Siheyuan: Yan Jiekuang's carefree life

After lunch, Yan Jiekuang accompanied Su Zihui to walk around the county for a while, and then met up with Tian Dazhuang and Wu Haiwang, and drove the tractor out of the county. When Yan Jiekuang and his party returned to the brigade, it was already five o'clock in the afternoon. Yan Jiekuang parked the tractor, but before he could get off, Gou Wa's voice rang out: "Dad! Yan Zhiqing, my father asked me to call you to dinner at home."

Yan Jiekuang said, "Gou Wa, go back and tell your father that Su Zhiqing and I will not be going."

Tian Dazhuang said, "Xiao Yan, you should go! Maybe your captain uncle has something to tell you."

Yan Jiekuang said, "Uncle Secretary, I'd better not go. The meal at the captain's house is not delicious. As the saying goes, you should be grateful when you eat from someone else's food, and you should be grateful when you take from someone else's things. In order not to be grateful, I'd better not go." After saying that, Yan Jiekuang pulled Su Zihui away from the warehouse where the tractor was parked.

Tian Dazhuang looked at the two men from behind and muttered, "Little rascals." Then he said to Gou Wa, "Go back and tell your dad that we've been riding the tractor all day and are too tired to go to your house for dinner."

"Oh!" Gou Wa responded, not daring to stay any longer, and went home immediately.

Yan Jiekuang and Su Zihui had just returned home when someone knocked on the door outside the yard: "Is anyone home?!"

Yan Jiekuang came out of the house, saw the stranger outside the door, and asked, "Comrade, who are you looking for?!"

"Yan Zhiqing, I am a new educated youth who came here a month ago. My name is Zheng Tong. I want to learn how to drive a tractor from you. I wonder if you are willing to teach me?!"

Yan Jiekuang replied, "I'm sorry! I don't know how to drive. I just got lucky. If there's nothing else, you can go back first! I still need to eat."

Zheng Tong did not expect Yan Jiekuang to refuse so quickly. Zheng Tong asked unwillingly: "Yan Zhiqing, we are all Zhiqing, why are you not willing to lend a hand and help me?!"

Yan Jiekuang replied: "It is true that we are all educated youth, but I am not familiar with you." After that, Yan Jiekuang turned and walked towards the kitchen.

Zheng Tong sighed deeply, did not insist any further, and left dejectedly.

After about five or six minutes, Su Zihui walked into the kitchen, looked at Yan Jiekuang who was busy, and asked, "Is there anything I can do?!"

Yan Jiekuang replied, "You are already helping me a lot just by sitting there and not moving." Then Yan Jiekuang took out a roll of noodles from the cupboard and put it into the boiling water. Not long after, two bowls of noodles were ready. Yan Jiekuang brought the noodles to the table and said, "I came back late today, so let's just have a simple meal first. Tomorrow I will go into the mountains to see if I can hunt wild goats. We will have hot pot tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow is the registration day. Are you really not planning to be a tractor driver?!" Su Zihui asked casually while picking up a piece of noodles and stuffed the noodles into his mouth.

Yan Jiekuang replied, "I really don't want to be one. I am so free now! After finishing farm work, I can do whatever I want! Besides, I don't need those work points."

Su Zihui said: "Only Gou Wa and Shan Zi in the whole team have learned something from you. It may not be easy for others to compete with them for the position of tractor driver."

Yan Jiekuang smiled and said nothing more, continuing to enjoy his noodles.

The next morning, Yan Jiekuang had just finished his farm work and was about to go back to cook when Gao Junsong called him. Yan Jiekuang asked, "Uncle Captain, what's up?!"

Gao Junsong looked at Yan Jiekuang and asked, "Are you really not going to be a tractor driver for the brigade?!"

Yan Jiekuang replied, "I really don't have such an idea. Captain, if I become a tractor driver, what will I do when I return to the city in the future?! We will have to choose someone else by then, so it's better to do it now. I won't take up this position."

When the villagers heard what Yan Jiekuang said, they all felt that this educated youth was sensible and understood human affairs. Their impression of Yan Jiekuang became even better.

Gao Junsong saw that he couldn't persuade Yan Jiekuang, and there were other villagers nearby, so he couldn't say some things and had to give up.

Things turned out just as Yan Jiekuang had expected. In the end, Gou Wa and Shan Zi became tractor drivers of the brigade. Originally, the villagers and educated youth had some complaints about the two being elected as tractor drivers, but when they heard Gao Junsong announce that they would be compensated with 10 work points a day for driving the tractor, and only 5 work points a day on weekdays, and that they would also have to work in the fields like everyone else, they stopped talking and complained less.

In early September, another group of educated youth arrived. Most of them came from Shanghai and Jinling. Gao Junsong and Gao Baolin drove a bullock cart to the commune as they did before. Gao Junsong asked Gao Baolin to take care of the bullock cart, and he went to the commune's educated youth office.

Gao Junsong didn't expect to bump into the head of the commune, Ge Yunfei, who was about to leave when he entered the gate. Ge Yunfei said, "Old Gao, I heard that your team got a tractor?! Did the tractor arrive today?!"

Gao Junsong knew that he couldn't avoid the tractor issue, so he didn't hide it and said directly: "President, they say that good steel should be used on the blade. Tractors burn diesel, not vegetable oil. How can you just drive it out casually?!"

When the people from other teams heard Gao Junsong's words, their faces changed. Ge Yunfei also felt the strange looks from the people around him and asked, "Old Gao, tell me, how did your team get the tractor?!"

Gao Junsong replied: "We have to thank the people in the Youth League Office. Who asked them to send a good Youth League to our team?!"

Gao Junsong didn't directly say how he got it, but just said it was related to the educated youth. As for which educated youth it was related to, let them guess and inquire for themselves. Anyway, it had nothing to do with him, Gao Junsong.

Ge Yunfei glared at Gao Junsong and walked out of the commune gate angrily. Several team leaders who had a good relationship with Gao Junsong came up to Gao Junsong and said, "Old Gao, your team has upgraded its weapons. Don't forget to help us during the busy farming season!"

Gao Junsong smiled and agreed, "Sure! Sure! I will help if I can. But let me be frank. Tractors run on diesel. If you want us to help you, you must prepare the diesel in advance."

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Gao Junsong went to the Youth League Office to get the list, then went to the gate of the commune and found Gao Baolin. The two of them sat on the ox cart, smoking, waiting for the new youth to arrive.

Time passed quickly like running water. The busy farming season was over in a blink of an eye. The public grain had been paid. Gao Junsong immediately distributed everyone's rations while everyone was still excited. However, Yan Jiekuang and Su Zihui did not rush to take their rations away, but kept them in the brigade warehouse. That's right, Yan Jiekuang and Su Zihui planned to go back to Sijiucheng to visit their relatives in two days.

After distributing the food, Yan Jiekuang and Su Zihui rested at home for two days. Then they started to go up the mountain. The two worked hard for a week and got a lot of good things. Except for some given to the cowshed, the rest were either made into cured products, dried goods or fried goods. Anyway, Yan Jiekuang and Su Zihui were busy for a month. After arranging the people in the cowshed, Yan Jiekuang and Su Zihui went to the brigade headquarters to apply for home leave and got a letter of introduction. The next morning, Yan Jiekuang and Su Zihui took their bags, got on the ox cart driven by Gao Baolin, and left Qingshan Brigade.