Educated Youth Going to the Countryside
In the autumn of 1975, the north wind already carried a biting chill. On the train platform, a crowd of people gathered, their cries and exhortations blending into a mournful song of farewell.
Lin Xueyin stood in the crowd, like a fairy who had strayed into the mortal world, drawing frequent glances from those around her. Her skin was fairer than snow, her almond-shaped eyes were misty, and her long, jet-black hair was braided into two thick, shiny pigtails that cascaded down her chest. Even though she wore the same coarse cloth as everyone else, it couldn't conceal her innately refined aura.
"Yinyin, you must take good care of yourself when you get to the countryside. Mom has already used her connections, and I will definitely get you back to the city in a year at most." Su Yuzhen's eyes were red, and she held her daughter's hand tightly, as if she would lose her forever if she let go.
Lin Xueyin bit her lower lip, trying hard to hold back her tears. She had never even washed her own handkerchief in her life, and now she had to go to the countryside and do farm work like the farmers. The thought of this made her feel cold all over.
"This is what Mom prepared for you," Su Yuzhen stuffed a bulging package into her daughter's arms and lowered her voice, "There's 500 yuan in it, a lot of national food coupons, and some rare items I got from the supply and marketing cooperative. Don't be stingy with it, buy whatever you need. If you don't have enough, write home and Mom will send you more."
Lin Xueyin's father, Lin Guodong, stood nearby, his brow furrowed, his glasses pushed up from time to time. As a post office manager, he had already arranged a job for his daughter, but a rival had snatched up the initiative and reported her, effectively severing their escape route.
"Yinyin, Daddy is sorry for you." Lin Guodong's voice was hoarse. "Just be patient in the countryside for a while. Daddy will definitely find a solution as soon as possible."
The whistle blew long and the train was about to start.
Lin Xueyin boarded the green train at her parents' urging. Looking back, she saw her mother waving at her with tears streaming down her face, while her father turned away, unable to bear to watch her leave. Her nose felt sore, and tears finally welled up in her eyes.
The train started slowly, carrying the dreams and despair of a group of young people, heading towards the unknown distance.
——
After three days and two nights of bumpy ride, the train finally stopped at a simple, small platform. Lin Xueyin dragged her heavy luggage and followed the crowd off the train, her body aching so much that she could barely straighten her back.
"The educated youth from the Red Flag Commune, gather here!" On the platform, a dark-skinned young man held up a wooden sign and shouted loudly.
Lin Xueyin dragged her luggage towards the other side with great difficulty, but unexpectedly, she tripped over a stone and fell forward. She closed her eyes in fear, but the expected pain did not come. Instead, she fell into a warm and solid embrace.
"Be careful." A deep and pleasant male voice sounded above my head.
Lin Xueyin opened her eyes and met a pair of deep, dark pupils. The young man holding her was in his early twenties, dressed in washed-out blue overalls. He stood tall and straight, like a pine tree. He had clear eyebrows, a high nose bridge, and thin lips that were slightly pursed. He exuded a cold and austere aura that was incompatible with his surroundings.
"Thank you, thank you." Lin Xueyin stood up hurriedly, her cheeks slightly hot.
When the young man saw her face, a flash of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. "Are you an educated youth who came to the countryside from Hongqi Commune?"
Lin Xueyin nodded, noticing that he spoke with a standard Beijing accent.
"I'm Song Zhiyuan, and I'm here to pick up the new educated youth." He introduced himself briefly, then naturally took the heavy luggage from her hands. "The car is over there. I'll take you there."
Song Zhiyuan's strides were so long that Lin Xueyin had to jog to keep up. They reached a dilapidated tractor, where several educated youth were already waiting. Seeing Song Zhiyuan approaching with Lin Xueyin, everyone was stunned, their eyes fixed on her.
"This is the new educated youth, Lin Xueyin." Song Zhiyuan briefly introduced her and then placed her luggage properly in the truck bed.
A young woman with two short braids looked at Lin Xueyin and said with a hint of sarcasm: "Oh, here comes a young lady."
Lin Xueyin pursed her lips and didn't respond. She had expected her appearance to attract criticism, but as a newcomer, she didn't want to argue.
Song Zhiyuan glanced coldly at the female educated youth and said, "Li Hongmei, if you have nothing to do, go and help Old Zhang organize the farm tools."
Li Hongmei immediately fell silent and glared at Lin Xueyin unwillingly.
"Get in the car." Song Zhiyuan's tone softened as he turned to Lin Xueyin. "The road is not easy to walk on, hold on to the railing."
The tractor bumped along the rough dirt road. Lin Xueyin clutched the iron railings tightly, her knuckles turning white. Song Zhiyuan stood beside her, subtly shielding her from the wind and sand.
"Are you from North City?" Song Zhiyuan asked.
Lin Xueyin was a little surprised: "How did you know?"
"The tag on your luggage." He briefly explained, then said, "I'm from Jing City."
"Then why are you..." Lin Xueyin wanted to ask why a Beijing native would come to such a remote countryside, but she felt it was abrupt, so she stopped talking.
Song Zhiyuan understood her doubts and looked towards the mountains in the distance: "There are some things that must be done."
Two hours later, the tractor finally arrived at its destination.
Hongqi Commune is nestled in a valley, dotted with rows of adobe houses and offering views of terraced fields in the distance. In late autumn, the fields are ablaze with golden yellow, creating a truly magnificent sight.
The educated youth site consisted of a row of relatively simple adobe houses, the walls peeling in places, revealing the straw and dirt inside. Song Zhiyuan helped Lin Xueyin carry her luggage and led her into the female educated youth dormitory.
The dormitory had a dirt floor and four wooden beds against the wall, one of which was already piled with miscellaneous items. The windows were small, the room was dimly lit, and the air was filled with a musty smell.
"This is your bed." Song Zhiyuan pointed to an empty bed near the door. "Tidy up your bedding. I'll get you some water."
Lin Xueyin stood there, looking at the hard wooden bed and thin mattress, her heart shivering. Is this where she was going to live?
"What's wrong? Don't you like this position?" Song Zhiyuan asked when he returned and saw that she was still standing there.
Lin Xueyin shook her head and whispered, "How can you sleep on this bed?"
Song Zhiyuan was stunned for a moment, then he understood her troubles. He put down the bucket and pulled out a thick blanket from his luggage: "Put it on top, it will be softer."
"How can this be..." Lin Xueyin quickly declined.
"Take it." Song Zhiyuan stuffed the blanket into her hands without explanation. "I wasn't used to it when I first came here, but it will get better after a while."
Lin Xueyin gave him a grateful look before she began to make the bed. She had never done this before, and after a long, clumsy effort, she still couldn't make the bed properly.
Song Zhiyuan stood outside the door, watching her clumsily "struggle" with the quilt, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curled up slightly. This delicate girl, so out of place in this poor and remote place, inexplicably touched his heart.
"Let me help you." He finally couldn't bear it anymore, walked into the room and helped her make the bed.
Lin Xueyin stood aside, her face flushed with embarrassment: "Thank you, I...I will learn it in the future."
"It's okay, it's like this when you first arrive." Song Zhiyuan comforted him, then pointed outside the door, "I'll take you to familiarize yourself with the environment."
Song Zhiyuan took Lin Xueyin on a tour of the educated youth camp, explaining the locations of the canteen, the well, and the toilets. Every time she saw a simple facility, Lin Xueyin's face paled.
When they reached the well, Song Zhiyuan stopped and said solemnly, "Be careful when drawing water. The well edge is very slippery. Last month, an educated youth almost fell in."
Lin Xueyin looked at the dark wellhead and nodded in fear.
"If you need water, you can ask my roommate Liu Xiaoling for help. She's a very nice person." Song Zhiyuan added, "Or... you can ask me."
The last sentence was spoken very softly, but Lin Xueyin still heard it. She looked up at Song Zhiyuan, but he turned his face away uncomfortably, his ears slightly red.
The sun was setting, and the sky was lit up with a brilliant sunset glow. Song Zhiyuan sent Lin Xueyin back to the dormitory and stopped at the door.
"Tomorrow morning, work starts at six o'clock. I'll come and pick you up," he said. "There's a meeting at the educated youth camp tonight to introduce the commune's situation and work arrangements."
When Lin Xueyin heard "work starts at six o'clock", her face immediately fell. When she was at home, she would sleep until eight o'clock every day.
Song Zhiyuan noticed her frustration and softened his tone unconsciously: "It will be hard at first, but you'll get used to it slowly. If you have any difficulties, you can always come to me."
"Thank you, Comrade Song," Lin Xueyin thanked him sincerely. In this unfamiliar and difficult environment, Song Zhiyuan's care made her feel a little warm.
Song Zhiyuan nodded, turned and left, walked a few steps and turned back: "Comrade Lin Xueyin, welcome to Hongqi Commune."
Lin Xueyin watched his tall figure disappear into the twilight and sighed softly. She pushed open the dormitory door and found that the other three female educated youth had returned and were sitting around a small table.
"You're finally back!" a round-faced girl greeted enthusiastically, "I'm Liu Xiaoling, and these are Zhang Zhaodi and Wang Lina."
Lin Xueyin greeted them politely and noticed that Li Hongmei, who had mocked her in the morning, was not among them, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
"I heard you were brought here by Song Zhiyuan?" Wang Lina asked curiously. "He's a notorious cold-faced devil in our commune. He usually ignores women, but I didn't expect him to be so caring towards you."
Lin Xueyin didn't know how to respond, so she just smiled and said nothing.
Liu Xiaoling saw her embarrassment and said, "Don't listen to Lina's nonsense. Comrade Song is a nice guy, but he doesn't like to talk much. He's from Beijing, and I heard his family is from the military!"
"By the way, I heard that you almost fell at the train station today, and it was Song Zhiyuan who held you up?" Wang Lina continued to gossip.
Lin Xueyin was surprised that the news spread so quickly and had to nod in agreement.
"No wonder!" Liu Xiaoling suddenly realized, "A hero saving a beautiful woman is truly different!"
The three girls laughed together. Lin Xueyin felt embarrassed by their laughter and two red clouds appeared on her cheeks.
While chatting and laughing, she opened her luggage and took out some candies and cookies prepared by her mother to share with everyone. When the three of them saw these rare snacks, their eyes lit up and they became more affectionate towards Lin Xueyin.
"This is too expensive!" Liu Xiaoling held the candy and was reluctant to eat it.
"It's okay, I still have plenty," Lin Xueyin said with a smile. Her mother stuffed her with two kilograms of candy and three kilograms of biscuits, and told her to share them with her roommates to build good relationships.
In the evening, Zhao Jianguo, the head of the educated youth center, called a meeting of all the educated youth. Zhao Jianguo was the team leader of Hongqi Commune. He had dark skin and rough hands, and it was obvious that he had been working hard for many years.
He gave a detailed introduction to the situation and work arrangements of the Red Flag Commune, and then emphasized discipline: "The autumn harvest begins tomorrow. Everyone must gather at the threshing ground on time at 6:00 a.m. If you are late, your work points will be deducted."
Lin Xueyin's heart tightened, and she secretly made up her mind not to be late tomorrow.
After the meeting, Song Zhiyuan appeared out of nowhere and walked quietly to Lin Xueyin's side: "I'll wait for you outside the female dormitory at 5:40 tomorrow morning."
Lin Xueyin nodded gratefully. With him leading the way, at least they wouldn't get lost.
Back in the dormitory, Lin Xueyin clumsily washed up under Liu Xiaoling's guidance. Lying on the hard wooden bed, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The wind howled outside the window, the musty smell and the sound of strangers breathing filled the room. All of this made her miss the soft, comfortable bed at home and her mother's warm embrace.
Tears quietly fell, and she bit the corner of the quilt, not daring to make a sound. This was only the first day, what should she do in the days ahead?
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