Ye Weiliang quietly handed the team leader a cigarette and a large steamed bun as she sat beside him.
“Team Leader, you’ve worked hard. You haven’t had lunch yet, right? Have a little something to tide you over.”
Liu Aimin hadn’t eaten lunch indeed.
He quietly pocketed the bun and cigarette and looked at Ye Weiliang, thinking to himself that he must take good care of this child.
“Little comrade, you don’t look very old.”
He had already noticed earlier that this girl was small and delicate.
“Mm, Uncle Team Leader, I’m only fourteen this year.”
Ye Weiliang was very good at playing the part of being younger than she was.
Liu Aimin nearly fell off the ox cart in shock.
“What? How could a child this young be here? Weren’t the youngest supposed to be sixteen?”
“Uncle Team Leader, Weiliang’s situation is a bit special. Please take care of her.”
Ao Jiarui quietly explained Ye Weiliang’s background.
“Ah, poor child… what are your parents’ names?”
Liu Aimin felt deep sympathy for Ye Weiliang.
Ye Weiliang shook her head, her eyes red.
“Uncle Team Leader, I don’t know my parents’ names. The Public Security uncle said my parents are around here.”
How could she tell him that her parents were the very ones sent down to the ox pen?
That would be a death wish.
“Alright, it’ll be easy to find them within the brigade, but how will you go about it?”
“I should look very similar to my mother. If my foster mother tries to pour boiling water on my face, that’ll be proof enough.”
Ye Weiliang spoke softly.
“What? That wicked woman dares to be so cruel?”
Liu Aimin loathed women like that, cursing violently in his heart.
He felt even more protective toward Ye Weiliang.
“Uncle Team Leader, it’s alright. I have nothing to do with them anymore.”
After all, they had all been sent off to labor reform at the farms.
Whether anyone could survive ten years on the farm was uncertain.
Liu Aimin sighed repeatedly.
Such a pitiful child. He was determined to help her find her parents.
After more than two hours of the swaying ox cart, they finally arrived at the Bingbeiling Production Brigade.
The team members all gathered to watch the newly arrived educated youths.
“Oh, these three girls are really pretty.”
“Pretty faces don’t fill your stomach. These city kids are all so delicate.”
“That little girl is so soft and delicate… can she even work?”
“She looks far too young. How old is she, really?”
“Look at that girl! Her clothes are nice, but that face of disdain—what’s that about? What’s there to be disdainful of?”
“Exactly! If you’re going to be so picky, why even come to the countryside?”
Yi Manyu was instantly furious.
Did they really think she wanted to come here?
If it weren’t to accompany Shao Song, how could a rich young lady like her come to this godforsaken place to suffer?
And these peasants had the nerve to look down on her?
Ye Weiliang also heard these whispers. She didn’t care—after all, she wasn’t going to marry anyone here.
“I’ll first take you to the place where the educated youths will live. Put down your things, then come with me to receive the rations allocated for the next six months.”
Liu Aimin addressed the youths.
No one objected. They already had plenty of belongings, so getting more rations was not going to be easy.
Liu Aimin led them to the educated youths’ quarters.
It was indeed a courtyard, previously the living quarters for the long-term workers of an old landlord.
In the middle were the living hall and kitchen; on the left were five rooms, and on the right, three rooms.
This arrangement allowed males and females to live separately.
At the far ends of both sides were latrines—those “full-of-gold” squat pits.
As for the bathhouse, it had been newly built by the brigade headquarters. It was passable and separated by gender.
Looking at it this way, it was actually not bad at all.
“The middle section is the kitchen and hall. Male youths live on the left, female youths on the right. Pick a room to put your things down, then follow me to the brigade headquarters to collect half a year’s worth of rations.”
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Ye Weiliang checked the room.
Most of them were large dormitories, able to fit five or six people, and more people would be coming later.
She had to figure out a way to build a small private space outside—after all, she would be living in this brigade for ten years.
More people would keep coming, and conflicts would inevitably increase.
She also had a hidden space on her, and any valuable items would need to be kept away from others.
But given her age, the team leader probably wouldn’t let her move out alone.
Or… maybe she could show the team leader her superhuman strength?
She’d think about that later.
Ye Weiliang chose a room near the kitchen.
Li Xingxing followed her and took the same room.
Since the train ride, Ye Weiliang had sensed Li Xingxing’s affection, similar to how Zhao Xiyuan had cared for her.
Ye Weiliang accepted it—it was well-intentioned, so she didn’t mind.
As for the pampered young lady Yi Manyu, she immediately began complaining about everything.
“Why isn’t there even a bed? How can I sleep like this? No wardrobe? And the desk, the dressing table…”
“Miss, this is the countryside, not your villa. What’s the point of complaining here? Keep whining, and I might just slap you!”
Ye Weiliang’s voice sounded soft and cute, but her words were far from gentle.
Perhaps scared of being slapped again, Yi Manyu chose a room by herself.
She didn’t want to live with a violent girl.
Ye Weiliang chose the inner position of the room, as the outer side would be colder.
Li Xingxing simply stayed close to Ye Weiliang.
“Can I sleep here?” she asked.
“Of course.”
“Great! Liangliang, I really like you,” Li Xingxing paused and clarified, “Don’t misunderstand—like a little sister. I can protect you.”
Only then did she realize Ye Weiliang probably didn’t need protection, considering how strong she was.
Ye Weiliang let out a quiet laugh.
“I know. Let’s go get the rations.”
After casually placing their things on the kang, Ye Weiliang checked what she wanted to buy later.
When the two of them went out, a few male comrades were already at the door, even Yi Manyu had come out.
But she was out to complain to Shao Song.
After Shao Song comforted her briefly, Yi Manyu managed to calm herself.
Ye Weiliang could only think: pfft, love-struck fools.
Following Team Leader Liu to the warehouse storing food, he said:
“You just arrived in the countryside and didn’t bring any food. The higher-ups provide subsidies for you. Each person gets five jin of corn flour, five jin of sorghum flour, ten jin of potatoes, and twenty jin of sweet potatoes.”
All coarse grains.
Seeing this pile of rations, Ye Weiliang’s face darkened slightly—not just Yi Manyu’s.
But since she had money, she asked Liu Aimin:
“Uncle Team Leader, can we buy food? I want some refined grains.”
Liu Aimin nodded.
“Yes. Rice is 0.3 yuan per jin, white flour 0.5 yuan per jin. No ration tickets are needed in the countryside. How much do you want?”
He was especially patient with children he liked.
Ye Weiliang thought for a moment.
“I want thirty jin of rice and twenty jin of white flour.”
Li Xingxing followed suit, buying the same amount of rice and flour.
She knew how to cook—her family were imperial chefs.
She wanted to cook with Ye Weiliang and make sure Ye Weiliang stayed well-fed and healthy.
Yi Manyu refused to be outdone and bought the same rice and flour.
After buying it, she realized she couldn’t cook.
She didn’t think about returning it, and with Shao Song around, she wouldn’t go hungry anyway.
She’d overthought it—Shao Song, a wealthy young man, wouldn’t know how to cook either.
In the end, Chen Pingyao cooked.
The food wasn’t good, and Yi Manyu complained about it for a long time.