"Uncle, how much further do we have to go? I can't walk anymore, I'm exhausted," Niu Jianwen complained.
This morning, after eating, the group waited for the people who came to pick them up. It was Li Dayou, the leader of the production team, who came to pick them up. He had driven a mule cart to Fangzheng Township before dawn this morning to meet everyone.
Li Dayou didn't want these people to come to his production team at all, but there was nothing he could do; it was assigned from above. These young people from the City had never experienced any hardship. Their arrival would only cause trouble for them. They couldn't even walk a few steps without getting tired. He thought of the young men in their village who could carry dozens of catties and run back and forth in a day without even breathing hard.
"Almost there, almost there. Another half an hour and we should be close."
"Still so long? Let's rest for a bit first, I really can't walk anymore," Niu Jianwen said.
"Yes, yes, Uncle, let's rest for a bit first. Look, the mule pulling our luggage is tired too," said Zuo Lei, a little girl who was a treasured darling at home and had never walked so far. She was also forcing herself to keep going.
"Alright, then let's rest. You all drink some water and eat some dry rations. I'll also give the mule some water," Li Dayou said, stopping, unhitching the mule cart from the mule, and leading the mule to a nearby river to drink.
"Finally, we can rest for a bit. My legs are about to break," Niu Jianwen said, then lay on the ground to rest.
Only Ye Hao, Niu Jianwu, Tang Zilan, and Sun Chaoshu didn't feel tired. These few either had their bodies transformed by spring water or had been exercising since childhood.
"Zilan, why aren't you tired at all?" Zuo Lei asked curiously, sitting on the ground and looking at Tang Zilan, whose complexion was normal.
"I grew up in a military camp and exercised every day, so this distance is nothing to me," Tang Zilan explained with a smile. "Though, I didn't expect Sun Chaoshu, who looks like a skinny monkey, to have such good stamina. I couldn't tell. He has some skill. How about we practice together sometime, big sister?"
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. How can I compare to you, Zilan? Comparing myself to you would be like showing off a big saber in front of Guan Gong," Sun Chaoshu quickly flattered, he certainly didn't want to compete with this female war goddess.
If Ye Hao hadn't been adding spring water to Aunt Wang's water vat for a while, Sun Chaoshu, who drank the diluted spring water and had his body transformed, would probably have been unable to walk long ago. Didn't you see that the other people were all as tired as dead dogs? This wasn't the flat road in the City. At this time, there were no village-to-village roads, and the mountain paths were quite broken, and they were going uphill. These people from the City had never walked such mountain roads before, and each of them was out of breath.
After resting for a while and drinking some water, everyone continued on their way.
"Alright, we're almost there. Do you see that cluster of houses down there? That's our destination, Li Family Village," Li Dayou said, pointing to a cluster of houses below the mountain as they climbed over a pass.
"Finally, we're almost there. If we don't get there soon, I might die."
Everyone cheered and ran downhill. It was truly a case of 'running to the mountain kills the horse.' The mountain village, which didn't look far, took an hour to reach due to the winding, non-linear path.
"What a terrible place, a place even dogs would despise. I don't know what my old man was thinking, sending me to a place like this. Is this a place for humans to live? The United States is much better than this," Zhao Yuanhang said, disregarding the occasion.
"Zhao Yuanhang, what are you saying? Do you know that China still has many places like this? Our mission in the countryside is to build up these backward areas, to lighten the burden on the country, and to increase grain production.
If it weren't for the grain these people plant and turn over to the state, what would you eat? You would have starved to death long ago.
You constantly think about going to the United States. Do you know that the United States' development was built on the piled-up bones of Chinese laborers? Do you also know how many of our compatriots sacrificed their lives under the guns of the United States back then?
Are you worthy of this land that nurtured you?
Are you worthy of these common people who would rather starve to death than fail to turn over grain to the state so that you could eat your fill?
You were sent to study so that you could build the motherland, not so that you would want to abandon this country that nurtured you for over a decade just because you learned some knowledge. Are you worthy of the stability that your parents' generation sacrificed for?
I think you're just an ungrateful wretch. You've already degenerated…" It's unclear what triggered Zuo Lei, this young girl. She actually went ballistic and launched into a tirade against Zhao Yuanhang.
"Zuo Lei, why are you saying that about me? Is it wrong for me to have my own dreams? Besides, what contribution have you made to the country? If you haven't made any contributions yourself, why are you lecturing me?" Zhao Yuanhang said righteously.
"It's not wrong for you to have dreams, but you are wrong to belittle your own motherland to highlight the good of the United States. You shouldn't eat the grain grown by the common people and then say that the place where they live is broken and not fit for humans. Are you the only human, and these people who feed you are not human? You are wrong because you see the country is so poor and never thought about how to make her rich and strong; you only think about escaping this poor country. A dog doesn't despise its poor home; you are worse than a dog. If you were like Elder Qian and the others, going abroad to learn advanced technology and returning home to build the motherland, I, Zuo Lei, would definitely admire you. But from your words, I can see your disgust for this land; you have no lingering affection. It's right that Uncle didn't let you go abroad. People like you are traitors, and I am ashamed to associate with you." Saying this, Zuo Lei turned and walked towards the village.
Zuo Lei's merciless mockery made Zhao Yuanhang's face turn ashen with anger. He wanted to retort but didn't know how.
Seeing Zhao Yuanhang's grim expression, Huang Su Su stepped forward to comfort him, "Yuan Hang, don't listen to Zuo Lei's nonsense. Just be yourself. I support your dreams. After a few years of experience here, your dad will definitely let you go abroad."
Seeing Zuo Lei's fierce demeanor, Niu Jianwen didn't dare to complain, fearing that the conflict would spread to him. He quietly took Niu Jianwu into the village.
Sun Chaoshu whispered to Ye Hao, "Brother Hao, I didn't realize it, but Zuo Lei, who looks like a little girl, speaks so eloquently and is so domineering. I was even embarrassed by what she said. I've been messing around for so many years, isn't that just holding back the country's development?"
"Now you know you've been holding back the country, right? Are you still going to mess around in the future?" Ye Hao teased.
"Brother Hao, I will definitely be a useful person to the country in the future and won't be like before. I was an idiot before. What I've seen and heard these past few days has really touched me. I never thought there would be such poor places. Look at those people, their clothes are patched upon patched, not a single decent piece of clothing," Sun Chaoshu said, looking at the villagers.
"Lei Lei, wait for me," Tang Zilan said, chasing after Zuo Lei.
"Lei Lei, I never realized before how domineering you are. You completely stunned me just now," Tang Zilan said softly as she caught up to Zuo Lei.
"Zilan, I just can't stand Zhao Yuanhang's condescending attitude. It makes me sick. He keeps saying how good the United States is, but no matter how good it is, it has nothing to do with him. He's just an ungrateful wretch."