Chapter 256: The Slacker Trio
The next morning, outside Yongchuan Commune.
A dark, dense crowd had gathered, each face radiating joy. The scene was bustling with energy.
When Ning Xiyue arrived in town, she got separated from the small squad from the sent-down youth dorm — naturally, it was forced; the crowd was too large, and pushing through scattered them.
It was no less chaotic than trying to catch a train during modern-day spring travel rush.
After much effort, Ning Xiyue managed to reach the commune’s entrance — only to be dumbfounded. She had assumed the outside crowd was already large, but here, it was even bigger. There wasn’t a single gap to squeeze through and get a look at the situation.
Unable to get in, Xiyue gave up.
She muttered to herself, “Sigh, too many people. I’ll just wait here — I’ll definitely be able to see my brother.”
She found a less crowded corner diagonally across from the commune entrance, took a brick from her bag, placed it on the ground, and set it up like a little “sofa.” Leisurely, she sat down and watched the people passing by.
She saw many familiar faces — uncles and aunties from their team. Some were pushing hard to get in, while cleverer folks simply let the crowd carry them along.
Of course, that was uncomfortable. Ning Xiyue didn’t want to push. Once seated, she had no intention of standing again — the brick’s “massage function” (in her imagination) was too comfortable.
Others might think she was sitting on a cold, hard brick, but in reality, she was imagining it as a virtual massage chair, enjoying a gentle back rub. No one there was more relaxed than her.
If it weren’t for fear of appearing strange, she might have closed her eyes to fully enjoy it while sipping herbal tea from her water bottle.
Restraining herself, she simply sipped tea and nibbled on snacks — still doable.
Action-oriented Ning Xiyue acted immediately: she opened the small spout of her water bottle and sipped, while the other hand held a piece of chocolate sent by Comrade Ji. Her eyes caught a familiar figure, and she quickly stood up, waving.
“Brother! Over here!”
Ning Qingyuan had already noticed his sister sitting in the corner, sipping tea with chocolate in hand, comfortably watching the crowd. He was wondering when she would spot him — and in the next second, she did.
True siblings, almost like they had a telepathic connection. As he stepped out of the commune, he instinctively glanced toward that corner — and there she was.
Smiling, Ning Qingyuan walked over, teasing, “I see, little sister, you picked a nice spot. Sitting here enjoying chocolate… what’s next, are you going to pull out green bean cakes?”
Ning Xiyue dug another piece of chocolate from her pocket and handed it to him, replying cheekily, “Well, if you bring me some green bean cakes, I wouldn’t mind.”
“Fine, then we’ll go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy green bean cakes, so you can eat as much as you want,” Ning Qingyuan said without giving an inch, pulling out money and shaking it.
Ning Xiyue picked up the brick, dusted it off, put it back in her bag, and followed her brother toward the cooperative.
On the way, she curiously asked about the situation inside the commune. She hadn’t gone in, but her brother had, so he knew everything firsthand — essentially giving her a full picture.
“Brother, how’s it inside?”
“Nothing major. Everyone’s filling out registration forms. Some illiterate staff in the commune help them write, so it’s a bit slow. That’s why it’s so crowded later.”
Xiyue clicked her tongue. “I’m not asking about that. I want to know how many people applied for your position.”
“Oh, that… I didn’t pay too much attention, but I do know something,” Ning Qingyuan said teasingly, holding back the information.
“Spit it out,” Xiyue urged.
“Besides miners, other logistical positions are being preferentially filled by people from our two teams. Mining affects the surrounding households in many ways, so this is a perk for our teams.”
Upon hearing this, Ning Xiyue understood immediately. It meant the main competition would only be from their two teams, so the competition was small.
With this news, Ning Xiyue didn’t worry anymore. She had nothing else to find out — now it was just a matter of waiting for the results.
Ten days later, all registrants went to the town middle school to take the exam, with results announced on the spot.
Everyone from their dorm went to the school. Those taking the exam went inside, while others stayed outside, mostly to “join the excitement.”
Liu Yao paced outside anxiously, peeking in every so often.
“Xiyue, Mengmeng, Gui Fang and Yechu have been inside forever. Why haven’t they come out yet? I’ve seen so many others leave, and I haven’t even seen my cousin.”
Ning Xiyue and Wang Mengmeng were comfortably seated under the shade of a tree, each on a small chair with a backrest, lazily sipping tea and cracking sunflower seeds.
A small basket hanging between their chairs was already half full of shells.
Wang Mengmeng waved a seed in hand: “Don’t worry. Come sit and rest, have some water. Watching you move around is tiring enough.”
Liu Yao sat down, took a sip of water, and curiously asked Ning Xiyue, “I get why Mengmeng isn’t anxious, but Xiyue… aren’t you worried? Your brother hasn’t come out yet either.”
“What’s there to worry about? Worrying won’t change a thing. Whatever the result, it will be what it is. Whether you get selected or not doesn’t matter — it’s the participation that counts. You need to learn to stay calm.”
Ning Xiyue handed Liu Yao a handful of sunflower seeds: “Here, eat some seeds, or they’ll all be gone.”
Then she turned to Wang Mengmeng: “These seeds are tasty. Later, we’ll buy more at the cooperative.”
Wang Mengmeng examined a seed in her hand: “They’re better than usual, bigger, too. We’ll buy plenty to eat while chatting during work in a few days.”
“Good idea,” Xiyue agreed.
The two girls sat comfortably, cracking seeds and chatting, which calmed Liu Yao down. She leaned back in her chair and joined them, thinking, “Fine, I won’t stress. You’re right — just relax and eat seeds.”
“Exactly. What’s more important than being comfortable?” Ning Xiyue handed her the water bottle. “Here, your bottle. Eating these seeds does make you thirsty.”
The slacker duo became a slacker trio, sitting and chatting as the people inside the school finally came out.
Ning Xiyue raised an eyebrow toward the group exiting the door: “Look, they’re all coming out together.”
