Turns Out I’m the Villain They’re Supposed to Redeem? [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 39

As soon as these words were spoken, Li Xuzhi’s face turned deathly pale. She pressed her lips tightly together, rendered speechless in the face of this accusation.

The others hadn’t expected Yang Nanjun to steer the conversation back to those matters, and their expressions shifted upon hearing his words.

Wang Yushu exchanged glances with the other production team secretaries, their eyes filled with hesitation.

Standing at the back of the classroom, Huo Yuwan silently threw a set of shadow punches at Yang Nanjun’s back. Just as Li Xuzhi was about to speak up and announce her withdrawal, she happened to catch sight of Huo Yuwan’s antics. The suppressed sorrow in her heart momentarily froze, and for a moment, she even forgot what she had intended to say.

Watching Huo Yuwan secretly vent her frustration on her behalf, Li Xuzhi couldn’t help but let a faint smile flicker in her eyes.

Realizing her own emotions, Li Xuzhi bit her lip, her feelings complicated.

Unaware that she had been caught, Huo Yuwan rubbed her hands together, then strode forward with her head held high.

“Comrade Yang, your words aren’t quite right, are they?” she said. “Policy states that Comrade Li is an educable youth, and we should all help and support her. Since we’re all good young people here to receive re-education in the countryside, why does Comrade Yang still hold prejudices?”

With that, she turned to the others, her smile clear and infectious.

“I think we shouldn’t practice discrimination. We should treat all comrades equally… uh… equal what? Anyway, that’s the idea. What do you think, Village Party Secretary?”

Scratching her head as if genuinely unable to recall the idiom, Huo Yuwan furrowed her brows in frustration before giving up and stubbornly pressing on with her point.

Standing beside her, Li Xuzhi wanted to remind her but was stopped by Huo Yuwan gently squeezing her fingertips. Though unsure of Huo Yuwan’s intentions, Li Xuzhi held back her words upon seeing Huo Yuwan’s gentle profile.

Seeing her struggle to even articulate a complete idiom, Yang Nanjun curled his lip in disdain.

“Can’t even finish a sentence and you dare voice an opinion? Go back to farming. You have no say here.”

Just as Wang Yushu was about to speak, Yang Nanjun’s remark cut him off. He instinctively frowned.

“Comrade Yang, that’s going too far. Not only is Comrade Li Xuzhi clearly more qualified than you to serve as a schoolteacher, but your earlier comments give us every reason to believe you’re stirring up conflict among the masses and engaging in exclusion and discrimination.”

“Later, you’ll be teaching rural children who haven’t received much proper education. Are you going to mock and ridicule them for their momentary ignorance with that kind of attitude?”

Yang Nanjun’s face darkened at Wang Yushu’s retort, and he was momentarily left speechless. If he dared to argue further, his future in the village would become difficult.

Turning to the other team secretaries, Wang Yushu continued, “What Sister Yuwan said earlier is correct treating everyone equally is the right approach. We should help comrades in difficulty to progress together. Entrusting the children to truly capable teachers is how we take responsibility for the villagers.”

The others nodded in agreement. Helping comrades correct their mistakes, that was the call they ought to answer.

“Comrade Li, welcome to our teaching team in Shihe Village. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, don’t hesitate to speak up. We will all be here to help.”

Wang Yushu smiled warmly at Li Xuzhi as he took the lead in expressing support, and the others quickly chimed in. This acknowledgment meant that Li Xuzhi had truly been accepted by Shihe Village.

Meeting their sincere gazes, Li Xuzhi felt her eyes grow warm. She lowered her gaze to steady her emotions and replied softly, “Thank you.”

…

Walking back under the moonlight, Li Xuzhi watched Huo Yuwan skipping ahead of her, feeling a rare sense of peace and an indescribable joy and gratitude. She knew it was all because of Huo Yuwan that she had been accepted by the villagers so quickly. Ever since arriving here, Huo Yuwan had been offering her help in countless ways.

The complex emotions welling up inside made Li Xuzhi’s throat tighten with a bittersweet ache, yet she didn’t know how to release them.

“Huo Yuwan,” she called out softly.

Huo Yuwan, who had been waving her arms to shoo away the mosquitoes along the path, stopped abruptly at the sound of her voice. As she turned, she found Li Xuzhi standing just inches away, her warm hand clasping Huo Yuwan’s right hand.

The sudden closeness left Huo Yuwan’s mind in a daze, and under the cover of night, a faint blush crept across her pale cheeks.

“Let me teach you to read,” Li Xuzhi’s voice broke through her racing thoughts.

Blinking silently, Huo Yuwan met her gaze up close. In Li Xuzhi’s cool, clear eyes, she saw a resolute determination.

“O-okay,” Huo Yuwan stammered with a nervous laugh.

Unaware of the jumbled thoughts in Huo Yuwan’s mind, Li Xuzhi continued, “What grade did you reach in school? Which subjects are you weaker in? Do you still have your old textbooks at home?”

Her questions came one after another, and Huo Yuwan couldn’t help but marvel at how dedicated her wife was as a teacher in this world. Though inwardly impressed, she answered honestly based on her own situation.

“I only made it to the first year of junior high… I’m not very good at Chinese or arithmetic… I’ll have to look for my textbooks when I get back…”

As they walked and talked, their shadows stretched long under the moonlight that bathed the path.

…

After that, Li Xuzhi began her daily routine of teaching at the village school. The busy farming season had passed, and aside from her daily work duties, Huo Yuwan spent her evenings studying junior high school lessons with Teacher Li.

One evening, after dinner, Li Xuzhi was reviewing the homework she had assigned to Huo Yuwan the previous day when she noticed something amiss.

When Huo Yuwan finished her bath and entered Li Xuzhi’s room for their usual study session, she found only a sheet of paper and a pen on the table where her books usually lay. Puzzled, she asked, “Aren’t we studying today?”

Li Xuzhi was seated on a stool by the window, reading by the dim lamplight. Her cool gaze rested on the pages before her as the occasional cool evening breeze drifted in, gently lifting the ends of her hair. She glanced at Huo Yuwan and replied unhurriedly.

“These are specially designed assessment questions to test your learning progress during this period. They’re all simple matching and sequencing exercises. Give them a try.”

There were quite a few questions, one hundred in total. The Chinese section involved sequencing lines of poetry, while arithmetic required matching equations with their results, all straightforward problems where the answers were immediately apparent. Huo Yuwan nodded, sat down, and began working on them.

In less than ten minutes, she had completed all the questions. Satisfied, she smiled and called for Li Xuzhi to check her work.

“Teacher Li, I’ve finished all the questions.”

Hearing the pride in her voice, Li Xuzhi set down the book she was holding and walked over to Huo Yuwan. Her gaze swept over the papers on the desk.

Her pale fingertips paused on one of the poetry sequencing questions, then, before Huo Yuwan could react, moved to lightly tap three Chinese questions and three arithmetic questions in succession.

At first, Huo Yuwan was puzzled and scratched her head, about to voice her confusion. But the next moment, the smile on her face froze.

She had answered all the questions Li Xuzhi had singled out correctly, but the problem was, those were topics typically taught in high school…

“Um… Let me explain…”

Seeing the complete absence of a smile on Li Xuzhi’s face, Huo Yuwan began to panic.

“If you’ve already studied high school material, why didn’t you tell me?”

Huo Yuwan’s flustered expression was so obvious that Li Xuzhi, who had initially felt deceived, gradually calmed down.

She sat in Huo Yuwan’s seat, gently folded the test paper filled with answers, and shook her head with a silent laugh.

“You’ve already mastered high school-level knowledge, yet you pretended not to understand and followed along with my middle school lessons…”

Huo Yuwan was quick to admit her mistake. She crouched on the floor, tugging at her own ears, and looked up at Li Xuzhi with a pitiful expression.

“It’s a misunderstanding, really. I truly haven’t attended high school. You know how things are in the village, there isn’t even a middle school class, let alone a high school… I learned all this on my own from textbooks I managed to get from the city. Really, you have to believe me.”

With that, Huo Yuwan dashed to her room and brought back several books from her cabinet to show Li Xuzhi.

“These are all the books I’ve bought over the years.”

From middle school to high school, every Chinese and math textbook was there, not a single one missing.

Li Xuzhi took them and flipped through the pages. Inside, she found notes and summaries in Huo Yuwan’s handwriting, and every book contained such annotations. Judging by the paper and ink, they seemed to be from several years ago.

Stealing a cautious glance at Li Xuzhi’s expression, Huo Yuwan explained softly, “I was worried I hadn’t learned thoroughly enough, so I wanted to study with you again. Please don’t be angry with me.”

Li Xuzhi glanced at her, then stood up from the desk, retrieved the book she had been reading earlier, and handed it to Huo Yuwan.

“Go rest now.”

Huo Yuwan held the book, blinking as she read the large characters on the cover: “High School Physics, Volume 1.”

She really hadn’t read this book before. In her naivety, she had only sought out Chinese and math textbooks and hadn’t thought to buy any other subjects.

But since Li Xuzhi was still willing to engage with her, did that mean she wasn’t angry anymore?

Huo Yuwan was somewhat happy, but she still raised the book in her hand. “Why are you giving this to me?”

“Starting tomorrow, I’ll teach you physics.”

After saying that, Li Xuzhi pushed her out of the room and closed the door.

The next morning, Huo Yuwan went to the river to wash clothes and happened to run into Wu Xiao, who had just finished washing and was about to leave. Yawning, Huo Yuwan greeted her.

Seeing her like this, Wu Xiao couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you so tired? Didn’t sleep well last night?”

As she spoke, she sat back down next to Huo Yuwan. “You’re not facing some kind of trouble, are you? If something’s on your mind, don’t keep it bottled up. Tell me, and I’ll help you figure it out.”

Huo Yuwan waved her hand, yawning as she sprinkled laundry detergent on the clothes. “It’s nothing. I just stayed up late reading last night. I’ve decided I want to become an educated youth from now on.”

“The college entrance exam has been canceled. What’s the use of reading so many books? Isn’t it just a waste of effort?”

Wu Xiao knew she often went to the city to buy books. If it were before, she could have worked hard to get into university, but now there was no place to study.

She sighed. “If you had been born ten years earlier, no, fifteen years earlier, you might really have been cut out for university. But now…”

There was no use in indulging in such pointless fantasies. It was better to wait for the future.

Huo Yuwan switched to scrubbing another piece of clothing and shook her head firmly, her gaze resolute.

“I believe studying will definitely be useful. In the future, I will achieve great things.”

If Huo Yuwan were a man, Wu Xiao might have encouraged her upon hearing such words, even in the face of an uncertain future. But Huo Yuwan was a woman…

In a couple of years, she would be at the age for marriage. Once married and with children, where would she find the time or energy to study?

With a troubled expression, Wu Xiao advised, “Yuwan, studying isn’t an easy thing to do. You have so much farm work, and I’ve heard high school courses are really difficult…”

Huo Yuwan took a deep breath and shook her head. “Comrade Li is a high school graduate. I’m studying with her now. One day, I’ll finish the high school curriculum.”

Li Xuzhi was one of the few educated youths with a high school diploma. Wu Xiao had heard this from her husband. Moreover, her own daughter had recently started attending the village school and had already learned many characters. She trusted Li Xuzhi.

Still, she looked at Huo Yuwan with concern. Working in the fields all day and staying up late to study at night, sooner or later, her health would suffer. She would have to find an opportunity to ask Comrade Li to talk some sense into her…

…

Li Xuzhi walked along the village path, holding her textbooks. The hem of her coat fluttered in the autumn wind, and as the loose fabric billowed, her slender figure could faintly be seen.

Sparrows perched on the tree branches, chirping softly. Hu Ling followed behind Li Xuzhi, occasionally barking at the birds. As they passed the village fields, they attracted the attention of the farmers.

“That’s Educated Youth Li, right? She really is pretty, just like someone from the city.”

“My kid loves her classes. Says Comrade Li teaches carefully and patiently.”

“Ah… it’s just a pity she’s so aloof. I don’t even dare talk to her.”

…

A figure in the fields spotted Li Xuzhi and, heedless of the mud splattering all over her clothes, dashed toward the road. Breathing heavily, she planted herself in front of Li Xuzhi, her smile warm yet stiff.

“Comrade Li, I’m Aunt Sun from the west end of the village. You can call me Auntie Sun.”

Li Xuzhi tugged lightly on the rope in her hand, signaling the fox spirit trotting ahead to stop. Her gaze, cool and detached, settled on the widow. Her expression remained impassive as she waited for the woman to continue.

Since taking up a teaching role at the village school and achieving notable results, Li Xuzhi’s standing in Shihe Village had improved significantly. Most villagers no longer held her original background against her.

Tears welled in Widow Sun’s eyes, dampening the corners. Knowing Li Xuzhi’s aloof nature, she cut straight to the point. “I’ve come to ask for your help, Comrade Li, for my son Xuedong. He’s been simple-minded since birth, and even after all these years, there’s been no improvement…”

Her weathered face streaked with tears, she clasped her hands together in supplication.

“I’ve heard everyone in the village say you’re knowledgeable and an excellent teacher, that you’ve even taught three- and four-year-olds to read and count. That’s why I’ve come to beg you, please help my son. Even if you could just teach him to write his own name…”

Though Li Xuzhi had rarely interacted with anyone besides children since arriving in Shihe Village, she remembered Widow Sun, only because Huo Yuwan had once dragged her along to witness some commotion involving the woman.

A cool autumn breeze swept past, tousling the low ponytail at Li Xuzhi’s nape. She averted her gaze indifferently.

“You want me to teach him? Back then, you and your son stood by and did nothing to save one of my other students. Why should I help you now?”