Chapter 5: Transmigrating into a Historical Novel 05 I can give up this spot...
Qi Yin was not seriously ill, but her family still made her stay in the hospital for two days before she returned home today.
It just so happens that our housekeeper is at the hospital these days, so there are a few times when no one is home.
Lin Jinwen had been running between his workplace and the hospital these past few days, and he also had to contact his older brother in the military. When he heard who was calling, he felt a surge of anger, and his attitude was naturally not very good.
“We know she called home.” Lin Jinwen unbuttoned two buttons on his collar with some impatience, then pinched his brow and continued, “Now that she’s married, she has nothing to do with you anymore. You should have less contact with her in the future, understand?”
Xu Xingyi on the other end was clearly surprised by his words. After a brief silence, he asked, "...Brother Jinwen, what do you mean by this?"
"Do I need to make myself clearer?" Lin Jinwen's tone couldn't help but carry a hint of mockery. "You've been stringing her along for so many years without even giving her a title. Now that she's finally moved on to someone else, I hope you won't go after her anymore. Is that clear enough?"
Lin Tingyue's previous efforts had elevated Xu Xingyi to an unrealistic level, and he hadn't considered whether the Lin family actually liked him.
Lin Jinwen hung up the phone without even saying goodbye, and then went upstairs to his mother's bedroom. "It was Xu Xingyi who called, saying he was worried that we didn't know our little sister was married."
"Don't worry about him... I've come to terms with it these past few days. It's good that your sister can give up on that Xu family boy. She's become more and more obsessed over the years." Qi Yin also dotes on her daughter, but ever since her daughter became classmates with Xu Xingyi in middle school, she has fallen hopelessly in love with him. Her heart and eyes are filled with Xu Xingyi, and her temper has become increasingly worse.
She can restrain herself a bit in front of Xu Xingyi, but at home, no one's word matters.
"I've already spoken to my older brother. He's taken leave from the army and will go back to Beicheng to see you first. After that, the two of us will go to the place where my younger sister was sent to the countryside to see her and also to see the man who married her." Lin Jinwen hasn't considered Yu Xingzhou his brother-in-law yet; they haven't even met him. Whether he can be considered his brother-in-law depends on seeing him in person.
“We should take a look, but your dad has been asking around these past few days, and his father was also implicated…” Qi Yin didn’t continue, including herself, a high school teacher, who was in some danger at the time. “If this hadn’t happened, he would have been a good match, but how can we be at ease now?”
Lin Jinwen knew that his mother couldn't bear to see his younger sister suffer in the countryside, but now that they had gotten their marriage certificate, he felt reassured if the man was of good character; at least he wouldn't dare to bully his sister.
However, he knew his mother didn't want to hear these things, so he could only remain silent.
Qi Yin also remained silent for a while, then suddenly thought of something and said, "Don't you and your older brother have any suitable colleagues or friends around you? Why don't you take them with you when you go there to meet them?"
"This is a bit inappropriate..."
“That’s right. I was too hasty. We should wait until she returns to Beicheng before we can meet. It would be best if we could find someone at your brother’s military base so that Yueyue could go with him. Since we’re not in the same place, as long as we don’t say anything, no one will know that she’s been married.”
Lin Tingyue, far away in Donghe Village, was unaware that her own mother was already fantasizing about her agreeing to a divorce and remarrying.
During the day, he would work weeding, and at night he would stay indoors by lamplight and read books—these were the textbooks Yu Xingzhou used to study.
She mainly studied these materials to prepare for the teacher recruitment exam. Although she was confident she could pass, she felt she wasn't from this era. For example, she might need to review essay writing skills to ensure they reflected the characteristics of this time.
At this point, she couldn't help but ask Yu Xingzhou, and she even wanted to see the essays Yu Xingzhou wrote when he was in school.
"Can I watch it? If it's inconvenient, then forget it."
"It's possible, but I'll have to look for it."
"I'll help you look for it."
Since they had nothing better to do, the two of them went to the west room to look for Yu Xingzhou's old homework and test papers from his school days.
After rummaging through drawers and cabinets, they actually found a stack of test papers. It was a midterm exam from the second year of high school, and the handwriting on them was as beautiful as he was.
Lin Tingyue praised as she looked at the writing, "I really envy your beautiful handwriting. My handwriting is like a dog crawling."
"You'll see results if you practice with a calligraphy copybook for a while. I should still have some copybooks I used for practicing calligraphy before..."
Seeing that the man was really planning to go looking for it, she quickly grabbed his arm to stop him. She was envious, but she didn't really want to practice calligraphy. "Don't bother. I just wanted to say that your handwriting is beautiful. I like it."
Yu Xingzhou's body stiffened slightly, as if the words "like" were still echoing in his ears, and the distance between their bodies was now negative, with smooth and slightly cool skin pressed tightly against him, as if the fragrance of the skin was being rubbed onto him.
He felt as if he had returned to the first time he got drunk, his head was spinning and his face was hot.
Lin Tingyue's palm was warm. Suddenly, she placed it on his forehead, loosened her grip on his arm, and instead used that hand to touch his face. "Why is your face a little red? It doesn't look like you have a fever. Could it be an allergic reaction to dust from handling things?"
"No...no." Yu Xingzhou blurted out without thinking, then suddenly stood up. After distancing himself from Lin Tingyue, he finally came to his senses.
He didn't know why, even though they were both lying in bed sleeping on the same bed and nothing was wrong, as long as there was close physical contact, he felt like he was drunk.
Lin Tingyue didn't notice his unusual behavior. She picked up the test paper, stood up, walked to the desk, and sat down to take a closer look. "You don't need to wait for me. Go back to sleep first. I'll stay here for a while."
However, by the time he rushed back into the room, it was too late. The drawer in front of Lin Tingyue was half-open, and his manuscript was in her hands.
"I'm sorry, I was just looking in the drawer to see if there was any draft paper, but I was attracted by the title of your book..." Lin Tingyue felt a little guilty after being caught peeking at someone else's novel. "But I think you write very well, and it's quite vivid and immersive. If it could be published, I'm sure many people would like it."
Yu Xingzhou was surprised that Lin Tingyue not only did not object to his writing novels, but also did not show the smugness that one would expect when used as leverage. The cracks in his expression and the panic of being reported gradually dissipated with her encouragement. "...Don't try to coax me. I know my own limitations."
He said that, but he couldn't completely hide his joy at being recognized, and he stopped himself from taking the manuscript away.
“I’m telling the truth, but it’s hard to find anyone to testify right now.” The cultural field is still frozen, so it’s best to keep as few people as possible to know, but it will be published in a few years. It’s just that I can’t say these things too explicitly. Lin Tingyue can only advise him not to give up writing. “If possible, I hope you can persevere and finish writing it, until the day you can see the dawn.”
Their eyes met, and the man's beautiful eyelashes trembled slightly.
This was the first time Yu Xingzhou had changed his opinion of someone because of a single sentence, and he was also touched by that sentence, regaining his hope.
Her words were like a spark that would eventually ignite the darkness that had enveloped his heart.
A few days later, the entrance to Donghe Village Primary School was packed with people, not only those applying for jobs, but also many who came to watch the spectacle.
Donghe Village is a large village with a large population. In addition, educated youth from surrounding villages also come here, so the queue for registration alone takes a long time. But in reality, only ten people are to be recruited, so the competition is fierce. If you are not selected, you will have to continue to work in the fields under the sun and wind.
"What are you doing here?" Xu Xingyi looked Lin Tingyue up and down after she finished registering her information, then glanced at Yu Xingzhou behind her. "You guys don't think just anyone can come here to teach students, do you?"
Upon hearing this, Yu Xingzhou's expression immediately changed. He wanted to argue, but then he remembered the instructions of his deceased relatives and suppressed his anger.
"Why do I hear a dog barking?" Lin Tingyue looked around, avoiding Xu Xingyi's gaze, and even nudged the person next to her with her elbow, deliberately asking, "Did you hear that? It's barking so fiercely."
The anger wouldn't disappear, it would only shift. The furious expression that was originally on his face was now on the other person's face, and he couldn't respond, otherwise he would be admitting that he was a dog.
Xu Xingyi pointed at her with his finger, "Lin Tingyue, you're really something now. Let's see how long you can keep up this smugness."
Yu Xingzhou originally wanted to stop her, but she pulled his arm and walked into the school instead, completely ignoring her provocation. "Let's go in and find a seat."
As Xu Xingyi watched the two figures leave, a nameless anger instantly surged up within him.
"Why are you arguing with them?" Song Xue had just finished filling out the information when she turned around and saw the tense situation, so she quickly came over. "Are they making things difficult for you?"
"Look how anxious you are, so worried about me?" Xu Xingyi felt a warm glow when he saw his beloved's anxious expression. He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead, but when he saw her body lean back instinctively, he instead touched the back of his own head.
"You've forgotten the pain once the wound heals. Didn't your butt hurt for days after she threw you to the ground last time?" In Song Xue's eyes, Xu Xingyi was just a pampered young master who was probably not even as good as the women in the village when it came to fighting.
He felt embarrassed whenever the topic came up, and he also felt that Song Xue was deliberately bringing up a sore spot, so he had no choice but to change the subject: "Let's not talk about them anymore, how are your preparations going?"
The recruitment exam consisted of four subjects: Chinese, mathematics, history, and geography. Song Xue had only graduated from junior high school and had been away from school for quite some time, so she was a little unsure of herself and asked Xu Xingyi to tutor her for a few days.
Xu Xingyi was exceptionally patient with his crush, and coupled with his top-ranking grades in one subject, he won over Song Xue's favor once again.
"I don't know what the test questions will be, but I remember everything you taught me on that day."
"That's good. Being a primary school teacher shouldn't be too difficult. Don't worry."
Xu Xingyi was right; the questions were indeed not difficult. However, he overlooked the fact that there were far more applicants than available spots, and only those who lost the fewest points and ranked in the top ten had a chance.
The team leader and the teachers from the county primary school who came to grade the papers were in a bit of a dilemma. They hadn't expected that two people would have the same total score, and that one of them would be in last place. If it were two people in the middle who were tied, it would be fine; they could just pass the score to the next person in line.
Xu Xingyi noticed their hesitation and spoke directly: "Captain, I think we should reconsider Yu Xingzhou's background."
The examiner adjusted his glasses and asked with a serious expression, "What's the problem with the composition?"
"His grandfather was a landlord, but he was a decent person and an honest kid," the brigade leader explained quietly to the teacher grading the papers.
"As long as their ideology and conduct are sound, the selection is up to you." The examiner, being a stickler for rules, threw the question back at the examiner.
After a brief silence, Xu Xingyi spoke again: "Yu Xingzhou and Lin Tingyue are already married. Someone in their family has to do the farm work, right?"
The captain gasped, his gaze shifting upwards to see the name "Lin Tingyue" written after the third place on the ranking list.
The regulation does require at least one person from each household to work in the fields because food rations and work points earned from labor are linked. Primary school teachers also accumulate a full set of work points, so there is no conflict.
Yu Xingzhou's heart sank to the bottom, and he lowered his head, waiting to be rejected.
At that moment, a remark from someone nearby caused an uproar: "I can give up this spot, but Yu Xingzhou must become a teacher."
A note from the author:
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