Chapter 2: Falling Behind
Wen Wan carried her things on her back and stood behind the crowd, not in a hurry at all. It didn't matter where she went, so she didn't want to squeeze with the crowd.
She waited until she had caught all the pieces before she stepped forward. There were only two paper balls left in the box. She twisted one in her hand, opened it, and saw three words written on it: "Xihe".
Then she heard people from various brigades coming to pick up people shouting, and Wen Wan followed the sound to the Xihe Brigade.
Even when drawing lots, the number of people was equal. Xihe was assigned eight educated youth, five men and three women. They stood together shivering, carrying their belongings on their backs.
This place is in the southwest region. When they got off the bus in the afternoon, they felt that it was not as cold as the capital. But now it is really cold at night. After all, it is winter, and shivering is very normal.
The people who came to Xihe to pick up the people were the production team leaders of two of the teams and the accountant of the brigade.
I was reluctant to make this trip, but since the people were already here, I had no choice but to take them in. However, there were benefits too. When they came to pick them up, they could select the people first, at least two who were capable and easy to serve, so that they wouldn't have to pay for their food if they couldn't do the work.
People like Wen Wan with small arms and legs were disliked.
She was not annoyed. There were four production teams in Xihe Brigade. If they didn't want the two here, there were still two left. She could be anywhere.
Now we don’t have to take a tractor, we have to walk. Fortunately, Xihe is not the farthest from the commune, and it takes less than an hour to walk there.
Wen Wan was like a walking mound carrying things on her back, and soon fell behind.
By the time Lu Dongping and the others realized that the number of people was wrong, she had already fallen far behind.
When walking at night, you rely entirely on the torches in front of you. If you fall behind, how can you see anything? Won’t you just fall further and further away?
Lu Dongping felt a slight toothache. Who had the brains to come up with such a thing? It couldn't even walk properly, how could it support the countryside? What the hell!
He walked back and arrived in front of Wen Wan like a gust of wind. With his free hand, he took the two bags from her hands and stuffed the torch in his hand into her hands: "Take it. If you can't catch up, I'll leave you to the wolves on the road!" After saying that, he also took off the big bag she was carrying.
He frowned when he held the thing in his hand, and looked at Wen Wan again. He didn't know what it was, it was so heavy, no wonder he couldn't walk fast.
Wen Wan pursed her lips and said nothing. She was not scared by Lu Dongping at all. Where did the wolf come from on such a big road? Did he think she was a three-year-old child?
This guy is tall and strong, and although he looks young, he has a bad temper. He is kind-hearted and helped me pick up my luggage and carry my things.
She looked up at him, holding the torch, and said, "Thank you. What's your name?" He was a bit tall; she was only five feet five inches tall, and having to look up to speak was tiring. He was wearing a half-worn military coat. His hair was parted in a 3:7 split, with a slight curl at the edges. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and he looked good, though he looked a bit dark, which immediately lowered his overall appearance.
She glanced at him and then looked away. Before Lu Dongping could speak, she said her name first: "My name is Wen Wan, the Wen with three water drops."
Lu Dongping suddenly asked, "The enamel bowl?"
"No, the one next to the female character is different."
Lu Dongping felt a little wicked and put away his joking thoughts: "You're not yet an adult, are you? Why are you thinking of going to the countryside? You city people have the means but don't study hard, and rush to the countryside on a whim. Life in the countryside is not as good as you think."
"You can go to the countryside at 16, so why can't I do the same at 17? I've studied all I can. If I go any higher, I won't be able to take the exam. Anyway, the country has called on me, so I should respond. It's the same no matter where I am."
Lu Dongping was speechless. Could eating commercial grain in the city be the same as in the countryside?
This young educated youth has a problem with his brain.
After stopping the conversation, he discovered something. He originally came to take Wen Wan to catch up with the people in front, but as he talked, he walked slower and slower. He was completely accommodating the pace of this little thing. As a result, the two of them fell further and further behind, and they could not see the torches in front.
He looked at the young educated youth beside him and sighed. What did these people mean? Did they just throw this little thing to him? To their team?
If his uncle finds out tomorrow, he will be furious.
No matter how you look at it, he's still a child. How can he go out to work?
Xihe Brigade had four production teams, and Lu Dongping's family was the closest to the commune, belonging to the Lujiazui Production Team. The brigade wasn't particularly harsh, having given him Wen Wan and then a young man named Zhu Feng.
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