"Xia, please sit for a while. It's not easy for you young people to come to the countryside. As long as you work hard and don't slack off, you'll all have enough to eat!"

Xia Wan sat down as instructed, and said with a smile, "Uncle, please don't say that. We came to the countryside to contribute to the prosperity of our motherland!"

"We've never done farm work before and we're afraid of causing trouble for our fellow villagers, but I believe that as long as we study hard and persevere, we will definitely be able to overcome the difficulties!" She felt goosebumps all over her body as she finished speaking!

Wu Guohua's admiration deepened, and he gave Xia Wan a thumbs up: "Xia Wan is the most conscientious among the educated youth. But don't worry, as long as you complete your tasks diligently, no one in our brigade will make things difficult for you!"

"Captain, do we have a lot of tasks every day?" Seeing that the captain was speaking to Xia Wan in a rather gentle manner, Wang Zhuoyue boldly moved closer and struck up a conversation with them with a smile!

Xia Wan also looked at Wu Guohua curiously. This was related to her future life, it was very important! She wanted to know!

"It's not difficult, it's not difficult. As long as you work hard and don't slack off, you'll always have enough to eat!" Wu Guohua said with a smile, reassuring them that these kids were more honest than the previous ones.

The people here are all straightforward and don't have many hidden agendas. The first few educated youths who came were all very cunning!

Besides faking illness and shirking their responsibilities, they also borrow grain and don't pay it back. And then there are those with wicked intentions who lure the young men and women of their brigade into helping them with the work. They're really ruthless!

"Then we must do a good job!" Xia Wan smiled sincerely, looking relieved. "Uncle, could you tell us about our brigade? We'll be more careful so we don't end up clueless and offend someone!"

"Nonsense, you're quite cautious, girl. It's not as serious as you make it out to be. The villagers in the brigade are all easy to get along with!" Of course, Wu Guohua couldn't possibly list all the people in the brigade to them in detail.

He simply said, "There are a few young people in the brigade who don't know their place. Stay away from them from now on! If you encounter any difficulties, come to me or the brigade's accountant!"

Every brigade has a few bad apples, but the ones in Huaihua Brigade have been completely subdued by him over the past few years.

Xia Wan just smiled when she heard this, knowing she wouldn't get any information from Wu Guohua today! After all, she couldn't ask too obviously; if the biological father wasn't Old Xia, she didn't plan to acknowledge that family!

It seems that if I want to find out something, I'll have to ask other people in the village!

However, she still decided to visit the Xia family when she had the chance, since according to Qiao Qiao, Xia Jianguo was a mess and would definitely be resting at home and not going out.

So if you want to be sure about something, you have to find an opportunity to see it for yourself.

After resting enough, Wu Guohua led them to continue their journey to the brigade. During the rest period, they chatted briefly and became familiar with each other, making the journey less difficult as they talked and laughed along the way.

Even so, it was already very late when they arrived at the brigade!

The educated youth settlement consisted of just a few old houses. Wu Guohua knocked on the door and called out, "Educated Youth Yang, Educated Youth Liu, come out for a moment. The new educated youth have been brought back!"

"They're here!" someone inside responded, and a short while later, a man and a woman came out.

"Uncle Captain, you've worked hard. These must be the new educated youth!" The man smiled warmly.

The woman smiled but didn't speak, only nodding at them in a friendly manner. The two looked somewhat tired, as if they had just been woken up from a nap!

Wu Guohua pointed to Xia Wan and the others: "Yes, these are the new educated youth. You two take care of them! Get some rest early today, and we can deal with anything else tomorrow!"

"Okay, Captain, don't worry, we'll definitely make the arrangements this time!" A hint of embarrassment flashed across the man's face as he gave Wu Guohua a humble smile.

Their luggage was taken off the oxcart, and the brigade leader left them at the educated youth settlement and then left.

After Wu Guohua left, the man and woman's faces darkened, and they didn't seem to welcome them. They simply opened the door and walked inside on their own.

Several newly arrived educated youths, unaware of what was going on, followed her into the courtyard! Xia Wan raised an eyebrow; it seemed this educated youth compound was not peaceful.

"My name is Yang Lijian, and I'm in charge of the male educated youth. You two come with me! The female educated youth, listen to Liu Hongya's instructions!" Yang Lijian said, pointing to Wang Zhuoyue and the other man, before heading straight back into the house.

"Let's go!" Liu Hongya glanced indifferently at Xia Wan and the others, and led them to the room where the female educated youth lived: "Rest here for the night, we can talk about it tomorrow!"

Her expression was calm, and she didn't show much liking for the new educated youth; she was simply fulfilling her duties.

The kang (heated brick bed) was quite large, but only three people slept there. Xia Wan found a spot against the wall by the moonlight, put down her bedding, and decided to make do for the night and see how things went tomorrow!

"How am I supposed to sleep in this pitch black?" Li Zhenzhen complained as she took out a candle from her bag and lit it herself.

Although her family doted on her, they still didn't let her bring the only flashlight; this candle was secretly given to her by her mother!

Liu Hongya ignored her and went to bed. As for Xia Wan and Huang Qiujie, they were even less likely to pay her any attention.

Li Zhenzhen pouted, her anger simmering with nowhere to vent, so she could only push Huang Qiujie next to her: "Hey, move aside a bit, give me some space!"

Huang Qiujie didn't even look up as she tidied her bedding. Xia Wan had already lain down, and she needed to rest soon too!

As for that idiot Li Zhenzhen, let her do what she wants! It would be better if she offended all the old educated youth!

"Huang Qiujie, I'm talking to you! Are you deaf?" Li Zhenzhen threw her quilt onto the kang (a heated brick bed), her voice becoming uncontrollably high-pitched.

Before Huang Qiujie could even speak, an annoyed and angry voice rang out: "Shut up, you're so noisy! If you don't want to live here, then get out!"

It was the female educated youth next to her; as the sound faded, something was thrown out! Clearly, her sweet dream had been disturbed!

"Why should I leave? Couldn't you at least leave me a place to sleep? You're all sleeping like logs, don't you have any sense of teamwork?"

Li Zhenzhen was furious! Why was everyone against her?

"Who are you calling a dead pig? You just arrived in the countryside and you already want to fight, huh!" The female educated youth seemed to have a terrible temper when she woke up. She sat up irritably and was about to pounce on Li Zhenzhen.

Liu Hongya spoke up promptly: "Alright Zhang Wenwen, hurry up and go to sleep. You have to go to work tomorrow! Do you want to be late and have your work points deducted again?"

Just moments ago, Zhang Wenwen was furious, but now she deflated like a punctured balloon, lying back down in bed, muttering under her breath, "Where did this spoiled princess come from? She's so picky about what she gets to sleep in!"