A Frail Young Educated Youth in the 1970s

A period novel! Farming-focused! The first half is about farming in the village, and the second half is about going into business. They won't stay poor forever.

Sickly educated youth vs. stuttering, rugged country man

Xi Yan has been frail since childhood, spending nearly his entire childhood living on medicine.

Fortunately, both his parents are government employees and teachers, and their family was well-off enough not to be ruined by Xi Yan's illness.

Worried that Xi Yan might die young, his parents secretly had a second child. The baby was healthy, and his parents adored them, so Xi Yan soon lost their affection.

When Xi Yan grew up, his parents arranged for him to go to a remote countryside village as an educated youth without even telling him.

Xi Yan is frail, and in the countryside the insects are poisonous and farm work must be done every day. The other educated youths don't like him much. Xi Yan never earns many work points, and the letters he sends home never get a reply.

Seeing no hope, Xi Yan sneaks to the village's giant banyan tree to cry. Several times, he's thought about slitting his wrists and ending it all.

But someone catches him crying in secret, a humiliating sight. Xi Yan covers his face and runs back to the educated youth dormitory.

He thinks everyone in the village will know by the next day and laugh at him.

But not only does what he fears fail to happen, someone helps him with his work and brings him brown sugar and eggs.

The tall, stuttering man holds out an egg and clumsily comforts him. "D-don't cry."

From the top's point of view:

Another educated youth has been sent to live in the village.

This one is different from the others. He's skinny and pale, dressed in a decent pair of trousers and a shirt, with a sturdy leather bag in his hand. He smiles and hands out hard candies to the village children.

Even I get one as I pass by.

The second time I see him is in the fields. He's changed out of his shirt and is wearing the rough hemp clothes everyone in the village wears, awkwardly learning how to farm.

The new educated youth is clumsy and weak. He doesn't dig deep enough, and the clods of earth are too large. You can't plant crops like that, so the whole field will have to be done again.

The third time I see him is by the river. He's washing his clothes. His little hands have gone pale from soaking in the water, and in less than a week his palms have blistered and calloused.

That same day, I learn the educated youth's name is Xi Yan.

Xi Yan. A lovely name.

The next time I see him, I catch Xi Yan sobbing in a breakdown. He's embarrassed, covers his face, and runs off.

Yan Liangchuan feels sorry for him and decides to help Xi Yan more.

Warnings: 1. The top stutters! He stutters! He stutters!

2. The bottom is frail. This is a delicate bottom x rugged country man pairing!

Theme: Choices matter more than effort