A military unit in Jiangcheng, southern China.

Qin Feiyang has been in a daze these past two days.

There was no other reason than receiving a letter from my younger sister, Qin Hanshu, informing me that she had gone to the countryside to work as an educated youth.

He knew about the "Down to the Countryside Movement" of course, but he didn't expect his sister to be one of them. Didn't she have a job left by her uncle?

Qin Feiyang didn't have the mind to think about this deeply for the time being; his mind was filled with worry for Qin Hanshu.

Qin Hanshu was pampered by her uncle from a young age, and even after her uncle passed away, her aunt still took meticulous care of her.

How could she endure the hardships of farm work?

Several images flashed through Qin Feiyang's mind.

One moment, Qin Hanshu is working under the scorching sun, his face to the loess soil and his back to the sky, sweat dripping onto the loess soil and splitting in two, unable to stop and rest even for a moment.

A moment later, the scene shifted again to Qin Hanshu munching on cornbread and pickled vegetables under the oil lamp. Suddenly, she looked up, tears welling in her eyes, and said, "Brother, I'm suffering so much..."

Qin Feiyang snapped back to reality, his heart clenching with pain.

He unfolded the letter again and read it over and over.

Suddenly, his gaze stopped on the address written in Qin Hanshu's letter.

This address looks familiar...

Half an hour later, Qin Feiyang invited his old comrade-in-arms Zhou Weiguang to the edge of the training field.

The two squatted down, ready to talk and light up a cigarette at the same time.

Qin Feiyang eagerly lit a cigarette for Zhou Weiguang.

Zhou Weiguang glanced at him, tilted his head and leaned closer, exhaling a smoke ring before saying calmly, "Speak, what is it?"

Qin Feiyang said with a grin, "As expected of the old squad leader, you could tell at a glance that I needed something."

Zhou Weiguang joined the army two years earlier than Qin Feiyang. When Qin Feiyang was a new recruit, it was Zhou Weiguang who trained him, which is the origin of the nickname "Old Squad Leader".

Later, Zhou Weiguang was promoted before Qin Feiyang, and now Zhou Weiguang is in a full-fledged position while Qin Feiyang is still in a deputy position. Based on their career trajectories, Qin Feiyang estimates that Zhou Weiguang will further widen the gap between them in the future.

However, they have always had a good personal relationship and do not have a strong sense of hierarchy in private.

Zhou Weiguang frowned. "Get to the point."

Qin Feiyang coughed lightly, straightened his expression, and explained about Qin Hanshu cutting in line.

"...I took a closer look at where she cut in line, and hey! Isn't that the place where your old squad leader lives?!"

“My younger sister has never done any housework since she was a child. I’m afraid she won’t be used to going to such a far place.”

"So, I'd like to ask you, old squad leader, for a favor and to ask someone in my family to take care of my sister."

Zhou Weiguang's expression was solemn.

"From what you've said, your younger sister is quite spoiled. I think it's a good thing to let her go to the countryside to receive re-education from the poor and lower-middle peasants. You don't need to interfere."

Qin Feiyang hurriedly said, "It's good to receive an education, but we have to be realistic about what we can do, right? Her body is like Lin Daiyu's since she was a child; she'd fall over at the slightest breeze! Otherwise, my uncle and aunt wouldn't have spoiled her so much."

Zhou Weiguang looked at him quietly, clearly seeing through his exaggeration.

Qin Feiyang grinned. "You agreed? I have one small request. Could you please not write a letter? It's such a long distance. By the time the letter arrives, my sister might be half-dead. Why don't you just send a telegram back tomorrow?"

Zhou Weiguang glared at Qin Feiyang for a long time, his upright face full of disdain, "I've never seen anyone spoil their sister like you."

He also has a younger sister who grew up running all over the mountains and fields, chasing chickens and dogs, and was very strong.

In his opinion, Qin Feiyang's sister should be tempered and trained in the countryside; perhaps she could even turn Lin Daiyu into Lu Zhishen.

Qin Feiyang emphasized again, "My sister's name is Qin Hanshu! Han as in cold, Shu as in comfortable!"

Zhou Weiguang strongly disapproved of Qin Feiyang's actions.

However, he still sent a telegram home the next day.

In short, it can be summed up in five words: take care of Qin Hanshu.

***

Zhou Chang'an cracked his pipe while frowning as he looked at the telegram slip in his hand.

His wife, Zhao Chunmiao, placed a basket of steamed buns on the kang table, glanced at Zhou Chang'an, and asked in confusion, "Isn't it just about taking care of an educated youth? Why are you looking at those words over and over again? Is there some other meaning behind them?"

Zhou Ruilan walked in just in time to hear this and asked, "Mom, is the Qin Hanshu that Third Brother mentioned in the telegram the same Qin Hanshu, the prettiest educated youth?"

Zhao Chunmiao said, "How would I know who's the best looking? I've never even seen those educated youths."

Apart from those who lived in the homes of local commune members, the other educated youth had very little contact with the people in the team. Only some young people with strong curiosity would secretly watch.

Zhou Ruilan said, "I didn't see her either. Erdan and the others said that there was a young educated youth named Qin who was good-looking, and that she was much prettier than Liao Yujie."

Zhao Chunmiao handed a white face mask to Zhou Ruilan, saying, "Eat it quickly. Xiao Liao went to the county today, so I specially made this white face mask."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chang'an looked up and said unhappily, "You actually did it. If people find out, they'll think we're deliberately mistreating the educated youth."

Zhao Chunmiao glared at her, "Others may not know, but you do, right? Xiao Liao lived in our house for a year. How did I treat her at the beginning? She ate whatever we ate, and I even gave her the best things first, thinking that she was a guest and that it wasn't easy for her to be away from home all alone. Even the orchids were put last!"

Zhao Chunmiao angrily took a bite of the white face mask and continued:

"But what about her? She works sporadically, often sleeping until the sun is high in the sky! The little food she earns isn't even enough to feed herself! And to make matters worse, she doesn't want to share a room with Lan Hua, she wants to live in our third son's room instead!"

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!