Chapter 70: If You Have the Guts, Make a Move

Qian Li sat down next to Xu Lin, curling her lips in disdain and said, “I thought Du Yong and Hu Changming had some backbone. Who would have expected them to be so easily swayed by the prospect of returning to the city? To please Su Liang, they’ve taken on all the chores—cooking, chopping wood, gardening—while Su Liang and Qin Fang just sit around every day, eating whatever’s prepared for them. It’s astonishing that they can stomach it.”

“Don’t they have any connections to help them return to the city?” Xu Lin asked.

“No, if they did, they wouldn’t have spent six or seven years in the countryside. They’re the longest-serving members sent down from the Youth Academy. I heard that when Du Yong goes home, he doesn’t even have a place to sleep. He has many brothers, so he’s forced to squeeze in with two of them. But both brothers are married, so when they sleep together, their wives have to squeeze in together as well.”

“Is there no space in the living room?” Xu Lin asked.

Qian Li chuckled lightly. “There are six brothers and one sister in his family. The other three brothers sleep in the living room, the sister stays in the parents’ room. It’s incredibly cramped.”

She shook her head repeatedly after speaking; with Du Yong’s family situation, he’d honestly be better off marrying a wife and settling down in the countryside. What’s the use of returning to the city? He’s already old and doesn’t even have a place to live. Even with a job, it would be hard to find a wife. Most importantly, even though Du Yong is the eldest, he’s not favored at home, and after being sent down, he still had to send money and food back to his family. It was only after his last visit home, when his heart was wounded, that he gritted his teeth and stopped sending money and food, which finally allowed him to move out of the communal bed. As for whether he’d be coaxed again in the future to send money and food, who can say? All in all, anyone who marries Du Yong is in for a rough time.

“How about Hu Changming? Is his situation just as bad?” Xu Lin asked curiously.

“Hu Changming’s family is a bit better; he doesn’t have as many brothers as Du Yong, but he’s also not favored. He was forced by his family to give up his job so his younger brother could stay, and since he was sent down, his family hasn’t sent him anything, not once. If Hu Changming wants to return to the city, he can’t count on his family—unless he gets in through the Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers University or some other channel.”

Though Qian Li complained about the two men lacking backbone, she actually felt sympathy for them. Both were unfavored by their families and had to find their own way back to the city.

“Linlin, do you think Qin Fang still has contact with the spy?” she asked.

“Are you worried?” Xu Lin offered a questioning glance, and seeing Qian Li nod, she smiled.

It seemed Qian Li wasn’t just here to vent about the two men; she also wanted to gather information.

Maybe she would privately warn Du Yong and Hu Changming to be wary of Qin Fang, but such warnings might not be appreciated.

“I don’t know if Qin Fang is still in contact with the spy. I never met her in the capital,” Xu Lin shrugged with a helpless expression. Qian Li wasn’t disappointed, only heaved a long sigh.

She felt that with Su Liang and Qin Fang’s arrival, the peace in the Youth Academy was about to be shattered.

Xu Lin stared at Qian Li for a moment and suddenly said, “If your parents have any connections, have them get you back to the city as soon as possible.”

“What’s wrong? Do you also feel the Youth Academy isn’t safe, that something might happen?” Qian Li gripped Xu Lin’s hand. “Let me tell you, ever since I found out Qin Fang is the daughter of a spy, my heart has been pounding, and my eyelids twitching. Do you think something might happen to me?”

“It’s all just speculation. Don’t scare yourself,” Xu Lin didn’t want to get too close, so she simply reminded her, “It’s always better to go back than stay here.”

She had seen something unusual in Qian Li’s face—something that hadn’t been there yesterday. It could only mean that something had happened at the black market, and Qian Li’s family might have caught the attention of Zhou Xuemei’s gang. If Zhou Xuemei used Qian Li’s family as leverage, what choice would Qian Li have? No matter what she did, it would be wrong and she’d regret it, so it was better to escape early.

Though comforted, Qian Li still didn’t feel at ease. After leaving Xu Lin, she went straight to the brigade office to make a call. If she could return to the city, she’d do it as soon as possible—even if it meant spending extra money. Having a spy’s daughter in the Youth Academy was truly frightening.

After Qian Li left, Xu Lin began preparing dinner. She’d spent the whole day busy in the county and hadn’t had time to pick up food from a restaurant. Next time, she’d definitely get takeout—her supply from the capital was nearly gone.

After dinner, Xu Lin went for a walk to aid digestion. When she returned, her eyes met Qin Fang’s, and she saw a murderous gleam in them. Xu Lin curled her lips into a smile—no matter how fierce the glare, it was useless. If she had guts, she’d make a move.

Qin Fang’s face darkened at the smile, and she rushed inside, slamming the door—only to stumble! Face down on the floor, Qin Fang thumped the ground in anger. She realized Xu Lin was extraordinarily unlucky for her; nothing good ever happened when they crossed paths.

No, she had to write to her elder brothers and have them send letters to scold Xu Lin.

Hmph, did she think cutting ties meant there were no ties? As long as Xu Lin carried Qin family blood, the Qin family was a weapon poised to stab her heart.

Having left Qin Fang face down, Xu Lin felt elated and slipped into her secret space to organize her finds.

One box after another was opened, and Xu Lin immersed herself in the joy of unboxing: large blue-and-white porcelain plates, Tang dynasty horses, bronze lamps—all exquisitely crafted antiques appeared before her, leaving her grinning from ear to ear.

Wonderful! Each piece was a treasure, each worthy of collection. That Asong really had a sharp eye, snatching only the best.

Xu Lin happily sorted her haul; time flew by, and over three hours passed.

Exiting her space, she checked her watch: it was already half past eleven.

Xu Lin quietly slipped out the window, surveyed her surroundings, then scaled the wall out of the Youth Academy.

The journey was uneventful. After half an hour, she reached Qingshan County and spent some more time finding the abandoned estate.

By sheer chance, Xu Lin spotted Asong and his companions near the ruins. After some thought, she turned and left.

She decided instead to visit the deputy director’s lover’s house.

This time it took her another ten minutes or so to locate the place, thanks to her calculations and the help of her mystical movement talisman. If she’d relied on her own skill, it would have taken much longer.

Outside the courtyard, Xu Lin used her aura-seeing technique. She didn’t spot any aura of treasure in the lover’s yard, but in a neighboring empty house, she saw a dense glow of treasure rising above.

What did that mean? Xu Lin grinned—it meant cleverness sometimes backfires.

With no one in the yard, it was easy for her to act.

She climbed over the wall, and quickly found the entrance to the secret room beneath the kitchen water jar.

Don’t ask why she found it so fast—just think, who fills a water jar in an uninhabited house with water?

Such an obvious flaw—anyone with eyes could spot it. Who knows which fool designed it?