章 5: Chapter 5: The Village Chief's Dilemma
The Educated Youth Spot currently has five male "educated youths" and three female "educated youths", with the Educated Youth Team Leader being from the same year as Yun Yuzhi. Those who returned to the city went back, and those who started families did so, no longer living at the Educated Youth Spot.
The team leader's name is Zhang Yumin, who had been here for five years. When he first came, he was around seventeen or eighteen, and now he's already twenty-three or twenty-four.
He liked Yun Yuzhi, and though people said they were lovers none of them had made it explicit. To say they weren't, however, wouldn't make sense either; he was good to her, and she was good to him, and they treated each other almost like a married couple.
Lu Jingqiu never asked, but Li Yinger knew that Yun Yuzhi was afraid of settling down here; once you start a family, it feels like putting down roots, and she still wanted to return to the city.
But indeed, they had reached the age to marry, and if they delayed a few more years, it would be difficult to have children. So both were very confused, and neither had broached this barrier between them.
Speaking of which, apart from Zhang Yumin, Li Qing—who was also an educated youth—liked Li Yinger too. Li Qing and Li Yinger taught at the same primary school.
Unfortunately, Li Yinger was not interested in Li Qing; she found him too dull, someone who just grinned foolishly all day and wasn't her type at all.
Lu Jingqiu thought that Li Qing was quite decent, certainly better than the slick Zhang Shuo, who always hovered around when there was something to gain with a fawning smile, but disappeared at the first sign of trouble.
No one at the Educated Youth Spot liked him; he and Li Qian recently squabbled over a spot to return to the city. Had it not been for the team leader and others holding him back, he would have dared to hit a woman.
There was also Shen Mu on the same team, who came from the same place as Yun Yuzhi. He and Gao Shu had similar temperaments, and the two of them got along quite well.
The task for these few educated youths tonight was to help the villagers with threshing and winnowing the harvest.
When they arrived at the site, Lu Jingqiu could see Gao Shu and Xia Lin from a distance, illuminated by the light.
Xia Lin whispered something into Gao Shu's ear that elicited a broad grin from him.
For all these years, Jingqiu had never seen Gao Shu smile at her like that, not even in her previous life when she had taken care of his child and been by his side for so many years; it had never happened.
So, no matter how hard you try, if someone doesn't like you, they will never see what's in your heart.
The thought of how much she had given to this man in her previous life only to end up with nothing, made her heart ache uncontrollably.
Zhang Yumin, from afar, saw Gao Shu and greeted him with a smile.
Only then did Xia Lin turn her head to look their way, and her eyes met Lu Jingqiu's.
The two of them had just had a fight a few days ago; Xia Lin's face bore a scratch from Lu Jingqiu, and Lu Jingqiu's hair had been pulled out by Xia Lin. That day at the foot of the mountain, both were like shrews, and it wouldn't have ended without Yun Yuzhi breaking them apart; it could have been endless and deadly.
For some reason, Lu Jingqiu felt she could perceive the complexity in Xia Lin's eyes—confusion, jealousy, schadenfreude, and even something else that she couldn't fathom at the moment.
As Lu Jingqiu was trying to discern Xia Lin's thoughts, Xia Lin's mind had already drifted far away. She had many secrets that she couldn't speak of; nor did she want to.
Fearing that she might cling to him again, Gao Shu glanced at her and, seeing her gaze was not on him, he quickly looked away and said to Zhang Yumin, "The team leader said it may rain the day after tomorrow night, so we should gather the harvest overnight.
They've already organized the villagers to get to the fields. After we finish here and clear the place, it won't delay them from continuing."
Zhang Shuo frowned and said, "Does this mean we'll be working in two shifts without stopping?"
Gao Shu nodded without speaking.
The faces of the few people instantly turned sullen. They hadn't expected to have to gather the wheat, but now it looked like they would have to work overtime to get it done.
A few hours of sleep, and then it would be back to work.
Observing the abundance of work before them, Lu Jingqiu also felt somewhat intimidated; apart from a few experienced villagers, only the educated youths were left on the field.
There was no choice, even if it was exhausting, they had to endure it.
Fortunately, a few of the male comrades took care of them and only assigned them the responsibility for the wheat at the edges.
They weren't needed for the winnowing, but when it came to bagging, they couldn't be spared.
They worked in pairs, Yun Yuzhi and Zhang Yumin were a team, Gao Shu and Xia Lin went without saying, Li Yinger and Li Qing, though both teachers, had to participate in this busy farming period. Li Yinger had wanted to be Jingqiu's partner, but she ended up being followed by Li Qing's goofy smile, refusing to leave her side.
Jingqiu didn't want to be a third wheel, so she quickly gave up her spot, and as she turned around, she saw Zhang Shuo nearby. Just as she was about to join him, he darted off as if fleeing, toward a young and strong villager.
Watching everyone busily bagging, Jingqiu stood to the side feeling somewhat awkward.
After all, she had lived many years in her previous life, so this bit of embarrassment was nothing to her; if there was no partner, she would work alone.
Just as she was getting ready to use the scoop to fill the bags by herself, before her hand even touched the scoop, Shen Mu grabbed it first and then coldly said to her, "Hold the bag properly."
"Oh, alright, alright."
Jingqiu was quite happy to have someone as her partner, and she quickly smiled and held the bag open carefully.
They were busily filling bags with the crop, and in the fields, villagers had already started transporting wheat to their location.
Throughout the work period, Xia Lin frequently looked over to their side. Normally, she wouldn't even glance her way.
It was usually Jingqiu who was picking on her, but these past few days she had been quiet, and now Xia Lin was acting out of character.
"Ah Shu, look, Jingqiu and Shen Mu make quite a good team," Xia Lin suddenly said out of the blue during the heat of the work.
Not only did Jingqiu and Shen Mu pause in surprise, but even Gao Shu was taken aback with confusion.
Jingqiu didn't understand why Xia Lin would say something like that, but subconsciously knew she wasn't saying it to be kind.
She retorted with her head raised, "Holding a bag and filling it with grain is something a three-year-old child could do. Aren't our groups all doing the same? Could it be that Comrade Xia doesn't know how to hold a bag, that you two don't work well together?"
No sooner had she finished speaking, Gao Shu frowned and said, "Jingqiu, that's not what Xia Lin meant. Don't make a problem when there's none."
Hearing his defense, a wave of grievance instantly surged in Jingqiu's heart, and she responded with a downcast look and a displeased tone, "Am I the one causing trouble out of nothing?"
Even if she was to let go, after all, he was the man she had pursued for a lifetime, and hearing him defend Xia Lin without hesitation still hurt.
However, this time Xia Lin was not actually targeting Jingqiu, but after hearing Gao Shu's defense, she didn't explain and instead shyly lowered her head and laughed.
The small incident faded in the ensuing busyness.
Approximately two hours later, they finished cleaning up the site and were about to head back.
Xia Lin suddenly pulled Li Yinger aside and whispered a few words to her.
Xia Lin and Jingqiu were love rivals, but because Xia Lin was the daughter of the Educated Youth Team Leader, she got along quite well with the comrades at the Educated Youth Spot. Plus, with her sweet and gentle demeanor and soft voice, she was extremely popular in the village.
Jingqiu didn't want to witness Gao Shu and Xia Lin's public displays of affection, so as soon as the work was finished, she left with her tools.
章 6: Chapter 6: Xia Lin's Secret
Translation:
That day, Lu Jingqiu was all ears to the villagers' gossip, hoping to catch if anyone went up to the mountains or if there was any news from other villages, but unfortunately, there was none.
At the Educated Youth Spot, there was a shower room built of stone by the previous educated youths. Lu Jingqiu had a habit, whether in winter or summer, she always took a hot bath.
In her two years in Ten-miles Village, she transformed from a girl who did not so much as touch spring water, into a comrade who was proficient in everything from starting fires to cooking.
Of course, now Lu Jingqiu needless to say, in her previous life, she had learned many skills besides cooking.
However, she still felt nostalgic for the old-fashioned bellows stove.
Once Lu Jingqiu had heated the water, the others gradually returned.
Carrying a basin, she walked towards the shower room, not forgetting to inform the others, "The bath water is ready, you can use it."
Yun Yuzhi said with a smile, "Got it." She skillfully added a few scoops of water to the pot and threw in some more firewood.
When Lu Jingqiu came out, Yun Yuzhi carried a basin in, followed by Li Yinger who continued to add water and stoke the fire.
Everyone took turns bathing, and of course, in the summer, some of the men couldn't wait and just carried their water behind the house to wash.
After cleaning herself up, Lu Jingqiu lay in bed feeling as if her whole body was falling apart.
"Ah, I'm exhausted, my back, my hands."
This room for the women had a big bunk bed, previously accommodating four of them, but now just the three, which left plenty of space.
Li Yinger had just come in when she heard Yun Yuzhi's voice and laughed, "It's still alright, it's not summer vacation yet, or else I'd be just like you."
Yun Yuzhi asked, "Hey, what did Xia Lin want with you just now?"
Li Yinger replied, "She wanted to borrow a book from me."
Yun Yuzhi remarked, "Borrow a book? An elementary school textbook? She couldn't be thinking of teaching at an elementary school, right? Your spot was originally reserved for her by her father. It's a pity she fell ill last time and missed it. Is the elementary school short of teachers this year?"
Li Yinger shook her head, "She asked to borrow a high school textbook. She had seen the high school Chinese textbook in my bag before."
Not having spoken up until now, Lu Jingqiu was startled by Li Yinger's words and interjected, "Wasn't she just a junior high graduate? Why is she borrowing high school books?"
Li Yinger was also puzzled, wiping her hair a few times before crouching in front of her locker, "Who knows? She just said there's a vacancy at the town's elementary school, and she wants to give it a try."
Yun Yuzhi said, "Town's elementary school? It wouldn't be bad to work there. Her junior high diploma is enough to teach elementary school."
Li Yinger pulled out a textbook from the bottom of her locker and added, "I told her that. She said she was envious of us who went to high school and wanted to see if she could understand the high school textbooks. Hey, do you think Xia Lin is doing this for Gao Shu? He did graduate from high school. Jingqiu, I've heard Gao Shu was a good student."
The moment Li Yinger finished speaking, she caught Yun Yuzhi's glance, realized her faux pas, and coughed lightly in embarrassment, hurrying to say, "Let's all get some rest, we're all tired tonight, I'll turn off the light."
Lu Jingqiu turned over to address her, "Hold on, Sister Yingzi, can I take a look at your book?"
Li Yinger got into bed and handed the book to her.
Lu Jingqiu lay on the bed, idly flipping through the pages.
Yun Yuzhi, looking at the textbook, said nostalgically, "It's been so many years, I truly miss the days when we were in school."
Lu Jingqiu didn't remember Xia Lin ever borrowing books. Maybe in her previous life she didn't get along well with Li Yinger and the others, plus she had her own problems back then.
But she didn't remember there being a teacher vacancy in the town's elementary school. After the college entrance exam was reinstated, Li Yinger went to college, leaving a vacancy in the village, but Xia Lin didn't take it up.
"Sister Yingzi, do you only have the Chinese textbook? Don't you have math or English?" Lu Jingqiu asked.
Li Yinger shook her head, "When I came here, I was afraid of getting bored, so I just grabbed a textbook at random."
Speaking of college entrance exams, Xia Lin also didn't pass this year.
She was originally a junior high school graduate, but when she received the notice, there was too little time to study properly.
Later, because she got pregnant, she had no time for exams.
Lu Jingqiu paused briefly, then delicately reminded, "My aunt wrote to me saying that there might be some changes at the top, and high school entrance exams might be restored."
"What?"
Lu Jingqiu whispered something, which made Yun Yuzhi jolt upright and exclaim excitedly.
This caused even the male comrade next door to hear; Zhang Shuo rolled into his blanket, grumbling, "What's gotten into the women comrades, making such a fuss in the middle of night, utterly exhausting."
Even Li Yinger looked at her with surprised eyes, "Really, is it really true?"
Lu Jingqiu hurriedly shushed, "Keep it down."
Both of them quickly patted their chests, their eyes filled with surprise and excitement, eagerly looking at Lu Jingqiu, waiting for her decision.
Lu Jingqiu hadn't expected them to be so excited, but she couldn't be too explicit, "My aunt heard it as a rumor, just a rumor. People are always coming and going where she works, and she sees and hears a lot of things. It's better to believe something is possible rather than not, so I think it's good to read more books when you have time."
Yun Yuzhi nodded, "I really hope this is true."
Li Yinger said, "Could it be that Xia Lin's father also heard the news from above, and that's why she secretly borrowed books?"
Lu Jingqiu hadn't thought of this, but as a village leader, it seemed unlikely he'd have such inside information, "I'll bring all my books over when I come back next time. I'm going to start reviewing them. I suggest you write home and have your books sent over as well."
Li Yinger nodded, "Mhm, I'll give my family a call tomorrow."
Yun Yuzhi said, "I don't know if my mom has sold my books as scrap or used them as toilet paper. I'll still write and ask."
Li Yinger took the book Lu Jingqiu handed her, struggling with the decision, "Do you think I should lend this book out or not?"
Lu Jingqiu asked, "Did you promise her?"
Li Yinger replied, "I only said I would look for it when I got back. What if I say I couldn't find it?"
Yun Yuzhi said, "That's not good. If Gao Shu sees you with it at the Educated Youth Spot, Xia Lin will find out."
Lu Jingqiu suggested, "Why don't you lend it to her for a few days and then ask for it back?"
Li Yinger thought that was a good idea, "Alright, I'll do that."
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, the village loudspeaker blared, urging everyone to start work.
Lu Jingqiu got up with everyone else, spending the day bent over in toil.
By five or six in the afternoon, a torrential downpour really did start, proving the former village chief's weather prediction quite accurate.
With the rain pouring down, the busy villagers could finally take a break.
Lu Jingqiu stood at the door, staring out at the muddy road that the rain had washed away, lost in thought.
Li Yinger slapped her on the shoulder from behind, "I'm about to go deliver the book to Xia Lin, do you want to come along?"
Lu Jingqiu quickly nodded, grabbing her things while saying, "I do."
Yun Yuzhi reminded them from the bed, "Put on your rubber shoes."
"Sure thing."
Lu Jingqiu grabbed a bucket of Malted Milk, a jin of brown sugar, and together with Li Yinger, clad in raincoats, they left the house.
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