Chapter 116

“Educated Youth? Zhiqing? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Li Dazhuang looked completely baffled. He had never heard of such a thing before.

His confused expression only served to satisfy the vanity of the gossiping villager, who shook his head and walked ahead slowly, clearly waiting for Li Dazhuang to catch up and ask.

“Hey, come on, just tell me! What is it?”

“The Production Team Leader already got the notice. In a couple of days, the village will be informed. You’ll find out then. I can’t really say much right now.”

The way he was deliberately keeping people in suspense made Li Dazhuang itch with annoyance, but there was nothing he could do. He turned around and headed home with his son in his arms.

To vent his frustration, Li Dazhuang took large, heavy strides.

Little An’an, who was being carried, had to wrap his arms tightly around his father’s neck to keep from being jostled right out of his grip.

Back at home, Li Dazhuang couldn’t wait to ask his mother.

“Ma, what’s this ‘Educated Youth’ thing? I heard when I was out just now that a bunch of them are coming to our village.”

Granny Li, who was sorting vegetables, looked just as confused. She packed the cleaned greens into a basket before answering.

“How would I know? We’ll hear from the Production Team Leader in a couple of days.”

“Oh, alright then.”

Li Dazhuang’s sister-in-law had just come back from working outside. She wiped the sweat from her brow and chimed in.

“I heard they’re city folk, volunteering to come to the countryside to help build it up.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound too bad.”

Li Dazhuang was actually a bit curious. After all, they rarely got to see anyone from the city. Maybe these Educated Youth would have something new to teach them.

They didn’t have to wait long. Two days later, the Production Team Leader gathered everyone at the village entrance and officially announced that a group of Educated Youth would be arriving soon.

He also asked the younger villagers to fix up the abandoned houses so the newcomers would have a place to stay.

A few people were assigned to go pick them up when the time came.

On the way back, the villagers buzzed with speculation. None of them had ever heard of Educated Youth before—not even in the neighboring villages.

An’an was riding on his father’s shoulders, gripping his hair tightly to avoid falling. After a while, he seemed to get tired of the position and simply flopped forward, lying on his father’s head.

Li Dazhuang was endlessly indulgent with his son. Even if An’an had climbed on top of his head, he’d probably still praise him for being clever.

That evening at dinner, the family was still talking about the Educated Youth. Shitou, now a bit more mature and full of curiosity, was especially excited about their arrival.

He pestered his father with questions late into the night, until Granny Li finally smacked him on the back of the head and sent him off to bed.

The day the Educated Youth arrived, the villagers were busy weeding the mountain fields. From halfway up the slope, they could just make out a few people entering the village.

Now that An’an was a year old, he was usually brought along to the fields. Xiao Hua came too, helping out with the weeding.

For some reason, the Li family had noticed that An’an seemed to attract animals.

It would be one thing if it were just rabbits or pheasants—they could at least sneak those home for a meal. But a few days ago, they even saw a snake trying to slither up An’an’s leg.

Not only An’an, but everyone nearby had been scared out of their wits.

Since then, An’an was always carried in a basket. No matter where Li Dazhuang went, he slung the basket on his back.

Fortunately, he was a grown man with plenty of strength, so carrying his son wasn’t too much of a burden.

Little An’an sat in the basket playing with a foxtail grass, occasionally babbling to his father.

Li Dazhuang had no idea what the kid was saying, but if no one responded, the little rascal would throw a fit.

So even if he didn’t understand a word, Li Dazhuang had no choice but to answer him with a few nonsense replies.

On the way home from work that evening, Li Dazhuang ran into some villagers and eagerly joined the conversation, asking about the Educated Youth.

One of them, upon hearing the topic, immediately pulled a face.

Li Dazhuang caught the look and knew something was up.

“What happened? Come on, tell me!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll tell you. Those Educated Youth who came down from the city—they’re all skin and bones. What help can they possibly be?”

Let them work the fields? Those weaklings couldn’t even keep up with the village kids! They’d be lucky not to cause more trouble than they’re worth.

“Well, they’re city folks. That’s to be expected.”

Li Dazhuang waved it off and went to tell his older brother that the Educated Youth were practically missing limbs.

The next day, the curious villagers finally met the newcomers.

The Educated Youth were dressed in clean, stylish clothes the villagers had never seen before. The men had neatly combed hair, and the women wore twin braids draped over their chests.

To the villagers, they looked both fashionable and pretty.

The Production Team Leader brought them to the village entrance and introduced them, saying they were sent to help and that anyone who had questions could go ask them.

Then he led the applause.

Most of the villagers, however, couldn’t help but mutter among themselves. Aside from being better dressed, these people didn’t seem any different. What could they possibly teach?

Li Dazhuang wasn’t particularly interested—until he spotted Brother Song, who was also carrying a child. He figured that must be his son.

Brother Song had once mentioned wanting to visit, but Granny Li and An’an hadn’t been too keen. Now that they’d run into each other, a quick greeting shouldn’t be a problem.

Xiao An’an, half-asleep from the Production Team Leader’s speech, was nodding off and didn’t notice his father’s actions.

Li Dazhuang approached Brother Song and, mindful of his sleeping son, lowered his voice.

“That your boy? He’s a handsome little guy.”

Brother Song wasn’t exactly warm, just gave a slight nod. But the boy in his arms, Song Longqi, stared at Li Dazhuang for a long time and then reached out his hands.

Anyone with kids knew what that meant—he wanted to be held.

Li Dazhuang glanced at An’an in his arms. No way was he letting go of his own son.

From experience, he knew this little rascal was only this well-behaved when he was drowsy. Any other time, he was a handful.

“Sorry, kiddo. Uncle’s already holding your big brother.”

But Song Longqi didn’t give up. His outstretched hands waved even more eagerly, clearly wanting a hug.

Brother Song couldn’t bear to see his son like that and finally said, “Let’s switch for a bit.”

He didn’t bother lowering his voice, and the half-asleep An’an immediately opened his eyes.

He rubbed them, looked at the other boy, and shrank back in alarm. Then he turned to glare at his father, the few hairs on his forehead standing on end in fury.

Li Dazhuang gave an awkward chuckle. Under his son’s intense stare, he felt a deep sense of guilt—like that time as a kid when he and his mother accidentally walked in on an uncle in bed with a widow.

Only now, years later, the roles were reversed, and he was the “uncle.”

“An’an, Daddy was just… just bored. I was just walking around.”

An’an crossed his arms and turned away, clearly sulking. Li Dazhuang had no choice but to focus all his attention on coaxing his little ancestor, completely forgetting about anyone else’s kid.

To him, no one in the world—not even his own family—could compare to his son.

At first, An’an was just mad. But as his father kept coaxing him, tears started to well up.

He clung to his father’s shirt and whimpered softly.

The sound of his quiet sobs made Li Dazhuang feel even guiltier.

He’d promised not to look, but ended up sneaking a peek anyway—and got caught red-handed by his own son!

The arrival of the Educated Youth didn’t really affect the Li family.

But Li Dazhuang, ever the gossip lover, picked up some tidbits from the other villagers.

After the Educated Youth arrived, the Production Team Leader assigned a few households to teach them how to work. They couldn’t just eat and sleep without contributing—resources were limited.

According to the plan, the first batch would be trained by the villagers. If more came later, the experienced Educated Youth would train the newcomers.

At a recent county meeting, it was made clear that more were on the way.

But no one expected that, despite their good looks, these Educated Youth were utterly useless when it came to work.

After just half a day of weeding, they were already whining about being tired and sore, begging to go home, and accusing the villagers of bullying them.

The Production Team Leader was so furious he called over a few kids around Shitou’s age to work alongside them.

The result? The Educated Youth couldn’t even keep up with the kids!

On top of that, none of them knew how to cook. The Production Team Leader had to assign someone to teach them even that.

They weren’t helping at all—just getting in the way. The villagers tasked with teaching them were frustrated, feeling like their own work was being delayed.

The initial curiosity about the Educated Youth quickly faded. Now, just hearing the term made people shake their heads.

The Educated Youth themselves didn’t want to stay either. Many started talking about resisting.

That’s when the Production Team Leader stepped in and gave them a stern lecture.

Sure, signing up to come had been voluntary—but going back to the city wasn’t going to be easy.

The Production Team Leader knew exactly what they were up to. Their rebellious attitude was a ploy to get better treatment.

But he wasn’t having it.

If he didn’t lay down the rules now, they’d only get worse later.

Li Dazhuang’s favorite thing after work was to carry An’an and listen to village gossip—especially stories about how the Production Team Leader dealt with the Educated Youth.

The man had a never-ending bag of tricks!

At first, An’an didn’t want to go, but Li Dazhuang always managed to bribe him with snacks.

One day it was peanuts, the next wild berries—whatever it took to keep him happy.

An’an was still young and didn’t understand much. As long as his father was around and hadn’t dumped him on the grandparents, he was content.

At most, when he was upset, he’d sneak a couple of punches at his dad when he wasn’t looking.

There were plenty of animals in the mountains that stashed food. If they happened to find some, they’d bring it back. Even if someone tattled to the Production Team Leader, he couldn’t be bothered.

After all, it was just to satisfy a child’s craving—no harm done.

During their first month, the Educated Youth were only asked to weed. Occasionally, when heavy rain knocked over the corn, they’d help prop it back up.

For the villagers, this was light work.

But for the Educated Youth, it was already too much. They were constantly exhausted.

Their laziness finally prompted one of the aunties teaching them to cook to offer a kind warning.

“Autumn harvest is just around the corner. When the real work starts, it’ll be way tougher than this.”

“Even more exhausting than now?” The moment the Educated Youth heard that, they felt a wave of dizziness wash over them. The oldest among them even stepped forward and announced that they were going to protest.

“We came to the countryside to help build a new rural China, not to be your manual laborers!”

Just as they shouted this, the Production Team Leader happened to be coming down the mountain with Li Dazhuang. Passing by the Educated Youth Point, they overheard the commotion. The Production Team Leader’s face darkened instantly.

He had originally planned to head straight back, but without a moment’s hesitation, he turned and strode into the Educated Youth Point.

He wanted to see just how shameless these people could get.

Li Dazhuang stood in the courtyard, glanced down at his son, and saw An An looking up at him at the same time.

Meeting his son’s bright black eyes, Li Dazhuang leaned down and asked in a low voice, “An An, you want to watch the drama, don’t you?”

An An instinctively shook his head. He wanted to go home. It was getting dark, and Grandma had promised to stew eggs for him and his sister tonight.

“Ah, I knew you wanted to watch. Alright then, I’ll reluctantly stay and watch it with you.”

Though he’d seen his father pull this kind of stunt many times, An An was still left speechless. He pouted in frustration. The System had said he’d have a parent who loved him dearly—but it never said it would be like this.

Feeling the strength of his father’s arm around his waist, An An thought back. In his memories, his birth parents had never held him like this. So he leaned back slightly, adjusting to a more comfortable position.

Well, this wasn’t so bad either.

The Production Team Leader kicked the door open with one swift motion, startling the auntie inside—who had no idea how to respond—and the furious Educated Youth into stunned silence.

The auntie had only meant well, reminding them to prepare in advance. When the autumn harvest came, the Production Team Leader wasn’t one to show mercy. She didn’t want them getting scolded later.

But who would’ve thought these people wouldn’t appreciate the warning, and instead used her words to criticize her?

Just as she was at a loss, the Production Team Leader stormed in.

When the Educated Youth saw the Production Team Leader’s darkened expression, they panicked for a moment—but quickly regained their composure.

They hadn’t said anything wrong. What was there to be afraid of?

“Production Team Leader, we’d like to have a proper discussion with you. We came here to help build the countryside, not to be your laborers. We all feel that the tasks you’ve assigned are unreasonable!”

The Production Team Leader swept his gaze across their faces and asked, “Is that what all of you think?”

Truthfully, some of them had already started to waver the moment he walked in. Not everyone had the same backbone. But they’d been so exhausted lately, and if they backed down now, life at the Educated Youth Point would become unbearable. So they all silently agreed.

“Alright then. Tell me—what else can you do? You can’t even handle simple weeding. What exactly can you do?”

The Educated Youth wanted to argue, but after thinking it over, they realized there really wasn’t anything they could do easily. So they stayed silent.

“Nothing to say? Then get back to work!”

“You say you’re working for us? Are your Work Points going into my pocket?”

“Well? Are they?”

The Production Team Leader’s voice turned fierce, and the Educated Youth began to grow nervous. Eventually, someone broke the silence and stepped forward to apologize.

“Starting tomorrow, you don’t need to come teach them how to cook anymore. Let them figure it out themselves.”

The auntie was overjoyed when she heard that. She hadn’t wanted to serve this group of Educated Youth anyway. Did they really think they were young masters and mistresses from the old days?

“No way!”

One of the Educated Youth immediately objected, but under the Production Team Leader’s stern gaze, he quickly explained, “I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just… if she leaves, how are we supposed to cook?”

“You’ve been learning for this long and still can’t cook a meal? If you’re not hungry, then don’t cook.”

With that, the Production Team Leader turned to leave. Li Dazhuang, who had been watching the scene unfold, happened to bump into him at the gate and looked a bit sheepish.

“I, uh, I was worried you’d be scared walking back alone.”

The Production Team Leader didn’t call him out. Instead, he simply nodded.

“Then let’s go back together.”

On the way home, Li Dazhuang kept replaying the scene in his head, afraid he might’ve missed some important detail.

As soon as he stepped through the door, he couldn’t wait to tell everyone what had happened.

Granny Li was more partial to her youngest son and little An An, who had lost his mother at birth. But outwardly, she always treated all the children equally. Everything in the house was split fairly.

Because of this, Sister-in-law Li had never minded the private favoritism.

That night’s steamed eggs were divided into three portions—one each for Shitou, Xiao Hua, and An An.

During dinner, Li Dazhuang brought up the incident again. When they heard that the Production Team Leader had been so angry he’d sent the cooking instructor away, everyone realized he was truly furious this time.

“Those Educated Youth are such a pain—always more trouble than help!”

The one who said this was Auntie Li. A few days ago, while weeding, she had tossed the weeds aside. One of the Educated Youth had rushed over, flailing and shouting that the weeds could be used as fertilizer once they decomposed, which would help the crops grow faster.

As if Auntie Li, who’d grown up in the village, didn’t know that?

That might work in autumn, but it was the height of summer. The weeds would just sprout again in a few days. It was all effort for nothing.

“I agree. One of them even told me I shouldn’t prop up crooked corn stalks because ‘every plant has its own way of growing.’”

Even Elder Brother Li, usually the quietest one, couldn’t help but chime in. That alone showed just how frustrating the Educated Youth had been.

“Well, it’s for the best. These city kids need to be toughened up.”

After dinner, An An wanted to stargaze in the courtyard. Li Dazhuang carried him outside, and as Xiao An’an blinked up at the sky, full of wonder, Li Dazhuang suddenly felt that his son’s eyes were even more beautiful than the stars above.

The weather was starting to cool, and the rice and other crops were ripening in the fields. The Production Team Leader began organizing households to prepare for the autumn harvest.

The Educated Youth Point received the news too. Remembering what the auntie had warned them about, they were thoroughly spooked.

At the pre-harvest mobilization meeting, the Production Team Leader specifically called out the Educated Youth. If they didn’t work hard, they wouldn’t earn any Work Points, and when it came time to divide the grain, they’d just have to go hungry.

With their current grain rations running low, the Educated Youth finally began to feel real pressure.

When the harvest officially began, they barely lasted half a day before they started complaining about how tired they were—just like Li Dazhuang had back then.

Li Dazhuang, now among the crowd watching them whine, scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. He used to be just like that.

Good thing his son had been too young to remember—otherwise, his dignity as a father would’ve been completely shredded.

Even kids like An An, who could already walk, were brought to the fields. They followed behind the harvesters, picking up any fallen rice stalks.

An An wore a small, beautifully crafted pouch his grandma had made just for him.

Though it was still warm, he wore thin clothes. The biggest concern while picking up rice was the leftover stalks poking his bottom.

This year, An An could be entrusted to Xiao Hua. Wherever her little brother went, she followed, allowing the adults to focus on their work.

Xiao Hua adored her brother. Before he was born, she had been the youngest, and now she loved playing the role of the responsible big sister, mimicking how adults cared for children.

After a while, An An noticed another child squatting nearby, also picking up rice. The kid was still wearing split-crotch pants.

The moment An An saw him, he felt an intense dislike and began shifting away.

“Why won’t you play with me?”

An An had a gut feeling the boy was talking to him, but he pretended not to hear. His short little legs moved fast, and he ran off in the opposite direction.

Xiao Hua saw her brother run and quickly followed, calling out for him to slow down.

Once they had put a good distance between themselves and the other child, An An finally slowed, bracing his hands on his knees and panting.

“Why were you running, little brother?”

Xiao Hua wiped the sweat from her forehead, then used her handkerchief to wipe An An’s face too.

“I don’t like him,” An An mumbled, taking a sip of water from his bottle.

Xiao Hua didn’t press further. Instead, she nodded seriously. “Then I don’t like him either.”

During the harvest, the adults were so busy they barely had time to breathe, let alone drink water. Their throats felt like they were on fire.

Only now did the Educated Youth truly understand what a frantic harvest looked like. Their legs trembled just from walking.

But Xiao An’an remained full of energy, bouncing along with his little pouch. Since it wasn’t too late when they got home, he and his sister went to dig up worms to feed the chickens.

Grandma had told them a few days ago that come New Year, they’d slaughter one of the chickens for stew.

An An’s mouth watered just thinking about it. Every day, he wished the New Year would come faster.

Once the harvest ended, the Educated Youth had no fight left in them. All they wanted was a good rest.

The public grain was sent to the county, and the rest of the harvest was divided according to Work Points.

Since the Educated Youth had only arrived in summer and hadn’t helped in spring, they didn’t have enough Work Points to last the whole year.

If they had good attitudes and genuinely helped out, the Production Team Leader might have spared some of his own grain for them.

But they weren’t just lazy—they constantly stirred up trouble. Whether they could eat or not, the Production Team Leader had decided to let them fend for themselves.

If they got too hungry, there were wild vegetables all over the hills. Digging those up would keep them alive.

Aside from grain distribution, the most anticipated event was the annual pig slaughter. Last year, An An had to be carried to watch. This year, he could run over on his own.

When the pig was being slaughtered, Li Dazhuang covered his son’s eyes and ears and told him to bury his face in his chest.

An An felt a little stuffy and mumbled, “I’m not scared.”

Li Dazhuang ruffled his hair and said gently, “Doesn’t matter. Your dad thinks you are.”

“Oh… okay then.”

An An gave in and did as his father said. It wasn’t until the meat was being divided that he was allowed to stand on his own.

The man doing the butchering was tall and strong. With one chop, he split a bone in half, making An An jump back in fright.

Li Dazhuang scooped him up immediately, using the moment to show off a little.

“See? Still scared, huh? Told you it’s safest in your dad’s arms.”

An An pouted. He wasn’t scared—just startled by the noise.

To keep things fair, the Production Team Leader always used a lottery system for dividing the pork. That way, even if someone got a less desirable cut, they could only blame their luck.

This year, Sister-in-law Li drew the lot for their family. The meat they got wasn’t exactly what Granny Li had hoped for—too much lean meat—but it was still far better than getting pig intestines or something worse.

There was only one chance like this each year, and yet she had drawn so much lean meat. Sister-in-law Li couldn’t help but smack her own hand in frustration.

Seeing her like that, Granny Li quickly stepped in to comfort her.

“It’s fine. Isn’t it true that Xiao Hua and An An both prefer lean meat anyway?”

Sister-in-law Li knew her mother-in-law was just trying to console her. This was meat for the whole family—how could they base everything on the preferences of just two children?

All day long, Sister-in-law Li was in low spirits because she had drawn mostly lean meat.

Granny Li’s words might not have fooled someone like Sister-in-law Li, who always had the family’s best interests at heart, but they worked like a charm on Li Dazhuang. He remembered that his son loved lean meat the most, so this year’s draw seemed just right!

That afternoon, Li Dazhuang was sent up the mountain to gather firewood. Every time he went out, he would take An An with him. If Xiao Hua was willing, he’d bring her along too.

Today was no exception. An An, who had been sitting nicely on a small stool, was scooped up and dropped straight into the basket.

Xiao Hua carried her own little basket and trotted along happily behind her uncle.

If they happened to find mushrooms or wild greens on the mountain, she’d pick some to bring home. Even if they didn’t find anything edible, grabbing a few things for the chickens wasn’t a bad idea.

On the way up the mountain, they unexpectedly ran into the Educated Youths—Zhiqing.

Ever since the village auntie stopped helping them, the lives of these Zhiqing had taken a sharp downturn.

Especially when it came to gathering firewood—if it weren’t absolutely necessary, none of them wanted to do it. Every trip turned into a shouting match.

Li Dazhuang didn’t like getting involved with the Zhiqing. At first, they had some pride—or maybe they just thought the villagers were beneath them—and didn’t want much to do with them.

But somewhere along the way, they’d started taking advantage of others.

Sometimes, a villager would just be making polite conversation, and the Zhiqing would take it seriously, immediately trying to milk it for all it was worth.

Helping others with chores—some people with thinner skin might feel obliged to lend a hand out of politeness, but that kind of thing would never happen with Li Dazhuang.

“Elder Brother Li, are you heading up the mountain for firewood too?”

One of the Zhiqing spoke up, acting like he hadn’t noticed Li Dazhuang’s unwillingness to chat. He tossed out a casual question, clearly intending to start a conversation.

“Mm.”

Li Dazhuang gave a brief nod and headed straight up the mountain. He was used to mountain paths and moved quickly, disappearing from sight before the Zhiqing could get a second sentence out.

Xiao Hua almost couldn’t keep up with her uncle. His unusually hurried pace left her puzzled.

“Uncle, why are you walking so fast?”

Li Dazhuang glanced at her, found a rock to sit on, and decided to take a break.

“If I don’t hurry, that Zhiqing’s gonna ask me to chop some firewood for him.”

“Oh.”

Xiao Hua nodded, half-understanding. She didn’t get everything, but she understood enough—she didn’t want to help someone for no reason either.

“If there’s something we don’t have to do, then don’t do it. Got it? No matter what happens, your own feelings come first. Who cares what other people think?”

When Li Dazhuang was with the kids, even if he didn’t want to be a bad influence, he couldn’t help but share a few of his thoughts.

His parents always said his way of thinking was wrong, but Li Dazhuang didn’t see anything bad about it. After all, what could be more important in this world than being happy?

Xiao Hua nodded again, still not quite grasping everything, but the idea had already taken root in her mind.

“I don’t know how those Zhiqing manage to be so thick-skinned! If I had skin that thick, I wouldn’t have anything to worry about.”

Before he met the Zhiqing, Li Dazhuang had always thought he was the most shameless person in the whole production team.

Last time, he’d picked a few mushrooms on the way home, and two of them were snatched by a Zhiqing right in the middle of the road. It had pained him to no end.

“I think they’re annoying too.”

The Zhiqing were also raising chickens—gifts from the Production Team Leader, who told them that if they wanted to eat meat, they had to raise it themselves.

Last time, when Xiao Hua went looking for bugs to feed her own chickens, the Zhiqing asked if she could help them out.

She agreed and spent the whole morning digging up bugs, only to get a single “thank you” in return.

An An, who was being carried on her back, babbled a few sounds at that moment, as if echoing their complaints.

He agreed too!

Li Dazhuang found a clean, open spot and set An An down, telling Xiao Hua not to wander too far. Then he started gathering firewood.

The weather was getting colder, and they’d started using the stove again. They needed a lot of firewood every day.

Li Dazhuang wasn’t as lazy as he used to be. Nowadays, if he went a few days without doing any work, he’d feel restless. He also made sure to take his son out with him from time to time for a little walk.

When he figured he’d gathered enough firewood and was about to head back, he noticed the basket he’d carried was tilted—and the child inside was gone.

The moment he realized An An was missing, cold sweat broke out all over his body. He instinctively shouted,

“An An? Xiao Hua?”

A reply came quickly—Xiao Hua’s familiar voice, followed by An An’s childish babble. Only then did Li Dazhuang finally breathe a sigh of relief.

He followed the sound and found them not far away.

An An was with Xiao Hua. As Li Dazhuang approached, the little one proudly held something out to him like a treasure.

His small hands were filthy, covered in dirt, and he eagerly offered up whatever he had been clutching.

“Daddy, big radish!”