Chapter 18: Drawing Lots

On her first day in the countryside, Jiang Pan Yu made a name for herself by reducing an old Educated Youth to tears, a feat that quickly became the talk of the Educated Youth residence.

Jiang Pan Yu looked innocently at Zhao Xiuzhu, who was crying non-stop, and felt a twinge of regret. She had gone too far and made someone cry.

But Zhao Xiuzhu’s mental fortitude wasn’t strong enough. How could she dare to play the role of a malicious supporting character?

Now, Jiang Pan Yu had to console her. What a mess!

She thought for a moment and said, “Comrade Zhao, stop crying. The more you cry, the more I want to bully you. Be good and stop crying. You don’t look good when you cry!”

Zhao Xiuzhu’s hand, which was wiping her tears, froze. She looked at Jiang Pan Yu in disbelief, as if to say, “Do you even know what you’re saying?”

Is this how you comfort someone? It sounded more like a threat to her.

Zhao Xiuzhu had completely forgotten about her jealousy towards Tan Yanlu.

At this moment, Jiang Pan Yu had become one of the people she disliked the most in her heart.

Even Tan Yanlu had to take a backseat to Jiang Pan Yu, showing just how much psychological trauma Jiang Pan Yu had inflicted on her in such a short time.

In the end, it was Li Yunying who couldn’t stand it anymore and pulled Jiang Pan Yu away, allowing Zhao Xiuzhu to slowly stop crying.

In the Mermaid’s memory, there was a similar incident, but without Jiang Pan Yu’s interference.

Tan Yanlu and Zhao Xiuzhu developed a rift because Lian Xiuran showed interest in Tan Yanlu.

Zhao Xiuzhu became even more harsh towards Tan Yanlu, rallying other female Educated Youth to isolate her.

It’s worth noting that in Tan Yanlu’s previous life, there was no Jiang Pan Yu, meaning there were only five female Educated Youth in the residence.

Zhao Xiuzhu and Li Yunying, being old Educated Youth, naturally formed a clique. There was also Shen Shilei, who liked to bully the weak, whom Tan Yanlu didn’t like.

Then there was Chen Xiaoxue, who wasn’t from the same place and wasn’t familiar with Tan Yanlu, so she wouldn’t side with her.

Thus, in the novel, Tan Yanlu’s life in the Educated Youth residence was far from smooth.

Tan Yanlu had traveled a long distance for love, only to find out about the unspeakable affairs between Gao Shaolin and his sister-in-law. Her values and rationality were at war with the voice in her heart, leaving her physically and mentally exhausted.

Returning to the constant bickering with the old Educated Youth in such a oppressive environment eventually forced her to want to leave Lianshan Village.

However, after the scene Jiang Pan Yu caused today, Zhao Xiuzhu probably wouldn’t dare to mess with Tan Yanlu anymore.

Didn’t you see how she made a sarcastic remark to Tan Yanlu tonight, only to be taught a lesson by Jiang Pan Yu?

If she tried it again, tsk tsk tsk, Jiang Pan Yu herself couldn’t imagine the scene!

[Ding, mission completed. Rewards have been sent to the System Space. Please continue to work hard, Host.]

Jiang Pan Yu, who was being pulled away, brightened up and felt extremely happy!

Even the next day, when Jiang Pan Yu saw Zhao Xiuzhu’s sour face, it didn’t affect her mood at all. In fact, she even smiled at Zhao Xiozhu and greeted her.

However, Zhao Xiuzhu ignored her, which didn’t surprise Jiang Pan Yu.

This girl is really a good person, the kind that’s too good. She’s like a reward machine; as long as she keeps making mistakes, Jiang Pan Yu can keep reaping the rewards.

What a perfect persona! Jiang Pan Yu silently prayed in her heart, hoping that Zhao Xiuzhu could maintain this persona, as their path to prosperity might just depend on her.

As for Lian Xiuran, perhaps due to the scene Jiang Pan Yu caused last night, his attitude towards the female Educated Youth today was much more distant, likely fearing any romantic entanglements.

After breakfast, the sound of gongs and drums echoed from the threshing ground. The new Educated Youth, led by the veterans, gathered at the threshing field.

Li Gaoyang advised the newcomers to wear straw hats and towels, and if possible, gloves as well.

The new Educated Youth naturally followed suit. Jiang Pan Yu, however, didn’t need any guidance. In her previous life, she had grown up in the countryside, accustomed to farm work from a young age.

In this life, it went without saying. The orphanage also relied on farming to sustain itself.

She had done plenty of farm work, and her experience in the fields might even surpass that of the veteran Educated Youth!

Lianshan Village had ten teams, none of which wanted the Educated Youth. As they put it, city kids were all looks and no substance, knowing nothing and needing to be taught from scratch.

What they feared most was having one or two troublemakers who not only did poor work but also liked to stir up trouble, which would be a real headache.

The leaders of the ten teams went back and forth, trying to shift the responsibility. The new Educated Youth stood to the side, listening to their excuses, their faces filled with embarrassment.

Jiang Pan Yu, however, felt nothing of the sort. She sized up the ten teams, pondering which one she should join.

From the start, she had made up her mind not to overwork herself. As long as she could maintain a moderate pace and support herself, that would be enough.

The most important thing now was to take care of her health. Only with good health could anything else be possible.

Therefore, she ruled out Teams One through Five. These teams had more men than women, and they were all young and strong.

Based on their rankings, they were likely the type to work themselves to the bone.

Teams Six through Ten were mostly middle-aged women, with a few even visibly pregnant.

Team Ten, the lowest-ranked, consisted of young girls and a few children.

Jiang Pan Yu also ruled out Team Ten. Young girls could be quite competitive and troublesome at times.

So, Teams Six through Nine were all viable options. In Team Eight, Jiang Pan Yu spotted two familiar faces—Yang Guiying and Chen Lamei, whom she had gotten to know well on the train. She leaned towards choosing Team Eight, as having acquaintances would make things easier.

In the end, the allocation of the new Educated Youth was decided by Chief Jiang, who arrived later. The method was simple: drawing lots.

However, Jiang Pan Yu didn’t participate. With a single word, Chief Jiang assigned her to Team Eight.

Team Eight had two or three pregnant women, so they would naturally receive some leniency in farm work.

Chief Jiang’s decision didn’t sit well with others, who protested loudly.

Chief Jiang struck the gong, and the threshing ground fell silent. He pointed at Jiang Pan Yu and said, “You can say I’m biased if you want,

but this girl is so thin, I’m afraid she won’t last two days before something happens.

If an Educated Youth gets into trouble in our village, it could affect our chance of being named an advanced unit this year. You tell me, what’s more important—being advanced or my bias? You figure it out.”

With that, everyone fell silent.

Jiang Pan Yu’s appearance was evident to all—she was short, frail, and emaciated, with a sallow complexion. Among the eight Educated Youth, she was the shortest.

Honestly, the villagers were quite surprised that a girl from the city could end up looking like this.

Wasn’t life supposed to be better in the city? How could they raise a child to be like this?

Being rated as an advanced unit came with many benefits, such as priority in delivering public grain. You might think a few days earlier or later wouldn’t make much difference, but in fact, there was a lot of nuance to it. Grain is heaviest right after harvest, but after a few days, it loses moisture and weight.

Although a single sack might only vary by a pound or two, when accumulated, it could amount to a significant difference—sometimes enough to feed a family for several days.

Just for this reason, the villagers had to concede to the Brigade leader’s favoritism.

Seeing that no one else spoke up, Chief Jiang arranged for Jiang Pan Yu to join the eighth team.

The leader of the eighth team wasn’t too keen on taking in such a young girl.

But since Chief Jiang had spoken, and given that his family had some kinship ties with the Brigade leader, he couldn’t let Chief Jiang lose face in front of so many people. So, he reluctantly accepted.

Jiang Pan Yu herself hadn’t expected this outcome. She had originally planned to volunteer, saying she knew how to do farm work.

With that advantage, she thought she could choose which team to join.

She hadn’t anticipated that Chief Jiang would take care of her like this. Although it was for his own benefit, it also worked in Jiang Pan Yu’s favor, didn’t it?

Just for this, Jiang Pan Yu quietly noted Chief Jiang’s kindness.

The other seven Educated Youth weren’t so lucky. Through a draw, they were assigned to different teams.