Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

The state stipulates that educated youth sent to the countryside will receive a monthly subsidy of 35 jin of grain from the local commune during their first year, which will be distributed monthly by the production brigade. Now that it's not the busy farming season and the physical labor isn't too heavy, there should be some left over. Moreover, each educated youth brought some snacks and canned food with them last month, so they shouldn't be consuming them so quickly.

"Didn't the brigade leader give you enough grain as a monthly subsidy?" Zhou Rui asked. Although he said that, Zhou Rui didn't believe that the village chief, Zhao Youzhi, would really withhold the educated youth's grain.

"It's enough. Although it's rice, wheat, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, it's enough in total." Lin Qiuyue shook her head.

Zhou Rui knew that was probably the case. But if that were the case, the most likely explanation was that some of the educated youth were dishonest and had secretly taken the grain to exchange for other goods. In those days, grain was the real hard currency; it could buy more than 80% of what was available on the market. There was another possibility, but it was too small: that the other educated youth had an enormous appetite, eating enough for two people.

"Want to hear my advice?" Zhou Rui asked her directly, without telling Lin Qiuyue his guess, since it might be unacceptable to someone as innocent as Lin Qiuyue.

They were all educated youth sent to the countryside, eating from the same pot, so how could someone be dishonest? Only Zhou Rui, who came from a later era, knew that some people are naturally inclined to take advantage of others. They feel good when they gain an advantage, and feel cheated when they don't, tossing and turning at night. Moreover, Lin Qiuyue probably flaunted her wealth when she arrived, letting everyone know that her family was rich, which further fueled her desire to take advantage.

Lin Qiuyue nodded. Of course she would listen; otherwise, why would she say it?

"I think... after you educated youth all come back, you should suggest that we eat separately, and each person should keep their own food. You and Yangping should be in one group, and the three male educated youths should be in another." Zhou Rui had met Yangping and thought she was a cheerful girl from Northeast China who wouldn't do such a thing.

"Isn't this a bad idea? Wouldn't this be discouraging?" Lin Qiuyue was a little conflicted, not expecting Zhou Rui to come up with such an idea.

"There's no disunity, it's just that we don't eat from the same pot. We still study and work together, how can there be any disunity? Nowadays, farmers don't eat in canteens either, they cook for themselves at home, can that be called disunity?" Zhou Rui tried his best to explain to Lin Qiuyue in terms that people in this era could understand.

"Then...what if there aren't enough male educated youth to eat?"

Zhou Rui thought to himself, this young woman from Shanghai may not be very worldly, but at least she is a kind-hearted girl.

"The grain distributed by the brigade should be enough for a normal person's consumption. If it's not enough, then it's a matter of personal planning and waste. If there's no grain, you can borrow it from the brigade headquarters and use your year-end work points to offset it; there are precedents for this. Or you can go to the mountains to dig wild vegetables and pick mushrooms before the busy farming season, dry them, and store them for later use; that's what everyone in the village does. You can't ask for it; there's no reason for that. And you can't use your and Yangping's rations to subsidize them; aren't you their parents?"

"Comrade Zhou Rui, how can you say that? I haven't even started dating yet, so who are my parents?" Lin Qiuyue said shyly.

Zhou Rui was speechless. Was this girl not obedient enough to grasp the main point? I had said so much, and she was still fixated on the last sentence about parents.

"I'm sorry, Lin Zhiqing, I didn't mean anything by it." Although Zhou Rui didn't think he had said anything wrong, he still apologized first, otherwise what if Lin Zhiqing accused him of being a hooligan? "I was just saying that only parents would give unconditionally to their children, no matter what, they would never watch their own children go hungry or cold. Other relationships wouldn't and couldn't offer help without expecting anything in return, that would be against social norms. Even help between neighbors and friends is just a loan, it has to be repaid, it's not given away for free."

After Zhou Rui said so much, Lin Qiuyue finally understood.

"I understand what you mean. Regardless of whether the grain will be enough in the future when we exchange work points for grain, at least the grain that the state is issuing now is definitely enough for us. The reason we don't have enough is because we didn't plan well and wasted it. Since the male educated youth don't agree with the plan I'm going to make, let's live separately and make sure Yangping and I don't go hungry first. If they don't have enough to eat in the end, we can still help them and lend them some grain."

Although Lin Qiuyue lacked worldly wisdom, as a high school graduate sent to the countryside as an educated youth, she possessed excellent comprehension skills and her summaries were quite insightful. However, she was still too soft-hearted, thinking of using the food she had saved herself to help others.

"That's right, but it's best to let them borrow it from the brigade headquarters themselves. There's an accountant there who keeps the books, so they can plan for their future. If you and Yangping are planning to lend them grain, it's best to have them write an IOU."

Seeing Lin Qiuyue's slightly open mouth and conflicted expression, Zhou Rui didn't try to persuade her further. He was just offering advice; the final decision was hers to make, and he shouldn't overstep his bounds.

"Alright, think it over carefully. I'm leaving now." Just as he was about to turn and leave, he caught a glimpse of the book Lin Qiuyue had placed on the bridge. A gentle breeze blew, revealing the cover; it was a romance novel.

Zhou Rui paused for a moment: "If you want to read this kind of book, it's best to do so in your own room. Don't take it outside. I think the consequences wouldn't be good if someone saw you."

Lin Qiuyue followed Zhou Rui's gaze to the book she had brought out, her face paled, and she wanted to say something, but her mouth moved twice and she couldn't say a word.

Zhou Rui didn't concern himself with Lin Qiuyue's feelings. As he left, he continued to instruct her, "Even if you're watching from inside the house, it's best not to let anyone know, because you don't know if the person next to you is a human or a ghost. Don't let anyone report you."

Lin Qiuyue watched Zhou Rui walk away, her feelings complicated. He might look cold, but he was actually a kind person. It's just that he always left as soon as he finished speaking; he had no gentlemanly manners. Couldn't he wait for her to say goodbye before leaving, or at least go home together?

After hearing Zhou Rui's advice, Lin Qiuyue lost all interest in reading. She hurriedly put the book into her bosom and left in a rush, afraid of being seen.

That evening, a big argument broke out in the educated youth compound. Xu Jun was furious after hearing Lin Qiuyue's suggestion to split up the cooking, and firmly disagreed. Wei Dazhi was also reluctant; he wasn't very good at cooking, and every time it was his turn, he had to beg Yang Ping to help him. After splitting up the cooking, not only would they have to cook for themselves, but the main problem was that the three male educated youths weren't good cooks at all, not as good as the two women.

Meng Huaiyuan, the leader of the educated youth group, kept trying to smooth things over, but because he lacked ability, he had little authority among the five. He held the title of leader but couldn't control anyone. Furthermore, Yang Ping sided with Lin Qiuyue. In the end, there was no other way but for the male and female educated youth to separate. From then on, they would manage their own food and no longer eat from the same pot.