Chapter 17: The Spirited Little Rascal of the Seventies (17)

The scrap collection station held a vast array of items, and the old man couldn’t possibly organize them all by himself. So if you wanted to find something, you had to rely on yourself.

“Liu Zhiqing, what are you looking for?” Chen Zhiqing asked curiously.

Liu Suisui pressed her lips together, hesitated for a moment, then decided to speak her mind.

She leaned in and whispered in her ear, “I want to find some textbooks, high school books.”

“Why do you want those things?”

“I don’t know, I just feel like they should be useful.” She couldn’t say that she planned to take the college entrance exam two years from now.

Although in her previous life she had graduated from a prestigious university as an outstanding student, there was no guarantee that the exam syllabus would be the same as in the future.

Besides, there was a strong political focus now, and if she failed the politics exam, she might be dragged off for reeducation.

Liu Suisui gathered her thoughts, cleared her throat, and said, “I never went to high school. I was supposed to start this year, but then I was sent to the countryside. The teacher once said that learning has no limits, and reading more books can’t hurt. Also…”

She glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby before continuing, “I just feel that the government wouldn’t let us educated youths just waste away here in the countryside. For the country to develop, it needs intellectuals and technical experts. Just look at the recent example.”

“Comrade Li Xiangyang is respected by everyone because he knows how to operate a tractor. What if he didn’t? So learning is never wrong, no matter where you are.”

That was as far as she dared to go. If she said more, she might as well reveal the secret about the upcoming college entrance exam two years later.

Chen Zhiqing stared wide-eyed at her serious expression and fell into thought for a while.

Many educated youths had been sent to the countryside for years. Except for those with connections or who returned to the city due to serious illness, most had put down roots in the land.

Among their group, very few had returned to the city, but quite a few had married local villagers.

If those unmarried ones were considered, the number of educated youths would be more than just a couple dozen.

The earliest sent down thought they’d only stay a few months before returning, but years passed. After enduring so long, they became locals.

To eat, they had to work the fields every day. Without work, there was no food.

Returning to the city—that phrase held immense allure for Chen Zhiqing. How long had it been since she went home? She couldn’t remember; perhaps the last time was during the New Year.

“Liu Zhiqing, I’ll help you look,” she said, inhaling deeply, resolved to spend more time studying from now on.

Liu Ruonan smiled brightly. “Great, let’s look together. Maybe we’ll find something unexpected.”

The large items were piled in one area, so they avoided searching there.

---

One room was dedicated to storing books, filled with scattered fragments of various texts. Finding a few intact books was not difficult; the hard part was whether they were the ones she wanted.

Banned books had already been torn to shreds, and the remaining volumes included some collections of prose and poetry.

Liu Suisui fought her fastidious nature as she rummaged through the dusty piles. Each time she picked up a book, her brows would furrow at the thick layer of grime.

“So dirty!”

“Want me to try? You can just watch,” Chen Zhiqing offered.

“No, no, I can do it.”

She tried to take a deep breath, but the dust was so thick she ended up covering her mouth with one hand and digging through with the other.

Outside, the old man waited a while, wondering what was happening since no one came out. Peeking inside, he saw them buried in the piles of books and lost interest.

After a long search, they had only collected about half of the high school books; the rest were impossible to find.

Wait—why not just buy them from the library?

Looking at the old but intact books in her hands, Liu Suisui fell into thought.

Had she been influenced by novels too much, subconsciously following the storylines?

She wasn’t short of money, so why hunt through junk heaps?

Glancing at her dirt-streaked hands, she felt a wave of frustration.

Turning her head, she saw Chen Zhiqing proudly holding a few books she had found.

She sighed inwardly. Next time, she’d plan better before doing anything.

“It’s getting late; let’s stop for now and come back another time.”

Chen Zhiqing nodded eagerly. “Sure, sure! Wait, I’ll grab some newspapers to take with us.”

Pine needles from the mountain were excellent kindling, as were newspapers.

But the newspapers here were used for plastering walls and windows—to prevent dust from falling and to block drafts.

When they left with the few books, the old man glanced over and just took a few symbolic coins without saying more.

Liu Suisui felt utterly frustrated, as if she had lost her mind upon arriving here.

“Let’s go back.”

---

“Mm.”

After waiting a while, Li Xiangyang saw them come out carrying several books and felt a bit puzzled but followed along.

Unaware that his behavior now resembled that of a persistent stalker.

In the 1970s, everything around was simple—no skyscrapers, mostly single-story houses.

People traveled on foot or, less commonly, by bicycle.

Ox carts returned before noon; if missed, one had to walk back.

So they quickened their pace, eager to return to the meeting point.

“Little sister, you look familiar. Have we met somewhere before?”

Wherever people gathered, trouble followed.

People were simple back then, but not all were good.

A man with a rough buzz cut and a few shady-looking companions approached, their leering eyes clearly ill-intentioned.

Liu Suisui’s striking appearance made her stand out in this place where everyone looked pale and thin.

“What do you want?” she asked calmly, calculating her escape.

Fight?

She could handle a sneak attack alone, but against so many? Did they think she was some invincible doll?

Chen Zhiqing, though a bit scared, stood behind her, shielding her.

After all, she was her benefactor.

“Don’t come any closer, or I’ll call the police!”

Those words did startle them, but…

“We just want to make friends, no harm meant. Why so nervous? Even if you call the cops, we’re not in the wrong, right, guys?”

“Yeah, we’re not doing anything wrong, just making friends!”

Liu Suisui clutched her books tightly, wondering if swinging them all together could knock them out.