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“Since everyone is here, let’s head back. Your luggage can be placed on the ox cart,” said Tan Zhengmin, glancing over the twelve educated youth with clear disdain in his eyes.
“Placed on the ox cart? Then where do we sit?” Wen Nuan looked up, noticing Zhang Zhenzhen acting clueless. As expected, the next moment, they heard the brigade leader coldly reply:
“Where do you sit? Can you reach the Hongqi Brigade by sitting on the ground? Coming to the countryside isn’t a luxury vacation. Our brigade only has this one old yellow ox, which is far more valuable than you. Letting it carry your luggage is already an enormous privilege. And now you want it to pull you as well? Dream on! If you can walk, walk. If you can’t, then you’re on your own!”
As the sky darkened, the moonlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting its glow on every corner. In the bushes by the roadside, crickets chirped incessantly.
The quiet night was only broken by the sound of footsteps and the rumbling of the ox cart wheels.
The more timid educated youths hugged their arms and huddled in the middle of the group, walking quickly, fearing they might be left behind by the main group.
Wen Nuan had walked this kind of night road countless times in her previous life, so she wasn’t afraid. Besides, seeing that they were almost at the designated location for the educated youth, there was no reason to be afraid anymore.
“Shh….”
Tan Zhengmin stopped the ox cart, and only then did everyone realize that they had arrived at the entrance of a small courtyard.
“We’ve arrived at the educated youth camp. Everyone should rest early tonight. Tomorrow, your brigade leader will take you to the brigade to collect your grain rations.
The grain is lent to you by the brigade. You can pay for it with work points or with money, it’s up to you.
This is a busy farming season, so tomorrow will be your day of rest. Work will start the morning after tomorrow. If you have any issues that you can’t resolve internally, come to me.
After dark, it’s best not to wander around. Especially for the female educated youths, when dealing with the villagers, be sure to maintain some distance.
Also, when working, make sure to pay attention to time. No tardiness or leaving early, as your work points will affect your future food and supplies. That’s all I need to say. Did everyone hear clearly?”
“We heard clearly!”
The group answered in unison, and facing the stern Tan Zhengmin, the new educated youths couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous.
After all, the county officials were like the current authorities. In the entire Hongqi Brigade, Tan Zhengmin, as the brigade leader, was effectively the highest authority.
“Creak…”
The gate of the educated youth camp was opened from the inside, and a man dressed in a gray jacket with dark skin walked out.
“Uncle Tan, thank you for your hard work. These must be the new educated youths who’ve come this time, right? Don’t worry, I’ve already arranged the bed assignments.”
“Alright, then I’ll leave them to you. I still need to take the ox to the cattle pen, so I won’t stay any longer.”
“Okay, Uncle Tan, you should head back quickly. It’s so late, your wife must be worrying about you!”
“You little rascal, always so slick! Alright, I’m leaving, you get to work!”
“Hey, take care and be safe!”
“Alright, go on then!”
It wasn’t until Tan Zhengmin’s figure disappeared in the distance that the man withdrew his gaze and turned his attention to the new educated youths.
Wen Nuan stood at the back of the crowd, and without even looking, she could tell who this man was.
Sure enough, the man’s voice sounded again in the next moment.
“Hello, comrades. I’m Sun Dongxu, the head of the educated youth camp in the Hongqi Brigade. It’s getting a bit late, so we’ll talk more tomorrow morning.”
“Today, I’ll first arrange the beds for everyone. When you go inside, be a bit quieter. The senior educated youths have had a long day and are already asleep.”
The group nodded, then followed Sun Dongxu into the yard.
The main building of the educated youth camp was situated north to south, with a rectangular yard. There were buildings on three sides, indicating that the place was already inhabited.
“The rooms on the left and right of the main building are the girls’ dormitories. Each of you will have three people per room. The positions have already been assigned, so you can go in, set up your beds, and sleep.”
Sun Dongxu began by assigning the rooms to the girls, twelve of them in total, split between male and female.
Wen Nuan stood at the back, and this time, she didn’t want to share a room with Zhang Zhenzhen again.
Seeing Zhang Zhenzhen go to the room on the right, Wen Nuan grabbed her luggage and headed for the room on the left.
The girl she passed by was momentarily stunned, then quickly turned and went to the right side.
Once the girls had entered their rooms, Sun Dongxu began organizing the male educated youths.
“Both sides of the building are for the boys’ dormitories. The east side can fit two people, and the remaining four will stay in the west room. You can choose whichever side you prefer.”
A few of the quicker boys headed to the west side, and Zhu Jianjun was naturally among them. The remaining two, a bit slower, had no choice but to go to the east side.
Honestly, the east side wasn’t too bad, except it was right next to the kitchen, so it might get a bit noisy in the mornings.
Once the male educated youths had chosen their rooms, Sun Dongxu returned to his own bed to prepare for sleep.
Although he was the point leader, aside from handling the extra chores and concerns related to the educated youth dorm, he still had to get up early and work just like everyone else. The only difference was that he received a small additional subsidy each month.
As soon as Wen Nuan entered the room, she noticed that the senior educated youths had already fallen asleep. The soft, intermittent sounds of snoring echoed throughout the room. While not as loud as the boys’ snoring, it was still noticeable.
There was still more than three meters of space left on the big platform bed, which had clearly been made available for them. Wen Nuan preferred not being in the middle, so she chose a spot near the wall.
Considering that the senior educated youths were already asleep, she gave up on the idea of washing up. Instead, she took out her quilt from her luggage, spread it out, and prepared to sleep.
At first, Wen Nuan felt a bit irritable, but gradually, she settled down. After all, she hadn’t rested well on the train, and soon she fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, the senior educated youths had already gone off to work, while the new ones were still asleep. It wasn’t until nearly noon that sounds started to echo through the educated youth dormitory again.
One by one, the new educated youths climbed out of bed. Some, who were more curious, had already begun to explore the entire dormitory.
Behind the girls’ dormitory was the commune’s vegetable garden, and the restroom and makeshift shower facilities were located there as well.
The rustling sounds in the air woke Wen Nuan, who was still deeply asleep.
Wen Nuan opened her eyes and saw the female educated youth sleeping beside her getting dressed.
“Ah, did I wake you? I tried to be as quiet as possible, sorry!” the girl said apologetically.
Wen Nuan blinked her eyes and then smiled faintly.
“It’s not your fault, I slept poorly anyway,” she replied.
She glanced at her wrist.
“Wow, it’s already this late. I guess I should get up too!”
Wen Nuan said this as she sat up from the kang bed. The sunlight streamed through the window, casting a warm glow on the table and making the whole room seem brighter.
Outside the window, birds chirped loudly in the trees, as if they had switched on the day’s signal.
Only then did Wen Nuan take a closer look at the room’s layout. It wasn’t much different from the room on the right side.
Each person had their own cabinet, though these were things that the educated youth had to buy with their own money.
Toiletries were placed in a washbasin, which was uniformly set in the corner of the room. The common area had only one square table and four long benches.
Wen Nuan quickly scanned the room, then got dressed and climbed down from the kang. Her package from yesterday was still piled in the corner, and she pulled out her toiletries from inside before heading outside.
In the commune’s courtyard, there was a large water barrel, which was used specifically for washing up. Every day, the person on duty would fill the barrel after returning from work in the evening.