Yang Hong agreed and went to discuss with the new arrivals.
Jiang Lei, the acne-faced young man, immediately objected. “Why are they deducting work points? We’re here to build up the countryside; shouldn’t the team provide us with our food rations?”
He felt this wasn’t right. First, they wouldn’t let him sit on the donkey cart, and now they wouldn’t give him food? Was this how the team treated intellectuals?
The intellectual youth leader Yang Hong replied, “Our team of intellectuals is a collective household. It’s understood that we earn work points to get food.”
Jiang Lei angrily retorted, “Then it should be calculated from later! Why start from now? I came from Beijing, and I want to ask the team leader about this!”
After saying that, he angrily went off to confront Tian Youfu. Yang Hong, used to such situations, didn’t stop him. She remembered how, during her first year down in the countryside, there had been an argument that broke out. In the end, the deductions were still taken from the work points starting from the following spring.
The surrounding villagers gathered to watch, knowing that the team leader was unlikely to agree to no deductions from work points.
Yang Hong didn’t bother with Jiang Lei and turned to the others. “How do you all want to take your rations? Do you want to take it all at once, or do you want to take it little by little? Our dormitory shares a stove for cooking.”
The new intellectual youths looked at each other but none of them spoke up.
It was the soft-spoken, fair-skinned girl, Bai Ling, who coughed twice before quietly saying, “I think it’s better to take five pounds first, and then get more when we finish it.”
Her words immediately received agreement from the others.
“I’ll take five pounds too.”
“Actually, I don’t eat much, five pounds might be too much for me.”
“Then let’s all take five pounds…”
Yang Hong nodded and reported to Tian Youfu a total of 35 pounds.
Jiang Lei was still stubbornly arguing, repeatedly insisting that they were here to help the countryside. His main point was that they should get the grain, but their work points shouldn’t be deducted.
Tian Youfu: “…”
Tian Youfu didn’t even want to respond to him. With a gloomy face, he said to Yang Hong, “Alright, you can take them back and settle them in. They need to go to work tomorrow morning as usual.”
After speaking, he walked off with his hands behind his back.
He had no time to waste arguing with these young people. Forget about his own team, even in other teams, no one would allow people to just take rations without working. The villagers’ food was limited, and if you didn’t work, you couldn’t just take it. If Tian Youfu allowed this, his position as team leader would be over.
The surrounding villagers were entertained by the spectacle and started commenting.
“Ugh, this kid’s so stubborn. How can there be such a stubborn young person?”
He directly confronted the team leader, and no one knew whether they should praise him for not fearing authority or say he was just foolish.
If the leader had a smaller mind, wouldn’t he have found a way to make things difficult for him?
“This time, the four girls they sent seem okay. They all look bright and neat.”
Besides Bai Ling, there were three other female intellectuals. Although they weren’t as good-looking as Bai Ling, they all had fair complexions, which made them stand out from the villagers.
“That boy who looks well-dressed is not bad either. He’s wearing a watch.”
They were talking about the most outstanding among them, Yu Pengcheng.
Yang Hong noticed the team leader’s expression and could guess his thoughts.
The number of new intellectuals this time was really too large. The seventh team had been given seven people, including four female intellectuals. That was nearly 300 pounds of grain at once. Tian Youfu was probably feeling the pressure.
Just as Yang Hong was about to take the intellectual youths back, a sudden shout interrupted her.
“Bai Ling! Bai Ling, what’s wrong?!”
She turned around and saw Bai Ling, the delicate and fair-skinned girl, suddenly collapse to the ground.
Just now, Jiang Lei, who was arguing with the team leader, immediately rushed forward with an anxious look on his face.
“Linlin? Linlin? Don’t scare me!”
He turned around and shouted at Yang Hong, “What are you standing there for? Hurry up and find the village chief! It’s all his fault, not letting us ride the donkey cart! Look what happened to Linlin!”
In his panic, his eyes reddened, and he started angrily yelling at the onlookers, “You people! We’re here from Beijing to help you, and this is how you treat us? As expected, poor mountains and bad waters breed wicked people!”
Yang Hong: “…”
Damn it.
Even Wang Ying, who was normally calm, was speechless. This guy really lacks common sense, right? He started attacking indiscriminately. What did the villagers have to do with this? They were just here to watch the drama, and now they’re being hit by a broadside of verbal abuse.
Yu Pengcheng’s expression turned serious. He spoke in a righteous tone, “Jiang Lei, be careful with your words. What do you mean by ‘poor mountains and bad waters’? This is a beautiful part of our country. Comrade Linlin fainted, but it wasn’t the villagers’ fault. And you, instead of standing with the villagers, you started blaming them. Is this what you’ve learned, to blame others right away?”
Yang Hong quickly added, “Exactly.”
Jiang Lei wasn’t very sharp. Not only did he offend the village chief, but now he was also alienating the villagers. As the team leader, Yang Hong couldn’t side with Jiang Lei.
Yang Hong quickly aligned with Yu Pengcheng and distanced herself from Jiang Lei.
“Look, this guy’s an idiot, and he has nothing to do with us young intellectuals.”
Jiang Lei nearly spit blood in anger, “You two!”
The villagers weren’t pleased either. Though they lived in the mountains, Jiang Lei’s attitude of disparaging them as “poor mountains and bad waters” was insulting. Their village was actually one of the better-off ones in the region, and the village chief, Tian Youfu, managed things strictly. To call them “wicked people” was utterly unreasonable.
“Is this guy crazy? He’s like a mad dog, barking at anyone.”
“He just attacks anyone he sees. Seriously, if he’s not happy, why doesn’t he leave?”
“Who’s that girl? Is she his girlfriend?”
“Who cares if she’s his girlfriend? No one should insult others like that.”
“She doesn’t look anything special, but he’s acting like she’s some big shot.”
“Does he think he’s so capable, coming down to the countryside?”
…
Jiang Lei was already frustrated, but now Yu Pengcheng and Yang Hong’s words made him even more furious. Yes, he came from the capital, but his family wasn’t rich. He had many siblings, which is why he was sent to the countryside to “help” in the first place.
Linlin and he were classmates, and they happened to meet on the train. Now they had come to the same place. Jiang Lei had some feelings for Linlin and thought he would be her protector. But now, Linlin fainted, and no one around was offering help!
Jiang Lei angrily thought, “Where did I go wrong? What’s wrong with calling them wicked people? They’re poor, but they have no compassion!”
Linlin, a frail girl, fainted and no one stepped up to help.
Finally, it was Yang Hong, reluctantly stepping forward, “Wang Ying, can you take a look at her?”
Yang Hong turned to Wang Ying, the barefoot doctor among the onlookers. She felt helpless. Regardless of Linlin’s condition, as the first new young intellectual to arrive, if things weren’t handled well, the other young intellectuals might start to feel uneasy.
But even as she called out for help, Yang Hong was angry. Jiang Lei was clearly a troublemaker who would cause more issues for everyone.
Wang Ying, who was trained in this area, didn’t refuse and immediately went to check Linlin.
But Jiang Lei continued, “Who are you? A barefoot doctor? Are you even qualified to check her?”
Wang Ying: “…”
Questioning a doctor’s professionalism in front of them—this was truly outrageous, like people who question doctors on Baidu results.
“I’m not qualified? Then you can check her yourself.”
Wang Ying wasn’t going to tolerate Jiang Lei’s nonsense, so she stood up and walked away, saying she wouldn’t deal with it.
Jiang Lei kept talking, “I’m just asking what’s wrong with her! Is this the attitude of a doctor? Also, what’s so special about a barefoot doctor?”
His words were crossing the line.
Before Wang Ying could respond, Old Lady Xu, who had been watching, couldn’t hold her temper anymore.
With a sarcastic smile, Old Lady Xu glanced at Linlin on the ground and Jiang Lei. “If you’re so capable, why don’t you check her yourself? You’re looking for help but still picky. Like a beggar complaining about food being cold, you think you’re so special? You’re great, huh? Go back to your capital if you think you’re so superior.”
Old Lady Xu grabbed Wang Ying’s arm and pulled her away, “Forget about these brainless people. If they don’t want to see a doctor, then don’t. We’re leaving to eat. I’ll make you some delicious spicy toon leaves and stuffed buns, with stir-fried mushrooms.”
Wang Ying immediately felt her mouth water. Old Lady Xu made amazing spicy toon leaves. When the toon leaves were in season, Old Lady Xu would pick them, clean them, and stir-fry them with chili, then seal them in oil. When it was time to eat, they would break open some steamed buns and stuff them with the spicy toon paste. If stored properly, it could last until fall.
Wang Ying followed Old Lady Xu, and the villagers slowly began to disperse.
Yang Hong was extremely frustrated. She had called a doctor, but Jiang Lei had chased them away. This guy was truly an expert at offending people.
Yang Hong really wanted to wash her hands of the situation, but as the team leader, she couldn’t just leave things unresolved.
“Alright, let’s carry Linlin and head back to the young intellectuals’ station first.”
If nothing unexpected happens, Jiang Lei would likely cause more trouble once they got back to the station.
Yang Hong was feeling utterly exhausted. “Let’s just go back for now. After resting, we’ll have to work tomorrow.”
