Chapter 40: Luo Yin's Change
"What is it? There's really nothing there."
Mu Ren thought about it carefully, but he really didn't see anything wrong with it.
Why is my younger sister so adamant that she has it?
Luo Yin frowned. "You really didn't smell any spices?"
"It has that faint herbal scent, a bit like the stuff my mother used to stew in mutton soup."
Mu Ren shook his head, "Little sister, I really didn't smell it."
Seeing that her second brother had repeatedly confirmed it, Luo Yin didn't know what to say.
I have no interest in digging deeper, and it's not important anyway.
On a holiday, I spent two days at home enjoying good food and drinks with my family.
These meals were quite satisfying for Luo Yin.
I can spend time with my family and chat and laugh, which makes me very satisfied with my life compared to before.
Regardless of what happened before, I hope every day from now on will be a good day.
Loin looked forward to it.
On the first day of school, Luo Yin packed her luggage, carrying with her a lot of milk skin made by her mother.
It's not as hot as before now, so it can still be stored for a few days.
There are also some things I need to give to the homeroom teacher.
That's right, Luo Yin decided to send some to Xiao Chen.
Arriving in the town, it was still the same town.
Familiar streets, familiar people.
Even their shouts are the same.
But every compatriot wore a smile on their face and their eyes shone with enthusiasm for the future.
Loin never intended to change society or the people.
She couldn't care about so many people; she could only help a small part of her family.
She didn't have that much determination to become someone who changed history.
She thought, there will always be someone who belongs to her, and there will always be someone who lives an ordinary life.
Thinking of this, a smile appeared on her lips.
Yes, who says we have to do something?
Just stay grounded and don't regret it.
Arriving at the bookstore, I pushed open the door and went inside.
Sure enough, the person at the counter had changed.
She glanced over and saw that it was Uncle Qin, whom she hadn't seen for many days.
"Uncle Qin, you look much older. How are you these days?"
Old Qin not only looked aged, but he also looked more than ten years older.
His head was covered with gray hair, and he looked listless and lacked energy.
Seeing her say that, I couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.
"Hey, stop teasing me."
Seeing that he didn't even have the strength to talk back, Luo Yin straightened her expression.
Are you alright?
I meant to make a joke, but it turns out this person doesn't look funny at all.
"I was just talking nonsense. Are you really alright?"
She felt as if the light in his eyes had been extinguished.
Could it be that they found that lady? Is the news bad?
That's bad!
"Could it be that the news is bad?"
Old Qin saw that before he could even speak, the girl kept asking him questions.
She seemed even more anxious than him, and his withered heart warmed a little.
There are still people who care about him, even though it's a little girl who has no relation to him.
"Oh dear, this trip was truly outrageous and dangerous."
Luo Yin couldn't help but become curious; why would she say that?
She suddenly wanted to hear about his experiences, but it would be impolite to ask abruptly.
It's like they're always trying to find out what happened to him.
That was still a very bad experience; it shouldn't have happened.
But I was really curious.
Luo Yin's eyes darted around, just like her whole being, radiating a lively and cunning charm.
It gives people a great sense of energy and motivation.
Old Qin sighed, as if he had let go of something.
Looking at her, he asked, "Are you sure you have time to listen to me?"
Luo Yin glanced outside, then looked at the clock.
"I have an hour to listen to you, is that enough?"
Old Qin shook his head as he thought of that bizarre and outrageous experience.
"I think it would take at least three days and three nights to finish talking about it."
"That won't do, I can't stay out all night." If she dared to do that, I'm sure my mother's whip wouldn't let her off easily.
Perhaps she won't even live to see that day; her mother will give her a good spanking.
"What are you thinking? Forget it, are you even listening to me?"
"No, no, I'll listen to you, Uncle Qin. If you want to start from the beginning, I'll tell you as much as I can. I've heard that when someone tells another person good news, it's like having two good news stories. But if they tell another person bad news, it's like having half a bad story for each person."
"Hehe, I can tell you're not in a good mood, so telling me is a way to vent."
"Don't worry, I will definitely keep it a secret and will never tell anyone else."
She made a promise in advance so that he wouldn't have to think about it later.
Old Qin never expected her to go to this extent.
Just to listen to his rigid, formulaic arguments.
That can't be right.
Old Qin felt something was wrong. Seeing her serious expression, he realized he had misunderstood.
But before he knew it, those stereotypical eyes had immediately fallen on him.
Luo Yin's curiosity was almost at its peak at this moment.
We're all waiting to hear what Uncle Qin encountered.
Speaking of ordinary people in this era.
I really don't know how to put it.
Leaving aside other issues, the situation that Luo Yin is currently facing is quite contradictory.
This society is also full of contradictions and conflicts.
Sometimes it is extremely closed and backward, and it does not allow anything that moves the people; but sometimes it does things that are done on the edge of the line, and it is not just one person, but many people who are bold enough to take weapons and intercept them halfway.
Not to mention other aspects, if that plan really came true, your ancestors would still be your ancestors.
No matter when, there will always be a group of people who are both crazy and foolish.
Old Qin looked at her, then at what was behind him.
After confirming that there was no one else, he sat behind the counter and lowered his head deeply.
He put his hands on his head and started grabbing his hair wildly.
He quickly messed up his neatly styled hair.
It seems this person has entered a period of irritability.
Luo Yin glanced at the doorway, which was very close to her. If anything happened, she could make sure she could rush out in ten seconds.
So he composed himself and continued to look at him without doing anything.
“I had planned to go to the northern market a long time ago. It was something I decided to do after I arrived. I asked a lot of people for advice and finally found a reliable vendor. He is said to be an old hand and can take me there.”
For some reason, Luo Yin suddenly felt nervous.
Just like I was about to tell him, I joined in.
Uncle Qin then continued, "The old hand Jiang Zhuoer is said to be an old hunter. Judging from his appearance, he is a local. He is nearly 1.9 meters tall and very big. When he stands up, he is almost twice my height. At that time, he looked at me with a strange look. I know that's how these herdsmen look at Han people, so I ignored him."
He paused, then looked at Luo Yin. "But who knows what will happen afterward?" If he had known earlier, he probably wouldn't have considered this trip.
But since it had already happened, Lao Qin continued the conversation.
"Zhuoer agreed to my request, but the price was to give him money, which was quite a lot. I agreed, but I requested that I pay the remaining half after we arrived. He was mainly responsible for leading the way back and wouldn't be involved in anything else, so I nodded in agreement."
"In all my years in the underworld, I never imagined I would suffer such a setback, all because of a kid."
"Kid, where did this kid come from?" Luo Yin frowned slightly.
Uncle Qin waved his hand, "I'll continue."
"I knew Zhuo Er was no ordinary person, and he definitely hadn't just brought me alone, but I didn't expect there to be so many people in the end. The day the team assembled, there was a very long line. Do you believe it? There were more than a hundred people besides me?"
Luo Yin asked in surprise, "So many people, were they all sent by Zhuo Er?"
Uncle Qin nodded, "With horses and camels included, the caravan is incredibly long and impressive. We've already crossed this hill, and the tail hasn't even caught up yet. Because there are so many people in the caravan, Zhuo Er only has three people helping him. How can four people handle more than a hundred people?"
When Lao Qin closed his eyes, it seemed as if many unfamiliar faces were repeating in his mind.
“I immediately sensed something was wrong. A large number of them seemed to know Zhuo Er better than I did. Judging from their interactions, this wasn’t their first time. At the time, I was looking for someone, so I didn’t have many concerns and thought it was better to avoid trouble, so I didn’t pay any attention.”
When Luo Yin heard him say that, she knew that there must be a twist later, otherwise things would not have turned out this way.
Sure enough, the plot twist happened right here.
"But who knows how many people were mixed in with that group, that they changed course halfway through the journey and didn't go to the northern market?"
Loin was shocked again. "What? Changed course halfway? Who is it? Are they going?"
So how did Uncle Qin get back?
She was filled with curiosity, making her afraid to miss any of the next words.
When Uncle Qin saw that she had indeed understood his intentions, his expression became much more serious.
He nodded with a wry smile, "Right, you knew all along, but I didn't realize it at the time."
Luo Yin frowned again, feeling that Uncle Qin had changed a lot since he came back.
He doesn't seem as cheerful and outgoing as before; he seems exhausted both physically and mentally.
Otherwise, I'd rather not say anything for now, but judging from his expression, he seems to disagree.
"Please continue!"
“Okay, I’ll continue. When I realized I was being scammed, it was obviously too late. Zhuo’er had indeed led the wrong way. They weren’t going to the Northern Market at all. But because I offered a high price, they didn’t want to miss out on me. They thought they’d scam me first, since the place they were going to was remote, and they might as well do it.”
Luo Yin was at a loss for what expression to use.
He just stared blankly at Uncle Qin, his face full of "what will happen next?" expressions.
"As soon as I knew we weren't going anywhere, of course I didn't want to go with them. I have horses and food. It would be like to leave the group and go on my own, but there are people all around me. If I move even slightly slower, the people behind me will notice me. There's really no way to get away."
"Who are those people? Are they bad guys?"
But their descriptions don't seem to match that.
Luo Yin carefully examined his face and the exposed parts of his body, finding no injuries.
Uncle Qin shook his head, "They really aren't bad people. They didn't take my life, and they didn't hit me either."
They didn't treat me much; they took the money and then ignored me.
All he did on the journey was keep moving forward. If he wasn't afraid of getting lost in the vast Gobi Desert, he would have loved to run away completely.
At this moment, Luo Yin's attention was almost entirely focused on him.
She was startled when she suddenly heard the door being pushed open.
"Hey, who is this?"
Looking up, I saw that students were entering the store.
Not only her, but Uncle Qin next to her was also startled.
Seeing the two people looking terrified, the students who came in also felt a bit scared.
He looked back at his friends, then at them.
"I just came in to look at some books."
"Come on, it's okay." His friend behind him gave him a push.
Luo Yin knew she wouldn't be able to listen to the whole thing today, so she stood up to catch her breath. At the same time, she pointed to his head and made a tidying motion.
Uncle Qin immediately remembered what had just happened and quickly tidied his hair.
"Ahem, do you need anything?"
Luo Yin nodded to him and went outside.
After thinking for a moment, she handed him the food she had in her pocket. "Uncle Qin, this is homemade. Take it and try it. I'm going back to school now."
"Alright, go ahead."
Uncle Qin was asking questions, and seeing that she was staying, he didn't refuse.
After everyone left, and watching the two students go into the bookshelf, I finally noticed the oil paper package on the table.
He smelled a familiar scent, one that he liked.
Luo Yin entered the school, and by now, quite a few other people had returned.
The first day of school is always rushed and anxious. Even though many people prepare early, they still can't help but look around and want to say something or do something after entering the classroom.
Since the teacher wasn't there, I could chat with my classmates.
They even joked and played around without any problem. Luo Yin didn't go back to the dormitory; including the things for her younger brother Xiao Chen, she didn't have much luggage.
She went downstairs to the office, found the homeroom teacher's seat, but found no one there. She thought for a moment, took out the things, wrote a small note on it, and covered the things under the books.
After glancing around to make sure no one was there, she quickly left.
It's better to keep some things from being too public.
Luo Yin knew that this was just the beginning of dawn, the first light of day had just begun to bloom.
I walked up the stairs and arrived at the classroom.
Compared to the noisy second year of junior high, the third year is much quieter.
People's self-discipline has improved a lot. Many people are studying and reading with their heads down, either memorizing or writing from memory. Many have even bought new workbooks and are practicing.
Luo Yin found her place, and during this time she also got to know a few classmates.
But they were only acquaintances, not close friends.
She also thought it was normal, since everyone is under pressure to get into a good school.
Ms. Chen manages her class very strictly, even more so than the classes she taught before. There is a monthly exam and grade-level rankings every month.
Therefore, the pressure on each class and individual is considerable.
Her sudden appearance caused an even bigger stir.
Luo Yin gradually adapted to the current pace, feeling more pressure and motivation than before.
Her daily studies are very demanding; in addition to keeping up with the current pace, she also needs to continue practicing questions to solidify her knowledge.
I'm afraid she hasn't encountered many of the exam question types before.
She wasn't worried about the things she had to memorize, but since she had skipped a grade, she had to do well in this one to avoid any unforeseen problems if she underperformed in the high school entrance exam.
With this in mind, Luo Yin's enthusiasm for listening to lectures increased even more each time.
I take notes in class and practice diligently after class. I ask the teacher for help with course materials, as well as previous notes and materials, and I even take out old test papers to copy and practice.
She kept a copy of all of Ms. Chen Lan's English test papers.
Seeing how hard she was trying, he gave it to her.
When she asked, other teachers were also in the office, and they seemed to have heard of her, so they also found out the names of other subjects.
One by one, Luo Yin's desk was covered with densely packed exam papers.
She was almost nowhere to be seen.
Those sitting in front of and behind her noticed that she had even taken out her earliest practice papers.
They dared not be so presumptuous and whispered among themselves about her diligence in class.
"That Luo Yin is really working on a thick stack of test papers, all of which we did last semester."
"Really? Is she crazy? How can she finish all this?"
"That's right, I saw that it was from last semester's material, but considering she skipped a grade to get into this program, she must have had some exposure to it."
"That's amazing! I think the top spot in our class will definitely be taken by someone else this month. Cheng Ming will probably be second."
"No way, Cheng Ming is also very good. I think they might be on par."
Many students in the class started discussing the rankings from the upcoming monthly exam, since it was just around the corner.
Luo Yin pretended not to hear, and even if she did, she wouldn't care much.
At this moment, all she wanted to do was to identify and address any shortcomings in herself.
Since I've learned less than others, I'll use time and effort to widen the gap.
From that day on, she almost evolved halfway, staying in her position almost the entire time except when going to the bathroom.
I would go to bed early every morning and night and recite the texts while lying in bed.
Her roommates, seeing how hard she was working, didn't want to bother her anymore.
He also corrected the behavior of several undisciplined students.
After all, even the most hardworking students in their class are so tired in the third year of junior high. If they don't work hard this time, they might not be able to keep up.
Luo Yin was unaware of her classmates' misunderstanding, and even if they were, she wouldn't explain.
After all, this indirectly led to changes in some things, didn't it?
Luo Yin gets up early in the morning, eats breakfast, and sits in the classroom until the end of evening self-study.
Her movements during this time were naturally seen by many people.
Chen Lan had passed by many times and really wanted to call her into his office for a serious talk.
But her daily practice exercises were also fine.
All the teachers I heard about her praised her.
Perhaps it's just some pressure, so let's put it aside for now.
Let's see later.
So this layoff lasted for several more days, until Chen Lan realized after the meeting that she had affected the morale of the entire third shift.
Several top-ranking students, led by Cheng Ming, also began to learn from her.
Aside from getting water and going to the restroom, I didn't move from my seat.
Even our favorite physical education class has been affected by reports from the PE teacher that many students are asking for leave to skip class.
The PE teacher noticed that almost none of the students from Class 1 were present.
Fearing something had happened, I ran upstairs to check and found them all engrossed in writing something. Turns out they were doing their homework!
It startled the PE teacher!
"Teacher Chen, I know that you are under a lot of academic pressure and have a heavy teaching load, but you can't neglect physical education. We are here to cultivate the pillars of our country and work hard for our country for more than fifty years."
Chen Lan, an English teacher, was pulled aside by a PE teacher and talked about something for a long time.
Listen carefully, and you won't be wrong; what they're saying is all correct.
Chen Lan could only repeatedly assure her that she wouldn't do that and that she would talk to her classmates properly.
The PE teacher was relieved after hearing her assurance.
But this time, looking at Class 3, where almost no one went out to play after class, Chen Lan smiled bitterly and rubbed her forehead. Turning her head, she saw the next class coming out, playing around.
Many students were peeking around, seemingly having noticed the unusual behavior in Class 3.
"What, are you curious too?"
The boy next to me looked familiar; he used to play ball with our class all the time.
"Teacher Chen, your class hasn't been going out much these past few days. Nobody's playing ball with us."
"Really? They're quite hardworking. You guys have some fun first."
Fearing that another student might complain to her, she quickly repeated a few words to send them away.
Many people nearby wanted to chime in, but their own homeroom teachers spotted them and took them away.
"What are you saying? Hurry up and stop class! Have you prepared for class? Will you be able to recite the ancient poems for my dictation next class?"
"Teacher, why are you giving us a dictation test again? We just finished learning it!"
"Great, we just finished learning! Let's strike while the iron is hot!"
As the sound rang out, the area outside Class 3 gradually quieted down.
Looking at the now quiet classroom, Chen Lan felt both relieved and heartbroken.
These kids are so young, yet they can sit here patiently and study.
They were just teenagers, all lively and active, she knew that.
But this time, everyone who used to run and jump around outside stayed here obediently, either reading or doing homework.
Chen Lan really shouldn't bother her.
If the other homeroom teachers saw this, who knows what they would say.
As Chen Lan heard the school bell ring, she saw many students raise their eyes, quickly take out their textbooks, and stare intently at her.
As if anticipating her class, I couldn't say anything more.
As a result, their enthusiasm for class soared, and the class flew by in a flurry of questions and answers, completing the teaching content more efficiently than ever before.
Chen Lan was both gratified and happy.
She felt very proud looking at her students who had grown up so much.
The morning classes ended one by one, and it was time for lunch.
At this time of day, everyone would line up to go eat, and after returning and resting for a while, they would continue studying.
Today, the school bell just rang.
Chen Lan peeked in and saw that the teacher had called for the end of get out of class. She immediately came in and called Luo Yin to take her away.
When Luo Yin saw that the teacher was looking for her, she packed her things and went out with her.
Looking up, I realized I was taking her to the cafeteria.
"Teacher, what can I do for you?"
"Here, I've got your food. You've been in class for a while now, so I wanted to ask how you've been doing and if you're settling in well."
Oh, so that's what you came to ask.
Luo Yin took the lunchbox and nodded.
"Thank you, teacher. I feel very comfortable here. My classmates are friendly and kind to me, and my teacher is also very kind and takes good care of me."
Chen Lan noticed that her hands were constantly moving while she was speaking.
Afraid she might choke on her food, he quickly continued to ask, "Tell me in detail, don't rush, there's still half an hour until lunchtime."
Luo Yin raised an eyebrow; it seemed she had quite a few things to ask her.
"I'm not in a hurry. I'm really doing well right now. I have so much to do every day, and I'm making progress every day. I feel great!"
"Yes, yes, I heard you've compiled all the test papers you've collected together. Are you planning to finish writing them all?"
"Yes, it's all thanks to the teachers. Since I've accepted it, I have to do my best. But don't worry, I did all the calculations on paper. The test paper is still new, so I can easily organize the wrong answers later."
Chen Lan was genuinely surprised to see that she could tidy herself up.
Her recent performance has indeed surprised Chen Lan.
After all, at first we were worried that she wouldn't get along with the other students in the class. Either she wouldn't be able to get along with them, or the other students would lead the way in not playing with her.
But reality was far better than she had imagined.
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