Mrs. Wen soon returned, bringing back a chart of production conditions across various communes in Yu City.
"Xiao Lin, let tell you sothing straight from the heart," Mrs. Wen looked at Lin Nianhe, her brows slightly furrowed, "I know building a school is a good thing, but just because it’s built doesn’t an it’s done... Teachers are harder to find than students, you know?"
Lin Nianhe was slightly startled, recalling the earlier efforts to encourage schooling in Ten Miles Team.
"Which rural kid doesn’t have to act as half a labor force? Schools are easy to build, but getting kids to attend is tough. Not even a three-month literacy class can attract many people."
Mrs. Wen works at the grassroots, so she understands what people are thinking.
She hopes this donation will arrive as scheduled, but she can’t fool her daughter’s friends, can she?
Mrs. Wen hesitated for a mont and pointed to a brigade at the end of the chart: "Look, this Red Flag Team, their village well dried up long ago, drilling a chanized well costs two thousand bucks—they’ve been saving for four years... and still haven’t drilled the well yet."
"The whole village uses the only donkey cart to fetch water from the river every day, one trip takes six or seven hours, each person gets just half a ladle of water a day... If the year’s bad and there’s drought, everyone who can walk has to go down the mountain to fetch water."
"In such a place, building a school is less important than drilling a well."
Everyone fell silent.
They rembered all the things that happened when the Ten Miles Village School was newly built.
Without a doubt, Ten Miles Team was very successful in children’s education, but behind the success was because of Wang Hong.
If a few of them dared to storm into soone else’s village and shout, "Not going to school? I’ll whip your whole family..."
Six people going in, if even half co out, it’s because the villagers are rciful.
Lin Nianhe belatedly realized that the past two years may have been too smooth for her, leading her to forget what hardship was like.
Luckily, she set her first stop in familiar Yu City, if not for Mrs. Wen’s reminder, they would have charged straight into the village... a beating would certainly be unavoidable.
Mrs. Wen folded the chart and handed it to Lin Nianhe, saying: "These are just my own thoughts, you can go and see, consult with the branch secretary, they’re quite alright."
Wen Lan suddenly chid in: "What if talking doesn’t work and we get a beating?"
Mrs. Wen’s slap was quicker than her words, landing on Wen Lan’s back first.
"Beating, beating, beating; all day you just think about beating! You finish eating and hurry to change clothes, I’ll take you to visit relatives this afternoon!"
Wen Lan: "...!"
Wen Lan realized that returning ho ant she’d definitely be pressured into matchmaking.
But she didn’t expect that before she could even put down her bowl, her mom already had things arranged.
Wen Lan looked up at Lin Nianhe with a terrified expression.
Facing Sister Lan’s eyes filled with "save " plea, Lin Nianhe’s eyes shifted and she feigned surprise: "Sister Lan, you’re still matchmaking? Didn’t that Beihang University classmate really like you?"
Lin Nianhe said this while glancing at Wang Shui.
Wang Shui imdiately understood, assuming a surprised look: "Yeah, didn’t he write you love letters before? Sure, he might be a bit chubby, but his school is good, once he graduates he’s a cadre."
Beihang, chubby guy.
Those two keywords were all too telling.
Wen Lan figured out who they were referring to, but about this... she was unsure how to respond.
Feng Wei?
Isn’t he her buddy who she’d been river-splashing and mountain-climbing with?
Lin Nianhe turned to Mrs. Wen, asking quietly: "Aunt Wen, is it because that comrade’s not local that you’re against it?"
Mrs. Wen looked dazed.
She was already stunned.
What are those two girls talking about?
A university guy is pursuing her "champion hitter" daughter, and her daughter refused him due to his weight?
This is... crazy!
Mrs. Wen glared at Wen Lan: "Why didn’t you tell anything?"
Wen Lan actually cringed a bit, her voice sounding guilty: "Because... he’s just too chubby?"
"..."
Sure enough, Wen Lan received a beating.
But the good news is, she didn’t have to "visit relatives" in the afternoon.
Wen Lan hid in their small hut, letting Lin Nianhe rub red floral oil on her.
Once the pain eased a bit, Sister Lan finally rembered to ask: "Hezi, why’d you bring Feng Wei’s photo?"
Lin Nianhe replied: "Felt I’d need it at so point."
Of course, Mrs. Wen wouldn’t just buy what they said, so she demanded to see Feng Wei’s photo.
Lin Nianhe really produced a photo for her to see—that was taken at Tianann when they went to watch the flag-raising.
After losing weight, Feng Wei looked quite decent—tall and strong, plus the experience of serving in the army and the Beihang student credentials—enough to outshine eight blocks of neighbors.
Mrs. Wen imdiately thought this boy was talented and told Wen Lan to agree to date him as soon as she returned.
"Hiss... You two really dared to say this. What if my mom insists that he cos to our house, then what?" Wen Lan whispered.
Lin Nianhe tilted her head to give her a glance and said: "At worst, beg Brother Feng to call Aunt Wen, afterward... say he changed his mind and likes soone else, you’ve locked your heart and aren’t interested in dating anymore, how about that?"
Wen Lan’s eyes suddenly brightened: "Hezi, you’re quick-witted!"
Lin Nianhe: "..."
It’s not that she’s quick-witted.
It’s that Sister Lan’s thinking is too slow.
Everyone in the world has noticed it except herself.
Wang Shui struggled to hold back a laugh, while re-braiding Wang Xiaoxiao’s braids, asked: "Let’s discuss, what should we do about this?"
Lin Nianhe casually asked: "Sister Shui, do you have any ideas?"
"If money isn’t an issue, just drill them another chanized well, it’s a good deed." Wang Shui frowned slightly, "But, this isn’t our turf, without soone overseeing, teaching quality can easily beco problematic... fundantally, this isn’t just about a well."
"So thods used at the village school definitely won’t work here—if soone scores only fifty in finals, should they still get a bonus?"
After several months at Lingyun Tutoring School, Wang Shui already gathered so insights about education.
Lin Nianhe nodded, then gave a wry smile: "Could it be we need to tailor a prosperity plan for each impoverished village? My brain isn’t quick enough to do that."
The three girls showed a troubled expression, none having a good solution.
Just then, Su Yuncheng knocked and entered, saying: "Let’s head to the guesthouse first."
"Huh?"
"Oh right, yes, yes..."
Space in the Wen house was scarce, nowhere to squeeze six people.
Mrs. Wen understood it wasn’t convenient to host guests, so didn’t hold them back, only gave them a bag of apples and dates to snack on.
In the guesthouse, apart from Wang Xiaoxiao, who fell asleep from exhaustion, the other five continued their eting.
"I want to ask, don’t we have any kin here?"
After much pondering, Lin Nianhe looked at Wen Lan expectantly.
Wen Lan was slightly helpless: "My mom’s just a deputy street director; she has so say locally, but outside... maybe my grandma’s village? That place we could talk a bit."
"Does our grandma’s village have a school?"
"Yes."
"..."
Lin Nianhe was quite speechless.
Su Yuncheng suddenly said: "There is a relative."
Lin Nianhe was puzzled: "Who?"
Su Yuncheng: "My second uncle."
"Hiss... this ti it’s really a true relative!"
Reviews
All reviews (0)