Courtyard House: After disbanding the Elderly Care Gang, I went to the countryside to cultivate immo

The arrival of the new educated youth was like a few pebbles of different colors thrown into the relatively calm waters of Heisonggou Village. The ripples slowly spread, adding a touch of liveliness to this small village that was different from the past and slightly noisy.

This liveliness was not only reflected in the sudden increase in the number of people and sounds at the educated youth settlement, but also in the villagers' fresh interest in these visitors from afar.

Occasionally, when they meet on the village road, uncles and aunts will stop and chat with the new educated youth with kind curiosity.

"Girl, where are you from? Oh, Shanghai? That's a big city! Can you get used to the corn stalks here?"

"Young man, you look energetic, but you need to take it easy on yourself and not overwork!"

"Your educated youth settlement is quite lively now, how many people are living there?"

Among them, Zhang Xiuying was undoubtedly the most popular. Her Mandarin with a strong Jiaodong accent, her hearty laughter, and her unpretentious manner quickly made the villagers feel that "this girl is down-to-earth and unpretentious."

She would chat with the aunties about scallion pancakes from her hometown in Shandong, and could even exchange a few words of local dialect with the boys. In less than half a month, almost everyone in the village knew "that straightforward girl from Shandong," and would greet her warmly when they met: "Xiuying, what are you busy with again?"

In contrast, the integration of the other new educated youth was slow and sluggish.

Ke Haoqian and Pan Qingzhi maintained a polite but distant attitude.

When the villagers spoke to them, their responses were polite but brief, and it was difficult to delve into any deeper topics.

People gossiped privately: "Those two young men from Beijing are educated, but they're a bit 'awkward' and don't quite fit in." They seemed more like they were completing a predetermined procedure called "going to the countryside to work," rather than genuinely trying to integrate into this land and its people.

Lin Mantong's exquisite style contrasts sharply with the roughness of her surroundings.

She tried her best to maintain basic politeness, but she would often unconsciously frown slightly or look away unnaturally when faced with overly direct or even slightly rude greetings and stares from the villagers.

The carefully cultivated, city-girl aura she possessed created an invisible barrier, making the simple villagers feel somewhat distant and unsure how to get close to her.

Only occasionally, when an aunt complimented her, saying, "You're so fair-skinned, like someone from a painting," would she force a smile and softly say, "Thank you."

Wang Xueling has a gentle personality and always smiles before speaking to people, with a slightly timid and ingratiating air.

The village women thought this girl was "honest and obedient" and were willing to take care of her more, but she lacked Zhang Xiuying's energy to break down barriers and was more passively shaped by her surroundings.

As for Zhuang Hui, she was almost like a transparent shadow.

She spends most of her time alone, seemingly indifferent to everything around her.

At first, the villagers felt sorry for her thin and pale appearance and tried to talk to her, but they often didn't get a decent response. After a few times, they gradually lost interest and just regarded her as a poor girl who was "a little dim-witted," and stopped bothering her. This neglect, in a way, became her protective shield.

After the arrival of the new educated youth, Lin Shengli visited the educated youth settlement much less often.

He wasn't one to enjoy crowds, and now that six unfamiliar faces and the ensuing chaos had suddenly appeared there, he preferred to stay in his quiet little courtyard.

He spends most of his time each day immersed in cultivation and reading.

The spiritual energy vortex within his body grew stronger day by day, and he soon broke through to the fifth level of Qi Refining.

Occasionally, villagers would come to him with headaches, fevers, or back and leg pains, and he would gladly put his advice into practice.

He used a set of silver needles he bought during training, combined with his spiritual perception of the subtle flow of qi and blood in the meridians, to treat some common ailments such as rheumatism, stomach discomfort, and insomnia. The effects were often immediate, and the symptoms could be greatly relieved after just a few needles.

Even he himself secretly thought that this seemingly supernatural acupuncture technique was probably no less impressive than that of the legendary "Grand Secretary Di" from the TV series in his previous life.

Soon, the reputation of "Dr. Lin's acupuncture skills" spread throughout the village and even neighboring villages. More people came to him for treatment than in winter, which further solidified his status as a barefoot doctor.

Only Li Kuiyong would come to Lin Shengli's courtyard every few days and sit there for half a day.

He now has heavier responsibilities on his shoulders and worries on his mind, and needs to talk to someone about them.

"Shengli, you have no idea," Li Kuiyong said, sitting cross-legged on the edge of Lin Shengli's kang (heated brick bed), taking a big gulp of cold water and wiping his mouth, "Having a lot of people is really... a lot of trouble! That Ke Haoqian, he has to ask about everything, as if everything I, Li Kuiyong, say is nonsense, it makes me so angry! And that Lin Mantong, she's so delicate, her eyes get red from the smoke while cooking, she's picky about food, complaining that cornmeal is hard on her throat, complaining that the dishes aren't oily enough... and this is nothing!"

Lin Shengli listened quietly, flipping through a copy of "Compendium of Materia Medica" in his hand, occasionally glancing up at him.

"Zhang Xiuying is quite good. She's a great worker and a straightforward person, but she has a bit of a temper. She doesn't get along with Lin Mantong. They even had a fight a couple of days ago over some trivial matter, and I couldn't separate them."

Li Kuiyong sighed, "Wang Xueling is alright, but she's timid. As for Zhuang Hui... well, I won't go into details. This girl seems to be wary of everyone, completely detached."

He paused, then looked at Lin Shengli: "Shengli, what do you think we're going to do? We haven't even officially started spring and gone to the fields yet, and we already have all this trouble. If things really get busy, won't everything fall apart?"

Lin Shengli closed the book, pondered for a moment, and said, "We've all been through this. When we first arrived, weren't we the same? Stumbling and fumbling, we gradually adapted. You're the leader, you can't just get angry. Ke Haoqian has ideas, you can let him bring them up. If they're reasonable, you can try them; if they're unreasonable, explain why they won't work. Lin Mantong is spoiled, she needs to gradually understand that the conditions here are what they are. Complaining won't help, but don't be too harsh either, after all, the living environments are too different. Zhang Xiuying is capable, that's a good thing, but you can't put all the pressure on her, be careful not to create conflicts. As for Zhuang Hui..." He thought of those empty eyes, "Just keep an eye on her, make sure nothing happens to her. So far, it seems like they're just minor frictions, still within a controllable range. Once spring plowing really starts, everyone will be too tired to think about it, maybe things will calm down."

Li Kuiyong listened, scratched his head, and seemed to think that it made sense, but the worry between his brows did not completely disappear.

"I hope so... By the way, Captain Hu said that in a few days we'll have to start preparing for seed selection and cleaning up the farm tools. Once the ground thaws, things will get really busy."

Time slipped by quietly amidst this apparent calm and underlying undercurrents.

The biting cold wind gradually softened, and a moist southerly wind began to blow. The snow on the sunny slopes melted first, revealing the dark brown, still partially frozen earth beneath.

The men in the village began to inspect the plowshares and repair the harrows, while the women gathered together to pour out the corn and soybean seeds saved from the previous year, carefully selecting and removing chaff and bad seeds.

The annual spring plowing season is about to begin.

That day, Lin Shengli took the initiative to go to see the brigade leader, Hu Guangming.

When he entered the team headquarters, Hu Guangming was huddled together with the accountant and the custodian, discussing something over several yellowed forms and bags of seed samples, his brows slightly furrowed.

"Uncle Guangming, are you busy?" Lin Shengli knocked on the open door.

Hu Guangming looked up and saw it was him, a smile spreading across his face: "Shengli, come in and sit down! We were just talking about the seeds. Spring came early this year, and the soil thawed quickly, so we need to hurry up and get the seeds planted."

Lin Shengli walked over and looked at the seeds, then said, "Uncle, I was just about to tell you something."

"Oh? What's wrong? Tell me." Hu Guangming gestured for him to sit down.

"Here's the thing," Lin Shengli said, organizing his thoughts. "A few days ago, I asked someone to get me some corn and potato seeds from out of town that are said to have a high yield. It's not a large quantity, but I'd like to give it a try. Could we set aside a small plot of land in our village as a test field, and I'll be in charge of planting them? It doesn't need to be good land; any corner or wasteland will do. The area doesn't need to be large either; two or three acres will be enough. When we harvest in the fall, if the yield is indeed much higher than the seeds we're currently using, then next year, our whole village can consider switching to these new seeds."

Upon hearing this, Hu Guangming's smile faded, and he revealed a serious expression.

He took a drag of his pipe, slowly exhaled the smoke, and lingered on Lin Shengli's face for a few seconds, seemingly judging the truthfulness of his words and the intentions behind them.

High-yield seeds? This is a major issue concerning the entire village's food rations and the grain to be handed over to the state; it cannot be taken lightly.

But Lin Shengli's composure and competence over the past six months made him feel that this young man was not someone who spoke carelessly.

"Victory," Hu Guangming said carefully, "is no joke. For us country folk, crops are the most important thing. I don't dare to allocate the good fields in the village to you to cultivate now. What if... I mean, what if you grow them badly, or they don't produce high yields at all? Then a year's worth of work will be wasted, and the harvest will be delayed."

Lin Shengli had anticipated Hu Guangming's concerns. He said calmly, "Uncle, I understand your worries. It's precisely because there's a risk that I only want two or three mu of the worst land, preferably unwanted wasteland. That way, even if it fails, it won't affect our village's normal harvest. I just want to try; if it succeeds, it will be a great thing for our village. Even if the yield is only average, the reclaimed wasteland can still be used later, right?"

"Wasteland..." Hu Guangming narrowed his eyes, his fingers tapping the table unconsciously. He remembered the gentle slope near the foot of the mountain at the north end of the village, which was full of gravel and had a thin layer of soil. No one had ever been willing to put in the effort to cultivate it, so it had just been left to lie fallow.

Using that piece of land is a good idea. It doesn't take up arable land, and if it's actually cultivated, it would be a great achievement.

More importantly, he looked at the composed Lin Shengli in front of him, and then thought of the six new educated youths in the educated youth settlement who made him feel uneasy.

Ke Haoqian and Pan Qingzhi don't seem to be cut out for farm work. Lin Mantong is spoiled, and Zhuang Hui is dull. Only Zhang Xiuying and Wang Xueling are worth a try.

Assigning these new recruits directly to production teams to work alongside the villagers could cause problems if conflicts arise or if they don't perform well, which would only create more trouble.

Rather than...

An idea took shape in Hu Guangming's mind. He tapped his pipe and made his decision: "Alright! Shengli, I support your idea! It's a good thing that a young man has ideas and is willing to study hard! As for the land... you know that gentle slope at the foot of the mountain at the north end of the village? It's about ten acres and has been lying fallow for a long time. I'll give it to you as an experimental field!"

He then changed the subject, "However, reclaiming wasteland is hard work, and you can't do it all by yourself. How about this, I'll assign all the educated youth from your settlement to you, and let them work with you. It'll be both reclaiming wasteland and planting experimental fields, and also a form of physical training. What do you think?"

After a moment's thought, Lin Shengli understood Hu Guangming's intention.

This is both support for his proposal and a clever arrangement to solve the problem of resettlement for newly sent-down youth.

Under his guidance, they worked in a relatively independent "experimental field," which not only avoided potential conflicts that might arise from new educated youth being unfamiliar with farm work and going directly to the fields, but also allowed them to learn and adapt within a controllable scope.

And he does indeed need manpower.

"Okay, Uncle. We'll do it your way." Lin Shengli nodded in agreement. "I'll lead them. It'll be good to let the newcomers learn how to farm."

"Great!" Hu Guangming slapped his thigh, a relaxed smile spreading across his face. "It's settled then! The land will be allocated to your educated youth settlement, whether you call it your 'private plot' or 'experimental field,' it's all up to you, Lin Shengli! If you need any simple tools, just tell the storekeeper, and I'll put in a good word. Do a good job! Uncle is looking forward to seeing your autumn harvest!"

As Lin Shengli stepped out of the team headquarters, he took a deep breath of the crisp, early spring air.

He didn't want his trip to Heisonggou Village to be in vain. The grains in his cave had been optimized over three generations, and planting them in the outside world would be a devastating blow.

Once these high-yield and even better-tasting grains are harvested in the fall, I don't believe Hu Guangming won't be tempted.