He looked at Zhou Qiuyu, “Little girl, how old are you?”

“Fourteen.”

Zhou Qiuyu replied timidly.

Liu Chengqi sucked in a sharp breath. Good heavens, he thought the girl was just small in stature and face—turns out she really was young.

These thin arms and legs…

Glancing at Yi Chichi, who was as skinny as a bamboo pole, Liu Chengqi’s vision darkened. Once again, he felt the true meaning of despair.

Last year’s four educated youths were all useless, and this year’s two were even worse.

He wanted to go to the commune and pick a fight with Old Chen!

His hand gripping the horsewhip bulged with veins as he turned his gaze to Yi Chichi. “And you?”

“Seventeen.”

Yi Chichi smiled slightly, understanding the brigade leader’s frustration.

If she were in his’s position, she’d feel just as hopeless.

No helping it—after all, neither she nor Zhou Qiuyu looked like they were cut out for hard labor.

Liu Chengqi clutched his cheek and stared at them for a long moment before letting out a deep sigh. “Get on the cart. We’re heading back.”

Once the two obediently climbed aboard, they sweetly called him “Uncle” and even offered him candy.

Their attitude was so good that Liu Chengqi couldn’t keep his face stern any longer.

Besides, remembering that these two girls were about the same age as his youngest daughter, he decided to offer some advice.

“Once you arrive at the educated youth point, do more work and talk less.”

This was a warning not to get involved in any nonsense with the other educated youths.

Yi Chichi raised an eyebrow. So it seemed the educated youth at the point weren’t easy to get along with.

“Got it, Uncle. We’ll remember,” she replied.

Zhou Qiuyu nodded eagerly, showing she’d comply.

Liu Chengqi thought that, regardless of whether these two girls were any good at labor, at least they were quick on the uptake.

From what he could see so far, they didn’t seem like reckless troublemakers.

Right now, he had only one hope—that these two girls would stay as clever and obedient as they seemed!

And not end up like the previous batch, who were useless at everything except eating and causing trouble!

“If you meet a woman with a big mole on her face, stay away from her. Don’t be stupid and get mixed up with her.”

“…Okay.”

“There’s an old man with a cane and a fierce face—don’t be scared if you see him. He’s a veteran who fought in the war, and a good man.”

“Understood!”

“And one more thing…”

The brigade leader rambled on, while Yi Chichi and Zhou Qiuyu listened attentively.

At around four in the afternoon, they arrived at Kaoshan Village.

“I’ll take you to the educated youth point first. Rest well today, and report to the brigade headquarters tomorrow.”

Liu Chengqi drove the horse cart to the entrance of a large blue-brick courtyard. The spacious, newly built compound made Zhou Qiuyu’s eyes widen in surprise.

Yi Chichi, however, had already figured it out—this house was most likely once owned by a landlord.

The difference between it and the other houses in the village was too stark.

The only reason such a house would be turned into an educated youth point was if the village had no other way to fairly accommodate the newcomers.

“Wang Nan, come out and greet the new arrivals!”

“Coming.”

A short-haired woman stepped out of the house. She had an oval face and pale skin, with a flicker of pain briefly crossing her features.

Yi Chichi studied her face—this was the complexion of someone suffering from both blood and qi deficiency.

No doubt about it, this girl was on her period and had dysmenorrhea symptoms.

“Wang Nan, these are the new educated youths. I’ll leave them in your hands. Get them settled.”

“Understood, Captain.”

Liu Chengqi gave a grunt of acknowledgment before driving the cart away.

The moment he left, Wang Nan’s smile faded. She sized up Yi Chichi and Zhou Qiuyu before saying, “I’m Wang Nan, an educated youth who came here in ’67. Follow me inside to get settled.”

Yi Chichi and Zhou Qiuyu picked up their luggage and followed. Without wasting words, Wang Nan led them into the courtyard. After giving them a quick tour, she got straight to the point.

“As you can see, the educated youth point has five main rooms, all with heated brick beds (kang).” She pointed to one of them. “This one is shared by me and Ge Sujuan—it’s the girls’ dorm. You can either bunk with us or pick an empty room for yourselves.”

“But I should warn you, winters in Kaoshan Village are brutal. The snow season is long, and you’ll need to keep the kang heated. If you choose to live alone, you’ll have to stock up on firewood. Otherwise, you won’t make it through.”

Zhou Qiuyu looked at Yi Chichi—clearly, she wanted to room with her.

But Yi Chichi refused.

“I’ll live alone.”

She wasn’t used to sharing a bed, and besides, her body was in poor condition. She needed space to recuperate.

Her stomach was weak, and so were her lungs.

During her recovery, she’d likely cough frequently.

Not to mention, the strong smell of medicinal decoctions would be unpleasant for anyone sharing the room.

Living with others would just invite unnecessary trouble.

Wang Nan took this in stride and didn’t argue when Yi Chichi insisted on living alone. Instead, she turned to Zhou Qiuyu.

“What about you?”

Zhou Qiuyu wasn’t one to impose. Since Yi Chichi had made her choice, she wasn’t about to shamelessly cling to her.

“I’ll stay with you guys.”

She had noticed that the *kang* (heated bed) where Wang Nan and the others slept was quite large, with plenty of extra space—enough to fit two more people like her with room to spare.  

Wang Nan gave a nod. “Then go ahead and settle in. I’ll take Comrade Yi to pick a room.”  

There was no need to deliberate—Yi Zhizhi had already made her choice.  

She pointed to the smallest room with a *kang*. “I’ll take this one.”  

Wang Nan was taken aback. “You don’t want a bigger one?”  

If she were living alone, she’d definitely pick a larger room for more space.  

“This one is just fine.”  

What was the point of a bigger room? More educated youths would arrive later, and she had no intention of sharing her sleeping quarters.  

Wang Nan gave an understanding “Oh” before saying, “Then go ahead and get settled. I’ll go check on Comrade Zhou.”  

“Alright.”  

The original owner of this body had been accustomed to household chores, and Yi Zhizhi—who had never lifted a finger in her previous life—had inherited her nimble efficiency.  

In less than half an hour, she had the room tidied up and her belongings neatly arranged.  

Just as she pulled out a storage jar, the other educated youths returned to the courtyard to prepare dinner.  

Since Yi Zhizhi’s grain ration hadn’t been issued yet, she would eat from their supplies first and repay them once her allocation came through.  

That evening, the nine of them sat down for a meal together. Bai Chen, the eldest among the educated youths, spoke on behalf of Wang Nan and the others.  

“We come from all corners of the country, brought together by fate! I hope that from now on, we can unite in friendship and build a true family here.”  

His speech was impassioned and seemingly endless, filled with emotion and enthusiasm.  

Finally, he concluded, “That’s all I have to say.”  

“This meal is a special welcome dinner for Comrades Yi and Zhou. The dishes aren’t much, but we hope you won’t mind.”  

In truth, the food wasn’t bad at all. Though it was all vegetarian, there was plenty of it.  

The staples were coarse corn porridge and dark steamed buns.  

The buns were portioned per person, each one sizable enough to ensure no one went hungry.  

Yi Zhizhi wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. With a smile, she said, “We’re nothing but grateful—how could we possibly complain?”  

(Look A Gift Horse In The Mouth: Find Fault With Something That Has Been Received As A Gift Or Favour.)

Her thanks were sincere, and Zhou Qiuyu echoed them.  

And so, the first shared meal at the educated youth point began.  

As they ate, conversation flowed freely. By the end of the meal, Yi Zhizhi had a clear grasp of everyone’s backgrounds.  

The eldest, Bai Chen, was from Jiangcheng. He had come to the countryside in 1966 and was now 21 years old.  

He was the middle child of eight siblings—neither the eldest nor the youngest, easily overlooked in the family.  

With no job prospects and no romantic prospects either, he had chosen to come to the countryside when the educated youth policy was announced, hoping to carve out a future for himself.