Jiang Lin said, “If you keep spreading rumors without clarifying, won’t others think I’m selling my son? Don’t you know spreading rumors can ruin someone, and clarifying can break legs? There must be a public apology and announcement, no negotiation.”

She also told Wei Qiongfang, “I won’t put it in the records, but I have conditions.” She wasn’t unreasonable and wanted to exterminate all, and records were indeed crucial to the educated youth.

Wei Qiongfang hurriedly said, “You say.”

Jiang Lin said, “From today, don’t let me hear you gossiping again!”

Wei Qiongfang, embarrassed and blushing deeply, was so frightened that she turned pale.

Despite feeling proud earlier, now she felt utterly dejected.

“I won’t dare again,” Wei Qiongfang’s mind was blank, her only thought was to leave here quickly and forget everything, never to see Jiang Lin again.

“Starting today, you’ll bring me firewood every day. Thirty kilograms of dry firewood per day, for a month. Is that too much to ask?”

Wei Qiongfang cried, “N-no, it’s not too much.” It was really tough!

“Alright, then let’s leave it at that,” Jiang Lin agreed readily.

Wei Qiongfang was terrified by her, but didn’t expect to actually get through it.

Just now Cheng Yulian had frightened her, saying if Jiang Lin went to the county office, she would be the biggest loser.

She might never be able to return to the city in her lifetime.

As for Liu Honghua and Ma Kaihua and the other women, apologizing and compensating was necessary.

If they weren’t punished, people would think it was just idle talk with no consequences.

But Jiang Lin wouldn’t let them off easy, saying they had accused her of selling her child and destroying family relationships.

If someone with a thin skin like hers started making a fuss, she might end up drinking pesticide or jumping into a river to die.

They must pay a painful price!

Captain Cheng Ruhai and Cheng Fujun had to be reprimanded, or they would continue to act arrogantly, like village cadres treating themselves as emperors.

They hadn’t seen anyone so arrogant before.

Sun Qinghui and others also united with some educated youth, especially those who couldn’t solve their problems and were being deliberately made difficult by Cheng Fujun and Ma Kaihua.

They took the opportunity to vent their grievances.

And those educated youth who had been bullied by Cheng Fujun and Ma Kaihua took the opportunity to seek revenge, actively writing letters demanding strict punishment for the production brigade cadres who harmed educated youth.

Where there are people, there are conflicts of interest.

Most people had swallowed their anger, but now seeing Jiang Lin unwilling to let go, they spontaneously gathered around, demanding justice.

Finally, Cheng Fujun became anxious and sent Cheng Fujun and Cheng Fulong to persuade Jiang Lin to settle, offering more money so she wouldn’t cause too much trouble.

Cheng Fulong frowned, “Even though you accused her of selling her child, we didn’t hit or scold you. Why do you keep going on and on? We’ll apologize to you and give you an additional fifty yuan. How does that sound?”

Cheng Yulian understood and whispered to Jiang Lin, “Cheng Ruhai may be reprimanded, but Cheng Fulong won’t be so easy.”

She had Jiang Lin’s best interests at heart.

After all, if this escalated to the county level, Cheng Fugu wouldn’t mind causing a scene.

Jiang Lin wouldn’t stand a chance against them.

Right now, they’re saving face and willing to pay for a settlement. It’s the best opportunity.

Jiang Lin knew exactly what she was doing—she just wanted to make some noise and exert pressure on the other side through public opinion.

Initially, when Ma Kaihua and others spread rumors about her, she simply wanted to vent her frustration.

Getting them to stop gossiping would have been the best outcome.

But now, not only did she manage to vent her frustration, but she also got the entire brigade to apologize, reflect on their actions, and even pay compensation.

On top of that, she unexpectedly managed to bring down Cheng Ruhai.

Jiang Lin naturally decided to settle for this.

She said, “One hundred yuan, plus one condition.”

Ma Kaihua’s face was swollen from crying, resembling a pig’s head. “One hundred yuan, you really dare to ask…”

“Shut up!” Cheng Fujun snapped at her, “Add another two hundred.”

Ma Kaihua whimpered and cried.

With her dark, yellowish complexion and unattractive appearance, her crying seemed particularly fierce and grotesque.

People didn’t sympathize with her at all and quickly turned away.

Look at Yan Runzhi! Now that’s how you cry! During the struggle session, she silently shed tears, and the old ladies cursed their sons and daughters, not allowing anyone to bully women.

They read reports and cursed, and they were knocked down.

Why bother?

Cheng Fuwan felt the blood in his mouth was metallic. “You said it!”

Jiang Lin also looked at the young people around her and said, “These young people’s families have arranged for them to return to the city. You can’t stop them. You have to handle them and stamp the documents according to the rules.”

Nowadays, the young educated youths (zhiqing) are struggling financially because they have to spend money on both ends.

So many zhiqing can’t afford to engage in activities.

Even if they haven’t found jobs, they stay temporarily in their hometowns and try to figure out other ways.

However, they still face obstacles here.

Jiang Lin saw how hard they were working to help themselves.

Sun Qinghui and others acted out of righteousness, but most did it for selfish reasons — mainly to return to the city and to resolve conflicts with local officials and members of the commune.

Naturally, she wanted to repay their kindness and gain some benefits for herself, so she wouldn’t owe them anything.

Zhiqing activities involve dealings with several entities: the city, the commune, and the village.

Without offering around three to four hundred yuan, it’s difficult to make any progress.

However, most benefits end up with Cheng Fugui, while others get only a small share.

Initially, the original owner offered two hundred yuan because there was potential to get three hundred.

“Jiang Lin, well done!”

“We zhiqing have you in our hearts!”

“Sorry, Jiang Lin. We misjudged you before!”

When some zhiqing heard Jiang Lin’s words, they were suddenly moved.

They had assumed Jiang Lin would only seek benefits for her family, like helping Cheng Ruhai secure a position, or letting Cheng Rusan become the team leader.

They didn’t expect her to pave the way for them without any personal gain.

They were truly touched!

Comrade Jiang Lin is so selfless!

Jiang Lin stared at Cheng Fuwan and said firmly, “If you agree to this, we’ll consider the matter settled. You can continue as team leader, and I promise not to cause trouble in the county. But if you refuse, we won’t stop here. All zhiqing will accompany me to report you to the county.”

Cheng Fuwan felt unlucky.

Did women really fight like this?

He couldn’t agree immediately.

After all, his older brother had to make the decision.

With so many zhiqing involved, if they handled their activities, charging two hundred per person, they could earn quite a bit.

“Jiang Lin, if he doesn’t agree, let’s all go to the County Revolutionary Committee right now!” shouted a zhiqing.

Initially, they sought Jiang Lin’s fairness, but now it had become their own issue.

It was about their own interests and couldn’t be ignored.

Paying money for official seals wasn’t right in the first place, but everyone did it, so there was no room for argument.

Now that someone had exposed this sore spot, they all wanted to draw fresh blood from it.

Cheng Fuwan said, “Okay, a hundred yuan will do. Let us think it over.” He needed to discuss with his older brother.

The zhiqing exclaimed, “This is official business! Why should you charge benefits? What is there to discuss?”

Cheng Fuwan’s son, Cheng Decai, shouted, “How is this a benefit fee? Did we force you to pay?”

“If you don’t pay, will they still stamp your documents?” They all say they don’t accept benefits, no one takes them, no one forces you to pay, but if you don’t pay, will they handle your affairs properly?

Either they find various excuses that something’s incomplete or they tell you to go back to the city to handle it.

After running back and forth a dozen times, the money spent on travel adds up to about two or three hundred yuan.

Waiting for one or two years without getting anything done is as bad as spending two hundred yuan.

Cheng Decai said, “You’re not qualified to go back to the city anyway! There’s no policy allowing you to return, so if you want to go back, don’t you have to use connections?”

This turned into a verbal battle between the zhiqing and Cheng Decai.

Cheng Fuwan had to go to the commune for approval, and a group of disgruntled zhiqing followed to supervise.

Cheng Fugui went to the county for a meeting, so Cheng Fuwan could only call and apply, quickly receiving instructions from Cheng Fugui to agree to Jiang Lin’s request.

But this matter must end here; there should be no more trouble.

He asked Jiang Lin and the zhiqing to sign and stamp.

After discussing with Sun Qinghui and others, Jiang Lin agreed.

For fairness, the brigade accountant Wang Gang helped draft a reconciliation agreement, which was written fairly.

Both parties signed three copies: one for each side and one for the brigade, as a notarized document.

This unexpected and satisfactory outcome surprised Sun Qinghui and the others.

“Jiang Lin, we were prejudiced against you before. We apologize. If you need anything in the future, just let us know,” many zhiqing thanked her.

Jiang Lin smiled, “When we’re away from home, we should help each other. I wasn’t right before. Last time, I relied on classmates for help, and this time, I’m thankful to all of you. Don’t lose heart, classmates; I believe we’ll soon be able to return to the city.”

Jiang Lin guessed that this should be the end of the matter.

The county’s policies were quietly being corrected, and Cheng Fuwan was apprehensive, fearing zhiqing unrest, which led to this unexpectedly good result.

With these obstacles resolved, they only needed to go back and use their city connections.

If they could return to the city, they would have more time and resources for next year’s college entrance exams than in the countryside.

With the results, Sun Qinghui and the other zhiqing returned to the zhiqing camp in high spirits, chatting and laughing.

Some were already thinking about how to use their city connections, especially those who had been in the countryside for a long time.

They saw Meng Yiyi, who had treated the welts from tree pepper stings herself with soap but had little effect.

It still itched and hurt terribly.

Earlier, she had quietly gone to the brigade to check, then returned early to wait.

Now seeing the zhiqing return, she weakly asked, “Did you… win?”

Many zhiqing joyfully said, “Yes, thanks to Jiang Lin’s thoughtfulness and righteousness! We never expected her to be so assertive.”

“We misunderstood her before!”

Listening to everyone praise Jiang Lin endlessly, Meng Yiyi felt as uncomfortable as if she had swallowed a fly.

She managed a faint smile, “Since there’s such good news, maybe we can find a way to return to the city.”

Someone said they were short on money and needed to write home.

Meng Yiyi: “It would be faster to borrow here. Write the letter, send the money back—why wait for two months?”

When she said this, Jin Lei, a male zhiqing who was close to her, interjected: “Oh, didn’t they say Jiang Lin’s family has seven thousand yuan? Borrowing two hundred shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

Sun Qinghui immediately frowned and scolded, “Just said Jiang Lin acted with righteousness, thanks to her, and now you’re scheming against her? Who said she has seven thousand yuan? Did you see it?”

“It was her son who said so,” Jin Lei chuckled.

“Her son also said you owe him ten thousand yuan. Are you going to pay that too?”

“Oh, come on, it was just a joke. Don’t take it seriously,” Jin Lei quickly clarified, waving his hands.

Sun Qinghui remained stern, “Jiang Lin was recently slandered by Wei Qiongfang. Now you’re spreading rumors about her having seven thousand yuan and trying to get everyone to borrow money from her. Do you want to experience her slap or Cheng Rushan’s fist?”

Jin Lei’s face changed, hastily pleading, “Sun Qinghui, I’m sorry, I just said it in jest, really didn’t mean any harm. Please don’t tell Jiang Lin, I’m sorry, I truly am.”

Sun Qinghui glanced at Meng Yiyi, his tone carrying a warning, “We owe Jiang Lin gratitude for her kindness. I hope I won’t hear anyone speak ill of Jiang Lin at the zhiqing camp in the future. Otherwise, they’ll have to deal with me, Sun Qinghui. I’ll cut ties with them immediately!”

Meng Yiyi’s face paled.

Was Sun Qinghui accusing her of not being good to Jiang Lin?

Meanwhile, Jiang Lin was at Zhao Pozi’s place, asking about something.

After resolving the issue at the brigade, Jiang Lin entrusted other follow-up matters to Cheng Yulian, then took her family home, closing the door behind them to discuss the truth with Zhao Pozi.

“Da-sister-in-law, you should tell us what exactly happened now.”