That's more like it.
His niece was spoiled by her brother-in-law, so it's no wonder she'd be unwilling to suddenly leave home for the countryside.
“Jiayuan, let me tell you, your mother and I grew up in the countryside. Of course, there was a war back then, so it was definitely not as peaceful as it is now. But life in the countryside is still very hard, and not just a little bit hard.”
He paused here, and seeing that his niece was listening attentively, he continued, "Let me put it this way: if you go to a place that is relatively close to a town or county seat, it will be a little better. But if you go to some remote mountain valley, you won't be able to buy food even if you have money and tickets, because no one else will have any."
Jia Yuan stared wide-eyed at her uncle in disbelief.
"Don't be surprised, I'm just stating the facts."
"No way, Uncle, I can't even buy food with money and food coupons?"
"There's none at all, so what would I have to sell it to you?"
"But...but..." Jia Yuan was a little anxious, but she didn't know what to say.
Li Chu patted her hand with a smile: "Don't be in such a hurry. Do you know why the country encourages educated youth to go to the countryside to work?"
"Let's go and develop the countryside. Let's use the knowledge we've learned to help rural areas."
“You’re right, but there’s another crucial point: there are too many people in the city, and too many people are eating government-subsidized grain.”
Jia Yuan looked at Li Chu with a puzzled expression; she couldn't understand the meaning of his words.
Li Chu thought for a moment before saying, "Let's take an example. If you hadn't stopped attending classes and had finished high school normally, what would you do if you didn't get into university?"
"Waiting for the neighborhood committee to arrange a job for me."
"That's right. Do you know how many people are lining up for jobs at the neighborhood committee right now?"
Wang Jiayuan shook her head; she had indeed never cared about these issues.
She had only been in high school for a little over a month when she was dropped from school. Every day at school, she just memorized the contents of that red book and never thought about the future.
"If you go and line up now, it might take two years before it's your turn."
"So many people are queuing?" Jia Yuan asked in surprise.
"I may not have said enough. You can ask your mother for the specifics. She definitely has the exact figures."
“These people queuing up have nothing to do now. All they do is eat and sleep, or just stroll around on the street. With so many people doing nothing all day, it would be better to send them to work in the countryside. At least they can farm and support themselves. If one person goes, the city will support one less person. Isn’t that a win-win situation?”
Li Chu's words shattered Wang Jiayuan's worldview. How could the glorious act of going to the countryside to work, as promoted by the media, be described by her uncle as solving her problems in the city?
Seeing her niece's expression, Li Chu knew she couldn't accept what he had said, so he smiled and said, "Jiayuan, think about it again. How long does the propaganda say they'll be going to the countryside?"
"Three years, or five years?" Jia Yuan asked hesitantly.
“Whether it’s three or five years, we’ve all volunteered to go and build up the countryside. It’s been ten or eleven years since then. You can go and ask around and see who has come back.”
At this point, Li Chu suddenly realized that something was wrong. It seemed that it was voluntary before, but starting this year it should be mandatory. No matter if you graduated from junior high school or high school, as long as you don't have a job, you have to go.
I wonder if students like Jia Yuan who haven't graduated will be forced to do so?
Li Chu really didn't know this. No, he had to discuss it with his sister and brother-in-law.
Wang Jiayuan sat there, completely bewildered. She believed that her uncle wouldn't lie to her, nor would he have any reason to.
Just as I was about to say something, I saw Li Chu looking at me, his face turning red and then pale.
"Uncle, what's wrong?" Wang Jiayuan reached out and tugged at Li Chu's arm.
"Oh, I just remembered something, nothing."
He gave a casual explanation, but in his heart he kept thinking that the only way to prevent Jia Yuan from being sent to the countryside was to find her a job right now.
But it's simply unrealistic to expect my sister and brother-in-law to arrange a job for Jia Yuan right now.
They don't know how many people are watching them right now, so they can't afford to do anything rash. If someone suddenly attacks them, things could really get messed up.
loubiqu.
Thinking of this, Li Chu turned his head to look at the wall in the southwest corner of the courtyard, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate the wall and see out.
He might be able to arrange a job for his niece, but he'd have to discuss it with his sister and brother-in-law first, since Jia Yuan is their child.
Having made up his mind, he stopped thinking about it and patted his niece's arm: "Remember what your uncle said, no matter what, don't volunteer yourself. Neither your mom and dad, nor your uncle and aunt, would harm you. We are your elders, and everyone loves you very much."
The word "love" brought a blush to Wang Jiayuan's face.
People nowadays tend to be more conservative in their thinking. Whether it's elders talking to children or couples, no one would casually use that word.
Wang Jiayuan was a little shy when her uncle did this to her out of the blue.
After everyone finished lunch at Li Chu's place, they went home. After seeing off Wang Jun, Wang Bing, and the other three with a child, Li Qin and the others also prepared to go home.
"Sister, brother-in-law, don't go yet, I need to talk to you about something."
Li Qin and Wang Ziwen exchanged a glance, both seeing the confusion in each other's eyes.
The group went back to the living room and sat on the sofa.
Li Qin asked anxiously, "Xiao Chu, what's wrong?"
"It's about Jia Yuan cutting in line."
"Switch lines? Jia Yuan, are you going to the countryside? That's so tough." Before Li Qin and Wang Ziwen could say anything, Ding Qiunan couldn't sit still any longer.
"Don't be in such a hurry, Qiu Nan. We're only just starting to talk about this now," Li Chu said, shaking his head at his wife.
"No, Xiao Chu, didn't I already tell Yuan Yuan that I don't agree to her going?" Li Qin turned to her daughter: "Yuan Yuan, do you want to go?"
"Mom, I told Uncle that I don't actually want to go."
Wang Ziwen sat calmly to the side without saying a word.
"Sister, I know what you're saying, but..."
Li Chu decided to reveal some of what he knew.
"However, as far as I know, it will soon be mandatory, not voluntary."
These words were quite shocking, and Wang Ziwen couldn't sit still any longer. She jumped up from the sofa as if she were being pricked by needles.
"Xiao Chu, where did you get this information from?"
He couldn't reveal where he got the information, so Li Chu simply glanced at his brother-in-law without answering his question.
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