Chapter 6: Transmigrating into a Historical Novel - Part 6: She's Not as gullible as she looks...
“This isn’t your home, you can’t just say whatever you want,” Xu Xingyi retorted immediately.
"That's because my ranking is higher. Since I'm giving up this spot, both of you who are tied for tenth can be selected. We can't bring up Yu Xingzhou's background anymore."
After Lin Tingyue finished speaking, the brigade leader hesitated for a moment before asking her, "Lin Zhiqing, have you thought this through? With such good grades, it would be a pity for you to give up this job, and it would also be a loss for the school. Besides, working in the fields is so tiring. Why don't you let your husband do it?"
"Don't worry, Captain. When it comes to physical labor, I'm not necessarily worse than a man."
Actually, there was another half-sentence she didn't say: it was because Yu Xingzhou couldn't get enough work points even if he worked in the fields, so it would be better to let her do the work, at least both of them could get full work points.
But others had no idea what she was really thinking. Some, like the brigade leader and the examiners, thought it was a waste of a good talent, while others, like Xu Xingyi and Song Xue, thought she was both silly and love-struck.
Song Xue had previously wondered if Lin Tingyue had regained her senses, but now she felt that Lin Tingyue had simply changed partners and continued to dedicate herself to others. Despite having a good family background, Lin Tingyue had given up her job to go to the countryside for Xu Xingyi, and now she was giving up her job again for another man. Song Xue even felt a sense of disappointment and frustration.
But they didn't have that kind of relationship, and even if she tried to persuade the other party, they might not appreciate it. Song Xue believed that as long as Lin Tingyue stopped targeting her, they could leave each other alone.
At the same time, she was somewhat envious of the men who had been helped by Lin Tingyue, because she was only eleventh. Even without the tie for tenth place, she wouldn't have had a chance to be selected, and Xu Xingyi wouldn't have given her this good job...
The ten candidates have been selected. The team leader called them into the classroom, mainly to explain the onboarding process.
First, they talked about the teachers' salaries. In addition to their full work points, they would receive a cash subsidy of five yuan per month, as well as winter and farm work holidays. However, during the farm work holidays, both teachers and students would have to work in the fields.
Because the primary school is newly built, the newly recruited teachers have to count all the students who will be attending, and they'll have to figure out the class assignments and schedules themselves. The recruitment is based on two teachers per grade level, and the actual number of students will depend on the number of students, but each class will have a maximum of thirty students, otherwise the classrooms won't be big enough. As for teaching, they will teach all subjects, depending on which grade they are assigned to. The content will definitely differ between grades; the older the students, the more extensive and difficult the material will be.
The preparations were numerous and detailed, and the team leader wanted them done as quickly as possible, so everyone had to come to school the next day to start compiling enrollment statistics. Yu Xingzhou knew he would be busy for the next few days, and the matter of going to the county town to pick up the photos would have to be postponed again.
Thinking about wedding photos inevitably brings to mind the people who took the photos with him.
Actually, when Lin Tingyue wanted to give up her spot to him, he wanted to stop her several times, saying that she didn't need to give it to him, but the scales in his heart weighed him down and he couldn't say it.
He wanted this job, a position where he could shine.
Lin Tingyue was relaxing under a tree outside the elementary school today since she didn't have to work. When she saw him come out, she immediately went up to him and asked, "You're out so soon? Did you say when you'd start work?"
Yu Xingzhou nodded and replied, "I need to come to school tomorrow to do the preparations."
"So rushed! They really don't let anyone have a moment's rest."
"Can I pick up the photos after I'm done with these next few days?"
"Sure, I can go by myself."
"I'll go with you."
Lin Tingyue didn't know why he insisted on going with her, but it was good that he was willing to accompany her; the two of them could buy more things together. The only inconvenience was that the oxcart from the village to the county town only ran once in the morning; if they wanted to go at other times, they would have to walk or ride a bicycle.
Thinking of this, Lin Tingyue almost slapped her thigh. How could she have forgotten about the bicycle!
"How about we go now? Let's borrow a bicycle from the brigade leader, and I'll give you a ride."
Riding a bicycle on country dirt roads is not as smooth as riding on smooth cement or asphalt roads. You have to avoid some potholes and bumps, and you'll occasionally get jolted. However, the advantage is that it's fast, and you can get to the county town in an hour. Most importantly, you can control the time you spend in the county town, and it's convenient to go wherever you want once you're there. So, she was thinking of buying a bicycle this time.
Lin Tingyue did not go straight to the photo studio, but instead rode her bicycle to the vicinity of the black market where people often set up stalls.
"Go ride your bike to the photo studio to pick up the photos first, then go to the state-run restaurant where we ate last time and order some dishes while you wait for me."
"And what about you?" Yu Xingzhou looked at her nervously.
Lin Tingyue looked around, then suddenly leaned closer to the man and whispered, "I'll go and deal with the watch I got back before, and see if I can get a bicycle in return."
Yu Xingzhou knew immediately that she was going to the black market, and whispered a reminder to her, "...Then be careful."
"I know, you should go now."
Lin Tingyue waved to him, then turned and strode quickly forward.
It was almost lunchtime, which was also the busiest time for the black market. There was a textile factory next to this place, and many workers who were leaving get off work would pass by and take a look.
Once inside this secluded alley, you can see groups of people setting up stalls. Most of them are farmers from nearby villages selling vegetables grown on their own plots or eggs they've collected. Occasionally, you can also see dried goods or wild game that they've hunted. Unfortunately, she came here for her bicycle today, so she didn't look at any of the stalls. She just stood against the wall, observing the men and women who came to the black market.
"Young lady, what are you selling?" asked an elderly woman selling eggs nearby.
"A watch, but I want to trade my watch for a bicycle."
"Oh, that's not easy. You can ask that young man squatting over there. He's a regular at dealing in goods."
Lin Tingyue looked in the direction the old woman was pointing and saw a man who looked to be in his twenties squatting there smoking. After noticing their gaze, he looked over with a cool expression.
"Thank you, ma'am, I'll go ask."
Lin Tingyue knew that at this time, many people were secretly acting as middlemen, making a lot of money, but at this time it was considered speculation and profiteering, and if they were caught, they would at least have to stay in jail for a few days.
"I have a watch here, would you like to buy it?"
The man stubbed out his cigarette, first looked at her face, then at her pocket, and uttered two words in a deep voice that didn't suit his appearance: "Take a look."
Lin Tingyue took it out of her pocket and handed it over, then continued, "I haven't worn it for long, I bought it at the beginning of this year. If you have any connections, I'd like to get a new bicycle."
The man held the watch in his hand and looked it over. It was indeed very new, just as she had said. "Okay, is now a good time? I'll take you there."
She nodded and said, "Okay, let's go."
The man returned the watch to her, quickened his pace, and led the way, putting two steps between them.
"You're not from around here, are you?" the man suddenly asked after they left the alley.
"No, I'm from Beicheng. I came here as an educated youth sent to the countryside."
"No wonder, this model you're carrying is quite rare around here, and..." The man suddenly stopped, there was a car repair shop right in front of him, "You seem too naive, just handing it to me like that, aren't you afraid you'll take it and run?"
"Don't worry, I can catch up with you."
The man raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting her to say that. "Alright, let's have a match sometime."
As the two talked, they went inside. The repairman was fixing a bicycle. When he saw the man bring in a pretty girl he didn't recognize, he quickly stood up and closed the door.
"Uncle, get her a bicycle, something a bit newer."
"You've come at the perfect time. The bike we just bought yesterday is perfect. It's only been ridden for less than three months. The owner's family got a job transfer and no longer needs it. Miss, come and take a look."
Lin Tingyue followed her master to the backyard to take a look, and even stepped on it a couple of times to make sure there was nothing wrong before asking, "How much does this cost?"
"Can we round it to a hundred? It's a Phoenix brand, after all."
She then looked at the man and asked, "What about my watch?"
"Same price."
Lin Tingyue disagreed, "Isn't that a bit too little? When I bought it, it cost two or three hundred including the ticket."
"If I hadn't helped you find this place, you would have had to buy a brand new bicycle."
"Yeah, I'll come to you again if I need anything in the future. You can't just do a one-off deal with me, can you?"
The man realized she wasn't as easily fooled as he thought, so he pulled out five ten-yuan bills from his pocket and gave them to her, saying, "That's all."
Lin Tingyue knew when to stop. If she had simply sold the watch, she could have made more money because she didn't need industrial ration coupons. But she only had a few left, not enough to buy a bicycle. She didn't have any connections and could only try her luck to buy a used bicycle. These middlemen were different; some money was just meant for them to make.
Before leaving, she exchanged names with the man and learned that his name was Zhou Qichen and that he lived in the county town. Unfortunately, they didn't even have cell phones at that time, so if she wanted to find him again, she would have to go to the black market.
Lin Tingyue rode her bicycle straight to the state-run restaurant she had agreed to go to. When she arrived, she found that Yu Xingzhou had indeed ordered the dishes as she had said and was waiting for her, but he hadn't touched any of the food.
Why don't you eat first?
"I'll wait for you to eat together. You sit down, and I'll go buy some steamed buns."
Lin Tingyue then realized that there was no staple food on the table, and most of the dishes ordered were stews, such as stewed cabbage and pork with vermicelli, and stewed chicken with mushrooms. The dishes were still hot when she touched them.
Yu Xingzhou brought back the steamed buns, and the two had just started eating when a jarring sound of tables and chairs scraping against the floor came from the next table.
The man patted the girl's back anxiously, but it didn't seem to help. The girl covered her neck with both hands, and her face was turning a little purple.
Lin Tingyue immediately rushed forward and pushed away the man's frantically flailing hands, saying, "Stop flailing, you can't do this."
She pulled the girl up, wrapped her arms around her back and clenched her fists around her abdomen, and squeezed hard several times until the girl finally vomited the food stuck in her airway.
Seeing that the girl could breathe normally, she helped her sit back down and then turned to the girl's father and said, "She should be fine once she vomits, but just to be on the safe side, we should take her to the hospital for another check-up."
"Thank you so much! I'll take my child to the hospital right now. Xiao Rong, please thank this lady..."
The girl was still coughing and clearly hadn't recovered. Lin Tingyue quickly waved her hand, "It's no trouble at all, let the child rest for a while."
The child's father then asked Lin Tingyue her name and address, saying he would visit her after taking the child to see the doctor to express his gratitude.
In later times, even if Lin Tingyue didn't say anything, if someone were to record a video on their phone and upload it online, people would find out who she was. But things are different now. Moreover, she was living in an era where people didn't have enough to eat or wear. Although she didn't want to covet this small gift, having more friends meant having more options.
“My name is Lin Tingyue. I am an educated youth living in Donghe Village. I appreciate your kindness.”
"Okay, here's my work phone number. I'm the editor-in-chief of the Chuncheng Daily. If you need any help from me later, just call this number." The man said, pulling a notebook out of his bag, writing down his phone number and name, tearing the page out for her, and then hurriedly picking up his daughter and leaving the restaurant.
Lin Tingyue memorized the number after only a few glances, folded the paper, and casually stuffed it into her pocket. Finally, she could sit down and eat her lunch in peace.
People around them kept casting glances at them, which, though friendly, made Yu Xingzhou feel a little uncomfortable. But the woman in front of him acted as if nothing had happened, as if nothing had occurred and she didn't even feel smug about saving a life. It was as if she was used to doing such things.
Then he thought of himself; hadn't he also been saved by Lin Tingyue?
A note from the author:
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Yu Xingzhou, a model of marital virtue: We should do things together, eat together, and never leave our wives alone!
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