Lin Wanwan waited on the mountain for quite a while, but Lu Ye never returned.
It was not until Yingzi came back carrying a basket full of pig grass and called Xu Wen over, preparing to head down the mountain, that Lu Ye finally slowly descended from higher up the slope.
Huh??
Hadn’t he already gone down the mountain earlier?
Why was he coming down from above now?
Lu Ye did not look at her. He walked straight toward Yingzi.
“Finished cutting? I’ll carry it.”
“Brother? You went up the mountain again!”
A crack finally appeared in Yingzi’s usually indifferent expression. She frowned unhappily at Lu Ye. It looked as though she wanted to say something, but because there were other people nearby, she held it back.
Avoiding Lu Ye’s hand, she said: “I can carry it myself. Go help Educated Youth Lin.”
Lu Ye gave a quiet hum in response.
Only then did he turn and walk toward Lin Wanwan. He effortlessly lifted the basket filled with pig grass with one hand. The weight was nothing to him.
Standing nearby, Xu Wen grumbled indignantly.
“Why are you only helping Lin Wanwan carry hers? I can’t carry mine either.”
“How much did you even cut?”
Yingzi had never liked Xu Wen much and immediately shot back.
“If you could fill your basket, I’d help carry it too.”
“This pig grass is hard and prickly! It’s impossible to cut!”
Xu Wen protested confidently.
“What if my hands get hurt? My hands are so delicate. If I get injured and end up with scars, wouldn’t that look awful?”
Yingzi let out a cold snort, turned around, and left without bothering to argue with Xu Wen any further.
Lin Wanwan played the role of an invisible person.
She tilted her head and looked at the sky, the ground, and the surrounding scenery, refusing to get involved in the conversation between Yingzi and Xu Wen.
After all, she had barely cut any pig grass herself.
Most of it had been cut by Lu Ye.
She really did not have the confidence to criticize Xu Wen.
Beside her, Lu Ye took in her expression.
A faint trace of amusement flashed through his eyes before disappearing in an instant.
The four of them descended the mountain in silence and delivered the pig grass to the pig farm.
At this time, all the pigs in the production team were raised together.
If the commune members wanted to earn money, they had to rely on the team’s pigs, so everyone took great care of them.
The pigsties were cleaned every day, water was replaced, and fresh pig grass was fed regularly. Everyone hoped to raise the pigs fat and healthy so they could be sold for a good price later.
As evening approached, Lin Wanwan and Xu Wen headed back toward the Educated Youth Residence.
Along the way, they encountered villagers carrying farming tools and chatting cheerfully as they returned home from work.
Everyone had finished for the day.
She had not expected Yingzi and Lu Ye to be siblings.
Thinking about it carefully, the two really did resemble each other.
Whether it was their quiet and somewhat cold personalities or the slight similarities in their facial features.
With her head lowered, Lin Wanwan walked while lightly kicking pebbles along the path.
She was considering giving Yingzi a few pieces of candy tomorrow as a small token of gratitude for Lu Ye’s help.
When she returned to the Educated Youth Residence, smoke was already curling out of the kitchen chimney.
Looking at the drifting smoke in the air, Lin Wanwan could not help sighing inwardly.
Her face immediately fell.
Another round of torture.
Eating that kind of food was no different from torture for her!
It tasted terrible and scratched her throat.
It was simply unbearable.
Yet she still had to eat a little symbolically to avoid arousing suspicion from the others.
As soon as she entered the room, an unpleasant odor assaulted her nose.
Fang Yun and Lu Zhaodi were lying on their beds with blank expressions, as though their souls had already left their bodies after enduring inhuman suffering.
Lin Wanwan felt rather sympathetic toward them.
She did not say anything, but the smell was genuinely suffocating.
Her desire to move out immediately grew even stronger.
Just then, Team Leader Li’s voice sounded from outside.
“Has Educated Youth Lin come back?”
Lin Wanwan’s wilted spirits instantly revived.
Her eyes lit up as she replied sweetly,
“I’m back!”
She immediately walked over to her luggage, opened another carton of Zhonghua cigarettes, took out a pack, stuffed it into her trouser pocket, and hurried outside.
Li Changsheng was standing in the open area outside the Educated Youth Residence with a relaxed expression.
“Team Leader Li!”
Lin Wanwan could barely contain herself. She hurried over and asked eagerly,
“How did it go?”
Team Leader Li spoke gently.
“They agreed. They also said that two yuan a month would be enough. Three yuan is too much.”
Lin Wanwan, who had already been prepared to increase the rent, froze for a moment.
Huh?
Not only did she not have to pay more, it was actually one yuan cheaper!
The people of this era were far too simple and lovable!
“Oh, right. They’ll come over later to help move your things. You should start packing now.”
Team Leader Li added.
“Ah? That soon?”
Lin Wanwan was overjoyed.
The smile on her face became even brighter, and the dimples on her cheeks stood out beautifully.
“I’ll pack right away! Team Leader Li, thank you! Sorry for troubling you! Here’s a small token of appreciation. I’ll go pack now!”
She pulled the pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from her pocket, stuffed it into Team Leader Li’s hand, then spun around and dashed back into the room to pack her belongings.
Her mood was so good she felt as if bubbles were floating out of her heart.
“Huh? Cough—cough, cough!”
Looking at the pack of Zhonghua cigarettes in his hand, Team Leader Li was so shocked that he nearly choked on his own saliva.
A small token of appreciation?
A pack of Zhonghua cigarettes?!
He was an old smoker.
However, he usually smoked either homegrown tobacco or extremely cheap cigarettes that cost only a few cents per pack.
It was not that he could not afford Zhonghua cigarettes.
He simply could not bear the expense.
After all, he still had a family to support.
The price of a single pack could buy many other useful necessities.
How could he possibly justify spending it on cigarettes?
This Educated Youth Lin really was generous.
She gave away Zhonghua cigarettes as casually as if they were nothing.
Just as expected from someone from the city…
Team Leader Li coughed twice more.
After hesitating for a moment, he accepted the cigarettes.
Then he lifted his eyelids and glanced at the other Educated Youths who were staring over curiously.
Their eyes were filled with curiosity.
“Team Leader Li, what’s going on?”
Zhao Chuan walked over and asked curiously.
“Nothing much. Educated Youth Lin wants to live alone, so she asked me to help find a commune member with a spare room.”
There was nothing secretive about the matter, so Team Leader Li answered directly.
Unexpectedly, that response immediately made certain people unhappy.
“Why does she get to live alone?!”
Xu Wen exploded as soon as she heard it.
“That’s favoritism! I want my own room too!”
Several of the senior Educated Youths also looked displeased.
“Exactly! Team Leader Li, we’re all Educated Youths sent to the countryside to receive re-education. Why does Educated Youth Lin get special treatment?”
Team Leader Li frowned.
Unhurriedly, he replied,
“You can do the same if you want. Educated Youth Lin is willing to pay two yuan a month in rent. If you’re willing to pay too, I can help find places for you as well. There are several families in the village with spare rooms. I can guarantee all of you a place to stay. As Team Leader, I’m fair and impartial. I don’t play favorites.”
Two yuan a month for rent?!
Are you crazy?
The Educated Youths immediately fell silent.
Not everyone who came from the city had money.
In this era, families typically had many children, which naturally created heavy financial burdens.
Among them, the luckier ones might receive a few yuan in pocket money from their parents each month.
The less fortunate ones not only received no money, but had to work hard earning work points and send money back to support their families in the city.
Who would be willing to spend two yuan every month just to have a room of their own?
This Educated Youth Lin was truly extravagant.
The other Educated Youths were filled with envy.
Seeing that no one spoke anymore, Team Leader Li glanced at Xu Wen and suddenly remembered something.
“Oh right. The new Educated Youths haven’t collected their grain yet, have they? It’s a little late today, so Educated Youth Zhao, take them to Old Wan tomorrow and register. Then collect your grain.”
“This grain is being lent to you by the production team. At the end of the year, you’ll have to repay it with your work points. If your work points aren’t enough, you’ll need to make up the difference with money. So work hard and don’t slack off! Of course, if you don’t want to borrow grain, that’s fine too. The choice is yours.”
Zhao Chuan nodded.
“Okay. I’ll take them tomorrow.”
“Good.”
After thinking for a moment and finding nothing else to say, Team Leader Li clasped his hands behind his back and slowly walked away along the village path.
Once Team Leader Li left, an eerie silence settled over the Educated Youth Residence.
A few seconds later, everyone silently gathered outside Lin Wanwan’s room and peeked inside.
She was packing her belongings while Fang Yun helped organize some of her things.
Then someone spoke in a sarcastic tone.
“The new Educated Youth is way too unsociable. Everyone else lives together, but she insists on being special and moving out. Anyone who didn’t know better would think she came to the countryside to enjoy herself. We’re supposed to be here to receive re-education.”