“Uncle Village Chief, I heard the winters here are super long. Everyone stays indoors by the fire, and once the snow starts, it just doesn’t stop. They say the snow piles up higher than a person every winter…”
Fu Dongqiang was a lively young man, full of strange questions along the way.
Village Chief Niu answered a few at first, but eventually grew so annoyed that he passed the task to his nephew, Niu Dali.
None of the educated youths spoke up, walking with their heads down and listening to Fu Dongqiang’s endless stream of questions.
Some sounded ridiculous, but others were things they also wanted to know.
Niu Dali chuckled the whole way, finding this guy quite amusing—he really didn’t know anything!
Seeing his uncle’s impatience, he quickly took over, speaking loudly so the other educated youths could hear.
Through Niu Dali’s words, everyone gained a rough idea of the place where they would live for who knew how long.
Su Mi even spotted a hunting rifle in a burlap sack on the cart near the ox’s hindquarters.
When Village Chief Niu said it wasn’t far, he meant by his own standards. The ten educated youths walking this road were utterly exhausted.
A few had managed to catch some sleep on the bus, but those who got carsick couldn’t rest. They had barely gotten off the bus before embarking on this walk, which had already lasted over two hours with no end in sight.
Every time they glimpsed sparse houses by the roadside, they thought they had arrived.
But it was just a passing sight.
“Brother Dali, how much longer? My legs are about to give out.”
Fu Dongqiang had lost all his energy, trudging along listlessly. He carried a military canteen, now empty.
“Almost there! See that big white poplar tree up ahead? Once we pass it and turn the corner, we’ll be at our village.”
Niu Dali grinned, pointing at a tall, straight white poplar tree in the distance.
It looked about seven or eight hundred meters away, but in reality, it was much farther.
Everyone fell silent, trudging forward step by weary step.
Su Mi was slightly better off. Thanks to her Dimensional Space, she had managed to drink some Spatial Spring Water during a restroom break on the train.
It had improved her physical condition. Though not exactly energetic now, she was still in better shape than the others.
As long as she kept drinking the Spatial Spring Water, her physique, combined with her Supernatural Ability, would surely return to—or even surpass—her former state.
After nearly another hour of walking, they finally caught sight of Niujia Village.
“Oh! They’re back.”
“Wonder what kind of city kids they’ve sent us this time?”
“Whatever they’re like, they’ll have to learn the hard way.”
“Exactly. Don’t go being too soft-hearted. Last year’s incident is still affecting us, and who knows if we’ll even make Advanced Brigade this year.”
“Alright, alright. What’s the point of all this talk? They’re just young folks who left their homes to come to the countryside. They’ve got it rough enough—let’s keep our comments to ourselves.”
“Oh, look at you, playing the saint. Making the rest of us sound like villains.”
…
From a distance, Su Mi could see a crowd of men, women, old, and young gathered around a large millstone at the village entrance.
Even without getting closer, she knew they were undoubtedly discussing the newly arrived educated youths.
Su Mi also noticed that her companions around her were reacting differently to the pointing and whispering from over there—some were displeased, some were at a loss, and there were even a couple of disdainful, scornful glances, though those were quickly concealed.
Whether these people were making critical comments, pointing fingers, or loudly changing the subject, no one bothered to ask the village chief a single question.
The two groups simply went about their own business and passed each other by.
“Wang Aiguo, come out quickly! Your new companions are here. These are the educated youths who arrived today. You arrange things for them. There are still four more—the higher-ups sent word that they’ll make their own way here. They’ll probably arrive either tomorrow or the day after.
Anyway, don’t worry about those four for now. First, get these people settled. While there’s still time, have some of them go fetch their emergency rations. I still need to check on the fields.”
Village Chief Niu started shouting even before he reached the educated youth compound.
“Just listen to Wang Aiguo. He’s the captain of your educated youth compound and also the person in charge of the male educated youths. Things aren’t too busy right now, so you have two days to rest and get yourselves settled. When work starts, don’t cause any trouble.
If you have money and ration tickets to support yourselves, I won’t have much to say. But if you don’t have that ability, I advise you to work hard in the fields. I don’t expect you to be exceptionally capable, just don’t hold us back.
And don’t blame me, as the village chief, for speaking bluntly. As long as we handle things properly, that’s what matters.
I’m saying this upfront. Whether you listen or not is up to you. Don’t come complaining at the end of the year when it’s time to distribute money, ration tickets, and pork, thinking it’s unfair or that you’ve been treated poorly. By then, it’ll be too late to regret it.
And don’t expect our production brigade to lend you grain or money—that’s not happening.
You’ve all left the protection of your families, so from now on, you have to rely on yourselves. No one here is going to coddle you like your own parents…”
Village Chief Niu went on at length, his voice booming as he swept his gaze over these city-bred youngsters.
He slung his tobacco pipe over his back, clasped his hands behind him, and walked away.
Niu Dali, of course, couldn’t leave. He had to wait for the educated youths to take their luggage and also help haul a load of grain.
“Take care, Village Chief! We really troubled you today!
Hello, everyone! Village Chief Niu already introduced me. First, bring all your things inside!
While Dali’s ox cart is still here, split up and send two people to bring back the grain. Otherwise, you’ll have to carry it back yourselves tomorrow. All the grain together weighs about fifty or sixty pounds—no one can carry that far alone.”
As soon as Wang Aiguo came out, he heard the village chief lecturing the new arrivals. He didn’t say a word until the village chief had left, then he called out loudly before turning to the newcomers. As the person in charge of the educated youth team, he had to make things clear from the start.
Niu Dali had already taken advantage of the village chief’s speech to untie the ropes.
Those with quick eyes had already helped unload the luggage, laying it out in a long row on the ground.
Su Mi didn’t have time to talk. She just nodded politely at Wang Aiguo as a greeting, then picked up her bags, large and small, and headed inside. As for her large backpack basket, Zhao Xianjin had already carried it in for her.
This was a large courtyard with rows of houses built around it on all four sides.
Three sides were lined with houses, all with large communal sleeping platforms, five rooms in a row.
There were fifteen rooms in total. One served as the kitchen, while the remaining fourteen were all large communal sleeping quarters, each housing six people.
With Su Mi’s group arriving, only two rooms were left.
They say where there are many people, there is much trouble. With twelve rooms and six people per room, that makes seventy-two people. Of course, reality might not have that many, but even if there were fewer, how many fewer could there be?
Few of these people were the type to give up when things got tough and simply marry someone in the countryside to settle down.