village secretary is a good person. As long as you follow the village committee's arrangements and work honestly, they won't make things difficult for you. Below the secretary is the accountant, Qi Shuli. That guy is a bit stingy, so be careful around him and work diligently, or he'll deduct your work points. Zhao Dajiao, who was Er Gou's mother earlier, is our village's women's federation director. She's a good person, but she's greedy for small gains. If you want her help, you'll have to give her some benefits..."

Grandma Qi told He Tiantian about the personalities and ways of doing things of the main people in the village, which prepared He Tiantian mentally. It must be said that Grandma Qi's summary was very insightful; He Tiantian had never imagined these people would be like that before. This wasn't just because Qi's mother prevented He Tiantian from interacting with the outside world, but also because He Tiantian was unwilling to interact with people, always hiding in her own shell. Later, forced by life's circumstances, she had no choice but to climb out of her shell to make a living.

Hearing this was very beneficial to He Tiantian.

After applying the medicine, Grandma Qi was able to get up and walk around slowly. After washing up, Grandma Qi, being elderly and not very energetic, went back to her room to sleep.

He Tiantian lived in the west wing of Grandma Qi's house. The east wing, being sunny, was used to store miscellaneous items.

Grandma Qi's house was much better than the houses at the educated youth settlement. It was not only spacious but also furnished. What He Tiantian liked most was the large bed, which was at least 1.8 meters wide. At noon, the mat had been wiped clean and taken outside to air out. The room had also been tidied up. Grandma Qi gave He Tiantian a mosquito net so she could get a good night's sleep.

He Tiantian began packing the things her mother had brought her, taking out the clothes she would wear tomorrow: a white shirt, army green pants, and a pair of blue cloth shoes.

Thinking of the package Huo Yingjie had given him, which she hadn't looked at in the car, she could finally take it out and examine it now that she was alone.

Inside a blue striped handkerchief were grain coupons and a dozen or so yuan. The grain coupons were probably from his family, and the money was likely Huo Yingjie's own savings. Next to it was a piece of floral fabric, about 1.5 meters long, which could be used to make clothes. There was also a Little Red Book containing a letter that read:

Sweetie, I'm sorry, there wasn't enough time to prepare anything else for you. Please forgive me.

I'm giving you this book so you can memorize it thoroughly and learn to utilize its exquisite language. Don't be lazy anymore. These food coupons were given to you by my mother, and the money is what I saved up. You must keep it safe, because you're going to such a far place, and you can't go without money.

When traveling alone, be sure to take good care of your health.

Finally, once you reach your destination, be sure to write to me. I've already put the gas coupons for this trip in the envelope.

Distance will test our revolutionary camaraderie. But please believe that my sincerity will not change. The situation in Nanshi is very serious right now, which is why I agreed to Uncle He sending you away. Don't worry about things here; I'll have Dad take care of Uncle He and Aunt Wang. You don't need to worry about home.

I'll stop here for now. I look forward to your letter so I can know how you are doing.

Sincerely,

salute!

Huo Yingjie

July 9, 1970

As He Tiantian read the heartfelt letter, tears streamed down her face. She was not only moved by Huo Yingjie, but also by the opportunity to change her destiny that had presented itself; she couldn't let it slip away.

An eight-cent gas stamp fell out of the envelope. This stamp was valid nationwide.

It's dark now, and He Tiantian doesn't want to waste lamp oil by lighting a lamp, so she's thinking of getting up early tomorrow to write a reply.

Lying in the mosquito net, fanning herself with a palm leaf fan, thinking about Huo Yingjie's letter, she fell asleep sweetly.

The next morning, He Tiantian wrote a reply to Huo Yingjie, enclosing a letter to her parents. She told him to tell Secretary Qi when she saw him that if anyone was going to the county town, they could help send a letter.

He Tiantian made corn porridge. Just two small handfuls were enough for two people to make two bowls of thick corn porridge, which tasted quite good with the pickled vegetables made by Grandma Qi.

Grandma Qi nodded secretly when she saw the breakfast. He Tiantian was a thrifty girl. Eating like this would be enough to cover the meager rations distributed to the educated youth.

"Sweetie, you rest well at home today. I'm going to work," said Grandma Qi. If she didn't work, she wouldn't get work points, and if she didn't have time, she wouldn't get any food. If an old woman like her didn't work, there wouldn't be enough food for her.

He Tiantian was taken aback, looked at Grandma Qi's feet, and said, "Grandma Qi, your feet aren't healed yet, how can you go to work?"

"It's alright, it's alright. I'm old enough not to work in the fields. I just need to pick cotton husks," said Grandma Qi. "As long as I sit down and move my hands, I can do this job."

He Tiantian nodded and said, "Okay, I'll carry you over."

"I can walk, I can walk." Grandma Qi refused, not letting He Tiantian carry her, afraid that she would hurt He Tiantian.

He Tiantian smiled and said, "Grandma Qi, I'm very strong, I can carry you. If you don't let me carry you, I'll feel embarrassed to stay here with you and eat the vegetables from your garden."

Grandma Qi was touched and said, "Alright, you give it a try. If you can't carry it, I'll walk by myself. It doesn't matter if it's slow."

He Tiantian half-squatted down and lightly carried Grandma Qi on her back.

“See? I can carry it,” He Tiantian said, picking up the basket from the ground with one hand. “Grandma Qi, you take the basket.”

There are tools for peeling cotton bollards inside. He Tiantian is fine and is helping Grandma Qi San with chores today.

Following Grandma Qi's directions, He Tiantian arrived at two large houses in the middle of the village, where a group of elderly women were already chatting and laughing.

When everyone saw He Tiantian enter, they then noticed Grandma Qi on her back.

"Third Aunt, you twisted your ankle, so just rest at home," Zhao Dajiao said. She had already learned about Qi San's grandmother's situation from her son yesterday, but fortunately it wasn't serious, which was why she hadn't come to see her.