Reborn in 1966

Chapter Sixty-Two Meeting

The meeting was held in the girls' dormitory.

This is a place about a third the size of a classroom. The original buildings were all the same size as classrooms, and the rooms were partitioned off by walls to serve as teachers' dormitories. Now, one of the school's teachers lives in this row of houses, Professor Meng and his colleagues live in two dormitories, Meng Ruolan lives in one dormitory with Teacher Wang, and another dormitory was set aside for four female educated youths. The dormitory has two bunk beds, two desks for students, and two benches. It is quite spacious for the four girls.

Qi Xiangnan sat on a bench, looking at his fellow educated youth. They had been full of vigor when they first arrived, but after a period of training, their expressions had become somewhat listless. Although they shouted slogans well, they were not mentally prepared to endure hardship here at all, unlike him...

Thinking of this, Qi Xiangnan cleared his throat and said, "Comrades, let's all speak up. We are all comrades-in-arms sharing the same pot, and everyone has the right to speak."

Zhou Manni said, "I think we should ration our food. With such a small amount of grain, it will be difficult to last until the New Year if we continue to eat like this."

Zhao Jianguo said, "But we can't go hungry. We work so hard every day. If we don't get enough to eat, how can our bodies take it?"

Zheng Tonghui said, "That's right. When we first came here, they didn't say we wouldn't be able to eat our fill. The conditions in the countryside are too harsh."

Wu Jiajia said, "We came in response to Chairman Mao's call, how can we have such complaints? Zheng Tonghui, I think you have a problem with your thinking."

Zheng Tonghui stood up abruptly and said, "Who are you calling ideologically problematic? What's wrong with me saying we can't even get enough to eat? Isn't that the reality? Wu Jiajia, don't bring your own ideas here!"

Wu Jiajia also stood up and said, "How dare you talk like that? What kind of talk is that? Explain yourself clearly."

Qi Xiangnan quickly pulled the two apart and said, "What's going on with you two? We're having a meeting to discuss the kitchen, how did it turn into ideology? We are all actively responding to the call of our great leader Chairman Mao, and our thoughts are all positive."

Wu Jiajia said, "Qi Xiangnan, you came here in response to Chairman Mao's call, but the kind of spirit you show when you arrive shows whether you are truly responding positively. Zheng Tonghui, look at you, you've been listless all day long since you started working in the fields. Is this what you call actively responding to the call?"

Zheng Tonghui said, "What business is it of yours what kind of mental state I have? Why are you meddling in other people's business?"

Wu Jiajia trembled with anger and said, "As a Red Guard, is this how you carry out the Great Leader's orders?"

Qi Xiangnan said, "Alright, alright, everyone sit down and let's talk slowly. What can we say if we're all talking so loudly and passionately? Everyone should keep quiet."

Zhou Qian said, "Hmph, you're always saying this is bad and that is bad, are you a good person yourself?"

It's obvious they're targeting Wu Jiajia.

Qi Xiangnan felt an urge to facepalm. The ten people came from three different places, and they immediately formed cliques upon arrival. To be honest, he was appointed as the leader of the educated youth group precisely because he didn't come from the same place as them. When Secretary Tian talked to him, he said that he was chosen as the leader of the educated youth group because they came from two different places and their cliques were quite strong. If someone were chosen from among them, the other side would probably be dissatisfied. So, they had no reason to be interested in him as the leader.

They've only been here a few days, and the conflict has already escalated to this point.

Qi Xiangnan sighed inwardly. He didn't want to get involved in these things, but if he didn't take the lead, he probably would never get ahead. Looking at all this mess, he really didn't want to get involved, but he couldn't ignore it either. It was so frustrating!

Qi Xiangnan asked Zheng Tonghui and Wu Jiajia to sit down and said, "Comrades, this is not right. We come from different places and it is not easy for us to live together here. We must unite and help each other to do our job well. Arguing like this will not solve the problem at all. Alright, let's continue to discuss our food problem."

Chen Xuanyi said, "I think we should go to the organization. How can we solve such a big problem without the organization's help? We've been here for more than half a year. I asked the villagers, and they said that the grain they earn in a year is just right. Shenjia Village is considered relatively good. Many surrounding villages have to go to the commune's two stations to buy grain every year, otherwise they will go hungry."

Wu Jiajia said, "We can't always turn to the organization for everything. If you keep doing this, how can you develop yourself?"

Chen Xuanyi said, "But food is a big problem. You can't do anything without food. How can you carry out a revolution on an empty stomach?"

Wu Jiajia opened her mouth, but said nothing more.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Qi Xiangnan closed his notebook and said, "Alright, I'll talk to Secretary Tian tomorrow and go to the commune to report our practical problems to the leaders and see if there are any solutions."

The autumn harvest is approaching, and the villagers have been working hard these past few days to prepare for a great harvest. After a year of hard work, they will harvest the crops from the fields and store them in the granary before distributing the grain. Looking at the plump fruits in the fields, everyone is very happy.

These past few days, with nothing to do, Party Secretary Tian has been wandering around the fields, mentally calculating how much grain they can harvest, how much needs to be handed over, how much needs to be spent, how much grain each household can get, how long their families can eat, and how much food and money they can get during the New Year without the plum blossoms. All these details are in Party Secretary Tian's mind. Shenjia Village isn't very big, with only three production teams. Thinking about this, Party Secretary Tian also thinks about the educated youth. These city kids came here saying they were settling down and taking root in the countryside, but how many of them will actually stay in the end?

Thinking of this, I also thought of Qi Xiangnan.

Qi Xiangnan is a really good kid. He's hardworking and observant. The old hands in the village all say that he's good at everything he does and isn't impetuous at all. With him leading the other educated youths, they shouldn't cause any trouble.

Think about the educated youth in other villages. Some of them steal chickens and dogs in the village, which strained their relationship with the village. With Qi Xiangnan leading them, there shouldn't be any major problems with the people in our village.

Thinking about all this, Secretary Tian was stopped by Qi Xiangnan at the brigade headquarters.

After explaining our purpose to Secretary Tian, ​​he said, "Let's go inside and have a good chat."

After sitting down, Party Secretary Tian said, "Xiao Qi, I know about your difficulties, but the situation is pretty much the same for everyone. The educated youth in other villages are in the same situation. I don't think it will do any good for you to go to the commune to complain to the leaders. How about this, after the autumn harvest, everyone will be organized to work. This year we are going to repair a reservoir dozens of miles away. The work will be tiring, but we can still eat our fill. Why don't you discuss it and go with us? It will save you some food."

Qi Xiangnan said, "Secretary, I'll go to the commune first to see what's going on, then go back and discuss it with them, and see what their opinions are. What do you think?"

Party Secretary Tian said, "Alright then, since the autumn harvest hasn't happened yet, you can think about it first and we'll talk about it later."

After bidding farewell to Secretary Tian, ​​Qi Xiangnan went to the Shen family's courtyard to borrow a bicycle.

Since returning from the hospital, Uncle Shen has been recuperating at home. The factory granted him six months of sick leave. Tian Lingling was also heavily pregnant, so the couple went home. Every month, Peihua would take the grain ration book to the county town to collect the grain. Their bicycle was kept at home.

Qi Xiangnan had visited the Shen family courtyard several times and was very interested in the people in this simple and tidy courtyard. The son of a rightist had returned from Beijing with his whole family. Although their life was poor, the family members had a good spirit and were not as depressed as the rightists he had met before. Their attitude towards life was very positive and optimistic. He was very surprised to meet such a family in such a small mountain village.

The autumn sun was bright but not intense. From a distance, the large canopy of the sycamore tree covered most of the courtyard.

The large leaves of the sycamore tree, after being scorched by the summer sun, turn slightly yellow in the autumn. After a few more days and a few autumn rains, these leaves will fall to the ground, become mud, and turn into fertilizer to nourish the roots that once provided them with nutrients.

The courtyard gate was ajar. Pushing it open, we found Shen's second uncle sitting in a recliner under the sycamore tree, his injured leg raised and placed on a stool. Shen's youngest child, Peiyin, was running around him, bringing him water and massaging his back. The uncle and nephew were having a great time.

Grandma Shen was picking beans from a basket, and the whole scene was so beautiful that one couldn't bear to disturb it.

Grandma first saw Qi Xiangnan standing at the door.

The educated youth had been in the village for more than ten days, and the villagers had a very good impression of this tall and handsome young man. Many young women and wives liked to secretly watch him, and their two grandsons also liked to talk and chat with him. So, his arrival at their home at this time must mean that something was up.

Grandma stood up and said, "Xiao Qi is here. Come and sit down. Grandma will pour you some water."

Qi Xiangnan said, "Grandma, you can just call me Xiangnan, no need to be so polite."

Pei Yin lay on her second uncle's back, her chin resting on his shoulder, looking curiously at this star of Shenjia Village. He was very handsome, gentle and refined, but not frivolous, and very steady.

Second Uncle pushed the small stool next to his recliner, and Pei Yin quickly stepped forward to help move the stool to Qi Xiangnan's side. Qi Xiangnan smiled and said to Pei Yin, "Thank you, little sister."

Pei Yin smiled as she looked at the handsome young man, then returned to her second uncle's side and continued to observe him closely.

Qi Xiangnan accepted the water from his grandmother with both hands. After sitting down, he explained his purpose. After his second uncle said there was no problem, Qi Xiangnan rode his bicycle to the commune.

Grandma said, "This young man is so energetic, and it makes me feel good to see him."

My second uncle said, "They are very polite. It will be good for Peihua and Peijun to interact with others more in the future."

Pei Yin, however, felt that Qi Xiangnan was not simple. A person can learn many things, but temperament cannot be learned. Some things can only be reflected in oneself through immersion in one's surroundings.

Qi Xiangnan rode his bicycle all the way to the commune.