Chapter 12: A Stern Welcome

The night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, Ming Dai woke up quietly, put away the electric heating pad from her blanket, neatly folded her bedding, and carried her washing tools to the water room.

It was still early, and there weren’t many people inside.

She collected some water, dampened her towel and enamel mug, and then headed to the restroom.

Inside her personal space, she washed up thoroughly and applied a thick layer of face cream before coming back out.

By the time she returned, the other three girls in her room had already woken up.

She handed them the now-refilled thermos, earning three grateful looks in return.

Sure enough, by the time they went to the water room, the hot water had already run out.

While the others washed up, Ming Dai packed her belongings, making sure to bring everything with her before carrying her bundle outside.

Waiting at the entrance, the deputy director stood with several horse-drawn carts, presumably sent by the various brigades to pick up the new arrivals.

Those who had woken up early were already outside—some smart ones were trying to cozy up to the deputy director, while others continued to stand stiffly like bewildered quails.

Ming Dai, the “quail-like” girl, remained vacant-eyed and dazed. With her thin frame and dull yellow hair, she looked utterly frail and weak.

Each brigade leader had the same thought running through their heads: Please don’t let her be assigned to us!

Slowly but surely, all the educated youths emerged with their luggage, just as the deputy director’s patience was wearing thin.

Since it had been too cold the night before, he had skipped an important speech—but he made up for it now.

It was a long-winded lecture filled with rambling words, but the main point was clear: Work hard and don’t cause trouble!

After that, he began calling names for each brigade to take their assigned people.

“Shanghe Village Brigade: Ma Hu, Shao Xiaojun, Feng Xiaojuan…”

“Xiahe Village Brigade: Ge Wei, Hao Jian, Liu Changqi…”

“Liujiawan Village Brigade: Zhang Xiaojun, Qin Fangfang, Cai Mingcheng, Liu Daye, Ming Dai, Fang Rou, Qi Zhijun, Liu Yan!”

Hearing their names, the newly assigned youths scurried over like little quails finally finding their mother.

Soon, a string of quails had gathered around Liujiawan’s brigade leader, Liu Dazhu. To his dismay, the weak-looking one he least wanted had indeed been assigned to Liujiawan.

“Alright then, let’s take them back!”

With his task complete, the deputy director clasped his hands behind his back, hummed a little tune, and walked away.

Each brigade led their new recruits away.

Over at Liujiawan, Liu Dazhu glanced at the four men and four women in front of him, already feeling a headache coming on. His gaze lingered on Fang Rou and Ming Dai—one looked like the pampered daughter of a capitalist, and the other looked sickly. Neither seemed fit for hard labor.

“Brigade Leader?”

Beside him, the cart driver, Liu Laosan, asked impatiently, “Are we going or not? It’s freezing out here.”

Liu Dazhu sighed. “Alright, load up the luggage. Let’s go!”

His disdain was unmistakable.

The newly arrived youths’ expressions darkened. This was clearly meant to put them in their place.

However, the cold was unbearable, and since they had just arrived, none of them dared to cause trouble. They decided to endure for now and deal with it later.

This time, Liu Yan had learned her lesson. Without hesitation, she hoisted her large sack onto the cart and plopped herself onto the back.

The others had just started moving to claim spots when Liu Laosan immediately barked at them to stop.

“What are you doing?! Who told you to sit?!”

With that, he chased Liu Yan off the cart.

Liu Yan could no longer hold back her anger. This old man reeked of horse manure, and his hands looked like they hadn’t been washed for days.

“Why can’t we sit?!” she snapped.

Liu Laosan was a gap-toothed old man, ranking third in his family. People called him “Master Liu San.” He held a high status in Liujiawan, which was the only reason he had landed such an easy job.

“Sit? My ass! All of you with your big behinds—if you all get on, won’t the horse be exhausted to death? Only luggage is allowed, not people!”

Liu Yan was, after all, a young woman. Being called fat in front of everyone left her both embarrassed and furious.

Unfortunately, no one had the time to comfort her. In the end, everyone silently loaded their luggage onto the cart, watching as the brigade leader and Liu Laosan took their seats on either side of the cart before riding off.

The rest of them trailed behind, braving the cold wind as they chased after the cart. The chill didn’t seem so unbearable anymore, but their feet quickly went numb.

Ming Dai walked at the back. A thick scarf and hat wrapped around her face, leaving only her eyes visible. She followed without a word, neither rushing nor lagging behind.

Fang Rou listened to Liu Yan sob beside her, her expression indifferent.

In her past life, she had also protested and had been called fat as well. But unlike Liu Yan, she had more backbone. She had made a big fuss with Liu Laosan, even drawing the attention of the deputy director, only to be reprimanded.

But at least she had managed to get on the cart.

That cart was meant to transport people to the commune. There was no way it couldn’t fit them all.

This was nothing more than a little show put on by the brigade leader to put the new educated youths in their place.

Too bad that in her past life, she hadn’t understood that. She had foolishly stood up for herself and ended up being targeted once they arrived at the brigade. It was only later that she realized—out here, far from the authorities, the brigade leader was nothing short of a local tyrant. Not someone to mess with.

In this life, she would never stand out again, not even if someone beat her to death. If anyone wanted to make a fuss, they were free to do so—she was here to find a life partner.

Qi Zhijun wasn’t happy either. It wasn’t that he felt sorry for Liu Yan, but he was displeased that the brigade leader and Liu Laosan looked down on them and bullied them.

However, having grown up in a military compound, he had some sense. Since Fang Rou hadn’t spoken up either, he kept his frustration bottled up.

But there were always kindhearted comrades.

After walking for over an hour, Fang Rou’s face had turned pale. Beside her, Liu Yan had long forgotten her grievances—her physical strength had reached its limit.

Qin Fangfang, on the other hand, was in much better shape. It was clear she had done farm work before—her face remained flushed, showing only slight fatigue.

As for Ming Dai…

Well, it was hard to tell. Her entire face was wrapped up.

The male comrades weren’t doing much better, especially Cai Mingcheng. He was already thin and weak, and now his steps were starting to falter.

It wasn’t entirely their fault. They had eaten nothing since the night before, nor that morning, and had been rushing on the road. No wonder their bodies were starting to give out.

Zhang Xiaojun, noticing Liu Yan’s unsteady steps, had a glint in his eye before suddenly calling out, “Comrade! Female comrade! Are you okay?”

As soon as he spoke, the brigade leader, who had been listening to the movement behind him, immediately stopped the cart.

Liu Yan quickly caught on. She staggered a few times before pretending to faint.

Zhang Xiaojun was delighted—smart move.

The group hurried over.

Everyone present was sharp-witted—except for the kindhearted and honest Qin Fangfang, who was utterly terrified. She rushed forward, catching the collapsing Liu Yan and desperately pressing on the acupoint between her nose and upper lip.

“Comrade! Comrade! My mother used to do this—she’ll be fine! Wake up, quick!”

Liu Yan was in so much pain that she almost cried. Internally, she cursed up a storm but stubbornly refused to open her eyes.

She really couldn’t go on anymore—exhausted and starving, she just wanted to sit in the cart and stop walking.

The brigade leader walked over and looked at the supposedly unconscious educated youth in Qin Fangfang’s arms. He knew she was faking it.

Her eyelids were twitching, and her eyeballs were darting around.

But he had already made his point. There was no need to drag this out any further.

“Alright, get on the cart. Just a little distance, and you’re all making such a fuss. I really don’t know what you people came here for.”

This time, no one found his words unpleasant—instead, they sounded like music to their ears. Forgetting all about Liu Yan on the ground, they rushed to claim seats on the cart.

In the end, it was kindhearted Qin Fangfang who helped her up.

On the cart, Liu Yan leaned against the luggage and secretly touched the spot under her nose. Damn it! That woman’s hands were way too heavy. It hurt so much she wanted to cry.

The others, however, let out a long breath of relief—finally! They were exhausted.

With everyone settled, the carriage finally picked up speed. After more than an hour of bumpy travel, signs of the village finally appeared in the distance.

Ming Dai sighed. It takes three hours just to get to the commune, and that’s with a carriage. If we had to walk, it would take at least five hours!

Hei Province is truly vast and rich in resources—no exaggeration there!