Luo Jingyan really wanted to slap Zhang Hongxia a few times.
That son of a bitch, how dare he put a hat on her head.
Seeing this, Lin Shanshan quickly added fuel to the fire, saying to Luo Jingyan, "Look, someone is about to go to the countryside, but she's still acting like a capitalist's daughter. It seems she hasn't had enough of enjoying life in the city."
Luo Jingyan suppressed her anger and said to Lin Shanshan and Zhang Hongxia, "I see you two are being sarcastic and working together quite well. You must be in cahoots. She insisted on giving me her cornbread because she thought it tasted bad. She can't endure hardship, yet she comes to ask for my things. I think that's robbery. Shamelessly begging for food from others, she not only isn't ashamed, but she's proud of it. People like her are a disgrace to us educated youth."
“Yes, yes, yes,” the girl opposite Luo Jingyan agreed. “Eat whatever you have. It’s a favor if they give you something, it’s their right not to. They’re not your parents, why should they spoil you?”
Luo Changtian said to Zhang Hongxia, "Oh my, if you knew them, you'd think they thought you were an educated youth sent to the countryside; if you didn't, you'd think they thought you were a beggar."
The others around her also cast disdainful glances at Zhang Hongxia, making her feel utterly ashamed.
Luo Jingyan then said to Lin Shanshan, "You spoke up for her just now, so you must feel sorry for her. If you want to be a good person, then give her your chicken cake."
That's right, Lin Shanshan is eating a chicken cake right now.
She instinctively clenched her bag of chicken cakes. She had limited money and coupons; if she gave the cakes to others, she would have to eat less herself.
"I don't know her, why should I give it to her?"
"I don't even know her. Why should she get to eat my food? Comrade, everyone else eats food they make themselves. You get to eat chicken cake? You must be rich. I bet your family is capitalist."
"Don't talk nonsense. Our family is clean and honest. We're not capitalists." Instinctively, Lin Shanshan stood up abruptly and shouted at Luo Jingyan.
Someone criticized her, saying, "Look at you, you were just criticizing others, but now you can't stand it when it comes to yourself?"
Lin Shanshan recalled her adoptive father's words: she should be patient, keep a low profile, and avoid open conflict with others. She decided to hold back for now and said to Luo Jingyan, "I'm sorry, I misspoke."
Luo Jingyan said, "Apologizing is actually the most useless way to make amends. But I'm a magnanimous person, so I won't hold it against you. Just be careful what you say in the future. Oh, I forgot, you were so sympathetic to them, but I haven't seen you give them any chicken cake yet. You spoke up for them just now, so they must already think of you as a good person. Don't let them feel hurt."
She won't easily let go of those who have hurt her.
Lin Shanshan glanced at Zhang Hongxia with disgust, took out a sponge cake from her bag, and threw it in front of Zhang Hongxia as if feeding a dog. Zhang Hongxia felt insulted and glared at Lin Shanshan fiercely.
But in the end, he picked up the sponge cake from the ground, wiped it with his hand, took it back to his seat, and put it into his mouth one bite at a time.
A murmur and whispers immediately filled the carriage.
The girl who spoke up for Luo Jingyan earlier is named Jiang Manyue, and the girl next to her is named Li Hongmei.
Luo Jingyan gave each of them one of her hard-boiled eggs. When you're out and about, you can't be completely oblivious to social niceties. You should give back to those who are kind to you.
Jiang Manyue and Li Hongmei were very grateful. Jiang Manyue took out a handful of red dates from her bag and gave them to Luo Jingyan: "These are from a relative. They are very sweet and crisp. Don't mind them."
"How could I dislike it? I really like eating these dates."
Luo Jingyan took the red dates and gave half of them to Luo Changtian.
Li Hongmei didn't have anything good in her bag, so she didn't take anything out.
Li Hongying looked completely bewildered. "W-what's going on?"
"Stop pretending to be confused. Once you've signed up, there's no going back or changing your mind. It's too late to back out now. Hurry up and pack your bags and get going."
Li Hongying realized that these people had asked her to come to the countryside.
"Comrades, you've got the wrong person. I didn't sign up to go to the countryside, and I don't want to. You've got the wrong person."
"Your name is already on the list. If you don't want to go now, it's too late."
The leader of the educated youth settlement even showed her the list, and her name was indeed on it.
She couldn't believe it. "I... I really didn't register. Who registered me?"
"Alright, alright, stop pretending. Once your name appears on this registration form, there's no going back. You have to go, whether you like it or not. Lots of people try to avoid being sent to the countryside by crying, making a scene, or even threatening suicide. Let me tell you, it's useless. Are you going to the train station by yourself, or do you want our people to take you there?"
"Comrade, I, I really didn't register."
"Someone come here! This lady doesn't want to leave, so we'll have to take her to the train station."
Two female cadres walked up to Li Hongying, and Li Hongying knew that she had no choice but to leave.
"Comrade, where can I cut in line?"
"Stop talking nonsense. You signed up yourself, how could you not know that?"
Li Hongying stopped asking, but she hadn't prepared anything and had nothing to take from home; she was utterly devastated.
Most importantly, her house hasn't been sold yet.
If I had known, I could have sold the house and used the money to buy supplies for the rural areas.
When she arrived at the train station, boarded the train, and met the other educated youth who were going to the countryside together, she knew that she was going to Jilin Province in Northeast China.
After a two-day and one-night journey, Luo Jingyan's train finally arrived at the H City train station in Jilin Province, but it was already eight or nine o'clock in the evening.
The nights here are much colder than in Beijing. Before even taking a taxi, most of the educated youth took out their coats from their bags and put them on. As soon as they got off the taxi, a blast of cold air hit them in the face.
After such a long train ride, they were all exhausted, and since there were no intercity buses running at night, they had no choice but to find a guesthouse to stay in near the train station.
The group arrived at the guesthouse, and thankfully there were still rooms available. All rooms were for four people, regardless of gender; they couldn't stay in single rooms.
First, single rooms are too expensive; second, single rooms are generally reserved for leaders on business trips, and these people are not qualified to stay in them.
Luo Jingyan couldn't live with Luo Changtian. Luo Changtian was still young, and it was his first time traveling far from home and living with strangers. Luo Jingyan was a little worried and wanted to ask one of the male educated youths if they could take care of Luo Changtian.
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