Reborn in 1977, I will no longer be my brother's blood bag.

Chapter 28 The whole village heard it.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking and the morning mist had not yet dissipated, with dew still clinging to the corn leaves in the fields, the production team's loudspeaker blared.

Shila-

The familiar hum of electricity pierced the morning mist. As the first hint of dawn appeared on the eastern horizon, sparrows in the old locust tree at the village entrance were startled by the sound of the loudspeaker and took flight.

Many people subconsciously looked up.

An old man, who was up early collecting manure, stood by the roadside with a pitchfork, looking up at the telephone pole. At the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative, Li Hongmei was removing a door panel when she heard the horn and her hand froze in mid-air.

"Is the broadcast starting so early today?"

"What happened?"

The sounds came from the courtyards of each household.

In the courtyard, Lin Xiuhe was washing her face. Hearing the sound, she paused slightly.

She knew it had arrived.

Meanwhile, at the Lin family...

Wang Xiulan didn't sleep all night. The quilt on the kang was folded neatly. She sat on the edge of the kang with her hands on her knees, not moving at all.

His eyes were bloodshot from staying up all night, and his eye sockets were sunken.

Lin Weidong was curled up in the corner of the kang (a heated brick bed), his face against the wall, the quilt pulled over his head. He hadn't said a word since he returned yesterday. His face was deathly pale, and his lips were dry and chapped.

The yard was eerily quiet. The chickens hadn't been let out yet, the stove was cold, and no one was making breakfast.

"Wei Dong," Wang Xiulan said in a low voice, "why don't we go and beg Captain Wang to stop broadcasting it..."

Before the words were even finished, the loudspeaker was already blaring.

"The following is a production team notice."

Lin Weidong's body stiffened abruptly. Under the covers, he was tense, his hands gripping the corner of the blanket tightly.

"An investigation revealed that member Lin Weidong took other people's belongings without permission, causing a negative impact. He is now ordered to publicly apologize and make a public apology."

The sound, amplified by loudspeakers, reverberated throughout the entire production team. East end, west end, riverbank, fields—

Every household's gate was open. Some people stood at the door with their rice bowls in their hands, listening; some put down their brooms; and some straightened up from their vegetable gardens.

The air fell silent for a moment.

Immediately afterwards, discussions arose.

"It actually aired!"

"Captain Wang is serious this time."

"Lin Weidong has really embarrassed himself."

"Serves you right."

Comments drifted in through the courtyard wall.

Some people were talking at the crossroads, some were talking by the well, and some were talking while squatting at the foot of their own walls.

Lin Weidong's face grew paler and paler, and his hands began to tremble, causing the blanket to slip from his grasp.

From childhood to adulthood, he was always the apple of his family's eye. He always had the best of everything. No one ever scolded him, and no one ever made him lose face like this.

But now, the whole production team knows.

Thinking about this, he suddenly felt an urge to run away. But where could he run to?

"Weidong..." Wang Xiulan's voice trembled. She reached out to touch her son's head, but pulled her hand back halfway. This time, however, she was helpless.

At nine o'clock in the morning, at the production team's threshing ground, the sun had already risen, turning the soil on the ground white.

More and more people came, from this village, neighboring villages, and even the next commune, all with nothing better to do than come and watch the spectacle.

In the center of the threshing ground stood an old wooden table with knife marks on the surface and blackened edges.

Captain Wang stood in front of the table, wearing a faded blue cotton jacket with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his expression serious.

Two brigade cadres stood nearby, holding notebooks in their hands.

"Has the person arrived?" Captain Wang asked.

"We've arrived," the person next to me replied.

The next second, everyone's eyes turned to one place.

Lin Weidong arrived. He hung his head, his face was ashen, and his steps were heavy. Behind him followed Wang Xiulan and Lin Jianguo. The three of them looked increasingly grim.

"Let's begin," Captain Wang said.

Everyone looked at Lin Weidong, waiting for him to speak.

But he stood there, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

"Wei Dong." Captain Wang frowned. "Read it."

As he spoke, he handed over the letter of self-criticism. It was written last night.

Lin Weidong took it, his hands trembling violently.

After a long silence, he finally managed to speak with difficulty: "I..."

The sound was so soft it was almost inaudible.

"I can't hear you," Captain Wang interrupted directly. "Read it again."

The air fell silent once more. Countless eyes were fixed on him.

Finally, Lin Weidong gritted his teeth and raised his voice: "I apologize to Lin Xiuhe."

The entire threshing ground fell silent. Everyone had heard it.

Not far away, Lin Xiuhe stood at the back of the crowd, leaning against a locust tree, her hands in her jacket pockets, her expression calm.

There was no excitement, no schadenfreude, just quiet observation, as if looking at a stranger.

"I shouldn't have stolen the book, and I definitely shouldn't have sold it. I won't do it again."

With each sentence he read, Lin Weidong felt his face burning, as if he had been slapped in public.

Especially the last sentence: "I'm sorry."

His eyes welled up with tears as he spoke. It was the first time he had ever bowed his head to the older sister he had always looked down upon.

Everyone looked at Lin Xiuhe, waiting for her response.

In her past life, she would have softened at this moment and said: "Never mind, we're all family."

But not anymore.

"I understand," Lin Xiuhe said calmly.

Just three words. No comfort, no forgiveness, and no attempt to save face for him.

Got it. That's all.

The air suddenly felt somewhat still.

Because everyone understands that this sibling relationship can never be the same again.

Just then, Captain Wang spoke again:

"Furthermore, the production team fully supports the resumption of college entrance examination registration. No one may deliberately obstruct it."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Jianguo's expression changed drastically.

Lin Xiuhe was taken aback.

The next second, she suddenly understood.

This statement was on her behalf—it was telling everyone, including the Lin family, that no one could stop her from taking the college entrance examination.

Thinking of this, she gently clenched her fingers, and a warm feeling suddenly welled up in her heart.

It turns out that this time, there really was someone on her side.

After the broadcast ended, the crowd gradually dispersed.

But the discussions didn't stop. Because everyone knew that after today, Lin Weidong's reputation was completely ruined.

Lin Xiuhe, however, is heading down a different path—a path that is getting further and further away.

Just then, a familiar figure stood outside the crowd.

Zhou Zhiyuan.

He didn't go forward, but just watched from a distance, his gaze fixed on Lin Xiuhe.

After a long while, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, as if he was happy for her.

Lin Xiuhe seemed to sense something and subconsciously turned around.

Their eyes met briefly across the crowd.

The next second, Zhou Zhiyuan turned and left.