Su Yao led Lin Yue to a corner where there was a bed made of wooden planks. "Lin Yue, this is your and Chen Yu's bed. We've already prepared it for you."
Lin Yue looked at the simple bed and felt a pang of emotion. In modern times, her bedroom would be warm and comfortable, with a soft mattress and beautiful sheets, but now, this hard wooden plank bed was her place of rest.
"Thank you, Su Yao," Lin Yue said gratefully.
"You're welcome, we're all sisters," Su Yao said with a smile. "We can sleep together from now on and have heart-to-heart talks."
Lin Yue smiled; she could feel Su Yao's sincerity. In this harsh environment, the camaraderie among these educated youth was like a ray of light in the darkness, warming each other.
At noon, the educated youth cooked together. Lin Yue watched them skillfully start the fire, wash the rice, and chop the vegetables, and wanted to help. But she found that she didn't know how to do anything. Her eyes were watering from the smoke while starting the fire, and she almost cut her hand while chopping vegetables.
"Lin Yue, stop working and go take a rest," Chen Yu said with some concern when he saw Lin Yue's flustered state.
“It’s okay, I can learn,” Lin Yue said stubbornly. She didn’t want to become someone who couldn’t do anything.
With everyone's guidance, Lin Yue gradually mastered some techniques. Although the dishes she made were simple, consisting only of whole grains and homegrown vegetables, everyone ate them with great relish.
“This is much better than when I first arrived,” Wang Gang said while eating. “When I first arrived, we couldn’t even start a fire, and we went hungry for several days.”
"Haha, you were so silly back then," Su Yao teased with a laugh.
As they ate, everyone reminisced about their early days at the educated youth settlement—the laughter, the tears, the hardships, and the gains. Lin Yue listened quietly, as if she could see the hardships and perseverance these educated youths had endured along the way.
After lunch, everyone rested for a while before heading to the fields to work. Lin Yue went along too; she knew that in this era, labor was a part of life, and she had to adapt.
Arriving at the field, Lin Yue saw an endless expanse of farmland. The educated youth and villagers had already begun working, bending over, weeding and fertilizing. Lin Yue followed their example, picking up a hoe and starting to work. But after a short while, she felt aches and pains in her back, and blisters appeared on her hands.
"Lin Yue, take a break if you're tired," Chen Yu said, seeing how much effort Lin Yue was putting in.
"I'm fine." Lin Yue gritted her teeth and continued working. She didn't want others to think she was delicate; she wanted to prove that she could adapt to life here.
During their work, Lin Yue and the other educated youth helped and encouraged each other. As they worked, they sang songs from that era, their voices echoing across the fields, full of youthful energy.
As the sun gradually set, the educated youth, exhausted from a day's work, dragged their weary bodies back to their settlement. Lin Yue felt as if her body was about to fall apart, but she felt a sense of satisfaction. That day, she had felt warmth at the settlement and experienced the hardship of labor. She knew that she was slowly integrating into this special group and into this special era.
In the evening, the educated youth sat together, chatting by the dim light. They talked about their ideals, the future of the village, and their longing for their families. Lin Yue listened quietly, feeling that she was growing closer to these educated youth.
"Lin Yue, do you think we can change this village in the future?" Su Yao asked, looking at Lin Yue.
"Yes," Lin Yue said firmly. "As long as we all work together, we can definitely make this village a better place."
"Yes, we definitely can," everyone said confidently.
That night, the educated youth settlement was filled with hope and dreams. Lin Yue knew that her life as an educated youth had only just begun, and many more challenges and opportunities awaited her. But she was no longer afraid, because she had these lovely educated youth companions, and Chen Yu was by her side. Together, they would write their own story in this special era.
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