Chapter 159 Different
The laughter of students on the playground was full of youthful vitality, which was in sharp contrast to Gu Qiuyue's heavy mood at the moment. She took a deep breath, carefully put away the complex emotions brought by Director Zhao's words - worry, regret, and the excitement brought by a glimmer of opportunity - and walked quickly towards the teaching building.
In the afternoon Chinese class, Gu Qiuyue stood in front of the podium, her eyes sweeping over the more than 40 young faces below the stage. When she was explaining Lu Xun's "In Memory of Miss Liu Hezhen", the sentence in the text "A true warrior dares to face the bleak life" suddenly made her heart tremble. She paused and her voice softened unconsciously.
"Students, life is impermanent, but thoughts and spirit can be passed on through words and knowledge. When we read Lu Xun today, we are not only learning literary skills, but also inheriting a kind of spiritual power."
The students nodded as if they understood, but a few students who usually loved to think had a special gleam in their eyes. Gu Qiuyue looked at them, as if she saw herself when she was young, and also saw the "good seedlings" that Professor Liu was looking forward to.
The bell rang, and as Gu Qiuyue was packing up her lesson plans, Zhou Xiaojuan, the study committee member, came over and said, "Teacher Gu, what you taught today seemed very different."
Gu Qiuyue smiled: "What's the difference?"
"I can't really put it into words, I just feel that... studying isn't just for exams, there's something else to it," the girl said shyly.
Gu Qiuyue patted her shoulder gently: "It's good that you can feel this."
On the way home, Gu Qiuyue rode her bicycle, her thoughts turning with the wheels. The image of Professor Liu lying on the hospital bed emerged from time to time, but Director Zhao's words flickered in her heart like a tiny flame.
When I opened the door, the aroma of food hit me.
"Mom!" The two children rushed over like little cannonballs, hugging her legs on the left and right.
Gu Qiuyue squatted down, hugged Huahua and Shuangshuang one by one, and kissed each of their rosy little faces. The fatigue of the day seemed to disappear in an instant.
Grandma Wang Xiulan poked her head out of the kitchen. "Qiuyue, are you back? Wash your hands and get ready for dinner. I made your favorite braised eggplant today." The old woman came over, wiping her hands and lowering her voice, "Didn't you call to ask about Professor Liu's condition today?"
Gu Qiuyue briefly explained the situation, omitting the possibility of manuscript preparation. She only said that the institute had notified her of the cancellation of the lecture and expressed their concern. Wang Xiulan sighed "what a pity" several times and said, "Don't worry too much. It's you who should worry too much."
After dinner, Xie Shiyu came back.
His military uniform was straight, and there was a hint of fatigue between his brows, but he immediately relaxed a lot when he saw his family. He played with building blocks with the children for a while and checked their literacy cards. Only then did he have time to be alone with Gu Qiuyue.
Under the courtyard corridor, the evening breeze blew gently. Xie Shiyu handed Gu Qiuyue a glass of warm water. "How was your day? Are you still thinking about Professor Liu?"
Gu Qiuyue held the cup of water, the warmth spreading from her palms to her heart. She finally told Director Zhao about his proposal to organize the manuscripts and possible exchanges and learning, her tone full of expectation and uneasiness.
"I think this is a rare opportunity, but I'm worried I'm not capable enough, and..." She hesitated, "Professor Liu is still ill. Isn't it too utilitarian for me to think about this?"
Xie Shiyu turned to face her, his eyes firm. "Yueyue, Professor Liu values talent, which is why he felt a strong connection with you. If he were still conscious, he would definitely hope that someone could continue his research. This isn't about profit, it's about inheritance."
He continued his analysis, "To put it another way, Professor Liu's condition is serious. Even if he gets better, it will take a long time to recover. Don't worry about things at home. Mom and I can share the responsibilities."
Late at night, when everyone was asleep, Gu Qiuyue took out the note written by Professor Liu from her notebook. It read, "Economic research should be based on reality and focus on the future." The vigorous handwriting seemed to carry the old man's expectations. She stroked the paper, and her mind gradually became clear.
In the next few days, Gu Qiuyue worked as efficiently as a clockwork.
After completing her teaching work during the day, she no longer chatted with colleagues in her spare time, but instead immersed herself in lesson preparation and review. She asked several classmates who worked in the provincial capital to help find Professor Liu's published works, but in the 1980s, information was blocked and materials were difficult to find. She could only occasionally find some related articles in the old newspapers and magazines in the library.
Xie Shiyu really fulfilled his promise. He went home early every day to spend time with the children and took care of most of the housework on weekends. Wang Xiulan also prepared nutritious meals in different ways and even made soups to calm the nerves and nourish the brain.
On Thursday afternoon, Gu Qiuyue called the Provincial Economic Institute again.
Director Zhao's voice was weary on the other end of the line: "Professor Liu has passed the most critical period, but he's still in a coma. The doctor says he needs a long recovery. Alas, the academic loss is too great..."
He paused. "The institute has asked Professor Zhu to temporarily lead the project, but organizing the manuscript is a complicated matter and requires authorization from the family and coordination from the institute."
Gu Qiuyue's heart sank, but she still said politely, "I understand. If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know."
"Actually..." Director Zhao hesitated for a moment. "The institute is having a bit of a headache about how to properly handle Professor Liu's manuscript. Your research direction aligns with ours. If you have any recent relevant research results, please send them to me for reference."
After hanging up the phone, Gu Qiuyue stood at the door of the post office. It was clear as day - she needed to prove her worth and ability.
Teaching, postgraduate entrance exams, and family have filled her time. She hasn't received any new orders from her part-time translation job for several weeks, and her novel writing has completely stagnated. She has also forgotten about the military dependents workshop. For the first time, Gu Qiuyue felt that time was so scarce.
That night, after the children went to bed, Gu Qiuyue spread out the manuscript paper in front of the desk. The desk lamp cast a warm circle of light, illuminating her focused profile. She frowned slightly, thinking about how to start writing.
Xie Shiyu gently pushed the door open and put down a cup of hot milk: "Don't stay up too late."
"Just for a moment." Gu Qiuyue looked up and smiled, "I want to try to write something. I have some thoughts that I can't help but express."
Xie Shiyu nodded: "Just tell me what you need me to do."
After two consecutive nights of burning the midnight oil, Gu Qiuyue finally finished an academic note. Should she mail it out now, or polish it a little more? She was worried about missing the opportunity and being insufficiently prepared.
On Saturday afternoon, Gu Qiuyue came back from the market after buying vegetables. As soon as she entered the door, she heard her mother-in-law's voice, "Qiuyue, a man named Zhu just called and said he was your teacher. He sounded very anxious. I asked him to call back in half an hour."
Gu Qiuyue's heart skipped a beat. Professor Zhu? He'd heard about Professor Liu and said he'd come, but then he'd been held up by some trivial matters and hadn't been able to make it. Now he was calling. Was he already here, or...
She put down the basket. There were still ten minutes left before half an hour, but it seemed like a century.
Gu Qiuyue suddenly had a premonition that this phone call might change a lot of things.
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