Chapter 10

Of course, everyone else could hear it, so how could Yao Qingqing not?

“What are you so proud of? You’re going to the countryside just like me—and to the same place too. We’ll see who laughs last.”

Hmph! Lin Jiayi thought, Do you think I don’t know we’re headed to the same place? I did it on purpose. How else would I deal with you if we were far apart? Besides, that little village in the northeast isn’t going to be my final stop—and it won’t be yours either.

Lin Jiayi would definitely come back in the future. As for Yao Qingqing, well, she had heard that people who made mistakes would be sent to the Great Northwest to “eat sand.”

Lin Jiayi smiled. “Alright then, we’ll see. Some people—one wrong step leads to every step wrong.”

Lin Dong stood quietly to the side. He wasn’t foolish enough to interrupt while his daughter was showing off her brilliance.

When Lin Jiayi took a step back, Lin Dong finally set down the suitcases and cloth bag, telling her to watch them while he went to lock the bike.

By the time he returned, the train had arrived. He carried the luggage all the way aboard, while Lin Jiayi obediently followed behind him. The contrast made Yao Qingqing even more jealous.

Inwardly, she blamed Yang Xueqin. But she didn’t know that today was supposed to be the first day Yang Xueqin started at the hospital—only to be told when she arrived that the job had already been sold.

Yang Xueqin never imagined a job that was supposedly set in stone could slip away. Furious, she cried and made a scene until the hospital called in the Public Security Bureau, forcing her to leave.

With no job left, Yang Xueqin could only slink back home, thinking of another way out.

Meanwhile, on the train, Lin Jiayi waved goodbye to Lin Dong as she headed toward her “vast new world.”

Lin Dong was reluctant to see his daughter leave, but given the current situation, he knew there was no choice. All they could do was wait for better times. At least he knew his daughter wouldn’t suffer—otherwise, he might have been tempted to pull strings to get transferred over himself.

Lin Jiayi, however, wasn’t as sentimental as her father. She had a free-spirited nature, was used to being on her own, and was full of anticipation for the future—especially when she looked across at Yao Qingqing.

In order to show off her “superior” taste, Yao Qingqing had deliberately worn a Lenin suit instead of a skirt. But Lin Jiayi’s dress came from the Friendship Store, and that was on a whole different level.

It made Yao Qingqing feel inferior from the start.

The two of them clearly disliked each other, which was obvious to everyone the moment they boarded. The difference was that Yao Qingqing wore a sour expression, while Lin Jiayi’s face was all smiles—the contrast was sharp.

The special train for educated youth was the same as the usual green train cars, except without the scenes of village women and rowdy children you’d read about in novels.

Still, the group of educated youth was a mixed bunch—people came from all over the country, and family backgrounds varied widely.

Lin Jiayi wasn’t the type to force friendships. She always felt that kind of thing, like love, depended on fate.

But Yao Qingqing was different. She was highly goal-oriented. She wanted everyone to like her, to side with her—and with Lin Jiayi present, that desire only grew stronger.

She took out a handful of milk candies, passing them out to the four people around her—everyone except Lin Jiayi—then greeted them with a bright smile and introduced herself.

The others, who had been hesitant to speak, loosened up at her friendliness and began chatting with her.

Lin Jiayi admired Yao Qingqing’s shamelessness—it really was impressive. No wonder she was the female lead. In just a few minutes, she had warmed up to everyone and was already gossiping about Lin Jiayi with the girl beside her, a dark-skinned little thing with two braided pigtails.

Lin Jiayi smiled leisurely and said,

“Yao Qingqing, you’re so talkative. How come, in front of the Public Security and the Women’s Director, you had nothing to say? You and your mother are like those gourds with their mouths sealed shut.

But of course, without reason, there’s nothing you could have said. Talking behind people’s backs is different—no legal responsibility there. Say whatever you want. Right, little black girl?”

“Pfft—”

Lin Jiayi followed the sound and saw a young man and woman sitting diagonally across from her. From their looks, they seemed to be siblings.

“Sorry,” the young man said stiffly. “My sister’s lively—she never hides her laughter when she sees something funny. Please forgive her.”

Lin Jiayi gave him a mental thumbs-up. How did this serious guy manage to say something even blunter than his sister’s laugh?

The girl across the way, seeing Lin Jiayi wasn’t upset, quickly explained, “Big sister, my brother’s a bookworm. He doesn’t know how to talk properly. Don’t mind him.”

“No, I don’t mind at all. In fact, I think what your brother said was pretty good. Next time he can say even more.”

With that, both girls burst into laughter.

Sometimes, friendships between girls were like that—when the vibes matched, one sentence was enough.

“My name’s Tang Tang, and this is my brother, Tang Ming. What’s your name, big sister?”

“My name is Lin Jiayi, from Beijing. I’m headed to the northeast. Are we going the same way?”

“Really? That’s perfect! We’re from Shanghai, but from now on we’ll be in Jishi.” Her smile faltered, and her face fell at the thought.

“It doesn’t matter. We’re all in the same boat. What matters isn’t where you live but whether you’re happy. Little sister, stick with me—you might find life can be pretty good.”

At that moment, Lin Jiayi looked exactly like a human trafficker trying to coax a child away. Tang Ming, however, said nothing. To him, this girl wasn’t malicious—she was straightforward. Letting his soft-hearted sister spend more time with her didn’t seem like a bad thing.

And really, Tang Tang was exactly like her name suggested—so sweet you’d want to scoop her up.

As they chatted away happily, the little dark-skinned girl beside Yao Qingqing grew upset.

“Hey, Lin Jiayi, right? Don’t you think you’re being rude? How can you call me that? No wonder—you don’t even have a mother to teach you manners. Look at Qingqing—she’s so much better than you. That’s how a girl should be.”

“Oh? Did I say something wrong? Aren’t you dark-skinned? I don’t know your name, so of course I could only describe you. And I think my manners are excellent—who dares say the daughter of the Public Security Bureau’s director has no manners?

And by the way, she only told you that my mother passed away. She didn’t mention that my mother sacrificed her life for the country, did she? If it weren’t for the scheming of her and her mother, I’d be working at the hospital now instead of going to the countryside.”

Lin Jiayi knew exactly how things worked in this era: people didn’t dare offend the Public Security Bureau, and they revered martyrs. With those words, who would dare speak against her?

As expected, the ones who had been gossiping moments earlier now fell silent. Joking aside, people would jump at the chance to connect with someone like her—who would be foolish enough to offend her instead?

The little dark-skinned girl also clammed up. Her family was from Beijing too—if her mother found out she had offended the daughter of the Public Security Bureau’s director over a few pieces of candy, she’d be beaten half to death.

Lin Jiayi turned her head toward Yao Qingqing. “Yao Qingqing, did you think I’d be bored on this trip and set this little scene up for me? Really, you don’t need to go this far.”