Cheng Rong noticed that the spirits of the teenagers on the truck were generally quite good, sitting and standing tall with a yearning for life in the countryside. As the truck started moving, someone took the lead in singing a song belonging to the era, and everyone else was drawn in to sing along. The passionate, high-spirited songs slightly swept away the heavy emotions of leaving their hometowns.
Cheng Rong tightly gripped the wooden railing of the truck bed, terrified of being shaken off. Just as she couldn’t suppress the urge to throw up her breakfast any longer, the truck finally stopped right outside the railway station.
Jumping off the truck, Cheng Rong carried her luggage into the waiting hall and waited quite a while before her train arrived. Shuffling forward with her luggage through the crowded crowd with great difficulty, it took her ages to board and locate her aisle-adjacent seat.
By the time she stowed her luggage away, Cheng Rong was already drenched in sweat. Pulling the thermos out of her crossbody cloth bag, Cheng Rong took a huge gulp. The thermos was filled with sour plum soup—thirst-quenching and incredibly refreshing. The sensation of thirst vanished instantly, making her feel like she had come back to life.
“Comrade, please excuse me.”
A crisp, pleasant voice rang out. Cheng Rong raised her head and saw a pretty girl wearing a goose-yellow shirt and a high ponytail. The girl’s fair skin and tall stature were striking, immediately drawing the attention of many on the train.
Cheng Rong glanced at her and stood up to let her pass. The girl gave her a slight, graceful smile as she walked into the inner seat, followed closely by a short-haired girl carrying bags and bundles. Once they stowed their luggage and sat down, Cheng Rong promptly sat back down as well.
Just then, five or six young men in military uniforms squeezed their way down the crowded aisle. The face of the leading young man was immediately visible, causing Cheng Rong to linger with a few extra glances.
This fellow had a phenomenal physique—standing around 1.85 meters tall, with sharp facial angles and exquisite, three-dimensional features that were exceptionally pleasing to the eye. Most importantly, his nose was textbook-perfect, scoring a solid nine out of ten on overall appearance. The other young men in military uniform behind him looked great too, each full of high spirits and carrying a strong military demeanor.
Wiping away a nonexistent bit of drool from the corner of her mouth, Cheng Rong quickly turned her head away—only to notice the two girls sitting right beside her also staring intently at those handsome soldiers.
Hey, weren’t girls in this era supposed to be reserved and conservative? How are they just as brazen as a female wolf like me?
The soldiers walked over and sat in the row right next to Cheng Rong’s, separated only by the aisle. Feeling too shy to keep stealing glances at the handsome guy sitting right beside her, Cheng Rong pulled a peppermint candy from her pocket, popped it into her mouth, and took out her Quotations of Chairman Mao to read silently.
After a while, two more young boys arrived at the opposite seats. Perhaps rushing, sweat kept dripping down their foreheads, and they looked utterly exhausted.
“Gu Xiaohu, what a coincidence!”
The two girls sitting next to Cheng Rong called out in pleasant surprise; it seemed they had run into an acquaintance.
“Feng Yingying, Tian Zhaodi, what a coincidence! I’m heading to Dongqiao Village in Qingshui County, Yuyang City, to settle. How about you guys?”
Hearing that a familiar boy was going down to the countryside with them, the two girls instantly felt like they had found something to lean on.
“What a huge coincidence! We’re both going to Qianjin Production Brigade, Dongqiao Village, in Qingshui County.”
“Same place! Though my friend is in the neighboring village, which isn’t far either.”
As the train began to roll, these four young men and women plunged into an animated chat, discussing everything under the sun with great passion.
While the conversation raged hotly right beside her, Cheng Rong remained completely unaffected, quietly studying her quotations.
“Yefan, those educated youths seem to be heading to your maternal grandfather’s village, don’t you think?”
“Shh, keep your voice down.”
The voice from the adjacent seat drifted into Cheng Rong’s ears—magnetic, clear, young, and with an upward inflection at the end. Cheng Rong turned her head to look, only to find that the guy had turned around too, and their eyes locked instantly.
With her thick skin, Cheng Rong grinned right back at him, flashing eight teeth.
The soldier named Yefan was clearly taken aback for a moment, then awkwardly turned his face away.
“Fan-ge, I’m hungry. Are you guys hungry?”
“I’m hungry too. Take some food out.”
With about half an hour left before the Yuyang City Railway Station, many passengers on the train had already begun eating. Cheng Rong noticed that the teenagers beside her were also opening their lunchboxes. The soldiers next to them had begun eating biscuits and canned goods as well.
With that, she put her booklet away and retrieved her own lunchbox from her bag. Inside were the scallion-oil pastries she had made last night; even after sitting overnight, they remained delightfully crispy.
Crunch!
Taking a bite of the scallion-oil pastry, its rich, savory aroma drifted straight into everyone’s nostrils. The passengers who had been eating quietly turned their heads in absolute unison toward Cheng Rong.
The aroma of the flaky pastry left everyone around thoroughly captivated. The soldiers who had been eating canned meat and biscuits just moments earlier were equally entranced—their canned meat suddenly didn’t seem quite as appealing anymore.
Sensing everyone’s gazes, Cheng Rong glanced sideways at the canned pork meat in the soldier’s hand across the aisle, thinking to herself that she hadn’t tried canned pork from this era yet.
“Comrade, can I trade five scallion-oil pastries for a can of pork to try?”
Yefan, who was addressed, blinked in surprise and was about to answer when Wang Bin cheerfully pulled out an unopened can of pork and handed it over.
“Comrade, I’ll trade with you!”
Not one to stand on ceremony, Cheng Rong quickly pulled a paper-wrapped packet of scallion-oil pastries from her bag and handed it across. Wang Bin eagerly took the pastry, bit into it without a second thought, and found the flavor so delicious he nearly bit his tongue off.
The surrounding soldiers hurried over to grab some too. Muttering under his breath, Wang Bin generously tossed a piece to Yefan. Looking at the pastry shoved into his hand, then glancing back at Cheng Rong—who was currently tasting the canned pork—Yefan finally took a bite.
He had eaten scallion-oil pastries before, but never one so flaky and crispy. It really was fragrant.
Feng Yingying, sitting right next to Cheng Rong, wore an unpleasant expression, vaguely feeling that her thunder had been stolen. She took a careful look at Cheng Rong beside her, only to realize the other girl looked rather pretty. Her jacket was new, her skin fair, and her food looked high quality; it seemed her family background must be quite good, or she was deeply doted on at home.
Unbothered by the scrutinizing gaze beside her, Cheng Rong continued to slowly savor the canned pork she had traded for, finding the taste rather average. Maybe I should make a plate of braised pork belly for tonight’s live stream, she mused.
Arrival at Qingshui County
Half an hour later, the train station broadcast horn sounded, and the soldiers beside her began packing their backpacks to get ready for their stop. Cheng Rong and the teenagers around her also packed their belongings to prepare for detraining.
As soon as the train pulled into the station, Cheng Rong quickly swung her luggage behind her and slowly shuffled along with the disembarking crowd; her legs had gone numb from sitting for so long.
Stepping off the train, Cheng Rong stamped her numb feet, took a deep breath of fresh air, and briskly walked toward the exit.
Outside the station, she spotted several trucks parked at the entrance to pick up educated youths. Catching sight of a truck bearing the “Qingshui County” sign, she hurried over. Tossing her luggage onto the truck, Cheng Rong nimbly climbed aboard and found that it was already filled with quite a few other educated youths.
Finding a spot to stand, she quickly took a sip of her sour plum soup and waited for the truck to depart.
A short while later, the four young men and women from the train walked over. Gu Xiaohu and his friend were carrying massive bags and bundles, trailing miserably behind the two girls like exhausted dogs. Cheng Rong also caught sight of the soldiers she had seen on the train boarding a military jeep and quickly vanishing from the station.
Once everyone was seated and loaded, the truck rumbled to life. After bouncing around for over an hour along bumpy, potholed roads, they finally arrived at the Qingshui County Youth Point.
Transportation in this era was truly inconvenient; Cheng Rong felt as though her backside had lost all feeling from the constant jarring.
Upon disembarking, everyone checked in at the county youth point before being led by staff members to an old ox cart. An elderly man wearing a hat and holding a tobacco pipe squatted in front of an ox. The cart was piled high with luggage, and three young people stood nearby.
“Comrade Liu Yongfu, these six are also educated youths assigned to the Qianjin Production Brigade in Dongqiao Village. Everyone has arrived, so I’m handing them over to you.”
With a brief introduction, the county youth office staff member departed. Liu Yongfu looked at the nine young people before him, sighed inwardly, and felt the village’s burden grow heavier once more.
“Hello everyone, I am Liu Yongfu, the production team leader for Qianjin Production Brigade. Since everyone is here, we can head back to the village.”
With that, Brigade Leader Liu drove the ox cart, leading this batch of new educated youths toward the village.
The mountain trails were genuinely difficult to navigate, and the ox cart couldn’t carry too much luggage, leaving the youngsters exhausted. Feng Yingying, in particular, looked as fragile as willow in the wind; after walking for just a stretch, she was completely worn out, tears welling up in her eyes.
This broke the heart of Gu Xiaohu, who was carrying luggage for two people. He had been Feng Yingying’s junior high school classmate and had liked her since childhood. Discovering that they were assigned to the same place for rustication had filled him with joy. Wasn’t this the classic setup of “acquiring water first because of proximity”? Unfamiliar surroundings made for the easiest environment to nurture romance.
“Team Leader Liu, can we take a break? We really can’t walk anymore.”
As soon as Gu Xiaohu raised a fuss, Feng Yingying and Tian Zhaodi cast grateful looks his way. This response immensely pleased Gu Xiaohu; even his back, bent under the weight of the luggage, straightened right up.
Walking at the very front, Liu Yongfu looked back, wondering what was up with this male youth. He had already whined about resting several times along the way; working like this in the future wouldn’t do at all. Still, seeing that he was carrying piles of baggage and genuinely exhausted, Liu Yongfu agreed to a brief rest—emphasizing that this would be the absolute last break, and if they didn’t pick up the pace, they wouldn’t reach the village before dark.
Cheng Rong massaged her legs; she was exhausted too, but she could still bear it. Taking a big swig of her sour plum soup, she heard Brigade Leader Liu urge everyone to resume the journey, sighed, and continued following along.
Walking until near dusk, the exhausted group finally arrived at the gate of the Dongqiao Village Youth Dormitory.
Calling it a dormitory was a stretch—it consisted of two adobe brick houses with a thatched straw roof. A faint glimmer of light leaked out through the gaps in the adobe bricks.