Chapter 21: Assigned Together
After getting off the train, they found the people from the Educated Youth Office who had come to pick them up. The two staff members there had already received a group of people — about thirty-something in total — and Ning Xiyue’s group was the last batch to arrive that day.
“Finally, you’re here. We’ve been waiting just for you.” The team leader, Comrade Zhang, let out a sigh of relief when he saw them. He pulled out a list to check the headcount and assigned each of them to their respective communes and brigades.
As Ning Xiyue had expected, all six of them were assigned to the same commune and brigade — Daliu Brigade of Yongchuan Commune.
Out of this batch of educated youth, twenty were assigned to Yongchuan Commune, and seven of them — including Ning Xiyue’s group — were placed in the Daliu Brigade. Besides their group, there was one other male comrade named Wang Jiandong.
This time, Daliu Brigade ended up receiving the most educated youth of all the brigades.
After the assignments were finished, Comrade Zhang gave a short speech full of formalities and then dismissed them, allowing everyone to travel to their respective communes and brigades on their own.
Once the crowd dispersed, Liu Yao cheered loudly, “Wow! All of us really got assigned to the same commune and brigade — that’s awesome! I’m so happy. I told you it was fate!”
Yu Zhiyu and Xia Zhipeng were also smiling happily, and both of them couldn’t help but glance toward Chen Yechu.
Chen Yechu, however, only managed a forced smile. He avoided Xia Zhipeng’s gaze but turned around and gave Yu Zhiyu a polite smile in return.
“Hmph.” Wang Mengmeng snorted at the scene, clearly a little displeased.
Ning Xiyue felt embarrassed on their behalf.
The other comrade assigned to the Daliu Brigade, Wang Jiandong, looked at them all and, wisely choosing the most “normal” person, approached Ning Xiyue with curiosity. “Are you all acquaintances?”
Ning Xiyue nodded and shook her head. “We came here on the same train.”
“Oh.” Comrade Wang Jiandong nodded as if he understood, then continued, “Comrade, since we’re all going to the Daliu Brigade, shall we go together? I just saw a bus from Yongchuan Commune pulling in. If we hurry, we might still get a seat.”
Ning Xiyue looked at the slightly goofy-looking man with glasses and said, “Sure, but I have a tiny thing to take care of — just a minute. You can go ahead with the others.”
Wang Jiandong glanced at the sharp-eyed man standing not far behind Ning Xiyue, pushed up his glasses, and said, “Alright, see you in a bit, Comrade Ning.”
Liu Yao also shouted from ahead, “Xiyue! I’ll save you a seat! Hurry up!”
“Okay, thank you! I’ll be right there.”
Ning Xiyue checked the time, then walked over to Ji Yanming, who was waiting for her nearby, and hurriedly expressed her gratitude. “Comrade Ji, thank you so much for taking care of us these past few days. You’re truly a model comrade of the people…”
After laying on a stream of compliments, Ning Xiyue smiled and said, “Comrade Ji, I’ve been assigned to the Daliu Brigade of Yongchuan Commune. Could you please help deliver my certificate of commendation and award to me? Also, I was wondering when I might receive them.”
Having spent more than two days on the train, Ning Xiyue figured her award and letter of commendation should be arriving soon.
Ji Yanming almost laughed — so that’s why she’d buttered him up so much. With a serious face, he replied, “Understood. Don’t worry. They should arrive within the next day or two.”
Hearing that, Ning Xiyue’s smile grew even brighter. She quickly pulled out a letter she had written herself.
“Comrade Ji, this is a thank-you letter I wrote for you. I originally planned to treat you to lunch to thank you for taking care of us, but unfortunately, the bus is here. I’ll have to invite you next time.”
Ji Yanming accepted the letter and looked at her seriously. “Alright, I’ll remember this lunch.”
“Come on, it’s getting late. Let me help you carry your luggage over,” he said, glancing toward the station exit.
“Okay, thank you, Comrade Ji.”
Now that her award and letter of commendation were settled, Ning Xiyue felt a weight lift off her shoulders. In high spirits, she headed to the platform to meet up with Liu Yao and the others.
Just as she reached the platform, the bus to Yongchuan Commune rumbled out from the station. Ning Xiyue grabbed her luggage, said goodbye to Comrade Ji, and followed the group to buy tickets and board the bus to Yongchuan.
Ji Yanming only turned to leave and head toward the county armed forces office once the bus had disappeared from view.
It was only after Ning Xiyue boarded the bus bound for the countryside that she learned the true meaning of “seat snatching,” “overcrowding,” and “bumpy roads.”
When boarding, experienced uncles and aunties tossed their belongings through the windows to reserve seats. Some even climbed in through the windows first and bought their tickets afterward.
And it wasn’t just one or two doing this — a whole swarm of people crowded around any open windows. The sight left Ning Xiyue utterly speechless.
Even in the city, the public buses she’d squeezed onto were never this crazy.
Unsurprisingly, the bus seats were already completely full, and all the good spots were taken. People kept boarding until the doors could barely close.
Ning Xiyue was practically pushed onto the bus by the crowd. Once on board, she couldn’t even stand properly — she felt like she was being lifted off the ground by the crush of people, her whole body floating.
And it was the middle of summer. The mix of sweat, body odor, and foot stench filled the bus, making her want to vomit. She could barely breathe and felt like she was about to suffocate.
Worst of all, the road was terrible. The bus bumped and jolted violently, swaying from side to side. Every so often, a big jolt would make everyone on board bounce into the air.
Finally, one particularly rough bump caused Ning Xiyue to wedge herself into a triangular space between a seat and the interior wall of the bus. There, she could relax a little, hold her ground without being pushed around by the crowd, and even catch a few breaths.
With a moment to spare, Ning Xiyue glanced around to check on her companions.
What she saw immediately made her feel a pang of envy.
Damn it — she had used every ounce of strength and calculated every move just to wedge herself into this little triangle and breathe properly.
Meanwhile, the novel’s female protagonist, Chen Yechu, was sitting comfortably in a seat — with two men voluntarily acting as her bodyguards, blocking off the sides to make sure no one squeezed her.
People say comparisons are the thief of joy — and indeed, envy twisted Ning Xiyue’s face beyond recognition.
The heroine’s treatment was on a whole different level from that of a cannon-fodder extra like her. It was a kind of privilege she could never hope to attain.
Ning Xiyue wanted to check on Liu Yao and Wang Mengmeng too, but when she turned her head, she saw an older woman glaring fiercely at her little corner — clearly waiting for a big bump to toss Ning Xiyue out so she could take the spot.
Ning Xiyue stopped looking around or getting distracted. She gripped the nearest handhold tightly — holding on to her little patch of territory was more important than anything. She could not let that auntie take over.
She didn’t want to be squashed out of shape by the crowd or, worse, accidentally suffocate and become the first educated youth to die from lack of oxygen on a bus ride to the countryside.
The auntie noticed Ning Xiyue’s defensive posture and glared at her.
Ning Xiyue glared right back and tightened her grip on the pole even more, making sure the woman saw how firmly she was holding on. She held her ground until the woman got off the bus — still securely wedged in her corner and not giving the woman the slightest chance.
As she disembarked, the auntie gave Ning Xiyue a thumbs-up. Ning Xiyue clasped her fists and grinned, giving her a mock-polite gesture of concession.
The woman shuffled off looking like a defeated rooster, drooping and dejected.
How had she lost to a young girl? Ah, she was getting old, truly old!
Once the auntie left and no one was fighting her for space anymore, Ning Xiyue found things much less interesting. Fortunately, the next stop was the town, and she would be getting off there too.
