Chapter 407: Going to the Countryside
One morning in the deep winter of 1968, the capital city was shrouded in a thick layer of coldness. The biting north wind was howling past, and pedestrians were all wrapped tightly in thick winter clothes to resist the biting cold.

The lowest temperature today reached more than 20 degrees below zero, and pedestrians on the road were shivering from the cold.

Liu Zhiye walked into his office in a hurry against the biting cold wind. As soon as the door closed, his correspondent Xiaoqu came up quickly, took the coat from his hand, and carefully hung it on the hanger beside him.

"Commander, good morning! This is freshly brewed hot tea, please warm yourself up first." Xiaoqu's voice was warm and respectful.

Liu Zhiye nodded slightly and asked briefly: "Has today's newspaper arrived?"

"It's already on your desk." Xiaoqu responded quickly.

Liu Zhiye walked to the desk, where several newspapers were clearly visible, including Renren Daily and Jie F Daily, which were neatly arranged and exuded the fragrance of ink.

The Renren Daily was placed on the top shelf. The bold and black headlines on the front page of today's newspaper immediately caught Liu Zhiye's attention.

Liu Zhiye's expression became solemn. He picked up the newspaper without hesitation and immersed himself in the words with his sharp eyes.

as predicted……

"The educated youth should go to the countryside to receive re-education from the poor and lower-middle peasants."

On December 12, the People's Daily of the Xia country quoted the latest instructions of XX, calling on the vast number of educated young people in the city to go to the vast world in the countryside and open up new paths with sweat and diligence.

"Go to the countryside, go to the frontiers, go to where the motherland needs you most!"

This year, countless passionate and energetic young students responded to the call, left the cities and went to remote rural areas, starting an unforgettable life journey.

Only Liu Zhiye, who was deeply involved in this passionate era, understood why there were more than 20 million people.
To be honest, this is very necessary in the face of some of the current situations in Xia Country.

First, in the past two years, the Xia and S countries have been in a state of disarray. Second, for the cities of the Xia country at that time, they could not afford such a large population.

How to accommodate a large number of idle population became a major problem facing the New Xia Kingdom at this time.

At this time, there was a huge gap in the demand for intellectuals in rural construction, while cities had a large backlog of intellectuals.

Since there are no suitable jobs in the cities, it is better to deploy them to various rural areas in the motherland that are in urgent need of development and construction.

In this way, we can not only solve the employment problem, but also bring knowledge into the rural areas, inject fresh impetus into the development of rural areas, and allow young people to create value in the vast land of the motherland.

Going to the countryside to receive re-education through labor enabled these educated youth to have a job and support themselves after entering society, which greatly alleviated the country's employment problem.

It is not just the cities that benefit, the rural areas and even the border areas also benefit from the intellectuals that come out of these cities.

The first and most direct impact was that it increased the manpower for land cultivation. A large number of educated young people flocked to rural areas and border areas to reclaim wasteland.

Use your passion and youth to build the motherland, use your knowledge to popularize education, and bring prosperity to the region.

They farm and work together with local farmers, running around on the front line of production together, standing closely and firmly together with the working people.

It is worth mentioning that Gongqingcheng in Jiangxi Province, Shihezi in Xinjiang, and the rubber forests in Tiannan Province all shine with the tangible benefits brought by going to the countryside, bringing real benefits to the local areas.

In addition, going to the countryside to work has played an indelible role in maintaining peace and stability in the border areas.

During this period, the Xia Kingdom seemed to be trapped between two superpowers.

With the S Alliance to the north and Country M outside, the international situation is very grim for Country Xia.

This forced the Xia State to leave a way out and reserve talents for the country's development.

At this time, a large number of intellectuals came from cities to rural areas and went to the border areas to build and develop areas that had never been developed before for the motherland.

They ensured the construction of the rear base of the Xia Kingdom and also developed the border areas. At the same time, they honed their perseverance in difficult environments and formed a youth force that could not be ignored.

This force also erupted during the reform and opening up many years later, contributing huge potential to the economic development of Xia State.

With the rise of educated youth going to the countryside, bridges for urban and rural exchanges have been built.

Before this, the gap between urban and rural areas still remained due to the class restrictions of the old Xia Kingdom.

As the Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside Movement unfolded, the working people and the urban intellectuals became more closely connected, and they established deep feelings while working together.

This has created more connections between cities and rural areas, which originally had little connection.

In this process, people in the city began to turn their eyes to the countryside and started to understand this area that they had previously known little about.

Rural people have also begun to understand urban habits and culture, which has to a certain extent promoted the exchange of ideas and culture between urban and rural areas.

Even when these people returned to the city later, the formation of this kind of communication was never interrupted. Instead, it became more closely connected and played a significant role in the subsequent urban and rural construction.

In fact, the rural areas of Xinxia Kingdom really need these intellectuals to improve the situation.

In the early days of the founding of the New Xia Kingdom, due to frequent natural disasters, although people overcame the difficulties under the leadership of the Party, the Xia Kingdom still experienced extremely serious food shortages.

This attracted the close attention of the top leadership of the Xia Kingdom, who lamented: "The food problem is still a very important issue in our country."

Faced with this problem, leaders who came from rural areas were deeply aware that the production situation in rural areas must be improved, and to achieve this, the participation of intellectuals was necessary.

For example, Liujiazhuang, which began to rise in the west of Beijing, achieved its economic take-off because they realized the importance of knowledge early on and trained and introduced a large number of educated young people. Otherwise, Liu Zhiye alone would not have been able to achieve such great success.

Therefore, as early as 57, the leadership of the Xia Dynasty instructed: "% of our population is in the countryside. If agriculture is not developed, industry cannot develop independently. It is very necessary and extremely glorious to work in the countryside."

In January 64, the leadership of the Xia Dynasty and the State Council mobilized a group of intellectuals to work in the countryside and put forward the slogan of "building a modernized agriculture and a new socialist countryside."

The decision to “go to the countryside and mountains” was intended to improve the situation where agriculture lagged behind industry and rural areas lagged behind cities.

"Going up the mountains and down to the countryside" also selected a group of educated youth with ideals, ambitions, practical abilities and willingness to contribute for the Xia country in the future.

Before "going to the countryside", most intellectuals did not have much understanding of the current social situation in Xia State.

As the "Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside" movement progressed, intellectuals saw the objective reality of the countryside and experienced the harsh test of the environment.

Through such personal experience, their originally unreal dreams began to become real.

It was precisely because of the "Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside" movement that the intellectuals saw the real rural areas and national conditions of Xia State, and prevented them from deviating from the track when thinking about the future development of Xia State.

Having witnessed the hardships of life at the bottom of society, they have a strong desire to change this situation.

Although such an experience was difficult, it gave them the quality of seeking truth from facts, a down-to-earth and persevering character, and the desire to change the backward status quo!

…………

As the twelfth lunar month approaches, the weather in the capital becomes even colder. The winter in the capital is extremely cold. Someone once described it in this way: "The severe winter is the coldest period of the winter, and it is even colder in the capital.

People began to count the nine-day cold days, saying something like 'Don't go out on the 19th and 29th days, walk on the ice on the 39th and 49th days...' By the 49th day, the ground was frozen and cracked, and the north wind blew like a knife, blowing all day long.

On a severe winter night, a few stars seemed to be covered with frost, shining with cold light, and the dark blue sky seemed even colder. The cold wind danced in the night sky like a sharp sword, blowing the leaves and making a sharp cry.

In order to keep out the cold at this time, the old people in Beijing believed in "building the dam before the water comes" and made preparations for winter in advance. Therefore, at the end of autumn, pasting windows and enamelling stoves were a must.

People tore off the worn-out window paper and pasted new Korean paper on it to block the wind. To enamel the stove means to knock off the refractory material of the old furnace, mix it with green ash, and pound it again. It must also be made into a shape that is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom so that it can be used for burning in winter.

In the severe winter, people would cook hot food. When I was a child, my mother would often cook "gágá", a kind of wheaten food made from coarse grains.

Take cornmeal and add white flour in a certain proportion, put it in a basin and scald it with boiling water, then break it into cubes, cut it into thin slices with a knife, pat it firmly to make the surface smooth, cut it into squares like "dice", sprinkle it with thin flour, put it in a basin and shake it back and forth. After shaking, put it in a pot of boiling water and cook it, take it out, but the water is still hot, mix it with chives, sesame paste and other seasonings, and eat it while it is hot.

Eating the delicious and hot "Zhu Bao Bao" will make the coldness disappear without a trace.

As the New Year approaches, Liu Zhiye's mother Deng Ru will make a large pot of fried bean paste, let it cool, and put it in the yard, covered tightly, and stored in a low temperature place. This is a delicious dish that the Liu family often eats during the Spring Festival.

At this time of year, even in winter, there are still many people pushing carts and carrying poles in the alleys selling snacks.

The three children, Xiaoxian and his family, love to eat the kidney bean cakes sold on the streets. These cakes are made by wrapping boiled kidney beans in white cloth and pressing them into cakes. The kidney bean cakes have a fresh fragrance and are especially delicious.

Some farmers from nearby villages came to Liujiazhuang to sell snacks. There was a stove on their cart, and on the stove was a large iron pot. At the bottom of the pot was sweet potatoes covered with honey. They were soft, sweet, melted in the mouth, and steaming. They were very popular with children.

In the past winters, the main vegetables for old Beijing residents were cabbage, potatoes and radishes.

However, things are different now. Thanks to the emergence of the Liujiazhuang vegetable greenhouse, people in the city can also eat other fresh vegetables in the winter.

However, due to cost issues, off-season vegetables are a bit expensive, and most families are reluctant to eat them every day.

If you always eat potatoes and cabbage, I believe many people will get tired of it. Smart housewives will pickle a jar of Chinese mustard greens and stir-fry a jar of sauerkraut to supplement nutrition and improve taste.

Liu Zhiye's great aunt has the skill to make "spicy dishes". She bought water dumplings (a kind of pickled vegetable) and Bian radish (red radish), cut them into dumpling slices and radish shreds, blanched the water dumplings slices in boiling water, put them in the bottom of a basin, put Bian radish shreds on the surface, and then covered them with cabbage leaves to promote fermentation. After 24 hours, the spicy and fragrant "spicy dishes" were ready. After eating them, people felt very refreshed. This is also a family heirloom winter dish for people in Beijing.

In addition to food, winter clothes are also very important.

In the past, every family had to make quilts, cotton-padded clothes and cotton shoes. Wearing homemade cotton-padded clothes was both soft and warm.

At this time, the techniques of making cotton-padded clothes were taught by mothers to their daughters. In fact, the girls in the family had seen their mothers make cotton-padded clothes and quilts so many times that they could almost do it themselves.

Yan Bugui's family still makes their own shoes.

Their family has many people, and every winter when it comes, semi-finished shoes of large, medium and small sizes are lined up on the kang, and the scene is quite lively.

After a series of processes such as sewing the soles and making the uppers, some cotton is stuffed into the lining, smoothed out, and then hammered flat with a small hammer, and a pair of cotton shoes is ready.

As the saying goes, "It's warm after the wind, and cold after the snow." Once the snow stops and the temperature drops sharply, every family has to add coal to the stove. In the past, ordinary families mainly relied on picking up coal for heating, and they had to pay someone to make coal balls.

Old Beijing people call these people "coal briquette shakers". After finding them, they first agree on the processing fee, and then the master mixes the loess, and then adds water to start shaking. Their tools are usually a shaking basket, a rotating basin and a shovel. They are quick and efficient, and they can make coal briquettes in a short time.

In addition, every household has to prepare cotton door curtains to block the wind, broken quilts to cover cabbages, and butt curtains for children. These are jokingly called the "Three Friends of Winter".

Every time the "Little New Year" comes, many families living in Nanluoguxiang will do "outside work": they get semi-finished paper lantern materials from the silk flower factory and take them home to process them into finished products.

Every winter, Uncle Yan Bugui would call on neighbors to do some "outside work" to supplement the family income.

After the street officials went home to collect the materials, they assigned tasks to their children. The old Jia family had no choice this year, so Jia Zhang had to follow everyone to do the "outside work".

"Huaihua" is the youngest sister in the family. She is responsible for spreading paste on cardboard, while her brother and sister are responsible for rolling strips. After they are finished, they are handed over to Jia Zhang to paste lanterns. The last step of "threading the silk and putting it on the candle stand" is completed by Banggeng.

In this step, the highest requirements are for gluing the candlestick. It must be glued flat and not skewed. Once the candlestick is skewed, the candle cannot be lit.

As a result, with the efforts of the whole family, lanterns in the shape of roosters and little white rabbits were made.

Bang Geng felt heavy-hearted. He slowly put the lantern aside and stared at it for a moment. He finally mustered up the courage and spoke in a low and hesitant voice:
"Grandma, I... I don't want to participate in the Up to the Countryside Movement anymore. Can you help me think of a way so that I can stay in the city?" Banggeng's words revealed deep helplessness and struggle. The initial enthusiasm and impulse have now been replaced by fear of the unknown and hard life.

Hearing this, Jia Zhang's eyes flashed with a trace of heartache and helplessness. She wanted to keep Banggeng, but the reality was as hard as iron and stone, and they could not change it easily.

"Child, this matter cannot be changed just because we say so." Jia Zhang sighed softly, her tone full of powerlessness.

She knew that Banggeng had officially signed up to participate in the Up to the Countryside Movement, and the notice from the street office had been finalized. Next spring, when the flowers bloom, he would set out on his journey.

Repenting at this moment would only cause trouble and make yourself uncomfortable.

However, facing Banggeng's expectant eyes, Jia Zhang couldn't help but silently calculate in her heart, hoping to find a glimmer of hope, even if it was just a tiny hope.

What else could Jia Zhang do? She had to wait for Qin Jingru to come back from get off work and discuss it with her, hoping to think of a way to keep the stick.

As a result, as soon as Qin Jingru stepped into the house, she scolded Jia Zhang without any courtesy: "What are you guys doing? How can you change your mind after it's been decided?"

In fact, Qin Jingru was already very happy in her heart, and was secretly glad that Banggeng took the initiative to choose the path of "going to the countryside".

After all, her job was hanging on the line of Bang Geng's succession. Seeing that he was about to reach the age of succession, her precarious job made her unable to sleep or eat.

Now that Banggeng had come to him and volunteered to go to the countryside for training, Qin Jingru would naturally not let him miss this opportunity. How could she let him have the slightest thought of regretting it? Instead of dissuading him, she secretly fueled the flames, fearing that this "opportunity" would fly away.

When Bang Geng heard Qin Jingru's rejection, his face suddenly changed and he firmly expressed his opposition: "Aunt, I was impulsive. I am the only boy in the family. What will happen if something goes wrong outside?"

These words hit Jia Zhang's heart directly, and this was exactly what she was most worried about. The Jia family depended on Bang Geng as the only child to continue the family line. If something happened to him, wouldn't the family bloodline be destroyed in her hands? Thinking of this, Jia Zhang couldn't help but worry.

Jia Zhang was helpless and could only plead with Jingru in a low voice: "Jingru, even if you don't plan for Banggeng's future, you should think of your poor sister, right? You are a GWH member in the factory, you should have some connections, help us, think of a solution..." Her voice was full of earnestness and expectation, hoping that Jingru would think of family affection and lend a helping hand.

Qin Jingru is actually a selfish person, but she can't just ignore the lives of this family, otherwise she will lose her job.

"Auntie, don't be impatient. Let me think about it and think about it first, okay?"

Jia Zhang and Bang Geng were delighted when they heard this, "Okay, okay, thank you for your concern."

After dinner, Qin Jingru sat quietly for a while, her mind full of a thousand thoughts. Finally, she stood up and walked towards the backyard, heading straight for Xu Damao's residence.

"Excuse me, is Brother Damao at home?" Her voice was particularly clear in the night.

Inside the house, Xu Damao was having dinner with Lou Xiao'e, and the atmosphere was warm. However, this sudden question broke the tranquility. Lou Xiao'e frowned slightly, and spoke with a bit of displeasure: "Why did Qin Jingru come to see you so late at night?"

Xu Damao also looked confused and shook his head: "I don't know either."

(End of this chapter)