When the group reached the mountaintop, the sky was ablaze with the glow of dawn.
Looking up, one is surrounded by mountains and forests, with the afterglow of the morning sun shining on them, creating a scene as beautiful as a painting.
Unfortunately, they no longer had the energy to appreciate the beautiful scenery. The village chief, trying to energize them, had said "We're almost there" countless times since they met.
Fortunately, this time it really is 'almost there'.
The path was full of potholes, but no one complained. At that moment, they had only one thought: Thank goodness they didn't have to climb the hill anymore. What were these potholes? As long as they didn't have to climb mountains anymore, they would do anything!
Clearly, this is just the beginning for this group of people. For the next three months, they will be climbing mountains every day, and not just once.
Walk along the path until it ends, with fields on both sides where villagers grow their own vegetables. At the end, there is only a large stone with the words "Gang Village" carved on it, indicating that they have reached their destination.
Upon entering the village, it wasn't as lively as I had imagined. It was all alone, with only the occasional gust of wind blowing by.
"At this time, everyone should be at my house. There's an open space next to my house, and the villagers have brought their own tables and chairs there. I guess they'll all be gathered there this time."
The village chief noticed their confusion and answered their questions before they could ask.
"I'll have to trouble you all a little longer. I'll have the villagers take you back after we finish eating."
Each household didn't have many empty rooms, so after discussing it, the villagers unanimously decided that those with better financial conditions would prepare an empty room for them to live in. However, because there were many people, everyone was assigned to different villagers' homes, but they weren't far apart, so they were all still in one place.
"Teacher, I heard from the village chief that Teacher Meng will be staying at my house. You must be Teacher Meng, right?" Su Su asked expectantly.
She likes Meng Wan and wants her to stay at her home.
"If I remember correctly, I'm the only one here with the surname Meng." Meng Wan tidied Su Su's slightly messy hair.
The group discussed the issue, and soon all the children found the teachers who would be staying at their homes. Some of the children, whose homes were a bit run-down, could only stay quietly on the sidelines.
The village chief's house is at the end of the road, easy to find and recognize.
Before we reached the end of the path, we could see black smoke billowing from the chimney, along with some conversations, which were quite loud and seemed very lively, occasionally accompanied by the clattering of bowls and chopsticks.
"Dexiang is back! Dexiang and the children have come with the teachers!" Someone with sharp eyes turned around and spotted the whole group.
Many people put down what they were doing, casually wiped their hands on their aprons, and ran out to watch.
“This is my wife, Wang Aiyuan. She will take you to school tomorrow. The old ladies and gentlemen are all elderly people in the village, and the parents of the children all work in the city. Everyone in the village helps each other; it’s no exaggeration to say we are one family.”
The village chief looked at the leading mentors and gave them a brief introduction to the village's situation.
The tutor nodded and looked around; it was indeed as described in the documents.
The village is mostly populated by elderly people in their sixties and seventies, with a few women and middle-aged men who appear to have some difficulty moving around. As for young people, there are none at all.
There were only a dozen or so children, the youngest still in swaddling clothes, less than a year old, and the oldest being the boy from the beginning, who was 12 years old.
"Hello, Grandpa and Grandma." The few young people there had never seen anything like this before, and they felt like monkeys in a zoo.
Although I felt a little awkward, I still greeted them politely.
Their clear and innocent appearance made them seem very well-behaved, which pleased the elders. The smiles on their faces made the wrinkles on their faces even more obvious.
"Hello everyone, you must have had a long journey."
"Put your bag down quickly and get ready to eat."
"The vegetables are all homegrown, very healthy, and pollution-free!"
"Yes, yes, the meat was bought by my husband and the village chiefs early this morning at the market, it's very fresh."
"Are you hungry? I don't know your tastes or any dietary restrictions, so I can only make something simple."
The villagers surrounded them, chatting animatedly, their enthusiasm like the sea, threatening to engulf them at any moment. Overwhelmed with gratitude, the group quickly waved their hands and offered polite words.
"No, no, we're easy to feed, we'll eat anything."
"We've troubled you for so many days."
"Pollution-free vegetables are so good; you can't get these in the city."
Meng Wan seemed to have anticipated this, as she walked to the back of the line from the very beginning, away from the noisy center.
Li Susu looked up at Meng Wan and asked, "Teacher Meng, why aren't you going over there?"
“Everyone has a different personality. For example, Teacher Ren likes to talk to others, but Teacher Meng doesn’t like crowded places, so she’s more comfortable standing here.”
Meng Wan didn't give a perfunctory answer, but explained it to Li Susu seriously.
"I don't like noise either." Seemingly finding common ground, Li Susu blinked, a smile playing on her lips, her ear tips turning red.
“But my sister is very cheerful. She doesn’t live here; she lives in the city with my parents. My parents said that when they make a lot of money, they will take me to the city. Right now, I’m the eldest in the family, so I have to help them take care of my grandparents.”
Meng Wan didn't say anything, she just gently patted her head.
The food was much more elaborate and refined than they had imagined. A long table was set up with chicken, duck, goose, fish, and meat. Seeing the children's greedy yet hesitant expressions, the group knew that this was a delicacy they might not even be able to enjoy during the Lunar New Year.
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