Chapter 137 Educated Youth in the 1970s (Part 1) I Want to Build! I Want to Learn...

When Song Ce woke up again, he found his head leaning against the train window, clutching a package tightly in his arms. The carriage was packed to the brim, with people standing shoulder to shoulder even in the aisle.

He looked up and saw that everyone was dressed in similar clothes, mostly military green and bright blue, with the occasional gray or black mixed in. The men all had very short hair and few wore hats; the women mostly had braids or short hair that reached their ears, looking very neat and tidy.

The carriage was filled with a mingled stench of sweat and smoke, making it unbearable. Song Ce closed his eyes and remained still, beginning to absorb the original owner's memories.

This place is similar to a parallel world of China in the 1970s. The original owner of this body is Song Ce, who is seventeen years old this year, a native of Beijing, and is currently on his way to rural construction.

The Song family had two sons. The original owner of this body was the second son, with an older brother named Song Fei who was five years older than him. The two brothers usually got along fairly well; although they weren't particularly close, they had never had any conflicts.

His mother injured herself during his birth and could no longer conceive. Therefore, his parents doted on him immensely. His father worked in a machine factory, and his mother was a saleswoman at a supply and marketing cooperative. In the eyes of their relatives, both of them had secure, stable jobs.

Back then, the "sent-down youth" movement was something city kids avoided like the plague. Going to the countryside meant leaving the city to work, build, and contribute in completely unfamiliar rural areas, with a predictable future ahead. If you were lucky, you might be assigned to a village close to home, where your family could still help you; if you were unlucky, you might be assigned to a remote and isolated place, and the day you returned to the city seemed far off.

However, the selection process in the countryside was still somewhat humane; no matter how many children a family had, one would always be allowed to stay in the city. Therefore, most families selected children based on age, with the eldest going first.

The Song family had the same plan. Song Fei, being good-tempered, agreed without saying anything when he learned that he was going to the countryside.

When the original owner learned that her parents had already pulled strings and were just waiting for her brother Song Fei to go to the countryside, she would go to work as an accountant in the grain store and get a "secure job" like her parents, she was overjoyed and walked with a swagger.

Just a week before Song Fei went to the countryside, on an ordinary noon, the original owner of this body went to the school to deliver lunch to her brother and bumped into her brother Song Fei walking with a beautiful stranger on a tree-lined path.

The girl's name was Qi Ziling, and she was Song Fei's classmate. She was helping Song Fei move a stack of books, her face flushed, and her eyes kept glancing at him. Song Fei, standing to the side, was also extremely nervous, unsure of what to do with his hands and feet.

After learning that the original owner of this body was Song Fei's younger brother, Qi Ziling smiled broadly at her. She claimed to be Song Fei's good friend, and that they had been assigned to the same village. Qi Ziling reassured the original owner not to worry, as they would look after each other.

A gentle breeze was blowing, the sun was shining brightly, and the naive and youthful original body vaguely felt that Qi Ziling was his "soulmate".

From then on, the original owner of this body eagerly volunteered to deliver meals to Song Fei at his school, and without exception, he would run into Qi Ziling every time. The original owner felt that Qi Ziling was different from any other girl he had ever met; she was quirky, kind-hearted, would smile gently at him, and would discuss currently popular novels with him. Their thoughts always coincided.

So, two days before Song Fei was to go to the countryside, the original owner of this body dragged Song Fei to see an open-air movie. On the way back, when crossing the bridge, he deliberately bumped into Song Fei, who lost his balance and fell down the steps, fracturing his right leg on the spot.

Naturally, the person chosen to go to the countryside was changed to the original owner of this body. The original owner firmly believed that this time, his "going to the countryside for love" would definitely bring a satisfactory result.

Mrs. Song never expected that her pampered youngest son would volunteer to go to the countryside. The family had already arranged a job for him—a grain store accountant—an opportunity so many people dreamed of!

After much thought, Song's mother decided that such a good spot should not be wasted, so she discussed with Song's father and suggested that they simply change the younger son's name to that of the older son, since it's good to keep the good stuff within the family!

To Song's mother's surprise, this decision was met with strong opposition from the original owner of the body. The original owner knew perfectly well that going to the countryside was no small matter; it would definitely involve hardship! Why should she go to the countryside to work in the dirt and grime while Song Fei could enjoy a life of luxury in the city? Besides, he was going to the countryside with ulterior motives to pursue his love, and Qi Ziling already liked Song Fei. If he returned to the city later, what would he, in the countryside, have to compare with Song Fei in the city? Therefore, he absolutely disagreed.

Faced with her younger son's unreasonable demands, Song's mother was torn. On one hand, she felt guilty and heartbroken that the original owner of this body was about to be sent to the countryside for construction work; on the other hand, both her sons were her flesh and blood, and she couldn't bear to see her eldest son live such a mediocre life. A grain store accountant! What a great, secure job! So many people would fight tooth and nail for it.

Seeing his younger brother's strong reaction to being sent to the countryside to suffer in his place, Song Fei proactively told his mother that he would give up the job. And so, the original owner of this body went to the countryside, while Song Fei became a lumberjack at a timber factory.

Upon arriving in the countryside, the original owner of this body truly understood the meaning of "Farmers toil under the midday sun, sweat dripping onto the soil." In the village, every bowl of rice was earned through hard work. He toiled from dawn till dusk, repeating the same monotonous and arduous farm work day after day, until his back ached. But just seeing Qi Ziling and exchanging a few words with her made all his efforts and sacrifices worthwhile.

After the two became completely familiar with each other, the original owner felt the time was right. He invited Qi Ziling to a hillside covered with purple wildflowers and solemnly confessed his feelings to her.

What pained Yuan was that Qi Ziling rejected his advances outright, making it clear that the person she loved had always been his brother, Song Fei. Her attempts to get close to him, to take care of him, and to be kind to him were simply because he was Song Fei's brother; she loved him because of him, nothing more.

The original owner was stunned, and her smile froze on her face.

He felt he couldn't stay here for even a minute longer. He had come here for Qi Ziling, and now that she had rejected him so decisively and ruthlessly, how could he possibly want to stay here and suffer? So the original owner began to write home frequently, begging his parents to find a way to bring him back to the city.

Although Mr. and Mrs. Song had stable jobs, their connections were ultimately limited, and despite asking several people for favors, they couldn't get through to the right people. So Mrs. Song could only send more money and food to her youngest son so that he could live a better life in the countryside.

After realizing his parents were helpless, the original owner felt a surge of hatred. He hated his parents for abandoning him in this small mountain village; if they had tried a little harder, they definitely could have found a way to send him back to the city! He also hated Qi Ziling for being blind, for not liking the younger and more handsome him, but stubbornly falling for that rough, uncultured Song Fei! Of course, the person he hated most was Song Fei. If it weren't for him, he wouldn't have ended up in this godforsaken place suffering!

The original owner of this body completely forgot that all of this was simply his own fault.

The original owner's paranoid and extreme personality caused the letters she sent home to gradually change from initial pleas to pages full of insults, with resentment filling every line.

"You don't love me at all! You just watch your own son work himself to death in the countryside and you don't care!"

"Everyone else can get their sons transferred back, so why can't you? Why are you so incompetent!"

"You shouldn't have given birth to me in the first place!"

These words were like sharp thorns piercing Song's parents' hearts. The elderly couple remained silent, secretly wiping away tears behind their eldest son's back.

Gradually, the original owner of this body became more and more distorted. He felt that if he was not doing well, why should others be able to? So what if Qi Ziling didn't like him? Since he came here for her, there had to be a result.

So, at a harvest party, the original owner of this body mixed high-proof liquor into Qi Ziling's fruit wine, got her drunk, and then carried her all the way back to the educated youth settlement, completely taking her for himself.

That night, the villagers and the educated youth discovered the matter.

The villagers weren't clear about their relationship, only saying that they often saw them meeting privately, going to work together, chatting and laughing on the way, suggesting that they were mutually attracted. After all, in those days, unmarried young men and women engaging in illicit relations was a huge disgrace.

The village's old Party Secretary sighed deeply and said, "Since it has already happened, you should hurry up and hold a celebration, so that outsiders don't gossip about our village."

And so, the original owner of this body got her wish and married Qi Ziling.

After marriage, Qi Ziling knew there was no future for her and Song Fei, and she became completely despondent. She was like a wooden doll, staring blankly in the direction of Beijing, unmoved by anything the original owner of this body said beside her.

At first, the original owner patiently tried to coax her, buying her face cream and picking wildflowers to please her, but in the end, Qi Ziling didn't even lift an eyelid. Later, the original owner couldn't bear it anymore, and with red eyes, he grabbed Qi Ziling's shoulders and shook her wildly.

"What haven't I done right for you? I don't believe that you only have my brother in your heart!"

Qi Ziling merely sneered upon hearing this, remaining silent.

From then on, the original owner would go crazy at home every now and then, and Qi Ziling would ignore him completely. The two of them became a pair of resentful lovers in the village, tormenting each other.

Three years later, the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination blew into this remote mountain village like a spring breeze.

Qi Ziling already had a good foundation in her studies, and her eyes lit up immediately upon hearing the news. She locked herself in her small room, working during the day to earn work points, and studying late into the night by the light of a kerosene lamp.

The original owner witnessed all of this, and it felt like a thorn was stuck in his heart. He knew that Qi Ziling was working so hard now simply because she still hoped to return to the city and see Song Fei one more time. He gritted his teeth and thought that even if he had to stay in this remote mountain village for the rest of his life, Qi Ziling would stay by his side! She wanted to leave him alone and go to university? Dream on!

During that time, the original owner kept a close eye on Qi Ziling. When he saw her reciting her lessons, he would deliberately speak loudly beside her; when he saw her trying to do her homework, he would hide the kerosene lamp to distract her. Later, the original owner couldn't take it anymore, so he gritted his teeth and burned all of Qi Ziling's books.

With her only hope of returning to the city extinguished, Qi Ziling staggered out of the courtyard. Whether by fate or design, she slipped and fell into the village stream. By the time the villagers found her, she was no longer breathing.

Upon hearing the news of Qi Ziling's death, the original owner sat motionless in the house, staring at the roof beams. The village, feeling sorry for him and wanting to comfort him, secured him a spot to return to the city. But the original owner shook his head blankly and stayed.

From then on, the original owner of this body seemed like a different person. Every day before dawn, he would go to work in the fields, working until his back was so sore he couldn't straighten up, but he wouldn't stop. Whenever he had free time, he would write letters home to inquire about his brother Song Fei's situation.

When he learned that Song Fei had remained unmarried for so many years, he first laughed, but as he laughed, tears streamed down his face, wetting the ground beneath his feet.

Finally, six years after Qi Ziling's death, the original owner died on a deep winter night. When the villagers found him, his eyes were wide open, with ice crystals clinging to his eyelashes, staring in the direction of the capital, his eyes never closing until his death.

When Song Ce read this, he felt a surge of anger rising in his chest, a lump in his throat. The original owner of this body had done one thing after another that harmed others and himself; he was simply a scumbag and a degenerate.

But after Song Ce finished reading the rest of the memories, he couldn't help but sigh softly.

After Qi Ziling's death, the original owner of this body took twelve abandoned children into his home and raised them to be healthy and chubby. Once the children were a little older, he diligently searched for kind and reliable foster parents for them, running around tirelessly – no one was more proactive than him.

Song Ce couldn't think of any words to describe the original owner's actions. He raised his head, summoned 702, and asked calmly, "May I see the process of this person's transaction with you?"

702 said without any emotion, "Host, you can only read the last paragraph, which costs 50 soul energy."

Song Ce nodded. "Okay."

In an instant, a light screen panel appeared before Song Ce's eyes. The original owner of this body faced the screen with a haggard expression and said softly, "After Qi Ziling died, I had many opportunities to go home, but I never went back. Sometimes I was angry and irritable, and I would smash all the dishes in the house when I was angry; sometimes I was sad and heartbroken, and I would cover myself with the blanket and cry day and night; sometimes I regretted and blamed myself, and I would sincerely pray to God that Qi Ziling and Song Fei must be together in the next life... It's not that I can't go back, it's that I've imprisoned myself in this place, as if it's atonement, as if it's fear, and as if it's escape. It's very complicated, isn't it?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a mechanical voice came from the light screen: "If only you had known then what you know now! The mistake has been made, and it's too late to regret. Tell me, what is your wish?"

"It was my... mistake." The original owner closed her eyes, a tear slowly sliding down her cheek: "I hope they can live a good life."

After saying this, the original body slowly became transparent until it melted away, which meant that he gave up the opportunity to be reborn and sacrificed his soul to the system.

Song Ce sighed and checked the time. The original owner of this body had just boarded the train to the countryside, and it would take another day and night to reach his destination: Xinhe Village.

At this time, Song Fei had not yet gone to work as a lumberjack at the timber factory, and his job as an accountant at the grain store was still vacant.

Watching the poplar trees rushing past the window, Song Ce got up and pulled a bulging bundle down from the luggage rack. He finally managed to untie the knot and pulled out a notebook with its corners curled up. But after searching every nook and cranny of the bundle, he couldn't find a single pencil.

"Here, you can use mine!"

A cheerful voice came from above. Song Ce looked up and saw the girl opposite him handing him a pencil that was only half-broken. Her short, ear-length hair was slightly messy, her blue and white checkered shirt was faded from washing, and her dark blue military trousers had patches at the knees.

Song Ce smiled slightly and said sincerely, "Thank you."

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Author's Note: A new story begins [Cat emoji]