“I actually heard about the commune’s teacher recruitment from Dong Wenzhong and Chen Yanran,” Xu Ying confessed, “and these exam questions? I got them from them too.”
Brother Xu’s eyes lit up as he grabbed the books from her hands.
There was no need to doubt it—Dong Wenzhong and Chen Yanran were both top students. If they compiled these questions, they had to be accurate.
Xu Ying clutched her chest dramatically, her expression full of exaggerated regret. “Ah, I really paid the wrong people in the end.”
The corner of Brother Xu’s mouth twitched. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe her—he just couldn’t reconcile his naive, sweet little sister with the slyness she was showing now.
After dinner, Xu Ying handed another copy of the same exam prep book to Lu Daya.
Lu Daya’s eyes welled up with tears as she clutched the book tightly. “Yingying, thank you so much! If I manage to pass the teacher’s exam, I’ll give you half my monthly salary!”
“No, no need!” Xu Ying waved her hands quickly. “I’m helping you because you once saved me—not for your money.”
After leaving the Lu family, Xu Ying didn’t go straight home. Instead, she made her way to her third uncle’s house, seeking out Xu Jianshe.
Seeing his niece arrive, Xu Jianshe immediately sucked in a breath, steeling himself as if preparing for an execution. “Yingying, your third uncle’s ready… just don’t forget your promise to me!”
Xu Ying nodded seriously and secretly led him toward the Educated Youth Center.
When they arrived, she found a spot along the wall near Chen Yanran’s bed and imitated the cry of a cuckoo: “Cuckoo… cuckoo…”
Chen Yanran immediately perked up at the sound. That was the secret signal she and Xu Ying had always used with Dong Wenzhong. Her face lit up with excitement, and she rushed to the door of Dong Zhiqing’s dormitory. “Dong Zhiqing! It’s me, Chen Yanran! I have something to tell you!”
Hearing her voice, Dong Wenzhong hurriedly threw on his shoes and came outside, ignoring the jealous stares of others in the room.
“Yanran, what’s the matter?” he asked, puzzled.
Chen Yanran glanced around mysteriously and lowered her voice. “I just heard Xu Ying’s voice… she was calling like a cuckoo outside.”
A grin immediately bloomed across Dong Wenzhong’s face. “Really?”
Chen Yanran clenched her fists in frustration but nodded reluctantly.
Joy flooded Dong Wenzhong’s heart. Of course! Xu Ying still liked him—how could she possibly stop so easily? Clearly, she was just playing hard to get now.
With a smug look, he cautiously scanned the area, calling softly, “Xu Ying? Where are you?”
Silence answered him.
He frowned and took a few steps forward.
Suddenly, a pair of hands lunged out of the shadows. A damp towel pressed firmly over his mouth.
Dong Wenzhong’s eyes widened in terror. He tried to scream, but only muffled whimpers escaped. “Mmm! Mmm!”
He struggled weakly as Xu Jianshe dragged him swiftly into the woods.
A heavy punch landed on Dong Wenzhong’s head.
Then another. And another.
Xu Ying, her face half-covered by a plastic bag with a single eyehole, gleefully joined in the beating.
She’d wanted to teach this scumbag a lesson for so long. Tonight was finally her chance.
Xu Ying’s punches rained down like a storm.
Xu Jianshe paused mid-swing, glancing nervously at his niece’s fierce expression. A chill ran down his spine.
He hadn’t known Xu Ying had this side to her.
Fueled by rage, Xu Ying stomped hard on Dong Wenzhong’s hand with the heel of her small leather shoe, grinding it cruelly against his fingers.
“AHHH!” Dong Wenzhong’s scream echoed through the trees.
Alarmed by the sound, people from the Educated Youth Center rushed outside.
Sensing trouble, Xu Ying grabbed Xu Jianshe’s arm. “Run!”
Panting hard, they sprinted back to the village until they reached her front door.
Xu Ying beamed with satisfaction as she turned to her uncle. “Third Uncle, I’m going in. Don’t forget what I told you. I’ll give you the money first—but remember to pay me back. And if you dare skip out…”
She narrowed her eyes threateningly.
Xu Jianshe shuddered under her gaze and nodded frantically. After what he’d just witnessed, there was no way he’d dare cross his niece.
Xu Ying tiptoed inside, crawled into bed, and drifted into a peaceful, contented sleep.
Dong Wenzhong… that was just a little interest. There’s still a long road ahead.
Meanwhile, the Educated Youth Center was thrown into chaos.
Chen Yanran never expected that when Dong Wenzhong returned, he’d be battered and bloodied, his hands raw and mangled.
He collapsed at the doorstep, barely conscious.
Seeing this, Chen Yanran hurried forward, panic flooding her voice. “Why are you all just standing there? He’s seriously hurt! Go get a doctor—if you delay, who’s going to take responsibility?”
Her anxious tone rubbed some of the boys the wrong way.
One of them scoffed. “Why should we be the ones responsible? We didn’t beat him up. And honestly—shouldn’t you be the one explaining? You’re the one who called him out tonight.”
Chen Yanran’s eyes flashed briefly, but she bit her lip, schooling her expression into sorrow.
“I’m sorry… I was just too worried. After all, we’re all comrades sent to the countryside together. Seeing Dong Zhiqing like this, I couldn’t stand by.” Tears slipped down her cheeks. “But he really looks bad—if we don’t treat him, something terrible might happen. How could we, as an educated youth collective, leave him like this?”
Zhao Jiazhong, one of the older boys, finally stepped forward. “You’re right. He needs help. I’ll go get Doctor Ge.”
Chen Yanran flashed him a grateful smile, radiant despite the circumstances.
Zhao Jiazhong’s heart fluttered at that smile. If a friend hadn’t nudged him, he might have stood there lovestruck, forgetting what he was supposed to do.
“Brother Jiazhong,” Chen Yanran called sweetly, “should I come with you?”
He waved her off quickly, his tone protective. “No need. It’s late—it’s not safe for a girl to go out.”
Chen Yanran nodded obediently, watching him carry Dong Wenzhong away before quietly returning to her room.
Inside, her fellow female educated youth stared at her curiously. “Yanran, what happened to Dong Wenzhong? We heard you called him out earlier. Why’d he come back all beaten up? Was this your doing?”
Their eyes scanned her up and down with suspicion, some shivering at the thought.
“How could I have done this?” Chen Yanran sighed heavily. “I only called him out because I heard Xu Ying’s voice. Maybe… maybe she’s still angry at him.”
“Wait, what’s going on between Xu Ying and Dong Zhiqing?” one of the girls asked, intrigued. “Weren’t they inseparable just a few days ago? Why are they at odds now?”
In a nearby bed, Zhang Qiuling, who’d been half-asleep, perked up, straining her ears.
Chen Yanran slipped under her covers, sighing deeply. “It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t spoken to Dong Zhiqing that day, maybe none of this would’ve happened.”
She paused, then added softly, “That day, by the riverside, I gave him a letter from his family. Xu Ying saw us. She must’ve misunderstood and rushed over to argue… Somehow, she fell into the river. It’s all because of me.”