A little madman moved into the courtyard house next door.

September is the busiest time in rural areas, with one harvest and one planting. Sweet potatoes need to be dug up and brought back, and winter wheat needs to be planted in the cleared land.

Once frost arrives, not only will the sweet potatoes be damaged and unable to be stored, but the germination of planted winter wheat will also be affected.

Labor education classes for middle school students come in handy; more people, more strength. Teenagers are exactly the age to be used as free labor.

Sunday, May 9.

Today is the day the school will depart for various communes to participate in labor education classes. The school notified everyone in advance to prepare their luggage, food rations, and tableware.

The trip, from departure to return, will last a total of 12 days. Xiao Sanfeng finished the preparations last night.

Xiao Sanfeng's luggage contained two sets of clothes, a thin quilt, an enamel basin, an enamel cup, toiletries, a lunchbox, and chopsticks.

Of course, a straw mat was also essential. He took out cornmeal that he didn't usually eat from his storage space and put 20 jin (10 catties) in a bag.

To avoid suffering, Xiao Sanfeng even went to Xiao Family Island at night. He had Xin Xin and the maid prepare some stir-fried dishes, rice, and meat buns. He stored the food in his spatial storage so he could secretly eat it when he went to the countryside.

…………

Early in the morning, Xiao Sanfeng ate breakfast at home, then picked up his luggage and went out.

When we arrived at the school, many students had arrived early and gathered in small groups on the playground.

At eight o'clock in the morning, all the students had arrived, and the principal began to speak through a loudspeaker. After a series of polite remarks, he led the students in chanting slogans.

"Study hard about labor and become a well-rounded individual."

Cherish the opportunity to learn, and don't become a useless person.

"..."

"..."

Xiao Sanfeng thought to himself, "Damn, no wonder vocational schools in later generations sent their students to factories to tighten screws so early on; it turns out it's a long-standing, glorious tradition!"

"They're asking us to be free labor, and they're making it sound so high and mighty. They should thank their ancestors for eighteen generations."

It wasn't until 8:30, when the sun was high in the sky, that the homeroom teachers led everyone out.

The "study" location for Class 1 of Grade 7 was Lijia Village on the outskirts of the city, along with Class 2 of Grade 7 and Class 2 of Grade 8.

A total of 136 teachers and students from the three classes participated, with Chen Lin serving as the overall captain for all three classes. They walked out of the school together and boarded the bus at the designated location.

Xiao Sanfeng also saw He Yushui in the group; it turned out she was from Class 2, Grade 8.

Everyone boarded several public buses arranged by the bus company, and they set off shortly afterward.

After walking for about half an hour, the students started to feel sleepy.

Looking at his drowsy classmates in the car, Chen Lin shouted, "Classmates, let's sing a song to boost our morale, okay?"

The students replied, "Okay..."

Chen Lin said, "Then I'll start. Ready, go: Socialism is good..."

The students sang loudly, "Socialism is good, socialism is good..."

"In socialist countries, the people enjoy high status, the reactionaries have been overthrown, and the imperialists have fled with their tails between their legs!"

"The great unity of the people of the whole country has set off a high tide of socialist construction."

"..."

"..."

"..."

As the song filled the air, the students' marching formation immediately gained momentum.

At 11:30 a.m., the convoy arrived at its destination: Lijiacun Brigade, Shidu Commune.

After getting off the bus, the militiamen led everyone to the brigade's threshing ground. Chen Lin and the other two homeroom teachers told the students to rest where they were while they went to find the brigade cadres to hand over the duties.

After a while, the brigade leader came over with three teachers.

After Chen Lin gathered everyone together, the captain began to speak.

"Hello everyone. I am Li Buqing, the brigade leader of Lijiacun Brigade. Welcome to Lijiacun Brigade for labor education."

"Because there are quite a few of you, we can't arrange accommodation for everyone at once. After discussing it with your teachers, all the girls will stay in the shed at the brigade headquarters. The boys will be arranged to stay at the homes of the commune members."

"The host family will take you back later. You need to get along well with them and avoid any disputes."

"Everyone, take a break this afternoon and get familiar with the environment. We'll officially begin our labor training tomorrow."

Chen Lin stepped forward and said, "The three of us teachers and the girls are staying here in the shed. The boys are staying at the villagers' homes and should get along well with them. If there are any problems, come and find a teacher or the brigade leader."

"The production team canteen in Lijiacun Brigade has been closed, so we have to cook for ourselves."

"We pooled the food we brought together and cooked together. Of course, students who lived far from the dormitory could also ask other members to let them eat at their homes."

"Dismissed now. Girls, go to the shed and set up makeshift beds. Boys, wait here for the members to come and pick you up."

After the students dispersed, the boys rested on the threshing ground. After a while, the commune members came to pick them up.

The militiamen began taking attendance, and every time a student's name was called, a member of the community would come up to greet them.

"Xiao Sanfeng".

"Here." Xiao Sanfeng came out carrying his luggage bag.

"Xiao Sanfeng, this is Li Xiaocao. You can stay at her house for now."

Li Xiaocao said timidly in a low voice, "Brother, I'm Li Xiaocao, please come with me!"

Xiao Sanfeng sized up the little girl in front of him; she looked to be about seven or eight years old.

The little girl was pale and thin, with dry, yellow hair. She wore a sleeveless, coarse linen top and shorts that looked like they were made from the legs of two adult pants.

Xiao Sanfeng smiled and said, "Hello, Xiaocao, thank you for picking me up. Let's go!"

Li Xiaocao led the way, with Xiao Sanfeng following behind.