Chapter 4: Settling In

Watching their expressions, Li Weidong furrowed his brow and spoke sternly, “What are you mumbling about? This is the team’s arrangement. If you have complaints, take them up with Captain Wang!”

In truth, he was not pleased either.

This educated youth settlement was already harsh; the more people there were, the greater the troubles and the tighter the resources.

But as the team leader, when orders came down from above, what could he do?

The three veteran educated youths, upon hearing Li Weidong’s words, dared not argue further.

After all, Li Weidong was the point leader, and Captain Wang Zhenshan was not someone to be trifled with.

They exchanged glances and reluctantly began moving the worn bedding and clutter on the kang bed.

After some fussing, they barely managed to clear a small spot near the door at the edge of the kang.

That spot was just wide enough for two people to lie down, noticeably narrower than the older youths’ bunks.

Zhao Weiguo looked at the cramped space, his lips moving as if to say something.

But he glanced at Li Weidong, then at the silent older youths beside him, and swallowed his words.

Being new and unfamiliar with the place, it was best not to cause trouble.

Zhou Yichen remained silent, calmly observing everything before him.

He showed no dissatisfaction with the assigned bunk.

In his heart, this was merely a temporary resting place.

Since Captain Wang had promised to take him to Old Sun to verify his medical skills, he had a private place to stay lined up.

As long as he passed the test tomorrow, he would be free from this grim communal dormitory.

Following the principle of avoiding unnecessary trouble, he did not want to start off on the wrong foot with these veteran youths over such a trivial matter.

It wasn’t fear of conflict, just a sense that it was utterly unnecessary.

“All right, you two put your luggage here and get yourselves settled,” Li Weidong said, pointing to the vacant spot, addressing Zhou Yichen and Zhao Weiguo.

Then he turned, his gaze falling on Jiang Xiaoman and Lin Xiaoyue still standing at the doorway.

“Come on, I’ll take you to see the girls’ dormitory.”

Li Weidong’s voice remained steady, as if the minor friction just now had never happened.

He led Jiang Xiaoman and Lin Xiaoyue toward the neighboring low, dilapidated adobe house.

Soon enough, Li Weidong reappeared from the adjacent room.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yichen had almost finished tidying up—though there was little to arrange beyond laying the bed and gathering the essentials for the night.

As for other belongings, he planned to stay just one night and saw no need to unpack.

Just as Zhou Yichen finished spreading out his bedding, someone arrived with the food supplies.

“This is the ration distributed by the team. Eat sparingly, or you’ll go hungry later,” the messenger said.

The grain was coarse mixed cereals, mainly corn kernels, mixed with a fair amount of yellow bean husks and some blackened sorghum hulls.

Zhou Yichen recognized at a glance that this was the roughest kind of grain—still unhulled, ground directly with a stone mill.

Such grain was harsh to the throat, almost like swallowing sand.

Before heading to the countryside, his family had eaten coarse grains too.

But those were at least hulled cornmeal mixed with millet, a blend, not exactly delicious but a feast compared to this sack.

After receiving the grain, Zhao Weiguo, Jiang Xiaoman, and Lin Xiaoyue continued unpacking their luggage.

That evening, Zhou Yichen, Jiang Xiaoman, Zhao Weiguo, and Lin Xiaoyue made do with leftover dry grain to heat a simple meal.

Being assigned to the same production team naturally made them a small group.

After dinner, they fetched some water to wash their faces and hands.

The adobe house still reeked, a mixture of sweat, foot odor, and a faint mildew smell.

The journey and afternoon’s exertion showed on everyone’s weary faces.

Though Zhou Yichen’s constitution was stronger and his spirit more vigorous thanks to his talent for diligence, even he was feeling tired.

Seeing the night closing in, he simply climbed onto the kang to sleep.

Soon, the room filled with the steady rhythm of snoring.

…

At dawn, Zhou Yichen rose from the kang.

The night had been difficult to describe.

The kang was narrow to begin with; six people squeezed together left barely any room to turn over.

Zhou Yichen was particular about his sleeping environment; the hard adobe bed, covered only with thin straw and bedding, left him uncomfortable all over.

Next to him, Zhao Weiguo’s sleep was restless, punctuated by occasional movements and murmured words in his dreams.

The indescribable mixture of odors in the air pressed relentlessly into his nostrils.

He barely slept a wink or only dozed lightly, waking at every little noise.

Only when the first pale light crept over the horizon and faint sunlight filtered through the papered window did he eagerly get up.

He quietly climbed off the kang, careful not to disturb the others still asleep.

Rubbing his stiff neck and shoulders, Zhou Yichen exhaled a breath of stale air.

The feeling was truly unpleasant.

But thankfully, it was only temporary.

He thought to himself that after showing his skills at the team office today, letting Captain Wang and the others witness his medical talents, he should be able to move out.

Then he wouldn’t have to endure this misery any longer.

…

Just after breakfast, as Zhou Yichen was pondering whether to seek out Wang Zhenshan, the captain arrived.

It was clear Wang Zhenshan was quite concerned about whether Zhou Yichen truly had the skills he claimed.

“Captain Wang!” Zhou Yichen greeted him.

Jiang Xiaoman, Zhao Weiguo, and Lin Xiaoyue, hearing the noise, also gathered around.

“Oh, you’re all here? Have you eaten?” Wang Zhenshan strode in, his gaze sweeping over the four faces before settling on Zhou Yichen.

“Just finished. Captain, have you eaten?” Zhou Yichen responded politely.

“I dealt with things at home before coming.”

“By the way, you don’t need to work today. You can go to the commune and buy your living supplies; otherwise, there won’t be time later.”

At this, the others quickly nodded.

Captain Wang had mentioned this when he brought them here yesterday, and they had agreed to go to the commune to shop later.

“All right, enough chit-chat,” Wang Zhenshan turned to Zhou Yichen. “Get ready—come with me. I’ll take you to the neighboring production team to see Old Sun and have him assess your skills.”

Zhou Yichen’s spirits lifted. “Okay! Captain Wang, I’m ready anytime.”

He turned to Jiang Xiaoman and the others. “Xiaoman, you guys get familiar with the place or, as Captain Wang said, head to the commune and buy what you need.”

In Jiang Xiaoman’s large, clear eyes, worry was plain to see. Despite her youthful face, she nodded earnestly.

“Yichen, please… be careful,” she whispered, her voice tinged with barely concealed anxiety.

Zhou Yichen gave her a reassuring look and then followed Wang Zhenshan out of the educated youth settlement courtyard.

Jiang Xiaoman stood at the doorway, watching the uneven heights of Zhou Yichen and Wang Zhenshan’s backs fade into the distance.

The red scarf around her neck fluttered gently in the morning breeze, and her rosy face grew even more anxious.