Over the next two days, Qin Ziqi could say she was living like a fish in water. Whenever mealtime came around, Si Chenye would bring her food from the dining car, and she could also eat snacks from her space without worrying about anyone discovering them. Washing up and taking a shower were convenient too.
Whenever she got tired, she would drink some spiritual spring water and sleep for a while. It was simply too comfortable. Moreover, the space gave Qin Ziqi an unexpected surprise. The milk she had drunk and the food she had eaten would reappear exactly as they were the next day.
This space was practically a wish-fulfillment space. She would never have to worry about food or drink again. And since she wasn’t short of money either, life in the countryside wouldn’t be too bad. She had no intention of making money on the black market. The more she did, the more likely she was to make a mistake. She just wanted to lie low, live like a lazy salted fish, and get through these few years.
After spending three days and three nights on the train, they finally arrived at the station early on the fourth morning. Si Chenye and the others had gotten off at Ha City at the previous stop, more than two hours earlier than her.
Qin Ziqi got off at Feng County. As soon as she stepped off the train, she saw a conspicuous banner at the exit:
“Welcome, Educated Youth Comrades, to the Countryside to Help Build the Rural Areas!”
Carrying her luggage, she walked beneath the banner. Several people were already waiting there, and more and more people gradually arrived, carrying luggage of all sizes.
Once roughly twenty or thirty people had gathered, the staff from the Educated Youth Office called the roll. Everyone was present.
“Now that everyone is here, we’ll take a bus to the commune. Once we arrive at Hongxing Commune, the captains of the various production brigades will be there to receive you.”
Thus, the large group headed toward the bus station once again.
Lu Chengxiu and the other four gathered together. All five looked disheveled. They had spent three whole days and three nights sitting on the train without being able to shower or sleep properly. Each of them had dark circles under their eyes and looked utterly exhausted.
Seeing that Qin Ziqi still looked radiant and that her clothes had clearly been changed, they couldn’t help feeling jealous.
“Ziqi, where have you been enjoying yourself these past two days? You look so energetic, unlike us, who had to tough it out the whole way.”
“That’s a secret. You’ll find out later.” Si Chenye had said he would arrange for her to receive recognition for her contribution, but they couldn’t say she had caught enemy agents. They were afraid there might still be accomplices who would retaliate against her. “And don’t say anything you shouldn’t. You might regret it.”
Lu Chengxiu bit her lip.
What’s she so proud of? With that vixen-like face of hers, who knows if she hooked up with someone on the train and got transferred to a sleeper berth.
She suddenly remembered what her mother had said.
Qin Ziqi, with a face like yours, I’m really looking forward to seeing you get ruined in the countryside, where you’ll spend the rest of your life rotting away.
Qin Ziqi had no idea what Lu Chengxiu was imagining. If she had known, she definitely would have said:
You’ll be the one rotting away here. I certainly won’t.
More than half the passengers on the bus were educated youth, with large and small bags scattered around their feet. The road was uneven, and the bus swayed back and forth the entire way.
Qin Ziqi felt her stomach churning repeatedly. She quickly pulled out the orange candy she had prepared beforehand and popped it into her mouth. Only then did she feel a little better.
After about an hour, the bus finally arrived.
Several ox carts were parked outside the commune office. The most conspicuous was a tractor.
The staff from the Educated Youth Office went over first and handed the list to the commune officials. After completing the handover, they left.
Holding the list, a commune official announced, “When I call your name, go find the captain of the production brigade you’ve been assigned to.”
Only then did Qin Ziqi notice that a sign bearing the name of each brigade had been hung at the front of every ox cart.
The tractor’s sign read Hongxing Brigade, the same name as the commune. Judging by appearances, it was probably the best-off brigade.
When Qin Ziqi heard her name called, she was summoned together with the other five. They had been assigned to Harvest Brigade.
Qin Ziqi’s heart finally sank.
Sure enough, the seats on the train hadn’t been assigned randomly. For the most part, those who had been assigned to the same place had been seated together so they could get to know one another beforehand.
They found the ox cart belonging to Harvest Brigade. A middle-aged man with dark, rough skin was sitting on it.
“I’m Zhao Shucai, the captain of Harvest Brigade. Put your luggage on the cart and follow behind.”
Zhao Shucai’s brows furrowed so deeply they could practically crush a fly.
These educated youth looked scrawny if they were men, while the women looked even more frail.
They claim they’re here to help us build the countryside. They’re actually here to torment us, aren’t they?
Sure enough, the next second—
“Why do we have to walk? How far do we have to go? We’ve been sitting on the train for several days and nights. We’re already exhausted.”
Zhou Xue was genuinely beginning to regret listening to her parents. They had said the Northeast was rich in resources and that people could even take it easy during the winter, so it wouldn’t be too exhausting.
But right now, she felt like she was about to drop dead from exhaustion.
“That’s right, Captain. We’re exhausted. Can’t we all ride on the ox cart? Or send a tractor to pick us up like that other brigade?”
Lu Chengxiu was also exhausted. She had even worn little leather shoes to look good, and now her feet were going to be ruined from walking.
Look at them. Look at them.
Building the countryside, my foot.
“We only have an ox cart. There is no tractor. If any of you have the ability to borrow one, I’ll personally give you a ride. Now hurry up and put your luggage on the cart. If you don’t, carry it yourselves.”
The group exchanged glances.
In the end, they reluctantly followed his instructions and placed their luggage on the ox cart. Fortunately, there was hay spread across the cart, so it wasn’t dirty.
Once the luggage had been loaded, there was still some room left.
Lu Chengxiu complained, “There’s still space to sit. Why won’t you let us ride?”
Zhao Shucai glared at her.
“If you all sit on it, won’t the ox get tired? In the countryside, oxen are more precious than people. Didn’t you know that?”
Not wanting to listen to these educated youths any longer, Zhao Shucai immediately started driving the ox cart forward.
Qin Ziqi quickly followed. Seeing the captain’s attitude, the others didn’t dare say anything more and could only start walking as well.
Fortunately, the captain wasn’t completely without compassion. During the hour-long journey, the three women took turns riding for about twenty minutes each to rest their feet.
The men didn’t get the same treatment.
Shen Changzheng had also tried to argue for a turn, only to be shut down by the captain with a single sentence:
“If you can’t even walk this far, you won’t be able to work either. You might as well go home while you still can.”
“This is our Harvest Brigade.”
Zhao Shucai pointed toward the village about a hundred meters away.
Looking ahead, Qin Ziqi saw rows of low earthen houses, with three or four rooms here and four or five rooms there forming individual courtyards. Behind them rose dark, imposing mountains that seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance.
The ox cart passed through the village. As they went by the villagers, Qin Ziqi received curious, assessing, and inquisitive looks from all directions.
Ah… I wonder what the local villagers are like.
The ox cart stopped in a large courtyard.
What was unusual was that the houses here were made of brick and tile.
There were five main rooms in a row, with two smaller side rooms on either side.
“The five rooms in the front courtyard—the middle one is the main room and kitchen. You’ll cook and eat in there. The two rooms on the east side are for the male educated youth, and the two on the west are for the female educated youth. The two small rooms beside them are the men’s and women’s toilets and the bathing rooms.”
The captain pointed toward the row of houses.
“There are also several private rooms in the back. Only four are vacant now. If you want to live alone, it’ll cost three yuan a month.”
“I’ll live alone!”