Cause Trouble: Pretend to Be a Pig to Eat a Tiger.
Su Xiaoman listened to him and nodded. She knew that Liu Zhaoqiang had been moved, which was a good thing. Hopefully, it could be accomplished.
If not, they could think of other ways.
Currently, the most important thing was to change Su Xiaoman’s image and reputation among the members. She needed to do more good deeds within the production team. The power of the team was immense.
“Xiaoman, stay for dinner.”
“Aunt, I won’t stay. I need to go back.”
Aunt Wang Qiaoxiu wanted Su Xiaoman to stay for dinner, but Su Xiaoman declined, exchanged a few words, and left her uncle’s house.
As Su Xiaoman left, the smile on Wang Qiaoxiu’s face didn’t fade. She said to her husband, “What was Xiaoman here for this time?”
“Could it be she wants to go to the clothing factory in the city? Xiaoman is skilled, but I’m afraid she can’t endure the hardships there.”
“Only Mrs. He’s family in our village has an old sewing machine. I’ve noticed that these young girls are all envious of it. There are many sewing machines in the clothing factory, but it’s exhausting to use them every day.”
Liu Zhaoqiang shook his head, smoking as he briefly recounted what Su Xiaoman had said earlier to Wang Qiaoxiu.
Sure enough, the next moment, Wang Qiaoxiu exclaimed in surprise, “Really? Did Xiaoman really say that?”
Liu Zhaoqiang nodded silently.
Seeing his expression, Wang Qiaoxiu’s heart sank, and she didn’t speak further. During this period, she had witnessed her husband’s setbacks within the production team.
As a woman, she had some complaints about these matters. Sometimes she blamed the members for not understanding or appreciating her husband’s efforts. Sometimes she blamed her husband for meddling unnecessarily and burdening himself.
Being a production team leader with neither major achievements nor significant failures meant life could still go on as usual, avoiding being criticized for “making trouble for nothing.”
A large piece of ash fell silently to the ground, blown away by the sudden gust of wind. Liu Zhaoqiang squinted at the dimming spark in his hand, his voice hoarse as he said, “Qiaoxiu, Secretary Liang came today to persuade me. I think I’m giving up.”
Hearing this, Wang Qiaoxiu sighed, feeling a heavy stone in her heart finally settle. Even though she had previously complained daily about her husband’s reckless actions and meddling, now that things were going as she wished, she didn’t feel relieved. It was as if another stone was lodged in her chest.
She unwrapped the oil-paper package Su Xiaoman had brought earlier, revealing four richly coloured flower-shaped steamed buns inside. The sweet aroma of sugar and enticing scent of dates immediately dispelled the lingering smell of smoke.
Liu Zhaoqiang rubbed his nose, feeling a pang of hunger rising within him. “What’s this?”
“These are the steamed buns Su Xiaoman made herself. She’s quite skilled.”
Liu Zhaoqiang took one in his hand, tore it open, and handed a large portion to Wang Qiaoxiu. He then tasted a bite himself. The fragrant and sweet bun seemed to melt in his mouth, causing his mouth to water even more.
Wang Qiaoxiu also tasted a bit of the sweet bun, leaving the rest for the children at home.
“It’s really sweet. Xiaoman is quite something, putting so much sugar in.”
“The dough is good dough. Let’s eat sparingly and leave some for the children. It’s not easy to have such treats on ordinary days in the countryside.”
Wang Qiaoxiu couldn’t help but sigh. “When will we be able to eat like this every day? That would be the good days of happiness.”
“With rice, and with steamed buns…”
Liu Zhaoqiang clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles protruding. His gaze hardened, and he suddenly exclaimed, “That’s it! From now on, every household in our village will be able to eat these kinds of steamed buns, endless white flour buns!”
Wang Qiaoxiu was startled by his sudden loud voice, but after regaining her composure, a smile unconsciously appeared on her lips as she teased, “I don’t want to eat steamed buns. I want to eat white rice.”
“We’ll have both rice and steamed buns.”
After making his decision, Liu Zhaoqiang went to the production team and found Secretary Liang. Together, they applied for a study group to be established by the county to learn from the excellent production management experiences of other communes.
The county approved this study group. In addition, he applied for some poverty alleviation funds from the county, and with the money from the production team, they bought two tractors and had some money left over.
Upon hearing that Liu Zhaoqiang was determined to lead the production team’s development, the county leadership also wanted to establish a typical model. They hoped that the production team of Qiao Xin Village could perform well.
This study group had a total of seven spots. When deciding on the candidates, Liu Zhaoqiang faced some difficulties.
“Young intellectuals, we definitely need a few with education. And the elders from our village, they need to go too. They have influence and can share their experiences with the villagers, making everyone trust them more.”
“The young people from the village also need to be represented…”
Liu Zhaoqiang was genuinely struggling with the selection of candidates.
Wang Qiaoxiu laughed at him from the side, “You were worried before things weren’t working out. Now that things are settled, why are you still worried? Isn’t this a good thing?”
“Excellent, we’ve selected four!”
“We should pick the outstanding ones. Xiaoman wants to learn sericulture, so let her go.”
“Among the educated youth, we definitely need to include Jiang and Lin. If we let Xiaoman go with Jiang, who knows what might happen along the way.”
Thinking about this, Liu Zhaoqiang felt a sharp pain in his heart. Was Xiaoman really changing her mindset, or was this her plan from the beginning? If it was the latter, she was too calculating. Liu Zhaoqiang had a headache.
“They are going out to study; they can’t cause trouble.”
Wang Qiaoxiu, finally understanding Liu Zhaoqiang’s dilemma, suggested, “Why not let Xie Mingtu accompany Xiaoman?”
“Mingtu is honest, sensible, and reliable. He’s also a young man from our village. With him around, Xiaoman will be taken care of, and there shouldn’t be any trouble.”
“You’re right!” Liu Zhaoqiang clapped his hands heavily. “That’s a great idea!”
And so, the candidates were decided.
There were seven spots for the study group to the Sanli Brigade of Baishi Commune in the neighbouring province. The selected individuals were Educated Youth Jiang, He Liang, Su Xiaoman, Zhang Lili, Xie Mingtu, Chen Jiying, and Tang Jianqiang.
Of the seven, only Educated Youth Jiang and He Liang were educated youth from the team. The other five were members of the commune. Except for Chen Jiying, who was a stubborn old man, Su Xiaoman and the others were young members of the production team.
Liu Zhaoqiang hoped these young men would learn how to operate tools like tractors during their time away and be able to use them effectively upon their return.
“A study group? Going out to learn?”
“Even old Chen Jiying is going?”
“What good can come from going out? Do you want to go too?”
“I don’t want to go. I don’t want to struggle in poverty!!”
…
The establishment of the study group to learn in the neighbouring province was posted on the bulletin board. Liu San, who recognized a few words, read the notice aloud, explaining it to the members. After a few discussions, most people moved on.
These people, who rarely venture far from their homeland, are not interested in going out to study.
“The selected ones are all young people in their twenties. Yes, it’s good to let the young ones go out and explore!”
“Jiang and He, both educated youth, are excellent…”
The young educated youth who were having their meal were also discussing this matter.
Unlike the villagers, the young educated youth were all hoping to go out and see the world. Going to another province for study was not seen as a journey of hardships and fatigue for them; rather, it was an extremely attractive opportunity.
Female educated youth Wang Lan put down her bowl, thinking about her aunt in the neighbouring province. She wished she could appear on the list for study, eager to see her aunt and hoping her uncle could use his connections to get her out.
One of the educated youth questioned, “How were the study spots allocated?”
“It seems they chose young people…”
Suddenly, someone exclaimed, “Su Xiaoman is on the list?!”
“Su Xiaoman and Jiang are going to study together!”
His words caused an explosion in the room, giving many a vent for their emotions. Wang Lan slammed the table and shouted that it was unfair.
“This is unfair!!”
“Su Xiaoman can go… Why can Su Xiaoman go!! We educated youth have diplomas, we can read, so why aren’t there more spots for us? Others have no educational background, what can they learn?”
“Why are there only two spots for us educated youth?”
“It’s unfair!!”
“It’s because of Su Xiaoman!! It must be Su Xiaoman!” Wang Lan started causing a scene among the educated youth. “The team leader is Su Xiaoman’s uncle, that’s why he’s favoring her and letting her go for study.”
“Disgusting! She must be trying to cling to Jiang!”
“She’s shameless! I refuse to accept this. I’m going to report this!”
“There’s trouble! There’s trouble among the educated youth!”
“They’re bringing it to the brigade level.”
“The brigade secretary is coming to handle this!!!”
With the list finalized, Liu Zhaoqiang thought he had completed a task, but little did he know that due to the allocation of spots, a situation had arisen that was causing him a headache. Secretary Liang personally came to talk to him about it.
“That Wang educated youth said Su Xiaoman is your niece?”
“Su Xiaoman is indeed my niece.” Liu Zhaoqiang felt a headache coming on. Su Xiaoman was his niece, and also the one who had encouraged and suggested him to take this action.
Secretary Liang frowned upon hearing this and criticized, “We can’t use personal relations like this. Look now, it’s causing trouble. The masses are all complaining about unfairness.”
“We need to reconsider this allocation of spots. We should let the outstanding comrades go for study.”
Liu Zhaoqiang forced a few bitter laughs and explained, “Secretary, there’s a reason for this. Let me explain the whole situation to you, it’s a bit different from what Wang educated youth said…”
“You don’t need to explain to me primarily, you need to figure out how to explain it to everyone.”
“There’s already a lot of dissatisfaction.”
Secretary Liang waved his hand, not particularly interested in hearing explanations. The issue had already escalated and caused a negative impact among the people, so it needed to be resolved quickly.
While Secretary Liang was talking to Liu Zhaoqiang inside, there was a crowd gathering outside to watch the commotion. When Secretary Liang and Liu Zhaoqiang pushed the door open to walk out, a dense crowd of onlookers had gathered. Wang educated youth happened to stand at the far left of the crowd, arms folded and looking discontented, while a few educated youths were trying to persuade her.
“Wang Lan, let it go. Don’t cause trouble.”
“It’s not a big deal. If you cause trouble, you’ll have to go to the brigade.”
“Change the allocation, make Su Xiaoman publicly apologize!!!”
…
Secretary Liang’s gaze lingered on Wang educated youth for three seconds. At that moment, another young girl emerged from the crowd. She was particularly beautiful, with jet-black hair and sparkling eyes, even more attractive than the people depicted in propaganda posters.
“Secretary, I’m Su Xiaoman.”
Secretary Liang was momentarily stunned. “You’re Su Xiaoman?”
Secretary Liang had seen Su Xiaoman before, but the girl in front of him was much prettier than he remembered. She didn’t seem like a girl from the countryside at all. With her demeanour, she seemed more like a girl who had grown up in the city, even more so than the educated youths who had come from there.
Su Xiaoman nodded, but before she could say anything, someone beside her said sarcastically, “She’s Su Xiaoman.”
The one who spoke was none other than Wang Lan, who had a disgruntled look on her face.
Wang Lan had long been envious of Su Xiaoman. She envied Su Xiaoman’s beauty and resented her for getting close to Jiang, the educated youth she liked.
Yes, Wang Lan liked Educated Youth Jiang. When Su Xiaoman was previously involved with Educated Youth Jiang, Wang Lan was extremely resentful. She was afraid that Educated Youth Jiang would be swayed by Su Xiaoman’s charms. However, when Su Xiaoman married Xie Mingtu, Wang Lan was overjoyed, feeling somewhat relieved.
Even if she couldn’t win this spot, she absolutely couldn’t let Su Xiaoman go. She couldn’t give Su Xiaoman another chance to entangle Jiang educated youth.
“Even after getting married, she still tries to entangle Jiang educated youth.”
“Shameless and disgraceful.”
Wang Lan angrily scolded Su Xiaoman several times, but she found that Su Xiaoman was looking at her calmly and wasn’t provoked by her words.
Su Xiaoman scanned the faces of the crowd, those who were mocking and spectating, and calmly said, “Have any of you seen me talking to Jiang educated youth these past few days?”
“Why do you say I’m entangling Jiang educated youth?”
Su Xiaoman’s gaze shifted to Secretary Liang. “Secretary Liang, I’m already married now. My husband, Xie Mingtu, is also a member of our Qinghe Brigade.”
“I know I’ve caused some misunderstandings before, but now… for a better future, I want to actively participate in the construction of the production team. Everyone in the village knows that I’m not good at farming. I’m physically weak, I can’t carry loads, and I can’t handle heavy work…”
“But everyone has their own expertise. Women can also contribute to society! In response to Chairman Mao’s call, I excel at women’s work, so I took the initiative to approach the production team leader and asked to go to the provincial capital to learn about grafting mulberry trees and the scientific methods of sericulture.”
Secretary Liang couldn’t help but nod. Speaking these words, he began to regard Su Xiaoman differently.
“Huh!” A cold laugh came from one of the educated youths nearby.
“Even if you’re going to study, it should be us educated youths who should go first. We educated youths have a higher level of education and a broader knowledge base. When it comes to learning grafting, it should be the young educated youths who go. Su Xiaoman, what makes you think you’re better than other female educated youths?”
This remark didn’t come from Wang Lan, but from another educated youth surnamed Sun in the crowd. After he spoke, the other female educated youths nodded in agreement. Even among the villagers, many felt that his words made a lot of sense.
How could Su Xiaoman compare to the female educated youths?
“I’m a member of our Qinghe Brigade. Although my education level isn’t high, I’ve been actively learning at home. I’ve been ridiculed for my low education level before, but I believe that through hard work and study, it’s never too late to start learning, even at eighteen.” Su Xiaoman took out a calligraphy practice book and opened it, displaying it in front of everyone. The pages were filled with beautiful, neat characters, as if they were printed.
“These are the characters I wrote when I fell ill after falling into the water.”
The copybook contained quotes from great figures and some news reports.
Secretary Liang praised, “You write well.”
The villagers watching on nodded in agreement. Though they might not be literate, they appreciated the beautifully written characters in Su Xiaoman’s copybook. Each stroke was meticulously crafted in a graceful, neat style, which was easy to recognize and incredibly elegant. Some even thought her handwriting was better than what they had seen from the educated youth before.
“Su Xiaoman writes so beautifully!”
“I think it’s even better than what the educated youth write.”
“Their handwriting can be hard to read, but she writes so clearly.”
Secretary Liang flipped through her copybook and could see her significant progress. He nodded in approval, impressed. “Your handwriting has improved a lot. You’ve clearly put in a lot of effort. You’re setting a good example.”
Su Xiaoman smiled. “Secretary Liang, I’m actively learning now and trying to get closer to the organization. I believe that us villagers from Qinghe Brigade, even though we might not have had access to higher education, can still become knowledgeable and cultured individuals.”
Her words resonated with some of the villagers. A few whispered, “If we had the same opportunities as city folks, our children wouldn’t lag behind in education.”
Suddenly, Su Xiaoman pulled out three freshly picked leaves and walked up to Wang Lan, holding them out. She asked, “Do you know what these leaves are?”
The three leaves looked similar, with distinct green patterns visible under the daylight.
These were all common leaves found around the village.
Wang Lan, staring at the leaves, was puzzled. She stuttered, “Aren’t these leaves all the same?”
Someone who recognized them chimed in, “How can they be the same? Clearly—”
“Let’s not say anything yet. Let’s see how Wang Lan answers,” another interrupted.
Wang Lan pursed her lips. To her, these were just ordinary green leaves, and she couldn’t name them. Just as she was feeling helpless, she overheard some educated youth whispering, “They look like mulberry leaves.”
Suddenly, it clicked in her mind. “Mulberry leaves.”
Yes, they looked like mulberry leaves!
Secretary Liang had also realized this by now. He looked at Wang Lan curiously and asked, “Can you recognize mulberry leaves?”
After all, if she was going to learn about grafting mulberry trees, she should at least recognize mulberry leaves.
Wang Lan closed her eyes for a moment, trying to recall the vague image of a mulberry leaf in her mind. Frustrated, she thought to herself, Three out of three, I must have gotten it right. Pointing at the one in the middle, she declared, “This one is a mulberry leaf!”
Su Xiaoman shook her head. Wang Lan felt like she had been doused in cold water. She shook herself and said, trying to save face, “These leaves all look so similar. Who can recognize each one individually?”
Su Xiaoman waved to the crowd, and a ten-year-old boy, puzzled, pointed to himself and walked over.
“Do you recognize these leaves?” Su Xiaoman asked.
The boy nodded. “This one is Chinese sweet gum, and this one is hemp leaf…”
He named the leaves using the local dialect.
Although these leaves resembled mulberry leaves, none of them were actually mulberry leaves.
Su Xiaoman said, “Secretary Liang, we villagers have grown up in the mountains since we were young. Compared to the educated youth from the city, although we may not have received much education, we still have our advantages. We understand the natural environment and the growth patterns of plants. We can recognize the leaves in the mountains.”
“For example, in learning groups like this, there should be positions for educated youth, and even more positions for young people from our village. Our ancestors have lived here for generations, and the development of our production team relies on our own hands. We are rooted here forever.”
After her words settled, there was a brief silence before another female voice in the crowd immediately spoke up. It was Jiang Yuling, a good friend of Su Jia’s sister-in-law, Yang Yingzi.
“Su Xiaoman is right! Why can’t she go to study? Why is she not as good as those educated youth?”
“Su Xiaoman is particularly skilled at making clothes. Look at this outfit she made for her cousin. Yingzi, take it out and show everyone… Look at these stitches, how delicate are they?”
“And this embroidery, take a look!”
Because of what the educated youth had said to Su Xiaoman, Yang Yingzi remembered to bring over the clothes Su Xiaoman had helped make. Now was the perfect time to showcase them to the others.
“Wow, these clothes are so beautifully made.”
“Is this really Su Xiaoman’s craftsmanship? The embroidery is so exquisite.”
“I can attest to this! This is really Su Xiaoman’s craftsmanship. Last time, I went to her house with Shufeng and saw her and her sister-in-law discussing making clothes…”
“Su Xiaoman’s craftsmanship is really good, and she’s both beautiful and capable.”
“I heard from the Xie family that she’s also good at cooking.”
“I heard Mr. Xie praising her cooking.”
“Indeed, indeed,” Secretary Liang nodded several times. “Su Xiaoman, you’re a young member of Qinghe Brigade, skilled in women’s work. Going to learn about scientific sericulture, you should be the first choice.”
Secretary Liang’s words settled the matter.
Wang Lan’s face turned pale.
“If Su Xiaoman goes, then… what about the others? What about Xie Fifth? Why should he go?”
“Xie Fifth is also a native of our village, tall and strong. Young people should go and learn.”
“Secretary Liang,” Liu Zhaoqiang interjected, “I selected these people with careful consideration. Let me explain to you in detail.”
After Wang Lan caused a commotion, although the final quota didn’t change, Secretary Liang took into account the wishes of the educated youth and fought for an additional spot in the county, granting one more learning position for the educated youth.
With two male educated youth already selected, one more female educated youth was added. Liu Zhaoqiang let all the educated youth choose one person themselves.
In the end, Wang Lan wasn’t chosen, and the spot went to another female educated youth, Zhao Qingqing.
Since Zhao Qingqing had a bad relationship with Wang Lan, this turned out quite well. There were overt and covert taunts directed at someone who “couldn’t steal the chicken and ended up losing the rice.”
“What a benefit! It never falls on certain people.”
This made Wang Lan so angry that she couldn’t even eat.
Educated Youth Jiang and his roommate Lin Baijun finished their meal and quickly washed the dishes with water. Lin Baijun casually wiped his clothes and sighed, “Educated Youth Jiang, have you noticed that Su Xiaoman is different from before?”
“She can actually say those things.”
Educated Youth Jiang, holding a book, suddenly froze. In his mind, the image of that girl, shining all over, with her hair and red lips, was unexpectedly vivid and fresh.
*
Su Xiaoman returned to the Su family’s home, where everyone was smiling at her. With the issue resolved, they were all very happy.
“You’re different from before.”
“Your eldest uncle just came over and praised you, saying you look refreshed.”
“This is great news! Your sister finally stopped thinking about that educated youth, Educated Youth Jiang.”
Su Xiaoman rummaged through some old books in the Su family’s home. Previously, in her efforts to please Educated Youth Jiang, she had actively sought knowledge and bought many old books to study, including some old high school textbooks.
She planned to take them to the Xie family.
These were all good books. In a few years, when the college entrance examination resumed, they would still be useful. Although Su Xiaoman herself might not necessarily need these books now, she could take them to the Xie family for Xie Mingtu.
Thinking of the poor little soul who had been bullied, cowering by the classroom window and eavesdropping on classes, Su Xiaoman couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness.
She packed the old books and held them close to her chest as she brought them back to the Xie family.
It was still in that rundown house where the tall and skinny Xie Mingtu glanced at the books Su Xiaoman brought back but didn’t pay much attention. His eyes were focused on Su Xiaoman across from him, his pitch-black eyes shining brightly, like stars in the sky.
“Manman, you’re different now.” Xie Mingtu still remembered her standing across the crowd, with rosy cheeks and dark braided hair hanging down her shoulders, looking exceptionally beautiful when the breeze brushed through her hair.
—She even said she was his wife.
Su Xiaoman nodded in agreement. “Yes, I’ve changed. Now, I’ve become Su Xiaoman, who wants to study hard and strive for progress.”
Xie Mingtu smiled at her, his eyes very gentle.
Xie Gouzi’s eyes were especially beautiful when he smiled. Su Xiaoman’s heart skipped a beat involuntarily, but a second later, she just wanted to cover her eyes.
The contrast between his appearance and personality was too stark, and he seemed completely unaware of it.
Su Xiaoman glanced at him with a bit of resentment, thinking when this guy would be willing to tidy himself up.
Well, it’s better this way, so it won’t affect his studies.
Su Xiaoman picked up a book, and as soon as she flipped it open, she was greeted with many questions, making her a little dizzy. Su Xiaoman from this era had only completed elementary school, so she was essentially still an primary school student.
…Yes, a primary school student.
She glanced at Xie Mingtu again, thinking to herself that this silly guy was probably also like a ” primary school student”.
Su Xiaoman waved the book in her hand and said to Xie Mingtu, “Xie Mingtu, do you want to study with me? There are some questions I don’t know how to do. Do you want to try?”
Xie Mingtu nodded and followed over.
The two ” primary school students” gathered together to study high school maths problems.
Su Xiaoman felt she had the advantage. She wanted to take the lead, after all, she wasn’t a real primary school student; her other self had already graduated from university!!
So Su Xiaoman, this ” primary school student,” had a very teacher-like manner and planned to first check the level of “Xie elementary School Student.”
With a few flicks, Su Xiaoman handed Xie Mingtu an entrance exam question paper.
“You go ahead and solve the questions.”
Su Xiaoman wanted to see the other’s level, whether it could reach the standard of a graduating primary school student, although she didn’t know what the standard for graduating primary school students was in this era.
Xie Mingtu received the questions, staring at Su Xiaoman’s handwriting on it, feeling a bit… ugly.
In order to write faster, Su Xiaoman’s handwriting was a bit sloppy, and at the same time, to take care of Xie Primary School Student’s feelings, she intentionally wrote it a bit poorly.
“Why aren’t you writing? Can’t you do it?” Seeing the other motionless while looking at the questions, Su Xiaoman suddenly felt a bit difficult to deal with.
The first question was just simple multiplication and division. Could it be that Xie Mingtu couldn’t even solve it?
The first question was 7857 multiplied by 568.
These numbers were written by Su Xiaoman casually; most people could figure out the equation using the formula.
Su Xiaoman: “…”
“I can.”
Xie Mingtu picked up the pen and began to answer.
Su Xiaoman watched this guy answer the questions effortlessly. He was almost filling in one answer per second.
Su Xiaoman felt he was answering randomly, but upon observing the answers, they seemed to be somewhat correct.
Su Xiaoman herself didn’t know the exact answers; she had to calculate step by step.
Su Xiaoman memorized a question and its answer, turned away from Xie Mingtu, and began to calculate herself…
She found that all the answers Xie Mingtu wrote were correct.
This guy’s mental arithmetic skills were really strong!
Su Xiaoman’s eyes flickered a few times. Suddenly, a strange guess arose in her mind. She looked at Xie Mingtu with some disbelief and wariness, wondering if this guy had been pretending to be dumb to catch others off guard?
Like intentionally making himself look inconspicuous.
Or maybe he had a natural talent for learning.
…
“Xiaoman, what’s wrong?” Xie Mingtu raised his head from the questions and noticed Su Xiaoman who had been studying him intently. His face was slightly red, only it was obscured by the stubble and black smudges on his cheeks.
Su Xiaoman stared into his eyes. Xie Mingtu’s gaze was honest and pure, like that of a simple dog. His dark puppy eyes seemed completely incapable of lying.
Su Xiaoman: “…”
She started to doubt whether the idea of him pretending to be dumb was just her imagination.
A dog is still a dog.
“Xiaoman, I’ve finished writing.” There was a hint of excitement in his tone, as if he had retrieved a frisbee and was waiting for his owner’s praise like a Samoyed.
Su Xiaoman nodded and put away the questions. “Let me check your answers, Xie Mingtu. Then, memorize a passage from the text for me. These few pages, you’ll recite it to me later.”
Su Xiaoman felt she needed some peace and quiet. Besides, the person who made the questions might need more time to calculate the correct answers.
In a daze, amidst the hustle and bustle…
Although she wasn’t sure if Xie Mingtu was really pretending to be dumb, he listened to her obediently, finishing the math questions and then proceeding to memorize the text without fuss.
However, after a while, he claimed he had finished memorizing.
Su Xiaoman really wanted to give Xie Mingtu a slap on the forehead right now. She was really tempted to ask him angrily: How could he memorize it after just one or two readings?
Su Xiaoman: “…”
She feared that this guy could actually memorize it.
In fact, the 18-year-old Xie Mingtu’s memory was even better than his mental arithmetic skills. He could almost be said to have a photographic memory, reciting the text word for word.
Su Xiaoman scratched her head. She didn’t know what expression to use to face Xie Mingtu in front of her. Her feelings were very complicated. Apart from envy, jealousy, and resentment, there was still envy, jealousy, and resentment.
Yet, this guy was still earnestly waiting for her evaluation.
Su Xiaoman felt dazed, thinking to herself: I really want to smack him…
A genius boasting in front of ordinary people.
She, who set the questions, was simply a clown.
Regardless of whether he was pretending to be dumb or not, Su Xiaoman felt she had been “dazzled” by this guy.
She felt like she was the cannon fodder supporting actress who had taken the script to be amazed and slapped in the face by the protagonist.
In fact, she was indeed the cannon fodder supporting actress in the original book, only the current Xie Mingtu wasn’t the protagonist but the biggest villain in the book.
Yes, in most novels, genius characters are either protagonists or major villains.
As long as Xie Mingtu was given a chance to learn, he would definitely surpass others smoothly, truly deserving to become the ultimate villain.
The foundation of a great villain was indeed solid.
“Xiaoman…”
Su Xiaoman couldn’t help but retort in her mind, “Slow your roll, can’t you be faster?”
She took a deep breath, feeling that she shouldn’t be envious of the basic hardware of a great villain. She needed to stay calm and composed.
At the same time, she made a decision that regardless of whether Xie Mingtu was really pretending to be dumb, she would treat him like a “pig.”
She didn’t want to be a cannon fodder supporting actress who got amazed and slapped in the face.
As long as she didn’t show strong “shock,” she would win.
Having a calm and composed attitude towards everything, including villains, Su Xiaoman remained unperturbed by praise or insult.
“Xie Mingtu, let’s study together. However, I might not be as fast in memorizing as you, so you’ll have to wait for me.”
Admittingly, studying with a genius was quite frustrating. Su Xiaoman no longer harboured feelings of jealousy.
She couldn’t help but praise Xie Mingtu several times, “You learn so quickly.”
“You’re quick too, Xiaoman.”
Xie Mingtu’s reciprocal compliments did nothing to console Su Xiaoman. She felt like a complete clown for sympathizing with him earlier when he was listening to lessons outside the window.
—The clown was me!
Despite saying they’d study together, Su Xiaoman now intended to part ways with him, to go their separate paths.
As a university student, being overshadowed by an “primary school student” was too much of a blow.
“Xie Mingtu, you study on your own. I’m tired, I want to take a nap.” Su Xiaoman put down her textbook, lay on the bed, covered herself with a blanket. She felt mentally exhausted now, perhaps it was also a form of avoidance, not wanting to face Xie Mingtu temporarily.
Xie Mingtu nodded and continued to sit obediently in the corner reading his book.
It was mid-afternoon, sunlight seeped in through the cracks in the wall, casting a few beams onto the floor.
Xie Mingtu reached out and cupped one of those beams.
He turned to look at the figure on the bed, revealing a pure smile.
—She was the light shining in.
Before heading out to study, Su Xiaoman stopped by the commune. She needed to collect some debts from a few people.
She knew she’d need money once she was outside, perhaps she’d have to buy quite a few things. In any case, getting her money back was the top priority.
Although she didn’t want to deal with those commune members.
The people at the commune were surprised to see Su Xiaoman. It was perfect timing; they had just finished eating, and everyone was still there, not missing a single person.
Because mealtime was when the people were most concentrated.
“Didn’t she say she had nothing to do with educated youth Jiang anymore?”
“Su Xiaoman, why did you come to our educated youth commune?”
“Are you here to see educated youth Jiang again?”
Su Xiaoman’s momentum wasn’t weak either. “I’m here to collect money. I lent out over twenty yuan before, so all the educated youths who owe me money should pay up.”
Both educated youth Lin and educated youth Sun had borrowed money from her. Previously, due to educated youth Jiang, Su Xiaoman had refrained from asking for repayment. And the debtors hadn’t shown any initiative to pay back either.
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