“The last time I came to the commune was the time before last. I ran into my classmate and that’s when I learned that their village was particularly unfriendly, xenophobic, and prejudiced against educated youth.”
Three "special" statements in a row are enough to express Li Yan's lingering fear.
"There have been several batches of educated youth there before. They got along well with the villagers and kept to themselves. But our batch, and the batch before us, started having all sorts of problems. What were originally trivial matters escalated into major conflicts."
The older educated youth who went before this year are really wronged. They did nothing wrong and were almost innocent victims. Now they are being implicated and tormented by the villagers.
There used to be an older educated youth who was dating a villager and things were going well. They were even about to get married, but because of this interference, the villager's family started having issues with the educated youth, and everyone in the village was saying all sorts of things, so they ended up breaking it off.
In the end, he shook his head and sighed.
"What a tragedy! That female educated youth was so angry that she jumped into the river the next day."
He simply replied with an "Ah."
"Someone has died?"
Li Yan shook her head.
"I don't know. The last time I saw her was when they took that female educated youth to the hospital. I don't know anything after that."
When it comes to life, things always become much heavier, and the joy from just now vanished instantly.
It's easy to see that this is just a small, insignificant example.
During that chaotic period, such things, and even worse, happened frequently. Many people endured humiliation and hardship, feeling that life was worse than death.
Now she can only pray that the real world she lives in will not follow the historical trajectory she remembers, but rather, that it will gradually drift further and further away.
Hasn't it already started to change?
Perhaps it's a good omen.
Upon arriving at the alley, I made a simple excuse to say goodbye and went inside first.
After seeing off the driver and the truck, they immediately packed up most of the items, leaving more than thirty of them of varying sizes on the ground. Although they all had various flaws, they still gave Li Yan and Lin Zhaodi quite a shock when they rushed in.
"You got so much?"
“My God, Jian Zhiqing, you really are, you really are! I’m sure if we bring you back to the village, they’ll be ecstatic.”
The two men, their eyes gleaming, circled the pile, constantly muttering "Oh my God, oh my God," until Chen Jianguo arrived with the oxcart, which sped up, and the old ox was unusually panting heavily.
Chen Jianguo got out of the car and ran in, the old man following behind with a limp, also stunned.
"Little Jian, you're quite capable."
A simple, dry laugh.
"Isn't this just a coincidence?"
I finally told the truth, but it seems no one believes me.
It was still a bit awkward.
"Third Master, they all have some flaws. I don't know what the villagers think,"
She paused for a moment, knowing she had to say it upfront. The old man understood, so he squatted down, shifted slightly, and took a closer look.
"It's nothing, it's nothing, what's the big deal?"
After the communal canteen was disbanded, everyone in the village tried every means to buy a pot. Oh, you wouldn't believe it, at first, there were pots available from time to time, but we all knew we needed ration coupons. You know, even for us rural folks, when it comes to money, if there's an emergency, the whole village pools their resources—that's one way to make money.
But the whole village relied on farming for a living; getting a ration coupon was harder than climbing to heaven.
At first glance, the hand stroking the iron pot was trembling.
I understand, but well, I understand.
However, those with shallow eye sockets might not be able to handle it.
Jian Dan's nose was also a little itchy, so she quickly broke the silence by speaking.
"Third Master, let Chen Zhiqing be moved to the car. Could you please arrange things in the car for him?"
Chen Jianguo said nothing, and immediately rolled up his sleeves. The old man also realized what was happening and quickly got up.
"Yes, I need to get her to move her luggage aside right away."
I only heard one sentence and found it strange.
Whose luggage is this?
Turning to look at Chen Jianguo and the others,
"Did you receive something by mail?"
"It wasn't them, it was the newly arrived educated youth,"
He paused for a moment,
"I didn't see the village chief come to the commune this morning."
I met a female educated youth who had just been sent to the countryside at the supply and marketing cooperative. I was wondering if there weren't any educated youth from our village this time.
Li Yan exclaimed "Ah!"
"Is she the one I fought with? Is she going to be assigned to our village?"
"I just asked, and that comrade is indeed a newly arrived educated youth, but I don't know where he will be assigned. Logically speaking, if he is assigned to our village, the village chief should come too, right?"
"Not that one,"
The old man walked out.
“There’s an educated youth in our village. He’s not new; he was transferred from the next village.”
The group of people who had just been gossiping about the neighboring village paused, exchanged glances, and Lin Zhaodi cautiously asked,
"Could it be that female educated youth who was driven to jump into the river by rumors?"
You guys know?
"It really is her?"
The old man sighed.
"Weimin said that something seemed to have happened to the child, and she was even willing to risk her life, so the commune had to move her to another place."
You know it, you know it, but don't go around telling everyone. People in our village might not have bad intentions, but they certainly have plenty of gossips.
Sigh, they're already so vulnerable; don't add fuel to the fire. If something else goes wrong, it'll be a serious matter.
Simple agreed first.
"We know the seriousness of the matter, Third Master, but it's not her fault. She's clearly being implicated and blamed."
"Yes, Third Master. Besides, we've all heard that it's not a secret in their village. The two villages are so close; there's no such thing as a secret that stays hidden forever."
"I reckon the village chief will hold a meeting to give them a talking-to. You kids should be careful; it's not easy for anyone."
"We'll definitely stay at the educated youth settlement when we arrive," Li Yan and Lin Zhaodi readily agreed.
Simple nodded.
"Don't worry, Third Master."
Chen Jianguo was very excited today. He made several trips by himself, transferring all the big and small iron pots onto the oxcart without complaining of being tired.
"Hehe, Li Zhiqing, Lin Zhiqing, we're finally going to be able to eat from the same pot again."
The three educated youth at the settlement always used earthenware pots. It was fine for making porridge, but it was difficult to make anything else. They relied on all sorts of pots and pans of different sizes to help them, otherwise they would have had to drink porridge.
For safety, the old man specially took out his treasured hemp rope and wrapped it tightly around the large pot, then around the smaller pot, layer upon layer. He also placed soft things under the rope to grab onto, such as straw, a jacket, or a bag, and covered it up completely.
These things can be washed if they get dirty, but the pot must not be damaged.
After dawdling around for a while, it took quite a bit of time to get back to the usual parking spot. By then, everyone waiting for the car had arrived, all of them villagers. The only unfamiliar face was probably the female educated youth who had been transferred here.
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