The minibus arrived, and a line of passengers boarded, filling up most of the seats.
Qin Jin and Li Qiao sat in the last row of double seats, with Wang Nannan and Du Xinxin sitting in front of them.
The two girls discussed going to get food and drinks after buying their review materials in the city.
Li Qiao asked them in a quiet voice where to buy sanitary pads.
Dong Lamei and Li Jinhua were seated in a separate row by themselves, the mother and daughter one in front of the other. Lamei glanced at Li Qiao and whispered to Jinhua, "Your third sister marrying Loser Qin has completely ruined her reputation, yet these two girls still want to hang out with her, they must not be decent."
Upon hearing this, Li Jinhua looked back and saw Qin Jin taking out a cigarette from his pocket, lighting it up, and smoking by the window. The driver, seeing this in the rearview mirror, called out, "That little rascal in the back, no smoking on the bus."
Qin Jin: "Who you calling a rascal, you old fart? Haven't you heard about Loser Qin from Feng Family Village... whoa, mmm!"
Li Qiao quickly snatched the cigarette from his mouth, stamped it out on the floor of the bus with her foot, and covered his mouth.
So embarrassing!
Instead of being ashamed of being called a loser, he took pride in it.
He was the spitting image of a rebellious, angsty teenager.
She sincerely apologized on his behalf, "Sorry, driver. My boyfriend didn't mean to."
"It's good you put it out, smoking on the bus is really dangerous."
"Yeah, we promise it won't happen again," Li Qiao, acting the part of the compliant student, turned and warned, "No smoking or swearing, or don't blame me when I tell Grandma."
The young man's pupils dilated, and his heartbeat quickened at the soft threatening tone of the girl's voice and the cool, slippery touch of her hand on his palm.
Unable to face her directly anymore, he glanced at her sideways, catching glimpses of the setting sun shining on her.
Her face as radiant as fine jade, lips like gleaming pearls.
The bulky and unattractive floral cotton clothes seemed to become fashionable on her.
He stared again, meeting her threatening gaze, and unable to swallow his pride, he retorted, "Always using Grandma to press me down!"
Everyone silently sympathized with Li Qiao, such a nice girl, marrying a loser because of rumors and gossip.
Such a waste.
Li Jinhua was very disappointed; she had expected Qin Jin to lose his temper, thinking Li Qiao would at least get a beating.
...
When the minibus arrived at the county town, Dong Lamei and Li Jinhua got off first.
Li Qiao called out to her mother, "Take care, Jinhua."
Dong Lamei responded verbally but inwardly cursed: Her own sister was injured, and yet she still had the mood to play around, an ungrateful wretch, what a waste raising you to this age.
Li Qiao's group headed to the bookstore first; though it was morning, it wasn't empty.
Everyone was there to buy study materials for repeating the year, and some bookshelves were already empty.
Wang Nannan complained, "There's nothing left, this trip has been a waste."
Even Du Xinxin was getting anxious, "We can't leave empty-handed, can we?"
Li Qiao browsed through the remaining books and found an introductory English workbook, "You could buy this one."
Wang Nannan: "English doesn't count towards the total score, why bother buying it?"
Li Qiao: "Just because it wasn't counted in the first year doesn't mean it won't be in the second."
Wang Nannan sneered dismissively.
Convinced by Li Qiao's advice, Han Ting and Du Xinxin stepped forward to get the workbook.
The latter asked, "Aren't you buying one, Li Qiao?"
"The school will probably hand out something similar," Li Qiao said. She picked out a physics and a mathematics book next, which covered a wide range of topics. Perhaps because of the high level of difficulty and the belief that these wouldn't be on the test, no one else had bought them. But if one mastered these books, there would be no fear of the more challenging questions on the test. She found them useful and began recommending them.
Wang Nannan, thinking Li Qiao was giving bad advice, objected, "How can we start with these when we haven't even cleared up the fundamentals?"
"I have basic notes and the test papers from last year. I'll lend them to you later. If there's anything you don't understand, we can discuss it together. Stick to it for a month or two, and you'll have a solid foundation."
Upon hearing this idea, everyone thought it was good, and everyone except Wang Nannan made the purchase.
Li Qiao also wanted to buy two books on reading comprehension, but the price made her hesitate.
She picked up the books and then put them down, put them down and then picked them up again.
Qin Jin had been waiting outside. He glanced through the glass window and saw her actions, then walked straight into the store and picked up a book, "You've come all this way, so if you want to buy it, just buy it."
Li Qiao pursed her lips and smiled. It was funny that he was annoyed with her yet willing to spend money on books for her. With curved eyes, she said, "It's too expensive, though. It's not like I absolutely have to read it. I'll wait until I get to university and earn a scholarship before buying it."
Qin Jin: "..." What can you do if you don't brag?
Li Qiao refused to agree to buy the reading book. After leaving the bookstore, Qin Jin quietly told her there was another channel for buying books.
Li Qiao immediately called over her friends.
Qin Jin was speechless; she really didn't treat these people like outsiders.
Wang Nannan found out it was a private trading spot and, being against the rules, was unwilling to go.
Liu Jing echoed, "I think I'll pass too."
Seeing this, the remaining three began to hesitate.
Li Qiao couldn't understand, "It's just buying a book, not doing something bad. Even if we do run into the duty student on patrol, what could they possibly do to us? Is it really necessary for you to act this way?"
For the first time, Qin Jin agreed with her perspective, "Exactly, let's go. If they don't want to go, they can drop it!" He pulled Li Qiao forward.
Du Xinxin wavered for a moment but still followed. If Li Qiao, who had a solid foundation and was still willing to make progress, Du Xinxin felt she needed to work even harder given her weaker background.
Han Ting followed next, as Zou Qing called out for them to wait for her.
Liu Jing wanted to follow but was afraid something might actually happen, so the two rule-abiding people decided to head home first.
Qin Jin led Li Qiao and the others through dark alleys, turning here and there until they arrived at a secluded trading spot.
The place was bustling.
There were stalls selling rice, flour, steamed buns, and all types of sweets, as well as pots, pans, ladles, basins, small farm tools—a lot cheaper than elsewhere.
Going to the very end, Li Qiao saw the book stall.
She found an English-Chinese dictionary from the last century and treasured it immediately, asking for the price right away.
"Fifty cents."
"Ten cents, take it or leave it," bargained Qin Jin.
"Alright, alright! Take it," the seller acquiesced.
Li Qiao looked up at the young man before her with admiration, "You're so amazing," she said, impressed by how he managed to bring the price down to the lowest.
Qin Jin raised an eyebrow. Was he amazing just for haggling? She acted like she had never seen the world.
Du Xinxin found a book on chemistry and asked Li Qiao to check it for her, "Li Qiao, help me see if this book is good."
Li Qiao quickly flipped through it, "It's not bad; it's all basic knowledge and quite suitable for you."
Han Ting picked up a book of Chinese reading comprehension exercises, "Li Qiao, can you check this one for me?"
Li Qiao looked it over carefully, "The types of questions are quite rich. I think it's very good. Make sure to lend it to me after you finish so I can do it too."
"Sure."
Qin Jin listened to her giving advice as if she knew it all, pondering.
Everyone found the books and materials they wanted and left the book stall to continue browsing.
Li Qiao saw stalls selling toilet paper and sanitary pads and asked about the prices; a large roll of toilet paper was only ten cents, and loose sanitary pads were three for ten cents.
Qin Jin turned it over and over, looking curious, "Is this a plaster? Why is it such a big piece?"
His remark nearly made the vendor and those around laugh out loud. Li Qiao also laughed and leaned in to explain.
Qin Jin's cheeks turned red as he felt a rare moment of embarrassment. No wonder Han Ting and Zou Qing didn't come along. He stuffed money into Li Qiao's hand and strode away quickly.
Li Qiao bought a big stack of toilet paper and enough sanitary pads to last a while.
Du Xinxin also made a purchase, and just as they finished packing their stuff, they heard a shout to run fast.
Li Qiao didn't know what was happening when she saw everyone scattering in disarray.
Qin Jin quickly snatched the cloth bag from her hand and pulled her to dash as they ran, but as they turned a corner, they were separated by the rushing crowd.
Pressed by the throng, Li Qiao couldn't adjust direction and was forced to go with the flow.
Once the crowd thinned around her, she stood there, anxious and unsure of what to do next.