Chapter 44 Chapter 44 See You Again
*
As she said that, Wei Qianlan became visibly depressed, as if she was in some kind of uneasiness. She covered half of her face with her hands, but her exposed eyes flashed with a trace of fatigue that was hard to conceal.
The other party was obviously not in a good mood. Gu Mengran hesitated for a while and asked softly, "Can you tell me why?"
Wei Qianlan shook her head slightly and did not answer.
At this time, Zhou Qin, who was sitting on the other side of the aisle, sighed and explained with a smile: "During this journey, you have taken care of us meticulously, accompanied us, and helped us a lot. This has also made us develop the habit of relying on you for everything. We will have to walk the road ahead by ourselves, so just let us adapt in advance."
It was a very reasonable explanation, and there was no reason to refute it, but Gu Mengran always felt that there was something else behind her words. Combined with the numb and tired state of both of them, he vaguely guessed something.
Without seeing the parents for a long time, the child's mood became more and more unstable. He cried for a while every two days and made a big fuss every three days. Gu Mengran and his team were only responsible for driving and collecting supplies, and sometimes they couldn't stand the noise, not to mention the teachers who took care of the children themselves.
Being a teacher is just a profession and a job. If work becomes their life and they have to work 24 hours a day, they are also human beings and they will get tired too.
Everyone has reached their limit, no matter adults or children, they are unable to continue this journey. They are desperately seeking stability, a place to stay, and at the same time, a way out.
They could have had more options, the kids had trapped the two girls.
The real reason for refusing to see them off was not to adapt to independence in advance. They were afraid of regretting it or escaping, so they cut off Gu Mengran and the others' retreat and resolutely shouldered the children's future.
Guessing this intention, Gu Mengran showed great respect to the two girls.
But it was just a good deed, there was no need to sacrifice himself. Gu Mengran thought seriously for a long time, raised his eyes to look at the two girls, held his chin and said word by word: "Would you consider joining us?"
The sudden change of topic made the two girls stunned.
Wei Qianlan came back to her senses soon. She stared at Gu Mengran in surprise with wide eyes and asked puzzledly: "Why are you talking about this all of a sudden? We are almost in Xinjing. Weren't we just discussing how to enter the city?"
This seems to be saying:
You didn't mention it earlier or later, but you brought it up when you were about to arrive in Xinjing. How hypocritical!
Although he knew that the other party did not mean this, this thought had just come to his mind. Gu Mengran felt ashamed, cleared his throat and said truthfully: "I still want to give you one more choice, just in case you don't want to stay in Xinjing, you can have a way out."
"Forget it," Wei Qianlan lowered her eyes and shook her head. "It's not a good idea to keep running around with a group of children. It makes everyone very tired. Staying at the official base is the best choice. There should be someone to take care of us."
"I'm not asking about the children, I'm asking about you." Gu Mengran's eyes wandered between Wei Qianlan and Zhou Qin, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and his relaxed tone suddenly became serious.
"us?"
Wei Qianlan and Zhou Qin were shocked and spoke almost at the same time.
Gu Mengran nodded heavily. "You are independent and don't have to be tied to the children. If you want to leave, or want to join us, you can send the children to the base before leaving. I believe the government will treat them well."
Of course, the prerequisite is that you can pass your own test.
For Gu Mengran, leading people along the way was already a good deed, and he couldn't save one person and then pay for the rest of their lives. But for the two teachers with high moral standards, they might think that leaving a child who couldn't take care of himself at the base was a selfish and irresponsible act.
Things turned out just as Gu Mengran expected. As soon as he finished speaking, Wei Qianlan immediately shook her head and refused, "We appreciate your kindness, but we can't just abandon them like this."
"They will be in a strange environment, with strange people. They will never see their long-awaited parents and family again. Even the most familiar teachers will leave. They will be very desperate."
"Can I say something?"
In the second row, where no one was paying attention, Zheng Yijie, who was eavesdropping from the wall, leaned over the front seat and stuck his head out. He seemed to be asking politely, but he didn't give the others a chance to refuse, and couldn't wait to say to the two teachers:
"Can you at least think about yourselves? You are just teachers, not their parents. It would be too scary to have to take care of them all the time after saving them. That is not your responsibility in the first place. Don't be bound by it, ladies."
Finally he said something sensible, and Gu Mengran nodded in agreement.
Wei Qianlan was stunned for a moment, and in a blink of an eye, the fatigue on her face disappeared, and her slightly pursed lips curled up, as if to thank Gu Mengran and Zheng Yiji for their sincere invitation. A smile from the heart appeared on her pale face.
After a short silence, Wei Qianlan straightened her hunched back and said seriously, "How should I put it? Taking care of children for a long time is really tiring. It's tiring both physically and mentally, especially when they are disobedient and make a fuss, it's a double torture for both body and mind."
"Indeed, we are not saints. We get tired and annoyed, and we have thought about giving up. But if a disobedient child at home is given a beating, it's fine. You can't just say no."
"It's not entirely out of responsibility and sympathy. Our Sunshine Kindergarten is not big and there are not that many teachers. They were all brought up by Zhou Qin and I from the small class. We can say that we have watched them grow up little by little. They are not family members, but they are more like family members. It is not so easy to let go."
"We are homeless and they have no one to rely on. Zhou Qin and I have agreed that we will continue to take care of them for a while. Even if we separate in the future, we have to wait until they adapt to the environment. At least we want them to know the truth and recognize the cruel reality."
Zheng Yijie would not let his words fall on the floor. As soon as Wei Qianlan finished speaking, he immediately raised his thumbs high and praised her without reservation: "My sisters are so great."
Since others have made up their minds, no matter what the reason, it is basic to give them respect, and it is impolite to persuade them again.
Gu Mengran took out two bottles of mineral water from the carton in front of the seat and handed them to Zhou Qin and Wei Qianlan respectively. He smiled and said to them, "I admire your decision. You are amazing."
Zhou Qin's face gradually turned red, and she sipped the water without saying anything.
Wei Qianlan was not shy at all. She raised her head and took a big sip of water, then waved her hand and said, "Stop praising me. If you keep praising me, I'll find a hole to hide in. We are not that great. For us, staying in the government base is the best choice."
No one does not yearn for freedom, but the premise of freedom is security.
Wei Qianlan took a deep breath, a trace of imperceptible regret flashed in her eyes, then she slowly raised her head, her eyes swept over Liang Zhao, Zheng Yiji, the old man in the driver's seat, and finally Gu Mengran beside her.
"Thank you, thank you for your help all the time. If you hadn't extended a helping hand and taken us away from Linhuai, we don't know if we could survive this hot summer."
The slightly hoarse voice echoed in the carriage, and everyone felt an indescribable feeling in their hearts.
No one spoke, and the atmosphere in the carriage gradually became solemn. Finally, Wei Qianlan burst into laughter and broke the oppressive silence, "Why are you so serious? I'm just saying thank you. There's no way I can repay you. I wish you a safe journey and arrive in Yinan soon."
"Take care, ladies. The blue planet is round, and maybe we will meet again one day." Zheng Yiji wiped his face with his hand and muttered softly.
Gu Mengran suppressed the sour feeling in his heart and forced a smile, "I wish us a smooth life."
Liang Zhao was not good at speaking, and after a long while he managed to squeeze out a sentence: "See you again if we are lucky enough."
…
The inky black curtain slowly opened, and the thick night enveloped the sky and the earth.
We arrived in Xinjing and the bus stopped on the small road leading to the city. The dim lights in the distance looked like stars in the sky, dim under the moonlight, but still vaguely visible.
With lights to guide them, the destination was clear and there was no need to wait until late at night. Therefore, as soon as the car pulled over, the two teachers immediately packed up with the children.
They didn't have many personal belongings, including stuffed toys brought from kindergarten, patchwork floor mats, and Legos given by Zheng Yiji... Most of the supplies were for the children. The two teachers only had some daily necessities, and even their spare clothes were given by Gu Mengran.
The aisle was narrow, so Liang Zhao and Zheng Yijie stepped forward to help, as there was no room for anyone else.
Gu Mengran sat in his seat and watched for a while. When everything was almost packed and Liang Zhao and Zheng Yiji returned to their seats, he picked up the mountaineering bag he had prepared in advance and walked towards the back of the car.
There was no need to explain specifically. Looking at the two mountaineering bags that were so full that they were almost deformed, the two teachers' eyes immediately became red and they thanked Gu Mengran repeatedly.
Gu Mengran was most afraid of this, so he immediately said he wanted to say goodbye to the child and cleverly escaped the disaster.
After returning to his seat and getting a bag of fruit candies, Gu Mengran walked back to the back of the car, greeted each child, asked them to listen to the teacher in the future, and then distributed the fruit candies to them.
Although they had been walking together for such a long time, the children had always been led by two teachers and were not familiar with Gu Mengran and the others. Even when they heard the words "farewell", they did not show any reluctance, but just held the candy and timidly responded with a "OK".
Except for the community leaders Zixuan and Zihan.
The two little guys were very friendly. When they heard Gu Mengran start to say goodbye, they hurriedly chased after him and asked.
"Guide brother, aren't you coming with us?" After getting the fruit candy, the little fat boy grabbed Gu Mengran's fingers and looked at him reluctantly.
As soon as he finished speaking, Zi Han, who was sitting in the front row, immediately leaned over the chair and leaned his head out, saying crisply: "Brother, come with us! Your cooking is delicious, and I'll ask my mother to pay you more and give you a five-star rating!"
After days of running around, the children looked less energetic than when they set out.
But the joy of reuniting with their loved ones enveloped their faces, seeming to outweigh all the fatigue.
When he thought about the truth they were about to learn, Gu Mengran felt very upset and couldn't even find a suitable reason to comfort himself.
Two pairs of bright eyes stared straight at him. Gu Mengran turned his face away, unable to bear to look any longer, and said calmly: "Brother can only accompany you here. You have to walk the rest of the way by yourself. You must listen to the teacher, be brave, and don't cry."
"Okay, tour guide brother, I'll look for you guys next time I travel!"
"Goodbye, brother and uncle. I will miss you."
"Children, stand up." Zhou Qin, with red eyes, stood up from her seat and clapped her hands together twice.
After all the children stood up in unison, she said to Gu Mengran and the others in a gentle voice with a little sob, "Thank you grandpa and brother for taking care of us along the way."
"Thank you grandpa and brother for taking care of me along the way!"
The children spoke in unison, and their clear voices lingered and echoed for a long time.
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