Chapter 127: Educated Youth Qin, Do You Have No Self-Awareness At All?

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Looking at the embarrassed old man, Xu Lin smiled.

“There’s no need to go to so much trouble. When I bring the pills over after dark, I’ll take your pulse while I’m here.”

As she spoke, Xu Lin hoisted her basket onto her back, then glanced at Huang Hongli.

“Are you going down the mountain now?”

“I—I’ll wait a while. You go on ahead.” Huang Hongli waved his hand. “We can’t let anyone see us going down together.”

“All right. Be careful.”

With that, Xu Lin left at a brisk pace, without the slightest hint of false courtesy.

Huang Hongli watched her go, a smile flickering across his face. This young educated woman was far more pleasing to the eye than that Qin girl who kept hovering around them.

That Qin girl was obviously full of schemes, like a honeycomb, yet she still pretended to give them gifts. Did she really take them for fools who could be easily deceived?

What was more, it was obvious that Qin knew about Zishu and Zihao’s relationship with them.

She even deliberately acted concerned whenever the two boys passed by. Huang Hongli let out a cold laugh.

He was an old man with one foot in the grave. What kind of people had he not seen? Back when he had worked undercover, he could tell at a glance whether someone was human or some kind of demon.

And now a young girl thought she could put on a ghost story before him? She was giving herself far too much credit.

Only after Xu Lin had gone a considerable distance did Huang Hongli gather up his basket and shovel and begin making his way slowly down the mountain.

Halfway down, Huang Hongli slapped his forehead and cursed himself for being an old fool. He had actually forgotten to ask the educated youth her name.

When Xu Lin returned to the educated-youth compound, she saw everyone standing in the courtyard, heatedly discussing something.

The moment Qian Li saw her, she waved enthusiastically.

“Linlin’s back! Hurry, go wash your hands. We’re holding a meeting to choose the team leader.”

“Choose the team leader?”

Xu Lin looked around and spotted Su Liang in the crowd. Their eyes met, and Su Liang’s expression immediately darkened.

Clearly, he knew that if Xu Lin entered the election, he might not be able to beat her.

Qian Li hurried over and took the basket from Xu Lin, lowering her voice.

“Du Yong said you weren’t going to run for team leader. Is that true?”

“Yes, it’s true. I don’t want to be team leader. It’s too much trouble.”

The distaste on Xu Lin’s face was impossible to miss. Carrying the basket, Qian Li walked beside her and nodded in agreement.

“Being team leader is troublesome, that’s true. But if you do a good job, you’ll have a much better chance of competing for a place at a worker-peasant-soldier university.”

“I don’t want that place. I’d rather stay in the countryside for two or three years and decide later.”

Xu Lin opened the door and went inside. She ladled some hot water from the pot into a basin and explained as she washed her hands,

“I think the national college entrance examination will eventually be restored. I want to get into university through my own abilities. What if I get into a worker-peasant-soldier university, and then the national examination is restored? Should I drop out and take the examination all over again, or continue studying at the worker-peasant-soldier university?”

“Would it make any difference?” Qian Li asked instinctively, completely failing to consider whether the examination would really be restored. She had simply been carried along by Xu Lin’s line of thought.

“How could it not make a difference? The quality of students at worker-peasant-soldier universities varies widely, and those who enter university through their own abilities will certainly look down on them. Conflicts are bound to arise. And once they enter the workforce, who the leaders choose to favor will be just as uncertain.”

Xu Lin picked up a towel and dried her hands.

“I’m still young. I can obviously wait a few more years before choosing. Why rush to fight for those places now?”

Qian Li was left blinking in astonishment. It sounded so reasonable.

Then she shook her head and frowned.

“But what if the examination isn’t restored?”

“For the Dragon Nation to grow strong and prosperous, restoring the national college entrance examination is inevitable. It’s only a matter of time.”

Xu Lin scooped out a large lump of moisturizing cream and rubbed it onto her hands. Qian Li winced at the sight. That enormous amount would have been enough to cover her entire face.

What a waste.

“What are you feeling sorry about?” Xu Lin was amused by her expression. She pinched off a small dab, smeared it onto Qian Li’s face, and burst out laughing.

Qian Li quickly rubbed it in.

“Of course you don’t feel sorry—you can make it yourself. A small bottle of yours costs five yuan!”

She held up five fingers, feeling even more distressed. But when she thought of the results, she decided it was worth it after all.

Her face had grown much fairer and smoother. If she kept using the cream for a while longer, she might once again regain the radiant appearance of a city girl.

“Linlin, do you really think the future you’re talking about can come true?” Qian Li brought the conversation back to the main point, her thoughts beginning to turn.

If the examination could be restored within the next few years, she felt she could wait too.

“It will definitely happen. The only question is how long it will take.”

Xu Lin tossed a milk candy to Qian Li, then placed a large red sweet potato beside the heated brick bed.

“Let’s go.”

“All right. Are you only eating a sweet potato tonight?”

“Yes.”

The two of them chatted as they returned to the courtyard. Su Liang had already finished his speech, and the scattered applause had clearly left him dissatisfied.

Xu Lin swept her gaze over the crowd and asked in a low voice,

“How many people are running for team leader?”

“Du Yong, Su Liang, Wu Qi, Zhou Chen, Sister Zhaodi, Sister Panndi—and finally Qin Fang.”

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When Qian Li mentioned Qin Fang, she could not help rolling her eyes. She thought Qin Fang had no sense of her own position at all. Did she not understand what sort of person she was?

The daughter of a spy, and she still wanted to compete for team leader? She was dreaming.

If Qian Li were Qin Fang, she would keep her tail between her legs and behave herself.

At that moment, Wu Qi stepped forward to give his speech. He began by talking about his qualifications. He had been an educated youth for three years and believed he had done no worse than anyone else.

Most importantly, he was sincere and would never stab someone in the back.

When he mentioned stabbing someone in the back, he pushed up his glasses and cast a sidelong glance at Du Yong, making Du Yong clench his fists in anger.

As for what Du Yong had done, how should one put it? Everyone praised him to his face and mocked him behind his back.

After all, he and Hu Changming had been friends for many years. They had rented a house together, slept in the same bed, and eaten from the same pot.

If Du Yong had criticized Hu Changming and kept an eye on him when he first made a mistake, Hu Changming would not have gone on to make so many more.

And if Du Yong had discussed the matter privately with the educated youths and sought a solution sooner, Hu Changming would not have ended up with five years of reform through labor.

In short, everyone felt that Du Yong had handled himself poorly. His chances of winning were therefore very slim, no matter how eagerly he threw himself into the campaign.

Zhou Chen was a calculating man. His speech was polished, and he was far more adept at handling people than Wu Qi.

How much of what he said would actually be put into practice, however, was another question.

In any case, Xu Lin did not favor Zhou Chen.

One candidate after another stepped forward to give a speech. Soon it was Qin Fang’s turn. She had not even opened her mouth when a chorus of jeers rang out.

Qin Fang’s eyes reddened with anger on the spot. This time, Su Liang did not rush forward to support her. He merely stood there, frowning as he watched the scene unfold.

Unable to bear it any longer, Qin Fang demanded,

“Why are you treating me like this? What have I done?”

“You’re the daughter of a spy. That alone means you’re unfit to be the leader of the educated-youth compound.

“Educated Youth Qin, do you really have no sense of your own position?”

Liu Panndi could not restrain the question that came from the depths of her soul.

“If you had even the slightest self-awareness, you would never have stepped forward to run for team leader.”