Luo Wang’s words left them in silence.  

These educated youths had all come from towns and cities. Even if some came from less privileged families, none had ever experienced true hardship—certainly not to the point of starvation.  

Everyone could rely on their household registration and supply certificates to obtain grain ration coupons.  

The monthly allotment wasn’t much, but it was enough to cover daily needs.  

Compared to life in the countryside, their previous circumstances had been far better.  

It was in this moment that the educated youths suddenly realized—starting today, their lives would undergo a dramatic and irreversible change.  

The first thing that struck them was their surroundings.  

Upon entering Hongshan Production Brigade, their eyes were met with crude earthen houses and even some thatched huts. It was hard to imagine how people endured the bitter winters here.  

“This is the educated youth dormitory. The others are out working in the fields right now, so wait outside for now. They’ll settle you in when they return,” Luo Wang quickly arranged. “The brigade will give you one day off tomorrow, but the day after, you’ll start working with the veteran educated youths. Tasks will be assigned to you then.”  

“We’re starting work already?” Jiao Gang groaned. “After such a long train ride, my whole body feels like it’s falling apart. Can’t we rest a few more days?”  

“Sure,” Luo Wang agreed readily. “Once your body actually falls apart, you can rest as long as you want.”  

“……” Jiao Gang grimaced.  

That really wasn’t necessary.  

Luo Wang continued, “The overall person in charge here is He Jiabao—the educated youth I mentioned earlier, the one who earns ten work points a day. You’d do well to learn from him.”  

Some took his words to heart, while others let them go in one ear and out the other.  

Each of them retrieved their luggage from the cart. Rong Xiaoxiao grabbed two large bags and headed straight for the dormitory.  

The educated youth quarters consisted of two rundown houses.  

Next to them were two small private plots, growing an assortment of vegetables.  

As she surveyed her new living conditions, a group of people on a distant slope were also sizing them up.  

“So many new educated youths… the brigade leader’s going to have another headache.”  

“The brigade’s grain supply is already tight, and now we have to share with them. If they were all like He Jiabao, fine—at least he can work. But look at this batch—do any of them look like they can handle labor?”  

“Goodness, is that Dacron? Look at that female comrade’s outfit—it’s so pretty!”  

It really was. A vibrant, eye-catching red—they’d never seen fabric so striking before.  

“I wonder how much it costs and how many ration tickets it takes. My daughter’s getting married next month. If she could wear something like that, she’d look absolutely stunning.” Qian Chunfeng’s eyes gleamed with envy, already considering a trip to the supply and marketing cooperative.  

“Who could afford that? Besides, our little backwater doesn’t even carry fabric in that color,” said a narrow-eyed older woman. “Why don’t you go ask that educated youth to borrow it? She seems easygoing—she might agree. Besides, borrowing clothes for weddings is pretty common, isn’t it?”

If the new educated youth actually agreed, then she’d go borrow it too.  

Borrow back and forth, and who knows? The clothes might just end up in her own home.  

The girl clearly came from a well-off family—she probably wouldn’t care too much about one outfit.  

Qian Chunfeng shot her a disdainful look. “What nonsense! Why don’t you go ask? Zhu Pozi, you’ve got no shame. These educated youths just arrived, and you’re already eyeing their things. You’re downright rotten.”  

Zhu Pozi wasn’t the least bit embarrassed at being called out. She just chuckled and brushed it off.  

Her gaze lingered on the female educated youth—first on her clothes, then on the luggage beside her.  

If she dressed this well, surely the things in her bags were just as nice.  

Just as she was staring, a large bag suddenly blocked her view of the girl.  

Zhu Pozi frowned and muttered, “What the hell is that? Who carries such a huge bag?”  

“Wow, that girl’s strong!”  

“She lifted that massive bag like it was nothing. She’s definitely going to be good at farmwork.” Qian Chunfeng grinned. “At least the brigade leader can breathe a little easier. The others might not cut it, but this one’s got promise.”  

“Honestly, look at those educated youths in their fancy Dacron clothes—they probably can’t hold a candle to this girl when it comes to labor.”  

“Good. Saves the brigade from having to feed deadweight.”  

The aunties and grannies were still chattering when a man walked up, exasperated. “Aunties, if you’ve been ‘using the toilet’ this long, it’s time to get back to work. Any longer, and I’ll have to dock your work points.”  

Zhu Pozi immediately started shuffling back, grumbling, “Luo Baojun, you’re a real piece of work. Threatening to dock points over a bathroom break? Puffy-eyed bastard! No wonder you’re too ugly to find a wife.”  

Luo Baojun wasn’t about to take insults about his looks lying down. “Who ‘uses the toilet’ all the way out here? You’re just slacking off. Get back now, or I’m docking half a day’s points.”  

Zhu Pozi panicked.  

Docked points meant docked pay—who wouldn’t be frantic?  

Normally, she’d complain about backaches and leg pains at the slightest bend, finding every excuse to avoid work. But now, she took off running like a woman half her age, looking positively spry.  

Once the work-point recorder showed up, the onlookers scattered.  

The educated youths had noticed the crowd watching them.  

As soon as the villagers left, Gao Liao exhaled in relief. “Being stared at by so many people feels… weird.”  

They were too far away to hear what the aunties had been saying, but all the pointing and gesturing made it clear they were being scrutinized. It wasn’t a comfortable feeling.  

“Well, you’d better get used to it,” Chen Shuming said with a laugh. “Once we start working in the fields, everyone’s going to be watching us.”

It’s understandable—after all, they were newcomers, and who wouldn’t be curious?  

Truth be told, they were just as curious about Hongshan Production Brigade.  

Unfortunately, Luo Wang had left them here with no one to ask or gather information from.  

The educated youth dormitory was locked, and the six of them waited for two hours before the others returned from work. The leader was a lean, sturdy man who jogged up to them with a smile. “Sorry for the wait! It’s hard to get time off during work hours, so you’ve had to linger this long. Come on, your living quarters are all set up—let me show you.”  

He Jiabao led them inside while explaining the layout. “There are two houses—one for men, one for women. Male comrades on the left, female comrades on the right.”  

When they reached the door of the women’s quarters, he stopped outside. “You two go on in and take a look. There are already three female comrades living here. The kang bed is a bit small, but you can squeeze in.”  

Bai Man stepped in first, followed closely by Rong Xiaoxiao.  

Once inside, both frowned almost simultaneously.  

Bai Man had already known the conditions in the educated youth dormitory were poor, but seeing them again still made her grimace.  

Rong Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, didn’t care much about the environment.  

As long as there was a roof overhead and a bed beneath her, she could sleep anywhere.  

But five people sharing one room, sleeping elbow-to-elbow every night—how was there any privacy?  

She needed a private space—otherwise, how could she sneak extra meals?  

She didn’t mind roughing it, but she absolutely refused to compromise on food.  

“Why so much stuff? The room’s already tiny. With all this junk, there’s no room to even turn around!”  

A dissatisfied voice came from behind them, followed by a deliberate shoulder bump as the speaker pushed past. “Look for yourself—once your things are in here, will there even be space to move?”  

Rong Xiaoxiao peeked over and nodded earnestly. “You’re right, it is pretty cramped.”  

Yang Juan froze.  

She had been exaggerating a little.  

Sure, it’d be a tight fit, but it wasn’t like there’d be no room to move.  

Rong Xiaoxiao looked at her with wide, hopeful eyes. “Comrade, since you think it’s too crowded, why don’t you bring it up with the brigade leader? Maybe they can get us a bigger place?”  

“…Why should I be the one to ask?!” Yang Juan snapped.

She didn’t even need to ask to know the answer. Every household in the production brigade was packed tight—if even the locals couldn’t figure out how to get more space, what hope did the educated youths have?  

Rong Xiaoxiao’s smile faded, her eyebrows lifting. “If you won’t ask, then suck it up. Don’t take your temper out on me.”  

Yang Juan was left speechless.  

The girl had seemed all smiles and naivety—easy to push around. Who knew she’d be so sharp-tongued?  

Just then, Bai Man suddenly called out to He Jiabao. “I noticed a small hut nearby. Since it’s crowded here, could I stay there instead?”  

He Jiabao looked surprised. “How did you know about that?”  

Bai Man: “While waiting, I took a walk around and happened to see it.”  

The hut stood near the educated youth dormitory, but because of the sloping terrain, it was tucked into a depression and easy to miss.  

But she was different. In her past life, she had lived there briefly.  

Her hands had been injured, and Rong Zhengzhi had secretly treated her there, away from prying eyes. It was a place filled with memories.  

“I’m afraid not.” He Jiabao frowned. “That place has been empty for years. There’s no heated kang bed—it’d be uninhabitable in winter. Making it livable would require costly repairs.”  

He glanced toward the hut. “And because of the low ground, it’s prone to flooding during heavy rains.”  

“That’s fine.” Bai Man wasn’t concerned.  

A little money was trivial to her.  

As for flooding? It didn’t matter—she didn’t plan to stay long anyway.  

She turned to the other girl. “The hut isn’t small. Why don’t we move there together? You’d only need to cover a quarter of the repair costs. How about it?”  

A simple fix would cost just a few yuan at most—a quarter would be practically nothing.  

She could tell Rong Xiaoxiao didn’t want to stay in the crowded dormitory. This was an olive branch—surely she’d take it.  

But Rong Xiaoxiao shook her head without hesitation.  

“I’m broke.”