After three days and three nights of being jostled around, the old green train finally entered the Northeast.
It was already noticeably chilly in late September. The moment Lin Xiaxia stepped out of the train, she instinctively pulled her coat tighter around herself.
The station was small, more like a temporary stop than a proper train station. The platform was crudely covered with gravel, and the surrounding area was bare and open. In the distance were vast stretches of cornfields that had already been mostly harvested, leaving only rows of dry stalks standing in the fields.
As soon as she left the station, she heard someone shouting at the top of his lungs.
“Gaojiatun! Educated youths assigned to Gaojiatun, come over here! Hongxing Production Brigade, Gaojiatun! Gather over here!”
The man shouting had dark, sun-tanned skin and wore a patched blue cotton jacket. He held the reins of an old yellow ox attached to a simple wooden cart. A thick layer of straw had been spread across the cart bed.
Lin Xiaxia hoisted her cloth bag onto her shoulder.
It still contained only her cotton quilt. Everything else had long since been stored in her storage space.
She walked over to the man and politely asked, “Hello, are you here to pick up the educated youths assigned to Gaojiatun of the Hongxing Production Brigade?”
The man turned around and looked her over. Although she was simply dressed, her features were delicate and her eyes were bright and clear.
He immediately grinned.
“That’s right! You’re one of the educated youths coming to our Gaojiatun?”
“Yes. My name is Lin Xiaxia.”
“Right, right! Your name is on the list!”
The man slapped his thigh and enthusiastically waved her over.
“Come on, get on the cart and have a seat. We’re just waiting for two more youngsters. Once they arrive, we can head back to the village.”
As he spoke, he reached out to help carry her bag.
“No, no, it’s fine. I can carry it myself.”
Lin Xiaxia quickly moved aside and declined with a smile.
“It’s not heavy.”
“You young girl, why are you being so polite with me?”
The man didn’t insist and simply pointed toward the ox cart.
“Hop on. We usually use this cart to haul grain, but I specially cleaned it today and laid down plenty of straw. It’ll make the ride more comfortable.”
Lin Xiaxia stepped onto the shaft and climbed into the cart.
Sure enough, just as he had said, the straw had been spread thickly across the wooden bed. It was soft beneath her and surprisingly comfortable.
After sitting down, she smiled and said, “Uncle, you’re really kind.”
“Hahaha! You sure know how to sweet-talk people.”
The man chuckled happily. Squatting beside the front of the cart, he took out his tobacco pouch and began preparing his pipe.
“My name is Wang Tiezhu. I’m the captain of the village militia. If you run into any trouble after settling in the village, just come find me. No need to be shy about it.”
“All right. Thank you, Uncle Wang.”
Lin Xiaxia felt a little more at ease.
It seemed the people of Gaojiatun were fairly easy to get along with.
They didn’t have to wait long before the other two educated youths arrived.
Both were young men around eighteen or nineteen years old. One was named Zhao Jianjun. He wore glasses and looked like the scholarly type.
The other was named Gao Hongjun. Despite the “Gao” in his name meaning tall, he was actually rather short and thin.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Wang Tiezhu called out to the old ox, and the cart slowly began moving toward the village.
Just as they were about to leave the town behind, Lin Xiaxia hurriedly asked, “Uncle Wang, there’s a post office in town, right?”
“Of course there is.”
Wang Tiezhu took a puff from his pipe and pointed toward the center of town.
“It’s right beside the supply and marketing cooperative. Easy to find. If you educated youths have letters or packages, the village sends an ox cart into town on the first and fifteenth of every month to pick things up. You can come along then.”
He looked at her.
“Are you expecting something? If you need to pick it up now, I can wait here for a while. You can hurry over and come right back.”
Lin Xiaxia thought about it.
The packages she had mailed earlier had been sent by slow delivery. Only a few days had passed, so they probably hadn’t arrived yet.
She shook her head.
“No need, Uncle Wang. I don’t think my things have arrived yet. I’ll come back with the village cart next time and pick them up then.”
“All right! Sit tight. We’re heading out!”
Wang Tiezhu called out, and the old yellow ox slowly began plodding forward.
Along the way, Lin Xiaxia briefly chatted with the other two educated youths.
Zhao Jianjun came from the county seat, and his family were teachers. He spoke in a rather scholarly manner, and whenever he talked about going to the countryside, he became incredibly enthusiastic, like an idealistic teenager eager to prove himself.
Gao Hongjun came from the city. His family had too many children and could barely afford to feed everyone, so they had sent him to the countryside.
Since they were still strangers and there wasn’t much for the young men and woman to talk about, the conversation soon died down. Everyone quietly watched the scenery along the road instead.
The ox cart bumped and swayed along for more than three hours before they finally caught sight of the village.
The journey had been so rough that Lin Xiaxia felt as though every bone in her body had nearly been shaken apart.
Zhao Jianjun adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose and couldn’t help asking, “Uncle Wang, why is Gaojiatun so deep in the mountains? It’s really far away.”
Wang Tiezhu’s expression immediately darkened.
“What? You think it’s too far?”
He sounded displeased.
“Our ancestors have lived on this land for generations. We’ve got beautiful mountains and clean water here. It’s no worse than the city! You youngsters just haven’t seen enough of the world!”
As he spoke, he brought the ox cart to a stop.
“We’re here. Get off!”
The three of them quickly grabbed their luggage and jumped down from the cart.
They had barely steadied themselves when someone came over to greet them.
“You three must be the newly arrived educated youths. I’m Gao Lide, the village chief. You’ve had a long journey.”
He looked at the sky and continued, “It’s getting late, so I’ll take you to the educated youth compound first and let you settle in. We can discuss everything else tomorrow.”
It had already been nearly noon when the train arrived in town. Combined with the three-hour journey by ox cart, it was now almost evening.
Fortunately, night came late during autumn in the Northeast, so the sky was still bright. The setting sun painted the distant hills in shades of gold and crimson.
Village Chief Gao Lide led them toward the middle of the hillside while introducing the place.
“The educated youth compound was newly built last year. There’s a stove in the courtyard, so you can cook your own meals. As for firewood, you can gather it yourselves from the mountain.”
He continued, “There are also several educated youths who arrived a year or two before you.”
Lin Xiaxia followed behind him, quietly observing the village.
Adobe houses were scattered neatly around the foot of the mountain. Thin trails of cooking smoke curled from the chimneys.
From time to time, villagers carrying hoes passed them on the road. Whenever they noticed the newcomers, they would curiously glance at them before loudly greeting Village Chief Gao.
The entire village carried a simple, down-to-earth warmth.
When they reached the middle of the hillside, they saw three adobe houses standing side by side.
A simple fence surrounded the courtyard, and several bundles of firewood were stacked near the entrance.
“This is the place.”
Gao Lide pushed open the gate in the fence.
“There are heated brick beds inside. Just choose a spot for yourselves.”
Lin Xiaxia looked at the simple but clean adobe houses and felt much more reassured.
The three of them were just about to enter when a loud, argumentative voice suddenly came from behind.
“Village Chief! How could you bring people here without asking us while we were away?”
There was a sharp, aggressive edge to the voice.
The three newcomers turned around at the same time.
A group of men and women were walking up the slope carrying hoes over their shoulders. Their clothes were still covered in dirt, making it obvious that they had just returned from working in the fields.
At the front of the group was a young woman wearing a faded floral blouse.
She had a sturdy build, and her sharp features carried an unmistakably confrontational air.
She was the one who had shouted just now.
The smile on Village Chief Gao Lide’s face stiffened for a moment before he quickly put it back on.
“You’ve just finished work, huh? Perfect timing. Let me introduce you. These three are the newly arrived educated youths.”
He gestured toward them.
“This is Lin Xiaxia, and these two are Zhao Jianjun and Li Hongmei.”
Then he turned toward Lin Xiaxia and the others and pointed at the young woman leading the group.
“This is Li Weihong. She’s also an educated youth. She arrived earlier than most and is currently in charge of the educated youth compound.”