Chapter 686: Chapter 685: Fourth Sie and [Sie Yufei]
Zhou Xu brought seven acceptance letters this ti.
Four from Peking University, one from Tsinghua, one from Beijing Normal University, and one from Beihang University.
“Good, good, good!”
Li Dahe, looking down, gazed at the neatly arranged acceptance letters on the table, feeling an indescribable mix of emotions.
These little bastards…
He looked at them, he still rembered when each one of them arrived, the scenes of bringing them back.
So were haggard from the long journey, so brimming with joy eager to make a mark, and so just smiled at the sight of him…
That crisp voice asking “Uncle, does Ten Miles Team gather here?” still rings in his ears as if it was yesterday.
A bunch of kids here to study, running around doing farm work, truly troubleso.
Now, the little bastards are about to leave.
And… oddly, he finds he will miss them.
Li Dahe lit a cigarette, the smoke clouding his vision, masking the moisture in his eyes.
“Whenever there is trouble, just call out for help, don’t stir up trouble out there, but don’t shy from it either… not to ntion, is there a Cooperative Society we’re not connected with? If you guys get into trouble anywhere, I can find soone to bring you back ho.”
Li Dahe’s lips ford a thin line, and he waved his hand at the group: “Beat it, secure your own belongings, don’t lose them and don’t let others take them… do what you have to do, don’t just stand around here.”
“Uncle Team Leader…”
“What now? All day long with ‘uncle, uncle, uncle,’ what are you, three years old?”
Li Dahe kept his head down, not looking at them.
“Uncle, I’m hungry.”
“Well… if you’re hungry why not move, waiting for to feed you? Go ho, your aunt made dumplings today, with sauerkraut filling.”
…
Principal Wu looked over each acceptance letter one by one, her eyes moist, her lips turned into a smile.
“Good, study hard, and take good care of yourselves out there.”
These weren’t exactly her students, but she had taught each one of them.
Seeing one’s students enter better colleges is the sight every teacher hopes to see.
Her students were heading towards their futures, and she felt that surely was a road bright and splendid.
And she, would stay right here, sending off more students into their vibrant futures.
‘Don’t give up.’
She wouldn’t.
Principal Wu silently reviewed her students.
She opened her mouth, giving them their last collective lesson:
“Be dignified and upright, let knowledge guide your actions.”
Gathering them all together like this would probably never happen again.
…
“Get yourselves tidied up, the photographer will be here soon!”
Wang Hong urged, smiling, but her eyes were sowhat swollen.
The entire village, young and old, three hundred people, even Great Grandma Wang who rarely went out was carried over by four young n, sitting right in the center of the front row.
“Here they co!”
Lin Nianhe waved at them from a distance.
Then, the whole village witnessed Wang Dong and Sun Guanghui carrying a scarecrow, coming over amidst a grand crowd.
Li Dahe was grinding his teeth in worry: “What kind of trick are they pulling now?”
“Ah, Sie Yufei isn’t here.”
Lin Nianhe said, and took out a piece of paper with “Sie Yufei” written on it from his bag, sticking it onto the scarecrow’s face.
Wang Shui and Wen Lan put a woolen coat onto the scarecrow—the coat was definitely Sie Yufei’s.
“Push it in a bit so it blocks view and looks like a person…”
“Forget it, let it be on the side, putting it in the middle looks too chilling!”
“Hezi, do you have more tape? The paper won’t stick!”
“I do! Let do it!”
Turns out, it’s essential to participate in group activities; otherwise, you’ll never know what your good friends will do behind your back.
Li Dahe watched them ss around, opened his mouth, and chose not to tell them the truth.
After finally settling the “Sie Yufei” scarecrow in its place, the young people climbed up on chairs and tables laughing and joking, placing themselves in the back row.
Lin Nianhe stood beside Su Yuncheng, with Wang Shui and Wen Lan on the other side.
Left hand with my love, right hand with my friend, wouldn’t trade for all the gold…
“You bastards! Is this how you think of ?”
“You can think to make a scarecrow but can’t rember to call back, huh?”
Suddenly a roar burst from the little school in the village, and the newly settled young people were all dumbfounded.
Xie Yufei erged with half-wet hair, obviously just after washing up.
He sprinted over in a few strides and glared at the scarecrow wearing his woolen coat—if it wasn’t for the clothes being his own, he really would have kicked it flying.
The educated youths were speechless.
No one had told them that Xie Yufei was coming back today.
Xie Yufei pointed to the paper with his big na on it and laughed angrily: “Couldn’t you guys stick a photo of instead? Is your conscience clear with such a perfunctory effort?”
Lin Nianhe: “Think about it, if we stuck your photo on the scarecrow, wouldn’t that be even more horrifying?”
Wang Shui: “Right, right, right, and besides, there wasn’t enough ti.”
Wen Lan: “Mainly, enlarging a photo is too expensive.”
Xie Yufei opened his mouth, pointing to his own nose: “So what, you’re saying I’m not worthy?”
Everyone: “Yes.”
“You, you, you… ”
“Hey hey, Fourth Brother Sie, stop ssing about. Stand next to your stand-in quickly. It’s cold. Don’t make everyone wait.”
“Exactly, exactly. Great Grandma Wang can’t be out in the wind, hurry up.”
“How co you didn’t let us know with a call when you could co back? Such a big person and still a worry to others.”
“And you dare complain! This scarecrow was carefully made by us, wasting ten whole minutes!”
“Ten minutes per person, and there are so many of us; you do the math, how big is your sin!”
Xie Yufei: “…”
They had the numbers; he couldn’t argue with them.
Xie Yufei held his breath, moved the scarecrow aside, and stood where the scarecrow had been.
“Co on, look here—3, 2, 1!”
January 1, 1978, the Ten Miles Team group photo morial.
Today, everyone was happy. Li Dahe said the village would pay for the group photo, taking a family portrait for each household.
When it was the Educated Youth Corps’ turn, they insisted on including the scarecrow in the photo.
The rationale was simple—since it was made, it would be a waste not to photograph it.
As the person involved, Xie Yufei felt he had the right to refuse.
His refusal was rejected.
Lin Nianhe consoled in good nature: “It’s alright. Today, you are Fourth Brother Sie, and it is ‘Xie Yufei’, you’re each your own.”
Xie Yufei sent her a friendly greeting: “Your, grand, father.”
Then he was kicked next to the ‘Xie Yufei’ by Su Yuncheng.
Everyone was joyfully taking a group photo; all were quite happy except for Fourth Brother.
Afterwards, Lin Nianhe comforted him: “Think about it this way, at least in the whole village’s group photo, there is no ‘Xie Yufei’, right?”
Fourth Brother Sie: “So I should still thank you?”
“Well, there’s no need to be so formal.”
As the only one in the village who failed the university entrance exam, Fourth Brother Sie joined the celebration banquet without any psychological barriers.
The village killed two pigs, and the steaming hot pork dishes, along with Uncle Guan’s sorghum liquor, temporarily washed away the sorrow of parting.
The wine today was undiluted, you a bowl, a bowl. Lin Nianhe unknowingly drank too much, her cheeks a little rosy.
Niuwa leaned close to Lin Nianhe, giving her all the at from his bowl.
“My darling.”
Lin Nianhe hugged Niuwa’s shoulder with one arm, holding her liquor bowl in the other, her smile a bit silly: “Want a taste? It’s really good.”
Seeing her flushed face, Niuwa felt helpless: “Sister Hehe, ten minutes ago when Fourth Brother Sie coaxed to drink, you said children shouldn’t drink as you kicked him out.”
“Oh, right…”
Another ten minutes later—
“My darling, want a taste?”
“Sis, if you keep this up, I’ll call your husband.”
Another ten minutes—
“My darling…”
“Brother-in-law! My sister is drunk!”
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