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◎The Nineteenth Day of the King of Scrolls◎

Strangely enough, the next day, after Jiang Wanzhou and Zhou Qingyu finished breakfast...

Outside the cafeteria, they saw Li Ke standing not far away, seemingly waiting for them.

Seeing them approach, Li Ke hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and saying, "Comrade Jiang, Zheng Yuan and Jun Yanghong are acting strangely. They seem to be plotting something against you. I just overheard them talking, though I didn't hear clearly, but it doesn't sound like anything good. You must be careful."

Jiang Wanzhou looked at Li Ke gratefully: "Thank you, Comrade Li Ke. I will be careful. Don't worry, I won't let them succeed."

Zhou Qingyu nodded in agreement: "Comrade Li Ke, thank you for reminding us."

Li Ke smiled and said, "We're all here to help each other at this exchange meeting."

After saying that, Li Ke turned and left.

Watching Li Ke's departing figure, Jiang Wanzhou fell into deep thought.

But Jun and Zheng were nowhere to be seen all morning.

Jiang Wanzhou had just woken up in the afternoon when she saw Zheng Yuan right below her dormitory.

He said arrogantly, "Comrade Jiang, I've heard about your experience in aquaculture. I'm here today to compare with you and see whose aquaculture method is more effective."

Jiang Wanzhou found Zheng Yuan's arrogant demeanor somewhat amusing.

But she calmly said, "Zheng Zhiqing, animal husbandry is not a competition, it's not about determining a winner. Our goal is to ensure the healthy growth of livestock and improve breeding efficiency. However, since you want to compete, I'll play along to the end."

Zheng Yuan sneered: "Then let's each choose a piece of land, use the same breed and number of livestock, and raise them according to our own methods. We'll see the results in a month."

Jiang Wanzhou shook her head: "The exchange meeting ends in half a month."

Zheng Yuan scoffed, "You're not afraid, are you?"

“The brigade has its own affairs. I remember that both Qingshui Brigade and our Hongxing Brigade have four pigs. Why don’t we ask Principal Wei to send someone to register the weight of each pig, and then we can see the increase when we slaughter and weigh the pigs at the New Year?” Jiang Wanzhou explained.

A fellow villager next to Zheng Yuan pulled him aside: "Don't forget we still have to do autumn planting when we get back."

Soon, the commune leaders learned of this and felt it was a good opportunity to promote the exchange of breeding techniques. They decided to organize an open breeding competition and invited experts wearing glasses and other professionals in the field of breeding to serve as judges.

The competition wasn't limited to just two teams; there were also certificates and prizes awarded, representing the honor of the entire village.

When news of the competition spread, the entire commune was in an uproar.

Upon hearing that the competition was confirmed, Jiang Wanzhou began to ponder some of her own breeding tips.

Especially the fertilizer she exclusively formulated through her correspondence with Shen Xinglian these past few days.

She rushed back to the experimental field to retrieve the fertilizer she had prepared in advance.

As she entered the experimental field courtyard, she saw Teacher Guo holding a small bag of fertilizer, a gentle smile on his face. "Comrade Jiang, I heard there's a livestock breeding competition being held; perhaps this will come in handy."

As Teacher Guo spoke, he handed over the fertilizer.

Jiang Wanzhou quickly waved her hand: "Teacher Guo, this won't do. Other brigades don't have it, and people will talk about you. I have my own mixed fertilizer."

Teacher Guo insisted on stuffing the fertilizer into her hand: "Even if we give it to them, they might not believe it."

Jiang Wanzhou couldn't refuse the offer, and felt even more grateful to Teacher Guo.

Just then, Zheng Yuan and Jun Yanghong appeared out of nowhere.

Jun Yanghong spotted the fertilizer in Jiang Wanzhou's hand at a glance. A hint of jealousy and scheming flashed in her eyes. She said in a shrill voice, "Oh, Jiang Wanzhou, you're using connections. With the fertilizer that Teacher Guo gave you, you're sure to win the competition."

Jiang Wanzhou frowned. She had already been considering the village's grain production, and such a small bag was definitely not enough. She was about to ask how to purchase the grain.

Therefore, she bluntly told Zheng and Jun that they were making unfounded accusations: "Jun Yanghong, don't make baseless accusations. This is a method I found for our brigade leader to increase rice production, and it has nothing to do with our poultry farming."

Zheng Yuan chimed in sarcastically, "Hmph, who knows if you're telling the truth or not? Maybe you're just trying to cheat in the competition with this fertilizer."

"If you want to buy it, then go ahead."

Jun Yanghong, however, was relentless. She stepped forward and reached out to snatch the fertilizer from Jiang Wanzhou's hand: "Hand over the fertilizer, or we'll tell the leaders and disqualify you from the competition."

Jiang Wanzhou dodged Jun Yanghong's hand by stepping to the side: "Don't go too far."

Seeing this, Zheng Yuan also rushed up and joined Jun Yanghong in attacking Jiang Wanzhou.

Teacher Guo was so anxious that she stamped her feet and shouted, "Stop fighting! Talk it out!"

Although Jiang Wanzhou knew some fighting skills, there were simply too many of them, so she was only focused on dodging.

Suddenly, Jun Yanghong stumbled and fell to the ground, her head hitting a nearby rock hard, and she immediately lost consciousness.

When Zheng Yuan saw Jun Yanghong faint, he panicked and pointed at Jiang Wanzhou, shouting, "Jiang Wanzhou, you actually knocked Jun Yanghong unconscious! You wait!"

Jiang Wanzhou was also startled by this sudden turn of events.

She quickly crouched down to check on Jun Yanghong: "I just avoided you, I didn't hit her."

By this time, a crowd had gathered around, and everyone was discussing it.

Teacher Guo quickly squatted down to check Jun Yanghong's injuries and found that she had only fainted temporarily and was not in any danger to her life, which relieved her.

"Everyone, stop arguing and get Jun Yanghong to the clinic quickly," Teacher Guo said.

So, the young men quickly lifted Jun Yanghong up and took her to the clinic.

Jiang Wanzhou stood there, feeling both angry and aggrieved.

My pleasant mood, which I was clearly touched by, is always ruined.

Upon hearing the news, Zhou Qingyu rushed over. Seeing Jiang Wanzhou's dejected appearance, she comforted her with heartache, "Don't take it to heart. Everyone knows that Zheng Yuan and Jun Yanghong started the trouble first. You'll be fine."

Jiang Wanzhou nodded: "I'm fine. I'm just a little worried about Jun Yanghong's injuries. I hope she's alright."

—

Qingshui Brigade, Jun Family.

"Auntie, are you thirsty? I've cooled some water for you." Three-year-old Junyue saw that her face was pale and carefully picked up a chipped rough porcelain bowl.

The water in the bowl was cloudy and yellowish, with some unidentified impurities floating on it.

Jun Yanghong choked up.

But the thirst she felt was too intense, so she took it and took a small sip.

The water had a slightly earthy taste and an indescribable astringent flavor, so bad that she almost vomited.

"Drink slowly. Dad said you had heatstroke at the conference, so you can't drink too fast," Junyue whispered from the side.

Jun Yanghong nodded, put down her bowl, and was about to ask her if she remembered seeing Teacher Guo giving Jiang Wanzhou something.

Then I fainted.

Footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate, accompanied by a slightly deliberate, gentle male voice: "Xiaoyue?"

Junyue immediately shouted, "Dad, Auntie is awake!"

Jun Yang's red face immediately fell, and she pouted at Jun Yue: "Your dad has been home for so many days and hasn't boiled any water?"

Junyue smiled shyly, unsure how to respond.

A young man in military uniform had already lifted the curtain and walked in.

The man was about thirty-four or thirty-five years old, tall and thin, with fair skin, and stood out among the generally dark-skinned and rough-looking farmers.

But no one expected that the man would be so unyielding that he wouldn't even pick up a fallen soy sauce bottle.

This person is Jun Yanghong's older brother, Jun Yangjian.

His narrow eyes held a subtle shrewdness, and he always looked at people with a condescending scrutiny.

"Sister, you're awake. How are you feeling?" Jun Yangjian walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), his face showing just the right amount of concern.

His gaze swept across Jun Yanghong's face, as if he were assessing something.

Another person entered from behind; it was Gu Yan, a former educated youth from their village.

Jun Yanghong didn't speak, she just looked at him quietly.

Gu Yan said to himself, "I heard from my older brother yesterday that you fainted, so I specially went to buy brown sugar to help you recover."

As he spoke, he took a small packet of brown sugar out of his canvas bag and placed it on the rickety wooden table.

Jun Yanghong raised an eyebrow.

In her past life, her older brother didn't come back to remember the allowance, and she didn't take good care of Junyue; instead, she ended up giving money to Gu Yan.

I never imagined that I would receive something from Gu Yan in this lifetime.

Unfortunately, if he continued to ignore her, she might have wanted to be with Gu Yan.

Yes, yes, yes!

Is it because Zheng Yuan has such a high profile that Jiang Wanzhou dislikes him in this lifetime?

And wasn't Zhou Qingyu the first person from the Red Star Brigade to pass the exam and return to Beijing in his previous life, and a famous university in Beijing?

The new military district was established on nearby wasteland.

Once she joins the army, she will definitely have more ways to contact the Red Star Brigade.

Junyue watched with wide eyes and whispered to Jun Yanghong, "Auntie, Gu Zhiqing is so good to you."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yan's lips curved into a smile, but his eyes glanced at Jun Yanghong with a hint of suggestion: "Comrade Jun, you are physically weak, don't push yourself too hard."

He paused, then changed the subject, asking seemingly casually, "By the way, Battalion Commander Jun, why is your vacation so long this time? I've been thinking of writing a report about the lives of educated youth sent to the countryside. Maybe I can ask you to submit it, which would also help build a reputation for our brigade."

They've arrived.

Jun Yanghong sneered inwardly.

After going through all this trouble, with brown sugar and empty words of concern, it all boils down to making a name for himself and getting a place in university.

It seems that Gu Yan is determined to seize any opportunity to return to the city.

In his eyes, Jun Yanghong was merely a stepping stone that could potentially help him establish connections.

"I'm not quite sure," Jun Yanghong said, her voice a little hoarse.

Gu Yan's smile froze for a moment, seemingly not expecting her to react this way.

In his memory, Jun Yanghong had always been obedient to him, and her eyes always held a timid, ingratiating look.

He looked Jun Yanghong up and down. She was still as thin as ever, wearing a patched gray cloth jacket and with messy hair.

But those eyes no longer darted away as before; instead, they looked at him calmly, as if they could see right through him.

Is it just my imagination?

[Author's Note]

Control group begins—

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