“Yes, the surname is Luo,” He Jiabao said. “Was it Luo Wang who went to pick you up? That’s his surname. The brigade leader shares the same surname. The day after tomorrow, he’ll assign your work tasks, and you’ll meet him then.”  

Rong Xiaoxiao pursed her lips.  

This didn’t match what her father had told her.  

Back then, Hongshan Village was practically a single-surname village, with the vast majority of residents sharing the surname Rong.  

Because of this, when the famine struck, almost the entire village had set out together, traveling as a group and overcoming many hardships along the way.  

But the situation had been so dire that many had died or been injured, and most had ended up scattered.  

She hadn’t heard what she’d hoped to, but she didn’t press further.  

Picking up a strand of glass noodles with her chopsticks, she focused on eating.  

Rong Xiaoxiao might not care, but the other new educated youths certainly did—especially Chen Shuming, who was naturally curious. He followed up with a question: “What kind of work are we usually assigned?”  

“That depends on what you’re capable of. At first, you’ll definitely get some time to adjust. The tasks won’t be too strenuous, but the work points won’t be high either.” He Jiabao smiled. “Once you’ve settled in, you can try earning ten work points a day like me.”  

The more work points they earned, the more grain they’d receive later.  

Given the choice, they’d naturally prefer higher-paying tasks.  

Gao Liao asked curiously, “What kind of work do you do?”  

Jiao Gang chimed in, “Is it hard?”  

He wasn’t particularly concerned about how much grain he could exchange for, but since he’d always been the black sheep of the family in his parents’ eyes, if he could send some food back, they might be so pleased that they’d find a way to bring him home.  

Before He Jiabao could answer, he thought to himself—if the work wasn’t too exhausting, he might give it a try.  

“It’s alright. Mostly digging mud in the ditches.” He Jiabao grinned earnestly. “It’s tough at first. You come back completely worn out every day, eat, and then pass out. But you get used to it eventually.”  

Jiao Gang’s expression twisted. “…Digging mud?”  

Never mind. He’d rather stay useless.  

He lowered his head, intending to eat, but his chopsticks froze mid-air.  

The… the dishes? Where were they?!  

Today’s welcoming feast had been quite lavish—each person got a bowl of cornmeal porridge, a coarse grain bun, and three shared dishes on the table.  

But apart from a few scraps of pickled vegetables left, the rest of the dishes…  

Why were they all empty?!  

Jiao Gang looked up, narrowing his eyes at Rong Xiaoxiao, whose cheeks were stuffed like a hamster’s.  

Rong Xiaoxiao showed no guilt whatsoever. After swallowing the meat in her mouth, she spoke up: “Comrade He, didn’t you say there are three female educated youth here? Why haven’t we seen the other one?”

As soon as she finished speaking, the atmosphere at the table grew somewhat strange.  

Rong Xiaoxiao instinctively straightened her back.  

Here it comes—the gossip trigger.  

Before the six of them arrived, there had been eight educated youths in the educated youth dormitory: three women and five men.  

Aside from He Jiabao, the other four male知青 were also seated at the table, though they were rather inconspicuous. It was unclear whether they were naturally introverted or simply didn’t want to engage too much with the newcomers.  

Of the three female educated youth, apart from Yang Juan and Shi Yingrong, one had not appeared at the table.  

“Why bring her up for no reason? Such bad luck!” Yang Juan was the first to snap. She slammed her bowl and chopsticks down before storming into the house.  

At the same time, the older educated youth instinctively glanced at one particular person, their eyes filled with unmistakable pity.  

Hmm…  

Rong Xiaoxiao felt like she could practically see a green glow hovering over this particular old educated youth’s head.  

The man in question, Wei Dong, had been mostly silent, keeping his head down and saying little.  

When all attention turned to him, he could only force a bitter smile and say, “The educated youth you’re asking about went out to eat. She’ll be back later.”  

Jiao Gang couldn’t resist asking, “You can eat outside?”  

Shi Yingrong muttered under her breath, “If you find yourself a local to marry, you can too.”  

Her voice was just loud enough for everyone to hear.  

The others were astonished. “She married into the brigade? She’s not planning to return to the city?”  

He Jiabao blinked, momentarily taken aback. “Return to the city? Who knows when that’ll even be possible. Rather than clinging to some tiny sliver of hope, it’s better to make the best of life here.”  

Wei Dong nodded calmly. “Exactly. Comrade Cai Shaoying thought things through more carefully than we did. Honestly, integrating into the brigade is the smartest move—it makes life a little easier.”  

The previously lively mood grew heavier after these words.  

Once the meal was over, Shi Yingrong turned to the newcomers. “You must be exhausted. Go rest first. We’ll clean up here.”  

Of course, while she was happy to play the gracious host, she had no intention of actually doing the cleaning.  

Chores rotated daily, and today was Yang Juan’s turn. No matter how angry she was, she’d have to come out and tidy up eventually.  

After thanking them, Rong Xiaoxiao freshened up and settled in for the night.  

Though the journey hadn’t been particularly grueling, she was still thoroughly exhausted.  

There were many things left unpacked, but she decided sleep took priority.  

Bai Man and the other planned to move to the small house, but until it was repaired, they’d have to stay in the educated youth dormitory. The kang bed was a bit crowded, but everyone was so tired that even when someone returned late at night, no one on the bed stirred.  

…

She slept soundly until dawn. By the time Rong Xiaoxiao woke up, the others were already gone.  

When she stepped out of the educated youth dormitory, Gao Liao was hanging freshly washed clothes to dry. “The older educated youth have all gone to work. Bai Man went to see the brigade leader about repairing the small house. The rest of us are planning to go to town later—do you want to come along?”  

“Yes.” Rong Xiaoxiao nodded. She needed to send a telegram home to let her family know she’d arrived safely.  

Before she left, her parents had made it clear—if she dared forget, they’d come straight here to give her a beating.  

To avoid that fate, she’d better remember.  

She added, “I’ll go back inside and get ready. Just call me before you leave.”  

Gao Liao agreed.  

Back in the room, Rong Xiaoxiao didn’t actually have much to pack.  

She had everything she needed and didn’t require any extra supplies from town.  

But this moment of solitude was a good opportunity to take stock of the supplies in her space.  

Her one-square-meter space had produced quite a lot.  

From the time she transmigrated until now, roughly four months had passed. It had taken her about a month to discover the space and figure out how to use it.  

That meant she’d been stockpiling grains and vegetables for a solid three months.  

Though the space itself was small—just one square meter in area—its height was limitless.  

At the very least, Rong Xiaoxiao hadn’t yet found its upper boundary.  

All she knew was that as long as she used her consciousness to stack harvested crops upward, she could keep piling them higher without issue.  

Lying on the kang, Rong Xiaoxiao let her mind drift as she calculated her reserves.  

Over the past three months, the first thing she did every morning was use her consciousness to harvest and replant.  

Now, her space contained:  

– 108 catties (approx. 54 kg) of potatoes  

– 30 catties (15 kg) of corn  

– 16 catties (8 kg) of barley  

– 10 heads of Chinese cabbage  

– 60 catties (30 kg) of assorted vegetables  

– And 25 catties (12.5 kg) of rice  

Take the potatoes, for example. If she relied on them as her staple food, she could eat at most two catties (1 kg) a day.  

By planting potatoes, she could harvest about three catties (1.5 kg) per day—enough to fully cover her daily needs with some to spare.  

What did that mean?  

It meant she could lie around doing nothing and still not starve.  

“Comrade Rong, we’re about to leave!”  

A shout came from outside. Rong Xiaoxiao called back in acknowledgment, then patted her stomach contentedly.  

It wasn’t that she lacked ambition—it was just that the heavens themselves seemed to be pulling her back, insisting she take it easy. Wouldn’t it be downright ungrateful to refuse such a generous offer?  

When she stepped outside, Jiao Gang glanced behind her and frowned. “Where are Bai Man and Sheng Zuoyuan?”  

Weren’t they supposed to be in this together? How could they just leave him behind?  

So annoying!!  

“Bai Man went to the brigade leader’s house,” Rong Xiaoxiao explained.  

As for Sheng Zuoyuan? No doubt he’d tagged along like a lost puppy.  

Chen Shuming urged, “Let’s go. He Jiabao said if we leave the brigade now, we might catch the ox cart heading to town.”  

The only ox in Hongshan Brigade was treated like a treasure—definitely not for hauling people around.  

Luckily, the neighboring brigade had an ox cart. For just two fen, they could hitch a ride to town.  

Most people wouldn’t spend the money, but after yesterday’s exhausting trek, the four of them unanimously agreed to take the cart without even discussing it.  

Fortune was on their side—just after crossing the small river, they spotted the ox cart approaching from a side path.  

After paying their fares and climbing aboard, they were immediately bombarded with questions by the aunties and grannies sharing the ride. By the time they reached town, the three young men were dazed and disoriented, nearly tricked into revealing even their secret stashes of pocket money.  

“…No wonder He Jiabao said you need thick skin and a tight mouth,” Chen Shuming muttered, wiping his face. He’d always prided himself on being quick-witted, but compared to these women, he was an absolute amateur.  

Some things were better left unsaid—especially personal details that could spread like wildfire.  

Gao Liao sighed ruefully. “Next time, we’ll know better. Can’t let our tongues run loose.”  

Jiao Gang was still shaken. “They weren’t just fishing for info—they even tried to set me up with a wife!”  

If he dared bring a rural bride home, his parents would skin him alive.