Chapter 229 Continued Shock
Tao Siqi followed her out. The public study was not locked, so he just had to close the door and put the bolt on.
After the two of them left the educated youth center, Ren Xiuzhen said, "I forgot to ask Sister Yuying where the sales outlet is. I need to ask someone for directions."
Tao Siqi smiled and said, "No, I know where it is. There's a hand-drawn map of Liushutun in the study. It clearly marks the brigade headquarters, the clinic, the sales outlet, the elementary school, the middle school, the night school, the research institute, the carpenter's house, the brigade leader's house, the women's director's house, and the security director's house."
Ren Xiuzhen: “…”
Ah! What kind of village is this?
She followed Tao Siqi to the sales outlet without taking any detours. People she met on the way would greet them proactively, ask them if they were educated youth who had just arrived that day, and let them know if they needed help.
Tao Siqi chatted with everyone with a smile, blending into the environment very smoothly, which made Ren Xiuzhen envious and admired. "You are really amazing. Those who know you just arrived, while those who don't know you would think you have lived here for a while."
Tao Siqi laughed and said, "I have loved to talk since I was a child. In my mother's words, I am too poor."
The two of them entered the sales outlet. The salesperson only greeted them when they first entered the door, and remained silent at other times, letting them look for themselves.
Tao Siqi and Ren Xiuzhen looked carefully at the counters and shelves and found that the goods were indeed quite complete and could meet basic living needs.
Tao Siqi asked, "Comrade, what if you don't have what I need?"
The salesperson replied, "Then you can tell us specifically what you need. We'll keep an eye out for it when we go to stock it up, and bring it back if we have it. Or you can go to the department store in the commune or county during your break. They usually have a wider variety of items than we do here. We purchase goods based on the actual needs of the members and educated youth. We don't buy anything we think everyone will need."
Tao Siqi smiled and said, "Then I understand, thank you."
Ren Xiuzhen said, "Comrade, I need a lock."
"There's one for $1.20 a bunch, and one for $1.50 a bunch. Which one do you want?"
While asking, she took both of them down and pointed them out to Ren Xiuzhen, "They're different brands."
Ren Xiuzhen picked them up, looked at them, weighed them, and chose the heavier one.
The salesperson said, "This is one dollar and a half."
Ren Xiuzhen took out one dollar and fifty cents and handed it to the salesperson.
The money and goods were paid.
The two of them left the sales outlet and walked around the brigade. Tao Siqi already felt like the master of the show, and took Ren Xiuzhen to see all the places marked on the map.
They stopped at the research institute for a while, and then Party Secretary Yang came out leaning on a cane. "Are you the new educated youth?"
Tao Siqi smiled and said, "Hello, uncle! My name is Tao Siqi. I've just arrived in Liushu Village and am getting acquainted with the environment. I've read the newspaper before and am particularly curious about our night school and research institute, so I'm standing here to take a look."
Ren Xiuzhen also nodded and smiled.
Secretary Yang smiled and said, "You can go in and take a look. There are classes here in the evening, you can come and listen."
Tao Siqi smiled and said, "I won't go in now. I'll come back in the evening. Uncle, we're leaving first."
"Okay, take care."
☆
On the way back, Ren Xiuzhen asked Tao Siqi, "Who exactly is doing research at this Institute of Poor and Lower-Middle Peasants?"
Tao Siqi laughed and said, "I'm not exactly sure. When the newspapers write about it, they emphasize that this is a collective action of the 'poor and lower-middle peasants,' the result of collective efforts, and they won't mention any individuals. We'll understand once we get to know each other better."
"Too."
When the two returned to the educated youth site, the door was open and there was a person sitting in the study. She looked to be about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old. She was sitting there flipping through a book with a calm and gentle expression on her face.
Hearing the noise outside, Yue Zheng raised her head, a smile naturally appearing on her face. She stood up and walked out, smiling, "Is this Xiuzhen and Siqi? I'm Yue Zheng, welcome."
Tao Siqi quickly ran up, stood in front of Yue Zheng, and said with a smile: "I am Tao Siqi, Comrade Yue Zheng, nice to meet you. Can I live with you?"
Yue Zheng smiled and said, "Of course."
She smiled and greeted Ren Xiuzhen again, saying, "We've been busy with the autumn harvest these past few days, and I've been a little busy in the fields. I wasn't sure what time you'd arrive, so I didn't stay to wait for you. Please don't be offended. I just found out you'd arrived when Yuying came to the fields to look for me. From now on, this will be our shared home. If you have any questions, just tell us and we'll discuss it together."
Tao Siqi and Ren Xiuzhen both smiled and nodded.
Yue Zheng helped Tao Siqi move her luggage to her room and gave her a spare key. While Tao Siqi was making her bed and putting her things away, Ren Xiuzhen picked up the clipping in the study.
She looked calm on the outside, but inside she was already in a state of panic!
No, isn't it so awesome?
Who exactly is this Miss Wang Qingli?
Why are the poor and lower-middle peasants in Liushu Village so arrogant? How can they dare to do anything? Goodness! They run research institutes and research academies! And they actually produce results!
No, why is there a college entrance examination?
Ren Xiuzhen was thrilled to see a report about the Gaokao (National College Entrance Examination) inserted into the document. After carefully reviewing it, she realized it wasn't truly an open Gaokao. Only recommended students were eligible. It was simply an additional assessment for the workers, peasants, and soldiers. That was a good thing; everyone would then prioritize their studies.
It seems that this world is really different from the world she used to live in.
She put the clipping down and rubbed her face to calm her excitement.
At this time, Yue Zheng walked in, took a large volume from the bookshelf, handed it to her, and said, "This is our 'Chronicle of Important Events at the Educated Youth Site.' It records everything from the first female educated youth, Qian Gaoyun, to the present day. It records what everyone has done since they arrived and what changes have taken place at the Educated Youth Site. You and Siqi are the fresh blood of our Educated Youth Site. We look forward to you two creating new glories for the Educated Youth Site."
Ren Xiuzhen swallowed and said, "Are you expecting too much from me?"
The smile on Yue Zheng's face grew wider, and his pale facial features suddenly became bright and lively. Ren Xiuzhen was almost stunned.
Ah! I didn’t realize it just now, but now I see that Sister Yue Zheng is a great beauty, an intellectual beauty!
Yue Zheng smiled and said, "How could that be? The moment I saw you and Siqi, I knew you two were both intelligent, motivated, thoughtful, and proactive. We in Liushu Village have always supported the development of young comrades. If you have any ideas for development, feel free to share them."
Ren Xiuzhen nodded, "Okay, I understand, Sister Yue Zheng, I'll think about it."
Such a beautiful and outstanding young lady has not married yet, so it is likely that there is no suitable one, so she has no chance of getting married. Although she is not bad looking, she is not as pretty as Sister Yue Zheng.
The two were chatting when Tao Siqi ran in, sat next to Yue Zheng, and said, "Sister, what time do you get off work? Do you want to prepare dinner?"
Yue Zheng smiled and said, "It's your first day here, so take a rest. I'll cook dinner today. If you've never cooked before, you can sit aside and watch and learn how to make a fire. After this round is over, you'll be in the next round. The food here is pretty good. The team provides enough food. Moreover, the team takes good care of us educated youth from the city and gives us more fine grains."
In fact, eating refined grains alone is almost enough.
Yue Zheng got up and started working. Tao Siqi and Ren Xiuzhen surrounded her. Tao Siqi was very interested in the work and often lent Yue Zheng a hand. Seeing her like this, Ren Xiuzhen also wanted to help. It didn't take long before she went from being at a loss to being on par with Tao Siqi.
Tao Siqi asked, "Sister Yue Zheng, I want to help the institute. Who should I contact?"
Yue Zheng smiled and said, "Come find me. Comrade Yan Dongsheng from the male educated youth site and I are responsible for wheat breeding research. There are also several experts in charge of corn, sweet potatoes, cotton, and fruit research. You two can find the corresponding experts for the team you are interested in joining. I will take you to meet them later."
When Ren Xiuzhen heard the word "expert," her mind perked up. She said, "Well, it couldn't have been developed by poor and lower-middle peasants. It turned out that an expert had come."
Aren't all the experts in period novels supposedly living in cowsheds? Aren't they all frustrated and overwhelmed by their abilities, unable to find a place to display them? And they're disliked and isolated by the villagers. So how can this sound so natural and legitimate?
Ren Xiuzhen was afraid of saying something wrong, so she simply kept silent and listened attentively to the conversation between Tao Siqi and Yue Zheng, extracting useful information from it.
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