What's so bad about Chapter 8?
"Comrade, what's your name? I really want to thank you for what you just said." Xiang Xinming hadn't expected that simply offering his seat out of kindness would almost lead to him being extorted.
"Du Ruoxia," Du Ruoxia said, "you'd better be more careful in the future."
Luo Xiaojuan was completely captivated by Du Ruoxia's charm, while He Meiling inwardly complained that Du Ruoxia was meddling in other people's business. Seeing that Du Ruoxia was becoming even more popular, she became even more resentful and simply closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.
Xiang Xinming couldn't go back to his seat, and there were no empty seats, so he simply stood aside and chatted with Luo Xiaojuan and Du Ruoxia. It was during this conversation that he discovered that Xiang Xinming was also going to Yuxi Village.
Several hours later, the train finally arrived in Xi County, where they were all waiting at the exit for the main group to come and pick them up.
A short while later, Jiang Dezhu, the brigade leader of Yuxi Brigade, arrived in a tractor. "You educated youth, I am Jiang Dezhu, the brigade leader of Yuxi Brigade. Everyone, get on the tractor! We just happened to borrow a tractor today, so we don't have to walk to the brigade."
Jiang Dezhu speaks with a slight local accent, and his Mandarin is not very standard, but he has a cheerful smile and looks kind and approachable.
Hearing Jiang Dezhu's familiar accent, Du Ruoxia felt extremely warm and fuzzy inside. "Thank you, Uncle Jiang!"
He Meiling muttered, "What kind of flattery is this!" She seemed to be fired from a gun, and she wanted to refute everything Du Ruoxia said.
"Have I not called out names yet? Educated youths, whoever I call out a name, stand behind me."
"Du Ruoxia, Xiang Xinming, Luo Xiaojuan, He Meiling, Tian Xueying, Chen Zongliang, Zhang Lijun..."
"Um...that's all."
"Uncle, you've worked hard. Have a smoke!" Chen Zongliang very tactfully took out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from his pocket and handed it to the captain.
The captain, who had a fondness for cigarettes, accepted the offer with a smile, saying he would save it to enjoy slowly, as it would make him look good!
As expected of a city kid, he's so generous and bold, giving away a whole pack right away. Back then, a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes cost a dollar!
Jiang Dezhu is over forty years old and holds a minor official position. However, he comes from a poor, remote area and has not seen many good things, unlike the educated youth from wealthy families.
Once everyone was present, Jiang Dezhu noticed Gao Yuyang not far away and kindly asked, "Hey, comrade, which brigade are you from?"
“I’m not an educated youth sent to the countryside,” Gao Yuyang said proudly.
In Gao Yuyang's mind, he was a proper college student and a doctor. Unlike the educated youth who had to go to the countryside, he earned his living through his own abilities.
Then they got ready to set off in the tractor, but the tractor wouldn't start.
Jiang Dezhu got out of the car to fix it.
Du Ruoxia noticed that Gao Yuyang was still standing there, so she went over and asked:
"Doctor, aren't you a doctor from the Capital Hospital? What brings you to our Xi County?"
"What's it to you!"
Gao Yuyang's expression was somewhat unnatural, because he had stopped working at the Capital Hospital yesterday. He had offended the hospital director with his rude remarks and was demoted to work at a town health center. Being proud by nature, he felt somewhat embarrassed by Du Ruoxia's teasing.
"Where are you going? There are no cars around," Du Ruoxia kindly reminded her.
“I’m going to Longxi County. Someone will come to pick me up. You don’t need to worry about it.”
Although Gao Yuyang was assigned to the county hospital, the hospital warmly welcomed a talent like him, so the hospital director called to say he would come to pick him up in person.
"Are you sure? It's almost dark. Longxi County isn't far from Yuxi Village. Would you like our Captain Jiang to give you a ride?"
Gao Yuyang was very hesitant; he wanted to, but couldn't bring himself to say it.
Du Ruoxia couldn't stand his pretentious manner, so she shouted loudly, "Captain Jiang, this doctor is going to Longxi County. We seem to be going the same way. Should we give him a ride?"
Why would you bring a stranger along?
"Exactly, it's not like it's your tractor, so why are you saying you want to take this person along?"
Chen Zongliang and He Meiling disagreed.
"You two are taking things out of context! I haven't made a decision yet! I'm asking for the captain's opinion, aren't I?" Du Ruoxia said helplessly.
Chen Zongliang said, "Captain Jiang, you're here to pick up us educated youth. He's not an educated youth. What if something happens to him?"
They didn't notice at all that Jiang Dezhu's eyes were shining. A doctor! Their village only had one half-baked old village doctor, and usually when people got sick, they had to go to the health center in the next town.
Everyone kept complaining that this was very inconvenient, and Jiang Dezhu also took every opportunity to report it to the leaders, but the feedback went unheard.
"Oh, you're a doctor! May I ask your name, sir?"
"My surname is Gao."
"Dr. Gao, I am the captain of the Yuxi brigade."
Jiang Dezhu exchanged pleasantries with Gao Yuyang for a while, then clapped his hands and said, "Dr. Gao, we're going the same way. If you don't mind, you can ride on my tractor."
He Meiling and Chen Zongliang's "opposition" was completely ignored.
Once on the tractor, everyone had to stand. Gao Yuyang, for the first time ever, said to Du Ruoxia, "Thank you."
"It's nothing."
"I hope you can be more humble and willing to learn. You have real expertise, but each symptom may correspond to multiple diseases. As a doctor, you must consider all aspects."
Gao Yuyang frowned and asked, "Who exactly are you?"
"Du Ruoxia, a sent-down youth."
"I don't think so."
Soon Gao Yuyang arrived in Longxi Town, where Jiang Dezhu bid him a warm farewell before setting off for Yuxi Village.
Soon we saw the village entrance and houses began to appear.
Everyone got off the vehicle. After the brigade leader parked the tractor, he led his group into the village. Soon they arrived at a courtyard surrounded by two or three old mud houses. The brigade leader knocked on the door, and a woman came out.
"This is the person in charge of the educated youth compound. Her name is Liu Guihong. You can call me Aunt Hong. A group of educated youths came before, and it might be a bit crowded with you all. You can squeeze in to sleep tonight and see how we can resolve it tomorrow."
The room on the south side was where the female educated youth lived, and the room next to the kitchen was where the male educated youth lived.
Everyone carried their luggage inside, and the brigade leader followed the male educated youth into the house.
The 20-square-meter room had only one earthen bed, with several cabinets and miscellaneous items placed opposite it. Several quilts were piled on the bed, and several pairs of shoes were placed underneath.
It looks alright now, the women looked at each other, but with the four new ones joining, it'll be too crowded.
It's evening now, and the educated youth have all returned. One of the female educated youth, Li Lanjun, looked at their expressions and said, "What's there to complain about? This educated youth compound was built with money pooled together by us. We didn't even want you to live here!"
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