Chapter 34: Who Bullied Whom

Upon hearing this, Tan Yanlu sneered repeatedly, “I bullied Jin Bei? Who bullied whom? Everyone in the sixth brigade and several other small teams knows what happened that day. If it weren’t for Jin Bei instructing that child to pee in my water bottle, would I even know who she is? She made a mistake, and I just asked her to apologize. Is that considered bullying? You’re twisting the truth with your words. Aren’t you ashamed?”

Tan Yanlu spoke bluntly, showing no respect for Accountant Jin, and directly called out Jin Bei.

While Tan Yanlu was speaking, other Educated Youth from the residence, having received the news, began to arrive. A group of more than ten people walked over with an imposing air, looking quite impressive. The veteran Educated Youth, Li Gaoyang, stepped forward to negotiate with the Brigade Leader.

Although Jiang Pan Yu and the other new Educated Youth had just arrived and didn’t have a close relationship with the old Educated Youth, it wasn’t so bad that they wished each other dead. In critical moments, they were united and came out to support Tan Yanlu, a scene not depicted in the novel.

Lian Xiuran was holding a piece of clothing, which seemed to be his own, intending to give it to Tan Yanlu. However, seeing so many people present, he hesitated to hand it over directly, fearing it might affect Tan Yanlu’s reputation. Then he noticed Jiang Pan Yu watching the commotion from the side.

His eyes lit up, and Lian Xiuran walked over with the clothes, “Comrade Jiang, could you please give this to Comrade Tan?”

Jiang Pan Yu turned her head and saw Lian Xiuran, then glanced at the clothes in his hand and nodded, “No problem, give it to me.”

Lian Xiuran watched as Jiang Pan Yu took the clothes, walked over to Tan Yanlu, helped her put it on, and then stepped back to watch the commotion again.

Lian Xiuran was puzzled. Wasn’t Jiang Pan Yu known for her sharp tongue? Why didn’t she help her good friend this time? If Jiang Pan Yu had stepped forward with her sharp tongue, as she did when confronting Zhao Xiuzhu at the Educated Youth residence, Tan Yanlu could have gone back to change her clothes sooner.

Jiang Pan Yu naturally didn’t know that Lian Xiuran was speculating about her. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to help, but she couldn’t. She was currently acting as a neutral observer, recording the course of events. If she interfered with Tan Yanlu’s self-awakening, even if the task was completed, she wouldn’t receive any rewards.

After negotiating with the Brigade Leader, Li Gaoyang spoke up, “This matter is not trivial. Our Educated Youth have been frightened. We demand that the two Jin brothers and Jin Bei make a public self-criticism in front of the entire village and apologize to our Educated Youth.”

Before the Brigade Leader could say anything, Accountant Jin became anxious. Jin Bei was a girl; asking her to apologize to Tan Yanlu in front of the entire village and admit her mistakes would be humiliating. Accountant Jin immediately protested, “No, this won’t do. Jin Bei is a girl with thin skin. How can she go on stage to apologize? She wouldn’t be able to show her face in public after this.”

Tan Yanlu quickly retorted, “Accountant Jin, you should be grateful that your daughter has the chance to apologize to me.”

“If something had really happened to me today, the Educated Youth Office and the local police would probably be here by now. You wouldn’t even have the chance to apologize to me.”

Accountant Jin’s face turned red. While the logic was sound, who wouldn’t be biased toward their own children?

The onlookers whispered among themselves, each holding their own opinions. Some supported Tan Yanlu’s stance, as Jin Bei had clearly gone too far this time. Tan Yanlu had been lucky this time, but what about next time? If someone offended her and wasn’t as fortunate, who would take responsibility if something serious happened?

Others sided with Accountant Jin, feeling that as locals, they couldn’t let an outsider bully them. This group was particularly unique—they had long harbored resentment toward the Educated Youth. In these times, everyone relied on farming to survive, but the land in Lianshan Village was limited, and the grain output was almost fixed. The arrival of the Educated Youth meant they were farming the same land and sharing the same resources, which naturally led to competition. When food was scarce, relationships inevitably soured.

The scene was buzzing with chatter, as lively as a marketplace.

On the matter of Tan Yanlu being wronged and seeking justice, all the Educated Youth at the residence were united in their support. They were Educated Youth, already at odds with the locals. If they remained silent today while Tan Yanlu was bullied by Jin Bei, then tomorrow it could be any of them. So, they stood up, knowing that if they didn’t unite, their interests would suffer—something none of them could allow.

The Brigade leader knew this matter wouldn’t be resolved quickly, so he waved his hand and shooed away the onlookers. He then instructed Tan Yanlu to return to the Educated Youth residence to change her clothes, while the involved parties went to the brigade office to discuss the matter properly. The Brigade leader’s authority was still quite commanding, and the crowd gradually dispersed.

As the group from the Educated Youth residence walked back, Tan Yanlu suddenly remembered to ask Li Gaoyang, “Comrade Li, how did you know something had happened to me?”

Li Gaoyang pointed to Jiang Pan Yu and said, “We didn’t know at first. It was Comrade Jiang who asked a child to come to the residence and deliver the message. As soon as we heard you’d been wronged, we rallied all the Educated Youth to come and see.”

“Thank you all so much this time. With you here, I feel much stronger,” Tan Yanlu sincerely expressed her gratitude to the group of Educated Youth.

Li Gaoyang waved his hand, “Hey, we’re all Educated Youth sent to the countryside. No matter how much we bicker among ourselves at the residence, we have to stand united when it comes to outsiders. Even if it weren’t you today but another Educated Youth, we would still have stepped up. Alright, let’s hurry back. You’re soaked through, and if you don’t change soon, you might catch a cold.”

The group returned to the Educated Youth residence, where Tan Yanlu changed her clothes. Jiang Pan Yu brought her a cup of brown sugar ginger water. After drinking it, Tan Yanlu felt much better, the chill in her body dissipating.

The Educated Youth residence also held an impromptu meeting. Li Gaoyang’s stance was clear: they couldn’t back down, and the Jin family had to apologize.

Most of the Educated Youth supported the idea, with only a few worried about causing tension with the village, especially since Accountant Jin was still an official figure!

Putting aside other concerns, in the future, as long as the timekeeper and Accountant Jin were strict in their oversight during the Educated Youth’s work shifts, they could make life quite uncomfortable for the Educated Youth.

Moreover, although the Brigade leader usually appeared fair, when it came down to it, he tended to favor the locals over the Educated Youth.

Therefore, some felt that it was better not to be too confrontational. An apology was necessary, but could it be handled without escalating the situation too much?

At the very least, they should give Accountant Jin some face. When the time came, the Brigade leader would surely step in to mediate. As long as the Jin family showed a sincere attitude, perhaps Tan Yanlu could take a step back!

This reasoning wasn’t without merit, and Tan Yanlu gradually calmed down.

Initially, she had indeed wanted to teach Jin Bei a harsh lesson, even considering going to the Educated Youth Office to seek justice if the Brigade leader didn’t support her.

But the advice from the veteran Educated Youth also made sense. While the Educated Youth Office had significant authority, it could only intervene temporarily, not permanently.

They were still living in the village, working under the locals’ supervision.

If the situation escalated too much, leading to the loss of Lianshan Village’s advanced unit status and causing resentment among the locals, it would ultimately be detrimental to both Tan Yanlu and the Educated Youth.

Even though Tan Yanlu was in the right, she ultimately had to compromise for the sake of her current livelihood.

Thus, after reaching this consensus, everyone headed to the Brigade office.

Jiang Pan Yu remained silent throughout the entire process. Tan Yanlu’s fate had already changed for the better, and that was a good thing. Now, she only needed to be a qualified observer to reap the fruits of victory.

No further action was necessary, and at this moment, Tan Yanlu didn’t even think about the debt of gratitude for saving her life.

When they arrived at the Brigade office, the Jin family was already there: Accountant Jin and his wife, their two sons, and Jin Bei, the main culprit.

The room was lit by only a single kerosene lamp, casting a dim light, but it was still enough to see that Jin Bei’s eyes were red, clearly from crying.