Chapter 30: New Friend

“Hello, Wen Zhiqing ^[1]Refers to young people sent to the countryside during China’s Cultural Revolution to receive “re-education” by working with farmers. This term plays a significant role in the story’s … Continue reading! I’m Qi Nian Nian. Which commune are you from?”

Wen Nuan turned her head to look at the girl who had greeted her. The girl was quite young, with her hair neatly trimmed. Her naturally curly short hair gently rested on her forehead.

The strands of hair on either side were smooth and adhered to her cheeks, revealing a pair of clear, bright eyes that seemed to speak without words.

These eyes would sometimes sparkle with curiosity, and at other times, they would curve into crescent shapes, radiating endless joy and kindness.

Every time she smiled, the corners of her eyes would slightly lift, as if in that instant, the surrounding gloom was swept away, and one’s mood would brighten along with it.

It was clear that Qi Nian Nian was a very cheerful and lively girl, the kind that was simply adorable.

“Hello, Qi Nian Nian! I’m from the Hongqi(Red Flag) Brigade, how about you?”

“You’re from the Hongqi Brigade! What a pity, we’re not in the same brigade. I’m from the Jinbu Brigade!”

“The Jinbu Brigade is nice too! And the two brigades aren’t too far apart!”

“Is that so? How did you know?”

Wen Nuan naturally wouldn’t say that she’d been here once before, so she just came up with an excuse to brush it off.

“I asked around before coming, so I knew a bit.”

“I see! I don’t know what we’ll be doing once we get to the countryside. I heard from others that life there is really hard.”

“Then why did you decide to become a sent-down youth?”

Wen Nuan looked Qi Nian Nian up and down, and from her clothes, it was easy to tell that her family conditions were pretty good. The plum-blossom brand watch on her wrist was brand new.

“Well, originally my mom said to send my younger brother to the countryside, but I’m the older sister, how could I let my brother replace me? So I signed up first.”

“It seems like you and your brother have a really good relationship, otherwise, why would you do something like this?”

“That’s right, my brother is so well-behaved. We’re just a year apart, and he takes good care of me! I don’t want to keep being taken care of by him. Besides, my parents are getting older, so it’s better to keep my brother close by.”

“Mm, it’s clear that you really love your family!”

The girl always wore a smile, even though her exhaustion was clearly visible, she remained very optimistic.

“Yeah, my parents have always treated me well. They never looked down on me just because I’m a daughter, so I really want to do something for them.

But as of now, going to the countryside is the only thing I can do for them. You have no idea, my dad was so mad when he found out I secretly signed up!”

The girl covered her mouth, her eyes full of mischief, and her playful expression added more charm and liveliness to her character.

Wen Nuan smiled, feeling a kind of envy that was hard to explain. It was clear that Qi Nian Nian’s family life must be very happy.

Only a warm, happy family could raise such a bright and lively girl.

There was a time when she longed deeply for love and warmth like that.

But in her previous life, her patience and sacrifices became nothing but a joke, a reason for them to further exploit and take advantage of her.

“Well, make sure you do well in the countryside, otherwise, won’t your parents worry even more?”

“Of course, I’ll be fine. You should be fine too! Don’t always frown—smile, and your luck will improve!”

“Really? Do I have a frown? I didn’t even notice!”

“Of course you do! Every time we talk, you’ve furrowed your brow more than once!”

“Heh, well, thanks for the reminder!”

“You’re welcome! The moment I saw you, I could tell you’re a good person. You feel so approachable, so I came over to talk to you. Even though we’re not in the same brigade, we can still be good friends!”

“Great, I’m also really happy to have you as a friend! Feel free to come find me anytime. But I’m still curious—how did you know my name?”

“I heard it when Xu Ganshi was calling out the roll. There were a lot of people, and you probably didn’t notice, but I was standing right next to you!”

“Oh, so that’s how! You’re also from the capital, huh?”

“Yeah! We were even in the same carriage. Do you remember when someone knocked on the door while you were in the bathroom?”

Wen Nuan blinked.

“Could it be that it was you knocking?”

“Hehe, I was a bit in a hurry, so I knocked a couple of times. Fortunately, you came out just in time. Otherwise, I would’ve been in trouble!”

Wen Nuan laughed, surprised that there was such a little incident between them.

“Hehe, it was my fault for being a bit slow. But honestly, it was so awkward at the time that I didn’t even notice who was standing outside the bathroom.”

“Haha, if it were me, I’d probably feel a bit embarrassed too. It’s perfectly normal, no need to think too much about it. Besides, we’ve gotten to know each other now!”

“Yeah, now we know each other. In the future, please take care of me, Comrade Nian Nian!”

“Don’t worry, Comrade Nuan Nuan, I’ll definitely take care of you!”

Plop…

“Haha…”

The friendship between the two girls quickly blossomed, turning from formal introductions to calling each other by affectionate nicknames.

With Qi Nian Nian’s presence, the two-plus hours on the tractor passed by swiftly.

At the entrance of Gongrong Commune, the group got off the vehicle with their luggage.

“This is Gongrong Commune. The educated youth, please stand with your belongings. The brigade leaders of each brigade will come to roll call. When your name is called, just follow your brigade leader and leave.”

A staff member from the educated youth office, holding a loudspeaker, conveyed the message to the crowd. Wen Nuan and Qi Nian Nian stood together, having just gotten to know each other, and now they were facing separation. There was a sense of reluctance.

“Nian Nian, once you’re at the brigade, keep your wits about you. Don’t flaunt your wealth, make sure your things are well taken care of. If anything happens, you can come to me for help.

Especially at night, don’t go out alone, and when dealing with people from the village, keep a distance, especially with the male comrades.”

Wen Nuan gave her a sincere warning, not wanting her new friend to suffer any setbacks in the countryside, so she shared all the experience she had gained as a newcomer.

“I know, I’ll be careful. You take care of yourself too, Nuan Nuan. When we have a break, I’ll come find you. We’ll go shopping in the commune, and we can even go to the state-run hotel for a treat!”

“Alright, when the time comes, I’ll treat you to braised pork!”
“I’ll treat you to dumplings!”
“Deal!”

Gongrong Commune is divided into ten brigades, and each brigade contains around ten production teams.
On average, each production team has about 30 households, roughly 140 people in total, with more than 50 laborers and over 1,000 acres of farmland.
(Data from Baidu, for reference only)

Of course, the numbers here don’t include the educated youth, and many local residents were quite resentful of the arrival of the educated youth. The reason was simple: the educated youth would be sharing the resources from these 1,000 acres of farmland.

Soon, Qi Nian Nian’s name was called. Reluctantly, she said goodbye to Wen Nuan, and since the Jincheng Brigade and the Hongqi Brigade were next to each other, it wasn’t long before Wen Nuan heard the call of Tan Zhengmin, the leader of the Hongqi Brigade.

There were twelve educated youth assigned to the Hongqi Brigade. Wen Nuan glanced around. Aside from having already met Zhang Zhenzhen and Zhu Jianjun on the train, nothing had changed.

The group of people gathered here was the same as when Wen Nuan had arrived in the past, but now she couldn’t even recall most of their names.

In her previous life, Wen Nuan had been somewhat self-conscious and shy, and after arriving at the educated youth placement, she was subtly excluded by everyone due to Zhang Zhenzhen’s influence. So, she had very few friends.

Looking back now, her past self had been quite lonely, but things were different now.

Not to mention Li Yueyue, whom she had met on the train, or Qi Nian Nian, whom she had just befriended on the tractor. Both had made Wen Nuan feel the beauty of friendship.

Characters:

Wen Nuan: Female Lead

Wen Changming:  We Nuan’s Father

Tan Xiulian –   Wen Nuan’s Stepmother

 Wen Qing:  Wen Nuan’s Stepsister

Qi Chunmei:  Wen Nuan’s Biological Mother

Li Yueyue :  A girl Wen Nuan met in the train

Qi Nian Nian:  New Friend

Tan Zhengmin:  Hongqi Brigade  Leader