Chapter 11

Actually, Gu Gensheng had noticed Lin Xiaoxiao for a while now. This little girl was so frail, like a tiny chick.

If something happened to her on the road, his job as brigade leader would be over.

So he patted the shoulder of the old ox, and when the ox cart stopped, he waved to Lin Xiaoxiao.
“Comrade Lin, hop on.”

“Thank you, Brigade Leader.” Lin Xiaoxiao responded sweetly, then held onto the cart to climb up.

She didn’t notice the strap of the cloth bag on her shoulder had hooked onto the cart’s crossbeam, nearly making her fall.

“Comrade Lin, careful!” Gu Jinchuan’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly reached out to steady her by the shoulder.

Once the girl was seated properly, he smiled and said, “Give me your cloth bag too—just hold onto the cart.”

Lin Xiaoxiao blushed. “It’s very light, no need to trouble you.”

Inside the bag were cold cream, a comb, toilet paper—private items women often used. How could she let Gu Jinchuan carry that?

Gu Jinchuan still shamelessly reached to help Lin Xiaoxiao, and Gu Gensheng, standing nearby, could hardly bear to watch.

You brat—you’re a reconnaissance company commander, and this is how cheap you act?

He and his wife had thought this kid didn’t understand such things, but after a few years in the army, he’d actually figured out how to please a girl.

But his taste wasn’t that great—why go for such a delicate, frail young educated youth?

Lin Xiaoxiao, unaware that the brigade leader disapproved of her, smiled and said, “Brigade Leader, we’re all young people fresh out of school. Sometimes we speak without thinking. Please don’t take it to heart, and take care of us in the future.”

Liu Qiaozhen: Who’s speaking without thinking? Lin Xiaoxiao, you’d better explain that!

It’s one thing if you want to curry favor with the brigade leader, but why drag me into it?

It’s not like she hadn’t spoken out only because she disliked Gu Gensheng’s bureaucratic airs—what was the big deal?

Gu Gensheng understood that Lin Xiaoxiao was asking him not to take offense at the new arrivals and to let them off the hook.

In truth, he had been using the situation to make a point—these city kids, when they first came down to the countryside, were all full of themselves, looking down on rural folks.

So he had to show them some authority: even the son of the Heavenly King, if he came to Xingfu Brigade as an educated youth, would have to listen to him!

Now, seeing that they truly couldn’t walk any further, he waved his hand.
“Put all your luggage on the cart!”

“Move quickly—it’s nearly dark, and we’d better get back to the village early. There are wild animals in the mountains!”

At the mention of wild animals, the educated youths tensed immediately.

They hurriedly tossed their luggage onto the cart and followed closely behind Gu Gensheng, striding quickly forward, afraid that if they fell behind, they’d be carried off by some beast.

Pushing hard all the way, by around 5 p.m., the group of eleven finally reached Xingfu Brigade.

On the way, Gu Gensheng had briefly explained the situation at the educated youth lodging point.

The village had built four adobe houses for their dormitories.

Two rooms for the women, two for the men.

There was also a communal canteen where both male and female educated youths cooked.

The old educated youths had already been told newcomers were arriving today, so bedding had been prepared in advance.

Wang Jianguo, the educated youths’ team leader, was waiting at the gate. When he saw the cart approaching, he ran over enthusiastically to help carry their things.

Gu Gensheng gave Wang Jianguo a few instructions, then drove the ox cart out of the yard.

Looking back and seeing Gu Jinchuan hadn’t followed, he shouted toward the educated youth compound, “Chuanzi! Your mother’s made dinner—get back here and eat!”

“Coming, Dad!”

Gu Jinchuan had wanted to stay and help Lin Xiaoxiao make her bed, but hearing his father’s voice, he couldn’t very well linger. Reluctantly, he headed home for dinner.

Liu Qiaozhen, carrying her bag, stood in the courtyard, looking at the dusty adobe houses with disdain.
“What kind of dump is this? Worse than a pigsty—and it stinks!

So many people crammed into one room—I’m not going in there!”

Wang Jianguo: “…”

So basically, they thought us old educated youths weren’t even as good as pigs or dogs, huh?

But since he was the team leader, he couldn’t stoop to her level.

Suppressing his annoyance, he said, “Comrade Liu, these adobe houses were built with our own money and labor. They’re not pigsties.

If you’re willing to move in, we warmly welcome you.

If you think they’re too cramped and shabby, you can pay to rent a place from a villager yourself.”

Hearing she’d have to pay rent herself, Liu Qiaozhen wasn’t willing to part with the money. She hurried into the dorm with her wicker trunk to claim a bed.

Yang Haizhou, who had grown up in a military compound, had never seen a rural adobe house before.

He went in, took one look, then quickly covered his nose and backed out.
“Comrade Wang, I’m not sleeping in a communal bunk—I want to rent a room!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a middle-aged woman cheerfully chimed in, “Comrade Yang, rent a place at my house! We built a brand new tile-roofed house this year, and I can give you a room all to yourself!”

This woman was Ma Chunhua, the village’s well-known matchmaker.

She was eloquent—able to talk the dead back to life or infuriate the living to death. She’d earned plenty by arranging marriages and was a local celebrity.

The moment the new educated youths arrived, Ma Chunhua had come over to watch the excitement. Seeing Yang Haizhou’s fair skin and fine clothes, she pegged him as the pampered son of a wealthy family.

She wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip—her plan was to bring him home and introduce him to her daughter.

“Alright, I’ll take a look first.” Yang Haizhou didn’t stand on ceremony, shouldered his bag, and followed her.

Sure enough, her house was new, better than most in the village, and more importantly, it was tidy—exactly to his taste.

He pulled a five-yuan bill from his wallet and handed it to Ma Chunhua.
“Auntie, I’ll rent this room. Five yuan a month—what do you think?”

“Deal! I’ll have Yan come help you set it up right now!”

Ma Chunhua was overjoyed.

The highest rent any of the old educated youths paid in the village was one yuan a month.

She quickly called toward the back room, “Yan! Comrade Yang likes our house—come show him the room!”

“Coming, Mom!” Wu Yan, busy applying cold cream to her face, ran out at once.

In a sweet voice, she said to Yang Haizhou, “Comrade Yang, you’ll stay in the west wing. The bed’s already made—come take a look!”

A strong whiff of cheap cold cream hit him, and Yang Haizhou instinctively frowned.

Damn—rural girls really are country bumpkins, no sense of style at all.

What was with all that cold cream? She wasn’t auditioning to play a zombie.

Still, he kept his thoughts to himself. In the countryside, having a loyal fan to wash your clothes wasn’t a bad thing.

He set his bag on the bed, took out a blue plaid handkerchief, and handed it to Wu Yan with a smile.
“Miss Yan, your place is very clean—I’m very satisfied. Here, this handkerchief is for you.”

“Thank you, Comrade Yang—I love it!” Wu Yan’s eyes lit up.

She hurried back to her room, pressed the handkerchief to her face, and giggled foolishly.

From the moment the new educated youths had entered the village, Wu Yan’s eyes had been fixed on Yang Haizhou.

To her, he was handsome, well-dressed, and obviously from a wealthy family.

So she’d urged her mother to rent him the room—hoping that, with time, they’d grow close, fall in love, marry, and she’d move to the city, free from farm work forever.