Chapter 35: Money Makes the Mare Go

By now, quite a crowd had gathered outside the door, curious to watch the drama unfold. Perhaps they were intimidated by the authority of the comrade from the Educated Youth Office, so no one dared get too close. Instead, they craned their necks and perked up their ears, not wanting to miss a single juicy detail.

Xu Ruyan wasn’t surprised in the least. Life in this era was dull and meager; gossip was the best kind of entertainment.

Her mother had always been one of the neighborhood gossips. But now that the roles were reversed, her mindset naturally shifted.

With a smile on her face and a look of pride, Xu Ruyan said, “As the great leader once said, ‘A red heart for the revolution—be the vanguard in going to the countryside.’ My younger brother is heading to the front lines of agriculture to serve the people. As his sister, I’m proud of him.”

Mother Xu’s face soured slightly upon hearing this and she opened her mouth to argue, but Xu Ruyan quickly tugged at her sleeve. “Mom, this comrade made the effort to come all the way here. Go pour him a glass of water.”

Mother Xu, a woman who lacked her own opinions, begrudgingly went inside to get a cup and fetch water, even though she clearly wasn’t happy about it.

“Comrade, please come inside and have a seat. My mother’s just a housewife, she doesn’t understand these things—don’t take offense!” Xu Ruyan led the middle-aged man into the house.

It was a hot day, and the man had already visited several households to deliver notices about being sent to the countryside. Some people had bombarded him with questions, others had cried and wailed. He hadn’t even managed to get a sip of water; his throat was parched and dry.

Now, meeting someone like Xu Ruyan, who understood and supported his work, his impression of her shot up immediately.

He nodded and stepped inside. Glancing at Mother Xu, he said, “No need for tea—just plain hot water is fine.”

In truth, he was overthinking it. When they said “pour some tea,” it really just meant plain hot water. The Xu family didn’t even own a single tea leaf.

The Xu family wasn’t actually poor. Although Old Madam Xu didn’t have a proper job, she painted matchboxes to earn some money. Besides, the rest of the family had proper jobs, and while the wages weren’t high, combined they were better off than most people.

But the old couple of the Xu family were incredibly stingy—generous only to their son, and saving every penny they could when it came to everyone else.

Before entering the house, Xu Ruyan cast a glance at the crowd by the doorway and smiled, saying, “Aunties, if you’ve got things to do, don’t let us keep you! If any of your kids are interested in helping build the new countryside, you’re welcome to come in and register directly with the comrade from the Educated Youth Office.”

The moment those words left her mouth, the gossip-hungry crowd instantly lost interest. Their eager expressions vanished, and they turned around and left as quickly as they could, as if staying a second longer might get them recruited on the spot.

Watching them walk away, Xu Ruyan dropped her cheerful act, revealing a face full of disdain. But when she turned back inside, she wore a sincere smile again.

The middle-aged man had overheard the entire conversation from outside. Taking a few big gulps from the enamel mug, he sighed, “You folks are really cultured. So many people out there just don’t have the right mindset.”

“You comrades from the Educated Youth Office work so hard,” Xu Ruyan replied. “Running from house to house in this scorching heat—it’s really not easy.”

No one dislikes praise or being appreciated.

Under the barrage of flattering words from Xu Ruyan—who even refused to accept any bribes—the middle-aged man let his guard down completely. He now treated her like a confidante, chatting openly about the people and problems he encountered at work.

Seeing that the conversation was going well, Xu Ruyan suddenly changed the subject, casually saying, “Actually, even if you hadn’t come today, my brother was planning to apply voluntarily. He just quit his job two days ago. What a coincidence—you showed up today.”

The middle-aged man was a bit surprised. The list of people being sent to the countryside had already been finalized. Xu Baofeng had been a last-minute addition, pushed through by someone above. The man had assumed he was unemployed—he hadn’t expected him to have a job. That part had definitely caught him off guard.

“The higher-ups specifically told me to expedite your brother’s paperwork, so I guess I came just at the right time.” He didn’t think much of it. With other work still on his plate, he exchanged a few more pleasantries before taking his leave.

The moment the comrade from the Educated Youth Office left, Xu’s mother completely lost it. She grabbed Xu Ruyan and asked anxiously, “What are we going to do? Your brother can’t go down to the countryside! He’s never known hardship in his life—how is he supposed to survive out there?”

As she spoke, Mother Xu seemed to already picture her son suffering and struggling in the countryside, and soon broke down crying loudly.

Xu Ruyan, by now immune to her mother’s tears, impatiently snapped, “Instead of crying, why don’t you help him pack? Didn’t you hear they’re leaving tomorrow?”

Hearing this, Mother Xu collapsed onto the floor, wailing, “How did our good life turn into this?!”

That “higher-ups specifically told me” nonsense was giving Xu Ruyan a headache. She ignored her mother’s crying on the floor, kicked open Xu Baofeng’s door, and stormed inside.

The Xu family’s house was small and had poor sound insulation. Earlier, when Xu Ruyan was talking with the comrade from the Educated Youth Office, Xu Baofeng had been half-awake and dazed.

The loud bang from the door slamming open fully woke him up.

He jumped up from the bed nervously, staring at the door. When he saw it was Xu Ruyan, his face fell, and he lay back down. “Are you crazy? If you break the door, you’ll have to pay for it.”

Sleep, sleep, sleep—this useless good-for-nothing only knew how to eat, drink, and play. If he wasn’t the family’s only son, he’d have been beaten to death long ago.

Xu Ruyan said coldly, “I just got the notice. You have to leave tomorrow and go to the Northwest to work in the countryside.”

“Yeah, sure, I’m just thrilled!” Xu Baofeng rolled his eyes at her and turned his back.

He closed his eyes pretending to nap. When he didn’t hear her leave, his heart tightened. He hurriedly got up and stared hard at Xu Ruyan, stammering, “Sis, don’t scare me. You’re lying, right?”

Xu Ruyan didn’t bother with nonsense and asked, “Did you offend someone?”

“No,” Xu Baofeng answered firmly.

Despite his burly appearance, he only dared to act tough at home. He worked in a boiler room and didn’t interact with many people. Usually, he just slackened off and stole food, so it was impossible he offended anyone—except…

“Shen Nanqing!” For once, Xu Baofeng’s mind was clear, and he blamed all his misfortunes on following Shen Nanqing.

He jumped off the bed, stepped forward, and jabbed a finger at Xu Ruyan’s nose angrily. “It’s all your fault! If you hadn’t given me that rotten idea, I wouldn’t have lost my job and now been forced to go down to the countryside. You’ve ruined my life!”

Xu Ruyan was startled by his sudden outburst and instinctively took a few steps back, tilting her head defiantly. “What nonsense are you talking about? Shen Nanqing is just an ordinary female soldier with no power or influence. Her family’s well-off, but the Educated Youth Office isn’t run by her family. Besides, it’s your own fault—our parents never lacked money for you, yet you insisted on cheating for a little benefit. Now you’ve been caught.”

Seeing Xu Baofeng’s attitude waver, Xu Ruyan grew more confident. “It’s definitely your factory manager trying to get revenge by reporting you to the Educated Youth Office.”

At this point, Xu Baofeng was fully convinced. Apart from fear, his mind was blank. Seeing Xu Ruyan as his lifeline, he begged, “What should I do now? I really don’t want to go to the countryside.”

Xu Ruyan patted his shoulder comfortingly. “The ship has already sailed; there’s no way to turn back. Your most important job now is to get Mom and Dad to prepare some extra money and tickets for you. With that, even if you go to the countryside, you won’t be in trouble.”

“Right, right—money makes the mare go,” Xu Baofeng muttered as he turned and left the room.

In the cramped room with poor ventilation, Xu Ruyan’s calm expression instantly crumbled. Thinking of that man’s cold, piercing gaze, her body uncontrollably trembled.