Shen Xingshen stealthily gazed at the receding figures before entering the yard.
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Gu Shengnan and I have been an educated youth in the Marching Brigade for around four years. You guys just came so let's settle down first." Gu Shengnan led the group into the kitchen to offer them water while he continued, "We have two stoves here in the kitchen, where we also eat and drink. Our educated youth area is actually not big; we only have four rooms in total. Two rooms in each wing house. The male educated youth lives on the left wing and the females on the right."
The group followed Gu Shengnan around and was eventually led to see one of the rooms.
"It's cold here in the winter so all rooms have big kangs. We made some space for you in advance." Gu Shengnan coughed a bit. "Well, there's not much space."
Indeed, the kang took up the majority of the room and there was little to no furniture at all. Two places against the earthen wall were occupied, with two wooden boxes placed on both corners and quilts placed on top of the boxes.
Barely tidy with no extra space.
Qian Feng calculated in his head and frowned. "I heard that, including us, there are more than twenty educated youth here."
Hearing the hint in his tone, the other educated youths also reacted. Wouldn't that mean the rooms have to be shared with more or less five people?!
They were just complaining to themselves about the disastrous condition of the house, about how the walls are peeling, that the windows are broken, and wondering if dust would fly all over the sky if they breathed heavily. Apparently, a situation can only worsen.
"This… how many sleep in one room?"
"There's also our luggage. Where would we put it without even a furniture?"
"No, can we even fit a box in here?"
A young girl with an expensive watch dreaded the idea of crowding with others to the point of smelling their breath so she directly asked, "Isn't there another accommodation? Can't we build a house?"
Gu Shengnan was waiting for this. "By this time, you should understand the attitude of the villagers towards educated youths. For them, we are outsiders so they dislike us for competing with them for resources and won't agree to us occupying their homesteads. You can try to rent a room with the villagers but as fellow educated youth, my advice is for us to stick together."
Those with some means frowned and whispered among themselves, wanting to struggle with this problem, while the others had already bowed down and prepared their hearts to live in a pickle house.
However, Gu Shengnan continued with an embarrassed face. "Well, actually, the villagers agreed to expand the educated youth house and built additional rooms at the back."
As if on cue, multiple heads turned in the direction of the kitchen, and Gu Shengnan sighed.
"It's a single room with a kang and just a little leg room. You can fit two people if you try and you have to pay rent."
"Why? Since it's agreed to expand the educated youth house, doesn't it belong to our educated youth house?"
Gu Shengnan shrugged. "Because it's still not enough and everyone wants to live in the new house. The villagers got mad after a commotion, tied up the educated youths that made noises, and wanted to drag them to the commune. Either we pay for the additional rooms ourselves or beg the educated youth office for additional subsidies to build more rooms."
"....."
Tied up? Like literally tied up?
Remembering the heroic figure of that pair of uncle and niece fed their wild imagination. The possibility of being tied up like a pig was high!
"You should have seen the aggressiveness of the brigade members. I'm reminding you in advance; the folk customs here are a bit special. You will understand more in the future. Anyway, now it's decided that whoever pays rent gets to live in the new accommodation."
Some have already made decisions in their hearts, hammering down their expectations to the lowest. So when the group went to the back and saw a brick and tile room, they were delighted.
The kang in the room was a little bigger than a single bed, and the space between the kang and the door was enough to build a small stove or put in a cabinet. Although it still can't compare to the city where they have electricity and water, it was better than the one in front.
"You can decide by yourselves later, take a rest first. When the Brigade Secretary and the Captain come back from the fields, I'll take you to the Brigade Headquarters to receive your subsidies and talk about renting your accommodation. The other educated youths will also be back by then and we'll get to know each other after dinner. That's all, I'll be leaving first."
Now is the autumn harvest season, and most of the villagers are doing strenuous work.
Everyone was rushing to harvest, and the Captain wouldn't allow anyone to take more than half a day of leave. He's currently roaming around the fields, ready to explode at any time and spare no one.
Shen Xingshen's eyes roamed around, thinking that a kang cabinet was enough and whether he should add a stove.
While he was constructing his future room in his head and having a beautiful dream, a hand patted his shoulder.
"Cousin, the kang here can accommodate the two of us if we don't add anything. How about we room together? What do you think?"
What does he think? He thinks it's better for two people to have some personal space!
"This… this is not good. Cousin, I'm afraid to bother you."
"I know you are weak and easily get sick. I understand, you're not a bother to me, don't worry about inconveniencing me. There's no need to be polite between us cousins. The climate here is too chilly for you, and it makes me worried about your health. I naturally have to look after you closely."
Shen Xingshen wanted to shrink but Qian Feng grabbed his arm. "Cousin, seriously, no need. I'm already this old and can take care of myself."
Qian Feng shook his head. "Auntie is also afraid that you will get sick again, and it will be too late when others find out. She asked me to take care of you. Cousin, you can't be willful. Okay, put your luggage inside and take a rest, you are tired from the long trip. Don't get sick on the first day."
Wei Shen watched the 'caring' drama between the two cousins and rolled his eyes.
He opened his mouth to comment on their 'brotherly' love but accidentally choked on dust instead. All the dust somehow went flying when Qian Feng disturbed the room.
"Ehem. This room needs to be cleaned. Cousin, you should go out first."
"Qian Feng!!"