Chapter 139: Out of Place
No, Chen Xiuping's life was really worse than that of animals.
She heard from the women in the team that although Chen Xiuping was Lu Mingjian's wife, she had been abused by the old man Lu Changgui and had also had sex with the second son Lu Mingfu. It was impossible to tell which one's father the eldest daughter was. It was really amazing that Chen Xiuping had been able to endure it until now without going crazy.
Wen Wan stood there listening to the mother and daughter talking back and forth, her whole body frozen.
Lu Changgui's entire family is dead. How many people were there in Lu Changgui's family? Six or seven? Killed by Chen Xiuping's rat poison. Chen Xiuping came to borrow money yesterday afternoon, not to see a doctor, but to buy rat poison. So, how many more lives did she indirectly take?
Thinking of this, she felt like she couldn't breathe and her blood seemed to have frozen.
Lu Chun'e called her: "Sister-in-law, it's time to eat!"
She turned a deaf ear to him, and Lu Chun'e was startled: "Sister-in-law, sister-in-law? What's wrong with you?"
Wen Wan came back to her senses and sighed a few times: "It's okay, I was just a little scared when I heard you say Chen Xiuping was dead."
A little bit. She was completely lost, not knowing what to do. She didn't dare tell either Zhang Hongying or Lu Chun'e about her loan to Chen Xiuping. She desperately told herself that it had nothing to do with her. She only lent the money to the woman out of pity. As for what she was going to do with the money, it had nothing to do with her, not at all.
The meal was tasteless.
Zhang Hongying looked at her several times and couldn't help asking her, "What's wrong? Why are you only eating this little?"
Wen Wan leaned against the pillar and looked at the dark sky. "I went to the commune today to carry my textbooks. A sack of books. I was so tired that I couldn't eat."
Zhang Hongying said, "Eat a little more then. Man is made of iron and rice is made of steel. How can you make it till dawn with just a few bites? Eat a few more bites, then take a shower and go to bed early. We don't know when Dongping will be back yet. The result over there is already out, probably today or tomorrow. We have to find time to bury the body, otherwise it will stink soon in this weather." Nothing is easy these days. Being a teacher also requires hard work.
The mention of this made Wen Wan lose her appetite even more. She got up, groped in the dark, and took the bowl into the kitchen. She lit the oil lamp, ran some cold water into the room, washed herself, and went to bed. After lying down and hugging the quilt, she finally felt a little better. She tried not to think about it, but as soon as she closed her eyes, her mind was filled with Chen Xiuping's shaky appearance.
She tossed and turned like a pancake until Lu Dongping came back, went into the room and got on the bed. That familiar breath appeared beside her, and she couldn't help but roll into his arms, her voice trembling: "Dongping, Chen Xiuping is dead. She used the money I lent her to buy poison."
Lu Dongping held her in his arms and stroked her back gently: "Don't think too much, this has nothing to do with you. The money you lent her is hers, and how she uses it is her business. It has nothing to do with you." No one expected this to happen. Everyone thought that Chen Xiuping would be driven crazy and killed sooner or later. Unexpectedly, she was so powerful that she didn't want to live anymore and even asked Lu Changgui's family to pay for her life.
"She was a pitiful person, and her death was a relief. As for Lu Changgui's family, they forced a woman to die with them. How could they be good people? Don't drag this matter into your own hands. It has nothing to do with you. Chen Xiuping, you are not familiar with each other. You have never met her, let alone lent her money. Do you understand?"
Listening to his comfort, Wen Wan finally calmed down and fell asleep in his arms.
There was a rustling sound outside, the sound of wind mixed with the sound of rain, and the originally peaceful night became noisy, as if everyone was seeing off the poor woman.
The rain didn't stop the next morning, so Wen Wan couldn't go to work, but she had to go to school because school had started.
Lu Dongping was going to the commune, and he didn't need to leave too early, but thinking about Wen Wan's condition the night before, he simply put on a hat and a straw raincoat and went with her. He sent her to school and then went directly to the commune.
As soon as she arrived at school, Wen Wan no longer had the energy to think about anything else.
Wang Xiannian hadn't arrived yet, so she went to the office, put her things down, and then went to open the classroom door. Near the door, a few children who had arrived early were standing there, wrapped in plastic wrap, and they called out to her from a distance, "Hello, teacher!"
"Hello, Teacher Wen!"
Wen Wan greeted them with a smile: "Hello! You come so early!" Then she opened the classroom door and the children outside followed her into the classroom.
"Students who arrive first, please clean up first. I have basins and rags in my office. Please wipe the windows and tables. There will be no morning exercises or morning reading today. Once everyone is here, we will start distributing new books."
New semester, new textbooks, several children cheered with excitement.
The first day of the new semester was not busy. After the books were distributed, the children in the class looked at their new books for a while before they took up their pens and wrote their names carefully.
Wen Wan sat on the podium with a pen, comparing the classes of last semester and making this semester's schedule.
Third grade is different from second grade; it marks the dividing line between upper and lower grades. Although there's just one extra book, the curriculum is much more demanding than second grade. Moral education is considered a secondary subject, with one or two sessions per week at most. Most importantly, students must start writing essays.
She took over halfway through the second semester of the second grade and started asking the children in the class to learn to write and record events, but the results were very limited. She has to pay close attention to this this semester.
On Wednesday afternoon, she scheduled two composition classes, and to provide a balance between work and rest, she also added a music class.
After the class schedule was drawn up, she copied it down, posted one copy at the classroom door, and posted the other copy on the desk in her office.
The rain stopped for a while at noon, but continued in the afternoon. The surrounding mountains were shrouded in fog, and it was uncertain whether it would clear up all of a sudden.
She walked back with Lu Donglin, wearing the bamboo hat that Lu Dongping had someone make for her. She missed the big black umbrella at home. She was not used to wearing this bamboo hat. It felt very heavy on her head and it was uncomfortable.
Water from the eaves dripped down the gutter in the middle of the roof.
Unable to go to work, Zhang Hongying stayed home making shoe soles. She chose not to join in the corn-shelling work at the wheat field, as others were doing it.
Wen Wan and Lu Donglin entered the yard, all wet: "Mom, we're back!"
Zhang Hongying put down the shoe sole in her hand and responded. She glanced at Wen Wan's plastic sandals covered in yellow mud and called Lu Donglin: "There's water in the bucket from the eaves. Go get a wooden ladle from the house for your sister-in-law."
After saying that, he looked at Wen Wan and said, "Wash your feet and change your shoes quickly. Every autumn rain brings a chill. This is no joke. The cold starts from the feet, and women can't stand the cold the most."
Wen Wan's feet were covered in mud. She stood on the stone slabs of the eaves without moving. Her trouser legs were rolled up to her calves, but mud still splattered on them, making them wet. She looked at Zhang Hongying and smiled, saying, "I noticed. There are shoes there at school. I changed into sandals after school." This was to make it easier to walk in the mud. If she got mud on her, she could just wash it off.
She'd been in poor health since childhood, so her family pushed her to be more careful and attentive in this regard. As she grew older, it became a habit, which proved to be quite beneficial. For example, her classmates experienced excruciating pain during their periods, but she felt nothing at all. If she had to pinpoint a feeling, it was cravings. Those few days, she was especially craving meat. It felt like all the nutrients in her body were being drained away.
Lu Dongcai lifted his bamboo hat and ran to the kitchen. He quickly took out the wooden ladle for scooping water and said, "Sister-in-law, let me scoop some water for you."
Wen Wan didn't refuse: "Wash your feet too, don't let the eaves be covered in mud."
The straw sandals on Lu Donglin's feet were much harder to wash than her plastic sandals. He took them off and banged them on the stone slabs for a long time before they were clean.
By the time he finished showering, Wen Wan had already washed her hands and gone into her room. She took off her bag and placed it on the desk. She reached for the kettle, both filled with water, and went outside to untie her braid.
Zhang Hongying glanced at her and said, "Are you going to wash your hair? It won't dry easily without the sun."
Wen Wan scooped some cold water into the basin and said, "You have to wash it. I was walking around in the school at noon, and I felt uncomfortable with the rain on my head." You have to wash your hair after getting caught in the rain. Rainwater is not clean, and wet hair is most likely to get nits.
As he said that, he went back to the house and took out a wooden comb and shampoo. He found a chair next to the eaves, put the basin on it, and then added hot water into it.
Washing hair is a difficult task because it is too long. Her hair would fill up half the basin if it was hanging down. She had to add two basins of water before she felt it was almost clean. Then she wrung out the towel and wiped it repeatedly.
Lu Donglin was about to pour water for her but was stopped: "Don't pour it, I need to wash clothes."
Lu Donglin was stunned: "It won't dry even if I wash it now!"
Wen Wan walked into the house with her hair disheveled, saying as she walked, "Those clothes can't be left here even if they get wet. We can't say what the weather will be like tomorrow. If they're left here for too long, they'll start to smell."
Lu Donglin scratched his head and muttered, "There are so many things to pay attention to."
Wen Wan didn't hear it either. She went into the house and changed her clothes. She changed her elastic army green pants into khaki overalls, socks, and black leather shoes with big black laces.
Her hair was not dry yet and was draped over her body in a messy manner, covering most of her body.
Lu Donglin leaned against the door of the main hall with his arms folded as he looked at her. He always felt that her beauty was a little unreal and seemed out of place with them and the entire courtyard.
Wen Wan didn't notice his gaze and sat on a small stool, scrubbing her clothes while asking Zhang Hongying, "Mom, what are you cooking for dinner?"
Zhang Hongying didn't know what to cook every day. "It's always the same thing. What do you want to eat?"
Wen Wan thought for a moment and said, "Then let's make pancakes and stir-fry some shredded potatoes with pickled cabbage. I'm not very good at shredding potatoes, and I haven't learned how to make pancakes either. I want to learn more."
Zhang Hongying glanced at the sky. It was dark and rainy, so she couldn't tell what time it was. Remembering she had a watch, she asked, "What time is it now? Can you check? Is it time to cook?"
Wen Wan stood up, shook the water off her hands, wiped them on the towel hanging on the brown rope under the eaves, went inside to take a look, and then came out again: "It's five fifty."
Zhang Hongying paused with the awl in her hand. "It's getting late, time to cook." Then she glanced outside the yard. "It's already this late, why hasn't Chun'e come back yet? There's no sign of Dongping either."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
