Chapter 10

Lin Xiaoxiao and Huang Lihong got off the bus with their luggage. With Gu Jinchuan’s help, they transferred to a car and arrived at the Hongqi Commune.

Inside the commune courtyard, forty to fifty educated youths from all over the country were gathered.

A man in a Zhongshan suit, holding a roster, was assigning the youths to their destinations.

“Comrade Lin, Comrade Huang, please wait here a moment. I’ll go speak to Clerk Yang and try to get you assigned to Xingfu Village,” Gu Jinchuan said.

He instructed Lin Xiaoxiao and Huang Lihong to rest in the courtyard, then walked over to the man in the Zhongshan suit.

He patted him on the shoulder. “A Tao, put down what you’re doing for a moment, I have something to tell you!”

“Who is it? Can’t you see I’m busy?”

Yang Tao turned around impatiently, but when he saw it was Gu Jinchuan disturbing him, he immediately brightened, turning to clasp his shoulder warmly. “Hey, Brother Chuan, when did you come back to visit home?”

“Just got back,” Gu Jinchuan replied directly. Pointing at Lin Xiaoxiao and Huang Lihong, he said, “Do me a favor—assign these two female educated youths to our Xingfu Village.”

“If your village wants female educated youths, no problem. I’ll register them here, and when your father comes to pick people up, he can take them both,” Yang Tao agreed readily.

He had been worried no one wanted the delicate, frail female educated youths. Gu Jinchuan volunteering to take them off his hands made him very happy.

Previously, Yang Tao had assigned four male and three female educated youths to Xingfu Brigade. Adding Lin Xiaoxiao and Huang Lihong would bring the total to nine new youths there.

Lin Xiaoxiao glanced at the line of educated youths next to her and noticed a tall young man with slicked-back hair who looked familiar.

She stared a bit longer and then remembered—wasn’t this the male lead in the book, Yang Haizhou?

According to the book’s plot, Yang Haizhou was in the countryside to burnish his credentials and hadn’t yet met Jiang Shanshan. He had even helped the original “Lin Xiaoxiao” once—when she was chased and beaten by her mother for failing to glue together enough matchboxes, he happened to pass by, rescued her, and even sternly criticized her mother.

Lin Xiaoxiao quietly observed Yang Haizhou, and Yang Haizhou was sizing her up too.

This scrawny little girl—wasn’t she Lin Jianmin’s eldest daughter, Lin Xiaoxiao? Why was she here too?

Could it be she found out he was going to the countryside and secretly signed up to follow him?

Thinking of being liked by such a sickly, pitiful little thing, Yang Haizhou shuddered.

Looked like he’d have to keep his distance from Lin Xiaoxiao during his rural stay to avoid being entangled.

Meanwhile, Clerk Yang had just written Lin Xiaoxiao’s and Huang Lihong’s names under “Xingfu Brigade” when Brigade Leader Gu Gensheng arrived with an ox cart to pick people up.

“Clerk Yang, what’s going on? Why is our Xingfu Brigade getting two extra female educated youths compared to the others?” Gu Gensheng demanded with a scowl.

“Uncle Gensheng, don’t blame me—the two female educated youths were specifically requested by your son, Chuanzi!” Yang Tao said with a grin.

“What? My Chuanzi’s back?”

Gu Gensheng turned and spotted his third son chatting with the two girls.

“Chuanzi, get over here!”

His expression darkened further—this boy came home to visit but didn’t even greet his father, yet here he was laughing and joking with female educated youths. Did he have no respect for his old man?

“Dad, you came to pick people up,” Gu Jinchuan said, only turning to greet him after placing Lin Xiaoxiao’s canvas bag onto the ox cart.

Gu Gensheng snorted and was about to ask why he had taken it upon himself to bring in two extra girls when Lin Xiaoxiao stepped forward with a smile.

“Hello, Brigade Leader, my name is Lin Xiaoxiao. Please rest assured, I won’t cause you any trouble.”

Before she had even finished, Huang Lihong followed with her own introduction: “Brigade Leader, I’m Huang Lihong, from the same hometown as Lin Xiaoxiao. I’m very strong and can do any kind of work. If Lin Xiaoxiao can’t manage farm work, I’ll help her—so we won’t hold your village back!”

With the girls saying this much, Gu Gensheng couldn’t press the matter further.

He waved to the nine new educated youths. “Put your luggage on the ox cart and walk back to the village.”

One of the girls, Liu Qiaozhen, immediately complained. “Brigade Leader, we’re here in response to the nation’s call to support rural construction, and you won’t even let us ride the ox cart? That’s going too far!”

Already irritated from not getting the educated youths he wanted, Gu Gensheng grew angrier.

“Do you know how important an ox is in the village? More valuable than a person! With all nine of you plus your luggage on the cart, do you think this old ox can pull it?

“You call yourselves educated youths here to support the countryside—what a joke!

“If you want to walk, then walk. If not, go back where you came from! I’m not serving you lot!”

Fuming, Gu Gensheng ignored them and drove the ox cart away.

The newcomers exchanged glances—this brigade leader had quite the temper.

Everyone then turned on Liu Qiaozhen, blaming her for offending him on their first day and making everyone suffer—no ox cart to ride, and they’d have to carry dozens of kilos up the mountain paths.

Lin Xiaoxiao’s health had already been ruined by years of overwork at the Lin household. She hadn’t yet recovered, and after a cramped train ride and now this uphill trek, she was quickly out of breath.

Seeing this, Gu Jinchuan took her canvas bag and slung it over his shoulder. He jogged after the ox cart, took out a pack of cigarettes, and offered one to his father. “Dad, don’t be angry—have a smoke to relax.”

Gu Gensheng glanced at the pack. “Well, well—you’re smoking Da Zhong Jiu now? Better than what the commune secretary smokes!”

Gu Jinchuan chuckled. “Dad, your son never learned to smoke. This pack was a gift from the company commander when I came home on leave. If you like it, it’s yours…”

Before he could finish, his father had taken the cigarettes. “You’re buttering me up—what do you want from me?”

“Dad, you really know your son best,” Gu Jinchuan said with a grin. He flattered him a bit more, then added, “The Lin girl isn’t in great health. After two days and nights on the train, she can’t walk any farther. Let her ride the ox cart for a while.”