“……You, to see your sister like this? I think it’s good that Xixi is still asleep. If she saw you now, you might have to eat bamboo shoots stir-fried with meat for ten years.”
They were no different from beggars, except they were cleaner.
Leng Xingran: "..."
He looked down at himself and let out a yelp, quickly tidying up.
Fang Ze wasn't much better. He had buttoned all the buttons on his shirt incorrectly and quickly unbuttoned and re-buttoned them.
As the two were tidying up, the outer courtyard gate was quickly pushed open and then quickly shut. Uncle Wei entered, bringing with him a person who was hunched over and walking with a limp the entire way.
Fang Ze: "..."
He knew it. Tonight, he was like a lamb walking into a tiger's den.
He noticed that, apart from his good brother, several people were looking at him with sharp gazes, especially the Soldier by the main hall door. His eyes were terrifying.
Fang Ze silently turned around and stood facing the wall. He hadn't seen anything, knew nothing, and asked everyone to ignore him.
Everyone withdrew their gazes and looked at the trembling person next to Uncle Fang.
The first impression was thinness. He wore thin clothes and was slightly hunched over. The bones on his back were so clearly visible through the patched-up clothes, forcing themselves into their sight.
The second impression was timidity. He seemed very, very timid, and even the slightest sound could make him tremble in fear.
Even the slight rustle of clothes as Fang Ze turned around was enough to make him tremble, his hands shaking.
&
This batch of new Educated Youth had bad luck. They arrived right during the rush harvest and didn't even have time to rest before they had to go to the fields.
For the common people now, the rush harvest was more important than their lives. Even those working in the Commune had to go to the fields to help with the harvest if they could temporarily put aside their tasks.
Schools were on holiday, and teachers and students all went to the fields for the rush harvest.
When tired, eating melon seeds and chatting was the best way to relax. No Chinese person in any parallel world would deceive another Chinese person.
“Do you think these Educated Youth are stupid? They had a good chance to rest for half a day but didn't. They insisted on rushing through the night and joining us in the fields early in the morning. They can't even earn many work points, and they're just tiring themselves out pointlessly.”
“Granny Wu, why do I dislike hearing you speak? The children are just showing high ideological awareness. What do you mean by stupid?”
Although what she said was true, the new Educated Youth were right there. What harm could it do to give them a little face?
Granny Wu rolled her eyes. The fifty-something-year-old woman's movements were still nimble as she bent over to cut wheat. “The new Educated Youth have arrived. Has Educated Youth Leng’s sister also come? I heard she’s so beautiful she doesn’t look like a real person.”
Auntie Lu wiped sweat from her brow with her sickle. “This morning, I heard Eldest Sister-in-law say she arrived last night too. What do you mean she doesn’t look like a real person? But you’re right about one thing. My Eldest Sister-in-law said she’s as beautiful as a fairy. It’s just that her health isn’t good. She checked on her this morning, and she was still asleep.”
Granny Wu became interested and turned to ask the new Educated Youth assigned to tie wheat for her today, “Little Qian Educated Youth, have you seen Little Leng Educated Youth? How beautiful is she?”
Coincidentally, the two new Educated Youth assigned to her and Auntie Lu were Qian Duoduo and Li Laidi. Because there was already an Educated Youth surnamed Qian among the old ones, the villagers called Qian Duoduo, the new Educated Youth, Little Qian Educated Youth.
As soon as the person who was as beautiful as a painting was mentioned, Qian Duoduo, who had been tired and listless, immediately’s eyes lit up. “Educated Youth Lin, oh my, I can’t describe her. It’s like any good word used to describe her would be right, yet at the same time, no word feels sufficient.”
“Ah, that’s not right. Why is it Educated Youth Lin? Isn’t she Educated Youth Leng’s sister?”
Auntie Lu rolled her eyes impatiently at the new daughter-in-law who had interjected. “One takes their father’s surname, and the other takes their mother’s. It’s not like we don’t have that here.”
The previously enthusiastic atmosphere seemed to turn cold because of the new daughter-in-law’s remark. Qian Duoduo and Li Laidi both felt a bit strange. Who was this person? How could she have such an impact?
After a moment, the new daughter-in-law suddenly clutched her stomach and sat down on the ground. “Ouch, ouch, my stomach hurts. Mother-in-law, Er Ban, your grandson and son are in trouble! Ouch, ouch, it hurts so much.”
This sudden turn of events terrified both Qian Duoduo and Li Laidi. They jumped up, standing there unsure of what to do.
One anxiously called out to Granny Wu, and the other anxiously called out to Auntie Lu.
Granny Wu and Auntie Lu, with their extraordinary composure, didn't stop their actions at all and didn't even glance in that direction. They continued to advise them, speaking one after another as if reciting a rhyme.
“Don’t worry, it’s okay.”
“This isn’t the first or second time. Carrying a child is like carrying a golden egg. They might as well have Er Ban’s family worship her.”
“I was wondering earlier why she came out today. I thought she had changed, but it turns out she was planning this scene.”
“She has changed a bit, though. Before, she would blame others even if she fell herself. At least she didn’t blame us just now.”
Hearing this, Qian Duoduo and Li Laidi both shivered and, in unison, glanced at where the new daughter-in-law had fallen.
Fortunately, they were working in pairs and had been assigned separate plots of land, quite far apart. She wouldn't be able to blame them.
Soon, an honest-looking man, about 1.7 meters tall, rushed over. Without a word, he ran into the field, picked up the new daughter-in-law, and ran off.
It was probably like Granny Wu and the others said; many people had seen this scene before. Or perhaps, with the rush harvest being more important, the people around didn't even bother to make fun of it.
They had nothing to say to the new Educated Youth, but they could chat endlessly about trivial matters from each other's families. The morning passed quickly.
During the rush harvest, time was of the essence. No one went home to eat. Instead, they brought their meals to the fields, ate, rested briefly, and then returned to the fields to harvest.
The Educated Youth naturally sat together. The new Educated Youth were all like eggplants that had been hit by frost – completely wilted.
They were so tired they wanted to cry.
It wasn't just wanting to cry; Xu Quanmei was already sobbing into her knees.
It was better that she didn't cry. Once she started, the other new Educated Youth also began to cry. The exhaustion of the rush harvest was something only those who had experienced it would know.
Even if the Educated Youth were not favored or valued at home, like Wang Qin, who had all the household chores piled on her, she was still so tired she couldn't straighten her back.
The level of exhaustion was completely different.
The old Educated Youth had all gone through the period of being new Educated Youth, so no one mocked the new ones. They all silently ate their own meals.
For a portion of the Educated Youth, Heilongjiang Province was a good place. They could rest for nearly half a year, with the truly tiring work concentrated in those few months, unlike the South, where there was no rest year-round.
Moreover, Heilongjiang Province had vast land, sparse population, and fertile soil. As long as they didn't encounter a disaster year, ensuring enough food to eat was definitely not a problem, and the diligent ones could even have a surplus.
Furthermore, there were the continuous mountain ranges with countless mountain goods.
It could be said that in Heilongjiang Province, as long as one was willing to work, it was unlikely anyone would starve to death.
However, for another portion of the Educated Youth who had ill intentions or were lazy, their situation was miserable. While it was easy, the food they earned was barely enough to sustain themselves.
There were even those who were not favored at home and were asked to send money back. It was hard to imagine what they relied on to get by.
During the busy farming season, even the village would try to eat a little better. But for these Educated Youth, their lunch consisted of a palm-sized, rock-hard cornbread steamed bun and a bowl of wild vegetable porridge with a countable number of rice grains.
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