"Zhimeng, may I call you Zhimeng?" Jiang Yanxia saw Zhuang Zhimeng nod and continued in a low voice, "Why didn't you say anything just now? This oxcart is really dirty. Look, there's even poop on it."
"Offending the brigade leader right after arriving? Isn't that courting death? It would be terrible if the brigade leader didn't have a good impression of us. Besides, if we don't take this oxcart, we'll definitely have to walk back. I don't want to walk anymore, I'm tired!" Zhuang Zhimeng whispered in Jiang Yanxia's ear.
Sure enough, the captain's face immediately darkened upon hearing Shi Hongye's words.
"If you don't want to ride, then walk! Our brigade is already quite fortunate to have this oxcart. If you don't want to ride, that's fine too. The ox is a treasure of our village, much more precious than you!"
Fearing that she would not be allowed to get on the cart, Shi Hongye quickly climbed onto the oxcart in three steps at a time.
The male educated youth followed behind.
Shi Hongye turned to talk to Zhuang Zhimeng, only to find that Zhuang Zhimeng was whispering something to Jiang Yanxia. She was furious, but couldn't say anything, so she could only glare at Zhuang Zhimeng occasionally.
"Zhimeng, you were right! Luckily we didn't agree with them, otherwise the captain would have been furious and made us all get down and walk." Jiang Yanxia whispered, holding Zhuang Zhimeng's hand.
After a long and tiring journey, Zhuang Zhimeng sat in the oxcart, looking at the fields beside her, her feelings indescribably complicated.
The further we went, the more remote it became, and the road was full of potholes. My bottom felt numb and burning from the bumpy ride on the oxcart.
After walking for more than half an hour, we finally arrived.
All of them were low, mud-brick houses, with slogans like "Vast world, great potential" on them.
The villagers had heard that the new educated youth were coming to the village today, and they all came to watch.
"Look at that female educated youth, she's so pretty! How could her family bear to let her go to the countryside!"
"Yes, she's so fair she's practically glowing! Look at her skin, it's so white!"
"What's the use of being fair-skinned? In less than two days, you'll be just as tanned as us!"
"Tch! What's the use of being good-looking? You still ended up in our rural area."
"These city kids, within a few days they're crying and wailing to go back to the city, saying they can't stand the hardships of the countryside!"
The villagers gathered around the educated youth, discussing the matter animatedly.
The brigade leader parked the oxcart in front of the educated youth compound and called out, "Lin Jianhua!"
The gate of the educated youth compound opened, and a male educated youth walked out, looking somewhat weathered.
"This is your educated youth team leader. Lin Jianhua and the others are in your care. Settle them in and then go to the brigade headquarters to collect your grain." After saying this, the team leader pulled the oxcart away.
The group looked at each other, unsure of what to do next.
“This used to be a landlord’s house. The village has connected the two houses to make it a youth educated youth compound. These two rooms are for male youths and female youths. Please put your luggage down first. We’ll have a meeting tonight.” He said, leading the group inside.
Arriving at the door of the female educated youth dormitory, he called out, "Wang Lihong, the female educated youth are here."
A tall, slender girl came out and led Zhuang Zhimeng and the others into the dormitory, saying, "I'm the person in charge of the female educated youth here. My name is Wang Lihong. You can come to me if you need anything. There are still seats at the end of the kang (heated brick bed), you can choose your own."
After saying that, Wang Lihong left the dormitory, and no one knows where she went.
Zhuang Zhimeng was speechless for a long time when she saw the large kang (heated brick bed). Including Wang Lihong's, there were three beds in total.
I never imagined I'd be living with so many people.
It seems I need to find a way to move out. I'll visit the brigade leader later to see if I can build my own house.
I put my luggage down at the very edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and found a rag to wipe it down.
Jiang Yanxia watched as Zhuang Zhimeng put away her luggage, then quickly placed her own luggage next to Zhuang Zhimeng and found a broom to sweep the kang (heated brick bed). That area had been untouched for a long time and was covered in dust.
Shi Hongye originally wanted to live next to Zhuang Zhimeng, but she couldn't keep up with Jiang Yanxia's pace.
Feeling resentful, she simply put her luggage on the kang (heated brick bed). She thought to herself, "I don't even want to live with you guys."
When Zhuang Zhimeng returned with water, she saw that Jiang Yanxia had also cleaned her side, so she decided to help her wipe it down as well.
There's a well in the yard, so getting water is very convenient. It was my first time drawing water, and I wasn't used to it, so I studied it for a while.
I wiped the ends of the kang (heated brick bed) clean and let it air out for a while.
I told Jiang Yanxia and went out. I was going to take a walk around the village; there weren't many people there now. I figured I'd visit the village head and see if he could help me with the housing issue.
After walking for a while, Zhuang Zhimeng saw an old lady and hurried over to ask for directions: "Hello, Grandma, I'm a new educated youth. How do I get to the brigade leader's house? I have something to ask him."
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