Summer raised her hand to rub her eye.
The man sitting opposite her and Logan said, "You can talk all you want, but that's just empty words. Knowledge won't feed us, won't bring more food from the collective. Studying costs money and takes a worker away from the family. For families like ours, just not starving is good enough, why bother with school?"
Logan replied, "Sir, you can't just look at the immediate situation, you have to consider the future. Education brings knowledge and culture, which can help your children succeed later in life."
The man laughed, "What success? All you city kids, who hasn't gone to school? Yet here you all are, farming in the countryside. You city kids study and end up in our village, so our village kids will study and go to your city?"
This was the current social reality, and neither Logan nor Summer had a rebuttal.
Summer blinked her rubbed eye and said, "It is like that now, but think about it, sir. High school exams have been halted for years, and the countryside has been receiving city youth for years. Nothing stays the same forever. Maybe soon, just like schools reopening, college entrance exams will resume too. If that happens, education will be very valuable. Passing the exams would mean a guaranteed government job, a great honor."
The man laughed, squinting his eyes, "Summer, you really know how to spin tales, like telling bedtime stories."
Summer: "..."
She pursed her lips and glanced at Logan.
Logan continued, "Sir, let's not talk about the distant future, let's talk about now, about our brigade. The brigade is reopening the elementary school and needs teachers. Who are they looking for? Educated people like us. Teachers receive a regular salary and can still earn work points during breaks. Isn't that a small success? Look at the brigade leaders, from the secretary to the head and the accountant to various directors. They may not be highly educated, but they all know a bit of reading and writing. If your child is well-educated and capable, they could become a part-time cadre in the brigade office. Think about it, doesn't that make sense?"
The man didn't immediately refute this time.
After a moment, though, he still shook his head, "Our kids aren't cut out to be leaders."
***
Summer and Logan finished persuading one family and moved on to the next.
They visited homes with school-age children, but the responses were similar—no one was willing to spend money to send their children to school.
As night fell, the moon hung in the sky, and stars twinkled.
When it was time for everyone to blow out their lamps and sleep, Summer and Logan left the last house and decided not to visit another.
Walking back to the dormitory under the moonlight, Summer sighed, "This is going to be tough."
Logan didn't respond to that. Instead, he glanced at her and suddenly said, "I didn't realize you could think so boldly, talking about the college entrance exams resuming and everyone being able to go to university."
He remembered her mentioning it once, but didn't expect him to remember.
Summer casually explained, "I was just saying it to persuade them to send their kids to school, like telling stories."
Logan was silent for a moment, then said, "I think it might actually happen."
Summer was stunned, then smiled, "Really? So you think I have foresight?"
Logan suddenly stopped.
Summer stopped as well, looking up at him. Feeling uneasy, she took a step back, "What?"
Logan smirked, "Just find it strange. It's like you swapped brains overnight. You're no longer foolish, and your thoughts are bold and plentiful."
Summer looked up at him, "Have you heard a saying?"
Logan: "What saying?"
Summer: "A heart without men, wields a sword with spirit."
Logan: "…Never heard of it."
The original saying was "A heart without women, wields a sword with spirit," used later in the novel when Henry cut off romantic entanglements to focus on his career.
She modified it a bit, thinking it apt.
Looking at Logan, she continued, "Before, my thoughts were all on Henry. I didn't care about or think about anything else, so I seemed foolish. Now, I've figured things out and don't want to focus on him anymore. Naturally, I think about other things. I'm not actually stupid. When I said I wouldn't drag you down, I meant it."
Indeed, she hadn't dragged him down.
In fact, they had a bit of synergy, their cooperation yielding more than expected.
Logan thought for a moment and continued walking, "Then let's continue working well together."
Of course, if she reverted to being foolish, he would not hesitate to kick her out.
***
At the dormitory, the lights were off.
Everyone else in the male dormitory was asleep, but Henry was still awake.
He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
Despite the late hour, he couldn't stop worrying about Summer.
After a while, he threw off his blanket, put on his shoes, grabbed a thick coat, and went outside.
He intended to look for Summer.
However, as soon as he stepped outside, he saw Summer and Logan entering the yard.
Summer went straight to the girls' dormitory while Logan headed to the boys' dormitory.
Henry decided not to approach them and went back to his bed.
Logan came in, lit a lamp, and started washing up.
Henry, still unable to sleep, listened to the sound of water and felt annoyed, but didn't show it.
Unable to let it go, he asked, "What were you doing with Summer out all night?"
Logan knew Henry was awake, "I don't owe you an explanation."
Henry took a deep breath.
He said, "I'm warning you. I don't care what you were doing, but you better not be scheming against her. If you hurt her, I won't let you off."
Logan laughed, "What? You'll kill me?"
Henry's voice was heavy with threat, "Try me."
Logan snorted, ignoring him.
***
In the girls' dormitory, Summer had also washed up and gone to bed.
The bed was a bit cold, so she wrapped the blanket tightly around herself.
The others were already asleep when she came in, so she was careful not to make any noise.
Lying down, she thought about the enrollment issue until she got sleepy, then yawned and quickly fell asleep.
Summer woke up early as usual.
She got dressed, made her bed, braided her hair neatly, washed up, and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
Logan was already up and ahead of her.
He had placed some buns on the stove to steam.
When Summer entered, he was sitting by the stove, striking a match to light the fire.
Summer greeted him cheerfully, "Morning!"
Logan stuffed the lit straw into the stove, not looking too enthusiastic about greeting, but still muttered back, "Morning."