He looked at Zhou Qiuyu, "Little girl, how old are you?"
"14."
Zhou Qiuyu replied timidly.
Liu Chengqi gasped, oh dear, he thought the girl was just small in stature and face, turned out she's really small.
Those tiny arms and legs...
Glancing at Yi Chichi, who was as skinny as a bamboo pole, Liu Chengqi felt a blackout before his eyes, once again sensing the true meaning of despair.
The four youths who came last year were useless in a fight, these two are even worse.
He wanted to head over to the commune and have a showdown with Old Chen!
The veins popped out on the hand holding the horsewhip as he turned his gaze to Yi Chichi, "And you?"
"17."
Yi Chichi curved her lips into a smile, expressing understanding for the captain's feeling of despair.
If she were in the captain's position, she would be hopeless too.
No choice, they didn't exactly look like they were meant for laboring.
Liu Chengqi, covering his jaw, stared at them for a while, sighing long, "Get on, we're heading back."
After they obediently got on the cart, calling him "Uncle" so sweetly while giving him candies.
Their attitude was so good that Liu Chengqi could hardly keep a stern face.
Thinking that these two little girls were about the same age as his daughter, he decided to offer some guidance.
"Once you're there, do more work and talk less at the youth base."
This meant they shouldn't follow the others in causing trouble.
Yi Chichi raised an eyebrow, it seemed the youths at the base weren't easy to get along with.
"Okay, Uncle, we'll remember."
Zhou Qiuyu nodded earnestly, indicating her obedience.
Liu Chengqi felt that regardless of whether these two girls were good at work, they were definitely clever enough.
At present, they didn't seem like bumbling fools.
He had no other thoughts now, but hoped these two girls could be a bit more obedient alongside their shrewdness!
Not like the previous ones, incapable of anything, but always the first to cause trouble when it came to eating!
"When you meet a woman with a big mole on her face, keep a distance. Don't foolishly mingle with her."
"... Okay."
"Don't be scared when you see an old man with a grim face and a cane, he's a good person, a veteran from the battlefield."
"Understood!"
"Also..."
The captain started to ramble on, and Yi Chichi and Zhou Qiuyu listened attentively.
Around four in the afternoon, they arrived at Kao Shan Village.
"I'll first take you to the youth base, rest well today and report to the brigade office tomorrow."
Liu Chengqi drove the cart to the entrance of a grand new courtyard, Zhou Qiuyu's eyes widened at the sight.
Yi Chichi got the idea, this house was likely owned by a landlord.
It was vastly different from the village houses.
There was only one possibility for this house to become a youth base.
It was probably rearranged to be the youth base to appear fair due to difficulty in arranging elsewhere in the village.
"Wang Nan, come out to receive them!"
"Coming."
A short-haired young woman came out from the house, with an oval face, pale complexion, and a trace of pain fleeting across her brows and eyes.
Yi Chichi observed her face, it was symptomatic of a deficiency of both qi and blood.
Chances were, the girl was in her special period and had symptoms of menstrual pain.
"Wang Nan, these are the new youths, I'll leave them to you to arrange."
"Okay, Captain."
Liu Chengqi acknowledged and left with the horse cart.
Once he left, Wang Nan's smile retracted, she looked Yi Chichi and Zhou Qiuyu up and down, saying, "I'm Wang Nan, a youth who came down in '67, let's get you settled in."
Yi Chichi and Zhou Qiuyu followed with their luggage bags, Wang Nan didn't waste words because she led them around the courtyard quickly, honestly briefing, "You can see, there are five main rooms at the youth base, all with heated beds."
Pointing to one of the rooms, she said, "This one is where Ge Sujuan and I stay, considered the girls' dormitory. You can join us or pick an empty room to stay."
"But I need to remind you, Kao Shan Village's winter is very cold, with a long snowy season requiring heated beds. If you stay by yourself, you'll need to prepare more firewood; otherwise, you won't make it through."
Zhou Qiuyu looked at Yi Chichi, it was obvious she wanted to stay with her.
In response, Yi Chichi declined.
"I'll stay by myself."
She was not used to sharing a bed, and her body, too weak, needed space to recuperate.
Her stomach wasn't good, neither were her lungs.
The healing process would bring about coughing.
Moreover, brewing medicine had a strong smell, which wasn't pleasant for others.
If she stayed with someone, it would be a nuisance.
Wang Nan took it well, and seeing that Yi Chichi wanted to stay on her own, she didn't say much but instead looked at Zhou Qiuyu.
"And you?"
Zhou Qiuyu wasn't the type who lacked awareness, since Yi Chichi said she'd stay alone, she wouldn't be thick-skinned enough to insist on staying with her.
"I'll stay with you guys."
She had noticed the bed Wang Nan and her roommate shared was quite large, leaving ample space that could fit two of her with room to spare.
Wang Nan nodded, "Then go inside and organize, I'll take Mr. Yi to choose a room."
No need to choose, Yi Chichi had already picked.
She pointed to the smallest room with a heated bed, "I want this room."
Wang Nan was slightly surprised, "You're not choosing a bigger one?"
If it were her living alone, she would certainly choose a bigger room for some comfort.
"This one is good."
What was good about bigger rooms? More youths would come later, and she didn't want to share with anyone.
Wang Nan nodded, "Then tidy up, I'll check on Mr. Zhou."
"Okay."
The original owner was used to doing house chores, and this frugal world prepared Yi Chichi's dexterous hands.
She had tidied up the room and organized her belongings in less than half an hour.
Just as she took out a can, several youths returned to the courtyard to prepare dinner.
Yi Chichi hadn't received her food allowance yet, so she'd eat theirs first.
When she got her allowance, she'd pay them back.
In the evening, nine people sat down to eat together, Bai Chen, the eldest at the youth base, spoke for Wang Nan and the others.
"We come from different parts of the nation, and it's fate that we gather here! I hope we can unite and form a big group full of love."
He spoke with enthusiasm and emotion.
Then, he concluded, "That's all I have to say."
"This meal is specially prepared to welcome Mr. Yi and Mr. Zhou, the dishes might not be great, hope you won't mind."
The dishes weren't bad, though they were all vegetarian, the quantity made up for it.
The main course was thick porridge and black bread.
The bread was steamed by headcount, large enough that there was no worry about going hungry.
Yi Chichi was not ungrateful and smiled, "We're thankful as it is, wouldn't dare to mind."
She thanked sincerely, and Zhou Qiuyu followed with thanks.
Thus began the first meal at the youth base.
Everyone ate and chatted, enough time for Yi Chichi to gauge their background.
The eldest brother Bai Chen was from Jiang City, came down in '66, now 21.
He had eight brothers and sisters, fell in the middle where he was often ignored.
He couldn't find work, nor a partner, so when the youth downsend policy emerged, he chose to go to the countryside for a way out.