Chapter 349 Educated Youth Sent Down to the Countryside in the 1960s 11
Unexpectedly, something went wrong. Wang Zhi was also at the educated youth settlement. Yao Ling froze when she saw Wang Zhi. When she came to her senses, she tugged at Jiang Yue's arm and gestured for her to leave quickly. Jiang Yue nodded to indicate that she understood and made an excuse to go home and heat the kang (a traditional heated bed) before leaving.
Zhang Wei and Wang Liang stayed because they were interested in military life. Yao Ling seemed relieved after they had been away from the educated youth compound for a while. Jiang Yue didn't ask her why. After returning home, Yao Ling made up her mind that she wouldn't go out until he left, since he wouldn't be staying for more than a few days anyway.
Jiang Yue picked up her teacup and took a sip of water. As she drank, she thought about getting some tea leaves sometime, since just drinking water was tasteless. After resting for a while, she and Yao Ling tidied up the southeast corner. They planned to build a chicken coop there this year. They tidied up a little bit and then went back inside, because it gets too cold after sunset. They would do it little by little each day.
Seeing that it was almost time to cook, and the two boys still hadn't returned, Jiang Yue and Yao Ling chopped the vegetables first, so they could cook them when they got back. While waiting, the two chatted for a while, and soon Wang Liang and Zhang Wei returned. While Jiang Yue was cooking, she kept telling Yao Ling about interesting things that happened in the army, but unfortunately, the two of them weren't very interested in it.
On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Wang Zhi finally left, and Yao Ling visibly relaxed and started visiting other people's homes. The people she often visited asked her if she was sick, as they hadn't seen her for several days. Yao Ling just laughed it off and didn't say anything; she couldn't tell anyone about it.
The good days didn't last long. Just after the Lantern Festival, Liu Xiaoyi arrived. Yao Ling and Jiang Yue both became serious. This time, because of Jiang Yue's interference, Yao Ling and Wang Zhi did not have any interaction, which led to the butterfly effect that followed. Liu Xiaoyi found out that the two did not know each other and wondered why she did not continue to frame Yao Ling.
He left after a short while. Only after the person left did Yao Ling finally let go of the matter. After that, what happened between the two of them had nothing to do with Yao Ling anymore. After getting rid of this matter, life became peaceful.
In April, we got fifteen chicks. During breaks from work, I would dig up some wild vegetables. I would eat the tender ones and cut up the older ones to feed the chickens. Working was really tiring. The fields here are all long ridges. I would only walk halfway through the morning until noon. After lunch and rest, I would have to find my own ridge to continue working in the afternoon. By the end of the day, my back and waist were aching.
In terms of diet, because it was planned in advance, everyone had some extra nutrition a month before starting work. After starting work, Jiang Yue insisted on eating three meals a day. Moreover, with the puppet acting as a middleman, the group had no shortage of oil and fat. They could even eat meat once a month or so, so it wasn't difficult to stick to it. Although she lost a little weight after the autumn harvest, she was much better than the others.
The plot of land allocated to the four members of the team yielded a bumper harvest. This year, they won't have to buy cabbage and shepherd's purse from others. Wang Liang bought a lot of empty canning jars through the puppet, and Jiang Yue made a lot of canned tomatoes. They'll have more vegetables this winter.
A lot of dried eggplants and green bean strips have also been dried. These past few days, Xiaohu's mother has taken Jiang Yue and the others to pick mushrooms. The four of them have been learning to identify mushrooms at Xiaohu's house for the past few days. Before leaving, Xiaohu's mother also said that it is best to let them see the mushrooms before putting them away, otherwise they will die if they eat poisonous mushrooms.
Jiang Yue and the others were not stubborn. Although Jiang Yue knew them, it would be best to show it next year. That way, people could only say that she was smart and quick to learn. After running around in the mountains for two months, the four of them had accumulated a lot of mountain products because they were all very diligent.
These mountain products were divided into three parts. First, each person received some to take home. Their families subsidize them all year round, and now that they have the ability, they want to give back to their families. Second, they sold the products to exchange for grain. This year, everyone has benefited from the harvest. If it weren't for the large grain reserves, how could we afford to eat three meals a day?
The last part is for our own consumption, so we can add some dishes to our meals. When we get tired of cabbage and potatoes, we can change things up. Besides mushrooms, hazelnuts, and wood ear fungus, we also caught quite a few rabbits and pheasants this year. Everyone sent some home, more or less. It's not a lot, but it's a token of our goodwill.
Before the weather gets cold, they plan to repair the walls. In the summer, the exterior walls are uneven due to the rain. They will mix some soil and grass into mud, apply the mud to the walls, and then smooth it with a wooden trowel to make it look better. Jiang Yue also paid special attention to the windows that leaked air last year.
The leaky parts inside the house were also repaired. After the house was renovated, Jiang Yue made a decision: next year she would try to find some ginseng or something similar, exchange it for money, and renovate the house. After the house was repaired, she built a small side room next to it. This side room was very simple and was enough to serve as a storage room.
Anyone who has lived in a house knows that the longer you live there, the more stuff you accumulate. Jiang Yue and her friends were no exception. Before they knew it, they couldn't fit all their stuff in, so they had to set up a side room where they could put the miscellaneous items they didn't need.
The pickled cabbage and the prepared tomato sauce were placed here. In addition, the group also repaired the vegetable cellar, and this year they put in a lot more vegetables than last year.
After finishing their work, the group started weaving straw curtains to cover the windows during the coldest days. That's how it is in the north; as long as you're exposed to the wind, blocking it will keep you warm. They worked hard until November, and it was foreseeable that Jiang Yue and her friends would have a much better winter this year.
Every year around this time, some educated youth try every means to go home. Jiang Yue accompanied the three of them to find the team leader. They didn't have high hopes when they went, because they had come at the end of last year and this year was only one year. Everyone was prepared that they would not be able to get leave.
Unexpectedly, the brigade leader issued a certificate directly, but he had to pay for his own transportation home. He had to rush back after the Lantern Festival and bring his own food, because there would be no rations when he returned to the city, otherwise he would have to buy expensive grain.
When the brigade leader issued the certificate, he also mentioned that because the four of them had performed very well throughout the year, he didn't want to be the bad guy. He said, "Anyway, you won't be afraid to come back. If your family really had the ability, they would have already gotten you back. Otherwise, if you don't come back, you have nowhere to go in the city, and the local street office will urge you to return." (Regarding this, some sources say you can return every year, some say every two years, some say every four years, and some say you can't go home for the Spring Festival during the Cultural Revolution. It seems the rules differ for farms, forest farms, production and construction corps, and those with permanent residency. Let's just assume it's possible; it won't affect the overall situation.)
When the team leader was issuing the certificate, he wanted to issue one for Jiang Yue, but Jiang Yue refused. She felt it was better to stay here than go home. Yao Ling knew about her family situation and wanted her to come back to her home, but Jiang Yue refused. She thought, "Why would I go there when my family is celebrating the New Year?"
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