This single event alone changed the plot's deviation by 5. Was it too easy? Perhaps there were other changes. However, there's too little data now to analyze it.
As the sun began to set, they finally arrived at the date grove brigade. The brigade, named after the date orchards nearby, was famous for its sweet, crisp local dates. Unfortunately, the three-year famine had killed many of the date trees, leaving only a few.
However, the village was nestled by mountains and water. Despite its remoteness, it was a place of beautiful scenery and abundant resources. In the current era, however, such a location was synonymous with inconvenient transportation, poverty, and remoteness.
Lin Yan and the rest of the educated youths were sent to the brigade headquarters. They were the second batch of educated youths to arrive at this brigade; the male protagonist was from the first batch. Initially, the villagers were happy about the arrival of the educated youths, as they were knowledgeable and experienced city kids. But when they discovered the youths were unskilled and ignorant of farming, the villagers became quite displeased. After all, no one would be happy if their hard-earned crops were mistaken for weeds.
Therefore, when Lin Yan's batch of educated youths arrived, the villagers adopted a wait-and-see attitude, not particularly enthusiastic. Especially since three of the seven newcomers were female educated youths. While the male educated youths were not very productive, they could still do some work. But the female educated youths were not expected to contribute. After all, they were students from the city; the boys had strength, but the girls were neither strong enough to carry loads nor capable of handling manual labor.
The brigade leader first praised their spirit and expressed his welcome. After calming the educated youths, he distributed their rations and then asked the group leader, chosen by the previous batch of educated youths, to escort them to the educated youth office.
The male educated youths, in addition to carrying their own luggage, helped the female educated youths carry theirs to the educated youth office. As soon as they arrived, a man with a rugged appearance greeted them. The moment he saw Lin Yan, his eyes lit up.
"Host, this is the male protagonist, Zhou Qi. The male protagonist should have been reborn," the system explained.
She could tell from the way the male protagonist looked at her that it wasn't the gaze of a stranger. Furthermore, his demeanor at the moment didn't seem like someone who had just graduated from school and worked in the countryside for a year. He carried an air of privilege and an imperious tone of someone who was accustomed to giving orders. It seemed the male protagonist had only recently been reborn and still carried that sense of superiority, where he alone was awake while everyone else was drunk.
"Brother Xu, these must be the new educated youths. My name is Zhou Qi, from Luocheng. I arrived a year before you," he said, striking up a friendly conversation.
Lin Yan and the others also introduced themselves. They had already introduced themselves to the brigade leader and the group leader at the brigade headquarters.
However, since the male protagonist introduced himself first, they felt obligated to introduce themselves as well. Their batch consisted of seven people, four men and three women. The four male educated youths came from different places. Gao Yang was from Beijing, Chen Hongxing was from Shanghai, and Zhou Jianjun and Wang Wei were from Nan Province, albeit different parts of it. Lin Yan was considered from Beijing, Yuan Kangmei was from Tianjin, and Huang Shanshan, like Chen Hongxing, was from Shanghai.
At this point, the other educated youths had also emerged from the house, which saved them the trouble of introducing themselves again.
The previous batch of educated youths consisted of six people, also four men. This meant there were eight men and five women at the educated youth point. Xu Huasheng, the group leader, arranged their accommodation and then asked two of the female educated youths to prepare dinner as a welcome ceremony for the new arrivals.
During this time, Zhou Qi kept helping the new educated youths settle in. Perhaps he knew he couldn't be too obvious, so he didn't come to help Lin Yan directly. However, Lin Yan noticed his gaze on her.
Lin Yan was assigned to share a room with Yuan Kangmei. She tidied up the bed and put her belongings away. The adobe room was kept very clean; it was evident that the older educated youths had cleaned it in advance. Along the walls were several beds and a few simple cabinets with doors.
Lin Yan took out her belongings one by one and put them away. While tidying up, she subtly transferred some items to the system space.
After tidying up, Lin Yan took a sip of water from her flask and then went out to help. Although she didn't know how to cook, she had assisted when Ye Hao cooked. However, upon entering the kitchen, she realized how incredibly basic the food was. She recalled the history books she had read and sighed softly, realizing that life was even tougher than she had imagined!
The pot contained porridge made from cornmeal mixed with rice. The side dish was acceptable, as it was early summer and vegetables were not scarce. However, the vegetables were boiled and almost devoid of any oil.
Although Lin Yan didn't prioritize her appetite, she understood that such food could not provide the daily required nutrients. She had to think carefully about what to do next.
In the evening, everyone ate dinner in a lively atmosphere. Although the food wasn't particularly good, in the early summer evening, it was considered decent. During the meal, Zhou Qi kept trying to strike up a conversation with Lin Yan, but Lin Yan feigned discomfort and remained silent, quietly sipping her porridge.
On the surface, the meal was a pleasant occasion. After it concluded, Lin Yan returned to her room, took out her basin, and washed up with some water.
"Lin Yan, don't you want hot water?" Yuan Kangmei had fetched some hot water and was also preparing to wash up before sleeping, having sweated quite a bit that day.
"My temperature is still a bit high, so I'll just use cold water to cool down," Lin Yan said, merely freshening up. The temperature had already risen, and the water, having been exposed to the sun all day, wasn't cold at all. The hot water was prepared by the older educated youths, and she didn't want to trouble them unnecessarily as a newcomer. Besides, her body had recently suffered from heatstroke, and bathing now might cause her to develop a fever at night.
"In that case, Lin Yan, get some rest. According to Brother Xu, we'll probably all have to get up early tomorrow. The captain will surely assign us tasks. Can your body handle it?" Yuan Kangmei asked with concern.
"Mmm, I'll go to sleep shortly. I'm fine. If I can't manage, I'll definitely ask for leave. Don't worry," Lin Yan replied, changing out of her clothes and emptying the water from the basin. She then placed her dirty clothes in the basin she had used for washing. She began to miss washing machines and, even more so, convenient modern bathrooms. "You should get some rest too!"
"You sleep first. I'll go wash my clothes before I sleep," Yuan Kangmei said.
Lin Yan lay down on the bed. "System, retrieve the low-grade gene optimization fluid."
"Understood, Host."
She rolled over to face the wall. The next moment, a small glass bottle appeared in Lin Yan's hand. Hearing Yuan Kangmei leave the room, Lin Yan opened the glass bottle and poured the blue liquid inside into her mouth.