That group in the county seat had several trucks arriving for different townships and communes.
In a place like this, there weren’t many vehicles. Qi Ziyue noticed that quite a few groups had even come on tractors.
Some townships didn’t even have tractors and had to use ox carts instead—clearly showing how poor the conditions were.
Fortunately, the township where Qiaoxi Commune belonged seemed relatively better off. They had sent two tractors. Although there were still no proper vehicles, the comparison alone made it feel slightly better.
By afternoon, once all the township and commune leaders had arrived at the county educated youth office, they began reading out the lists and assigning each educated youth to their respective communes, where local leaders would take them away.
Some commune leaders had even come directly to the county to collect their people.
For example, in the Red West Township where Qi Ziyue was assigned, there were three communes under its jurisdiction. Among them, Qiaoxi Commune and Qingshan Commune had sent representatives.
Educated youths from all over the country had gathered in Red South County. Once the educated youth office finished reading the names, the township and commune leaders began taking their assigned groups away.
When it came to Red West Township, the two commune leaders stepped forward first to pick up their own people.
Coincidentally, Qi Ziyue, Qi Ning’an, the group of female educated youths she had clashed with earlier, and several of the male educated youths she had spoken with—including two who were also assigned to Qiaoxi Commune—were all in the same group.
That meant Qiaoxi Commune had a total of nine educated youths this time—four men and five women—plus Qi Ning’an, the little child, who technically wasn’t an educated youth but more like an “extra burden.”
The Qiaoxi Commune leader called names with a loudspeaker. Those whose names were called boarded the tractors.
When the leader finally called Qi Ziyue and Qi Ning’an, Qi Ziyue was just about to take the child’s hand when something unexpected happened.
The girl who had earlier called her a “fox spirit” suddenly spoke up. She pointed at Qi Ning’an and said:
“Secretary Shen, I heard this child call her ‘Mom.’ I don’t know the situation, but married people aren’t supposed to come down as educated youths. Bringing a child down here means there must be something improper going on.”
The girl’s name was He Zhaoyue. Several female educated youths around her seemed to defer to her, and now they all turned to watch.
Secretary Shen frowned and asked what was going on.
Qi Ziyue, as the person involved, immediately shot back:
“Do you live in my house? How do you know I’m improper? I came through official procedures. Are you questioning the fairness of the organization?”
He Zhaoyue panicked slightly. She didn’t dare accuse the organization, so she quickly changed direction and said to Secretary Shen:
“Even if she came through proper procedures, it’s a fact that she brought a child here.”
“Even if she hasn’t done anything improper, this kind of educated youth brings trouble. In the future, the commune will have endless problems because of her.”
Qi Ziyue almost wanted to whistle in admiration. This girl wasn’t stupid at all—quite sharp, in fact.
Instead of attacking her directly, she framed it as a burden to the commune. A child-bearing educated youth was indeed a potential liability, especially if rumors arose later.
Any sensible leader might decide to avoid trouble and reject her assignment back to the county for redistribution.
Qi Ziyue remained calm.
But Qi Ning’an was different. He had grown up being unrecognized, so he was used to being doubted—but now that even his mother was being attacked because of him, his expression turned dark.
A soft voice came out:
“Mom…”
Qi Ziyue squeezed his hand gently and shook her head, then looked up with a calm smile, waiting for the commune leader’s response.
As a leader, he had to consider the commune’s interests—but he also didn’t like outsiders telling him what to do.
Indeed, Secretary Shen frowned deeply.
He hated trouble-making educated youths, but the paperwork clearly showed she was assigned here—there was no mistake.
He looked at Qi Ziyue and asked, in a tone that was neither warm nor cold:
“Explain your situation. And the child’s situation.”
“If you are married in the city, you shouldn’t have needed to come down as an educated youth.”
He asked this partly because he noticed something about her: although she was strikingly beautiful and unforgettable, her gaze was surprisingly clean and composed. That slightly improved his impression.
Qi Ziyue handed over her introduction letter and said:
“Reporting to the Secretary, he does call me ‘Mom.’ We came down as educated youths.”
Secretary Shen’s expression turned ugly.
“So what exactly is going on?”
A small voice suddenly cut in:
“She is my adoptive mother.”
It was Qi Ning’an.
He stood up, his palms sweating. Saying that she wasn’t his biological mother made his chest feel hollow—but he quickly thought that as long as it protected her, it was worth it.
He had already been unrecognized since birth anyway.
He could endure it.
He Zhaoyue was about to question it again, but a sharp look from Secretary Shen silenced her.
The secretary turned to Qi Ziyue.
“Is he a relative’s child?”
Qi Ziyue shook her head.
After a pause, she looked at Qi Ning’an and said:
“He is the child of a comrade-in-arms. His parents are gone, so he was registered under my name. The reason is related to my health condition.”
She hadn’t spoken earlier because she was afraid it might hurt the child.
In truth, Qi Ning’an was indeed registered as her adopted son. A martyr’s child from a relative line could also explain it, so she wasn’t lying.
Secretary Shen, who had served in the military before, immediately softened upon hearing “comrade’s child.”
He nodded and allowed them to board the tractor, even warning those who had raised objections.
Just like that, the situation was resolved quietly.
Qi Ziyue, who had been mentally preparing for a confrontation, was stunned.
That… was it?
She hadn’t even needed to pull out her introduction letter or contact numbers.
She truly hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly.
Apparently, people here were simpler than she thought.
Of course, she didn’t know that Secretary Shen had a military background—veterans tend to care deeply about comradeship.
As she passed by him, he even reminded her:
“Cover your ears and face with your coat later. It might snow.”
Qi Ziyue: ?
Only then did she realize he was speaking to her.
She quickly thanked him and obediently pulled out a thick military coat hat for herself and Qi Ning’an.
She climbed onto the tractor.
Behind her, He Zhaoyue was practically fuming.
She had no outlet for her anger here and could only swallow it down, her face turning red with frustration.
She climbed onto the tractor too, glaring at Qi Ziyue the entire time.
But Qi Ziyue ignored her completely.
She even handed Qi Ning’an some sandwich biscuits and calmly praised him:
“An’an is so smart.”
Completely disregarded.
This only made He Zhaoyue even more furious.
Qi Ning’an, however, quietly stared at her with dark, unreadable eyes.
It made her shiver.
At first, she thought it was just the cold wind.
But deep down, she made a silent vow: she would not let this mother-and-son pair off easily.
The tractor engine roared loudly as they set off, shaking and rumbling along the road.
It soon began to snow.
The temperature dropped sharply, and the open tractor offered no shelter from the wind and snow.
Qi Ziyue was genuinely grateful to Secretary Shen now.
Those without hats were already suffering.
The driver would not stop just so they could adjust their clothes.
She wrapped a raincoat around herself and Qi Ning’an, holding the child close as they continued the journey.
Because it was too cold, people started singing to keep warm, filling the air with voices that eased the hardship.
After more than two hours, they finally arrived at Qiaoxi Commune’s Qiaoxi Production Brigade.
It was a mountainous, rugged place near a river west of a large bridge—hence the name “Qiaoxi.”
The terrain was uneven, full of slopes and hills. Travel was difficult.
By the time they reached the village entrance, it was already around 4–5 p.m., and snow was still falling.
The brigade leader, Gu Changjun, was already holding a meeting with villagers to discuss the arrangement of the new educated youths.
He was in his forties, slightly lame on one leg, but full of energy and authority. His voice was loud and commanding, and everyone clearly respected him.
He announced:
“This time, our Qiaoxi Brigade has received nine educated youths… hmm…”
He paused, glanced at Qi Ziyue, and then at Qi Ning’an.
After a moment, he added:
“Make that ten people including the child.”
“The educated youth dorm only has space for ten people already. It’ll be crowded. Is there any household willing to take in educated youths?”
But no one responded.
The villagers didn’t want extra mouths to feed—especially not city youths who couldn’t work hard.
A few young men were even tempted by Qi Ziyue’s appearance and offered to take her in, but their families quickly beat them down and dragged them back.
The scene became chaotic and humorous.
Qi Ziyue watched it all and slowly realized something:
This “Peach Blossom physique” of hers… might be a lot more powerful than she thought.
Even from a distance, it could influence people whose willpower was weak.
And here, in this rural setting, that kind of effect… was almost like a walking disaster.