The Red Era: Starting from Being an Educated Youth in the Countryside

Chapter 16 Educated Youth Points

When the captain saw the cigarettes he had stuffed into his pocket, his brows twitched. The kids in the city were always generous, but the people in the team couldn't afford to smoke such things. They all rolled up tobacco and smoked it in groups.

"We don't like bribery. Take the cigarettes back with you."

There was a shove and push.

If Chen Huaiyang took it seriously, he would be stupid. "Look at what the team leader said. My household registration will be moved to the team soon. I will be a member of our third team from now on."

"We all live in the same team, and I have to call you uncle based on seniority. Why can't I smoke this cigarette?"

"I don't smoke, and this thing will only get moldy if I put it in my pocket. Before I left, my father reminded me to listen to the elders in the team, get along well with the team, and adapt as soon as possible."

"I will trouble you a lot in the future, so don't refuse! Otherwise, I will be embarrassed to ask for help when I need it."

The captain was comforted by just a few words from him. This man was quite eloquent and his words were very pleasant to listen to.

People in the south are generally short, but Chen Huaiyang is an exception, being 183cm tall. Standing next to the captain, he had a strong presence. The two of them got along better and better as they talked, and the captain's laughter could be heard all the way.

The man with glasses watched the two people chatting happily from the side with a look of disdain on his face. It seemed so cowardly for a grown man to rush to please others. He would never get along with the other party.

Of the two lesbians, Yang Xiaolin has fair skin and is pretty. She gives people a very gentle feeling and speaks in a soft voice.

Lin Zhen is a taciturn person. She greeted everyone at the beginning and remained silent.

It took 40 minutes to walk from the town to the brigade. The road was bumpy and it was getting dark. The brigade leader was eager to return home, so his pace was even more hurried.

It was fine at first, but gradually Lin Zhen couldn't keep up. They were all female comrades, so Yang Xiaolin could only slow down and wait for her. Seeing that she was about to faint, she asked,
"I see you look pale, are you having your period?"

Lin Zhen nodded with a guilty look on her face, "It just happened to be such a coincidence. I'm sorry to have held you back." She didn't want to be a burden, but who knew it would be such a coincidence!

Yang Xiaolin shook her head. Seeing the sweat on her face from the pain, she suggested, "How about asking the captain to give you a ride?"

Because of her different physical constitution, she has never suffered so much!

Lin Zhen's face turned pale and she kept shaking her head, "No, I can hold on." If she troubled others right after arriving, it would definitely leave a bad impression. She would have to make a living here in the future.

Until the captain noticed that they hadn't caught up, he shouted with a stern face, "Two female colleagues, please speed up. It will be dark soon, and we still have to arrange accommodation. Don't dawdle here."

Chen Huaiyang took a quick look and noticed something was wrong, "Captain, can you give her a ride?"

"The main reason is that we are afraid of wasting your time. It's almost time for dinner and you've been tired all day. If we delay dinner again, it will be our fault."

The captain looked at the weak female comrade, then at the male comrade who was saying nice things to him. His cigarette was still in his bag, so he couldn't refuse even such a small request. He nodded and said, "Come up quickly!"

"Your physical condition is really bad! You can't even walk properly. You can't go to the countryside to enjoy yourself. If you don't earn work points, you won't have food to eat."

Lin Zhen's face turned even paler and her body was shaking.

Chen Huaiyang looked away. He was so hungry that it was hard enough for him to walk, so how could he care about other people's lives? Meddling in other people's affairs is not a good thing. If he was not afraid of wasting time, he would not want to get involved.

Just as everyone was thinking about it, they finally arrived at the destination.

The settlement for the educated youth was built at the entrance of the village. From a distance, one could see a long row of bungalows with a slogan on the wall: "Rooted in rural construction, the entrepreneurial ambition remains unchanged."

The open door is in the middle. At first glance, you can see two big pots built on the left and right sides. It is obviously the kitchen. There is a door on each side outside the house, and the two rooms are next to the kitchen.

Unlike the houses in the south, the houses were built with brand new mud, and looked like they were just built. The team leader shouted to the old educated youth, "These are the new educated youth. You should prepare dinner for them. You will have a day off tomorrow to collect your monthly rations, get familiar with the environment, and start work the day after tomorrow."

"This month's food rations are supported by the state. If you want to avoid starvation and cold later, you have to earn work points in exchange for food rations. The lazy ones can only tighten their belts and starve themselves."

"Let's not waste any more time. Let the old educated youth show you how to choose a room. You can deal with it on your own from now on."

After the captain left, Liu Li went up to greet people enthusiastically.

"My name is Liu Li. Tian Dong cooks, Liu Jun fetches water, and there is also Liu Xiaoyu. From Monday to Wednesday, the men cook, and on Thursday and Saturday, the women cook. We cook together on Sundays."

"The two rooms next to the kitchen are occupied. You can only choose the one at the back. I'll take you there!"

He felt a little guilty while speaking, after all, it was newly built.

The layout of the adjacent room is the same, with the kitchen sandwiched between two rooms. It looks a bit dark and the house has been built for some time.

"It's very cold here in the winter. You can't survive without a kang. The room is small and can only accommodate two people. I'm sorry that you have to live here." After all, it's first come first served.

Yang Xiaolin discussed with Lin Zhen and decided to live next to the old educated youth. After all, it was good to have a companion in a strange place.

The man with glasses chose the other side of the kitchen without thinking. He definitely would not live with Chen Huaiyang, as the journey was already noisy enough.

Chen Huaiyang didn't care. After all, there was a house of the same size behind him. It was a bit old, but it could be lived in if it was cleaned up.

Each room is almost the same size. A room of about ten square meters has a kang bed that can accommodate two people.

The new house, apart from the heavy smell, some cobwebs and a lot of dust, can be lived in after some tidying up.

He started to clean up, took out the rubber mat he had found at the supply and marketing cooperative, and spread it neatly on the kang. It formed a sharp contrast with the empty space on the other side where nothing was laid.

The advantage of the rubber pad is that if it gets dirty, you can just wipe it clean. He is adapting to the local customs.

Just make do with it, that's how it's used.

When new educated youth arrive, the other side can make their own preparations!

The weather is hot and humid, so you don’t need to use the quilt, so just put it next to the bed to prevent it from getting moldy.

I took out a remaining bun and started to eat it. I was so hungry that I felt a little weak. I had to eat a few bites of the buns these two days. I still had to eat something to fill my stomach.

When I went out again, the aroma of food wafted out.

Chen Huaiyang walked into the kitchen and took a look. He saw a big pot of sweet potato porridge, some fried golden pancakes, and a pot of sauerkraut and radish soup on the side.

Tian Dong shouted, "It's time to eat."

The table was made of a board with a stone on both sides. The food was placed on the table and the people took out the bowls and chopsticks to eat.

You eat as much as you pay for food.

Liu Li and Liu Xiaoyu each served half a bowl of porridge mixed with sweet potatoes, Tian Dong served the other half. Liu Jun was very smart and scooped up all the millet porridge. The lunch boxes were full and he stopped only when there was no more room.

There wasn't much food left, just sweet potato slices cut into pieces.

(End of this chapter)