After watching Ruan Xianxian ride away in an awkward posture, the young man extended a hand to Qin Wuye, who had also turned his gaze away.
"Fifth Master! Should we...? There are at least three hundred yuan in that woman's small cloth bag."
In their line of work, they usually treat people differently depending on who they are dealing with. If they encounter someone who is not easy to mess with, they will make a little money and then stop. If they encounter someone who is foolish and rich, they will not hesitate to double-cross them!
Before he could finish speaking, Qin Wuye slapped him on the back of the head. "The premise of treating people differently is that the other party has to be a human being first. Aren't you afraid she'll piss into your mouth?"
The thought of a hepatitis A patient's urine sent a shiver down the young man's spine, and his worries vanished instantly.
Ruan Xianxian rode her bike to the teachers' family building, explained her purpose to the gatekeeper, and was allowed to pass. She parked her bike in front of a building that had obviously been burned, climbed up to the third floor, and knocked on a door.
The person who opened the door was an elderly man in his fifties with graying temples, who was also the principal of the high school Ruan Xianxian attended.
Last year, she missed the school's deadline for issuing graduation certificates due to some business. She only came to her teacher's house to pick up the graduation certificate that had been kept for her after the New Year, just in time for the fire in the family compound.
She risked being engulfed by the fire to save three elderly people, including the principal's husband.
Grateful for saving her life, the principal gave her one of the worker-peasant-soldier university places this year.
At that time, her head was full of shit. After being teased a few times, she blurted out that she had a spot in the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University!
It is coveted by jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards!
Ruan Baozhu's idea was simple: instead of having her grandfather go through the trouble of getting her a spot, she might as well just snatch it from her cousin. The old man praised her for her cleverness.
The grandmother and granddaughter staged a dramatic scene: the grandmother fled to the countryside to escape an arranged marriage, but later regretted it and had to ask her beautiful and kind-hearted cousin to take her place.
When Principal Ren opened the door and saw Ruan Xianxian standing outside, he smiled kindly and pulled her inside to sit down.
Ruan Xianxian placed the apples she had brought on the table and looked around. The house was not large, about forty square meters. Because it had been burned by a fire, the walls had been repainted.
Several pieces of wooden furniture, some old and some new, with a nine-inch black and white television leaning diagonally on a five-drawer chest, and a calendar next to it clearly marked April 3, 1974.
Upon hearing the sound, the teacher's wife brought out a plate of fruit, with many White Rabbit candies scattered underneath.
He personally wrapped an orange and handed it to her. After chatting for a while, Ruan Xianxian explained his purpose.
"Principal, Madam, may I transfer my university place?"
The elderly couple were shocked and hurriedly asked her what had happened.
She then told him without hiding the fact that her grandfather had forced her parents to sign her up to go to the countryside in place of her cousin.
If the whole family is shameless, then I have no reason to save face for them.
Principal Ren was furious. He grabbed his clothes and was about to leave when his wife stopped him. "The child is still here. Where are you rushing off to?"
I heard that he was going to personally find someone to seek justice for Xianxian, so his teacher's wife stopped him, and it was Ruan Xianxian who stopped him.
He revealed his true thoughts: "If I stay at home, I'll be used for arranged marriages sooner or later. Going to the countryside is a good thing."
The elderly couple felt sorry for her, but respected her decision. Principal Ren thought for a moment and said, "Theoretically, the quota cannot be transferred."
"But if you can reach an agreement privately, I can easily recommend someone under a different name, provided that the background check is satisfactory."
The principal told her to wait a moment, explaining that her old friend's granddaughter was also facing being sent to the countryside and was looking for a job; going to university would be the same.
About half an hour later, as Ruan Xianxian was helping his teacher's wife put the last dish on the table, the principal returned with a simply dressed woman.
Once she confirmed that she really wanted to transfer her spot, the woman was overjoyed.
“I won’t treat you badly, my dear. A textile worker in the market earns 700, but I’ll give you 800 plus some extra coupons. How does that sound?”
You can get a salary after you start working, and you can recoup your investment in two or three years. You can only be assigned a job after graduating from university. The job is a mixed bag, depending on your individual abilities. This price is very fair.
After glancing at the principal and seeing him nod slightly, Ruan Xianxian agreed.
The transaction was completed, and all the principal needed to do was change her name to the other party's recommendation; she didn't need to worry about the rest of the process.
After having dinner at the principal's house, Ruan Xianxian left amidst the elderly couple's repeated farewells and instructions.
"Principal, Madam, go back now! I'll write to you when I get there to let you know I'm safe."
After leaving the teachers' family building, Ruan Xianxian rode her bicycle to the educated youth office and flashed a bright white smile at the woman behind the desk.
"Hello comrade, my name is Ruan Baozhu, and I am going to the Northwest to work on rural development."
The staff looked at her like she was crazy. Going to the countryside is no longer as popular as it was a few years ago. Which of those children didn't cry and curse their parents when they went to the countryside?
It's common to see people trying to escape by going door-to-door to persuade others, but it's rare to see someone volunteer and, upon opening their mouth, say they're from the far northwest.
Despite the novelty, the woman immediately put on a warm smile, took the form, and filled it out according to the household registration information, afraid that if she was a second late, the girl would change her mind and run away!
"Huh? Your cousin has already signed up to go to Heilongjiang Province. Why don't the sisters go together? They can look after each other."
Because the other party was trying to meet their own targets, the staff member still said one more thing.
Ruan Xianxian puffed out her chest with pride, "Yes, we sisters, one from the Great Northern Wilderness and the other from the Great Northwest, are working together to serve the people and build a better new countryside."
Upon hearing this, the aunt's eyes flickered strangely for a moment, then she became respectful and stamped the document with a snap.
Holding the 250 yuan rural allowance, Ruan Xianxian clicked her tongue inwardly. Sure enough, this was the most difficult place in the country. The rural allowance was more than double that of Heilongjiang Province.
She knew that, given how much her grandfather doted on Ruan Baozhu, there was absolutely no way he would send her to the countryside.
They could either swallow their pride and use their connections, or find another grandchild to take their place. At worst, they could send someone away for six months, find a job, and use connections to get them back to the city.
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