support

As night fell, the dim gas lamp on the threshing floor became the sole source of light, stretching the gathered figures into varying lengths, distorting and swaying shapes. The air was heavy and oppressive, filled with a tense feeling of impending storm.

The commune members and educated youth sat in a dense mass, whispering to each other, their eyes occasionally glancing at the lonely bench at the front of the field. It was prepared for the target of criticism.

Lin Xueyin came over, accompanied by Liu Xiaoling and the others, looking worried. She was wearing her worn blue Lenin suit, her hair neatly combed. Her face was expressionless, and only her slightly pursed lips betrayed her inner turmoil.

She walked to the bench, but did not sit down immediately. Instead, she raised her eyes and calmly scanned the various gazes in the audience - some were curious, some were indifferent, some were gloating, and there was also a very small amount of sympathy.

She took a deep breath, straightened her back, and sat down. This action declared her refusal to surrender.

Zhao Jianguo walked up to the makeshift stage with a gloomy face. The light from the gas lamp made the wrinkles on his face even more profound. He slammed the table hard, and the loud noise instantly silenced the audience.

"Comrade members! Comrade educated youth!" Zhao Jianguo said in a loud voice, with unquestionable authority. "We are holding a meeting here tonight to criticize an extremely wrong and harmful ideology and behavior! That is the bourgeois hedonistic style of resisting labor and engaging in passive sabotage!"

He darted his gaze towards Lin Xueyin, who was sitting on a bench, his finger almost poking her in the face. "That's her! Educated youth Lin Xueyin! The brigade arranged a job for her based on the principle of education and salvation, and yet she? She actually defied it, feigning illness and going on strike! What kind of behavior is this? This is sabotaging agricultural production! This is contempt for the poor and lower-middle peasants! This is a typical example of a bourgeois lady clinging to her habits and attempting to place herself above the collective!"

The fierce words lashed down like a whip, and a buzz of discussion arose from the audience.

Zhao Xiaofeng was in the front row of the crowd, watching Lin Xueyin's helpless state with a gleeful yet malicious smile on her face. She jumped up impatiently and shouted in a shrill voice:

"Dad! Captain Zhao! Not only is Lin Xueyin on strike, she also has ideological problems! She's been secretly reading bourgeois movie magazines and slandering our rural areas in letters! People like her don't deserve to be in the Red Flag Commune! She should be arrested!"

Her words were like a drop of water thrown into a frying pan, instantly triggering more discussion.

"That's right! It's outrageous!"

"Is it so precious to come from the city?"

"Fire her! Send her to a more difficult place for reform!"

Several people who disliked Lin Xueyin or were instigated by Zhao Xiaofeng also joined in the fun.

Although Li Hongmei didn't shout loudly in the group of educated youth, she couldn't hide the gloating smile on the corner of her mouth.

Lin Xueyin sat there, enduring the accusations, contempt, and angry glances from all sides. The words of Zhao Jianguo and his daughter cut her heart like a knife, and the humiliation made her body cold, her fingertips icy.

But she still stood straight, looking straight ahead, without lowering her head or making any excuses. She knew that in such a situation, any excuses would be futile and would only lead to more violent attacks.

Just then, an unexpected voice rang out.

"Captain Zhao, I have something to say."

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Song Zhiyuan standing up from the group of male educated youth. He was tall and straight, with a stern face, and in the dim light, he looked like a silent mountain.

Zhao Jianguo's eyelids twitched when he saw him, and his heart was a little nervous, but he couldn't back down in front of everyone, so he had to bite the bullet and said, "Comrade Song Zhiyuan, what do you want to say? If you want to protect Lin Xueyin, forget it!"

Song Zhiyuan ignored the warning in his words and calmly swept his eyes across the entire audience. Finally, his eyes fell on Lin Xueyin for a moment. His expression was complicated and difficult to read, and then he looked away.

"I'm not trying to cover up for anyone." His voice wasn't loud, but it was clearly heard by everyone. "I just want to ask a few questions."

He turned to Zhao Jianguo, his tone steady but carrying an invisible pressure: "First, Comrade Lin Xueyin previously served as a substitute teacher. She worked diligently and the children liked her. Why was she suddenly suspended? On what basis? Did searching the personal belongings of educated youths comply with regulations?"

Zhao Jianguo's face changed, and he hesitated, "That's... that's because she has ideological problems and the masses reported her..."

"Has the report been verified? Isn't it too arbitrary to conclude that she poisoned students based on only a publicly published magazine and a few private family letters?" Song Zhiyuan pressed on.

"This..." Zhao Jianguo's forehead was sweating.

Song Zhiyuan didn't wait for his answer and continued, "Secondly, after her teaching work was suspended for no reason, the brigade immediately assigned her to weed the terraced fields in the back mountains. As everyone knows, that's hard work even for strong laborers."

What was the reasoning behind assigning a female comrade who was obviously frail and had never done heavy physical labor to go there? Was it a matter of aptitude, or was it a deliberate attempt to make things difficult for her?

The audience quieted down considerably, many of them looking thoughtful. Indeed, having Lin Xueyin weed was a somewhat... deliberate arrangement.

Seeing the situation was bad, Zhao Xiaofeng screamed, "Song Zhiyuan! What gives you the right to ask my father that? You're simply bewitched by this bourgeois lady! You speak for her everywhere!"

Song Zhiyuan glanced at her coldly, his gaze was so icy that it silenced Zhao Xiaofeng instantly.

"Third," Song Zhiyuan's voice deepened, his eyes sweeping towards Zhao Xiaofeng, "Some false rumors about Comrade Lin Xueyin were clarified and apologized for at the last meeting.

Why are they bringing up the past again now, even escalating it? Is this retaliation? Captain Zhao, can you guarantee that the family's actions have nothing to do with you? Has the brigade's decision been influenced by personal grudges?"

These three questions, each more acute than the other, are like scalpels, precisely dissecting the surface of the incident and exposing the possible filth inside.

The audience was completely silent. The earlier angry shouts had vanished, replaced by an eerie stillness and a wave of scrutiny. Many people looked at Zhao Jianguo and Zhao Xiaofeng with suspicion.

Zhao Jianguo's face turned pale, his lips trembling, but he couldn't find the words to refute. Song Zhiyuan didn't directly defend Lin Xueyin. Instead, he used a series of logical questions to point the finger at the unfairness of the arrangement and possible selfishness, instantly changing the atmosphere in the meeting.

Lin Xueyin sat on the bench, looking at Song Zhiyuan in shock. She hadn't expected him to intervene in this way. Instead of making an impassioned speech to defend her, he used his calm, almost cold, questioning to open up a gap for her.

Looking at his tall, solitary figure, standing against almost everyone for her, an indescribable complex of emotions surged within her: fear, worry, and a hint of... an unignorable throbbing.

After Song Zhiyuan finished speaking, he stopped talking and just stood there silently, like an unshakable fortress, silently declaring his position.

The direction of the criticism meeting quietly changed.

Zhao Jianguo was caught in a dilemma. He could neither admit that he had been retaliating nor offer a convincing explanation. The meeting fell into an awkward deadlock.

At this moment, an old but loud voice came from the back of the crowd:

"Well said! I understand, old man! This is unfair!"

Everyone turned around and saw an old man with white hair and beard, leaning on a cane, walking towards them, supported by a young man. This was the fifth uncle, the most senior in the village. He rarely interfered in village affairs, but was highly respected.

The fifth uncle walked to the front of the stage, looked at the pale-faced Lin Xueyin, and glared at Zhao Jianguo: "Jianguo! As the team leader, you want justice!

Teacher Lin was teaching well, and the children were making progress. Why did you stop it? You stopped it, and then you asked her to do such heavy work. What are you trying to do? Are you trying to force her to death? Do you still want to maintain the reputation of our Red Flag Commune?

Even his fifth uncle had spoken, and Zhao Jianguo was completely panicked. His face turned from blue to white and cold sweat dripped down.

The criticism meeting was about to turn into a questioning meeting for the team leader.

Under the dim gas lamp, Lin Xueyin was still sitting on the lonely bench, but her back had unconsciously become straighter.

She looked at Zhao Jianguo, who had a grim expression on his face on the stage, and at Zhao Xiaofeng, who was pale and had a resentful look in her eyes but dared not speak in the crowd, and then she looked at Song Zhiyuan, who had stood up for her and was now silent as a mountain.