Chapter 139: When It Comes to Brainwashing, She’s a Professional
At the gate of Yongchuan Commune—
“Qingyuan, aren’t you going to look around?”
“You guys go ahead, I’m going to wait here for my sister. Don’t worry about me.” Ning Qingyuan found a step to sit on and waved dismissively at his companions.
The other educated youths all knew that Ning Qingyuan had a beloved younger sister serving as an educated youth in the neighboring brigade. It was nothing new for him to stay behind and wait for her instead of joining them.
Only one female educated youth kept glancing back at him, reluctant to leave.
The others, who knew exactly what was going on in her heart, tugged her forward.
“Come on, Hongmei. Ning Qingyuan has no intention of dating anyone. Look at him — has he ever paid attention to any girl? The only woman in his eyes is his sister. You’d better give up.”
Liu Hongmei’s face darkened as she retorted, “Doesn’t that just show he’s a reliable comrade, someone worth entrusting yourself to?”
Her friend, who had a sharp eye for people, shook her head. “He might be a good comrade, but he’s not meant for you. Trust me, if you confess your feelings in front of him, he’ll probably turn around and walk the other way every time he sees you.”
“Exactly. Look at how he treats you — he’s less friendly with you than the old yellow dog at the end of the village,” another, who didn’t get along with her, mocked.
Liu Hongmei’s face paled further. She knew deep down that Ning Qingyuan treated her no differently from any other female educated youth. Furious, she snapped back, “None of your business! Mind your own affairs.”
“Not worth my time.”
The group hurried off.
Ning Xiyue, standing not far away, took in the whole scene with amusement.
The first time she had gone to look for her second brother, she’d already noticed that something was off with this particular female comrade. Now it turned out Liu Hongmei really did have feelings for her second brother — though she had no idea whether her brother knew or not.
Shaking her head, Ning Xiyue turned and called out toward the commune gate where Ning Qingyuan was sitting:
“Second Brother!”
“Yueyue, you’re here! Come on, let’s go walk around the supply and marketing cooperative,” Ning Qingyuan said, jumping up as soon as he heard her voice.
The moment he laid eyes on the bandages wrapped around her neck and wrists, however, his smile froze. Concerned, he grabbed her hands. “Yueyue, what happened? Are you hurt badly? Tell me what’s going on.”
Ning Xiyue peeled back a bit of the bandage and winked at him. “It’s fake, don’t worry.”
Only after seeing that she was unharmed did Ning Qingyuan finally laugh in relief. “You scared me to death. I thought you’d fallen off your bike or something. What kind of drama are you playing?”
“I’ll explain as we walk.”
Ning Xiyue told him everything that had happened yesterday, down to the last detail.
Ning Qingyuan listened, half laughing, half fuming, and finally rubbed her head helplessly. “You really are a little fox spirit.”
“But from now on, try not to get too close to that Wang Fenglan and her fiancé. Who knows, maybe they let something slip about what we saw that day, or maybe they caused that lunatic Wu Xiuli to misunderstand something — either way, they’re trouble. Best not to get involved with them.”
“Mm, I know. Once she’s married and moves out of the educated youth compound, I won’t see much of her anyway. But enough about them — tell me about you, Second Brother. I heard you’re really popular in your brigade. No one’s trying to date you, right?”
Ning Xiyue stared at him without blinking, curious about his situation.
Ning Qingyuan gently knocked her on the head. “What’s going on in that little brain of yours? The only people in my heart are our family — and of course, my work and my books. We’ll talk about everything else once we’re back in the city.”
Then he gave her a serious look. “And you — you’re not allowed to date anyone, understood?”
“Got it. I’ll focus on studying,” Ning Xiyue mumbled, rubbing the spot he’d tapped.
Good. Her brother really was fully devoted to studying and had absolutely no interest in dating. His determination to return to the city hadn’t wavered at all.
“Brother, you should focus on studying too. Read every day. Don’t forget the knowledge from your high school textbooks. I truly believe we’ll be back in the city soon. Who knows, maybe we’ll both go to university.”
There were only two years left before the college entrance exam might be reinstated. If her brother got into a good university, he’d find someone much more suitable there than here.
“Haha, sure. If we get into university, we’ll both make sure we pass and make Mom and Dad proud.” Ning Qingyuan laughed, following her train of thought. “If I go to college, I want to major in the same field as Dad and become a mechanical engineer like him. What about you?”
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. He really wanted to know Ning Xiyue’s plans.
“Mechanical engineering sounds great.” She would have to gather some relevant books and study materials for him.
After thinking about her own plans, she said, “Me? If I can get into university, I’ll aim for the best school and major in chemistry. Then I’ll earn lots of money and give you, big brother, and Mom and Dad all the pocket money you want.”
In truth, she wanted to make her knowledge of beauty, health, and wellness flourish — and studying chemistry would help her combine those with science to create effective products.
Ning Qingyuan laughed happily. “Haha, then I’ll thank you in advance! I thought you’d want to study medicine and become a doctor. But whatever you want to do, I’ll support you.”
Unfortunately, it was all just a dream — neither of them knew if they’d ever have the chance to go to university in this lifetime.
Ning Xiyue shook her head. “I don’t want to be a doctor. Medicine is just a hobby. I like to tinker with remedies for fun. Working as a barefoot doctor in the brigade is just to make life easier here in the countryside. In the future, I want to explore more fields.”
“Too bad all of this is just wishful thinking,” Ning Qingyuan sighed, returning to reality. “Apart from worker-peasant-soldier universities, there’s nowhere to go these days.”
But Ning Xiyue, knowing a brighter future was ahead, comforted him: “Brother, we have to believe it will happen one day. For now, all we can do is read more. That’s how we’ll get more opportunities.”
“Mm. I’ll listen to you,” Ning Qingyuan said, nodding firmly.
The two siblings chatted about the future, about the current state of the country, about the importance of selecting talent, about how restoring the college entrance exam would affect national development, and about the evolution of imperial examination systems throughout history.
Finally, Ning Xiyue delivered a concluding speech: “In summary, our dreams for the future will not remain mere fantasies.”
“Yueyue, you’re absolutely right,” Ning Qingyuan said, nodding excitedly.
And just like that, Ning Qingyuan was completely brainwashed by her. He now firmly believed that the college entrance exam would be reinstated in the near future. He was certain their dream of university could become reality, and he was more determined than ever to study hard.
Of course, Ning Xiyue had to add a reminder: “But remember, this is just my humble opinion. Keep it a secret, okay? Otherwise, people will think we’ve both lost our minds.”
“Don’t worry — this will stay between us. I won’t tell a soul. We’ll just believe in it and work hard for it ourselves.”
He planned to go home and study immediately — there was no time to waste.
Ning Xiyue was quite pleased with how effective her “brainwashing” had been today. Just like that, she had subtly planted the idea of the inevitable return of the college entrance exam in her brother’s mind — moving him emotionally, convincing him logically, and firmly embedding the belief in his thoughts.
“Huh? Why haven’t we reached the supply and marketing cooperative yet?” Ning Qingyuan asked, puzzled, looking up at the road.
“Hehe, Brother, we’ve passed it three times already. This is the fourth time we’re on our way there.” Ning Xiyue scratched her head with an embarrassed smile.
Her brother had been so absorbed in the conversation, and she had been so focused on “brainwashing” him, that she hadn’t reminded him. They were too deep into it — she couldn’t possibly break the moment.
When it came to brainwashing, she was a professional.
“No wonder… Well, let’s actually go in this time.”
Only then did Ning Qingyuan realize how engrossed they had been. But how did his sister even know?
Ning Xiyue wasn’t going to explain — such was the power of her hyperthymesia, her photographic memory.
Like the legendary Yu the Great passing his own house three times without entering, they had walked past the cooperative three times before finally stopping on the fourth.
When they stepped inside, by sheer coincidence, they ran into Li Xiuxiu — and that educated youth Liu Hongmei again.
The moment Ning Xiyue and Ning Qingyuan walked in, both women’s eyes lit up.
Yep, their gazes were locked entirely on her brother.
Ning Xiyue: ┐(￣ヘ￣)┌
Well, well. What a soap-opera level coincidence. Both of them had feelings for her brother.
And now… they were all gathered in one place.
