After a journey of three days and two nights on the train, the group finally arrived in Beidahuang.
The train slowly came to a halt, and the educated youths stepped down from the carriages, filled with a mixture of anticipation and anxiety.
Located in the northernmost part of the country, winter arrives very early in Beidahuang. Although it was currently September, a hint of chill could already be felt in the air.
Upon arrival, the youths were first taken to a temporary reception point.
Several enthusiastic commune staff members had been waiting there for a long time. Their faces beamed with sincere smiles, bringing a touch of warmth to the youths in an unfamiliar environment.
In truth, however, the staff members were silently complaining inwardly: these youths had arrived at a remarkably convenient time—right in the middle of the autumn harvest, meaning they wouldn't have to worry about a lack of food distribution.
It was just a question of how many days they would be able to last.
The staff methodically checked off the names of the educated youths to ensure no one was left behind, and then began the specific distribution process.
An official in charge of assignments held a detailed roster, reading out each youth's name and the production brigade they were assigned to in turn.
Their commune was called Xiangyang Commune, which administered three villages and six production brigades. Jiang Rou, Zhang Jiadong, and Feng Yu were assigned to the First Production Brigade of Kaoshantun.
Meanwhile, Wang Hao, Qu Qiaoliang, and Sun Xiaoxiao were assigned to the Second Production Brigade in the same village.
Uncle Li, serving as the Party secretary of Kaoshantun, led away twelve newly arrived youths, including Jiang Rou's group of six.
বাইরে of the commune gates, the youths met Zhang Kai and Wang Li, veteran educated youths who had been waiting at the intersection for some time.
Zhang Kai was a resolute, sturdy man with a sun-bronzed face and a steady, determined gaze.
Wang Li was a delicate-looking woman with chin-length hair and a warm, friendly smile.
The two of them had put down roots in Beidahuang for many years, knew everything about the place inside out, and served as representatives for the local educated youths.
"Welcome, newly arrived youths!" Zhang Kai greeted them with a hearty laugh. "I'm Zhang Kai, and this is Wang Li. We came here a few years before you, so you could say we're your seniors."
Jiang Rou smiled politely and replied, "Hello, Brother Zhang, Sister Wang. Please take good care of us in the days to come." The other youths also nodded in greeting.
Uncle Li smiled and chimed in, "All right, don't just stand around chatting; we still have a journey ahead of us. Kaoshantun is still ten kilometers away. Let's move."
The group was momentarily taken aback. Jiang Rou looked at her luggage and said with some difficulty, "Uncle Li, ten kilometers is quite a distance. All these things of ours..."
Uncle Li laughed. "We'll put the luggage on the ox cart, but you'll have to walk on your feet. Consider it good exercise."
The ox cart wasn't very large, so everyone could only place their heaviest items on it, while the remaining supplies still had to be carried by themselves.
With everything prepared, the procession set off.
At first, everyone was quite excited, chatting and laughing as they followed behind the ox cart.
Although the scenery in Beidahuang was somewhat monotonous, the vast fields and distant mountains still felt novel to the educated youths.
Jiang Rou stepped forward with firm strides, a tenacious spirit shining in her eyes.
She told herself that this little distance was nothing and that she would definitely be able to persevere.
As she walked, she observed her surroundings, filled with curiosity and anticipation for everything around her.
However, after walking for a while, some of the youths began to groan and complain.
A female youth named Wei Manni whined coquettishly, "Oh, how much farther do we have to walk? My feet are covered in blisters." With that, she plopped down onto a stone by the roadside.
Seeing this, Feng Yu chimed in, "Yeah, this is way too far. I really can't walk another step."
Uncle Li was quite displeased at this sight. He stopped, turned back to look at them, frowned, and said, "We've barely walked any distance, and the village is still far away. You need to push through this little bit of hardship!"
At that moment, Zhang Kai walked over and smiled, saying, "New educated youths, Beidahuang is nothing like the city. You're bound to feel uncomfortable at first, but as long as you persevere, you'll grow to love this place."
Feng Yu complained in response, "Grow to love this place? We can't even finish walking these ten kilometers right now, let alone talk about loving anything."
Zhang Kai said sternly, "This is the very first test of your resolve. If you can't even overcome this little difficulty, how are you going to live here?"
Wang Li added, "He's right. We can't just back down the moment we encounter a little trouble."
Wei Manni refused to yield. "Can't we take a break first? It's so hot out, and we're carrying so much luggage—we really can't walk anymore." She promptly sat down right on the ground.
Seeing this, Feng Yu followed suit. After all, the nail that sticks out gets hammered down, but since someone else was taking the lead, she wasn't afraid.
They weren't the only ones; several other youths copied them and sat down as well.
Uncle Li's face darkened, but with no other choice, he had to call a halt and find a shady spot for everyone to rest first.
After half an hour, the procession set off once more.
Not long after they resumed their march, Wei Manni started acting up again.
"Oh, I really can't walk anymore!" Wei Manni dropped to the ground and began throwing a tantrum, kicking and screaming. "This road is just too hard to walk on! It's so far, and my feet hurt to death!"
Uncle Li turned to look at Wei Manni with a gloomy expression and said sternly, "Educated youth Wei Manni, control yourself! Everyone else is pressing on; stop making an unreasonable scene here. We already rested earlier, and now you must keep up with the group."
Ignoring him entirely, Wei Manni continued to cry and make a fuss. "I'm not walking anymore, unless you carry me into the village! What kind of place is this? I've really had enough!"
Zhang Kai stepped forward to persuade her. "Educated youth Wei Manni, don't be like this. No one has it easy; we're all trying to adapt, and you need to persevere too."
Wei Manni showed no appreciation for his words and shouted at Zhang Kai, "You persevering is your business, I can't do it! Why should I suffer like this? I've never walked this much in my life back home!"
Seeing how utterly unamenable she was, Uncle Li said firmly, "Beidahuang does not welcome people who are afraid of hardship! If you really don't want to walk, you can stay right here, but we are not going to change our plans just to accommodate you. Everyone else, keep moving!"
With that, Uncle Li took the lead and marched forward, and the other youths quickly followed behind, no longer paying any attention to Wei Manni as she sat on the ground throwing a tantrum.
Seeing that the group truly intended to leave her behind, Wei Manni panicked. She scrambled up from the ground in a hurry and scurried after them, muttering under her breath, "You just wait and see. Hmph, once I go back, I'm never coming here again."
Watching Wei Manni's display, Jiang Rou gently shook her head, thinking to herself: In an environment like this, if someone cannot even learn to persevere and endure hardship, how can they possibly survive here?