"..." The excited smile on Fu Qingqing's face froze like a balloon that was popped.
Yes...
Sister Xiaoxue, I'm already married...
My excited mood suddenly calmed down.
She stared at her brother blankly.
The afterglow of the setting sun slanted down on Fu Zhawei's profile, outlining his straight nose and tightly pursed thin lips.
His skin was a rare, cold white that seemed indestructible to tanning, and now, under the orange-red light, it actually had a jade-like, warm texture.
But his deep eyes were dark and calm at this moment.
Fu Qingqing sighed heavily in her heart and looked at her brother with sympathy.
well……
My brother is so pitiful.
It's not easy to find someone you like, but when you get married, she's already married.
Doesn't that mean... I can only hide this love in my heart secretly, and keep loving her until I get old?
Fu Qingqing pursed her lips and didn't know what to say for a moment. She could only follow her brother silently towards the low and dilapidated adobe house.
The little girl who was chirping just now is now as quiet as a quail caught in the rain.
*
As night fell, the entire Shuguang Village was shrouded in a hazy twilight.
When the educated youths arrived at the yard, they had just put their belongings in order when they saw the team leader Liang Bin and two other people coming in, carrying several heavy coarse cloth sacks on a shoulder pole.
He dropped the sack on the ground with a dull thud.
"Comrades, come here."
The educated youth gathered around when they heard the noise.
"This is the advance ration the team leader is giving you. Each person gets 20 kilograms of sorghum rice and 10 kilograms of cornmeal. Remember, this is an advance! From now on, it will be deducted from your work points!"
When Liu Liwen heard that it was sorghum rice and cornmeal, her brows immediately frowned.
She grew up in Kyoto and usually ate white rice and noodles. Where had she ever seen such coarse grains that were dark in color and looked irritating to the throat?
She couldn't help but curl her lips, her tone filled with dissatisfaction: "Captain Liang, we came all the way here to support border construction, and all you give us is this to eat?"
Hearing this, Liang Bin raised his eyelids and glanced at her lightly.
"If you don't want to eat this coarse grain because it's too harsh on your throat, that's fine. Just give it back to me now. The team isn't short of food, so we're saving it for those who can eat it."
"As for you,"
Liang Bin looked at Liu Liwen and said, "If you want to eat fine grains, go to the supply and marketing cooperative in town and buy them yourself. We in Shuguang Village don't have the conditions to provide white rice to the educated youth every meal at the moment."
Liang Bin has been the team leader for so many years and has seen many different kinds of educated youth.
He could see through this kind of spoiled city girl who couldn't stand any hardship at a glance.
When dealing with such a person, you can't show him any displeasure.
Liu Liwen was choked by his words and her face turned red and white.
Give it back?
What would she eat? Would she buy food from the supply and marketing cooperative? How could she afford such a thing with the little money and food coupons she had?
Besides, she had also heard that the supply and marketing cooperatives here didn't sell whatever you wanted.
The situation is stronger than people. Although Liu Liwen is not delicate, she is not stupid.
She immediately forced a flattering smile and waved her hand: "Hey, Captain Liang, look at what you said! How could I not be willing? I just... said it casually, just joking, just joking! Haha..."
As she spoke, she hurried forward, pretending to carry the bag of cornmeal, as if she was afraid that Liang Bin would really take the grain away.
Seeing that she had given in, Liang Bin didn't say anything more: "Alright, take the food you were given back to your dormitories and put it there."
He glanced at the sky and continued, "You just arrived today, and the team held a simple welcome party for you in the Youth League Canteen. Now put your things away and go to the Youth League Canteen for dinner."
"By the way. Regarding the educated youth canteen, there are a few rules I want to explain to you first."
"The canteen provides three meals a day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and the brigade will arrange for a chef to prepare them for you. The canteen's stove is public property, so you're not allowed to touch it at will. If you really need it, like wanting to cook something yourself, you must first go to Chef Zhao, the canteen manager, and borrow some. Only after he agrees can you use it. - Do you understand?"
He looked around and saw that the educated youth all nodded before continuing, "Of course, if you have the means, you can buy pots and pans and build a simple stove in the yard to cook your own meals. This team will not interfere. Any other questions?"
Lin Jianxue raised her hand and asked, "Captain, may I ask, is there a supply and marketing cooperative in our village?"
Upon hearing this, Liang Bin's gaze fell on Lin Jianxue.
"Yes. It's at the east end of the village, but it's not very big and there aren't many things in it. You can buy some daily necessities like needles and thread, oil, salt, sauce, and vinegar. If you want to buy more, it's best to go to the supply and marketing cooperative in town. The things there are much richer than in the village."
"I understand." Lin Jianxue nodded slightly, "Thank you, Captain."
As soon as Lin Jianxue finished speaking, the other educated youth who had just arrived seemed to have just reacted and gathered around him chattering, throwing questions at Liang Bin one after another.
"Captain, is the supply and marketing cooperative in town far away?"
"How long will it take to walk? Are there any bullock carts?"
"Is it convenient for us to take a shower here? Is there a bathhouse?"
"Will rats, scorpions, or anything else crawl in when I sleep at night?"
Liang Bin's head hurt from the noise, and his wife and children were waiting for him to go home for dinner!
He waved his hand, interrupting them impatiently: "Alright, alright! You'll have more questions than you can finish asking tomorrow morning! Stay here first, and in a few days, you'll understand everything! Stop hanging around me, and quickly take the food back to the dormitory and store it there. Then come out to the cafeteria to eat! Dismissed!"
After saying that, Liang Bin was too lazy to look at these confused city kids anymore. He put his hands behind his back, took a step forward, and walked away without looking back.
That step seemed to be escaping.
The educated youth who had arrived looked at each other, watched Liang Bin's back disappear into the twilight, then looked at the heavy sacks on the ground, and began to carry them resignedly.
Thirty kilograms of coarse grains is not an easy task for these spoiled city girls and boys.
Lin Jianxue's expression was calm. She had endured so much hardship in her past life. This little weight was nothing to her.
As soon as I walked to the dormitory door with the sack in my arms, I ran into a group of men and women carrying hoes and shovels, their bodies covered in mud and their faces covered in dust.
These people are the "old educated youth" from Shuguang Village, who have just returned from working in the fields.
The old educated youth were stunned at first when they saw so many new faces in the yard, but then they smiled.
"Hey! Comrades, you're here!" An older-looking educated youth with a black mole on his lip was the first to greet us with a smile, revealing his smoke-yellow teeth. "You've even received your food. Not bad!"
"We've been waiting for you!" Another young woman with pigtails also said with a smile, "The cafeteria must be closed tonight, right? We can help you guys out so we can have a bite too!"
They made no secret of their joy, leaving the educated youth who came with them somewhat bewildered.
Among the educated youth who had come, there was a round-faced girl named Wang Juan, who was quite bold. After hearing what they said, she immediately became interested. Curiously, she came forward and asked, "Brother, from what you said, we don't usually eat meat here? So... how often can we eat it?"
Upon hearing this, the old educated youth with the black mole who was called Big Brother looked at Wang Juan's innocent face, and a trace of sympathy flashed in his eyes.
He slowly extended a finger with thick knuckles.
"Once a month?" Wang Juan asked tentatively. Liu Liwen and others beside her had already started to look downcast.
For them who come to Kyoto, even if their family conditions are average, it is common for them to eat meat every few days, and once a month... How can they live like this?
"Oh," the old educated youth with the black mole sneered, "You wish. Once a year at most!"
He said slowly, "After the autumn harvest every year, the village organizes strong laborers to go hunting in the mountains. If they're lucky enough to catch a few rabbits and pheasants, or occasionally a wild boar, that's considered New Year's Day! Sometimes we can get a little bit of minced meat. As for other times?"
He pointed to the corner where there were several empty baskets that had not yet been collected.
"Well, it's pretty much the same thing—steamed bread, sweet potatoes, and if you're lucky, stewed radish or cabbage. That's our daily diet!"
“No way…”
"Only once a year?!"
“Oh my god…”
“…”
“No way!!!”
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