“Where are all of you being sent for the countryside assignment?” Ye Qinglan asked, holding her enamel mug.
“We’re all going to Chaoyang Commune in Kaoshan Village, Hei Province in Northeast China,” Tan Siyu replied with a smile.
“I’m going to Chaoyang Commune too.” Ye Qinglan thought it was quite a coincidence.
After the train attendant came by and poured everyone hot water, Ye Qinglan remembered the military canteens she had stockpiled. They looked almost the same as the ones used in this era, so she could take them out later when working in the fields.
She took a few sips of hot water and set her enamel mug on the table. Her luggage was on her bunk. She took out a ball of red cashmere yarn and a pair of bamboo knitting needles, leaned against the headboard, and began knitting a sweater.
“Qinglan, you actually know how to knit! That yarn color is so beautiful,” Tan Siyu said enviously.
“Siyu, winters in Northeast China are extremely cold. I’ve heard temperatures can reach minus thirty or forty degrees. Throw a cup of water outside, and it freezes into ice instantly. You’ll need thick padded coats, sweaters, long wool underwear, and the warmest cotton shoes you can find. If possible, buy snow boots—they’re warm and have good traction.”
The three people across from her immediately fell into deep thought.
“Comrade Ye, is there anything else we should pay attention to?” Zhu Guohua asked politely.
“Make sure you prepare enough food. Once the heavy snow comes, villages can become completely cut off. You’ll also need plenty of firewood to heat the kang. Girls should never go anywhere alone. Boys should keep a low profile too, or the villagers may latch onto you.”
She deliberately reminded them because poor, isolated places often produced troublesome people.
She wasn’t exaggerating. Many female educated youths ended up trapped in the countryside. After being bullied, they had no choice but to marry. Some even threw themselves into rivers.
Male educated youths weren’t always safe either. Some rural women were extremely aggressive. The boldest ones would drag a man straight onto the kang. Once things had gone too far, there was no turning back. Some men were even forced to become live-in sons-in-law. If they refused, they were beaten until they finally gave in.
“Comrade Ye, aren’t you afraid?” Ran Xiangrong asked curiously.
“I’m fine. I know a few martial arts moves.”
The eyes of everyone across from her immediately lit up.
“The young lady is absolutely right,” the middle-aged woman on the lower bunk said. “You shouldn’t intend to harm others, but you must guard against being harmed. Remote, impoverished places often have difficult people. Always stay alert and don’t give anyone the opportunity to take advantage of you.”
“After hearing all that, I’m really scared now,” Tan Siyu admitted.
“Then stick close to her. If you’re with her, you won’t have to worry as much,” the middle-aged woman said, pointing toward Ye Qinglan’s bunk.
“That’s right! It would be great if we were assigned to the same place as Qinglan,” Tan Siyu said hopefully, looking at her.
“Don’t look at me. I don’t decide where educated youths are assigned.”
In truth, Ye Qinglan knew their assignments had probably already been decided.
Tan Siyu pouted after hearing that, her eyes full of disappointment. Ye Qinglan found it amusing. The girl was adorable and clearly had never experienced hardship. Her family had protected her well.
At noon, everyone ate fairly well. Some people had brought braised pork, while others had braised pig’s trotters.
Ye Qinglan ate braised chicken. The mother and son ate boxed lunches since they were traveling to visit relatives in the Northeast.
After lunch, Ye Qinglan picked up her military canteen and walked out of the compartment, planning to use the restroom along the way.
“Qinglan, I’ll come with you. They’ll watch our luggage,” Tan Siyu said as she grabbed her own military canteen.
“Stay behind me and don’t wander off. There are pickpockets on the train, and quite a few human traffickers too.”
With that, Ye Qinglan led the way.
After waiting in line to use the restroom, she rinsed her canteen and filled it with hot water while waiting for Tan Siyu to come out.
“Big Sister, do you still have an empty bunk?” Ye Bailian suddenly appeared in front of her.
“No. All the bunks in our compartment are already occupied.”
Just then, Tan Siyu came out. After filling her canteen, the two of them headed back together.
Ye Bailian followed them and, after seeing that there really were no empty beds, quietly turned around and left.
“Qinglan, is she your younger sister?” Tan Siyu asked curiously.
“Yes. She’s my half-sister from my father’s side, but…”
Ye Qinglan told them everything that had happened.
Of course, she left out the part about reporting her father and stepmother, as well as the money she had taken.
“Comrade Ye, your life is really pitiful,” Zhu Guohua said sympathetically.
Ye Qinglan thought to herself, You’re the pitiful one. Your whole family is pitiful.
“Comrade Zhu, my mother treated me very well, so I’m not pitiful.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Oh… I’m sorry, Comrade Ye.” Zhu Guohua blushed as he apologized.
“It’s fine. Just don’t provoke me again. I’m not someone who’s easy to bully.”
Ye Qinglan knew his intentions weren’t entirely innocent.
That afternoon, she continued knitting her sweater while everyone else fell asleep.
Their awareness of personal safety was unbelievably low. They probably wouldn’t even notice if everything they owned were stolen.
By evening, she had already finished a large section of the sweater. Looking at the neat, tight stitches, she was very satisfied. It was every bit as good as machine knitting.
At dusk, the train attendant came by selling boxed meals.
Ye Qinglan glanced at the dishes but had no appetite, so she didn’t buy one.
Everyone else purchased boxed meals. The weather was hot, so they hadn’t brought much dry food. Ye Qinglan took out two meat buns. Tomorrow, she’d have no choice but to buy train meals as well.
That night, Ye Qinglan carried her washbasin outside to freshen up. Seeing this, Tan Siyu grabbed her own basin and followed.
After washing up, the two of them lay down on their bunks. The others also went to clean up.
The lights inside the compartment were turned off, leaving only the corridor illuminated.
“You’d better hide your money and ration coupons carefully. Be careful of thieves during the night,” Ye Qinglan kindly reminded them.
“Xiangrong, let’s take turns staying awake tonight. That way we can sleep peacefully,” Zhu Guohua suggested.
“Sure. You take the first half of the night, and I’ll take the second.”
“All right. Get some sleep first. I’ll wake you at midnight.”
With that, everyone settled down to sleep.
Ye Qinglan slept soundly.
She had nothing to worry about. All her money and ration coupons were safely stored inside her space. Her travel bag contained nothing but an old cotton quilt, with nothing valuable inside.
At midnight, Zhu Guohua woke Ran Xiangrong.
Ran Xiangrong lay quietly on his bunk with his eyes closed. After a while, he heard footsteps. Someone had slipped into the compartment.
Ye Qinglan heard them too.
She immediately switched on the flashlight she was holding.
The two thieves hadn’t managed to steal anything yet. Once they realized they had been discovered, they turned and ran.
“Thieves!” Ye Qinglan shouted loudly.
Several sets of footsteps immediately echoed through the corridor outside.
Everyone nearby was awakened by the commotion, and it wasn’t long before some passengers realized their money was missing.
The noisy disturbance woke many people.
Later, everyone learned that the two thieves had been caught, and all the stolen money had been recovered.
It was said that a soldier had helped capture them.
“Qinglan, should we go out and watch?” Tan Siyu whispered.
“Siyu, don’t join the crowd unless you absolutely have to. What if they have accomplices?”
Ye Qinglan wasn’t trying to scare them. Pickpockets usually worked in groups.
The others had wanted to go see what was happening, but after hearing her words, they realized she made perfect sense.
If the thieves’ partners took them hostage, the thought alone was enough to make their scalps tingle.
Afterward, Ran Xiangrong remained on watch while everyone else went back to sleep.
The next morning, they all woke up later than usual.