Tan Yajun stood alone by the oxcart, carrying her luggage. She watched the educated youth having a good time, but she couldn't muster any enthusiasm. She was just like an outsider watching a spectacle.
Everything was put away, but there wasn't enough room for everyone in the car. Chen Jianguo and the others looked around.
"Third Master, we'll follow the car and won't ride in it."
They nodded to the few people who were walking, but they put all their belongings on the back so they could walk more easily.
The old man looked around and realized that he couldn't bear to let this great contributor to the village work so hard. However, the cart was already full, with a large pot on it and a circle of things that the educated youth and villagers had bought.
Not to mention the educated youth, there's not enough room for the villagers either, so let's just not do it at all.
"Alright, let's all walk then. It'll be lighter if we don't carry anything."
The villagers did have their objections, but when they saw that it was a simple thing, they immediately kept quiet.
What a joke! You just ate wild boar meat that someone else hunted, and now you're coming back to cause trouble for them?
Not only would people talk about it if I went back, but I also couldn't bring myself to do it.
Let's go, do you think we country folk are afraid of this?
The old man glanced around and noticed his other task target for the day, and his tone softened.
"Hey little girl, what's your name again?"
His brain is so short; he heard it this morning and was still thinking about it, but he's already forgotten.
Everyone at the scene was from Liujiatun; the only stranger was Tan Yajun. Fortunately, everyone was busy loading things into the car, making a bit of noise, which brought her back to her senses.
"Ahem, sir, my name is Tan Yajun."
"Okay, Little Tan, as you can see, there's no room left on this bus. Hurry up and put your luggage on; it's quite heavy."
The last three words brought tears to her eyes, and she quickly lowered her head in agreement.
"Why!"
After all, he was a former educated youth, and over the years he had accumulated some belongings, including bowls, jars, and a number of items.
Jian Dan, Li Yanlin, and Zhao Di, who were nearby, also reached out and quickly lifted them into the car.
"Alright, now that you've put your things away, let's go."
The villagers put their things down and set off together. This wasn't the first time they'd done this; they were all familiar with the process and would just have to go back to get their things later.
The educated youth followed behind the oxcart.
Because of this pot, the educated youth were so excited that they forgot all about eating.
As for the old man, well, he was reluctant to leave in the first place, and he always came and went hungry. He only received special treatment after Jian Dan arrived.
Jian Dan pulled a paper package from his basket, and each of them grabbed a piece of peach shortbread.
Her schedule was almost entirely transparent today, and she didn't have the opportunity or time to go to state-run restaurants, making it difficult for her to cheat.
"Are you all hungry? You've been so busy today that you forgot. Have something to eat first. This is what I asked my friend to save for me at the supply and marketing cooperative."
The old man wasn't being polite with her, and Li Yan and the others were already familiar with him. They thanked him and accepted the food, mainly because they were really hungry; it was already past one in the afternoon.
Tan Yajun was embarrassed, mainly surprised and flustered, and waved her hands frantically.
"No, no, no, thank you."
Her face was pale, and you could even see her swallowing very quietly.
It's so simple, yet so heartbreaking.
A young woman in the prime of her life was suddenly brought to live in a place where she knew no one. She finally adapted to life and the environment, and even found like-minded revolutionary comrades. She could see the light at the end of the tunnel, but then her life was cruelly destroyed.
Rumors, lewd glances, gossip behind people's backs, the departure of loved ones, the villagers' flattery and belittling, all sorts of harassment, and the sabotage and difficulties set by companions, all force perfectly normal people to seek solutions. Even those who are saved become sensitive and uneasy.
He simply placed it in her hand and gave her a big smile.
"Oh, don't be so polite. We educated youth are a whole."
Besides, it was indeed because of me that everyone was delayed today; we couldn't get back by oxcart.
Li Yan echoed this sentiment.
“Yes, Tan, don’t be shy. If you’re free tomorrow, we can invite Jian to dinner. It’s a good opportunity for us educated youth to get together.”
Li Yan and the others noticed Tan Yajun's discomfort and joined in with jokes, which indeed made Tan Yajun relax a lot.
After exchanging a few words and getting to know each other, the group was able to chat quite well. With Li Yan being cheerful and Chen Jianguo and Lin Zhaodi occasionally chiming in, the conversation never faltered.
They quickly returned to the village.
Because of the dozens of large pots, the oxcart dropped off the luggage of Jian Dan, Chen Jianguo, and Tan Yajun at the entrance of the educated youth compound halfway there, and then headed straight for the village office.
When the villagers returned, Liu Weimin already knew the oxcart was coming back, so he came out to greet them and asked...
"Third Uncle, has that educated youth been sent to the educated youth settlement? Have you told them?"
The old man was impatient.
“It’s been sent, that’s all. You’ve pushed your own work onto me, you old man, and you still have the nerve to ask questions?”
A few people came over and unloaded this thing.
"Be gentle, or you'll regret it!"
Liu Weimin overheard some gossipy villagers talking about what Xiao Jian, the educated youth, had bought again, and he was wondering about it.
"Third Uncle, isn't this Xiao Jian, the educated youth?"
The old man stared wide-eyed; his nephew's brain was truly beyond repair.
Liu Aiguo couldn't bear to look at his stupid face. "I told you to unload the truck because I planned to deliver it here. What are you still thinking about? No wonder Jian Zhiqing has brought everyone some good stuff again."
Thinking about it, he led his men over and started making a move.
The bag had so many layers that it took me ages to unpack it, and I was very careful.
It was placed upside down, and the shape of the round bottom of the pot gradually became clear.
Several people hesitated, not daring to lift the last straw.
"What are you doing? Open it up!"
"Third Uncle, don't scare us. Did Jian Zhiqing buy another big pot?"
They wanted to buy it but couldn't, so how come this young educated youth had such great ability? He went out and brought one back?
"Want to know? Open it yourself, hurry up, my old buddy is starving."
The old ox let out a timely bellow.
"Moo!"
Liu Aiguo was both amused and exasperated.
"Third Uncle, are you still teasing them?"
Liu Weimin came over and even bent his fingers and tapped the straw with his knuckles. The clear echo could be heard even through the thin layer of straw.
He also had a smile on his face.
"Wow, that sound is really crisp! It's good material."
Third Uncle, is it yours or Xiao Jian's?
The old man hummed softly.
"You'll know once you move it down."
Liu Weimin didn't think much of it, but Liu Aiguo, who was next to him, suddenly realized that in just a short while, his third uncle had emphasized several times that they should unload the truck and carry it down.
A thought suddenly popped into his head: Could it be what he was thinking?
Instantly, his eyes burned with desire, and ignoring everyone else, he decided to reach out and uncover it himself.
For some reason, I'm a little excited, and my hands are shaking.
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