Chapter 23

"Dada, it's time to get up."

Li Dong sighed helplessly. My beautiful lazy morning, gone. This is the third day of criticism and education.

The first two days, Li Dong followed Han Guofu. Yes, Han Guofu, to show his regret for making Li Dong lose his urban household registration, had been teaching Li Dong skills these days, hand in hand. If he couldn't become a city dweller, he would be trained to be an excellent farmer.

This exhausted Li Dong terribly. Picking water aside, he picked water all morning on the first day, and in the afternoon, he followed Han Guofu to check the seedlings, replanting those that had died due to drought.

Li Dong was so busy learning, planting, and replanting seedlings, dealing with sheath blight, and more. Not only was he exhausted, but he also had to receive rice cultivation education. Li Dong originally planned to just get by, but who knew there would be an exam the next day.

Li Dong knew nothing about it, which made Han Guofu so angry that he almost hit Li Dong with his tobacco pipe. There was no choice but to study properly.

"Today we're going to the cornfield. Really, another day of learning." Li Dong was helpless, estimating that Han Guofu would teach him for the next ten days or so.

Li Dong wiped his face. Life is tough. "Xiaojuan, do we have any meat left?"

"None, Dad. The last bit was eaten by you yesterday."

Xiaojuan was also helpless. She had planned to eat it for three days, but her father couldn't resist and ate it all.

"Ah."

"Let's have fish tonight. We still have plenty of seasonings, and braised fish tastes pretty good."

Li Dong couldn't go without meat, but he thought, well, we can eat some grass carp, right? At least we have some cooking oil and seasonings, so the taste won't be bad. Xiaojuan saw Dada staring at the cooking oil and panicked.

"I'll cook the fish." Xiaojuan put the cooking oil back in the kitchen cabinet and locked it.

This was unacceptable. This girl can't be kept, not even allowing him to use more cooking oil. "Xiaojuan, the day after tomorrow, I'll send you to the commune school. Do you think you should give me some money?"

Seeing Xiaojuan's stingy look, Li Dong couldn't help but tease her. This was one of the few joys he had these days.

Xiaojuan looked at Li Dong with suspicion. Grandma Wu said she had to manage the household well to help her father get a wife and have a healthy baby brother, so she could have a brother to carry her when she got married. For this great ideal, Xiaojuan bravely took on the responsibility of managing the household and dealing with her greedy and lazy father.

"How much do you need?"

"Not much, not much, five yuan."

Li Dong chuckled and gestured, and Xiaojuan rolled her eyes. "I've already found out. The team leader said the tuition is only 1.5 yuan, 1 yuan for books and stationery, and 0.5 yuan for miscellaneous fees, totaling 3 yuan."

Xiaojuan calculated with a clever look, and Li Dong was stunned. This little girl, she's almost a little demon. "Dada, don't try to trick me into giving you money to buy meat."

"Ah, you're a heartless little cotton-padded jacket, you can't be kept."

Xiaojuan had already adapted to Li Dong's occasional strange remarks. She served the rice and a dish of pickled vegetables, and after checking that no one was outside, she carefully brought out a small dish of scrambled eggs with chives.

"Didn't you finish it yesterday?" Li Dong was a bit surprised. Scrambled eggs with chives, his favorite dish.

But yesterday, there was only one egg left, right? Li Dong looked at Xiaojuan. "You didn't eat yours?"

This little girl had saved her portion for him. No wonder she was so hesitant last night.

"Dad, you eat it." Li Dong, though greedy, felt embarrassed to eat the food his daughter had saved.

"I don't like it."

Saying this, she poured the scrambled eggs into Li Dong's bowl and ate the pickled vegetables herself. Li Dong thought, who doesn't like eggs? "Let's share it. Otherwise, Dad won't eat it."

"Okay, fine."

Li Dong gave most of it to Xiaojuan. It wasn't much, just one serving, after all, it was made with one egg, and half had already been eaten. After breakfast, Xiaojuan cleaned up the dishes and prepared to go gather pig grass.

Before school, she wanted to earn some work points. Li Dong didn't want her to, but Xiaojuan insisted, saying she wouldn't go to school if he didn't let her. This girl was quite stubborn, so Li Dong let her go.

"Ah."

Sighing, Li Dong thought about the exhausting day ahead. He smiled bitterly, a high-achieving student now learning farming, he really didn't know what to say.

Without experiencing it, one couldn't understand what the production team was like. It was like the strictest club now, where you were a member and couldn't be absent without a good reason, and you needed a letter of introduction to go anywhere. The production team restricted your freedom, keeping you in one place.

"Uncle Guofu."

Han Guofu, seeing Li Dong in good spirits, nodded in satisfaction. "In a while, you'll go to the commune with Weijun."

"To the commune?"

Li Dong was taken aback. Why go to the commune? Not to learn? "What for?"

"Militia patrol duty."

Han Guofu said, "It's our team's turn to send someone, and I plan to send you."

Militia, Li Dong didn't even know when he had joined. But he was a bit curious about what the militia patrol was like. Han Guofu's arrangement had a bit of a warning intention.

Li Dong came from the city, was educated, and quick-witted. Such a smart kid was the most likely to get into trouble. If he were a bit more honest, it would be better, as he wouldn't do anything out of line.

But being smart was a problem. His mind worked fast, and he could learn things quickly, even figuring out things others couldn't. Han Guofu was a bit worried that Li Dong might learn to speculate and make quick money, which could lead to big problems.

The militia patrol was responsible for catching thieves and speculators. By involving Li Dong, Han Guofu wanted him to understand the severity of such activities and be more cautious. Unfortunately, Li Dong had no idea about Han Guofu's intentions.

He happily set off with Han Weijun. Great, a day off from work. Li Dong hummed a tune, and Han Weijun looked back at him. "Why aren't you dressed warmly? It gets pretty cold during the night patrol."

"Night?"

Li Dong was really unaware. Han Weijun looked at his stunned face. "You didn't know? The militia patrol is 24 hours. You didn't even bring any food, did you?"

"Bring food too?"

No meals provided, Li Dong panicked. If he had to go 24 hours without food, he would starve. He quickly checked his pockets. Luckily, he still had money, but only half a pound of grain coupons.

"Brother Weijun, do you have any grain coupons? Can you lend me half a pound?"

Half a pound of grain coupons could buy two steamed buns, not enough for a day and night. Li Dong had to ask Han Weijun.

Han Weijun took out a half-pound grain coupon and gave it to Li Dong. This kid was quite wealthy, with five yuan, while Han Weijun usually had at most one yuan, which he got from his mother, Li Chunhua, when he went out.

In the Han family, Li Chunhua managed the money, and even Han Weijun had to ask her for money.

"Thanks, Brother Weijun."

The two arrived at the commune, and the other militia members from the production teams were already there. Han Village and the surrounding three villages formed one production team, with one militia member from each village. The four filled out their forms and received rifles, yes, rifles.

Li Dong's eyes widened. Real things, this was the first time he had touched a rifle. He was excited, and when the bullets were placed in front of him, he trembled with excitement. It was real.

"Brother, first time?"

The other three were experienced patrol members, familiar with the rifles.

They were from Gao Village, Bi Village, and Zhang Village, named Gao Weimin, Bi Kaixi, and Zhang Hongbing. Li Dong thought, wow, even Bi Kaixi is here.

When Li Dong introduced himself, the three were surprised. Why did Han Village send someone surnamed Li? Learning that Li Dong was a sent-down youth, they were even more surprised.

"Why, aren't the sent-down youths all back in the city?" Bi Kaixi was interrupted by Gao Weimin, who gave him a meaningful look.

If the sent-down youths hadn't returned to the city, it was either because their families couldn't accept them, they had a bad reputation, or their families had fallen apart.

"Li Dong, Bi Kaixi didn't mean it."

Gao Weimin, the patrol leader, was more mature.

"It's okay, I think the countryside is great."

Li Dong smiled and took out his Crossing the River cigarettes. Gao Weimin, Bi Kaixi, and Zhang Hongbing's eyes lit up. Good stuff.

The three took the cigarettes, and when Li Dong took out a lighter, they were amazed. This sent-down youth was not simple, with plenty of good things.

"Li Dong, your lighter is really nice."

"It's okay, it's a new product from the coastal area."

Li Dong was a bit smug. Impressed, huh?

"No wonder, it's hard to get."

"It's okay."

Li Dong's words made Gao Weimin's eyes light up, and he secretly noted it down.

"Let's patrol and talk."

Leaving the commune, they walked around the villages, and the four squatted under a tree to chat. Li Dong passed around the cigarettes again, and the three now considered him a good brother.

"Never used one?"

Seeing Li Dong handle the rifle like a treasure, Gao Weimin and the others laughed. "I'll teach you, it's simple."

He loaded the rifle, and Li Dong was stunned. It was too dangerous, especially when Gao Weimin handed it to him.

"Not... not..."

Li Dong was really scared. This was a real gun with real bullets, and one mistake could lead to big trouble. "Hold it steady, shoot." Bang! Li Dong was almost scared to death, as it was his first time shooting.

"How was it?"

Li Dong's face was pale, and he nodded with a bitter smile. It was really exciting. Gao Weimin laughed. "No problem, you'll get used to it after a few more times. It's easy to learn." He loaded the rifle again, and Li Dong was scared. "Weimin, can we just shoot randomly?"

"Don't worry, the bullets we get can be used freely, just report it later."

Well, Li Dong thought, this era was great. Playing with a rifle was really fun. Each of them had three bullets, twelve in total. One bullet was kept by each, and the rest were given to Li Dong. After a few shots, he wasn't afraid anymore.

"Good."

"Nice shot."

Li Dong unexpectedly shot a wild chicken, which surprised Gao Weimin, Zhang Hongbing, and Bi Kaixi. His luck was really good. "Not bad, over a pound. We'll have a good meal tonight."

"Let's get some corn too."

The four got along well, and Zhang Hongbing suggested it. Li Dong, of course, agreed. What surprised Li Dong was that Gao Weimin even brought salt and some seasonings, which was very well-prepared.

After a satisfying meal, Zhang Hongbing and Bi Kaixi formed one group, and Li Dong and Gao Weimin formed another. The two groups patrolled the villages separately.

"Brother, do you have any channels to get things?"

Gao Weimin waited until Bi Kaixi and Zhang Hongbing were far away, then pulled Li Dong aside and asked quietly. Li Dong hesitated, thinking Gao Weimin might want to buy something. He had no channels or means, but Gao Weimin probably thought he did because of the lighter.

Li Dong hesitated, this wasn't something to be said lightly. Gao Weimin thought Li Dong was worried about him telling others. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"Alright, Weimin, what do you want to buy? You know, not everything can be obtained easily."

Li Dong bit his lip and stomped his foot. Gao Weimin was delighted, so there was a way. "Not much, I'm getting married in October, and I want to buy a couple of watches, but I don't have the industrial coupons."

"Watches?"

Li Dong slapped his forehead. How could he be so stupid? Watches were one of the three major items, and they were quite expensive.

"That's quite difficult. I can only try to help you, but I can't promise anything. Watches are in short supply, as you know." Li Dong didn't dare to promise right away. First, he wasn't familiar with Gao Weimin and didn't want to get into trouble. Second, he didn't want to give Gao Weimin the impression that he could easily get watches.

"Thanks, even if it's expensive, it's fine." Gao Weimin was delighted. This kid really had some connections, and if he could help, it would be great.

"I'll try. I'll give you a definite answer by mid-month." Li Dong's righteous look deeply moved Gao Weimin. This city person was really sincere.