The Red Era: Living in Seclusion in a Siheyuan as a Boss

Chapter 434: Difficulty Returning Home

Since that incident, although Chen Jun never led people to surround Liu Shuxian again, he was always around her like a shadow, like a piece of taffy that couldn't be shaken off, frequently hanging around in front of her, making her very annoyed.

The holiday passed quickly, and Liu Shuxian returned to Liujiazhuang to continue her studies. She was about to enter high school, and the academic pressure had increased sharply recently.

She had naively thought that by staying away from the military compound, she would be able to get rid of Chen Jun's entanglement, and that disgusting face would no longer appear in her world.

However, things are unpredictable. This scoundrel actually found her school and even followed her quietly on her way home from school, causing Liu Shuxian's mood to plummet in an instant.

In a rage, she wanted to attack Chen Jun several times, but reason finally overcame impulse and she chose to endure.

This may be the case of different fates for the same person!
While Liu Shuxian was still worrying about her own affairs, her peers far away in the north were missing their hometown in the capital day and night.

In the winter three years ago, Xiaodang and a dozen educated youth from Beijing came to the Liujiagta Team 3 in Yanchuan County to work in the countryside.

Four female educated youth, Xiaodang, Tang Shujie, Chen Bailing and Jiao Xiang, were assigned to live in a cave.

The members and children seemed to be seeing something new. They came and went, and the female educated youth shared the candies and cakes they brought from the capital with the curious children.

On the night of New Year's Eve, four female educated youth sat on the kang and listened to the sound of firecrackers in the village. No one wanted to speak. Everyone looked at each other. Xiao Dang said, "If we were at home, we would definitely be rolling dumpling skins now."

Just this one sentence made the four female educated youth cry. The New Year's Eve in other people's homes was filled with laughter and happiness.

The four female educated youth cried all night on New Year's Eve.

The cave dwelling where Xiaodang and her friends live belongs to a fellow villager. There are only a mother and her son in the family. Below the slope of the cave dwelling is a large river beach, which is also the land on which the villagers depend for their survival. Their ancestors have been plowing and sowing in spring, carrying water and applying fertilizer, and harvesting in autumn here for generations.

This is a poor village. Potatoes, corn and millet are the main agricultural products. Wheat noodles are only eaten once or twice by every household during the Chinese New Year.

In the blink of an eye, it was April of the following year. Several female educated youth missed home and wanted to return to the capital.

They were all girls of seventeen or eighteen years old. It was their first time to travel far away from the capital and come to a backward rural area. In this closed era with poor communications, the homesickness would ferment and become stronger and stronger.

If I want to go home to visit my family, I have to ask for leave from the village cadres and the village work team. Maybe because I have only been here for a few months, my request for leave was not granted.

However, after being teased by Xiaodang, Tang Shujie and Chen Bailing, the leader felt pity and agreed.

So they quickly packed their things and several boys rode their bicycles to take them to Yanchuan Railway Station.

They came to the ticket office excitedly, but were told that due to a landslide, the Yanchuan Bridge was destroyed by mudslides and the railway line was impassable.

I had no choice but to return home in disappointment. A few days later, I went to the train station again to inquire, but the bridge in Yanchuan still hadn't been repaired.

In those days, of course, there was no WeChat and the Internet like in later generations, and even making phone calls was extremely inconvenient. People mostly had to go out in person to get information, sometimes borrowing bicycles from fellow villagers, and sometimes riding in the team's horse-drawn carriage.

After coming back, Xiaodang and the other girls were in a bad mood, feeling restless, irritable, and unable to sleep or eat.

The news reached the ears of Master Yang, who cooked for the educated youth.

Master Yang came back from the battlefield of the Northern Dynasty and has experienced a lot of things. He is considered a worldly-wise man in this village.

He said that it was actually possible to go back to the capital via Xishan Province. Going back to the capital via Jin Province? For the locals, this was going in the opposite direction and was very roundabout. No one had ever taken this route.

But the female educated youth were eager to return home and immediately decided: just go!
The head of the village working group said that he could help them make contact and take the post office's package delivery truck from Yanchuan to Ping County in the north of Shanxi Province, and then take the train back to Beijing from there.

The next day everything went as planned.

The truck driver carrying mail and parcels cleared out a place for them in the open truck, and the three female educated youth squeezed in to sit down.

The truck went over the mountains and drove on the winding mountain road. "Yanchuan has three thousand uneven ditches." The truck was bumpy, and the female students were thrown up and down, but they didn't mind at all.

Before and after the Grain Rain, the rolling mountains are all bright green, dotted with wild flowers, and the fragrant breeze brings the pleasant mountain scent, which is so pleasant.

Although this was a poor era, it was also an era without industrial pollution.

There are no plastic bags fluttering in the wind on the branches, no instant noodle bags discarded on the roadside, and even the smell of gasoline is so pleasant. Everything is full of primitive and simple beauty.

After several attempts, they could finally go home. The three girls had no intention of appreciating the scenery in front of them. They smiled knowingly as their eyes met. Their hearts had already flown back to their home in the capital, back to their families.

When we arrived in Ping County, it was already evening.

They dragged their bags and searched all the restaurants in the town, but were not accepted. It turned out that the restaurants here only accepted Xishan food coupons, and they had no experience of going out, so they brought national food coupons.

I hadn't eaten for a day and was struggling to carry the large old-fashioned bag. I was hungry and weak all over.

The initial excitement was gone. What should I do? Should I go back?
Open the bow without turning back the arrow.

After all, he was an educated youth from Beijing. Xiao Dang rolled his eyes and suggested, "We are in the Communist Party's world. How can we not have food? Let's go and find the local county party committee leaders!"

Following someone's instructions, they walked along a slag path and arrived in front of a row of small courtyards. In the simple county town, this was considered a decent courtyard for cadres' families.

Walking in, the courtyard was plain and simple. I saw a cadre in his fifties, with gray hair, tall and thin, and handsome.

The door of his house is covered with..., the leader in front of us is probably in a very difficult situation.

I saw Leader Fu smoking a cigarette and seemed to be thinking about something. He didn't have a happy expression, but his face looked calm.

He listened patiently to the three girls' stories, and without saying a word, he arranged for his wife to cook.

Every household in Shanxi Province has steamed buns, steamed in a steamer, fried bright yellow carrot shreds, and boiled millet porridge with floating rice skin.

They were at the age of growing up, and after being jostled in the car for a whole day, everyone ate a lot without being polite.

This is such a delicious meal. It is a delicious meal that I will never forget.

After eating the steamed buns and drinking the rice soup, they felt full and at peace. Xiaodang and the others felt bad and took out their food coupons and money, but the other party refused to accept them. This was an era when food was in short supply.

It was getting dark.

If the female educated youth went out again, they would be left with nowhere to go. Upon seeing this, Leader Fu called a young man, or as he said, "called a correspondent," to explain the situation and arrange for them to stay in the guesthouse.

The next day after breakfast, under the guidance of leader Fu, several people came to the river with their bags and boarded a small wooden boat for ferries. There were pigs owned by fellow villagers on the boat, and the sound was like a roar.

The little friends had never experienced a few days of rural life, and they were so close to the dirty pigs that they thought the pigs would bite them and were very scared.

I made it to the train station on the other side of the river and finally got on the train.

It took more than ten hours to arrive at Beijing Yongdingmen Railway Station.

It was already midnight, there were no buses, and of course no taxis or private cars.

Several of them bravely stopped a driver, jumped into his car, and went back to their homes.

When Xiaodang returned to the courtyard in Nanluoguxiang, it was already the middle of the night.

At this moment, the courtyard was silent and everyone had fallen asleep.

She knocked on the door for a long time, but no one answered. Just when Xiaodang was about to spend the night at the door,

The door suddenly creaked and slowly opened from the inside out.

Xiaodang, who was originally taking a nap against the door, suddenly lost his support and almost fell to the ground.

"Ah!" She exclaimed instinctively, breaking the silence of the night.

However, just as she was about to lose her balance, a strong arm quickly wrapped around her waist and held her firmly.

"Hey, be careful!" At the same time, a gentle and caring voice sounded in my ears, like a spring breeze blowing on my face, warm and reassuring.

Xiaodang was suddenly picked up by a man. She instinctively wanted to shout, but then she heard the familiar voice and her heart instantly calmed down.

"Uncle Liu! It's you!" She took a look in the dim moonlight and found that it was indeed the handsome middle-aged man Liu Zhiye who still had undiminished charm.

Liu Zhiye also recognized her, "Xiaodang? Why is it you? I remember you went to the countryside to work, why did you suddenly come back in the middle of the night?"

Tonight, Liu Zhiye did not return to Liujiazhuang due to busy headquarters affairs, but went directly back to the courtyard in Nanluoguxiang.

Not long after he lay down, his keen ears detected a series of knocks on the door.

At first, he thought he was too tired and sleepy, but the knocking on the door continued and seemed particularly persistent.

"Who is it? It's so late, is there still no one in the yard who hasn't returned yet?" Liu Zhiye muttered to himself, then quickly stood up, put on his coat, and strode out the door.

"Could it be..." Although he had his doubts, he was brave and skilled and decided to find out for himself.

……

Liu Zhiye carefully looked at the young girl in front of him, and a myriad of thoughts surged in his mind. When he had just taken off his military uniform and returned to his hometown, Xiaodang was just a young child, but now she has grown into a beautiful young lady, inheriting the outstanding appearance of her mother Qin Huairu, and growing more beautiful.

Xiao Dang smiled brightly and said, "Uncle Liu, you don't know, I miss home so much that I told the captain. He sympathized with me and allowed me to come back to visit my family for a few days..."

Although it is true that Liu Zhiye dislikes Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi in his heart, he does not have too much prejudice against her two children, except for the ungrateful Banggeng.

So, he smiled and said to Xiao Dang: "It's good to come back and take a look. Let's go home. It's so late!"

"Oh! Okay! Thank you for opening the door for me, otherwise I would have to stay here overnight!" Xiaodang looked at Liu Zhiye gratefully, blinking his big eyes.

Liu Zhiye still thought she was a child and subconsciously rubbed Xiaodang's little head, "Hey! Why are you being polite to your uncle Liu? Come on, I'll take you home!" After that, he easily picked up Xiaodang's heavy luggage bag.

Xiaodang was a little overwhelmed by Liu Zhiye's sudden intimate behavior. She was already a graceful young girl, but this was the first time she felt such close care from the opposite sex.

Her cheeks instantly turned red, and she raised her head shyly, her eyes falling on Liu Zhiye's still handsome face. She couldn't help but feel a strange throbbing in her heart, an experience she had never had before.

The children who grew up in the compound have always had great respect for Liu Zhiye, and now, this feeling seems to have an indescribable subtlety.

"Xiaodang, what are you thinking about? We should go!" Liu Zhiye noticed that Xiaodang looked strange, and urged him, then added with concern: "Are you tired from the journey?"

When Xiaodang heard this, he was flustered for a moment, nodding and shaking his head, and he couldn't explain why he suddenly felt dazed.

The door was quietly closed, and the two of them walked into the Jia family residence in the middle courtyard, one in front and one behind.

"Bang bang bang!"

In the dead of night, the knock on the door seemed particularly abrupt, echoing in the quiet air.

Soon, a lamp in Jia's house was lit, penetrating the curtain of night.

"Who is it?" Qin Jingru's voice from inside the door was filled with a bit of alertness and confusion.

"Aunt, it's me, Xiaodang! Open the door quickly!" A hurried and familiar voice came from outside the door.

"Oh! Why are you back, Xiaodang?" Qin Jingru was startled when she heard this, wondering why Xiaodang suddenly returned so late at night.

When she hurriedly opened the door, she found Liu Zhiye was still outside.

When she hurriedly opened the door, she was surprised to find Liu Zhiye standing outside. Qin Jingru looked at Liu Zhiye with confusion, and he nodded to her and explained, "Xiao Dang is back, I opened the door for her."

After saying that, he gently put down Xiaodang's luggage, turned around and left without staying for too long.

Although Qin Jingru had many questions in her mind, she did not have time to think too much and hurriedly pulled Xiaodang into the house, eager to find out the sudden situation.

Xiaodang has not been idle during the days he has been back home. He has been going in and out every day and has been busy all the time.

For some reason, every time she passed by the front yard, she would subconsciously stop and take a look to see if Liu Zhiye was there.

…………

This was Xiaodan's first time going home to visit her family, and it was full of twists and turns.

When they came back, the Yanchuan Bridge had been repaired.

They all carried bags, including sausages, brown sugar and other things for their fellow educated youth, and corduroy, nylon socks and white-soled plastic shoes for their fellow villagers.

In those days, the villagers all wore hand-knitted cloth shoes with thousand-layer soles. Seeing that the white-soled corduroy shoes they wore were rare, I asked them to bring them back for my daughter-in-law to wear when she got married.

Xiao Dang was quick-witted at the time and immediately realized that this was a good business, but the others only dared to do it in private without making a big fanfare.

In those days, supplies were in short supply and there were great differences between regions. When they went back to visit their families, they also went back to do some shopping. When they returned to the capital, they just went shopping.

They can act as middlemen to earn the difference, and also take this opportunity to go home and visit their families frequently.

When Xiaodang and his friends first arrived, they were still curious about the novelty of the life in the countryside and were able to persevere.

However, as the days passed by, the day-to-day rural labor facing the loess and back to the sky gradually wore away their patience and enthusiasm, and their desire for the city became stronger and stronger, and they were eager to return home.

However, the idea of ​​returning to the city is not easy to realize.

Without the strong family connections to back him up, this idea would be nothing but a mirage, a castle in the air, out of reach.

Some people gradually gave up hope, and some girls even got married here.

However, Xiaodang did not want to stay here like this. In the past few years, there has been someone in her heart, and she wanted to go back.

Among these educated youth, there was a girl named Wang Xia, who was born in an educated family in Beijing. Both her parents were university teachers.

She came here with great enthusiasm at first, but was dumbfounded when she got here.

There were no houses here, only broken caves. The food was not good either, just potatoes and sorghum cakes all day long. She couldn't swallow them, and she lost 10 pounds in less than a week.

She could still bear these things, but farm work was very hard for her. After carrying manure with a shoulder pole all day, her shoulders were rubbed raw and the pain made her cry.

She really didn't want to stay any longer, but the appearance of a man made her find some fun in life.

She could still bear these things, but farm work was very hard for her. After carrying manure with a shoulder pole all day, her shoulders were rubbed raw and the pain made her cry.

She really didn't want to stay any longer, but the appearance of a man made her find some fun in life.

The man's name is Du Haitao, and he is the son of the village chief.

The first time he saw this beautiful city girl, he was immediately attracted to her.

So he often looked for opportunities to help her with work, and the two quickly became familiar with each other.

As they got along, they fell in love, and she suddenly felt that life there was pretty good.

However, like her good sister Xiaodang, she also wanted to return to the city and was still a little hesitant about this relationship.

The two continued to get along like this until a month ago, when Xiaodang went home to visit her relatives. She brought back a piece of news that changed Wang Xia's mind.

“This year, some educated youth have already started to go back!”

It turned out that Xiaodang had not been idle during these two years. Every time she returned home, she would inquire about the latest news of other educated youth.

Once when she went home to visit her relatives, Xiaodang was surprised to hear that Yan Zhaodi, who lived in the same courtyard, had quietly returned to the city. This news made her overjoyed.

She couldn't wait to find her former good sister Yan Zhaodi and eagerly asked for details.

Faced with Xiaodang's questioning, Yan Zhaodi could no longer shirk responsibility and had to tell the truth.

It turned out that she was able to successfully transfer back to the Beijing National Cotton Mill from the local national cotton mill thanks to Liu Zhiye's great help.

After hearing the news, Xiaodang couldn't help but feel envious.

She also knew that the Yan and Liu families had a close relationship, and her family was far behind them.

However, Xiaodang felt that Liu Zhiye's attitude towards her seemed gentler than towards other people in the Jia family. This subtle change could not help but stir up ripples in her heart, making her think secretly.

Wang Xia heard Xiaodang mention that if their family could help smooth over the relationship, perhaps they could also return to the capital.

Wang Xia's parents are both university teachers. Not only do they have many students all over the world, but some of them may even hold important positions. This news undoubtedly caused ripples in her heart.

As a result, Wang Xia began to think about returning to the city, and her attitude towards Du Haitao gradually became cold, and she deliberately kept her distance from him.

The subtle change in Wang Xia's attitude quietly planted the seeds of doubt in Du Haitao's heart.

Soon, the truth came to light, it turned out that Xiaodang was the root of all this. Because of Xiaodang, Wang Xia's feelings for Du Haitao were quietly stirred.

Du Haitao, who learned of this, felt resentment towards Xiaodang. He secretly planned a revenge plan and vowed to seek justice for himself.

Soon, the opportunity came!
One day in July, 1975.

These days, showing movies in the countryside is as lively as the New Year.

Whenever a production team heard that a movie was going to be shown, the children in that team became extremely excited, dancing and running around to tell others.

The adults at home were planning which relatives to invite to watch the movies.

There was a lack of entertainment in rural areas, and the educated youth were no exception. Finally, it was Xiaodang and her team's third production team's turn to show movies.

During the first three days, the brigade sent someone to inform the production team leader that if it didn't rain in three days, they would show a movie in your production team.

(End of this chapter)