Time Travel: My Comfortable Life After Going to the Countryside

Wang Lixin said, "Village chief, last time our village had almost ten educated youths come. Can we ask for fewer this time?"

Li Jianjun flipped through the account book and said, "Old Zhang, our village doesn't have much grain left. There's only one month left until the autumn harvest, and by now everyone's food rations are almost gone."

"Everyone will have to come to the village to borrow grain, otherwise they won't have enough to eat and won't have the strength to complete their tasks. If they don't complete their tasks, they won't get work points, and if they don't get work points, they won't have any grain or money. Then everyone will start making trouble for us."

"So I agree with Captain Wang's idea and see if we can take fewer educated youth."

Zhang Tiejun took a deep drag on his cigarette: "Do you think I don't know what's going on in the village? Do you think I'm asking for more? I'd rather not have any at all."

"The educated youth were all city people, and they had never done farm work before. After all this time, only Liu Xiangyang could do it."

"How about this, the two of you go to pick up the educated youth this time, and I'll stay home. You can make trouble or curse at the educated youth office, I won't care. I'll let you taste the grievances I've suffered."

Wang Lixin: "I also have to take charge of the village's production tasks, so I can't leave. I think it's better if you go, Village Chief Zhang."

Li Jianjun: "I still have a bunch of work points to reconcile. If I miscalculate even one work point, those old women will tear me apart. I think it's best if you go, Lao Zhang."

Liu Xiangyang knew that new educated youth were coming, but he felt it had nothing to do with him. He figured the new educated youth would just stay at the educated youth settlement, and apart from gathering in the morning to collect tools, he wouldn't have much of a chance to see them, so he didn't care.

Liu Xiangyang was currently with Old Wang at the state-owned fur factory looking for someone when they were stopped at the gate.

Who are you looking for?

Old Wang: "Comrade, we are villagers from Dongsheng Village. My name is Wang Liansheng. I'm here to see Master Hong Changqing. We're friends. Please register, and I'll go get someone."

A short while later, a tall, thin man came over with the gatekeeper.

"Old Wang, what do you want?"

"Master Hong, may I have a word with you?"

"Master Hong, this is Liu Xiangyang, a former educated youth from our village. He's the same one who caught the spy a few days ago. Yesterday, he went up the mountain and killed a bear. He wants you to process the hide to make a bearskin cloak and make the bear head into a specimen."

"It's possible, but going through the proper procedures would put you at a huge disadvantage. Our factory only accepts large-volume orders; one or two pieces wouldn't even cover the cost of materials."

Liu Xiangyang: "Master Hong, you're right. That's why I asked Uncle Wang to bring me here. I wanted to trouble you with your personal time to help me out. Since it's taking up your personal time, the cost is negotiable."

Hong Changqing: "Let me check the leather first."

Liu Xiangyang took out the bear skin and handed it to Hong Changqing, who examined it carefully for a while and then spoke.

"The leather is of good quality, with no other holes, and it has been peeled very cleanly. It will take about twenty days to make."

"Old Wang and I have a long-standing friendship. Just give me half a month's wages, thirty yuan, and I'll tan it for you and then make it into a bearskin cloak."

Liu Xiangyang: "Then I'll give Uncle Chang half of the deposit first, and I'll come back to collect it in twenty days. Is that alright?"

"No deposit was originally required, but since you trust me so much, I will definitely give you my best performance."

"Thank you very much, Uncle Chang. I'll need your help often in the future."

After Liu Xiangyang settled the matter of the bear skin, he parted ways with Old Wang and went to Lu Dajun's house, bringing some bear meat and a bear paw.

Lu Dajun happened to be off today, so he insisted that Liu Xiangyang stay at his home for lunch.

"Xiangyang, your appointment as an inspector and the recruitment quota have been finalized. Since it can't affect production activities, the appointment will be issued after the autumn harvest. You will need to go to Harbin for about a week of training then."

"The recruitment quotas will be issued in the next few days under the name of Dongsheng Village, but your opinion will be the final decision."

"Thank you, Uncle Lu."

Li Cuihua: "Stop chatting, come and eat. Thanks to Xiao Liu, I'll also try what bear meat tastes like."

When Liu Xiangyang got home, there was still some time before he finished work. At noon, Lu Dajun had made him drink a lot of alcohol. He was swaying in the carriage and was also exposed to the wind. His head was spinning and he fell asleep on the kang (a heated brick bed).

During this time, Xue Bingbing came to call him for dinner, but seeing that he was asleep, she didn't wake him, put the food on the table, and left.

The next day in front of the village office.

Zhang Tiejun: "Everyone, please be quiet. I have a few things to say."

"The first thing is that new educated youth will be arriving tomorrow. My requirements for you veteran educated youth haven't changed: you must unite and be friendly with the new educated youth, carry forward the spirit of mentoring and guiding, and help the new educated youth better integrate into the environment..."

"The second point is even better news. As everyone knows, Comrade Liu Xiangyang recently captured two enemy agents. Now the reward for our village has been issued, and Dongsheng Village has been given a recruitment quota. Everyone should go back and discuss what to do."

When everyone heard the second point, they were all in an uproar. For the educated youth, having a job now meant they could return to the city, no longer have to work themselves to the bone in the fields, and would even receive a salary, no longer have to worry about those few work points every day.

Once farmers have jobs, their status changes; they become city dwellers, receive government rations, and have various coupons. This means their entire family's life undergoes a dramatic transformation, and their social class changes.

"Stop arguing, because this quota was obtained because of Comrade Liu Xiangyang. So I want to make it clear that Comrade Liu Xiangyang told me long ago that he wanted to stay in Dongsheng Village, so he doesn't want this quota."

When the crowd heard that Liu Xiangyang was not returning to the city but had stayed in Dongsheng Village, they began to whisper among themselves.

"Shut up, I haven't finished speaking yet!"

"Because of Comrade Liu Xiangyang's noble character, the village will give full consideration to his opinion on who gets this quota."

"Everyone, go back and discuss this carefully, and each surname should nominate one person..."

At this point, the educated youth started making a fuss. Liu Xiangyang was an educated youth, so even if he didn't want the quota he received, it should still be allocated to the educated youth. Why were the educated youth excluded?

The educated youth and the villagers got into an argument, neither side willing to back down.

Xie Zhiyong: "Village Chief Zhang, this is unfair. We educated youth are also from Dongsheng Village, and our household registration is now in Dongsheng Village. If you don't let us participate, then we will report you to higher authorities."

"That's right. We educated youth have been in Dongsheng Village for many years. We were needed when it was time to work, but now that there are benefits, we're being excluded. We absolutely refuse to accept this."

"What kind of work do you educated youth do? You just dawdle all day long. How many chickens and ducks have you stolen from our village? How much grain have you stolen from the fields? We usually don't say much to you because we feel sorry for you, having left your hometown. But no matter what, this quota can only be generated from among our villagers."

Since there were few educated youth, they couldn't argue with the older women, so all the bad things the educated youth had done in the past were exposed.

But the educated youth only said one thing: if they weren't allowed to participate, it was unfair and they would file a complaint.

It really angered the older women.