Chapter 15: What a Good Kid!

After he left, the group started to examine the rooms.

This wasn’t a proper landlord’s house but rather a sturdy dwelling built by the landlord for the mountain caretaker.

Zhang Xiaojun, being naturally familiar with such situations, inspected the rooms and noticed that one of the heated brick beds had bedding on it. He immediately knew that it belonged to the lunatic.

He and Liu Daye wanted to claim another room for themselves so they wouldn’t have to share space with the lunatic.

However, since they had just arrived and there were female comrades present, it wasn’t appropriate to make such a request.

So, he said, “Comrade Ming and Comrade Liu, you two can take this room. We’ll stay in the male comrades’ room.”

Ming Dai nodded, carrying her luggage straight into the empty room.

Liu Yan, on the other hand, looked grateful. “Comrade Zhang, Comrade Liu, thank you both. If not for you, Ming and I wouldn’t have known where to sleep tonight.”

After speaking, she glanced toward the room where Ming Dai was, her expression hesitant.

“Ming is still young. Please don’t mind her.”

Inside the room, Ming Dai rolled her eyes. What a subtle way to put others down.

Liu Daye and Zhang Xiaojun weren’t pleased either, feeling as if Ming Dai had unfairly taken advantage of them.

Soon, Ming Dai came out and handed each of them a White Rabbit milk candy. At that moment, they felt that this young comrade wasn’t so bad after all.

Liu Yan, who didn’t receive a candy after making a snide remark, angrily threw her things around and stormed into the room.

Seeing Ming Dai’s belongings neatly placed on the clean area of the heated bed, an unreasonable anger flared up inside her. She wanted to throw them onto the floor.

Just as she reached out, she felt a sudden chill behind her. Turning around, she saw Ming Dai standing there, staring at her with a blank expression.

Even though Ming Dai was neither taller nor heavier than Liu Yan, she still made Liu Yan feel an inexplicable sense of fear.

In the end, Liu Yan reluctantly withdrew her hand and obediently placed her luggage in the middle of the heated bed.

Ming Dai suspected that the three of them would stir up trouble at night. To avoid getting caught in the mess, she didn’t unpack her belongings. Instead, she went out straight away to collect her food rations from the brigade office.

On the way, she ran into Cai Mingcheng and Qin Fangfang, who were returning with their rations.

Cai Mingcheng carried his food without saying a word and walked back to the educated youth station, while Qin Fangfang seemed to have something to say but hesitated and remained silent.

Ming Dai gave them a slight nod and continued toward the brigade office.

When she arrived, she knocked lightly on the door.

“Ahem, come in!”

Only then did Ming Dai push the door open. A wave of warm, damp air mixed with a choking smell of smoke hit her, making her sneeze.

Inside, three men were seated. The one smoking a long-stemmed pipe was the brigade leader, Liu Dazhu. The one holding an enamel tea mug was the party secretary, Liu Qingmin. The youngest among them was the accountant, Liu Guoqiang.

The reason Liujiawan Village was so united was that the leadership team was made up of members of the Liu family, the dominant surname in the village.

“You’re here.”

Seeing Ming Dai sneeze, Liu Dazhu put out his pipe.

Ming Dai stepped forward and nodded. “Hello, Brigade Leader. I’m Ming Dai, here to collect my food rations.”

Secretary Liu chuckled. “Such a young girl coming to the countryside—are you even fifteen yet?”

Ming Dai gave him a shy smile. “I’m fourteen, turning fifteen by traditional age.”

“So young—how could your family bear to send you here?”

The young girl bit her lip, lowered her head, and replied softly, “My father passed away this year, leaving me an orphan. I initially took over his position at the hospital, but my uncle forced me to go to the countryside in my cousin’s place so he could keep the house for his son’s marriage. I had no choice but to come here.”

Her voice trembled slightly, as if she were on the verge of tears.

Secretary Liu, who had daughters of his own, immediately felt a pang of sympathy. This girl had it tough!

Ming Dai had her reasons for showing weakness.

Liujiawan Village was wary of educated youths. On one hand, previous ones had caused trouble. On the other, these city youths never truly wanted to stay; they were always thinking of ways to return to the city, and their families were constantly scheming to bring them back.

In short, if their hearts weren’t here, their presence was useless.

However, Ming Dai’s situation made her more acceptable to the villagers. She was an orphan, forced to the countryside by her own relatives. She had no backing, no one to rely on. People like her were more likely to take root in the village and be willing to stay.

Moreover, she had mentioned working in a hospital. No matter what she did there, it was a technical job. If she planned to become a doctor, she was already laying the groundwork.

Besides, Secretary Liu Qingmin was known for doting on his daughter. He had even given the brigade’s scorekeeper position to his only daughter, without considering his sons or daughters-in-law.

Sure enough, after hearing her words, Liu Dazhu’s attitude softened considerably.

“It’s alright, child. Life here isn’t bad. It’s a bit colder, but as long as you’re willing to work, you won’t go hungry.”

Ming Dai lifted her head and smiled. “That’s right. My father used to say that the city isn’t necessarily better than the countryside. City folks can still go hungry, but that’s not always the case in rural areas.”

Liu Dazhu had never heard anyone claim the countryside was better than the city, so he was intrigued. “Oh? How’s that? The city can’t be that bad, can it?”

Ming Dai began explaining how everything in the city required ration tickets and how housing was extremely scarce.

The three men listened with astonishment and sighed.

“Look at that—our countryside is still better. We can build houses as big as we want.”

“That’s right. At least we can eat our fill here. Who would have thought that even with money, you might not be able to buy food?”

After this conversation, the three men felt even closer to Ming Dai.

“Child, you educated youths can receive either 20 jin of fine grain or 60 jin of coarse grain for this winter. Which one do you want?”

Ming Dai thought for a moment. “Brigade Leader, I’ll take the fine grain. Before coming here, I sold off everything at home and bought some food supplies to bring along. It should last me for a while.”

“Alright. Guoqiang, make a note—20 jin of fine grain. Also, give them some potatoes and cabbage. Let her pick in a bit—avoid the sprouted ones, and take the bigger cabbages.”

See? This was the benefit of building good relationships.

Ming Dai’s eyes turned red with emotion.

Sniffling, she rummaged through her crossbody bag.

“Brigade Leader, I never expected that after my father passed away, I would once again hear the kind words of an elder here in Liujiawan Village. This place feels more like home than the city ever did!

Rest assured, I will take root here, work hard, and never cause trouble!”

Liu Dazhu was taken aback for a moment, then his heart softened. “Good child, as long as you understand.”

Ming Dai hesitated before placing an item on the table, sneaking a glance at Liu Dazhu. Seeing that he didn’t react, she quickly took out two more things.

Liu Dazhu tapped his tobacco pipe, smiling as he watched her, but said nothing.

Ming Dai’s small face turned serious. “Brigade Leader, my father passed away suddenly, and he didn’t have time to teach me much about social customs. I just act based on my heart. If I do something wrong, please guide me.

This is luo han guo. When brewed as tea, it’s good for the throat. I heard some phlegm in your voice when you were speaking, probably from smoking. This will help.

Secretary, this butterfly hair clip is one of a pair I own. I don’t know why, but you remind me a lot of my father. I don’t know if you have a daughter, but if you don’t mind that I’ve worn it before, please accept it. I still have the other one. If I ever meet an older sister or younger sister, I will cherish that connection as well.

Accountant Liu, this fountain pen—please take a look. I’ve used it before, but the nib is still in excellent condition. I noticed that you take great care of your fountain pen, so you must enjoy writing. If you don’t mind, I’d like you to have it.

I don’t know if this is appropriate. The luo han guo was processed by me, and the butterfly hair clip and the fountain pen were prizes I received for ranking first in my school exams. I didn’t spend any money on them; they just represent my sincerity. This shouldn’t break any rules, right?”

As the little girl nervously finished speaking, her fingers twisting the fabric of her sleeve, the three men sitting across from her fell into silence.

After a long pause, Liu Dazhu sighed. “Good girl, you even thought this much just from hearing me cough. I’ll accept it. You did very well—it’s not against the rules. You’re a pitiful child, but now that you’re in Liujiawan Village, consider it your home. Come by my house when you have time. Your auntie will make you some fried pancakes.”

Secretary Liu also spoke with affection. “Your gift is just perfect. My daughter, Miao’er, is turning 18 soon, and she was just thinking about getting a hair clip. Come visit our home when you have time—your auntie makes delicious dumplings.”

Accountant Liu didn’t say much, just nodded with a smile. In his heart, he had already decided to look out for Ming Dai when calculating work points in the future. This girl was so sincere—it made people feel for her.

Ming Dai let out a relieved breath, her small face flushing as she smiled. Then, Accountant Liu led her to pick out potatoes and cabbages.

Before she left, the three men, worried that she wouldn’t be able to carry so much, offered to help her transport everything. But Ming Dai firmly refused.

“Uncle, I can’t make things difficult for you just because of my own situation. I’ll carry it myself. Since I’m going to put down roots here, I might as well start by getting used to carrying my own rations!”

The little girl’s serious expression and determined words once again warmed their hearts.

Waving goodbye, Ming Dai hefted the sack onto her back and wobbled away. Her pace was slow, but every step was firm and steady.

Liu Dazhu watched the thin, frail figure disappear into the distance and sighed. “Now that’s a good child—a good educated youth! Hmph, unlike those two before—what a disgrace!”

Secretary Liu closed the door and chuckled. “If they’re on our side, we take care of them. If they’re thoughtless and self-serving, then let them work harder.”

Accountant Liu laughed and nodded in agreement.