The Educated Youth 011

Zhang Qingqing never expected that Fang Zhiyi would happen to pass by here with so many people in tow.

It wasn't until she was dragged out by the furious educated youths that she finally began to feel afraid.

"Things like this have happened in other villages, but I thought our Xiashan Village would be cleaner. I never expected this..." Fang Zhiyi's words were laced with a chilling tone. "Send them all to the police station!"

That night, the educated youths of Xiashan Village escorted the three individuals through the dark to the town. Upon hearing about the incident, the town's police station immediately sprang into action.

However, even Fang Zhiyi didn't anticipate that while the old bachelor was locked up on the spot, Zhang Qingqing and Wei Xiangyang were merely sent to a farm with even worse conditions for labor reform.

After all, they hadn't caused any severe consequences, which had to be taken into consideration.

The only one who received a heavy sentence was the old bachelor.

Nevertheless, it was a good thing for Xiashan Village. At the very least, without Zhang Qingqing and Wei Xiangyang around, the other educated youths became much more motivated in their labor, and their relationship with Fang Zhiyi, the production brigade leader, grew much closer.

With this incident being the talk of the village, only Fang Xiaoxia sat at home with a bitter expression, reading books and taking notes.

She desperately wanted to go out and listen to the gossip, but her old man wouldn't let her. Lately, perhaps from being driven crazy by all his lessons, she even dreamed of her father explaining mechanical principles and technical problems to her.

A few days later, Fang Zhiyi received a notice asking Fang Xiaoxia to go to town to explain her ideas to the visiting experts from above.

Fang Zhiyi did not hesitate to put Fang Xiaoxia on a donkey cart, while he leisurely returned to the village.

"This is a great era. As long as you have skills and real ability, you won't be buried in obscurity."

Little Hei nodded in agreement. "But you're the one who solved the problem, and you're letting your daughter take the heat for it? Isn't that a bit much?"

"What do you know? I'm getting old, what's wrong with enjoying life a little?"

"No, but she's just an amateur who learned halfway. Do you really think she can handle it?"

"She's more than capable," Fang Zhiyi smiled. "Besides, didn't you help out too?"

"You're more ruthless than a capitalist. You even give her extra tutoring in her sleep. Keep pushing her; no one can outdo you," Little Hei said helplessly.

Everything was within Fang Zhiyi's expectations. Fang Xiaoxia went from being nervous at first to completely composed. Her theoretical knowledge had the visiting experts nodding continuously, and after she demonstrated her practical operations, someone immediately suggested that she give a lecture at the machinery processing plant.

"Will I get work points for it?" Fang Xiaoxia asked cautiously.

An older expert laughed. "Not just work points, you'll get food coupons, cloth coupons, and everything else! People like you are exactly what we lack right now."

Originally, he had his doubts when he first saw Fang Xiaoxia, but the facts proved that there was no gender distinction when it came to technical skills.

The news that Fang Xiaoxia had been kept on at the machinery plant spread back to the village. The villagers came to Fang Zhiyi's house beaming with joy to offer their congratulations, and Fang Zhiyi cheerfully exchanged pleasantries with them.

It was obvious that the villagers were genuinely congratulating him. After all, a prominent figure had emerged from Xiashan Village, bringing honor to everyone's faces.

This was much better than some other villages.

Besides giving lectures, Fang Xiaoxia threw herself into production. To put it plainly, she had become a regular worker, and a highly skilled one at that.

However, whenever she encountered something she couldn't figure out, Fang Xiaoxia would find an excuse to eagerly run back home with blueprints to ask Fang Zhiyi.

On the surface, Fang Zhiyi would claim he didn't understand, but with just a few words, he would lay the core of the problem out in front of Fang Xiaoxia, allowing her to realize the answer herself.

In the blink of an eye, a year passed. During this year, some educated youths chose to marry local village girls. When they got married, Fang Zhiyi would always be present to ask the couple if they were willing to support each other for a lifetime. He would only agree to be the officiant after receiving a positive answer.

In addition, Fang Zhiyi introduced a new rule: anyone getting married had to go to the town to get an official marriage certificate. He wasted a lot of breath on this matter, but fortunately, everyone eventually accepted it. However, at the mention of a marriage certificate, some educated youths got cold feet. Fang Zhiyi did not force them; he understood how young people felt.

He just never expected that the day would come when he too would be pushed by the villagers into a blind date.

Looking at the woman introduced by the Director of Women's Affairs, Fang Zhiyi turned and ran. He hadn't even started living his own good days yet!

Zhang Qingqing and Wei Xiangyang returned one after another. The two looked like they had suffered a lot and had lost a significant amount of weight. But Fang Zhiyi knew that Wei Xiangyang was able to return because his family had pulled a lot of strings, while the reason Zhang Qingqing could come back was even simpler: she was pregnant.

Without a doubt, the child was Wei Xiangyang's.

After they returned, the two kept a much lower profile and didn't interact with others. They just kept their heads down and did the work Fang Zhiyi assigned them. The village also took care of them to some extent, arranging a secluded little house for them to live in.

Not long after, news came from the outside saying that the educated youths were allowed to return to the city.

This news struck the entire Xiashan Village just like in the original plot. The educated youths all became active. There were also some married educated youths who quarreled with their wives, but they were in the minority.

A light gleamed in Wei Xiangyang's eyes.

These bitter days were finally coming to an end. Right now, he wished he could immediately fly back to his home. Looking at his rough hands, Wei Xiangyang almost cried out loud.

Zhang Qingqing also changed her usual behavior and became much more attentive to Wei Xiangyang. She knew that her opportunity had come again. As long as she could hold onto Wei Xiangyang tightly, her life wouldn't be bad after going back.

Hearing that the country bumpkin Fang Xiaoxia had actually become a worker at the town's machinery plant, Zhang Qingqing firmly believed in her heart that Fang Zhiyi had pulled strings through the back door.

After her previous labor reform, she had also figured it out: Fang Zhiyi was deliberately messing with her. She, Zhang Qingqing, would definitely take revenge for this grudge. But she couldn't afford to offend Fang Zhiyi right now, because the quota for returning to the city had to pass through his hands.

However, there was no need for Fang Zhiyi to target them anymore. Their past behavior had already excluded them from the list of those returning to the city. After Fang Zhiyi announced the quotas for returning to the city, as always, he let the educated youths nominate each other.

Obviously, no one was going to nominate these two pieces of work.

The light in Wei Xiangyang's eyes gradually dimmed, and Zhang Qingqing gnashed her teeth in hatred as she looked at Fang Zhiyi, the smiling tiger standing at the front.

Aside from returning to the city, the news that they could take the university entrance exam arrived at the same time. Some educated youths began going to the town to search for books, preparing to pick up their studies again. However, books were in high demand right now, and they mostly went empty-handed and returned empty-handed.

That was until Fang Zhiyi stood before them with his hands behind his back.

"Youths, do you want books?"

At this moment, in the eyes of the educated youths, Fang Zhiyi practically radiated light.

Although the books he provided were handwritten copies, transcribed onto scrap paper, they were still incredibly precious.

A wave of studying swept through Xiashan Village. After finishing their work, the educated youths would return to their quarters and start reading, discussing things with each other from time to time. Even some of the young people in the village curiously joined in the fun, which was also thanks to the groundwork Fang Zhiyi had laid earlier.

"Our Xiaoxia, she just loves to read, so I often went to find books for her. And look, didn't she become a regular worker because of it!"