Chapter 11

The Educated Youth Base 

Xia Wanyang’s heart skipped a beat. In her previous life, Zhang Shiye wasn’t an accountant. What’s going on in this life? Could her rebirth have changed something so drastically? 

As her face suddenly turned pale, Zhang Heping asked with concern, “Comrade Xia, are you alright?” 

“I’m fine,” Xia Wanyang replied quickly, “I just feel a bit queasy after the bumpy tractor ride.” 

Zhang Heping nodded understandingly. “Ah, my mistake. You all got off the tractor so early, and none of you have eaten breakfast yet, have you? Go ahead and unpack your luggage and get some rest. After eating, you can take the afternoon to settle in and collect your rations. These rations are on loan from the team, so you can repay them after the autumn harvest. If you’d prefer not to owe anything, you can also buy them outright. Tonight, you’re all invited to dine at my house, and you’ll get another day off tomorrow. Work starts the day after.” 

With that, Zhang Heping left. The group began moving their luggage into the courtyard. Xia Wanyang, carrying the key to the storage room along with her bundle and suitcase, walked to the small room she’d claimed. 

Upon opening the door, she found it cleaner than she had anticipated—nothing as messy or disorganized as one might fear. 

In her past life, Xia Wanyang had also lived in this room, which eventually caught the attention of Li Wenzhuo. But this time, she came prepared and had no intention of fearing his interest. 

The room, approximately 20 square meters, had a small kang bed capable of accommodating three or four people. The floor was paved with bricks, and the walls had been whitewashed. However, there was no furniture at all. 

Xia Wanyang recalled that the room’s previous occupant had been a female educated youth with a well-off family who managed to secure admission to a worker-peasant-soldier university and returned to the city. Before leaving, she sold her custom-made furniture to other youths living in the shared dormitories. The large trunks on the kang in the communal room had originally belonged to this space. 

After closing the door, Xia Wanyang quickly cleaned the kang, laid out a new bamboo mat, and started unpacking. She pulled out a thick quilt, a fresh floral bedsheet, her familiar pillow, a light blanket, an enamel basin, a soap case with soap, a toothbrush cup, two new towels, slippers, curtains, a door curtain, and a new padlock. 

After stacking everything on the kang, she left the room. Having lived in the village in her previous life, Xia Wanyang knew the team’s carpenter was named Gao and exactly where his family lived. However, she feigned ignorance for appearances. 

“Excuse me, auntie,” Xia Wanyang asked a nearby villager with a friendly smile, “I’m a new educated youth and was hoping to have some furniture made. Do you know who in the team does carpentry?” She sweetened the moment by slipping a few fruit candies into the woman’s hand. 

“Oh my, you didn’t need to be so polite! What a pretty young lady you are—just as lovely as someone from the city. Old Gao lives in the third house from the east. He and his sons can all do carpentry,” the auntie replied, her words kind despite her quick acceptance of the candies. 

After thanking her, Xia Wanyang made her way to the Gao family’s house. “Grandpa Gao, are you home? I’d like to trade for some furniture!” 

Old Gao soon appeared, and Xia Wanyang spent ten yuan to purchase two large wardrobes, a washstand, a dish rack, two kang trunks, a large table, and two chairs. 

These were all common items, and Old Gao happened to have them in stock. With the help of his strong sons, they delivered everything to the educated youth base. Xia Wanyang paid in full and handed the eldest son some fruit candies as thanks for not only delivering but also arranging the furniture in her room. *If it were anyone else’s house, they probably would’ve just left the items in the yard,* she thought. 

Shortly after seeing them off, the senior educated youths who had been out for morning work returned. Among them were Li Wenzhuo and Fang Zhaodi. 

Li Wenzhuo and Fang Zhaodi had been part of an earlier wave of sent-down youths and had been living in the countryside for two years. Those two years had taken a toll, leaving them looking no different from the local villagers: dark, sallow skin, hands covered in calluses, and patched clothes with worn rubber shoes. Fang Zhaodi’s greasy, tangled hair looked as if it hadn’t been washed in at least five or six days. 

It was hard to reconcile this unkempt figure with the refined woman who, in her previous life, had slapped Xia Wanyang across the face by her hospital bed in a psychiatric ward. 

Xia Wanyang cast a glance at them before heading back into her room. *Taking things slow is more fun. What’s the point of finishing them off immediately?* 

Once inside, she placed her clothes in the wardrobe, hung up the curtains, neatly arranged the items on the kang, and spread another mat on the floor—not because she was wasteful, but because she liked the tidy look. 

Before leaving, her second sister-in-law, Liu Yue, had packed her bundle full of goodies: pastries, glutinous rice strips, White Rabbit candies, sponge cakes, several jars of fruit preserves, and two cans of malted milk powder. 

Xia Wanyang had a quick bite before climbing onto the kang to rest. After sleeping for three hours, she woke up feeling completely refreshed. She changed into a dress and white sneakers before stepping out. 

By this time, the older educated youths had finished their morning tasks, and two of the women were cooking. Xia Wanyang walked over and greeted them warmly, “Hello! I’m Xia Wanyang, one of the new arrivals.” 

The two women looked up, their eyes lighting up with surprise. 

“Hi, I’m Wang Yan, and this is Li Jing. We came down as part of the previous batch and have been here for a year. Wow, you’re so pretty, and even your name is lovely!” 

Xia Wanyang recognized them. Wang Yan was straightforward and open, with little guile, while Li Jing was a bit stingy and prone to holding grudges. 

“Thank you! You’re both very beautiful too. It’s just that being here exposes us to the elements, but those are marks of honor!” 

Li Jing was particularly pleased with the compliment. Though she felt self-conscious about her changes, hearing such words cheered her up. 

Soon, all the new and old educated youths gathered around the table. 

“Hello, everyone,” said one man, standing up. “I’m Li Huaguang, the leader of the male educated youths here. I’m 24 and have been here for five years.” 

“Hi, everyone,” added a woman. “I’m Sang Qing, the leader of the female educated youths. I’m 23 and have also been here for five years.” 

The others introduced themselves: 

– Wang Yan, 21, here for one year. 

– Li Jing, 22, here for one year. 

– Fang Zhaodi, 22, here for two years. 

– Li Wenzhuo, 23, here for two years. 

– Mao Xiaojun, 23, here for three years. 

– Liu Jun, 23, here for three years. 

– Li Ermao, 23, here for three years. 

– Li Damao, 24, here for three years. 

“Wow, are you brothers?” Li Xiang asked, surprised. 

Li Damao chuckled and nodded. “Yes, we are. We come from a large family, so our parents were under a lot of pressure. We came here to help build the countryside and lighten their load.” 

Li Huaguang stood again. “Let’s warmly welcome our new comrades! Now, please introduce yourselves.” 

The new arrivals took turns: 

Xia Wanyang,18. 

Xu Jiaojiao, 18. 

Wang Jing, 17. 

-Duan Xiaoyu, 19. 

Wang Yan, 19. 

Li Xiang, 17. 

Chen Qi, 19. 

Huang Chen, 18. 

Zheng Yu, 19. 

Gu Xiuyuan, 19. 

As Xia Wanyang finished speaking, she felt a piercing gaze fixed on her. She looked up and, unsurprisingly, saw Li Wenzhuo staring brazenly. *This shameless guy hasn’t changed at all.* In her previous life, she had been uncomfortable with his looks but too shy to call him out. But this time, she wasn’t going to hold back. 

“What are you staring at? Do I have food on my face?” 

Everyone followed her gaze, catching Li Wenzhuo red-handed before he could look away. Xia Wanyang’s blunt words made his face burn with embarrassment. 

“I… I’m sorry,” he stammered. 

Xia Wanyang snorted. “Keep your eyes to yourself. If you don’t like them, I can dig them out for you and make you a matching pair with someone else. Look at me again, and I’ll beat you so hard even your mother won’t recognize you.” 

Fang Zhaodi stood up immediately. “Comrade Xia, isn’t that a bit much? Wenzhuo was just trying to get to know everyone. Do you really have to be so aggressive? Can’t you be a little more understanding as a woman?” 

Xia Wanyang rose to her feet. “Understanding? Do you even know what that word means? Should I bend over backwards to make you all happy? You’re like a bat with feathers stuck to you—what kind of bird do you think you are? His mother or his father, to be meddling so much?” 

Xu Jiaojiao jumped in, seemingly defending Xia Wanyang but slyly throwing her under the bus. 

“Comrade Fang, you’d better stay quiet. Don’t you know Xia Wanyang is the daughter of the deputy commander of Shanghai’s military division? If you cross her, do you have enough lives to spare?” 

Everyone looked stunned, even Gu Xiuyuan and Zheng Yu, two scions of military families in Beijing. 

Xia Wanyang scoffed. She had no intention of getting close to any of them in this lifetime. “Xu Jiaojiao, use your brain for once. I feel sorry for your parents, giving birth to someone like you.”