Xu Xinning felt that her grandfather's intimidating power was still quite formidable.

Grandma Chen took the rabbit, turned around, and went down the wall. Soon after, you could hear her and her husband praising Xu Xinning.

After breakfast, Xu Xinning wanted to sneak away, but Mu Jingheng already knew what she was thinking and kept a close eye on her. In the end, under the supervision of Old Madam Xu, Xu Xinning reluctantly followed Mu Jingheng to the educated youth settlement to meet up.

After the educated youth learned of Xu Xinning's true identity, their attitude towards her changed, especially that girl named Lu Chunping, whose enthusiasm towards Xu Xinning made people very uncomfortable.

Mu Jingheng moving into the Xu family's house was something the educated youth envied, especially since their night together was truly unforgettable.

After receiving the food yesterday, they discussed taking turns cooking, with the order to be determined by drawing lots.

Lu Chunping and Sun Jing were assigned to the same group, and they were very lucky to be chosen for the first meal.

In fact, both Lu Chunping and Sun Jing knew how to cook, but even the most skilled cook can't cook without rice. When they first arrived, they had nothing but grain and some food they brought from home; they didn't even have any seasonings.

Later, Jiang Chunlin and Zhao Jianhua had to swallow their pride and borrow money from their fellow villagers. The villagers, worried that they had nothing when they first arrived, kindly gave them some vegetables.

Even so, with little oil, salt, and sugar, the taste of this dish is predictably poor.

I was exhausted and hungry after a whole night. That bed made from recycled materials was so fragile that it seemed like it would fall apart if I moved it even slightly. It was truly agonizing!

When they tossed and turned at night, thinking that Mu Jingheng was probably living quite comfortably at the brigade leader's house (which was indeed the case), they also had the idea of ​​going to a fellow villager's house to eat together.

So when they saw Mu Jingheng and Xu Xinning appear together, they began to subtly probe their intentions.

There were oxcarts that went from the village to the commune every day.

Before tractors were available, villagers had to walk to the commune. After tractors were introduced, the work of the oxen in the brigade became much easier. In addition, the two calves born to the old ox had grown up, so for everyone's convenience, the brigade set aside one ox as a means of transportation.

The cattle herder was an elderly man living alone in the brigade. He had injured his leg while participating in land reclamation, and this job was given to him in order to take care of him.

The oxcart made four round trips to the commune each day: twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon, with one less trip each during busy farming seasons.

The oxcart fare is two cents per trip, and an extra cent is charged if there is a lot of cargo.

Despite this, the members were reluctant to sit down unless absolutely necessary.

The oxcart is parked at the village entrance every day.

On the way to the village entrance, Liu Peng squeezed next to Mu Jingheng and whispered, "Mu, is the brigade leader's family doing well?"

Mu Jingheng glanced at him, knowing what he meant. After all, he had seen their miserable state when he went back to the educated youth settlement to pack his luggage last night, so he replied, "Yes!"

Liu Peng: "I really envy you. You have no idea how miserable we were last night. The food was barely edible, and we were so hungry that we couldn't sleep. And the bed was so tight that it would roll over if we moved even slightly. It was really tough."

Mu Jingheng: "Didn't I tell you that there are carpenters in the brigade? You can go and exchange them, right?"

Liu Peng: "I was exhausted yesterday, wasn't I just thinking of making do for one night?"

Seeing Liu Peng and Mu Jingheng chatting happily, Jiang Chunlin pulled Zhao Jianhua over and asked, "Mu, what do you think about us finding a fellow villager to share meals with?"

They were all young men in their late teens and early twenties. They had simple ideas and thought that finding fellow villagers to share meals with would solve many problems, such as the problem of eating. In their view, nothing was more important than food and lodging.

Mu Jingheng: "It depends on your standards. The average villager's family isn't as well-off as you imagine. Also, if you want to share a meal, you'll definitely have to pay for grain and money. If you still don't have enough to eat, there will be more conflicts. Actually, the conditions at the educated youth settlement aren't bad. It's just that everyone has just arrived and hasn't settled down yet."

Zhao Jianhua thought for a moment and said, "Mu Zhiqing is right. Once we have all the tools we need to eat, life will get better and better. In any case, we are quite free living in the educated youth settlement. If we come back early today, we can go to the brigade carpenter to order some necessities. Then all the problems will be solved."

“That’s true. Thinking about it that way, our accommodation isn’t bad. I’ve heard from other educated youth who went to the countryside before that they lived in cramped rooms with many people. It’s okay in winter, but wouldn’t it stink to death in summer?” Jiang Chunlin said, shaking his head.

The female educated youth were also discussing this issue, but Wang Yaqin and Sun Jing quite liked the educated youth settlement.

Wang Yaqin: "If it's just the same few of us, the accommodation is really good. To be honest, we don't even have this kind of accommodation at home."

Sun Jing: "I also think it's great. It will definitely feel very comfortable once we buy everything and tidy up."

Only Lu Chunping disagreed with them, saying, "Can the city and the countryside be compared?"

Wang Yaqin: "Why can't we compare? Can you even run in your yard? Oh, maybe you don't even have a yard!"

Lu Chunping: "This is sophistry."

Sun Jing: "Once we tidy up our backyard plot and plant vegetables, we won't have to worry about not having vegetables to eat anymore."

Wang Yaqin: "Yes, I think as long as we don't become lazy, we won't have a hard time in the future."

Sun Jing smiled happily and nodded to Wang Yaqin.

Xu Xinning thought their "what will be, will be" attitude towards life was quite good, and with this mindset, it wouldn't be that difficult to live a good life in Xujia Village.

There are very few people riding in the oxcart today; currently, there is only one young woman on the cart, carrying her child and going to her parents' home.

"Dr. Xu, are all these educated youths?" the young woman asked curiously.

Xu Xinning: "Mmm!"

Young wife: "Where are you all going?"

Xu Xinning: "Going to the commune to buy daily necessities, where are you going with the baby in your arms, sister-in-law?"

The young wife said, "My younger brother from my family has arranged a marriage with a girl from the city. We're getting engaged today."

Xu Xinning: "Great news! Congratulations!"

The young woman smiled happily, "Thank you!"

After exchanging pleasantries with the young woman, Xu Xinning turned to Grandpa Xu, who was herding cattle, and asked, "Grandpa, are we leaving now?"

The old man herding cattle said, "I'm leaving now. I doubt anyone will want to take the ride anymore."

Xu Xinning: "Everyone get on the bus, it's two cents each."

The educated youth all handed their money to Xu Xinning, who then sorted it out and gave it to the old man driving the oxcart.

The old man who herded the cattle happily accepted the money and then told Xu Xinning about her great-uncle's family.