Reborn in 1977, starting with severing ties with family.

Wang Dajiang had an upset stomach, but he couldn't resist eating a lot.

Ma Weiguo ate the roe deer meat, but his face remained grim.

Inside Xie Renzhu's tent, the air was thick with the stench of sweat, and the clothes and blankets were a mess, just like a garbage dump.

There's a pit in the middle, just like the one outside, which we used for heating and cooking during the winter.

After dinner, it was already past midnight. Jiang Sen and Wang Dajiang, along with Sui Zhongliang and Tong Changshun, enjoyed the cadre treatment and moved into the wooden cabin.

The wooden house looks alright from the outside, but it's very dilapidated inside. The heated platform bed is also made of wood and looks a bit like a Korean heated platform bed.

It's very short, with rows of logs neatly arranged, but it's a bit uncomfortable to sleep on.

Although it was a wooden house, it wasn't much better than Xie Renzhu, and it was drafty from all sides in winter.

Then everyone used mud to coat the gaps in the wood.

Jiang Sen slept soundly that night, still sleeping in the spot against the wall.

The next morning, after eating another meal of congee and steamed buns with vegetables, Sui Zhongliang and Tong Changshun left five jin of grain coupons for Zhang Shaowen each, and then set off with Jiang Sen and Wang Dajiang.

Ma Weiguo stood at the edge of the wooden house, watching Jiang Sen and Wang Dajiang leave, his thoughts unreadable.

Five hours later, when they arrived at the second shift, since it was still early, Tong Changshun and Wang Dajiang stayed for a meal, leaving behind five jin of grain coupons before leaving.

Jiang Sen looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar surroundings and felt a surge of emotions.

We're finally back!

This place is similar to Class 1, with a wooden hut and two slanted pillars. When Jiang Sen arrived, it was quiet here; everyone had gone out to work.

"Put your luggage in the cabin first, and when they come back, see which tent still has room," Sui Zhongliang said to Jiang Sen. "If you're tired, go to the cabin and take a nap. You can go work with them tomorrow."

Jiang Sen nodded without saying anything.

Sui Zhongliang sat on the steps in front of the door, wiping his gun. "Our class usually works with the first and third classes. They are responsible for logging, and we are responsible for cutting off the branches on the trees to make it easier for the third class to clear the mountain."

The three classes lived far apart, but they worked together. Every day, everyone had to walk a long way to work, setting off before dawn and returning after dark.

Everyone prepares their meals in the morning, packs a meal, and then tries to find a way to eat something else after they return.

But many people only eat two meals a day.

After cleaning the gun, Sui Zhongliang turned around, put it in the cabinet in the wooden house, and locked it. After coming out, he picked up the roe deer he had been allocated and said to Jiang Sen, "Since we're here today, they'll definitely come back for dinner. Come on, let's go deal with this and also find out where the water source is."

Jiang Sen knew where the water source was, of course, but he couldn't say. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Do you have a kitchen knife?"

Sui Zhongliang chuckled, "Here's one, go get it!"

Jiang Sen entered the cabin and saw a kitchen knife on the windowsill. It was so worn that it was only half its original size.

He still had a gun he brought from home in his luggage, so there was no need to take it out now.

He casually picked up the water bucket, took out a carrying pole from behind the door, and followed Sui Zhongliang down the side.

Sui Zhongliang chuckled when he saw him carrying the water buckets. "Good job! You have a good eye! No wonder the captain keeps praising you and saying I'm lucky! Keep up the good work!"

Jiang Sen laughed too, "I'm used to doing this at home."

Sui Zhongliang didn't feel that anything was wrong.

Many of the educated youth came from rural areas, and even those from the city could do some housework.

Jiang Sen originally thought that carrying water would be an easy job.

But he forgot that he was only nineteen years old after his rebirth. He was carrying a water bucket, swaying back and forth, and no matter how he switched shoulders, he couldn't find the feeling from his previous life.

Sui Zhongliang put the roe deer meat into the water bucket, took the carrying pole, and said, "Let me do it. Don't roll down the mountain and I'll have to go find you again!"

Jiang Sen felt a little embarrassed and followed Sui Zhongliang forward.

There's a downhill slope ahead, then an uphill slope, and around the bend there's a stream.

People usually fetch water from here and wash their clothes here.

Upon arrival, Sui Zhongliang began cleaning the roe deer meat, scraping off the hair with a kitchen knife while it was still wet.

Jiang Sen had nothing to do, so he saw some wild vegetables nearby, picked a large handful, washed them, and put them in a water bucket.

Sui Zhongliang was slicing roe deer meat on a stone with a kitchen knife when he said to Jiang Sen, "There are mushrooms on top, do you recognize them?"

“I know him!” Jiang Sen said, walking upstairs.

In August, the mushrooms are mainly hazel mushrooms and red mushrooms. When fresh mushrooms are stir-fried with plenty of oil, they taste just like meat, which is both fragrant and satisfying.

When he returned with a cloth bag full of red mushrooms, Sui Zhongliang had already divided the roe deer meat and placed it over the wild vegetables, while another water bucket was filled with water.

"A good harvest!" He gestured to Sui Zhongliang.

Sui Zhongliang picked up the carrying pole and said, "Let's go back! We'll give everyone an extra meal tonight."

The work of the second shift looks easy; it's just cutting down tree branches, which women can do. But working continuously like that is exhausting.

However, their class was slightly easier than the other two classes, so they had the fewest students, only twelve.

Now, including Jiang Sen, there are thirteen.

Back at the Second Platoon's camp, Sui Zhongliang started a fire to cook.

Boil the roe deer meat in a pot until it's almost done, then add mushrooms and wild vegetables.

Jiang Sen took out the remaining cornbread. "Squad leader, steam them all!"

"You're not keeping it for yourself?" Sui Zhongliang asked, somewhat surprised.

I saw him take out a few when we were in Class 3 before, but I didn't say much at the time. I thought he would keep the rest for himself.

I didn't expect them to bring them all out now.

"No, don't leave any!" Jiang Sen said. "Since we're adding extra food, let's add everything! We'll pick some more wild vegetables and mushrooms to make wild vegetable buns later."

Sui Zhongliang smiled, once again pleased with his good judgment.

When they were drawing lots, he silently prayed to himself, "Please don't draw a woman."

It's troublesome for women on the mountain. They're surrounded by a bunch of men, and sometimes they even walk around naked to save on clothes.

If it's a woman, she has to put on some clothes, and she can't wear too little.

Another issue is going to the toilet.

There are toilets all over the mountains and fields. If a woman comes, are we supposed to dig a toilet for her?

If anything else happens, just thinking about it makes me want to click my tongue.

"Consider this your food ration for this month, and we'll make up for it next month!"

Jiang Sen smiled and nodded, "Okay!"

Sui Zhongliang was also very happy because Jiang Sen, this young man, did not keep his food to himself and was open-minded and unpretentious.

Unlike the other older educated youth, who would hide and eat whatever food they had, he was different.

The roe deer meat was almost cooked, but the person who went out had not yet returned.

Sui Zhongliang asked, "Are you hungry? If you are, we'll eat first!"

Jiang Sen was indeed hungry.

Although I ate two meals today, both meals consisted of wild vegetable porridge and vegetable steamed buns.

If he hadn't contributed a few cornbreads, he probably would have been too hungry to walk by now.

"Captain, when will they be back?"

Sui Zhongliang looked up at the sky; it was already dark, and if it weren't for the fire, he wouldn't be able to see anything around him.

He said, "It should be soon!"

Jiang Sen thought for a moment, then ran back to the cabin, took out the wine flask, and placed it in front of him. "I bought it at the farm's supply and marketing cooperative."

Sui Zhongliang's eyes lit up. He took the wine flask, opened the stopper, and smelled it. His eyes lit up even more. "Shaodaozi?"

“Yes!” Jiang Sen nodded with a smile. “My neighbor used to fight the Russians in Northeast China. He said that back then it was winter, and you could kill ten people with a strong liquor! He also told me that if I came here, I should buy some strong liquor, even if I didn’t buy anything else.”

Sui Zhongliang nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, "So this wine bag was also given to you by him? Only we have this kind here!"

"No, I bought it from Sister Ma at the farm headquarters!"