Yang Baohua graduated from junior high school in 1969. He joined the Gongjiazhuang brigade in southeastern Shandong and lived there for nearly eight years. Later, he left the Gongjiazhuang brigade and returned to Jinan after passing the technical secondary school entrance examination. Speaking of his life experience of going to the countryside to join the queue, Yang Baohua still vividly remembers it. Especially when he lost his clothes while taking a bath in Shuhe River, it still feels uncomfortable to think about it now.
Yang Baohua went to Gongjiazhuang Brigade to go to the countryside in late May 1970 to jump in and settle down. At that time, there were dozens of Jinan educated youth who went to Gongjiazhuang to jump in and settle down. Five of them boys and five girls were assigned to the first production team of Gongjiazhuang Brigade. Temporarily lived in the abandoned primary school of Gongjiazhuang Brigade.
The abandoned primary school in Gongjiazhuang has a total of five houses. The roofs of the two houses on the east side have collapsed. The three houses on the west side are basically intact. Five male educated youths live in a house on the west side, and a female educated youth lives in the middle house. , the doors and windows of the east room were somewhat damaged, so the educated youths used that room as a kitchen, and Captain Gong’s wife temporarily helped the educated youths cook.
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When the educated youths arrived at Gongjiazhuang, the winter wheat in the fields had turned yellow, the corn sorghum planted on the hillside had just been thinned out, and Captain Gong was leading the members to hoe the ground to loosen the soil. After a day of rest, the educated youths also picked up their hoes and followed the commune members up the mountain to hoe the fields.
On the first day of work, the captain asked the educated youths to hoe and loosen the soil. It was really like trying to drive a duck to the shelf. This really stumped them. Captain Gong gave everyone demonstrations again and again, but the hoes in the hands of the educated youths just refused to obey the command. Seeing that the educated youths were all as stupid as ducks, Captain Gong was worried that the educated youths would hurt the seedlings. He arranged for an old commune member to go to the wasteland to teach the educated youth how to use hoes. It took a full hour for the educated youth to basically learn how to use a hoe.
When work was finished at noon, Captain Gong felt really distressed when he looked at the wilted sorghum seedlings in the field. He said angrily to the educated youths: "Look at the ground you have hoeed. It looks like a dog gnawing. This is the first thing to be done." Why don't you just hoe the green crops with your eyes wide open? Why don't you hoe the fields in the afternoon? You all go to the cowshed to pick up cow dung (carry the cow dung from the cow pen to the yard) and pad the cow pen (use dry
That afternoon, none of the educated youth dared to be lazy. The deputy captain led them to work. The deputy captain picked up cow dung once, and the educated youth also picked up once, and the deputy captain picked up twice. The educated youths followed them twice. Seeing how exhausted they all were, the deputy captain felt sorry for these sixteen or seventeen-year-old children. He smiled and said, "You have just participated in production labor, so be patient." Don't be impatient. You can't just rely on strength when doing farm work, but you also need to master skills. When carrying a load, you need to master your balance, keep your feet steady, and learn to change your shoulders. Let's do it like this, I'll choose two trips, and you can just choose one trip. After getting familiar with it for a while, and slowly getting used to it, you can do the same thing as me. "
After more than half a month of study and exercise, the educated youths have slowly learned to use hoes, carry burdens, and cook. Seeing that the educated youths are making progress day by day, Captain Gong is happy. He praised the educated youths with a smile: They are still smart, they can do whatever they want, and they are making great progress.
The wheat harvest season is here in a blink of an eye, and the wheat fields all over the mountains are golden. The first team in Gongjiazhuang is the production team that has planted the most winter wheat. The production team also has the most arable land per person. Every year, the wheat harvest is very busy. The members have to get up early to go to the wheat fields to harvest wheat , and take advantage of the fine weather to grab the ripe wheat to the yard in case of rush. When it is windy and rainy, the ripe wheat will suffer damage.
On the first day of harvesting, Yang Baohua and others were still sleeping when the big iron bell of the production team rang, and the educated youths hurriedly got up, even their faces were shaking. Without bothering to wash themselves, they went to the team headquarters compound with sickles and poles. When the educated youths followed the commune members to the wheat field on the hillside to the east of the village, they could still see a few faint stars in the sky. Broken Star.
Standing at the edge of the field, Captain Gong said a few words, mainly telling the educated youth to pay attention to safety when harvesting wheat. He also cut a few handfuls of wheat with a sickle to demonstrate for the educated youth.
The few remaining stars in the sky disappeared, the morning breeze blew away the misty morning fog, and the outline of the wheat field clearly appeared in front of everyone. Captain Gong and the commune members took the lead waving their sickles, followed by the educated youths hurriedly waving their sickles, and the annual wheat harvest began.
In just ten minutes, the educated youth were left behind by the commune members. Similarly, each person cut three ridges of wheat. The commune members got to the bottom of the field, and the educated youth only harvested half of it. Seeing that the educated youths were all sweating from exhaustion, Captain Gong comforted the educated youths not to be in a hurry, to take their time, and they would gradually become proficient. Throughout the morning, each of the commune members harvested eighteen ridges (six passes) of wheat, while each of the educated youths only harvested three passes (nine ridges) of wheat, which was exactly half the difference.
When work was about to end in the morning, a girl named Gong Chunying saw that Yang Baohua was having a hard time cutting wheat, so she took Yang Baohua's sickle and cut two handfuls of wheat. Unexpectedly, Yang Baohua's sickle was extremely blunt. The sickle cut on the wheat stalks. Some wheat was uprooted, but the wheat stalks continued to be cut. Looking at the blisters on Yang Baohua's hands, Gong Chunying took out the floral handkerchief from her pocket, wrapped it around the handle of her sickle, and handed her sickle to Yang Baohua.
Taking Gong Chunying's sickle, Yang Baohua bent down and cut a few handfuls of wheat. Unexpectedly, Gong Chunying's sickle was very sharp and cut the wheat quickly and effortlessly. In a short time, Yang Baohua had finished cutting his three ridges of wheat. When the work was done, Yang Baohua handed Gong Chunying's sickle to her and said, "Thank you, your sickle is so sharp, it cuts the wheat quickly and with less effort." "You can use my sickle, yours is too blunt. I'll take it home and let my dad help you grind it." After Gong Chunying said that, she turned and went home.
At the end of the wheat harvest every afternoon, Gong Chunying would take Yang Baohua's sickle back to her home and ask her father to help Yang Baohua sharpen the sickle. For this reason, Yang Baohua was grateful to Gong Chunying from the bottom of his heart.
After the wheat harvest was over, Yang Baohua made a special trip to the commune supply and marketing cooperative and bought a floral handkerchief and a foldable paper fan for Gong Chunying, because Gong Chunying's floral handkerchief was soiled by him. When working in the fields the next morning, Gong Chunying secretly gave Yang Baohua two hard-boiled eggs.
In the days after
, Gong Chunying often gave Yang Baohua delicious food and helped him wash clothes. She also embroidered several pairs of insoles for Yang Baohua. Every time Yang Baohua went back to Jinan to visit relatives, he would bring some Jinan candies and specialties to Gong Chunying, and the two young people's hearts were slowly getting closer.
Flash forward to the summer of 1975. There are still five Jinan educated youths who joined the first team and settled in Gongjiazhuang. The other educated youths have left Gongjiazhuang through recruitment or recruitment. During this period, Yang Baohua also had two opportunities to recruit workers, but Yang Baohua did not. He left because, firstly, he thought the recruiting unit was not good, and secondly, he was really reluctant to leave Gong Chunying. After getting along day and night for five years, Gong Chunying gave him a lot of care and help, and he had developed deep feelings for Gong Chunying.
At the end of July 1975, the Gongjiazhuang Brigade got another recruitment quota, which was to work at the commune post and telecommunications office. Yang Baohua performed relatively well during his time in Gongjiazhuang, so the brigade secretary gave the recruitment quota to Yang Baohua.
That morning, the commune members were weeding in the cornfields on the banks of the Shu River. The brigade secretary came and told Captain Gong that Yang Baohua should rush to the commune before two o'clock in the afternoon to submit the recruitment approval form and take the exam. Seeing that it was almost noon, Captain Gong asked Yang Baohua to go home quickly, change into clean clothes, and go to the commune quickly. The Gongjiazhuang brigade is twelve miles away from the commune station, and it takes an hour to walk quickly.
Looking at his watch, it was just past eleven o'clock and there was still time to rush. Yang Baohua ran to the river with a hoe on his shoulder. He had been hoeing all morning and was covered in sweat. He wanted to take a good bath in the river. Seeing that there was no one by the river, Yang Baohua took off his clothes and jumped into the river. After swimming for a while, Yang Baohua was completely clean. He covered his lower body with his hands and walked ashore. But when he got to the shore, he found that his clothes were gone. Only a pair of shoes and a hoe were left. His pants and top were gone. The watch is still inside the shoe. Seeing that there was no one around, Yang Baohua quickly returned to the river. He had no clothes, so he couldn't go back to the educated youth spot naked.
Time passed by, and after waiting for more than ten minutes, there was still no one. Yang Baohua was worried that he would run out of time, so he shouted loudly: "Is there anyone on the shore? Come here, my clothes are missing. ..." Yang Baohua shouted for a long time, but no one responded. By that time, all the members should have finished work and gone home. Usually, members of the commune would come to the river to bathe after dinner. No one came to the river at noon when the sun was the worst.
It was almost two o'clock in the afternoon when someone heard Yang Baohua's shout. A man came over and asked what was going on, and hurriedly ran to find Captain Gong. Captain Gong and a male educated youth came to the river and saw Yang Baohua still soaking in the river. The educated youth asked him: "Yang Baohua, what's the matter with you? You didn't go to the company to collect the labor recruitment approval form? We thought you were I went to the commune."
Yang Baohua was almost crying. He said that his clothes were missing. Captain Gong judged that it might have been blown away by the wind, so they split up and searched nearby. After searching for a long time, I actually found Yang Baohua's clothes in the cornfield.
When Yang Baohua went to the commune’s Educated Youth Office that day, it was almost four o’clock in the afternoon. Fortunately, Director Yu from the Educated Youth Office was still there, and he didn’t give Yang Baohua any trouble. Yang Baohua submitted the recruitment approval form and passed the simple assessment.
In a few days, Yang Baohua will go to work at the commune post and telecommunications office. On the morning of leaving Gongjiazhuang, Gong Chunying drove Yang Baohua to the entrance of the village. She choked and said to Yang Baohua: "I hid your clothes that day, but I still couldn't keep you. If you leave, will you come back? Will you still follow me?" How am I?" At that moment, Yang Baohua couldn't tell what he was feeling, and he left Gongjiazhuang with tears in his eyes.
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One month later, Yang Baohua received his first month's salary. He spent eight yuan to buy Gong Chunying a floral shirt. Among the members of Gongjiazhuang Brigade, Gong Chunying became the first A rural girl wearing a good-quality shirt. Because of that authentic dress, everyone in the village knew that Yang Baohua and Gong Chunying were dating.
From then on, Yang Baohua returned to the village to visit Gong Chunying during his breaks, and also took a look at his classmates at the educated youth center. Gong Chunying often made excuses to go to the commune supply and marketing cooperative to fetch kerosene and buy salt. She also went to the post and telecommunications station to visit Yang Baohua and bring Yang Baohua delicious food. The staff at the post and telecommunications station all knew Gong Chunying and knew that Gong Chunying was Yang Baohua's fiancée. Everyone envied Yang Baohua and said that he had found a good girl as beautiful as a fairy.
In the blink of an eye, it was the winter of 1977, which was the first year after resumed the college entrance examination and . Yang Baohua and three classmates took the college entrance examination. At that time, they all took the college entrance examination with the attitude of giving it a try. After all, everyone left school in 78 Years passed, and no one had any hope. Unexpectedly, Yang Baohua got it right, and he was admitted to Linyi Normal School.
In the spring of 1978, Yang Baohua left the post and telecommunications office where he had worked for more than two years and entered the normal school. A few days before reporting to school, Yang Baohua went to Gongjiazhuang. He said in front of Gong Chunying's parents and Captain Gong: "I will come back and marry Chunying after I graduate from technical secondary school. I will never change my mind."
leaves On the day of Gongjiazhuang, Gong Chunying drove Yang Baohua to the commune bus station. She watched the bus bound for the county disappear from her sight before she wiped away tears and walked back.
That night, Gong Chunying's father called Captain Gong to his home, and they sat together to discuss Chunying's marriage. Gong Chunying's parents felt that if Yang Baohua was admitted to a technical secondary school, it would be uncertain where he would be assigned to work after graduation. They all felt that their daughter was already so old and could not wait any longer. What if Yang Baohua changed his mind? It was not easy for Chunying to find a good husband. Captain Gong also agreed with Chunying's parents. He said that if Yang Baohua had been working at the commune post and telecommunications office, Chunying and he would still have hope. He had been admitted to a technical secondary school, and Chunying was no longer worthy of her. The long-term pain was worse than the short-term pain. It's better to find Chunying a good husband to marry as soon as possible, so as not to worry about it in the future.
Just like that, under the persuasion and coercion of Chunying's parents and Captain Gong, Gong Chunying got engaged to Wang Xinli, the second son of the brigade's accountant. Wang Xinli looked good, but he walked a little lame, a sequelae of polio. Gong Chunying and Wang Xinli held their wedding two months after their engagement. It was Chunying's mother who suggested the rush to get married. Chunying's mother always felt that something was wrong with Chunying. She was worried that Chunying was pregnant with Yang Baohua's child.
After the summer vacation that year, Yang Baohua did not return to Jinan. He came directly from school to Gongjiazhuang. Although Gong Chunying had written to Yang Baohua about her marriage, Yang Baohua still didn't believe it was true. When he arrived at Gongjiazhuang and saw Gong Chunying and Wang Xinli living together with his own eyes, Yang Baohua gave up. Although Captain Gong repeatedly emphasized that letting Chunying marry someone else was for his own good, Yang Baohua, Yang Baohua still felt very sad. His love for Gong Chunying came from the bottom of his heart. After graduating from technical secondary school, Yang Baohua still couldn't let go of Gong Chunying.
After graduating from technical secondary school, Yang Baohua returned to Jinan and became a Chinese teacher in a middle school. In the summer of 1983, Yang Baohua and a female teacher from their school received a marriage certificate and got married.
It seems that in the blink of an eye, Yang Baohua has left Gongjiazhuang for more than 40 years. After leaving Gongjiazhuang, Yang Baohua never returned to Gongjiazhuang and only sent money to Captain Gong and Gong Chunying's parents a few times. The reason why he didn't go back to Gongjiazhuang wasn't because he missed his second hometown or the folks there. He was afraid that he would feel uncomfortable after meeting Gong Chunying. Although so many years have passed, Yang Baohua feels an indescribable discomfort in his heart whenever he thinks of his experience as an educated youth who joined the queue to settle down in Gongjiazhuang, and whenever he thinks of the simple, kind and beautiful Gong Chunying becoming someone else's bride.
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Currently, Yang Baohua and his family are living in Jinan, and they live a very happy life. After recounting his past about jumping in line and that unforgettable emotional experience, Yang Baohua said that he had been thinking about Gong Chunying in his heart and didn't know if she was living a good life or if she had any difficulties in life. He has always had a wish in his heart. He really wants to go back to Gongjiazhuang to see the villagers there, their second hometown where they have lived for many years, and Gong Chunying, who he misses day and night. Although Jinan is only a few hundred kilometers away from Gongjiazhuang, Yang Baohua's wish has not been realized. Because he was looking forward to the arrival of this day in his heart, but he was also afraid of the arrival of this day. Only he knew best what he was afraid of.
Author: grassroots writer
