Time Travel: My Comfortable Life After Going to the Countryside

More than half an hour later, the loudspeaker on the big locust tree at the entrance of the village blared.

Zhang Tiejun's voice came from inside, carrying a slight static. He coughed twice before beginning to speak:

"Hey, everyone. Listen up, I have something to tell you."

Several villagers who were about to go down to the ground under the locust tree stopped and craned their necks to listen.

"Everyone knows that Dr. Han at the clinic is in poor health. Someone has to take over the clinic."

"Dr. Han said that he is old and his eyesight is failing, so he can't make a decision. He asked our village to discuss the matter."

"So tonight after work, all the villagers will hold a meeting at the village office entrance, and we will all elect someone to take over Dr. Han's shift."

"Each team leader should notify the households that those recording work points should finish reconciling the accounts as soon as possible, so as not to delay."

After a few seconds of silence from the loudspeaker, Zhang Tiejun added:

"That's it."

With a click, the horn turned off.

The people under the locust tree hadn't dispersed yet, glancing at each other. Someone muttered under their breath, "Elect? Who should they elect?"

"Who else could it be? Old Zhang's family, Old Wang's family, Old Li's family, of course."

"I think so too. Oh, I'm from the Li family too, how come I didn't know..."

"I'm from Old Wang's family too. I just found out about it, just like you..."

The sound gradually spread into the furrows of the field.

The news spread faster than the wind.

During the break, the educated youth erupted in excitement, gathering together for a lively discussion.

"Why should only villagers be allowed to sign up?" A bespectacled male educated youth slammed his enamel mug on the ground. "The clinic belongs to the collective, not to the Zhang, Wang, or Li family!"

"Exactly!" another tall, thin man chimed in. "Dr. Han is a barefoot doctor, not a clan elder. How did his position become hereditary?"

Someone sneered, "Do you think this is an election for outstanding individuals? The village party secretary and brigade leader are all from the same family, what chance do you have?"

"Even if it's not our turn, we still have to say something." The bespectacled man stood up. "We educated youth went to the countryside to receive re-education from the poor and lower-middle peasants, not to be second-class citizens."

Everyone started arguing.

Bai Jie sat in the corner without saying a word. She put down the kettle in her hand, her gaze moving from one person's face to another, before slowly lowering again.

Evening, at the entrance of the village office.

Before everyone had arrived, a large group of people had already gathered in the open space.

The man squatted down smoking, while the woman, holding a child, huddled together and whispered. Several toddlers, not quite grown up, squeezed through the crowd, only to be slapped away by an adult.

The loudspeaker on the locust tree blared again; this time it was a sound test.

Zhang Tiejun stood on the steps at the entrance of the village office, next to Wang Lixin, and then next to the accountant Li Jianjun.

Liu Xiangyang leaned against the door frame, not standing on the steps, with an unlit cigarette between his fingers.

Zhang Tiejun cleared his throat, about to speak, when someone in the crowd suddenly shouted:

"Secretary Zhang, I have something to ask you first!"

The one who shouted was the bespectacled youth at the educated youth settlement, named Zhao Weidong. He had been working in the countryside for three years and was usually quiet, but his voice was unusually loud today.

Zhang Tiejun paused for a moment, then said, "Go on."

"Is the takeover of the health clinic limited to members of the village, or are we educated youth also eligible?"

The crowd fell silent for a moment.

The men who were squatting and smoking looked up, and the woman holding the child stopped muttering.

Zhang Tiejun didn't answer immediately. He glanced around the crowd and paused when he saw Liu Xiangyang.

Liu Xiangyang shook his head at him, indicating that he didn't know what was going on either.

"Dr. Han's position," Zhang Tiejun said carefully, "is a collective one, so in principle..."

"Logically, the educated youth were also part of the collective," Zhao Weidong quickly added. "We responded to the call to go to the countryside, received re-education, did the same work, and received the same work points. So why were we excluded when it came to selecting successors?"

Several other educated youths behind him nodded in agreement, some echoing, "Exactly!" "That's right!"

An old man in the crowd coughed and said in a muffled voice, "You educated youth will all go back to the city sooner or later. If you learn a skill and then run away, who will we go to for medical treatment?"

"There are dozens of educated youths, and only one recruitment quota for labor and military service is available each year. It can take decades to get a quota," Zhao Weidong said immediately.

The old man choked, opened his mouth, but didn't say anything more.

Zhang Tiejun pondered for a moment, about to speak, when a voice suddenly came from behind the crowd:

"Secretary Zhang, I do have someone in mind."

Everyone turned around.

Li Jianjun emerged from the shadows beside the steps, holding an account book in his hand, a smile on his face, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"The health center has doctors on duty. There are about a thousand people in the village, and everyone gets sick sometimes," he said slowly. "We have to choose a reliable one."

He paused, glancing at Liu Xiangyang.

"Everyone knows that our village's patrol officer, Liu, graduated from high school and is a top student. He also studied medicine under Dr. Han, right?"

Some people in the crowd nodded, some looked blank, and some whispered among themselves.

Li Jianjun continued, "Inspector Liu is young, educated, and works for the government. Letting him practice medicine will ensure his skills aren't lost, and secondly..." He smiled, "he won't run away halfway through."

He pronounced the last few words very softly, as if it were unintentional, or perhaps intentional.

Someone in the crowd realized what was happening and muttered, "...Doesn't that mean they'll stay in the village forever?"

The person next to him tugged at his sleeve, and the man shut up.

Liu Xiangyang leaned against the door frame, finally lit his cigarette, took a drag, and slowly exhaled.

Li Jianjun looked at him, waiting for him to speak, waiting for him to refuse, waiting for him to show that expression of being roasted on the fire and unable to get off.

Liu Xiangyang did not refuse.

He finished exhaling the smoke, extinguished the sparks on the sole of his shoe, then looked up, his gaze sweeping over the crowd and landing on Li Jianjun's face.

"Accountant Li's suggestion," he said, "I didn't expect it. Didn't Accountant Li recommend Li Kaixuan? Why did she think of me again?"

His tone was flat, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Li Jianjun's smile froze slightly as he said, "My recommendation of Li Kaixuan was called 'recommending the worthy without avoiding relatives,' and now my recommendation of Inspector Liu is also called 'recommending relatives without avoiding suspicion.'"

The crowd began to stir.

"Inspector Liu taking over? Is he up to the task? He used to be a police officer..."

"He's been learning from Dr. Han for a long time. You've seen him go to the clinic every day; he must have learned a lot."

"Studying medicine isn't that easy; I've only been learning for a few days..."

"If you're so good, why don't you do it yourself?"

"I just don't know how..."

The noise was like a pot of water that was about to boil but hadn't quite reached its limit.

Zhang Tiejun stood on the steps, holding a pipe in his hand, neither lighting it nor saying a word.

His gaze swept back and forth between Liu Xiangyang and Li Jianjun twice before finally settling on Wang Lixin's face.

Wang Lixin frowned, tightened his grip on his work cap for a moment, then loosened it.

He didn't say anything.

Just then, a commotion suddenly arose from the back of the crowd.

"Make way, make way—"

Someone squeezed in from the outside, panting heavily. It was Wang Aimin. His father, Wang Lixin, had specifically told him at noon to go to the clinic to see Dr. Han, hoping to gain Bo Bo's favor.

He rushed to Zhang Tiejun, gasping for breath, his voice trembling:

"Secretary Zhang... Dr. Han... Dr. Han has fainted!"