Chapter 15: Settling In

Everyone got up and washed up. They were all exhausted yesterday and had fallen asleep without even taking a bath.

Now that they had regained their energy, they could smell the sour odor on themselves, which was actually quite normal.

Where on the train would you find water to take a bath? And it was July, so after getting off the train yesterday and running around all day, they were drenched in sweat.

At this point, even Tan Yanlu, the female lead, couldn’t escape it. Everyone was a mess, covered in sweat and dust.

Two pots of water were boiled on the stove, and the new Educated Youth freshened up before presenting themselves cleanly in front of the old Educated Youth.

Tan Yanlu, of course, didn’t need to be mentioned. As soon as she appeared, the eyes of both men and women fell on her.

After all, who wouldn’t take an extra glance at a beauty?

Besides her, there was also a male Educated Youth who caught many people’s attention. He was also one of the new Educated Youth.

He was from the other group of Educated Youth yesterday. He was tall and well-built, with thick eyebrows. His eyes were particularly striking.

He had parallel double eyelids, large eyes, and deep-set sockets. His eyelashes were unusually thick, making his gaze appear especially lively and bright.

Moreover, he exuded a scholarly, gentle, and refined aura that was particularly captivating.

If he were to put on a pair of metal-framed glasses, change into a white shirt, and tidy up his hair, he would be the epitome of a refined scoundrel.

As soon as Jiang Pan Yu saw him, she knew who he was—Lian Xiuran, the stunningly handsome man from the mermaid’s memories.

This Lian Xiuran wasn’t just someone who fit the fantasies of girls; his family background was also said to be impressive.

In this era, one way to show a good family background was probably having your family frequently send you packages.

Lian Xiuran was exactly like that. His family sent him food and supplies, so he didn’t have to worry about anything. As a result, he became a hot commodity in the eyes of many girls, with an exceptionally flourishing love life.

From Tan Yanlu’s memories, Jiang Pan Yu knew that Lian Xiuran had a one-sided crush on Tan Yanlu.

It was common for a good-looking guy with a good family background to like a beautiful girl.

This led to Tan Yanlu being targeted by many girls, which gradually pushed her into isolation and ruined her reputation. Eventually, she couldn’t stay in Lianshan Village and had to find a way to move to another place for her rural assignment, which ultimately led to her death.

After Tan Yanlu’s death, it was Lian Xiuran who avenged her by bringing the bandits to justice. After that, Lian Xiuran left the village and returned to the city. In essence, he was just a plot device for the romance.

After that, he never appeared again. In the entire book, Lian Xiuran was more of a “white moonlight” character.

Sure enough, several female Educated Youth were secretly eyeing Lian Xiuran. Li Yunying and Zhao Xiuzhu, who had been indifferent to them yesterday, were now much more enthusiastic.

Li Yunying even brought out a basket of freshly picked cucumbers, urging them to eat something to fill their stomachs.

Although Li Yunying was telling them to eat, her eyes were fixed on Lian Xiuran, and her little intentions were obvious at a glance.

The new Educated Youth didn’t take any cucumbers to eat. Instead, they simply drank some water and waited.

Household head Li Gaoyang quickly finished the porridge in his bowl, put it down, and led the new Educated Youth out, heading toward the village office.

The new Educated Youth still needed to register their household registration in the village before they could receive their rations.

The process of settling household registrations was completed swiftly. In less than half an hour, the eight individuals officially became rural residents, their household registrations now tied to the countryside.

The brigade leader then took them to the granary, where each person was allocated two months’ worth of rations, mostly coarse grains, which would last them until around September. This timing coincided with the autumn harvest, ensuring a smooth transition to the new batch of grains.

When collecting their rations, Jiang Pan Yu and Tan Yanlu, both well-off, took their full share without hesitation. This required spending a considerable amount of money, but Jiang Pan Yu believed that while one could save on other things, skimping on food was out of the question. Her body was already malnourished, and with the physically demanding farm work ahead, she needed to eat well to endure it.

Thus, Jiang Pan Yu and Tan Yanlu each exchanged money for a hundred pounds of grain. Since they had paid, the brigade leader also allowed them to keep the burlap sacks used to carry the grain.

The educated youths marked their grain sacks and then carried them back to the residence, some lifting and others shouldering the load.

After settling the grain sacks at the residence, the new educated youths began organizing their bedding and belongings. Newspapers and heated brick bed mats were essential for setting up their sleeping areas. Additionally, they needed a heated brick bed cabinet to store their luggage, which they would have to acquire soon.

Items like work gloves and straw sandals were also necessities, especially for the city girls who were about to engage in farm work for the first time. After all, who would want to ruin their finely crafted layered sole shoes or leather shoes in the fields? These inexpensive, self-made straw sandals became a household staple.

As for items like washbasins and buckets, it was impractical to bring them from afar, so they had to purchase them locally. Fortunately, they didn’t need to go to the town’s supply and marketing cooperative; the village had craftsmen who could provide these items.

Under Li Gaoyang’s guidance, the educated youths visited the home of Yang Laoba, a disabled villager who had learned carpentry since he couldn’t work in the fields. Yang Laoba offered a variety of items, including heated brick bed cabinets, mats, wooden basins, buckets, and even straw sandals, all at affordable prices. They managed to acquire everything they needed for just three yuan.

With these items, they finally organized their belongings neatly. Li Gaoyang then took them on a tour of the village, pointing out key locations such as the clinic, the brigade office, and the threshing ground.

By the time they returned, it was nearly noon, and the farm workers had already finished their morning tasks. Following Li Gaoyang’s instructions, the new educated youths took their portions from their grain sacks according to their appetites, packed them into lunch boxes, and handed them to Li Yunying and Zhao Xiuzhu, who were in charge of cooking.

Since they were newcomers, they were exempt from work for the time being. Li Gaoyang explained the rotation system at the residence: tasks like cooking, dishwashing, fetching water, chopping firewood, and tending to the vegetable garden, including watering and fertilizing, were assigned on a rotating basis.

A wooden board by the entrance of the residence displayed a schedule written with charred charcoal, listing each person’s daily tasks to avoid disputes. Additionally, while the grain sacks were individually managed, the oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and vegetables from the backyard garden belonged to the older educated youths.

The new Educated Youth could use and consume things, but they had to provide items of equal value to obtain the right to use and consume. In short, those with money could pay, and those without could exchange goods.

After all, the existing residents had worked hard and spent money to create these resources. It wouldn’t make sense for newcomers to expect to freeload.

However, once the current season’s vegetables were harvested, the next season’s produce would be free for the new Educated Youth as long as they participated in the labor at the Educated Youth residence.

The new Educated Youth had no objections, and Jiang Pan Yu resolved the matter by paying one Qian.

After lunch, the new Educated Youth decided to go to the town’s supply and marketing cooperative to buy some things and also to explore and have some fun.

This time, Li Gaoyang didn’t accompany them, as he had to work in the afternoon.

Yushan Town wasn’t very large, but because it was located at a hub connecting several villages, it was quite lively.

Upon arriving in town, the new Educated Youth agreed to meet at the intersection at 4 PM and then went their separate ways. Jiang Pan Yu and Tan Yanlu paired up and, after asking around, headed to the recycling station.

They bought a lot of newspapers, which they planned to use not only to line the heated brick bed mats but also as toilet paper when needed.