Chapter 256
Ling Wu hugged Song Chunhua's neck, her voice choked with emotion, "No."
"Then why are you crying, little girl?"
“They all bullied the old lady and even cursed at her.”
Upon hearing this, Song Chunhua's heart softened. The hand that had just slapped Zhang Cuiping without any mercy now gently patted Ling Wu's back.
Instead of offering words of comfort to Ling Wu, he glanced around at the villagers present, noticing that some of them were still holding Ling Wu's classmates. He then changed the subject, saying something else entirely:
“My daughter has a crazy woman on her head. Remember this before you do anything. If I hear anyone swearing again, I’ll send them to that unclean place.”
Everyone who had just recalled the events of the past twenty years in this unclean place unanimously thought of the same thing.
— A cesspool.
After Song Chunhua finished speaking, she scanned the faces of everyone present, memorizing their names, before patting Ling Wu on the back, picking her up, and turning to walk towards the school.
Lingwu leaned on Song Chunhua's shoulder, basking in the gazes of the group.
Some boys looked at the old woman with eyes full of admiration, while some girls looked at themselves with envy. Various complex gazes intertwined, but there was no contempt among them.
No matter what era you live in, as long as you are protected by your family, you will not be looked down upon by others.
Holding Lingwu, Song Chunhua never looked back. She would not use their grandson to threaten them because of her current status at the school.
Of course, she would never do anything to a group of children.
As long as they don't try anything with the girl, she'll tolerate it. But if they dare to hurt the girl, none of them will escape!
Song Chunhua didn't comfort Ling Wu at all along the way; she wasn't good at comforting people. But she kept talking non-stop, offering only words of advice.
"Don't talk to the adults in the village. Some of them become cunning and wicked when they get old."
"If someone insults me, don't be a fool and rush over. It's not like I'll lose a piece of flesh if I get insulted."
“Even if they scold you, don’t go. Come back and tell me, I’ll go find them. Because you’re young, we can’t let them ruin your reputation.”
"And those worthless things, a bunch of old fogies have forgotten what they are, whether they're boys or girls, they're not worthless!"
“Especially you, you are the precious baby your mother protected for ten months before giving birth to you.”
Song Chunhua spoke one sentence after another, and Ling Wu kept nodding, with a long line of children who came to school together behind her.
Lingwu, who had been carried by Song Chunhua the whole way, was now admired even more by these little kids.
As the days go by, the festive atmosphere of the New Year grows stronger.
The school's salary wasn't very high, but it included meals and offered free time, so Song Chunhua often went out to do odd jobs and saved up quite a bit of money.
Lingwu often brews herbal soups for Song Chunhua to nourish her body, which has been weakened over the years. Now, Song Chunhua looks more than ten years younger, as if she has been rejuvenated, especially compared to her peers in Wanyue Village.
Looking at Song Chunhua's full head of black hair, Ling Wu, wearing the floral jacket made by Song Chunhua, smiled so sweetly that her big eyes seemed to overflow with honey.
Song Chunhua sat to the side, deftly weaving a rocking chair. Seeing Ling Wu laughing, she asked rather helplessly, "What are you laughing at, you brat?"
"Grandma looks so beautiful now," Lingwu replied with a smile.
Song Chunhua paused for a moment, then glanced at Ling Wu.
After half a year, the little girl was like a completely different person. She was fair-skinned and even prettier than the people on TV. Even when she was wearing a plain floral jacket, she looked like a little fairy.
If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn't have believed that this was her granddaughter.
That's why all the children in the village liked to play with the girl.
If she hadn't repeatedly told the little girl not to have any contact with the adults in the village, all the old folks in the village who had grudges against her would have been eager to give the girl fruit and candy.
The girl always ignores them, but turns around and hugs them affectionately.
This truly made her proud and honored.
Hmph! They've forgotten how they used to call her a money-loser, but she hasn't!
Just then, a doll came to the door looking for the girl to play with.
Upon seeing that it was Zhang Pandi, Song Chunhua sighed inwardly.
Upon seeing Zhang Pandi, Lingwu stood up and said, "Grandma, I'm going out to play for a while."
Song Chunhua glanced at Ling Wu, then got up with concern and put a thick coat on her. "Don't play in the snow too much, or you'll catch a cold and complain of a stomachache when you get back tonight."
"Uh-huh."
The little girl's nodding manner, like a chick pecking at rice, was quite adorable, but Song Chunhua was only worried that Ling Wu might be dressed too lightly.
After dressing Lingwu, Song Chunhua touched Lingwu's hand again.
It's lukewarm, but not hot.
Seeing Song Chunhua frown, Lingwu quickly said, "Grandma, if you wear another layer, I won't be able to walk."
Song Chunhua then gave up, glanced at Zhang Pandi who was still waiting at the door, and stuffed a handful of candy into Ling Wu's pocket.
"Go have fun, but come back soon."
"Uh-huh."
Lingwu felt the extra half a candy in her pocket compared to usual and understood what Song Chunhua meant.
As soon as he stepped out, he handed Zhang Pandi a few.
Zhang Pandi was very thin and her dark complexion stood out conspicuously against the white snow.
She was too embarrassed to accept it, so Lingwu peeled it open and fed it to her.
Zhang Pandi only ate it after her cool fingertips touched her lips.
She was much older than Ling Wu, but due to malnutrition, she looked like Ling Wu's peer.
The reason they came to see Lingwu was because Lingwu would teach the village girls some knowledge individually every afternoon after school.
Even if they may not take the college entrance exam, no one can say for sure whether they will be able to help them in the future.
At least some simple calculations and words can help them in their daily lives.
Lingwu still remembers the sparkling eyes of the group of girls when they sat together in the first class, and the uncontrollable excitement on their faces when they wrote their names for the first time.
"Teacher, what are we learning today?" Zhang Pandi asked.
A group of girls who were taller and older than Ling Wu would always call her "teacher" in private.
Ling Wu felt the snow beneath her feet, which could easily leave a hole with a single step, and turned her head to ask, "Do you know where snow comes from?"
"have no idea."
Hearing Zhang Pandi's answer, Ling Wu asked again, "Do you want to learn?"
"think!"
“The formation of snow is a physical phenomenon, and physics is one of the subjects tested in the college entrance examination,” Ling Wu replied.
“The college entrance exam…” Zhang Pandi’s eyes were a little dazed. After a moment, she smiled and said, “That’s too far away.”
“It’s not far. If you want to leave this small mountain village, you must take the college entrance exam.” Only through education can these girls living in the mountains change their fate.
But she only gave them two years; after that, she would leave.
Over the next two years, she will give everything she has.
If they work hard enough and persevere after she leaves, their fate will be changed.
Upon arriving at the secret teaching base, as expected, we also saw the two pillars and the mountain that looked remarkably similar to the two gates.
"Xiao Wu," the two said in unison.
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