Just as Yu Rujia was wondering where Duofu had gone, she saw the little guy come out of the kitchen and had a guess in her mind: "Duofu, did you take the bowl to the kitchen?"

Duofu replied crisply, "Yes, I saw that Auntie was busy, so I thought I'd help her with something."

The chubby little boy, who was just over three years old, looked very serious. Yu Rujia praised him, saying, "Our Duofu is so sensible. Not only does he take care of his younger brother, but he also helps his aunt with washing the dishes. What would his aunt do if she were away from Duofu?"

Duofu touched his slightly flushed face and thought to himself, "Auntie really loves me the most, and I love her too: I will help Auntie with more things in the future."

Yu Rujia: "I believe Duofu can definitely do it."

When the educated youth compound received news that Gao Shujing wanted to build a house, Zhang Zhaodi asked in confusion, "We live in brick and tile houses, one room per person, which is much better than in the city. Why do you want to spend that money to build a house elsewhere?"

Zhang Zhaodi's family consists of six people, and the house they were allocated was only a little over 30 square meters, which was divided into three bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen. Each room was only a few square meters. Her parents had one room, her younger brother had one room, and the three sisters had one room.

Their family's situation is relatively better; many more people are crammed into a 30-40 square meter room with more than a dozen members, and they can't even stretch their legs out when they sleep at night.

The former residence of educated youth was originally the house where landlords lived. There were only a few brick and tile houses, while the rest were mud brick houses. Each house was at least ten square meters in size, two or three times larger than Zhang Zhaodi's house.

There weren't many of them, and they all lived in brick and tile houses. Such accommodations were better than most city dwellers', let alone Zhang Zhaodi's.

Only then did they understand why Gao Shujing wanted to run away and build a house on his own.

With her own thoughts in mind, Chen Manman chimed in, "That's right, Gao Zhiqing. If you're not comfortable living in the educated youth compound, you can bring it up. We'll all discuss how to make it better. There's no need to waste money like that."

She was captivated the first time she met Gao Shujing, who was humble, gentle, and refined like a noble young master. She had originally thought that being close to him would make it easier to develop feelings for him, but if he moved out, it wouldn't be so easy.

Lu Kuohai then advised, "You've just started living with us, so it's a little difficult to adjust. You'll get used to it after a while. Why don't you stay a little longer, Gao Zhiqing? If you really can't adapt, we can build another house later."

Zhou Beifa wasn't that quick-witted, and he remained silent as the others tried to persuade Gao Shujing.

The group assumed that Gao Shujing was just new to the place and not used to sharing a room with other people, which was why she was thinking of moving out.

In their opinion, the accommodation here is really good. At least they are very satisfied. Even Chen Manman, whose family is better off, didn't feel that there was anything wrong with living in the educated youth compound.

When Gao Shujing spoke to the educated youth, he didn't use the same words he used when speaking to Captain Huang: "You've misunderstood. I'm not uncomfortable living with you. I'll be moving out purely because of work."

"The captain said that I will focus most of my attention on repairs from now on, and repairs require a space."

“We have few people now, so you don’t care about these things. But when there are more people later, all sorts of problems will arise. We’ll have to move sooner or later, so let’s just move now.”

Chen Manman: "There are still so many empty rooms here, even if more people come, there will be enough room for them to stay."

Gao Shujing: "You've been here a bit too long, so you're not very clear about the situation in the city. There are more and more unemployed youths in the city now, and these people often fight, cause trouble, and there are bloodshed incidents every day."

"Since the late 1950s, the country has been advocating that educated youth go to the countryside, and the propaganda efforts are getting stronger and stronger. In order to stabilize the security in the city, it will be inevitable that educated youth will be forced to go to the countryside, which is estimated to be within the next year or two."

“When a large number of educated youth go to the countryside, all these houses will be full, and then it will develop into a situation where many people live in one room, and there will be no more comfortable living environment.”

“You’ve been sent to the countryside for several years now. You know how many of the educated youth who went to the countryside before you have returned. What I’m saying will become a reality sooner or later.”

When the topic of educated youth returning to the city came up, the three educated youths other than Zhang Zhaodi all turned pale. At first, they believed the country's propaganda that the countryside was very useful and were determined to go to the countryside to make a new career.

Unfortunately, their imagination was beautiful, but reality was harsh. After arriving in the countryside, they discovered that they had no ability to bring about significant changes.

After experiencing a series of setbacks, they wanted to return to the city, but were told that there was no hope of returning and that they could only stay in the countryside, become farmers, and support themselves by farming.

If what Gao Shujing said is true, then those educated youth who went to the countryside first are just appetizers at best. The real feast will not be served for another year or two. If this is the case, they will definitely have to get married and have children in the countryside.

Thinking of this, the other educated youths lost all interest in persuading Gao Shujing to stay in the educated youth compound. They were all in turmoil themselves, so how could they care about others?

After a moment of silence, Lu Kuohai asked, "Once sent to the countryside, it's very difficult for educated youth to return. Gao, an educated youth, was a college graduate, and her job was guaranteed. Why did she choose to go to the countryside?"

They were high school students, and there was no guarantee of job placement. After graduation, they couldn't find work and were misled into going to the countryside.

There is a shortage of mechanical repairmen everywhere, and college graduates are highly sought after by various companies. Gao Shujing has no trouble finding a job. He doesn't understand why he chose to go to the countryside.

The other three were also confused and turned their gaze to Gao Shujing, wanting to see what he would say.

Gao Shujing: "I have some skills, and I heard that there was a shortage of technicians in the countryside, so I came to the countryside."

After agreeing to build a new house, Captain Huang allocated land to Gao Shujing and arranged for bricks and tiles to be delivered. Then, he found someone to dig the foundation.

The double harvest season is over, and everyone is not as tired as before. It is rare for the brigade to find a job that can earn money, and everyone who hears the news is eager to take the job. Brigade Leader Huang selected a few efficient people to work.

With many people, there is great strength. The houses are changing every day, and the foundations are almost complete in just a few days.

With the household registration booklet in hand, Yu Rujia no longer kept Duofu and the others under her control as before. Hearing the commotion next door, the children tiptoed outside to watch.

Gao Shujing put down the hoe, brushed the mud off his hands, walked over to the three children who were huddled together looking this way, squatted down, and met their gaze.

Gao Shujing's lips curled up slightly: "May you have abundant blessings, prosperity, and longevity. And what about your aunt?"

Duofu, holding the hands of his two younger brothers who were eager to explore the outside world, said in a childish voice, "Uncle, Auntie is sweeping the floor and watching over Duoxi inside."

Doro looked toward the foundation with his big eyes: "Uncle, what are you doing?"