“We’re here!” Uncle Yuan’s shout interrupted her thoughts. The tractor plowed two deep furrows in the dirt road, kicking up dust that swept across their faces. Li Luoyu waved away the swirling dust before catching sight of the words “Hongqi Commune.”
The ancient arched gate exuded a heavy sense of the era. On the stone pillars on either side, slogans in bold red and white characters were particularly striking: “Rooted in the countryside, unwavering in spirit,” and “A vast world to temper a red heart.” Each stroke spoke of the passion and ambition of this era.
On the distant walls, various propaganda posters characteristic of the times were painted: “The Poor and Lower-Middle Peasants Welcome You!”, “Educated Youth Go to the Countryside!”, “A Vast World, Great Achievements!”… Each one was simple and enthusiastic.
Looking at it all, Li Luoyu felt a peculiar emotion surge within her, a tremor from the depths of her soul, or perhaps an anticipation of a new life.
The educated youths in the back of the truck scrambled down. Li Luoyu heard someone grumble, “This is the commune? It’s more run-down than the county town.”
Two people with red armbands handed over the group of six to the local “Tail-Cutting Committee.” After a round of ‘identity verification,’ ‘registration for ideological reform,’ ‘contraband inspection,’ and a ‘pledge of reform’ with a bow to a portrait of the Great Leader, they received a ‘Reform Commitment Letter’ from an official, on which they pressed their thumbprints and signed their names.
As they left the Tail-Cutting Committee, each person was given a “Down-to-the-Countryside Certificate,” two mimeographed copies of the “**Reform Handbook,” and the “Little Red Book.” Li Luoyu casually flipped open the handbook. The first page clearly stated the clause, “Daily labor time shall not be less than ten hours,” and she suddenly smiled.
Old Pei rolled the handbook into a cylinder, tapped Li Luoyu’s shoulder, and whispered, “Do you know why they call it the ‘Tail-Cutting Committee’?” He pointed to a goat in the distance nibbling on wild grass. “Back then, they said goat tails were ‘remnants of capitalism’ and they all got cut off. Later, they found that sheep without tails couldn’t survive the winter, so they secretly sewed them back on. People, sometimes, are not as smart as sheep.”
Li Luoyu: Is he really saying this?
“Back when I practiced at Tongrentang, we emphasized ‘observation, listening, inquiry, and palpation’,” he said, rolling up his sleeves and brushing the dust off his clothes. “We diagnosed patients by their pulse, but now they decide the nature of a goat’s tail.”
Li Luoyu covered her mouth, stifling a laugh: Is intellectual sarcasm this fun?
“You’re still complaining, old man, which means you’ve got plenty of spirit!”
Grandma Xu patted Old Pei helplessly, “Don’t talk nonsense to the child.”
Li Luoyu shook her head, “No, I like listening. Grandpa Pei, you can tell me more.”
“See, I knew our Li girl was special. Once we’re settled, Grandpa Pei will teach you the ‘Pei-style Thirteen Needles’.”
“Okay! You’re so smart, you’ll definitely learn it right away!”
“Hahaha~, Grandpa Pei has high hopes for you! If you’re willing, Grandpa Pei will pass on all his knowledge!”
They returned to Xiangyang Production Team, still riding in Uncle Yuan’s tractor.
Besides their group of six, there were four other educated youths on the tractor: the young man who apologized on the train, the young woman carrying a huge backpack, Zhou Huazhang who was cursing and looking down on those being sent down, and the young woman with her nose in the air.
Li Luoyu thought they would all keep to themselves and not interfere with each other, but unexpectedly, the apologizing young man spoke first, introducing himself: “Uh, Comrade Li, my name is Niu Jianshe, I’m 18 years old this year, and you’ve also been assigned to Xiangyang Production Team. If you need any help in the future, you can come find me.”
Li Luoyu smiled and nodded, “Yes, Comrade Niu, thank you. But I can handle these things myself.”
The young man and woman smiled, their eyes full of stars, their smiles infectious, and their voices soft and sweet, very pleasant to hear: “Hello, Comrade Li, my name is Su Xiaoxiao, I’m 17 years old, from Hangzhou. You’re amazing, you can even fix tractors! Hee hee~, that’s great!”
Since the young lady was being so friendly, she couldn’t just ignore her. Li Luoyu smiled and replied, “You’re amazing too, carrying such a big backpack and still walking so fast! Such a small body, yet it stores so much strength, that’s great!”
Su Xiaoxiao’s face turned red from the compliment, her pigtails brushing her sweat-dampened neck. “No, I just eat a lot~. To be honest, it’s because I eat so much that my mom sent me to the countryside.”
In those days, those sent to the countryside by their families were either unloved—casually discarded into the torrent of the times—or loved too much—pushed away from the center of the storm, using ‘abandonment’ as armor. If a child was doted on by their parents, how could they bear to send them to suffer in the countryside?
Li Luoyu couldn’t think of any words of comfort, so she could only encourage her, “Yes, a vast world, great achievements. I believe you can create a new life for yourself!”
“Yes, yes, I definitely will.” Su Xiaoxiao clenched her fist and cheered herself on.
After the introductions, the two of them turned their gaze to Zhou Huazhang, who was cursing and looking down on the educated youths being sent down.
“I, I…” Zhou Huazhang’s skin crawled under their stares. He swallowed and stammered, “My… my name is Zhou Huazhang! From… Beijing. I’m 17 years old this year.” His voice grew softer and softer, the last few words almost swallowed by the tractor’s “putt-putt” sound, making him sound like a squashed grasshopper.
Niu Jianshe couldn’t hold back his laughter and deliberately raised his voice, “Comrade Zhou’s name is so grand! It sounds like a cultured person.”
Zhou Huazhang’s face turned bright red, his fists clenched so tightly they creaked. He could naturally tell this was sarcasm. He had been the one to stand out and curse them as dregs of society, and they clearly remembered it.
Niu Jianshe kindly offered Zhou Huazhang the advice Li Luoyu had given him earlier: “Young Comrade Zhou, it is good to know one’s mistakes and correct them. It is never too late to do good. In the future, if you want to walk a smooth path, you must be a dignified person and act with integrity.”
Li Luoyu nodded impassively. There were plenty of people who looked down on those being sent down; if she bothered with every single one, wouldn’t she get breast cancer from anger?
After Zhou Huazhang finished his introduction, everyone’s gaze swept over the woman with her nose in the air like a spotlight.
The “Nose-in-the-Air” lady slowly smoothed her hair before lifting her chin. Rather than looking at people, she was looking at them with her nostrils, like a proud peacock. She let out a disdainful snort, “My name is Zhao Zhaodi, from Beijing.”
She emphasized the word “Beijing” heavily, dragging out the last syllable with an arrogant arc, as if those two words came with a golden border.
Li Luoyu: Aba aba.
She thought it was some high-class name, but it was just this?
As expected, the name Zhaodi, a common one in period dramas, appeared sooner or later!
Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but let out a snicker, “Oh, oh, oh! I thought your name was so noble, but it turns out it’s the same generation as Aunt Wang next door’s cat? Her cat is called ‘Zhao Fu’!”
Niu Jianshe almost choked on his own saliva.
Zhou Huazhang lowered his head, staring at the tips of his shoes, his shoulders shaking like a sieve. He realized that as long as the mockery wasn’t directed at him, these people were quite likable.
Zhao Zhaodi’s face instantly turned the color of a pig’s liver. Her fingernails, painted with balsam pear juice, pointed at Su Xiaoxiao as she questioned, “What do you know, you country bumpkin! My dad’s unit’s section chief calls me ‘Comrade Zhaodi’!”
“That’s truly remarkable!” Su Xiaoxiao swayed her huge backpack, her voice sweet and syrupy, “Comrade Zhaodi!”
Niu Jianshe also joined in, imitating Su Xiaoxiao’s tone, “Comrade Zhaodi!”
Zhao Zhaodi clenched her fists, her angry eyes seeming to shoot sparks: What should I do if I want to beat them to death?
Li Luoyu smiled and teased, “Oh my, indeed, you’re all just a bunch of little kids who haven’t experienced any storms.”
Old Master Li gave her a “bonk” on the head, “What are you laughing at? Aren’t you a kid too?”
Li Luoyu: “?”
“Old man, if you hit my head, I’ll fight back.”
“Hah~, try fighting back,” Old Master Li, not believing she would dare, gave her another “bonk.” “I’m your grandfather, you dare to rebel?”
Li Luoyu didn’t argue with the old man. She hugged her head and hid behind Grandma Xu, complaining, “Grandma Xu, look, my grandpa is being unreasonable!”