There were many people on the train. Although the Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside movement had not yet reached a nationwide peak, quite a few young people were being sent to the countryside for placement because of the employment situation. On this train alone, there were many of them,
As backward elements requiring reform, the Shen Family naturally had no seats,
and with so many people, they were directly assigned to a sealed freight car—in other words, a carriage normally used to transport goods,
The sealed freight car had only one tiny window, no toilet, no seats, and no food or tea,
Along with the Shen Family, there were also several other sent-down households.
Shen Zhongyue boarded before the train attendant came to count the passengers. The train attendant wearing a red armband tossed in a wooden bucket, then slammed the carriage door shut with a bang.
There were a little over twenty people in the sealed freight car. Each family occupied one area,
Shen Jianghai and Shen Zhongheng had experience, so they claimed a corner where the breeze could reach them.
The sun was not very strong at this hour, so it was not yet unbearably hot, but by noon and afternoon, it would be difficult to endure,
On top of that, all their bodily needs would have to be taken care of in the same bucket from then on. That smell…
Qin Shu and Su Zhiyun only had to think about it before they felt like vomiting.
“Zhongyue.”
Shen Zhongheng gave his Younger brother a meaningful look, indicating the parcels.
“Mm.”
Shen Zhongyue nodded.
“Is it Xiao…”
Before Shen Huaizheng could finish, his Older Brother and mother covered his mouth at the same time.
“Shh, Huaizheng, don’t say it out loud.”
“We owe her… more and more.”
In just a few short days, Shen Jianghai seemed to have aged ten years, and even his back had begun to hunch.
Seeing her Old Man like this, Qin Shu felt heartache and tightly clasped his hand.
There were too many people here to inspect everything carefully. Shen Zhongyue felt along the outline and finally found two very small lists,
Shu Yao had hidden money and ration coupons inside and had written the lists specifically so they would not fail to find them.
Besides the quilts and clothes smuggled out of the Shen Family home that day, she had also prepared some food and water,
During this era, Huoxiang Zhengqi water was an epidemic-prevention medicine distributed uniformly by the state. Unlike in later generations, it was not something that could easily be bought,
Shu Yao had some in her Storage Space, but she did not dare risk sending it to the Shen Family,
so she bought some mint candy, which had the same cooling and heat-relieving effect. There were also various odds and ends, such as needles, thread, and rope,
Whatever her grandfather and grandmother had prepared for her when she went to university, she had basically imitated, putting together a version suitable for a sent-down youth in the 1960s.
Shu Yao had prepared for the worst. The two parcels were respectively for Shen Zhongyue and his parents, and for Shen Zhongheng’s family,
After Shen Zhongyue finished reading, he handed the note to Shen Zhongheng,
Shen Zhongheng skimmed it quickly and committed it to memory, then stuffed the note into his mouth,
When he looked up and met his Younger brother’s gaze, both their eyes were slightly red.
During the period when they were dragged away, the two of them had truly experienced the fickleness of the world. Those uncles and friends they had grown up with all glared at them angrily, as though the Shen Family had committed some unforgivable, monstrous crime,
Everyone wanted to step on the Shen Family, as though every additional insult and every extra confession they extracted would bring them a great victory.
The best anyone could do was to remain perfectly invisible—not offer sending charcoal in snowy weather, but also not kick them while they were down,
To be honest, they were already deeply grateful to those people.
Shu Yao—she had caused such a scene back then, even refusing to keep the child and wishing desperately to sever all ties with the Shen Family at once,
Yet it was precisely her—precisely her—who had helped them again and again.
“Don’t think about it.”
Shen Zhongheng reached out and patted Shen Zhongyue’s shoulder,
Thinking about it only makes you suffer. No matter how much you think about it, we are no longer worthy of it.
The water and mint candy Shu Yao had sent had truly saved their lives,
The train attendant also dared not let anything happen to this group on the journey. Although he did not care much, he still remembered to send up some water whenever the train stopped at a station,
There were many people and little water, so there was never enough to go around.
Shu Yao had filled the largest glass she had with water. She had not expected the Shen Family to be in such a miserable state that they would have to ride in a sealed freight car. To be precise, she had never even seen such a thing before,
But she had ridden a green-skinned train when she went to university and knew that there was only hot water on board. Who would drink hot water in the middle of summer?
Just as the Shen Family Members had expected, as the sun rose higher, the carriage grew increasingly hot and stifling,
They sweated more and urinated less, but what did come out had a truly pungent smell,
On top of that, the heat caused fermentation, and someone was unable to hold back and had a major bowel movement. The carriage smelled exactly like a rural village latrine.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, along with the two children, each unwrapped a mint candy and held it beneath their noses. They carefully covered their noses and mouths with a parcel, and suddenly the air felt much fresher.
Along the way, the people in the sealed freight car gradually got off the train. Eventually, only Shen Jianghai’s family remained, and things became somewhat easier,
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law opened the parcels and organized everything piece by piece,
“Old Shen, isn’t this your wool sweater?”
“This is my padded jacket!”
“This one belongs to Zhongyue.”
The more Qin Shu rummaged through the parcel, the more alarmed she became. When had this Daughter begun preparing all this?
“Mother, this parcel contains old clothes for Zhongheng, me, and the two children, as well as a thin quilt and bedding.”
“It should be that day Zhongheng and I Divorced. She used the excuse of going upstairs to collect her belongings to pack these things for us.”
Shen Zhongyue touched the knitted shirt in his hands. It had been left at home back when he and Shu Yao were married.
“Then didn’t she bring very many of her own things?”
Su Zhiyun had seen the parcel that day. Although it was quite large, all of their belongings already amounted to a lot. There was no room for anything else.
Thinking of this, she was overcome with fear again,
“Fortunately, those people didn’t inspect it on the spot. Otherwise, Yaoyao would have…”
Qin Shu was frightened as well,
“That girl—how could she be so bold!”
“It was the Shen Family who wronged her.”
As she spoke, she fiercely smacked her Younger son several times,
If this shameless wretch had not done that thing back then, why would that perfectly good girl have had to suffer through this ordeal?
She might have married the husband's family selected for her by Senior Commander Shu long ago and lived a peaceful life!
Shen Zhongyue knew he should not, but he missed that little bastard who had pulled up her pants and refused to acknowledge him even more. He somewhat regretted not secretly taking her hand at the train station without attracting attention, even if she had become angry.
Who knew when they would meet again, or whether they would ever meet again at all.
Yunshan County was remote. After three days and two nights of swaying and jolting, the Shen Family finally got off the train,
But it was not over yet. They needed to transfer to a passenger bus.
After the railway station staff handed them over to the train attendant, they brought the family to the passenger bus station beside it,
“Master Yang, please help take these people back to Yunshan County.”
“Sure thing.”
Yang Dapeng was not surprised. Too many people had been sent to the countryside during this period.
After the staff left, he came over, shuffling along while smoking,
“Introduction letter.”
Shen Zhongheng took out the introduction letter he had prepared long ago and handed it over,
Yang Dapeng opened it, glanced at it, and clicked his tongue, feeling that it brought bad luck,
“People sent for reform, huh? Go squat over there. Get on after everyone has arrived.”
The journey from the provincial capital to Yunshan County took five hours. The g Committee personnel were already waiting there, along with people from the Educated Youth Office,
Quite a few people were being sent to Yunshan today.
Someone from the Educated Youth Office glanced toward the other side,
“You’re in luck today. You happened to arrive at just the right time. You won’t be assigned to the most grueling Shuzhuang Brigade.”