The 60s Island: The Daily Life of a Capitalist Young Lady with the Army - Chapter 24: Going to the Countryside in Three Days

Chapter 24: Going to the Countryside in Three Days

The Educated Youth Office?

Lin Jiaoyan’s heart sank abruptly, and a sense of foreboding washed over her.

As the two comrades stepped inside and took in the utterly barren state of the room, they both froze in surprise.

The younger one couldn’t help but click his tongue, muttering quietly to his colleague, “Old Zhang, I’d heard Xu Manor had been emptied out, but I never imagined it would be this bare…”

The older comrade merely furrowed his brow slightly and said nothing.

From the outside, the house still looked like an imposing mansion—how could the inside be so empty? There wasn’t even a stool to sit on.

Lin Jiaoyan’s face flushed and then paled in embarrassment. She forced a smile and said, “It’s a long story—we’ve had some trouble at home. Please, have a seat… Oh dear, there isn’t even a stool… I’m so sorry.”

She stood there, flustered and unsure of what to do.

Xu Rongchang rose from the bed plank, his expression growing even more grim. In a muffled voice, he asked, “What brings you two comrades here?”

His tone was clearly impatient and guarded.

The leading comrade from the Educated Youth Office cleared his throat, opened his folder, and fixed his gaze on Xu Jingjing. In an official tone, he announced, “We’re here today to notify Comrade Xu Jingjing.”

Hearing her name, Xu Jingjing’s heart leaped into her throat. Instinctively, she shrank back behind Lin Jiaoyan.

“According to the higher-ups’ arrangements and the previous registration, Comrade Xu Jingjing’s assignment to the countryside has been finalized.”

“The assigned location is Red Star Farm.”

“Comrade Xu Jingjing, please make the necessary preparations. In three days—that is, the day after tomorrow—you are to assemble at the district government entrance at 8 a.m. sharp to board the transport vehicle.”

“All relevant procedures and precautions are written here. Please review them.”

As he spoke, he pulled a notice from his folder and handed it over.

His words struck like a bolt from the blue, leaving all three members of the Xu family stunned.

Xu Jingjing shrieked, “No! I never signed up to go to the countryside!”

Her pretty face instantly turned deathly pale, drained of all color.

The older cadre replied calmly, as if stating the most ordinary fact, “Your elder sister, Comrade Xu Xiangsi, registered on your behalf.”

“What?!”

Xu Jingjing felt her vision darken, the world spinning around her. Her legs gave way, and she nearly collapsed to the floor.

Lin Jiaoyan, quick to react, caught her just in time, preventing her from falling.

“Xu Xiangsi… How… how could she…” Xu Jingjing stammered, unable to form a complete sentence.

As for Xu Rongchang, after the initial shock, a strange glint suddenly flashed in his eyes.

Going to the countryside… becoming an educated youth… Did that mean… there would be subsidies?

He jerked his head up, as if clutching at a lifeline, and asked urgently, “Comrade, then… then will there be subsidies for going to the countryside?”

He was in desperate need of money—even a little would ease their immediate crisis!

The older cadre glanced at him and replied matter-of-factly, “According to policy, educated youth sent to the countryside do receive a one-time resettlement subsidy.”

Xu Rongchang’s eyes lit up even more. “That’s wonderful! Where’s the subsidy? When will it be issued?”

The cadre continued expressionlessly, “The subsidy funds were already collected by Comrade Xu Xiangsi when she completed the registration procedures.”

“What?!” The glimmer of hope on Xu Rongchang’s face instantly froze, then a surge of blood rushed to his head with a “whoosh”!

“That little beast! That damned creature! She even snatched away this meager sum!”

“She’s trying to drive us to our graves!”

Trembling with rage, he pointed toward the doorway and cursed vehemently, spittle flying as his voice cracked with fury.

Lin Jiaoyan was both furious and anxious, tears streaming down her face: “Xu Xiangsi… how could she be so heartless! After emptying our home, she’s now snatching even Jingjing’s survival money!”

“How are we supposed to live like this!” She beat her chest and wailed mournfully.

Xu Jingjing wept uncontrollably, gasping for breath: “I don’t want to go to the countryside! I won’t go! I never volunteered for this! Why should I go just because she signed up?”

She suddenly threw herself at the cadre from the Educated Youth Office, grabbing his arm and pleading desperately: “Com-rade, please, I beg you, help me cancel this! I really don’t want to go!”

The older cadre frowned slightly and gently freed his arm: “Comrade Xu Jingjing, your name has already been registered, and your files have been transferred. It can’t be canceled now.”

The younger one also sternly lectured her: “Moreover, going to the countryside as an educated youth is a glorious endeavor—responding to the nation’s call, building new rural areas in vast lands, and contributing to our motherland.”

“How can you harbor such backward thoughts? You need to raise your political consciousness!”

Xu Jingjing stood dumbfounded by their words, but her tears flowed even more fiercely.

With tear-filled eyes, she turned to Xu Rongchang, her voice carrying a final plea: “Dad… Dad, I don’t want to go… Please think of something… I really don’t want to go to the countryside…”

She had followed Lin Jiaoyan to the countryside before—those backbreaking days of toiling under the sun, she didn’t want to relive even a single day!

After finally enjoying a few comfortable years in the city, how could she go back?

And going to the countryside now wasn’t as simple as being at home—it meant working in the fields, harder than before! Without even a proper roof over her head!

But Xu Rongchang remained silent, the anger on his face gradually fading, replaced by deep exhaustion and helplessness.

After a long pause, he finally spoke in a hoarse voice: “Jingjing, look at our family’s situation now… this is how things are.”

His voice carried a tone of resigned despair.

“Going to the countryside… might be a way out. Your mother and I… don’t even know what we’ll do next.”

Xu Jingjing’s heart sank bit by bit, as if plunging into an icy abyss.

She understood—Xu Rongchang… wasn’t going to help her.

Of course, he was already overwhelmed with his own troubles—how could he care about his stepdaughter?

Seeing this, the older cadre didn’t waste more words and delivered the final notice: “Alright, we’ve delivered the notification.”

“Three days from now, 8 AM the day after tomorrow, gather at the district government entrance.”

“Whether you’re willing or not, you must go to the countryside.”

He paused, his tone carrying a warning: “If you fail to appear, we’ll have to ask our comrades from the Revolutionary Committee to ‘invite’ you. Then everyone will lose face—why make things difficult?”

With that, the two cadres from the Educated Youth Office turned and left without further delay.

Inside the room, only deathly silence remained.

Xu Jingjing’s entire body turned ice-cold, as if she had fallen into an abyss. Before her eyes remained only an endless expanse of darkness.

Despair, like a tidal wave, engulfed her completely.

The shocking news brought by the educated youth office still reverberated in the air, its lingering intensity making the atmosphere in the room feel frozen, suffocating everyone present.

Xu Jingjing still lay limp in Lin Jiaoyan’s arms, her tears already dried up, leaving behind nothing but hollow despair.

After what felt like an eternity, Lin Jiaoyan finally found her voice again. With a thread of hope that hadn’t yet completely died, she cautiously looked toward Xu Rongchang and asked, “Rongchang… is there really… truly no way out at all?”