Chapter 121 Not Turning Back Until Hitting a Wall
At this moment, the person in charge came out with a large red notice.
The crowd surged forward.
A moment later, Xu Zhihong excitedly squeezed out of the crowd, her cheeks flushed: "I passed! I really passed!"
Upon hearing this news, Liu Xuejun's heart skipped a beat, and his legs felt as heavy as lead. Could it be that Lu Huaiyuan was right?
Lu Huaiyuan, hands in his pockets, looked at Liu Xuejun smugly: "I told you long ago, only Xu Zhiqing is going through this. Some people just won't turn back until they hit a brick wall."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a loud shout rang out from the crowd: "Passed! Our brigade also has Liu Xuejun! Old Liu Si passed too!"
"What?!"
Lu Huaiyuan's smile froze instantly, as if someone had grabbed his neck.
He pushed through the crowd like a madman and rushed to the front of the list, staring intently at the red paper.
Sure enough, next to Xu Zhihong's name were three large characters—Liu Xuejun! Following that were two bright red characters: Passed!
"Impossible! They clearly said there was no Liu Laosi! How could there be Liu Xuejun?!"
Lu Huaiyuan lost his temper, grabbed the person in charge of posting the notice by the collar, and roared, "Explain yourself! What's going on here!"
The person in charge was completely bewildered by the outburst. He pushed up his glasses and said aggrievedly, "You...you asked me if there's a 'Liu Laosi'? There's definitely no such person on this list! How was I supposed to know that his real name isn't Liu Laosi, but Liu Xuejun?"
Upon hearing this explanation, the people around could no longer hold back their laughter, which nearly overturned the bulletin board.
The teacher who posted the notice was transferred from another village and didn't know Liu Xuejun at all. These days, people weren't highly educated, and many children were simply called by their birth order; there were plenty of kids like "Li Lao Er" (Second Brother Li) and "Wang Lao San" (Third Brother Wang). The teacher genuinely thought someone's formal name was "Liu Lao Si" (Fourth Brother Liu)!
This blunder made Lu Huaiyuan the laughingstock of the entire brigade, and he was completely humiliated.
Enraged, he swung his fist and punched the teacher in the face.
You're playing me for a fool!
Several quick-thinking villagers restrained him, saving the teacher from further harm. Still shaken, the teacher pointed at him and shouted, "You...you're a complete thug! Don't think you can beat people up just because your dad's the brigade leader! This isn't over!"
After saying that, the teacher angrily packed her things and left.
Lu Huaiyuan stood there, staring at the glaring name on the red list, feeling his head buzzing.
Liu Xuejun actually passed the exam!
So what was the point of his actions today? Was he just a clown who came here specifically to be someone else's stepping stone?
The laughter around him felt like needles piercing his ears, making him feel utterly ashamed.
"Huaiyuan! What are you standing there for? Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough? Get out of here!"
Gu Mansheng also felt embarrassed and grabbed the stunned Lu Huaiyuan, fleeing the scene like two stray dogs.
He ran all the way home, as if the laughter of the whole village was still chasing after him.
Gu Mansheng closed the door and couldn't help but complain, "Really, you can't even find out the details? You didn't even ask for Liu Laosi's name? Now look what's happened, you've embarrassed me too!"
Lu Huaiyuan didn't respond, but stared intently at Gu Mansheng with a sinister look in his eyes.
"Can you handle the police station's job?"
Gu Mansheng's complaints stopped abruptly as she stared at him in astonishment.
Lu Huaiyuan approached step by step, emphasizing each word: "I'm asking you, can I go to the police station? Do you actually have that connection?"
Gu Mansheng felt guilty, but under that gaze, she could only bite the bullet and lie: "Of course...of course! My uncle has connections in both the legal and illegal worlds, what's a little thing like this?"
Lu Huaiyuan let out a long sigh, a glint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes: "Very good. Once I'm in the police station, I'll arrest every single one of those who mocked me today and lock them up for a few days!"
Looking into Lu Huaiyuan's cold eyes, Gu Mansheng felt a chill run from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head.
Oh no, I've blown my own horn too far. How am I going to clean this up?
Someone from the brigade headquarters brought out a string of firecrackers, which crackled and popped, bringing the festive atmosphere to a climax.
The villagers surrounded Liu Xuejun and Xu Zhihong, offering their congratulations incessantly.
Zhang Xiuying waved her hand generously and said, "Everyone come to my house for dinner tonight! Let's have a good celebration!"
Xu Zhihong's eyes lit up: "Auntie, can we educated youth go too?"
Zhang Xiuying grabbed her hand, beaming from ear to ear: "Xu Zhiqing... no, Teacher Xu! From now on, my fourth son will be your colleague, and this silly goose will need your help! You all absolutely have to come!"
Liu Zhixia chimed in with a smile, "That's right! We owe it all to the comrades at the educated youth settlement; not a single one of them should be missing!"
The educated youth had become familiar with the Liu family, so there was no need for formalities.
The team leader laughed and said, "Don't worry, we can't just eat and drink for free all the time. This time we'll bring some decent food with us!"
A male educated youth patted his chest and said, "I'll go get the wine! This is a joyous occasion, we must have a couple of drinks! Comrade Xia, what about the snacks to go with the wine..."
Liu Zhixia readily nodded: "Enough is enough! I guarantee you'll drink your fill!"
The tour leader chuckled and scolded, "You're already ordering food?"
Xu Zhihong rolled up her sleeves and said, "I'll go help too! Just thinking about how Lu Huaiyuan looked so embarrassed just now makes me want to eat two more bowls of rice!"
Zhao Dongmei gloated: "That person in charge is from the school. Lu Huaiyuan almost beat him up. This time, Captain Lu is going to have a headache."
Everyone chatted and laughed before dispersing to prepare for the evening's dinner.
Not far away, Shen Hongmei hid in a corner, watching the laughter and merriment over there, her fingernails almost breaking off.
"How could this good-for-nothing actually pass the exam? He must have gotten in through connections!"
"If it were possible to get in through connections, my brother would have gotten in long ago."
Lu Xiaohui's sinister voice came from behind: "This time, Liu Laosi got into the exam based on his own ability."
Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Shen Hongmei turned around abruptly and grabbed Lu Xiaohui's collar tightly: "You bitch! I never knew you were so cunning! If you hadn't deliberately provoked me, would I have gone to embarrass myself in front of that adult?"
Lu Xiaohui shoved her away and sneered, "Shen Hongmei, a brain is a good thing. I only praised Liu Laosi a couple of times, but you're the one who's petty and malicious and had to do something bad. Whose fault is that? But... you've wasted a lot of time, haven't you? Have you bought all the jars? You're cooking so late, will the pickles even be flavorful? Ours are almost ready to be taken out of the jars!"
Shen Hongmei was so angry that she gritted her teeth.
Sure enough, that bitch was deliberately stalling for time!
"Hmph! I've done this for Liu Zhixia several times, I know the techniques and proportions like the back of my hand! But you, on your first try, dared to be greedy and make too much, aren't you afraid it will all rot in the jar!"
Lu Xiaohui felt a pang of guilt, but she didn't mince words: "So what if it's rotten? My sister-in-law has the money to cover it. Unlike some people, I heard they sold their entire family's food supply to buy the jar? Tsk tsk, if they lose money, will their whole family starve to survive the winter?"
She covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes filled with malice: "What will you do then? Your parents will definitely sell you for grain! Families that rely on exchanging grain for wives aren't as easy to talk to as the Liu family. You'll be in for a world of trouble!"
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