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

"Sister Fan, listen to what Zhao Xiaodong is saying! He's so shameless! Who's even friends with him?"

Hu Lili hid behind a haystack, gritting her teeth in anger. She gripped Long Lifan's sleeve tightly, her eyes wide, staring angrily at Zhao Xiaodong, who was talking to Liu Pandi not far away.

Long Lifan gently patted the back of her hand, signaling her to calm down: "Wait a minute, let's see what they're up to." A sharp glint flashed in her eyes, clearly not expecting that Zhao Xiaodong and Xia Aiguo, who had just been reprimanded by them yesterday, would shamelessly come to the village today.

Although Hu Lili was unwilling, she had no choice but to suppress her anger and quietly observe the situation with Sister Fan. She secretly vowed that if Zhao Xiaodong dared to talk nonsense again, she would teach him a lesson.

However, Zhao Xiaodong seemed to have prepared this explanation beforehand. A calculating glint flashed in his eyes, and a seemingly concerned smile appeared on his lips. "I was just thinking that Lili is shy and embarrassed to ask for help with some things, so I'm taking the liberty of asking you if she needs any assistance lately. We used to be such good friends, I really can't bear to see her suffer any injustice..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Pandi gently shook her head, her eyes filled with determination. "No, Lili is perfectly fine. Besides, with Long Zhiqing around, even if she really has any problems, it's not your place to worry about them!"

Zhao Xiaodong was surprised that Liu Pandi rejected him so readily. His expression changed slightly, and he immediately retorted, "Liu Zhiqing, you're going too far with your words. Long Zhiqing is capable, but she's still just a woman. Can she solve all the problems? Besides, we've been friends with Lili for a long time, so it's only right that we show some concern."

Upon hearing this, Liu Pandi smiled faintly, her eyes filled with confidence and pride. "But Long Zhiqing is now the village secretary of our Dongwan Village!"

"Who?" Xia Aiguo, who was standing to the side, stared wide-eyed at the words, his face full of disbelief. "Long Zhiqing? The village party secretary? How is that possible!" He rubbed his ears hard, as if he wondered if he had misheard.

Zhao Xiaodong was also stunned, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses. He looked at Liu Pandi suspiciously, "Liu Zhiqing, are you sure you're not joking with us? A former educated youth can become the village party secretary..."

He couldn't help but think to himself that if Long, the educated youth, really became the Party Secretary of Dongwan Village, then Hu Lili might indeed no longer need his help. Thinking back to how Long had so bluntly confronted him at the commune yesterday, he couldn't help but marvel at how capable a young girl could be.

Xia Aiguo finally snapped out of his shock and looked at Liu Pandi eagerly, asking, "Liu Zhiqing, can you tell us in detail how Long Zhiqing became the village party secretary?" His eyes sparkled with curiosity and longing.

“Great…” Liu Pandi’s face was full of admiration when she mentioned Long Lifan. She talked at length about Long Lifan’s great achievements in recent days, leaving Xia Aiguo and Zhao Xiaodong dumbfounded.

"Liu Zhiqing, we'll head back now..." Xia Aiguo's words carried a hint of helplessness as he gently waved goodbye to Liu Pandi. It seemed that staying any longer would only create more awkwardness.

On the way back, Xia Aiguo and Zhao Xiaodong exchanged a glance. They were silent for a moment, but their eyes shone with determination.

That afternoon, an indomitable force surged in the Qingmiao Brigade's educated youth settlement. Zhao Xiaodong and Xia Aiguo led them in a sudden protest in the brigade.

"What are you doing? What are you doing?" Wang Dezhu, the captain of Qingmiao Brigade, rushed over angrily and shouted. His eyes were sharp and quickly locked onto Zhao Xiaodong in the crowd. "Hmph, Zhao, you've only just arrived in the countryside, and you're already thinking of causing trouble?"

Then, his finger turned to Xia Aiguo, "And you, Xia, you've been a sent-down youth for a year now, how come you're joining Zhao in making a fuss?"

Xia Aiguo shrank back in fear at Wang Dezhu's roar, but the thought of the treatment of the educated youth in the neighboring village gave him renewed courage. He straightened his back and said firmly, "Captain, we're not causing trouble; we just want to fight for the rights that all the educated youth here deserve. We work so hard every day, why is it that all the good things in the village don't apply to us? We're not having it!"

Wang Dezhu narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Xia Aiguo, his tone carrying a hint of threat: "Then tell me, what exactly do you want?" The surrounding air seemed to freeze, everyone nervously awaiting Xia Aiguo's answer.

Xia Aiguo took a deep breath, looked at Wang Dezhu with a firm gaze, and said loudly, "I think that since we have been sent to Qingmiao Brigade, we are part of Qingmiao Brigade. We educated youth should also have the right to participate in village affairs. For example, the number of teachers and the positions of cadres should be given to the capable, not excluded just because we are educated youth."

However, the surrounding villagers laughed when they heard this, saying that he was simply daydreaming. A sent-down youth wanting to join the village committee? What a pipe dream!

Hearing the voices of the surrounding villagers, Wang Dezhu smiled with satisfaction. He glanced at Xia Aiguo and said, "Xia, you've seen it yourself, the villagers all disagree. Besides, there's no precedent in any village around here for letting educated youth join the village committee. Aren't you making things difficult for me?"

Xia Aiguo, however, did not back down. He straightened his back and retorted loudly, "Who says there's no precedent? The Dongwan Brigade next door has one! They not only have educated youth serving as teachers, but also as Party branch secretaries. If they can do it, why can't we? Today, if the brigade leader doesn't give us educated youth a reasonable explanation, we will report this to higher authorities, saying that you are discriminating against us intellectuals!"

"A former educated youth is serving as the Party Secretary in the Dongwan Brigade next door?" Wang Dezhu's heart tightened. He stared at Xia Aiguo, and after confirming that the other party was not bluffing, he couldn't help but curse inwardly. What on earth is that old fox Lin Guodong up to? How could he let a former educated youth serve as the Party Secretary? Isn't this blatantly trying to embarrass me?

Wang Dezhu suppressed his anger and forced a smile as he advised the educated youth, "Go back first today, and I will definitely give you an answer tomorrow."

That afternoon, Wang Dezhu rushed to Dongwan Village. After some investigation, he discovered that what Xia Aiguo had said was true. What shocked him even more was that Dongwan Brigade had not only built a chicken farm but also a pig farm. He quietly inquired and learned that all of this was driven by a young intellectual surnamed Long.

Wang Dezhu returned to Qingmiao Brigade with mixed feelings. He never imagined that so many changes had quietly taken place in the neighboring Dongwan Brigade, and he had been completely unaware of them. Previously, the two villages were roughly equal, neither thriving more than the other, but now…