Chapter 19: The Unlucky Ye Family

Chapter 19: The Unlucky Ye Family

Returning to the school from the machine shop, it happened to coincide with the time when middle school students were being dismissed.

Ye Qing suddenly remembered that the household registration book she had stolen from the Ye family was still in her shoulder bag.

Watching the students flooding out of the school, Ye Qing had an idea. She hurriedly stood near the school gate, keeping an eye on the flow of people, waiting for the pair of twins who were in junior high to appear.

Soon enough, the brother and sister leisurely wandered out of the school building.

However, it seemed they had gotten into a dispute or something. Ye Zhiyuan threw his backpack at Ye Xia's feet and stormed out of the school in a huff. Ye Qing had wanted to call out to them, but before she could even open her mouth, he was already gone.

Ye Qing couldn't be bothered to chase after him and instead shifted her target to Ye Xia.

Ye Xia picked up Ye Zhiyuan's backpack from the ground, her mouth pouted in dissatisfaction as she came out.

"Little sister."

Ye Qing, relying on the memories of her original body, approached in a meek and timid manner.

"Oh, it's Second Sister."

The girl sneered disdainfully at the sight of her.

"What are you doing here? Are you trying to curry favor with me and our younger brother so we'll plead to Dad and Mom on your behalf?"

"Let me tell you, there's no way that's happening!"

"You've really pissed off Dad and Mom this time. They're furious and have publicly declared they no longer recognize you as their daughter and won't let you back into the house!"

The younger sister then glanced at Ye Qing with a side-eye.

"By the way, you haven't been home for days. Where have you been? Messing around with some random guy?"

"Don't you know that your behavior will drag me and Big Sis down with you? People will think all the girls in the Ye family are shameless like you!"

Ye Qing's face instantly darkened.

If it weren't to cover up the fact that she had stolen the household registration book, she would have slapped her right there!

In this day and age, a girl's reputation was extremely important. This little girl was only thirteen years old, yet she already knew how to spread malicious rumors and smear people. Her vicious tongue was a perfect inheritance of the "good genes" of the Ye family!

The original body was, after all, Ye Xia's older sister, and over the years, she had taken care of this pair of twins the most. From schooling to daily life, she had been meticulously attentive, but all she received in return was their merciless mockery and disdain.

This younger sister was so disrespectful, opening her mouth as if she wanted to destroy her second sister. It was truly heartless!

Ye Qing had completely seen through it. Apart from the original body, there wasn't a single decent person in the Ye family!

This realization actually made things easier for her.

Since they were all bad seeds, she might as well deal with them all at once.

The Ye family was about to face a huge misfortune. Once the adults in the family encountered trouble, the underage twins would lose the protection of the adults and wouldn't escape unscathed!

A cold smile crept onto Ye Qing's heart, but on the surface, she feigned panic, shaking her head repeatedly.

"No, I haven't been messing around with any random guys. Little sister, don't make things up."

"The revolutionary committee requires the household registration book to collect the ticket for the countryside. I brought the book with me, but I'm afraid of getting scolded if I go back. You keep the book and return it."

"But don't tell Mom and Dad about this. When I'm in the countryside, I'll pick wild fruits and dry them into preserves, and secretly send them to you, okay?"

At the mention of Ye Qing sending her things, a flash of greed appeared in Ye Xia's eyes.

Being still young, she didn't realize that Ye Qing had taken the household registration book for her own purposes. She thought Ye Qing was genuinely afraid of being scolded by their parents.

Thinking returning the book wasn't a big deal, she rolled her eyes and pretended reluctance.

"How do I know if you're really going to send me things? If you want me to help you, you need to give me something tangible. Let me see what's in your bag!"

Without waiting for a response, Ye Xia came forward to rummage through Ye Qing's bag.

But Ye Qing was no longer the original body. With her wood-elemental abilities, her five senses had sharpened, and her agility had greatly improved.

There was no way Ye Xia, with her small frame, could succeed in a sneak attack. Ye Qing easily dodged, not even letting her touch a corner of her clothes.

There was no way she'd let Ye Xia see the apples and pears Old Man Wu had given her. If she did, the girl would definitely not let it go.

Although Ye Qing wasn't afraid of Ye Xia, this was a crucial time for her plan to take down the Ye family. She couldn't afford any distractions. If she raised the family's suspicions, her plans might fall apart.

So Ye Qing took a few steps back and, after thinking for a moment, pulled out a crumpled bill from her pocket.

"This is all the money I have. I earned it by helping others with their duties. If you help me return the household registration book, this money is yours. If not, I'll just take it back myself. It's just a few scoldings at worst. I've been scolded plenty over the years; a few more won't make a difference."

As Ye Qing was about to put the money and the household registration book back, Ye Xia, seeing the one-mao note in her palm, quickly grabbed both the money and the book, stuffing them into her own backpack.

"Alright, alright. Why are you being so stingy? I didn't say I wouldn't help you," Ye Xia said with an eye-roll so exaggerated it was almost comical.

Ye Qing, having had enough of the little brat, turned and left as soon as she handed over the items. If she stayed any longer, she was afraid she might lose her temper and hit someone.

At that moment, Ye Qing had no idea that the Ye family was in complete chaos because of the two anonymous letters she had submitted to the authorities.

Early that morning, the duty officer at the Ningzhou Street Revolutionary Committee checked the suggestion box at the entrance as part of the daily routine.

When they opened it, an anonymous letter was lying inside.

In recent years, the revolutionary committee has received countless anonymous tip-off letters, but most of them were about trivial neighborhood disputes, which this duty officer had long grown accustomed to.

So, when he received this letter, he didn’t think much of it and casually tore it open.

But the moment he pulled out the letter inside, his expression changed instantly.

If it were just about collecting banned books, it wouldn’t be a big deal. They could just bring the person in for a severe reprimand and detain them for a while. The family could pay a fine and take them back home.

But if it involved the destruction of publications related to the great leader, that would be a serious matter!

Who knows if there were any connections to counter-revolutionaries or spies?

This was a major case that required the utmost vigilance and attention!

The duty officer, who had been feeling a bit drowsy in the morning, was instantly invigorated after reading the letter, his eyes suddenly gleaming.

"Boss, quick, we’ve got a live one!"

At the Yanpond Old Street communal building, the Ye family was woken up by the sounds of clattering and cursing coming from the kitchen where Mother Ye was working. They then gathered around the table for another breakfast that was hard to swallow.

It was only then that they remembered the good old days when Ye Qing made breakfast.

Mother Ye’s cooking skills were, to put it bluntly, terrible.

She couldn’t get up early like Ye Qing did, busy at work from four or five in the morning. Every time, she hurriedly made breakfast close to seven o’clock, just trying to get it done as quickly as possible.

So, after a few days of eating breakfast that tasted like pig slop, even Father Ye couldn’t take it anymore.

He scolded Mother Ye with great dissatisfaction:

"Can you even do this right? You don’t have to go to work anymore, you’re home all day doing nothing. Can’t you wake up earlier and make a better meal? Look at this, is this even food for humans?"

Mother Ye was about to retort when the children chimed in:

"Exactly, Mom. If you keep this up, I’m not eating breakfast at home anymore. I’ll just buy some buns from the state-run restaurant and eat them on the way!"

"Ye Qing’s breakfast was delicious. Just do it like she did, don’t mess around with your own styles!"

This infuriated Mother Ye. She didn’t dare talk back to Father Ye, but she had no qualms with the children:

"If Ye Qing’s food was so good, then go ask her to make it for you! Can’t even keep your mouths shut while eating, eat if you want to, don’t if you don’t!"

Thus, the breakfast ended in discord, with everyone leaving the house with a belly full of complaints.

Mother Ye was also in a bad mood. She had been busy all morning without a break and didn’t even get a word of appreciation from her husband or children, which made her feel extremely wronged and angry. With nowhere to vent, she started cursing Ye Qing again.

Just as she was cursing fiercely, there was a knock on the door.

Without thinking much, Mother Ye ran to open the door and shouted, "Who is it?"

When the door opened, there stood several people with red armbands.

In these times, anyone would be afraid when they saw the red armbands, and Mother Ye was no exception.

Her heart tightened, and the already unpleasant look on her face instantly turned into a smile.

"Comrade, what’s the matter?"

The people with red armbands were serious-faced. They pushed past Mother Ye and rushed into the house, cautiously scanning the rooms.

"We received a tip-off letter stating that someone in your family is hiding contraband. We need to investigate your home. Please do not interfere with our evidence collection, or it will be bad for you!"

Without further ado, they violently kicked open the bedroom doors and started ransacking the house.

Mother Ye was dumbfounded by the sudden situation and only came to her senses after several seconds.

Her face turned pale with fear, and she cried out desperately, "Is there a mistake, comrades? Our family are law-abiding citizens. We absolutely do not have any contraband as you claim. Someone must be framing us; you can’t wrong innocent people like this—"

Mother Ye was wailing and shouting about being wronged.

But before she could finish, there was a sudden exclamation, "We’ve found it!"

Then, one of the red armband members rushed out of the Ye brothers’ room holding a red-covered book, presenting it to the team leader.

"Look, we really found it! This book looks like a ‘red protection book’ on the outside, but it’s actually a hand-copied book, and it’s pornographic content! Desecrating the great leader’s publications, this family is too outrageous!"

Mother Ye’s cries stopped abruptly.

Her eyes widened in shock and fear as she looked at the book. The next moment, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted on the spot.

The red armband members didn’t care whether Mother Ye fainted or not.

The fake red protection book was clearly hidden among a pile of textbooks, and those textbooks had Ye Zhi Gao’s name written on them, indicating that the owner of the book was the eldest son of the family!

With solid evidence, there was no room for any argument!

The communal building was a fashionable structure of the times, and most urban people took pride in living in such buildings.

However, one downside of these buildings was that each floor housed about fifteen to twenty families, all sharing the same corridor. There was virtually no privacy.

As expected, the commotion at the Ye family quickly attracted neighbors who came over to watch.

When they saw the shocking contraband found in the Ye family, the neighbors were all abuzz.

"A hand-copied contraband book, Ye Zhi Gao is really too audacious!"

"Honestly, you'd never guess this kid was like this."

"He even destroyed publications of the great leader! That's a serious crime! This kid really doesn't know the gravity of the situation!"

"These young people have no sense of proportion. The Ye family really doesn't know how to educate their children. How dare they do something like this!"

"With this incident, Ye Zhigao is finished!"

Those who weren't on good terms with the Ye family were secretly delighted to see them in trouble. Hiding in the crowd, someone shouted to the people with red armbands:

"Her son just took over her position and is working at the soap factory!"

The people with red armbands looked at each other and immediately sent two of their members to the soap factory to arrest him.

After the red armbands left, someone finally noticed Ye's mother, who had fainted on the ground.

With the Ye family in such a big trouble, everyone was gossiping and pointing fingers. The majority were either gloating or kicking them while they were down, but a kind-hearted neighbor stepped forward to check on Ye's mother. They patted her back and pinched her philtrum until, after a long while, she finally regained consciousness.

When Ye's mother woke up and saw the mess in her house, and heard the neighbors say that the red armbands had gone to the soap factory to arrest Ye Zhigao, her mind went blank, and tears instantly fell. She had no idea what to do.

"Go find your husband quickly! This is no small matter. Once someone is arrested, it'll be hard to get them out unscathed! Isn't your daughter dating the son of the neighborhood committee director? Hurry and have your daughter ask her fiancé for help!"

Reminded by the neighbor, Ye's mother snapped back to reality and immediately ran out.

As luck would have it, just as she reached the downstairs area, she saw Ye Hong, who looked pale and lost, walking back from outside.

But Ye's mother didn't have the time to worry about her older daughter. As soon as she thought about her son being taken away by the revolutionary committee, her heart panicked. Her mouth ran like a machine gun:

"Hong, something terrible has happened. Zhigao has hidden some banned books at home, and they've been discovered! Go find your boyfriend and beg Director Wang to help. We can't let them take your brother away!"

"I need to go to the silk factory to find your father and see if he can find someone to plead with the revolutionary committee!"

Without waiting for Ye Hong to respond, Ye's mother ran off toward the silk factory.

Ye Hong, looking as pale as a ghost, was holding a few sheets of paper, completely lost in her own emotions and didn't really hear what her mother had said.

Early that morning, she had gone to find Hu Jiadong, excited.

The food at home was so bad that she hadn't eaten much.

So, she planned to invite her boyfriend to the state-run restaurant. After all, she wouldn't have to pay.

But when she arrived at Hu's house and was about to knock, Hu Jiadong came out with bloodshot eyes, staring at her expressionlessly.

The oblivious Ye Hong hadn't noticed Hu Jiadong's abnormal state.

Or perhaps, since they started dating, she had never paid attention to Hu Jiadong's emotions or feelings.

In her subconscious, being with Hu Jiadong was a compromise, so his feelings didn't matter. As long as he could provide for her and meet all her desires, that was enough.

So, as soon as he came out, she immediately went up to him, coquettishly saying she wanted to have soy milk and fried dough sticks at the state-run restaurant, urging him to hurry up.

Hu Jiadong forced a smile, his eyes cold.

After reading the diary his father had given him last night, he hadn't slept a wink. When he got up in the morning, even his neighbors noticed how terrible he looked and couldn't help but ask if he was sick.

But Ye Hong, upon seeing him, was blind to his exhaustion.

It wasn't surprising. Her affection for him was fake.

What she wanted was the family, connections, and power behind his name. As for the man himself, she loathed him from the bottom of her heart and wouldn't bother to truly observe his physical condition.

Hu Jiadong, seeing her like this, felt as if he had been slapped hard across the face, waking him up from a dream.

"Who is Jiang Chengwei?" Hu Jiadong suddenly asked out of the blue.

Hearing that name, Ye Hong's body froze, and a flash of panic crossed her eyes.

"What? Who did you say?"

Hu Jiadong asked again, "Who is Jiang Chengwei?"

Ye Hong's heart pounded. Her mind raced.

How did Hu Jiadong know this name, and why was he asking her? Could he have heard something?

But no matter what Hu Jiadong had heard, Ye Hong would never admit anything. She immediately acted as if a light bulb had gone off in her head.

"That name sounds a bit familiar. Wasn't he a senior from our school? Why are you suddenly asking about him? Do you know him?"

From the moment he asked the question, Hu Jiadong had been observing Ye Hong's reaction.

If he hadn't read that diary, he might have been deceived by her impeccable acting skills!

To manage her expression and come up with a response strategy so quickly, this woman's swift reactions and meticulous thinking truly opened his eyes.

At that moment, Hu Jiadong finally understood what his father had said the night before.

"This woman from the Ye family is too scheming. You're no match for her. If a woman like this enters our family, she'll scheme us out of everything, even our last penny!"

Hu Jiadong felt a chill down his spine, and there was no more love in his eyes as he looked at Ye Hong, only fear and wariness.

He knew his father was right. A woman with such ambition and cunning was not someone he could control!

If he couldn't control her, it was better to cut his losses and stay far away.

"Go away, and don't come looking for me again. We're done!"

Hu Jiadong threw out those words before heading into the house.

Ye Hong was instantly dumbfounded and instinctively shouted:

"Why? Everything was fine, what's gotten into you? Did someone say something to you? That person is deliberately slandering me! Hu Jiadong, can't you use your own judgment? You believe the random nonsense people spout?"

Hu Jiadong sneered, "I don't believe what others say, but I believe every word you say, one hundred percent!"

The next second, Ye Hong was hit in the face by a few sheets of paper Hu Jiadong suddenly threw at her.

Confused, Ye Hong picked up the papers that had fluttered to her feet.

As she made out the content and handwriting on them, all the color drained from her face.

These were pages from her diary, torn out from her diary book!

Ye Hong's mind buzzed with rage, shame, and disbelief, and she felt like she was about to explode.

Clutching the papers tightly, she wanted to confront Hu Jiadong about how her diary, hidden under her pillow at home, had ended up in his hands.

But when she looked up and met Hu Jiadong's expressionless eyes, a chill ran down her spine, and she instinctively stepped back.

"If you want to make a scene, I'll accompany you to the end! What you're holding is just a small part. I wouldn't mind posting the rest of your diary all over the streets of Yantang Old Lane!"

Hu Jiadong's words were truly lethal, striking without a trace.

While a broken engagement might be embarrassing for the woman, it wasn't the end of the world. But if her diary were to be exposed, her reputation would be ruined, and she'd never find a good family to marry into.

Hu Jiadong's move had truly hit Ye Hong's Achilles' heel, leaving her in extreme fear, not daring to act rashly again.

At that moment, Ye Hong didn't know that her diary had angered not just Hu Jiadong but the entire Hu family behind him.

After all, if someone found out that a person had been secretly recording little family secrets, they'd likely be too nervous to sleep soundly.

In a daze, Ye Hong clutched the diary pages and returned home, barely registering what her mother was saying. It wasn't until she got home that she saw the chaos her family was in.

It was then that she realized something had happened to her family—Ye Zhi Gao was about to be taken away.

Ye Hong's mother was unaware that her instructions had been ignored by her eldest daughter, nor did she know that her daughter had made an enemy of the Hu family. She had planned to use her future in-laws' influence to help her eldest son, but that plan was now doomed to fail.

In a hurry, she rushed to the silk factory to fetch Ye Hong's father.

When she explained the situation, Ye Hong's father grew anxious. As a small workshop group leader, he didn't have the connections to ask for favors. The only person left in the family who could help was their daughter's newly-engaged boyfriend.

Ye Hong's father couldn't care about work anymore; he took leave and decided to bring his eldest daughter along to plead with the Hu family for help, bringing some gifts as a gesture of goodwill.

As Ye Hong's parents left the silk factory in a hurry, they didn't notice that a group of people with red armbands had just arrived right after they left.

When they returned home and saw their eldest daughter sitting there, Ye Hong's mother rushed over, anxious:

"Did you go to Jiadong? What did he say? Can his father put in a good word with the revolutionary committee? We need to get your brother out as soon as possible, or he'll suffer in there!"

Ye Hong's mother was on the verge of tears.

Ye Zhi Gao was the eldest son, and Ye Hong's mother had invested so much hope in him, planning for him to take care of her in her old age. How could she stand by and watch her son be ruined?

But just as she pressed her daughter for answers, Ye Hong looked up and, grabbing her mother's clothes, burst into tears:

"That bastard Hu Jiadong dumped me!"

It was as if a thunderbolt had struck Ye Hong's mother. Her face turned red, and she spat out a mouthful of dark blood before collapsing backward.

By the time Ye Xia returned home from school, the Ye family was enveloped in a gloomy and oppressive atmosphere.

Ye Zhi Gao had been taken away by the revolutionary committee, Ye Hong's engagement had fallen apart, and her mother had suffered a stroke, lying weakly in bed receiving an IV drip.

Ye Hong's father was overwhelmed by the successive misfortunes and didn't go to work that afternoon to care for his wife. He had no idea that a storm had also been brewing at the silk factory.

The Ye family was shrouded in dark clouds, and naturally, no one noticed Ye Xia slipping the household registration book into the master bedroom.

Ye Xia secretly rejoiced that no one had seen her; that way, her mother wouldn't be reminded of her rebellious second sister, and if she couldn't find Ye Qing to vent her anger on, she wouldn't take it out on Ye Xia.

At that moment, no one in the Ye family could imagine that these minor incidents were just the beginning, and a much larger storm was coming their way soon.

Ye Qing, for her part, didn't know that her anonymous letter had started to take effect so quickly.

She had thought it would take at least a couple of days after submitting the letter.

If she had known how quickly the Ye family would fall into trouble, she would have secretly gone to Yantang Old Lane to watch the spectacle.

After handing over the household registration book, she didn't dare enter the school gate in front of Ye Xia. Instead, she wandered randomly through the nearby alleys, ensuring that Ye Xia wasn't secretly following her before returning to the school.

After staying with Song Chunhua for two days, she had become familiar with the old security guard at the school. After greeting him, she headed toward the staff dormitory.

But the old guard called out to her:

"Hey, you there, are you going to see Teacher Song? I just received her registered letter. Could you do me a favor and take it to her?"

Ye Qing didn't think much of it and nodded before taking the letter from the old man.

As she walked, she absentmindedly glanced at the letter in her hand.

An 8-cent stamp was affixed to the envelope, but it was stamped with a large series of postmarks. The sender's section only had four characters: "Shanhe Farm," and nothing else could be made out.

"Sent from the farm?" Ye Qing wondered. Could this be the relative from the countryside that Teacher Song mentioned before?

Ye Qing was a bit puzzled, but she didn’t pry. After all, it was Teacher Song’s private matter, and she had no interest in snooping into other people’s personal affairs.

She brought the letter to her dormitory and placed it on her desk, not looking at it again.

To her surprise, when Teacher Song returned to the dormitory after class and saw the letter on the desk, her face suddenly changed.

Ye Qing was startled, and inexplicably, a thought flashed through her mind.

Could it be from—

Song Chunhua was visibly nervous about the letter and immediately took it into her hands. But after glancing at Ye Qing standing in the room, she hesitated and ultimately didn’t dare to open the letter in front of her.

Ye Qing was perceptive enough to understand the situation. She promptly grabbed two aluminum lunch boxes and said with a smile,

"The cafeteria should be serving food now. I'll go get the meals. Let’s eat at home. Someone gave me two good fruits today, and I’ll slice them for you to try after the meal!"

With that, Ye Qing tactfully left the room.

When she returned with the meals, Song Chunhua was sitting on the bed, her eyes slightly red, as if she had just cried.

Ye Qing understood even more.

It seemed that the letter was from the teacher’s ex-husband.

Shanhe Farm—was that the cattle pen where the professor had been sent for labor reform?

Ye Qing silently memorized the name, planning to ask Chen Youde and the others later to see if these old men knew where this farm was located.

Afraid that her student would notice her distress, Song Chunhua quickly washed her face and then joined Ye Qing at the dining table with a forced smile.

Ye Qing played along, pretending not to notice anything, and urged Song Chunhua to eat. As they ate, Ye Qing talked about their trip to Chunshenpu with the old men to go fishing. Of course, she left out the part about catching a thousand jin of fish, adding a bit of artistic flair to the story.

"Because I saved an old lady on the tram earlier, who turned out to be the elder sister of one of the old uncles, they’ve all been very kind to me. They even said that if I need any books or materials for my studies when I go to the countryside, I should write to them, and they’ll help me find it."

To divert Song Chunhua’s attention, Ye Qing chattered more than usual, pulling out the apples and pears she had gotten from Old Man Wu, showing them off as if they were treasures.

"Have you ever eaten these fruits, Teacher? This is my first time seeing them. I don’t even know what they’re called. One of them looks like a green apple from the grocery store, but this one is red. I wonder if it’s tasty."

Seeing the fruits Ye Qing had brought out, Song Chunhua was momentarily stunned.

"These are Red Fuji apples and Snow pears. Both are fruits from the north. The Red Fuji was introduced from Japan a few years ago. Perhaps because the cultivation techniques aren’t mature yet, these fruits haven’t been circulated in the market. Only families with certain cadre privileges would have access to such supplies."

For some reason, when mentioning the Red Fuji apple, Song Chunhua's tone carried a hint of nostalgia, and a deep pain flashed in her eyes.

Ye Qing instantly realized that she had messed up and quickly tried to remedy the situation:

"Teacher, don't you like eating apples? Then forget it, let's eat pears instead—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Song Chunhua smiled. She noticed Ye Qing's carefulness and sighed helplessly:

"It's okay, I'm fine with anything."

Ye Qing had no choice but to wash the two fruits, remove their cores, and cut them into small pieces before bringing them over.

She secretly hid the cores aside, planning to count the seeds inside later.

Song Chunhua picked up a piece of apple and put it in her mouth.

The familiar sweetness instantly brought tears to her eyes.

"When I first met my husband, he gave me an apple just like this. It was the first time I knew such a fragrant and sweet fruit existed in this world."

Ye Qing felt deep regret.

She felt like her good intentions had backfired. If she had known this would happen, she shouldn't have taken those two fruits from Old Man Wu.

But to Ye Qing's surprise, after finishing that piece of apple, Song Chunhua suddenly stood up, walked straight to the bed, and pulled out a wooden box from underneath.

Rummaging through the box, she quickly found a notebook and, from its hidden compartment, carefully took out a photo.

She then handed it over to Ye Qing.

The black and white photo showed a young man in his twenties with thick eyebrows and big eyes. He was wearing an academic gown and a doctoral cap, looking somewhat thin, but his smile was bright and confident.

"His name is Han Yabo, a PhD specialist in biological research who studied abroad in Country D for many years. The one thing he always longed for was to bring new disciplines and technologies back to his homeland, as he believed that in the near future, this technology would be crucial for people's livelihood."

"So after completing his studies and returning to his country, he decisively joined a team of experts with no institutional backing, no funding, and no support, to begin research and exploration in genetic engineering."

Ye Qing: !!!

Her eyes were about to pop out!

Wait, what was his name? Han Yabo?!

She had seen this name in that sweet, lucky-streak novel!

The father of the female lead, Yin Shuang, a researcher at some institute, joined a team in the early 1960s to start a research project. The whole team was feeling their way through like crossing a river by feeling for stones, and after five or six years of hard work, they finally made some progress. But just then, Yin Xiangdang caught his wife cheating on him.

Soon after, Li Rulan conspired with Yang Wenchang, and somehow, the two managed to steal the research team's results and deliberately leak the information.

After that, Li Rulan secretly wrote a denunciation letter, accusing Yin Xiangdang of colluding with enemy spies and leaking state secrets.

At that time, the movement had just begun, and there was a lot of hysteria about spies and counter-revolutionaries. When the incident happened at the research institute, the whole team was implicated.

The revolutionary committee adopted the attitude of "better to kill by mistake than to let one go," and directly sent down for reeducation any researchers in the team who had questionable academic backgrounds or family connections.

It could be said that the other experts in the team were all implicated because of the female lead's father.

Among them was an expert named Han Yabo, who was said to be the soul of the entire team. Even when he was sent to a cowshed, he didn't forget his research on biological genes.

It was thanks to this expert's research results that the female lead's father was able to earn merit, have his sentence reduced, and be released early.

But this expert, Han, ended up succumbing to illnesses he contracted during those years of labor reform, unable to survive the harsh winter or wait for his rehabilitation.

Ye Qing was stunned.

When she read the book, she had only lamented that this expert had bad luck. Being sent down because of the female lead's father was bad enough, but then dying in a labor reform camp, with all his research results benefiting the female lead's father, allowing Yin Xiangdang to rise on his academic achievements—it was tragic.

But Ye Qing never expected the world to be so small, and that the expert who died young in the book was actually Teacher Song's husband!

Ye Qing looked up abruptly and asked Song Chunhua:

"Is Shanhe Farm in Mo River?"

Song Chunhua was startled. Although she didn't know why Ye Qing asked this, she still nodded.

Ye Qing's heart sank.

Sure enough, her guess was correct. The expert in the book was undoubtedly Teacher Song's husband!

And she also understood why Song Chunhua had an emotional breakdown after receiving the letter from the farm.

Because, if she remembered correctly, at this time, Han Yabo had fallen ill due to a recurrence of an old ailment, and his condition had become so severe that he was on the verge of death.

The farm probably anticipated that Han Yabo might not make it through this ordeal, so they quickly sent a message to Song Chunhua.

Although Han Yabo managed to pull through, the illness still took away his health. His condition deteriorated, and he dragged his frail body for a few more years, persisting until he finally finished his project results before passing away, utterly exhausted.

"He was a bookworm. Nothing but experiments and research could catch his eye."

"He was twenty-seven or twenty-eight when he returned to the country, with no thought of starting a family."

"He wasn't in a hurry, but the director of their research institute was. The director racked his brains to find him a match."

"When we went on a blind date, he was tricked into coming by the director, who used both coaxing and deception."

"Even when he came, he didn't know how to woo a girl and kept talking about his research, DNA, double helix, and all that. It gave me such a headache!"

"If it weren't for the delicious apple he gave me, I wouldn't have considered dating him!"

Perhaps because she finally found someone willing to listen, Song Chunhua opened up, unconsciously sharing with Ye Qing the past memories of how she met and fell in love with her husband. As she recalled those sweet times, tears welled up in her eyes, and she smiled.

At this moment, Ye Qing could finally be certain that the divorce between Song Chunhua and her husband was a forced, fake divorce, and definitely not the rumor of them parting ways due to marital discord.

At this moment, the stern and solemn impression of her former homeroom teacher, which had been imprinted in the original body's mind, was completely shattered. Ye Qing saw the vulnerable, girlish side of Song Chunhua, which only naturally surfaced when she talked about her husband.

Ye Qing felt both heartache and sadness. She wanted to say something to comfort Song Chunhua, but thinking about the professor's tragic ending, she found herself unable to speak.