Kaoshantun consisted of sixty-five households, totaling 173 people, including the elderly and children. The village was divided into two production brigades based on the two major surnames: Li and Guan.
The canteen was located in the center of the village, serving as the dining hall for all hundred-plus residents. The village operated under a work-point system for the cooperative distribution of grain. At the end of the year, grain was distributed based on a family’s total accumulated work points. Typically, a strong laborer could earn more points in a year, entitling them to a larger share of the rations, and the same applied to the educated youth.
Inside the canteen, everyone was lining up for food. When it was the turn of the new educated youth, Granny Guan, who was in charge of serving, cast a glance at them and curled her lips, saying, "These new educated youth are sure lucky—they get to eat without having done a lick of work."
A male educated youth, feeling disgruntled by Granny Guan’s remark, felt a sting in his heart. Still, he suppressed his anger and said, "Granny Guan, we are here in active response to the country's call to help build our motherland. We will be working very hard from now on; I don't think it's appropriate for you to say that."
Granny Guan snorted coldly. "Working hard? You city-raised kids don't know the first thing about real labor. You'll see once you start working tomorrow. Expecting to get the same grain rations as us locals—there's no such thing as a free lunch."
Wei Manni, hearing this, was deeply dissatisfied with Granny Guan and chimed in, "Granny, you can't say that. We all survive by our labor. The educated youth are part of Kaoshantun, too; we shouldn't be treated differently for the work we do for the village."
At this, someone in the queue shouted, "She's right! We are here to contribute to the village; that was a bit uncalled for." Others quickly chimed in with their agreement.
Seeing everyone opposing her, Granny Guan’s face darkened further. She tossed her ladle into the bucket and snapped, "Fine, fine, I’ll keep my mouth shut. Do whatever you want." With that, she stormed off in a huff.
Although Granny Guan had left, the atmosphere in the canteen turned awkward. Everyone ate in silence, no one speaking. The educated youth felt dejected; their good mood had been completely ruined. Jiang Rou watched from the sidelines, saying nothing, and ate her meal—a bowl of watery porridge with a side of salted vegetables—in silence.
After dinner, they returned to their dormitory. Exhausted from the day, Jiang Rou didn't feel like doing anything else; she did a simple wash and went straight to bed, as did the others. They were already worn out from the long train ride followed by the ten-kilometer hike.
***
Early the next morning, while it was still pitch dark, they were roused from sleep. Having never slept on a *kang* before, they weren't used to it, and even after a night’s rest, they felt incredibly tired and their bodies ached.
"Everyone, get up quickly! If you go late, there won't be any food left!" Wang Li suggested kindly. She then hurried to wash up and headed toward the canteen.
"Is it even light out yet?" Feng Yu looked at the pitch-black sky outside and complained unhappily, "How annoying, what time is it anyway!"
Wei Manni, also awakened by the noise, rubbed her sleepy eyes and grumbled, "Feng Yu, keep your voice down, will you? Let people sleep."
Sun Xiaoxiao pulled her quilt over her head and muffled, "Ignore her, let's sleep a bit more."
Li Jing, an older educated youth, heard the commotion but ignored them; she was under no obligation to remind them of anything. The other veteran youth also paid them no mind. Jiang Rou didn't want to get up either, but thinking that this was her first day in the countryside and there might be important tasks, she forced herself to get up.
***
Out on the field ridges, because they had overslept, there was no food left at the canteen when they arrived, and the newcomers were left hungry. They had been assigned to their brigades the day before.
Li Qiang, the Brigade Leader of the First Brigade, looked at the six new educated youth assigned to him. After taking them to collect their farm tools, he assigned each of them their tasks for the day.
"We are in the peak harvest season," Li Qiang announced loudly. "The male youth will join the others in the harvesting, and the female youth will be responsible for bundling and transporting the harvested grain at the rear. Everyone needs to keep their spirits up—this harvest cannot be delayed!"
The male youth nodded in acknowledgement. Feng Yu whispered, "We didn't even get breakfast and now we have to work; this is brutal." Sun Xiaoxiao tugged on her sleeve lightly: "Stop complaining and just work. We're only in this position because we woke up late."
On the female side, although Wei Manni was hungry, her family was well-off and had packed her plenty of hard-boiled eggs for her trip. She still had a few left, which she used to stave off her hunger, so she didn't complain.
Jiang Rou had her Portable Space, which was full of food. While everyone’s attention was on the work, she secretly retrieved some food to fill her stomach. She had also brought sleeve guards and gloves, and used a piece of cloth to wrap her head and face. Furthermore, she had changed into a set of old, patched clothes—after all, she was here to work!
This drew mockery from Feng Yu, "Hahaha, Jiang Rou, what is that look? You look so ugly!"
Jiang Rou ignored her and went to pick out her tools. Soon, everyone had their tools. In this era, harvesting machines were rare treasures; even if there were any, it wouldn't be their turn to use them, so they all harvested with sickles. As the sun rose, sweat soon began to bead on their foreheads.
Initially, driven by curiosity, everyone worked with enthusiasm. But as the novelty wore off and physical fatigue set in, their pace gradually slowed.
Feng Yu, while tying bundles of rice straw, wiped her sweat and complained, "This work is not easy at all. My stomach is growling, and I feel like I'm running out of strength."
"I can't do this anymore, I just can't," she muttered, before finding the Brigade Leader to ask for a break under the pretense of needing the bathroom.
Before she had traveled through time, Jiang Rou had lived in the countryside and had experienced harvesting wheat and rice as a child, so she picked up the work quickly. Compared to her fellow youth—even the men—Jiang Rou’s proficiency was immediately apparent. Her hard work was noted by the Brigade Leader, who awarded her a full day’s work points.
"That girl is pretty good. No complaining, works with a quick hand—better than those male youths," he noted.
After several hours of intensive harvesting, it was time for lunch. The educated youth were all panting with exhaustion, but their faces showed the joy of having completed their task.
Feng Yu slumped to the ground. "Finally done. I'm so hungry my stomach is sticking to my back."
Wei Manni leaned against a pile of grain. "Tell me about it. I've never been this hungry. If I could have something to eat right now, I'd do anything."
Jiang Rou looked at them. "Let's hang in there a little longer. There should be food soon. Let's go wash our hands first."
The group walked wearily toward the canteen, hoping for a full meal to make up for the exhaustion and hunger of the morning.