The sound of a jeep engine echoed in the courtyard of the Hongqi Commune.
A man carrying a black leather briefcase under his arm got out of the car and headed straight for Director Cao's office.
Upon seeing Director Cao, he extended his right hand to shake hands with Director Cao: "I am from the educated youth office of our county. I am here today mainly to deliver a letter of commendation to the educated youth in your commune."
Director Cao's eyes flashed, and he politely invited him to sit down to the side, "I wonder who did something good?"
"Is there a female educated youth named Xia Yulin in your commune?" the man asked.
"There is such a person, currently in the Lijia Gou educated youth team." Director Cao recalled the bribery scandal of the past two days and gradually guessed the visitor's intentions, his smile becoming somewhat forced.
"This Comrade Xia Yulin is a good girl. A few days ago, our unit's archives caught fire. This comrade was passing by and saw it. She rushed over to put out the fire without hesitation, saving a lot of documents. However, she herself was burned in many places."
The man spoke of Xia Yulin's good deeds and then said, "Comrades like Xia Yulin, if they master their skills, can contribute even more to the country and society. If your commune buries such an outstanding talent, our educated youth office will not stand for it."
Director Cao finally understood what the bribery scheme was all about.
He looked troubled and said directly, "Our commune has dozens of educated youth, but only three spots are available for the Workers', Peasants' and Soldiers' University. The list of selected students has already been published, so it's unreasonable to change the names without reason. Why don't you try to get one more spot from above, specifically for Xia Yulin?"
The man immediately declined, saying, "You know how precious this spot is, we can't just snatch it from another commune. You should investigate the three selected people again to see if any of them have any issues with their conduct, and replace them if necessary."
After the man got into the car and left, Director Cao's smile vanished, and his face turned gloomy and somber.
*
"Dad, I heard from Hongmei that I can't go to the Workers-Peasants-Soldiers University? What happened, Dad?!"
Jiang Min was riding her bicycle from the commune primary school back to the Lijia Gou brigade headquarters as fast as she could. As soon as she reached the gate, she threw her bicycle into the corner and strode into the brigade leader's office.
Li Weiqiang, the brigade leader of Lijia Gou, glared fiercely at his son-in-law who barged in, gritting his teeth: "You should ask yourself why you're philandering and having such an improper lifestyle!"
"Dad, I'm innocent!" Jiang Min was pacing anxiously. For the sake of his bright future, he lowered his head and pleaded, "Dad, I swear I will treat Hongmei well. If she wants to accompany me to school, I will. I will do whatever you say."
Li Weiqiang scoffed, "Accompanying someone to study? We've already lost our spots, what's the point of accompanying someone to study!"
"What on earth happened? My paperwork was almost finished, why did they revoke my qualification?" Jiang Min was furious. "Who did this?!"
"We'll have to ask Xia Yulin about that!" Li Weiqiang had done his best and was certain there was no room for maneuver. He tried to find humor in his predicament. "Now it's all good. Hongmei doesn't have to stay away from us anymore. You can just stay put!"
Jiang Min's heart skipped a beat, and she turned and headed towards the educated youth settlement.
Upon arriving at the educated youth settlement, Jiang Min grabbed Xia Yulin, who was recovering from an injury, and asked in a low and indignant voice, "What exactly happened? Didn't you say we'd go to the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University together? Why was my spot removed?"
"I don't know either, don't ask me," Xia Yulin said guiltily.
"You don't know? How could you not know?"
Jiang Min laughed hysterically, "I told you long ago that there are only three spots for educated youth in the entire Red Flag Commune, and our Lijia Gou can only get one spot at most. You confidently said that you were sure you could pull others down and that it wouldn't affect me, so why has it turned out like this?"
"Why? You should ask yourself why you had an affair with Li Hongmei before marriage, leaving behind a history of moral issues that others can use against you!" Xia Yulin knew there was no way to resolve this peacefully, so she simply dropped her pretense and asked with a cold laugh.
She was once one of Jiang Minzheng's confidantes. After Jiang Minzheng was tricked into marrying Li Hongmei, he gave up on the idea. But one day, Jiang Minzheng, who was feeling bitter because of his in-laws' oppression, happened to meet her and poured out his grievances. Xia Yulin felt sorry for him and comforted him gently.
After that, Xia Yulin rekindled his old flame, and the two exchanged glances and secretly went on several dates. Having learned her lesson, Jiang Minzheng acted much more cautiously than before, and thus went unnoticed.
That night, Jiang Min was being forced by his in-laws to take his wife, Li Hongmei, with him. Filled with resentment, he found an opportunity to sneak into the woods with Xia Yulin. After venting his anger, he complained to her again about how his in-laws and wife were pressuring him, and said that it would have been better if Xia Yulin had gone with him instead.
Upon hearing this, Xia Yulin's mind stirred: "Do you really want me to go to the Workers-Peasants-Soldiers University with you?"
"Yes! That way we won't have to be separated. And even though we're far apart, we can be together openly, instead of having to be sneaky and shameful like we are now." Jiang Min, who was completely satisfied, was spouting sweet words as if they were free. She would indeed regret losing this understanding flower in the future, and how wonderful it would be if she could stay by her side.
Xia Yulin took it seriously. She lowered her head and remained motionless, her mind racing.
"What are you thinking about?" Jiang Min asked, seeing that the woman in his arms had been silent for a long time.
Xia Yulin's eyes gleamed: "I'm trying to find a way to get a recommendation spot."
Jiang Min was secretly pleased that a beautiful girl was devoted to her, but she said aloud, "There's nothing I can do. The quota has already been announced, so we can only wait until next year."
"That's not necessarily true," Xia Yulin said smugly.
She had a cousin who worked in the Revolutionary Committee in her hometown. She had heard a lot about what happened there from the adults and had known for a long time that rules could not supersede privilege.
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Minzheng's expression changed: "Don't you dare steal my spot. When I become successful in the future, I will definitely divorce Li Hongmei. Then we can be together forever, and I will always pamper and love you."
Xia Yulin chuckled: "Of course I won't steal your spot. I don't know if you've heard of Yu Wenbo from Qingshantun. He was buried under rubble half a year ago and was on the verge of death. He must still be very weak. Such a person is not qualified to participate in the recommendation. I don't know what tricks he used to get the spot. I want to expose his true colors and restore justice to society."
"Are you sure? What if you push me out..." Jiang Min was very uneasy. According to the principle of fairness and justice, only one educated youth could be elected in a production team at most. If Xia Yulin failed to remove Yu Wenbo, he would be in trouble.
Xia Yulin assured her that there would be absolutely no problem, and that she wanted to be with Jiang Minzheng forever and would not go to the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University alone.
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