Dai Xingyun and Xiahou Jie went straight to their rooms.
After entering the house, the two skillfully opened the cabinet and took out a piece of cured meat that looked tempting and smelled delicious.
Next, they carefully washed some rice, preparing to make a meal of cured pork rice.
Once everything was ready, the two began to cook.
Before long, a rich aroma of meat mixed with the fragrance of rice wafted out of the house.
The aroma, like an invisible hand, quietly crept into the noses of the educated youth who were eating in the courtyard.
Everyone who was enjoying their meal suddenly felt that the food in their bowls had lost its appeal after smelling this aroma.
One by one, they couldn't help but put down their bowls and chopsticks, craning their necks to look at Dai Xingyun and Xiahou Jie's room, secretly filled with envy.
Unable to contain her impulse any longer, Qin Xiuxiu suddenly stood up and strode quickly toward the house where Dai Xingyun and the others lived.
When the other educated youth saw Qin Xiuxiu's actions, they looked at each other in bewilderment and then followed suit.
The group set off in a grand procession toward their destination.
A short while later, they arrived at the door.
Qin Xiuxiu raised her hand and gently knocked on the door, a hint of shyness and embarrassment on her face, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke.
"Dai, Xiahou, the food you cooked smells so good! I... can I trade you something for it?"
From inside came Xiahou Jie's crisp and decisive reply: "We didn't do much ourselves, so we really don't have any extra to give you!" His tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.
However, Qin Xiuxiu was unwilling to leave like this.
She took a deep breath and continued to plead, "Then...can I trade you some baby formula? Just a little bit will do."
As she spoke, she gazed at him expectantly.
Unfortunately, Xiahou Jie remained unmoved, shaking his head without hesitation and replying, "No way, this is our last bit of meat." After saying that, he fell silent.
Qin Xiuxiu sighed helplessly, her eyes filled with disappointment.
In the end, she could only turn around reluctantly and slowly walk out of the courtyard.
Seeing this, the other educated youth realized they wouldn't get anything out of it, so they all slunk away as well.
Meanwhile, Dai Xingyun and Xiahou Jie were thoroughly enjoying the delicious meal before them. They ate with great relish.
When Shen Xiaoxiao opened the door, she saw that Shen Zishan and his wife had already arranged a steaming meal and were sitting at the table, quietly waiting for her return.
Seeing her parents' thoughtful gesture, Shen Xiaoxiao felt a surge of warmth in her heart, but at the same time, she also felt a little guilty.
So she quickly stepped forward and said with a hint of guilt, "Mom and Dad, you could have started eating first, there was no need to keep waiting for me."
Faced with their daughter's concern, Shen Zishan and his wife simply smiled and shook their heads, indicating that they didn't care.
Ma Aning responded gently and lovingly, "Daughter, it's alright! Although it's quite hot these days, it's fine to eat something a little cold every now and then."
"We'd love to wait for you to dine together; that's what makes it feel like home."
Immediately afterward, Shen Zishan chimed in, "Yes, daughter, don't worry about that. Besides, your father and I don't have much important business to do today, so waiting for you is perfectly fine."
"I was even ready to go out and pick you up since you hadn't come home yet, which was so late!"
Hearing her father's words, Shen Xiaoxiao's eyes welled up with tears.
She blinked quickly to hide her gratitude, then said softly, "Thank you, Mom and Dad. Actually, I just chatted with the brigade leader and the village chief for a while."
Shen Zishan initially thought his daughter was just talking about mundane family matters, so he didn't press her further.
And so, the family of three sat together and happily enjoyed this warm and loving dinner.
The next morning, just as the sun rose, the village chief arrived early at the village's open space to assign tasks to the villagers.
At the same time, the brigade leader also got up early and hurriedly headed towards the town, clutching the application form tightly in his hand.
In the village, the village chief stood in front of the crowd, methodically arranging various tasks: "Listen up, everyone, we're about to welcome the harvest season!"
"We can't let our guard down during this time; we must work together to harvest all the crops in the fields." The villagers nodded in agreement, indicating that they would do their utmost to complete the task.
Meanwhile, a meeting was underway in the town government's conference room.
The town mayor sat on the platform, listening attentively to the reports from representatives of each village.
After hearing that all matters had been stated, the mayor stood up and made a final concluding speech.
"Alright, that's all for today's meeting. Let me emphasize again, the harvest is our most important task right now, as it concerns every household's food supply for the whole year. Everyone must muster all their energy, persevere to the end, and ensure that every single grain is harvested!"
After saying this, the town mayor waved his hand to signal the end of the meeting, and the village officials who attended the meeting left the venue one after another.
Clutching the application form, the brigade leader strode up to the town mayor. With a smile, he said, "Mayor, I have good news for you. One of our village's educated youth, through hard work and training, has successfully passed the exam to become a barefoot doctor."
Upon hearing this, the town mayor immediately smiled with delight: "Oh my, this is truly a joyous occasion! Many villages in our town don't even have a single doctor. It's so rare for your village to produce such a talented person."
"However... how about this, could one of them go to another village to provide assistance? After all, medical conditions in some places are really too difficult."
After thinking for a moment, the captain replied, "Well... I'll have to go back and discuss it with them to see what arrangements would be most appropriate."
"But I'd also like to hear the mayor's opinion. One of the two barefoot doctors is my niece from our village, and the other is an educated youth from elsewhere. Who should we send?" The brigade leader handed the question over to the mayor.
The town mayor thought for a moment and said, "Let's send the educated youth there. After all, they are outsiders. It's the same wherever they go."
"Okay, then I'll thank the mayor on behalf of my niece!" the brigade leader said with a simple and honest smile.
"You! You're trying to pull this on me," the town mayor said helplessly, pointing at the brigade leader.
After exchanging a few more words, the brigade leader bid farewell to the town mayor and embarked on his journey back to the village.
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