Who Wouldn't Give Him a Thumbs-Up?

After getting off, Bai Yao and the others saw the staff already waiting for them.

Once everyone was off the vehicle, they hurried over to gather.

Fortunately, the gathering place was in the shade of a tree, and Bai Yao breathed a sigh of relief.

"By the time they finish assigning everyone, it'll probably be noon. I wonder if we'll have time for lunch," Hu Yang said.

Although he had eaten breakfast that morning, there hadn't been much oil or fat in it, so it really didn't keep hunger at bay.

He hadn't eaten much that morning, either, so he was already feeling a little hungry.

"We probably will," Bai Yao replied, though his eyes were on Dongfang Dazhuang.

He could see Dongfang Dazhuang talking to a middle-aged man, presumably telling their village chief about them.

If they reached an agreement, it would only be fitting to go eat at a state-run restaurant.

But soon, the commotion here drew Bai Yao's attention back.

Meanwhile, Dongfang Dazhuang had also brought up Bai Yao and the others with their village chief, Zhao Jianguo.

"Uncle, what's got you worried?" Dongfang Dazhuang asked, sidling up to him with a grin.

Zhao Jianguo lifted an eyelid and said flatly, "Did you get itchy for a beating after one trip out, brat? Teasing your uncle, are you? Want me to loosen your hide?"

"No, no, no, Uncle, listen to yourself. I saw you looking so worried that I came over specially to give you an idea," Dongfang Dazhuang hurriedly said.

"Ha, you? You've got what it takes? If you really pull it off, I'll go back and praise you in front of the whole village, young and old, and give your family an extra share when we divide up the pigs at the end of the year." Zhao Jianguo didn't believe Dongfang Dazhuang for a second.

"Uncle, really?" Dongfang Dazhuang turned serious.

He didn't care whether he was praised or not, but the pig distribution at the end of the year was another matter entirely.

That was pork! They still had to pay for the meat, but spending money wasn't the problem. The problem was having money and nowhere to spend it. After all, village people weren't like city folk, who had rations. They had to budget every coupon and such carefully.

Seeing Dongfang Dazhuang's reaction, Zhao Jianguo grew interested too. He smiled and said, "Go play somewhere else. Sending educated youths to the countryside is an order from above. It's not our place to refuse. Right now, I'll be satisfied if our village gets a few who can behave themselves."

"Uncle, Uncle, Uncle, I really do have a way." Dongfang Dazhuang could already dimly see the year-end pork beckoning to him.

Zhao Jianguo was taken aback, but he didn't refuse. After all, he had to give the younger generation a chance to show what they could do.

He picked up his rolled cigarette, took the last puff, and said, "Let's hear it. What's your plan?"

"Uncle, on the trip back, I met a few educated youths on the vehicle. They're all the kind who aren't short of money. They asked me if there was a village that wouldn't force them to work, and said they'd pay to make up for any work points they were short. As soon as I heard that, I told them about our village."

"I figured, anyway, that few of the educated youths who come here work seriously. When it's time to distribute grain, the village even has to cover some of their shares. Rather than pick that kind, we might as well pick the kind who aren't short of money. When the villagers find out, they won't have anything to complain about, right?"

As Dongfang Dazhuang spoke, he glanced at Zhao Jianguo. Seeing that he wasn't angry and was listening seriously, he breathed a sigh of relief and went on to mention the other points in their favor.

That was right. He was talking about the enemy agents.

"Uncle, there's one more thing. Our village hasn't been named an outstanding brigade in years, right? If we get them, we might win it this year," Dongfang Dazhuang added quietly.

If what Dongfang Dazhuang had said at first had stirred Zhao Jianguo's interest a little, the mention of an outstanding brigade made him very interested indeed.

"How so?"

"On the train, a few of us caught four enemy agents. The train conductor said he'd write a letter of commendation." Dongfang Dazhuang felt he could talk about this for the rest of his life.

He had caught enemy agents with his own hands! Who wouldn't give him a thumbs-up when they heard about it?

Zhao Jianguo was tempted. If that was true, Unity Village was sure to be named an outstanding brigade. Then he could apply for the tractor and chemical fertilizer he'd had his eye on for ages.

When that happened, who in the village wouldn't praise him, their village chief? Who wouldn't give him a thumbs-up when they saw him?

"Dazhuang, point out the ones who caught the enemy agents for me." Zhao Jianguo was ready to snatch them up.

As long as he moved fast, Unity Village was sure to be named an outstanding brigade this year.

Seeing that his village-chief uncle had agreed, Dongfang Dazhuang felt the weight lift from his shoulders entirely. He had done what he'd promised, so he hurriedly pointed them out.

"Look, Uncle, it's those four men and one woman, the best-looking ones in the crowd."

Zhao Jianguo had been afraid he might mistake someone else for them, and had planned to take a look before asking Dazhuang to confirm.

But when he saw the five of them, he knew there was no need for Dazhuang to confirm it.

Out of the whole crowd, only those five were good-looking. Two of the men in particular were so handsome they looked as if they were lit up.

For a moment, Zhao Jianguo hesitated again.

He couldn't help it. They were simply too good-looking. If he brought them back to the village, the young men and women there were sure to get ideas.

But he couldn't bear to give them up, either.

He wouldn't have to worry about their labor; they knew to pay to make up for their work points.

And they had earned credit for catching enemy agents.

In the end, his fixation on becoming an outstanding brigade made Zhao Jianguo decide to take them.

He refused to believe that he, the village chief, couldn't keep the villagers' little schemes in check.

"Dazhuang, come with me and bring them back. Once we've got them, we'll leave."

As for whether picking more men would upset the other village chiefs?

He wasn't afraid.

After all, the last two times educated youths had been assigned, their village had been given extra.

"All right, Village Chief Uncle, let's go," Dongfang Dazhuang called.

Although Gu Yang and Jiang Rou were included, he thought the two of them wouldn't mind either.

And in fact, the two of them really didn't mind. They were even happy about it. After all, who wouldn't want a better place to settle in the countryside?

Zhao Jianguo went to find the person in charge, while Dongfang Dazhuang hurried over to Bai Yao and the others.

As soon as he arrived, Dongfang Dazhuang said hurriedly, "Hu Yang, you five come with me. Once Village Chief Uncle has spoken to the person in charge, we'll head back."

"Okay."

Bai Yao and the other four answered, picked up their luggage, and followed him.

The other educated youths?

They weren't close. They could wait for the staff to assign them.

The educated youths weren't the only ones who noticed Bai Yao and the others leaving. The other village chiefs waiting there saw them too. They were puzzled for a moment, but didn't pay them much more attention.

They could let Unity Village pick first. When their own turns came, they could play up their hardships and maybe be assigned one or two fewer.

Thinking this, they all looked at Zhao Jianguo, the chief of Unity Village, as though waiting for a joke to unfold.

By then, Zhao Jianguo had reached an agreement with the staff member and saw the other village chiefs' expressions too. His face remained impassive, but inwardly he scoffed at them. Shortsighted.

He had originally planned to bring up how their village had been assigned extra educated youths the previous two times. Unexpectedly, even after three were assigned to each village this time, two would still be left over, and the staff member had been fretting about it. By volunteering to take two extra, he had even earned the other man's gratitude.

As for picking a few more men, that was no trouble at all.

After all, he had taken a "huge loss"!