Chapter 6 – The Young Lady
Happy times are always short-lived. The next morning, Lu Miao was shaken awake.
Gu Ying, in a flurry, reminded her urgently:
“I’m heading to work. Hurry up! It’ll be very busy at noon. Before we start work, you all need to go to the team to collect your advance rations!”
It was all because they had chatted too long the previous night—Gu Ying was even late getting up today.
She hastily tied her hair, then turned around to see Lu Miao still frowning in her sleep. Gu Ying’s voice cracked:
“Lu Miao!”
Lu Miao jolted, sleepiness vanishing more than half. She sat up slowly, displeased, and said:
“What’s the rush? If we don’t collect them this morning, can’t we just wait until noon when the team leader is done? Isn’t it the same?”
Gu Ying shoved the toothbrush and towel Lu Miao had prepared last night into her hands and pushed her out the door. “That won’t do. You just arrived—you need to leave a good impression on the team leader.”
If someone wasn’t even enthusiastic about collecting rations, how could anyone expect more from them?
Lu Miao exhaled helplessly and had no choice but to wash up. When she came back, she got upset again—this time because of her hair.
She didn’t have a comb, so she temporarily borrowed Ren Bingxin’s.
She could manage a ponytail, and she knew how to tie buns or princess-style hairdos. But braids really stumped her.
When Ren Bingxin braided her hair before, Lu Miao had watched carefully. At the time it looked simple enough. But when she tried it herself, her hands seemed to have a mind of their own, twisting in all the wrong ways.
After struggling for half a day, the male educated youths outside couldn’t wait any longer and left ahead. Not only had Lu Miao failed to braid her hair, but she also ruined her original ponytail—here sticking up awkwardly, there sunken down.
Lu Miao slapped the comb onto Ren Bingxin’s bed, kicked off her shoes, and flopped back down. “I’m not going!”
Ren Bingxin almost laughed in exasperation. She pulled her up with half coaxing, half dragging. “My dear young lady, I’ll do it, I’ll braid it for you, okay?”
Lu Miao’s delicate brows pinched together, her lips puffed in a pout as she haughtily argued:
“I don’t mean I can’t—I, I used to do it in front of a mirror. There’s no mirror here…”
Ren Bingxin casually humored her:
“I know, I get it. Alright, put on your shoes and let’s go, or you’ll fall behind.”
Lu Miao incredulously grabbed her braid from behind. “So fast!”
“Of course.” Looping her arm through Lu Miao’s, Ren Bingxin thoughtfully protected her pride. “Practice later when we’re back. You’re so smart—even without a mirror, you can do it.”
“Of course.”
Lu Miao replied confidently. She was no worse than anyone else—whatever others could do, she could definitely learn too.
She straightened her back and immediately felt full of energy.
At the team leader’s house, they went to collect the advance rations. Male educated youths were allotted thirty jin per month, females twenty-eight jin—all coarse grains.
If they chose fresh coarse grains, the exchange ratio with dry coarse grains was 3:1.
If they chose fine grains, the exchange ratio with dry coarse grains was 1:3.
Fresh coarse grains included potatoes and sweet potatoes. Dry coarse grains included corn kernels, sorghum, and dried sweet potato slices.
As for fine grain, there was only one kind—brown rice.
Rations were chosen on the spot and weighed on the spot.
Lu Miao looked around. She had probably never eaten sorghum before, and she didn’t want to try it, so she picked the ones she knew—some sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn.
The brown rice really did look coarse and rough, nothing like fine grain, but she still asked for a few jin.
Altogether, she collected just over twenty jin. Since she hadn’t brought anything to carry them, the team leader’s wife, Chen Guifen, who was very kind, lent her a basket and a grain sack.
She tried lifting the basket. She could carry it, but the walk from the team leader’s house to the educated youth station took more than ten minutes along winding paths. With the sun rising higher, Lu Miao didn’t want to end up sweating through her clothes.
Her eyes scanned the courtyard. Everyone else was busy, and they all had big sacks already, so they probably wouldn’t be reliable.
Lu Miao frowned in annoyance, then suddenly noticed Fu Xiaoliu standing next to He Hongjin, helping with the weights.
Her eyes lit up, and she waved eagerly.
“Comrade Fu Xiaoliu, over here! Over here!”
Fu Xiaoliu shook his head slightly, then looked around until he noticed the girl standing in the shadow of the courtyard gate.
The young girl’s features were bright and striking, her eyes sparkling as though they hid little stars.
