Chapter 32: A Moment of Surprise

The tractor soon arrived at Hongqi Commune.

In the large square at the entrance, several newly arrived educated youths were already waiting.

Most of them looked exhausted perhaps from the long journey or from the stark contrast between the rural environment and their expectations.

Other than the two-story red brick commune office, the surrounding buildings were mostly mud-brick houses.

The walls were weathered, roof tiles were broken, some houses even had thatched roofs, and the roads were rough and dusty.

The environment was nothing like the city.

Still, this was considered decent. At least the commune had a supply and marketing cooperative where necessities could be purchased.

Though it lacked variety and was far less convenient than the county town, having something was better than nothing.

Once in the villages, conditions would be even worse, and securing enough food might not be guaranteed.

Not only that, but they would also have to work in the fields every day.

If they refused, they risked being reported to the village committee and sent to a harsher farm for “reform.”

Once there, refusing to work would lead to punishment farm managers were far stricter than village committees.

After all, the saying went: “If one is not active in labor, there must be a problem with their ideology.”

Comrades with “problems” had to be corrected.

Fortunately, this policy only applied to educated youths and not to local villagers like Mai Laosan, Mai Hongcai, and Mai Sui.

Otherwise, Mai Sui would not have the comfortable life she now enjoyed.

As soon as the tractor stopped, Mai Hongcai pulled Mai Sui along and dashed toward the supply and marketing cooperative.

“Sis, hurry up! There are so many people shopping today. If we’re late, everything will be gone!”

Hearing that, Mai Sui ran even faster than him.

At the same time, many of the educated youths in the square noticed Mai Sui from afar.

Her fair complexion made her stand out from the other villagers, and her demeanor carried an air of detachment, as if she looked down on everyone.

The people of Lianhua Village were used to this and simply attributed it to her “brain disease,” so they paid no attention.

But to the newly arrived city youths, she was unusual.

Chen Jian nudged his friend Shen Xingchen with his elbow.

“Look over there do you think she’s one of the new educated youths?”

Shen Xingchen lifted his gaze in the direction Chen Jian pointed.

A fleeting look of surprise flashed in his eyes before he quickly lowered his head and leaned against his luggage to rest.

Seeing his reaction, Chen Jian asked worriedly, “Xingchen, your health is really bad. You’re already like this after just a few days on the train.

How will you survive working in the fields? I’m seriously afraid you won’t last in the countryside.”

Shen Xingchen, focusing on conserving his energy, couldn’t be bothered to respond.

Meanwhile, Mai Sui had managed to snatch up mung beans, rock sugar, fried dough twists, peach cakes, and White Rabbit milk candies.

To her delight, the cooperative had just received a surprise batch of watermelons, so she grabbed two.

The government didn’t issue special watermelon ration coupons, so fruit coupons or grain coupons could be used instead.

Since Mai Sui didn’t have fruit coupons, she used grain coupons to buy them.

She also had several soon-to-expire soap and toothpaste coupons, so she spent them all.

Additionally, she bought 10 kilograms of pork ribs and 10 kilograms of pure fat.

The fat was completely white no lean meat at all meant solely for rendering lard.

Other meat had already been snapped up by earlier shoppers, leaving her with no choice but to take what was left.

As for the ribs, they had originally been reserved for a shop assistant’s relative, who later decided not to take them. Mai Sui happened to seize the opportunity.

Mai Hongcai, carrying a bamboo basket, followed behind, helping to transport everything.

He wasn’t as skilled at snatching items as Mai Sui, so all he could do was handle the heavy lifting.

There was no need to buy rice. Villagers received their rice allotment from the village’s previous harvest, and few spent money on rice from the cooperative.

Buying rice required both money and food coupons.

If a family ran out, they would rather borrow from relatives than buy more.

But Mai Sui had no such worries. Since she was already there, she purchased 50 kilograms of rice and 20 kilograms of flour.

The weight wasn’t an issue for her, but she didn’t want to dirty her clothes carrying them.

Naturally, she left all the heavy lifting to Mai Hongcai that was his job as her younger brother.

Mai Hongcai staggered under the weight.

His bamboo basket carried two hefty watermelons, snacks, soap, and miscellaneous items.

He balanced a sack of rice on his shoulder, held the ribs and fat in one hand, and the flour in the other.

Despite nearly toppling over, he beamed with pride.

Especially when he noticed people staring his spirits soared, and he felt like he could carry another 100 kilograms.

Mai Sui, empty-handed, strutted ahead confidently, unfazed by the attention.

Near the tractor, Mai Juncai was chatting with some villagers when he heard the murmurs around him.

Turning around, he saw his cousin Mai Hongcai struggling under the weight of his purchases, while people stared in awe.

Hurriedly, he rushed over to help.

“Hongcai, why did you buy so much? How much did it cost?”

Mai Juncai’s gaze landed on the ribs and fat, his emotions a mix of envy and distress.

He envied his cousin’s family for being able to eat so well, yet he couldn’t help but feel concerned about their spending.

With Juncai’s help, Mai Hongcai finally

Finally able to catch his breath, Mai Hongcai, though slightly exhausted, was clearly in a great mood.

Puffing up with pride, he said, “Since we got to ride the tractor, I figured we should buy more. Otherwise, if I have to make another trip by bicycle, it’ll be even more tiring.”

That was true, but the real issue was the money!

Honestly, when Mai Sui counted out the cash and handed it over one by one, Mai Hongcai felt a pang of heartache.

But the thought of all these goods ending up in their stomachs and knowing that his sister could make money by hunting quickly eased his worries.

Together, the two siblings loaded everything onto the tractor and secured it properly.

Mai Sui had already climbed into the vehicle and taken her seat, so Mai Hongcai quickly scrambled up and sat beside her.

Gradually, more villagers returned from their errands. As soon as they got on the tractor, their eyes landed on the pile of pork ribs at Mai Hongcai’s feet.

Their gazes widened with shock, and the sound of someone gulping could even be heard.

Meng Guilan, upon witnessing this scene, became even more determined her grandson Jinbao had to recognize Mai Sui as his godmother!

If that didn’t work, then at least Mai Hongcai as his godfather.

After all, even if Mai Sui eventually married into the city, Mai Hongcai’s roots were in the village he wouldn’t be moving away.

What Meng Guilan didn’t realize, however, was that Mai Hongcai had already made up his mind he would follow his sister no matter what.

If she married into the city, then he had to move with her.

Right now, he wasn’t just a mama’s boy he was a sister’s boy.

No one could separate him from his sister!

Once half of the seats on the tractor were taken, Mai Juncai stopped anyone else from boarding, explaining that the remaining spots were reserved for the newly arrived educated youths.

Mai Xiangdong was still handling formalities at the commune, leaving Mai Juncai in charge of guarding the tractor.

Each time a new group of educated youths arrived, it wasn’t as simple as just taking them back to the village.

The government provided each of them with a subsidy, including 20 kilograms of food per person.

If they didn’t collect it now, the village would have to bear the cost itself.

These 20 kilograms were meant to ensure that the educated youths wouldn’t starve immediately after arriving.

If they didn’t take everything in one go, it wouldn’t be easy to retrieve it later.

So, they had to wait in line to get their food supplies, which would take some time.