Chapter 012

Chu Xia rubbed her eyes.

The man sitting opposite her and Lin Xiaohan said, “No matter how much you say, it’s all empty talk. Even if you learn a lot, you can’t eat it or drink it, and it won’t get the production team to give us any extra grain. Going to school isn’t just useless, it costs money for tuition, and it takes away someone who could work at home. It’s a losing deal. If our family had extra money and could afford it, it would be good to let the child go to school and learn something. But for families like ours, as long as we don’t starve, why send the kids to school?”

Lin Xiaohan said, “Big brother, you can’t just focus on what’s in front of you. You need to think about the long term. If a child goes to school, learns to read, gains knowledge and culture, and broadens their horizons, only then can they have a real future.”

The man laughed. “And what kind of future are you talking about? You kids from the city—all of you went to school, all highly educated—and yet here you are in the countryside, farming just like us. If even city kids end up in the countryside after studying, how would it make sense for us countryside kids to go study and expect to end up in the city?”

This was the harsh reality of the times. Lin Xiaohan and Chu Xia had nothing to say in response.

Chu Xia blinked her rubbed eye and added, “It’s true that things are like this right now. But think about it, big brother—college entrance exams have been suspended for so many years, and the educated youth movement has been going on just as long. But no situation lasts forever. Just like how schools eventually reopened, maybe one day the college entrance exams will return too. If that happens, everyone will have a chance to go to college, and then education will really be valuable. Getting into college means the state assigns you an ‘iron rice bowl’ job—that brings honor to the whole family.”

The man squinted and chuckled, “Comrade Xia, you sure know how to tell a tale. Sounds like something out of a fantasy.”

Chu Xia: “…”

She pursed her lips and instinctively glanced at Lin Xiaohan.

Lin Xiaohan picked up the thread and continued, “Brother, let’s not talk about the distant future—let’s just talk about our production brigade. We’re reopening the primary school, right? Who are we looking for to be teachers? Isn’t it people like us, with some education and literacy? Teachers get a stable monthly salary and even earn work points during school breaks. Isn’t that at least a little bit of a future? And look at the brigade office—from the secretary to the team leader, to the accountant and all the department heads—none of them have formal degrees, and their education isn’t that high. But they can all read a little, can’t they? Now imagine if your kid had more education, more insight, and the ability to take responsibility—couldn’t they also serve in the brigade office as a part-time cadre and help lead the villagers in supporting national policies? Think about it—doesn’t that make sense?”

This time, the man didn’t have an immediate rebuttal.

But after a moment, he still shook his head and said, “Our kid’s just not cut out to be a cadre.”

Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan finished persuading this household and moved on to the next.

They only visited families with school-age children, but the responses were all more or less the same—no one was willing to spend money to send their kids to school.

Night fell. A crescent moon hung in the sky, stars scattered like glitter.

By the time lights were out in every home, Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan stepped out of the final household’s courtyard. They didn’t head to another house and instead began walking back to the dormitory under the moonlight.

Chu Xia took a breath and said, “This is going to take a while.”

Lin Xiaohan didn’t respond to that. He turned to look at her for a moment, then suddenly said, “I didn’t expect you to have such bold ideas. College entrance exams coming back, everyone getting to attend university?”

She’d only said it once, but he remembered.

Chu Xia didn’t show any sign of nervousness. She turned to him and explained casually, “That was just something I made up to persuade them to send their kids to school. It’s nothing more than a dream or a fairytale.”

Lin Xiaohan was silent for a beat, then said, “Why do I feel like it’s actually possible?”

Chu Xia blinked, then laughed. “Really? So you think I’m quite farsighted?”

Lin Xiaohan suddenly stopped walking.

Chu Xia stopped with him. Under the moonlight, he lowered his gaze and looked at her.

His stare made her uneasy. She took a step back and said, “What?”

Lin Xiaohan smiled faintly, his tone unreadable. “It’s just strange. These past two days, you’ve been like a different person. Not only are you no longer slow and clueless, but your ideas are bold and plentiful.”

Chu Xia looked up at him and asked, “Have you ever heard this saying?”

Lin Xiaohan: “What saying?”

Chu Xia: “With no man in your heart, your sword strikes true.”

Lin Xiaohan: “…No.”

The original saying was actually “With no woman in your heart, your sword strikes true.”

It came from that novel—later in the story, when Han Ting cut off all romantic entanglements to focus on his career.

She tweaked it, but thought it worked just as well now.

Looking at Lin Xiaohan, she continued, “Before, all my thoughts were on Han Ting. I didn’t care about anything else, didn’t think about anything else, so I came off as dumb and dull. But now, I’ve figured it out. I don’t want to waste my energy on Han Ting anymore. Naturally, I’ve got the space to think about other things. I’ve never been stupid, and since I said I wouldn’t drag you down, I won’t.”

And it was true—she hadn’t dragged him down.

In fact, working together, they had some real synergy. One plus one was more than two.

Lin Xiaohan thought for a moment, then started walking again. “Then here’s to a successful partnership.”

Of course, if she ever reverted to her old foolish ways, he wouldn’t hesitate to kick her to the curb.

At the educated youth dormitory—

The lights were out in both the men’s and women’s quarters.

The other boys were already asleep, but Han Ting was still wide awake.

He lay on his bed, arms behind his head, staring blankly at the ceiling.

No matter how late it got, he just couldn’t stop worrying about Chu Xia.

After lying there in a daze for a while, he finally sat up, slipped on his shoes, threw on a thick coat, and stepped outside.

He was planning to go look for Chu Xia.

But just a few steps out of the dorm, he saw Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan walking into the courtyard together.

Chu Xia headed straight to the women’s dorm, while Lin Xiaohan came toward the men’s.

Han Ting didn’t go over to say anything. Instead, he turned around and went back inside, lying down again.

Lin Xiaohan lit the oil lamp and started washing up.

Han Ting lay on his bed, still sleepless. The sound of water splashing grated on his nerves, but he kept his frustration to himself.

Of course, Han Ting didn’t just act like nothing had happened and go straight to sleep.

When Lin Xiaohan finished washing up and was getting ready for bed, Han Ting couldn’t hold back and asked, “You took Chu Xia out all evening—what were you two doing?”

Lin Xiaohan had already seen him when he entered the courtyard earlier and knew he hadn’t gone to sleep.

Without giving Han Ting any courtesy, Lin Xiaohan blew out the lamp and replied bluntly, “I don’t think I owe you an explanation.”

Han Ting held his breath quietly in the dark.

He continued, “I’m warning you, I don’t care what you two were doing. Just behave yourself. If you dare take advantage of her or hurt her, I won’t let you off.”

Lin Xiaohan scoffed. “Oh? What are you gonna do—kill me?”

Han Ting’s voice was even colder now. “Try me and find out.”

Lin Xiaohan let out a sarcastic laugh and said nothing more.

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Girls’ dormitory.

Chu Xia had also washed up and was already in bed.

The blanket was a little chilly, so she wrapped it tightly around herself.

The four girls in the dorm, including Gu Yuzhu, were already asleep by the time Chu Xia came in, so she moved quietly, careful not to wake anyone.

After lying down, she didn’t fall asleep right away—her mind wandered back to the issue of recruiting students.

Eventually, she grew drowsy, let out a long yawn, and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Chu Xia always woke up before the alarm, and today was no different.

Her morning routine remained the same: get dressed, make her bed, braid her hair neatly, wash up, and then head to the kitchen to make breakfast.

Lin Xiaohan was up even earlier than her again today.

He’d already tidied up and was in the kitchen, placing steamed buns in the pot to reheat.

When Chu Xia entered the kitchen, he was crouched behind the stove, striking a match to light the fire.

She greeted him cheerfully, “Morning!”