The old farm workers accepted these "city kids" with the simplest kindness. Zhou, who is in his fifties, led them to identify wild vegetables and explained the past of the famine. His rough palms taught them the strength of holding a pickaxe; Liu Fang, the women's director, sent brown sugar ginger slices like a big sister and mended frayed clothes and pants in the cold night; Field Director Wang looked at them with stern and concerned eyes, quietly planting the belief of "hard work" into everyone's heart. The educated youth lost their youthfulness through labor and built friendship through mutual assistance. The sweetness of corn ball porridge, the warmth of stewed pork vermicelli, and the singing beside the campfire became the most precious solace in the difficult years.
As the ice and snow melt, the horn of spring plowing blows on the black soil. When plowing the ground, fertilizing, selecting and sowing seeds, the educated youth learned the skills of tending crops from the old workers. The agricultural books brought by Zhao Wei came in handy. They tried to integrate scientific knowledge into traditional farming; Lin Jianjun became more and more skilled in repairing farm tools, giving the old rake a new lease of life; Li Juan and Zhang Lan filled baskets woven from corn husks with seeds and the hope for a good harvest. The black soil responds to their efforts with the most generous gesture. In the summer fields, wheat waves roll, soybeans form pods, and the youth of educated youths grow jointly with the crops in the sun.
