Back in her own room, Su Yun set down her backpack basket and took out all the items inside, organizing each one in its place.
The bowls, chopsticks, and thermos went directly on the table. She poured some kerosene into the oil lamp and set that on the table too. The bottle she’d used for the kerosene was tucked into the far corner under the table—somewhere she’d have to crouch down to reach, so she wouldn’t accidentally trip over it and spill it.
The sugar, malted milk powder, and sewing kit went into the kang cabinet. The shampoo and face cream went into the drawer on top of the cabinet.
The rain boots went against the wall on the floor, and she also put one pair of the liberation shoes on the floor—she’d be wearing them to work as soon as she started.
The remaining new pair of liberation shoes and the nylon socks were packed into her wooden chest, alongside her other clothes and new shoes.
The newspapers and books were placed on top of the kang cabinet, within easy reach whenever she felt like reading.
She left the padlock by the table for now. She’d have to wait until the older educated youth came back from work to ask if there were tools like a hammer she could borrow to install it on her door.
Her system storage grid was nearly full too. Su Yun took out two green dates and ate them while quickly organizing things.
She took out the bedsheet and pillowcase from the pure cotton four-piece set to put on later—she’d forgotten about them yesterday and had just slept directly on the quilt. The remaining pillowcase and duvet cover were folded and put into the wooden chest.
Of the four bolts of cloth she’d gotten from check-ins, two were pure cotton. Su Yun took out the white one, planning to make herself some undergarments. The remaining blue bolt was set aside for when she got some cotton and could ask someone to make her a padded jacket.
Spotting the two catties of pork she’d previously checked in, still sitting in her storage grid, Su Yun felt a bit troubled.
At the educated youth site, meals were communal, and meat dishes had a strong aroma. She wouldn’t have a chance to cook it just for herself. After thinking it over, she took out one catty to bring to the kitchen once the older educated youth returned, so everyone could enjoy a little treat.
She could also find an opportunity to share the remaining catty later. The people at the educated youth site all seemed decent enough, with no real problematic characters. Even the male and female leads were only a bit muddled when it came to romantic matters—otherwise, their character was sound.
Getting along well with everyone would make the next few years more comfortable. Especially for a group of young people in an unfamiliar countryside, sticking together was the best way to avoid being bullied.
She put the remaining ration coupons back into the biscuit tin. She took out a separate bamboo box and placed the biscuit tin, the two bottles of Moutai, and the remaining three bolts of cloth together.
Since these items weren’t used often, storing them together would take up just one slot.
Even after all that rearranging, she’d only freed up four slots. The main issue was all the food items—there were too many, and she needed to take them out to eat frequently, so they couldn’t all be stored together.
Still, her storage space was sufficient for now. By the time she went to the county next time, she would have consumed a fair amount of the items, freeing up more room naturally.
Looking out the window, the sky was still bright. In summer, the sun set late, and the educated youth wouldn’t be done with work for another hour.
Su Yun took out her sewing kit and elastic band, planning to try making herself a couple of pairs of underwear to rotate.
The sewing kit she’d bought came with a small pair of scissors—the old-fashioned kind only half a palm long, designed to be pinched and squeezed, typically used for trimming wool.
They were a bit awkward for cutting fabric, not as good as larger shears. But as a beginner, Su Yun wasn’t picky and made do.
After fumbling around for quite a while, she actually managed to produce two pairs. They were ugly, though, and she hadn’t finished the edges.
Su Yun didn’t mind—they were worn underneath, and no one would see them. When she had more time, she also wanted to try making a couple of sleeveless undershirts.
The older educated youth started trickling back one by one. Su Yun took the catty of pork belly and headed to the kitchen.
Today’s cooks were still Wang Pan’er and Liu Xiaoyan.
“Comrade Wang, here’s this for you. Add it to tonight’s meal so everyone can have a little extra.”
Wang Pan’er stared at the pork, momentarily stunned. She unconsciously rubbed her hands together, her eyes filled with longing, but her mouth refused: “This… this is too generous… I’d feel bad…”
“It’s nothing. I happened to have a meat coupon that was about to expire, so I bought it to give everyone a little boost.”
Su Yun didn’t want to be seen as a pushover, giving people the impression that she’d be regularly treating the educated youth site to extra meals.
Liu Xiaoyan, standing nearby, was more straightforward and reached out to take the meat.
“Alright! Thank you, Comrade Su. I’ll go pull some peppers and eggplants from the vegetable patch. Tonight, we’ll have a proper feast!”
When the other educated youth found out that Su Yun had added a meat dish to the evening meal, they felt a bit awkward about taking advantage, so they each brought something from their own rooms to contribute. Some offered a few eggs, others brought dried mushrooms or bamboo shoots they’d saved earlier. The amounts weren’t large—just a gesture of goodwill.
The new arrivals also shared some of the local specialties they’d brought from home. Gu Beihai handed over a sausage to the kitchen, Liu Huan contributed a small piece of cured meat, and Li Jianjun went one step further—he actually pulled out a small bottle of liquor.
An Qin and Tao Yining also shared fruit drops and biscuits with everyone. The whole educated youth site was filled with laughter and a lively atmosphere.
This time, without Su Yun and the others even having to ask, Li Feng and Zhao Jiayan took the initiative to grab their tools and install locks on the doors of the new arrivals who were living alone.
Living in a group really required a bit of social grace to get along well, Su Yun reflected inwardly.
The two cooks worked quickly and efficiently, and before long, dinner was ready.
Zhu Shengchao and Li Jianjun carried a table out from the male educated youth’s room. Everyone else grabbed their own stools, and tonight they all sat down to eat together.
The spread on the table was quite lavish: stir-fried eggplant with pork slices, sausage stir-fried with bamboo shoots, scrambled eggs, mushroom soup, smashed cucumber, and a plate of wild vegetables dressed with cold sauce.
In most village households, even during the holidays, they couldn’t always eat this well.
To match the feast, they took a bit more flour than usual and steamed a large pot of white-flour steamed buns to share. Everyone also got a bowl of grits porridge.
Li Jianjun opened the bottle of liquor and poured a little for each of the male educated youth—just a sip or two, not enough to get them drunk and mess up work the next day.
Everyone took their seats. Zhao Jiayan, as the head of the educated youth site, spoke first:
“Today’s meal is thanks to the new arrivals for contributing, and also to welcome them. Consider this a proper dinner to dust off the travel! If any of you have questions, feel free to come to us anytime!”
Li Jianjun chimed in: “We’re new and don’t know anything yet. Please bear with us from now on. Let me raise a toast to everyone!” With that, he raised his cup and downed it in one gulp.
That got the atmosphere even livelier. The group ate and exchanged pleasantries, all looking quite harmonious.
The two female educated youth were genuinely good cooks—the dishes they’d made were delicious. And in those days, buying meat required ration coupons, which weren’t easy to come by. Most people only got a taste of meat every few months, so everyone was starved for oil and fat. Even boiled in plain water, meat would’ve tasted amazing.
Everyone ate to their heart’s content. Afterward, the female educated youth cleaned up the bowls and plates together, while the male educated youth carried the table back and swept the area clean.
They boiled a few pots of water and filled everyone’s thermoses before heading back to their rooms to rest.
She was too tired today. Su Yun bolted the door from the inside, quickly washed up, and lay down in bed, drifting off to sleep.
Tomorrow was her first day of work—she couldn’t afford to be late!