When I got off the bus, it was just getting light.
After everyone gathered, the director of the county's educated youth office began to read out everyone's destinations. There were fifteen people in total who went to Hongqi Commune, where Xie Yuyao was going.
The person in charge of receiving the truck was dressed in military green clothing, and three donkey carts were parked next to him. "We are busy with the harvest now, and all the vehicles have been allocated. Please bear with it, we will walk back. It's not far, about ten kilometers."
Ten kilometers would take two or three hours to walk, which wouldn't be a problem on a normal day, but now everyone is already exhausted.
But what can we do?
The group could only silently place their luggage on the oxcart and slowly move forward.
Suddenly, a boy shouted, "I see there are still empty seats in the donkey cart. We men are strong, so how about letting the women ride in the donkey cart? Let's show our spirit!"
They were all teenage boys, in the prime of their lives, and immediately there was a chorus of responses.
Xie Yuyao could sense a smug look of delight from the girls beside her. They were exhausted after a night on a bumpy freight train.
"That won't do!"
Last night, the girl with short, ear-length hair next to me stood up again, her voice loud and clear, "Women hold up half the sky, we are no less than men, don't you all agree?"
Who can say otherwise!
"Well said! Humility is a virtue, so let's set off!" the man leading the group praised loudly.
The girl then said, "Let's sing a song together and show the spirit of us educated youth who went to the countryside!"
People around them echoed the song, and one male educated youth even took the lead and sang along.
Xie Yuyao: ......
She hummed along casually, but after a few songs, no one had the energy to speak anymore, and everyone silently kept their heads down and hurried on their way.
More than three hours later, we finally arrived at Hongqi Commune.
These fifteen educated youths were to be distributed among five production brigades, with the specific allocation to be determined by drawing lots.
Xie Yuyao was assigned to the Qingshantun production team, along with one other man and one other woman, making a total of three people.
As luck would have it, the female educated youth was none other than that girl with short, ear-length hair, named Ren Fei.
Zhao Deqiang, the fifty-something-year-old brigade leader of Qingshan Village, frowned so deeply that he looked like he could trap a mosquito. He sat on the curb and started smoking his pipe.
The two women looked frail and had never experienced hardship, while the only boy was dark-skinned, tall, and skinny, looking like he had no muscle at all; neither of them were cut out for manual labor.
Hongqi Commune was quite poor, and Qingshantun was no exception.
Initially, the educated youth were quite excited about being sent to the countryside for construction, finally able to drive rural development. However, after several batches of educated youth arrived, they realized that this was hardly construction; it was just farming.
The key issue is that the educated youth were weak and frail, not as good at farming as the villagers, and had many problems, yet they still had to be given grain every year.
This large area doesn't welcome educated youth, but the authorities still assign them every year, leading to increasing poverty.
After finishing his cigarette, team leader Zhao Deqiang straightened up, his dark face showing deep impatience. "Come with me, there's still a lot of work to do in the fields."
Looking at this huge pile of luggage, everyone wondered if they were going to carry it all on their own.
Chen Kai, a tall, thin man with dark skin, approached and politely inquired, "Uncle, look at all this luggage we have..."
Captain Zhao Deqiang glanced at him, sighed heavily, and said, "Move your luggage onto my oxcart."
The three educated youths were carrying heavy bags onto the oxcart when the brigade leader said with concern, "That's enough, that's enough. Don't put them down. Don't tire my precious dog. It can do much better than you guys."
Xie Yuyao pursed her lips, then thought about it again and realized that it made sense. In the countryside, oxen could plow the fields and pull carts, so they were indeed quite capable.
Her stomach was growling as she followed behind the car. The others were also starving, exhausted, and sleepy, and could hardly walk anymore.
The roar of a car engine came from behind, and a military green Jiefang truck stopped.
"Uncle Deqiang, picking up educated youth!" The man in the driver's seat turned his head. His features were exceptionally handsome, like they had been sculpted, but his face was cold and hard. Even when he smiled, he couldn't hide his chilling aura.
The brigade leader shook off his annoyance and replied with a smile, "Honghui, it's you. Our brigade has sent three more educated youths."
Xie Yuyao's attention shifted from the man's face to the car. She really wanted to ride in it. Could she get a ride?
The man seemed to hear her thoughts; he opened the car door, stepped out, and revealed his entire figure.
He was about 1.9 meters tall, with striking eyebrows, sharp black eyes, and a strong, upright physique like a pine tree.
Majestic, stern, and upright.
Xie Yuyao's heart pounded. This person, in terms of appearance, figure, and temperament, completely matched her ideal type.
Even though she had seen many male celebrities and models before, she was momentarily captivated, but she quickly came to her senses.
Ren Fei, however, remained deeply infatuated, her eyes fixed intently on the man, her feminine charm on full display, clearly indicating that she was smitten.
Zhao Honghui's sharp, eagle-like gaze swept over the group. "I'm going to Tongzishan Brigade. Do you want me to give them a ride?"
Hearing this, Xie Yuyao's eyes lit up. She had a ride! This man was not only perfect in appearance, but also had a kind heart.
The brigade leader thought for a moment and said, "Okay, you take them to the village entrance and let Xiao Hu take them to the educated youth compound." These kids looked exhausted, so it would save them trouble.
Seeing that the captain had agreed, Xie Yuyao happily exclaimed, "Thank you, comrade!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she quickly picked up a canvas bag, walked to the back of the car, and threw it into the carriage.
Ren Fei, please don't say anything outrageous again.
Coming to his senses, Chen Kai exclaimed: "We've got a car! Quick, get your luggage!"
Ren Fei didn't say anything in the end.
The three of them worked enthusiastically, carrying large and small bags back and forth.
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