Reborn in 1977, starting with severing ties with family.

After putting his luggage on the overhead luggage rack, Jiang Sen sat down in a window seat.

He was sitting with three men.

The three introduced themselves to each other: one was named Zhang Zhiqiang, one was named Wang Jianguo, and the other was named Feng Chao.

Jiang Sen remembered Feng Chao; they had worked on the same farm in their previous life, and Feng Chao had arrived there earlier than Jiang Sen.

I never imagined we'd end up spending this lifetime together.

This person is a bit clever, loves to brag, likes to take advantage of others, enjoys peeping at female educated youths when they go to the toilet, is timid and cowardly, and also likes to write letters of denunciation behind their backs.

He also reported Jiang Sen, saying that he had an affair with a female educated youth from the forest farm.

During the time spent in the countryside, having casual relationships with women was a very serious matter. In fact, on his way back from getting food, Jiang Sen encountered a female educated youth who had sprained her ankle. Jiang Sen helped her back, and Feng Chao was in love with that female educated youth.

After the investigation was completed, Jiang Sen had been detained for three days. The first thing he did after being released was to pin Feng Chao down in the snowy woods and beat him up.

Seeing his overly friendly face now, trying to get close to everyone, makes me want to slap him.

He was very cold to Feng Chao, but Feng Chao seemed not to notice at all, and continued to chat warmly, occasionally asking him a question as if he were taking care of Jiang Sen.

Across from him stood Zhang Zhiqiang, a dark-skinned, muscular man of short stature, wearing blue clothes covered in patches, and his rubber shoes were also mended.

He grinned before saying a word, looking quite honest and simple, seemingly happy to have made friends even before going to the countryside.

Wang Jianguo, sitting next to Zhang Zhiqiang, was also facing Jiang Sen by the window, with a faint smile on his face. He didn't say much, and his eyes held an unnoticed aloofness.

He was wearing a faded blue Zhongshan suit, very clean, and didn't look like a child from an ordinary family; he had a strong scholarly air about him.

He noticed Jiang Sen looking at him, and when they met eyes, they both understood what the other was thinking. They smiled at each other without saying anything and looked out the window.

August is the height of summer, and it's not cold in Northeast China. However, the place they were going to was in the Greater Khingan Mountains, where the temperature wasn't very high, and sometimes it would snow at the end of August.

The train was slow, stopping at every station. Many people got on, but few got off. Soon, the aisle was full of people, some even sitting on their luggage and dozing off against the seats.

Gradually, when it was time to eat, some people took out the dry food they had brought and started eating.

Feng Chao also took out a steamed bun, and feeling a little embarrassed not to offer some, he asked, "I brought some dry food, would you like some?"

Zhang Zhiqiang quickly waved his hand, "I brought it myself, I brought it!"

Jiang Sen also opened his bag. When he got on the bus, Aunt Zhao had given him six cornbreads. Yesterday, he had also gone to the state-run restaurant and bought more than a dozen large steamed buns.

Wang Jianguo also took out a lunchbox containing fried dough sticks.

Jiang Sen looked at Wang Jianguo and asked if he wanted a steamed bun.

He hesitated for a moment, then handed over the lunchbox, saying, "I'll trade you a pancake for one."

Jiang Sen didn't stand on ceremony. He took out a fried dough stick, took a bite, and nodded with a smile, "Delicious!"

Wang Jianguo laughed, "My mom made them, the buns too..." He took a bite, found they were filled with meat, and didn't continue.

Zhang Zhiqiang took out a cornbread and a small bottle, scooped out two pieces of pickled vegetables and put them in the cornbread, then ate it with gusto.

Feng Chao felt a little embarrassed. He turned to the side, biting into his steamed bun, and looked out the window on the other side.

Jiang Sen chuckled to himself and looked up to chat with Wang Jianguo.

"Your mother's cooking is amazing!"

Wang Jianguo's smile became much more sincere. "Yes, we can only eat this during the Spring Festival. This time when I went to the countryside, she baked a big lunchbox for me and told me to eat it sparingly so that I could make it to the farm."

Jiang Sen nodded and patted his bag. "It's okay, I still have some. If the two of us eat sparingly, we can definitely make it."

Zhang Zhiqiang was eating cornbread and pickled vegetables, and it looked quite delicious. The key was the way he ate; he took big bites, making it seem like what he had tasted better than what you had.

He said with a smile, "My mom pickled all the vegetables herself. She brought them all with me when I went to the countryside this time. She said that if there wasn't enough salt, the pickled vegetables would be fine."

Jiang Sen reached out and handed him a steamed bun. "Here, I'll trade you two pieces of pickled vegetables."

"No need to change it, you can eat it!" Zhang Zhiqiang put half a cornbread in his mouth and took out a glass jar of pickled vegetables from his bag.

The glass jar was a canning jar, and it wasn't very big. By the standards of my previous life, this jar would be enough for several people to each have a chopstick.

But at this time of year, it's just a dish that every household has, but they eat it sparingly, since you need ration coupons to buy salt.

Jiang Sen didn't take much; he reached out and grabbed a piece that looked like pickled vegetable roots.

After taking the food, he gestured to Wang Jianguo, who didn't stand on ceremony. He took a piece and handed the lunchbox to Zhang Zhiqiang, saying, "I'll trade you some fried dough sticks."

"No, no, really no!" Zhang Zhiqiang was actually a little embarrassed. He put the bottle in his bag, his face slightly red.

"Here! Eat mine first!" Jiang Sen shoved the steamed bun into his hand. "From now on, we'll all be together, so let's take care of each other!"

Zhang Zhiqiang's face turned completely red. He accepted the steamed bun, but couldn't bear to eat it, so he put it in his bag.

Seeing their humility, Feng Chao felt envious and even more covetous, but it would be abrupt to speak up now. He stubbornly continued eating his steamed buns, trying to save face.

"By the way, do you all know where you've been assigned?" Wang Jianguo suddenly asked.

"Isn't it Hongqi Farm?" Jiang Sen asked, somewhat puzzled. "Didn't the officer who saw us off at the train station say we were all from the same place?"

"There are several production brigades under Hongqi Farm."

Jiang Sen knew all this, but many things had changed in his past and present lives, and he couldn't be sure if he would be able to go to the same place as in his previous life this time.

He shook his head. "I don't know."

Zhang Zhiqiang, of course, had no idea either, and just listened with a smile.

Feng Chao finally had a chance to interject and immediately said, "I heard that some of us might be assigned to the forestry farm under the Red Flag Farm to cut down trees!"

"A forest farm?" Jiang Sen's mind raced. "Are you sure?"

Feng Chao said, "We'll know the specific arrangements once we get there. With so many people, it's impossible to send everyone there. I've heard that the forest farm is the most arduous, deep in the Greater Khingan Mountains. Just walking there takes ten days or so, and we might even get lost!"

A hint of worry appeared in Wang Jianguo's eyes.

Zhang Zhiqiang's mouth dropped open. "Huh? We still have to travel for another ten days or so? Then, then..."

Feng Chao smiled smugly and said to Zhang Zhiqiang, "Don't worry, we'll get on good terms with the team leader at the forest farm. If we want to get out, we can take a sled."

"Sledge?"

Zhang Zhiqiang seemed to be hearing about this for the first time and was very curious.

The more this happened, the more enthusiastic Feng Chao became, and soon all the educated youth around him gathered around.

Jiang Sen whispered to Wang Jianguo, "Don't worry, just listen to his bragging! If he gets assigned over there too, won't he look like he's eaten shit?"

Wang Jianguo turned his head and grinned at the window.

The two exchanged a knowing glance and continued listening to Feng Chao's boasting.

"Do you know what a heavy snowfall is? It means the snow is as high as a person, making it impossible to get out. Only horse-drawn sleds can travel on it!"

A female educated youth in a green military uniform asked, "Sleds are pulled by horses. If people can't walk on them, how can horses?"

A brief silence fell over the area. Feng Chao awkwardly tried to cover it up, "Haha, I don't know. I guess the people over there have a way!"

Several people, upon hearing this, realized he was exaggerating and turned away with disdain, leaving only a few curious young women still leaning on their chairs, asking questions.

Jiang Sen turned his head and saw a familiar face, and was stunned for a moment.

It turns out to be Shao Jiajia, the woman who was the one Feng Chao wrote the whistleblower letter to accuse Jiang Sen of having illicit relationships.