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墨書 Inktalez
He called the Harvester from the Township Farm Machinery Station, and the family worked tirelessly to haul the ten acres of Wheat they had harvested to the Threshing Ground, helping to avert a significant loss. Their parents no longer fretted over the sixty dollars spent; Zhao Meirong pulled out ten Great Unity notes from an old pouch hidden under the bedding, six of which were for hiring the Harvester to collect the Wheat, while the remaining forty were for Hu Ruoyun’s expenses for attending the Entrance Examination in the county.
Although a hundred dollars was not a small amount for Hu Qihua and Zhao Meirong, they paid it willingly. Hu Qihua and Zhao Meirong remarked that those sixty dollars represented years of hard work by their three children—waking up early to pull weeds for the rabbits, climbing trees to gather cicada shells, and digging Atractylodes in the wild. Now, that sixty dollars had been a great help to the family, and they felt they could not take advantage of their children any longer.
As for Hu Ruoyun’s trip to the county for the exam, Zhao Meirong calculated expenses: bus fare for the round trip, accommodation in the county, and meals—all of which added up. Although forty dollars seemed a bit much, they believed that letting their child have a little more money might help improve his exam performance.
Of course, this also served as a reward for his early harvesting of the Wheat.
On the morning before the exam, two large sedan cars were rented by the school to transport students from Junior Three to the county. Each student paid one dollar; seventy cents went towards transportation costs while thirty cents—who knew if it was a “vacation fee” for the driver or if someone pocketed it?
Most students stayed in ordinary rooms at the County Guesthouse's south wing, three students per room, with each person paying three dollars for one night’s accommodation. They were responsible for their own meals and other necessary expenses. After the exams concluded, everyone would head back home via local buses, marking a true end to their three years in Middle School.
In 1990, Jiangbei Province’s Entrance Examination covered seven subjects: Language, History, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Politics, and English, with a total score of 590 points. The first exam on the morning of day one was Language. Since most students came from rural towns and stayed at school-arranged accommodations, Jiang Qiuying’s aunt had arranged for her niece to stay at her home in town so she could eat and rest better during these three days.
When her aunt agreed to this arrangement and even handed Jiang Qiuying five dollars, she forgot that it would take nearly twenty minutes of walking from the exam site back to her aunt's house. As a young girl in an unfamiliar town, this journey posed some safety concerns.
Even in rural areas and among children, boys and girls inevitably develop unspoken feelings as they reach a certain age. Xiong Debiao harbored special feelings for Jiang Qiuying; he felt regretful that he couldn’t spend those final moments of Middle School with her. After finishing his morning Language exam, he quietly followed her at a distance as she packed her exam materials into her backpack and left.
Xiong Debiao was a year older than Hu Ruoyun; tall and robust with a straightforward personality, he was Hu Ruoyun’s close friend. Classmates—regardless of gender or age—affectionately called him “Brother Biao,” while he liked to refer to Hu Ruoyun as “Brother Yun,” mimicking characters from Hong Kong films.
To reach her aunt's house, Jiang Qiuying had to walk along a riverside path where foot traffic was sparse. Approaching noon, she was intercepted by Zhang Lingyun—the notorious “Young Master Dog”—along with several street thugs.
Zhang Lingyun was the son of Zhang Shusen, the executive deputy director of the County Public Security Bureau. He was not only a spoiled brat but also extremely arrogant. Over the years, he had openly extorted protection fees from local businesses and frequently caused trouble; even high school students in town had fallen victim to his schemes.
He was infamous in town; however, due to his father’s position and power, many people could only seethe with resentment but felt powerless against him. Behind closed doors, he was often referred to as “Young Master Dog.”
Though Young Master Dog’s father held significant authority as second-in-command in Annan County and had been entrenched in local politics for years—uniting middle management from various departments like criminal investigation and public security under his influence—the political landscape had become convoluted. The political commissar was nearing retirement and had essentially relinquished control; an outsider brought in as director had been rendered ineffective under Young Master Dog’s shadow.
At this moment, Brother Biao quietly trailed behind Jiang Qiuying while watching her walk ahead. Unbeknownst to him, Hu Ruoyun followed closely behind with a camera hanging around his neck.
To prevent Brother Biao and Jiang Qiuying from facing serious repercussions due to this incident, Hu Ruoyun had visited his classmate Shaoying’s family at their Photo Studio days earlier to borrow a camera.
During graduation season when elementary and middle school students were taking graduation photos, borrowing equipment from Shaoying’s Photo Studio—a unique business—felt awkward.
Fortunately, Shaoying was also one of Hu Ruoyun’s close friends. He had dropped out early in his second year to help support his family’s business but still welcomed old classmates with open arms. Despite feeling uneasy about lending out equipment during such busy times, he handed over an old camera that wasn’t used much anymore after reminding Hu Ruoyun several times: “This thing is worth three or four thousand dollars! Be careful not to drop it! You’ll need to buy your own film…” He patiently taught Hu Ruoyun how to use this high-tech gadget.
It was already quite a favor to borrow a camera, so how could she ask for more and make them pay over thirty yuan for a roll of film? Hu Ruoyun readily assured, “Don’t worry, Brother Shao, I promise to return it in perfect condition!”
Jiang Qiuying walked along the river for two minutes; she would have to walk another four or five hundred meters to cross a small stone bridge and reach the main road. This place was already sparsely populated, and at this time close to noon, it was completely deserted.
The fourteen-year-old Jiang Qiuying wore a red dress with small white flowers, paired with white open-toe sandals. Her ponytail swayed as she walked, radiating youthful energy. Although she helped her family with farm work during holidays, her skin remained fair and delicate. With a heart-shaped face and almond-shaped eyes, she smiled to reveal two cute dimples.
At this moment, although the children were still naive, a group of boys led by Brother Biao privately referred to her as the "class flower."
Feeling pleased with how well she had done on her morning exam, the young girl skipped along happily, humming:
“Let us row our oars,
The little boat pushes through the waves.
The sea reflects the beautiful white tower,
Surrounded by green trees and red walls.
The little boat gently drifts on the water,
A cool breeze blows towards us.
The red scarf faces the sun,
Sunlight spills onto the sea surface.
The fish in the water gaze at us,
Quietly listening to our joyful singing.
The little boat gently drifts on the water,
A cool breeze blows towards us…”
As they approached the bridge, four figures suddenly blocked Jiang Qiuying's path. The leader had a horse-like face, with slanted eyebrows above a pair of triangular eyes and a wide mouth twisted into a sneer. His ugly and fierce appearance startled Jiang Qiuying.
This guy was Zhang Lingyun, who had a rather grand name but was known in the county as the "Dog Young Master," a good-for-nothing.
Behind him were three others: one was as thin as a stick, with a scar running down his left cheek that made him look menacing; another was the Little Black Chubby One, whose beady green eyes darted around, clearly someone with deep schemes; the last one stood over six feet tall, muscular and with a face full of flesh, resembling a half-black tower—a typical thug.
Dog Young Master glanced at Jiang Qiuying with a lewd smile and said in a sleazy tone, “Hey there, little sister, why don’t you come with me to the Video Hall? They have all the latest Hollywood blockbusters—it’ll be fun…” As he spoke, he reached out his hand toward Jiang Qiuying's chin.
Jiang Qiuying turned pale with fear. “I don’t know you! Get away from me!” She trembled uncontrollably, wanting to run, but her legs felt like they were no longer under her control.
Dog Young Master exchanged glances with his three lackeys, and they moved closer to grab Jiang Qiuying.
Brother Biao had seen everything from a distance and rushed over with heavy footsteps that thudded against the ground. “What are you doing? Don’t touch her!”
Brother Biao was a year behind in school and was fifteen this year. He had developed early and often helped his family with work, making him sturdy with thick arms and legs. Standing nearly five foot seven, he looked older than his actual age as he positioned himself protectively in front of Jiang Qiuying.
The four thugs were initially startled but relaxed when they realized that the newcomer was just a half-grown boy. Dog Young Master shot an annoyed glance at the panting Brother Biao. “You little brat, get lost!”
Seeing Brother Biao glaring defiantly at him, Dog Young Master impatiently ordered his three underlings, “Damn it, he’s asking for it! Take him down! Hurry up and don’t let him get in the way!”
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