Zhang Ruichen seemed to be genuinely stunned when he heard this, and a hint of surprise flashed across his eyes behind the lenses.
Come on...it's her.
Zhang Ruichen had indeed heard of this matter.
After all, the Lin family is no ordinary family. The daughter of the director of the Red Star Steel Plant and the principal of a key high school was the victim of a conspiracy orchestrated by her nanny, Li Zi, that ultimately led to a murder case that even made headlines in the newspapers.
During that period, many families who hired nannies were secretly frightened, fearing that they would also let a wolf into their home.
Zhang Ruichen's gaze involuntarily fell once again on Lin Jianxue's profile, which was still beautiful and elegant even with her eyes closed.
Her skin was very fair, the kind of delicate porcelain white that could only be cultivated through long-term pampering. Her eyelashes were long and thick, like two small feather fans, casting a faint shadow under her eyelids.
She has a straight nose and beautiful lips. Even though her face is expressionless at this moment, she exudes an indescribable dignity.
However, after knowing her sensational past, Zhang Ruichen's eyes became complicated when he looked at her face again.
He adjusted the black-framed glasses on his nose, and the look behind the lenses unconsciously took on a hint of meaning...
*
The green train was like a giant iron beast, crawling along the rails in a murmurous manner for four days and four nights.
When it finally panted and slowly stopped at the Hulan County Railway Station under the jurisdiction of Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, the carriage was filled with a complex smell of sweat, food residue and low-quality tobacco.
Coming suddenly from the bustling and noisy Kyoto to this cold and remote small county in the northern border, the huge gap and the bumpy and tiring journey made the young educated youth who were full of hope look tired and pale, like eggplants hit by frost, with their heads drooping, and all the high spirits they had when they set out.
Lin Jianxue was still okay, although she was a little tired. But compared with the worse situation before, this little bit of hardship was nothing to her.
Her mental state was obviously much better than most people in the car.
There were ten of them in their group of educated youth assigned to the Shuguang Production Brigade in Tonghua Village, Hulan County. Besides Lin Jianxue, Liu Liwen, and Zhang Ruichen, there were three other female and four male educated youth. They might have met on the bus before, but they weren't exactly familiar with each other.
As soon as the train stopped and the carriage door opened, a cold air mixed with the smell of coal smoke rushed in instantly.
Lin Jianxue moved quickly and without waiting for the flow of people in the carriage to completely surge, he leaned over first and easily dragged out his two large suitcases from under the seat.
She picked up one in each hand and turned to walk towards the car door.
"Hey, squad leader!" Liu Liwen saw this and quickly squeezed over, saying enthusiastically, "Your suitcase looks heavy. It must be filled with a lot of stuff, right? You're a girl, how can you carry two such heavy things? Put it down quickly and let our Ruichen help you carry one!"
As she spoke, she nudged Zhang Ruichen beside her with her elbow.
Zhang Ruichen immediately understood and took a step forward. "Yes, Lin Jianxue, you must be exhausted after a long journey. Let me help you. Don't be so stubborn."
As he spoke, he made a gesture to reach out his hand.
Lin Jianxue gently turned sideways to avoid his action.
"No need to bother." She raised her eyes, glanced at the two people in front of her calmly, and said in a cold voice, "I can carry it."
After saying that, she didn't even glance at them again. She turned around, carrying two heavy suitcases, and walked steadily into the crowd of people getting off the bus.
"..." The smile on Liu Liwen's face froze instantly, and the hand that was stretched out to help stopped awkwardly in mid-air.
Watching Lin Jianxue walk away without hesitation, she gritted her teeth in anger. She couldn't help but curl her lips at her back, muttering indignantly in a voice only she could hear: "Hmph, what's so arrogant! A divorced woman whose husband cheated on her and caused a huge uproar in the city, really thinks she's a big shot? She's just putting on airs!"
Although she complained, Liu Liwen did not slow down.
She quickly asked Zhang Ruichen to help her carry the heavy bedding roll, while she dragged the worn canvas bag and hurriedly caught up with him, shouting, "Squad leader, wait for me! Let's go together. There will be more people so we can look after each other!"
Lin Jianxue heard the noise behind her and Liu Liwen's voice, which made her stop without even turning her head.
Carrying two large suitcases, she walked straight out of the slightly dilapidated train station platform and came to the temporary registration office for educated youth set up outside the station.
The registration office was set up under a crude shed, with a few paint-chipped tables pushed together. A few staff members, dressed like cadres and wearing red armbands, sat behind them. A few educated youth, who had just gotten off the train, had already gathered sparsely in front of the tables.
Lin Jianxue found a table with a sign saying "Shuguang Production Brigade", put the suitcase at her feet, walked forward, and handed over her letter of introduction and household registration transfer certificate.
The registration staff member looked up at her, then lowered his head to check the documents, and asked in a businesslike manner, "Name?"
"Lin Jianxue."
"Well, registration is over. Wait over there. Once everyone in your group has arrived, someone will come to pick you up." The staff member pointed to an open space nearby.
Soon, Liu Liwen and Zhang Ruichen arrived breathlessly and quickly registered. Then, seven other educated youth from the Shuguang Production Brigade arrived one after another. They were all young people between seventeen and eighteen and in their early twenties, their faces showing similar fatigue, wonder, and confusion.
When young people get together, there's always a lot of topics to talk about. After a brief period of unfamiliarity, everyone quickly started chattering about themselves, asking about each other's backgrounds and situations, and the atmosphere gradually became lively.
"Hello, my name is Zhou Mei, and I'm from Jinshi." A female educated youth with twin ponytails and a round face took the initiative to greet Lin Jianxue.
"My name is Zhao Weiguo, from Kyoto." A tall boy also came over.
…
Lin Jianxue went to the countryside not to make friends, nor to reminisce about the good old days. She had her own purpose.
Facing the approaching chatter, she simply gave her name briefly: "Lin Jianxue, from Kyoto."
Then, he nodded slightly, stepped aside, crossed his arms, lowered his eyelids, and said softly: "Sorry, I'm a little tired after sitting on the train for a few days. I want to rest for a while."
Her expression was indifferent and her tone was distant, clearly expressing her desire not to communicate too much.
The educated youth who had wanted to chat with her for a few more minutes, seeing her expression, tactfully stopped disturbing her and started chatting with other people instead.
Seeing Lin Jianxue's cold and aloof look that kept people away from her, Liu Liwen curled her lips and grumbled in her heart, but she didn't show it on her face. Instead, she integrated into the new group more actively, chatting enthusiastically with several male and female educated youth, and occasionally pulling Zhang Ruichen into the topic, working hard to build her "network".
"Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump"
A rough and powerful roar of a motor came from far away.
Everyone's attention was attracted by Guo Xian.
I saw an old Dongfanghong tractor with an open truck bed hanging on the back, emitting black smoke, and it drove over with a rumbling sound and stopped in an open space not far from the registration office.
A middle-aged man with dark skin and a square face, wearing patched blue overalls, jumped out of the driver's seat. He glanced at the young people gathered in front of the registration desk, then shouted in a loud voice with a thick local accent:
"Educated youth from the Shuguang Production Brigade! Gather here! Get on the bus!"
That rough and loud voice instantly drowned out the tired discussions of the educated youth.
"It's from the Shuguang Production Brigade! We are!"
"Zhizhi, we are here!"
A group of young educated youth surrounded Guodong.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man had no extra expression on his square, dark face. He just nodded and took out a notebook and a pen from his cross-body army green canvas bag.
"Stop making noise! Be quiet!" He frowned. "My name is Liang Bin, and I'm the captain of the Shuguang Production Brigade. Now, I'm calling the roll. Please answer!"
He cleared his throat and began to read the names from the list, speaking Mandarin with a strong local accent.
"Zhou Mei?"
"Here!" The round-faced girl with twin ponytails responded immediately and crisply, taking a step forward.
"Zhao Weiguo?"
"Here!" The tall boy also quickly raised his hand.
"Liu Liwen?"
"Here! Captain!" Liu Liwen's voice was particularly loud, her face was full of enthusiastic smiles, and she secretly pulled Zhang Ruichen beside her.
"Zhang Ruichen?"
"...Here." Zhang Ruichen adjusted his glasses and responded.
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