Looking forward to the future

Having experienced so much that entire day, working all afternoon in the fields, hurriedly eating dinner, and then rushing home to research the newly activated Golden Finger System,

it wasn't until he had finished exploring and realized he could only wait that Zhao Dongchuan finally relaxed. Immediately, a wave of exhaustion washed over him. Zhao Dongchuan could no longer resist; he burrowed into his quilt, lay directly on the bed, and drifted off to sleep.

The next day, the sun shone brightly—a rare, beautiful day. Zhao Dongchuan was still sound asleep when the high-pitched loudspeaker of Shuangshui Village jolted him awake. A strong Shaanxi accent boomed from the speaker, announcing that everyone should report for work at 7 o'clock.

Hearing this, Zhao Dongchuan quickly got up, suddenly feeling a surge of thirst. Right, he had fallen asleep too quickly last night, without even a sip of water. So, he drank the now-cold boiled water from the thermos. The icy liquid invigorated him, making him feel instantly refreshed.

After quenching his thirst, Zhao Dongchuan drew some water to brush his teeth and wash his face. Although he was in the countryside, the original owner, in his memory, had never neglected brushing his teeth, and the current Zhao Dongchuan certainly wouldn't forget it either.

In the countryside at that time, apart from students who had attended school and educated youths, almost no one in the village bought toothbrushes specifically to brush their teeth. Even in later generations, many people didn't brush their teeth in the morning.

After washing up, Zhao Dongchuan cooked a pot of corn porridge for himself in the kitchen. Sitting alone on the edge of the kàng, he suddenly felt a pang of loneliness. He wondered if he could ever return to his original world. Thinking of his family, Zhao Dongchuan became melancholic.

Alas.

Of course, being alone had its advantages: one person's full stomach meant no one else was hungry.

Many families in the village had young children who couldn't work or earn work points. Women earned fewer work points and had to cook and care for children, so families mostly relied on one man. If the family's situation became 'rotten,' it was tough. Thinking of this, Zhao Dongchuan felt a sense of resignation; every family has its own difficulties.

After getting ready, Zhao Dongchuan joined the main group and headed off to work.

At this time, many people were 'slacking off,' showing up for work but not putting in effort. Only Production Team One, under the leadership of Sun Shaoan, mostly worked together in unity. However, with a large forest, there are all sorts of birds; often, if one person slacked off, others who were working hard would also start to slack off. One bad apple spoils the whole barrel.

It was fortunate that Sun Shaoan was capable and everyone respected him. Team One had always been the most advanced in the village. The only one who could rival Sun Shaoan in this regard was Jin Junwu, the leader of Team Two, who was also a formidable and robust young man.

As for Zhao Dongchuan, the sole educated youth in the village,

people didn't think much of him because he hadn't suffered in the city, was afraid of dirt and exhaustion, and constantly 'slacked off.' Being assigned to Sun Shaoan's strictly managed team, he dragged everyone down, and people had a lot of complaints about him.

This also resulted in him always receiving the lowest work points in the entire village.

Now, Zhao Dongchuan was following Team Leader Sun Shaoan, learning to work, digging and filling soil.

While he wasn't doing exceptionally well, he was at least trying hard, and people slowly accepted Zhao Dongchuan's change, becoming more approving of him.

Zhao Dongchuan wasn't thinking too much about that now. He knew clearly that he wouldn't be toiling in the fields forever. Not only did he have the 'Golden Finger System,' but from the historical knowledge he possessed, policies would change before long.

Zhao Dongchuan now knew that this was the very beginning of the story, in 1975. In two years, it would be 1977, when the Gaokao (college entrance exam) resumed, and then by the end of 1978, educated youths would return to the cities.

He had many choices, but since the system was still adapting, he would bide his time. He planned to ponder his options thoroughly once the system was fully adapted.

Time passed quickly while working, and soon it was time for a break and a meal. Today, they were eating communal meals again, and the women responsible for cooking in the village had already prepared the food.

Zhao Dongchuan queued up, got his food, and then squatted alone in a corner, silently eating. He truly looked like an unremarkable extra, while Sun Shaoan, surrounded by everyone, was like the protagonist (Sun Shaoan: I am the protagonist, I'll beat you to death).

As Zhao Dongchuan ate, he secretly grumbled, 'Could this be the reason the system activated?' (—!!!)

While eating, Zhao Dongchuan pondered his future path. Working in the fields definitely couldn't continue like this. Since he had transmigrated, he had to do something. There were still 2 years until the Gaokao and 3 years until he could return to the city. He couldn't just endure it; he had to find a way to break the deadlock.

After finishing his meal, Zhao Dongchuan prepared to go home. At this moment, Sun Shaoan ran over to him and said, 'These past two days, I've seen you doing pretty well, much better than before. You still need to put in more effort in the future.

You can't slack off like you used to. Although our Shuangshui Village has tough conditions, overall, our Team One is quite good. As long as you work hard, next time when we distribute rations, there will definitely be enough for you to eat well by yourself!' With that, Sun Shaoan grinned.

'Understood, I'll definitely work hard from now on. But I'm from the city after all, and I'm not good at farm work. Besides, rural life isn't really suitable for me. I'm still thinking of other ways out!' (Zhao Dongchuan was here giving a heads-up for the future.)

Sun Shaoan pondered this for a moment. 'Yes,' he thought, 'Zhao Dongchuan is an educated youth who came to settle here. He's not a native farmer born and raised, so he doesn't have to be trapped in this mountain hollow.'

He had heard that many educated youths had already started returning to the cities through various means. Thinking of this, Sun Shaoan said, 'Don't worry, as long as you're in my team, I'll take good care of you. If you have a better path in the future, we won't force you to stay here!' He said, patting Zhao Dongchuan on the shoulder, and went back to his work.

Afterward, Zhao Dongchuan also greeted the familiar commune members and left first. He still had to work in the afternoon, so he wanted to go back for a nap; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to handle such high-intensity work.

Back home, Zhao Dongchuan lay on the kàng, not bothering to take off his clothes, and just dozed off. He pondered his future direction in his mind, and slowly fell asleep.

Fine, misty rain mixed with scattered snowflakes was falling heavily onto the earth. The snow, of course, wouldn't last; it vanished without a trace before even touching the ground. It was now the time of Jingzhe (Awakening of Insects), and the Loess Plateau was starting to get cold.

Two days had passed in the blink of an eye. During these two days, Zhao Dongchuan had been diligently adapting to the current pace of life with the team. At the same time, he had already thought of a way to break the deadlock that suited his current identity: the favorite thing for transmigrators to do.

Becoming a 'plagiarist' (Hehe, I actually feel a little embarrassed (≧﹏≦)).

Writers were very popular during this period, not only earning good income but also holding high social status.

Doing anything else carried too much risk; it simply wasn't necessary.