Chapter 1468

The sun was already slanting west. It was winter, so the sun wasn't scorching, but rather a warmth from heaven to the people.

Two donkey carts were driving one after another on the loess road. Occasionally, a northwest wind would blow, causing yellow sand to fly. Not long after leaving the commune office, Wang Yan and the others were already covered in dust.

"My name is Yu Ming, what should I call you two?"

The speaker was a square-faced man over 1.7 meters tall with thick eyebrows and big eyes, looking like a friendly person.

"Li Kuiyong, this is Wang Yan, you can just call him Brother Yan." Li Kuiyong had a talent for being a younger brother. Without anyone teaching him and nowhere to learn, he already knew how to raise his own good brother's face first.

Yu Ming didn't care about this and instead asked: "I live in Chongwen Sect, where are you two from?"

"Brother, you don't have to be so polite. We three brothers might be companions here for the rest of our lives, and we'll have plenty of time to get along." Li Kuiyong patted Yu Ming on the shoulder, "We brothers are from Xuanwumen, Nanheng Street. We aren't far from each other."

"Nanheng Street?" Yu Ming said in surprise, "I heard that a ruthless person came out of that area, awesome as hell. Do you know him?"

"How about it, are you also mixing on the street?"

"Hey, what mixing or not mixing, it's just a bunch of buddies walking the street. After that ruthless person came out, we honestly stayed at home, it was really too fierce... hmm?"

Yu Ming reacted, "Brother, listening to what you mean, you know this person?"

"More than just knowing." Li Kuiyong laughed loudly and said to Yu Ming, who didn't know why, "That person is far away in heaven, but near in front of your eyes!"

Yu Ming was stunned for a moment, looked at Li Kuiyong, then looked at the person over there who was tucking his hands, moving his legs back and forth, his body rising and falling slightly with the donkey's pace...

His gaze fell on Li Kuiyong again: "Brother, it's not you, right?"

"What are you thinking? Do you think I have that life?" Li Kuiyong clicked his tongue, feeling that this kid was a bit ignorant. He said unhappily, "It's my Brother Yan."

"Oh my, Brother Yan, sorry, sorry, I didn't recognize Mount Tai, please don't hold it against me." Yu Ming immediately expressed his admiration.

Wang Yan shook his head amusedly: "Alright, what's there to say about fighting? It's meaningless. From beginning to end, I never mixed outside, it was all self-defense. Who would have thought I'd be mixed into a hooligan? This reputation isn't good for me.

Yu Ming, right? You don't have to be afraid, I'm a reasonable person, I won't beat people for no reason, you'll know later. Dayong is right, we might be companions for a lifetime, look at these ten people together, seven female comrades, we three brothers are properly stirring the spoon in the same pot. If you have thoughts, don't hide them; if you have things, just say them, I'll definitely do my best to help if I can."

"Hey, thank you, Brother Yan."

Yu Ming seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Looking at Wang Yan sitting on the board at the edge of the donkey cart, tucking his hands, shaking his legs back and forth, he didn't feel he was mentally disabled, but instead felt that this Brother Yan had a kind of ease belonging to a master hidden deep inside...

"What are you talking about?" The female youth sitting in the middle of the board asked curiously. The voices of the three talking earlier weren't loud or small, and were all blown away by the wind. She was exhausted from the journey and felt dizzy as the donkey cart went up and down.

"Saying we're going to stir the spoon in the same pot." Li Kuiyong didn't let Yu Ming speak at all, just brushed it off, introduced himself, and got to know the educated youth.

"My name is Tian Fang." She was beautiful, with a kind of delicate and pretty feeling, "My home is in Xisi."

"My name is Qin Ling, my home is in the Chaoyangmen area."

This Qin Ling was naturally the one who got together with Zhong Yuemin in the drama. Later, when everyone returned to the capital, she became a mistress for an overseas businessman. She met Zhong Yuemin, and their old feelings were rekindled, while she was still in contact with the rich businessman.

Wang Yan naturally saw this woman early on, and if one had to say, this was also Wang Yan's acquaintance, of course, only face-familiar. In the Sui and Tang dynasties, she was Princess Yu.

However, Wang Yan had no interest in her, so let Zhong Yuemin be happy...

So Wang Yan didn't say much, just shook his legs, squinted his eyes to avoid the wind and sand, and was very comfortable.

Li Kuiyong and Yu Ming on the side were already chatting with Qin Ling and Tian Fang, laughing and lively, completely ignoring that they had eaten a mouthful of yellow sand.

The five female educated youth sitting on the donkey cart in front were also laughing and talking, very happy.

Only the two men driving the carts didn't have high spirits. For the educated youth's questions, they answered intermittently. They weren't stupid; how could such a bunch of city people, and city people from the capital, be easy to get along with? There would be no lack of various troubles in the future.

Just like that, the donkey cart walked slowly for three hours, and when the sky was about to turn dark, they finally arrived at Baidian Village with the afterglow.

Baidian Village was a village on a high plateau. Standing outside the village, one could see a piece of earthy yellow gullies in the distance. With the fire clouds in the sky, the scene here was extremely beautiful. Of course, it was only beautiful to those who came here for the first time.

The people who had lived here for generations, facing the yellow earth and backing the sky, probably wouldn't feel how beautiful it was, only feeling that the endless yellow earth was a prison they couldn't escape.

Wang Yan knew how to appreciate it. He took out a Seagull camera from his luggage and started taking pictures directly.

"Hey, you have a camera, that's great! Can you take one for me? I want to send it back to my family to see. Don't worry, I'll pay." The other educated youth all gathered around.

Wang Yan took two pictures and stopped: "It's dark, there will be plenty of opportunities to take pictures in the future. I won't charge money, you just bring your own film and buy me some materials for washing film. I can't wash them out, I don't have that equipment, you have to go to the photo studio in the county. Old Liu, it's the same for the village, just bring the film, I'll take and wash them for free."

The man watching eagerly nodded in satisfaction: "Alright, I'll tell the villagers later, city people are different, warm-hearted."

This person was also only in his thirties, a proper pillar of the family. He was the son of the Baidian Village production team leader, and his character was still okay.

"I'll rely on the villagers to take care of me in the future." Wang Yan walked over with a smile, hugging his shoulder, "Besides, I'm also a carpenter. Hey, what's that look in your eyes? I worked at a furniture factory in the capital. Although I'm rated Grade 2, my skills have long reached Grade 7, it's just that my seniority isn't enough.

What is seniority? It's that you're young and haven't worked long enough, so the leaders don't dare to promote you. If it were in our village, if you were directly made production team leader, the commune wouldn't agree either, it's that kind of relationship.

The furniture I make is all for export, that's earning foreign exchange for the country, that's earning money from the foreign devils. Old Liu, you can help organize it. Whoever wants to add furniture can come to me. I won't ask for much, just give me some hard-earned money. Especially for those getting married, I'll definitely do my best.

Still don't believe it? How about this, you find some wood yourself, I'll make you a table first, for free. If I break it, I'll compensate you, look at my camera, it's worth over two hundred."

Old Liu pondered for a while and nodded: "Alright, it just so happens that the kang table in my house is broken, you make a table first, I'll send you the wood tomorrow."

"Wood alone isn't enough, I also need tools."

"I'll help you find them, this..."

Wang Yan took the words sensibly: "I'll pay for them, here's five yuan, is it enough to buy a set?"

"Don't need, don't need, how could it cost so much."

"The extra is for your kids to buy sugar balls, it's settled, you worry more."

"Guaranteed no problem." Old Liu said very firmly, the man from Northern Shaanxi is loud and clear.

Everyone heard what Wang Yan said to Old Liu, and was very surprised by Wang Yan's prominence, but no one asked. Following Old Liu's arrangement, they went to the place where they lived.

Cave dwellings.

Not far from the entrance of the village, there was a loess hill about six stories high. This hill was artificially cut into a ninety-degree angle, and there were six cave dwellings.

According to Old Li, this was originally a landlord's cave, and it was abandoned after being overthrown. This time, educated youth were assigned here, so the village had cleaned it up in advance, and the windows were also newly replaced, but the doors were relatively old and leaking wind in several places.

After Wang Yan looked at the place, he directly raised funds with everyone and asked Old Liu to get some wood, and he would fix the doors and windows later.

The educated youth, or more accurately, the seven female educated youth, didn't object. Even those from poor families would always bring some money when they came to suppress their bodies, and the cost of buying some wood was not much when shared.

Wang Yan didn't even charge for labor, which could be said to be quite decent. As for the cave where the three male educated youth lived, Wang Yan didn't even let Yu Ming pay. Li Kuiyong didn't say anything, just listened to Wang Yan.

While everyone was cleaning up, Old Liu's father, the production team leader, came over with a tobacco pipe. This was an old man in his sixties, with a white headscarf under the cotton hat he was wearing, a proper Northern Shaanxi outfit. His tobacco pipe was also different, a long tobacco pipe with a tobacco pouch tied to it.

"Welcome, educated youth comrades." Old Old Liu had a thick local accent, sincere and affectionate, "Normally, our brigade should hold a welcome banquet for you educated youth comrades who came from afar, but the conditions really don't allow it. Our brigade's people are all tightening their belts, educated youth comrades, understand more, understand more.

Your grain rations have also been collected to the brigade, and someone will send the grain to the village you are going to in a while. As for firewood, it's piled up outside. It's winter now, and there's no work to do, so educated youth comrades should adapt. See if there's anything else missing? We'll try our best to solve it."

The educated youth shook their heads politely, indicating they didn't need anything else. They all brought their own bedding when they came, and with a place to live, there were no more demands.

Old Old Liu nodded and said: "There's another thing I want to tell you. We are not like the south here, water is scarce, very dry. Usually, water usage must be saved. Our brigade doesn't have a well, and we have to go to Linping below to get water. You passed by there when you came up, it's ten miles away, and it's not easy with gullies and ridges.

Today you just arrived, and a few days ago the brigade filled the two large water vats for you. After these are used up, if you want to eat water, you have to go yourself."

"Ah? Ten miles?" The educated youth were stunned. They didn't expect that water usage would be so difficult here.

Although they were already stunned, it wasn't enough. They were only surprised by the ten-mile road. However, in reality, if they measured this ten miles with their feet, it would be fatal. The mountain road was difficult to walk with slopes and climbs...

Old Old Liu didn't care about the educated youth's panic. He turned to look at the three male educated youth, his gaze automatically falling on the tall figure guarded by Li Kuiyong and Yu Ming.

"Are you Comrade Wang Yan?"

"It's me."

"Oh my, thank you. How can we farmers take so many pictures? The camera is precious, and you are still willing to take pictures for us for free, thank you."

"Taking pictures won't break it." Wang Yan shook hands with Old Old Liu, "Later, when everyone buys film, after taking pictures, if you want to enlarge them, I can go to the county and discuss with the photo studio. Our brigade goes together, it will definitely be much cheaper."

"Oh my, thank you even more. We'll send someone to the county to buy film recently. We have programs during the twelfth lunar month. But it won't work in the past few years, we can only twist yangge and sing folk songs, temple fairs and societies are not allowed to be held, saying too much, saying too much, educated youth comrades, hurry up and clean up, rest well after eating, the old man is leaving."

Old Old Liu took Old Liu and other brigade cadres away. It looked very warm, and it was actually very warm. Not to mention anything else, just the two large vats of water were enough to show the attitude of the Baidian Brigade. At this moment, if you searched every household in the whole brigade, no one would have stored so much water.

Everyone cleaned up their beds and then worked together to cook. To say working together, it was just heating the kang of the three caves, then making cornmeal mixed with white flour pancakes, and stewing a pot of potatoes.

Even if they were from the capital, city people among city people, the era was here, so it was destined that everyone wasn't delicate. Even Zhou Xiaobai could stir-fry two dishes, and everyone had life skills.

So Wang Yan didn't have to do it himself, the female comrades made the food. Wang Yan was also very particular, taking a box of pork canned food from his luggage and pouring it into the pot of stewed potatoes, adding some meat flavor.

When it was time to eat, it was lively. Everyone took out things brought from home, eight-treasure pickles, salted fish, fermented bean curd chili sauce, sugar garlic, etc., to accompany the meal.

Wang Yan made a rough estimate, and they ate almost a day and a half's worth of food in this meal tonight...

Young people who just arrived, didn't know how to measure, always comfortable at the beginning, and miserable later. Not seeing the Zhong Yuemin and others in the original drama, they all went to the county to beg for food.

Of course, it wasn't just Zhong Yuemin who begged for food, others in the brigade also went. The reason was that the grain grown in the fields couldn't satisfy the consumption of the people on this land. They would always be hungry for a few months a year. It was really too bitter here...

After dinner, the exhausted crowd dispersed, returned to their respective cave dwellings, closed the doors, lit candles, and talked.

In order to cherish water resources, the three big men didn't wash their feet. Li Kuiyong held a cigarette in his mouth, stared blankly at the candlelight, and suddenly said without rhyme or reason: "Damn, Brother Yan, that bunch of people really deserve to die, you said you were fine..."

Wang Yan closed the book in his hand: "Actually, it's not necessarily them who did it. Of course, this account must be calculated on them..."

?? Daily thanks to the good brothers who tipped, voted for monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, and silently read the book for their strong support!

? (End of chapter)