Once everyone had gathered, Zhou Jianguo announced it was time to head back, and Zhou Aiguo began driving the ox cart.
Only luggage was loaded on the cart—even Zhou Jianguo was walking—so although the other Educated Youth were unhappy, they had no choice but to walk as well.
Fortunately, almost all the Educated Youth had eaten something. Though exhausted, they could still manage to keep going.
After walking for over forty minutes, Xu Jiajia and Ning Xuan began to look unwell. Ning Xuan’s body had always been malnourished, and coupled with her recent poor appetite, she couldn’t handle such a long walk. Xu Jiajia, on the other hand, was naturally delicate. Born prematurely, she had been pampered by her family since childhood.
Logically, with such doting parents and their resources, she shouldn’t have been sent to the countryside. But discord within the family changed everything.
Xu Jiajia’s sister-in-law had initially treated her well after marrying into the family. Over time, however, she grew resentful upon realizing her husband always prioritized his younger sister above all else. When Xu Jiajia was about to graduate from high school and her family hadn’t yet arranged a job for her, her sister-in-law secretly registered her for rural assignment.
When the truth came out, Xu Jiajia’s brother beat his wife and threatened divorce. The Xu family was filled with regret. They had been overly cautious in job-hunting for Jiajia, rejecting opportunities they deemed too strenuous, exhausting, or involving complicated workplace dynamics—fearing she couldn’t cope. Their indecision allowed their daughter-in-law to sabotage the situation.
Once registered, even with their influence, they couldn’t reverse the rural assignment. However, they managed to pull strings to send Xu Jiajia to a relatively better location where Xu’s eldest brother had a friend working in the commune, ensuring she would have some support if needed. They resolved to find her a city job and bring her back after one year in the countryside.
Noticing the two young women were genuinely struggling, Zhou Jianguo decided they were close enough to the brigade and let them ride on the ox cart. To keep pace with the walking Educated Youth, Zhou Aiguo deliberately slowed the cart, maintaining a short distance.
Neither Ning Xuan nor Xu Jiajia were the type to refuse help when truly needed. After expressing gratitude, they climbed aboard. Once seated, Ning Xuan felt dizzy and closed her eyes to recover. After a while, she felt better and finally took in the scenery along the way.
Zhou Jianguo glanced at the crops by the roadside and remarked to the Educated Youth, “You’ve come at a good time. It’s not the busiest season yet, so you’ll have a buffer period to adapt to the work.”
“And it’s not cold now. Those of you boys from the south might find the winter harsh, but arriving now gives you time to adjust gradually,” Zhou Aiguo added.
Ning Xuan nodded unconsciously. He was absolutely right—if they had arrived in the cold season, she would have been miserable.
Zhou Jianguo and Zhou Aiguo then briefed the new Educated Youth on the current farm work, preparing them mentally. Chatting while traveling made the time pass quicker—though the two Zhous did most of the talking, as the Educated Youth were too exhausted from walking to do more than nod or mumble in response.
Another half hour passed before they finally reached the village entrance. The oxcart continued inward, stopping only when it arrived at a courtyard enclosed by earthen walls.
"This is the Educated Youth Center. Let's move your belongings inside first. It's still work hours now, so I'll go fetch the team leaders."
Ning Xuan observed the Educated Youth Center before her and thought it wasn't too bad—not overly dilapidated. Though it was a mud-tile house, half of it was built with clay bricks, making it appear much better than a purely earthen structure.
There were several rooms here, and Ning Xuan hoped she could have one to herself. If that wasn't possible, she at least wanted to share with as few people as possible—the fewer, the better.
It was only 1973. If she could return to the city by passing the first batch of college entrance exams, she would still have to live here for over four years. She hoped to make her stay as comfortable as possible.
Zhou Jianguo stayed with them while they waited for the team leaders. After a few minutes, Zhou Aiguo returned with two young people, a man and a woman.
Zhou Aiguo spoke first, "These are your team leaders at the Educated Youth Center. For easier management, we have both a male and a female leader."
The young man, who looked to be in his twenties, said, "Hello, I'm Liu Jun."
The young woman beside him, also in her twenties, added, "I'm Huang Xiaomei."
Liu Jun then led the male Educated Youth away, while the female Educated Youth followed Huang Xiaomei.
The Educated Youth Center had four large rooms with Datongpu-style sleeping arrangements and Tukang (heated brick beds).
Each bed could sleep up to six people. Any more than that, and even in winter, with quilts, there wouldn't be enough space to turn over.
When the Down to the Countryside Policy was first implemented a few years ago, many passionate young people volunteered to go to the countryside, and brigade members treated the Educated Youth with great respect.
However, they soon realized that the Educated Youth weren't skilled at manual labor and had to share their food rations, which made many brigade members less welcoming.
Over time, some Educated Youth managed to return to the city by finding jobs or using medical reasons, while others moved out of the Educated Youth Center after marrying locals.
Before Ning Xuan and the others arrived, there were 12 people at the Educated Youth Center—8 men and 4 women.
With the addition of Ning Xuan's group—3 men and 2 women—there were still enough rooms.
The women's dormitory originally had two people per room. Now, Ning Xuan and Xu Jiajia each chose a room, making it three people per room.
Since she hadn't met the others yet, Ning Xuan thought Huang Xiaomei seemed nice and chose to share a room with her. Xu Jiajia, being a bit slower, picked the other room.
Ning Xuan noticed that the spot she was to sleep in was quite clean. Huang Xiaomei smiled and explained, "This spot was originally occupied by another Educated Youth. Since it's not cold in summer, we slept at opposite ends, leaving the middle empty. When we heard new Educated Youth were coming, she moved to the middle. You can sleep at this end."
Ning Xuan understood—her spot was at the cooler end of the heated bed, which wouldn't get as warm in winter when the bed was heated.
But she didn't mind. In fact, she thought it was nice to be next to the wall, with no one on both sides.
After setting down their belongings but before they had time to clean, Ning Xuan and the other Educated Youth returned to the courtyard, where the brigade leader was still waiting.
Zhou Jianguo got straight to the point, "One more thing—come with me now to the brigade to collect your subsidized rations. This is only for the first year. Next year, you'll have to earn your own rations through work points."
Each Educated Youth received 40 jin of grain per month. It sounded sufficient, but this included heavy coarse grains like sweet potatoes, which added weight. Without additional subsidies, everyone would barely have enough to avoid starvation.
It was early July, and the brigade had still calculated their grain allocation for the full month, with each person receiving 240 jin. The brigade accountant was present to weigh the distribution.
Zhou Jianguo and Zhou Aiguo remained quite enthusiastic, helping push the two-wheeled cart and making two trips to transport the grain back to the Educated Youth Center.
At the Educated Youth Center, meals were now prepared collectively, so the grain was stored together, though each person’s portion was clearly marked.
At the beginning of each month, everyone contributed an equal amount of grain to the shared supply. The person responsible for cooking each day would then take from this collective stock, ensuring that each individual received the same portion of staple food per meal.
If anyone wished to increase their portion, they had to notify in advance and contribute the corresponding amount of grain. These adjustments were carefully recorded by the daily cooks.