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

To everyone's surprise, the next second, Lin Xiuhe actually reached into her pocket.

Zhao Xiaomei suddenly looked up: "No!" The words almost escaped her lips. Her face changed instantly, "I can't accept it."

"Why not?"

"Because..." Zhao Xiaomei bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes, "because I can't pay it back."

Lin Xiuhe paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

This girl is more clear-headed than I was in my previous life.

"Who said it was given to you for free?"

She took out a few small bills from her pocket and gently placed them on the table.

"Two yuan and fifty cents, the registration fee. Consider it a loan from me."

Zhao Xiaomei was stunned: "Borrow..."

"Yes. You can pay me back after you get into university and start working."

Everyone stared at the two yuan and fifty cents—not much, but it felt like a weight on everyone's heart. Because it wasn't just money, it was a path.

Zhao Xiaomei stared intently at the money on the table, and tears finally streamed down her face.

She cried quietly, but it hurt even more than when she was being beaten. Because she suddenly realized that there really were people who believed she could pass the exam.

Just then, Zhao Guofu suddenly sneered, "Borrow? You think paying the registration fee is all it takes? Does the county exam not cover travel expenses? Does it not cover lodging in guesthouses? Does it not cover meals? Who's going to pay for it then?"

……

Because what he said was true. The registration fee is just the beginning; there will be more money to be made later.

Zhao Xiaomei's face gradually paled, and the hope that had just begun to glimmer began to waver again.

However, the next second, Zhou Zhiyuan suddenly spoke up: "The commune has a way to handle these matters."

Zhao Guofu suddenly looked at him: "What method?"

Zhou Zhiyuan didn't answer, but simply said, "Take your graduation certificate to the commune tomorrow morning, and someone will tell you."

Zhao Guofu was stunned, and Zhao Xiaomei was also stunned.

Lin Xiuhe squinted.

Here we go again—that knowing tone, that confident attitude. As if he already knew what would happen tomorrow.

The wind blew through the yard.

The Zhao family members looked at each other in bewilderment.

No one noticed that a familiar figure was quietly standing outside the courtyard gate.

Lin Weidong.

He stared intently at Lin Xiuhe in the courtyard, his gaze growing increasingly gloomy.

After a while, he turned and left.

The direction he left was the supply and marketing cooperative.

When Lin Xiuhe returned to the supply and marketing cooperative, it was almost time to get off work.

The setting sun shone through the glass window, casting a faint golden glow on the enamel mug on the counter.

But as soon as she entered the room, she sensed something was wrong.

It's too quiet.

Normally at this time, Li Hongmei would be either tidying up the shelves or chatting with customers. But today, she stood behind the counter, looking somewhat uneasy.

He visibly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her come in.

"Xiuhe, you're finally back."

Lin Xiuhe paused, "What happened?"

Li Hongmei lowered her voice: "Director Zhao is looking for you, go there immediately."

There was an indescribable tension in his voice.

Lin Xiuhe's heart sank slightly, and she turned and walked towards her office.

Push open the door.

Besides Director Zhao, there was another unfamiliar man sitting in the room. He was around forty years old, wearing a gray Zhongshan suit, with a briefcase in front of him, and a serious expression.

Director Zhao looked up: "You've arrived? Have a seat."

Lin Xiuhe sat down, her gaze falling on the table—where there was an opened envelope and several pieces of whistleblowing material.

Director Zhao paused for two seconds before finally speaking: "Someone reported you."

The office quieted down.

Lin Xiuhe heard her own heartbeat; it was steady. In her past life, she was most afraid of hearing the word "report," because every time it meant someone was trying to take something away from her.

Lin Xiuhe remained calm: "Report what?"

Director Zhao pushed the letter over: "Take a look."

Lin Xiuhe accepted it.

The paper was rough and the handwriting was crooked, but the content was written in great detail.

She read very slowly, and after finishing a page, she lightly tapped her finger on the paper.

The whistleblower alleged that Lin Xiuhe, using her position as an employee of the supply and marketing cooperative, privately purchased study materials and resold them at inflated prices for profit, which constitutes suspected speculation and profiteering, and suggested that the matter be seriously investigated and dealt with.

After reading it, Lin Xiuhe put the letter back on the table, her expression calm: "It's not very professionally written."

Director Zhao was taken aback, and the man next to him also looked up: "What do you mean?"

Lin Xiuhe raised her eyes: "Because the whistleblower didn't understand the policy at all. Used books are not state-purchased goods, and study materials are not planned-supply goods. I was selling personal used books, not goods from the supply and marketing cooperative, and I did not take advantage of my position."

The man in gray suddenly became interested: "You know about these things?"

"I've been looking at some documents recently," Lin Xiuhe replied.

In her past life, she spent over a decade in a hospital bed. She had plenty of time, nothing else. She was even more familiar with many policies and regulations than many officials of this era.

The man in gray nodded: "Go on."

Lin Xiuhe picked up the letter of complaint again: "There's one more question."

"What's the problem?"

"The whistleblower knows me."

Her voice was calm. "He knows I sell books, he knows when I buy them back, he knows where I usually set up my stall, and he even knows the location of my warehouse. If he hadn't been following me closely, it would be impossible for him to know so much detail."

Director Zhao and the man in gray exchanged a glance, neither of them refuting the claim. It was the truth—the contents of the whistleblower letter were too specific; it didn't sound like a stranger's letter, but rather like one from an acquaintance.

"Is there anything else?" the man in gray asked.

"Yes." Lin Xiuhe pointed to a word on the whistleblower letter, "Here."

The two lowered their heads.

The character “资” in “资料” is written a bit strangely; it’s missing a stroke on the right, as if it’s a long-standing habit.

"His educational level is average, but he writes this character frequently. It's a habit that's hard to break."

Director Zhao couldn't help but laugh: "You seem like someone from the Public Security Bureau."

Lin Xiuhe also smiled and said, "I'm just taking a look."

The investigation continues.

The man in gray introduced himself—Liu, the officer in charge of the commune's industrial and commercial management team. He then began the routine check: asking about the book acquisition channels, prices, profits, and sales.

Lin Xiuhe answered in great detail, without hiding anything. Because she hadn't done anything illegal.

Half an hour later, Officer Liu finally closed his notebook: "There are basically no problems."

Director Zhao also breathed a sigh of relief: "I knew it, this girl wouldn't do something like that."

Just as the atmosphere was calming down, the office door was suddenly pushed open.

Li Hongmei walked in: "Director, may I see the complaint letter?"

Director Zhao handed it over casually.

Li Hongmei took it and glanced at it a few times. At first, she didn't react much, but when she saw the word "capital," her expression suddenly froze.

"What's wrong?" Director Zhao asked.

Li Hongmei did not answer immediately, but frowned, as if she was recalling something.

After several seconds, she slowly spoke, "This character... I feel like I've seen it before."

The office fell silent. Everyone looked at her.

"Where?"

Li Hongmei tried hard to recall: "A while ago, someone came to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a notebook. At the time, we were out of stock, so I asked him to leave a note. The character '资' (zi)... was written like that too."

Director Zhao's expression changed: "Who left this?"

Li Hongmei opened her mouth. But just as the name was about to come out, she suddenly froze.

Because that name was so familiar—so familiar that she couldn't believe it.

Meanwhile, in the production team, at the Lin family's house.

Lin Weidong sat at the table, opened a math workbook, but couldn't concentrate on reading a single word.

Her mind was filled with the events of the afternoon—the Zhao family, Zhou Zhiyuan, Lin Xiuhe, and the gazes directed at her.

On what grounds?

He gripped the pen tightly, his eyes growing increasingly gloomy.

Mingming has always been the student with the best grades since childhood; Mingming's whole family says that he will be the most successful person in the future.

But from some point onwards, when the villagers mentioned the Lin family, they no longer referred to Lin Weidong, but rather Lin Xiuhe.

She has a job. She can earn money. She can even go to university.

On what grounds?

Lin Weidong lowered his head and clenched his hands tightly.

He couldn't believe it, he really couldn't believe it—that someone who had cooked and cleaned for him since he was a child would one day stand in front of him.

What he didn't know was that the special character "资" (zi, meaning capital) in the supply and marketing cooperative's office was about to find him.