I Became Rich by Eating Melons in the Era of Literature (1970s)

　　This was the first stop of the train. All the people on board were educated youth, sitting sparsely in the seats of the carriage. No one wanted to chat, and all of them were immersed in the mood of parting.

　　There was no one sitting in Jiang Youtao's area. While no one was paying attention, Jiang Youtao took out two quilts and two sets of clothes from the space.

　　The winter in the south is not that cold. Li Xiuqin thought that if she got married, the woman's family would also have to prepare a quilt, so she didn't make it that thick so that it would be convenient to take.

　　She glanced at the bag Hao Juxiang had given her, which was filled with food, long-lasting cornmeal and white flour buns, fried pickles, and some snacks for the journey, such as dried sweet potatoes.

　　In addition to this there was a small handkerchief. She opened it and saw a stack of money inside, both small and large notes, neatly arranged. She counted them and found there were ten yuan.

　　Labor is cheap these days. A farmer only earns 20 cents for working a full centimeter a day. If it is a bad year, the labor price will be even cheaper.

　　The four members of the Ying family are old, sick, and disabled. Hao Juxiang and Ying Dexing have to take medicine every month. The only income for the family comes from the side job that Ying Dexing and Ying Chaorong earn as carpenters.

　　How long would it take them to save up ten yuan?

　　Then she looked at the small bag Ying Chaorong handed to her before getting off the car. There were two exquisite wooden sculptures in it. They were dogs and cats, not only exquisite but also naive, without a single burr on them. The wood was smooth to the touch after being brushed with tung oil.

　　In addition, there was a piece of change of one yuan and fifty cents, including several one-cent coins. This should be all of Ying Chaorong's private money.

　　Adding the ten yuan that Ying Caixia put aside, she got 21.5 yuan for a trip back to her grandmother's house, which was equivalent to a temporary worker's monthly salary.

　　It wasn't much, but it felt heavy in her hand. Jiang Youtao thought that she would probably never use the money and would treasure it.

　　This was the first time that an elder other than the dean gave her money.

　　Her heart felt swollen, warm and sour.

　　The train was shaking, Jiang Youtao leaned against the window with a dull look in her eyes, and fell asleep unknowingly. When she woke up again, the train was still running.

　　It was already dawn outside the window, and the sun shyly peeked out from behind the clouds.

　　Taking a train in this era is undoubtedly a torture. From Shanghai to Harbin Province, from the east to the northeast of the motherland, it spans half of the country, a distance of more than 2,000 kilometers. In this era when the train speed is only 120KM per hour, it takes more than ten hours just to travel the straight-line distance, not counting the stops along the way.

　　Just as she was thinking, the train whistled and entered the station. After it stopped, the conductor walked out of the carriage, and passengers carrying luggage rushed in like sardines. The seat next to Jiang Youtao was also full. She looked up and saw that the people who came were three teenagers wearing white shirts and polyester pants, two girls and one boy. They didn't stop talking after they sat down.

　　Jiang Youtao listened for a while and learned a little about their situation. These three grew up in the same compound and were educated youth just like Jiang Youtao.

　　After they finished chatting for a while, they remembered Jiang Youtao.

　　"Hello, comrade. We are educated youth from Ontario. My name is Zhang Huihui, and this is my classmate Zhao Yonglan and my childhood friend Liu Yingjun. May I know your name, please?" This is a special train for educated youth to support Harbin Province. Eighty percent of the people on this train are educated youth.

　　The person who was talking to Jiang Youtao was a girl with a short haircut and almond-shaped eyes. Liu Yingjun was a boy with a bowl-cut haircut and glasses. When Jiang Youtao looked at him, he happened to look over at her. Jiang Youtao smiled at him politely and said, "My name is Jiang Youtao, and I'm from Shencheng."

　　Zhao Yonglan, who was sitting next to Liu Yingjun, looked at Jiang Youtao when she heard this. She was wearing a brand new green military uniform. After looking at Jiang Youtao carefully, her eyes had a hint of superiority. She nodded at Jiang Youtao lightly with a proud look on her face.

　　In this era, Shanghai is an international metropolis second only to the capital, and there is no one in the country who does not know its name.

　　Zhang Huihui had long been fascinated by Shencheng. When she knew Jiang Youtao was from Shencheng and saw that she was well dressed, she instantly became more enthusiastic. She even shared the cakes she brought from home with Jiang Youtao, and Jiang Youtao would not refuse them.

　　Jiang Youtao knew how precious food was in those days. After she got the cake, she opened the bag that Hao Juxiang had prepared for her and took out a can from it: "This is the pickles my grandma made for me. If you don't mind, we can eat it together."

　　Hao Juxiang is a first-rate pickler. She washes the pickled mustard greens to remove the mud and sand, soaks them to soften them, then cuts them into small pieces, stir-fries them with minced meat that is 30% fat and 70% lean, and adds lots of salt and chili peppers. She is also generous with the oil, and the pickled mustard greens are soaked in the oil. As soon as the lid is opened, the aroma of meat mixed with salty and spicy flavors hits the nose. Everyone, including Jiang Youtao, swallows their saliva.

　　Hao Juxiang didn't keep any of the meat that Ying Chaorong bought yesterday and gave it all to her. Her sincere love and care made Jiang Youtao's heart soften a little.

　　Liu Yingjun felt embarrassed to eat only what others had, so he also took out the food prepared by his family. Their families were all well-off, so Liu Yingjun took out four steamed buns made of 200 grams of flour to share. Seeing him like this, Zhao Yonglan also took out two eggs, peeled them, broke them in half and shared them with them.

　　They carefully scooped a spoonful of pickles from the can, spread it carefully on the steamed bun that was broken in half, and then bit off most of it in one bite.

　　The combination of the fragrant oil and fine grains was particularly satisfying. Zhang Huihui even closed her eyes while eating.

　　"It's delicious, Youtao. Your grandmother's cooking skills are really good." After sharing the food, Zhang Huihui felt that she had consciously shortened the distance between herself and Jiang Youtao.

　　Jiang Youtao nodded, Hao Juxiang's cooking skills were indeed great.

　　Zhang Huihui and Liu Yingjun were both well-educated. After eating a spoonful of pickled vegetables, they stopped eating. This was meaty and greasy, and it was so expensive. It was enough to satisfy their cravings. Why did they keep eating shamelessly?

　　Zhao Yonglan ate a spoonful and thought it tasted good. She scooped several more spoonfuls and said, "I think it's just average. I've had better ones in state-owned restaurants before."

　　Jiang Youtao was very unhappy when she saw this, so she closed the lid when Zhao Yonglan reached out again and returned the half egg she hadn't eaten to her.

　　They were not familiar with each other, and Jiang Youtao did not spoil her.

　　Zhao Yonglan curled her lips and said she was petty, while Zhang Huihui and Liu Yingjun looked embarrassed.

　　Liu Yingjun took out the dried meat his mother had steamed and shared it with Jiang Youtao. Zhang Huihui also took out some fruits. The two looked at Jiang Youtao with apologetic eyes.

　　Jiang Youtao had no choice but to give it up. Seeing them like this, she grabbed a handful of dried sweet potatoes made by Hao Juxiang from her pocket and shared them with them.

　　The dried sweet potatoes are made after several steps of steaming and drying. They are soft, sweet, and have a layer of crystal clear syrup on the skin. They are very different from the dried sweet potatoes on the market that are difficult to bite. Zhang Huihui and her friend's eyes lit up while eating them.

　　Jiang Youtao didn't share any with Zhao Yonglan, and Zhao Yonglan didn't want any. She just took out a piece of chocolate from her bag, broke it into three pieces and gave them to Zhang Huihui and Liu Yingjun, and deliberately praised the deliciousness of the chocolate.

　　Jiang Youtao was not greedy. She didn't like chocolate because she thought it tasted bitter and was greasy.

　　So they started talking more, and after some understanding, Jiang Youtao knew that they were all going to Zaoxiang Commune, Guangming County, Harbin Province.

　　What a coincidence: "I'm going to Zaoxiang Township too."

　　Zhang Huihui continued to check: "Which team are you from?"

　　"Liushugou."

　　Zhang Huihui and Liu Yingjun looked at each other and said with a smile: "We are also going to Liushugou Brigade. What a fate!!"

　　Zhao Yonglan was also a little surprised.

　　There were so many educated youth going to Harbin Province, and there were so many places in Harbin Province where people were needed. They never thought that they would meet people who had gone to the countryside from the same brigade just by sitting down.

　　"That's right, it's fate." Jiang Youtao also felt emotional. Considering Zhao Yonglan's current condition, her life in the countryside would probably not be dull.

　　Because they were going to the same place to jump the queue, Zhao Yonglan restrained her temper for the rest of the trip. The four of them helped each other and even went to the toilet together. No one was left alone and they got along quite well.

　　There are many people on the bus but few toilets, so every time theygo to the toilet it's like a battle and they sweat a lot.

　　Under such circumstances, Jiang Youtao and others tacitly reduced the number of times they drank water.

　　After taking turns sleeping for two nights, they finally arrived at the Harbin Railway Station. It was just past 3:30, but the sky was already light.

　　The train station was very busy, and people from various counties who came to pick up the educated youth were already waiting in the waiting room. The four of them, carrying large and small bags, stood behind the person holding the Guangming County sign.

　　Many more people came one after another.

　　Twenty minutes later, the sun came out, dyeing the morning glow in the sky a brilliant orange-red.

　　Bathed in the first rays of sunshine today, they followed the people holding signs and got on the military green Liberation vehicle bound for Guangming County.

　　They were very tired and listless, so they fell asleep leaning against the carriage as soon as they got on.

　　The bus shook for four hours before finally arriving at Guangming County. Then it was another round of looking for friends. An hour and a half later, a total of 20 educated youth got on the tractor to Zaoxiang Township. At 3 pm, they finally arrived at Zaoxiang Township. At 4:50 pm, Jiang Youtao and others got on the oxcart to Liushugou Brigade.

　　They were hungry and tired and didn't want to say a word.

　　The driver introduced himself as Lao Wangtou, who was in charge of livestock raising and daily transportation in Liushugou Brigade.

　　Like most people in the village, Old Wang had a bad impression of these educated youth who went to the countryside.

　　These educated youth were spoiled in the city, they had never done housework, were incompetent at anything, and were the number one trouble maker when it came to eating.

　　In recent years, there have been educated youth coming to their area to work in the countryside. Last year, two came, and this year, four came at once!

　　The land of their brigade is limited, and the yield is about the same every year. If it is a bad year, the harvest will be even less.

　　These educated youth from the city didn't do much work, but they still had to share food with them every year, which was frustrating just to think about.

　　Four more educated youth came today, and together with the previous ones, there are almost ten in total. Old Wang looked very unhappy as he had to distribute so much food for nothing.

　　Jiang Youtao and Zhang Huihui didn't say anything. After sitting in the car for several days and taking several buses in a row, they didn't have the energy to get close to Lao Wang.

　　All they could hear along the way was the sound of cows snorting and the bells on their necks.

　　It took half an hour to ride a ox cart from Zaoxiang Township to Liushugou Brigade. The road became more and more desolate. There were corn fields as tall as a person on both sides of the muddy road, and the wormwood on the roadside was also particularly tall.

　　As Jiang Youtao and others looked forward to it, the ox cart finally arrived at Liushugou.

　　This is a small village located in a valley. There is a row of willow trees planted at the entrance of the village. Under the largest willow tree, several elderly ladies are sitting. A group of half-grown children are playing around them. When some children run too fast, they are scolded. The children calm down for a while, and then start to make noise again.

　　"Old Wang, why did you take in so many educated youth again?" A woman wearing a blue headscarf with flowers on it looked at Jiang Youtao and the others again and again, her face so gloomy that it seemed as if water was about to drip out.

　　The woman wearing a gray headscarf sitting next to her also said, "There are four of them, and three of them are women. What's the use of them? They won't do any work."

　　The Northeast dialect is not much different from Mandarin, so Jiang Youtao and the others understood what they said. Zhang Huihui pursed her lips and wanted to say something, but was stopped by Zhao Yonglan.

　　Old Wang looked at them and said, "This is what the higher-ups said. Why are you telling me your opinions? If you have the guts, go to the commune and tell the leaders."

　　Old Wang was too impatient to deal with these old women who could only chat, so he whipped the cow with a whip, and the cow walked faster.

　　The ox cart passed through the small village and reached the deepest part of the valley, where there was a row of houses. There were three main rooms with a large courtyard. In the southwest corner of the courtyard was a small vegetable garden, and next to the vegetable garden was a pressurized well.

　　Old Wang stopped the car and said to Jiang Youtao and the other three, "This is the educated youth station in the village. You can get off the car now."

　　Jiang Youtao jumped out of the car first, and four young people, both men and women, came out from the educated youth site.

　　Old Wang said to the leader, "Wang Shanxi, the team leader and the branch secretary went to the township for a meeting today. He asked you to make arrangements for these educated youth."

　　Without waiting for Wang Shanxi to speak, he said to Jiang Youtao and the other three, "You just arrived. You will settle down for a day tomorrow and go back to work the day after tomorrow."

　　"Okay, that's it. It's getting late. I'm leaving first." Old Wang didn't say much and drove away.

　　Standing next to Wang Shanxi was a girl in her twenties with pigtails. She looked at Jiang Youtao, Zhang Guihua and Zhao Yonglan up and down and said, "I'm Li Yunying, and I'm an educated youth like Wang Shanxi. It's getting dark and we just got back from work. Let's get settled first and get to know each other over dinner. Come with me."

　　Jiang Youtao and the other two followed her into one of the rooms, while Liu Yingjun was taken to another room by Wang Shanxi and two other young men.

　　"Our youth settlement is not big, with only three rooms in total. When we walked in, there were two stoves in the room where we ate. It was the kitchen. We ate there. There was one room for each of the female and male educated youths."

　　"Before you came, there were three girls in our educated youth center. One of them got married last year, and the other one came here at the beginning of the year. She has relatives here, and she went out to visit them today, so she won't be back until later."

　　"Winter in the Northeast is cold, and everyone lives on a big kang. We have already reserved a place for you in advance. You can choose how to sleep."

　　The room was not very big, with the kang occupying two-thirds of the room. There was very little furniture in the room, only a wooden table on the left side of the door, aligned with the kang, with two washbasins and some toiletries on it.

　　Barely tidy.

　　There was an earthen wall in the middle of the kang that almost reached the ceiling, and a stove was connected to the fire wall. This wall divided the kang into two parts, the inner kang was smaller, and the outer kang was larger. The two places close to the earthen wall were occupied, and there were two wooden boxes near the wall, with bedding on top of the boxes.

　　Seeing them standing still, Li Yunying said, "It's very cold here in the winter. We can't live on the kang alone. When winter comes, with this fire wall, our lives will be much better."

　　Several people looked at each other, and Zhao Yonglan took the lead in choosing the big kang outside and took the place at the corner of the kang. She said to Zhang Huihui and Jiang Youtao, "I'll sleep here."

　　Zhang Huihui put the luggage next to her: "I'll go with Yonglan."

　　Since both sides had chosen someone, Jiang Youtao put the things on the empty space on the small kang in the inner room.

　　Just as they put down their things, a male voice came from outside. Li Yunying responded and called them: "Let's go, take the lunch boxes and go out to eat."

　　They opened the door and walked around to the room between the male and female educated youth dormitories. The food was already on the table. Just as they sat down, they heard footsteps. They looked in the direction of the sound and saw a woman wearing a white shirt and blue khaki pants.

　　She had an oval face and almond-shaped eyes, and her voice was very clear: "I finally made it after rushing so hard. I brought some chicken offal from my aunt's house to add to the dishes for everyone, and also to welcome the new comrades."

　　Almost at the same time, the melon-eating system, which had not appeared for a long time, also popped up: [ Ding~~ The melon-eating system is at your service. The heroine Gu Nianwei of "Seventies: Carrying Millions of Supplies as a Stepmother" has been detected. The plot is now being loaded for you. ]

　　At this moment, Jiang Youtao's eyes were so bright when she looked at Gu Nianwei that they almost glowed.

　　The name of this novel tells a story at first glance. Jiang Youtao, a spectator who likes to watch the drama, sits upright and prepares to be baptized by the bloody story.

　　[ Story loading, progress 30%...50%...80%...81%...81%... ]

　　The progress bar did not move as it was stuck at 81.

　　Jiang Youtao was puzzled and was shocked!

　　She sits upright to read and it show her this?