Fearing they might miss each other, Jian Dan didn't move and waited in the same spot for over an hour. The station was deserted when a man hurried in—an old man in his fifties, his face weathered and worn—followed by an oxcart. The driver of the oxcart seemed even older, but he limped alongside.

"Excuse me, are you Comrade Jian Dan?"

"Hello, I'm Jian Dan."

The other person let out a long sigh of relief.

“Comrade Jian Dan, I am Liu Weimin, the village head of Liujiatun Village, Xiangyang Commune. I’m sorry, it’s too dry. I lost track of time while carrying water with the villagers to irrigate the fields.”

Liu? Although there was a slight accent, the Mandarin was quite standard. He simply took out his letter of introduction and confirmed.

"Uncle Village Chief, is this Liujiatun?"

Liu Weimin waved his hand firmly.

"It's Liujiatun. You're the only educated youth here today. There's no mistake."

What a blunder!

"But Uncle, look, this letter of introduction really says Liu, doesn't it?"

Liu Weimin frowned, as if he had understood something.

"Let me take you to the educated youth office to ask what's going on."

Without asking her any questions, he simply picked up the two large bundles and placed them directly on the oxcart.

"Let's go, the educated youth office isn't far."

Just follow along in a few simple steps, and strike up a conversation.

"Uncle, has it not rained at all this year?"

Speaking of this, Liu Weimin had something to say.

"Isn't that right? To be honest, there wasn't much rain last year, and the harvest was about 20% less than usual, but at least no one starved. This year, it's already August, and we're practically walking two miles every day to fetch water from the river to irrigate the fields. The corn hasn't even grown properly; there are only a few grains scattered on each stalk. And the harvest is just over a month away. Sigh, with this kind of situation, let alone distributing the grain, it would be a good thing if we didn't have a total crop failure."

The person rushing to catch the carriage also sighed.

"The river is almost dry. We only managed to fill half a bucket this morning, and it was all muddy. If we really have to go into the mountains, we'll have to go back."

There is no dew in dry weather, and no night rain in the dog days.

Just like when it rains, it pours; when the drought hits, not even dew can be produced.

“Is it so easy to go into those mountains? We’ve searched the outer areas. If we search any further, we’ll have to go deep into the mountains. Uncle, our village can’t afford any more accidents.”

It was obvious that something was up, but Jian Dan didn't intend to pry. She figured she'd find out sooner or later if she actually went. However, she was eager to go into the mountains.

In her past life, she was a young lady from a wealthy family, but could someone involved in the underworld still be a pampered young lady? She had been trained in everything: self-defense skills, life-saving techniques, first aid, wilderness survival, and even the medicinal herbs found in the mountains.

From the time she could walk, she followed her brothers everywhere, causing trouble. By the time she was seven or eight, she knew the mountains better than the old herbalists. It was practically her own backyard; her affection for and sense of belonging to the mountains were ingrained in her bones.

"Uncle, are there many mountains in our village?"

“You know this is the border, right? Our village is right next to the border. The mountains behind the village connect directly to that side. They’re huge. But you can’t go up the mountain by yourself. Those deep mountains are no joke. Not only are there wild animals, but if you run off to the other side, you won’t be able to explain yourself.”

"Okay, I understand, Uncle. I'll be careful."

Liu Sanye, who was driving the cart, glanced at her, said nothing, and gently urged the old ox on.

The office for educated youth was indeed not far; they arrived in no time. Upon entering, they found only one person on duty. Liu Weimin politely approached and inquired. The person glanced through the registration book…

"Simple, it was from the capital to Liujiatun Village in Xiangyang Commune where I was sent to work in the countryside."

"Yes, it's you. You were originally assigned to Liujiatun, but a fellow educated youth who arrived this morning requested to be assigned to Liujiatun as part of the rural work program. They also arranged for your assignment to be changed. Because it happened at the last minute, it wasn't indicated on your letter of introduction. I'll register it for you and make a note on your letter of introduction."

At this point, there's no need to say anything more. Besides, based on the information we just received, Liujiatun isn't out of the question. We can just make a few more trips up the mountain. Just because others don't dare to go doesn't mean she won't.

But what's with Liu Weimin's bitter and self-deprecating expression?

After completing the formalities and coming out, Liu Weimin finally spoke.

"Isn't it because they think our village is poor? Liujiatun is a well-known wealthy village, and the villagers can all have enough to eat."

Our village,

He shook his head.

“Our village is notoriously poor. That person probably knew beforehand, but when he got there, he had no other choice. He tricked you.”

Although she is the one who gets tricked, village chief, you, as the one who is disliked, still righteously say that you were tricked into going to your village. I really don't know what to say. Do you think you have a very accurate understanding of your own situation?

She went to the countryside just to find some peace and quiet. Now it seems that although the village is poor, the village chief is actually a decent person. Besides, she has no choice but to go, since everything is already arranged.

Thinking about it this way, I stopped worrying about it.

"Uncle, look at what you're saying. I was worried just now. What if I were really moved to some Liujiatun, a place I don't know at all? Oh, now I'm relieved. With a village chief like you, the villagers are sure to be warm, simple, united, and progressive."

He patted his chest gently, looking relieved. Liu Weimin couldn't help but smile. Wasn't praising the villagers a way of praising his leadership? Uncle Liu was also proud and straightened his back.

They quickly became acquainted through chatting and laughter. The oxcart carrying three people and their bundles moved with ease. As they passed through the county town and turned towards Xiangyang Commune, Liu Weimin specifically asked...

"Xiao Jian, is there anything you haven't prepared? The supply and marketing cooperative here has more supplies than the commune."

I quickly glanced at my baggage.

"Uncle, let's go back quickly. I brought almost everything from home with me. Let me organize it and see if we need anything else. We can go out and buy it when we have time."

Old Master Liu turned the corner and asked casually.

"Why did you bring all of this?"

Jian Dan didn't intend to hide it; she figured she could just ask at the educated youth office and she'd find out.

“There’s no one left in my family. My dad sacrificed himself some time ago, and my mom was in poor health and passed away a few days ago. Now I’m all alone.”

A few years ago, my grandfather arranged a marriage for me. But as soon as my mother passed away, they came to break off the engagement. They were the ones who pushed me away. If my father and I hadn't practiced our skills for a few years and I hadn't dodged quickly, I might not have made it back then.

When I looked at myself, I realized I was just a child with no other relatives, and all I could do was be bullied. I was scared too.

One of my sister's relatives lives in the countryside. She said that rural people are very honest and hardworking, and my sister couldn't stand it. So she told me, "It's better to find a place to go to the countryside. Even though there's no food ration and you'll have to change your household registration to rural, you can still survive."