Chapter 24: Ning Xiaoxiao, Long Time No See
The educated youth station was located on the easternmost side of the brigade, backed by mountains. It was a bit far from the other villagers’ homes, making the area relatively quiet.
The courtyard of the educated youth compound wasn’t as shabby as the books described. At least, it was no worse than the homes of the villagers — all were adobe houses. Compared to those in the city, the only advantage was the larger yards.
The educated youths in the courtyard had just returned from work. Some were washing clothes, some were cooking — everyone was busy with their own tasks.
Ning Xiyue only saw three educated youths — two male comrades and one female comrade — but she didn’t see Ning Xiaoxiao anywhere.
Seeing the captain arriving with people, the senior educated youth Zhao Jianshe came forward with a smile. “Captain, these must be the new educated youths who arrived today.”
“Mm, Jianshe, you and Comrade Guifang help arrange things,” Captain Zhang Dawei said as he looked around, not seeing Comrade Wu Guifang. “Where’s Comrade Guifang?”
“Captain,” Wu Guifang replied, walking over with a hoe on her shoulder.
“Comrade Guifang, come here. These are the new educated youths assigned to our team today. You two divide them by gender and arrange their lodging. Also, explain the basic situation here at the educated youth station, and the grain ration issue.”
After giving those instructions, the captain left with the ox cart without looking back, leaving everything to the two of them.
They were obviously used to this arrangement — Zhao Jianshe and Comrade Wu Guifang didn’t seem surprised.
The two of them each led the male and female newcomers toward the compound.
Comrade Wu Guifang diligently explained things to the four new arrivals.
Currently, there were three male educated youths and three female educated youths living in the compound. Including this new group, there would be a total of thirteen — six men and seven women.
The previously quiet compound suddenly became lively.
“You don’t need to worry about grain rations. In the first year of the educated youth program, grain is allocated by the state. Our Daliu Brigade ranks among the top in production every year within the commune, so each person’s monthly ration will be distributed in full according to the national standard — thirty-five jin per person per month. The captain will send someone to deliver this month’s ration later. All you need to do is sign for it.”
“There’s only one kitchen. You can choose to cook together with others or cook by yourself.”
After explaining some basic information, Comrade Wu Guifang pointed to the houses behind her:
“The row on the left is for male educated youths, and the row on the right is for us females. Space is tight, so two people will share a room. Choose among yourselves. I have to go prepare dinner now. If you don’t understand anything, just ask me anytime.”
With that, Comrade Wu Guifang left to make dinner.
Liu Yao looked at everyone helplessly. “How should we choose?”
“Let’s share a room,” Wang Mengmeng suggested first.
She didn’t like Chen Yechu — she found her fake. As for Ning Xiyue, she had already shown on the train that she was a tough character, not someone to provoke and likely difficult to get along with. All things considered, Liu Yao, the cheerful, silly girl, seemed the easiest to get along with.
“Sure, then the two of us will share a room. Xiyue and Yechu can share one. How about that?” Liu Yao asked, looking to Chen Yechu and Ning Xiyue for their opinion.
“Mm.”
Ning Xiyue had no objections. As long as she wasn’t sharing a room with Ning Xiaoxiao, anything was fine.
Chen Yechu liked this arrangement. She thought Ning Xiyue was smart, not the type to cause trouble, and a decent person overall. She nodded in agreement.
There wasn’t much difference between the two remaining rooms, so they chose randomly. Ning Xiyue and Chen Yechu took a room on the right, while Wang Mengmeng and Liu Yao took one on the left.
After everything was decided, Ning Xiyue and Chen Yechu entered their room and started cleaning.
One swept the floor while the other wiped away the dust. Both were efficient workers, and in no time, the room was spotless and the bedding was neatly laid out.
When Comrade Wu Guifang came to check on them and saw that everything was already done, she was a little surprised. Judging by their clothes and demeanor, these two new female educated youths seemed to come from good families. She hadn’t expected them to be so capable.
They seemed diligent and hardworking, which made her think more fondly of them.
Seeing her at the door, Ning Xiyue took two pieces of candy from her bag and handed them over with a smile. “Sister Guifang, my name is Ning Xiyue. I wanted to ask — can we use the things in the kitchen?”
When Wu Guifang saw the two fruit candies in her hand, her smile grew more genuine and her explanation became more detailed.
“The kitchen tools are communal, so you can use them freely. If you want to cook together with us, then you’ll need to contribute a little toward the cost of things like salt and oil — we split the costs evenly. We take turns cooking and collecting firewood according to a schedule. If you prefer to cook alone, you’ll need to buy your own oil and salt.”
Then Wu Guifang leaned closer and whispered, “Also, make sure to lock up your own things after using them. Don’t leave them lying around.”
“Thank you, Sister Guifang. You’re so kind.”
Wu Guifang waved her hand. “It’s nothing. We’re going to be living together as sisters from now on. If you have any questions, just ask me. If I know the answer, I’ll tell you. Oh, by the way, did you bring any oil or salt? If not, I can lend you some.”
She found this young woman to be generous and not the type to take advantage of others — nothing like what Ning Xiaoxiao had said. She was someone worth getting along with.
“I brought some,” Ning Xiyue said with a smile and a nod.
At that moment, someone the captain had sent arrived with their monthly grain rations.
Ning Xiyue marked her own share after receiving it, and Chen Yechu did the same.
Since the senior educated youths were already cooking dinner, the newcomers had to figure out their own meals.
The others were exhausted and decided to just eat some dry rations to make do.
Ning Xiyue didn’t want to settle for that. She grabbed a handful of rice, planning to steam it.
Chen Yechu took out her share of grain and said, “Xiyue, let’s cook together this meal. It’ll be faster.”
“Sure. Come on, the pot will be free once they finish steaming their rice.”
Ning Xiyue was eager to eat quickly. They’d only had some dry food at noon, and she was already starving. Working together would definitely speed things up — especially since using a wood-fired stove was faster with someone experienced like her.
While they were busy in the kitchen, Wu Guifang walked in holding a head of cabbage.
“Xiyue, I brought you some vegetables. I grew them myself. You can stir-fry them later.”
She set the cabbage down and left.
“Thank you, Sister Guifang!”
Ning Xiyue gently patted the cabbage in her hands, thinking that those two pieces of candy had been well worth it.
Chen Yechu glanced at the cabbage with a slightly complicated expression.
Ning Xiyue guessed that she hadn’t expected Sister Guifang to be so generous as to give them a whole cabbage.
Next, Chen Yechu provided the oil while Ning Xiyue supplied the seasonings. Both of them were generous with the ingredients, and they managed to turn that single cabbage into a dish that was colorful, fragrant, and delicious. The aroma wafted through the entire compound.
The educated youths who had just returned from work sniffed the air and asked, “What’s cooking today? It smells amazing.”
“Mmm, so fragrant.” Ning Xiaoxiao sniffed the air eagerly from behind, hurrying after the others toward the dining area, afraid that if she was too slow, she’d miss out on the good stuff.
Unexpectedly, just as Ning Xiyue walked out of the kitchen next door holding a plate of stir-fried cabbage with chili, she ran right into the two of them.
When Ning Xiyue saw the person behind them, she curved her lips into a faint smile:
“Ning Xiaoxiao, long time no see.”
