Chapter 82

“There’s no need to worry about the technical expertise for raising rabbits,” someone explained. “When He Ting and his group of educated youth came to the countryside, an agricultural university professor was also assigned to our county.”

“If our brigade decides to officially start rabbit farming, we can work through the commune and the county to bring those two professors to our brigade.”

“As for finding a market for the rabbits, my brother Shen knows all the procurement officers in the county factories. He can help us find buyers for the rabbits.”

The two professors were different from volunteers like He Ting and his peers who chose to move to the countryside.

Most of these assigned intellectuals were not well received in the brigades and were often relegated to tasks like cattle herding.

But utilizing their expertise to help Xiangyang Brigade farm rabbits would align with their skills and fulfill the government’s policy of developing new rural areas through rural assignments.

Brigade Secretary Liu and Tang Jinghe both felt this was a feasible plan.

Moreover, if Director Shen’s grandson could help find buyers in the county, the rabbit farming venture seemed even more promising.

The Hongqi Brigade had always outperformed Xiangyang Brigade, especially since they had an expert pig farmer. No matter how much effort Tang Jinghe and Liu put in, they couldn’t surpass Hongqi Brigade.

“This plan is workable,” Secretary Liu said. “Building the rabbit pens might strain our brigade’s budget, so we’ll have to seek funding from the commune. Maybe we can get a bank loan.”

The gold they had recovered from the Yin household wasn’t suitable to bring out openly.

But they could use it in other ways to support the brigade’s development.

Both Secretary Liu and Tang Jinghe agreed with the proposal.

Lu Baiwei then suggested, “The first step is to bring in the professors. Once we have their professional advice, we can build rabbit pens and purchase breeding stock. If we can’t secure enough funding through a bank loan, the brigade can raise funds by offering equity shares.”

“My family sent money for my marriage to He Ting, and we can contribute some of it as an investment to support the brigade’s development.”

Secretary Liu raised his thumb in admiration. “As expected from the Tang family! Such high awareness.”

“Great!” Secretary Liu slapped his thigh. “Young people get things done! Let’s call He Ting and Zhou Zhiqing to draft a project proposal. Tomorrow morning, Old Tang and I will go to the commune to seek approval for the rabbit farming initiative.”

Gao Feng Commune was located deep in the most remote mountains of the county.

It was Shen Junqian who leveraged his connections to pinpoint the exact location of Jianzi Zhai Brigade within the commune.

Jianzi Zhai was surrounded by mountains, and the conditions were harsh. The brigade’s cattle barn was tucked away in a remote valley. After trudging through mud and muck under the guidance of the brigade secretary, the group finally saw the cattle shelter nestled in a mountain hollow.

Even before entering, they heard pained groans coming from inside.

The people inside had also noticed the commotion outside.

A gaunt Professor Chen, his face sallow with hunger, stepped out of the barn. Seeing He Ting and the others, he regarded them warily, his face cold and guarded.

The emaciated Professor Chen, his face pale and gaunt from hunger, stepped out of the shelter. Seeing He Ting and his group, he eyed them warily, his expression cold.

“Who are you looking for?”

It was evident that the relationship between the brigade secretary of Jianzi Zhai and Professor Chen and his wife was quite strained.

Even though the brigade secretary was present, Professor Chen showed no courtesy.

Fortunately, back when they were traveling to the countryside by train, He Ting had chatted with Professor Chen briefly. To ease his wariness, He Ting took the initiative to speak.

“Comrade Chen Wen, it’s me, Xiao He.”

Professor Chen looked at He Ting with some doubt.

Zhou Yanfeng immediately chimed in, “Comrade, you had a deep conversation with Brother Wen during the train ride to the countryside.”

He Ting’s striking appearance, paired with Zhou Yanfeng’s talkative nature, made the pair memorable. Standing alongside Lu Baiwei and Shen Junqian, Professor Chen finally recalled who He Ting was—the enthusiastic young man he had conversed with on the train.

“It’s you, Xiao He,” Professor Chen said, nodding. “What brings you all the way to Jianzi Zhai Brigade?”

Realizing it was someone familiar, Professor Chen relaxed his guard. However, a hint of awkwardness crossed his face.

“You can see the conditions here aren’t great. I don’t have much to offer you.”

“My wife broke her leg and is still bedridden,” he added, but there was a slight hesitation in his voice as he spoke, as though there was more to the story.

Lu Baiwei sensed there might be hidden reasons behind the mention of a broken leg. Breaking the tension, she offered, “How about I take a look at your wife’s injury?”

Professor Chen frowned, his expression conflicted, and even glanced at the brigade secretary, clearly hesitant.

He Ting stepped in to explain on Lu Baiwei’s behalf. “My fiancée is a barefoot doctor. She knows how to set bones and should be able to treat your wife’s leg.”

It seemed obvious that the Chen couple was in a difficult situation, perhaps even fearing retaliation over something as simple as seeking medical care.

To dispel any doubts, He Ting got straight to the point. “Our Xiangyang Brigade has decided to start raising rabbits. The county heard about your expertise in this field and plans to transfer you and your wife out of Jianzi Zhai Brigade.”

He held out an official transfer order from the county.

“This is the county’s approved paperwork.”

He Ting then asked, “Now, may my fiancée go in to examine your wife’s injury?”

What?

What?

He could finally escape this hellhole called Jianzi Zhai?

The surprise came so suddenly.

Professor Chen was overjoyed.

No longer needing to worry about retaliation from the people of Jianzi Zhai, he warmly welcomed Lu Baiwei and He Ting.

“The shelter is too cramped for everyone. You and your fiancée can come in,” he said.

Professor Chen’s wife, Zhou Yueying, did indeed have a broken leg.

The people in Jianzi Zhai were very hostile to outsiders. Life for the couple here had been a living nightmare—they were constantly bullied, treated as easy targets, and even subjected to malicious attacks.

Zhou Yueying’s injury had occurred when, desperate from hunger, she ventured into the mountains to forage for food. A man with his face covered had chased her, causing her to tumble down a slope. The man then tried to tear off her clothes. If Professor Chen hadn’t arrived in time, wielding a cow dung rake in desperation to drive the attacker away, Zhou Yueying would have been assaulted.

Previously, thieves had raided their shelter, stealing all the money the couple had brought from Beijing.

When they were nearly at their breaking point, He Ting appeared.

Hearing Lu Baiwei say that Zhou Yueying’s leg could be treated, Professor Chen was so emotional that his eyes filled with tears.

“My wife and I will pack up right away and leave for Xiangyang Brigade with you.”

Lu Baiwei reassured them, “Sister Yueying’s leg isn’t a major problem. My grandfather has treated injuries much worse than this. Once healed, she won’t have a limp. I’m confident I can fix it.”

“We brought bicycles to the brigade. He Ting can carry her out of this mountain valley, and she can sit on the back seat of the bicycle to leave Jianzi Zhai Brigade.”

“I’ll give her some acupuncture now to ease the pain.”

Fortunately, Lu Baiwei always carried her set of silver needles. This time, they came in handy.

After using acupuncture to relieve Zhou Yueying’s pain, Professor Chen quickly packed up their belongings. With help from Shen Junqian and Zhou Yanfeng, they carried everything out. Despite their offers to assist, Professor Chen insisted on carrying his wife himself.

He Ting understood his wariness—Chen was afraid of rumors spreading—and gave him a meat bun bought in the county by Shen Junqian to eat and regain his strength.

Too famished to care about appearances, Professor Chen and Zhou Yueying devoured the buns ravenously.

Feeling somewhat rejuvenated, Professor Chen hoisted Zhou Yueying onto his back and left the shelter where they had endured months of hardship.

Only after leaving Jianzi Zhai and boarding a tractor at Gaofeng Commune did the couple finally feel like they were alive again.