Chapter 8

The flame of the candle burned brightly. He Xianqiu sat on a small stool, the orange light casting a warm glow on her fair, jade-like face.

She rested her head on her hand, occasionally adding matches to the fire. Her long eyelashes drooped, casting soft shadows.

After waiting for over ten minutes, the water started boiling. He Xianqiu poured the hot water into a thermos and then transferred it into a wooden bucket.

She first carried the bucket into the bath shed, then used a basin to add cold water into it, going back and forth several times. Once the temperature was just right, she brought her clothes and started bathing.

When she entered the dormitory and saw that the other educated youths were there, she casually said, “There’s still some water left in the pot if anyone wants to use it.”

Then she went off to take her bath. After thoroughly rinsing herself, she carried the bucket out of the bath shed and found a place to wash her hair using the water she had kept in the thermos.

When she had just arrived, she used to wash her hair inside the bath shed, but it was too small and inconvenient. Now, she simply bathed inside and came out to wash her hair.

He Xianqiu had always taken good care of her hair, but the conditions didn’t allow for much luxury. She had to settle for shampoo.

Still, she planned to make some homemade shampoo next time using soap. She thought she might be able to ask the state-run restaurant for some baking soda, since they used it to ferment dough for making buns.

He Xianqiu had watched many videos and knew how to make all sorts of things. She had never tried making shampoo before, only knew the method. But ever since coming to the 1970s, she found that she could actually use the knowledge she had acquired.

Indeed, skills are like carrying tools—you’ll use them eventually. Learning never ends.

She wasn’t sure if it would work, but for the sake of more convenient hair washing, she was willing to try.

The original female supporting character had brought a lot of “Jingdu” brand soap with her. She could turn that into shampoo and body wash.

Just thinking about being able to use shampoo again made He Xianqiu’s lips curl up in a smile.

She used to have custom-made shampoo and conditioner with a signature scent prepared by a perfumer—something only she had.

But those days were gone, and she had to adapt to the current reality.

After washing her hair, He Xianqiu wrapped it in a towel and returned to the dormitory.

She sat on her bed, unwrapped the towel, and gently dried her hair. Once it was mostly dry, she was about to lie back when—

Suddenly, a loudspeaker blared outside. The sound was loud enough that she could hear it clearly from inside the dorm.

She stepped out and realized the broadcast was still going. The speaker’s voice grew clearer and clearer:

“All members of the brigade, young and old, come out now. Educated youths at the youth station must also come—there’s something very important to announce.”

It was Brigade Leader Lin Jianshe speaking. He Xianqiu quickened her pace and headed over. The other educated youths, having heard it too, followed her to the square.

Once most people had arrived, Lin Jianshe shouted into the megaphone:

“Tomorrow, the commune leaders will be visiting our Qinggang Brigade. When you see them, greet them politely. Work hard and be diligent. Most importantly, do not be late tomorrow. What kind of example does that set? And anyone caught slacking off tomorrow will be assigned to collect manure for a week.”

He Xianqiu felt a wave of dread upon hearing this, because she had been one of the slackers lately.

Just the thought of hauling stinky manure made her frown. She absolutely could not be assigned to that job. She silently vowed not to slack off tomorrow. Her gaze became resolute.

After finishing the reminders about tomorrow, Lin Jianshe continued:

“And now, let me explain why the commune leaders are visiting. In addition to an inspection, there’s an even more important reason: they’re going to establish a primary school here in Qinggang Brigade. The location has already been selected.”

At that point, he couldn’t help but smile. Having a school right in the brigade meant that children wouldn’t have to walk long distances to the neighboring Baisha Brigade anymore.

Moreover, Qinggang and Baisha had always been on bad terms, so attending school there had never been pleasant for their kids.

When everyone heard this, they were thrilled. It would be so much more convenient for their children.

He Xianqiu was excited too. A school meant they’d need teachers, and most of them would likely be chosen from among the educated youths—since being a teacher required at least a high school education.

If she could snag one of those spots, she wouldn’t have to do farm work anymore. Even though she slacked off often, physical labor was still exhausting. Teaching would be much better.

The other educated youths were also excited. If a school was built, that meant less field work and higher work points.

But… only a few teachers would be selected, and everyone at the youth station would be competing for those positions.

Though Lin Jianshe had finished speaking, he added another stern warning:

“Make sure you all work hard tomorrow. No being late. No slacking.”

Then he added sharply, “Especially you, Li Ergou! How many times have you been late? If you’re late again, it’ll be a whole month of manure duty.”

Li Ergou immediately protested loudly, “Brigade Leader, why do others only get a week of manure duty for being late, but I get a month?”

Lin Jianshe shot him a glare. “Because you’ve been late too many times. Say another word and it’ll be two months. If you’re not late, there won’t be a problem.”

Li Ergou opened his mouth to argue but quickly shut it—he didn’t want to risk two months of that awful punishment.

Seeing him fall silent, Lin Jianshe was satisfied and smiled at everyone. “Alright, everyone, head back.”

Li Ergou muttered under his breath, clearly unhappy, but he didn’t dare say anything out loud.

The crowd began to disperse, and He Xianqiu and the others returned to the youth station.

By the time they got back, it was already 8:30 p.m.—too late for her to do laundry. As a girl, she didn’t feel safe going out alone at night in this wilderness. There were no streetlights, and it was pitch dark—just thinking about it gave her chills.

She hadn’t brought a flashlight earlier, but walking back with a dozen other youths made her feel more secure.

Along the way, the group chatted about the new school:

“Hey, how many teachers do you think they’ll hire?”

“Who knows? They haven’t even announced the start date yet.”

“What do I do? I’ve forgotten most of my high school knowledge.”

“Then start reviewing!”

“With what books?”

As soon as He Xianqiu heard “books,” she thought of the college entrance exam. In 1977, the exam had been reinstated—but the announcement came too suddenly, leaving only a few months for review.

Out of more than five million test-takers, only 270,000 were accepted—into universities and technical secondary schools.

With such a low admission rate, anyone who got in had to be extremely competent, even those admitted into secondary schools.

He Xianqiu had decent grades in the humanities, but she was weak in math. And math alone was worth 100 points.

Missing just one point could mean being outranked by hundreds or even thousands of others.

If there were a tie, rankings were based on the alphabet. Her surname, He (賀), ranked eighth out of twenty-six letters—and there were plenty of surnames that also began with H.

She sighed. Other subjects could be memorized, but not math. You had to understand it and be able to calculate the answers.

Forget it. One step at a time. The priority now was finding time to collect secondhand textbooks and review materials.

Once back at the youth station, everyone returned to their dorms. He Xianqiu washed her face and feet before going to bed.

She couldn’t stand going to bed without washing her feet, even though she had just showered and worn shoes.

After applying some Snow Cream, she lay down and quickly fell asleep.

Who would’ve thought—before she came to this world, she was always a night owl and never woke up early.

But ever since transmigrating, she had to work every day, and there was nothing fun in the countryside—no electronics, no distractions. So now she had developed a habit of sleeping early. Sure enough, staying away from electronics really does improve your sleep.

In the morning, while He Xianqiu was still asleep, she heard rustling sounds. She opened her eyes—it was already light out, and the other youths were up.

She sat up, changed her clothes under the covers, then groggily grabbed her toiletries and went outside to wash up.

Since the brigade leader had emphasized it repeatedly, He Xianqiu moved quickly—today was the inspection by the commune leaders.

She went to the kitchen to look for the leftover buns from the other day. When she checked near the candle holder, they were gone. She frowned—where had the buns gone?

She had forgotten to eat them yesterday, but they had been left on the candle stand.

Oh well. She didn’t dwell on it. By the third day, they probably weren’t safe to eat anymore. Maybe someone had thrown them out.

She returned to the dorm, applied her Snow Cream, then took out the osmanthus cake she had bought before, nibbling on it as she walked to the worksite.

By the time she arrived, she had finished eating. She clapped the crumbs from her hands and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief.

Seeing that the others were already working, He Xianqiu quickly joined them.

She took a hoe and began digging the soil, skillfully following the three-step process for planting sweet potatoes.

Normally, the brigade leader would oversee the work here, but he was absent today—probably busy welcoming the commune officials.

He Xianqiu didn’t dare slack off. Though her pace was slower, she kept working steadily.

Soon, she heard the brigade leader’s voice from up ahead.

“Secretary Song, today we’re planting sweet potatoes. They yield a high harvest, so our people will get more grain.”

Secretary Song walked in front, with the brigade leader and his secretary flanking him. The secretary was busy taking notes.

Secretary Song wore glasses and nodded approvingly as he observed the hard-working villagers.

“You’re doing a good job,” he said. “With higher yields, the brigade will receive more rations.”

The brigade leader beamed at the praise, his smile practically reaching his ears.

“All thanks to your leadership, Secretary. We just follow the Party’s guidance.”

Secretary Song looked around, nodding occasionally. “Good work. Let’s go check out the site for the new primary school.”

The brigade leader quickly gestured. “This way, Secretary. The school site is over here.”

Secretary Song nodded and followed him.

As their voices faded into the distance, He Xianqiu finally dared to take out her handkerchief and wipe the sweat from her brow.

She had been working continuously. With such strenuous activity, sweat had formed on her forehead.

But since both the brigade leader and the commune leader were present, she hadn’t dared to pause, not even for a second.

Now that they were out of sight, she finally relaxed a little.