Chapter 373

Lin Heling laughed, "Zhaozhao is right, that is the logic."

Lin Shisheng pursed his lips; as far as his father was concerned, whatever Zhaozhao said was right.

Song Xiwei then said, "You don't need to worry about Xuanxuan and Zhengzheng; your father and I are watching them."

These words were directed at Lin Zhao.

Chen Yu also said, "That's right, there's also your eldest brother and me. No matter what, we won't watch them suffer any grievances."

"That's good then," Lin Zhao said.

In this life, she must protect everyone in the family well.

"Second Brother, if I go to follow the army, I probably won't be able to attend your wedding."

Lin Shisheng waved his hand, "Let's talk about that later; it's not yet known what the outcome will be."

Taotao is several years younger than him, with the temperament of a young girl; who knows if her thoughts will change after a period of time.

"That's true," Lin Zhao said.

After eating a meal at her maiden home and sleeping for another night, Lin Zhao and her husband and children returned home the next day.

When they arrived at the Bumper Harvest Brigade, the village was bustling.

After grabbing someone at random to ask, they learned that new educated youth had arrived at the brigade, a pair of siblings.

"I want to go join in the fun," Lin Zhao said.

"Let's go." Gu Chenghuai carried his daughter on his shoulders, held his young son in his arms, and held his wife's hand as they walked toward the lively educated youth point.

"So thin, just a skeleton, how can they work in the fields?"

"They look quite alike, they seem to be siblings. The sister is a normal build, but why does the brother look so sickly? Why come to the countryside like this?"

Hearing the discussions around them, the Nan siblings' expressions did not change.

Nan Qiao was afraid her brother would be sad, so she comforted him, "Don't be afraid, Sister will take care of you."

Nan Yi could not help but cough a few times, then smiled, "I will also take care of Sister."

His skin was fair, but he was so thin he was unrecognizable; his superior facial bones were covered by a layer of flesh, and one could tell he was a handsome youth, but also somewhat frightening.

"That brother is so thin," Gu Hangbao said.

Thin?

The skeleton educated youth.

Lin Zhao recalled a plot point from the original book.

It was also at this time that two educated youth siblings came to the Bumper Harvest Brigade.

These two siblings came from a scholarly family and would teach the children cultural knowledge when they were not busy. Upon learning that Xiang Yubao and Gu Hangbao were orphans, they even gave them candy.

That is how it was written in the book.

【This was a rare delicacy that Gu Zhiyu and Gu Zhiheng had tasted; the brothers dissolved a piece of candy into water, drinking it one sip after another, tears falling into the bowl, and the sugar water was also stained with bitterness.】

The later text also mentioned that the Nan siblings were the warmth from the outside world that they had touched.

It was a pity that Brother Nan fell into the reservoir and died, and Sister Nan did not leave her door except to work, and after the college entrance examination was restored, she left the brigade and never returned... These were the words in Xiang Yubao and Gu Hangbao's memoirs.

The side story mentioned Nan Qiao's later life—

The sister who loved to study took over her brother's dream and stepped into an unfamiliar field.

She mentioned her brother many times in public, saying that her brother was smarter than her, had extreme talent in physics, and was a rare genius; if he were still here, many of today's problems would probably have solutions...

Lin Zhao looked at the frail youth; was this the legendary genius youth?

Speaking of which, the reason this youth fell into the reservoir had something to do with Xiang Yubao and Gu Hangbao, but the culprit was Lu Baozhen.

Gu Hangbao mentioned that Brother Nan was a very good person, which made Lu Baozhen, who wanted to monopolize all of Xiang Yubao and Gu Hangbao's attention, dissatisfied. She secretly wished, if only he didn't exist... The evil protagonist's wish came true.

The innocent genius youth had not yet grown up before he died in a foreign land.

Lin Zhao felt waves of hatred in her heart.

Lu Baozhen was deeply sinful.

Meng Xiaoying sized up the two newly arrived siblings, a look of dislike appearing on her face, and said loudly, "Another one who can't do work!"

It was the first time the Nan siblings had been despised in their lives, and they looked embarrassed.

Villagers: "?"

The eldest brother shouldn't mock the second brother, right?

Lin Zhao laughed, "These words sound familiar, like something Aunt Ye has said."

The brigade leader's wife, who was eating melon in the front row, turned her head, pulled her, and patted her thigh, "No wonder I felt something was strange, isn't that it? Isn't this what I said when I despised the educated youth? I didn't expect Educated Youth Meng to have learned it."

She looked at Meng Xiaoying and said loudly, "Educated Youth Meng, have you forgotten that when you first arrived, you couldn't even distinguish between rice seedlings and grass? Not only did you not earn work points, but you also cost the brigade over ten work points. Now what's going on, is it your turn to despise the new educated youth?"

"Our brigade values harmony and emphasizes mutual aid. If you bully the new educated youth, the brigade leader will have to report it to the Educated Youth Office, and then you..."

Meng Xiaoying's face turned pale.

"I was just saying it casually, I'm not bullying the new educated youth."

The Bumper Harvest Brigade is wealthy, she doesn't want to be sent to a poor mountain village!

The brigade leader's wife raised her chin slightly, "It's best if that's the case. If you affect our brigade's honor, you'll have to find a way to explain it to all the commune members and masses of the brigade."

Meng Xiaoying did not dare to offend the brigade leader's wife. That arrogant air shrank back, she glared at the two new educated youth, and returned to her room in anger.

"What are you doing, what are you doing! Daring to glare at people in front of me, you're really getting too big for your boots." The brigade leader's wife said unhappily.

From this, the Nan siblings could see that the atmosphere in the brigade they arrived at was quite good; at least the fellow villagers had a sense of right and wrong.

The siblings' hearts were slightly put at ease.

"Thank you, Aunt," Nan Qiao said with a smile.

Aunt Ye waved her hand, "It's just a matter of a sentence, it's nothing. You came from thousands of miles away, it's only right that we take care of you."

Nan Qiao looked at Lin Zhao and thanked her again, "Thank you, Comrade."

She could see that Lin Zhao's status in the brigade was extraordinary.

One word from such a person is worth ten thousand words from someone useless.

Lin Zhao smiled, "It's nothing."

The small conflict at the educated youth point was resolved.

Nan Qiao and her brother nodded to the commune members of the Bumper Harvest Brigade and went into the room to tidy up their bedding.

The conditions at the educated youth point had not changed; male educated youth in one room, female educated youth in another, with large shared beds. Those with ability would pull up a curtain for themselves to protect their privacy, while those without conditions only had one quilt.

It was not yet 1970, and the brigade would continue to have educated youth arriving; this educated youth point needed to be expanded, as the more people there were, the more conflicts there would be.

Lin Zhao's face showed contemplation.

Gu Chenghuai squeezed her hand, "Do you know those educated youth siblings?"

He stared at his wife inquisitively, "You're quite concerned about them?!"

Deputy Regiment Commander Gu thought about it, but did not find anything special about those siblings.

They just looked like they had read a few more books.

Lin Zhao came back to her senses and said casually, "They look good."

Gu Chenghuai was stunned.

Zhaozhao praised another man for looking good?

His heart sank, and he secretly gritted his teeth.

He couldn't help but say, "Just a skeleton, what's good-looking about that?"

The sarcasm in his words could not be hidden at all.

Lin Zhao: "..."

"I was talking about Comrade Nan Qiao, she has a good temperament and is pleasing to the eye. Why are you attacking others' looks?" Lin Zhao said helplessly, "Little Comrade Nan looks several years younger than me, you..."

Sour.

Too sour.

Gu Chenghuai's expression paused slightly, and he cleared his throat, "Ahem..."

Having found a wife who looks at faces, it was no problem for him to be nervous and defensive.

He found an excuse in his heart to comfort himself and calmly changed the subject, "What were you thinking about just now? Do you need my help?"

Lin Zhao did not press the matter, hooked her fingers into the man's, and said, "Don't you think the brigade's educated youth point should be expanded?"

Gu Chenghuai looked at her with surprise.

"Yes." Not wanting to sleep in the guest room at night, he nodded in agreement.

"Then why don't you mention it to the brigade leader?" Lin Zhao said with a smile.

"... Okay. I'll go say it this afternoon." Gu Chenghuai was going to visit relatives at the brigade leader's house this afternoon, so mentioning it while chatting would be no trouble at all.

Lin Zhao shook her hands, her eyebrows curved, "Then I'll trouble you."

Gu Chenghuai's eyebrows relaxed: "Being able to be ordered around by you is my good fortune."

That afternoon, Gu Chenghuai brought things to the brigade leader's house and mentioned what his wife had brought up.

The brigade leader thought for a moment, "It should be expanded by a few more rooms. Living together causes many conflicts, and they come to me to preside over justice every day, which is a huge headache."

The brigade leader's wife cracked pumpkin seeds and interjected, "When the houses are built, how to allocate the rooms will also be a problem. Do you believe those educated youth will make a scene again?"

"Let them make a scene." The brigade leader was not afraid of the educated youth making a scene, "That's the village's land, and the village is paying for the construction, so they don't get to talk nonsense."

The Bumper Harvest Brigade relied on mushroom farming to become the leader of the entire commune, and the commune secretary had praised him many times for being a good brigade leader. There were plenty of educated youth who wanted to come to their brigade, so the brigade leader had plenty of confidence and was naturally not afraid of the educated youth causing trouble.

Gu Chenghuai toasted the brigade leader, and the matter was settled.

At the same time, Nan Qiao, having settled her life for the time being, asked the villagers about the Gu family and went to their door.

Seeing her come, Lin Zhao was very surprised.

She poured tea for the guest herself.

"I hope I'm not disturbing Comrade Lin. I came to thank you, and also to find a backer." Nan Qiao joked.

Lin Zhao was stunned, then pursed her lips and smiled.

"Then you're going to be disappointed. I'm going to follow the army after the New Year, so I can't be your backer."

Nan Qiao didn't come to find a backer; she had received Lin Zhao's help and came specifically to thank her.

The more extraordinary a person's status, the more extraordinary an effect a casual word from them could have.

She firmly believed this, so she remembered Comrade Lin's favor.

"That's really a pity. I felt like I'd known Comrade Lin for a long time, and I wanted to make a friend." Nan Qiao said regretfully.

This was a powerful person who would achieve extraordinary things in the future; Lin Zhao was a worldly person and was happy to expand her connections.

"If you don't find it troublesome, can I write to you in the future?"

Nan Qiao jumped into the boat of friendship she had steered over and said immediately, "I will write back to you."

"Okay, can I call you Nannan?" Lin Zhao asked familiarly.

Nan Qiao's smile became even more sincere, "Okay, can I call you Zhaozhao?"

Coming to be an educated youth isn't all bad, she thought.

"Okay."

Lin Zhao told Nan Qiao many survival rules for the countryside: you can't go into the deep mountains, you can't go to the reservoir, it's best to have someone with you when going to the river, what kind of snakes are poisonous, and what to do if bitten by a snake. She also gave her a book, "The Barefoot Doctor's Complete Guide."

Nan Qiao felt a wave of warmth in her heart and said gratefully, "Thank you, Zhaozhao. What you said can help me better integrate into collective life. It's so good to know you."

"Want to thank me? That's simple. If you have time, just help me tutor my nephews and nieces with their homework." Lin Zhao hoped that after the college entrance examination was restored, the Gu family could produce a few more college students.

The prosperity of a family still depends on the next generation.

Nan Qiao looked at her, "Everyone says that in this world, studying is the most useless thing, and it's not as good as having a good job. Why do you still care about... the younger generation's studies?"

"I believe the college entrance examination will be restored." Lin Zhao said as if casually, "Society needs to develop, and people with culture are indispensable."

I'm a prophet, I can't say that, hehe.

Admiration flashed in Nan Qiao's eyes; what Zhaozhao said was exactly the same as what her grandfather said.

Who says country people are short-sighted? The people who say that are the short-sighted ones!

"I like you even more," she said.

These words were just heard by Gu Chenghuai, who had just returned.

His eyebrows twisted.

"!!!"

What's the situation?

He entered the room, glanced at the person speaking, and his eyebrows furrowed even tighter.

"Wife, I'm back." Gu Chenghuai's tone was calm, but Lin Zhao still heard the weight in his articulation.

Nan Qiao saw the master of the house had returned, did not delay, and stood up elegantly, "I should go."

"Wait, it's the New Year, how can I let you go back empty-handed." Lin Zhao followed her out the door, quickly entered the kitchen, found a can of malted milk, put a Body-Strengthening Pill inside, took out a bag of red dates, returned to the courtyard, and stuffed the things into Nan Qiao's hands.

The genius youth must live well, win international awards, lead a team, and help the country take off!

"If you recognize me as a friend, then accept it." Lin Zhao blocked the refusal that was on Nan Qiao's lips.

"After the New Year, it's all heavy and tiring work. Take advantage of the New Year to nourish your body, so you don't fail to hold on when the time comes."

Nan Qiao hesitated for a moment, took it, and said gratefully, "Thank you, Zhaozhao."

She was a college student who had graduated from a big university; she would seriously tutor the Gu family's children and help them get into college.

"Go, I'll see you to the door." Lin Zhao saw Nan Qiao to the door, watched her leave, and then turned back to the room.

Just as she covered the courtyard door, she heard a sentence: "How did you get so familiar with her so quickly?"

Lin Zhao glanced at Gu Chenghuai, "We felt like we'd known each other for a long time, is there a problem?"

"... No."

Lin Zhao hummed a song and returned to the room, looking through the things Nan Qiao brought; it was a pair of hand-woven gloves, exposing half the fingers so as not to affect work, exquisite and low-key, very much in line with Nan Qiao's aesthetics.

Nan Qiao returned to the educated youth point and first brewed a cup of malted milk for her brother.

Something suddenly happened at home, and she and her brother rushed to the countryside; many things were not prepared in time, and Nan Yi's medicine was also finished. Nan Qiao's nerves were tense, for fear that her brother would not be able to hold on.

"Sister, you drink too." Nan Yi was unwilling to eat alone.

He coughed a few times, his lips pale.

"You drink." Nan Qiao stuffed the bowl into her brother's hand, letting him warm his hands, her expression gentle and patient, "I drank tea at Comrade Lin's house, my stomach is very full. You drink it yourself, and eat two dates after you finish."

Nan Yi saw his sister's persistence and did not want to make her angry, so he did not say any more words of concession.

It was all his fault that his body was useless; otherwise, his sister wouldn't have to come to the countryside to suffer with him.

Nan Yi's heart sank to the bottom, the door not letting in any wind.

"Drink it while it's hot." Nan Qiao urged.

Nan Yi came back to his senses, took a sip of the malted milk, and swallowed it slowly. Strangely, his cold body felt a long-lost warmth.

He didn't think much of it, only thinking that he hadn't drunk malted milk for some time, and coupled with the cold weather here... because of all this, he had this illusion.

Song Qian walked out of the room and saw the warm scene in the courtyard, stunned for a moment.

"Educated Youth Song." Nan Qiao greeted him.

"Brother Song," Nan Yi called out.

Song Qian was not a person who sacrificed himself for others, but he also had the warmth unique to people of this era. Seeing that Nan Yi was in poor health, he took Wen Huaiyuan to take the initiative to help him tidy up his things, fetch hot water...

Nan Yi called him Brother Song, and called Wen Huaiyuan Brother Wen.

Nan Qiao didn't know about these things.

Hearing her brother's address, she looked at Nan Yi with great surprise, guessed something, and thanked Song Qian, "Thank you, Educated Youth Song, for taking care of my brother."

Nan Qiao planned that when she went to the county to buy things, she would go to the state-run restaurant to buy a meat dish or steamed buns to thank those who helped her and her brother.