The female educated youth, who hadn't learned anything yet, stared with bewildered eyes as Aunt Tian led them to the front of the line and placed them at the very front.
Simply because they were wearing bright red and pink cotton-padded jackets and were pretty, being in the front row was both festive and prestigious. Aunt Tian even had Xie Yuyao, the prettiest of the group, lead the dance.
"Start the tune!"
"Dong dong qiang, dong dong qiang, dong dong dong dong qiang..."
"Girls, jump up!" Aunt Tian, who was dancing to the sound of gongs and drums, shouted loudly at the female educated youths who were standing still in the front row.
Embarrassed to the point that she could dig her toes out of the pool villa, Xie Yuyao turned around and looked at a group of women and female educated youth who were already dancing gracefully, and began to sway her hands and feet.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, two, two, three, four..."
Xie Yuyao silently kept time in her mind and, without any instruction, began to dance the Yangko dance of later generations. Without a fan or ribbon in her hand, she incorporated elements of square dancing from later generations.
One in front, one behind, one to the left, one to the right, with the devil's steps, their hands stretched out and extended, high and low, making the people in the back row dizzy and confused.
"That girl in the pink cotton-padded jacket danced so beautifully, is she a member of the cultural troupe?"
"It must be true, I've seen cultural soldiers perform similar dances in movies, unlike us who just wave two red ribbons back and forth."
"Wow! Qingshan Village really went all out, they even specially invited the cultural troupe!"
Xie Yuyao and the other female educated youths standing in the front row: ...
Aunt Tian stepped forward from behind and shouted, "Yaoyao! Your dance is beautiful! Teach everyone to dance like you!"
Xie Yuyao no longer cared about being shy. Having finally taken the initiative, she started shouting out the rhythm and teaching everyone to dance her self-created dance.
Square dancing has simple moves and is suitable for the general public to learn and exercise. Before long, everyone had learned it.
"Put-put-put, put-put-put..." The tractor came from a distance.
Aunt Tian shouted, "Quickly, start beating the drums and everyone dancing!"
Instantly, the sounds of gongs and drums mingled together, creating a chaotic scene that drowned out the sound of the tractor.
The neat and uniform new-style Yangko dance exudes a bright and joyful atmosphere.
The captain jumped off the tractor, squeezed through the crowd of onlookers, and smiled with satisfaction when he saw the dancing group.
"Make way, make way!" The captain told the onlookers to clear a path and waved for Zhao Tiechui to drive the tractor over.
All the people from Qingshan Village present were so excited when they saw the brand-new tractor that they crowded around it.
Aunt Tian quickly called out to the women, "Stop watching! Let's all jump up! Yao Yao, you lead the dance at the front and show everyone the charm of our Qingshan Village!"
Xie Yuyao, who breathed a sigh of relief and was ready to retire, exclaimed: Why do I have to jump again?!
Encouraged by the lively atmosphere, Xie Yuyao, having practiced a few times before, started leading everyone in dancing again.
After a while of banging gongs and drums, attracting a huge crowd of onlookers, the brigade leader raised his hand with a satisfied expression to stop the performance and waved for everyone to get on the tractor and return to the village.
A burst of jubilant cheers erupted as all the residents of Qingshan Village scrambled to climb onto the back of the tractor, excitedly looking down. Seeing the envious looks on the faces of those around them, they felt extremely proud.
Xie Yuyao and Yang Shumei didn't try to squeeze onto the tractor. They had originally planned to visit the supply and marketing cooperative, but having just made a big splash here, they didn't want to be recognized. So they decided to go back to Qingshan Village first and wait until they were no longer in the memories of the commune's residents before going there.
There were too many people from Qingshantun, and the tractor couldn't carry everyone. The brigade leader stood on the crowded tractor, full of vigor: "Everyone, get your tools out there and let's go!"
"Dong dong qiang, dong dong qiang qiang... tu tu tu, tu tu tu..." The tractor slowly started, leaving behind a jumble of sounds that echoed on the road.
With the repaired road surface paved with gravel, even though there was still a thin layer of snow that hadn't melted, it didn't prevent the tractor from driving back to Qingshan Village quickly and steadily.
Back at the brigade headquarters, another wave of excitement swept through. Men, women, and children who hadn't gone to the commune gathered around, crowding the tractor and chattering excitedly.
From then on, they were also a production brigade with vehicles!
*
Tractors brought immediate convenience: people from Qingshantun no longer needed to take oxcarts to Hongqi Commune!
When the harvest season arrives, the tractor can also be used to haul grain, making it a versatile vehicle that can function as both a passenger bus and a freight truck.
The excitement surrounding the brand-new tractor lasted for several days before gradually subsiding, and life in Qingshan Village slowly returned to normal.
"Yaoyao, the day after tomorrow is your wedding day with Honghui. If he can't come back in person, how about we use a rooster instead and have the wedding ceremony first?"
That afternoon, Yang Chunhua went to the clinic to find Xie Yuyao, called her to a secluded corner outside the clinic, and proposed the idea of getting married as scheduled.
Upon hearing her words, Xie Yuyao found them utterly absurd, and her already agitated heart exploded: "Aunt Yang, I will return the betrothal gifts to you right now, and my marriage with Zhao Honghui is dissolved!"
After saying that, she didn't want to stay a second longer and strode towards the educated youth compound.
Yang Chunhua was stunned. She did have her own selfish motives, but she was only testing the waters and did not force Yao Yao to accept. How did it escalate to the point of breaking off the engagement?
She strode after her, grabbed Xie Yuyao's arm, and explained softly, "Yaoyao, Auntie just felt that the wedding date shouldn't be changed easily, that's why I had this idea. It's okay if you don't want to, we can just reschedule, don't be angry."
Xie Yuyao shook off her hand and said with a cold expression, "Aunt Yang, I'm not saying this out of anger. If he hasn't returned by the day after tomorrow, we'll call off the engagement first. What happens after that is up to fate."
Yang Chunhua panicked. If she ruined her eldest son's marriage and Xie Yuyao married someone else, she would have no way to explain it!
But no matter how much Yang Chunhua pleaded, Xie Yuyao didn't change her mind. Yang Chunhua gradually got angry: "Yaoyao! I originally wanted Honghui to go with you to get the marriage certificate before we left, but Honghui refused. He always thinks of you and even learned to cook for you. Can't you wait for him?"
Enraged by these accusations, Xie Yuyao, who was easily swayed by gentle words but not by harsh ones, lost her temper and stopped holding back.
She said with a half-smile, "Why do you think that just because he agreed to let you get the marriage certificate on that day, I would definitely agree? Or do you think that Zhao Honghui can do whatever he wants and that my opinion doesn't matter at all?"
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