Chapter 268: Chapter 268: Lin Muyang’s Scars

The atmosphere inside the commune elementary school became tense and competitive because of this matter.

For various reasons, universities had relaxed their age restrictions for students—there were teenagers as young as seventeen or eighteen, but also middle-aged adults in their thirties. Their educational backgrounds varied widely: some were high school graduates, others had only completed elementary school.

So, whether young or middle-aged, every teacher longed for this rare opportunity. They were all eager and ready to give it a try.

Gu Qinghuan and Lin Xiaomeng, however, sat back and watched, not getting involved in the discussions at all.

On one hand, as educated youth sent down to the countryside, they didn’t quite meet the requirements. On the other, they were both waiting for the nationwide reinstatement of the college entrance exam next year, so their ambitions lay elsewhere.

As soon as Wan Rong heard the news, she immediately wanted to use her father’s connections in the commune to secure a spot for herself.

But she was told that this year, the authorities were strictly enforcing the rules, and it was impossible to reserve a spot for her directly—she’d have to compete for it like everyone else.

Of course, there were many ways to “compete.” Wan Rong understood this perfectly well; it wasn’t her first time doing something like this.

On the surface, the recommendation process seemed fair, requiring everyone to vote. But in reality, it wasn’t so fair—because people’s minds could be swayed by outside forces.

Wan Rong was a master at using human nature to her advantage; it was a skill passed down in her family.

Lin Muyang also planned to compete for a spot at the Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers University. He even wrote a speech for the occasion.

When Gu Qinghuan found out, she wanted to gently remind him that there might be better opportunities ahead.

But Lin Muyang was clearly fixated on this chance, and he was extremely, almost feverishly, excited.

Gu Qinghuan couldn’t bear to dampen his enthusiasm, so she said nothing. After all, getting into the Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers University was a good outcome in itself.

Later, she learned from Lin Muyang that he was actually a “live-in son-in-law”—no wonder he’d rather hide in the dormitory eating dry steamed buns on weekends than go home to his wife and child in the county.

This, too, was a result of the great political upheaval—a disaster that changed so many lives.

Lin Muyang had grown up poor, but he was hardworking and academically outstanding. He’d had a real shot at getting into a good university, but fate played a cruel trick: just as he came of age, the universities were shut down during the movement.

His parents had already exhausted themselves to support his studies. When they heard the news, his father fell gravely ill and passed away suddenly.

His mother developed a serious lung disease that required expensive treatment.

But their destitute family couldn’t afford her care. Lin Muyang was full of passion, but powerless to save his mother, and the pain was unbearable.

It was then that he met his current wife, who had been his high school classmate.

Girls are drawn to strength, and because of Lin Muyang’s outstanding performance, this classmate had always admired him in secret.

When she learned of his family’s plight, she offered to help him financially—but on one condition: she wanted to marry him.

The saying goes, “The rich have distant relatives in the mountains, the poor have none even in a bustling city.” Lin Muyang had reached the end of his rope. He’d borrowed from every relative, but none would help him; some even mocked him, saying he’d ruined his family and killed his father.

It was a dead end: either way, he was doomed.

He was a filial son and couldn’t bear to see his mother suffer. No matter what, he had to find a way to get her treated. In the end, with tears in his eyes, he agreed to his classmate’s condition.

He married her in exchange for the money to treat his mother.

But her conditions didn’t stop at marriage. As an only child, she demanded that he become a live-in son-in-law, and that any children they had would take her surname.

For a man, this was tantamount to giving up his own name—a very difficult decision. But for his mother’s sake, Lin Muyang gritted his teeth and agreed.

They married in haste, and his wife spent a fortune on medical care. Lin Muyang’s mother survived, but required long-term bed care.

When she accidentally learned that her son had sold his marriage and become a live-in son-in-law just to save her, doomed to a life of humiliation, she was so distraught that she pulled out her IV and ended her own life.

Lin Muyang lost both parents in quick succession, and became a son-in-law with no rights in his wife’s family. His life was plunged into utter darkness.

His wife treated him decently, but his in-laws saw him only as a tool for carrying on the family line. He had no rights in their household, and was constantly insulted and abused.

After his wife gave birth to their son, he used the excuse of needing to work to “escape” to the commune elementary school to teach. Sometimes he wouldn’t go home for months.

With his abilities, he could have easily worked at a school in the county, but he preferred to hide away from all the mess in his life.

His in-laws, satisfied with having a grandson, stopped keeping such a close eye on him. Only at school did he feel like a real person.

He actually wanted to be a good father, to set an example for his child.

But as his son grew, that hope proved to be a fantasy. His son was raised all wrong—far from being close to his father, he looked down on this meek, downtrodden man, and would insult and even hit him.

Poor Lin Muyang—a teacher by profession, yet unable to teach his own child.

He’d tried to change his fate by other means.

For example, by going to the Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers University.

Once, he’d legitimately earned a recommendation spot. He went home, excited, to tell his wife the good news.

But instead of praise or encouragement, he was met with hysteria. She forbade him from attending university.

She even conspired with her parents to lock him in the house, completely ruining his hard-won chance to change his life.

At the time, he truly considered suicide—better to die than to live like a pile of mud.

But in the end, he thought of his parents, who had worked so hard to get him this far, and gave up on the idea.

After that, he became even more withdrawn and reluctant to go home.

So, when he heard about this new opportunity, a voice in his head said, “Lin Muyang, go for it. This is your last chance. If you don’t take it now, there may never be another.”

He never told anyone, but going to university was his deepest obsession. From a cowherd boy in the countryside, he’d made it this far—what kept him going was the dream of going to university."