Reborn in 1977, starting with severing ties with family.

Upon hearing this, one could tell that the three female educated youths wanted to go to the toilet but were afraid to go, fearing there might be wolves in the woods.

Unfortunately, this hunter's cabin didn't have a dry toilet.

Zhang Jianjun frowned and just stared at Sun Guohong.

Luo Yongcai, without any hesitation, asked, "Women, you don't need to go to the woods to use the toilet. Just call out behind the house! We'll hear you if you need anything."

Even the most outspoken Sun Guohong blushed upon hearing this, turned and left, saying, "I understand!"

Her voice was softer than a mosquito's buzz, completely at odds with her thick eyebrows, big eyes, and dashing demeanor.

After they all left, Luo Yong asked, "I was just about to ask, why did the regimental commander assign us three women? What will we do there? Cook or do laundry?"

Zhang Jianjun said, "We'll talk about it when we get to the forest farm!"

Both of them glanced at Jiang Sen at the same time.

Jiang Sen didn't look up. He added a piece of firewood to the stove and only looked down at the fire when the pot started to simmer. He then stopped adding firewood.

The two changed the subject, but Luo Yongcai still seemed to harbor resentment about Li Chaoyang assigning three female educated youths to the forest farm.

Ma Weiguo entered, wearing a fawning smile and nodding slightly, before walking to his luggage.

Zhang Jianjun pulled Luo Yongcai outside.

Jiang Sen leaned against the wall, staring blankly at the rising steam.

After Wang Daqing and Bai Qiang finished using the restroom, they stood outside talking in hushed tones, somewhat hesitant to come in.

They only came in after seeing Zhang Jianjun and Luo Yongcai come out.

Bai Qiang squatted down next to Jiang Sen, looking at the pot and smelling the aroma emanating from it.

"Jiang Sen!" he called Jiang Sen in a low voice, "Do you think all the people in the forest are this big?"

People from Northeast China are generally tall and strong, a trait that Jiang Sen, who is less than 1.8 meters tall, has always envied.

He was the tallest of the seven, and Wang Dajiang was about the same height.

However, Bai Qiang and Ma Weiguo were only a little over 1.7 meters tall and thin, making them look like chicks next to Luo Yongcai's size.

No wonder he asked that question.

"Right!" Jiang Sen replied casually, "There are some short ones too! We'll see when we get to the forest farm."

"That's true! I was wondering how they could all be so big! Look at Director Li from the farm headquarters, and also Officer Ma. Officer Ma is too skinny! And Accountant Zhang is short."

Wang Dajiang said, "If you work hard and eat a lot, you might grow even taller."

"It can still grow?" Bai Qiang clearly didn't believe it.

Ma Weiguo smiled mockingly, but didn't interrupt. He simply held his lunchbox and waited for the meal to be served.

"Haven't you heard that saying?" Wang Dajiang said, "You grow taller at twenty-three and stronger at twenty-five. Eat more and exercise more, and you'll definitely grow a little more."

After saying that, he raised his arm and squeezed his left arm with one hand. "Sigh, when will I ever build up some muscle!"

Jiang Sen couldn't help but laugh.

Bai Qiang laughed so hard he couldn't squat down, so he simply sat on the ground, pointed at Wang Dajiang and said, "Look at you, how did you get so fat under such difficult conditions? You should lose some weight first!"

Wang Dajiang said with a bitter face, "I've been like this since I was a child. I gain weight even from drinking cold water. When I was at home, the neighbors even suspected that my dad was stealing meat from the meat processing plant to give me extra meals. But I'm lucky if I can eat meat once a month. My dad is the gatekeeper of the meat processing plant."

Meat processing plants are good jobs; the wages are high, and you can get some scraps every now and then.

But it's tough for the gatekeepers; they're lucky if they get two ounces of meat a month.

Just because Wang Dajiang's grandfather had once pulled a rickshaw for Xiao Rizi, he was dragged out and shot as an enemy agent, and his whole family was implicated.

In the end, it was only after his grandmother gritted her teeth and severed ties with his grandfather that things got a little better.

But his father's original job in the workshop turned into being a gatekeeper.

Wang Dajiang's mother always brings this up, saying that she only agreed to let him marry her because he worked at the meat processing plant.

Now, things are really messed up. We see pork running around every day, but we never see it run into our own house.

Wang Dajiang could have taken over his father's job, but he didn't want to continue guarding the gate, nor did he want to listen to his mother's constant nagging, so he directly signed up to support the Great Northern Wilderness.

Bai Qiang and Jiang Sen were dumbfounded, but there was nothing strange about it.

In that era, anything could happen.

Especially Wang Dajiang's grandfather, who was hired to pull a rickshaw for a nobody, whether he had betrayed his country or not, no one could say for sure.

These things are hard to explain.

Ma Weiguo remained silent, but he heard the entire conversation between the three of them and remembered it.

The meal was ready: corn porridge, cornbread, and Jiang Sen's homemade pickled vegetables. Everyone ate with great relish.

After eating, Zhang Jianjun took out two yuan from his pocket and placed ten jin of grain coupons on the water vat.

"Alright, let's go!" Zhang Jianjun said.

Everyone shouldered their luggage and left the hunter's cabin with their suitcases.

They were pleasantly surprised to see two horse-drawn carriages on the road outside.

"Put all the luggage in one car!" Luo Yongcai shouted. "Everyone should sit in one car!"

Seeing that they had all put their luggage on the back of a horse-drawn carriage and there was still some space, Zhang Jianjun said, "Female educated youth, sit on the luggage; male educated youth, sit in the front!"

And so, the two horse-drawn carriages set off towards the forest farm.

Jiang Sen sat on the edge of the carriage, swaying back and forth with it.

I have never felt so comfortable riding in a horse-drawn carriage.

The three female educated youths behind them sat on everyone's luggage, and eventually just lay down and started chattering away.

Luo Yongcai was driving the carriage when Zhang Jianjun sat next to him, speaking in a low voice.

A carriage is faster than two legs, and what was originally a five-day journey was completed in just two days, without encountering the pack of wolves along the way.

Upon arriving near the forest farm, we saw a road built along the mountainside, extending all the way up the mountain.

"See that?" Luo Yong turned around and said to the educated youth behind him, "This path is the log ditch! Once the logs fall, they'll slide down this path with a whoosh. See that over there?"

He pointed to the left side of the log-laying path, where there were many piles of wood.

"That's the lumber mill. The timber that comes down from the mountain is stored here, and a train will come to pick it up later."

Upon hearing this, everyone craned their necks to look in that direction.

Ma Weiguo even helped Bai Qiang to his feet, asking, "Where is the train?"

"It's behind the log! Hehe, you can't see it from here, you have to go down to see it!" Luo Yongcai cracked his whip, "Almost home!"

After settling in, the group craned their necks to look ahead.

The carriage had traveled a short distance along this road when it turned onto a side road.

The brigade headquarters of the forest farm was located in an open space inside.

Jiang Sen looked at the familiar scene and felt a little excited, so he also strained to look ahead.

A row of log cabins appeared, with people walking around in front of them, and smoke billowing from the chimney next to the house on the far right.

"The captain is back!" someone shouted from the doorway.

Zhang Jianjun chuckled and replied, "You're back!" He then jumped off the carriage and turned to the other educated youth, saying, "Alright, we're here. Grab your things and follow me!"

Jiang Sen and the others jumped off the carriage and went to the carriage behind to get their luggage.

The three female educated youths were also very happy and offered their help.

Several people, carrying large and small bags, followed Zhang Jianjun and Luo Yongcai toward the house.

Walking to the very edge of the row of houses, to the door furthest from the smoke, Zhang Jianjun pushed it open. "Put your things here, and we'll meet at the canteen!"