回村的年轻人

江jiāng西xī的de大dà山shān里lǐ有yǒu一yī个gè小xiǎo村cūn子zi，村cūn里lǐ的de年轻nián qīng人rén大多dà duō出去chū qù打工dǎ gōng了liǎo，只zhī留下líu xià老人lǎo rén和hé孩子hái zi。

In the mountains of Jiangxi sits a small village whose young people have mostly left to work in cities, leaving the old and the children.

三sān年前nián qián，二èr十shí八bā岁suì的de刘liú敏mǐn做zuò了liǎo一yī个gè让ràng所有suǒ yǒu人rén都dōu吃惊chī jīng的de决定jué dìng：辞cí掉diào城里chéng lǐ的de工作gōng zuò，回huí村cūn种zhòng橙chéng子zi。

Three years ago, twenty-eight-year-old Liu Min made a decision that surprised everyone: quit her city job and return to grow oranges.

家里jiā lǐ人rén都dōu反对fǎn duì。爸bà爸bà说shuō：我们wǒ men辛xīn辛苦xīn kǔ苦kǔ供gōng你nǐ上shàng大学dà xué，就是jìu shì为了wèi le让ràng你nǐ走zǒu出chū大dà山shān，你nǐ怎么zěn me又yòu回来huí lai了liǎo？

Her family objected. Her father said: we worked hard to send you to college so you could leave these mountains; why come back?

刘liú敏mǐn没有méi yǒu争辩zhēng biàn。她tā先xiān在zài村cūn里lǐ的de果园guǒ yuán干gàn了liǎo半年bàn nián，把bǎ种zhòng橙chéng子zi的de技术jì shù从头cóng tóu到dào尾wěi学xué了liǎo一yī遍biàn。

Liu Min did not argue. She worked half a year in the village orchards first, learning orange growing from start to finish.

然后rán hòu，她tā开kāi了liǎo网wǎng店diàn，还huán学xué着zhuó拍pāi视频shì pín，把bǎ村cūn里lǐ的de橙chéng子zi直接zhí jiē卖mài给gěi城里chéng lǐ的de人rén。

Then she opened an online shop and learned to make videos, selling the village's oranges straight to city people.

第dì一yī年nián，她tā只zhī卖mài出去chū qù几jǐ千qiān斤jīn。第dì二èr年nián，因为yīn wèi一yī条tiáo视频shì pín忽然hū rán火huǒ了liǎo，她tā帮bāng全quán村cūn卖mài出chū了liǎo十shí几jǐ万wàn斤jīn橙chéng子zi。

The first year she sold only a few thousand kilos. The second, one video went viral, and she sold over a hundred thousand kilos for the whole village.

以前yǐ qián，橙chéng子zi要yào卖mài给gěi来lái村cūn里lǐ收shōu的de商人shāng rén，价钱jià qian压yā得děi很hěn低dī。现在xiàn zài，橙chéng子zi从cóng树shù上shàng摘zhāi下来xià lai，第dì三sān天tiān就jìu能néng到dào客人kè rén的de桌子zhuō zi上shàng。

Before, oranges went to traveling buyers who pushed prices low. Now they leave the tree and reach a customer's table in three days.

村cūn里lǐ人rén的de收入shōu rù多duō了liǎo，有yǒu几jǐ个gè在zài外wài打工dǎ gōng的de年轻nián qīng人rén也yě回来huí lai了liǎo，跟gēn着zhuó刘liú敏mǐn一起yī qǐ做zuò电diàn商shāng。

Village income rose, and a few young people working away came home to join her e-commerce work.

爸bà爸bà现在xiàn zài也yě不bù反对fǎn duì了liǎo。他tā常常cháng cháng站zhàn在zài果园guǒ yuán里lǐ，看kān着zhuó快递kuài dì车chē开kāi进jìn开kāi出chū，笑xiào得děi合hé不bù拢lǒng嘴zuǐ。

Her father no longer objects. He often stands in the orchard watching delivery trucks come and go, grinning ear to ear.

刚gāng开始kāi shǐ拍pāi视频shì pín的de时候shí hou，村cūn里lǐ人rén都dōu笑xiào她tā：大学生dà xué shēng不bù上班shàng bān，天天tiān tiān对duì着手zhuó shǒu机jī说话shuō huà，像xiàng什么样shén me yàng子zi。她tā不管bù guǎn，接着jiē zhe拍pāi。

When she first started filming, the villagers laughed: a college graduate not working, talking to a phone all day. She ignored them and kept filming.

最zuì难nán的de是shì第dì一yī年nián冬天dōng tiān。快递kuài dì不bù进jìn村cūn，她tā要yào自己zì jǐ开kāi着zhuó三sān轮lún车chē，把bǎ一yī箱xiāng一yī箱xiāng橙chéng子zi送到sòng dào县xiàn城chéng去qù发fā。

The hardest was the first winter. No courier reached the village; she drove a three-wheeler herself, carrying box after box of oranges to the county town.

去年qù nián双shuāng十shí一yī，她tā一yī天tiān卖mài出去chū qù三sān千qiān箱xiāng橙chéng子zi，快递kuài dì车chē在zài山shān口kǒu排pái成chéng了liǎo队duì。村cūn里lǐ的de大爷dà ye大妈dà mā围wéi着zhuó她tā的de直播zhí bō间jiān看热闹kàn rè nao，都dōu说shuō这zhè闺女guī nü比bǐ电视台diàn shì tái的de主持人zhǔ chí rén还huán能néng说shuō。

Last Singles' Day she sold three thousand boxes of oranges in one day; delivery trucks queued at the mountain pass. The village elders crowded around her livestream, saying the girl talks better than TV hosts.

去年qù nián冬天dōng tiān，村cūn里lǐ修xīu了liǎo新xīn路lù，快递kuài dì点diǎn就jìu开kāi在zài她tā家jiā旁边páng biān。以前yǐ qián要yào挑tiǎo着zhuó担子dàn zi走zǒu十shí里lǐ地dì去qù赶gǎn集jí，现在xiàn zài手机shǒu jī一yī响xiǎng，生意shēng yi就jìu上门shàng mén了liǎo。

Last winter a new road reached the village and the delivery point opened next to her home. Before, people carried loads ten li to market; now a phone buzz brings business to the door.

现在xiàn zài村cūn里lǐ已经yǐ jīng有yǒu十shí几jǐ个gè年轻nián qīng人rén回来huí lai了liǎo，有人yǒu rén种zhòng脐qí橙chéng，有人yǒu rén养yǎng土tǔ鸡jī，还有hái yǒu人rén把bǎ老lǎo房子fáng zi改gǎi成chéng了liǎo民mín宿sù。村cūn口kǒu那nà块kuài穷qióng地方dì fāng的de牌子pái zi，不知bù zhī道dào什么shén me时候shí hou被bèi人rén摘zhāi掉diào了liǎo。

Now more than a dozen young people have returned to the village: some grow navel oranges, some raise free-range chickens, one turned an old house into a guesthouse. The 'poor place' sign at the village entrance was taken down without anyone noticing when.

刘liú敏mǐn说shuō：我wǒ回来huí lai的de那nà天tiān就jìu想xiǎng好了hǎo le，不bù是shì山shān里lǐ没有méi yǒu希望xī wàng，是shì以前yǐ qián没有méi yǒu人rén把bǎ路lù修xīu到dào外面wài miàn去qù。

Liu Min says: I decided the day I came back. It was never that the mountains had no hope; no one had built a road out.