Thinking of this, Wang Jing quickened her steps considerably.
As she climbed onto the embankment, she saw that it was crowded with people.
Besides the village chief and his group, there were a few sent-down youth.
Among them, Lin Anning was the most eye-catching.
She seemed not to have slept well and yawned heavily.
"Comrade Wang has arrived? Good timing, everyone's been waiting!"
Wang Jing gritted her teeth, "It's not even dawn yet, why gather this early?"
Lin Anning curved her lips and raised the loudspeaker in her hand.
"I was afraid nobody would hear your self-criticism, so I made a point of calling all the villagers here."
Wang Jing's plan was foiled, and her face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
Li Youbao stuffed some tobacco into his pipe, urging impatiently.
"Comrade Wang, hurry up. After you're done, everyone still has to go home for breakfast and get to work."
"If you've done something wrong, you must adopt a good attitude in acknowledging your mistake."
Early this morning, Lin Anning reported last night's events to him.
On this matter, he stood by Lin Anning's side.
The sent-down youth group mustn't be allowed to become divided or disruptive.
"Understood!"
Feeling aggrieved, Wang Jing opened her letter of self-criticism, and Lin Anning thoughtfully turned the loudspeaker towards her.
"Comrade Lin Anning, here I deeply make my self-criticism..."
The silent village in the early morning was awakened by the sound of the loudspeaker.
Not just the people present, even those who hadn't woken up heard the self-criticism loud and clear.
After she had finished, Wang Jing covered her face and ran off, weeping and sobbing.
Lin Anning thanked Li Youbao and then got up to return to the sent-down youth site.
As the first light of dawn appeared, Huo Tiantian got out of bed.
Seeing Lin Anning return, she couldn't help but smile.
She had also heard the loudspeaker earlier and couldn't deny that it was absolutely brilliant.
Even though they had split the cooking duties, the sent-down youth site had only one stove, so they had to take turns using it.
It was only after the other sent-down youth had finished cooking and left that Lin Anning and Huo Tiantian hurriedly finished cooking and had a bite to eat.
They couldn't afford to delay in the fields and buried their heads in non-stop work.
By noon, they were back in a hurry to cook.
The two were exhausted and, after eating, finally managed to sit under the shade of a tree to catch their breath.
Huo Tiantian looked at Lin Anning's pale face, feeling a bit heartbroken.
"Little Anning, we should just join them in cooking again! I'm worried you won't be able to handle it."
Lin Anning shook her head, coughing a few times, "It's okay, it feels more comfortable to cook separately."
In the afternoon, when they returned to the youth site, they felt as if their bones were falling apart.
Lin Anning and Huo Tiantian went to the vegetable garden, planning to pick some fresh vegetables for cooking.
Wang Jing was already picking vegetables, and her face instantly darkened upon seeing the two.
Today she had lost face, and even the people at the sent-down youth site disdained her, claiming it was all because of her that they had offended Huo Tiantian.
No more meat for her, and she was ordered to cook for a month to make up for her mistake.
She dared not openly offend them, muttering to herself.
"After splitting up, how can you have the nerve to pick the vegetables we planted?"
Huo Tiantian glared at Wang Jing, walked over to the side of the garden, and pulled up a few spinach plants.
"I'm just picking what I planted, got a problem with that?"
Of course, Wang Jing didn't dare say anything, but she kept an eye on the two of them.
Watching them leave the vegetable garden, she locked up and left.
Huo Tiantian looked at the wilted spinach in her hand and wailed.
"If I had known we would split up, I would have planted more at the beginning. With only these few plants, who can they feed?"
Lin Anning, on the other hand, was more philosophical. She squatted by the ditch with a smile and washed the spinach clean.
"No worries, later I'll go to the village chief's house to see if there are any seeds. I'll take some back to plant."
"It's hot these days, so the seeds should sprout in a few days. If we're thrifty with our food, we'll make it until the new vegetables come in," said Anning.
When they got back to the educated youth spot, they made do with cooking a bowl of noodles. After eating, Tiantian washed the dishes while Anning went to the village chief's house to ask for vegetable seeds.
The sun tucked its last rays behind the mountains as the animals returned to the forest and a thin layer of smoke veiled the village, serene and beautiful.
Anning quickly walked to a mud-brick house at the edge of the village and saw from afar the village chief's wife, Zeng Guihua, sitting in the courtyard.
She was bathing her grandson, Tie Niu, who was about ten years old and splashing water everywhere from inside a wooden tub.
"Grandma, the mosquitoes are biting me. It's so itchy!" he complained.
"Hold still. Once you're done, go inside, and some spit will stop the itch," she advised.
"I won't. It's still itchy after I apply it, and it's stinky," he retorted.
Zeng Guihua couldn't hold in her laughter, and when she saw Anning, she smiled.
"Comrade Lin has come? It's unfortunate, Uncle Youbao isn't home. Is there something you need?"
Anning was beautiful and kind, always met with smiles wherever she went.
Although she hadn't been there long, everyone already liked her.
Anning stepped forward and handed Zeng Guihua a box of mugwort and mint ointment.
"Auntie, use this ointment on Tie Niu after his bath," she offered.
"Tie Niu, be good and go inside after your bath. Otherwise, the mosquitoes will keep biting you," she added.
Blushing, Tie Niu nodded and stopped splashing around.
After finishing the bath, Zeng Guihua told him to go inside and get dressed.
She dried her hands and invited Anning to sit down.
"Comrade Lin Anning, what brings you here?" she inquired.
"I want to ask if you have any spare vegetable seedlings. I'd like to plant some vegetables," Anning replied, fidgeting with her clothes sheepishly.
Zeng Guihua laughed upon hearing this.
"And here I thought it was something serious. There are plenty in the garden, but it's dark now, and there might be snakes. How about this, I'll bring some to the youth spot for you tomorrow?"
As she spoke, she took a bit of the ointment and gave the rest back to Anning.
"You keep this. It's hard to buy stuff like this around here," she said.
"The mosquitoes are plentiful in summer. Keep it for yourself," Anning insisted with a wave of her hand.
"Auntie, keep it for Tie Niu. I know how to make it," she said.
Zeng Guihua looked at Anning in surprise. "Uncle Youbao said you studied medicine, but I didn't know you could make this too," she remarked.
Anning nodded, suddenly remembering something.
"Yes! Auntie, if anyone in the village feels unwell, you can call on me to help," she suggested.
"By the way, how has Aunt Fenglan been feeling lately?"
She had heard from Jiaojiao in her previous life that her mother died of an illness, but she didn't know what the illness was or when it had started.
Her mother disliked her so much that visiting her to take her pulse might lead to being thrown out.
"Her? She's strong as an ox. Most of the men in the village can't match her. Why do you ask about her?" Zeng Guihua questioned.
"Nothing special, I've just eaten at her place a couple of times, so I was curious," Anning explained.
Seeing that it was getting dark, Anning bid farewell to Zeng Guihua, promising to come by in the morning to pick up the seedlings.
Zeng Guihua thought about it, then went to the garden with a flashlight in hand.
It was better to transplant the vegetables after they'd been dewed in the heat of the morning.
She might not make it in time if she waited till morning.
She pulled up a few clumps of seedlings and tied them together, then lifted her head to see Zhang Fenglan entering the garden.
Their plots were adjacent, so she shone her flashlight to get her attention.
"Mantun family's? Comrade Lin Anning just asked about you!" she called out.
"Just as well. When you pass the youth spot on your way home, could you take these seedlings to her?"
"Tell her to plant them before the dew lifts in the morning. They'll be sure to survive," she instructed.
Zhang Fenglan paused, her rough brows furrowed.
"Why would she ask about me? Don't they have vegetables at the youth spot?" she wondered.
"Oh, I think I heard she's no longer eating with Comrade Huo and them," Zeng Guihua explained.