Era: Starting with the struggle to refuse being taken advantage of

Chapter 328 The Flame of Revenge

Because of Wang Chengpeng's instructions, Song Sixi made a decision in an instant and knew exactly what she should do.

He also happened to be planning to take some time out to read the books he had borrowed from Wang Chengpeng after everyone had fallen asleep, which would be a good opportunity to keep watch for the night.

Even if I gain nothing today, it can be considered a fortunate thing, which just proves that Luo Wenbin is not as bad as I imagined.

With that in mind, Song Sixi found a secluded corner and, after everyone had fallen asleep, lit a dim lamp and began to read.

His position was very strategic, ensuring that the light from the oil lamp wouldn't shine out and be seen by the people in the courtyard.

Because it was very close to the courtyard, and the room was not well soundproofed, one could hear things outside clearly.

Under these circumstances, Song Sixi focused intently on reading.

This is a critical moment for overcoming difficulties, and he cannot afford to relax even for a moment.

Song Sixi didn't know how long she had been reading, but she felt utterly exhausted, as if she could fall asleep at any moment.

He slapped his face hard. At this moment, there was nothing to refresh him, so this was the most primitive form of physical therapy.

Feeling much more awake, Song Sixi looked at the clock in the room. It showed 3:25 a.m., a time when everything was quiet.

After letting out a big yawn, Song Sixi decided to go to sleep after finishing this chapter.

Although Wang Chengpeng said he would take care of everything, it was impossible for him to ask for help every time something happened.

He was already heavily in debt, and given his remaining morals, he certainly hadn't reached the point where being heavily indebted didn't make him fearless.

With that in mind, he flipped through the textbook in his hand and began to concentrate on reading the contents.

However, before Song Sixi could look at it for long, he heard a barely perceptible footstep coming from inside the courtyard.

Subconsciously blowing out the oil lamp in front of him, Song Sixi quickly leaned over the door to look.

Because it was so dark, Song Sixi couldn't see clearly at all, and could only vaguely make out a dark figure walking towards the kitchen.

Upon seeing this scene, Song Sixi's heart skipped a beat.

There are indeed people who get up at night, but most of them are going to the toilet.

Some lazy people might even choose to leave a chamber pot in their room and deal with it the next day.

After all, the ecological environment was relatively good in this era. If you encountered any dangerous wild animals in the dark, you never knew what the outcome would be.

A place like a latrine would naturally not be built in the same location as a kitchen.

Thinking this, Song Sixi subconsciously held her breath and began to observe in the dark.

When Song Sixi saw the dark figure enter the kitchen, he breathed a slight sigh of relief. It seemed to be an educated youth who was too hungry and got up in the middle of the night to steal something to eat.

Although such things are rare, since everyone's food rations are fixed and even a tiny bit less will be subject to strict inspection, it is not entirely impossible.

Before Song Sixi could relax for long, he saw a bright spark in the dark courtyard.

At that time, lighters were not yet common, and although there were tools such as flint and steel, they were quite expensive.

To preserve fire, the village generally uses a hearth.

The hearth is a designated area for cooking and heating.

After cooking, bury the unburnt firewood in the ashes to keep it burning slowly.

Because the hearth has a relatively enclosed structure and slow air circulation, these unburnt firewood pieces can remain smoldering for a long time.

When you need fire, simply brush away the ashes, blow on them, or fan them with a fan to reignite the embers and start a fire again.

In the dead of night, a shadowy figure, a spark...

These opportunities made it hard for Song Sixi not to think of an extremely terrifying possibility: that someone was planning arson.

Taking a deep breath, Song Sixi forced herself to calm down.

Now is not the best time to rush out and verify the situation; to avoid making a mistake, he must wait a little longer.

With him in charge now, even if someone really has malicious intentions, he can catch the arsonist immediately and extinguish the raging flames, so the risk is still within a controllable range.

Despite having such thoughts in mind, Song Sixi stared at the dark figure without daring to move an inch, afraid of missing a crucial moment because of the glare.

The shadowy figure didn't give Song Sixi much time to prepare. His actions were decisive. He went straight to the corner of Xia Mingyue's room and threw the sparks directly onto the firewood in the corner.

In order to get the fire going, the newcomers seemed to have been prepared in advance and had prepared some flammable materials, which quickly ignited a raging fire.

It was in the firelight that Song Sixi was able to see the identity of the newcomer clearly—who else could it be but Luo Wenbin?

Luo Wenbin is practically courting death!
Even Song Sixi, who had a good temper, was angered. He never expected that Luo Wenbin would commit arson because of personal grudges.

If I hadn't caught him red-handed, and it's the middle of the night, it would have been impossible to determine who committed the crime.

Just as Song Sixi was about to rush out to stop Luo Wenbin, Wang Chengpeng's words suddenly echoed in his mind:

“Song Zhiqing, if, and I mean if, you really find something wrong with Luo Wenbin, I hope you can put aside your pity and let him receive the punishment he deserves.”

“You know what the situation is like now. If any unruly elements emerge in the educated youth settlement, staying there will only lead to endless troubles.”

"Wild fire, in spring!"

Although Song Sixi found Wang Chengpeng's words somewhat cruel, Luo Wenbin's ruthless behavior made him take Wang Chengpeng's words seriously.

The choice is between pitying Luo Wenbin and calming things down before he causes any real trouble, or calling on everyone to condemn him outright. It is an extremely difficult decision.

When Song Sixi thought about Luo Wenbin's actions, especially his act of setting fire to the educated youth settlement in the middle of the night, he chose the latter without hesitation.

Giving scum like Song Sixi chances again and again is truly unfair to good people.

Thinking this, Song Sixi, no longer bothering to peek through the crack in the door, turned around and shook awake the few educated youths who were still in a daze, and whispered the instructions:

"Don't make a sound, quickly put on your clothes and come out with me, something big is about to happen."

Although he had a conflict with Song Sixi, he was still the leader of the educated youth settlement and had considerable prestige.

Seeing that Song Sixi was serious, the roommates didn't dare to throw a tantrum. They immediately followed Song Sixi's instructions to keep quiet and acted quickly.

...On the other side, watching the flames gradually ignite, Luo Wenbin's face was filled with madness.

He felt that the flames before him were like the anger in his chest, which would burn away all those who were targeting him.

As the flames began to spread, a hint of pleasure flashed in Luo Wenbin's eyes. He even prayed in his heart that the others would discover it too late, so that Xia Mingyue and those damned books would be burned to ashes.

If this plan works, he might also be able to let his roommates who dislike him taste just how hot the flames of revenge can be.

Luo Wenbin was right about one thing: at this time of year, the weather is dry and the conditions are perfect for the flames to grow.

Furthermore, the firewood was carefully prepared and lit, causing the flames to erupt instantly, shooting up several centimeters high.

Feeling the heat of the flames, Luo Wenbin belatedly realized what he had done wrong.

Despite his contorted face, he made no attempt to call for help to put out the fire. Instead, he ran straight towards the room, trying to extricate himself from the situation.

However, before Luo Wenbin could take three steps, he saw several figures suddenly appear in front of him, and Song Sixi, who was in the lead, shouted at him:

"Luo Wenbin, you still want to run away?"

"You dare to set fire to the educated youth settlement? You're simply lawless!"

Song Sixi's angry shout was like a thunderclap piercing the night sky, causing a huge commotion at the educated youth settlement.

All the educated youth who heard the commotion got up and planned to go to the courtyard to see what was going on.

Because he was living alone in a room and had been reading late into the night and was extremely tired, Xia Mingyue was not awakened by Song Sixi's angry shouts, nor did any of his companions remind him.

Upon hearing Song Sixi's angry shout and seeing several familiar figures gradually emerging from behind him, Luo Wenbin's heart skipped a beat.

His face was full of disbelief; he couldn't understand how his flawless plan could have been caught red-handed.

Without hesitation or bothering to explain, he took off running towards the edge of the educated youth settlement.

This is arson! If he gets caught, his life will be over.

Even if he wanted to run, he might not be able to escape. Without Song Sixi's command, his roommates rushed forward to arrest Luo Wenbin.

Song Sixi went to the well to fetch a bucket of water and, together with the other educated youth from the other houses, began to put out the fire.

Most houses in this era were made of wood, and the biggest vulnerability of this type of structure is fire.
Especially with a large amount of firewood piled up in the corner, the fire was uncontrollable once it started, and even with everyone working together, there was still no sign of it being extinguished.

Seeing this, Song Sixi broke out in a cold sweat and began banging on the door, shouting:

"Xia Zhiqing, there's a fire! Get up quickly!"

Although Song Sixi's behavior seemed incredibly pedantic, he was actually thinking of Xia Mingyue's best interests.

It's summer now, and everyone is dressed lightly. If he just kicked the door open, wouldn't that directly tarnish Xia Mingyue's reputation?

In an era where innocence was more important than life, what would happen to a sent-down youth who lost their innocence? It was a terrifying thought.

As long as her life is not in danger, Song Sixi is willing to do everything he can to protect Xia Mingyue's innocence.

Although she was quite tired from reading late into the night, Xia Mingyue couldn't remain indifferent to such a huge commotion, and was immediately woken up by Song Sixi.

Breathing in the disgusting flames, glancing at the leaping firelight beside her, Xia Mingyue hurriedly put on some clothes and rushed out in a panic.

Just as Xia Mingyue rushed out, a strong gust of wind blew by, instantly fueling the fire.

The flames transformed into a terrifying demon, which actually bit down on Xia Mingyue's room.

Seeing this, Xia Mingyue was terrified. She never imagined that she could encounter such a terrifying thing just by sleeping at home.

But when she came to her senses, as if she had suddenly remembered something, she rushed back into the room amidst everyone's exclamations.

Before everyone could rush to help, Xia Mingyue came running out again, covered in dust and dirt, carrying not money, but a thick book.

Seeing Xia Mingyue completely unharmed, Song Sixi felt a chill run down her spine and immediately began to reprimand her without any mercy:

"Xia Zhiqing, you're really going too far. Is this book more important than your life?"

Xia Mingyue simply looked at the book in her hand with delight and explained:

“Song Zhiqing, I understand the reasoning you’re making, so I only took this one book.”

"There's still time, and this book is extremely important to me; I have to save it."

In the firelight, Xia Mingyue's face was flushed, and the soot added a unique touch of beauty to it.

As for the book she was holding, it looked quite exquisite, but Xia Mingyue was protecting it with both hands, so only a corner of the French text could be vaguely seen.

Seeing Xia Mingyue's emphasis on books, Song Sixi couldn't help but sigh and say:
“Xia Zhiqing, you really love books. You risked your life to return to the fire just for a book.”

"When I asked to borrow a book from you, you agreed without hesitation. Looking back now, you really are a very nice person."

After Song Sixi's reminder, those around him who were participating in the firefighting blushed and worked even harder to save the fire.

No matter how hard they tried, they were ultimately unable to save the house from the raging flames. After the fire was completely extinguished, Xia Mingyue's room was burned down to just charcoal.

Fortunately, the fire was discovered early, and with everyone's concerted efforts, only Xia Mingyue's room was burned down, without affecting the other educated youth's residences.

Wiping the sweat from her brow, Xia Mingyue bowed to everyone, expressing her heartfelt gratitude:

"Thank you all for your help. If it weren't for your help in putting out the fire, who knows how badly it would have gotten."

“Especially Song Zhiqing, it is said that you were the first to discover the fire. If it weren’t for you, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to stand here so intact.”

Although the fire caused heavy losses, Xia Mingyue was not sad or upset at all. Instead, she comforted the educated youth who helped put out the fire, telling them not to feel sad because they couldn't help put out the fire.

Scratching his head, Song Sixi instinctively wanted to explain the key point, but realized the occasion wasn't quite right, so he immediately changed his approach:

"I just happened to be there for this matter. You don't need to thank me separately, Xia. I just did the same thing as everyone else."

Looking at the house, now a scene of utter devastation, a pang of sadness flashed in Xia Mingyue's eyes. After all, it was the room she had lived in for so long.

Not to mention the things in the room, she was very reluctant to part with this room that held countless memories for her.

(End of this chapter)