150: Chapter 149: The Knowledgeable and Enlightened Teacher Lin 150: Chapter 149: The Knowledgeable and Enlightened Teacher Lin Li Dahe ca back from the fields, sipping on so cool boiled water and remarked to Aunt Li: “The elentary school is doing well, the remaining educated youths are all good workers, doesn’t it ease your mind?”
Aunt Li, who was making a quilt on the kang bed, rolled her eyes at him: “You’re not frustrated, but shouldn’t you start worrying about Xiao Shan’s marriage?
You don’t bother with anything, leaving the nitpicking to the in-laws.”
Aunt Li has been feeling a bit overwheld lately.
Apart from household chores, she also had to busy herself with her younger son’s marriage.
She’s been spinning like a top all day long, now she finds everyone annoying and nothing seems right.
“Who’s nitpicking?
Hongzi?” Li Dahe hadn’t realized the severity of the situation and blurted out, “If it were soone else saying this, I might believe it!”
Aunt Li paused with her needle in hand and nodded reluctantly: “That’s true.”
However, she soon rembered another matter, thrust the needle into the half-made quilt, and slid off the kang: “I need to ask Miss Wen how Daxi’s clothes are coming along.”
“Hey hey, where are you going?” Li Dahe waved her off, “Principal Wu is training those little bastards, oh, teaching them!”
Aunt Li was a bit confused and stopped putting on her shoes, “What do you an?”
“Ah, he’s teaching them how to teach.” Li Dahe said, “Don’t add to the chaos, what does it matter if the clothes are ready one day earlier or later?”
Aunt Li imdiately got annoyed and flapped the quilt at Li Dahe, making a loud snapping sound: “What do you an ‘what does it matter’?
What if the clothes are not ready before the wedding?”
Though she said this, she didn’t continue putting on her shoes.
Seeing his wife’s stern face, Li Dahe cowered.
He scratched his head and whispered: “Then he can wear them later.”
Aunt Li’s eyes almost rolled back to heaven: “That’s easy for you to say, just moving your lips!
What is he supposed to wear for the wedding?
Should Daxi wear old clothes?
Those cloth tickets were borrowed from Miss Lin by , and here you are, sitting idle with nothing…”
Li Dahe circled on the spot, not daring to et Aunt Li’s eyes.
Aunt Li was even more annoyed by his antics: “Are you pulling a millstone?”
Li Dahe silently withdrew his foot.
He took another sip of water, holding his breath for a while before slipping out with his tea mug: “Then I’ll go see how the Educated Youth Corps’ buildings are coming along…”
As soon as the Educated Youth Corps was ntioned, Li Dahe rembered sothing and quickly diverted the topic, trying to shift his wife’s anger: “Oh right, I’ve seen the list of returning educated youths, there are two female comrades coming to our place from Beijing.”
“This is rare, again from Beijing?” Aunt Li’s attention shifted, “When are they arriving?”
“The 16th,” Li Dahe sighed with relief, “How about I take Educated Youth Lin to pick them up?
Being fellow villagers, they should be able to chat it up, right?”
Aunt Li picked up her needle again and pursed it through her hair a couple of tis before saying, “Take her along, I think Miss Lin has been pretty stifled these days, let her get out and about.”
“You’re really good to her,” Li Dahe sneered jealously at Aunt Li.
“Should I be good to you instead?
I’m sick of your old face, not a single nice word out of that mouth of yours, like a knocked-over oil bottle you never bother to help upright, you think your old son is sothing I brought from my parent’s ho?
The wedding is upon us and look at you…”
Li Dahe broke out in a cold sweat: “Well, I’ll go work with them at the Educated Youth Corps.”
“Always running!
Can I eat you or what?”
“Is there anything else I can do?
I’m on it.”
“What can you do?
By the ti you help, the dishes would have gone cold!”
“…”
“Brother Old Li, are you ho?”
A voice called from the courtyard.
It was music to his ears.
Li Dahe was holding a teacup and hurried out, responding repeatedly: “Here, here here here!”
He Aimin had just been helped down from the ox cart by his son and hadn’t rembered to use his crutches when he saw a black whirlwind whizz in front of his eyes.
He Aimin almost got scared enough to fall to the ground.
Seeing that it was him, Li Dahe grimaced and said, “Old He, it’s you ah…
Well, co inside and sit.”
If it were soone else, he could have taken them out for a stroll.
But it just had to be He Aimin, who had difficulty with his legs, so he couldn’t avoid inviting him inside.
He Aimin stared at Li Dahe’s face, which was tough as walnut skin, and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, nothing,” Li Dahe hurriedly supported his arm, leading him inside, “Co co, let’s talk inside.”
When Aunt Li heard the noise, she also ca out to greet them warmly: “Old He is here, oh, is this Jianjun?
Much stronger than before, co in, take a seat…
Your Brother Xiao Shan is getting married next month, it’s quite hectic at ho, don’t laugh at , ah.”
Having vented her anger on Li Dahe, Aunt Li didn’t show any unpleasantness to the guests.
Jianjun, grinning warmly, greeted them and helped He Aimin into the house.
He Aimin had not even had a sip of water when he grabbed Li Dahe’s wrist and asked, “Brother Old Li, tell the truth, what’s really going on with the elentary school in your brigade?”
“Eh?” Li Dahe feigned ignorance, “Why do you ask?”
“Don’t play dumb with ,” He Aimin glared at him, “Back when Wang Wei was here, I just had a nominal position as an accountant, couldn’t handle anything, that damn guy finally got lost, now shouldn’t I do sothing real for our folks?”
Li Dahe, out of habit, smoothed the few hairs on his head before sitting on the edge of the kang and said, “Actually, there’s nothing I can’t tell you…
The school is newly built, six rooms, and they even assigned a plot of reserved land behind, all the desks and chairs were newly made by my Laoer.”
“Principal Wu is capable, he was the principal of Lan County High School before, you think it over, if soone could handle a high school, wouldn’t he manage an elentary school well?”
“The teachers, they are educated youths from our brigade who passed the exams, their literacy is impeccable, I’ve watched over these little bastards myself, their character is just like this.”
Li Dahe raised a thumb and shook it twice, emphasizing, “Moreover, there’s an educated youth nad Lin Nianhe, scored a hundred in both Chinese and Arithtic, that girl used to be a teacher at a literacy class beforehand, she’s from Beijing, knowledgeable and highly conscious.”
He Aimin pondered for a while and nodded, “Then I heard that they provide books and pens when enrolling?
And after graduating from Lan County High School, they are guaranteed a placent in the factory as workers?”
Li Dahe’s eyes suddenly widened like copper bells: “What?
Work in a factory?
Who said that?
If that were the case, I’d enroll first!”
He Aimin’s heart sank halfway: “So, the part about the books and all, that’s false too?”
Li Dahe thought about the lotus painting in his little daughter’s room and said, “Well, that’s not necessarily true either, let’s go ask Principal Wu, all these rules are set by them, let her chat with you.”
“Alright!”
Because He Aimin’s legs were not convenient, Jianjun carried him on his back, and Li Dahe, holding a walking stick, quickly walked towards the village school.
“Hey hey, principal, don’t curse, I was just giving an example…”
“You’re making a fool of yourself!
Get down here!”
“Put down the shovel and I’ll co down!”
“Put it down and I will!”
“Then I won’t.”
“Lin!
Nian!
He!”
He Aimin, lying on his son’s back, slowly turned his head towards Li Dahe.
He pointed to the person on the wall, asking sowhat uncertainly, “That, surely isn’t the Beijing-educated youth you ntioned who scored double hundreds?”
Li Dahe, trembling, clenched his walking stick with a creaking noise.
Right now, he only wanted to knock that little bastard off the wall.
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