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

In Hu Lili's heart, Sister Fan was an omnipotent being, so she always believed Sister Fan's words without a doubt.

Looking into Hu Lili's eyes, which were gleaming with intense light, Long Lifan inwardly groaned. Hu Lili had clearly taken her joke seriously; her expression suggested she was about to blurt out, "Sister Fan, quickly tell me, who exactly is my ideal husband?"

Long Lifan's heart tightened, thinking that if she really said this, it would become a huge joke.

She shook her head helplessly, reached out and gently tapped Hu Lili's head, her tone a mix of reproach and affection: "You actually believe that? Sometimes I really wonder if your brain is filled with straw?"

Hu Lili just smiled sheepishly, revealing two rows of white teeth: "Hehe, of course! My life motto is that everything Sister Fan says is the truth, and I never question it!"

Long Lifan was both amused and exasperated by her words, her heart filled with mixed feelings. Hu Lili, you could say she's not smart! She could see through Xia Aiguo and Zhao Xiaodong's ill intentions at a glance, but you could also say she's smart—she even believes she can tell fortunes?

She can be clever and quick-witted at times, and then so naive it's exasperating. She even speaks of her blind self-admiration with such self-righteousness, which is both infuriating and laughable.

"Alright, Lili, stop beating around the bush and tell me quickly, what is it that made you come all this way so early in the morning?" Long Lifan suppressed her smile. She knew Hu Lili's personality well, and if she continued teasing her, who knew what kind of joke would be made.

Seeing this, Hu Lili stopped being mysterious and said with a mysterious look, "Sister Fan, do you know? Last night, Zhou Changlin's old house collapsed!"

Upon hearing this, Long Lifan's heart tightened, and she quickly asked, "The house collapsed! What about Zhou Changlin? Is he alright?"

Hu Lili waved her hand, signaling her not to be nervous: "He's alright. I heard that he ran out as soon as the house collapsed last night. The brigade leader arrived in time and put him in the brigade headquarters. Early this morning, Zhou Huiji led the villagers to help, trying to dig out some usable things from the ruins. I went over to take a look, and Zhou Changlin was also digging things out down there."

Long Lifan felt somewhat relieved after hearing this. She knew that Zhou Changlin had been in a daze since the death of his wife and children. Perhaps this accident could help him emerge from the shadows of the past.

After all, sometimes people need to experience major upheavals to rediscover their direction and courage in life. She secretly prayed that this incident would be a turning point in Zhou Changlin's life.

Just as Long Lifan had guessed, from that day on, Zhou Lanhan seemed to have been reborn, his whole being transformed. He no longer lingered in bed, getting up before dawn every day, working diligently and enthusiastically, as if he had returned to the days when his wife and children were still alive. When he saw people in the village, he would take the initiative to greet them, his face beaming with a long-lost smile.

He even made a special trip to find Long Lifan, his eyes glistening with grateful tears: "Secretary Long, thank you. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would be buried under those ruins." Zhou Changlin still felt lingering fear when he recalled the harrowing scene that night.

He clearly remembered that it was the wooden pillar placed by Lin Guowei that delayed the time when the roof beam broke at the critical moment, saving his life; otherwise, he would have been dead long ago.

After learning the whole story, Long Lifan was filled with relief seeing Zhou Changlin's genuine change. She smiled and said, "If you want to thank someone, thank Captain Lin. Back then, when he helped you, you said he was meddling. But seeing you like this now, I'm really happy."

Zhou Changlin nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, I really should thank Guowei, he is my great benefactor. I will visit him later to express my gratitude. But I also want to thank you, Secretary Long, I know that this suggestion to repair the house was your idea."

Two days later, the sky finally cleared, and Dongwan Village returned to its usual hustle and bustle. The digging of the fishponds also began as scheduled amidst the villagers' eager anticipation.

Every day, the villagers worked tirelessly from dawn till dusk, wielding hoes and shovels. In the days before machinery, the difficulty of digging a fishpond of about 5 acres by hand was unimaginable.

Although the fishpond was located in a low-lying area, transporting the excavated soil was still a huge undertaking. The villagers carried the soil in baskets and hampers, one basket at a time, their clothes soaked with sweat, but no one complained.

Long Lifan saw this and felt sorry for everyone. She came out many times to persuade everyone to take a rest, but the members always smiled and shook their heads, saying that this little bit of hardship was nothing.

Because they firmly believed that as long as they followed Long Zhiqing, their future would definitely get better and better. This simplicity and resilience are the most precious assets of Dongwan Village.

The fishpond digging work in Dongwan Village was in full swing, a scene of bustling activity. But in the neighboring Qingmiao Brigade, Zhao Xiaodong and Xia Aiguo were experiencing a completely different situation.

When the two dragged their exhausted bodies back to the educated youth settlement, Zhao Xiaodong's face was terribly gloomy. As soon as he entered, he could no longer suppress his resentment and roared, "Ah, I can't take it anymore!"

Originally, after the fishpond issue was resolved, the two were overjoyed, thinking they could continue managing the fishpond. However, Wang Dezhu poured cold water on their hopes, coldly informing them that they didn't need to come to the fishpond the next day, as there would be new work arrangements.

This sudden turn of events left the two feeling as if they had fallen into an ice cave, their hearts filled with resentment and helplessness. What was even harder for Zhao Xiaodong and Xia Aiguo to accept was that when they arrived at the construction site the next morning, full of trepidation, they learned that their new job was—land reclamation.

That land, overgrown with weeds and littered with rocks, required immense endurance and perseverance to cultivate. Such strenuous work was usually not assigned to educated youth, as they had never done such arduous tasks before.

The two men were indignant and went to Wang Dezhu to protest. Zhao Xiaodong said with a face full of resentment, "Captain, we are educated youth, how can you make us go to reclaim wasteland?"

Xia Aiguo chimed in, "Yes, Captain, let us continue managing the fishpond. We've learned from our experience this time, and the same thing won't happen again."

Wang Dezhu glanced at them coldly, his tone carrying an unquestionable authority: "You still have the nerve to mention fishponds? Because of your ignorance, our village has suffered so much loss! This time, we sent you to reclaim the wasteland so that you could atone for your sins."

"You probably don't know this, but if I hadn't stopped you, the villagers would have come looking for trouble already. Whether you go or not is up to you..." Wang Dezhu didn't waste any more words with the two of them, leaving behind a harsh statement before departing.

Seeing the team leader's resolute attitude, Zhao Xiaodong and Xia Aiguo were worried that some villagers might cause them trouble, so they had no choice but to accept the task of clearing the land.

For Zhao Xiaodong and Xia Aiguo, what was more painful than the reclamation was the attitude of the other educated youth in the settlement. Ever since the fishpond incident, they seemed to have become the target of everyone's criticism and were ostracized by everyone.

Now, even cooking together has become a luxury. Every day, when the two drag their tired bodies back to the educated youth settlement, they not only have to face the indifferent glares from other educated youth, but also have to cook for themselves, making life extremely difficult.

Zhao Xiaodong's repression and bitterness reached their peak, and he could no longer endure this kind of life. At this moment, he could only stand in the courtyard of the educated youth settlement and vent his emotions loudly. His roar was filled with helplessness, anger and despair, as if he wanted to pour out all his grievances.