After withdrawing the money, Yu Zhaozhao didn’t rush to remove her disguise.
Instead, she headed straight to the Educated Youth Office dressed as she was.
The office wasn’t far from the post office—about a ten-minute walk. Since it was still morning, everyone was at work.
Not knowing who to approach, Yu Zhaozhao knocked on the door and stood at the entrance, asking directly:
“Excuse me, which comrade handles registration for going to the countryside?”
“Registering for the countryside? Comrade, come over here!”
A plump middle-aged woman waved at her eagerly, her cheerful expression making her good mood obvious.
And why wouldn’t she be happy?
Ever since the first batch of sent-down youths began returning to the city, their work had become increasingly difficult.
Having seen with their own eyes how those children came back worn down, thin, and aged, any parent who cared for their child was reluctant to send them to the countryside anymore. To stay in the city, people would buy jobs, rush into marriages—anything to exploit loopholes.
Each batch of sent-down youths had a fixed quota. If they couldn’t meet it, it meant they weren’t doing their job properly. In the past two years, the pressure had been immense.
Now that someone had come voluntarily to register, how could the staff not be delighted?
“Hello, comrade. I’d like to register my son and daughter to go to the countryside.”
As she spoke, Yu Zhaozhao placed the household registration booklet on the table.
Hearing that she was registering two people at once made the staff member even happier.
“Good, good! Comrades with such awareness are rare these days.”
The staff member took the booklet and flipped through it.
“Comrade, this young one, Yu Tianbao, is only sixteen. Are you sure you want him to go as well?”
“Yes. He’s not doing well in school—he can’t just keep wasting time. It’s better for him to go to the countryside for some re-education and contribute to the vast rural areas.
“But as you can see, both of my children are still young. If possible, could they be assigned together so they can look after each other?
“As for the location, we’re not picky. Even the harsh northwest would be fine.”
“What’s the problem with that? In three days, there’s a batch heading to the northwest. Your two children can join that group.”
Hearing that even the northwest was acceptable made the staff member even happier.
Remote areas like that were the least popular; they often couldn’t fill the quota, and higher authorities had already criticized them several times. This time, she had lucked out and gained credit effortlessly.
“Alright, no problem. Then about the subsidies…”
“The northwest has harsh conditions, so the subsidy is higher—120 yuan per person, 240 in total. I’ll get it for you now so you can prepare some supplies for your children.”
“That’s wonderful, thank you so much, comrade. You’re truly considerate—I was just about to ask about the subsidy.”
“No need to thank me. It’s rare to meet someone who supports our work like you do. As long as it’s within regulations, it’s only right to make things convenient for you.”
Yu Zhaozhao smoothly obtained the 240 yuan. After greeting the staff member, she left the office.
Yu Miaomiao and Yu Tianbao were both extremely selfish people.
Even if they were assigned together in the countryside, they wouldn’t support each other—instead, they would try to squeeze every last bit of value out of one another.
Neither of them was suited for studying. If they wasted another couple of years, returning to the city through university would be impossible.
Let them… rot and decay in the countryside.
Yu Zhaozhao didn’t feel any guilt about taking their subsidies or cutting off their future.
In the book, the original owner had gone to the countryside in Yu Miaomiao’s place, bringing only a tattered quilt and two sets of patched clothes.
The promised five yuan had also been secretly kept by Mao Cuizhi.
The original owner had been sent to the northeast, where winter temperatures could drop below minus thirty degrees, even reaching minus forty in some places.
With her thin quilt, she had nearly frozen to death during her first winter.
Fortunately, there were heated brick beds (kang) in the northeast. She lay directly on it and combined her bedding just to barely survive.
If she hadn’t been completely hopeless, how could she have clung to the male lead as a lifeline, refusing to let go?
And even gone down the wrong path because of it.
As for the Yu family? They used her parents’ money and took the job her parents had earned with their lives. When news of her death arrived, they didn’t even bother to collect her body.
Yu Miaomiao had even said, “It’s just a worthless life—what’s there to collect? Just bury her in some random pit.”
Cause and effect—none of the Yu family members were innocent.
Thinking of that pitiful girl, Yu Zhaozhao still felt a pang of heartache.
“Don’t worry. Not one of those who bullied you will escape. I will definitely avenge you.”
She made the silent vow, then steadied herself and continued walking.
Although she had food in her space, according to her memory, it was now 1975, and the college entrance exam would only be restored in two years. That meant she would have to stay in the countryside for at least two years.
That bit of food wouldn’t be enough.
She hadn’t seen rural life firsthand, but the book described it clearly. Grain was available, but it had to be exchanged with work points, and most of it was coarse grain. For villagers, refined grain was something only eaten during festivals.
Yu Zhaozhao had undergone rigorous training since childhood, but her daily life had always been taken care of—she knew her limits when it came to farm work.
Besides, she preferred steamed buns and rice. Corn porridge or cornbread was fine occasionally, but eating it every day would be unbearable.
So the best solution was to buy everything here and take it with her. With her space, she didn’t have to worry about carrying capacity.
Following her memory, Yu Zhaozhao walked along the familiar path.
In fact, the original owner had been to the black market before.
Each household’s grain supply was limited. With two grown men in the Yu family—especially Yu Tianbao, who had a big appetite—even with Yu Zhaozhao’s share, it still wasn’t enough.
So they had to make frequent trips to the black market.
But Mao Cuizhi was timid and afraid of being caught and punished, so she sent the original owner—a child—to go instead.
Her thinking was that since the original owner’s household registration wasn’t with theirs, any trouble wouldn’t implicate them.
It had to be said—villains always calculated well.
But this also made things easier for Yu Zhaozhao.
She didn’t need to ask around for the black market’s location.
The black market was in an alley, with two men standing at the entrance—one tall and thin, the other with rather distinctive features.
Anyone who wanted to enter had to pay an entrance fee, which filtered out those who just wanted to wander around without buying anything.
Yu Zhaozhao found a vintage-style scarf in her space and wrapped her hair and mouth before walking up to them.
“Buying or selling?” the tall man asked first.
“Buying.”
“Two mao.”
Yu Zhaozhao took out some small change and handed it over. After the man pocketed the money, he stepped aside and let her pass.