Chapter 831 - 827: The Leader Personally Helps Explain

The people from the educated youths’ compound had already arrived, but the members of the Leng Family took their time getting there. None of them knew about Gu Jiaojiao and Leng Yuan’s return yet. So when they walked over and saw Leng Yuan and Gu Jiaojiao present, they froze. They quickly observed the couple’s expressions, noting that neither looked like they had been subjected to any torment.

The Leng Family’s feelings were complicated. In the entire Qingshan Team, they were the only ones with the surname Leng; it was their grandfather’s generation that had originally settled here. They should have been united as one, but instead, this family was worse off than strangers. At least strangers would greet one another; they didn’t even feel the need to do that.

Among the Leng Family, Sun Yeshu was the only one to react outwardly. The moment she saw Gu Jiaojiao, words of pure shock blurted out of her mouth. "Gu Jiaojiao... How—how is she back?"

Fortunately, the crowd was loud enough that no one noticed Sun Yeshu’s unusual reaction. Only Leng Qingtian gave her a longer look before lowering his eyes.

While no one else was paying attention, Gu Jiaojiao’s gaze swept over Sun Yeshu for a few seconds. She didn’t miss the shock and panic that crossed Sun Yeshu’s face upon seeing her, followed closely by fear.

The expression was completely wrong. Shock was understandable, but the panic and fear were uncalled for. Regarding the recommendation letter, Gu Jiaojiao had already guessed that Xu Wenwan was behind it. But after thinking it over carefully, she felt something didn’t add up. She knew her cousin decently well. Xu Wenwan was smart enough to cover her tracks. She would never get her own hands dirty with something like this—after all, if she were caught, Leng Yuan definitely wouldn’t let her off the hook.

If Xu Wenwan wasn’t going to do it herself, she had to find someone else to do the dirty work. In the village, plenty of people had grudges against Gu Jiaojiao, but there was only one person who was actually on good terms with Xu Wenwan. Coincidentally, Gu Jiaojiao had seen Sun Yeshu speaking with Xu Wenwan on several occasions. If Xu Wenwan had used Sun Yeshu to carry out the deed, it made perfect sense.

Gu Jiaojiao’s sudden return this time was partly to test Sun Yeshu. She just hadn’t expected the woman to be so entirely transparent, exposing herself the very moment they met.

While she was carefully observing the situation, Chen Beiguo saw that almost everyone had arrived. He stood up and called for quiet.

"Everyone, quiet down! We’ve gathered you all here today to announce a few important matters. As for what these important matters are, please welcome our commune director to speak."

After warming up the crowd, Chen Beiguo handed the microphone to the leader.

The commune leader stood up, his tone remarkably steady. "My main purpose in coming here today is to explain the situation regarding Gu Zhiqing.

"Regarding the recommendation letter, our commune has already conducted a thorough investigation. The claims made in it are false. Comrade Gu Jiaojiao does not have an existing marriage arrangement in Jiang City. The neighbors in Jiang City can all testify to this fact, and our personnel have already obtained their statements. I can assure everyone that these testimonies are authentic and valid.

"Secondly, regarding the teaching position. We visited the school to understand the situation and reviewed the test papers kept in the principal’s office. I have to say here that Teacher Gu is truly outstanding. She scored perfectly on all three test papers.

"Aside from the test papers, I also inquired about the classes and subjects Teacher Gu teaches. In the recent exams, the average score of the children she teaches increased by nearly twenty points. Not a single student in her class failed.

"Based on our understanding, many of these students usually scored in the thirties and forties, with some even scoring in the twenties. It is precisely because Teacher Gu took over that these children’s grades have steadily improved.

"I believe there are similar children in the Qingshan Team. You all know Teacher Gu’s teaching ability in your hearts, and you should know better than anyone that Teacher Gu did not use back channels to get her position."