Chapter 25 (Chapter 25) Catching her
Hua Cheng and Liu Zhuang both decided to go and confront that little rascal. As a result, Yun Jin never went to that hotel again, nor did she take any more rotten fruit from the guesthouse.
After careful consideration, they confirmed that they hadn't given themselves away. So, there was only one reason why Yun Jin hadn't gone back: that little rascal couldn't stand the harsh environment in the same county and had run away first.
“This kind of person must never stay by Yun Jin’s side.” Hua Cheng’s face was filled with murderous intent.
Liu Zhuang found him a bit scary, but also felt that what he said made some sense.
After five consecutive days of rain, the county finally saw sunny weather, and the poverty alleviation work that had been forced to stop earlier resumed.
After skipping classes for several days, Feng Che finally got a call from his advisor, Feng He. Feng He flew over in person to arrest his son and took him away. He also yelled at Yun Jin and Hua Cheng, saying they were leading the child astray.
Hua Cheng felt completely innocent, thinking to himself, "Your child's heart is so black, why would you need to lead him astray?"
After unscrupulous media outlets leaked the materials, Yuncheng Technology quickly issued an official response, announcing the goals for the first phase of poverty alleviation and taking the opportunity to address some unfriendly comments online.
This part was handled remotely by Liu Zhuang. Yun Jin didn't manage it; she simply returned to Chenjia Village after the weather cleared up to fulfill her previous promise to the village chief.
On the first day of teaching at Wangsheng Elementary School, Yun Jinlai, Hua Cheng brought a large amount of school supplies and winter clothes to show his support for his wife. Each child who came to class received a set.
The distribution of supplies took place before class. Hua Cheng stood at the classroom door with a smile, handing out supplies to each child as they came in, patting them on the head, whispering a few words to them, and finally reminding them to study hard.
The chairman of the board is so talented at performing that the CEO and directors have no chance to use their talents and can only crowd at the kitchen doorway as spectators.
After watching for a while, Liu Zhuang asked, "...There are no media filming, so what is he pretending to be so kind and benevolent for?"
Yun Jin was amused by his tone, and Hua Cheng over there immediately glanced in their direction before continuing to chat kindly with the children.
Liu Zhuang sighed, "Look at him now, who would have thought that he used to want to live on an island? Time is a magical thing, it can turn a decadent misanthrope into a decent adult."
Yun Jin looked at Hua Cheng and smiled faintly: "It's fine."
When I was young, I thought 'decency' was a terrible word, meaning that I had to strip away the unique part of myself and squeeze myself into a mold that was the same as most adults.
Now that I'm older and have a more tolerant perspective on the world, I've come to realize that another meaning of 'dignity' is 'gain'.
Only when people have a comfortable living environment, harmonious family relationships, and a stable economy and future prospects can they be decent and lose some of their cynicism.
So he gradually grew from Hua Yu into Hua Cheng, which is really good.
The sun was warm today, shining on the puddles in the yard. The reflected light made Yun Jin squint slightly, and her eyelashes seemed to turn golden.
Liu Zhuang turned to look at her, countless questions swirling in his throat, but he didn't ask any of them. He simply followed her gaze to Hua Cheng.
"Almost done distributing them," he said, craning his neck to count the children. "There are quite a few kids in the school. I thought there were only two classrooms and a dozen or so desks and chairs, and that there would be at most ten or so kids, but now... there must be more than thirty."
Yun Jin: "I asked the village chief before, and there are only seventeen children currently enrolled in school."
Liu Zhuang was taken aback: "What about the others..."
"I guess they heard there was something to collect and their parents brought it over." Yun Jin's expression was calm, clearly she had seen this kind of thing many times before.
Liu Zhuang: "Ah..."
Reminded by Yun Jin, he observed more closely and found that there were indeed several girls who looked like they were about to enter junior or senior high school. As soon as they met his gaze, they lowered their heads and dared not look at him, as if they had committed some serious crime.
Liu Zhuang remained silent for a long time, then suddenly felt fortunate: "Luckily we prepared a lot, otherwise they would have made a wasted trip."
Yun Jin turned to look at him.
Liu Zhuang was still worried: "Does Huacheng have any large sizes of these down jackets? Should we ask someone to buy a few more for the older children over there?"
Yun Jin raised the corners of her lips.
"...What's wrong?" Liu Zhuang didn't understand why she was laughing.
“Fatty, you are truly the kindest person I have ever met.” Yun Jin looked at him earnestly.
Liu Zhuang was taken aback by the praise and was about to put on a shy expression when Yun Jin changed the subject: "There's no need to buy any more. They won't be able to wear them anyway."
Liu Zhuang asked, puzzled, "Why?"
"Because it's for the older and younger brothers. If the older and younger brothers can't wear it anymore, we'll sell it to get money for their living expenses," Yun Jin said, turning his face toward the classroom when he still didn't understand. "Look, how many boys and how many girls are here."
Liu Zhuang blinked: "I was just about to say, why are there so many girls and so few boys here?"
More than 30 children, only five of whom are boys—that's an astonishing ratio anywhere.
"Because all the boys have been sent to school in town, my chubby brother."
Liu Zhuang was stunned for a moment, and wanted to say something, but Yun Jin had already gotten up and left.
"Are you done distributing them? We need to start class now." Yun Jin walked to the classroom door and began to shoo people away.
Hua Cheng had just finished handing out things to the last child when he heard this, and immediately made room for her.
Yun Jin walked gracefully to the podium and looked at the children of different ages below.
After the highway was built into the mountains, more and more children were sent to places with better conditions to study. Elementary schools like this can only enroll a handful of students every year, and they are mostly girls.
There were few students and even fewer teachers. Students of all ages were in one class. The teacher taught the older students, and the older students taught the younger students. They just went through the days until they could no longer keep up and went home.
Although Yun Jin hadn't been back for many years, she was quite familiar with this routine. Seeing so many people crammed into the class, a smile appeared in her eyes: "Have you all received your things?"
"Received it!"
The children's answers were deafening. Yun Jin nodded and calmly placed her hands on the lectern: "Then, those who don't want to stay can take their things and leave."
A commotion broke out below. The children looked at each other, wanting to say something but not daring to.
Finally, a dark-skinned girl suddenly raised her hand: "But the uncle outside said that if we dare to take the things and leave, he will take them back."
“He also said that if we dared to bully his wife, he would take our things back,” another child added.
Yun Jin remained silent for a moment, then turned her head to look outside the classroom.
Hua Cheng and Liu Zhuang were whispering together when, after Liu Zhuang said something, Hua Cheng suddenly punched him.
Very childish, very boring.
Yun Jin silently withdrew her gaze: "He won't want it. You can leave if you want."
Several children immediately became eager to join in.
“But I suggest you stay,” Yun Jin added slowly.
Sure enough, some of the older children asked, "Why?"
“Because I don’t give lectures, I just chat,” Yun Jin pulled up a chair and sat down. “I know a lot of things, you can ask me anything.”
Upon hearing this, most of the children became interested, with only a very few still hesitating.
Yun Jin: "After school, if your parents ask why you're so late, just say that the uncle wouldn't let you leave."
Hua Cheng, who was discussing Xiao Laju's identity with Liu Zhuang, suddenly glanced at the classroom with a sharp eye.
"What are you looking at?" Liu Zhuang asked nervously.
Hua Cheng: "It feels like Yun Jin mentioned me."
Liu Zhuang: "No, I don't think so..."
In the end, all the children chose to stay in the classroom. Those who had a place to sit sat down, while those who didn't either gathered around the podium or stood at the back of the classroom, making it crowded and noisy.
The first child to raise his hand to ask a question had big eyes: "Teacher, are you very rich?"
They had heard her name mentioned by her parents many times during this period, so they had a vague impression and understanding of her, and the questions they asked were quite direct.
Yun Jin's answer was equally frank: "Yes."
Another child immediately asked, "Where did you get your money?"
Yun Jin: "I earned it by studying, taking the college entrance exam, and starting a company."
"Can I skip studying and going to university and start a company to make money?" a timid little girl asked.
Yun Jin thought for a moment and then asked, "Do you know how to write the word 'company'?"
Little girl: "..."
“So,” Yun Jin shrugged, expressing regret, “there are no shortcuts. You still have to study and go to university first.”
Liu Zhuang and Hua Cheng had just slipped into the corridor when they heard this sentence, and they both burst out laughing.
The laughter was a bit loud, causing the classroom to fall silent for a moment. The two quickly sat down against the wall, pretending they didn't exist.
The atmosphere in the classroom quickly returned to normal, and the children continued to ask questions all at once, while only the little girl from before sat down dejectedly.
After answering a few questions, Yun Jin noticed the little girl's state and called her up: "Do you have any other questions?"
"Teacher, I want to be rich like you, but my mom says we don't have enough money. If she supports my brother, she won't be able to support me, so I can't go to university," the little girl said worriedly. "I can't even write the word 'company,' how can I earn money?"
Yun Jin smiled faintly: "If the parents don't provide it, we will."
The little girl's eyes widened in surprise.
"Don't you know?" Yun Jin raised her eyebrows slightly when she saw how shocked she was. "Yuncheng Technology is going to help you renovate the school and hire teachers. The cafeteria and school supplies will all be free. After you get into university, they will also provide tuition and living expenses for the first semester. Parents won't have to spend any money."
Upon hearing that parents wouldn't have to pay, a commotion immediately broke out in the classroom.
The little girl excitedly tugged at the girl next to her: "We can go to university now!"
The girl pouted and said, "I'm not taking the exam."
She spoke loudly, as if she was deliberately speaking to Yun Jin.
As she wished, Yun Jin asked the question: "Why didn't you take the exam?"
"I have two younger brothers. They will be the pillars of our family in the future. I need to drop out of school early to earn money to support their education." The girl stood up straight with pride, like a majestic general.
Hua Cheng, who was outside the classroom, paused, pinched Liu Zhuang's mouth as he was about to whisper something, and listened carefully to the sounds coming from inside the classroom.
In the classroom, Yun Jin asked, "How old are you this year?"
"It's 12," the girl replied.
Yun Jin: "You're so young, factories probably won't hire you. How do you plan to make money? Will you take on handicraft jobs at home?"
The girl's eyes widened in surprise: "How did you know?"
Yun Jin laughed: "When I was in junior high school, there was a craft called 'sticking matchboxes together,' which paid two cents per matchbox. What kind of craft do you do now?"
"Put on disposable gloves!"
"Glue on the clips! Fold the greeting cards!"
The children chattered amongst themselves, and after they finished speaking, Yun Jin asked again, "How much money can you earn in a month?"
The girl who spoke earlier answered first: "I earned 132 yuan last month!"
“132… that’s too little,” Yun Jin shook her head. “Do you know? Yuncheng Technology has a full attendance policy this time. As long as you come to class on time and don’t ask for leave or leave early, you can get two hundred yuan a month, which is more than you would earn if you dropped out of school.”
After saying that, she asked the girl, "Are you still going to drop out of school?"
The girl opened her mouth, but didn't say anything for a moment.
"You can earn money but still want to drop out of school? Then you don't love your brother that much, you just don't want to go to school." Yun Jin deliberately exposed him.
The girl's face instantly turned red: "Who said I was going to drop out of school! As long as I can earn money for my brothers, I'll definitely continue!"
Outside the classroom, at the base of the wall.
Liu Zhuang: "Giving out a living allowance for perfect attendance is a brilliant idea! How did you come up with it?"
Hua Cheng: "The inspiration came from Yun Jin."
Liu Zhuang looked at him.
Hua Cheng: "You know about Yun Jin's situation. After the family incident, she lived with her uncle and aunt."
"Yeah, it seems like she was asked to drop out of school right after moving into their house."
Yun Jin doesn't like to talk about her life before she turned nineteen, but after knowing her for so many years, and considering the incident her biological father caused on television, Liu Zhuang still knows a little about her.
Hua Cheng: "Do you know how she convinced her uncles and the others to let her continue her studies?"
"I really don't know."
Hua Cheng: "Simple, just use money to persuade them."
Liu Zhuang paused: "How old was she back then? Where would she have gotten the money?"
Hua Cheng put his arm around his shoulder: "If you study well enough, you'll have a steady stream of money."
Liu Zhuang: "?"
“When she was transitioning from primary to junior high school, she got full marks in three subjects. The principal of the best private school in town came to pick her up personally. He waived her tuition and accommodation fees and even gave her living expenses. She saved all that money and gave it to her aunt every month in exchange for the right to continue her studies.”
Liu Zhuang: "...Give it all to her? How is she going to live?"
Even if the school arranges everything, you still have to buy your own meals.
“She can earn it again,” Hua Cheng glanced at her. “She has a talent for competitions. The school hired professional teachers to teach her. The honors she won in various academic competitions went to the school, and the scholarships went to her. She secretly kept the money for herself and didn’t give it to her uncle and aunt.”
Liu Zhuang remained silent for a long time before sighing, "Although I know she's amazing, I'm still shocked every time I hear about her experiences. How can someone be so amazing? If Beibei had half of her self-discipline and perseverance, Yueqin and I could have so much less to worry about."
"Self-discipline and perseverance are important, but not the most important." Hua Cheng leaned against the wall and lazily shook his finger.
Liu Zhuang nodded: "Indeed, the living environment is also very important. Bei Bei is too comfortable and doesn't have the sense of urgency that Yun Jin had when she was a child."
"It has nothing to do with living environment; the most important thing is intelligence. Beibei is clearly not as smart as Yunjin..."
Before Hua Cheng could finish speaking, he was crushed by his doting father.
A suppressed scream suddenly came from outside the classroom. Yun Jin turned her head and saw a slender wrist lying on the ground at the classroom door. Three seconds later, it was dragged away.
Yun Jin: "..."
"Teacher, teacher?"
Yun Jin snapped out of her daze and continued answering the questions.
The morning passed quickly, and the children left one after another. The three declined the village chief's invitation to lunch, deciding to make do with a meal in the school kitchen.
Liu Zhuang excitedly ran to the back of the school to pick vegetables, while Yun Jin stood in front of the cutting board kneading dough. Hua Cheng stood next to her for a while, then suddenly pinched her face, making her look at him.
Yun Jin's face was pinched into a little duck's shape, and she frowned: "What are you doing?"
"When that little girl said she wanted to raise her younger brother today, I thought you would scold her until she cried," Hua Cheng said with a smile.
Yun Jin leaned back, dodging his mischievous hands, and continued kneading the dough: "Why would I scold her? She's just a little kid, her brain hasn't fully developed yet, and her parents have already fed her a bunch of garbage. Once she leaves this mountain, makes new friends, and reads more books, many of her views will naturally change."
"What if it can't be changed?" Hua Cheng asked.
Yun Jin: "There's nothing we can do about it. The only thing we can do is give her more options, but in the end, it's up to her how to make that choice."
“You’ve grown up,” Hua Cheng hugged her from behind. “When did you grow up? If I had known you were so mature now, I should have discussed it with you before deciding to come to Tong County, instead of acting first and asking questions later.”
Yun Jin scoffed and handed him the kneaded dough.
Yunjin also taught a class in the afternoon. This time, it was going to be a formal lesson. They hadn't given out any materials yet, but all the children were still present.
The sound of students reading aloud filled the classroom. Liu Zhuang, with a blade of grass in his mouth, squatted with Hua Cheng at the kitchen door.
"Yun Jin really has a talent for being a teacher," he commented.
Hua Cheng: "My wife is very talented at everything she does."
"Yes, yes, your wife is the best." Liu Zhuang rolled his eyes at him.
Hua Cheng smiled, and the next second the two of them simultaneously remembered his lifespan, which was counting down, and the mysterious little trash who delivered rotten fruit to Yun Jin.
The atmosphere suddenly fell silent.
Just as Liu Zhuang was racking his brains to think of something to say, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a small figure coming in from the school gate.
Now we have a topic to discuss.
"Hey, little girl, class's already started, why are you so late? And you even brought a little mongrel with you..."
Before he could finish speaking, Hua Cheng darted out and blocked the little girl's path.
The little girl, around ten years old, was so frightened when she was stopped that she took two steps back and hugged her dog tightly.
Hua Cheng glanced at the small yellow mongrel, which was about the size of an adult Shiba Inu, and said as gently as possible, "Little friend, you can't bring a dog into the classroom."
"Why?" The little girl looked wary. "I used to bring Ah Huang to class."
If your name is Ah Huang, then we absolutely cannot let you in.
Hua Cheng continued smiling: "Didn't you forget to bring it this morning?"
"I wasn't here at all this morning."
Hua Cheng: "...Anyway, you can't bring it, at least not now. Give me the dog, I'll watch it for you, you go to class, and come back to me for the dog after class."
After saying that, he reached for the dog's leash. The little girl was terrified when she saw that someone was trying to take her dog away, so she grabbed the dog and started to hide.
When Yun Jin heard the commotion and looked outside, she saw Hua Cheng acting like a bully, chasing the child and dog until they were howling, while Liu Zhuang stood by like a helpless old lady.
She took a deep breath, told the students who were looking out to go back to their studies, and then went outside herself.
"What's all the noise about?" she asked, frowning.
Hua Cheng immediately shielded the dog behind him.
Yun Jin: "I saw it all, it was a little yellow dog."
Hua Cheng paused for a moment, then silently stepped aside.
Yun Jin looked at the panting little girl and the dog, and when she saw the white spot between the little yellow dog's eyebrows, she was clearly stunned for a moment.
“You go in and start class first. I can handle things here,” Hua Cheng said immediately.
Yun Jin glanced at him and spoke directly to the little girl: "Dogs are not allowed in the classroom."
The girl, who had been wary just moments before, stared at her for a long time before letting out a cold snort, pulling her dog into the classroom.
Although Yun Jin is a mild-mannered person, she is liked by people of all ages, especially children. This is the first time I have felt disgusted by a child, which is quite novel.
Hua Cheng clicked his tongue, but before he could react, Liu Zhuang had already rolled up his sleeves to teach the rude child a lesson.
Yun Jin pulled them back: "You two, if you really have nothing better to do, go for a stroll in the village, and stop causing trouble here."
After saying that, she went straight into the classroom.
After she left, Liu Zhuang turned to Hua Cheng and asked, "It's just a kid with a dog, why are you making such a big reaction?"
Hua Cheng frowned, his eyes filled with worry as he looked into the classroom: "Yun Jin also had a dog when she was little, a little yellow dog like this, also named Ah Huang."
"So what?" Liu Zhuang said, both amused and exasperated. "Just because Yun Jin has raised dogs, does that mean other dogs can't? Just because Yun Jin gave a dog a name, does that mean other dogs can't have the same name? You're being too domineering."
Hua Cheng looked at him: "Her dog was killed by her father."
Liu Zhuang was stunned for a moment, then suddenly couldn't say anything.
Although the little girl arrived late, she was given a seat as soon as she entered the classroom, and the dog stayed obediently at her feet, which showed that it often accompanied her to class.
Yun Jin glanced at the puppy again, opened her third-grade English textbook, and continued the lesson.
The little girl was probably unhappy with her. While the other children were answering questions, she would occasionally let out a cold snort. When Yun Jin looked over, she would stubbornly raise her chin, as if to say, "I'm not afraid of you."
Yun Jin ignored her and continued with her lesson.
School ends at 5:30 PM.
Because they had promised the village chief they would stay for two more days, Yun Jin and her group stayed in the village that night.
The house belonged to the village chief. After cleaning it up inside and out, he took his wife to live with his son, giving them the entire house.
Li Yu cooked dinner. After dinner, before it got dark, Hua Cheng took Yun Jin out for a walk.
Life in the mountains was as peaceful as still water, but the arrival of these strangers was like a strong wind, stirring up ripples on the calm surface.
As soon as Hua Cheng and Yun Jin appeared in the village, they were surrounded by several old ladies, and then more and more people gathered, making it even more lively than the school during the day.
Yun Jin had a cold appearance, so they preferred to talk to Hua Cheng, who seemed easygoing. Hua Cheng's face was almost stiff from smiling, and he would occasionally cast pleading glances at Yun Jin.
Yun Jin knew from the start that this would be the outcome of her walk, so she calmly stood behind him and watched the show until an old man tugged at her hand and asked her why she was thirty years old and still didn't have children.
Alright, now she can't just stand by and watch either.
After much effort, the two managed to escape the encirclement and were just about to head back when they encountered the little girl walking her dog once again.
When the little girl saw them, she immediately snorted coldly at Yun Jin.
Hua Cheng: "You little brat..."
"Xixi! Xixi!"
A woman's anxious voice called from afar. The little girl turned and ran away with her dog. Yun Jin looked up and met the eyes of a woman in her thirties.
The woman paused for a moment, gave her an awkward smile, and then took the little girl home.
"Do you know them?" Hua Cheng asked.
Yun Jin said honestly, "They look familiar, but I can't remember who they are."
The village they are in now, Chenjia Village, is not too far from Yunzhuang, her birthplace. In the mountains, the relationships between villages are not so shallow, so it is normal to run into people you knew when you were a child.
People you can't remember are unimportant.
Yun Jin didn't dwell on it. After wandering around a deserted area with Hua Cheng for a couple of minutes, they went home.
That night, Hua Cheng, who was asleep, suddenly heard a suppressed sob.
He suddenly woke up, and before his brain could even process what was happening, he had already wrapped his arms around Yun Jin.
"Don't be afraid, baby, I'm here."
Yun Jin buried her face in his chest, trembling softly as she murmured in her sleep, "Ah Huang..."
Hua Cheng paused for a moment, then gently patted her: "Yun Jin, Yun Jin?"
Yun Jin opened her eyes blankly, and it took her pupils a while to focus.
She pressed her temples and sat up, and Hua Cheng immediately poured her a glass of water.
The cool water slid down her throat and into her stomach, and Yun Jin calmed down considerably: "I dreamt of Ah Huang."
Hua Cheng took the cup from her hand and looked at her quietly.
Yun Jin: "I haven't dreamed about it for a long time."
Ah Huang, with a white spot between its eyebrows, and Ah Huang without a white spot between its eyebrows, appeared alternately in her dreams, and in the end, they all turned into a pool of blood at the entrance of her old home.
When she was six years old, Yunwei brought home a puppy he had picked up from outside.
“Keep it if you like, but if you dare to feed it my food, I’ll kill you,” he said viciously.
But she was still very happy because this was the only thing Yunwei, as her father, had ever given her in her limited life—she now had a puppy.
She named it Ah Huang.
At only six years old, before she had even grown a hard shell, she was still so frightened by her father's threats that she couldn't sleep all night. She dared not feed Ah Huang anything from home, not even the garbage that was supposed to be thrown away.
She would collect leftover food from her classmates at school, a little here and a little there, and feed Ah Huang little by little until he grew up.
Ah Huang was well cared for by her and stood out as a very fat dog among all the puppies in Yunzhuang.
Ah Huang is very intelligent; he picks her up and drops her off at school every day, rain or shine.
Ah Huang is her best friend.
Her best friend died on New Year's Eve, turning into a pool of blood at the entrance of her hometown, and into a bubbling pot on Yunwei's dining table.
For many years afterward, she would dream in the dead of night that if she hadn't fattened Ah Huang up, or if she had been ruthless enough to kick it out when Yunwei gave it to her, would it have lived a little longer?
Later on, she rarely even dreamed about it anymore.
"I guess it's because of what happened during the day that I had such a dream," Yun Jin calmly analyzed.
Hua Cheng stared at her for a long time, then suddenly pulled her into his arms.
"I'm booking the plane tickets now, we'll go back tomorrow," he said in a deep voice.
Yun Jin pushed him away: "No, I promised the village chief I would stay for the full three days."
"But……"
“No buts,” Yun Jin interrupted calmly, his dark pupils clearly reflecting his features. “Hua Cheng, I’m not afraid anymore.”
Hua Cheng knew that no one could change her decision. After a moment of silence, he pulled her back down to lie down: "Go to sleep, go to sleep."
I slept without any dreams.
The next day, Yun Jin appeared in the classroom on time.
Her lectures weren't particularly interesting, but they were clear and easy to understand, and the children listened attentively.
Except for that little girl named Chen Xixi.
During class, Chen Xixi would just keep her head down and play with the dog. After class, she would talk badly about her to the other children. When the other children ignored her, she would angrily put all sorts of random things on the podium.
Yun Jin initially didn't want to pay attention to her, until the green caterpillar she placed on the teacher's desk frightened a five-year-old child to tears, at which point she spoke up to stop this boring and childish game.
"I'll only be teaching here for three days. If you really don't like me, you can go to the next classroom to study first, or ask for leave and come back the day after tomorrow morning. Anyway, your teacher will be teaching the same lessons I've been teaching recently, so even if you ask for leave, it won't affect your normal progress."
Although I don't know why she dislikes me so much, there's nothing wrong with disliking someone, and a child's feelings should be respected. Rather than forcing her to stay here, it's better for both of us to compromise.
Yun Jin thought her suggestion was reasonable, but Chen Xixi suddenly got angry: "Fine, I'll leave then! What makes you so great? I don't want to listen to a lecture from a bad person like you!"
After saying that, he took the dog and left.
Yun Jin glanced at the little dog that was happily following behind her, then gestured to Hua Cheng, who had been waiting outside, to take her home before continuing her class.
Chen Xixi didn't show up at school all day, but she came back early the next morning, this time without her dog.
Yun Jin stood at the classroom door, greeting the children. When she saw her, she didn't react much, just telling her to hurry up and come into the classroom, as if yesterday's argument had never happened.
Chen Xixi stared at her for a long time before finally walking up to her hesitantly and saying, "My mom wants to invite you to our house for lunch."
"Your mother?" Yun Jin paused, remembering the woman from yesterday. "Is she the one who called you home yesterday?"
“That’s my aunt, not my mom,” Chen Xixi said woodenly.
Yun Jin nodded and asked, "Why did you suddenly invite me to dinner? Is it because of what happened yesterday? Does she think I'm making things difficult for you? Didn't that uncle go back with you yesterday? He should have explained things clearly by now."
When she made that suggestion yesterday, she thought that the parents might worry, which is why she asked Huacheng to go with them.
With Hua Cheng's emotional intelligence, she should be able to give a perfect reason why her parents would still invite her to dinner.
Faced with Yun Jin's question, Chen Xixi simply lowered her head and remained silent.
Yun Jin noticed that something was wrong with her mood, and after a pause, asked, "Where's Ah Huang? Why didn't you bring it today?"
Upon hearing Ah Huang's name, Chen Xixi finally looked up, met her gaze for a few seconds, and her eyes slowly reddened.
Despite it being a bright, sunny day, Yun Jin's mind was suddenly filled with a thunderous roar, and the long-healed post-traumatic stress disorder suddenly reopened at this moment.
She turned and ran out, leaving the children's shouts and pleas for her to stay and their doubts far behind.
There is only one long, narrow road between Wangsheng Primary School and Chenjia Village.
There are many such paths in the mountains. Yun Jin walked these paths for many years. For a time, she thought that once she left, she would never come back.
Yun Jin's white shoes, which Hua Cheng had cleaned thoroughly, sank into the still-dry mud. Her body felt heavier and heavier, and her lungs ached as if they were about to burst.
Through her blurred vision, she vaguely saw the snow on New Year's Eve, only this time a little tail named Chen Xixi was following behind her.
Confusion, fear, and helplessness were all hidden in her painful breaths. Yun Jin rushed into the village, but the next second, faced with a sudden fork in the road, she was suddenly lost in a blank mind.
She didn't know where Chen Xixi's home was.
"Yun Jin!"
A familiar voice came from behind her. She turned around subconsciously and saw Hua Cheng smiling and waving at her. Ah Huang was lying at his feet, yawning listlessly.
Confusion, fear, and helplessness all vanished without a trace.
He caught her again.
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Author's Note: I'll try to get Xiao Hua featured tomorrow; it's time to speed up his story.
Draw 50 red envelopes~
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