10
Mistaken Identity
Jiang Zhizhi felt somewhat helpless. Only now did he think to ask if she was capable? This man was truly reckless.
But when it came to repairing vehicles, she actually was competent. After all, in her previous life, she had been the most outstanding all-rounder in her team.
Pressing her lips together, she smiled faintly. “Let me take a look first.”
Only then did Liang Dazhuang start having doubts. Such a delicate young woman—could she really fix vehicles? Had he been too hasty earlier? But the tractor had been broken for two or three days, and it was the busy farming season now. How could he not be anxious?
Hearing Jiang Zhizhi’s words, he hurried over and lifted the bedsheet, revealing the polished tractor front.
Jiang Zhizhi circled the front of the tractor, then asked Liang Dazhuang to try starting it.
The tractors of this era all used crank handles inserted into a hole and vigorously turned to ignite.
Liang Dazhuang cranked it dozens of times, but the tractor showed no response whatsoever, even emitting a faint hissing sound.
Jiang Zhizhi called for him to stop. “Alright, use a screwdriver to dismantle this part. There’s a small belt inside that came off—just reattach it.”
From the sound, she estimated that the two gear belts below the engine had loosened and couldn’t engage properly, which was why it wouldn’t start.
Liang Dazhuang was surprised. “Really? When others came to repair it before, they said there was no issue there.”
Jiang Zhizhi smiled at Liang Dazhuang. “If you trust me as an expert, then dismantle it and see if I’m right.”
Liang Dazhuang hesitated for two seconds, then remembered what his father, the village party secretary, had said: if he couldn’t get the tractor fixed, he’d be sent to plow the fields! He quickly fetched tools and, following Jiang Zhizhi’s instructions, dismantled the front of the engine, then the lower part.
Jiang Zhizhi squatted nearby, pointing and directing.
After everything was taken apart, they indeed found that the belts on two small gears inside had broken. Because they were on the bottom layer, the damage couldn’t be detected without complete disassembly.
Liang Dazhuang looked at Jiang Zhizhi with full admiration. “Incredible, you’re truly amazing. Just by listening to the sound, you knew where the problem was.”
Jiang Zhizhi looked at Liang Dazhuang, whose face was smeared with engine oil, making him appear rather comical, and laughed. “Alright, hurry and buy a belt to install, and the tractor will run.”
Overjoyed, Liang Dazhuang ran off to buy a belt and returned, then installed it under Jiang Zhizhi’s guidance.
Eagerly, he tried starting the tractor. With a satisfying “putt-putt-putt,” the engine roared to life.
Liang Dazhuang grinned, revealing his white teeth. Before Jiang Zhizhi could react, he tossed her bag into the trailer. “Comrade, hurry and get on. My dad told me to pick you up and bring you home quickly.”
Jiang Zhizhi hesitated. She wasn’t the expert he was supposed to pick up. “I’m not the expert you’re supposed to meet…”
Liang Dazhuang, impulsive as ever, reached out to pull Jiang Zhizhi. “Never mind, you fixed it, so I’m taking you. I’ve been waiting for two days—if I don’t bring someone back, my dad will scold me to death!”
Jiang Zhizhi quickly waved her hands. “No need, no need, I can get on myself.”
She placed one hand on the edge of the vehicle, stepped on the wheel, and nimbly jumped in, sitting down by the side.
Liang Dazhuang cheerfully told Jiang Zhizhi to hold on tight and drove off.
Once they left the city, the road became bumpy and uneven, with various crisscrossing ditches.
Jiang Zhizhi had no time to admire the surrounding scenery. She gripped the edge of the vehicle tightly with her left hand to avoid being thrown off.
Her internal organs felt as if they were being jostled out of place. She wanted to tell Liang Dazhuang to slow down, but before she could utter a sound, a mouthful of dust filled her mouth. Resigned, she pressed her lips together and let him drive however he pleased.
Jiang Zhizhi had no idea how long they had been driving. She only felt it was an extremely long journey, her bones nearly rattling apart when the tractor finally rumbled into a village. Low mud-brick houses stood clustered together, firewood piled in front and behind them. The place looked worn and desolate, yet it was the common sight of rural areas in this era.
The tractor’s noise drew out a crowd of children and adults who weren’t working, gathering at the village entrance to watch.
Liang Dazhuang parked the vehicle at the threshing ground near the village entrance, hopping down with practiced ease. He announced to the onlookers, “The tractor’s fixed! We can use it for plowing later.”
The crowd, initially focused on the tractor, halted in their tracks upon spotting Jiang Zhizhi on the vehicle, their curiosity piqued.
The village had its share of urban Educated Youth, but they had never seen a girl with such fair and delicate features before.
Old Liang, seeing his son return with a pretty girl in tow, stormed over and rapped Liang Dazhuang’s head with his dry tobacco pipe. “I sent you to fetch the expert from the city! Why did you bring back a girl? Where’s the expert?”
Liang Dazhuang clutched his head and jumped aside, positioning himself next to Jiang Zhizhi. “Dad, she’s the one who fixed the tractor! Of course I brought her back.”
Old Liang stared in disbelief, his eyes sweeping over Jiang Zhizhi several times as if trying to reconcile the image before him with the idea of a tractor mechanic. “What? This lass fixed the tractor?”
Rubbing his head indignantly, Liang Dazhuang retorted, “Dad, how can you judge by appearances? Comrade Jiang here repaired it. She’s amazing—just a couple of cranks from me, and she pinpointed the problem!”
Jiang Zhizhi smiled faintly at Old Liang without speaking. The tractor repair was her doing; as for her identity, she neither confirmed nor denied anything.
Old Liang’s eyes widened in astonishment, and he sputtered several exclamations of surprise. “My apologies, Comrade Jiang! I failed to recognize your talent. It’s just that this rascal of mine lies often, and he’s been gone for two or three days this time…”
Jiang Zhizhi shook her head gently, her smile unwavering. “It’s alright.”
Old Liang pondered for a moment before calling to his son, “Dazhuang, what are you standing around for? Help Comrade Jiang carry her bag home. She’ll stay with us tonight. Oh, and remember, some army leaders are coming later—behave properly. Don’t embarrass us with your clumsiness.”
Jiang Zhizhi didn’t stand on ceremony, following the Liang father and son with natural composure. She planned to observe a bit more before deciding whether to tell Old Liang the truth and settle in the village.
As Old Liang led Jiang Zhizhi back, he shooed the onlookers away with a wave. “Hurry home, all of you! The commune is showing a movie after dinner tonight. Remember to come watch after you’ve eaten.”
At the mention of a movie, the crowd of adults and children dispersed in a cheerful uproar.
Old Liang shook his head with a chuckle. “Sorry for the spectacle, Comrade Jiang. We only get movies once a month, and sometimes they don’t come if the weather’s bad. That’s why everyone’s so excited.”
He then remembered something and turned back to his son. “After dinner, go check the Educated Youth Housing. Clear out those two side rooms—four new Educated Youth are arriving tomorrow, three girls and one boy.”
Liang Dazhuang looked puzzled. “More are coming? I thought they said no more would come. The last batch was hard to deal with, and now four more? What a hassle.”
Old Liang glared at him. “If I tell you to go, then go. They’re all city folks—it’s only natural they’d be a bit more delicate. As long as nobody dies here, let them carry on however they please.”
Then, remembering that Jiang Zhizhi also came from the city, he quickly added, afraid he might have offended her: “Comrade Xiao Jiang, don’t misunderstand—I meant those young people from the city. Every one of them is a troublemaker, so hard to deal with.”
Jiang Zhizhi muttered quietly to herself: She was a young person from the city too, and she wasn’t a troublemaker at all.