This is a small village that can even be described as quite pleasing to the eye.
The black soil surrounding the village was neatly planted with corn and rice, as well as some other crops that Su Ruyi didn't recognize, all of which were growing vigorously.
The rice and corn have filled out and are almost ready for harvest.
Su Ruyi looked at the rice paddy. In her previous life, her fourth brother had fallen into it and died.
She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her flesh.
The group arrived at the headquarters of the Qingshan First Team around 8 a.m.
The brigade headquarters was located on the bank of the river in front of the village, which was also the only way to pass through the village.
Upon hearing the sound of the jeep, the captain came out to greet it.
He was a fair-skinned middle-aged man who wore glasses, and didn't look like a farmer at all.
He held the notices for several people to be sent to the countryside, looked them over, and asked, "Who is Shen Heping?"
Shen Heping offered him a cigarette: "Captain, it's me."
The captain took the cigarette, glanced at it, tucked it behind his ear, and smiled. "I received General Shen's instructions a long time ago, Comrade Shen, don't worry, the dormitories have been arranged for you two! I specially picked sunny rooms! They're even nice with heated brick beds in winter! By the way, my surname is Ding, Ding Daguo! You can just call me Uncle Ding!"
Shen Heping nodded and thanked him.
Su Tong, anxious, interjected, "Uncle Ding, where does my fifth brother, Su Tie, live? I came here specifically to find him!"
Ding Daguo's face suddenly turned cold as he turned to Su Tong: "Who's your uncle?! You little comrade, how can you be so shameless? What kind of relationship are you trying to claim? Besides, did I ask you to speak? Shut up and go stand against the wall!"
Su Tong's face darkened, and his heart skipped a beat.
He knew that this man was Su Tie's wife's older brother.
This attitude...
He still insisted firmly, "Captain Ding, I came specifically from..."
"Little Copper!"
Seeing Ding Daguo's face turn cold, Shen Heping quickly pulled him behind him and then said with a smile, "Uncle Ding, he's just worried, please don't be angry! Su Tie is also a good friend of mine. We haven't been able to contact him for a while, and everyone is very anxious. Could you take us to his house to see him first?"
Upon hearing this, Ding Daguo frowned: "Let's... go check on your dorms first and put your things away. Su Tie's matter isn't urgent—it won't help if you rush it!"
"What exactly happened to my fifth brother?" Su Ruyi asked.
Ding Daguo then noticed the little girl behind everyone.
He looked at Su Ruyi, his eyes lighting up: "Such a delicate girl, she's come to the countryside? Can she endure the hardship? Girl, what's your name?"
As he spoke, he flipped through the notice for going to the countryside in his hand again.
“My name is Su Ruyi, and Su Tie is my fifth brother. We are very worried about him. Captain Ding, what happened to him?” Su Ruyi pressed.
"Ruyi? Hmm, that's a really nice name! It seems your family cherishes you quite a bit! How could they bear to send you to the countryside? Wait, shouldn't you be arriving on the 23rd?" Ding Daguo answered irrelevantly, hissing as he spoke.
“I came early because I was worried about something happening to Fifth Brother. All the procedures are legal, and the letter should still be on its way,” Su Ruyi said.
"Can we go ahead?" Ding Daguo rubbed his dry lips with his hand. "Okay, let's put our luggage down first! Let's go!"
With that, he walked out first.
The group looked at each other, bewildered, and had no choice but to follow.
Ding Daguo jumped into the jeep and sat in the passenger seat without any hesitation.
The others had to squeeze into the back row.
Fortunately, there was enough space in the back. Su Tong sat next to Su Ruyi and used his hips to move from side to side to make room for her.
Ji Xuchang sat with half of his buttocks on Shen Pingping's lap.
Ding Daguo pointed out the window and said, "Our Dingjiatun is a place with excellent feng shui. There's a river in front of the village and another one behind it! We never have to worry about drinking water or irrigation for the fields! Look!"
As he spoke, he pointed to the stream flowing not far away: "Isn't this stream winding? Its name is Little Bend River."
"What about the one behind the village?" Ji Xuchang asked.
Ding Daguo's expression changed: "You'll find out about that later."
Su Ruyi knew that the river behind the village was called "Big Butt River" because it circled Dingjiatun in two semicircles.
Dingjiatun is divided into two brigades, Qingshan Team 1 and Qingshan Team 2, located on the left and right hips respectively.
Ding Daguo then pointed to the mountains behind the village: "Don't be foolish enough to go into those mountains behind the village—if you go in, nine times out of ten you won't come out. There are wild beasts in those mountains!"
Su Tong and Su Ruyi exchanged a glance, and both of them trembled.
They all considered the same possibility, but each harbored a sliver of hope and immediately dismissed it.
Finally, under Ding Daguo's direction, the jeep made its way through many twists and turns to the village's educated youth settlement.
This educated youth settlement is located on the banks of the Dading River, about one kilometer away from the village, and it is a quiet place.
After getting off the car and unloading their luggage, Shen Heping dismissed the young soldier.
Ding Daguo took Shen Heping's luggage directly and walked into the backyard, shouting, "Jiang Aiguo! Is Jiang Aiguo here?"
A thin, short male educated youth suddenly appeared out of nowhere, grinning憨憨地, and said, "Captain, Jiang, the educated youth, has gone to work!"
"Oh!" Ding Daguo glared at him. "Then it's you! Come on, help me carry the luggage!"
"Hey!" the skinny male educated youth replied, but hesitated and didn't come over. Instead, he looked at the group of people.
Su Ruyi, however, was looking around the educated youth settlement.
This place feels both strange and familiar.
In her previous life, she lived here for more than a week, and she had only just gotten to know the people, not yet understanding their temperaments and character.
The entire educated youth settlement was divided into a front yard and a back yard, each with three rooms.
The houses were made of adobe, but all had the same light green glass windows that were common in the village.
The front yard was where the female educated youth lived, while the back yard was larger, containing not only the male educated youth's dormitory but also a private plot of land.
The educated youth relied on this land for their vegetables.
The front and back yards are not connected; each has its own entrance.
The group first went to the backyard.
Just like in my previous life, the vegetable garden was well-maintained.
Ding Daguo led Shen Heping and Ji Xuchang straight into the sunny room on the east side of the backyard.
Su Ruyi remembered that the room there originally belonged to two old educated youths; it was warm in winter and cool in summer, and was indeed the best room.
The group didn't come out for a long time.
Su Ruyi and Su Tong stood in the sun, carrying their luggage, waiting.
The thin, short male educated youth sized up Su Ruyi and came up to chat: "Young comrade, what's your name? Where are you from? How old are you?"
Su Tong stepped in front of Su Ruyi: "We're from Haicheng. This is my sister. My name is Su Tong, and her name is Su Ruyi. Comrade, what's your name?"
The male educated youth's expression turned strange: "My name is Li Wang, I'm from Tieshi—I was sent to the countryside because it's nearby! Your name is Su Tong? You're also from Haicheng? Then...do you know Su Tie...?"
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