Chapter 122

Chen Shuifen glanced at the notebook, touched it with her hand, and just when Zhao Fenfang was about to do something, she closed the notebook again and said, "Can you still write? I couldn't concentrate on reading since I was a child. Now I'm old and I don't even recognize a few words. I get a headache when I see words."

Zhao Fenfang relaxed and smiled: "It's up to you whether you like the red star or not."

Chen Shuifen was happy: "That's right, you just take after me, you're bad at studying. Actually, Hongxing is quite smart, but you just can't concentrate on studying. You get sleepy as soon as you start reading. By the way, I came here this time to tell you something. Didn't your dad ask me to find a date for you? I picked and chose, and I finally found the one, that Xiaoniu, who is only one year older than you. He's already a squad leader and should be able to move up in the future. He's also good-looking, and his parents are nice too. I met them the last time they went to the island. They're a very talkative old couple. If you marry him, you don't have to worry about your mother-in-law treating you badly..."

Zhao Fenfang was very cold in her heart, but she sighed helplessly on her face: "Shuifen, I'm sorry for always thinking about me. But...Shuifen, it's not that I don't want to, but I just came back and don't want to get married so soon. I didn't say anything last time because I didn't want to worry my dad, so I asked you to introduce me to someone. Sister, you won't be angry with me, right?"

"No, how could that be?" Chen Shuifen waved her hands, "It is a blessing for Uncle Zhao to have a good daughter like you. Let's put this on hold for now and talk about it later. By the way, there will be a performance at the school celebration tomorrow, come with me to watch it."

Zhao Fenfang readily agreed.

At the school celebration the next day, almost every student's parents came. Of course, the soldiers who were on military duty did not come, but it was still lively enough.

Lin Tao and her friends performed last, as the highlight of the show. When she was preparing backstage, she saw Chen Shuifen sitting in the front, talking very excitedly. It was their Red Star's turn to perform. She pulled Zhao Fenfang and kept saying, "Look, that's our Red Star. This brat is performing pretty well!"

Yueyue shouted from the audience: "Brother Hongxing, it's Brother Hongxing."

Zhao Fenfang's eyes were on Lin Tao who was getting ready, and Lu Chengze who was standing next to her. The two of them standing together looked quite similar. If someone didn't know that Lin Tao was married, they might have thought they were a couple.

This thought popped up in Zhao Fenfang's mind and she smiled.

In the past few months, she has thought of various ways to get close to Li Chengxi, but it is not so easy to do these things without exposing herself. Maybe if it were someone else, her mission would have made progress long ago, but Li Chengxi is like a piece of iron plate, not so easy to take down.

Since it is difficult to start with Li Chengxi, it is better to think of a solution from Lin Tao.

"Sister Shuifen, look, that's Teacher Lin, right? Who is the male teacher next to Teacher Lin? They look so good together." Zhao Fenfang said casually.

Chen Shuifen quickly said, "I dare not say that. Teacher Lin is married. It would be bad if others heard it."

"It's my fault for not thinking and talking nonsense. Sister Shuifen, don't be angry. I won't say it again in the future." Zhao Fenfang tested Chen Shuifen, and seeing that she was unhappy, she quickly admitted her mistake.

When the chorus performance of Lin Tao and his class ended, there was a round of warm applause from the audience. Yueyue was very excited, and when Lin Tao came out from the backstage, she heard Yueyue humming along with the song they had just sung.

The school celebration is not only about watching performances, but also about recalling the good and bad times. When the school was first built, the conditions were very poor. There were few desks and chairs, few textbooks, and many students were crowded on the same desk to read the same book.

At that time, there were not many students on the island, and many parents were unwilling to send their children to school. It was the principal and Yang Ai-dang who went door to door to every family with children of school age, persuading them to send their children to school. China's future still depends on young people, and is in the hands of young people. China's young people must learn knowledge, so that China will become stronger and stronger.

Now that conditions are better, the campus has been expanded to include a junior high school, and with so many college student teachers, the quality of teaching has improved.

However, they cannot forget the hardships they faced.

In this activity, the principal will give a speech, telling about the past 20 years, so that students can cherish the present and seize the opportunity to learn. Students will also be asked to eat bitter leafy vegetables, which is basically required in every school's activity.

It’s just that other schools require children to eat a lot, and whoever eats more is considered to be able to endure hardship. But Lin Tao discussed it with the principal and felt that this was not a good idea. Although it is a way to recall the past, these children have never eaten those things after all. It is enough for them to eat a little to get a feel for it, so as to avoid getting an upset stomach.

Eat a bite of bitter leaf vegetable, and then each person will be given a piece of fruit candy.

The sweetness of the fruit candy and the bitterness of the bitter leaf vegetables form a sharp contrast, which makes everyone aware of the bitterness of the past and cherish the sweetness of the present more.

After the school celebration, the class held a class meeting organized by Lu Chengze, where everyone talked about the future and dreams.

When everyone first heard the word "dream", they were a little confused. After Lu Chengze explained it, the students began to talk about their dreams. Some said they wanted to be workers, some said it would be best to be a worker in a meat processing factory because meat is divided in the factory, some said they wanted to be doctors, and some wanted to be soldiers...

Lu Chengze talked about his dream. He said he wanted to go to a distant frontier and be a frontier warrior.

What about Lin Tao? Lin Tao's dream was much simpler. She wanted to be a teacher from the beginning, and she had already realized it when she came to the island five or six years ago.

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The lamb born by the ewe at home has grown a lot and has a bigger appetite. The grass that Lin Changhai cut in the morning was not enough for it to eat. It happened that the leeks at home had been cut a few times, and Lin Tao didn't plan to eat it anymore, so she simply cut the leeks for the lamb to eat.

Yueyue was tired from playing nearby and wanted to go to sleep.

Lin Taoteng did not take any action. Instead, she went into the house by herself. When Lin Tao finished cutting the leeks, she went inside and saw that the boy had taken off his shoes and went to bed. He even covered himself with a corner of the quilt. No one knew what he was dreaming about, but saliva was flowing from the corners of his mouth.

Lin Tao smiled and wiped the saliva from the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief.

Yueyue turned over, changed her sleeping position, and called out, "Mom...eat the chicken legs. Yueyue will save the chicken legs for Mom..."

Wow, this little guy is thinking about me even in his dreams. Lin Tao was happy and kissed Yueyue's little pink face again.

As soon as I walked into the yard, Xu Yuting came.

When Lin Tao saw her, she couldn't help but joked, "Why are you free to come here today? Aren't you with Fenfang?"

Xu Yuting curled her lips and said, "Look at what you said. I'm not with her every day. In my heart, you are my best friend, okay?"

Before Zhao Fenfang came, Xu Yuting would come to Lin Tao's house almost every holiday to chat with her and make clothes together. But after Zhao Fenfang came, Xu Yuting came to Lin Tao's house less and less frequently. Because Zhao Fenfang always took the initiative to find Xu Yuting and let her go to her house, Xu Yuting sympathized with her at first and felt that she had no friends, so she was willing to play with her. Later, when they were together, she felt that Zhao Fenfang was a nice person.

But this person couldn't stand being together for a long time. The more Xu Yuting interacted with Zhao Fenfang, the more she felt something was strange.

Lin Tao smiled and said, "Okay, okay, how could I not know? I was just kidding you."

There is no rule that Xu Yuting can only have her as a friend. It is normal to have more friends. Lin Tao didn't think much about it. It was just a joke. Not to mention Xu Yuting, even Chen Shuifen, since Zhao Fenfang came, she didn't come to Lin Tao's house as often as before.

But the relationship between them is still very good.

Xu Yuting said: "I don't really want to go to see her anymore."

"What's wrong?" Lin Tao poured Xu Yuting a glass of water and asked her.

Xu Yuting said, "I just feel weird getting along with her. It's not as comfortable as with you and Sister Chen. Although she's good at talking, it's as if every sentence she says is deliberately said for others to hear. How should I put it? I feel a little hypocritical. Maybe it's not a good idea to say that. I thought about it. Maybe she got used to observing people's expressions after being sold and living in that family, so she's like this. But I don't feel comfortable with this. I feel very uncomfortable."

Lin Tao groaned: "If that's the case, then I can't blame her. But you can do whatever makes you happy. If you really don't like it, don't force yourself. That's not like you."

"Yes, that's why I came to see you. I feel more comfortable with you. I'm happy even if we just sit together and drink tea and chat." Xu Yuting said with a smile.

And Zhao Fenfang is not like she said she had no friends on the island. After being on the island for two or three months, she has already gotten to know all the military families on the island and has a very good relationship with everyone. This is much better than if they had lived on the island for several years.

"What are you writing?" Xu Yuting asked when she saw Lin Tao holding a notebook and writing on it, with only one word on each line.

Lin Tao explained: "Won't Yueyue and Qingming go to school next year? I'll let Yueyue learn to write first. I'll start with the first word she writes, and she'll follow."

"This method is good." Xu Yuting said, "I will do the same when I return."

At this time, Chen Shuifen also came over. She had baked some pancakes at home and wanted to send some to Lin Tao. She saw Xu Yuting was also there and said with a smile, "Teacher Xu is here too. Come, I just made some pancakes with pork filling and sesame oil. They are especially fragrant. Come and try them."

Lin Tao and Xu Yuting both knew that Chen Shuifen was good at making pancakes. After receiving the pancakes, they took a bite and found them to be very fragrant. The pork with sesame oil was even more fragrant. They didn't feel hungry at first, but after eating the pancakes, their appetites were whetted.

Lin Tao: "Sister, your cooking skills are getting better and better."

"Don't say that. Our Hongxing always says that your cooking is delicious and that he wants to be your son." Chen Shuifen said with a smile, "Hey, Teacher Lin, are you writing? This is the first time I've seen you write, and your handwriting is really beautiful. By the way, Fenfang's handwriting is also beautiful. The last time I went to her house, I saw her writing too. I didn't expect her handwriting to be so good."

It was just a casual remark, but Lin Tao felt strange after hearing it.

She was about to speak when Chen Shuifen slapped her thigh and said, "Oh no! The water is still boiling at home. I have to go back and check. The water must be boiling."

Chen Shuifen came suddenly and left in a hurry.

Fortunately, Lin Tao and Xu Yuting were used to her impetuousness, so they didn't think anything of it and just smiled. Lin Tao asked Xu Yuting, "Yuting, do you remember what Fenfang said when she told us about the family that bought her?"

Xu Yuting was stunned and asked curiously, "She said that the family treated her badly, didn't give her food, beat her, and made her do a lot of work every day. What's wrong?"

"Yes, they treat her badly, don't give her food, beat her, and make her do a lot of work. Will they let her go to school? I'm afraid they are not so kind." Lin Tao said.

Xu Yuting: "But Sister Chen just said that she can write, and her handwriting is very beautiful. Could she have learned it from the villagers?"

"You can learn a few words from others, but your writing won't be very good without practice," said Lin Tao.

Xu Yuting: "Are you saying Zhao Fenfang is lying? But why would she lie to us? What good is that?"

Lin Tao frowned and said, "I don't know, I just think it's a little strange, and I think she might not be that simple..."

This feeling has lingered in Lin Tao's heart since the first time she met Zhao Fenfang, but Lin Tao herself couldn't explain why, and it was difficult for her to tell Xu Yuting.

There was one thing that Lin Tao didn't understand. Having grown up in the countryside, she knew that people who did a lot of work since childhood would have bigger hands. People like Chen Shuifen, Yang Aidang, and many people in Taohua Village all had big hands because they had all experienced hardships.

Lin Tao's hands are not big because she is spoiled by her father and she doesn't need to do any heavy work.

But Zhao Fenfang’s hands aren’t big either. Although there are coils on her hands, they don’t look like coils that grew out of farm work…

Xu Yuting thought about it and finally guessed, "Could she be a liar, pretending to be Zhao Bo's daughter, but actually coming to cheat money?"

Lin Tao and Xu Yuting couldn't guess, but it was certain that Zhao Fenfang had a problem. When Li Chengxi came back in the evening, Lin Tao told him about it.

"Yuting guessed that she wanted to cheat Uncle Zhao out of his money, so she pretended to be his daughter. Uncle Zhao was the only one left in his home. He originally thought that everyone would be very happy for him since he had found his daughter, but now it seems that it is not that simple..." Lin Tao sighed.

Thinking of Zhao Bo's appearance, I feel that he is quite pitiful. He is only in his forties, but he looks younger than Lin Changhai. His hair is all white, which is due to the worries over the years.

"I will check this matter, don't think too much about it." Li Chengxi turned over and hugged Lin Tao.

Lin Tao has a strong ability to empathize with others. She sighed several times in one night because of this matter. Li Chengxi felt reluctant to hear that.

"Yeah." Lin Tao felt relieved with Li Chengxi around.

However, before Li Chengxi could find out the truth, some gossip about Lin Tao and Lu Chengze suddenly spread on the island.

No one knew who started the rumor, but soon after the school celebration, rumors like this suddenly began to spread on the island. No one believed it at first, because Lin Tao had been on the island for several years and many people had a good impression of her.

Of course, some people would say bad things about Lin Tao behind her back. This was inevitable. After all, it was difficult for everyone to like someone. Everyone was different. There were some petty-minded and jealous people who would say a few words behind her back. They thought that Lin Tao was nothing special. She was the school director and she was so young, but she still managed so many military dependents. What was her basis? Anyway, they would not respect Lin Tao as much as they respected Yang Ai Dang.

Lin Tao actually knew something, but she didn't take it seriously. After all, these people didn't dare to say it openly.

But this rumor is different. Once a rumor gets out, it will spread from one person to ten people, and from ten to a hundred people. Some things, if said many times, will start to sound like the truth.

Especially last week, Lin Tao and Lu Chengze, as teachers of the third grade, went to the city for a meeting at the request of the Municipal Education Bureau. The meeting lasted for two days, and the two had to stay in the guesthouse for one night. When others spoke of it, it was even more unpleasant.

When Lin Tao first heard these words, she was also very angry. There was nothing wrong between her and Lu Chengze. They stayed in a guesthouse and each of them had a room. Moreover, the guesthouse was full of teachers who came to the meeting, and they all had meals together.

Li Chengxi heard these words two days later. He has been very busy with official duties recently and usually goes between the hotel and home. If the security guard Xiao Tao had not told him about this timidly today, he probably would not have known about it.

When Li Chengxi found out about this, he didn't question Lin Tao at first, but comforted her: "It's okay, I've already reported this to the organization, and they've issued a notice not to spread this rumor anymore. I'll also check who spread it."

Lin Tao did not tell Li Chengxi about this right away. First, she saw that Li Chengxi was busy recently and did not want to let this matter bother him again. Second, she was a frank person and did not think there was anything to say about this matter.

But when she heard Li Chengxi say this, she couldn't help but feel warm in her heart and said, "Do you trust me so much? You know it's fake without even asking."

Li Chengxi looked at her and laughed: "Are you not trustworthy?"

Lin Tao: "Of course it's worthy of trust. Teacher Lu and I have nothing wrong. It's not like what those people say."

Li Chengxi's unconditional trust made Lin Tao feel much better, and the rumors really faded a lot after a few days as Li Chengxi said. Although they have not been completely eliminated, it is impossible to completely eliminate them as other people have their own mouths.

"If I knew who spread the rumor, I would tear her mouth off! Damn it, it's so fucking infuriating. I don't know which bitch raised her. It would be better to just sew her mouth shut." Chen Shuifen was so angry that she didn't have a single nice word to say.

Even though Chen Shuifen's words were usually not very pleasant, they were not like today, where she started cursing the moment she opened her mouth.

A few days ago, she had a fight with someone because of this matter, because the other party was spreading rumors and saying nasty things, saying that Lin Tao must be having an affair with Lu Chengze, Teacher Lu. I heard that they both slept in the same bed when they stayed in the guesthouse.

When Chen Shuifen heard this, she got furious and rushed up to wrestle with the man. The man was also strong, but Chen Shuifen was trained in fighting, so she got the upper hand in the end and slapped the man twice in the face, telling her not to eat shit and spit feces in the future.

Yueyue and Xiao Qingming were still there, and the two children looked at Chen Shuifen in a daze.

Lin Tao said to Yueyue and Xiao Qingming, "You two can go in and play with the building blocks."

The two children knew that the adults were going to talk about something, so they went in. Although Yueyue was young, she was very smart. Grandpa didn't take her out to play for the past few days, so she thought something must have happened.

There was no way to get anything out of her from her parents and grandpa, so Yueyue asked Qingming quietly, "Brother Qingming, do you know what happened?"

Xiao Qingming actually knew some of it and understood some of it, but his parents said those people were talking nonsense, and he didn't believe it. Aunt Lin was not that kind of person.

Facing Yueyue, he said while building blocks: "I don't know. We children should not interfere in adult matters. Have you finished reading the picture book last time?"

"We've finished reading." The two children began to talk about the picture books.

But Yueyue still looked out the window into the yard from time to time. She was a little worried about her mother...

In the yard, Xu Yuting asked, "A Tao, did your Deputy Brigade Commander Li quarrel with you over this?"

She was more worried about this. The news was so unpleasant that she was afraid that Li Chengxi would quarrel with Lin Tao because of this and their relationship would be hurt again.

Chen Shuifen waved her hands after hearing this and said, "Don't worry about this. Teacher Lin and Deputy Brigade Commander Li have a very good relationship. I was afraid that they would fight because of this. What man can stand such words? Deputy Brigade Commander Li is such a tall man. I was really afraid that Teacher Lin would suffer, so I deliberately listened to the noise here at night, but I never heard them fighting."

Lin Tao, who was about to answer, pursed her lips: "..."

Although she knew that Chen Shuifen was concerned about her, she still felt helpless when she thought about being eavesdropped on these days. Fortunately, she and Li Chengxi had not done anything because of these rumors, otherwise it would have been really embarrassing.

Li Chengxi just found out about this two days ago, but the first thing he did was not to question Lin Tao. Instead, he told her not to take what those people outside said to heart. As for who spread the rumor, he would find out, and the organization would not allow the rumor to continue to spread.

Indeed, after Li Chengxi knew about this, Lin Tao heard fewer of these words on her way to school today, but the way those people looked at her was still the same as before.

But Lin Tao was open and frank about this matter.

There was nothing wrong between her and Lu Chengze. They were just ordinary colleagues. She was not afraid of rumors from others. As long as her family and friends believed her, it would be fine. Moreover, the students and teachers in the school also believed her.

The principal even went to talk to her and told her not to take these words to heart, saying that rumors stop at the wise. Everyone believes in her character. Now the organization has taken this matter seriously and is also investigating who started the rumor first.

However, before catching the person who spread the rumor, Li Chengxi made great progress in his investigation of Zhao Fenfang.