Chapter 26
With a slight bow of her head, Suzie softly added, "You judge others by what you are. I'm not as bad as you think. Take care of yourself."
With that, she stood up and left.
Watching Suzie leave, Summer suddenly understood Logan's pleasure—there was a certain satisfaction in speaking bluntly and without mercy.
Feeling a bit better, she got up, tidied up her dishes, and used some straw to tie her pantry doors shut. She even took her grain and stored it under her bed in the dormitory.
With everything secured, she grabbed her backpack and headed to the school.
To avoid Logan criticizing her for wasting time, Summer ran out of the yard.
She also wanted to stay close to Logan to absorb his magnetic energy.
Judging by the results, spending time with Logan was very effective.
Yesterday, after spending the day with him, her face in the mirror had become a bit clearer, and when she confronted Henry this morning, she was able to say everything she wanted without hesitation.
She thought that if she absorbed enough of Logan's magnetic energy, she could completely break free from the constraints of the original novel's plot.
When that time came, she would be able to see her face clearly in the mirror.
With these thoughts, Summer ran all the way to the school, stopping only when she reached the classroom.
Out of breath, the first thing she did was greet Logan, "I'm here."
Logan, not caring about her condition, stood up from behind the desk and said, "Let's go. Time to head out again."
Summer sighed inwardly but didn't complain, quickly catching her breath to keep up with him.
Given last night's visits, it was unlikely anyone would come to the school to register today. So, instead of waiting in the office, they had to go out and make efforts.
Not wanting Logan to accuse her of slowing him down, Summer quickly adjusted and got into work mode.
She followed closely beside him, visiting various production teams.
The people who weren't working in the fields were the same as yesterday, chatting about trivial village matters.
Trying to engage them in conversations about education was nearly impossible.
So, Summer and Logan tried to blend into their conversations, learning more about each household's situation to tailor their approach.
The village was large with many residents, and there was no end to the stories they could tell.
Summer and Logan listened attentively, sorting useful information in their minds. Summer even took notes in her notebook.
An old lady laughed at her, "Taking notes while chatting?"
Summer smiled and explained, "We're going to be living here from now on, so this is our home too. We need to understand each household to get along better."
The reasoning made sense.
Seeing their willingness to listen and take notes, the villagers shared even more about their lives, revealing many details.
Summer and Logan chatted with them until almost noon.
They judged the time by the sun's position and, feeling it was late, stood up to head back to the commune.
On their way back, they passed a small shimmering lake.
A large tree had fallen by the lake, its trunk extending over the water, where six or seven children sat in a row.
The eldest girl, around fifteen or sixteen, had a small toddler strapped to her back.
When Summer and Logan stopped by the lake, they listened to the girl telling the others the story of "Meng Jiangnu Weeping at the Great Wall."
When the story ended, the girl said, "Alright, that's it for today. It's almost noon, let's head home. We'll have another story tomorrow."
The children got up, some picking up bundles of firewood, others lifting baskets filled with wild vegetables.
One of the children asked, "Yanzi, what story will you tell us tomorrow?"
The eldest girl replied, "Tomorrow, I'll tell the story of 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf.'"
The child groaned, "I've heard that a hundred times!"
Another child chimed in, "Me too!"
As they complained, one of them asked, "Why hasn't the commune shown any movies yet? We haven't had a single screening or performance since the New Year."
The eldest girl explained, "It's spring planting season. Everyone's busy. There will be time for movies and performances once things slow down."
Talking amongst themselves, the children moved past Summer and Logan, who didn't recognize any of them, so they didn't greet them.
Once the children were gone, they continued on their way.
Neither of them spoke.
After about a hundred meters, they both spoke simultaneously, "I have an idea."
They looked at each other and said again in unison, "You first."
"…"
Before either could continue, they heard a girl's voice, "Comrades."
They turned to see the eldest girl from the lake.
Seeing them turn, she quickly ran over.
Before Summer and Logan could speak, she nervously asked, "Are you recruiting students?"
Hearing this, they both nodded, "Yes, do you want to register?"
The girl bit her lip, hesitated, and said, "My family can't afford to send me to school, but I really want to learn to read and write. Could I just sit in and listen quietly in class without needing textbooks or registration?"
Summer saw the intense hope in her eyes and realized how much courage it had taken for her to ask.
She didn't speak but looked at Logan.
Without hesitation, Logan replied, "Sorry, but no."
The light in the girl's eyes dimmed instantly.
Forcing a smile, she said, "Oh, sorry for bothering you."
With that, she turned to leave, the toddler on her back still looking back at them.
Summer watched her go, feeling a deep sense of pity.