Volume 1, Chapter 41: Muddying the Waters

Huo Jianguo tapped the table lightly; there was one thing he had kept to himself. The shrapnel remaining in Xiaohan’s body needed to be removed by surgery as soon as possible, and his sick leave had already been approved. He had intended to tell the old lady about it when he returned today, but then this incident involving Su Wan occurred. Since Huo Hong had suggested that Xiaohan and Teacher Fang meet again, he would arrange for them to have another encounter before Xiaohan’s surgery. It just so happened that the Qixi Festival was approaching, and the organization was planning a dance social for the unmarried or divorced cadres of various units. He would have Xiaohan and Teacher Fang attend that. As for Su Wan, he had already dispatched someone to look into the situation and see if she had truly offended anyone.

Su Wan returned to the Song residence just as the sky was turning dark. On the way, she encountered several older women and aunts who had previously shopped with her and sought her advice on cooking. Upon seeing her, they would offer an awkward smile and a brief greeting before pulling their children away. It suddenly dawned on Su Wan that the Song family might be implicated because of her. After all, in the eyes of the residential compound residents, she was just a nanny from the countryside, without power or influence; the fact that she could transfer to a school in the capital despite her poor grades would surely be attributed to Principal Song and Secretary Yang pulling strings. She quickened her pace up the stairs and knocked on the Song family's door.

When Secretary Yang opened the door and saw it was Su Wan, she was surprised and asked with concern, "Didn't you say you wouldn't be back until tomorrow morning? Did you forget something?"

Su Wan had expected Secretary Yang to ask about the report card in the newspaper, but to her surprise, her attitude was as normal as ever, and she didn't mention it at all. It was as if she were unaware of the matter, but since everyone in the compound knew, it was impossible for Secretary Yang to be in the dark.

"Auntie, I realized I had already brought my books over, so I just came back," Su Wan made up an excuse.

"Alright, there is a melon in the kitchen that a colleague gave me. I saved a piece for you; go ahead and eat it," Secretary Yang said gently. Just as she was about to leave, she paused and looked at Su Wan with kind, concerned eyes. "If there is anything bothering you, just tell us. Those people in the compound don't know your situation, but your uncle and I both trust you very much."

"Thank you, Auntie."

A warm current surged through Su Wan, and her nose felt slightly sore. Ever since she arrived in Beiping, she had braced herself to be disliked and rejected because of the original host’s reputation. Standing outside the Huo family's door earlier and hearing the conversation between Uncle Huo and Grandma Huo, she hadn't felt a shred of sadness. But now, hearing Secretary Yang’s unconditional trust and care, and knowing she stood firmly on her side, she felt truly touched.

No one targets a stranger without a reason. The only person who had a grudge against her and the capacity to do this was Fang Yu and her mother. They must have discovered that Aunt Hong had submitted her transfer documents two days ago. To retaliate, and fearing that Su Wan might expose what happened at the shopping mall to the entire school—leading to ridicule and gossip that would destroy the gentle, refined lady image Fang Yu cultivated—they had concocted this insidious plan. It allowed them to avoid offending the Huo family while making her a target of public scorn, ensuring that even if the Huo family wanted to help, they would be dragged into the scandal. However, she had no evidence; it was all speculation. They were not foolish enough to leave any trail at the newspaper office. Thinking this over, Su Wan’s eyes flickered; she would simply stir the water until it was muddy.

The next day, after finishing breakfast and informing Principal Song, she deliberately put on her most tattered clothes and boarded the bus to the newspaper building. It was peak office hours, and many staff members in crisp white shirts, wearing glasses and pens in their pockets, were moving in and out of the modern building. She walked to the first floor, found a staff member, and presented her letter of introduction. Acting timid and shy, she said, "Hello, I am Su Wan. I am here to retrieve my lost transfer documents and the thirty yuan that was inside the file."

The staff member sitting at the desk, slowly sipping tea, looked up and scanned Su Wan from head to toe, full of shock and confusion. "What thirty yuan? There was only your transfer document, and someone already picked it up just a moment ago."

"That can't be! My transfer documents and the tuition money my parents earned from selling grain were kept together," Su Wan insisted, her watery eyes turning red with anxiety. Her delicate voice carried a sob as she explained in detail how she had accidentally lost the documents and how the thirty yuan—composed of crumpled small bills held together by a rubber band—had been inside the file folder. Other editors and record-keepers in the office began to look over.

"Can you tell me who picked up my documents? Where do they live? Half of that thirty yuan was from selling grain, and the rest was borrowed from relatives. That is my tuition for the whole year of high school! If it's lost, I won't be able to go to school. Please, I beg you," Su Wan said, her face flushed, eyes brimming with tears, pleading helplessly.

The people in the office looked at Su Wan’s worn, patched, and faded old-style shirt, which looked like something a mother would wear, its collar frayed. Her work-blue trousers also seemed to be years old, with black patches on both knees and grey fabric stitched onto the cuffs because they were too short. Her black cloth shoes had a hole in the toe, exposing her thumb. She clearly came from a poor, rural family. This was nothing like the background and connections they had imagined when they saw the "Lost and Found" notice yesterday. Seeing the young girl so panicked and helpless over her lost tuition money, they felt immense pity. However, the notice had been published at the instruction of Editor-in-Chief Li, and they knew nothing of the specific details.

Several female editors came over to comfort Su Wan and explain the situation. *Editor-in-Chief Li?* She shared the same surname as Li Sumei! Su Wan captured this important detail.

Soon, Li Aiqing, who was in a small office nearby, got wind of the news and rushed over, staring at Su Wan with a mean, cold gaze. "Comrade, the person who came to place the ad the day before yesterday only found a transfer document; there was no money. They left after paying the fee. They spent their own money to do a good deed, and yet you are here trying to extort them? Your ideological character is truly problematic."

Li Aiqing knew the situation best. The information had been provided by her sister, Li Suping, over the phone—there were no documents and certainly no money. Once the paper was sold yesterday, the "Lost and Found" notice had caused sales to spike; everywhere in the streets and alleys, people were condemning the student who supposedly had "connections" and "backing." All sorts of guesses about the student who scored in the single digits were flying—that she was an illegitimate child or a rural girl trying to climb the social ladder. By all logic, she should be hiding at home, too ashamed to face anyone. Yet, this Su Wan had actually dared to come here, and now she was claiming there was thirty yuan. No wonder her sister and niece hated this Su Wan to the bone.

"There really was! I kept it all in one file folder specifically to pay for school," Su Wan said, her delicate red lips trembling under Li Aiqing’s accusations. Tears poured out like a broken dam. She tried to hold them back, her fragile frame shaking with quiet sobs. "Can I also place a 'Lost' notice?" she choked out, her dainty nose red from crying. She looked like a rain-drenched, homeless kitten, making it impossible for anyone to be cruel to her.

A kind female editor reminded her, "Student Su Wan, 'Lost and Found' notices are public service acts and we only charge a symbolic fee, but 'Lost' notices are charged by the character. The larger the space, the more expensive it is. It will cost quite a bit."

So, the notice yesterday hadn't cost much at all. They had spent the bare minimum to ruin her reputation.

"I... I am working as a nanny at someone else's house and haven't received my wages yet. I only have this much. Is it enough?" Su Wan wiped her tears and hurriedly pulled out thirty-something cents from her pocket, carefully holding the coins out to the female editor who had just spoken. "That thirty yuan was tuition money my family scraped together from everywhere. If I can't find it, I don't know what to do."

The editors felt incredibly sad and sympathetic; the total amount wasn't even enough for a single character. They began to reach into their own pockets to donate. Though they didn't want to believe someone would be heartless enough to steal a student's money, Su Wan’s impoverished, painful, and helpless appearance forced them to believe it. Since Editor-in-Chief Li had handled the entire matter, they didn't even know if the person who placed the ad was a man or a woman, so they turned their gazes toward Li Aiqing.

"Editor-in-Chief Li, just tell Student Su Wan who placed the ad. Maybe there’s a misunderstanding."

"Yes, that thirty yuan is her tuition for her entire senior year. Who wouldn't be anxious?"

Li Aiqing’s face turned as dark as a soot-covered pot. Su Wan’s father had once saved a military commander. How could Commander Huo treat her so poorly that he wouldn't give her tuition? It was clear Su Wan was doing this on purpose to force her to reveal the advertiser's identity. But Li Aiqing couldn't show that she knew the truth. She was also terrified that Su Wan would go to other newspapers to place a "Lost" notice about her tuition, and if the matter blew up, it would be impossible to contain.

She suppressed her anger and cold gaze, adopting a comforting, calm tone: "Student Su Wan, I fully understand your feelings. But the person who came the day before yesterday only brought the transfer document. It was a male comrade; he was in such a hurry he didn't leave a name, unit, or address. If he had found your money, he surely would have brought it. Perhaps it was picked up by someone else before that?"

Su Wan looked at the facial features that resembled Li Sumei’s and saw that Li Aiqing refused to reveal any information about the advertiser. She was now certain that Fang Yu, her mother, and this Editor-in-Chief were orchestrating the whole thing.

"I see," Su Wan said. Having obtained the answer she needed, she knew that continuing to make a scene here would yield no results. She pretended to accept her fate and walked out of the newspaper office. Li Aiqing followed her out, worried, but seeing that Su Wan wasn't heading toward any other newspaper office, she stopped. *Still just a yellow-haired girl,* she thought, *what good will making a scene do?*

But when Li Aiqing left the office building on her bicycle that evening, she was stunned. The bulletin boards at bus stops along the street were covered in handwritten big-character posters. The bulletin boards in front of nearby units and factories were covered, too. It was the evening rush hour, and each board was surrounded by three layers of people. The posters, written in black brush, detailed: *Su Wan, a second-year student from Wei County, Nanling Province, came to Beiping to attend school with thirty yuan in tuition money scraped together by her family, only to have the file containing her tuition and transfer documents stolen...*

As soon as people realized this was the Su Wan from yesterday's "Lost and Found" notice, they began to gossip. "I thought this girl from the countryside had some big background, but her tuition was borrowed, and she's working as a nanny."

"So the person who did the 'good deed' yesterday only turned in the documents but kept the poor student's tuition?"

"I just came from the intersection ahead. The student is holding a sign and standing there, her eyes swollen from crying. Her clothes and shoes are all patched. She said she asked the editor-in-chief who found her documents, but the editor only knew it was a 'male comrade' and nothing else—and that only the editor had seen the person. Isn't that strange?"

At that very intersection, Su Wan was holding a large sign, standing on the stone steps. She was already striking in appearance, and now, holding the sign with tear-filled eyes, she was even more compelling. A large crowd had gathered, including someone asking questions and quickly taking notes with a pen. Su Wan described her family's poverty with such heartbreaking detail that it was impossible not to pity her. As for why she was able to come to the capital despite such poor grades, she explained truthfully that she had taken the exams while ill, and no school had accepted her yet; she needed to pass a school entrance exam to be admitted.

Seeing this, Li Aiqing’s face turned as green as a toad’s. She rode her bike straight toward the Fang residence. The next day, as expected, Su Wan’s story was published in a small newspaper. Not only did public opinion turn in Su Wan’s favor, but the high school that had rejected her also promised that if Su Wan could pass the pre-semester placement test, they would arrange her admission and even waive part of her tuition.

Upon hearing this, Fang Yu was so furious she threw the books off her desk and pulled out a pale yellow dress from her closet, shredding it into rags with scissors. "Mom, if Su Wan is at the same school as me, she will definitely spread the word about how I lost my chance at a blind date because I stole the commander’s wife's dress at the mall! How will I ever be able to hold my head up in front of the students?"