The cold moonlight shone on him, but it could not dispel the heavy depression in his heart.

The air was stuck in my chest, causing dull pain, as if even breathing was bitter.

She is so good, how can he be worthy of her?

*

A few days later at noon, the bell rang for the end of work.

The educated youth walked towards the educated youth canteen in twos and threes, with the smell of soil from the fields and sweat on their bodies.

Lin Jianxue and Fu Qingqing were also among the crowd.

The food in the canteen for educated youth was simple, mostly coarse grain steamed buns and vegetable soup with little oil.

Everyone got their food, found a seat, and ate voraciously.

At this moment, Liang Bin, the team leader of the Shuguang Production Team, ran in hurriedly, sweating profusely.

He had a loud voice and shouted as soon as he entered the door:

"Everyone, stop for a moment and listen to me!"

The cafeteria suddenly became quiet, and everyone's eyes turned to him.

Liang Bin wiped the sweat from his forehead and said breathlessly:

"Here's the thing: the county leaders are coming to our town's high school in a couple of days to watch an open class."

"The town's high school is currently in need of a decent music teacher."

"That guy doesn't even know the full musical notation and can't even play the organ. He's not being taught properly. The boss is coming to inspect him. This won't do."

He looked around at the educated youth sitting in the cafeteria, with a hint of expectation in his eyes.

"So, I'm here to ask, among us educated youth, is there anyone who can read musical notation? Can anyone play that... pedal organ?"

"If there's one, you can sign up right away! If you're selected, you'll be transferred to the town's high school as a music teacher, eating commercial grain and never having to work in the fields again!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the cafeteria was filled with suppressed gasps and whispers.

Being a teacher in Dongzhen? Eating commercial grain? Not having to work in the fields?

For the educated youth who worked hard in the fields, this was undoubtedly a great opportunity and a chance to rise to fame overnight!

However, the educated youth looked at each other, their eyes mostly filled with confusion and regret.

In this era, for educated youth sent to the countryside, being able to read and write was considered good.

As for reading musical notation and playing the piano...that is even rarer.

After all, who would want to go to the countryside if their family has the means to learn these "highbrow" things?

Most people have never even seen what a pedal organ looks like.

Liang Bin looked at everyone's reaction, and understood in his heart. He sighed and said helplessly:

"Alas, I know this is difficult, I just came here to try my luck."

He was about to say a few more words and leave.

At this moment, a clear and cold female voice sounded.

"Captain Liang."

Lin Jianxue put down the chopsticks in her hand, swallowed the last bite of steamed bread, and slowly raised her hand.

"I can read musical notation."

Her voice was not loud, but it was clearly heard by everyone.

The cafeteria suddenly became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

All eyes were focused on Lin Jianxue's calm face.

Liang Bin's eyes lit up, as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw. He took two steps at a time and walked to Lin Jianxue, and asked in a somewhat anxious tone:

"Lin Zhiqing, you...you said that this is real?"

Lin Jianxue met his surprised gaze, her expression still calm, and nodded.

"Really?"

She paused and added:

"As for the pedal organ, I haven't tried it. But I can play the piano."

piano?

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire educated youth canteen seemed to explode!

Astonishment, disbelief, envy, jealousy...all sorts of complicated emotions were intertwined on everyone's faces.

"Piano? Oh my god!"

"She can actually play the piano?"

"What did Lin Zhiqing do before?"

There was a lot of discussion.

Lin Jianxue lowered her eyes slightly, seemingly unconcerned with the reactions of those around her. She simply said calmly:

"I used to be a pianist in the city's cultural troupe."

Art troupe! And a pianist!

When these words came out, the educated youth in the cafeteria were shocked beyond words.

That's the art troupe! A place with delicious food, drinks, and endless scenery!

Why would Lin, the educated youth, who was supposed to be a pianist in the art troupe, come to this remote and desolate place to be an educated youth?

For a moment, everyone looked at Lin Jianxue with eyes full of disbelief.

When Captain Liang Bin heard this, he became energetic and all the wrinkles on his face were transformed into a smile.

"Okay, okay! Lin Zhiqing, if you really can do it, that would be great!"

He rubbed his hands and said, "How about this, I'll start the tractor right now and take you to Zhenhai Middle School to try it out!"

"Lin Zhiqing, you must learn this. Being a teacher is much better than working in the fields, and it's much more comfortable than being an educated youth!"

Lin Jianxue nodded, her expression gentle and calm.

"I'll give it a try."

Her eyelashes drooped slightly as she spoke, and she didn't show any arrogance at all, just gentle and calm.

In the corner, Liu Liwen was tucking into a bowl of steamed bread. Upon hearing this, she sneered, "What are you pretending to be? A pianist from the art troupe is going to the countryside as an educated youth? Who would believe that?"

Wang Hongxia also echoed, muttering softly: "That's right, that's right...you're not afraid of biting your tongue when you brag."

Zhang Cuicui curled her lips, "She must be trying to show off. If she were really that powerful, would she be able to snatch work points from us?"

The three of them gathered together, and although they spoke carefully, the cafeteria was not big, so the noise still reached the ears of many people.

These murmurs were particularly harsh in the cafeteria, which was not very big to begin with.

A few boys secretly glanced over there, and couldn't help but cast complicated glances at Lin Jianxue - there was suspicion, a hint of dissatisfaction, and a bit of anticipation for a lively scene.

Lin Jianxue listened to those discussions and just glanced at him lightly without moving her eyebrows. She didn't make any excuses, nor did she show any panic, as if she didn't take those rumors to heart at all.

Captain Liang Bin had been rubbing his hands in delight, but after hearing this, he hesitated. He scratched the back of his head and looked at Lin Jianxue with some embarrassment:

"Well... Xiaolin, what they said makes sense. If you really don't know how to do it, please don't waste everyone's time. This is a serious matter..."

He hesitated for a moment, then added, "The county leaders are coming. If we fool them, the entire production team will be implicated. We can't take this lightly."

There was scrutiny and hesitation in his eyes - after all, how could someone from an art troupe come to a remote village to suffer?

The entire cafeteria fell silent, staring at the two of them as if waiting to see something exciting happen.

Lin Jianxue's expression remained calm, and she only said softly, "I didn't bring my certificate with me, but if you give it to me, I'll know if it's real or not, right?"

Liang Bin was stunned for a second, then he clapped his hands suddenly and spoke in a loud voice again:

"Yes! Take it out for a walk, whether it's a mule or a horse! Let's go, let's go now!"

He turned and shouted outside: "Lao Li, bring me the tractor keys!"

Outside the canteen, there was the sound of metal clashing, and soon, a small tractor, belching black smoke, stopped outside. The tractor was still covered in mud, as if it had just returned from the fields.

Liang Bin waved and said, "Xiao Lin, get in the car! I'll personally take you across the river tomorrow!"