Chapter 18: Comrade, There Is No Passenger Seat in a Bullock Cart

Ye Siran watched as the crowd surged off the train like a swarm of bees. She, however, dawdled at the back, and those who squeezed past her even offered a grateful smile.

Taking advantage of the lack of attention, she manifested a large blue-and-white checkered snake-skin bag in her hands, filled with over a hundred pounds of rice and ten pounds of tea-seed oil. The young people ahead were all pushing forward, oblivious to her, especially since they were all still reeling from the dizzying three-day train ride.

During those three days and nights, Ye Siran had spent every spare moment practicing martial arts in her secret dimension, where time flowed much slower than in reality. The dimension was filled with spiritual energy, and in a short time, she had cultivated a measure of internal power. Carrying a heavy bag in each hand, she kept pace with the others without the slightest effort.

Few people had been sent to meet the train, and since the first to disembark were delicate young women, the reception committee naturally prioritized their luggage. Several male educated youths struggled with their own bags; seeing the frail-looking Ye Siran moving with such agility while carrying two massive loads, they felt a sudden surge of competitive spirit.

Once outside the station, the group gazed at the bustling, clamorous crowd. The reception staff led them toward a line of large trucks. On the sides of each truck, black characters on white paper announced: "Welcome Urban Educated Youth to the Mountains and Countryside."

Qing Province had many counties, and beside each truck stood a representative holding a sign with the name of a specific county. Ye Siran, still lugging her two heavy bags, heard a young man shouting, "Educated youths for Quma County, please come this way!"

By the time she arrived, fifty or sixty people were already standing before the truck. She took her place at the very end of the line.

"Everyone, line up! When your name is called, get on the truck. One by one, no pushing," a man in his forties commanded with authority. A young man in his twenties began reading names from a list.

Inside the truck bed, two young men were helping people up and stowing luggage, while two others stood on the ground, handing up bags and steadying the passengers. The middle-aged man stood by, watching silently. When Ye Siran’s name was called, he stepped forward quickly, intending to take her luggage, but found he couldn't lift it.

"Dad, let me," his son, who had been busy helping others board, stepped in with sharp intuition and snatched the snake-skin bag from his father’s hands. When he felt the weight, he was stunned. *It’s so heavy, can I even lift this onto the truck? Should I ask Dad to help me lift it? Will everyone laugh at me?*

Everyone had seen this fragile-looking woman walking briskly with a bag in each hand, yet he couldn't even lift one? Chen Zihao looked at his father with a resentful glare, his eyes accusing: *Dad, why did you come over to take someone else's job and make your son lose face in front of everyone?*

The middle-aged man encouraged his son with a look: *Zihao, you can do it. Dad believes in you.*

He was Chen Wei, from the Quma County Armed Forces Department. He had come personally to meet the transport, primarily to greet Ye Siran. He had assumed the pretty girl at the front of the line was Ye Siran and had instructed his son to help her with her luggage, but he had been mistaken! The girl with the dusty face and clothes at the very end was the one. He had lunged forward to help her, only to fail at lifting the bag with one hand.

Receiving his father’s encouragement, Chen Zihao, not wanting to be looked down upon, planted his feet, gritted his teeth, and hoisted the bag up with both hands. As he stumbled and nearly fell, Ye Siran stepped forward, steadied him, and effortlessly tossed the bag onto the truck.

Chen Zihao looked at her, his eyes sparkling with excitement and admiration. "You... are you the educated youth Ye?"

"Yes. Thank you just now; you’re very strong," Ye Siran said politely. Although she could have easily thrown it up herself, he had, after all, tried to help.

"Heh heh..." Chen Zihao chuckled foolishly, not knowing what to say, and moved to grab the other bag. With his thick eyebrows, large eyes, and regular features, his grin revealed a set of white teeth that made him look remarkably sunny.

The young man responsible for handing up the luggage, seeing his job usurped by the department head and his son, tried to reach out to help Ye Siran, only to be pushed aside by Chen Wei.

"Educated youth Ye suffers from motion sickness; she should sit in the front passenger seat," Chen Wei said sternly. "I am Chen Wei from the Quma County Armed Forces Department. Welcome to Quma County."

"Thank you, Comrade Chen," Ye Siran replied gracefully, following him toward the cab. He Yongchang had told her before she left that the head of the Quma County Armed Forces Department, Chen Wei, was his comrade-in-arms and would look after her.

This was the start of that care. Sitting in the front was vastly different from standing in the truck bed, and she wasn't about to be overly modest and refuse—who knew how long this journey would be!

The other educated youths on the truck felt a pang of regret. If they had known that walking last meant getting the passenger seat, they wouldn't have rushed to the front!

Jian Yueshi, who had been the first to board, was not pleased. "Comrade Chen, I get motion sick too! Why does she get the passenger seat while we have to stand in the back?"

"If you were motion sick, would you have run so fast? Didn't you see that Ye was walking at the very back?" Chen Wei retorted severely.

Jian Yueshi stamped her feet in frustration, speechless, and glared hatefully at Ye Siran’s back.

"Shishi, don't be angry. It’s our fault for walking too fast. If we had known, we would have walked slower," her little follower said, trying to soothe her.

"Hmph! 'Motion sickness' is just an excuse. He just saw that she was pretty," Jian Yueshi pouted indignantly.

The others on the truck looked at Jian Yueshi with complex expressions, thinking to themselves: *That woman just now was covered in dust; you couldn't even see what she looked like.*

A male youth, seeing how pretty Jian Yueshi was, tried to comfort her. "In terms of beauty, you are the most beautiful. Didn't you see the reception staff fighting to carry your luggage?"

"Everyone hold on tight! We’re leaving now!" Chen Zihao shouted. As the truck started, he led the group in singing revolutionary songs.

The truck left the bustling city behind, heading toward Quma County. Upon arrival, several village chiefs were waiting to collect the new arrivals. The wealthier chiefs arrived in tractors, while the poorer ones brought ox carts.

Chen Wei personally brought Ye Siran to the chief of Gaotang Village, patting his shoulder and whispering, "Old Qu, this is educated youth Ye. Please take good care of her."

"Don't worry, Comrade Chen, I will certainly take good care of her!" Village Chief Qu replied excitedly. The man before him was a county official! He was inwardly curious as to why a relative of an official had been assigned to the poorest village, Gaotang. Even if everyone was poor, she should have at least gone to Red Star Village, which had tractors! *Could it be that our village performed exceptionally well this year?*

Suppressing his curiosity, Village Chief Qu said enthusiastically, "I am the chief of Gaotang Village. We warmly welcome you to our village."

"Chief, I get motion sick. I need to sit in the passenger seat," Jian Yueshi said, strutting up to him with her nose in the air.

"..." Village Chief Qu asked, looking bewildered. "Comrade, our village’s ox cart doesn't even have a driver’s seat, let alone a passenger seat!"