"Hey! So you're also coming to the Flathead Brigade. I didn't see you on the train."
After loading the luggage onto the oxcart, Hao Guoyi said goodbye and left first. Ruan Xianxian returned to the team, and a girl dressed in tattered clothes but clean enough struck up a conversation with her.
There were five new educated youths in total, three women and two men.
She, Mu Xia, and the girl who struck up the conversation were named Chen Zhaodi.
Two male comrades walked behind the female comrades, arranged by the captain, ostensibly to provide cover!
One of them was named Wu Xueliang. She vaguely remembered him. He was from Shanghai. He and another old educated youth at the educated youth settlement were childhood friends. They usually went out together and didn't like to get involved in gossip.
Ye Gen, who was the last one to lose money and was half-dead, cast an extremely resentful glare at Ruan Xianxian.
His eyes swept over the two large bags of luggage she had placed on the top shelf of the oxcart, and for some reason, his mood improved again.
Ruan Xianxian looked completely bewildered when she answered Wang Zhaodi's question, "I don't know! I was wondering why I didn't see you guys on the bus?"
The special bus line for educated youth usually arranges for educated youth from the same commune to sit together, and the person on the other end will only ask this question if they don't see her.
"We've arrived at the village entrance." The brigade leader jumped off the oxcart and called out, also indicating that everyone should remember the way.
"I'll take you to the educated youth settlement. We'll rest and get ready in the next two days, and then we'll start work early the day after tomorrow. If you have any questions, ask me now."
The battalion commander had a scar running from his right cheek to his left cheek. He was in his forties, broad-shouldered and burly, and had a slight limp.
When she's not smiling, she looks at people like she's about to eat them; when she smiles, she's even more frightening.
Because of the other party's appearance, Ruan Xianxian from her previous life was afraid to approach them, and instead became closer to the village chief's family, who were sweet on the outside but bitter on the inside.
She was almost violated by the village chief's drooling, strong, and foolish son, but someone secretly helped her.
She only learned before returning home that the person who had secretly helped her many times was Xiang Hongjun, who had refused the organization's job assignment after being discharged due to injury and returned to the village to serve as the brigade leader.
"Captain! What should we do about our rations?" This was Chen Zhaodi's biggest concern.
“Rations! Each educated youth who has just been sent to the countryside receives fifty catties of coarse grain, which is included in your rural allowance. If you run out, you have to exchange work points with the brigade to buy more.”
He made it clear from the outset, "Our brigade does not support exchanging money for grain privately. If you want grain, you can only use work points. If you have more money, you can also use tickets to go to the city to buy grain."
In other words: No work, no food!
He gave Ruan Xianxian a fierce look.
This guy has absolutely no self-awareness. He pats his fanny pack and his big eyes crinkle into crescents: "I have money, and not only money, but also tickets."
To the Red Army: ...
Disappointed, I looked away. He was very blunt, and the other party's implication was also very clear, summed up in one word: Rich! Doesn't work!
The others breathed a sigh of relief. This model was quite good, unlike what some educated youth returning to visit their families described as dark and unfortunate, where some unlucky ones encountered a corrupt brigade and had to pay extra money in addition to work points to buy grain.
It doesn't matter if they don't give it to you; the corrupt brigade has plenty of ways to punish educated youth.
As they were talking, the oxcart had already entered the village. At the entrance of the village, the old locust tree was sprouting tender green leaves, and a stone mound surrounded the village for the women to chat and gossip.
It was work time, and under the locust tree, only one aunt was leaning against the tree, stretching her legs out straight as she sunbathed.
Upon seeing people, she scrambled to her feet and rushed to the front of the line, scrutinizing each person while making clicking noises.
"Look at this girl's physique, that's great. Thick waist and round hips, she's sure to give birth to a son. She's a perfect match for that sickly guy from Wang Ermazi's family, they complement each other!"
Mu Xia's face darkened!
"Oh my, girl, you're so skinny. You must not have enough to eat at home, right? How about I introduce you to a strong and healthy man?"
Chen Zhaodi blushed, then paled, and took a step back to hide behind Mu Xia.
Li Dajiao couldn't help but laugh. "Why are you shy? Don't be! Every woman has to get married sooner or later, and this is something everyone has to go through!"
"Li Dajiao! That's enough!" the captain shouted.
But the woman completely ignored him, her gaze finally settling on Ruan Xianxian as she looked her up and down, her eyes gleaming.
Just as I was about to say something, I saw this well-bred young lady bend down, pick up a stone, check that it wasn't dirty, and then crunch it down in her mouth...
The stone, capable of chiseling a hole in a person's skull, shattered into pieces in her mouth. Li Dajiao's pupils dilated violently. "Girl! What are you doing?"
Ruan Xianxian spat out the stone chips in her mouth, looking puzzled, and asked her, "Try it to see if it's salty! Don't you ever taste it, Auntie?"
Li Dajiao: ? ? ?
God...you're insane!
"I can't afford to offend her," he thought with a forced laugh, about to slip away, when Ruan Xianxian grabbed his sleeve. Her pretty face was now incredibly gloomy, her gaze fixed intently on him.
"You gave them all sound advice, but you left me out, Auntie. Are you looking down on me?"
Her small hand slowly moved upwards, from grabbing the hem of her clothes to grabbing her collar, pulling Li Dajiao close to her. Ruan Xianxian's tone was sinister:
"Auntie! Are you looking down on me? Say something!"
The last two words were suddenly raised in volume, startling Li Dajiao so much that he trembled all over. He desperately pried Ruan Xianxian's hands away, stumbled as he turned around, and scrambled away.
The scene fell silent for a moment!
Ruan Xianxian hugged Mu Xia's big, thick arm tightly, crying, "Waaah! She looks down on me. Am I not rich enough?"
Mu Xia pressed a finger against her forehead and poked her away, saying, "Don't have this episode!"
The brigade leader lit the welding fumes and watched in amazement. That woman was one of the most difficult people in the village, and she was scared away by the female comrade in the first round.
Suddenly, his hand holding the cigarette paused. What did it mean that he could scare Li Dajiao away in the first round? It meant that she was ten times more difficult to deal with than the former. What was he so glad about?
The rest of the journey was silent, except for Ruan Xianxian, who looked around happily, as if she were going home.
Finally, we arrived at the educated youth settlement. It was a brick and tile house with a large courtyard, built by a small landlord who had fled famine and settled here.
Later, when the small landlord was overthrown, the villagers of the big house wanted to cause a scene. Then, when the educated youth were sent to the countryside, the village cadres decided to simply open up the rooms and turn them into two large dormitories to accommodate the educated youth.
Female educated youth lived on the left and male educated youth lived on the right. A row of vegetable gardens in the middle separated the male and female dormitories. The backyard was a large kitchen, with a storage room on the left and a woodshed on the right.
"Ye Guo! Settle him in." The captain shouted, and a man who looked about twenty-five or twenty-six years old and whose appearance was five or six parts similar to Ye Gen ran out of the yard.
He came out and smiled at the captain, "Uncle Xiang, don't worry! My accommodation has been arranged."
Xiang Hongjun pointed to the man and introduced him to the new educated youth: "His name is Ye Guo. He has been in our village for six years and is currently in charge of the educated youth settlement. You can look for him if you need anything."
Then he said to Ye Guo, "After you've settled them in, bring them to the village office to collect their grain."
"good!"
After the brigade leader driving the oxcart had gone some distance, Ye Gen, unable to contain himself any longer, ran up to Ye Guo and grabbed his arm, his voice urgent:
"Brother! Brother! I've lost all my money!"
What? The money's gone? That was the money the family had sent his younger brother to bring for his wedding! Ye Guo was even more anxious than his brother:
"Where did you lose it? Or was it stolen? Did you report it to the police?"
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