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墨書 Inktalez
He called the Harvester from the Township Farm Machinery Station, and the family worked tirelessly to transport the ten acres of Wheat they had harvested to the Threshing Ground, stacking it up to avoid a significant loss. With this effort, their parents no longer felt pained by 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 paying the Harvester for harvesting 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 handed it over without hesitation. Hu Qihua and Zhao Meirong remarked that those sixty dollars were hard-earned by their three children, who had spent years waking up early to pull weeds for feeding rabbits, climbing trees to collect cicada shells, and digging Atractylodes in the wild. Now, that sixty dollars was a great help to the family, and they felt they should not take advantage of their children.
Zhao Meirong calculated that Hu Ruoyun's trip to the county for the exam would incur costs for round-trip bus fare, accommodation, and meals. Although forty dollars seemed a bit much, they believed that letting their child have a little more money might help improve her exam performance.
Of course, there was also a sense of reward for his urgent harvesting of the Wheat.
On the morning before the exam, the school rented two large sedan chairs to transport the Junior Three graduating class students to the county, charging each person one dollar. Out of this fee, seventy cents went towards transportation costs, while the remaining thirty cents—who knows if it was for the driver's "empty fee" or pocketed by someone else.
Most students stayed in ordinary rooms at the County Guesthouse's south building, sharing rooms with three people per room at three dollars per night per person. They were responsible for their own meals and other necessary expenses. After the exams concluded, everyone would head to the bus station to take local buses back home, 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 morning's exam was Language. Since most students came from rural townships and stayed at school-arranged accommodations, Jiang Qiuying's aunt had married into the county. Her mother arranged for her daughter to stay with her aunt during these three days so she could eat and sleep better.
The bond between aunt and niece was strong; when her aunt agreed to take her in, she even gave Jiang Qiuying five dollars. However, she forgot that Jiang Qiuying would have to walk nearly twenty minutes back to her aunt's house after finishing her exam. Being just a young girl in an unfamiliar county added some safety concerns.
Even in rural areas and among children, certain unspoken feelings often arise between boys and girls as they reach a certain age. Xiong Debiao had special feelings for Jiang Qiuying; he felt regretful about not being able to spend their last moments together during their time in Middle School. After finishing his morning Language exam, he quietly followed her from a distance as she packed her exam materials into her backpack and left.
Xiong Debiao was a year older than Hu Ruoyun; he was tall and robust with a straightforward personality and was Hu Ruoyun's close friend. Students of all ages liked calling him "Brother Biao," while he affectionately referred 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. As it approached noon, she was intercepted by Zhang Lingyun—the notorious "young master" of the county—along with several local ruffians.
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 several county schools had fallen victim to his extortion.
He was infamous in town; however, due to his father's position and power, many people could only seethe with resentment but were powerless against him. Behind closed doors, he was derisively referred to as "Dog Young Master."
Though Dog Young Master's father held significant power as second-in-command in Annan County and had been entrenched in local politics for years—uniting middle management from various departments under his influence—he effectively sidelined any incoming leadership from outside who might challenge him.
At this moment, Brother Biao quietly followed Jiang Qiuying from behind while silently watching her walk ahead. Unbeknownst to him, Hu Ruoyun trailed behind them with a camera hanging around his neck.
To prevent Brother Biao and Jiang Qiuying from being severely affected or implicated in this situation, 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 unique Photo Studio felt awkward. Fortunately, Shaoying was also one of Hu Ruoyun’s close friends who had dropped out early in his second year to help support his family business. Despite feeling conflicted about lending it out during such busy times with old classmates visiting him again, he ultimately handed over an old camera that wasn’t used much anymore after reminding Hu Ruoyun carefully: “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, crooked mouth. His ugly and fierce appearance startled Jiang Qiuying.
This guy was Zhang Lingyun, whose name sounded grand but was known in the county as the "Dog Young Master," a worthless scoundrel.
Behind him were three others: one was thin like a stick, with a scar on his left cheek that made him look menacing; another was the Little Black Chubby One, whose beady green eyes darted around, clearly a schemer; and the last was 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 grin 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's going to 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! Go away!" Her body trembled uncontrollably as she tried to run, but her legs felt like they were no longer under her control.
Dog Young Master winked at his three lackeys, who moved in to grab Jiang Qiuying.
Brother Biao had seen everything from afar and rushed over with heavy footsteps that thudded against the ground. "What are you doing? Don’t touch her!" he shouted.
Brother Biao was a year behind in school and fifteen years old this year. He had developed early and often helped his family with work, giving him a sturdy build. Standing at nearly five foot seven, he looked older than his actual age as he rushed over to shield Jiang Qiuying behind him.
The four thugs were initially startled but relaxed when they realized it was just a half-grown kid running towards them. 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 henchmen, "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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