Zhao Gang led several of the male educated youths to carry tables into the yard. They pushed a few small tables together and brought out long benches, arranging them in a circle.

Everyone worked together to bring the dishes out.

There was a basket of cornmeal buns, a plate of steamed sweet potatoes, a large basin of egg soup, a dish of dried radish, a plate of cabbage stewed with tofu topped with a few pieces of fatty pork, another pot of egg soup, a plate of sliced steamed rice cakes, stir-fried cured meat with garlic shoots, scrambled eggs with scallions, a plate of pickled cabbage, a bag of sponge cake cut into small pieces, and even Tang Qiuyue’s biscuits were broken up and placed on a plate.

Aside from what Su Cen and the others had contributed, the only dish with any meat was the cabbage and tofu with a few bits of pork—showing just how poor everyone’s usual meals were.

Many of the educated youths hadn’t had meat in a long time, with barely any oil in their diets. Seeing the spread, their eyes practically gleamed green with hunger.

Zhao Gang called out,
“Everyone, find a seat.”

Once seated, the girl who had been cooking handed out staple food—each person got one corn bun and one sweet potato.

“Let’s eat!” Zhao Gang announced.

The moment he finished speaking, only the blur of chopsticks could be seen over the table.

Among the new arrivals, only Li Zhaodi and Zhang Yingying seemed prepared. The others didn’t even react in time.

Seeing how fierce the competition was, they quickly lowered their heads and started eating too.

Su Cen watched the countless chopsticks stirring through the dishes and felt a bit uncomfortable. She only picked up a bite of scrambled eggs and didn’t take any more. Chewing her corn bun, she found it surprisingly tasty—even though she was used to refined grains.

Tang Qiuyue couldn’t even bring herself to eat the corn bun. She only took a slice of sponge cake from Li Weiguo’s bag, handing both her bun and sweet potato to Yan Mingyuan.

Once the dishes were completely wiped clean, everyone helped clear the plates, washed their own bowls, and returned to sit down.

Zhao Gang smiled kindly, his gaze sweeping over the group.
“Since everyone’s here, let’s introduce ourselves.”

He paused, then continued,
“My name is Zhao Gang, from the capital. I’m among the first batch of educated youths here and the person in charge of the dormitory. I’m 22, probably the oldest here. If you have any problems, you can come to me.”

The girl who had been cooking spoke next,
“My name is Gao Xiuqin, from Hebei Province. I came in the same batch as Zhao, 21 years old.”

She added,
“The previous female dorm leader got married recently. Until a new one is chosen, you can come to me with any issues.”

“My name is Lin Hong, 19, from the southwest,” said a girl with short hair and bangs. Her voice was cool, but her cute looks softened her seriousness.

“I’m Zhang Guixiang, 19, from Harbin,” said a dark-skinned girl with a loud voice. Despite the harsh times, she even had visible muscle.

“I’m Chen Huiyin, 20, from Shanghai,” said a girl with her head lowered, her voice so soft it was hard to hear.

“Tian Xiaolan, 21,” she said, legs crossed, picking her teeth with a twig. Combined with her earlier behavior, Su Cen thought she looked just like a street loafer.

“Ye Chunsheng, 20, from the capital,” said the young man who had defended Zhang Yingying earlier.

“My name is Wang Xiaohu, 18, from the capital,” he said with a simple grin, revealing two tiger teeth that suited his name.

“Hello everyone, I’m Kang Zijian, 21, also from the capital,” said a man in a white shirt with slicked-back hair. He squinted slightly as he spoke and casually touched the watch on his wrist.

Su Cen inwardly winced.

Zhang Yingying’s eyes darted around, clearly thinking about something.

“I’m Peng Xiaochuan, 18, from the southwest,” said a shy boy wearing glasses, his ears turning red just from introducing himself.

“I’m Gu Linchuan, 19, from the capital,” said a voice that was cold and distant.

Even sitting down, he gave off the impression of being tall. His hair was messy like a bird’s nest, with long bangs covering his eyes. His skin was lightly tanned from working in the fields, but his sharp jawline stood out, and his neck was strikingly fair in contrast. Though his clothes were ordinary, there was something about him that felt anything but simple.

“I’m Li Weiguo—‘defend the nation’ Weiguo—18, from the capital,” he said energetically.

“I’m Liu Fengxia, 18, from the capital.”

“I’m Chen Weidong, 19, from the capital.”

“I’m Yan Mingyuan, 19, from Tianjin.”

“Tang Qiuyue, 17, from Shanghai,” she said weakly.

Su Cen had thought her soft, lilting speech sounded like a Jiangnan accent—and it turned out she really was from the south. Though it was unclear why she had boarded from Tianjin.

“My name is Zhang Yingying, 17, from the capital. Please take care of me in the future,” she said, even standing up to give a bow.

“I’m Li Zhaodi, 18, from the capital,” she said, then sat back, still savoring the meal in her mind. It had tasted much better than what she ate at home, though the portions were too small—she was already starting to feel hungry again.

“My name is Su Cen, 16, from the capital.”

After everyone finished, Zhao Gang stood up.
“From now on, we’re one group—let’s support each other and stay united!”

He then looked at the newcomers.
“You’ve all had a long journey, so get some rest early. New arrivals get two days off before starting work on the third day. Tomorrow is market day—the team tractor leaves at 7 a.m. for the commune. If you need to buy anything, get to the village entrance early.”

After they dispersed, Su Cen walked back to her small courtyard. She noticed that Gu Linchuan lived next door. The two returned to their own places without greeting each other.

After closing the courtyard gate, Su Cen realized there was no lock. She made a mental note to buy one at the supply store the next day.

Inside, she secured the door latch and entered her storage space.

While resting on the train earlier, she had explored it mentally and discovered a small hot spring behind the wooden house.

After days of travel and nonstop activity, she felt like her body was about to fall apart.

But the moment she soaked in the hot spring, she felt completely revived.

After bathing, she grabbed a cup, went to the well, and scooped up a cup of the spiritual spring water to drink. Whether it was psychological or not, she felt her body grow stronger.

It must be, right?

After all, according to the instruction manual, the spring water only worked with long-term use. Su Cen decided that from now on, she would use this water for all her food and drink. Fortunately, the supply replenished itself.

She glanced at her watch—9 p.m. For someone used to staying up late reading novels in modern times, that was still early.

But thinking about having to wake up after 6 a.m. the next day, she obediently went upstairs to sleep.