With three superpowers at his fingertips, he could dominate the 1970s.

By now, everyone had finished breakfast. Some were curious, while others were ready to go to work. They all gathered at the threshing ground without prior arrangement.

As Jiang Zhiyu and her family of three walked along the dirt road in the village, they heard the village loudspeaker blaring—

"Attention, fellow villagers! Attention, fellow villagers!"

Captain Chen's voice came through the loudspeaker, strong and trembling with excitement:

"Young Jiang, a former educated youth from our village, donated a brand-new tractor to our village! Our village has a tractor now!"

This broadcast was repeated three times.

The villagers were already excited, but when they heard the announcement over the loudspeaker, it was like a pot boiling over, and they all rushed to the threshing ground. Some were carrying bowls, some were wearing slippers, and some were holding children; they all ran there more eagerly than if they were going to work.

On the threshing ground, the green tractor sat quietly in the center.

The sunlight shone on the car body, making the green paint shine brightly, and every screw gleamed.

The villagers surrounded it, layer upon layer, their voices rising and falling in discussion—

"This tractor is really new! Much better than the one in Xiaowan Village in town!"

"That's right! That car in Xiaowan Village sputters and puffs out black smoke, but look at this one, it's spotless!"

"Feel this steering wheel—the leather is so soft!"

"That's the steering wheel you were touching; people aren't allowed to touch that!"

Hehehe...

An old man squeezed to the front, stretched out his calloused and cracked hands, and tremblingly touched the body of the tractor.

His hands were as rough as old tree bark, with dirt stuck in his fingernails that he gently rubbed against the shiny green paint, as if caressing a rare treasure.

His eyes were red-rimmed.

That's a tractor.

They thought they would never see or touch these things in their entire lives, even until they died.

I never expected that at the very last moment, I would see this thing enter my own village.

The other elderly men next to the old man were the same; each of them was touching the tractor, their lips trembling, unable to utter a complete sentence.

"Okay...okay..."

He kept repeating that one word over and over.

---

When Jiang Zhiyu and her family of three walked over, the crowd automatically made way for them.

It wasn't intentional; it was spontaneous—like river water meeting a stone, naturally separating.

The villagers looked at Jiang Zhiyu with eyes full of simple gratitude.

"Thank you, Little Jiang, the educated youth!"

"We have no way to repay this immense kindness..."

"Young Jiang, that educated youth, is really capable! He just gave away such a big tractor like that!"

An older woman squeezed to the front, grabbed Jiang Zhiyu's hand and wouldn't let go, her eyes reddening as she said, "Little Jiang, you're our village's lucky star!"

The villagers who had previously helped Jiang Zhiyu's parents now stood even taller—

The wounds they sustained that day are their medals in this village!

They managed to get a tractor for the village! And without spending a single penny! This young educated youth, Jiang, already gave a generous thank-you gift back then, and now he's gotten a tractor for their village!

Indeed, not all educated youth are the same!

They had heard all sorts of stories about the educated youth in the surrounding villages—petty theft, laziness, arguments with commune members—they did it all. But their village's young educated youth, Xiao Jiang, was truly one of a kind.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After finishing his broadcast, Captain Chen walked to the threshing ground.

The threshing ground was bustling with activity, crowded with people, even more lively than during the Lunar New Year.

He stood on the tractor, pressed down with his hand, and signaled for everyone to be quiet.

"Fellow villagers! As you can see! This tractor was donated to our village by Xiao Jiang, a former educated youth!"

He cleared his throat, his voice a little hoarse:

"To be honest, I feel really guilty. We didn't take good care of their parents when they came. We did try to stop them that day, and although I got a minor injury—but who is that young educated youth, Xiao Jiang? With just that little injury, he brought such a big tractor to our village!"

He slapped his thigh, becoming more and more excited as he spoke:

"With this thing, wouldn't our production tasks be completed with ease? The neighboring village would be green with envy!"

The villagers below burst into laughter—

"Absolutely! They'll be green with envy!"

"Don't even mention that little village in town; they're the only ones with that old, beat-up tractor. The guy who walks around town is all high and mighty!"

"Now we can walk with the wind in our step!"

The villagers were all in high spirits, smiling from ear to ear.

---

The expressions on the faces of the educated youth were indescribable.

Actually, when they first went to the countryside, they all came under the banner of building the motherland; some were even forced to go by the neighborhood committee. But regardless of the reason, they didn't have the ability to get a tractor.

This Jiang Zhiyu is quite capable.

Especially the educated youth from Shanghai or Beijing, who were inherently somewhat arrogant and usually looked down on the country folk. But at this moment, they truly felt the simplicity of the country people—this tractor wasn't allocated by any organization or assigned by any superior; it was a gift from a young woman who had given it out of her own pocket because the villagers had helped her parents.

They admire this kindness.

Jiang Zhiyu spotted Zhang Chong in the crowd and winked at him.

Zhang Chong immediately waved excitedly at her, his mouth opening and closing. Jiang Zhiyu smiled and waved back.

---

After expressing their gratitude, the brigade leader and several village officials began selecting tractor drivers.

"We need to choose two people to learn how to drive a tractor from Xiao Jiang, the educated youth! Whoever knows how, step forward!"

The crowd fell silent for a moment.

Then, a young man in his early twenties stepped out from the crowd, his dark face showing a hint of shyness:

"I...I used to work as a repairman at the agricultural machinery station, so I know how to operate it. But this machine is a bit advanced, so I still need to learn how."

Jiang Zhiyu glanced at him—the young man had calluses on his hands, from years of handling machines, not from farm work.

She nodded in satisfaction.

Anyone who has experience working at an agricultural machinery station would be a good fit for this tractor.

Moreover, the situation is gradually becoming clearer. Although the educated youth are highly educated, the college entrance examination will be reinstated soon, and these people will have to leave sooner or later. At that time, there will be no one to drive the tractors, so it is safer to choose someone from the village.

When the captain saw the young man step forward, he clapped his hands with joy:

"Alright! Then, Liu's second son, you'll learn to drive a tractor from Little Jiang, the educated youth!"

The second son of the Liu family grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth.

Jiang Zhiyu turned to him and asked, "What's your name?"

"His name is Liu Erzhu."

"Okay, then come with me."

Liu Erzhu followed along eagerly, followed by a string of little radish heads—Jinbao was leading the way, looking as smug as if the tractor belonged to his family.

Jiang Zhiyu chuckled and patted his head, then pulled a handful of White Rabbit milk candies from her pocket and gave them to him.

"Go play, it's a bit dangerous near the tractor."

Jinbao immediately stopped, holding the handful of milk candies, his eyes wide with amazement—White Rabbit candies! These are White Rabbit candies!

He and his gang took off running.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Jiang Zhiyu walked up to the tractor and began to teach the young man how to drive it.

First, start it up—this one is a hand-crank starter. You insert the crank handle, give it a good shake, and the diesel engine starts chugging along. The second son of the Liu family got the hang of it quickly; after all, he had worked at the agricultural machinery station, and he had a good grasp of the force and rhythm.

Then came shifting gears, steering, and braking—Jiang Zhiyu taught him one by one, and the young man learned one by one.

The second son of the Liu family learned very quickly; in less than half an hour, he could drive a lap around the threshing ground by himself.

As the tractor chugged towards the fields, a large group of villagers followed behind, young and old alike watching with curiosity as this new machine ran around in their fields.

Someone couldn't help but shout, "Run! Run!"

Then everyone on the ridge burst into laughter.

And so, Jiang Zhiyu spent the morning teaching how to use a tractor.

The bright early summer sun in Northeast China shines on the black soil, and the roar of tractors and the laughter of villagers blend together, carrying far and wide.

If people in the neighboring village were to listen carefully, they could probably hear it: Kaoshantun is really lively today.