Chapter 29

Once the four girls left, the dormitory quieted down, and Summer felt a wave of comfort wash over her. She lay back with her comics, humming softly as she relaxed.

After a short while, an idea struck her, and she sat up abruptly. Thinking it over for a moment, she grabbed her stack of comics and headed across to the boys' dormitory. Standing outside, she knocked on the door frame and asked, "Can I come in?"

The only person left in the boys' dormitory was Logan, who was sitting at a makeshift table reading *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*.

Hearing Summer's voice, Logan responded casually, "What's up?"

Summer peeked inside before deciding to push her way in. She wasn't there for anything urgent; she just wanted to spend more time with him to absorb his magnetic energy and quickly break free from her predetermined fate. However, she couldn't let that main motive show.

"I wanted to discuss what story we should tell the village kids this afternoon," she explained, placing her comics beside Logan. "I brought these comics from home. The village kids probably haven't seen anything like this, so I think they'd really enjoy them. How about we pick a few stories from these to tell?"

Logan flipped through the comics, which mainly featured stories about heroes like Liu Hulan, Dong Cunrui, and Huang Jiguang, as well as operas like *The White-Haired Girl* and *The Red Detachment of Women*. These picture-heavy, text-light books were indeed likely to appeal to the children.

After glancing through them, Logan closed the comics and turned to Summer. "If the kids will definitely like these books, it's better to save them to keep their interest piqued. They've probably heard these stories before, and it's more fun for them to read the books themselves once they learn to read."

Summer agreed, nodding. It made sense to use the comics to encourage the children to want to learn to read themselves.

Logan continued, "So, let's let them look at the pictures first. When they're curious about the stories, we can guide them to attend school to learn how to read. We can also tell them that these comics will be available in the office, and we'll distribute them once a week for them to borrow."

Summer understood that this approach, combined with the promise of milk candies, would be highly effective in motivating the kids to attend school.

"What story should we tell them, then?" she asked.

Logan lifted his copy of *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*. "This has only recently been allowed to be published again. The kids probably haven't heard any of these stories. We can pick a couple of classic and interesting ones—like 'Borrowing Arrows with Thatched Boats' and 'The Battle of Red Cliffs.' You tell one, and I'll tell the other."

Summer nodded again, agreeing with his suggestion.

Seeing her nod, Logan handed her the book and said, "Read chapter forty-six and get familiar with the story. Think about how to make it simple and engaging."

"Oh," Summer replied, taking the book. She seemed a bit dazed.

Logan, noticing her vacant expression, asked, "You can understand it, right?"

Summer immediately snapped out of it. "Of course, I can."

Satisfied, Logan handed over the book. He then grabbed a copy of *The Scholars* and began reading.

Summer, after taking the book, didn't return to her own dormitory. Instead, she sat beside Logan, pretending to be lost in her reading.

Logan glanced at her, confused by her presence. "What are you doing here?"

"Reading," she replied, looking up at him with clear, sincere eyes.

Logan frowned, feeling like talking to her was a hassle. He shook his head and returned to his book.

Summer suppressed a smile, focusing on her reading. This dormitory wasn't exclusively his; she had every right to sit there.

Reading diligently, Summer quickly familiarized herself with the story. Afterward, she summarized it mentally and thought about how to present it in an engaging way. Satisfied, she handed the book back to Logan, who took it without a word.

Before she could say anything, Logan handed her a piece of milk candy. Summer blinked in surprise, almost pinching herself to check if she was dreaming.

Seeing her hesitation, Logan said, "Take it."

"Is it for me?" Summer asked, still unsure.

Logan smirked, "No, it's to show the kids after the story."

"Oh," Summer said, feeling a bit foolish. Of course, he wouldn't just give her candy.

Putting the candy in her pocket, Summer asked, "Shall we go now?"

"Let's go," Logan said, grabbing his book and heading out. Summer quickly followed, carrying her comics.

***

At the southern edge of the village, a group of kids was playing in the mud by a small river. It was their favorite spot because of the rich, malleable mud there.

One boy was digging vigorously and suddenly exclaimed, "Look! I found oil mud! I knew there was some here, but you didn't believe me!"

The other kids gathered around to see. Seeing the rare find, they all started digging enthusiastically.

As they dug, a boy ran over, panting heavily. "I heard… there are two volunteers… telling stories by the pond in the Eighth Team's area. A lot of people went to listen. Do you guys want to go?"

"What kind of stories?" asked one of the boys who had just stopped digging. "The usual ones?"

"It's supposed to be really interesting," the panting boy replied. "About three guys becoming brothers and three kingdoms at war."

Intrigued, the kids immediately washed their hands in the river and hurried toward the Eighth Team's area.