Teaching... is over

After the autumn rain, the weather cleared for a few days. Lin Xueyin continued to teach at the elementary school every day, but the subtle atmosphere between her and Song Zhiyuan made her uneasy. She tried her best to maintain a calm appearance, but she always felt like she was walking on thin ice.

Zhao Xiaofeng was unusually quiet. She stopped gossiping and even managed a twisted smile when she saw Lin Xueyin. But the coldness behind that smile was chilling. Lin Xueyin was doubly cautious, but she didn't know where the danger would come from.

That afternoon, Lin Xueyin was teaching the children a simple ancient poem, "Song of Pity the Peasants." She patiently explained the meaning of the poem and guided the children to appreciate the hardships of farmers.

"When the sun is at its highest point in the sky, I am hoeing the field and my sweat drips down to the soil. Who knows that every grain of rice on the table is the result of hard work?" The children's clear reading voices can be heard from the classroom.

At this moment, the classroom door was violently pushed open with a "bang"!

Zhao Jianguo stood at the door with a sullen face, followed by the commune's cultural and educational secretary and two strange men wearing red armbands and serious expressions. The classroom fell silent instantly. The children, frightened by the scene, looked timidly at the door.

Lin Xueyin's heart skipped a beat, and she forced herself to remain calm and asked, "Captain Zhao, what's going on?"

Zhao Jianguo looked at her with complicated eyes, did not answer, but stepped aside to let the cultural and educational secretary come forward.

The cultural and educational officer pushed up his glasses and said in a serious tone, "Comrade Lin Xueyin, we've received a real-name report from the public and discovered serious problems during verification. The commune has decided to suspend your substitute teaching position and allow you to undergo an investigation."

"What?" Lin Xueyin's face turned pale as if struck by lightning. "Report? What's the problem?"

"Someone reported you for using the classroom to indoctrinate the children of poor and lower-middle peasants into decadent bourgeois ideology. This is a serious offense, and the impact is detrimental!" a man wearing a red armband shouted, waving an old magazine and some pieces of letter paper. "Here's the evidence we found in your dormitory!"

Lin Xueyin looked at the cover of the magazine. It was the Popular Movies magazine she had brought from home, and it contained some stills of movie actors. And the few pieces of paper... were letters she had written to her parents. They did reveal some of her discomfort and frustration with rural life, with notes like "I miss the food at home" and "Work is hard."

"This is just an ordinary magazine and family letter!" Lin Xueyin was anxious and angry, her voice trembling, "Popular Movies is publicly released! My letter is just a private letter to my parents!"

"Personal family letters? They're filled with resistance to the poor and lower-middle peasants and labor reform!" The red armband snorted coldly. "And this magazine? Those stills of men and women in it, what are they wearing? If this isn't a bourgeois lifestyle, what is? You're bringing these things into school, subtly poisoning the children!"

"I didn't! I never showed the magazines and letters to the children!" Lin Xueyin argued. She looked at Zhao Jianguo, "Captain Zhao, how did these things get from my dormitory..."

Her words stopped abruptly. She suddenly understood. The only people who could enter the female educated youth dormitory and accurately locate these items, besides those on the inside, were… the family members of the brigade cadres who possessed the key. Zhao Xiaofeng!

Zhao Jianguo avoided her gaze and said to the cultural and educational secretary with a stiff face: "Secretary Wang, look at this..."

Secretary Wang's expression was expressionless. "Comrade Lin Xueyin, until this matter is fully clarified, you will be suspended from all teaching duties. Please leave the classroom immediately. We will find another teacher to take over."

The children watched all this in bewilderment and fear. A little girl who usually liked Lin Xueyin the most burst into tears: "Don't chase Teacher Lin away! Teacher Lin is a good person!"

The cry was like a needle, piercing Lin Xueyin's heart. She looked at the innocent and reluctant little faces below, and her eyes instantly turned red. Humiliation, anger, and powerlessness almost overwhelmed her.

She didn't know how she walked out of the classroom. The door closed behind her, isolating her from the children's cries and the cold, scrutinizing gazes. The sun shone brightly on her, yet she felt cold all over.

Her teaching job is just... gone?

No need to guess, this must be Zhao Xiaofeng's revenge. Using the magazines and private letters she brought, he took her words out of context, exaggerated them, and hit her right where she was.

This move was much more vicious than the graffiti and rumors last time. It directly deprived her of the only job in the countryside that could bring her some value and comfort.

Lin Xueyin walked back in a daze. When she was almost at the intersection of the educated youth point, she met Song Zhiyuan, who had obviously heard the news and was rushing over.

When he saw her pale face and red eyes, his eyes suddenly became sharp and the air pressure around him dropped frighteningly low.

"What's going on?" He stopped her, his voice filled with suppressed anger.

Lin Xueyin raised her head and looked at him, her heart filled with mixed emotions. She felt wronged and wanted to confide in him.

These thoughts flashed through her mind, and she finally just shook her head weakly, walked around him, and said in a hoarse voice: "Nothing, just... I don't have to teach anymore."

She didn't want to rely on his power anymore. His world was too complicated, his methods too harsh, and she was afraid of getting sucked in deeper and ultimately being unable to escape.

Song Zhiyuan watched her fleeing back, his fists clenched tightly, his knuckles white. A terrifying storm welled up in his eyes. Zhao Xiaofeng! Zhao Jianguo! How dare they resort to such despicable tactics!

He immediately turned around and strode towards the brigade headquarters. This time, he would not have any scruples.

At this moment, in his own yard, Zhao Xiaofeng saw Lin Xueyin's distraught look and Song Zhiyuan's angry back as he left through the crack in the door, and a twisted and satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"Lin Xueyin, this is just the beginning! If you dare to snatch my man, I will make sure you can't stay in Hongqi Commune!" She cursed in a low voice, with a crazy and vicious light flashing in her eyes.

Without the protective umbrella of teaching, she wanted to see how this bourgeois young lady, who couldn't carry anything, could survive in the countryside! Her father had already acquiesced to her behavior. As long as there was "conclusive evidence", even if Song Zhiyuan had a strong background, he couldn't openly protect someone with "problematic thoughts", right?