Chapter 13

Zhao Sihai came out from the side room, muttering in dissatisfaction, “She’s not even here yet and already causing trouble!”

Xu Guochao raised his hand and smacked him on the back. “Why are you talking so much? Hurry up and go out with Quan Gui and the others to look for her. Quan Gui, take the tractor. There are probably still people out in the fields—ask around along the way. If you don’t find her today, don’t bother coming back!”

With the sky getting darker, they had to find her quickly. The tractor would get them there faster.

Liu Quangui responded, “Got it!”

Lian Yanmei added, “We’ll go with you.”

Several of them followed Liu Quangui.

The tractor was parked in the main courtyard of the production unit. Liu Quangui didn’t care about saving fuel anymore. The group jumped onto the tractor, which chugged away as they went searching.

There were several side roads from the town to the farm.

If she had taken the main road, she would’ve arrived long ago. The fact that she still hadn’t arrived meant she must’ve taken a wrong turn.

But who knew which side road she’d gone down?

Fortunately, it wasn’t completely dark yet. There were still people working in the fields on either side of the road. Someone had seen Yao Yajuan and gave them directions. “There was a young woman carrying a big bag heading north. It’s probably the person you’re looking for.”

Liu Quangui and his group continued their search, asking for directions as they went. By the time they reached Xiao Han Village, they finally found Yao Yujuan.

Yao Yujuan was trudging back, her face covered in dust and dirt, her luggage slung over her shoulder.

Confident and determined, she had only asked for directions once when leaving Qingshi Town, roughly confirming her bearing. After that, she had relied on her instincts, striding forward with unwavering resolve.

The farm lay southwest of Qingshi Town. After navigating a few forks in the road, she had mistakenly headed northwest, only to find herself walking further and further away. By the time she reached Xiaohan Village, the sky was darkening, and there was still no sign of the farm.

It was then that she realized something was wrong.

Liu Quangui had said the farm was about ten li from town. At her walking speed, she should have arrived long ago.

But at this point, she hadn’t even seen a shadow of the farm. She had clearly taken the wrong road.

She asked some villagers at the edge of the village and confirmed it—she had definitely gone the wrong way. She hadn’t gone completely opposite, but it was close enough. So she hoisted her luggage and started walking back. Just outside the village, she ran into Liu Quangui’s group.

The others had just finished a full day of work. Without even resting, they went out to search for her.

Now they were exhausted and hungry. If Yao Yajuan hadn’t been a woman, she probably would’ve been scolded harshly on the spot.

Though no one yelled at her, Liu Quangui couldn’t hold back his anger. He shouted at her, “You didn’t take the main road—you just had to go wandering down some side path. If you really didn’t know the way, couldn’t you ask someone? What’s that thing under your nose for, just decoration?”

Lian Yanmei was the team leader for the educated youth. She was also very angry, but with so many people around, she couldn’t lose her temper at Yao Yajuan. She got off the tractor and reached for the luggage in Yao Yajuan’s hands. “Let’s get back to the farm first. We’ll talk later.”

Seeing Liu Quangui’s face dark with rage, practically breathing fire, Yao Yajuan didn’t dare act tough anymore. She lowered her head and quietly followed behind Lian Yanmei onto the tractor.

Still fuming, Liu Quangui drove the tractor back to the farm, first dropping off Lian Yanmei and the others at the compound, then reporting to Xu Guochao.

Xu Guochao had been too worried about Yao Yajuan to go home and had been waiting at the farm all this time. Seeing that Liu Quangui’s group hadn’t returned yet, he paced anxiously in the courtyard.

The moment he heard the tractor approaching, he rushed out and called, “Did you find her?”

Liu Quangui replied, “Yes, she took the wrong road. Ended up over in Xiaohan Village. She’s already been dropped off at the compound.”

Xu Guochao finally let out a breath of relief. “Good, as long as nothing happened.”

The farm director, Li Juexing, was on sick leave, so Xu Guochao was in charge for now. If something had happened to Yao Yajuan, he wouldn’t have been able to bear the consequences.

Even if the higher-ups didn’t hold him accountable, his conscience wouldn’t let him off the hook.

The girl’s family had sent her all the way out here, and she ran into trouble on her very first day. How would he ever explain that to her parents?

Liu Quangui jumped off the tractor, muttering angrily, “She’s nothing but trouble. These people didn’t come here to work—they came to be waited on like ancestors. Just wait, there’ll be more headaches to come.”

Zhao Sihai chimed in, “They’re not all like that. Lian Yanmei’s great. And that new girl, Ye Huan—I think she seems alright too…”

He was going to say that Ye Huan looked gentle, but like Lian Yanmei, she seemed strong and capable—a good worker.

But before he could finish, Liu Quangui cut him off. He’d met Ye Huan at the educated youth office in Qingshi Town and hadn’t thought much of her.

She was too pretty and refined. In his experience, girls like that were usually delicate and hard to please.

Just like Bai Yin—also pretty, but lazy, always distracted with nonsense. He didn’t like that kind at all.

What he liked were iron-willed girls like Lian Yanmei—strong, dependable, and not the least bit fussy about work.

The rest? He had no use for them.

Liu Quangui sneered, “You’re just blinded by her looks. So what if she’s pretty? Useless is still useless.”

Seeing Zhao Sihai about to argue, he threw an arm around his shoulder and steered him away. “I’m starving. Let’s go home and eat!”

Zhao Sihai’s stomach was growling too. With that distraction, he forgot all about Ye Huan and went off with Liu Quangui for dinner.

Xu Guochao called out behind them, “Tell Lian Yanmei to have Yao Yajuan come register tomorrow!”

Zhao Sihai responded, “Already told her—Lian Yanmei will bring her over tomorrow.”

***

By the time Lian Yanmei and the others returned to the compound, night had fully fallen.

A wire had been strung across the courtyard, with a light bulb hanging from it.

The bulb was low wattage, casting a dim yellow light.

Better than nothing.

Lian Yanmei clapped her hands. “Before dinner, everyone gather up for a moment.”

“We’re starving here. Can’t we eat first?”

“All because of that troublemaker. Had a ride and still chose to walk. What was she thinking?”

“Let her go work at Ximapuo for three days—see how much energy she has left to mess around.”

“Forget three days—one day and she’d be wiped out.”

….

Lian Yanmei was afraid this incident would cause everyone to isolate Yao Yajuan even more, so she wanted to address it openly.

She held a high position among the educated youth. Though everyone grumbled, when she called, they came, gathering around her in small clusters.

Still, they were clearly unhappy with Yao Yajuan. Several people rolled their eyes at her.

Yao Yajuan felt wronged. She hadn’t done anything that bad. Every path forward has its bumps. Even if no one had come to find her, she would’ve made it back on her own!

So what if she walked more? She wasn’t afraid of walking.

She opened her mouth several times but wisely held back from arguing.

She had already angered everyone. Saying anything more would just make things worse.

And besides, no one would understand her anyway. Kindred spirits are hard to find.

Lian Yanmei clapped again to quiet the crowd. “Everyone knows what happened today. Some of you may have opinions about Comrade Yao Yajuan, but I think her spirit is commendable—it’s just her method that was a bit lacking. Since she’s new, let’s be more understanding. I trust she’ll reflect on it seriously. Let’s consider this matter closed…”

But Li Mingjie didn’t agree and stepped forward. “That was a complete lack of organization and discipline. She acted on her own and made everyone go through all that effort to find her. It’s also damaged how the farm sees us. This is too serious to just brush off.”

Lian Yanmei frowned. “So what do you suggest?”

Li Mingjie said, “I think this should be formally reported to the farm and let them handle it. Otherwise, people will start doing whatever they want without consequences. How are we supposed to manage things then? This place will fall into chaos, and no one will take us seriously.”

He walked to the center and stood beside Lian Yanmei, looking around at everyone. “Don’t you all agree?”

Back at Qingshi Town, he’d offered Yao Yajuan the jeep out of kindness, only for her to publicly accuse him of playing favorites. Director Wan, Liu Quangui, and Gu Cheng had all been present. He hadn’t dared say anything at the time and even had to pretend to support her—but he held a grudge.

Now that he had the chance, of course he wouldn’t let it slide.

Plus, he wanted everyone to see that Lian Yanmei didn’t have a sense of principle. She wasn’t fit to be team leader.

He was clear-headed and principled—he was the one who should lead the educated youth.

Leadership wasn’t about who arrived first—it was about who was capable.

Lian Yanmei’s frown deepened.

She didn’t think Li Mingjie was just challenging her authority—she simply didn’t believe he genuinely cared about the team.

Usually, she tried to resolve internal issues within the group. Even when things reached the farm authorities, she’d do her best to keep it low-profile.

Her reasoning was simple—if someone ever had a chance to return to the city, a disciplinary record might ruin it. That would trap them here forever.

The farm leadership understood that too. As long as it wasn’t a major violation, they usually turned a blind eye.

Everyone in the compound accepted this practice—no one had ever objected.

Li Mingjie was the first.

In Lian Yanmei’s view, while Yao Yajuan had made a mistake, her intentions were good. It wasn’t a serious infraction. If the farm really cared, they wouldn’t have let Liu Quangui just drop her off.

Since the farm wasn’t making a big deal of it, neither should they.

After all, if you don’t blow it up, it’s not really a big deal.

But Li Mingjie wouldn’t let it go. He insisted on turning something small into something big. Lian Yanmei didn’t understand it—and didn’t agree with it.

Still, since he raised it in public, she couldn’t ignore it. She wasn’t about to dictate everything herself. She asked the group, “What do the rest of you think? Let’s hear it.”

“I don’t think it’s a big deal. Let’s go with what Yanmei-jie said.”

“She’s new—it’s understandable.”

“Yeah, it’s not that serious. No need to report it.”

…

A moment ago, everyone was complaining about Yao Yajuan. Now, they all sided with Lian Yanmei.

Because if the farm really did get involved today, who knew who would be next?

If it affected their chance to return to the city, it could cost them their whole future.

So now, instead of blaming Yao Yajuan, they resented Li Mingjie for stirring things up.

Li Mingjie had expected everyone to support him—but no one did.

He stood next to Lian Yanmei, yet not a single person backed him. Embarrassed and flustered, he panicked and cast about for someone—his eyes landed on Ye Huan.

“Comrade Ye, I know you’re new, but you have the right to express your opinion. What do you think?”

Ye Huan: “…”

What does this have to do with me?

She’d just been spectating. It had nothing to do with her—she was just here for the drama.

But since Li Mingjie had called her out by name, she couldn’t stay silent. She owed it to his… enthusiasm, right?

“Alright,” she said. “I’ll share my thoughts too.”

Everyone in the courtyard turned to look at her.