As time passed minute by minute, the landscape of Zhoujia Village Production Brigade gradually came into view before the group.
Shen Jingyao gazed at the distant earthen houses, thinking how similar they looked to the documentaries she had seen. People were truly poor during this period.
In modern rural areas, every household lived in multi-story brick houses, some even in villas.
As someone who had witnessed the prosperity of the 21st century, Shen Jingyao found the scene before her quite shocking.
Similarly, the other three Educated Youth also looked rather pale. Was this the rural area they were supposed to develop?
A sense of bewilderment washed over them momentarily.
The ox cart entered the village just as work hours ended. The village paths were filled with villagers returning home after their shifts.
Seeing that the Brigade Leader had brought back the Educated Youth, everyone immediately crowded around the ox cart.
These were the first batch of Educated Youth assigned to the brigade this year, and everyone was intensely curious.
Their scrutinizing eyes drifted among the four newcomers.
Some elderly women’s eyes lit up as they stared intently at Shen Jingyao – this new Educated Youth was so neat and pretty!
Then they glanced at Xu Aili beside her – she was acceptable too, though she looked rather frail.
The young men in the village blushed, stealing occasional glances.
Being stared at like monkeys in a zoo made Shen Jingyao break out in goosebumps, and she couldn’t help rubbing her arms.
Zhou Muyan darkened at the sight of those gazes. How dare they look at Yao Yao like that?
He straightened his face and said, “Aunties, please make way. We need to take them to the Educated Youth Point.”
“Oh, Yan, we’ve just never seen such a pretty girl before and wanted to look a bit more,” a tall, thin auntie said cheerfully.
Hearing someone call A Yan “Yan Kid”, Shen Jingyao couldn’t help covering her mouth to laugh.
Zhou Muyan stiffened – he knew Yao Yao would laugh at him.
Zhou Youlin also found these women troublesome. What were they staring at? They’d have plenty of time to look since everyone would be in the same brigade.
“Everyone disperse and go home, or I’ll deduct Work Points.”
At the mention of deducted Work Points, everyone vanished instantly. Work Points were no joking matter – they were their livelihood.
Seeing the villagers run faster than rabbits, Shen Jingyao’s jaw dropped slightly in astonishment at their speed.
Zhou Youlin turned to Zhou Muyan. “Third Brother, take them to the Educated Youth Point. I’m heading back first.”
“Alright.”
Zhou Muyan drove the ox cart to stop outside the Educated Youth Point courtyard. “We’re here. Get down.”
The ox cart wasn’t high, so Shen Jingyao jumped down directly.
Zhou Muyan glanced at her. Shen Jingyao stuck her tongue out at him behind others’ backs – it wasn’t high enough to get hurt.
Zhou Muyan shook his head slightly and moved Yao Yao’s luggage down from the cart.
Meanwhile, Chen Weiguo conscientiously moved Xu Aili’s luggage down too. Xu Aili gave him a grateful smile.
Shen Jingyao examined the Educated Youth Point courtyard. Made of mud bricks, it looked quite tidy and was probably built in recent years.
The veteran Educated Youth had also finished work. Knowing new Educated Youth were arriving today, they had all been waiting in the courtyard.
There were six veteran Educated Youth in the courtyard – four male and two female.
A man of medium height with regular features stepped forward and greeted with a smile: “Comrade Zhou, these must be the new Educated Youth arriving today. Thank you for bringing them.”
The speaker was Lin Jianjun, the senior brother at the Educated Youth Point. He had been in the countryside for four years and usually handled some affairs at the Educated Youth Point.
He knew Zhou Muyan, the Brigade Leader’s youngest son and the only young person in Zhoujia Village to have graduated from high school. Zhou Muyan was now serving as a small team leader.
Zhou Muyan had escorted them there but had no reason to stay any longer.
He gave Shen Jingyao a look, indicating that he would come to find her later.
Having grown up together, Shen Jingyao understood his meaning from that single gesture.
She nodded slightly to reassure him that she would take care of herself.
Zhou Muyan set Shen Jingyao’s luggage on the ground. “I’ll be going now. You can brief them on the matters of the Educated Youth Point.”
“Alright.”
Zhou Muyan walked out of the courtyard gate and glanced back at Shen Jingyao, only to see her retreating figure.
He turned away, a faint smile on his lips, and muttered under his breath, “You heartless little thing, not even turning around to look at me.”
But there would be plenty of opportunities in the future—they would be together forever.
He strode away from the Educated Youth Point, returned the oxcart to the shed, and headed home.
In the courtyard of the Educated Youth Point, Lin Jianjun addressed Shen Jingyao and the others. “My name is Lin Jianjun, and I’m currently in charge of all affairs here. If you need anything, you can come to me.”
“Originally, there were eight Educated Youth here. Two female Educated Youth have married into the village, so now there are six veteran Educated Youth left.”
“Let me introduce them to you: Zhang Yanhong, Wei Meixia, Wang Xuenong, Zhao Heping, Li Aiguo.”
Each veteran Educated Youth nodded in acknowledgment as their names were called.
Now, Shen Jingyao had no choice but to introduce herself as well. “My name is Shen Jingyao.”
“My name is Xu Aili.”
“My name is Chen Weiguo.”
“My name is Feng Tianzhu.”
The newly arrived Educated Youth briefly introduced themselves.
Lin Jianjun looked at their luggage and said, “Well, now that we’ve all gotten to know each other, you can move your luggage into your rooms.”
“The left side is the female Educated Youth’s room, and the right side is the male Educated Youth’s room.”
The female Educated Youth named Zhang Yanhong stepped forward. “Follow me,” she said, leading the way.
Shen Jingyao carried her luggage and followed behind with Xu Aili.
Chen Weiguo and Feng Tianzhu followed Lin Jianjun to the male Educated Youth’s room.
In the female Educated Youth’s sleeping quarters, a large kang occupied half the Space. A worn-out table stood on the ground, with enamel mugs, lunch boxes, and basins placed directly on the floor.
The wall behind the kang was covered with old newspapers to prevent dirt from falling onto the bedding.
At the moment, only two sleeping spots on the kang were occupied, leaving plenty of Space.
There was a cabinet at each end of the kang. The one at the head of the kang was secured with two locks, likely belonging to the two veteran Educated Youth.
“Find yourselves a spot and lay out your bedding,” Zhang Yanhong said before leaving without another word.
“Shen Educated Youth, which spot would you like?” Xu Aili whispered to her.
Shen Jingyao glanced around the room and replied casually, “Any spot is fine. You choose first, Xu Educated Youth.”
Seeing that she wasn’t just being polite, Xu Aili picked a spot in the middle, unpacked her luggage, and began making her bed.
Before coming to the countryside, her mother had told her that in the northern regions, when the kang was heated in winter, the foot of the kang tended to stay cooler.
Shen Jingyao sat on her trunk without moving, thinking it might be necessary for her to build a small house of her own.
She wasn’t used to living in a communal dormitory, and it was too inconvenient. She had her Space—how could she use it while living with others?
When A Yan came to see her, she would discuss this matter with him.
Xu Aili, who often did household chores at home, quickly finished making the bed.