Chapter 137: The Secret Signal
Before leaving, Comrade Li gave Ning Xiyue a secret signal — one that only she could understand.
The moment Ning Xiyue saw the gesture, she felt certain that today’s incident — Wu Xiuli being taken away — must have something to do with her.
The whole Wu family, who had been taken away, suddenly woke from their daze and began shouting their innocence. Their cries could still be heard even from far away.
Eventually, their voices stopped — most likely because the public security officers had gagged them to stop the noise.
The captain, as the central figure of the entire production team, followed after them to understand what was going on, since members of his team had been taken away right before his eyes.
After the officers left with the suspects, the once-quiet educated youth compound became noisy again.
The onlookers hadn’t left yet. They stood around in groups, discussing the situation.
The news of Wu Xiuli’s arrest was like a ticking time bomb suddenly removed — it terrified everyone but also made them feel relieved to still be safe.
Someone speculated aloud:
“Could Wu Xiuli be a spy or something? Maybe she did something to endanger national security and that’s why she was arrested.”
“She definitely is. I’ve always said Wu Xiuli wasn’t right in the head — turns out she doesn’t share the same ancestors as us. No wonder the things she did were always so strange, never normal human behavior. I was puzzled before, but now the case is solved.”
Some people had already decided she must be a spy. The more they talked, the more convinced they became, attributing all of Wu Xiuli’s idiotic actions to the fact that she was “not one of their own.”
Meanwhile, the neighbors living near the Wu family were panicking.
“This is bad. My house is so close to theirs — what if they secretly did something harmful to us? No, I need to go back and check. This is too scary.”
That one sentence triggered everyone’s imagination — poisoning, planting bombs, blowing up the village — all sorts of worst-case scenarios.
Those who had lived through the war-torn years remembered the despicable things real enemies had done, and their firsthand experiences made the fear even more vivid. Now no one in the crowd could sit still — they were terrified that the Wu family might have harmed them too.
“No way, I need to go check my house too. It’s too dangerous.”
“Me too, I’m leaving.”
Within a minute, all the onlookers had rushed home.
Only the educated youths in the compound remained, looking at one another with triumphant smiles.
Chen Yechu stood up from the ground with some regret. “I didn’t even get a chance to show my full potential before it was all over.”
All the “wounds” she’d drawn on herself were for nothing.
“Are you okay?” Yu Zhiyu quickly walked over, concerned as he examined Chen Yechu’s injuries.
Other male educated youths also squatted down to help the girls up.
Ning Xiyue refused the men’s help. She dusted off her clothes and stood up nimbly by herself. “No need, I’ve got it. None of us were hurt. If this is the outcome of today’s performance, then it was worth putting on the show.”
From everyone’s reaction, Ning Xiyue knew that even if Wu Xiuli’s family came back, things would never go well for them.
“Although the result of this incident was a big turn of events, the punishment Wu Xiuli will face will be even harsher. It’s truly satisfying.”
Wu Guifang smiled contentedly. She hadn’t had such a good fight in a long time. She usually tried to stay composed, but after today’s wild events, she realized that breaking the rules every now and then could be incredibly refreshing.
The men were also grinning, clearly pleased with how things had turned out.
“I don’t even know what Wu Xiuli did to become an enemy spy, but I’m just happy she’s been caught.” Wang Mengmeng laughed as she covered the scratch marks on her face — it made the pain feel worth it.
Ning Xiyue, who knew a bit more of the truth, stayed silent.
Only after making sure everyone was okay did Liu Yao finally relax and smile. “I’m so glad none of you are hurt. I was worried Wu Xiuli might have actually injured you.”
“It’s fine. Look, just rub it a bit with water and it’s gone.” Chen Yechu dipped her hand into an enamel cup and dabbed some liquid on her “wounds.” After a few rubs, the marks disappeared. “You all should do the same — rub it and then rinse with water.”
Seeing this, Ning Xiyue smiled. Yes — that was definitely makeup remover in the cup.
Each of the girls had a few fake “wounds” painted on them, so they followed Chen Yechu’s instructions and cleaned up.
Ning Xiyue herself had plenty of “injuries” drawn on, but she pretended to know nothing and carefully followed the cleaning steps as if they were real.
Wang Mengmeng, however, was tending to real scratches on her face — red marks left by Wu Xiuli’s nails. The pain made her feel a little wronged, and she harbored resentment toward Wang Fenglan.
“I don’t even know where Wang Fenglan went. We all suffered because of her, yet she wasn’t even here. So many people came to watch, and she didn’t show up. Now it’s all over and she’s still not back.”
“I heard she took leave this afternoon to go to town with Li Jiandang to buy things for their wedding. She even came over to borrow my and Yaoyao’s bicycles.” Chen Yechu explained what she knew, though she wasn’t too happy about it either. Wang Mengmeng’s complaint was justified.
Wu Guifang frowned. “We’ll talk to her when she comes back. Xiyue suffered the most today.”
Indeed, the most upset person was Ning Xiyue herself — she was the true victim, sitting quietly at home when disaster fell from the sky. But once Wu Xiuli was taken away, most of her anger disappeared.
After washing her hands, Ning Xiyue brought out the small first-aid kit and called out, “After you finish cleaning up, check yourselves for wounds. I’ll treat them.”
The educated youths felt comforted by her words and thanked her cheerfully.
Those without injuries went to prepare dinner, while those with wounds lined up in front of Ning Xiyue for treatment.
In truth, almost none of them had serious injuries — a little ointment was enough. Ning Xiyue didn’t even have to do much. After explaining what to do, they treated themselves.
Only Wang Mengmeng’s facial wounds were more serious, so Ning Xiyue treated them herself, using a scar-healing ointment she had once developed for her own forehead injuries.
As Wang Mengmeng leaned forward for the treatment, she asked nervously: “Xiyue, my face won’t be ruined, right? It’s such a long scratch. What if it leaves a scar?”
“Don’t worry. The scratch isn’t deep. As long as you apply the medicine regularly, your face will return to normal.”
Ning Xiyue chuckled softly, continuing to apply the ointment. During the fight, Wang Mengmeng had shed her usual delicate demeanor — she’d fought more fiercely than anyone else. Half of Wu Xiuli’s injuries were thanks to her.
As the burning pain on her face turned into a cooling sensation, Wang Mengmeng’s worries faded.
After finishing, Ning Xiyue handed her the small jar of fresh ointment. “Here, keep this. Apply it three times a day after washing your face. It’ll heal in just a few days.”
“Thank you, Xiyue.” Wang Mengmeng took the ointment, then nervously twisted the hem of her shirt. Finally, she looked up at Ning Xiyue, who was packing up the first-aid kit, and said sincerely, “Xiyue, I’ve done a lot of things wrong before. I want to apologize. I’m sorry.”
With that, she stood up and bowed deeply.
Ning Xiyue helped her up. “Alright, I accept your apology.”
Wang Mengmeng’s face lit up with joy. She quickly ran inside, came back with a handful of milk candies to thank Ning Xiyue, and only after seeing her accept them did she happily skip off to make dinner.
The fight today, though violent, had unexpectedly brought the educated youths closer together. The atmosphere in the compound was more harmonious and friendly than ever before.
When Wang Fenglan returned and learned about what had happened, she apologized to everyone one by one and even offered wedding candies. Since they all lived in the same compound — and she was the soon-to-be bride — everyone accepted her apology.
Ning Xiyue didn’t say much. After all, they wouldn’t interact much in the future, and Wang Fenglan wasn’t important to her. She didn’t want to dwell on the incident either. Deep down, she knew this couple had something to do with how today’s events unfolded.
What was truly on her mind now was Comrade Li’s secret signal — that was the real matter. Tomorrow, she would have to go to town early to make contact and see what was going on.
