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

The three of them boarded a train bound for Northeast China.

The scenery outside the window changes day by day. The plains recede and the hills rise. The distant mountains gradually become clear and majestic from their hazy outlines, and the pine-covered ridgelines unfold one after another.

Jiang Zhiyu leaned against the car window, looking at the increasingly familiar mountain scenery, and a feeling she couldn't quite describe welled up inside her.

She turned to Wang Zhaixing and Li Mancang opposite her and said, "You may not know, but I used to be an educated youth in a town at the foot of Changbai Mountain."

Wang Zhaixing looked at her with curiosity: "You were parachuted into the bureau, and none of us knew what you did before. Your information was already top secret before you joined the Second Administration Bureau; nobody knew you had this experience."

"That's not exactly a secret," Jiang Zhiyu said calmly. "My parents were framed and sent here, and I came along to take care of them."

She paused, then looked out the window again.

"This time I'm going to visit the village chief and the others in Kaoshantun at the foot of the mountain, and then we'll go up the mountain again."

"Of course," Wang Zhaixing nodded. "I haven't been here in a long time either. I used to come here quite often back then."

……

After the train arrived at the station, the three of them first took a long-distance bus, and then hailed an oxcart, bumping along the way towards Kaoshantun.

When Jiang Zhiyu left, she took a lot of Beijing specialties with her—snacks, candies, and several cans of malted milk powder. She never went anywhere empty-handed.

The closer she got to Kaoshantun, the more she felt a strange, indescribable feeling. It wasn't excitement, nor was it nervousness, but rather a soft, slightly bittersweet feeling—a sense of trepidation as she approached home.

When the truck stopped at the village entrance, she got out first, and paused for a moment as she stepped onto the familiar black soil.

Nothing has changed. The dirt road, the mud walls, the chimneys emitting smoke in the distance, and that old elm tree.

"Oh my god—isn't that Xiao Jiang, the educated youth!"

An auntie suddenly appeared from the roadside, dropped her vegetable basket on the ground with a thud, slapped her thigh, and shouted.

"Aunties! Aunties, look! Little Jiang, the educated youth, has come to see us!"

That shout was so loud that everyone along half the village road heard it and started popping their heads out of their yards.

"Auntie, how have you been lately?" Jiang Zhiyu walked over with a smile and bent down to help her pick up the vegetable basket.

"Good, good, good!" The auntie held her hand tightly, looking her up and down. "I knew you were special! You really did come back to see us farmers who toil in the fields!"

"What are you saying, Auntie?"

"You're here to see Captain Qian, right?"

"Yes, these two are my colleagues. They came here for an inspection." Jiang Zhiyu pointed to Wang Zhaixing and Li Mancang. "Since we were already here, we thought we'd take a look around."

"Good news, good news!" Auntie beamed. "Only you, Little Jiang, a former educated youth, would come back to visit after leaving. Two other educated youths left before the New Year, but I heard the policies have improved, and many are looking for ways to return to the city."

"Yes, the policies will only get better," Jiang Zhiyu asked.

"Oh, Little Jiang, we believe you! We ordinary people will get better and better, we believe in you!"

Jiang Zhiyu felt a slight stirring in her heart when she saw the unreserved trust on her aunt's face.

She didn't explain anything further, just smiled and nodded.

……

When they arrived at the brigade leader's house, only Aunt Wang was home. She had tidied the house spotlessly, with dried vegetables drying in the yard and chopped firewood stacked in the corner. The moment she saw Jiang Zhiyu, tears welled up in her eyes.

"Little Jiang, it's so good to see you here again..."

"Yes! I came back to see you all, but where's Captain Chen?"

"Someone probably went to call them already; they're in the field. Hurry up and come inside, don't just stand there!"

Aunt Wang pulled her to sit on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and began to chatter on and on.

"Little Jiang, you have no idea how much easier the work is in our village now! With that tractor, we quickly bought a seed drill and some spare parts for the tractor. The villagers were so eager to spend money! Last year, not only was there a bumper harvest, but we also had a surplus. It's all thanks to you, Little Jiang!"

"Because we have tractors, we've cleared a lot more wasteland," Aunt Wang said, getting happier with each word. "These big machines can do more work than people!"

"Auntie, there's no need for that. It's what I should do. I'm very grateful to you all for protecting our family back then."

With a whoosh, the door was pushed open from the outside.

After Captain Chen entered, a large group of people followed behind him, all of whom were villagers with whom he had a good relationship. Some of them were still holding hoes, their trouser legs covered in mud. They had dropped their work and run over as soon as they heard "Little Jiang, the educated youth, is back."

"Little Jiang, the educated youth, is back! It's so good that she's back!"

Captain Chen's voice trembled slightly as he rubbed his hands, unsure of what to say.

"Uncle, I came here on a geological survey, and since I was already here, I thought I'd stop by Kaoshantun. This place... is very warm."

"Oh! Good, good! It's good that you're back!" Captain Chen nodded repeatedly. "Wife, quickly get some food for Little Jiang, the educated youth!"

"The captain said it's no trouble at all, we already ate when we came."

"What, are you looking down on our Kaoshantun now?" Aunt Wang said, feigning displeasure.

"No, not at all! Then don't refuse, sit down and have a simple meal."

"Alright then." Jiang Zhiyu smiled. "By the way, these are my two colleagues, Comrade Wang and Comrade Li."

She winked at Wang Zhaixing.

Wang Zhaixing immediately understood—he wanted to get some local legends or tales from the villagers. He calmly sat down, picked up his teacup, and started chatting with Captain Chen.

Jiang Zhiyu stood up: "I'm going to see Zhang Chong. I haven't seen her in a long time, and I miss her quite a bit."

"Go ahead, go ahead, a young lady should meet her good friend."

……

Educated youth settlement.

Before Jiang Zhiyu even stepped into the courtyard, she heard a commotion inside. Sure enough, the educated youth had all run back from the fields, their faces covered in dust and dirt. When they saw her standing at the courtyard gate, they froze for a second, then erupted in chaos.

Zhang Chong was the first to rush over, opening his arms to hug her, but when he looked down at his mud and sweat-covered body, he stopped himself.

Jiang Zhiyu didn't give her a chance to hesitate. He stepped forward and hugged her tightly.

"Have you missed me?"

Zhang Chong's tears immediately fell.

"Zhiyu... I miss you so much. You've been gone for so long and haven't written to me..."

Jiang Zhiyu patted his back, feeling genuinely guilty. She had completely forgotten about writing the letter—after returning home, she was so busy with one thing after another.

"I'm sorry, I've been very busy since I got back, and I only just managed to find time to come see you all now."

"I know you're busy, but who told you to be such a big shot?" Zhang Chong wiped his face and grinned.

The others brought over benches and sat down at the stone table in the educated youth compound.

"How long do you plan to stay this time?" Zhang Chong asked.

"I'm here for an inspection, and I'm leaving this afternoon."

"So tight?"

"right."

Other educated youths also gathered around. Jiang Zhiyu glanced around—Song Laidi, Zhao Jin, and other familiar faces were still there, including female educated youths Li Hongmei and Zhang Qing, who also came over.

Zhang Chong suddenly seemed to remember something: "Oh right, Gu Yan and Lin Wei have been transferred back."

Jiang Zhiyu thought about it and understood. One was in Shanghai and the other in Beijing; they both had connections, so it was normal for them to be transferred back.

She looked at the people in front of her and saw that there was nothing strange about them, so she called a few more of them over to sit down and then spoke very solemnly.

"Now there are only a few of you left at the educated youth settlement, so I'll get straight to the point. I'll tell you something—but you must keep it to yourself and not tell anyone else."

Zhang Chong dropped his playful expression and nodded emphatically.

"The book I brought you last time was really good. You can borrow it from each other. Just follow the instructions and don't ask any questions."

She looked at all the educated youth.

"This is a chance to change your destiny. That's all I can say, so please read carefully."

The educated youth looked at each other, somewhat bewildered. With the recent easing of policies, many had returned to the city, and they were all a little anxious. But hearing Jiang Zhiyu's words, they roughly guessed what she meant—they all looked excited, yet desperately suppressed their emotions.

"Don't tell anyone when you go out, understand?"

Everyone nodded in unison, looking at her with gratitude.

"Alright, I've delivered the message. Good luck to you guys."

She stood up and casually remarked, "Maybe we can meet in Beijing by the end of the year."

Upon hearing this, the crowd became even more agitated. Zhang Chong's lips trembled, and he gritted his teeth to keep himself from uttering a sound.

Jiang Zhiyu patted her on the shoulder, handed her a slip of paper with her current address, and said nothing more.

……

After saying goodbye to the educated youth compound, Jiang Zhiyu headed towards the brigade leader's house.

Upon arriving, the group was indeed already chatting and drinking. Wang Zhaixing, a seasoned veteran, quickly finished a few bowls of wine, and Captain Chen and the old farmers recounted most of the local legends, such as "strange noises in the mountains," "lights beneath Tianchi Lake," and "the elders' tales of mountain gods appearing in dreams." Wang Zhaixing listened attentively, silently memorizing the stories without revealing his thoughts.

She couldn't fit into a man's world.

As soon as she entered, Aunt Wang immediately pulled her over and made her sit down in the main seat.

"Come on, have a taste! We just hunted this pheasant from the mountains yesterday, and stewed it with our local ginseng. It's delicious!"

"Okay, Auntie, I won't stand on ceremony."

The meal was lively and cheerful. Aunt Wang kept piling food into her bowl, Captain Chen and Wang Zhaixing chatted more and more congenially, while Li Mancang ate in silence, occasionally interjecting with a few words, but managed to glean quite a few useful details.

After eating and drinking their fill, the three got up to say goodbye.

After settling into the county guesthouse, Jiang Zhiyu lay on the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling for a while.

Outside the window is the night in Northeast China, so quiet that you can hear the chirping of insects in the distance.

We should head up the mountain first thing tomorrow morning.