Chapter 363 Educated Youth Sent Down to the Countryside in the 1960s 25
The neighbors all help this child whenever they can. If they have a daughter, they'll give her an old piece of clothing. Sometimes they'll invite her home for a meal if they see she hasn't eaten. No wonder everyone says that having a stepmother means having a stepfather. If it weren't for the help of the neighborhood committee and the neighbors, it's hard to say whether this child would have survived to this age.
Although Jiang Yue guessed who it was, she didn't say anything. When the child poked her head out, Jiang Yue also poked her head out. Undoubtedly, Jiang Yue's prank was very successful, startling the child. Seeing that the child was about to run away, Jiang Yue pulled her into the house and served her a bowl of noodles before she could react.
"Xiao Yan, eat up. After you finish eating, I need your help with something."
Jiang Yue was worried that the child wouldn't eat, so she made an excuse. After eating a few bites of noodles, Xiao Yan started eating. While eating, Jiang Yue was thinking of an excuse to help her. She glanced at the yard outside and had an idea!
"Sister Xiaoyue, what do you want from me?"
"Little Swallow, do you know how to fry green beans and dry green bean strips?"
"Sister Xiaoyue, I know how. I'll cut your hair after I finish eating!" Knowing that Jiang Yue really wanted her help, her tone became a little lighter.
"Alright, then I'll leave it to you. Slice the eggplant and dry it too. Consider this a favor to me. I'll give you a penny a day and provide lunch. What do you think?"
Hearing that Jiang Yue was going to give her money and provide meals, Xiao Yan waved her hand anxiously and said, "No need to give me money, Sister Yue. I'll finish this work in a bit."
"Okay, don't refuse. But don't tell anyone that you're being given money. If anyone asks, just say you're being provided with meals."
"Alright, hurry up and eat, or the noodles will clump together and won't taste good."
After finishing her meal, Xiao Yan couldn't wait to help Jiang Yue with the chores. Jiang Yue told her to rest before she started. The little girl was cutting green beans and slicing eggplant. If this happened decades later, she might be cyberbullied.
Children these days learn to cook very early, especially those in rural areas. Parents rely on their children to cook and take care of younger children to earn work points. Girls these days, especially those from families that favor sons over daughters, have a really tough time. They have to do housework, take care of their younger siblings, and sometimes even work in the fields during the busy farming season.
For the next few days, the child would come over to help whenever he had free time in the mornings, as if he was afraid of not doing enough work and not getting enough to eat. However, this didn't last long. After all, there were only so many green beans and eggplants in the yard, and the child could finish them in five or six days. This was only because Jiang Yue deliberately didn't go to help, otherwise there would have been no work after a day or two.
Jiang Yue earned a total of six cents for six days of work. She didn't give any more than that, and no one would accept it. On the last day, Jiang Yue happened to buy some meat and made braised pork for Xiao Yan as a treat. However, she didn't dare let her eat too much at once, since she had already eaten some meat in the previous few days.
Time flies, and summer vacation is over in the blink of an eye. There are still a few days left until September 1st. The four of them got together for dinner again. This time, Yao Ling and Wang Liang were upfront about their relationship, which confused Zhang Wei: "What's going on between you two? How did you get together? When did it start?"
"Xiaoyue, Xiaoyue, do you know?"
"I know."
"When did you find out? Why didn't you tell me?"
"Who told you to be blind? You couldn't even see something so obvious, and you've been acting like a third wheel these past few days."
After teasing Zhang Wei, Jiang Yue asked Yao Ling and Wang Liang, "Have you told your families?"
“I already said that I took him home a few days ago.”
What did your family say?
"It's alright, it's pretty good. We've known each other well over the years. We're both getting on in years. My dad said we should find an opportunity to meet his parents and settle things first. We can talk about marriage after we graduate from university. Right now, he hopes we can focus on our studies."
“Your dad is right. We’ve known each other for so long, there’s no rush in the next few years.”
"So I'm the only one in the whole world who doesn't know? I'm speechless. Am I even a comrade anymore?!"
Jiang Yue rolled her eyes at him without saying anything. The stewed ribs in the pot were ready, so she went to get them, leaving Zhang Wei to argue with the two of them. They had all drunk some alcohol that day and slept there. They left early the next morning after breakfast. After everyone left, Jiang Yue tidied up the house. School was starting in a few days, and if she didn't tidy up now, she wouldn't have time.
In the afternoon, Jiang Yue asked Xiao Yan to come over. During class, Jiang Yue planned to hire her to watch over the yard and help with the cooked vegetables. Actually, she also wanted to take care of the child because she felt sorry for her. Recently, that family had been going too far, and the neighbors couldn't stand it anymore and were planning to cause trouble for them.
On September 1, 1978, the Normal University, which had been quiet for a summer vacation, became lively again. Jiang Yue and a few friends from her class helped welcome the new students. After a busy day, Jiang Yue finally had time to go back to her dormitory to tidy up her bed. In the evening, she went to the cafeteria with her roommates for dinner. After dinner, oh! She missed home.
On her way back to the dorm, she saw small groups of students, some discussing their studies and others talking about poetry. Her roommates had run off halfway there, leaving Jiang Yue alone in the dorm. Jiang Yue was too lazy to go out. She had been thinking of wandering around the school, but there were people everywhere, so she figured it was better to stay in the dorm.
After reading for a while, my roommate came back after dark. Soon after, the two roommates started arguing because one of them used the other's hot water. This has happened many times before; some people just don't take it seriously.
Jiang Yue's water was secretly used. It's not a big deal if she uses a little water, but she should have told him beforehand. It's not right to always do it secretly. One time, Jiang Yue didn't notice, and the next morning, when she wanted to drink water, it was all gone. Isn't that infuriating?
Jiang Yue plans to apply to live outside the dorm during her sophomore year, so she won't have to squeeze in with them anymore, and there will be room available when she leaves.
After classes officially started, although there were many more students, it had almost no impact on Jiang Yue. The only difference was that it was harder to find a seat in the library and the lines for meals were longer.
Yao Ling has also written about this matter more than once. Fortunately, Jiang Yue's study has been set up. Jiang Yue has obtained all the professional books for the four of them, as well as some authoritative extracurricular books. They no longer need to borrow books from the school when they come over for a get-together on weekends. It is worth mentioning that several of the educated youth who went to the countryside with them have passed the exams this year.
They even wrote a letter to thank Jiang Yue and the others for the study materials they had given them. Jiang Yue also sent the brigade leader some books on mushroom cultivation and medicinal herbs.
There are still some educated youth who have settled down in the team. She revealed to the brigade leader the place where the four of them secretly grew mushrooms, so that they could get rich and get rid of poverty by growing mushrooms when the policy is relaxed.
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