Chapter 134: Making Yun Yingying Study Seriously

Everyone was well aware of what Sun Yong was trying to achieve, which was why Yang Xiuying's words left no room for maneuver. Her blunt rejection caused Sun Yong to raise his voice even louder, prompting Jiang Xiaoli to step in and smooth things over.

"Xiuying, there are principles governing matters like this; nobody can do a thing if the length of service isn't met. Captain Sun Yong simply means we should all discuss this recruitment drive together. Since Upper River Village was only allocated a total of four quotas this time around, and we educated youth possess higher educational levels, we must secure at least half of these spots. If we let the villagers take too many of them this time, no one can guarantee whether this will set a precedent. If it does become a precedent, it will be all the educated youth in Upper River Village who lose out. What will happen when your own length of service finally meets the requirement, and they continue to use this same proportion? Therefore, regardless of our individual circumstances, we must all act together this time. This is about fighting for our rightful interests—for you, for me, for everyone, and for all the educated youth in Upper River Village."

Although Yang Xiuying was usually carefree and straightforward, she was by no means completely foolish or devoid of sense.

Jiang Xiaoli's words were exceedingly clever, as she directly bound everyone's interests together.

If Yang Xiuying were to say anything else at this point, she would instantly place herself in opposition to all the other educated youth.

Just then, Han Li heard that something was amiss and stepped outside, followed by the rest of the educated youth arriving one after another.

Hao Hongmin gave Yang Xiuying a tug and said to Jiang Xiaoli with a smile, "Hehe, Captain Jiang makes things much clearer. If Captain Sun Yong had just explained it this way from the start, we would have understood right away. Since you say this matter concerns the interests of all the educated youth, how about we just follow behind our two captains and cheer them on?"

Having already learned what had happened from Yun Yingying, Han Li cast a rather surprised glance at Jiang Xiaoli.

He had not expected the soft-spoken female team leader to possess such a side to her. Han Li had previously thought Wu Lili was adept at moral blackmail, but it turned out Jiang Xiaoli was the true master of the art. This was the epitome of a hidden expert—making a decisive strike the moment she made a move.

With that, Han Li gave up on recuperating for the moment, and Yun Yingying and the others abandoned their plans of going up the mountain to forage; everyone gathered in the educated youth courtyard instead.

They listened to the two team leaders deliver impassioned speeches, though their arguments boiled down to the exact same points repeated over and over.

Namely, everyone had to speak up together to pressure the village into handing over half of the recruitment quotas to the educated youth.

As long as the village was willing to allocate half the quotas to the educated youth, it would be a victory for everyone.

Furthermore, once the quotas were in the hands of the educated youth, everything else would be easy to manage. They could entirely rely on a voting system to decide who would secure those two spots.

Why did they constantly emphasize precisely two quotas? Because there were originally five veteran educated youth who were qualified.

Now that the "good person" Wei Chunlan had left, only four qualified educated youth remained.

Sun Yong and Jiang Xiaoli, being the team leaders, were the most qualified among them, giving them absolute confidence in securing those two spots.

However, if there were only a single quota available, Sun Yong and Jiang Xiaoli would have to engage in a fierce rivalry, making the outcome entirely unpredictable. That was why the two of them had instigated everyone to demand the spots together, aiming for a win-win result for themselves.

They wrapped their agenda in the guise of utter selflessness, boasting countless benefits while painting a picture as grand and round as a giant pancake.

Han Li was so bored listening from the sidelines that he almost fell asleep, as their rhetoric fell far short of the online marketing accounts from later generations.

Qi Zhaodi had been somewhat confused at first, so she softly asked He Mi for clarification.

He Mi explained all the conditions regarding the recruitment and enrollment drives to her, but after listening in silence for a long time, Qi Zhaodi asked, "Sister He, whenever there's an opportunity, will everyone choose to leave this place to become workers or go to school?"

He Mi replied, "Of course. After all, the conditions here are far too inferior compared to the cities; it's only natural for people to aspire to better things."

Remembering how well everyone had treated her since her arrival, Qi Zhaodi felt a million reasons not to want to separate from them. She feared that once they left, she would revert to being that neglected person whom no one cared about—a life she never wanted to endure again. Biting her lip, she said, "Sister He, when you have free time, could you teach me some cultural knowledge?"

"Of course! As long as you are willing to learn, I will do my utmost to teach you."

"I... I only know how to write my own name."

"That's fine, we can start from the absolute beginning. However, we'll need Han Li to help find a set of textbooks."

"Thank you, Sister He. I'll go ask Brother Han shortly."

Following the round of encouragement and mobilization, Sun Yong and Jiang Xiaoli led the crowd toward the village branch office.

Li Hong霞 no longer seemed in a hurry to find her romantic interest, her mood stirred with excitement. If she could somehow become a factory worker, she could finally hold her head high in front of her partner and no longer feel constantly inferior.

The other unnamed veteran educated youth likely held similar thoughts, as the excitement on his face was impossible to conceal.

Aside from the four veteran educated youth and two hot-headed newcomers who were genuinely thrilled, the rest simply tagged along with apathetic expressions, treating it as a mere formality.

Han Li chatted idly with Zhang Xiangjun at the very back of the group, while Yun Yingying and the others walked close behind them.

Imagination was wonderful, but Village Chief Zhao and Team Leader Liang were no pushovers; a single sentence from them instantly dispersed the crowd.

"The two of you, as youth team leaders, send everyone back. Only the qualified educated youth may come inside to discuss this. If you can't even manage this, it's a lack of organization and discipline, and the educated youth won't be allocated a single quota this time."

At this stage, Sun Yong and Jiang Xiaoli had already achieved their goal—they had demonstrated their mobilizing influence to the village branch committee.

With the other educated youth no longer present, certain things actually became much easier to discuss. The scene once again reverted to the veteran educated youth trying to persuade the others to head back.

Han Li chuckled and was the first to turn back. Along the way, Qi Zhaodi hurried to catch up with him and asked, "Brother Han, could you please help me borrow a set of primary school textbooks?"

Everyone was well aware of Qi Zhaodi's background, and her desire to learn was a commendable thing.

"Alright, I'll go find some for you right away. Yingying, come with me."

At Yun Yingying's assent, Han Li took her along as they made the rounds visiting various households of the married sisters-in-law and aunties in the village.

The two of them strolled around the village, and thanks to Han Li's popularity among the children and the village women, they were good-naturedly teased by almost every family they visited, to which Han Li simply responded with hearty laughter.

After roaming through more than half the village, Han Li not only successfully borrowed a complete set of primary school textbooks but also pre-ordered a large quantity of sunflower seeds and charcoal from the villagers.

When the two of them returned home, they discovered that Yun Jingjing was nowhere to be found. Her back basket was also missing, meaning she must have gone up the mountain with the others.

Han Li immediately pulled Yun Yingying into his arms, refusing to waste a single moment of their time alone.

"Yingying, you hurt me this morning, so now you need to study hard to make it up to me."

Yun Yingying: "......? ? ? ? ?"