Chapter 7: Green Mountain Brigade

Right across the corridor, there was a row of seats arranged three on each side. The man who spoke was sitting on the aisle; he was young as well, probably one of the educated youth sent to the countryside, but his attire was decent—his family must be fairly well-off.

Lin Jingyue glanced at him, “Do you live by the sea?”

The man paused, “What do you mean by that?” His instincts told him it wasn’t a compliment.

“You’re meddling in matters way beyond your reach.”

Laughter rippled through the train, and the man glared at Lin Jingyue, his expression sour. “Sharp-tongued.”

“Busybody.”

“You—”

“What about me? You can barely string a sentence together, stuttering and whining. This is between us, what does it have to do with you?” Lin Jingyue curled her lip.

The man’s face flushed with embarrassment after her retort. He took several deep breaths to calm his anger, then looked at Lin Xinrou, who seemed on the verge of tears. The feeling was like swallowing a fly—utterly unpleasant.

He silently cursed himself for getting involved, gaining nothing for his trouble.

Seeing he remained silent, Lin Jingyue refrained from pressing further, raised her brows, greeted Xu Qingqing, and got up to go to the restroom.

When she returned, she found the carriage had become quiet. Lin Xinrou and Zhao Hua had stopped their antics, though their occasional glances at her seemed laced with venom.

Lin Jingyue took note of it; some people never reflect on the consequences of their own actions, only on whether they themselves suffer. The hardships of rural assignment were much the same for everyone—her retaliation merely let them taste the same bitterness, nothing excessive.

She closed her eyes to rest, and before she knew it, drifted off to sleep.

…

At last, after three days and two nights, the train arrived at Long City in Hei Province. Their destination was Bai County, beneath Long City, specifically a place called Honghe Commune, and Lin Jingyue was assigned to Qingshan Brigade under Honghe Commune.

She didn’t know where the two siblings had been assigned, but they wouldn’t be far, likely within the same commune.

Distance hardly mattered.

With a backpack and a single suitcase, Lin Jingyue was remarkably unburdened, standing in stark contrast to others laden with bags and parcels.

From the city, they transferred to a bus headed for the county.

Quick and agile, Lin Jingyue snagged a seat by the window and hurriedly took out an orange peel to sniff. The fleeting stench from earlier had nearly overwhelmed her.

The others weren’t so lucky; most had no seats and stood crowded in the aisle, the bumpy road tossing them about like sausages hanging from the eaves.

“Lin Jingyue, give your seat to Xinrou,” Zhao Hua cast a glance at the frail Lin Xinrou, frowning as he addressed Lin Jingyue.

“Yes, Comrade Lin, your sister looks about to faint,” chimed in the man who had earlier defended Lin Xinrou on the train, his eyes shifting slyly.

He knew Lin Xinrou wasn’t innocent, but disliked Lin Jingyue’s sharp tongue even more.

The older women on the bus couldn’t help but join in, “Young comrade, your sister looks unwell. Why not let her have your seat?”

“With your rosy complexion, you should be fine standing.”

“Yes, yes.”

For a moment, many voices echoed in agreement.

Lin Xinrou said little, gazing at Mu Zhixu with a timid, helpless expression that instantly aroused the passengers’ sense of righteousness.

The educated youth who had come down together exchanged glances, but none spoke. Xu Qingqing wanted to say something, but was tugged back by a friend.

Lin Jingyue watched their performance with leisurely amusement. “Give her my seat? Well, of course… not.”

“Young comrade, don’t you have any sense of helpfulness?”

“Helping others depends on who they are. Faced with someone who tried to drag me into the river and frame me, I don’t have it in me to be helpful,” Lin Jingyue made no effort to hide the incident.

“Lin Jingyue, you’re lying!” Lin Xinrou’s face turned even paler.

Lin Xinjian was furious, “Lin Jingyue, you claim your sister dragged you in, so why was she hospitalized and not you?”

Lin Jingyue leaned her elbow against the window, breathing in the orange scent for relief. “Calling your sister by name—clearly a stepchild from a stepmother, utterly lacking in propriety!”

In this era, stepmothers mostly had bad reputations; two educated youth who had suffered at their hands looked visibly unsettled.

Lin Jingyue continued, “With a stepmother comes a stepfather. I couldn’t afford to be hospitalized; whether I lived or died was pure luck. Fortunately, I survived.”

“That’s not true, I didn’t—”

“Lin Xinrou, you don’t have to be afraid. I didn’t report you to the police, thinking we’re family after all. Otherwise, your swimming skills and your attempt to drag me into the river would be enough to convict you. I just didn’t expect you’d fight me even for a seat. Whatever, take it if you want. You always want everything I have,” Lin Jingyue spoke with a tone of disillusionment, making as if to rise.

The female educated youth who had suffered under a stepmother pressed her back down, “Comrade Lin, you needn’t get up. Some people think pretending is all it takes to get what they want, but the masses aren’t blind.”

This Lin Xinrou was just like her stepmother—disgusting in every way.

The others in the bus: “…”

To speak up now would be to admit their own blindness.

Besides, the seemingly docile girl was actually so ruthless, a stepchild bullying her elder sister—serves her right.

Lin Jingyue smiled, and when no one was looking, cast a provocative glance at Lin Xinrou.

Using magic against magic—how satisfying.

“Comrade Xia, thank you,” Lin Jingyue smiled at the educated youth who had spoken up for her.

Xia Nan was momentarily dazzled by her smile, thinking to himself, This Comrade Lin really is beautiful.

“No need to thank me. We’re all educated youth—it’s only right.”

They spoke quietly, while Lin Xinrou’s trio simmered with rage.

Two hours later, the bus arrived at the county seat, where several ox carts waited at the station entrance.

Each ox cart had a sign in front.

Lin Jingyue found the sign for Honghe Commune’s Qingshan Brigade, and saw three people already aboard, including Xia Nan who had defended her earlier.

The other two were men—one was the busybody from the train, apparently named Du Jianguo; the other’s name she didn’t know.

“Get on, hurry up. Three left, don’t dawdle,” the man on the ox cart frowned.

He was about thirty or forty, dressed in patched clothes but in good spirits.

“Sorry I’m late,” Lin Jingyue smiled, guessing he must be either the brigade leader or the party secretary, and quickly climbed aboard.

The brigade leader glanced at her and resumed smoking his pipe, saying no more.

About ten minutes later, the last three arrived, dragging their feet.

Lin Jingyue narrowed her eyes—how convenient: Lin Xinrou, Lin Xinjian, Zhao Hua.

She squinted, thinking, Well, life won’t be dull now.

The three saw her and their moods soured further.

“Get on!” the brigade leader said impatiently.

Seven educated youth assigned to the brigade this time, none of whom looked like they’d be much use in the fields.

[PS: Lin Jingyue: Such an opportunity, if I don’t make them regret it, it would be a waste.]