Since neither of the two were reliable, it ultimately fell to Lin Zhen to decide on a name.
“Let’s call him Lin Ping’an.”
Song Wei nodded approvingly. “Nice, nice. It sounds good and has a great meaning.”
Heidan, sprawled across Song Wei’s lap, whined, “But I still think Lin Hu sounds more badass.”
His suggestion was promptly dismissed.
And so, Heidan officially became Lin Ping’an.
Even though his own suggestions weren’t accepted, he was still quite fond of the name his brother had chosen for him.
After finishing his meal, he dashed off to share the news with his friends.
“Shuanzi, Shuanzi, I’ve got a new name now. Don’t call me Heidan anymore. Call me Lin Ping’an!”
“Le Wazi, Le Wazi, I have a name now. From now on, call me Brother Ping’an, okay?”
Lewazi, a well-behaved little girl munching on an egg cake her grandmother had given her, nodded earnestly. In her sweet, childish voice, she said, “Brother Ping’an.”
Heidan beamed with joy and pulled a piece of candy from his pocket, handing it to her.
The little girl’s eyes lit up.
“Thank you, Brother Ping’an~!”
“Brother Heidan, I want some too!”
Fuwazi, hearing about the candy from inside the house, came running out like a cannonball, clinging to Heidan’s leg and shouting, “I want some too!”
“You can’t call me Heidan anymore. From now on, it’s Brother Ping’an—Lin Ping’an! That’s the name my brother gave me, got it?”
“Will calling you Brother Ping’an get me candy?”
“Yes!”
Fu Wazi immediately shouted at the top of his lungs, “Brother Ping’an!”
Aunt Xinghua emerged from the house with a piece of egg cake, handing it to Heidan.
“Here, Ping’an, this is for you.”
Heidan grinned, his bright white teeth gleaming.
When Song Wei returned to the educated youth dormitory, she noticed a suspicious figure lingering outside.
“What are you up to?”
Her sudden question startled the person, who turned to reveal herself as Xu Laidi.
Narrowing her eyes, Song Wei asked coldly, “Sneaking around like that—what are you planning?”
It was obvious Xu Laidi hadn’t been doing well since getting married. Her hair was messy, her clothes filthy, and she was visibly thinner than before.
Seeing Song Wei, Xu Laidi’s eyes flashed with resentment.
Why was it that all the other educated youth were doing so well, while she was stuck in a living hell? If it hadn’t been for Song Wei interfering, she might have married into the army by now!
“What, I can’t come back and visit? I used to be an educated youth too,” she snapped.
Song Wei gave her a cold glare. “You’d better not be up to anything shady.”
When Song Wei entered the dormitory, Xu Laidi tried to follow, but the door was slammed shut in her face.
“Stay out. You’ve got lice. Don’t bring them in here and infect us.”
The girls in the dormitory prided themselves on cleanliness. Even when Xu Laidi had lived there, she hadn’t been the tidiest person. Now that she was married, she’d completely given up on hygiene. Her hair reeked and was infested with lice.
Song Wei, with her sharp eyes, could see them clearly.
The thought of those lice spreading made her skin crawl.
Outside, Xu Laidi knocked on the door repeatedly, but no one answered.
Everyone inside had heard Song Wei’s words.
Liu Linlin even shouted through the door, “Xu Laidi, are you out of your mind? Showing up like that—are you trying to disgust us? Stay off our door! If those fleas get on it, how are we supposed to go out?”
Xu Laidi, indignant, shouted back, “You helped Su Fang, but when I get beaten at home, none of you help me. It’s because you all look down on me!”
She had seen how Song Wei and the others had stood up for Su Fang. Since she was also being abused by her husband, she couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t do the same for her.
Song Wei scoffed. “I haven’t even settled the score with you for trying to set up my brother. Do you want a beating instead?”
“Let me be clear—there’s no way I’m ever helping you.”
Liu Linlin rolled her eyes. “Why should we? You’ve never done anything to earn our respect.”
When Xu Laidi refused to leave, Song Wei grabbed a firewood stick and climbed over the wall.
She didn’t want to let the two wolves out—they were covered in fur, and if Xu Laidi’s lice jumped onto them, it’d be a nightmare to deal with.
So, she decided to handle it herself.
Xu Laidi saw Song Wei coming at her with a stick and quickly bolted, yelling over her shoulder, “You just wait, Song Wei! Your time will come!”
Song Wei aimed carefully and swung the stick, hitting Xu Laidi squarely in the back.
With a yelp, Xu Laidi fell face-first into the snow and flailed around before managing to get up.
Inside, Liu Linlin and Li Juan poured buckets of water over the door and the ground where Xu Laidi had been.
“How can she not feel itchy? She wasn’t this filthy when she lived here,” Liu Linlin said in disbelief.
Li Juan added, “I heard her life’s been rough since getting married. She’s at odds with her in-laws every day and doesn’t even bother to wash herself anymore.”
“Her mother-in-law complains to anyone who’ll listen about marrying such a lazy woman—someone who doesn’t work, doesn’t clean, and is just another mouth to feed.”
It was no secret that Xu Laidi was thick-skinned. As long as she wasn’t in jail, she didn’t care what her mother-in-law said.
She regularly fought with her husband and mother-in-law. Whenever there was food, she was the first to grab it, eating without cleaning up after herself. Eventually, she stopped washing her clothes, hair, and even herself.
In the end, both sides regretted the marriage. Life in that household was utter chaos.
Xu Laidi’s mother-in-law wanted a divorce, but her Son—a middle-aged bachelor—refused.
After all, he’d struggled to find a wife at all. Even if she wasn’t ideal, she was still a woman.
As Song Wei laughed, she said, “This is what they call ‘evil meets evil.’ They’re stuck with each other and can’t harm anyone else.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
After dealing with Xu Laidi, Song Wei remembered something.
“Our brigade is reopening the primary school, and they’ll be hiring teachers through an exam. If any of you are interested, you should start studying now.”
“Really?”
Li Juan shot up, excitement lighting up her face.
The other male educated youth, aside from Gao Le and Zhao Su, were equally thrilled.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Absolutely,” Song Wei confirmed.
“That’s amazing! I’m definitely applying!”
Li Juan was so excited her face turned red.
Among the female educated youth, Bai Yunjiao had proven herself as an excellent recorder. When the greenhouse project required funding, she’d contributed and now enjoyed both wages and dividends.
Liu Linlin is good at speaking and had secured a major order from the steel factory, earning her a significant commission.
But Li Juan? She was shy and clumsy, struggling to succeed at anything.
However, if it was teaching…
She clenched her fists, determined. This time, she would succeed!
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