Su Qingmeng looked at the time. It was six twenty. The team leader said yesterday that the ox cart would go to the commune at six o'clock, and there would be a bus to the county town at seven o'clock. They would just have to wait at the place where they got off yesterday.
Su Qingmeng recalled the route and still remembered it. She would go wait for a bus to go to the county town to buy things. The county town should have more things than the commune, so she wanted to buy everything and try to stay in the educated youth camp for the next few months.
Su Qingmeng took out her toothbrush and enamel cup and went out to wash up. Now the old educated youth had all gone to work. She walked around the yard and found no one. There were two women and one man who came with her yesterday. She didn't know if they hadn't gotten up yet or had gone out.
The youth cadre site was a large courtyard with a mud-brick wall more than one meter high. Su Qingmeng felt that she could jump over it and did not feel safe. She had to lock the door before going to bed and going out.
Su Qingmeng's house was in the backyard, with three doors in a row. It was probably the same room she'd slept in the previous night, with two rooms sharing a kitchen. The kitchen was small, with only two stoves connected in the middle, flanked by walls. It was about two meters long and three meters wide. The room was four meters long and three meters wide, and overall it was okay, a little dirty but not broken.
There are six rooms in this row, and two of them share a kitchen. Only the kitchen has access to the outside, and all the doors to the other rooms are in the kitchen. Her room is the second one on the west side, and the door opposite her is locked, so someone must be living there. I hope the neighbors get along well.
The house in the front yard had only two doors. Su Qingmeng observed that two of the houses should be the same as those in the backyard, and the other two houses were larger, about 6 or 7 meters, and the kitchen was also a little bigger. She felt that this should be the multi-person room in the novels of the period. She should have to rent the small house to live in. She didn't know how much it would cost, but she must live in it, after all, she was a person with a golden finger.
There is a well on the east side of the yard with a wheel on it. I don’t know how to use it. I’ll ask the old educated youth in the evening.
There were two trees in the front and back yards, not far apart, with ropes tied to them for hanging clothes. There was a toilet on each side, and a few small sheds against the walls, each containing firewood. Some of the sheds had little firewood, and since it was summer, a little was enough for meals. The rest of the land was either planted with vegetables or covered in grass, likely the private plots of land used by the educated youth.
Su Qingmeng thought it would be tiring to go to work and take care of her private plot at the same time. She would ask if she could exchange vegetables with the villagers. She could grow some seasonings in her private plot, and there were also vegetables on the farm!
Su Qingmeng was glad that the place where she went to the countryside was relatively wealthy. She came here yesterday by tractor. Although it was bumpy, it was much better than an ox cart. She didn't have to find a way to build a house alone like the heroine in the period novels, which would not only show off her wealth but also be unsafe.
After washing up, Su Qingmeng went to the toilet on the west side. The wall was built relatively high, and there was a small wooden door that could be locked after entering. The toilet was just two wooden boards placed on a cesspool. The smell of the toilet in the hot summer was touching. She didn't dare to breathe the whole time and came out in a hurry after using it.
Su Qingmeng went inside and changed into a long-sleeved shirt to prevent tanning, and black pants. She reached for a blank notebook to make a list. Her memory wasn't great, unlike modern cellphone memos, but now she could only write by hand. Suddenly, she saw the original owner's diary and put it away in her space. She decided to build a tomb for the original owner in a few years; she couldn't let anyone forget her.
Su Qingmeng listed the things she wanted to buy. She wanted to buy two plastic basins for washing her face and feet, a straw hat, a box of matches, a thermos, and an iron pot. She didn't know whether it would be easy to buy them.
There are also various seasonings: salt, soy sauce, cooking oil, sugar. In fact, all of these are available on the farm, but she thought about it and decided to buy them at the supply and marketing cooperative for the first time. She could then use the ones from the farm, so she could also see the difference between the ones from the farm and the ones from the supply and marketing cooperative.
You also need to buy fine grains. You can buy coarse grains at the brigade. See if there are any snacks and candies that don't require tickets. You can give them to people when you ask them to do something for you.
By the time she finished making the list, it was already six forty. Su Qingmeng shouldered the original owner's army green satchel, which had been altered from the original owner's father's old military uniform, along with the pants she'd been wearing. She was thinking about making two sets of underwear from the farm's cotton fabric that night. Even though both her body and clothes were the original owner's, it still felt awkward. Since she didn't have the resources for clothes right now, she decided to just change her underwear first.
Bring some money and a kettle filled with tea from the farm. There is no way to boil water now, but luckily there is a tea set in the farm house, and there is a small tea stove that is burning. I can pour out the tea and use it to boil water.
The educated youth settlement was in the northeast corner of the village. Su Qingmeng followed the main road southward. Most of the houses she passed were adobe, with only three or four brick and tile houses. This suggested decent living conditions. After a 10-minute walk, she arrived at the waiting area. There were only three or four other people there. Su Qingmeng stood quietly to the side, not saying anything. She wasn't a pushover; she'd just be a shy, silent young educated youth in the village.
The bus arrived in four or five minutes. There were not many people, but the smell was unpleasant. The ticket cost ten cents. Su Qingmeng felt like vomiting as soon as she got on the bus. It seemed that the original owner was as prone to motion sickness as she was. She got a seat by the window, facing her nose to the window, and tried not to breathe the air in the car. Only then did she suppress the feeling of vomiting. Fortunately, she hadn't eaten breakfast.
After wandering around for half an hour, they finally arrived at the county town. After getting off the bus, Su Qingmeng asked an elderly woman on the street for directions.
The aunt said that if you follow this road you will reach the main street of the county town, where the supply and marketing cooperative, state-owned restaurant, post office, and bathhouse are all located.
The buildings in the county town are more regular than those in the village. They are basically brick houses. After walking about 50 meters, it gradually becomes prosperous. Of course, it cannot be compared with later generations. In that era, two-story or three-story buildings were considered "luxury" buildings.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
