Having a tricycle to ride while transporting goods made it much easier, even on bumpy roads, compared to carrying things.
It was several times faster.
In less than two hours, to be precise, about an hour and a half, Ding Yun arrived in Dawang Village. She saw lush green rice paddies, quite a few children, and people busy working in the fields and elsewhere.
As soon as many of the children saw her, they either ran to call their adults or gathered around curiously.
They even cheered and exclaimed with delight at the sight of the tricycle.
In those times, people didn't consider tricycles to be unfashionable. In their eyes, a bicycle with two wheels was already a precious item. A tricycle, with an extra wheel, was clearly more expensive and even rarer.
Because there were many children, Ding Yun was afraid of accidentally bumping into them, so she stopped appropriately.
She asked, "Little ones, do you know where the village chief's house is? Could you please trouble yourselves to take me there?"
Among the dozen or so children, one bold one immediately replied, "I know. But where are you from, and what are you here to do? You need to tell me clearly before I can take you. And do you have an introduction letter?"
"I... I know too. But can I ride in your vehicle if I show you the way?"
Some children were more cautious, wanting to understand Ding Yun's background, while others were simply enticed by the vehicle and wanted a ride.
Ding Yun didn't just brush them off. She specifically explained, "I'm here to become a rusticated youth. I have all the necessary introduction letters and documents. I won't be leaving for a long time, and neither will the tricycle. You can ride it anytime you want later. But for now, can you take me to see the village chief? I'll unload my things first!"
Even though some children were young, they understood what it meant to be a rusticated youth. After all, there were more than a dozen rusticated youths in their village. They also knew that rusticated youths wouldn't leave soon, so they were quite happy.
They immediately and eagerly led the way for Ding Yun.
They even bargained with Ding Yun, asking if they could have priority rides on the tricycle in the future. Ding Yun nodded repeatedly, agreeing.
Soon after they started, villagers who had been informed by the earlier children also rushed over, asking questions similar to the children: Where are you from? What are you here to do? Do you have an introduction letter?
This time, Ding Yun didn't have to explain. The child who had gotten the answer earlier helped her, and Ding Yun only needed to nod along, confirming it was correct.
"Rusticating? Why would anyone rusticate now?" Wang Dabao muttered, finding it strange, but it wasn't his business. His attention was quickly drawn to the brand new tricycle Ding Yun was riding.
He couldn't help but walk around it, touching and marveling, "Good heavens, how much must this cost? Little girl, did you borrow this vehicle, or how did you get it? You've spent so much to come to the countryside! This vehicle is brand new! The person who lent it to you must be quite generous. Do you have good relatives in the county...?"
Although he asked if she borrowed it or how she got it, he had already concluded it was likely borrowed. After all, how could a young girl's family afford to give her so much money to spend so lavishly, buying a tricycle for her rustication trip? It seemed unrealistic.
"It wasn't much. I didn't borrow it, I bought it. After I arrived, I realized I had too many things, and no one was there to pick me up. I didn't know when I would be able to carry all these belongings by myself, so I specifically bought something to transport them. Fortunately, I found someone selling a refurbished tricycle for only a hundred yuan. And I didn't even need a ration coupon, it was a steal!"
Having money, connections, and capability was the persona Ding Yun intended to present. Therefore, she didn't hesitate to state directly that she had bought the tricycle herself and even mentioned the price she estimated for the second-hand vehicle.
As expected, her words surprised the villagers who had been silent until then. They all gasped and showed envy. Wang Dabao was the same.
"Good heavens, it was only a hundred yuan, and no ration coupon needed! That's too cheap! It doesn't look like a refurbished second-hand vehicle at all, it's practically brand new!"
"This girl has such good luck! We've lived here our whole lives and never encountered such a good deal. She comes here and immediately finds it! Her ancestral grave must be emitting auspicious smoke!"
"Why didn't such good fortune fall on me!"
"Forget it. If it fell on you, could you even produce a hundred yuan? You can't even pull out ten yuan from your pocket."
"This young lady is quite fortunate..."
"She probably has a relative who's a manager in a factory, or maybe both parents are working, earning high salaries."
"Why would she rusticate if she's so rich! Really!"
"I wonder if we could borrow it someday. We have a few bicycles in the neighboring villages, but a tricycle, we've truly never seen one before."
While they were discussing, Ding Yun also chatted briefly with Wang Dabao, expressing her desire to meet the village chief and get things sorted out quickly.
Then, her entourage grew. Initially, it was just a group of children following her and her tricycle. Now, several adults had joined them. If Ding Yun wasn't socially adept, this situation might have felt quite awkward.
As they passed many houses along the way, some people greeted them, others asked with curiosity, and those who were idle also joined in. This directly led to more and more people gathering around Ding Yun. By the time they reached the village office, about a fifth of the village population had gathered.
Good heavens, it was like a leader's inspection.
The village chief, seeing the crowd, thought there was trouble.
Fortunately, Ding Yun and her vehicle were quite conspicuous, and someone nearby quickly explained the situation. The village chief soon understood the details and immediately started dispersing the crowd: "How idle are all of you! Aren't you supposed to be working in the fields? Don't you have meals to cook at home? You're all here to spectate! Everyone, go back to work quickly, or your work points will be deducted. That one, Wang Fenfen, right? Come here, come here! Let me see your introduction letter. If it's in order, I'll process your paperwork and you'll be officially rusticated in our village."
As the village chief spoke, everyone quickly dispersed, leaving only a few children who weren't working that day or weren't supposed to be working. They remained there, still watching. They didn't have work points to be deducted, so the village chief's threat was ineffective.
Meanwhile, Ding Yun said awkwardly, "Um, village chief, my surname is Huang, not Wang. I'm Huang Fenfen, not Wang Fenfen. Never mind, just call me Fenfen. That should be easier to remember."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I misheard. You're Huang Fenfen, right? Huang, we have more than one Fenfen in our village. If I call you Fenfen, it might cause confusion. But there are few with the surname Huang, only you. How about I call you Xiao Huang! Come, come inside and sit. Give me your introduction letter."