Chapter 52: Grandmother and Grandfather Arrive

After two days on the train, the group finally arrived at Hongqi County.

Secretary Yang of Hongqi Commune went to the station early in the morning with a team to pick them up. Once they were collected, he brought them back to the commune.

A large crowd followed from the station to the commune office, almost filling the entire space. When it became impossible to fit everyone inside, some had to stand outside by the door.

It was not just the reformees who had arrived at Hongqi Commune; there was also a group of educated youths responding to the call of the times to go up to the mountains and down to the countryside.

Zhou Yulan and Ou Wenrui stood among the crowd, watching as the escort handed them over to the secretary and immediately left without lingering even a second.

Ou Wenrui, holding a small package he had quietly taken out in the commotion, felt a sense of relief.

It was not long before Secretary Yang emerged from the office holding several sheets of paper.

Standing at the office entrance, he announced the assigned destinations to the crowd.

“Zhao Luo, Peanut Brigade.”

“Qi Mu, Falling Leaves Brigade.”

“Tong Xueyan, Maple Leaf Brigade.”

“…”

Once the educated youths were assigned, it was the reformees’ turn.

There were about ten reformees in total, and only Zhou Yulan and Ou Wenrui were assigned to the Maple Leaf Brigade.

Zhou Yulan carried a small bundle, and Ou Wenrui carried a larger one. They walked out of the commune and found He Daixing standing beside the cattle cart.

Looking at the cart piled high with bundles and a few educated youths seated on top, Ou Wenrui hesitated before asking,

“Brigade Leader, my wife is not in good health. Could we request that she be allowed to sit for a while? I do not mind walking.”

“Cough, cough!” Zhou Yulan cooperatively covered her mouth and coughed a few times.

He Daixing’s gaze swept between them, and just when they thought he would refuse, he surprisingly agreed.

“Get on. There is space on the cattle cart, and you can also put your bundles on it.”

“Ah, thank you, Brigade Leader, thank you!” Ou Wenrui’s face lit up with joy.

He quickly placed the bundles at the edge of the cart and helped Zhou Yulan climb aboard.

Six educated youths were already seated on the cart, three males and three females. When Zhou Yulan sat down, five of them shifted slightly, expressing mild disdain.

They had known about these reformees in advance. The Brigade Leader, in his kindness, even allowed these people to ride on the cart with them.

The only female who did not move had been sleeping with her eyes closed from the start. When she noticed someone sit nearby, she opened her eyes and looked over.

Zhou Yulan, thinking she might have accidentally bumped her, was about to apologize, but her face lit up with delight:

“It is you, little girl! You are going to the Maple Leaf Brigade too? What a coincidence.”

On the cart, Zhou Yulan faced the girl, who did not mind their current identities at all and even shared her canned food and fruit with them.

At that time, Zhou Yulan had been discussing with Wenrui where the girl might be sent. It looked like she was going down to the countryside as an educated youth, and if it was a remote area, it would have been tough for her.

Now, unexpectedly, they met her here and were even heading to the Maple Leaf Brigade together. Truly a coincidence.

Tong Xueyan nodded. “Grandmother, I am Tong Xueyan. It really is a coincidence.”

Zhou Yulan settled in comfortably. She had seen on the train that this girl was not bad, and it was comforting to have someone familiar along the way.

Once everyone was accounted for, He Daixing drove the cattle cart back.

He had known before the New Year that six educated youths would arrive afterward, but he had not anticipated being assigned two reformees as well. There had been no warning, and he was slightly caught off guard.

The cattle shed already housed eight people plus two children, occupying five rooms completely. With two more arrivals, he did not immediately know where to place them.

It was not feasible for the brigade to build a new room for just two reformees, nor could they simply squeeze them in somewhere.

However, there seemed to be a small wood shed next to the old leader’s house. Though small, it could fit a bed, which would work.

If that did not work, they could share with Wu Meixia or figure out another arrangement to free up a room.

After deciding on accommodations for Ou Wenrui and Zhou Yulan, the cattle cart returned to the Maple Leaf Brigade after half an hour.

The group dismounted and waited at the village square for housing assignments.

The Maple Leaf Brigade had never received educated youths before. When they were notified, there had not been time to prepare new housing.

They simply tidied up a few connected empty village houses and designated them as the youths’ living area.

The leader of the educated youth point was a bespectacled man named Hu Yang, a typical Northeasterner.

He was very helpful along the way, often assisting with carrying luggage, which naturally earned him the leader position.

After Hu Yang came Tong Xueyan. She had arrived from the capital city alone, with no companions, but she had brought a lot of luggage.

Hu Yang helped her carry the luggage, nearly straining his back, but eventually got everything off the cart.

The remaining four, two men and two women, were Wei Xiang, a man with a bowl haircut; the younger Ding Xu; Huang Ying, with short hair just above her ears; and the impatient Wang Meili.

The youth point had three rooms, two large and one small.

While assigning rooms, Tong Xueyan spoke up to He Daixing:

“Brigade Leader, may I request to rent a house in the village? I sleep poorly at night and wake easily. I also snore and grind my teeth, so I thought it would be better for me to have a quiet place alone.”

She did not hesitate to point out her flaws and emphasized that poor sleep could make her faint the next day.

Those present twitched at the corners of their mouths. Even Wang Meili, who looked perpetually impatient, was speechless.

They were all going down to the countryside, not a place for sleeping comfortably.

Yet here she was, revealing all her weaknesses at once, as if worried no one would know she snores and grinds her teeth every day.

He Daixing frowned. “Why ask to rent a house immediately? There is so much work here. You cannot adapt?”

Tong Xueyan shook her head regretfully. “I do not want to, Brigade Leader. I have had poor sleep since birth, so I hoped coming here would improve my health.”

“You see, renting a house benefits everyone. First, I will not disturb others. Second, I am paying, which at least brings some income to the village’s poor families.”

He Daixing glanced at the accountant, who wisely pulled out a notebook.

“Brigade Leader, there are only five empty houses in the village. Three are allocated for the educated youth point. One was destroyed by last year’s heavy rain and is still uninhabitable.

“There is one more…” The accountant paused, “at the northern foot of Maple Leaf Mountain, which was formerly occupied by He Goudan and Widow Yu.”