Xu Ning walked while thinking about the plot in the book. Most of it was written around the hero and heroine. Except for a few educated youths in the educated youth center and a small number of people in the village, the rest were just briefly mentioned. The most talked about plot was the heroine doing business in the black market.
Since I can't think of any useful plot for the time being, I won't think about it. Since I'm already in the county town, I'll go visit the home of the student brother mentioned by the original owner's father to see what he is like and whether there is any need for interaction.
When Xu Ning went out, he took the note with the address. He asked several people on the street before he found the place. It was a very ordinary small courtyard, with a similar layout to the surrounding houses.
Xu Ning walked to the door, knocked twice, and called out, "Is anyone home?" After a while, a woman in her 20s came out holding a child and asked Xu Ning, "Who are you looking for?"
Xu Ning asked, "Excuse me, is this Zhao Jianshe's home?"
"It's Zhao Jianshe's family. Who are you? What do you want from him?"
Xu Ning said, "I am an educated youth from Beijing who came to Yushu Village. Zhao Jianguo is my father's student. Since I have come to my senior brother's hometown, I came to visit his elders."
The woman immediately opened the door and let Xu Ning in. She took her hand enthusiastically and said, "Sister, I am Zhao Jianguo's sister-in-law Su Hongmei. If you don't mind, just follow him and call me sister-in-law."
Xu Ning hurriedly called out "Sister-in-law," and then looked at the little boy she was holding and said, "Is this my nephew? He looks so good." Su Hongmei said with a smile, "Yes, he's almost eight months old."
The two of them walked into the main hall while talking. After entering, Xu Ning looked around the yard. There were three main halls, and an annex next to it, which looked like a kitchen. There was a toilet in the south corner near the gate. The yard was very clean.
When the original owner went to the countryside, her father told her and her brother about his student Zhao Jianguo. He and his brother Zhao Jianshe were twins. Their mother used to be the wet nurse of a young master from a wealthy family, and the two brothers followed the young master to study. In the 1950s, the family ran away to Hong Kong. Before leaving, the young master left them some money, and their parents took the two brothers back to their hometown, which is now Chengnan County. A few years ago, their parents passed away, leaving only the two brothers. After graduating from high school, the elder brother Zhao Jianshe worked as a policeman in the Chengnan County Public Security Bureau, and the younger brother Zhao Jianguo stayed in Jingshi after going to college. The original owner's father said that his student was trustworthy, but he didn't know Zhao Jianshe, so he told the two siblings not to ask to visit unless it was absolutely necessary.
Walking into the main hall, Su Hongmei warmly invited Xu Ning to sit down, poured water and brought snacks. Xu Ning hurriedly said, "Sister-in-law, don't be busy. I just came here to introduce myself. I have been here for half a year and have never visited. Today, there happened to be an ox cart from the village going to the county town, so I followed it." After that, she put the two pounds of meat, ten eggs, two pounds of brown sugar and one pound of egg cake bought from the supply and marketing cooperative, which she had taken out of the space in the backpack, on the table.
Su Hongmei quickly declined, "I'm just a girl, why do you have to spend money to buy so many things?" Su Hongmei asked her what was wrong with her head? Xu Ning said that he accidentally bumped into it while fetching water.
The two chatted for a while, and Xu Ning said she wanted to go back. Su Hongmei asked her to have dinner before leaving, but Xu Ning said that the ox cart back to the village would be late, so she could come back next time when she went to the city.
After Xu Ning came out, he walked quickly towards the agreed location. When he was almost there, he took out five kilograms of rice, five kilograms of flour, ten meat buns, two kilograms of meat, two kilograms of brown sugar, two kilograms of egg cakes, and one kilogram of White Rabbit milk candy from the space, and covered them with an old piece of clothes he had taken with him.
When he walked to the ox cart, he saw Old Chen, who was driving the ox cart, talking to the village head's wife. The others hadn't come back yet, so Xu Ning took out three buns and gave one to the village head's wife and one to Old Chen. The two of them waved their hands and said no. The village head's wife said, "Xu Zhiqing, take it back for your brother to eat. The autumn harvest will be soon. You two siblings should nourish your bodies well, otherwise you won't be able to bear it during the harvest."
Xu Ning forced one on each of them and said to the village head's wife, "Aunt, I have more in my backpack. My sister-in-law packed ten of them for me. It's hot, and my brother and I can't finish them. They will go bad if we leave them out tomorrow."
The village head's wife asked, "Your sister-in-law? Xu Zhiqing, do you have relatives here?"
"Yes, auntie, my brother Jianshe is a policeman in the Public Security Bureau,"
"Oh, I was wondering why you two, who are so young, came here to work in the countryside. It turns out you have relatives here."
Xu Ning smiled shyly and started to eat the bun. He did not forget to invite Old Chen and the village head's wife to eat too. The two of them held the buns embarrassedly, but were reluctant to eat them. The village head's wife put them in the backpack and Old Chen put them in his cloth bag. They should take them back home for the children. Xu Ning had just finished eating a bun when the others came back. Old Chen drove the ox cart and slowly headed back.
When Xu Ning returned to the educated youth camp, the villagers had just finished work. Xu An and three male educated youth were enjoying the cool in the house, while two female educated youth were cooking in the kitchen. When Xu An saw her coming back sweating profusely, he immediately went to get her some water to wash her face.
Xu Ning put the backpack in the house, washed her face, and just sat down in the house when she saw Xu An fanning her with a straw fan. Xu Ning really felt that this brother was obedient and warm, so she pulled Xu An to sit next to her.
She opened the backpack and took out the buns for him to eat. When Xu An saw the things in the backpack, he stared at Xu Ning and whispered, "Sister, you bought so much, can we finish it?"
Xu Ning also whispered, "We won't eat it ourselves, we'll give some of it as gifts," and then told Xu An about her plan to build two houses on the vacant land behind the private plot near Daqing Mountain, so that the two siblings could live separately.
Xu An's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he asked, "Can the village chief agree?"
Xu Ning patted the backpack with a smile and said, "I'll go ask in the evening."
Xu Ning asked him to eat the buns quickly. They were hot when she took them out of the space. It was early August, the hottest time of the year. After being outside for two hours, the buns were still warm. It was just right to eat them now.
Xu An went to his room and brought over the boiled water he had boiled after work. The brother and sister ate the buns with the boiled water, so they didn't have to cook for lunch.
The buns were as big as an adult's fist. Xu An ate one and stopped, saying he was full. Xu Ning knew he was reluctant to eat more.
Before he traveled through time, Xu Ning could eat two or three buns this big, not to mention that people in this era have a big appetite and Xu An is in the period of growth.
Xu Ning told him, "These meat buns cannot be kept. They will go bad tomorrow."
Xu An shook his head and said, "I'm full. Sister, eat. Doctor Han said that eating more nutritious food will help your injury heal faster."
Xu Ning was so moved that he almost cried. How could he have such a well-behaved brother?
When he opened his mouth to speak, he took a bun and stuffed it into his mouth, and said to him fiercely, "Eat it. If you don't eat it, I won't eat it either."
Xu An ate it then. Xu Ning watched him finish three buns before letting him go back to the house to rest.
Xu Ning was lying on the kang thinking about what she had just said to Xu An about building a house. Although she told Xu An to ask, she felt that it should be possible.
When she was giving steamed buns to the village head's wife in the county town today, she accidentally revealed that she and her brother had a relative in the county police bureau, the kind of relative who could give ten meat buns at a time. Nowadays, ten pure white flour meat buns are not given to people who are not close to them.
The current police have relatively large powers. Most people don't take the initiative to make friends with them, but no one will deliberately offend them either.
What she wanted was not a big deal. She just wanted to build two small houses on a piece of worthless land with her own money, which would not harm anyone's interests.
Xu Ning actually had no plan to go to Zhao Jianshe's house today. Her original plan was to live in the educated youth camp first, feel out the situation in the village, and then slowly talk about repairing the house.
But today she found out that she had traveled to the world of a book. The heroine of the original book would come to Yushu Village to work in the countryside in a month at most. The parents and younger brother of this body would also be sent here soon. She had to move out before the heroine came.
One is to avoid the halo of the heroine
Second, only by moving out can you take care of the original owner’s parents!
Xu Ning always felt that after the heroine and hero arrived, the educated youth center would be very lively, and she didn't want to get involved.
When Xu Ning was recalling the plot in the book, Li Fengjiao and Lin Qiuhua came in after dinner. Neither of them spoke a word. They just lay down on the kang and fell asleep. Listening to their snoring, Xu Ning also fell asleep in a daze.
When he woke up again, it was already past four in the afternoon. He had finished work at around five, so Xu Ning got up immediately, thinking of preparing dinner for the siblings before the educated youth came back from work.
Xu Ning first washed the rice and put it in the pot to cook some porridge. The brother and sister needed to take care of their health slowly. If they ate too much greasy food all at once, their stomachs would not be able to handle it.
The porridge in the pot was simmering slowly over low heat. Xu Ning cut off one pound of the two pounds of pork belly in the backpack and planned to make lard. After cutting the pork, he went to his private plot to pick a handful of beans and an eggplant. He planned to make lard and use the dregs to stew the beans and eggplant.
When Xu An came back from cutting grass for the pigs, Xu Ning had already put the meal on the table: two large bowls of thick rice porridge, a large bowl of stewed beans and eggplant with oil residue, and two meat buns left over from lunch on top.
Xu Ning saw Xu An coming back and asked him to wash his face and hands first. After he washed his face and walked to the kitchen, he hurriedly brought him a bowl of boiled water and asked him to drink it slowly. After he finished drinking the water, the two began to eat. Each of them had a bowl of rice porridge and a steamed bun, and there was also a full plate of vegetables in the middle. They were both very full.
Xu An asked Xu Ning to sit down and rest while he washed the dishes. He took the dishes and went to the water tank to wash them. Xu Ning followed him. There were only two or three dishes. After cooking, Xu Ning washed the pot. Seeing her washing the dishes, Xu Ning went back to the house to sort out the things in the backpack.
First, pack up the things you need to take to the village chief's house, a pound of pork, a pound of brown sugar, and a pound of egg cake. Put the rest in the cabinet and lock it.
Xu Ning thought about it, and took out two military water bottles from the space, one for the village chief and one for the brother and sister outside.
Just as I finished packing, Xu An came in. Seeing the two new kettles on the kang, he asked hurriedly, "Sister, where did you get these kettles?"
"We bought it when we went to the county town today. We'll use one and give the other to the village chief." Xu An nodded and whispered, "Sister, when are we going to the village chief's house?"
"Wait until dark." When it comes to giving gifts, it's definitely more convenient at night when everyone is asleep!
After packing up, the brother and sister took the buckets to fetch water. Today it was the turn of the three male educated youth to fetch water, but they had already shared the pot with others, so they couldn't take advantage of others in this regard.
The nearest well to the youth cadre site is about 20 meters away, separated by a cowshed. This cowshed is as big as two youth cadres’ sites, covering an area of more than three mu. There are six cows in the cowshed. It used to be guarded by a lame old widow from the village. In 1967, two couples who were sent down from the countryside moved in. They looked to be in their 40s. I have never seen them talk to each other, but no one in the village paid attention to them. They worked in the fields during the busy farming season, and took care of the animals in the cowshed the rest of the time. Occasionally, I saw them going up the mountain to collect firewood and pick wild vegetables.
Xu Ning was also thinking that the original owner's parents were sent here for reform, which was considered very good compared to other places. The folk customs here were relatively simple, and the village chief was relatively upright. They didn't engage in the kind of criticism and denunciation in the city. They just had to do more labor and were counted less, so they wouldn't be tortured mentally and could slowly get through the days.
If she and Xu An could successfully build a house and move out, they could open a small door at the back, which would make it easier to move around the cowshed.
The educated youth site and the cowshed are close to Daqing Mountain, some distance away from the village. Aunt Dashuan said that when the cowshed was built, the village elders said that the land here was not fertile and the yield of crops was low, so they built the cowshed here. A few years ago, when the first batch of educated youth went to the countryside, they stayed in villagers' homes. After a long time, conflicts arose, and several educated youth made trouble in the township. The township leaders called the village chief over and criticized him, and asked him to go back and build houses for the educated youth. The village chief came back very angry and thought the educated youth were too troublesome, so he marked out a piece of land at the cowshed, which was far away from the village, to build a house for the educated youth.
The two siblings walked to the well and saw the lame old man in the cowshed drawing water. Xu Ning quickly put down his bucket and went to help. Xu An called out "Grandpa Qi".
"Good, good boy," the old man patted Xu An's head and praised him. Then he carried the water back to the cowshed.
Xu Ning tied a rope to the bucket and threw the bucket into the well to fetch water. After both buckets were 80% full, he carried the water back to the educated youth station.
Several educated youths had already returned. Sun Hao saw Xu Ning fetching water and hurriedly took it over, saying, "We will just fetch water these few days. Wait until your injury is healed before fetching more water."
Xu Ning hurriedly said, "Thank you, I'm much better now." Chen Xiangdong next to him also agreed and asked them to help him pick the wound over the past few days. Xu Ning accepted their kindness, but thinking about the big cut on his head, he decided not to be stubborn.
Sun Hao asked her if she wanted to go with him to the village chief's house to discuss the division of the private plots. Xu Ning said no, it was just a matter of a few words, and she and Xu An could just talk to the village chief. Sun Hao nodded and took the bucket and pole to fetch water.
Seeing that it was almost dark, Xu Ning went inside, put on his backpack, and went to the village with Xu An. The two walked slowly on the road. It was dinner time, and there were basically no people outside.
When they arrived at the village chief's house, they had just finished dinner. The village chief's wife warmly invited them to sit down and went to get some water. The village chief asked Xu Ning, "Xu Zhiqing, is your headache feeling better? Yes, don't rush to work. Take a rest for two more days. There's nothing to do in the fields these days."
"Thank you, village chief uncle. I will rest for two more days. I am sorry for bothering you these days," he said, taking out the things in the backpack. "This kettle was sent by my brother from the army. He sent two. I have one, I use one, and the other is for village chief uncle," he took out the meat again. "This piece of meat was given by my sister-in-law today. I kept one and gave one to my uncle and aunt. It was hot and the meat could not be kept, so my aunt cooked it for breakfast." He also took out the brown sugar and egg cake.
The village chief and his wife were shocked by his actions. It was the village chief who reacted first, "Xu Zhiqing, what are you doing? Take the things back quickly."
"Uncle Village Chief, my brother and I came to Yushu Village. You and Aunt have taken good care of us. If it weren't for Aunt, my brother wouldn't have been the one to do the job of cutting grass for the pigs. My brother and I will always remember your kindness."
"Uncle village chief, auntie, this is not a valuable item. The kettle was issued by my brother in the army. My brother and I each have one. This is an extra one, so I gave it to uncle village chief. Besides, I have something else to ask uncle village chief to go with me to the educated youth point."
He told her about the separation of him and Xu An to eat separately, and that he had already discussed with other educated youths to allocate some of the private plots near Daqing Mountain for them to grow their own vegetables, and wanted the village chief to help measure it.
The village chief heard this and said, "It's just a small matter. Let Xu An come over and say hello to me. I will take the time to measure it for you. Why do you need to bring so many things?
Xu Ning then asked, "Uncle village head, there is a small piece of wasteland near Daqing Mountain in the private plot of the Youth Farm. It is full of gravel and it is not suitable for growing vegetables. Xu An and I want to build a house there and move in. Uncle village head, do you think it is feasible?"
"You two want to build a house? Building a house costs a lot of money. I know the rocky land you mentioned," the village chief thought for a moment and said, "You can use it to build a house, but you have to pay for it yourself."
"Of course we should pay for the house. Can the village chief help us find a few people to build the house? We will pay 80 cents per day for the labor."
"Xu Zhiqing, you don't have to pay so much, 70 cents a day will be enough," the village head's wife said nearby.
"Auntie, I can't take care of the meals. There is only one pot in the educated youth camp, and the educated youth have to cook and boil water. I have to trouble the masters to go home for dinner."
The village chief asked, "When are you going to build it? One room or two?"
"Uncle, I thought we could build two houses before the autumn harvest when there is not much work on the farm. My brother is older now, so we can each have one."
The village chief said, "Okay, I will find someone for you tomorrow. Just tell them how to build it. They have adobe bricks at home, so you can buy them directly from them. It will only take a few people a few days to build two adobe houses. I will measure the private plot for you during lunch break tomorrow."
Xu Ning and his brother quickly stood up and said, "Thank you, uncle. Uncle and aunt should go to bed early. My brother and I will go back first." The village head's wife took the things on the table and asked her to take them back. Xu Ning and his brother ran away with the empty backpack.
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