Chapter 5 Taking the Train to the Countryside
Seeing that Du Weidong was coming to interrogate her, Du Ruoxia knew she had to give him a good talking-to.
“Am I not filial enough? I started learning to cook when I was five years old and not even as tall as the stove. I cleaned this house inside and out until it was spotless. I wash clothes for the whole family of six every day. In winter, my hands are always shivering from being soaked in the icy well water.”
"And you? You act like a spoiled young master every day. As soon as you get home, you eat, and then you go out and fool around. Have you ever done anything serious?"
“You’ve been playing at home for two years now. Your parents want you to learn a trade, but you refuse because you think it’s too tiring and the pay is too low. Now that you hear that every family has to have one educated youth sent to the countryside, you insist on taking over Mom’s job at the soy sauce factory.”
"Your mother isn't even of retirement age yet, but she was forced to lose her job so you could have her. How much of her pension did she lose? Are you really that filial?"
“I…I’m the eldest brother. This family will have to rely on me sooner or later. What’s wrong with Mom retiring early and coming back to enjoy her retirement?” Du Weidong said emphatically.
Du Ruoxia chuckled, finding it ridiculous. "If you want to be a good older brother, why didn't you say you'd give up your job and volunteer to go to the countryside? It's laughable that you're still bragging and acting like an older brother here."
Du Weidong was speechless after being rebuked. He didn't want to go to the countryside at all. His neighbor, who was three years older than him, went to the countryside and got tanned dark. He worked in the fields every day, and if he didn't finish his tasks, he wasn't allowed to eat. He could only go home for a few days a year. He couldn't stand that kind of life.
That's why Du Weidong kept pestering Xu Qiuhua to give up her job so that he could stay at home openly.
Du Ruoxia knew that Du Weidong was in the wrong, so she was speechless and told him to get out and stop getting in her way.
She checked the items and found they were indeed new; it seemed Du Dayong and Xu Qiuhua hadn't lied to her.
She packed her bags and went to the train station to meet up with her fellow educated youth.
All the educated youth sent to the countryside wore a red ribbon with the words "Glorious Youth" tied to their arms. After the team leader counted the number of people, he distributed train tickets to everyone.
Du Ruoxia got a seat by the window. Actually, she wanted to spend a little more money to buy a sleeper berth, but in those days, sleeper berths were not something ordinary people could buy. She couldn't be too conspicuous with 800 yuan in her hand.
The trees and scenery outside the train window kept receding, while the train continued forward with a whistle.
Although Du Ruoxia is very thin, she has a beautiful bone structure and very elegant and pretty features, especially her eyes, which are cute and lively.
Already beautiful, and wearing a newly bought dress today, Du Ruoxia attracted the attention of many men on the bus.
"You rascal! What are you looking at?" A man across the corridor was scolded by his wife for glancing at Du Ruoxia a couple of times.
"No... I didn't see anything..."
"You're incorrigible! I was eighteen too! Do you think I can't see through your little schemes? Those young girls are going to be sent to the countryside as educated youth; in a few years, they'll end up like me."
The woman pointed to herself as she spoke. She was only twenty-five or twenty-six years old, but life had worn her down, leaving her with several wrinkles, her skin tanned dark, and her whole body looking bulky and thick.
What good is it for these young girls to be pretty now? In a few years, they won't be much better off than her!
Being scolded by his wife in public is bound to make a man lose face, so he can only retort, "I'm too lazy to waste my breath on you."
The man then pretended to sleep.
Du Ruoxia naturally heard the discussion, but she didn't know that she was the one attracting attention. After all, the five educated youths sitting there were all young girls, and she was sitting in the innermost seat by the window, so she shouldn't be easily noticed.
Opposite her was a girl with slightly dark skin named Luo Xiaojuan, who looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old.
Although her clothes were a bit old, they were clean and refreshing. She had shoulder-length short hair and looked like a well-behaved girl.
The girl diagonally opposite was dressed very smartly, with her hair tied in a single ponytail, wearing a white shirt and blue trousers, paired with ordinary cloth shoes.
The girl sitting on the outermost side of my row, Tian Xueying, looked very artistic. She had short hair that didn't go past her ears, wore black-rimmed glasses, and was engrossed in reading a book.
Beside her sat a little girl named He Meiling, who was dressed more elegantly, with two braids, a yellow floral dress, and even a pair of small leather shoes.
He was holding an apple and eating it in small bites.
When He Meiling noticed that many men were looking in her direction, she initially assumed they were looking at her.
After all, she was quite good-looking and dressed.
But when He Meiling realized that those people were looking at Du Ruoxia by the window, she felt uncomfortable!
Time quickly passed and it was noon.
The girl opposite Du Ruoxia took out a cornbread pancake from her bag and started eating it.
He Meiling took a small bag of peach shortbread and ate it.
The train was a bit bumpy at this point, and for some reason, Luo Xiaojuan choked on the cornbread and accidentally spat some out of her mouth.
It sprayed right onto He Meiling across from her, and she couldn't help but yell.
Then, with a look of disgust, he removed his water glass and peach shortbread bag from the table and glared at Luo Xiaojuan.
Luo Xiaojuan quickly apologized: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
He Meiling snorted but did not respond.
Instead, Du Ruoxia took out a water bottle from her bundle and gestured for Luo Xiaojuan to take a sip of water.
"Thank you, but no need, I'll just get some water myself." Luo Xiaojuan nodded to Du Ruoxia and then rummaged through her bag to find a somewhat worn enamel mug to fill with water.
He Meiling impatiently stepped aside to let Luo Xiaojuan pass.
A short while later, Luo Xiaojuan returned with an empty cup.
"Didn't you get any water?"
Du Ruoxia asked a question.
"Yeah, there are too many people, and the hot water is still boiling, so I can't get any more," Luo Xiaojuan said, trying to return to her seat.
Du Ruoxia took out her military green water bottle: "Let me pour you some."
"Well... thank you!" Luo Xiaojuan was actually a little embarrassed, but the food she had just eaten was too dry, and she was indeed very thirsty, so she drank a lot of water.
He Meiling rolled her eyes at them, then disdainfully continued eating her peach shortbread.
"Huh? It's just sweet soup! I'm so sorry, if I had known it was sweet soup I wouldn't have wanted it..."
Luo Xiaojuan scratched her head sheepishly, especially after taking a sip of the sweet soup, which immediately relieved the discomfort in her throat.
In this current climate, nobody has much spare money. Luo Xiaojuan felt really embarrassed after drinking so much of the other person's sweet soup.
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