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

On the other side, in the commune office.

Zhao Xiaomei held a letter of introduction and read it over three times. The paper was already warm from her handling, and there was a bright red stamp at the bottom.

The staff handed over several other documents: "Take these, don't lose them, you'll need them for the exam."

Zhao Xiaomei nodded quickly, stuffed the materials into her cloth bag, checked them again to make sure they were all there, and then left the office.

I jogged all the way to the supply and marketing cooperative, my forehead covered in sweat.

Seeing Lin Xiuhe push the cart into the yard, she immediately waved: "Sister Xiuhe!"

The sound was crisp and clear, like a sparrow on a treetop.

Lin Xiuhe stopped the car: "Is it all done?"

Zhao Xiaomei took out the letter of introduction and unfolded it. The red stamp faced the sun: "It's all done. The subsidy has been approved, part of the registration fee has been refunded, we can stay at the guesthouse when we take the exam in the county, and the letter of introduction is ready."

She spoke quickly, her eyes and brows beaming with joy, unable to hide her happiness.

After saying that, he took out a small cloth bag from the cloth bag: "This is for you."

It was filled with change—one cent, two cents, five cents, all neatly arranged.

"I'll pay back a little bit first, and the rest later."

Lin Xiuhe pushed the bag back: "Keep it to buy notebooks, I need them for the exam."

Zhao Xiaomei stood there holding a cloth bag. The poplar leaves rustled in the wind.

After a long pause, she finally spoke: "Sister Xiuhe, can I come to see you often in the future?"

"What are you doing here?"

"We can chat, borrow books, and I'd like to ask you about any problems I don't understand."

In the end, Zhao Xiaomei laughed first, her ears turning slightly red.

Lin Xiuhe pushed her bicycle into the yard: "Here we come."

Zhao Xiaomei's face lit up with a smile. She hugged the cloth bag tightly and followed behind.

The setting sun cast long shadows of the two people.

For the first time, people walked together in front of the supply and marketing cooperative.

Meanwhile, in the county middle school archives.

The administrator has just finished organizing the registration materials.

The top application form slid out halfway.

Applicant: Lin Jianguo.

Application content: Cancel Lin Xiuhe's college entrance examination registration qualification.

******

The next morning, as soon as the supply and marketing cooperative opened, Director Zhao called Lin Xiuhe into his office.

On the table were two pieces of paper—a complaint letter and a registration form. Next to it was a freshly brewed cup of tea, steaming gently rising.

"Hongmei told me yesterday," Director Zhao pushed the paper forward. "What do you think?"

Lin Xiuhe picked up two pieces of paper and laid them out side by side. The missing stroke on the character "资" (zi) was still glaringly obvious.

"The characters look similar, but we can't rely on that alone."

Director Zhao nodded: "That's what I meant too."

Reporting someone isn't a huge deal, but it's not insignificant either. If you really want to bring someone to justice, you need to have some solid evidence to back it up.

Footsteps sounded at the door. Li Hongmei walked in, carrying a registration book.

"Director, I've found something else."

She placed an old ledger on the table and turned to the middle page: "These are the notes left when we registered the kerosene coupons last year. Take a look."

Lin Xiuhe lowered her head. The handwriting was somewhat messy, but the character "资" (zi, meaning capital) was still the same—missing a stroke. And in the registrant column, three words were written: Lin Weidong.

The only sound in the office was the rustling of paper turning.

Director Zhao picked up the account books and then the letter of complaint, comparing them back and forth. After a while, he put both documents down: "They're pretty much accurate."

Li Hongmei snorted: "I suspected it was him a long time ago. Last month he even came to ask Xiuhe how much money she made selling books, and I knew something was wrong then."

Lin Xiuhe closed the ledger: "Director, don't spread this around yet."

Director Zhao looked up: "Why?"

"He's about to take the college entrance exam. If this gets out now, the whole commune will know."

Director Zhao picked up his teacup and took a sip: "You've really thought things through for him."

Lin Xiuhe didn't explain. She simply put the account book back on the table.

In her past life, Lin Weidong was admitted to a vocational college, and her whole family boasted about that achievement for many years. In this life, she wants to see how far Lin Weidong can go without her sister's support and the family's favoritism.

Just then, a commotion suddenly came from outside the door. The noise grew closer and closer.

Director Zhao frowned, got up and walked out.

Inside the supply and marketing cooperative's lobby, a middle-aged woman was patting the counter.

"My son came to buy study materials yesterday, and what are you selling? It's all used books! Why are they so expensive?"

Several customers were gathered around. Some of them recognized her—Aunt Liu from Zhao Village, notorious for her greed.

Li Hongmei rolled her eyes: "What's wrong with old books? Can't we read old books?"

"You can't sell it for this price!" Aunt Liu slammed a math workbook on the counter. "My son said you guys make the most money here!"

The murmurs in the hall gradually grew louder.

Just as Director Zhao was about to speak, Lin Xiuhe walked over.

She picked up the document and opened it to the first page. It was covered with notes, and there were sticky notes stuck to it in many places.

"Whose handwriting is this?"

Aunt Liu didn't react immediately: "What?"

"The original owner of this book spent three months organizing it and highlighted all the key points. If your son were to do it himself, it might take him three months to finish."

People in the hall crowded around to take a look. They quickly discovered that it was indeed true—the edges of the pages were worn, clearly indicating that the book had been studied diligently.

Aunt Liu was a little embarrassed: "That...that's expensive too."

Lin Xiuhe turned to the last page of the book and handed it to her: "Can your son do the last question?"

Aunt Liu glanced down—the book was full of formulas, like a book written in a foreign language. She quickly pushed the book back: "How would I know this?"

"So what you're buying isn't paper, it's time that someone else has organized."

Someone in the hall laughed out loud, and a few students nodded: "That's right, I bought the notes. You can't find this kind of material anywhere in the county."

The wind direction suddenly changed.

Aunt Liu stood there, her face flushing red and then turning pale. Finally, she picked up the book and slunk out of the supply and marketing cooperative.

After everyone had gone, Director Zhao shook his head with a smile: "No wonder you can sell used books so well, your mouth is faster than an abacus."

A burst of laughter rang out in the supply and marketing cooperative.

At noon, people gradually dispersed.

Lin Xiuhe went back to the warehouse to organize the materials. Just as she finished arranging a stack of math books, she suddenly heard footsteps outside the door.

Zhou Zhiyuan arrived. His bicycle was parked under a tree, with a cloth bag hanging from the handlebars.

"Is something the matter?" Lin Xiuhe asked.

Zhou Zhiyuan placed the cloth bag on the table: "A batch of mock exam papers from the county just arrived. Keep this."

Lin Xiuhe opened it and glanced at it—it was all handwritten mimeographed scrolls. At that time, they were even harder to find than grain coupons.

"How much?"

"It's free."

"Is it issued by the commune?"

"I guess so." Zhou Zhiyuan spread out the test papers, the top one of which had the name of the county's No. 1 Middle School printed on it.

"There's one more thing."

"What is it?"

Zhou Zhiyuan took an envelope out of his pocket and placed it on the table.

The envelope was unsealed, revealing half of a form inside. The words at the top were particularly eye-catching: College Entrance Examination Registration Materials.

Lin Xiuhe picked it up and pulled out the paper.

The next second, she stopped moving.

At the very bottom of the paper, the applicant is listed as: Lin Jianguo.