Chapter 1 Xingfeng Brigade
Lin Qingqing packed her things and went downstairs, where she saw Xie Wei sitting on a bench in the guesthouse lobby. He was a soldier, sitting upright, his head turned to look outside, his expression revealing no impatience. But Lin Qingqing felt it was too much trouble for him, so she went over and said, "Comrade Xie, what brings you here?"
Hearing the sound, Xie Wei got up from the bench, turned around and looked at Lin Qingqing, saying, "My older brother said you've decided to settle in Xingfeng Brigade, and he's arranged for me to pick you up."
"I don't have much stuff, I can go by myself," Lin Qingqing said somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm sorry to trouble you to make this special trip."
"It's alright." Xie Wei walked over and took the luggage from Lin Qingqing's hands, asking, "Leaving now? Do you want to say goodbye to them?"
Of course, she had to say hello. Lin Qingqing took out a few packets of pastries from her luggage. She had bought them yesterday at the supply and marketing cooperative using pastry coupons given to her by Old Lady Lin. She had been staying at the guesthouse recently, and although her expenses were charged to the commune, she was still very grateful for everyone's care. However, she was penniless now and could only afford two packets of pastries, which would only amount to three or four yuan per person when divided among them.
Although there weren't many items, everyone knew Lin Qingqing's situation, and at first, no one wanted to take them. Aunt Wang said with a stern face, "Why are you buying this? We have enough to eat and drink while we work here, why waste money like this?"
Aunt Liu chimed in, "Yes, you should hurry to the supply and marketing cooperative and return these pastries."
Everyone chimed in, urging Lin Qingqing to return the pastries and to save her money, as she would need it more often when she was alone. Lin Qingqing wasn't usually a sentimental person, but listening to their words, her eyes welled up with tears. She said, "The things came in large packages, which I split into smaller ones. Now I probably can't return them. Don't worry, I've got the money sorted out."
Hearing her say that, everyone had to give up the idea of making her return the pastries. Instead, they told her not to be so extravagant in the future, and then they saw her off.
Outside, they saw Xie Wei standing at the guesthouse entrance, pushing his bicycle with Lin Qingqing's luggage on the back. Aunt Wang, unfamiliar with Xie Wei, asked curiously, "And who is this?"
"This is Comrade Xie Wei. He was sent by the Xingfeng Brigade to pick me up." After introducing Xie Wei, Lin Qingqing introduced Aunt Wang, Sister Liu, and others to him.
Xie Wei looked aloof, but he was actually very polite, greeting everyone in turn.
Aunt Wang had never met Xie Wei, but she had heard of his reputation. When she heard that Xingfeng Brigade had arranged for him to come, she immediately beamed with joy, praising the brigade for being too kind. She felt even more at ease about Lin Qingqing settling down in Xingfeng Brigade. She patted Lin Qingqing on the shoulder and said, "Go to Xingfeng Brigade and live a good life. If you have any difficulties, don't hide them. Remember to come to me."
He Lili also said, "Me too."
Lin Qingqing smiled and nodded: "Yes, I will definitely come back often in the future."
The group huddled together again to say goodbye, and only when it was almost time did they let Lin Qingqing leave. She walked to Xie Wei's side, looking apologetic, and said, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
Xie Wei pushed his bicycle and looked ahead, saying calmly, "They treat you very well."
“Yes, they are all good people.” Lin Qingqing nodded as she spoke, then added, “And Comrade Xie, you are a good person too.”
Upon hearing this, Xie Wei glanced at Lin Qingqing. Although her eyes were slightly red, her gaze was clear, and she wore a smile. As he turned his head, his eyes met Lin Qingqing's.
Xie Wei coughed and said, "Did the comrades from the Women's Federation tell you where you would live after you settled in Xingfeng Brigade?"
"I did say that."
"So, have you decided where you want to stay?" Xie Wei asked.
Lin Qingqing had already decided where to stay, and when he asked, she didn't hide it: "If it's convenient, I'd like to stay at the educated youth settlement."
Lin Qingqing's answer was not surprising. Xie Wei nodded and said, "Yes, our brigade's educated youth settlement is not very big, so the living conditions are quite cramped, with three or four people living in one room."
“I know, Officer Sun mentioned this.” Lin Qingqing was an orphan in her previous life and had always shared a room with others since she could remember until she graduated from university and rented her own place. Therefore, sharing a room wasn't a problem for her. But something else… Lin Qingqing thought for a moment and asked, “Could you tell me about the situation at the Xingfeng Brigade's educated youth settlement?”
"The educated youth settlement is located north of our brigade. There are two rows of houses, divided into male and female dormitories. There is a kitchen in the settlement, so you can cook rice with them." Xie Wei paused here, as if he had just remembered, and added, "Oh, right, Secretary Lin said that the grain and money you earned in the fields when you worked in Linjiazui Brigade will be yours."
Lin Qingqing's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
She's been thinking about work points and food rations these past few days. Back in the Lin family, she was a workhorse; everyone else in the family would slack off and skip work, but she was the only one who worked in the fields every single day without fail. So, at the end of the year, she had the highest work points among the women of the Linjiazui brigade.
Yutian Town is located in the central part of China, where rice is harvested twice a year, making it a land of plenty. Therefore, although Linjiazu Brigade is not very wealthy, the work points earned in a year can be exchanged for enough grain and money to cover her expenses for the next year. There is still a month until the New Year, and it is not yet time to distribute money and ration coupons, but the grain has already been distributed and carried to each household for storage.
So after the case of Old Lady Lin was over, Lin Qingqing started thinking about how to get the grain that was rightfully hers from the Lin family.
In this era, food was a highly valued asset for every family. The Lin family was a den of wolves and tigers; she had no idea whether they would give her any food if she just came to their door asking for it.
But with Xie Wei's words, the problem was easily solved.
"Really?" Lin Qingqing asked, trying to control her excitement.
"Secretary Lin said it himself."
Although she hadn't interacted with Xie Wei much, Lin Qingqing already knew his personality well and knew that he wasn't the kind of person who liked to joke. Her heart, which had been in her throat, relaxed, and her smile widened. Even her steps became lighter!
However, after Secretary Lin's words, it was perfectly reasonable for her to go to the Lin family to ask for grain. But because of Old Lady Lin's matter, the Lin family must hate her to the core. And since the grain was in their hands, and it had been two or three months since the grain was distributed, if she went to ask for grain alone, they would probably have no say in how much was eaten and how much was left over.
I still need to find someone to go with me.
Who should we look for?
Lin Qingqing's first thought was Xie Wei.
She looked up and saw Xie Wei pushing his bike forward at a leisurely pace, his expression focused on the road ahead.
Lin Qingqing lowered her eyes. If she asked Xie Wei for help, he would probably help. But she had troubled him so many times, and to ask him to accompany her to beg for food again would be a bit too much.
Let's move into the educated youth settlement first. If that doesn't work, we can go to the brigade headquarters and ask if we can find a brigade cadre to go to the Lin family with her.
Having made up her mind, Lin Qingqing put aside her previous thoughts.
...
The last time Lin Qingqing went to Xingfeng Brigade was during work hours, and there weren't many people in the brigade. But today they left late, and the commune was not close to Xingfeng Brigade. When they arrived, the brigade members were gradually leaving work, and they ran into quite a few people on their way to the educated youth settlement.
The original owner only knew how to bury herself in work, and the people in Xingfeng Brigade didn't know Lin Qingqing very well. When they saw her walking with Xie Wei, they winked at each other and tried to find out her identity.
It's no wonder they gossip. Xie Wei is already twenty-eight and still doesn't have a girlfriend. If he were as lazy and good-for-nothing as the other hooligans in the brigade, no one would bother with him. But he's tall, handsome, and incredibly successful. Every family in the brigade with nieces and nephews is eyeing him.
Moreover, he's been back for so many days now, and he's never been seen getting close to any girls. So when someone suddenly sees him walking with a young woman, everyone's heart skips a beat, and they can't help but inquire.
However, once they heard about Lin Qingqing's identity, they were relieved. In front of her, they sighed and said, "From now on, you can stay in our Xingfeng Brigade with peace of mind. Don't worry, everyone in our brigade is an honest person, and no one would do what Old Lady Lin did!"
The further north you go in the village, the wider the distance between the houses along the road becomes, and the fewer people you encounter on the road.
"There aren't many people here, so if you go out at night after you settle in, it's best to go with someone," Xie Wei advised as they walked.
"Okay." Lin Qingqing nodded in agreement, a little surprised that Xie Wei would give her these instructions, but then she thought that Xie Wei was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and it was not surprising that he would remind her if he felt it was not safe to go out alone at night.
Just then, Xie Wei stopped and said, "The educated youth settlement is just ahead."
Upon hearing this, Lin Qingqing looked up and followed the direction he was pointing.
In front of them was a stone bridge, beneath which flowed a two-meter-wide river. On both sides of the river were fields, where a few people were busy at work.
After crossing the stone bridge, there was a gentle slope with rows of adobe houses at the top, surrounded by a waist-high adobe wall. It was lunchtime, and most of the educated youth had returned; people were walking around in the courtyard.
Xie Wei led Lin Qingqing across the stone bridge and into the courtyard of the educated youth settlement. He stopped a male educated youth outside the gate and asked, "Excuse me, is Comrade Wang Fengxia here?"
The male educated youth who had been stopped by him looked excited when he saw Xie Wei: "X-Commander Xie!"
Xie Wei nodded: "Yes, that's me."
"I...I know," the male educated youth stammered, his face flushed red. "I...I...I..."
Xie Wei frowned slightly when he saw that the young man was speechless for a long time. Lin Qingqing, who was watching from the side, saw clearly that the young man's eyes were full of admiration when he looked at Xie Wei. He was obviously so excited to see his idol that he couldn't speak. So she smiled and said, "Hello comrade, I am Lin Qingqing, who has just settled in Xingfeng Brigade. I am looking for Comrade Wang Fengxia. Do you know where she is?"
On the way here, Xie Wei had already introduced Wang Fengxia to Lin Qingqing. Wang Fengxia was the captain of the female educated youth team at the Xingfeng Brigade's educated youth settlement.
Facing Lin Qingqing, the male educated youth became much calmer, and his speech was less stuttering: "She should be in the dormitory. I'll take you there." As he spoke, he secretly glanced at Xie Wei.
Lin Qingqing also looked at Xie Wei and said, "Comrade Xie, thank you for bringing me back, I..."
She didn't want to bother Xie Wei any further, so she wanted to go and report to Wang Fengxia herself, but Xie Wei interrupted her, saying, "I'll go with you."
After saying that, Xie Wei took his luggage off the back of the parked bicycle, carried it, and followed the male educated youth toward the female educated youth dormitory.
Lin Qingqing stood there, stunned, watching his retreating figure and thinking:
Comrade Xie Wei is indeed a warm-hearted person!
...
While Wang Fengxia was eating inside, she heard someone calling her from outside. She pushed open the door and went out, where she saw Xu Song from the male educated youth team leading two people in. Upon seeing her, Xu Song said, "Captain Wang, this is Regiment Commander Xie Wei."
Wang Fengxia knew Xie Wei. She was among the first group of educated youth sent to the Xingfeng Brigade. She had heard of Xie Wei before he returned.
Xie Wei joined the army and went to the southern battlefield a few years later. The first two years were fine, but then there was no news of him for several years. The people in Xingfeng Brigade sighed when they talked about him, saying that if he hadn't joined the army, he might have already graduated from university and come back. Everyone thought he was in grave danger. Until he returned home in 1970, not only was he unharmed, but he had also been promoted to deputy regimental commander. The people in the brigade changed their tune, saying that he was the reincarnation of the celestial star Wuqu, and that he was destined to go to the battlefield to kill the enemy.
The Xie family set off firecrackers for three days straight. Not only people from the brigade, but also young men and women from the educated youth team went to the Xie family to see him. Wang Fengxia was also dragged along by her friends. Although that incident happened three years ago, Xie Wei was handsome, and Wang Fengxia still remembered him.
Recognizing Xie Wei, Wang Fengxia also learned Lin Qingqing's identity. She greeted Xie Wei first, then smiled at Lin Qingqing: "You must be Comrade Lin? The brigade leader mentioned you to me yesterday."
Lin Qingqing also greeted people with a smile.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Wang Fengxia invited Lin Qingqing into the house. Then, she looked at Xie Wei and asked hesitantly, "Commander Xie, would you like to come in and sit down?"
Xie Wei glanced at the half-open dormitory behind Wang Fengxia, where there were other people inside, and shook his head, saying, "No, thank you." He then handed his luggage to Lin Qingqing and said, "When are you leaving tomorrow? I'll come find you."
Lin Qingqing, who had just taken the luggage from Xie Wei, was stunned: "Looking for me?"
"My elder brother asked me to go with you to the Lin family to get the grain," Xie Wei said calmly.
Lin Qingqing's eyes widened slightly: "Are you coming with me? Won't that be too much trouble for you?"
"No trouble at all, I'm free these days anyway." Xie Wei's lips curled slightly. These were his older brother's exact words. He said that with the end of the year approaching, all the brigade cadres were very busy and there was really no one available. Since he was the only one with nothing to do, he entrusted him with the task of getting food for Lin Qingqing.
During her several encounters with Xie Wei, Lin Qingqing learned that he was a pragmatic person, and with his help, obtaining food would be much easier. Thinking of this, Lin Qingqing did not refuse, after all, it concerned her food rations for the next year, and having a capable helper would definitely be best, so she smiled and said, "Then I'll trouble Comrade Xie."
After finishing his story, Xie Wei said goodbye and left, while Wang Fengxia led Lin Qingqing into the house.
“There are 58 people in our educated youth settlement, including 32 male educated youth and 16 female educated youth. There are eight dormitories for male educated youth and five dormitories for female educated youth, with three to four people living in each dormitory.” Wang Fengxia said as she walked in, and then pointed to the girl eating at the desk by the window and said, “There are currently three people living in our dormitory. Besides Li Juan and me, there is another girl named Wang Li. She is eating in the canteen and hasn’t come back yet.”
Li Juan was the girl sitting at the desk by the window eating. She looked to be in her early twenties, with a round face and round eyes. When she greeted Lin Qingqing, her eyes crinkled into crescents.
“Besides our dorm, there’s an empty bed in the next dorm and two empty beds in the innermost dorm. You can stay wherever you want,” Wang Fengxia said.
"Can I live with you?" Lin Qingqing didn't know anyone in the educated youth team, so she naturally chose Wang Fengxia and Li Juan, who seemed easy to get along with during their brief interactions.
Wang Fengxia also hoped that Lin Qingqing could live with her, since Lin Qingqing wasn't part of the educated youth team and living with someone else might cause friction. With her there, she could mediate any conflicts among the dormitory members. She nodded and said, "Of course."
“We’ve all been looking forward to you moving in,” Li Juan said with a smile. “We even made the bed specially last night for that.”
The dormitory at the educated youth settlement wasn't small, but there wasn't much furniture to put things in. There was only a long desk under the window, and four cabinets were built into the wall next to the desk, so the extra bed in the dormitory was always piled with clutter. But now, the outermost bed in the dormitory is clean and tidy, and there's not a speck of dust to the touch.
Lin Qingqing smiled, thanked them, and put her luggage on the bed. Then she heard Wang Fengxia ask, "By the way, did you have lunch?"
Lin Qingqing got drunk last night and slept until late this morning. She hasn't even had breakfast, let alone lunch. Although she still has a few yuan left, she has no food. She shook her head and said, "I'm not hungry."
“They definitely haven’t eaten.” Li Juan knew it as soon as she heard it, and put down her chopsticks and said, “I don’t know if the cafeteria still has any food.”
"I'll go ask," Wang Fengxia said.
Lin Qingqing didn't know what the outcome would be if she went to ask for food tomorrow, so she quickly said, "I'm really not hungry."
"Man is made of iron, food is made of steel, how can you not eat?" Wang Fengxia said, and then left with her empty lunchbox.
"Just let her go," Li Juan said, seeing Lin Qingqing's uneasy expression. "She's a kind-hearted person; she definitely wouldn't want to see you go hungry. By the way, is this all your luggage?"
“Yes,” Lin Qingqing nodded and said, “but the secretary of Linjiazu Brigade said that all the work points I earned this year belong to me, so I have to go back to Linjiazu Brigade tomorrow to ask for food.”
The news about the Lin family had spread throughout the entire Yutian Commune. Moreover, Li Juan had heard from Wang Fengxia that Lin Qingqing was going to move in today. Upon hearing this, she asked worriedly, "Are you going alone? Will the Lin family cause you trouble and refuse to give you food?"
"Maybe, but I'm not afraid," Lin Qingqing said, her confidence growing with the thought of Xie Wei. "Comrade Xie said he'll go with me to ask for grain."
"Is Comrade Xie the one who brought you here just now?" Li Juan was assigned to Xingfeng Brigade last year. She had heard of Xie Wei's name but didn't know what he looked like, so she asked in confusion, "Who is he?"
“He…” Lin Qingqing paused, then hesitated before saying, “He is Captain Xie’s younger brother.”
"Is he Commander Xie?" Li Juan was even more curious. "Why did he bring you here?"
"It seems to have been arranged by the captain," Lin Qingqing explained.
Li Juan wasn't particularly interested in Xie Wei. Hearing that it was arranged by the brigade leader, she stopped asking questions and started talking about Lin Qingqing's accommodation. The snakeskin bag Lin Qingqing brought wasn't large; Li Juan estimated it contained at most two or three cotton-padded jackets and a few sets of clothes. She asked, "Didn't you bring a quilt?"
The original owner of this body slept on a straw-covered bed at the Lin family's house, and the quilt was passed down from person to person until it was finally given to her. She had left the Lin family in such a hurry that she hadn't brought a quilt with her, and later stayed at a guesthouse where bedding was readily available, so she almost forgot about it.
Even now, looking at the hard wooden bed in front of her, Lin Qingqing shook her head and said, "I'll go ask for two quilts tomorrow."
At that time, the rural areas still practiced a collective system, and the land was all owned by the collective. Each family only had a small plot of land for their own use, usually growing sesame or vegetables. Very few people grew cotton. Therefore, very few families had extra cotton quilts, and in some poorer areas, there were even cases where the whole family shared one cotton quilt.
Li Juan wasn't optimistic that Lin Qingqing would be able to get the quilt, but she didn't discourage her either, saying, "If you don't mind, you can sleep with me tonight."
She meant well, so Lin Qingqing didn't mind at all, and the matter was settled.
As they were talking, Wang Fengxia walked in and said, "There's no rice left in the canteen. I got a bowl of vegetable soup and two sweet potatoes. You can make do with these for now. I told them to steam an extra serving of rice for one person tonight."
"She didn't take out a single grain of rice. She should be grateful to have anything to eat; why worry about making do?" The speaker was a girl who entered behind Wang Fengxia. She wore a green military uniform, and her jet-black hair was braided into two pigtails tied with red ribbons. After entering, she put the lunchbox in the table drawer, then glanced at Lin Qingqing with disdain.
As she finished speaking, the atmosphere in the room became slightly tense.
“I won’t settle for less. I used to eat dried sweet potatoes all the time when I lived at the Lin family’s house,” Lin Qingqing said, sitting down at her desk. Her expression didn’t change; instead, she smiled and said, “Besides, sweet potatoes are much tastier than dried sweet potatoes.” She then thanked Wang Fengxia.
Wang Fengxia laughed and said, "It's just a meal, nothing much."
"Yeah, we didn't eat her food, why are you being so nosy!" Li Juan muttered, then whispered to Lin Qingqing, "Don't pay any attention to her, she has that bad temper."
"Li Juan, who are you talking about?" Wang Li had just lain down on the bed when she heard this and suddenly sat up, frowning as she asked.
Li Juan glared back and said, "Whoever admits it, I'll say it."
"Alright, alright, you two give way a little, please stop arguing for my sake, okay?" Wang Fengxia stepped in to smooth things over.
Wang Fengxia was one of the first female educated youths to arrive at Xingfeng Brigade, and as the team leader, her words carried some weight. After a brief standoff, the two looked away, and the dormitory fell silent.
Seeing this, Lin Qingqing also lowered her head and slowly drank a sip of soup.
It was supposed to be vegetable soup, but there were only two vegetable leaves floating in the bowl. A few scallions were sprinkled on top, and it was seasoned with oil and salt, so the taste wasn't bad. With the vegetable soup, Lin Qingqing quickly finished a sweet potato, and her stomach was almost full. She wanted to return the remaining sweet potato to Wang Fengxia, but Wang Fengxia said that she hadn't eaten much at noon and might get hungry again quickly in the afternoon, so she could keep it.
It's December now, and the weather is cold, so the sweet potatoes can be stored for a while. It's not bad to save them for breakfast tomorrow if we don't eat them now, so I put the sweet potatoes away and said, "I'll keep them for myself."
She sighed inwardly. She was a strong-willed person. Before she transmigrated, although she was an orphan, she preferred to work hard herself rather than seek help from others. Now, however, she always needed help from others. She was really regressing as she got older.
She only hoped that she could successfully get the grain back from the Lin family tomorrow. In this way, she could not only repay the food rations she owed Wang Fengxia, but also not have to worry about food for the next six months.
Wang Li, who was lying on the bed with her eyes closed as if asleep, snorted coldly when she heard Lin Qingqing's words.
Whether Wang Li's voice was too soft for anyone to hear, or the others heard her but chose not to respond, no one in the dormitory reacted. Wang Li, who had a bellyful of sarcastic remarks, found herself unable to speak them and could only hold her breath and go to sleep.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
