Chapter 141: Even Jiang Xun Can Find a Partner?

Just as they were feeling unwilling to give up but had no other choice, the situation took a dramatic turn. Lin Jingyue felt her scalp tingle just hearing about it.

Li Erya had slept with Lin Xinjian herself—and yes, she really did it, using the very medicine the production brigade used for breeding pigs. When Lin Xinjian woke up, he nearly choked on his own breath. Auntie Hua’s family was at a loss for words, feeling that their daughter had brought nothing but shame upon them. If it had just been a matter of being held or touched, they could have argued and made excuses, but having actually slept with the man… it was truly shameless.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, Li Erya was kicked out of her home. When Lin Jingyue heard this, she truly had the expression of that “old man on the subway” meme—who could possibly understand this madness?

Even more shocking was that the very next day, the ostracized Li Erya went and registered her marriage with Lin Xinjian. Lin Jingyue felt her brain struggling to process the insanity. What on earth was going on? Why was everything involving the Lin siblings so dramatic?

Upon reflection, she realized that Lin Xinjian likely had his own reservations. He had seen firsthand the miserable fate of Lin Xinrou when she was caught in a scandalous affair. He was afraid; furthermore, he didn't dare report it to the public security bureau. On one hand, he feared the people of the brigade, and on the other... he was too embarrassed to admit that he had been seduced by a woman using pig-breeding medicine. So, he simply married her.

Chen Chunlan watched as Lin Xinjian and Li Erya moved their belongings out and curled her lip. "The atmosphere in our educated youth dormitory has really been poisoned by Lin Xinrou," she remarked. Now, everyone was starting to follow suit. Lin Xinjian’s face darkened, but he said nothing. Since he was now married to Li Erya, he had no reason to stay in the dormitory; he would have to rent an empty house in the brigade and figure things out later.

As the pair left with their belongings, the other educated youths sighed. There had originally been fourteen people in the dormitory; now, only Chen Chunlan, Xie Wenjuan, Zhou Yan, Zhao Hua, Xia Nan, Wang Xueping, Yang Ming, and Lin Jingyue and Jiang Xun remained. Such was the unpredictability of life. However, Lin Xinjian’s situation didn't cause much of a stir, serving at most as fodder for idle gossip.

When Zhou Mingxue’s wedding day arrived, Lin Jingyue prepared a pair of bright red pillowcases as a gift. Weddings in this era were simple: the bride and groom would wear large red flowers on their chests and make their vows before a portrait of the Great Leader, followed by hosting a few tables of guests. The Zhou family was busy, and after eating at the banquet, Lin Jingyue offered her congratulations and took her leave.

***

During the time Jiang Xun was away, Zhou Yan, accompanied by Xie Wenzheng, Sun Jiabao, and Li Tongchui, would head into the mountains from time to time. They almost always had something to show for it. Sometimes the game was enough to sell for money, and other times it provided food. In just a few trips, Li Tongchui had become completely loyal to the group.

Once, on a whim, Lin Jingyue joined them, and to everyone's amazement, the wolf known as "Da Hui" chased three wild boars right toward them. With its help, the three boars were easily captured. They sold them for over a thousand yuan, and after taking the lion's share, Lin Jingyue gave fifty yuan to each of the others. This made Li Tongchui and Sun Jiabao ecstatic, and Lin Jingyue’s status in their minds rose to an unshakeable level.

By the end of April, spring plowing began, and Lin Jingyue’s leisurely days came to an end. She had mentioned the idea of building a school to Zhou Yan, but after he inquired, he found it was still in the planning stages with no decision on the location, so she put the matter to the back of her mind.

Jiang Xun had not yet returned, but Lin Jingyue had received a letter from him saying he was safe, so she wasn't overly worried. She knew this man wasn't just going to the Great Northwest for a simple trip.

Although Jiang Xun didn't return, two new educated youths arrived at the dormitory. Both were girls. The brigade leader’s face was as dark as could be; the educated youths were never a source of peace, and the authorities kept sending more people down. It was becoming impossible to make a living. This time was even worse, as they had sent two girls who could neither carry a load on their shoulders nor lift a heavy object. After dropping them off at the dormitory, the brigade leader left with a curt word.

The two girls stood in the courtyard, looking awkward. Xie Wenjuan remained the person in charge of the female dormitory. After Luo Jianhua and Sun Liangdong left, Xie Wenjuan, Xia Nan, and Chen Chunlan had started cooking together to save on firewood. Exhausted after a long day, Xie Wenjuan forced a smile. "You two can stay in this room; it's currently empty." After showing them to the room, she gave a brief overview of the situation in the dormitory.

"We have to live here?!" one of the girls muttered with clear dissatisfaction. Xie Wenjuan was too tired to argue. "This is all we have," she said, before walking out.

Outside, Lin Jingyue was stir-frying meat. She planned to make a spicy pork stir-fry and steamed eggs with minced meat. Zhou Yan had gone to the river to catch fish; if he succeeded, they would have fish soup as well.

*Sizzle—*

She poured the marinated meat into the hot oil and stirred it continuously until the aroma filled the air. The two girls, who were still unpacking, smelled the food and felt their hunger intensify. "I'll go ask if there's any hot water, we’ll just have to make do for this meal," one said. "I'll go with you," the other replied, picking up their mugs.

In the courtyard, Zhou Yan returned carrying a bucket. "Tongchui brought over two crucian carp for soup, and I caught some river shrimp, so tonight we can..." He stopped mid-sentence when he noticed the two unfamiliar, pretty girls in the courtyard and frowned. "How did you two get here?"

The other educated youths were surprised to see that he knew them. "We're here to settle in the countryside," they said in unison. Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow, handed the bucket to Lin Jingyue, and said to them, "I see. Well, why don't you introduce yourselves? Everyone in the dormitory is here, except for Jiang Xun."

At the mention of Jiang Xun’s name, their expressions weren't ones of curiosity, but rather... fear. Lin Jingyue raised her eyebrows high.

The girl wearing a Lenin-style jacket with a black turtleneck sweater underneath, who had fair skin and a round face, looked at everyone and smiled. "Hello everyone, I’m an educated youth from the capital. My name is Zhang Shuting."

The other girl, dressed in a corduroy jacket and a wool skirt, with willow-leaf eyebrows and an oval face, added, "I’m also from the capital. My name is Feng Wanjia."

Everyone took turns introducing themselves. When it was Lin Jingyue’s turn, she noticed the two girls looking at her with a strange expression. She smiled. "I’m Lin Jingyue."

"Brother Zhou, is Lin the educated youth your partner?" Feng Wanjia asked, sounding more familiar with Zhou Yan as she spoke playfully. "She is so beautiful."

Zhou Yan hurriedly denied it. "Of course not. She is Jiang Xun’s partner. You shouldn't say things like that."

This left Feng Wanjia and Zhang Shuting in shock. *My goodness, Jiang Xun actually managed to find a partner?! And such a beautiful girl at that? Did he trick her into it?*