Chapter 157: Female Educated Youth 27 (Finale)

Ren Lili also wanted to take the college entrance exam, but she was pregnant. Xu Lei wouldn’t allow it, and that was the first time he laid a hand on her. Ren Lili stared at him in disbelief.

Was this the same husband who had once cared for her every need? She went into a frenzy, pummeling Xu Lei relentlessly, but he pushed her away with an impatient shove. As fate would have it, her stomach slammed into the corner of a table, and the baby was lost.

Father Ren reported Xu Lei to the police station. It happened to coincide with a national crackdown on crime¹, so Xu Lei was sent to prison. Ren Lili became a walking corpse, spending her days in a daze.

Mother Ren did nothing but wash her face with tears, while Father Ren could only sigh helplessly. It was a sin; they say that parents who are biased toward one child never come to a good end.

And indeed, they didn’t. They heard that Ren Xin had been accepted into university, but it was only hearsay. In all these years, she hadn’t contacted them once, as if both sides had a tacit agreement never to speak again.

A few years later, the factory began layoffs, and Father Ren and Mother Ren were unfortunately on the list. Ren Lili still had occasional bouts of mental instability and couldn’t be left alone. Filled with regret, they tried to contact Ren Xin.

Ren Xin’s only response was: “When you lose the ability to care for yourselves, I will provide the money to settle you. Don’t expect anything else. As for Ren Lili, I have no obligation toward her.”

“But she’s your sister!”

Ren Xin sneered. “Sister? All I know is that she was the culprit. She wore a mask of innocence and kindness while stepping over the blood and bones of others to better her own life. Do you think a person like that deserves to be my sister? Since you love her so much, keep her by your side and cherish her. I don’t need you anymore!”

No matter how much resentment Father Ren and Mother Ren felt, they couldn’t find the words to argue. They could only sigh incessantly.

It was all a sin!

After Ren Xin graduated, she bought a house to live a quiet life of early retirement. Fan Zhili’s family found her a job within the government system. She became a typical office worker and came to vent to Ren Xin every day.

Eventually, she found a decent man to marry. She said, “My parents said this man is good, his family is well-off, and his parents are easy to get along with. So, I decided to marry him.”

Ren Xin asked her curiously, “Don’t you plan on finding love on your own? Finding someone you actually like?”

For the first time, Fan Zhili answered solemnly, “I might not be very smart, but I know one thing: if you follow smart people, you’ll never go wrong. My grandfather once said that he wasn’t afraid of people being stupid; he was afraid of people being stupid and still wanting to make their own decisions. My parents won’t hurt me. Even if it doesn’t work out in the end, I still have my family. I have a way out, so I’m not afraid of whatever storms lie ahead.”

Well then. This was a true case of “wisdom appearing as folly².”

Chen Aiguo somehow heard that Ren Xin was wasting her prime years, so he contacted her directly and told her to get her butt over there to teach.

“I won’t!”

“If you come, I’ll save my position for you.”

Ren Xin scoffed. “You think your position is so great? You go to bed later than a dog and wake up earlier than a rooster³. You’ve worried so much you barely have any hair left…”

Chen Aiguo: “…” Life is hard enough; don’t expose the truth!

Ren Xin spent some time traveling, collecting many wonderful vintage items from the era before finally strolling back to the Production and Construction Corps.

“I’m here! Where’s my welcoming parade?” Ren Xin pushed open Chen Aiguo’s office door with her usual familiarity.

Without even looking up, Chen Aiguo said, “I’ve already finished your onboarding paperwork. We’re establishing a school here, and you’re the principal. I’m entrusting the children to you.”

Ren Xin: “…” That hair of his didn’t fall out for nothing. An old fox is an old fox.

Ren Xin was bound to the Corps by a sense of duty. She saw off batch after batch of students. Some returned to work there after becoming successful, saying, “After traveling around, I still feel that home is best!”

In the end, Ren Xin lost track of how many students she had taught. She donated all the money she earned to pay tuition for children who couldn’t afford school and established a scholarship fund.

Ren Xin also took a hard line against families that favored boys over girls. If a family didn’t practice gender equality, she wouldn’t let the factory buy their fruit. It was only fair.

At first, people were defiant, but when they saw Ren Xin meant business, they honestly supported their daughters’ education. Even if the daughters still did more chores at home, at least the parents didn’t dare to go too far.

When Xu Lei was released from prison, he launched a violent revenge against the Ren family. Ren Lili eventually snapped and killed Xu Lei. She also killed Father Ren and Mother Ren, believing it was all their fault that her life had turned out this way. Finally, Ren Lili committed suicide.

Before she died, she heard that her sister, Ren Xin, had become a representative of excellence who had helped countless people. But oh, Sister… why couldn’t you have helped her?

When Ren Xin passed away, many students rushed back from all corners of the country to voluntarily wear mourning clothes⁴ for her.

Ren Xin had only one thought: This time, I shouldn’t get a bad review, right?

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Translator’s Notes

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1. national crackdown on crime: Likely a reference to the ‘Strike Hard’ (Yanda) campaigns in China, most notably the 1983 campaign, where legal procedures were expedited and punishments were severe to restore social order. ↩
2. wisdom appearing as folly: A translation of the idiom ‘da zhi ruo yu’ (大智若愚), meaning that a person of great wisdom may appear simple or even stupid because they do not feel the need to show off. ↩
3. go to bed later than a dog and wake up earlier than a rooster: A common Chinese expression used to describe the grueling schedule of a hardworking person or a student. ↩
4. wear mourning clothes: In Chinese tradition, wearing white mourning garments (shou xiao) is a sign of deep respect and filial piety, usually reserved for one’s own parents or elders. ↩