The mule cart carried them over one hill after another, until they were all wilted and dizzy from the sun. Then the village chief’s voice came over: “Alright, we’re almost there. Cheer up, everyone.”
In the distance, fertile fields stretched out, houses dotted the landscape, and mountains surrounded the area—a breathtaking sight that refreshed the spirit.
Finally, the mule cart stopped in front of a row of mud and thatched houses just inside the village. "Alright, get off. We're here. You'll stay here. Xu, the educated youth, come out here for a moment. The new educated youth have arrived. Please make the arrangements."
"Uncle Guo, you're back." The man was about twenty-three or twenty-four years old and of medium height.
"Hello everyone, I am Xu Guoqing, the person in charge of the educated youth settlement. Welcome to our station. Let's unload your luggage first, and you can rest for a bit. Everyone else at the station is taking a lunch break. We'll introduce ourselves to each other tonight."
Several people got out of the car and greeted each other, "Hello, my name is Hu Dong."
"Hello, my name is Li Weiguo."
"Hello, I am An Moxue."
"Hello, my name is Qi Hehua, and this is my younger sister Taohua."
After unloading the luggage, the village chief told everyone to rest for a day tomorrow and start work the day after tomorrow. He told a few people to go to the brigade office to complete the formalities when they had time. After the people nodded in agreement, the village chief drove away.
Xu Guoqing led several people into the house. There was a wooden table, several long benches, and at the far end of the room, there was a large stove on each side, with a large vat next to it.
Xu Guoqing pointed to the door on the west wall and said to An Moxue and the other two, "The women will stay in the west room. I know you'll arrive around noon, so the door shouldn't be locked. Just push it open and go in." He then glanced at the two men and said, "The men will stay in the east room." He then opened the east door and went in, with the other two following closely behind.
An Moxue gently pushed the door open, and stepped inside.
The room was long, with a large kang (heated brick bed) on the north side. Four people were taking a nap on the kang, which still had a lot of space. An Moxue chose a bed next to a cabinet, which was at the end of the kang. Several cabinets on the floor were locked. There were four chairs under the window, with towels hanging on the backs of the chairs. The washbasin was placed in a compartment under the chairs. When needed, it could be taken out and placed on the chair. When not in use, the washbasin could be placed underneath so that people could sit down. Judging by the height, she moved the chair to the edge of the kang. Sitting on the chair, she could lean over the kang and write. It was a very ingenious design.
This kang (heated brick bed) looks like it could sleep at least ten people, or even more, and the room is three meters wide.
An Moxue gently stroked the surface of the kang (a heated brick bed); it was very clean. She put down her luggage, then turned and went out to bring in two more pieces of luggage. Seeing that there was space in the room, she pushed her bicycle in, parked it on the side, and locked it.
At this moment, the people on the kang also woke up. One of them muttered, "It's the middle of the day and you can't even give us a break. Can't you be gentle or wait until we get up before cleaning up? So you don't have to work this afternoon."
Another person quickly smoothed things over, saying, "It's just a coincidence. Stop grumbling and try to understand and be tolerant of each other."
Then, addressing An Moxue and the other two, she said, "My name is Zhang Xiu, don't take it to heart. This is Wang Zhaodi, she's not a bad person, just straightforward. The one with the foreign student haircut is Liu Jie, and the one with the long braid is Ma Li." Wang Zhaodi pursed her lips and didn't say anything, while Liu Jie and Ma Li nodded in greeting.
The three replied, "My name is An Moxue." "My name is Qi Hehua, and this is my younger sister, Qi Taohua."
Then, the three newcomers packed their things, and the four veteran educated youth also got up.
An Moxue chatted with a few people while packing her things. The Qi Hehua sisters rarely asked questions on their own initiative; they only answered when asked.
Actually, there wasn't much to tidy up. I just took out the bedding and laid it out, put away the washbasin, towels, toiletries, and the thermos. That's all.
An Moxue wanted to take a shower and change her clothes, so she asked Zhang Xiu, "Comrade Zhang Xiu, I want to take a shower. Do we have a place here? What should I do?"
"Yes, there's a shed next to the storeroom here, which is used for bathing. But you can only bathe when it's warm. When it's cold, you have to go to the bathhouse in town. You boil the water, carry it there in a bucket, and wash your face in a basin. Come here, I'll tell you how to do it."
"Thank you so much, Comrade Zhang Xiu."
"From now on, we'll be living together. Don't call me 'comrade,' just call me Zhang Xiu."
"Okay, Sister Zhang Xiu."
Upon arriving in the kitchen, Zhang Xiu told An Moxue to use the water and firewood for now, and to replenish them later. An Moxue secretly slipped her three orange candies, winked at her, and then left after teaching An Moxue how to light a fire.
An Moxue first boiled a kettle of water to fill the thermos, then filled the pot with water, just enough to heat it up for a bath.
After An Moxue finished showering, she felt completely relaxed. She hadn't showered for several days and felt uncomfortable all over. She felt like she had scrubbed off a lot of dirt.
When they returned to their room, the older educated youth had already gone to work, leaving only the new educated youth. After discussing it for a while, they all decided to wash up, eat something, and then go to the brigade headquarters to complete the formalities.
The two sisters have finished eating and are now going to wash up. An Moxue made herself a cup of malted milk powder and ate it with some sponge cake.
About half an hour later, the group of people took the documents and materials and went to the brigade headquarters, which was located just north of the educated youth compound, around the corner.
Further north is the elementary school playground, and the classrooms are located on the north side of the playground.
In the brigade headquarters, village chief Guo Xiwang and accountant Chen Defa were talking about the educated youth.
“This time, there’s a family member of a martyr. Both her parents sacrificed their lives. She’s a young girl, and she seems promising. I wonder if she can handle the work in our fields.” This was the village chief.
"You know, every year so many kids are sent to our rural area, when will it ever end? Some of them can't even keep up with the work of our rural children, and they cause so much trouble." This is the accountant.
"The policy is..." Knock knock knock, the sound of knocking on the door interrupted the two people's conversation.
"Come in!" Several people filed in. "You're here to complete the formalities. Go ahead, that's accountant Chen Defa. He'll fill out the forms and complete the procedures for you."
After completing the formalities, the group officially settled in. The village chief then explained some matters: It wasn't the busy spring or autumn farming season, so work hours were from 7:00 AM to 2:00 PM; work ended at 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM. During the busy farming season, work would start an hour earlier (6:00 AM) and end an hour later (7:00 PM). No leave was allowed during the busy season; taking leave at other times would result in a deduction of work points. To eat well, one had to earn work points. During normal times, one should avoid trouble and work hard. In their first year in the countryside, each person would receive a monthly grain subsidy of 28 jin (approximately 14 catties), which could be collected in the village at the same price as the grain store. If they couldn't pay for the grain, work points could be deducted at the end of the year. If the new educated youth didn't have enough grain, they could buy more from the brigade, up to 10 jin (approximately 5 kg) per month, without needing grain coupons, but this was only for the first year; the following year, they would have to exchange work points for grain. Work hours would be announced via loudspeaker.
An Moxue, Hu Dong, and Li Weiguo paid for their grain and bought another ten jin of grain. Qi Hehua and her sister only received their grain and remembered their work points. The twenty-eight jin of grain included five jin of rice, ten jin of corn grits, five jin of sorghum, and eight jin of sweet potatoes. The remaining ten jin could buy a maximum of five jin of rice. There was no flour; wheat wasn't grown here.
Those who wanted to buy furniture paid at the brigade headquarters and received a receipt, which they then used to order furniture from the carpenter. The Qi Hehua sisters bought a trunk and a chair, spending twenty-five yuan each; Hu Dong and Li Weiguo each bought a trunk and a chair, also spending twenty-five yuan each; An Moxue bought a double-door wardrobe and a chair, spending fifty yuan.
In addition, there is a sales point in the village that sells basic necessities such as soy sauce, vinegar, salt, needles and thread.
After everything was done, An Moxue asked how to get to the county. A mule cart departed from the village entrance at six o'clock every five days, costing one cent per trip.
There are no buses tomorrow. If you need to go in a hurry, it will cost one yuan per trip.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com