Chapter Twenty-Six: The Difficult First Day

Unbeknownst to Han Li, the morning work bell had rung, pulling him from his focused state. Only then did he realize that he had far outpaced the others in terms of work completed. Because of this, the captain of the third team made a point of praising Han Li, though he quickly turned to chastise Hao Hongmin and Yang Xiuying.

"You two young ladies, someone reported this morning that you weren’t working diligently. That means you’re going to lose work points. You must take it seriously this afternoon, or by the end of the year, you’ll struggle even to feed yourselves." As he finished, he remembered that neither of the girls was wanting for money and could only wave them off resignedly.

Hao Hongmin and Yang Xiuying were a sorry sight now, their faces smudged like little kittens. They looked pitifully at their hands, red and raw from the grass, exuding a palpable sense of misery.

"You’ll get used to it," Han Li said. "Now hurry back and eat something, and you’ll still have time to rest a bit. Otherwise, the afternoon will be even harder to bear." With that, he headed towards the Youths’ Dormitory. There was no need to repeat himself; in the end, they’d have to find their own way through.

Yang Xiuying said, "Hongmin, who do you think reported us? Our work is right there for everyone to see—what’s there to complain about?"

"Besides, just because we’re slow doesn’t mean we’re eating anyone else’s food, so why do they care?" Hao Hongmin replied weakly. "Let’s go get something to eat first, or we really won’t make it through the afternoon. And I’m starting to think there’s an art to slacking off. Let’s watch how the others do it this afternoon."

"We don’t plan to rack up a lot of work points, but we also don’t want to be scolded every day. Let’s observe together," Yang Xiuying agreed. "I’ll keep an eye on the aunties next to us and see if I can pick up their tricks."

"But just how much grass did Han Li pull? Why did the captain praise him?" she wondered.

"Who knows," said Hao Hongmin. "Boys have more strength—it’s only natural."

Han Li had intended to return to the dormitory, but halfway there, he detoured to the river. After sweating all morning, he couldn’t stand not washing himself in the river.

When Han Li returned, he saw a pile of stones and adobe bricks stacked on the vacant lot nearby. The stones would be used for the foundation and to line the base of the house to a height of about a meter, forming a barrier against water. Otherwise, the adobe bricks would be easily ruined by rain or snow, necessitating yearly repairs.

This method was ill-suited to someone as lazy as Han Li, so after the village chief explained things, he chose this style. Adobe houses went up quickly; once the foundation was laid, the house could be finished in two or three days. That meant he'd soon have a place of his own, and the thought brightened his mood.

Given the amount of training he'd done that morning, his body would soon be depleted if he didn’t eat some meat. But in the Youths’ Dormitory, that would only breed resentment—he’d have to wait until his house was built.

Steeling himself against the musty smell of the room, Han Li drank some sugar water, nibbled on a bit of sponge cake, and with his sheet in hand, sought out a shady spot for a nap. Most of the other youths hadn’t finished eating yet.

The new arrivals, including Hao Hongmin and her friend, looked utterly desolate; their hands trembled as they held their bowls. Their palms were either blistered or cut, and the mere act of sweating brought tears to their eyes.

The boys fared little better; like the girls, they radiated a sense of grievance and woe. Surely, they were all silently cursing their fate—why had they come to the countryside to suffer this hardship? If they were destined for farm life, why not be born in the country? Having once enjoyed the comforts of city life, being cast into the countryside was torment doubled.

Lying in the shade, Han Li watched these young men and women. If they couldn’t adjust their mindset, they’d only suffer more. The change in living conditions was something each would have to adapt to alone—no one could help them.

The older youths were used to it; this kind of work barely registered with them. They looked on as if watching a play, occasionally glancing at the newcomers with open contempt.

Regardless, Han Li had already dozed off, meeting the god of dreams.

He awoke to the sound of the bell, put his sheet back inside, and stumbled off to work, still half-asleep.

The afternoon found them back in the same field, pulling weeds. But now, everyone was clearly taking it easy. Every so often, someone would wander off to the shade for a drink, sipping so slowly you’d think it was ambrosia. Others disappeared to relieve themselves—though at such a distance, they were gone forever.

Han Li had no intention of being a model worker; most of the third team felt the same. He didn’t want to spoil the team’s laid-back spirit, so he followed suit. The afternoon sun was merciless. His skin was burning red, like a crab tumbled into boiling water. At least he wouldn’t get tanned—his family’s skin never darkened.

He leaned against a tree trunk in the shade, took a slow sip from his canteen, and fanned himself with his hat. Once he’d cooled off, he’d return to the field to pull more weeds.

He thought the day would pass uneventfully, but then the captain’s voice carried over.

"Wang Dazhuang’s wife, why are you sitting in the shade again? How much have you done this afternoon?"

"Captain, my work is right there for all to see. No one can take it from me, and I won’t stand for you docking my points," she replied.

"Don’t always pick on us small folks," she continued. "Liang Wu’s wife has been in the latrine for an hour and you haven’t said a word."

"Don’t make trouble," the captain retorted. "I call out anyone who slacks off. Get back to work now."

The captain’s presence spurred everyone to work a little faster. But when he reached Han Li’s row, he frowned and spoke in a measured tone.

"Comrade Han, what’s happened to you this afternoon? You’ve done less than half what you managed this morning."

Han Li replied, "I used up all my energy this morning and now I’m running on empty. I may be working slowly, but I haven’t stopped once."

"Endurance comes with training," the captain said. "Push through and work hard to earn more points. The more you earn, the more fine grain you can eat—or you can exchange them for cash. Isn’t that a better life?"

Han Li, not pleased by this, saw no need to make things difficult and replied lazily, "Yes, yes, I’ll work on it and strive to do more and earn more points."

The captain nodded in satisfaction and moved on, and Han Li promptly returned to his spot in the shade.