Li Shuying's brows knit at the sudden voice. She turned, only to see Zhao Hongmei standing a short distance away, her expression a mixture of disbelief and calculation.
Zhao Hongmei stepped closer, her tone edged with feigned concern.
"Do you even have the money for a train ticket?" she asked. "Didn't you spend this month's entire allowance on supplies?"
The faint crease between Li Shuying's brows deepened, her gaze turning cold.
"Why are you so concerned with my family's affairs? Since when did it become your business? Have you already forgotten the lesson you learned in the communal canteen a few days ago?"
Zhao Hongmei's breath caught. The memory of that humiliation surged up like a slap across her face, stinging and vivid. For a fleeting moment, her composure faltered.
Yet she forced it back down.
"I was only asking out of concern, afterall its not a holiday for us, it's supposed to be a labour day, and you should help with choars and earn work points instead of going to city." she said lightly, lowering her gaze as if conceding and without waiting for a response, she turned and returned to her seat.
But beneath that meek exterior, her thoughts churned like a storm.
So she still has money left… even after spending so much.
A faint, calculating smile flickered across her lips.
That very afternoon, once school was dismissed, Zhao Hongmei hurried back toward the village, her steps quick and purposeful.
By the time she reached home, the sky had begun to dim with the amber hues of evening. She stepped quietly into the house and glanced toward the inner room.
There, seated by the small wooden table beneath the window, was her elder brother, Zhao Xiaojun.
He sat straight-backed, a book held in his hands, his expression composed and scholarly—like a proper young intellectual of the new era.
Yet Zhao Hongmei's steps slowed.
A trace of contmpt crept into her heart, she knew he was acting, and the reason? Simply to avoid working, this is what he does everyday.
Unlike Li Shuying and her brothers, Zhao Hongmei did not share a warm bond with Zhao Xiaojun. On the contrary, she had always loathed him.
Since childhood, she had seen through the façade others admired. Beneath his refined demeanor lay a man cold at heart—calculating, self-serving, and utterly unwilling to yield when it came to his own interests. To everyone, he appeared sensible and upright; to her, he was a man who would step over others without hesitation if it meant securing his own path.
Her gaze darkened as memories from her previous life surfaced.
After their father had been expelled from the army and reduced to farming, their family's standing had plummeted. The Li family, already strained, had grown increasingly resentful at having to support them. Yet they had held back—for Zhao Xiaojun had already been admitted to a technical school and was on the verge of graduation.
In their eyes, he was the family's hope.
Once assigned a job, he would gain an urban household registration and perhaps lift the entire family from hardship.
Even Zhao Hongmei had once taken pride in him. Though he had not entered a university like Li Jianhua, a technical school education still promised a stable future.
But fate had played a cruel hand.
Though Zhao Xiaojun did receive a job assignment, it was nothing more than a minor administrative post. Their father's disgrace—his expulsion on charges of embezzlement—had tainted Zhao Xiaojun's political record, reducing his prospects to dust. He was only accepted due to the urgent shortage of skilled workers.
And in the end…
He blamed it all on their father.
Without hesitation, without a backward glance, he abandoned the family and left for the city—never to return.
Once the Li family learned of this, they wasted no time in casting Zhao Hongmei and her parents out. With no means left, her education was cut short. She had been forced to leave school in her first year of high school and return to the fields, and could never appear for Collage entrance exam.
She still remembered the day when Li Shuying was admitted to university in Provential Capital.
The entire village had gathered in celebration. A red banner of commendation had been presented by Brigade Leader Liu, fluttering proudly in the wind.
And she…
She had stood at the edge of the crowd, silent, her nails digging into her palms, her eyes burning with resentment.
But now—
This life was different.
She would not allow history to repeat itself.
Her gaze lingered on Zhao Xiaojun, a trace of contempt flashing through her eyes before she quickly suppressed it. When she spoke again, her voice was gentle, almost sweet.
"Elder Brother… do you have a moment?"
Zhao Xiaojun frowned, clearly displeased at being interrupted. He lowered his book slightly and cast her a cold glance.
"Why are you chirping like an annoying sparrow?" he said curtly. "Can you not see that I am studying?"
Zhao Hongmei did not retreat. Instead, she stepped forward, her smile deepening just a fraction.
"I came to tell you something," she said softly. "I believe… you will find it quite useful."
At her words, Zhao Xiaojun's fingers paused against the page, though his expression remained unchanged.
Zhao Hongmei lowered her voice, her tone turning cautious as though she feared the very walls might overhear.
"I heard… Li Shuying is going to the city this weekend."
Zhao Xiaojun's brows furrowed immediately. Irritation flickered across his face as he snapped the book shut with a dull thud.
"This," he said coldly, "is why you interrupted me?" His gaze sharpened. "What does Li Shuying going to the city have to do with me?"
Zhao Hongmei did not retreat. Instead, she stepped closer, lowering her voice even further, her words measured and deliberate.
"Elder Brother, let me finish," she said. "Did you not hear Uncle Guofu say that Li Shuying had already spent every last penny on buying food supplies? Yet now, all of a sudden, she is going to the city."
She paused, letting the implication settle before continuing.
"Train tickets are not cheap. And Li Shuying would never go alone—she will certainly take her brothers with her. That means even more expense. So where did the money come from?"
Zhao Xiaojun's expression shifted slightly, though he said nothing.
Zhao Hongmei's lips curved faintly.
"It means they still have money," she said softly. "And you… didn't you say you wanted to buy those special study materials? The ones that are so expensive?"
At the mention of the study materials, something flickered in Zhao Xiaojun's eyes.
Zhao Hongmei pressed on.
"Mother has already refused to spend such a large sum, and Grandmother cannot help either—she has nothing left. But if we persuade them to ask Aunt Chen Meilan to lend us the money…" She tilted her head slightly. "Since they clearly have money, it is only reasonable for family to help one another. We can repay it later."
Zhao Xiaojun finally lifted his head fully, his earlier impatience replaced by a thoughtful stillness.
"Do you think," he asked slowly, "they would give it to us?"
Zhao Hongmei smirked wickedly.
"We are family," she replied. "How can they refuse? And with Grandmother present, they will not dare to refuse."
Zhao Xiaojun's lips tightened, doubt still lingering.
"Didn't you say that little wretch Li Shuying has grown a sharp tongue?" he said with a low scoff. "Even Grandmother could not handle her. Why would she allow her mother to lend us money?"
Zhao Hongmei inwardly scoffed at his narrow thinking, but her face remained composed.
"Grandmother did not yield to Li Shuying," she said calmly. "It was Brigade Leader Liu who stood behind Aunt Chen Meilan and her children. According to him, we cannot claim the allowance sent by Uncle Guoqiang—but borrowing is different."
Her voice grew firmer, more persuasive.
"This time, the brigade leader will not interfere. After all, the money is for a proper cause. Did he not say that Brother Jianhua entering university would bring honor to the entire village? That everyone should support him?"
She paused deliberately before delivering her final blow.
"In the same way… you also have a high chance of entering university. Should you not be supported as well?"
At those words, Zhao Xiaojun's chest rose slightly, pride swelling within him like a tide.
University.
Just the thought of it stirred something deep inside him.
His gaze drifted unconsciously, and his thoughts returned to a recent incident at school.
A few days ago, one of his classmates had arrived carrying a set of study materials compiled by teachers from an affiliated high school of Peking University. The moment those materials appeared, they drew attention like a magnet.
He had overheard the boy boasting casually, "The college entrance examination questions are very similar to what's inside these."
Those words had struck Zhao Xiaojun like a thunderclap.
For someone like him, who had clawed his way forward step by step, who knew that the college entrance examination was the only path out of the mud and into the city—such materials were no less than a ladder to heaven.
Suppressing his eagerness, he had approached the boy with what he believed was dignity.
"Could you lend them to me for a few days?" he had asked.
But the response…
A cold laugh.
"A poor peasant like you wants to borrow this?" the boy had sneered. "Do you even understand what you're looking at? These aren't just available to anyone, anywhere. You don't get this in county, you must go to city to obtain it, and still you don't find those in any book store, there is a special place to obtain it. And it cost 15 Yuan for this entire set of practice books, and you dare to beg me for it? Dream on."
Zhao Xiaojun's eyes widened in shock at the mention of 15 Yuan.
And before he could respond, he had been waved away like a beggar at the roadside.
That moment...
It had burned into Zhao Xiaojun's memory like a brand.
He hated many things, but nothing more than being called poor. Nothing more than being reminded of his rural origins.
In the village, he had always considered himself superior—educated, refined, destined for greater things. But at school, among those who came from better backgrounds, his pride was trampled again and again.
And that's why University was not merely a dream to him.
It was escape.
It was status.
It was an urban household registration—a grain bowl of iron that would ensure he would never again be looked down upon.
And those study materials…
They were not just books.
They were proof.
Proof that he was no less than anyone else.
Proof that he could stand above them all.
A cold glint surfaced in his eyes.
I will obtain them, he thought. No matter the cost.
Slowly, Zhao Xiaojun exhaled, his fingers tapping lightly against the closed book.
When he looked at Zhao Hongmei again, the earlier irritation had vanished, replaced by quiet calculation.
"…Your plan," he said at last, his voice low, "is not without merit."
Zhao Hongmei's smile deepened, her eyes glimmering faintly beneath the dim, wavering lamplight. She stepped closer, her voice soft yet edged with calculation.
"In that case," she said gently, "let us go and speak with Grandmother and Mother at once. And while we are at it… we should also ask for the fare for the train tickets." She paused, watching his reaction carefully before adding, "After all, to obtain those materials, you would have to travel to Baicheng, would you not?"
Zhao Xiaojun gave a brief nod. Without another word, he rose from the stool, his movements decisive, already intending to carry out the plan.
But just as he took a step forward, Zhao Hongmei moved swiftly, blocking his path.
"Elder Brother," she said, her tone softening, "will you take me with you to Baicheng?"
Zhao Xiaojun's expression darkened immediately, impatience surfacing once more.
"And what business do you have in Baicheng?" he replied curtly. "Do you not have labour points to earn? Mind your own responsibilities instead of chasing idle thoughts."
Zhao Hongmei did not retreat. Instead, she lowered her gaze, her voice turning fragile and subdued.
"I… I only wish to see Father," she murmured. "It has been almost a year since he last came home. I… I miss him."
Her words trembled just enough to sound sincere.
Yet beneath that meek exterior, her thoughts surged like a hidden current.
Baicheng…
She must grab this opportunity.
In her previous life, her father's downfall had begun with a single mistake—embezzlement of military supplies.
This time… she would not allow history to repeat itself.
She would warn him in advance.
But that was not all.
Another memory surfaced in her mind—sharp and vivid.
Two months from now, there would be a critical mission. In her previous life, it was that very mission that had allowed Li Guoqiang to rise suddenly through the ranks, his path thereafter as smooth as a dragon ascending to the heavens.
That opportunity… should never have been his.
Her fingers tightened subtly at her sides.
If her father could seize that mission instead—if Li Guoqiang were prevented from stepping onto that path—then everything would change.
The balance of fate would tilt.
And when that happened…
Li Shuying and her entire family would have no pillar left to rely upon.
A faint, cold glint flickered deep within Zhao Hongmei's eyes—gone as quickly as it appeared.
Zhao Xiaojun observed her lowered head, the quiet sorrow in her posture, and after a brief pause, his expression softened—if only slightly.
"Hmph," he exhaled, neither agreeing nor refusing outright.
Without further comment, he stepped past her and walked out of the room.
For now, he would not deny her.
After all, as the old saying goes—when one boards the same boat, one must row in the same direction.
And for the moment, their interests aligned.