Sheng Jinhe whispered to He Yining throughout the journey, covering basically everything that Li Zhanye could possibly know.
“Big Sister He, we should be almost there!”
“Captain, are we arriving soon?”
He Yining noticed that after crossing a river up ahead, there were already quite a few houses.
“Hahaha, we’re here! I’ll take you straight to the Youth Point.”
“Thank you, Captain.”
He Yining replied.
Sheng Jinhe wondered if this girl was some kind of tiger—did she really have no idea what they were about to face?
Anyway, Sheng Jinhe had already decided she’d be doing the work of cutting pig fodder. Every extra work point earned was meaningless; chasing a man was far more important than work points. Reasoning with her was pointless—she wouldn’t listen until Li Zhanye was secured.
Still, at this moment, she felt a slight anxiety at being close to the countryside.
“Uncle Captain, how many cows do we have in the brigade?”
She wanted to know how big the cowshed was, whether the conditions were good, and whether living inside would be miserable. But she didn’t ask everything—some questions were better left unspoken.
“Just two cows. Our arable land isn’t much; most of it is mountainous. Sigh… we’re poor!”
“We mainly grow winter wheat and summer corn, plus some sweet potatoes. The harvest isn’t great, but we make do with the mountains. Members can usually find food up there—mushrooms, wild vegetables, that sort of thing. Before winter, the men go hunting. Basically, no one starves! That’s why few people are willing to come here.”
“As for the people in the cowshed—they’re human too. We’re in the mountain valleys here, so those people don’t want to come. I’m an old veteran, and I have a sense of fairness. I don’t like doing certain things, so they basically work alongside the other members for work points. Of course, some jobs that others don’t want, they have to do.”
Even if he wanted to be lenient with them, he had to do so without anyone noticing.
Liu Youfu said this loudly in front of everyone, partly to prepare the newcomers psychologically.
Regarding the cowshed, it was mentioned because Sheng Jinhe brought it up, and also because he didn’t want any incidents in his brigade. The incoming youths should behave, avoid provoking the cowshed folks, and definitely not bring city habits of public criticism into this small mountain village.
The new youths would listen at first—they knew a strong outsider couldn’t overpower the local authority. If they offended the captain and were sent back, it would be over. There was almost no worse assignment than being sent to the Northwest Farm to live with people who had really committed crimes—and they wouldn’t want that.
Besides, avoiding the cowshed folks was tricky, except for Sheng Jinhe and He Yining.
Sheng Jinhe and He Yining exchanged a glance, relief evident in their eyes. Only the two of them knew why.
The ox cart soon stopped at the gate of the Youth Point.
The so-called gate was small and low, surrounded by a low earthen wall.
He Yining froze for a moment after getting off, while Sheng Jinhe adapted quickly—she had seen worse living conditions during missions in some African countries.
“Zheng Qianjin, come out! New youths have arrived!”
Liu Youfu called into the courtyard.
“Captain, we’re coming!”
Soon, a male youth ran out, looking weathered—he had clearly been here for several years.
“Let me introduce you. This is Zheng Qianjin, in charge of your Youth Point. If you have minor issues, ask him; for major issues, ask me. He’s responsible and has been here for five years. If you’re unsure about anything, you can ask him.”
“Tonight’s dinner follows the usual—at my house. You’ll bring them along.”
“Understood, Captain.”
Zheng Qianjin responded and quickly helped unload their luggage from the ox cart.
Liu Youfu had delayed the morning with greetings and other matters, and once the luggage was down, he left.
Zheng Qianjin led the six newcomers into the courtyard and gave them an introduction.
“Our Youth Point has three houses—you see them right in front of you. The middle hall is generally used for meals or meetings, though in summer we eat under the big tree.”
“The left and right houses are where we live.”
“The left is the girls’ dorm, a big shared room. There are currently three girls, so it’s spacious enough.”
“The right is the boys’ dorm, also a big shared room, with four boys—still not cramped.”
“Here is the kitchen. The toilets are behind the houses, including a simple shower. You can check it out later. Behind this area is a vegetable plot we maintain. If you eat together, you’ll also help plant it. You can cook separately if you want, but eating together is recommended—it lets everyone rest more.”
“One reminder: behind that is the cowshed. You’d better not go there. I won’t go into more details.”
“That’s the basic situation. If you have questions, you can ask me. Our Youth Point is small, the commune knows about it, and it’s unlikely new youths will be sent here for a while, so rest assured. Well, that’s the plan—there could be exceptions.”
“Now go to your dorms and find your spots. I notified them this morning to leave space for you.”
Zheng Qianjin explained in one breath.
“Comrade Zheng, besides the big shared room, is there anywhere else to live? Like building your own house?”
Sheng Jinhe couldn’t stay in a shared room—it was inconvenient for all her movements and activities. So when she heard there was wasteland behind, and even further back the cowshed—wasn’t that where the Li family lived? She decided she wanted to build her own place.
“You want to build your own?”
Zheng Qianjin was shocked.
Sheng Jinhe knew no one had done this before.
“Yes. I sleepwalk at night—I move unconsciously while sleeping. I’m afraid I might endanger the other youths, and I won’t remember anything if I wake up. If anything happens, no one could hold me responsible. So…”
She paused, hiding the real reason—of course, she would be looking for Li Zhanye at night! If anyone saw, she could just claim it was sleepwalking. Clever.
“That… that should be possible. You’ll have to check with the Captain. But what will you do until the house is built?”
Zheng Qianjin frowned.
“Can I stay in the hall temporarily? I’ll occupy a public space, but I’ll treat everyone to lunch. Comrade Zheng, can you tell the older youths for me?”
“And you all? Is that okay?”
Sheng Jinhe asked the other youths who came with her.
Sun Qiu stayed quiet—Sun Dong had already scolded her at the commune meals, so naturally, no objections now. The two other male youths also had no objections.
As for He Yining:
“Big Sister He, I’ll stay with you in the hall. I’m not afraid of your sleepwalking. I can keep an eye on you so you don’t do anything irreversible. Also, I’ll build my own house—we can go to the Captain together!”
He Yining spoke enthusiastically.
“Alright. And the rest of you want to build your own houses?”
Sheng Jinhe politely asked the other newcomers—they all shook their heads, just as she hoped.
After that, everyone dispersed. Zheng Qianjin went to the fields, and the youths would start work the day after tomorrow.
Sheng Jinhe and He Yining went to the hall. The space wasn’t large, but it would do for summer. Sheng Jinhe first unpacked her luggage; in the afternoon, when they sorted out food, she would go speak with the Captain about building her house.