Chapter 14: The Character Setting Can’t Collapse

Chapter 14: The Character Setting Can't Collapse

Due to the delay caused by the exam, it was almost 10 o'clock by the time they left Principal Song's house.

It was definitely unsafe for a young girl to walk back alone so late at night, so Song Chunhua firmly insisted that Ye Qing stay in her dormitory for the night.

Ye Qing didn’t want to go home to deal with the Ye family anyway, so having someone offer her shelter was exactly what she wished for.

Worried that young Ye Qing might lack experience, after returning to the dormitory, Song Chunhua began to busily prepare.

First, she listed out the items Ye Qing needed to prepare for her upcoming rural trip. Then, she demonstrated her various tricks and techniques for hiding money, such as making hidden compartments in undergarments, concealing cash in the layers of hand-sewn shoe soles, or even sticking money between book pages.

While busy with these tasks, she continued to chatter, constantly reminding Ye Qing to stay alert in the countryside and not to trust anyone easily. She advised Ye Qing to mind her own business as much as possible and prioritize self-preservation in dangerous situations.

Seeing Teacher Song’s anxious and nervous demeanor, which resembled that of a mother sending her daughter off on a long journey, and contrasting it with the cold indifference the Ye family had shown to the original body, the stark contrast left Ye Qing feeling deeply ironic.

Feeling this special care, Ye Qing’s nose tingled with emotion, and she couldn’t help but gently hug Song Chunhua:

“Teacher Song, thank you so much. Once I’m in the countryside, I’ll write to you often!”

Song Chunhua’s eyes softened involuntarily.

She loved children, but after teaching for so many years, her students were mostly respectful yet distant.

This was the first time a student had hugged her like a little daughter, which made Song Chunhua feel quite cherished:

“You better keep your word, don’t get too wild in the countryside and forget about me in some forgotten corner.”

“I definitely won’t!”

Ye Qing quickly assured her, patting her chest, “As long as you don’t find me annoying, I’ll send you a letter every week!”

After some light-hearted banter, Teacher Song’s anxiety was finally eased. The two washed up and then turned off the lights to prepare for sleep.

After rescuing someone in the woods the previous night and not getting much sleep, Ye Qing should have fallen asleep quickly.

But as she lay in bed, sleep wouldn’t come.

She thought about the rumors surrounding Teacher Song.

Teacher Song, in her early thirties, had been living alone in the school’s staff dormitory.

It was said that her ex-husband was a professor who had returned from studying overseas.

But in the year the movement began, the professor was sent to a farm for reeducation labor.

Before his banishment, Teacher Song had decisively divorced her husband and even publicly declared her separation from him in the newspapers.

This timely announcement saved Teacher Song from being implicated.

However, because of this declaration, she had been the subject of controversy, with many people secretly criticizing her for being ruthless and heartless. The gossip around her had never ceased.

Although Ye Qing had only spent a few hours with Song Chunhua, the fact that she cared so much about her students showed that she was a gentle, kind, and responsible teacher.

A person like her wouldn’t turn her back on her husband in times of crisis.

Ye Qing guessed that the divorce and public announcement were decisions made out of rational consideration and mutual agreement.

Only by doing so could one of them remain unscathed, which was better than both being taken away for labor.

So after all these years, Song Chunhua hadn’t moved on, still waiting for her husband to return safely so they could reunite.

Recalling her earlier hug with Teacher Song, Ye Qing could see the joy in Song Chunhua’s eyes.

She must have longed for a child of her own.

But unable to let go of her feelings for her husband, she couldn’t bring herself to betray him and start anew while he was imprisoned. So she channeled all her maternal love onto her students.

Ye Qing genuinely admired such a person.

Amidst the chaos of the outside world, many people bowed to fate, but Teacher Song had always been clear about what she wanted and was unaffected by others.

Fortunately, the darkness would eventually pass, and in a few years, the professor would be exonerated and return. Teacher Song’s stubborn wait would not be in vain.

In her heart, Ye Qing silently pondered that once she was in the countryside, she must keep in frequent contact with Teacher Song, encouraging her to stay optimistic and positive, to endure through the long winter night.

If possible, she would also try to find out where the professor had been sent.

If possible, she would have to find a way to send more supplies there. The conditions in the cattle shed were harsh, and she couldn't afford to die from exhaustion before dawn even arrived.

After a night of such worrying thoughts, Ye Qing got up before dawn the next day.

With only four days left before her countryside assignment, Song Chunhua knew Ye Qing had a lot to take care of, so she didn’t try to keep her any longer.

But before Ye Qing left, Teacher Song mentioned that if she had nowhere to go in the next few days, she was welcome to stay at her place for the night.

Ye Qing’s eyes instantly welled up with emotion.

Teacher Song was truly warm-hearted and considerate, to the point of being heart-wrenching.

After leaving the school, the first place Ye Qing went to was the scrapyard.

She needed to find more medical-related books there to take with her to the countryside, just to keep up appearances.

Since she was setting up a "top student" persona, she had to commit to it fully. The persona absolutely couldn’t fall apart.

Ye Qing had already planned that after going to the countryside, she would use her professional medical knowledge and skills to try and get into the commune health station, securing a state-provided food supply.

But accomplishing this was not going to be easy; she had to carefully calculate every step and slowly formulate her plans.

After all, her public identity was that of a mere junior high school graduate.

Who would believe that a sent-down youth, a junior high graduate, knew about pharmacology or medical skills? Who would dare entrust their life to a young girl who hadn’t even finished high school?

So, from the very beginning of her time in the countryside, she needed to instill in everyone the strong impression that she was highly self-taught. At the same time, she had to let those who knew her understand that she was interested in medicine. This way, when the time came for her to recommend herself as a doctor, it wouldn’t seem abrupt.

Ye Qing headed to a waste disposal center in the west district, much larger than the recycling stations set up in various neighborhoods. However, since she arrived too early, the center wasn’t open yet, and only an old man in charge of the warehouse was there.

When Ye Qing said she wanted some waste paper to start a fire, the old man didn’t even look up. He tossed out, “Newspapers are three cents a pound, textbooks are five cents a pound,” waved her in, and let her go inside.

The so-called warehouse was actually a shed. Each shed contained different types of waste, categorized meticulously—far more detailed than the garbage classification of later times. The waste sorting of this era was on another level entirely.

Ye Qing easily found the book section. Stepping inside, the dazzling array of books left her momentarily stunned, unsure of where to begin.

Mainly, after the Anti-Four Olds campaign, most of the ancient medical books from before the Republic of China had been destroyed. Even the few that survived were kept hidden for fear of being labeled as remnants of feudalism.

This meant that Ye Qing had very few medical books to choose from.

Fortunately, a bestselling book had emerged in this era—the *Barefoot Doctor's Manual*, a guide to public health.

As a training textbook for barefoot doctors, this book was the top choice for rural doctors who were half farmers and half medical practitioners, learning basic medical techniques.

Perhaps due to its millions of copies sold, the book was available not only in Xinhua Bookstore but also in this waste disposal center, where Ye Qing found several copies.

However, having too many of these was unnecessary, so Ye Qing picked the one in the best condition.

But having just this thick book for show wasn’t enough. Unable to find more published materials, Ye Qing changed her approach and focused on mimeographed documents and handwritten notes.

Her luck was surprisingly good. After searching for about half an hour, she found a stack of hand-bound notebooks in a hidden corner.

From the outside, these notebooks looked crude and rudimentary, bound with white sewing thread. The stitches were uneven, likely sewn by the person who copied the books.

But as soon as Ye Qing saw the covers, her expression changed, and she felt as if she had found a treasure.

*Jibei Herbal Medicine Manual*, *Quick Acupuncture Therapy*, *Medical Insights*, *Academic Activity Materials of Jintang County Union Hospital*. Just from the titles, it was clear that these four books were related to medicine.

Ye Qing quickly grabbed the four books from the pile.

However, as she pulled them out, a red-covered book that had been on top also fell out.

The book landed on Ye Qing’s foot, its pages scattering. She instinctively knelt to pick it up.

As she did, her expression turned slightly odd.

Pan Jinlian, Li Pinger, Pang Chunmei—just a quick glance, and these names immediately caught Ye Qing’s eye.

Wasn’t this the *Jin Ping Mei* by Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng?

Looking at the fake red cover, the attempt to conceal it left Ye Qing both amused and exasperated.

She had almost forgotten that in this era, books with explicit content were considered contraband. If caught reading such materials, one could be arrested for hooliganism, and in severe cases, even imprisoned.

Yet, these books were impossible to completely eradicate. Where there was a policy, there was a countermeasure. Just like the hand-copied book in Ye Qing’s hand, when official channels were unavailable, people resorted to hand-copying and circulating them privately.

To be honest, this handwritten copy was quite well-made. With a cover that looked like a real political red book, from the outside, it was almost indistinguishable. It was clear that the person who copied it had put in considerable effort.

But Ye Qing didn’t dare touch this hot potato. After a cursory glance, she quickly put it back where she found it.

At checkout, the old man didn’t inspect what books Ye Qing had taken. He simply weighed them and collected the money according to the rules.

Although the five books weighed less than three jin, it was counted as three jin. Ye Qing paid fifteen cents and hurriedly left with her selected books and materials.

After leaving the waste disposal center, Ye Qing planned to head to the department store.

Originally, she had intended to bring fewer belongings and purchase what she needed after arriving in the countryside.

The main issue was that she had nowhere to store things. Given the Ye family’s behavior, if she brought things back, she might not be able to take them when she left.

But now, Ye Qing didn’t have to worry about that. She planned to leave everything at Song Chunhua’s place and take them with her when she left.

After all, Shen City was a large metropolitan area, and the department store’s goods were relatively complete. She could gather most of the items on Song Chunhua’s list here. Once she went to the countryside, who knew which poor village she would end up in? There might not even be a way to spend money or ration tickets.

However, there was a risk to this shopping spree—her wallet was visibly thinning.

Ye Qing had saved around 120 to 130 yuan, part of which she earned from selling fish at People’s Park, and part of which she confiscated from two spies. But because she had to prepare so many things, her money quickly dwindled by more than half.

It was then that Ye Qing suddenly remembered something. There was someone who still owed her money.

She wasn’t a fool; the money she had advanced would definitely need to be recovered.

Since the People’s Hospital wasn’t far from the school, after putting the purchased items back in Song Chunhua’s dormitory, Ye Qing decided to go to the hospital to collect her debt.