Chapter 23 – Sent Down

Lin Ting answered openly and confidently,

“Yes, I’m an educated youth.”

“Do you have some doubts about me?”

The soldier was briefly taken aback but quickly replied:

“No, I was just curious—why would a young woman like you come here alone? Aren’t you worried about wild animals?”

Lin Ting’s face paled in alarm.

“There are wild animals around here?”

She had been so focused on finding the gypsum deposit that she hadn’t even considered her own safety.

How careless of me!

The soldier looked at Lin Ting’s frightened expression and instinctively felt she wasn’t faking it—she was truly scared.

But this only deepened his suspicion.

If she wasn’t the one he was looking for, then who was?

Who else could use lime to make lime bombs?

And those lime markers that turned blue when wet—you’d need some chemical knowledge to create that kind of reaction.

Suddenly struck by a thought, he asked,

“Do you know why lime turns blue when it touches water?”

Lin Ting did know: it’s because mixing lime powder with madder juice creates a compound that turns blue when exposed to moisture.

But something about his question felt off, like a trap.

So she simply shook her head.

“No, I don’t know.”

The soldier left shortly after.

Lin Ting quickly gathered the rest of the gypsum rocks and hurried away.

—

When she returned to the brigade, she overheard some villagers whispering:

“A family that’s been sent down just arrived.”

“Wonder what crime they committed to be sent here…”

“Doesn’t matter what they did. Just stay away so we don’t get dragged down with them.”

Lin Ting’s heart skipped a beat.

Had her family arrived?

She instinctively looked around, but saw no familiar faces.

It wasn’t convenient for her to ask directly, so she suppressed her emotions and returned to the educated youth courtyard.

To her surprise, the old educated youths were also secretly gossiping.

“Now that those sent-down folks are here, maybe I won’t have to shovel manure anymore!”

Lan Chunlan was especially excited—she really didn’t want to do that dirty job.

Tan Hongxia reminded her,

“The brigade leader told you to shovel manure for a week, so do it. Don’t forget how you got four extra days last time for talking back.”

Chunlan pouted.

“Now that those people with ‘bad class backgrounds’ are here, why should we—clean-background folks—still have to do all the hard, dirty work?”

“Honestly, I think they should just give all the worst jobs to them from now on!”

Zhao Weidong chimed in,

“If I saw correctly, there are only two adult men. The rest are women and children. How much work can they actually handle?”

Chunlan dismissed him,

“Not our problem. If they can’t finish during the day, make them work through the night.”

Lin Ting’s fists clenched tightly.

Chunlan was seriously asking for trouble!

If she dared to speak like this, were there others who thought the same way?

Just imagining her family’s situation made Lin Ting’s heart ache. She’d need to find a way to visit them soon.

—

Lin Ting eventually found out where her family was staying—they’d been placed in the old houses at the foot of the mountain.

She had seen those houses before. They weren’t much better than a cowshed.

If there were a natural disaster like a landslide or mudslide, those old structures could collapse at any moment.

She had to speak with the brigade leader—at least to get them into a safer place.

While she was lost in thought, Yu Mo came back and called out:

“Ting-jie, the brigade leader’s looking for you.”

Snapping out of her thoughts, Lin Ting quickly went outside.

She saw the brigade leader smiling brightly and asked,

“Captain, do you have good news for me?”

“Comrade Lin, I asked someone to contact the cattle farm over at the commune. They’re willing to supply us with fresh cow dung. When can we start making fertilizer?”

Hearing that it was about fertilizer, Lin Ting visibly deflated.

“Oh, that… Let’s wait until I finish processing the gypsum.”

Then she asked,

“Do you know where I can get some soybean powder? I only need a little.”

The brigade leader thought for a moment.

“I have some at home. I’ll bring it to you later.”

Lin Ting then asked,

“Is there a slaughterhouse at the commune?”

“I want to collect animal bones to make bone meal—it’s the best base fertilizer for crops.”

The brigade leader replied,

“Those bones are usually sold to the supply and marketing cooperative. Getting leftover bones won’t be easy.”

Lin Ting furrowed her brows in thought, then said,

“The kitchen scraps from state-run restaurants must have some valuable stuff in them…”

The brigade leader was stunned.

“You want kitchen garbage… just to make fertilizer?”

He was genuinely moved by her scientific dedication.

This was what an educated youth should be—coming to the countryside to support rural development with real knowledge!

Compared to her, those older educated youths were practically useless.

“Just for that attitude of yours, I’ll bring you all the kitchen scraps from the whole commune if I have to!”

After a quick look around to ensure no one else was nearby, the brigade leader leaned in and said quietly,

“Your family has arrived. I placed them in a house at the foot of the mountain.”

“Your father asked me to tell you they’re all fine and that you shouldn’t worry.”

“He also told me to remind you—someone might be secretly monitoring them, so you mustn’t try to visit.”

“If you have any message for them, tell me. I’ll pass it along during work assignments.”

Lin Ting immediately voiced her concern,

“Captain, that spot at the foot of the mountain isn’t safe.”

“If there’s heavy rain, it could trigger a landslide. Those old houses won’t hold—they could collapse anytime!”

The brigade leader paused, thinking.

“We rarely get heavy storms up here in the northeast.”

“I chose that place because it’s far from the other villagers’ homes, so there’s a bit more freedom of movement.”

“If it really does rain hard, I’ll move them somewhere else—you have my word.”

In truth, the brigade didn’t have any better housing available.

If they couldn’t stay in that old place, the only alternative would be the cowshed, which was even worse—open on all sides and freezing.

But he didn’t say that, so as not to worry Lin Ting.

She responded gratefully,

“Please take care of my family, Captain.”

“I, Lin Ting, will never forget this kindness.”

The brigade leader was touched by how deeply she cared for her family.

He reminded her again:

“Remember what I said. Don’t go looking for them alone.”

“Come to me if you need anything. Understand?”

“Yes, yes—I understand.”

Lin Ting had to suppress her longing to see her family.

But she believed that the day they could reunite freely would come soon.

Until then, she had to stay alive and stay strong—that was the most important thing of all.

Just as she watched the brigade leader leave, she suddenly noticed someone eavesdropping on their conversation!

She rushed after them, only catching a glimpse of a blue figure disappearing around a corner.

Everyone wore shades of blue, gray, or green these days, so it was impossible to tell who it was just based on that.

And she didn’t know how much that person had overheard…