Seven or eight educated youths, both men and women, came out of the house and looked at the three of them with curiosity.
A young man who looked to be in his early twenties greeted the group with a warm smile, saying, "Hello, I am Li Weidong, the leader of the educated youth team. Welcome to our place."
Once you enter the courtyard, walk about ten meters ahead to reach the main house.
Stovetops were built on both sides of the main room, and a set of square wooden table and chairs was placed in the middle, so it seems that cooking and eating were all done here.
Houses in the rural areas of Northeast China are mostly laid out like this. In winter, it gets too cold, so people heat the kang (a traditional heated bed) while cooking, which is both convenient and saves on charcoal.
"Including you, there are now 5 male educated youth and 6 female educated youth. The left side is the male dormitory and the right side is the female dormitory."
Seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, Li Weidong knew they were disgusted by how dilapidated the place was.
But what can they do? They have to stay here, and stay here indefinitely.
"Come to the room and put your luggage away first," Wu Lihong, a tall and strong young woman, greeted them warmly. She was the female educated youth who had been here the longest, and her words carried weight, her face showing the roughness and vicissitudes of life.
Xie Yuyao and Ren Fei followed her into the east room. Directly opposite the door was a large kang (heated brick bed) with several bedding sheets on it. To the side were a cabinet and a table, both filled with various odds and ends.
"Everyone, quickly move your bedding around and make room for two people."
The pretty-faced Bei Xiao pouted and complained, "Sister Li Hong, it's so crowded it's killing me!"
That's true. The room wasn't big, and four bedding blankets filled the entire kang (a heated brick bed). With two people in the room, it would be difficult to even turn over.
"Bei Xiao, there's nothing we can do about it."
After she finished speaking, she and another educated youth, Yang Shumei, went up onto the kang (a heated brick bed) and moved and adjusted the position of their bedding.
Bei Xiao reluctantly moved out of the position at the head of the kang (heated brick bed), while Jiang Yan, who was sleeping at the foot of the kang, happily moved her bedding, finally able to get out of that bed position.
The head and foot of the kang (heated brick bed) are neither too hot nor too cold, and you can't adjust the firewood just to suit your own needs, so neither is a good location.
Ren Fei, who is sensitive to the cold, was the first to suggest, "I want to sleep on the kang (heated brick bed)."
Xie Yuyao nodded casually, frowning as she looked at the tiny space at the end of the kang (a heated brick bed), wondering how she was going to sleep.
Are there any other places to stay?
Wu Lihong saw the hesitation in her eyes, which was only natural. "The educated youth compound only has this one female dormitory. You can also stay at a villager's house."
Looking at the stunningly beautiful girl before her, she added, "Housing is also scarce in the village. Most families have several generations living together with many children. Even if you go, you'll have to live with the children. Besides, I advise you not to go so easily."
She stopped speaking, her eyes holding a meaningful look.
Seeing the look in her eyes, Xie Yuyao recalled the discussions among city dwellers about the persecution of female educated youth. "Is there something else going on here?"
Wu Lihong shook her head. "I can't say whether there's anything else, but last year a female educated youth from the next village went to live with a fellow villager, and not long after, she married that family's son. I heard that she occasionally suffers domestic violence."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xie Yuyao fell silent. This countryside seemed even more terrifying than she had imagined.
Seeing that she had understood, Wu Lihong didn't say anything more, but comforted her, "This kind of thing has never happened in our village. In the past, educated youth always moved there after marrying someone from the village. By the way, if two educated youths get married, they can build their own house."
Bei Xiao, who was listening in, immediately retorted: "Building a house costs too much money, and once we leave, the house belongs to the village. We'll all leave someday anyway, only a fool would build a house!"
Xie Yuyao, who wants to build a house: ......
Wu Lihong sighed, "There's nothing we can do; the land for the homestead belongs to the village."
That won't work either. She can't just get married to move out. These days, divorce is a very shameful thing. She shouldn't hurt herself and others.
Starting a business independently is fraught with danger.
"Don't worry, the village already knows about our accommodation problem and will definitely build a new one to solve it. We'll keep reporting it to the village a few more times."
Xie Yuyao nodded to indicate that she understood, but inwardly she sighed, wondering when this would finally happen. However, if she funded the construction of a new youth housing facility herself, it would be quick and safe, so there was no rush. She would familiarize herself with the situation first.
After hearing Wu Lihong's words, Xie Yuyao gained a better understanding of the situation, and her heart sank. But no matter what, she still had to live here for a few more years.
After putting away their luggage, Wu Lihong asked Xie Yuyao and Ren Fei to go out for lunch, as the educated youth had specially saved lunch for them.
Wu Lihong took out several hot cornbread buns and a plate of stir-fried vegetables from the stove. Xie Yuyao picked up a cornbread bun and took a bite. The texture was so rough that it was really hard to swallow.
After glancing at the greens that had changed color after being heated and no longer had any oil spots, I lost all desire to pick up my chopsticks.
Food cannot be wasted. Even if her throat is slit, Xie Yuyao still chews slowly with water, making sure she finishes the cornbread in her hand.
Ren Fei and Chen Kai were probably starving, because they ate with great relish.
Sitting under the eaves, Li Weidong saw that the three of them had almost finished eating. "We're eating together. You can eat together or cook for yourselves. But I suggest you eat together. Farm work is tiring, and it won't be so hard if you help each other out."
Li Weidong hoped they would be mentally prepared, and also hoped they wouldn't cause any trouble that would affect their relationship.
Xie Yuyao, who did not understand Li Weidong's deeper meaning, only understood that "farm work is very tiring". She immediately felt guilty and weak in the knees. She had hardly ever done housework, let alone farm work.
Ren Fei and Chen Kai both agreed to join in, as cooking alone would involve chopping wood, carrying water, and preparing meals, which sounded exhausting.
Xie Yuyao hesitated. She couldn't stand the food. She could barely manage one or two meals, but how could she keep going like this for a long time?
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