Chapter 12

Before the crops in Xu Di’s space matured, the school had autumn harvest break. It wasn’t really a proper autumn harvest break, it was called “learning about agriculture” at this time.

There weren’t many students in their second year of high school who were still attending classes. Those with connections had already left.

The remaining students were just hanging around, hoping for a chance to find a job and stay in the city.

Going to the countryside, apart from those who had no other choice, only those like Yang Dani, who were unaware of the hardships of the world, would yearn for it, clamoring to support rural construction and make a difference.

In reality, rural people despised these educated youths.

Therefore, “learning about agriculture” wasn’t arranged uniformly for their second year, they had to figure it out themselves.

At the Yang family, Yang Dani was talking to her parents about going to the countryside.

“Your deskmate, which deskmate?”

Yang Dani’s mother was worried. She knew her daughter’s personality, to put it nicely, she was naive, to put it bluntly, she was a bit simple-minded.

They only had this one daughter, and the whole family spoiled her, they had raised her a bit too innocently.

“It’s Xu Di, her grandmother lives in the countryside. Didn’t I want to go to the countryside after graduation? Xu Di said I should go to the countryside and see for myself, do some farm work for a few days, see if I can adapt, we can’t cause trouble for the farmers, right?”

Yang Dani’s mother heard this, she knew that this girl named Xu Di wanted her silly daughter to back down.

If it worked out, she would have to thank this girl properly. Her Dani looked easygoing but was a bit stubborn, once she decided on something, she wouldn’t listen to anyone, except when she figured it out herself.

“Okay, when are you leaving tomorrow, I’ll take you.”

“Mom, I’m sixteen, I’m not a child anymore, why do you need to take me?”

Yang Dani felt that she had grown up, her mother couldn’t treat her like a child anymore.

“I know you’ve grown up, but you’re going to someone else’s house, don’t you need to bring food? Can you carry it yourself?”

Yang Dani’s mother didn’t look at Xu Di, she was still worried.

“Yeah, they don’t need ration coupons either.”

Yang Dani was convinced, she really didn’t have much strength.

The next day, Xu Di waited at the school gate for Yang Dani and her mother.

“Xu Di, this is my mom, she helped me bring food.”

“Mom, this is Xu Di, and her younger brother, Xu Jun.”

“Hello, Auntie, I’m Yang Dani’s deskmate, Xu Di, I live in the Red Star Machinery Factory compound.”

Xu Di quickly greeted them, and introduced herself. If she didn’t tell them where she lived, their parents would be worried.

“Xu Di, Dani is in your care, this child has never suffered, she doesn’t know how to do anything. Please help Auntie teach her, don’t cause any trouble for the farmers.”

“I understand, Auntie, don’t worry.”

Yang Dani and Xu Jun didn’t hear the subtext in their words, they were discussing where to catch sparrows and roast them.

Yang Dani’s mother saw that Xu Di understood her meaning, and she handed them the things.

“Auntie, we’re going to the Niufang Production Team in the suburbs, this is the phone number of the production team office, if you need anything, call this number and ask for Accountant Xu, that’s my grandfather.”

Xu Di handed Yang Dani’s mother a note she had written beforehand, and then took Yang Dani and Xu Jun to the bus stop.

“This child is really sensible, when will your Dani grow up, it would be good if she could be half as good as this child.”

Xu Di didn’t know what Yang Dani’s mother was thinking, she was just being empathetic. In her previous life, when her son wanted to go out with his classmates, she was always worried.

“Xu Di, my mom always treats me like a child, she doesn’t let me do anything. Look, you’re going out, your mom won’t come to see you off.”

Yang Dani felt embarrassed, her mother treated her like a child.

“Dani, I’m going to my grandmother’s house, of course, my mom doesn’t need to see me off. You’re going to a strange place, your parents would definitely be worried.”

Xu Di comforted the child who was eager to grow up, because she didn’t know the price of growing up.

Yang Dani thought about it, she felt that Xu Di made sense, and she was happy again.

The journey was bumpy, and as soon as Yang Dani got off the bus, she vomited.

“Ugh… ugh…”

The cars at this time didn’t have any concept of overloading, they were packed, like dumplings, one squeezed against the other, and there were not only people in the car, but also live chickens and ducks, the smell was imaginable.

“Xu Di, why are there live chickens in the car, they’re even pooping?”

“It’s a country bus, it’s already good. In many places, there are no buses at all, you have to walk or take a bullock cart. My grandfather’s house is in the suburbs, it’s better than most rural areas.”

Many rural areas didn’t have electricity or buses at this time.

“Really?”

Yang Dani looked confused as she followed Xu Di into the village.

“Xu Di is back, are you on break?”

“I’m on break, I came back to see my grandparents.”

Xu Di greeted the aunts and uncles she knew, Yang Dani looked at the people holding sickles, their skin was tanned, they were thin, and there were small cuts on their faces and hands.

“Grandma, I’m back.”

Xu Jun ran into the courtyard first, he didn’t know if his grandmother was home.

“Xu Di is back, did you bring a classmate?”

“Grandma, this is my classmate, Yang Dani, she’s here to learn about agriculture. This is her food, you take it.”

Xu Di explained clearly, her grandmother understood, when people visited at this time, they had to bring food.

“Okay, I understand, let her stay with you. It just so happens that we’re harvesting corn these days, you can follow along.”

“Okay, Grandma, we’ll go to the fields this afternoon.”

Xu Di took Yang Dani to her room, she had always had her own room here.

“Your grandfather’s courtyard is so big, so spacious.”

“Yeah, my grandfather’s family is small, and the house was newly built a few years ago. Most families have ten or more people, and children rarely have their own rooms.

My sister wrote back saying that they live in a dormitory with over twenty people in Yunnan Province, and educated youths in other places also live in rooms with several people.”

Xu Di said casually, Yang Dani imagined the scene of twenty-plus people living in one room, she couldn’t accept it.

They had a simple lunch of steamed buns, and then Xu Di took Yang Dani, who had changed clothes, to the fields.

“Dani, like this, break off the corn cobs and throw them into the basket. When the basket is full, carry it out.”

Xu Di demonstrated for Yang Dani, she snapped off the corn cobs quickly, Yang Dani used both hands, putting in all her strength, but she couldn’t break off the corn cobs.

After working for an afternoon, they had only broken off two baskets of corn cobs, and she had blisters on her hands, they hurt so much that her eyes were filled with tears.

At night, they ate cornmeal steamed buns again, and the stewed green beans didn’t have any meat.

“Dani, do your hands still hurt?”

“They hurt, they hurt like hell. Xu Di, is it always like this in the countryside?”

“Yeah, there’s no time to rest all year round.”

Xu Di knew that Yang Dani was having second thoughts, going to the countryside wasn’t as good as she imagined.

“Planting in spring, weeding in summer, harvesting in autumn, there’s no time to rest. During the busy farming season, you have to go to the fields before dawn and work until nightfall before you can go home.

When you get home, the men tend to the private plots, the women cook, wash clothes, feed the chickens and ducks, they’re busy until they go to bed.”

Xu Di wasn’t trying to scare Yang Dani, that’s how life was in the countryside.

Mechanization hadn’t been widely adopted yet, and there weren’t any pesticides or fertilizers, it was all manual labor, how could it not be tiring?

Yang Dani fell asleep, she was still constantly breaking corn cobs in her dreams, she was exhausted.

“Dani, wake up, it’s time to go to the fields.”

Xu Di woke Yang Dani up, she was finally freed from her dream of breaking corn cobs.

The blisters on her hands had burst, it hurt a lot. The cornfield was stuffy and hot, and the corn leaves scratched her face. She couldn’t even carry a basket of corn cobs… Thinking about all this, Yang Dani’s heart sank.

Xu Di ignored Yang Dani’s reluctance, she pulled her out of bed.

If she didn’t let her experience the hardships of rural life, she would still think that going to the countryside was a good thing. She thought she could really make a difference, but she was just going to cause trouble for the farmers!