Chapter 18 Meeting the Captain
The old man's smile vanished instantly upon hearing the words "educated youth," and he muttered to himself, "Why are they sending educated youth here again!"
A group of pampered children who don't know how to work and complain all the time are a real pain in the production team to find them a place to stay.
“Tang Rong is different from other educated youth. She volunteered to go to the countryside because she wanted to build a better rural area. She will live in my house, so the production team doesn’t need to worry about her,” Lin Yuanshu explained seriously.
The old man didn't know the difference between going to the countryside voluntarily and being sent there involuntarily. He only knew that Tang Zhiqing didn't need the production team to worry about him, so he put on his previous smile again and said, "That's good."
Tang Rong took a deep breath. Life as an educated youth in the countryside was indeed not as good as she had imagined. However, she would continue to work hard and would not be defeated by this difficulty.
Lin Yuanshu and Tang Rong boarded the mule cart. After waiting for about half an hour, when everyone was ready and there was no more room on the cart, the old man drove it off.
The people on the bus were all from the production team, so they knew Lin Yuanshu and chatted with him, asking him about his life in the city.
Lin Yuanshu spoke frankly: "The food is a bit better than in the countryside, but the cost of living is also higher. Everything costs money, unlike in the countryside where you can grow your own vegetables. The rooms are also smaller..."
Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter, proudly declaring, "The countryside is still the best; at least the living space is more spacious."
Lin Yuanshu did not refute, but instead went along with what everyone said, making everyone so happy that they were completely bewildered, and the whole way was filled with laughter.
Upon reaching the village entrance, everyone disembarked from the mule cart. The old man drove the cart back to the county town, as he still needed to pick up the others!
The older women warmly helped Lin Yuanshu and Tang Rong carry their luggage home. Lin's parents, seeing Lin Yuanshu carrying large bags of things home, couldn't help but exclaim, "Did you empty out your in-laws' house?"
Lin Yuanshu smiled innocently. She had thought she would feel awkward seeing her mother and father, but she was wrong. There was no awkwardness, only closeness.
She pulled Lin's parents into the room and told them about Tang Rong and Director Tang.
Lin's parents didn't care whether the production team built a factory or not. As soon as they heard Lin Yuanshu say that she needed Tang Rong's mother's help to find a job, they patted their chests and assured her, "Don't worry, we will treat her well."
"There's no need to take great care of her. After all, she's a sent-down youth, not someone to be treated like royalty. You just need to make sure she's not bullied by others. Treat her like you would me, and ask her to do chores when needed," Lin Yuanshu said with a smile.
Lin's mother hesitated and said, "Isn't this a bad idea?"
“There’s nothing wrong with it. Her mother agreed. Going to the countryside is a good opportunity for growth. If you protect her too much, there’s no point in going.” Lin Yuanshu said without hesitation.
Lin's father muttered to himself, "These city people are really something else. If they want their child to grow up, they make her suffer."
Lin Yuanshu: "..."
Afterwards, Lin's parents helped Tang Rong tidy up the room, putting away Lin Yuanshu's things and placing Tang Rong's things in their place.
Lin Yuanshu then found his younger sister and earnestly instructed her, "You must protect Sister Tang Rong well. No matter what she does, you must help her, understand?"
Lin Yuanfeng, who had just come of age, nodded and said with a smile, "I understand."
Lin Yuanshu tiptoed and patted Lin Yuanfeng's head. If Tang Rong really established a factory in the production team, she would find a way to get Lin Yuanfeng a job, no matter what. If Lin Yuanfeng could get along with Tang Rong beforehand, her chances of getting into the factory would be much greater.
Other children were born prematurely, but Lin Yuanfeng was born late. Perhaps because he stayed in his mother's womb for too long, Lin Yuanfeng's reactions were slower than normal after birth, and he often got zeros on his exams.
Aside from that, there's nothing abnormal about him. His IQ is just a little lower than normal. He can dress himself, cook, do chores, and even hit people.
Lin's parents were often ridiculed by the villagers because they couldn't have a son.
Once, when fifteen-year-old Lin Yuanfeng overheard this, he picked up the person who was making fun of him and spun them around.
From then on, no one in the village made fun of Lin's parents anymore, and Lin Yuanfeng also got the nickname "the girl with super strength".
After the room was tidied up, it was almost noon. To entertain Tang Rong, Lin Ma cut off a piece of cured meat. She really couldn't bear to kill the chicken, since it was a laying hen and should be kept to lay eggs.
After the meal, Tang Rong took out half of the gifts and stuffed them into Lin Ma's hand.
Lin's mother refused without hesitation, saying with a smile, "I already have all these things; my daughter only gave them to me."
Tang Rong feigned displeasure and said pitifully, "Auntie, if you don't accept these gifts, I'll feel embarrassed to continue living in your house. They're gifts from your daughter, not from me!"
Lin's mother was a little flustered and subconsciously looked at Lin Yuanshu. After seeing Lin Yuanshu nod, she accepted the gift.
A smile returned to Tang Rong's face.
Lin Yuanshu felt that her hands smelled of food, so she went to get water to wash them. This was a habit she had developed in her past life; she always washed her hands after meals.
Seeing this, Lin's mother smiled and said, "You haven't changed this habit yet. It seems your mother-in-law really cares about you."
Lin Yuanshu was taken aback. She hadn't expected the original owner of this body to have the same habit as her. She said in a low voice, "It's alright!"
She didn't say anything bad about her mother-in-law, not to cover for her, but because she didn't want her parents to worry about her.
Tang Rong was getting a little bored at home, so she leaned closer to Lin Yuanshu and whispered, "Can we go see the brigade leader now?"
Although she didn't know what her mother's plan was, her mother had instructed her to meet the brigade leader on her first day at the production team, so she had to carry out her mother's plan meticulously.
Lin Yuanshu glanced at the sky and casually said, "Let's wait another half hour. I'm afraid if we go now, the brigade leader's family will still be eating."
"Okay," Tang Rong readily agreed.
Half an hour later, Lin Yuanshu took Tang Rong to the brigade leader's house. The brigade leader already knew that Lin Yuanshu had brought an educated youth, so he was not surprised when he saw Tang Rong.
"You're already here, why be so polite! You brought so many things!" The team leader's wife said, taking the gifts from Tang Rong's hands without hesitation and showing a warm smile.
This was the first time Tang Rong had ever seen someone whose words and actions didn't match. However, she wasn't angry. Instead, she smiled and said, "After all, I'll be troubling the captain for taking care of me in the future, so I'm sorry to come empty-handed."
"Of course, of course," the brigade leader's wife said warmly. In her eyes, as long as it could bring benefits to her family, she didn't care whether the woman was an educated youth or not; she was her friend. It was normal for her to go to great lengths for her friends!
A note from the author:
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