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Soon, Lin Wanjun learned the specific situation of the labor school from Li Yuetang.
Although the Song family wasn’t among the first batch of settlers sent to the labor school, life there was far from easy.
Last early autumn, the first group of exiled personnel arrived and began reclaiming the land and sowing crops to prepare for the labor school’s food supply that year.
These exiled individuals all came from various urban government offices, most of them officials and their families.
If you asked them to manage and coordinate affairs, they were all top-notch. But when it came to farming…
The result was disastrously low crop yields, so much so that they even had to borrow food from the villages. Hundreds of people went hungry and shivered in the cold—their lives were utterly miserable.
The living conditions were equally poor.
Mud-brick houses with drafts blowing through all sides; when it rained heavily outside, it drizzled indoors. Scorpions, centipedes, and other poisonous creatures often made unwelcome visits—it was an almost constant thrill.
“Don’t be fooled by our shabby dormitory; this is actually the best house in the entire labor school!”
Li Yuetang sighed. “The rooms your Father and Zhanjin stay in don’t even have complete roofs. They just cover the top with a couple of plastic sheets to keep out the wind and rain.”
But what choice did they have? No matter how tough things got, they had to overcome them, right?
Lin Wanjun’s bed was at the very edge—on her right, the mud wall; on her left, the elderly Li Yuetang.
“Your Father and the others are busy cutting wood and building houses. I heard that in another month, the family quarters will be finished. By then, the housing problem for over thirty families can be solved!”
Li Yuetang spoke with a mix of hope and unease. The family quarters were two-room suites—just enough for their family to live comfortably.
“We came late. I don’t know if we’ll even get a room.”
Lin Wanjun remained silent, quietly recalling the story in the novel.
According to the plot, the Song family was among the last to receive family quarters. They had stayed in the large dormitory for a full year, enduring the harshest winter.
And Li Yuetang, lying in that same dormitory, had taken her last breath without ever moving into the long-awaited family quarters.
The reason was simple.
Meng Fugen’s younger sister was married to the head of the labor school’s logistics department, who controlled the allocation of the family quarters. With such a powerful backing, not even Wei Yifu could interfere.
In the story, Li Yuetang had offended Meng Fugen. His younger sister, determined to avenge her brother, whispered incessantly into her husband’s ear.
First, she arranged for Li Yuetang to be assigned to the most grueling, exhausting latrine-cleaning duty, then she gave away the room quota that rightfully belonged to the Song family to someone else.
“Don’t worry. We’ll definitely be among the first to move into the family quarters. After all, my Father’s status counts for something here!”
Lin Wanjun reassured Li Yuetang, a glint of determination flashing in her eyes.
The family quarters—she had to secure them!
That afternoon, Squad Leader Wu Pingyi came to talk with Lin Wanjun, looking troubled.
“Well… you’ve been reassigned to another squad.”
He couldn’t meet Lin Wanjun’s gaze, his words stammering awkwardly.
According to the original plan, Lin Wanjun and Li Yuetang were both supposed to work in the logistics squad, the easiest assignment in the labor school.
But just now, he had received orders from Director Chen, instructing Lin Wanjun to report to the latrine-cleaning squad.
The latrine-cleaning squad—just as the name suggests—was responsible for cleaning all the toilets and livestock pens in the labor school and hauling the waste to the fields.
It was the dirtiest, most exhausting work, and only those who had made serious mistakes were assigned there for “reform.”
Moreover, the laborers were all men. How could Lin Wanjun, a young girl, be sent to do such work?
Not to mention, she was the Song family’s daughter-in-law!
“So… they’ve assigned me to the latrine-cleaning squad?”
Lin Wanjun’s expression was calm, showing she had long since prepared herself mentally. From the moment she had swung her stick at Meng Fugen’s head, she knew this outcome was inevitable.
“No worries, Squad Leader Wu. Don’t feel bad—I know this isn’t your doing.”
Lin Wanjun smiled. “I’ll go report there shortly.”
Hearing that her daughter-in-law had been assigned to the latrine-cleaning squad, Li Yuetang was furious.
“This is bullying! How can they make a woman do such dirty work? No, I’m going to reason with the Principal!”
Lin Wanjun stopped her.
“Do you think the Principal doesn’t know about this? If he had the power to change anything, would Squad Leader Wu be running this errand?”
In the original story, after Li Yuetang was assigned to the latrine-cleaning squad, her honest and inflexible nature caused her to suffer greatly, and her health soon deteriorated.
But Lin Wanjun was not Li Yuetang. She was cleverer than a monkey—there was no way she would suffer such a loss.
“I’ll go check it out first. Don’t worry, and don’t go arguing with the Principal. Like I said before, endure it if you can.”
After reassuring her mother-in-law, Lin Wanjun strolled over to the latrine-cleaning squad with an air of nonchalance.
The squad consisted of nine people, all busy cleaning the livestock pens at the back of the labor school. Flies swarmed, maggots crawled everywhere, and the stench was so overpowering it made one nauseous.
From a distance, Lin Wanjun caught the smell and almost couldn’t keep her eyes open. She pulled a scarf from her spatial ring to cover her mouth and nose and, on a whim, stuffed several packs of Red Pagoda Mountain cigarettes into her satchel.
Red Pagoda Mountain was always sold under a quota system, requiring coupons to purchase. Its prestige was roughly equivalent to that of Moutai in the tobacco world.
Near the livestock pens, Lin Wanjun overheard some voices.
“Hey, I heard our squad’s getting a new member. You think it’s a guy this time?”
“I heard it’s a woman. Can you believe it?”
“Nonsense. How could it be a woman? Even the most troublesome female exiles here would never be sent to Ninggu Tower to suffer!”
…
Ninggu Tower. Lin Wanjun couldn’t help but smile.
She took a deep breath, stepped lightly into the livestock pen, and spoke in a bright, charming voice:
“Hello, comrades! I’m the new member assigned to our squad. My name is Lin Wanjun!”
The men, who had been hard at work, froze. One by one, they stood up, their eyes wide in disbelief.
“Good heavens… it really is a woman!”
Someone shouted out in disbelief.
Lin Wanjun chuckled softly and immediately began handing out cigarettes.
“You all must be older than me. I’m new here and know nothing yet, so I hope you’ll look after me from now on!”
The man at the head of the group took the Red Pagoda Mountain cigarette she offered and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh! Hard currency, huh? Come on, each of you gets one from the new comrade!”
As he began distributing the cigarettes, Lin Wanjun smiled and said, “This one’s for you. The other brothers and uncles will get theirs too!”
She stepped in front of each man, pulling a pack from her bag, gauging their ages, addressing them as either “Big Brother” or “Uncle,” sweet-talking and polite.
Finally, she reached the last man. A tattered towel covered his face, obscuring even his eyes.
He didn’t take the cigarette; he just stared at her blankly.
Lin Wanjun froze for a moment, then, with a sudden burst of joy, shouted,
“Hey, Physician Shi? Physician Shi, is that really you?”
Shi Kai pulled the towel from his face, revealing his refined, scholarly features. He moved to extend his hand for a handshake, then hesitated and withdrew it.
Lin Wanjun, however, reached out and grasped his hand first.
“Physician Shi, how did you end up being assigned here?”
Shi Kai smiled wryly. “Life is like drifting weeds. One has no control over where the current takes them—just go with the flow.”
Even though Shi Kai refused the cigarette, Lin Wanjun insisted on slipping it into his hand.
“It’s fine if you don’t smoke. Keep it for social occasions, right? Since you’re in this place, you can’t escape the rules of human relations. Bow when you need to, flatter when you must—there’s no shame in that.”
“Just draw a moral line in your heart. As long as you don’t cross it, you’re fine.”
Looking at the young girl in front of him, Shi Kai couldn’t help but recall her decisiveness and efficiency when saving people on the train, as well as her perceptive words about navigating human relationships…
She understood life far better than most.
So Shi Kai accepted the cigarette and carefully tucked it into his pocket.
Lin Wanjun used the Red Pagoda Mountain cigarettes to build rapport, and combined with her silver tongue and sweet manners, she quickly bonded with the rest of the latrine-cleaning squad.
“You’ve had enough! How could a young girl handle this kind of work? Go rest over there!”
The men laughed and “escorted” Lin Wanjun to the side, gladly taking over her share of the work.