Seeing that Lin Peiru was still so fair-skinned and energetic, they exchanged glances, their expressions growing complicated.
There was curiosity, scrutiny—but more than anything, a kind of “experienced person” sympathy toward a naive newcomer.
Another poor girl fooled by the sweet talk of the educated youth office.
She had no idea how much hardship awaited her.
A young man sitting in the corner, looking the youngest, couldn’t help but sigh softly.
“Why are people still coming here… When will we ever be able to go back…”
Although his voice was quiet, the courtyard was silent, and Lin Peiru still heard it.
Her smile didn’t change, but her mind was as clear as a mirror.
She knew exactly what they were thinking.
But she was not the delicate young lady they imagined.
She knew life in the countryside would be hard and exhausting, and she also knew most educated youths desperately wanted to return to the city.
But she had to come. She had no choice.
A woman who looked gentle and wore glasses stood up. She was the leader of the female educated youths, Wang Wenqing.
She pushed up her glasses—held together with tape on one arm—and gave a mild smile.
“Hello, Comrade Lin Peiru. I’m Wang Wenqing, elected leader of the female educated youths.”
Her voice was calm and steady. “Welcome to Hongxing Production Brigade.”
Wang Wenqing gestured to the others and briefly introduced them.
“We are all comrades who came here to be re-educated through labor. From now on, we are one collective—we should help and support each other.”
Lin Peiru greeted each of them politely, her smile bright and dazzling.
“Hello, Leader Wang. Hello everyone.”
Seeing her so radiant and untroubled, Wang Wenqing’s sympathy deepened even more.
Then, as if remembering something, she asked, “Comrade Lin, where has the village arranged for you to stay?”
“Our village is poor and hasn’t built a separate dorm for educated youths, so everyone stays with local households.”
“You’re a young woman, you need to be careful about safety.”
Lin Peiru felt a warmth in her heart and developed a good impression of Wang Wenqing.
She smiled sweetly, eyes curved. “Thank you for your concern, Leader Wang. The village head arranged for me to stay at Huo Yunshen’s house.”
The moment those words came out, it was like a stone thrown into a calm lake.
With a “bang,” the atmosphere exploded.
The entire courtyard fell into dead silence.
The friendly atmosphere from moments ago instantly froze.
All the educated youths—including Wang Wenqing—changed their expressions.
Shock, disbelief, and even a faint, indescribable hint of contempt and caution replaced their earlier sympathy.
It felt as if even the air had stopped moving.
Lin Peiru’s smile froze on her lips.
The courtyard remained eerily silent, as if even the wind had stopped.
She looked at them in confusion as their expressions shifted again and again.
“What… is wrong?” she asked softly.
“Why does everyone react like that when I mention Huo Yunshen?”
The educated youths exchanged glances, none of them speaking first. The atmosphere became suffocating.
Finally, Wang Wenqing broke the silence.
Her earlier warmth was gone, replaced by seriousness.
After hesitating for a moment, she chose her words carefully.
“Comrade Lin… Huo Yunshen is… not very friendly toward us educated youths.”
“Not friendly?” Lin Peiru frowned.
That was completely different from the Huo Yunshen she knew.
Wang Wenqing nodded heavily.
“Comrade Lin, I know you’ve just arrived and don’t understand many things yet. But we’ve been here longer—listen to our advice. If you have a chance, you’d better move out of the Huo family.”
“It’s too dangerous living there.”
Lin Peiru’s brows furrowed even tighter.
She almost instinctively objected.
“I don’t think… Huo Yunshen is that kind of person.”
“He may be cold, but he doesn’t seem like someone who would target others without reason, let alone… hit people.”
As soon as she said this, a thin, tall male educated youth immediately exploded.
“Who said he doesn’t hit people for no reason?!”
He stood up angrily, pointing at himself.
“Me! He hit me!”
All eyes turned to him. The man—Yang Mingfeng—looked aggrieved and furious.
“When everyone saw it! I just went over to talk to him politely, and he suddenly went crazy and punched me in the nose without saying a word!”
He even rubbed his nose as if it still hurt.
“I still don’t know what I did wrong! Tell me—wasn’t I wronged?”
But as Lin Peiru looked at his indignant expression, doubt rose in her heart.
She narrowed her eyes, her gaze sharp and direct.
Something’s not right. Definitely not right.
From her brief impression, the young Huo Yunshen was cold—but steady, restrained.
He was not the kind of impulsive man who would hit someone without reason.
There must be another explanation.
Yang Mingfeng shifted under her gaze, but still forced himself to stay confident.
Lin Peiru spoke slowly, her voice calm but piercing.
“Are you sure you were just ‘talking’ to him?”
Yang Mingfeng froze.
She pressed on, her gaze even sharper.
“Then tell me—what exactly did you say to him?”
“What did you say that made him hit you?”
She believed firmly that if Huo Yunshen had acted, it must have been because Yang Mingfeng said something that crossed his line.
Yang Mingfeng’s face flushed red instantly. His eyes darted around as he struggled to respond.
He hadn’t expected this newly arrived girl—so gentle-looking—to question him so sharply.
Seeing that he was about to be exposed, he became angry out of embarrassment. He slammed his thigh and pointed at her.
“What’s wrong with you?!”
“We’re all educated youths from the city, and he’s just a rural bumpkin who hit someone!”
“You’re not even defending your own people—why are you siding with an outsider?!”