Me and the Educated Youth Sent to the Countryside

Synopsis:

1. In the autumn of 1968, returning educated youth Zhou Zhiyuan was introduced by the production-team leader to three newly arrived city youths: Zhang Xiang, Lin Xing, and Li Quan. Seeing how unfamiliar and uncomfortable they were with rural life, Zhou Zhiyuan felt for them.

2. Adjusting to country life: Zhou Zhiyuan took it upon himself to help the young people adapt to rural life. From hauling water and cooking to working in the fields, he patiently taught them all kinds of farmwork, and they gradually formed a deep friendship.

3. Feelings take root: As they worked and lived together, Zhou Zhiyuan and the sent-down youths developed a deep bond. By moonlight, beside the haystacks, they shared their dreams and supported one another through those hard years.

4. The times change: Starting in early 1978, the educated youths began returning to the cities for various reasons. Lin Xing and Li Quan left the countryside one after another, while Zhang Xiang chose to stay. She married Zhang Han, a discharged soldier, and became a substitute teacher, earning a permanent position in 1981.

5. Returning to a familiar place: Years later, the former educated youths returned to their second home. Zhou Zhiyuan also traveled back from a coastal city to his hometown, and they reunited to look back on the years of youth they had shared and reflect on how the times and their lives had changed.

6. This story focuses on Zhou Zhiyuan’s first encounters with the three city youths and his efforts to help them adjust to country life, portraying the innocent friendships and budding feelings between young people in a special era.