Chapter 167: Li Erya, What Are You Doing?

The more Lin Jingyue interacted with Mu Furong, the more she found the young woman interesting, yet she did not pry into anyone else's personal affairs.

The two strolled together for a bit before parting ways.

Lin Jingyue rode her bicycle back. Zhou Yan and Jiang Xun were presumably not returning anytime soon, so she had the bicycle all to herself.

Thanks to her brisk pace, she soon caught up with the production brigade's ox-cart, full of familiar faces.

She smiled brightly, intending to greet everyone, when to her surprise, everyone turned their faces away.

Especially Qian Guihua, who curled her lips in disdain.

Uncle Li chuckled. "Educated Youth Lin, heading into town?"

"Yes, hello, Uncle." Uncle Li was Li Tongchui's father, and whenever there was no trouble, Lin Jingyue could be quite well-mannered.

She quickly vanished from sight.

Qian Guihua pursed her lips. "She's just full of herself. Second Brother Li, you shouldn't have paid her any mind."

The Second Brother Li she referred to was none other than Uncle Li.

"Exactly, that dead girl has a sharp tongue. Who could ever get anything good out of her mouth?" Aunt Hua was also dissatisfied with Lin Jingyue.

Right now, she was simply venting her displaced anger. Because of the affair between Li Erya and Lin Xinjian, she looked down upon everyone in the Lin family.

Lin Jingyue couldn't care less what others said. Humming a tune, she soon arrived at the brigade.

At the village entrance, she ran into a few wild, mischievous kids. She narrowed her eyes slightly. "Tie Dan, have you finished your homework?"

Tie Dan and the others: "..."

The smiles on their faces vanished instantly.

Seeing this, Lin Jingyue wore a wicked smile. "I'll be checking it on Monday, you know. If you haven't finished, humph."

Several of them instinctively shrank their necks.

Niuniu's eyes rolled around craftily. "Sister Lin, I've finished mine. Is there a reward?"

"Really finished?"

"Really." The little girl nodded with certainty.

This girl had the makings of a scholar; even Tie Dan couldn't compare to her.

"Then what reward do you want?" Lin Jingyue always showed a bit of leniency toward conscientious students.

"Can I learn martial arts with Sister Lin?" The little girl asked with a look of eager anticipation. "I want to take Sister as my master."

"...I'm already your teacher." Lin Jingyue was left somewhat amused and exasperated.

"Are you sure you want to learn martial arts?"

"Sure! So that when boys bully me in the future, I can beat the living daylights out of them." Niuniu clenched her small fists.

"..."

"Can I, Sister?"

Ah, the alliance leader strategy. Lin Jingyue exaggeratedly clutched her chest. "Alright, I'll start teaching you on Monday."

Suddenly remembering that there were far too many wife-beating men in this era, should she... teach the students some basic martial arts so they could protect themselves?

"Oh right, Sister Lin, they're showing a movie at the threshing ground tonight. Are you going to watch?"

A movie?

Why on earth would they show a movie out of nowhere? Weren't movies supposed to be screened during the autumn harvest or similar occasions?

Though she had her doubts, she didn't intend to meddle too much.

"I'm definitely going. When you go to the movie, remember not to run around aimlessly, understand? Stay with your family." Thinking of the human trafficker plots in novels, Lin Jingyue instinctively offered a word of caution.

And her words proved to be a prophetic warning.

After finishing dinner that evening, without needing any notice from the brigade leader, people carried their small stools to the threshing ground before dark even fell.

Even Wang Xueping and Yang Ming brought their baby along to join in the lively atmosphere.

"Educated Youth Lin, would you like some melon seeds?" The members of the educated youth point walked together, with Yang Ming and Wang Xueping fairly close to Lin Jingyue.

Yang Ming called out directly to Lin Jingyue, while offering a faint, polite greeting to Feng Wenjia and Zhang Shuting beside her.

If it were the past, Wang Xueping would have racked her brains to curry favor with children from the capital's grand courtyards, but now she had figured things out.

She only wanted a peaceful and warm life, and she believed that with their combined efforts, she and her husband could achieve it just as well.

Seeing Wang Xueping's outstretched hand, Lin Jingyue smiled and took the seeds. "Thank you."

Wang Xueping offered a gentle, serene smile, her eyes calm.

It was as if she had turned into a completely different person.

Lin Jingyue glanced at the baby in Yang Ming's arms, her eyes brightening. "The child is quite cute."

Wrapped in swaddling clothes, the little girl blinked her round eyes, her tiny mouth slightly parted as she made soft cooing sounds.

She was rather adorable.

Zhang Shuting and Feng Wenjia looked over as well. No young woman could resist soft, squishy little bundles of joy. "Aww, so cute!"

What parents wouldn't be pleased when others praised their child? Wang Xueping beamed with joy. "She's cute now, but she's a handful at night."

Though she complained, her brows were filled with happiness.

Zhang Shuting chimed in, "All babies are like that. The one in my eldest brother's family is a regular little havoc-wreaker."

Seeing them chatting animatedly, Chen Chunlan and Xia Nan joined in as well. With the baby serving as a bond, the atmosphere among the educated youth point was remarkably harmonious, much to the astonishment of the brigade members they passed on the way.

At the threshing ground, the front spots were mostly taken, but fortunately, they didn't mind too much.

Finding a spot, they sat down.

"Over here, Educated Youth Lin! I saved a place for you!" At that moment, Aunt Liu spotted Lin Jingyue and waved excitedly.

The others: "..."

Remembering Lin Jingyue's remark about having no manners, everyone wisely kept their mouths shut.

Some subconsciously glanced toward Li Cuihua's direction, only to find her sitting quietly with Zhao Hua as if she hadn't heard a thing.

They all felt a bit strange inside.

Lin Jingyue politely declined Aunt Liu's saved spot. She wasn't particularly interested in the movie; she just wanted to join the crowd for the spectacle.

Still, she didn't want to brush off Aunt Liu's kindness, so she went over to chat with her for a bit before leaving, even handing the melon seeds Wang Xueping had given her over to Aunt Liu.

Jiang Xun had probably anticipated long ago that he wouldn't be staying in the brigade frequently, so before leaving, he had arranged placements for Li Tongchui and Sun Jiabao.

Specifically, they were sent to the county town's black market, operating under Tian Yang.

He claimed it was through an old friend. Lin Jingyue didn't press for details; she only needed to accept Jiang Xun's goodwill.

Because Li Tongchui and Sun Jiabao were people Jiang Xun had prepared specifically for her.

Caught in the eye of the storm, Jiang Xun knew many things others did not and possessed great foresight, knowing that the current policies were only temporary.

Therefore, when the two chatted in private, they both vaguely hinted at their future plans.

Li Tongchui and Sun Jiabao were reasonably reliable. Nurturing them from now on... would allow them to stand on their own two feet in the future.

Looking ten steps ahead for every single step he took, Jiang Xun's strategic mind was never lacking.

Beyond that, he had considered other possibilities as well. In short, those two would definitely come in handy in the future.

Though neither family knew exactly what their sons were doing, seeing them periodically bring back goods to improve their living standards, they kept silent.

In truth, they simply trusted Jiang Xun and Lin Jingyue. In their eyes, the two were the most promising youngsters they had ever laid eyes on in their entire lives.

Following them could not possibly be wrong.

That was why Uncle Li, Aunt Liu, and the others treated Lin Jingyue with such deep respect.

"Ouch." Slipping through the crowd, Lin Jingyue suddenly sensed a dark figure leaning in toward her. She instinctively stepped aside, and the person tumbled straight to the ground.

"Li Erya, what are you playing at?" Lin Jingyue let out a cold hmph.

This person had clearly done it on purpose.