1979: Reopening Wenhao Road from the Village

"Happy New Year, Auntie! Have some sweets."

"Sir, have a smoke."

"Weidong, Happy Chinese New Year!"

……

After paying his respects to Yang Shuzhi, Chen Weidong headed towards Wang Jianshui's house. Along the way, he would stop and say a few auspicious words to other people who came to offer their New Year's greetings.

……

"Is that Chen, the educated youth who got kicked by a horse last year?!"

A woman squatting against the wall, her hands tucked into the sleeves of her cotton-padded jacket, looked at Chen Weidong and said.

"Yes, that's him."

Another villager, cracking sunflower seeds, responded.

"He looks quite kind, and not as bad as people say."

"You can't judge a book by its cover. You wouldn't believe it, but last year when his wife had her postpartum confinement, she actually went to a city hospital, and I heard it cost her forty or fifty yuan."

"Yes, I've heard about it too. And you wouldn't believe it, but when the village went to market a while ago, this Chen educated youth bought a lot of things. He bought over ten feet of foreign cloth and homespun cloth, carrying a huge pile of bags and packages."

"Why did you buy so much! I can't possibly eat it all!"

"That's nothing. I saw with my own eyes that the other party led a ewe that had just given birth back home. I heard that his wife didn't have enough milk, so he was going to give the baby goat milk."

"I bought a sheep from Li Lao Er in Lijia Village. It cost me about sixty yuan. I even asked him about it."

"Where did this educated youth Chen get so much money? I never seemed to notice it before."

"It was probably given to him by his parents. With his lazy and irresponsible attitude, he and his wife barely have enough work points to support their family, let alone buy anything."

"That's true. With such a big spender as the head of the household, Su, that educated youth, is probably not going to have an easy time in the future."

"That's right. Speaking of Su, she was such a good girl. It's a pity she married this Chen."

"Yes, I even introduced her to my second aunt's son back then. He's a famous carpenter in the surrounding area."

……

"Uncle Wang, Auntie, Happy New Year!"

Chen Weidong entered the room and bowed to Wang Jianshui and his wife.

"Wei Dong is here. Please have a seat. Old woman, pour Wei Dong some milk tea."

"No need, Auntie, I just finished drinking at home."

Chen Weidong said something politely and sat down next to Wang Jianshui.

"Weidong, what are your plans for the future? I've heard that several of you from the educated youth settlement are preparing for university entrance exams. Don't you plan to give it a try?"

"I am willing but unable. As you know, I am already married with two children, and my education level is only junior high school. I am not qualified to apply at all."

Actually, he had thought about taking the college entrance exam, but he was not qualified. In addition, he was not good at studying in his previous life, and he had long forgotten the knowledge he had learned now.

"Why don't you stay in Yangjiatun? With your education, you'd definitely be able to become a teacher, and even if you wanted to join the production brigade, that wouldn't be out of the question."

Wang Jianshui asked tentatively, having spent some time with Chen Weidong and feeling that he was indeed a good person, and he wanted to leave a good impression.

"Thank you, Uncle Wang. I need to discuss this with Su Man."

Chen Weidong said tactfully that staying in Yangjiatun was definitely not possible, but he did not refuse the other party's kindness.

Upon hearing this, Wang Jianshui knew that Chen Weidong had no intention of staying. In fact, he understood; after all, who would want to stay in the countryside if they could return to the city?

"The county held a meeting a few days ago, and they said they would select some educated youth to return to their hometowns this year. Keep an eye out for that."

"I understand, thank you, Uncle Wang."

Although he already knew the news, Wang Jianshui reminded him that he should accept the favor.

In his previous life, he went back because of personal reasons, but this time it might be different. There were quite a few educated youth who stayed in the countryside for decades in his previous life. Now that Wang Jianshui is reminding him in advance, if he didn't know this news, it would be enough to seize the initiative.

"Yes, remember to keep in touch with Secretary Yang and the brigade leader; their opinions are still very important."

Chen Weidong nodded, indicating that he understood.

Back home, Chen Weidong lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), thinking about returning to his hometown.

If "The Herdsman" is successfully submitted for publication, he can take the opportunity to revise the manuscript and return home early.

Maybe they'll be able to find suitable jobs for the two of them and return to the city through recruitment.

If the manuscript doesn't pass review, it will still be a problem for him, Su Man, and their two children to return to their hometown.

The best solution is to let Su Man take the college entrance examination, and then use that opportunity to return to the city with the child.

It's a bit time-consuming, and the college entrance exam isn't as easy as it was two years ago. The questions are getting harder and harder, but there are more and more people taking the exam. Su Man isn't sure if she can pass on her first try.

"What's wrong? You've seemed down ever since you came back."

Su Man looked at Chen Weidong, who had a furrowed brow, and asked him with concern.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Weidong decided to tell the story of the educated youth returning to their hometowns.

"We can go back to the city!"

Su Man said in shock, her words filled with surprise.

"Yes, it'll probably start around the Lunar New Year."

"Then we really need to hurry. Should we tell Fu Xiao and the others?"

Su Man hesitated for a moment and looked at Chen Weidong.

"You can tell them quietly when they arrive. I was just planning to tell Brother Yan in the next couple of days."

Although this made it more difficult for them to return to the city, Chen Weidong had to inform He Yan and Fu Xiao of how much they had helped him recently. As for whether they could find a way back to the city, that would depend on their own abilities.

"I see."

Su Man's inner turmoil vanished, and her gaze towards Chen Weidong was filled with admiration and respect, which was also the reason she married Chen Weidong in the first place.

Besides being handsome, Chen Weidong is a bit of a slacker, but he is a good person, very loyal, and has a human touch.

It's just that he didn't use his loyalty for good; he spent all his time hanging out with his cronies.

Just as the two were whispering to each other, a rough voice rang out from outside.

"Brother Dong, Brother Dong."

Su Man frowned slightly. Speak of the devil, and he appears. She knew from his voice that it was Er Maitai again, one of Chen Weidong's cronies.

"Um, I'm going out to take a look. I'll be right back."

Chen Weidong then remembered who the other person was, touched his nose, and said to Su Man.

"Then come back soon, don't stay out too long."

Su Man didn't stop him. After all, it was the Lunar New Year, and there was nothing to do at home. It would be boring for a grown man like Chen Weidong to stay at home all the time.

Moreover, Chen Weidong hasn't been out for a while, and now that he wants to go out and have some fun, she can't be too strict with him.

As soon as Chen Weidong stepped outside, he saw a dark-skinned, burly man about 1.8 meters tall, wearing a black leather coat and a fur hat. This was Er Maitai, whose real name was Yang Erhu, the son of Yang Shuiwang, the village cook.

It was precisely because he was Yang Shuiwang's son that Ermaita was able to grow up so strong.

Because he was the second oldest child, he was usually a bit sloppy and was nicknamed "Second-rate" by people.

When Ermaitai saw Chen Weidong come out, he grinned.

"Brother Dong, I heard from my dad that you were kicked by a horse a while ago, so I rushed over to see you."

"It's nothing, just a scrape. How many days will you be staying this time?"