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

The next morning, the area in front of the supply and marketing cooperative was busier than usual.

Many young people stood outside the door, some carrying textbooks, some holding old notebooks, and a few people who looked like educated youth squatted against the wall smoking.

Upon seeing Lin Xiuhe approach, everyone turned their gaze towards her.

The investigation yesterday afternoon has already spread. The commune is small, and even the slightest disturbance can't be kept secret, let alone something like "speculation and profiteering."

Lin Xiuhe pushed the bicycle into the yard and locked it. Just then, Li Hongmei ran out from inside, a smile on her face.

"You're here?"

"Has the director arrived?"

"I'm here early." Li Hongmei couldn't suppress a smile. "Hurry inside, someone's waiting for you."

Inside the office, Director Zhao was pouring tea. Staff Member Liu was sitting beside him flipping through documents. When Lin Xiuhe entered, both of them looked up.

"Please have a seat since you're here." Director Zhao pushed the enamel mug over. "Have a drink of water first."

Lin Xiuhe sat down without touching her teacup, her gaze falling on the investigation materials on the table.

After turning the last page, Officer Liu capped his pen and pushed the materials forward.

"The results are in."

All three people in the room were looking at him.

Officer Liu stated, "The source of the acquisition was legal, the transaction parties were clear, and the books sold were personal used books. There was no involvement of goods subject to unified purchase and distribution, and no exploitation of my position as a supply and marketing cooperative employee for personal gain. The allegations are unfounded."

Director Zhao burst out laughing: "I told you, it was all for nothing."

Officer Liu smiled and said, "But the whistleblower did do you a favor."

Director Zhao was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

"During the past two days of investigation, I found that there are far more people buying materials than usual."

As he spoke, Officer Liu pointed out the window: "Take a look for yourself."

The group looked out the window.

A line had already formed at the warehouse entrance. Seven or eight young men were standing there, and two others had arrived by bicycle from another group.

"I heard you can buy college entrance exam materials here."

"My classmate recommended me."

"Is there math?"

"Is there any physics left?"

The sound drifted into the office on the wind.

Director Zhao was taken aback at first, then couldn't help but laugh: "That's really true. Reporting it once has actually helped you get publicity."

Lin Xiuhe never expected things to turn out this way.

There's a term from that past life called the GG effect.

Although no one says it that way now, the principle is the same—many people didn't know before, but now they all know.

Officer Liu stood up and put the investigation findings into his briefcase: "There's one more thing. The commune is planning to set up a resource sharing point for students facing difficulties. If you'd like, the used books we collect can be registered together. This will be convenient for the students and prevent anyone from making false reports."

Director Zhao's eyes lit up: "This is great news! Xiuhe, what do you think?"

Lin Xiuhe thought for a moment and said, "Okay. But the students should buy and sell the materials themselves; I'll only be responsible for organizing them."

Officer Liu nodded: "That would be best."

The matter is now completely over.

It was almost noon when the two left the office.

As soon as the warehouse door opened, people outside swarmed around it.

"Comrade Lin, how much is this math review book?"

Do you still have your English notes?

"I'm looking for past exam papers."

Everyone was talking at once, making it even more lively than a market.

Lin Xiuhe was busy all noon. By the time the last student left, the sun was already setting.

The warehouse finally became quiet.

Li Hongmei walked in carrying the registration book, her expression somewhat strange: "Xiuhe."

"What's wrong?"

"I read that whistleblower letter again."

As she spoke, she pulled a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket: "And this too."

The paper was yellowed and had creases at the edges, as if it had been crumpled repeatedly.

Lin Xiuhe took it. There were a few lines of text on it; it was an out-of-stock registration form—someone came to buy study materials but couldn't find them, so they left their name and contact information.

At first glance, it looks quite ordinary.

Lin Xiuhe stopped at the second glance.

The character "资" is missing a stroke on the right, just like the one in the whistleblower letter.

The only sound in the warehouse was the rustling of paper.

Li Hongmei opened the register and pointed to a page: "When I was organizing the shelves a while ago, I felt like I'd seen this character before. Then I remembered—someone wrote it when they came to buy a notebook. I just took the register out, and sure enough, it's the same."

Lin Xiuhe put the two pieces of paper together.

The writing style is the same, the position is the same, and the penmanship is almost identical.

Li Hongmei swallowed hard: "At first I thought I had mistaken someone else for someone else, but the more I looked at it, the more it looked like them."

After she finished speaking, she stretched out her hand and pointed to the name at the very bottom of the register.

The warehouse was so quiet that only the sound of the wind could be heard.

A few seconds later, Li Hongmei read out the name.

"Lin Weidong".

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Lin Xiuhe folded the registration form again and put it in her pocket. Her movements were slow and steady.

Li Hongmei asked cautiously, "Should we tell the director?"

"Tell me. Why won't you tell me?"

"So what are you going to do?"

Lin Xiuhe closed the warehouse ledger, the wooden cover making a soft thud.

The setting sun was casting its red glow through the glass, bathing half the warehouse in a warm light.

"If you report someone, you have to bear the consequences."

*******

Lin.

Lin Weidong sat in the courtyard with a math workbook open in front of him, but he didn't turn the pages for a long time.

He had already heard that the supply and marketing cooperative had investigated, and investigated very thoroughly.

Thinking of this, Lin Weidong's lips curled up slightly.

He didn't know if reporting it would be useful. But at least it would annoy Lin Xiuhe.

On what grounds?

From childhood to adulthood, he was always the smartest person in the family. Teachers praised him, his parents hoped for his future, and when people in the village talked about the Lin family, they always mentioned him.

But in recent months, the winds have completely changed.

Lin Xiuhe worked at the supply and marketing cooperative, sold study materials, and registered students for the college entrance examination. Even someone like Zhao Xiaomei was willing to follow her around.

Lin Weidong pressed the pencil down on the table, and the tip snapped off with a "click".

He stared at the broken pen refill for a long time, then picked up another pen and opened the math problems.

This time, he will definitely do better than Lin Xiuhe.

The courtyard gate was suddenly pushed open.

A figure walked in.

Lin Weidong raised his head.

The smile remained on his face.

Lin Xiuhe stood at the gate of the courtyard.

The setting sun stretched her shadow long.

When the courtyard gate was pushed open, Lin Weidong was doing his homework.

The wooden table in the yard was a bit wobbly, so he propped it up with half a brick. His pen traced lines on the paper; he was only halfway through writing a function problem.

The footsteps stopped beside the stone mill.

Lin Weidong raised his head.

Lin Xiuhe stood there, a cloth bag slung over her shoulder, her bicycle parked outside the courtyard gate.

"What's up?"

Lin Xiuhe took two pieces of paper out of her bag and placed them on the stone mill.

A breeze blew through the yard, and the corner of the paper curled up gently.

Lin Weidong looked down—a letter of complaint, a registration form for the supply and marketing cooperative. The two characters for "capital" were placed together, both missing the same stroke.

Lin Weidong put down his pen, picked up the two sheets of paper, and flipped through them once, then again.

The paper hasn't changed, and neither have the words.

"Did the supply and marketing cooperative contact you?"

"I've looked for it."

"and then?"

"The investigation is complete." Lin Xiuhe stood still, her voice steady. "The report is unfounded."

The old hen in the yard emerged from behind the woodpile, pecked at the dirt a couple of times, and then went around to the corner of the wall.

Lin Weidong put the paper back on the millstone: "What can one word explain?"

"It doesn't explain everything, but it's enough."

A gust of wind blew in through the courtyard gate, flipping a page of the draft paper on the table. Lin Weidong reached out and pressed it down.

"What do you want?"

"I came to tell you."

"Tell what?"

"Don't get involved in my affairs again."

The pen on the wooden table rolled half an inch, hit the edge of the exercise book, and stopped.

Lin Weidong suddenly laughed: "Your business? Is the supply and marketing cooperative yours? Is the college entrance exam yours? Does everyone in the commune have to revolve around you? What's wrong with me writing a letter of complaint? You make money selling books, and people can't say anything about it?"

Lin Xiuhe looked at the math workbook—it was already filled with answers, the handwriting neat and the steps complete.

It was the same in his past life. Lin Weidong's grades were always good, so the Lin family always said: This family will rely on their son in the future.

"Do you really think it's about selling books?" Lin Xiuhe asked.

Lin Weidong flipped the workbook over: "What's that?"

"You're just not used to it. I used to do your laundry, cook for you, and save up for your tuition. But I don't do those things anymore."

A sharp crack suddenly came from the courtyard. The pen rolled off the edge of the table and fell to the ground.

Lin Weidong bent down to pick it up, the nib of the pen was bent out of shape. He looked at the pen for two seconds, then put it back on the table.

"Think what you want. See you in the college entrance exam, then we'll see your results."

"Okay." Lin Xiuhe nodded. "We'll see about the results."

She turned and walked out.

Just as she reached the courtyard gate, the house door suddenly opened. Wang Xiulan came out carrying a basin of vegetables, and upon seeing Lin Xiuhe, she stopped in her tracks.

"What are you doing back here?"

Lin Xiuhe didn't stop and continued walking out. As she passed Wang Xiulan, she said, "Tell him to focus on the test paper and stop staring at others."

The bicycle chain started turning, and it quickly left the yard.

Wang Xiulan stood at the doorway, looking into the courtyard. Lin Weidong had already sat down again, his exercise book open, but his pen remained motionless.

The setting sun slid past the wall, and the shadow on the table grew longer and longer.