CHAPTER 98: CHAPTER 93 THE BLACK HAND

He Aiguo hadn’t spoken yet when Song Moting spoke up.

"These two fellow educated youths, we already have enough people. We can’t work with people we’re not familiar with, please leave."

His attitude was gentle, but the meaning in his words was very firm.

Wu Yue and Wang Hongbing never expected that the man they liked could actually reject them.

What about the promised gentlemanly demeanor?

So good-looking, yet with such a bad attitude, this is all Jiang Xiaoxiao’s doing.

It must be Jiang Xiaoxiao’s words that made Song Moting have a bad impression of them, otherwise, why would he say this upon their first meeting?

Both of them directly blamed Jiang Xiaoxiao for this.

Both of them were greatly affected.

But they couldn’t be as righteous facing Song Moting as they were with Jiang Xiaoxiao, considering they didn’t know him. It was reasonable for him to say such things.

They didn’t even have a reason to refute.

Once again, Wu Yue and Wang Hongbing glared hatefully at Jiang Xiaoxiao. If not for Jiang Xiaoxiao, they could have been with Song Moting, and perhaps take advantage of the situation.

Both considered themselves just as attractive as anyone.

What they needed was an opportunity.

Song Moting was clearly very appealing.

Such a man was hard to find, the type that is unforgettable among other educated youths.

Obviously, his background was different.

The two walked away silently.

But their hearts were filled with hatred towards Jiang Xiaoxiao.

It was time to draw lots.

He Aiguo, as the elected representative, submitted their list.

Jiang Xiaoxiao, Jia Shu, He Aiguo, Song Moting, Gu Dali, and eight other male educated youths.

Their team was considered large.

Others were in groups of three to five.

They had as many as thirteen people.

Very attention-grabbing.

But there was another team that also drew attention.

That was another educated youth from Team Eleven, Zhang Chaoyang, who was from the capital, had his own circle, was very capable, and looked good.

But it’s unknown why he doesn’t get along with Song Moting and the others.

The two were like rival kings never seeing each other.

They were always at odds.

Coming to the farm didn’t stop this, with constant confrontations.

However, before, it was in labor where they competed fiercely to be first, but now!

This time, he also organized an impressive group.

Zhang Chaoyang not only had ten of his own people, from the same compound, childhood friends and hometown folks, but surprisingly, he also recruited Fang Peizhong, Wu Yue, and Wang Hongbing.

This was truly shocking.

Everyone knew these people were typically not enthusiastic about labor.

No one wanted them, yet Zhang Chaoyang dared to take them.

Based on the lists submitted for all small collectives, the two team leaders had already mapped out all plots, as there were differences in size.

Where numbers were almost even, lots could be drawn.

Jiang Xiaoxiao was chosen to draw lots for their group.

She felt anxious. In her previous life, she had bad luck. Would things change in this life? It’s uncertain.

After drawing, Captain Li Dahu felt troubled.

This Jiang Xiaoxiao performed well, and he thought the girl was hardworking and capable.

In his heart, he knew the small collective she was part of had competent members, both male and female.

In theory, such a collective would definitely thrive under household responsibility, bringing honor to them.

But who would have known this draw?

Sigh!

Li Dahu sighed.

The girl’s luck was truly bad, drawing such a poor plot of land.

This plot, Lot 15, to be plain, was a mountain area.

Their farm was mostly flat land.

But the only mountain within their farm, Little White Mountain, was well-known in the area.

This mountain actually was a forest area.

And a portion of the farm’s land was this mountain terrain, along with the forest area.

The downside was that mountain terrain couldn’t compare to flat plains.

The soil fertility was much lower, and mountain farming was difficult, especially forest areas.

The farm’s main product was rice, but rice fields couldn’t be created on mountains.

What’s plantable on mountains were corn, soybeans, etc.

Even corn and soybean yields couldn’t compare to rice, not to mention forests yielded nothing.

In the past, those forests were used by the forestry workers to grow ginseng.

Now, as expected, these areas were neglected for years.

The point was to allocate adjacent lands for easier management, but now they drew this lot. Even though the plot included dozens of acres of fertile plain land, overall it was more liabilities than benefits.

Jiang Xiaoxiao looked disheartened.

The luck was still too poor.

Their plot had flat land, mountain, and forest areas all combined, making it very mixed.

She came back, crestfallen, to everyone.

Song Moting guessed from her expression that the land wasn’t good.

Seeing her face pale, he understood.

He Aiguo could also tell it wasn’t ideal.

The lively girl was always cheerful; today, she wasn’t even smiling.

"Xiaoxiao, which plot did we draw?"

Jiang Xiaoxiao felt dispirited, really didn’t expect her luck to be so bad.

Probably the worst plot on the farm fell to her.

"Here, take a look everyone."

She showed them the land map.

Gu Dali chuckled.

"Sister, you really have bad luck, was your family into coal mining? You managed to draw such a ’treasure’ plot."

He wasn’t mocking Jiang Xiaoxiao.

Just trying to lighten up and lift her spirits, given that complaining now was futile.

Since the land was allocated, they had no choice but to accept it.

Everyone had agreed on the lot drawing beforehand.

No matter the result, they had to accept it. They couldn’t let the one drawing lots bear such responsibility alone.

Who would dare go up to draw then?

Jiang Xiaoxiao laughed, finding it really unfortunate.

"I feel sorry for everyone, truly didn’t expect to draw such a place."

Song Moting smiled, "Jiang Xiaoxiao, what are you apologizing for? We all agreed that whether the outcome was good or bad, we’d accept it. We’re all educated youths here, and we don’t go back on our word.

Besides, this land isn’t all bad. Look, we can plant rice, and also grow corn, soybeans, and even ginseng. We have both primary and side businesses, which, if done well, could produce unique economic benefits.

Plus, everyone here is hardworking. I believe that with determination, any land in our hands can yield the greatest benefits."

Everyone offered encouragement, knowing that losing morale now was not an option.

They were all in it together.

Seeing the little girl somewhat upset, they couldn’t add fuel to the fire, could they?

Others also chimed in to comfort.

"Jiang Xiaoxiao! What’s there to worry about? Just work a bit harder; diligence can make up for inadequacy. We’ll surely achieve something. Don’t worry. Any land in our hands will yield good harvests."

"Exactly, as they say, man is the master of his own fate, and in our hands, we guarantee we won’t go hungry."

"Of course, what kind of people are we? We’re the Eight Ironmen! Growing crops is no problem for us."

Jiang Xiaoxiao broke into a smile, realizing she was being sentimental, thinking that there could be someone better at farming than her?

If the land isn’t good, the space will make up for it.

Believe it or not, by the year-end, we’ll be the top yielders!

Hmph!

Seeing Jiang Xiaoxiao smile, Song Moting sighed in relief and handed her his handkerchief.

"Wipe your face. You’re an adult, don’t go crying and letting others laugh at you!"

His gentle tone brought warmth to her heart.

Jiang Xiaoxiao accepted it; the large checkered handkerchief looked very masculine.

It had a faint soap fragrance.

She cleaned her face, feeling a bit embarrassed, and tucked the handkerchief into her pocket. It was covered in her tears and snot, so she’d wash it before returning it to Song Moting.