章)Thatched house (minor repair)
September 1973, late summer and early autumn
Starting from Jiangcheng, the means of transportation ranged from green trains, ships, buses, tractors, etc. to climbing mountains with hands and feet. After four days and three nights, with blisters on the soles of feet, purple marks on the palms, and a waist that was about to break, we finally arrived at Xiufengshan Farm at an altitude of 1,500 meters.
Tao Nanfeng stood blankly in front of a row of thatched houses.
A house was built with thatch in a valley surrounded by mountains on three sides. The ventilated grass walls and grass roof, no windows, and a few door panels made of miscellaneous wood made a "creaking" sound under the mountain breeze.
There was no coal stove that we were used to, and we only built an empty stove with bricks in the open space in front of the house.
There were no electric lights or wires, and the surroundings were overgrown with weeds, which was desolate.
There was no running water, and the mountain spring behind the house gurgled down and fell into a large water tank covered with moss. When it was full, it flowed down the tank body and fell to the ground with a rhythmic "tick-tick" sound.
"No way? This is our educated youth camp?"
"What the hell is this place!"
"Can people live in this thatched house? The conditions are too bad!"
Clang--
Someone dropped the net bag in his hand, and the white enamel basin with red peony flowers rolled to the ground, making a harsh sound.
Tao Nanfeng was awakened by the strange sound, and she calmed down and looked at the thatched house that had appeared in her dream, and her heart was in turmoil.
She had dreamed of this thatched house last night, exactly the same, without any difference.
It was just that the thatched house in the dream, which could not block the wind and rain, collapsed in a violent storm. Some peoples legs were broken by the beams, some were hit by the door panels, and some caught a cold in the rain. Everyone was screaming for help.
Tao Nanfeng suppressed the panic in his heart and took a half step back with the rattan box and luggage bag.
A pair of soft little hands supported his back. It was Xiao Aiyun who always liked to sit next to him. She was a child of the Jiangcheng Towel Factory. She had thin eyebrows and eyes. When she smiled, she showed two small canine teeth. She liked to talk and be lively.
Seeing her pale face, Xiao Aiyun comforted her: "Dont be afraid, Tao Nanfeng. We will stay here for one night and report the situation to the site tomorrow."
Tao Nanfeng didnt say anything, pursed her lips, and nodded gently.
In the eyes of everyone, Tao Nanfeng tied two braids with red ribbons, and wore a light pink small floral shirt that was clean and tidy. Her eyes were big and bright, and her eyelashes were long and dense. They spread out like a small fan, casting a faint shadow under her eyelids. She was beautiful and delicate, which made peoples eyes bright.
Beautiful things always make people happy. The educated youth who was still complaining just now heard Xiao Aiyuns words, and saw Tao Nanfeng nodded in agreement. The anger and irritability just now gradually dissipated and became calm.
Seeing that the sky was getting dark, they could only take a rest first, and everything would be discussed tomorrow.
There were 20 young people from Jiangcheng who had just graduated from high school. There were three thatched houses, one in the east was for four girls, and the other two were for 16 boys.
In the twilight, the thatched house was empty, the wind came in through the cracks in the wall, and the rammed earth floor could still smell the faint smell of soil.
There was no desk, no wardrobe, only a large bunk bed that could accommodate eight people. The bunk bed, which was made of more than a dozen pieces of miscellaneous wood boards, was roughly made and had been there for an unknown period of time. When I touched it with my fingers, there was a thin layer of dust.
I used a washbasin to collect cold spring water, and simply tidied up my house, washed my body with cold water, and changed into clean clothes. After I finally cleaned up, it was completely dark.
"Rustle... rustle..." The wind blew in through the cracks in the wall, and it was the thatched grass that was making a sound.
"Woo--" The mountain wind blew through the hills and pine forests, making a woosh sound that made people feel scared.
"Gugugu..." The frogs croaked louder and louder, and the whole mountaintop emitted a high-frequency resonant sound that hurt peoples ears.
"Roar--" A huge roar of a wild beast suddenly sounded, and the frogs stopped croaking.
The darkness magnified the fear, and the girls were so scared that they trembled and curled up in the quilt and dared not say a word.
I dont know who started it, but a faint whimper came from the quilt: "I want to go home."
Go home? Tao Nanfeng thought of his home.
He lost his mother at the age of seven, and his father remarried when he was ten. His stepmother brought a daughter, who was two months older than Tao Nanfeng. Her real name was Wang You, but she took the initiative to change her name to Tao You.
His father was a professor at Jiangcheng University of Architecture, and he was aloof and arrogant. His stepmother was a worker in a sewing machine factory. She was diligent and virtuous, cooking, washing, and cleaning the house, and taking care of the family in a thorough manner.
Tao You was originally the one who signed up to go to the countryside, but she broke her clavicle before leaving, so Tao Nanfeng had to replace her.
Tired, in a bad environment, and unfamiliar with the place, Tao Nanfeng felt like she was drowning and suffocating. She stretched out her hand and tightly grasped the jade button hanging on her chest, muttering, "Mom..."
The jade button was emerald green and transparent. It was the only relic left by her mother to Tao Nanfeng.
The moonlight was like water, projecting through the cracks in the wall. The jade button seemed to have life, emitting a soft light curtain that enveloped Tao Nanfeng.
She was pulled into a strange dream.
It was not the world she was familiar with. This place was called the end of the world.
The zombie virus was prevalent. After being infected with the virus, 80% of humans would become monsters with stiff limbs and bite people on sight, and 20% of humans would evolve into superpowers with various magical powers.
More and more people turned into monsters, and people fled everywhere, with panic, panic, and fear of the unknown on their faces.
Squeezed in a group of fleeing people, Tao Nanfeng looked around in panic, and no one paid attention to her existence.
"Run, zombies are eating people--"
"Help, I dont want to become a monster!"
Tao Nanfeng tried desperately to escape, but she couldnt run fast. She was gradually abandoned by the large group, and the group of monsters behind her kept approaching.
Her heartbeat was getting faster and faster. The tension and fear made Tao Nanfeng run desperately.
The last bit of air in her lungs was squeezed out of her body. Her throat hurt as if it was on fire. Her legs felt like they were filled with lead. Tao Nanfeng couldnt run anymore.
"Ah!" A sharp pain came over her hand...
The dream faded.
Tao Nanfeng opened her eyes and sweated.
The monster in the dream opened its fangs and bit her left hand. The teeth pierced the back of her hand. The pain of tearing flesh was sharp and deep.
The first ray of sunlight in the morning shone into the thatched house. The light shone through the cracks in the wall and the roof, gently soothing her panic.
Fortunately, fortunately, it was a dream.
While comforting himself, Tao Nanfeng subconsciously raised his left hand to check.
A black tooth mark was clearly visible!
How could this happen? Tao Nanfeng thought he was dazzled, rubbed his eyes, but found that he was not mistaken. The skin around the tooth mark was black and it felt burning when he touched it with his hand.
Tao Nanfeng bit his lip and calmed down for a long time.
After a while, he felt his heartbeat slow down. Tao Nanfeng got up from the bed, walked to the corner to open the rattan box, took out a dark red gauze scarf and wrapped it around half of his palm, completely covering the tooth mark.
There was a strange sense of power flowing in the body, and the whole person seemed to be immersed in warm water, warm and light.
Something awakened in the body, and the world in front of him became different.
Birds chirped and the breeze came.
The breathing of everyone in the room, the conversation outside the window, the dripping sound of the spring water... all reached the ears clearly.
Without time to think too much, Tao Nanfeng bent down and reached out, picked up the washbasin and water cup to wash up.
But...
As soon as his fingers touched the washbasin, the enamel edge was broken!
He put his fingers into the handle of the water cup, moved slightly, and the handle broke with a sound!
"Bang!"
The washbasin and teacup fell to the ground with a loud noise.
The sound woke up his roommates, who poked their heads out of the quilt and saw that it was just Tao Nanfeng who knocked over the washbasin and overturned the water cup. They didnt care too much and got up yawning to wash up.
Tao Nanfeng stood there in a daze, staring at the corner of the basin edge and the handle in his hand.
How could he be so strong?
Tao Nanfeng silently adjusted and controlled his strength, and finished washing up without any danger. Seeing that the time was almost up, he went to the field office with everyone.
After a night, the roar of the beast and the croak of the frog that made everyone uneasy last night disappeared.
The air was filled with the fragrance of grass and trees, and smoke from farmers cooking rose in the distance. On the hillside, there were patches of moon fields planted with corn and rice, and purple wild pea flowers bloomed on the ridges, creating a pastoral scene.
The site was built on a wide floor, a two-story brick-concrete building with a single-sided corridor. The office building was located below, and the second floor was for living. There was also a row of one-story cement bungalows on the east side, which were warehouses and canteens.
When we walked into the site compound, we ran into Luo Xuan, the office director, who was burping as he walked out of the bungalow on the east side.
After eating dry food for a few days, we smelled the aroma of rice soup and noodles coming from the canteen. We couldnt help swallowing our saliva and curiously asked Director Luo, "Is it the canteen? Can we eat?"
Luo Xuan was a tall and thin man, wearing a washed-out sweatshirt and two pieces of blue cloth patched on his knees. He looked frugal and simple.
He glanced at everyone with a somewhat arrogant attitude: "This is our small canteen at the farm headquarters, not open to the public. Each youth camp has a kitchen, you can cook your own meals after receiving the rice."
After hearing what he said, everyones suppressed dissatisfaction for a night burst out collectively.
"Kitchen, you mean the earthen stove built on the ground of the thatched house? There is not even an oilcloth to cover the rain, what should we do if it rains?"
"Where is the rice you are talking about? People are iron and rice is steel. I ate steamed buns for three days along the way. I finally arrived at the farm, but I cant even drink a hot meal!"
"The thatched house is drafty everywhere. What if it rains? Its impossible to live there."
"We have come all the way to support the construction of the farm. You should at least guarantee some basic conditions."
Luo Xuan frowned when he heard it: "What are you arguing about! The conditions on the farm are like this. You can only work hard to overcome them. If you dont want to stay, I will immediately issue you a repatriation certificate! The Revolutionary Committees of various places sent five batches of youth to the countryside before you, but none of them had as many tricks as you."
Repatriation? The educated youths had to go through layers of review before going to the countryside. Only if they made a serious mistake and had a serious record in their files, they might be repatriated. But... this would ruin their future.
The educated youths all shut their mouths and dared not speak again.
Seeing that the educated youths were shocked by this move, Luo Xuan softened his tone: "You just came here and dont understand the situation yet. Lets go through the registration procedures first, and the conditions can be improved slowly."
After letting his subordinates help to complete the registration procedures for all the educated youths, Luo Xuan finally took the initiative to explain a few words: "The subsidy is 16 yuan a month, but you must earn 10 work points every day. As for how to judge these 10 work points... it will be reported by the scorekeepers of each team."
After speaking, he took out a piece of white paper from his desk and sent work letters to the names one by one.
All the boys joined the third production team, went to work at 8 oclock every morning, brought dry food at noon, and finished work at 5 oclock in the evening. Their current job is to harvest corn.
The four girls had other arrangements -
Tao Nanfeng and Xiao Aiyun, road construction team.
Li Huilan and Ye Qin, pig farm.
Such an arrangement made the educated youth explode.
"Why is the work of girls harder than that of boys?"
"They are weak and have little strength, how can they build roads and raise pigs? I will switch with them!"
"Yes, let us go."
Luo Xuan felt that his authority as the office director was challenged, and slammed the table heavily.
"What are you fussing about! There is no distinction between high and low jobs, and women can hold up half the sky! Its settled, hurry up and go to work, otherwise you wont get any food today."
Wei Min rolled up his sleeves and wanted to say something, but was suppressed by his companions.
Xiao Aiyun wanted to cry but had no tears, and pulled Tao Nanfengs arm, his lips trembling: "Build roads? I dont know how to build roads!"