The “County Rural Economic Work Report Conference” of the Nine Working Groups was held in the conference room of the County Committee Standing Committee. The meeting was presided over by Liang Shangjun, the Deputy Secretary of the County Committee and Magistrate. All members of the working groups from 45 townships in the county were present. The leading members of the four teams in the county were responsible for reporting on behalf of their respective groups, and other department heads could supplement as necessary. The meeting was very lively, and Liu Chengyin asked the Shagou District group not to speak temporarily. He had participated in the review process of this group and was already familiar with the situation. He wanted to first hear about the situation from other groups, any new highlights, new measures, or new challenges. The most important thing for a leader was to grasp the overall situation. Only by having an overall understanding could one make decisions and promote the progress of the work more effectively. As the saying goes, Listening to all before enlightened. Liu Chengyin naturally understood this principle.

    After listening to the reports for most of the day, Secretary Liu and Magistrate Liang exchanged their thoughts. Overall, they felt that the township and village economic work report this time had yielded great results. Each group introduced the characteristics and highlights of their respective areas. For example, the Laowu District in the eastern region vigorously developed multiple operations and introduced a new breed of “Bordeaux” goats. Although the Wunan District also vigorously developed multiple operations, it focused on adapting to local conditions, selecting varieties, and seeking breakthroughs in pig-raising large households. Several townships such as Yangshan Township in the suburban Lincheng District had focused on seeking cooperation with the county-owned large enterprises.

    Of course, the highlight of the entire presentation was the report by Li Deshui, the director of the Fisheries Bureau and representative of the Shagou Group, on the development of Heigao Marsh. This was an unprecedented move!

    Although Liu Chengyin was a young county party secretary with a relatively short time in office, he had his own set of strategies when it came to managing people. In Yuduo, Li Deshui was expecting that Secretary Liu would ask him to stay behind and accompany him, but he didn’t even say a word to him before leaving. Li Deshui left feeling somewhat dissatisfied and even had some thoughts about Secretary Liu.

    Liu Chengyin’s consideration was that although it was possible for Li Deshui to stay from a work perspective, it wouldn’t be appropriate to leave only him behind when more than ten department heads came from the same group. It would be too obvious, wouldn’t it? It would be like telling others that Li Deshui was under the county party secretary. Moreover, there were more important private matters to attend to in Yuduo village for one more night. How could Li Deshui be allowed to stay? Liu Chengyin’s thoughts were not something he would tell anyone, even his personal secretary Jin Aiguo, who hardly left his side all day.

    However, upon returning to the county, Secretary Liu instructed Li Deshui to prepare well for the upcoming county-wide report meeting where he would represent the Shagou group and deliver a speech in front of the leaders of the county’s four groups and major department heads. This was an excellent opportunity for him to showcase himself and improve his political prospects.

    Li Deshui was surprised when Secretary Liu asked him to speak, as it was usually the responsibility of the leaders of the four groups to  speak for their respective groups. However, he failed to consider that as the head of the county party committee, Liu Chengyin had to report to the other leaders of the four groups about the situation in the Shagou group, which also lost his dignity of him. Thus, having Li Deshui speak was a dignified and reasonable choice made by Secretary Liu.

    Sure enough, once Li Deshui’s idea of developing the Heigao Marsh was proposed, it sparked strong reactions in the conference room. Gou Daosheng, the deputy secretary of the county party committee in charge of agriculture, was the first to express his support, saying that it was his dream for many years in his area of expertise. Sometimes things were like this when you have no idea, it was all right, but when coming up with an idea, you might not be able to implement it, and this could be extremely frustrating for a leader eager to get things done. Sometimes it could even dampen their enthusiasm.

    Gou Daosheng, a Shagou native, had too many memories of the Heigao Marsh. He was also saddened by the fact that every year, only during the Dragon Boat Festival, villagers entered it to gather reed leaves to make rice dumplings. He had often pondered when the Heigao Marsh could become a true treasure trove. Sometimes, during the Dragon Boat Festival, he would go home to visit his parents; and naturally, he would have a taste of the rice dumplings with the Heigao Marsh reed leaves. Other times, when he could not return to the Heigao Marsh during the festival, his parents would bring a few sweet dumplings when they came to visit him in the town, so that he and his children could enjoy them. At that moment, Gou Daosheng would think that the Heigao Marsh was truly a gift from heaven to the people of Shagou, and not making full use of it was truly a disservice to this gift from the above.

    After hearing Gou’s sentiment, Zhu Rui, the deputy county head in charge of agriculture, stood up excitedly and expressed her support to the county head and Gou. Firstly, she suggested that the county establish a special command centre for the development of Heigao Marsh. She also proposed that the representatives from various county departments be selected to participate, thereby ensuring the sufficient organizational support. Secondly, she volunteered to be the deputy commander of the Heigao Marsh development command centre and be stationed at Yuduo, to provide front-line guidance.

    Some might ask why Zhu Rui, as the deputy in charge of agriculture, did not directly assume the role of the commander. Zhu had thoroughly considered this matter. If the county committee and the county government decided to develop Heigao Marsh, it would be a major project for the entire county. As the top leader, County Secretary Liu might not necessarily be the commander when it was critical. However, County Magistrate Liang, as the administrative leader, might assume the role of the commander. Even if Liang didn’t take on the role, there was still the deputy secretary in charge of agriculture, Gou Daosheng, who came before Zhu Rui in rank.

    As we all knew, Gou Daosheng’s hometown was Heigao Marsh, familiar with it, ranking higher than Zhu Rui within the county leadership structure. Therefore, Zhu Rui’s self-positioning as the deputy commander was extremely accurate. However, as a female leader, Zhu Rui’s tone of voice was quite loud when speaking, and the attendees in the meeting room caught her excitement. But for most of them,the real reason for her excitement was unknown.

    Zhu Rui had an extraordinary growth history, starting as an ordinary young farmer who was sent to work in the countryside during the Cultural Revolution, eventually becoming the only female deputy county magistrate in Chu County.

    When she first arrived in Yuduo, a small village in Chu County, Zhu Rui was still a young high school student with a baby face. She had two short, thin braids bouncing around as she walked, shaking with every step. She was quite lively and energetic, chattering like a bird perched on a tree all day long, with a carefree expression on her face.

    Fresh out of high school, Zhu Rui was still a bit naive and innocent. She eagerly responded to the call of the great leader and wholeheartedly wanted to go to the countryside, hoping to experience the world and develop herself, becoming a successor to the socialist revolution. In her eyes, this was gloriously proud.

    Chairman Mao had said that it was necessary for educated youth to go to the countryside and receive re-education from poor and lower-middle peasants. He also said that the countryside was a vast world where one could achieve great things. Zhu Rui thought that Chairman Mao was truly great, worthy of being the great leader of the Chinese people. Mao’s words deeply touched her heart. She was willing to roll over in mud and be tempered for a red heart in Yuduo, cultivate and receive re- education from poor and lower-middle peasants, willing to contribute her youthful vigour in Yuduo, and then put on a good deal of it.

    Therefore, when the leader decided to keep Zhu Rui as a member of the local cultural station and entertainment propaganda team, she absolutely refused. She firmly rejected the leader’s decision, stating, “I came to Yuduo to integrate with poor and lower-middle peasants and receive re-education from them. I didn’t come here to sing and perform. Please assign me to the toughest village. It’s best not to place me in the living area of the educated youth in the countryside, but directly to the homes of poor and lower-middle peasants. This way, I can live, eat and work with them and receive their re-education better.”

    The commune leaders were surprised when they were spoken over by a young girl who was not even three feet tall, still with smell of a baby. However, the girl’s revolutionary fervour was deserving of recognition and encouragement. For a young person to actively request placement in a hardship village and to receive further re-education from poor and lower-middle peasants was truly admirable.

    However, as a commune leader, it was necessary to save face. “Comrade Xiao Zhu, we understand your eagerness to integrate with poor and lower-middle peasants and receive re-education from them, and your thoughts are commendable. However, the commune also values your artistic wits and hopes to keep you as a member of the entertainment propaganda team at the cultural station. This is also an important revolutionary work. How can you think of it as playing the role of a clown? This understanding is erroneous and requires serious criticism. Our entertainment team is a Mao Zedong Thought entertainment publicity team, not the kind of show that was performed by the landlord class with their gifted scholars and beauties. You must understand this. Of course, you are too young to have seen the shows of the landlord class, let alone know what gifted scholars and beauties are. Well, your understanding of the commune’s entertainment publicity team is incorrect, and must be corrected thoroughly.”

    “I will definitely correct my misunderstanding. However, I still hope to be assigned to the poorest village in Yuduo. I am truly willing to integrate with the poor and lower-middle peasants there and accept their re-education. Director Gou, I am following Chairman Mao’s words and being a good child.” Zhu Rui accepted the criticism from Director Gou and was determined to cultivate a revolutionary spirit in a harsh environment.

    “You little girl, small in size but ambition not small at all. Alright, I’ll send you to Heigao Marsh in my hometown, how about that? It’s the poorest village in the whole Shagou region, so I hope you won’t cry when you get there.”In his office, Gou Zaide, the Vice Chairman of the Revolutionary Committee of Yuduo Commune, reached out to Zhu Rui for the first time and lightly flicked her small nose.

    With this flick, Zhu Rui, who had been holding her emotions tightly, relaxed  completely. “So be it. Is Heigao Marsh an ogre? What is there to be scared of?” As she left Director Gou’s office, Zhu Rui hummed a nursery rhymeshe had heard  shortly after arriving in Yuduo:

    Yuduo town,

    Northwest village,

    Poorest of all is Heigao Marsh.

    The poverty in Heigao Marsh exceeded Zhu Rui’s imagination. It was said that in some households with many boys, they shared a pair of cotton pants in winter. The most stressful time was early in the morning when everyone needed to use the crapper. The oldest brother wore the cotton pants first and went to the crapper, followed by the second, and then the third. By the time the first two brothers returned, the third was violent straining for a stool at his anal cleft. As usual, it didn’t anything on. If the oldest brother ran more amok, the second and third brothers had no choice but to lie in bed and wait. No matter what skylarks outside, it had nothing to do with them because they had no pants and couldn’t go out. It was no use being anxious because they couldn’t run outside naked, or they would freeze their “little pecker.” This was referring to the households with many boys.

    In households with many daughters, only the eldest daughter was provided with breast-bands and other female-use items. Parents were also worried as their own daughters were growing up and noticed their two heaped, baggy fleshes were more and more prolific, what the scrubs in the village were known to squint to see the girl’s breasts tarnally. If their daughters were not covered up, it might be accident prone. Breast-bands were only made for girls after they matured to a certain extent. Having clothes to wear was already a luxury for families with daughters, let alone breast-bands. As a result, the eldest daughter’s breast-band was passed down to the second and the third, and it was difficult for any girl to have a new one.

    This was what Zhu Rui learned after dating with a young man as a teacher in the village. Of course, she also saw the two brothers wearing a pair of cotton trousers in the two winter months.

    At that time, Zhu Rui was arranged to stay with a poor peasant family named Gou Fugui in the village of Heigao. Despite the auspicious name, their living conditions were far from ideal. They lived in a three straw-thatched house surrounded by the adobe walls. As the locals would say, there wasn’t a single brick corner to be found. By then, the well-off families had already built a brick and an adobe wall for their houses, using the bricks for the two ends and the adobe for the front and back walls. The villagers had their own reasons for it this way.

    In the area, the villagers’ houses were mostly facing the south, commonly known as “north-south orientation.” As a result, one side of the house was more exposed to the rain while the other side was more exposed to the sunlight. This was what villagers often refer to as “sunshine on the west mountain, /wind and rain

    from the east.” Therefore, for those who could afford it, the first consideration when building a house was to replace the two adobe walls with brick walls. Of course, if the front and back walls could also be replaced with brick walls, that would be even better. The problem was, where did the villagers get the money to buy the bricks?

    During the era of communes, in the area of Yuduo, a labourer would only  receive a few cents for a day’s work,which was equivalent to one “gong.” Building a  brick-walled house was not an easy task. Here, “gong” referred to “the work point.” During the People’s Commune period, every village was a large collective, and every  household member, whether male or female, was required to work for the production  team. The specific farm work was assigned by the production team leader, who  recorded the labour points based on each individual’s labour performance. Ten  labour points were equivalent to one “gong”. For those who didn’t reach ten work  points, the actual number was recorded. For example, someone like Zhu Rui would  only be considered half a labourer by the production team, and could only earn five  or six work points for a day’s work.

    Those who could earn more than one “gong” were usually big and sturdy men who could do a lot of farm work in a day. The production team leader dared not record fewer labour points for them. If they recorded too few labour points, they would protest loud and demand that the leader make up for it, and his decency must be routed. Therefore, in the eyes of the common people, being a production team leader, who seemed to have a great deal of power, was not easy. Every day, the leader had to be fair and impartial when recording the labour points for the members of the commune. It was difficult to be absolutely fair, as people were naturally biased and had a tendency to favor those they liked.

    If we were to talk about the thatched house of the Gou family, the most notable thing would be the grass that covered the roof. Thatched grass was truly remarkable, especially for roofing——withstanding rainwater well, rotted slowly, and was stronger than rice or wheat straw. While thatched grass may be rare in other places, though not particularly hard to find in the Heigao Marsh area. During the winter months, when the people went down to the lowlands to collect reeds and firewood, they could usually harvest a considerable amount of thatched grass. Once bundled together, the grass thatches could be transported back in boats, ready to use immediately, without even needing to be dried. In fact, the thatched grass growing in the Heigao Marsh area dried out quickly in the winter winds, so there was no need to be dried at all.

    The Gou family of five lived in the three-thatched house, for a simple life of working from sunrise to sunset. Though their days were tough and often difficult, they had grown accustomed to their way of life. Both husband and wife were hardworking and well-respected in the village, never aggravated with their neighbours. Their two sons, Gou Sheng and Gou Dan, had dropped out of school before completing their primary education, but became valuable labourers in the production team, earning work points every year to support their family. The youngest, Gou Hua, a girl, was attending fifth grade at the village school. Though a child, she dared to do great mischief, constantly challenging her parents. She didn’t want to end up like her brothers, dropping out of school to work in the fields. Instead, she dreamed of going to Yuduo town to attend middle school.

    This was just an ordinary family until the arrival of Zhu Rui, a female youth who came from the town to settle in the countryside as a member of the production team. Suddenly, their lives took an unusual turn.

    The Gou family of five had different opinions about the arrival of Zhu Rui. Gou Fuqi’s wife, Tan Maozi, was vehement against Zhu Rui’s settling in their home. Tan Maozi’s reasoning was that their family was already struggling to make ends meet, and to add another mouth to feed would only exacerbate their financial difficulties. While the government provided subsidies, they were often insufficient, and Tan Maozi didn’t want to ask female-educated youth for work points. Asking for more work points from Zhu Rui could be seen as exploiting a revolutionary youth, and the government would criticize them for it. The honest and hardworking Gou Fuqi and Tan Maozi didn’t want to commit like that.

    As a mother, Tan Maozi was always worried about her two sons, Gou Sheng and Gou Dan. She was afraid they would stick their neck out into the village. In Tan Maozi’s eyes, both boys had reached the age of the crowing rooster. Some might wonder, what was so special about a crowing rooster? The villagers all knew that when a young rooster reached a certain age, it would learn to crow, making a short, muffled sound not like the loud, elongated crooooow of an adult rooster.

    Once a young rooster learned to crow, it developed another special interest: chasing the hens around and squatting on them. As people often say, that young roosters could be very frisky like a teaser, true. So, when a beautiful young woman like Zhu Rui suddenly arrived in their home, could Tan Maozi, as a mother, not worry about her two sons who were at this age?

    As the head of the family, Gou Fuqi expressed his welcome on the surface towards Zhu Rui’s arrival. In his view, it was honorable to have a female educated youth arranged to stay in his home by the commune leader. It was an opportunity to show off and gain face in front of the villagers. Despite his wife Tan Maozi’s worries, Gou Fuqi had already thought about it. Accepting educated youths for resettlement was a political task assigned by the commune and must be completed without fail. To oppose it was also useless. Therefore, Gou Fuqi thought it would be better to show a positive attitude, leaving a good impression on the commune leader. After all, he and the commune leader were from the same clan, though not by blood. It was still a matter of pride to have someone in a leadership position in the commune. So, both publically and privately, Gou Fuqi could only express his welcome towards Zhu Rui’s arrival.

    As for the two brothers, Gou Sheng and Gou Dan, they didn’t care at all about this matter. What interested them was when the commune’s film projection team would come to Heigao Marsh, to which village they had transferred, and what movie they were showing. As long as it was a new film, the two brothers would run over even if it meant traveling a long distance at night, teaming up with the village girls and boys to watch the outdoor movies. They didn’t care about who came to their home, how many mouths there were to feed, or whether they had enough food. They had their father and mother to take care of that.

    When Zhu Ruiluo settled in the Gou family, the happiest person was Gou Hua, a fifth-grade girl from Heigao Marsh Village Elementary School. When she heard that a female educated youth from the county was coming to her house, Gou Hua was overjoyed. She was from the county, and she was in high school! She would definitely share a bed with her. Because there were only three beds in the family, Gou Hua slept in the east room with her parents, who shared one bed, while she slept on a bamboo bed on the opposite side. Her two brothers slept in the west room, with only one bed. With such a layout at home, of course, the female educated youth had to sleep with Gou Hua.

    The problem was that Gou Hua, who was only thirteen or fourteen years old, sleeping in the same room as her parents was not inappropriate. Although it was a bit inconvenient for the family to sleep together, they could manage their intimacy at night and fortunately, their daughter was not yet aware of this. However, if they were to add a female educated youth to Gou Hua’s bed and have her parents still sleep in the same room, it would be unacceptable. Tan Maozi found the perfect reason to address it. She asked Gou Fugui to visit the village branch secretary’s house to explain that their home was too cramped, and they could not properly accommodate the educated youth Zhu Ruiluo. It would be best t o find another family with better living conditions and not let the city girl suffer.

    “Talking nonsense now? The head of the commune has already sent the person to our doorstep. It is no use to talk to the branch secretary. He’ll just reject us with one sentence: the person was sent by the head of the commune. If we want to return her, we have to go back to the head of the commune. If we’re not careful, we might even be labeled as unsupportive of the educated youth movement, and we’ll be in big trouble.” Gou Fugui scolded his wife, scaring her out of her wits. His scolding was so fierce that Tan Maozi stared at him, not daring to say a word. She never mentioned it again.

    However, even if we didn’t return her, it was definitely not right for a young girl from the city to sleep in the same room as me and my husband. If we did that, the villagers would surely laugh at us. Tan Maozi handed the problem of how to arrange Zhu Ruiluo to her husband.

    With a copper pipe in his mouth, Gou Fugui smoked dry tobacco leaves while pacing around the hall, a pungent smell of tobacco filling the thatched house.

    “Don’t pace around like a donkey, think of a solution quickly. This is serious”, Tan Maozi hated her husband’s smoking dry tobacco. They didn’t have the means to buy cigarettes from the store, so they grew a few tobacco plants in their field, harvested the leaves, and hung and dried them up under the eaves of their house. Whenever they wanted to smoke, they would pluck some leaves from the eaves, crumple them up, stuffed them into the copper pipe, lighted a match, and puffed away. It was a cheap way to smoke, so Tan Maozi didn’t mind. What she did mind was the smell of the dry tobacco her husband smoked. When they went to bed at night, the smell lingered on his clothes and sheets. If he wanted to pair off, the reek of tobacco would be breathed, that made her high spirit away.

    “Worry, worry, come up with a solution?” Gou Fugui impatiently snapped at his wife. Suddenly, a large stool in the hall tripped him up. He turned to Tan Maozi and exclaimed, “I’ve got it, I’ve got it! Move the beds of Gou Sheng and Gou Dan into the hall, and they two can sleep outside. Then we can move our daughter’s bamboo bed into the west room. It’ll work!” Gou Fugui was pleased with himself for coming up with such a perfect solution, and took a long drag from his copper pipe, exhaling a long, billowing cloud of smoke.

    Tan Maozi looked at her husband’s almost intoxicated expression and asked, full of doubt, “Is this dried tobacco really that good?”

    When Gou Hua returned home from the village primary school, Zhu Rui was already snugging down in the west room. As soon as she saw a little girl with neatly cut hair and a flower-patterned school bag step into the thatched hut of the Gou family, Zhu Rui guessed that she must be Gou Hua. So she stopped her chores and greeted Gou Hua, “Hi, Gou Hua, school’s over?”

    “Oh, how you do know my name? Oh, my mom and dad told you. I also know you’re Zhu Rui! I’ve been looking forward to you staying at my house for several days.” After entering the house, Gou Hua put down her schoolbag and asked and answered her own questions without waiting for Zhu Rui’s response.

    Gou Hua’s dad, mom, and two older brothers were still working on the production team when she arrived home. She went outside to the main house’s stove to get the rice strainer and then to the east room to get several liters of “xian” grain①. She was preparing to cook dinner. At that time, the villagers were still living a difficult life. The rice strainer had little rice, but plenty of “xian” grain needed to be sifted, which earned the empty title of “rice strainer carrier.”

    It was rare for the villagers to have meat in their bowls. Their rice was “xian” rice and their porridge was “xian” porridge, which caused a prickling sensation in  their stomachs. Occasionally, a little bit of rice would be added to the “xian” to make  it softer, which charmed the whole family with it. To serve up such a hearty dinner  was a rare pleasure for them. The “xian” was sticky, which was normal. In a place  teemed with rice, why was it so difficult to have a meal of it?

    This was related to the policies at that time. In the minds of the villagers who worked with the soil all day long, the government repeatedly emphasized the correct handling of the relationship between the state, the collective, and the individual. The state’s needs were met first, then the collective’s warehouse was filled, and only then could the villagers themselves receive their share of the food they harvested from the fields. To be honest, when the government constantly called for patriotic grain to be turned in, the villagers believed that the more they turned in, the more likely they were to be praised at leadership meetings, even if it meant that their own food supply was not sufficient. As a result, they had to eat the sticky “xian”, though not very palatable, but reasonable under the circumstances.

    At the moment, Gou Hua was carrying a large basket of “xian”, heading to the riverbank to washit, with Zhu Rui following along and offering to help. Naturally, Gou Hua was delighted to have Zhu Rui’s help.

    “Zhu Rui, I’ll take you there. The dock is not far from our house,” Gou Hua acted to be adult.

    “Okay, then give me your rice basket,” Zhu Rui voluntarily reached out her hand.

    “No need. I’m happy enough as long as you’re accompanying me. You just came to our house, so you’re still a guest. As time goes by, there will be things for you to do,” Gou Hua said to Zhu Rui with a twist of his head and a slant of his eyes.

    “Oh, I’m not a guest. I’ve settled in your house, and we’ll be living together as a family from now on,” Zhu Rui insisted on carrying the rice basket for Gou Hua. “Wow, you’ve collected quite a bit!”

    “Zhu Rui, you don’t know. Everyone in my family loves to eat. Not to mention my parents, even my brothers, Dog Shen and Dog Dan, can eat endlessly. They can eat several bowls in a single meal,” Once Gou Hua opened up, she wouldn’t stop talking.

    Normally, it was rare for someone to listen to her talk so much. Her parents were busy with farm work and housework, and they didn’t have the time to listen to her chattering. Gou Shen and Gou Dan were even more impossible. They were sneaky all day long and didn’t involve their little sister in anything they did. There were a few girls in the village who played with them. Gou Hua knew in her heart that these two brothers, who were not as good as bullshit, hated her for going to the fifth grade and still wanted to continue to study in junior high school in the town, spending money at home and doing nothing. They didn’t think a girl would be particularly promising. With this in mind, Gou Hua didn’t even bother to look at her two brothers. She didn’t dare to say it to their faces, but she secretly called them “Goushen” (dog left) and “Goudan” (dog egg).

    Just now, when Gou Hua was speaking, Zhu Rui noticed that Gou Hua’s pronunciation of her brothers’ names was a bit off. When she asked, she found out the reason. “Gou Sheng became Goushen (dog left), Gou Dan became Goudan(dog egg). It’s funny. Who came up with these nicknames?” Zhu Rui was amused to hear that the Gou brothers had such funny nicknames. Because they were around the same age as her, if they got along well in the future, it would be fine. But if they didn’t, this nickname would be a powerful weapon for her to use against them.

    “When I was in school, my classmates came up with these nicknames. All from my dad. He had a teacher to give my brother a name with revolutionary significance. Our last name is Gou, already difficult to come up with a good name for, and to add a revolutionary theme made it even harder. When the teacher heard my dad pronounce ‘Gou’ and ‘Ge’ with the same sound, he had a sudden inspiration and came up with the names right away. One name means ‘Revolutionary Victory’, which became my older brother’s name, ‘Gou Sheng’; the other means ‘Revolutionary Responsibility’, which became my younger brother’s name, ‘Gou Dan.’ My dad was very pleased with the names and even went to the village store to buy the teacher a pack of ‘Flying Horse’ cigarettes.”

    “Oh really? Then your dad basically gave that pack of ‘Flying Horse’ cigarettes for free.” At the stream dock by the village river, Zhu Rui and Gou Hua were very happy, talking and laughing while they were washing “xianzi.”

    However, Gou Hua didn’t tell Zhu Rui about her own nickname in school: “Dog Tail Flower.”

    The first time Zhu Rui met Gou Daosheng was when she had her period. Zhu Rui went to the school to get the key from Gou Hua for the main gate. At that time, Zhu Rui had not gained the complete trust of Gou Fugui and Tan Maozi, so she was not given a key to the gate. Actually, the key was almost like a key to the entire house. In local households, valuable items were kept in boxes and cabinets, with the doors left unlocked. Honestly, in those days, the families were so poor that they didn’t have a single ounce of valuable brass. What was worth locking up? Speaking of the keys, Gou Fugui did want Tan Maozi to make a key for Zhu Rui, but Tan Maozi shook her head and said, “Don’t rush, she’s only been here for a few days. Let’s see how things go. The production team assigns work, and we basically work together. When I’m at work, she’s at work; when I’m home, she’s home. It’s okay if she doesn’t have a key for now.”

    What Tan Maozi said was generally true, so it didn’t matter that Zhu Rui didn’t have a key to the main gate. However, in this particular situation, Zhu Rui was not in the same work area as Tan Maozi, and she had a special circumstance——she got her period and had to go home, so she had to go to the school to get the key from Gou Hua.

    “Rat-a-tat … .”

    “Excuse me!” When Zhu Rui arrived at the door of Gou Hua’s classroom, the door was closed, and the class was in session. She saw a young male teacher through the window, explaining Mao Zedong’s poetry to the students.

    “‘The Red Army fears not the trials of the long march’, refers to the Red Army’s 25 000 mile-long march, and Chairman Mao’s opening sentence serves as an introduction,” the male teacher explained, tagging his chalk in the fingers below the words “long march” on the blackboard.

    Zhu Rui knew she couldn’t enter the classroom abruptly. Despite feeling discomfort in a certain part of her body, she had to endure it. She politely knocked on the door and called out “report” like a primary school student.

    “Come in.” The male teacher was deeply absorbed in teaching “The Long March” when suddenly there was a knock on the door, followed by the sweet sound of “Excuse me.” The words “come in” almost slipped out of his mouth as a habitual

    response.

    As the classroom door opened, a tall and graceful lass holding a textbook stood at the entrance, leaving Gou Daosheng dumbfounded. Obviously, she was not a student in their class, unlikely a parent of any student. She seemed too old to be a student, yet too young to be a parent. Since he did not recognize the girl in front of him, Gou Daosheng was sure she was not looking for him. After all, he had been a teacher in a primary school run by the local people for more than a year. He quickly composed himself and politely asked, “May I ask who you are looking for?”

    “I’m sorry, let me introduce myself. My name is Zhu Rui, and I’m new to Heigao Marsh. I’m sorry to interrupt the class, but I’m looking for Gou Hua to get the keys,” Zhu Rui squeezed out a little smile on her face.

    “Oh, I see. My name is Gou Daosheng, nice to meet you. Let me call Gou Hua to come out,” Gou Daosheng regained his composure and became more poised. He silently rebuked himself in his heart, wondering why he was so overwhelmed by Zhu Rui’s beauty just now. After all, he was a highschool student in his early twenties and had become a schoolteacher. How could he lose his mind like this at the sight of a pretty girl?

    While Gou Daosheng was still feeling embarrassed about his previous momentary loss of composure, Zhu Rui had already received the key from Gou Hua and waved at him. “I was sent hereby your father, so we’ll have a chance to communicate again in the future. For now, it’s not convenient, so I’ll leave first,” Zhu Rui said. Zhu Rui had heard from the educated youth of the Black High Ridge that the son of the director of the commune, Gou Daosheng, was handsome and worked as a teacher in a primary school. She didn’t really care about Gou Daosheng’s appearance, though. All she wanted was to get the key from Gou Hua as soon as possible and go back to her thatched house to deal with her menstrual blood. Those days of a woman under the influence of the biggest periods were really unbearable.

    Gou Daosheng went to Gou Fugui’s house to look for Zhu Rui after he had been teaching at his school for a week. He took the opportunity of visiting Gou Hua’s home to meet Zhu Rui and they chatted easily.

    Because of her connection with the director of the commune, Zhu Rui was particularly warm towards Gou Daosheng. She not only poured him a cup of hot water but took out a few White Rabbit sweets from her small bag hanging by her bedside and handed them to him, saying, “Have a candy, Teacher Gou. You seem to be working very seriously, even follow up visits after school.”

    “Zhu Rui, you have no idea how great our Teacher Gou is in class. All the students in our class love it when he teaches Chinese.” When Zhu Rui handed Gou Daosheng the White Rabbit, she also gave one to Gou Hua. Gou Hua had never tasted such a soft, ripe, and sweet milk candy before, so she was very happy. Before Gou Daosheng could respond to Zhu Rui’s words, Gou Hua enthusiastically started praising her own teacher.

    “Just to like a teacher to teach you is not enough. You have to absorb what the teacher teaches in the classroom and get good grades in the Chinese exams. Do you understand, Gou Hua?” Gou Daosheng didn’t directly respond to Zhu Rui’s words, but instead educated his students, “Do you know that your grade slipped several places in the recent unit test? The problem lies in not truly understanding what the teacher taught in class. The final semester exam is coming soon, if you don’t dowell, you won’t be able to be named ‘Excellent Student. ’”

    “Then Gou Hua must work hard and strive for good grades in the final semester exam, and strove to be named ‘Excellent Student’ this semester.” Zhu Rui cheered on Gou Hua.

    “Zhu Rui, if there’s anything I don’t understand in my studies in the future,you have to teach and tutor me, okay?” Gou Hua’s homework book was spread out on the large table in the living room, and she hadn’t written a character for a long time. She seemed more interested in participating in the conversation between Gou Daosheng and Zhu Rui.

    “I’m not as good as you, Gou Daosheng. I can only teach you some basic knowledge,” Zhu Rui grinned and picked up the kettle on the table, adding water to the enamel pot.

    “Comrade Zhu Rui, there’s no need to be modest. You graduated from a high school in the county, while I only graduated from a highschool in the suburbs. It’s not fair to compare us. However, I’ve taught my students for an extra year and am more familiar with the textbook. Gou Hua is right. If she has any questions about her studies in the future,she can ask her teachers at school or ask you, Sister Zhu Rui, at home,” Gou Daosheng said to himself, finding it amusing that he had unconsciously changed Zhu Rui’s title from “comrade” to “sister.”

    “Say so, Gou Daosheng, I will have to learn and consult you more in the future. I have applied with Principal Gou to go to a village with harsh conditions to experience and be tested, and my attitude is upright. However, I am not familiar with the rural situation, especially the situation in Heigao Village. I hope you can give me more guidance and help,” Zhu Rui’s request for guidance and help from Gou Daosheng was sincere and not just polite words. As a young person with revolutionary enthusiasm, Zhu Rui was willing to immerse herself in the vast rural world and grow through various kinds of training.

    “There’s no problem in understanding the rural situation. Comrade Zhu Rui, let’s learn from each other, help each other, and make progress together in the future. What do you think of it?” Gou Daosheng took on a little, extending his hand towards Zhu Rui.

    “Good, it’s a deal.” Zhu Rui’s hand had just reached out when Gou Daosheng tightly held it in his hand.

    When Gou Fugui and Tan Maozi, along with their sons Gou Sheng and Gou Dan, entered the house carrying hoes and rakes, Gou Daosheng was preparing to say goodbye to Zhu Rui. Upon seeing the entire Gou family returning, Gou Daosheng laughed and said to Gou Fugui, “I came to visit your family, and you were hiding in the fields all this time, afraid I’d come and eat at your house?”

    “Listen to what your nephew said, you are Gou Hua’s teacher, to get you here is so nice. Don’t leave this evening. We just dug up fresh taro and yams from our own plot, washed and cooked them up. Stew a couple of eggs, as your uncle, have a drink with you.” According to the seniority, Gou Fugui and Gou Zaide belonged to the same generation, so Gou Daosheng was naturally a generation younger. As he was not as old as Gou Zaide, he called himself “uncle.”

    Gou Fugui calling himself “uncle” was not bad, but Gou Daosheng answered nothing. When Gou Daosheng spoke, he did not address Gou Fugui as “uncle.” In Gou Daosheng’s view, although they shared the same surname, they did not belong to the same clan. Gou Daosheng’s father was a leader in the commune, and he himself was a primary schoolteacher. Both of their positions were higher than Gou Fugui’s, so the voice was naturally different. Zhu Rui understood this clearly from their conversation.

    “How about Brother Daosheng staying for a drink? Me and my brother would also like to join in. Otherwise, it’s just plain rice and it makes me feel bloated; even to stool is hard,” Gou Sheng added, following his father’s suggestion to invite Gou Daosheng for dinner. He and Gou Dan were already itching for a drink.

    Gou Fugui rarely had the chance to open a bottle of “Barley Liquor” at home, and his two sons followed him like hungry cats, always seeking a sip or two. Convincing Gou Daosheng to stay meant an extra opportunity to indulge their love for alcohol. As for the expense of drinks and dishes, they didn’t care as long as they had something to drink.

    “Today is not a good idea. I came here on a home visit. Who visits a student’s home and drinks alcohol? If the superiors find out, they will reprimand me. If you really want to invite me, let me know in advance, I’ll bring two dishes,” Gou Daosheng said as he pointed at Zhu Rui. “Don’t forget our ‘deal’ .”

    “What do you mean by ‘deal’?” Tan Maozi stared at Zhu Rui and asked, sniffing out some subtle signs between Gou Daosheng and Zhu Rui.

    Zhu Rui, who eagerly sought to endure hardships and temper herself in the Heigao Marsh, did not expect that the budding of love in her heart would be like the reeds in the spring, sprouting new shoots, sashaying off the surface unintentionally.

    During the day, Zhu Rui worked in the fields with other educated youth at the Heigao Marsh educated youth point. She did everything from weeding and tilling the soil to fertilizing, watering, and applying manure.

    When it came to the farming work in this land, most of the educated youth didn’t really mind the hardship and exhaustion. The ten or so young men and women at the educated youth point were all in the prime of their youth, full of energy and vigour. After working in the fields, they quickly fell asleep when they returned to their beds.

    Of course, this was for the general educated youth. However, there were a few who were a year or two older and began to fallin love secretly. This was strictly prohibited by the Director Gou at the farewell ceremony for the educated youth. It made sense, after all, that the educated youth were sent to the countryside for re- education by the poor and lower-middle peasants. If they were not monitored strictly, it was possible that there would be many new revolutionary children born in just one or two years, which could be unacceptable. Therefore, this was a high-voltage line that must not be crossed by anyone. And those with even a little common sense knew that a high-voltage lines in electrical circuits could be deadly when touched—— dangerous.

    And again about farm work, the most unbearable task for the educated youth was spreading manure on the crops. This manure was scooped out from the pit of each household. In the fields, usually two men carried a bucket of manure and scooped it onto the crops from the farming boat, evenly spreading it around the roots. During this process, if someone had a weak stomach and saw the chunks of feces floating around in the bucket, sloshing in the manure as the bucket was carried, it could be so repulsive that they might vomit. Moreover, after spreading the manure on the ground, the unpleasant smell was so pungent that it challenged your stomach and directly irritated your throat. The feeling was truly uncomfortable. Therefore, when it came to spreading manure, the educated youth all had a mournful look on their faces, as though they were dead like tatterdemalions.

    But Zhu Rui was different. When it came to spreading manure, she did it without hesitation. Not only was she able to do it, but she was also skilled at it. She received praise from the educated youth camp leaders at several meetings for her skills. Zhu Rui didn’t hold her nose or close her eyes while spreading the manure. Instead, she carefully scooped it up and spread it evenly onto the fields. She didn’t waste any fertilizer, or cause any damage to the crops. Previously, the manure had often been applied unevenly to the fields, causing the fertilizer to damage or even kill the crops. This was a waste of resources, and a shame because the manure was a valuable source of organic fertilizer. At that time, chemical fertilizers and pesticides were expensive, so most of the fertilizer used was organic. Mao Zedong once said that fertilization was essential for the growth of crops, and the manure was a precious resource for the farmers.

    There was a detail here that must be mentioned. When Zhu Rui spread the manure, she not only spread it evenly, but also applied it in the right places. When she encountered larger pieces of manure, she would scoop them onto the ground and gently tap them with the scoop to break them up. This helped the crops absorb the nutrients more easily and prevented the fertilizer damage. Most villagers wouldn’t be this meticulous in it. It was worth noting that Zhu Rui wasn’t a native farmer; she was but a delicate and petite female educated youth. Despite this, she performed so well that the head of the commune, Gou, soon found out and specifically pointed out to the leader of the Black Gao Tang educated youth camp that Comrade Zhu Rui was worthy of being studied by all the educated youth. She was no longer a city girl, and during her short time in the countryside, she overcame the typical “delicate” and “arrogant” attitudes common to most girls, which was admirable. Gou also clearly stated that he planned to visit the Black Gao Tang educated youth camp soon to personally see Comrade Zhu Rui.

    The encouragement from the leadership gave Zhu Rui a huge boost. As if she had endless energy inside her tiny body, she eagerly took on all the hard, tiring, and dirty work in the fields, refusing to fall behind. However, she had a little secret. After work, she would quickly clean up and rush to the elementary school in the village. There was someone there who sparked her soul.