Chapter 75: A Farcical Journey
Zhang Jianxin drove the ox cart steadily and quickly, forcing the two female educated youths to jog just to keep up.
Mu Lantu, with his long legs and wide strides, walked alongside the cart, with Wangcai happily bouncing along beside him.
“Uncle Zhang, how long does it take to get from here to the Dongfanghong Brigade?” Du Xuewen jogged up to Zhang Jianxin.
“Not far,” Zhang Jianxin replied. “It won’t even take three hours.”
Everyone shouted in unison, “Three hours? That far?!”
Zhang Jianxin said, “If it were one of our village folks, they could make it in under an hour and a half.”
Du Xuewen stopped talking—better to save his energy.
Su Qianqian, in her pretty white heeled leather shoes, trailed at the back.
Zhao Chengxin looked sympathetic. “Uncle Zhang, could we slow down a bit? I think the two female comrades are having trouble keeping up.”
Yue Xiaoying rolled her eyes and ran ahead in big strides. If you’re talking about Su Qianqian, just say so—why drag her into it?
“Who says I can’t keep up?”
Su Qianqian hung her head.
Mu Lantu pulled out a large-capacity thermos from his bag, took a sip, and then gave Wangcai a drink.
“Comrade Mu, that’s a really nice thermos!”
Du Xuewen, ever talkative and sharp-eyed, commented.
Mu Lantu nodded silently.
After three days on the train together, Du Xuewen had learned that although Mu Lantu seemed aloof, he wasn’t a bad guy—so he wasn’t afraid of him.
“I’ve never seen a thermos like that before. Where’d you get it?”
Mu Lantu had chosen this particular army-green thermos from over a hundred he owned. It looked ordinary, covered with a black case, and could be carried by hand or worn like a backpack.
He wasn’t afraid of people being suspicious.
“Got lucky and traded for it.”
Those who understood, understood.
The black market, obviously.
People avoided saying the words “black market” aloud, but no one dared claim their family had never been there.
Besides, Mu Lantu hadn’t said it outright, and even if someone wanted to report him, they had no evidence.
“I wish I had that kind of luck,” Du Xuewen said enviously.
He had a military-style lunchbox gifted by his cousin. Though scratched, it was still a rare and valuable item—not easily bought even with money.
Mu Lantu wasn’t in the mood to talk and quietly moved to the other side of the cart, away from the overly energetic Du Xuewen.
The village road was rough and uneven, and the ox cart swayed with every bump, jostling the luggage.
Several of the educated youths reached out nervously at times, afraid the luggage would fall.
But Zhang Jianxin had tied it securely. He was confident and didn’t slow the cart at all.
Less than half an hour later, Su Qianqian couldn’t keep going.
Everyone else was sweating and flushed, but she remained pale.
“Uncle Zhang, can we rest? My… my feet hurt.”
Zhang Jianxin looked at her shoes and shook his head.
“You people… ah, never mind. We’ll rest five minutes. Honestly, you’re lucky—it’s sunny today. A few days ago, some educated youths arrived right after a heavy rain. The roads were all mud—way harder to walk.”
Yue Xiaoying’s stomach growled with hunger. She wanted to get there quickly.
“Comrade Su, how about asking the men to turn around while you change your shoes?”
Su Qianqian blushed. “My other pair are leather shoes too…”
Yue Xiaoying shut up.
Xie Xiaojun looked at Mu Lantu. “Comrade Mu, how about showing some spirit? You’ve got the most luggage and the most strength. Carry one bag yourself so the two female comrades can take turns riding the ox cart.”
Su Qianqian and Yue Xiaoying looked at Mu Lantu expectantly.
Mu Lantu remained unmoved. “Comrade Xie, since you’re so kind, why don’t you carry my luggage?”
Xie Xiaojun protested, “Why should I carry your luggage?”
Mu Lantu replied mildly, “My luggage is sitting nicely on the cart. Doesn’t need carrying.”
Unable to argue back, Xie Xiaojun turned to Zhang Jianxin. “Uncle Zhang, what do you think?”
Zhang Jianxin chuckled. “You all decide among yourselves.”
Zhao Chengxin backed Xie Xiaojun. “Comrade Xie has a point. Among the five of us, your luggage is the largest and takes up the most space. It’s only fair you take some off.”
Du Xuewen, squatting from exhaustion, chimed in.
“Nonsense! Comrade Mu’s luggage might be the most and the biggest, but that doesn’t mean it’s the heaviest. Even if it is, I doubt it weighs more than a person.”
Mu Lantu looked at Xie Xiaojun and Zhao Chengxin. “The best solution is for both of you to unload your luggage so Comrades Su and Yue can take turns sitting.”
Yue Xiaoying quickly waved her hands. “No need. I can keep walking.”
Mu Lantu prodded Xie Xiaojun and Zhao Chengxin.
“Hurry up. Don’t tell me you plan to play the nice guy with just words?”
Du Xuewen jeered, “Come on, everyone’s waiting.”
Zhao Chengxin’s face turned red. He couldn’t respond.
Xie Xiaojun turned kindly to Yue Xiaoying.
“Comrade Yue, you and Comrade Su are both female comrades—you should support each other. Do you have a spare pair of cloth shoes you can lend her?”
Suddenly, Yue Xiaoying understood Mu Lantu’s attitude. If he hadn’t said anything, she might have offered to help Su Qianqian. But now that he asked, she didn’t feel like helping at all.
“I don’t…”
“No, no need. I’ll try to hang in there.”
Su Qianqian finally found a chance to speak up, clearly embarrassed by Xie Xiaojun and Zhao Chengxin’s exchange.
Du Xuewen felt a little sympathetic, wanting to help but too tired to carry any more weight himself.
Mu Lantu walked up to Zhang Jianxin. “Uncle Zhang, how about this—you lead the ox while the two female comrades sit on its back, and we men take turns pulling the cart?”
Yue Xiaoying and Su Qianqian’s eyes lit up and turned to Zhang Jianxin.
“Uncle Zhang…”
Zhao Chengxin and Xie Xiaojun looked miserable.
Du Xuewen ran up beside Mu Lantu. “Comrade Mu, can I team up with you?”
Zhang Jianxin gave Mu Lantu a long look, then assessed Yue Xiaoying and Su Qianqian. Both were slim, likely weighing under 160 jin (80 kg) combined—far lighter than the luggage. It wasn’t unreasonable for the ox to carry them.
“If no one objects, that’s fine.”
Yue Xiaoying and Su Qianqian weren’t stupid. They immediately started thanking everyone profusely.
Xie Xiaojun and Zhao Chengxin could only force smiles that looked worse than crying.
The girls climbed up onto the ox’s back from the cart. With Zhang Jianxin leading the ox, they felt safe.
Xie Xiaojun and Zhao Chengxin asked Mu Lantu and Du Xuewen to pull the cart first.
They didn’t mind. Each grabbed one side of the cart’s handle.
Zhang Jianxin beamed. “Once we’re halfway, I’ll let you switch. Don’t worry—I’ll make sure it’s completely fair. I know this road well, and I know exactly where halfway is.”
Xie Xiaojun suspected the comment was aimed at him and Zhao Chengxin.
But he dared not offend Zhang Jianxin and instead glared daggers at Mu Lantu from behind.
Mu Lantu didn’t care in the slightest.
The new method worked well.
Zhang Jianxin led the ox briskly, while Mu Lantu and Du Xuewen pulled the cart without falling behind.
Du Xuewen could feel how strong Mu Lantu was—it made his own load feel light. All he had to do was keep the cart going straight.
“We can switch now,” Zhang Jianxin said.
“So soon?”
Xie Xiaojun didn’t question it directly, but his tone made it obvious.
Zhang Jianxin replied coldly, “This is the halfway point. If you don’t believe me, bring a stopwatch next time. Comrades Mu and Du are fast, so it just feels quick.”
Xie Xiaojun quickly said, “Uncle Zhang, I didn’t mean anything by it—just a casual remark. Comrades Mu, Du, I’ll take over now.”
Mu Lantu and Du Xuewen followed Zhang Jianxin forward.
Xie Xiaojun and Zhao Chengxin pulled the cart behind them, finding it far harder than they’d expected. But they couldn’t say a word.
Du Xuewen heard them grunting and had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing.
“Comrade Mu, I know I benefited from your help. Thanks!”
“No need. Let’s call it even for you speaking up for me.”
Du Xuewen blinked. He hadn’t meant to take sides—he just spoke his mind. But Mu Lantu’s sense of fairness made him happy, and he felt Mu was someone worth befriending.
The second half of the journey was slower.
Xie Xiaojun and Zhao Chengxin couldn’t walk fast, so Zhang Jianxin had to slow down too.
But they still made it to the Dongfanghong Brigade before noon.
Yue Xiaoying and Su Qianqian got off the ox’s back before entering the village, embarrassed to be seen riding in front of everyone.
The ox pulled the cart up to the courtyard gate of the educated youth dormitory.
“This is our village’s educated youth center.”
The location was fairly remote—on the village outskirts, in a standalone house. The nearest neighbor was about 20–30 meters away.
This alone hinted at the gap between villagers and the sent-down youth.
From outside the courtyard, the place looked quite spacious.
But once Mu Lantu saw the people inside, he no longer thought so.
It was spacious—just overcrowded.
Since 1966, educated youth had been arriving at Dongfanghong in waves. Including the new six arrivals, there were now 14 in total: eight men and six women.
Some of the older ones had married locals and moved out—otherwise, there would be even more.
The dormitory had two rows of rooms. The left housed the male youths, with large communal brick beds; the right was for the females, the same setup.
In the front yard were the kitchen, firewood room, and the women’s washroom and bathhouse. The men’s washroom, bathhouse, vegetable garden, and toilet were all in the backyard.
A narrow hallway connected the kitchen to the dining area and the rear courtyard.
The male team leader was Xu Jincheng, 26 years old, from Hong City. He had been in the countryside for seven years and was the general manager of the youth center.
The female leader was Lu Manman, 24, from Jilin Province, down here for six years.
Xu Jincheng had a square face, thick brows, and large eyes. Probably nearsighted, since he squinted a lot. He looked a bit dull but had a deep voice and a strong accent—though still understandable. He spoke slowly, giving a very calm impression.
