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

"Sister Fan, what kind of time is this to make fun of me!"

Hearing Sister Fan tease her, Hu Lili pouted, a hint of resentment in her eyes. Suddenly, as if remembering something, her eyes lit up: "Oh, right, Sister Fan, aren't you the Women's Director? How about I become your assistant!"

Long Lifan: "..." Her words left Long Lifan speechless.

Do you want to hear what you're saying? I'm just a village women's director with an assistant. What are the brigade leader and the party secretary supposed to think?

"I'm afraid that won't work..."

Long Lifan shook her head. The position of Women's Director sounds nice, but it mainly involves helping commune members resolve some family conflicts. Especially in rural areas, this position is dispensable; otherwise, Dongwan Brigade wouldn't have left it vacant for several years.

"Alright, don't be so unhappy. I have some good news for you." Seeing Hu Lili's drooping head, Long Lifan recounted what the captain had just told them.

"That's great!"

When Hu Lili heard that they wouldn't have to work in the fields this autumn harvest, she was so excited she almost jumped for joy. She rushed into Long Lifan's arms, her face beaming with childlike happiness. Long Lifan smiled and hugged her back; they looked at each other and smiled, as if all their worries had vanished.

To be honest, people with Hu Lili's personality really live happily. She was full of worries just a moment ago, but now she's all smiles.

Jiang Nian'an and Lin Yue stood to the side, watching Hu Lili's expression, and couldn't help but laugh. They recalled the hardship of harvesting wheat a few months ago; the exhaustion and tension still made them shudder. Now that they could get through the autumn harvest easily, the two were naturally overjoyed.

Liu Pandi stood at the back, watching the group of people laughing and chatting ahead, feeling a mixture of envy and sadness. However, she remembered that her family situation was different from theirs, and she desperately needed work points to exchange for food rations.

Therefore, she wasn't so averse to working in the fields. After all, although the autumn harvest was tiring, the work points were quite high. Moreover, hearing Long, a fellow educated youth, say that there would be chicken soup to drink after the harvest soothed her discomfort. Looking at her friends' smiles, she was gradually infected by their joy and a smile appeared on her face.

Her emotional changes naturally caught Long Lifan's attention. In her previous life, she grew up in an orphanage, where she learned independence and resilience. After graduating from university, she established her own studio and frequently negotiated contracts, thus developing an extraordinary ability to observe emotions.

Perhaps due to her upbringing, Liu Pandi was a naturally quiet person. During the more than six months she spent in the countryside, the two barely exchanged a few words. However, based on her observation, Liu Pandi was a kind and grateful girl. Knowing she was getting the better deal on food when she was with Hu Lili and the others, she usually did more and said less; she even helped clean Hu Lili's yard.

There were many people like Liu Pandi in that era, since they were all sent-down youth together. Long Lifan sincerely hoped that she could have a good life and not become like the "Fan Shengmei" that later generations often talked about.

...One morning

"Clang clang clang"

The urgent sound of gongs echoed over Dongwan Brigade, breaking the morning's tranquility. The sound roused the sleeping commune members and educated youth, letting them know that the day for harvesting corn had arrived. They quickly got up, busied themselves, starting fires and cooking, preparing for the arduous work that lay ahead.

Long Lifan and several other educated youths got up without delay. Although they weren't working in the fields, they were responsible for making soup for the whole team. It was a considerable task, so they had to start preparing as soon as they finished breakfast. She chose the brigade headquarters as the location for making the soup, where several large pots and stoves quietly awaited their arrival. These stoves were said to have been built during the communal dining era, and were now perfectly suited for making soup.

The air was filled with the smell of cooking smoke in the early morning. When the gong sounded again, the commune members and educated youth who had eaten breakfast rushed out to welcome the upcoming autumn harvest.

When Long Lifan led Hu Lili and Jiang Nian'an to the brigade headquarters, Aunt Zhou was already waiting there. Beside her stood two young women who seemed a little shy, lowering their heads when they saw the female educated youth. They were wearing loose cotton-padded clothes, their bellies clearly protruding, indicating they were several months pregnant.

Unlike later generations, pregnant women in this era were still required to participate in labor. There's a saying: In this era, women were used like men, and men were used like livestock.

Especially during the harvest season, everyone has to work, and Lin Guodong was thinking that since they were heavily pregnant, he wanted to find them an easier job.

Now that everyone was present, Long Lifan quickly began assigning tasks. She directed them efficiently; some were responsible for fetching water, while others busied themselves cleaning the stove and pots. Zhou Genwang, the only man present, was entrusted with the important task of chopping wood.

Two pregnant young women stood to one side, their bellies bulging. Long Lifan looked at them and felt a little scared. Fearing they would get tired, she assigned them the easy task of tending the fire.

Afterwards, Long Lifan took Lin Yue to the chicken farm and carefully selected eight plump roosters. However, when they brought the roosters back, a new problem arose—who would kill them? Everyone looked at each other, hesitant to make the first move. Even the usually carefree Lin Yue seemed somewhat hesitant, perhaps because she was genuinely afraid, or perhaps because she had raised these chickens from a young age and felt an unbreakable bond with them.

At this moment, Aunt Zhou, who was fetching water nearby, saw this and without saying a word, took the kitchen knife, raised her hand and brought it down. The rooster let out a mournful cry and fell to the ground.

The group exchanged glances, also amazed by Aunt Zhou's efficiency. They then stopped thinking about it and got to work, pouring hot water and plucking feathers.

Aunt Zhou skillfully chopped the roosters into small pieces and then placed them into several large pots. Thinking that they would soon be able to enjoy fragrant chicken soup, everyone's faces lit up with anticipation, their eyes fixed on the pots that were heating up.

However, Long Lifan frowned slightly, thinking to herself: Although these eight roosters seem like a lot, they might be a bit insufficient to distribute among all the members of the Dongwan Brigade.

Seeing Long Lifan's furrowed brows, Aunt Zhou asked with concern, "What's wrong, Long Zhiqing? Is something on your mind?" Long Lifan sighed and said, "There's still not enough stuff. I'm afraid it won't be enough to go around. By the way, Aunt Zhou, do you know anyone who has jujubes and goji berries? Also, I'd like some radishes; they'll make the chicken soup more nourishing."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhou immediately laughed: "Ha, I thought it was something important! I have all of these at home. I have some jujubes and goji berries stored at home, and I've also planted quite a few radishes in my own plot. Wait here, I'll go get them for you right away!" After saying that, Aunt Zhou turned around and went out, walking quickly towards her home.

Long Lifan and the others went to help, and together they quickly filled a large basket with mulch from Aunt Zhou's plot of land. After they finished, Long Lifan reminded them to remember to ask the team for compensation later. Although Aunt Zhou smiled and said it wasn't necessary, Long Lifan didn't want her to suffer a loss.