Xu Aili turned around and noticed Shen Jingyao still sitting on the trunk in a daze.
She hesitated for a moment before saying, “Educated Youth Shen, do you need my help?”
Hearing her voice, Shen Jingyao snapped out of her thoughts. “Ah, thank you, but no need. I can manage on my own.”
“Alright.” Hearing that she didn’t need assistance, Xu Aili continued putting away other items into the cabinet at the end of the kang.
Shen Jingyao first took the small broom hanging by the kang and swept the kang surface—she knew this was specifically for sweeping the kang.
Then she took out the bedding her Mother Shen had packed. At the very bottom, she spread a coarse cloth sheet, placed a mattress on top, followed by a pink sheet, and finally the quilt.
After completing this entire process, she felt quite exhausted, with fine beads of sweat appearing on her forehead.
Once the bed was made, Shen Jingyao took out her enamel mug, toothpaste, and toothbrush, placing them on the table. Suddenly, she realized she didn’t have a basin. Would she have to go without washing her face or feet tonight?
Setting that aside for now, since she planned to live separately later, there was no need to unpack other items. It would be better to keep them directly in the trunk.
At that moment, the female Educated Youth named Zhang Yanhong appeared at the doorway again.
“Once you’re done tidying up, come out for dinner.”
The dining area at the Educated Youth Point was in the kitchen, featuring a large round table. With the current small number of people, everyone could sit together, but this wouldn’t be possible once more people arrived.
After everyone was seated, Lin Jianjun began speaking, “Tonight’s meal is to welcome you, using the food supplies of us veteran Educated Youth. Starting tomorrow, you’ll need to contribute your own food for meals.”
Chen Weiguo asked, “Educated Youth Lin, what should we do since we’ve just arrived and don’t have any food supplies yet?”
“Don’t worry. You don’t need to work tomorrow; you can go to the team to collect food supplies. You can repay it with your Work Points at the end of the year.”
Chen Weiguo nodded, “Okay, I understand.”
“Also, let me explain the arrangements at the Educated Youth Point. During busy farming seasons, female Educated Youth usually handle cooking, while male Educated Youth fetch water. As for firewood, everyone needs to contribute together. It gets very cold here, and we need a lot of firewood to get through the winter.”
“Right now, it’s the autumn harvest season, so we’ll follow this arrangement from now on.”
Shen Jingyao and the other newcomers nodded to indicate their understanding.
“Let’s eat.”
Each person received one wotou and half a bowl of corn dregs porridge, with the porridge consisting mostly of water.
The dishes on the table were relatively plentiful: a plate of stir-fried cabbage, a plate of potato slices, and a bowl of pickled vegetable chunks.
Looking at the food, Shen Jingyao thought to herself how austere conditions were. Fortunately, she had her Space; otherwise, she might starve to death here.
The wotou in her hand wasn’t purely yellow in color—likely something had been mixed into the cornmeal. Eating it felt rough and scratchy in her throat.
Shen Jingyao quickly picked up her bowl and took a sip of water to wash it down.
At the table, the veteran Educated Youth ate with relish and speed.
The new Educated Youth all ate slowly, clearly unaccustomed to the food.
Lin Jianjun watched them but didn’t comment. Everyone had to go through this phase—they would get used to it after some time. He had been the same when he first arrived.
After the meal, Shen Jingyao returned to her room. She was still very hungry; that earlier meal barely counted as food.
She took out the boiled eggs her Mother Shen had prepared from her Space—two remained.
Peeling the shell and putting it in her mouth, the rich aroma of egg instantly filled her entire mouth. It was incredibly delicious.
Wei Meixia came in from outside and saw Shen Jingyao sitting by the kang eating an egg, the scent of eggs permeating the air.
She swallowed her saliva in a rather unbecoming manner, sniffing the air vigorously. Her stomach, which had just been filled with a meal, gurgled in protest, and she eventually couldn’t stand it and ran outside.
Shen Jingyao had the misfortune of choking on the last bite of egg. She patted her chest forcefully, forcing the egg down her throat.
Sitting on the edge of the kang to catch her breath, she thought how close it had been—she’d nearly “passed away at the tender age of seventeen.”
If she had died from choking on an egg, she would never have forgiven herself.
The water in her flask had long been finished. The water in her Space was cold, and she wanted something warm to drink. Carrying her enamel mug, she went to the kitchen.
The Educated Youth named Zhang Yanhong was sitting in the kitchen, boiling water.
“Comrade Zhang, I’d like to get some hot water,” Shen Jingyao said, looking at her.
Zhang Yanhong nodded without speaking, instead handing her the ladle used for scooping hot water.
“Thank you.”
So far, this Comrade Zhang seemed to be just a bit taciturn, with no other noticeable traits.
She filled her mug halfway with hot water and returned to her room. She opened one of the boxes of malt extract that Mother Shen had packed for her and made herself a cup.
When Wei Meixia came in again, she saw Shen Jingyao making another cup of malt extract.
Damn it, even if she had money, she shouldn’t be squandering it like this! If she used it all up now, how would she manage in the days to come?
Shen Jingyao had been watching her out of the corner of her eye since she entered and noticed the rapidly shifting expressions on her face.
She sat steadily, sipping her malt extract. No wonder this was such a popular nutritional supplement in this era—the milky flavor was truly rich.
She couldn’t care less about Wei Meixia’s expression. Seriously, she was consuming her own belongings—no one had the right to interfere.
Was she supposed to deprive herself just to spare others’ feelings?
After finishing the malt extract, Shen Jingyao felt a comforting warmth in her stomach. Finally, she was full.
Now that she was full, it was time to rest. There weren’t any entertainment options anyway.
She took out the slippers Mother Shen had packed for her. The style and color were rather outdated.
The original owner had seen them at the Department Store and had been yearning for them ever since. Later, when the original owner got into high school, Shen’s father bought them as a reward.
Mother Shen had scolded Shen’s father for this, saying he was spoiling the child. After all, what ordinary family would buy something like slippers? It was a sheer waste of shoe coupons and money.
But Shen’s father had said, “It’s rare for the child to like something so much. Of course, we should fulfill her wish.”
Shen Jing put on the slippers and, carrying her toothbrush, towel, and enamel mug, went to the water vat outside.
The weather in September wasn’t too cold yet—still a bit warm, in fact.
Shen Jingyao wet her towel with cold water and wiped her face and neck.
After three days on the train, she sniffed the clothes she was wearing and detected a peculiar odor.
She wrinkled her nose, feeling somewhat disgusted with herself. But since they were all living together now, she couldn’t just go into her Space to take a bath.
After washing her face, she brushed her teeth, then used her enamel mug to scoop some cold water to rinse her feet.
Once she had finished washing up, Shen Jingyao took advantage of the empty room to change into the original owner’s pajamas and climbed onto the kang.
She estimated it was only around seven o’clock. After a long, exhausting day, she was already tired and fell asleep almost immediately.
By the time Xu Aili, Zhang Yanhong, and Wei Meixia returned to the room, she was fast asleep.
She had covered herself with the quilt, leaving only her dark little head peeking out.
Thus, the first day at Zhoujia Village Production Brigade came to an end in the realm of dreams.