Time Travel: Volume 1! Starting from a Small Mountain Village

"Is this year's harvest exceptionally good?" Upon hearing Secretary Miao's words of good news, the commune members began to discuss among themselves. An old man stroked his beard and speculated.

"Maybe the higher-ups are going to give us subsidies again!" a young man exclaimed excitedly.

"Maybe the village is hiring for some position again!" a woman said hopefully.

Everyone chattered amongst themselves, their faces beaming with anticipation and joy. Although the specific good news was still unknown, this anticipation and discussion had already filled the village with vitality and hope.

"cough cough"

Secretary Miao coughed lightly a few times, cleared his throat, and signaled everyone to quiet down.

"What I want to say is: After discussion, our village committee has decided to launch a literacy campaign in the village. Every day from 6 to 7 pm, there will be someone at the brigade headquarters to teach everyone to read. We hope everyone will actively participate and respond."

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the crowd did not become noisy, but rather a little quiet, followed by a few barely perceptible sighs.

Disappointment was written all over the faces of the villagers. They had thought that the "good news" the Party Secretary had mentioned would be about improving their living conditions, increasing their income, or that the village would be recruiting for some new positions.

They hadn't expected that it would be about learning to read and write. Some of the older folks began to complain in hushed tones: "I thought it was something good, but this is all? What's the use of learning to read? Our ancestors were illiterate for generations, and they still lived just fine."

Although the younger generation understood the importance of literacy, the long hours of daily labor had already exhausted them both physically and mentally, and they were resistant to what the Party Secretary was saying: "We come home from work every day exhausted, like dogs, how can we have the energy to learn this? We'd rather lie in bed for a while and feel more comfortable."

Some women were also complaining: "Look at those educated youth, they've been educated enough, but they still have to work in the fields just like us."

When Secretary Miao heard the villagers' discussions, he seemed to have already anticipated this outcome. He looked in Long Lifan's direction and showed a helpless expression.

"Hey…"

As Long Lifan listened to the villagers' discussions below, a soft sigh escaped her lips. Even though she had anticipated that carrying out literacy campaigns in the village wouldn't be easy, hearing it with her own ears made her truly understand how resistant the villagers were to learning to read.

So she walked a few steps to Secretary Miao's side and then said loudly, "Fellow villagers, I have heard your discussion just now. The reason why you are so resistant to the literacy campaign is that you think reading and writing are useless, and you think that you are too tired to come to work every day."

"Actually, you're all wrong. The purpose of teaching you to read is not to impart a great deal of knowledge, but to broaden your horizons through literacy. Knowledge changes destiny; this is absolutely not an empty phrase."

"After you learn to read, you can find some planting techniques in books. Not to mention anything else, I believe everyone is already familiar with the manure fermentation tank in the village, which I learned about by reading books. You can ask the brigade leader and others whether the fertilizer produced by the fermentation tank is much better for the crops in the fields."

"Of course, being literate has more benefits than just that. Look at our village cadres, aren't they all educated? If they were illiterate, could they have become village cadres? Even factories in the county or commune require literate workers to be hired, don't they?"

"I'm not saying this to make you envious of them, but to tell you a truth. Literacy allows us to understand policies, distinguish right from wrong, and prevents us from being limited by illiteracy and missing out on many opportunities."

In the village committee office, Long Lifan sat silently in her seat. Secretary Miao quickly handed her a glass of water, then said with a smile, "Long, don't be discouraged. We cadres support you. At worst, when we launch the literacy campaign in the future, I'll bring my whole family to support you."

Long Lifan: ? ? ?

Oh dear, Secretary Miao, how did you get the idea that I was angry? I just said too much and my throat is sore. Besides, what's there to be angry about?

Taking the water bottle from Secretary Miao, Long Lifan didn't hesitate and drank several mouthfuls in quick succession. She had talked too much earlier, and her throat was parched; she desperately needed some water to replenish it.

"Thank you for your support, Secretary Miao, but it's not necessary. You can't force things. What I hope is that everyone can accept this willingly and take the initiative to learn."

"It's difficult to get them to learn on their own initiative!"

Upon hearing Long Zhiqing's words, Secretary Miao's brows furrowed deeply, and he let out a low, slow sigh.

"Is it difficult?"

Long Lifan narrowed her eyes, a plan flashing through her mind. She believed that in the future, the other members would be eager to learn from her. She had absolute confidence in her ability to manipulate people.

Long Lifan first went to find a few commune members and educated youth who had been selected as teachers. Since the school had not officially started classes yet and they had nothing to do, she decided to let them teach the commune members first, which would also serve as a form of early training.

Then Long Lifan went to see Yang Qianqian and Lin Yue, saying that she wanted to carry out a literacy campaign, but she felt that simply teaching everyone to read was not enough. For example, Yang Qianqian could impart some medical and health knowledge, which would be of great significance in improving the health of the commune members and reducing the risk of disease.

As for Lin Yue, she can now share her experience working at the chicken farm, which will be helpful for everyone raising poultry in the future.

"Comrade Lin, I have something I'd like to discuss with you."

Finally, Long Lifan approached Lin Weihong, feeling that the members were lacking in recreational activities. Since Lin Weihong enjoyed singing and dancing, she should showcase her talents. This would not only give her a chance to demonstrate her abilities but also add a splash of color to the otherwise dull and monotonous work of the group.

"What is it, Long Zhiqing?"

Long Lifan whispered her thoughts into Lin Weihong's ear, and after a moment, Lin Weihong's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"Of course it's true, but this needs to be kept secret for now."

"I understand." Lin Weihong nodded like a little chick, feeling great that she finally had a chance to show herself.

Back home, Long Lifan dragged her weary body to her bed, carefully considering whether her plan needed any additions. In her past life, she always did things this way; whenever she lay in bed, she would review the day's events to identify and fill any gaps.

This problem has been with me since childhood, from my past life to time travel, and now it has become a habit.

"Rumble"

"........."

Thunder rumbled, shattering the silence of the night and interrupting her thoughts. Long Lifan lay in bed, listening to the deafening roar. The relentless rain pounded against the tiles, each drop seemingly telling a story, offering her a sliver of solace in the cacophony of the rainy night.

This seemed to be the first downpour she had experienced since transmigrating. If it weren't for the darkness of night, Long Lifan would have loved to experience firsthand the feeling of being washed by the rain.