The earthy nature of the nineteen clay figures
A new class, a new teacher, new classmates—everything is new.
Li Wei was still sitting among old friends, mediating the trouble caused by her old friend Luo Er.
Luo Da was clearly thriving even more than in first grade. He had two old buddies in his class who used to come and play with him often in first grade. Li Wei could tell from those two boys that they were the kind who didn't like studying and just loved causing trouble. Now, with the addition of several older boys in the class, they formed a small gang that roamed around every day, looking quite impressive.
So, although they all jumped from first grade, once the initial novelty wore off, no children bullied them.
As for Li Wei, even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake, and she no longer has to be the vice class monitor who acts like a little teacher, so she's happy to be relaxed.
Spring is a beautiful season. After Qingming Festival, the tender green grass on the ground begins to stretch its lazy body, which has been hesitant to move, and tries its best to grow taller. The tender buds of the willow trees also begin to sprout leaves.
It was another Sunday, and Li Wei took the twins, Wu Feng, and Erpangzi to the mountains behind the village for a spring outing.
Before leaving, Luo Er appeared out of nowhere and had no choice but to take him with him.
The mountain behind the village wasn't far, but it still took more than an hour to climb to the top. It wasn't that the mountain was particularly high, but rather that the winding, difficult path meant they had to stop and play frequently. The fertile areas were covered with fruit trees, mainly pears and apples, with a few scattered peach trees still in bud. Occasionally, there were patches of graves in the woods, creating a somewhat eerie atmosphere.
In areas with poor soil, there were patches of oak and wormwood, interspersed with various unidentified wildflowers. Li Wei and her friends walked and played along the way. The girls picked and plucked the beautiful wildflowers, while the boys ran around, sighing at the backs of pheasants, rabbits, or mountain mice.
The girls became even more excited as they played their way up to the bare mountaintop covered in large rocks.
Below the rock, on the other side of the hillside, bloomed numerous fuzzy, purple anemones. Their peach-shaped, tulip-like flowers swayed in the breeze, indescribably beautiful. Even more delightful was the presence of even more yellow, sweet-smelling, edible goat's nests.
Li Wei admired the scene for a moment, then ignored their antics. She took a plastic sheet from her backpack, found a sheltered, flat patch of grass, spread it out, and weighed it down with stones. She then took out the fruit and food she had brought, preparing for a picnic.
A beautiful spring, a beautiful childhood. Everything seemed so wonderful. Except for that faint sigh in Li Wei's heart.
After eating and playing, Li Wei checked the time and realized it was almost time. She packed up and led the children back home. But halfway up the mountain, they ran into some acquaintances. It was Luo Da and two boys from her class, I think their names were Lin Rui and Lu Yaobing. There were also three older boys. They didn't look like honest guys at all.
Especially the tall, dark-skinned boy who was leading the group. As soon as he saw Li Wei and her group, he exclaimed excitedly, "Oh my! Luo Jianhua! Look! Isn't that your classmate? Hehe."
After saying that, she grabbed Li Lin's braid as she walked in front. Li Lin screamed and hid behind Li Wei.
Li Wei was also unhappy, thinking to herself, "What kind of brat is this?" She stepped forward and stopped him, saying, "What are you doing? Don't touch me like that."
The black boy laughed even harder: "I'll get physical, I'll get physical, hehe."
He immediately tried to grab Li Wei's sun hat, but Li Wei dodged it.
Li Wei was genuinely angry. What an annoying brat! Frowning, she pulled Li Lin aside, intending to lead everyone away from them. "If we can't afford to mess with them, we'll just avoid them," she thought. But they hadn't gone far when Wu Feng screamed and burst into tears. Li Wei turned around and saw the dark-skinned boy and another blond-haired boy, one on each side, pulling and tugging at Wu Feng's pigtails, laughing and joking.
Li Wei was furious. She took a few steps forward and pushed Xiao Hei and Xiao Huang away, saying, "Are you ever going to stop? What kind of skill is it to bully a girl? Get out of here!" She then grabbed Wu Feng and left.
Perhaps Li Wei hit her too hard; the blond-haired man tripped over something, stumbled, and fell to the ground with a thud. He immediately flew into a rage, grabbed a tree branch, and whipped it across Li Wei's leg, yelling, "You brat, how dare you hit me!"
Li Wei was wearing her newly bought pink tracksuit today; the material was fairly thick, but her calves still felt a burning pain. Looking down, she saw Huang Mao holding a tree branch, about to continue whipping her, so she quickly jumped away. Huang Mao was an only child, spoiled like a prince, and had a bit of a spoiled brat attitude. Having lost face in front of his classmates today, he wouldn't let it go without getting his revenge.
Seeing that Li Wei had actually dodged, he jumped up and rushed over, determined to teach Li Wei a lesson.
Seeing that none of the other boys were trying to break up the fight, Li Wei panicked. Her side consisted entirely of the elderly, women, and children; if a fight broke out, they would definitely suffer losses, and they couldn't outrun those wild boys. In a daze, she spotted a tree branch as thick as an arm a few steps away. She quickly went over and picked it up. The other end had many small branches, making it look like a large broom used for sweeping the yard.
Li Wei had just picked up a branch when the blond-haired boy was right in front of her. Li Wei didn't hold back. "You brat, how dare you bully me? Don't you know who I am?" she thought. She swung the big branch and started hitting him all over the head, shouting as she hit him, "Run home quickly! Send a message to Grandpa to come and save me! I'll cover you! Quick, quick, get out of here!"
Wow, this line sounds so familiar.
The boys rushed down the mountain upon hearing this, and Li Wei even heard someone trip and fall, muttering something under their breath. But Li Wei didn't stop; she blocked the path, waving a large broom and chasing after the blond-haired boy, while keeping an eye on the other boys. Seeing the blond-haired boy retreat into the group of boys, Li Wei stopped. She didn't have the ability to sweep up a whole bunch of wild boys.
And so, the two stared at each other on the path, wide-eyed.
After a few seconds, the blond guy realized what was happening and grabbed Xiao Hei: "Brother Erhei, she hit me!"
Little Black also realized what was happening, blinked, and...
Xiao Hei was just a third-grade kid. Looking at Li Wei's fierce and imposing appearance and the large weapon in her hand, he hesitated. Luo Da, who hadn't said anything until now, tugged at Xiao Hei, a little impatiently: "Brother Erhei, are we going or not? Why bother with that little brat? Let me tell you, her grandfather knows martial arts. I saw it with my own eyes."
Well……
Xiao Hei was still considering Xiao Huang's feelings and was a little unwilling to give up. Luo Da had already continued walking up the mountain, leaving behind a sentence: "It's agreed that whoever finds that pheasant trap first gets to keep it."
This time, no one hesitated and hurried up the mountain.
Li Wei watched them walk away, breathed a sigh of relief, lowered her aching arm, and threw away the branch. Whew!
What does Luo Da mean by this? Helping? It doesn't seem like it. If he had that kind of good intention, he wouldn't be hanging out with these wild kids. She couldn't figure it out, but one thing Li Wei noticed was the blatant contempt in Luo Da's tone. Yes, that's right, the way he looked at her was like she was an ant. Pah! I think you're a ladybug!
Seeing that the danger had passed, Li Wei turned around and rubbed her arm as she walked down the mountain. She hadn't gone far when she turned a corner and found that the little brats she had just been covering were rushing up the mountain with tree branches in their hands. The ones running in front were actually Luo Er and Li Lianhui. Oh my god, is this considered brothers fighting amongst themselves?
However, Li Wei looked exactly like a police officer who arrived late in a movie after a murder.
The little ones, having escaped being beaten by the big ones, happily went home. Li Wei's gaze towards Luo Er softened considerably; she thought, "You little rascal, you have a conscience."
Life went on as usual. Mom and Grandpa were so busy they had no time to pay attention to Li Wei and her two children. May Day was just around the corner, and the school was going to hold its spring sports meet before then, followed by a long weekend of two consecutive days off.
During PE class, the PE teacher had already started selecting athletes for each class. Li Wei and her friends were out of luck; they were younger than their classmates and couldn't outrun them in running or jumping. However, Luo Da, who came from a rough background, was different. Although he was the same age, he ran like the wind, and no boy in the class could beat him. He was quite an anomaly, so of course he was selected.
Although the others couldn't be athletes anymore, Li Wei still managed to hold up the class sign. Actually, this was thanks to the beauty and skincare she'd been taking for the past six months. The peanut and pig's trotter soup hadn't made her breasts bigger, but it had given her fair, smooth, and radiant face. With her soft, black hair and pretty clothes, Li Wei had unknowingly become the little princess she envisioned, even surpassing Gu Liwei, Chen Wei, and others in beauty.
As everyone knows, the girls who carry the class banner at the school sports meet are always chosen from the prettiest girls in the class. In the eyes of the homeroom teacher, Ms. Li, the petite, pretty, and composed Li Wei was naturally a top choice. Since Chen Wei and Zhou Yujie were both going to compete, Li Wei became the best option.
Li Wei was excited. In her previous life, she had done this job as a "pretty face" in junior high school when everyone else was going through puberty and gaining weight. Back then, shapewear pants were very popular, but she was a late bloomer and quite thin, especially her legs, which were pretty good-looking. Although she wasn't particularly outstanding in appearance, she was still chosen for this job.
She dreamed so much of being a leisurely vase in the future, but unfortunately, she lacked the resources to grow up and turned from a green leaf into fertilizer.
Now, let her continue her efforts on the path of becoming a "vase" (a person who is only good for being a pretty face); it seems there's a glimmer of hope.
After more than a week of lively training, the sports meet finally arrived. Compared to the excitement of the twins and others, Li Wei calmly added an umbrella to her water bag.
There's a riddle that says, "It's everywhere at sports meets," what's the answer? The answer is: cloud (云).
Based on Li Wei's experience over the years, whenever the school holds a sports meet, nine times out of ten, the heavens will join in the fun and shed a few tears.
The atmosphere at the sports meet was very lively, with red flags fluttering everywhere, songs ringing out, and many onlookers. The opening ceremony began with the melodious athletes' march. Li Wei, holding the Class 2-2 banner, wearing a white dress and white shoes, walked around in front of the class like a little lab rat, feeling quite pleased with herself. She didn't seem to enjoy it enough, feeling the playground was a bit small.
Then, the loudspeaker began broadcasting various check-in and announcements, and teachers busied themselves leading students to the competition and maintaining discipline. Li Wei sat in the first row of her class's area, facing the track on the playground covered with white lime, watching this lively scene as if in a dream.
Sports, a sport that tests physical fitness to the greatest extent, often have absolutely nothing to do with academic performance or discipline. Therefore, it's not surprising that Luo Da, who is usually idle and uneducated, consistently took first place. Li Wei summarized this as "simple-minded and physically strong."
"Heaven won't let a blind sparrow starve; it has to give people a way to survive," Li Wei thought to Luo Da with no small amount of malice.
Luo Da, who had become a class hero, remained cool and expressionless, showing no sign of the joy a child might feel. What kind of child is he?
Luo Da, this little brat, is completely beyond Li Wei's understanding of children. Can you believe he's even a child? Despite his quiet nature, Li Wei is certain that this guy is not stupid; he's practically a freak.
After May Day, it's time for midterm exams, and the weather is getting hotter every day.
Li Wei gave the twins and Wu Feng some questions to do, so they could at least pass the exam. They were nicknamed "skip-grade students" and couldn't afford to lose face.
Now, Wu Feng's mother and Aunt Lin are of one mind and send Wu Feng and Erpangzi away to study with Li Wei and her two siblings. Not only will it be quieter now, but they'll also have someone to help look after the children. Look at the Li family's children, how sensible they are, and how well they do in their studies. They always have beaming smiles whenever they see Li Wei.
Luo Er was also sent to study by his grandmother, while Luo Da was nowhere to be found.
Now, Li Wei could borrow not only a bicycle from Wu Feng's mother, but even an oxcart, but unfortunately, she doesn't have one.
Li Wei is now living a relatively comfortable life, although her standard of living is still far from what it was more than ten years ago, it's still quite satisfactory. This refers to her material life. As for her spiritual life, television holds absolutely no appeal for Li Wei. There's no way around it; the programs are too old-fashioned to be interesting, and they can't compare to the twins' enthusiasm.
As for playing with a group of children, aside from fulfilling her duties as a babysitter, she really had no face or interest in playing with them. Her mindset wasn't easy to adjust, and she didn't try to.
The only thing that brings Li Wei any joy is saving up her own money. She now has over three hundred yuan in her savings account, which might seem like a lot now, but to Li Wei, who has seen a fair amount of money, it's nothing, far from her goal. And she simply doesn't have the nerve to keep asking her parents for money, so she has to fulfill her dream herself.
Li Lin, who was diligently working on her homework at the eight-immortal table, saw her older sister leisurely daydreaming beside her. She pouted unhappily and muttered to herself. Seeing that her sister didn't react at all, she started to daydream. In the less than six months since the Lunar New Year, because their mother had stayed home and hadn't gone out to work, Li Lin and Li Lianhui had hardly been beaten. After all, their mother was watching closely, and their grandfather was intervening, so Li Wei hadn't succeeded in getting a beating. Therefore, the clever and mischievous Li Lin started trembling again, showing a rather defiant attitude.
While lost in thought, Li Wei suddenly realized something was wrong. She snapped out of it, glanced at the kids, and slammed her hand on the table: "Li Lin, what are you doing? What are you whispering to Xiao Hui about? Look how serious Wu Feng, Erpangzi, and Luo Jianzhong are. Hurry up and do it, hurry up!"
Li Lin was trying to persuade Li Lianhui to defect, but before she could say more than a few words, Li Wei discovered her. Li Wei scolded her, and she wanted to resist but was also a little scared. However, she still stubbornly muttered in a low voice, "You always make us write, you always make us write. Why don't you write? Why don't you write? Humph."
Li Wei was already in a bad mood when she heard Li Lin complaining, and she got even angrier. "You little brat, you think I care about you? Always so sarcastic and mean. I think you need a good beating. You're like a bolt from the blue. If you don't discipline someone for three days, they'll be climbing on the roof and tearing off the tiles. You're a real pain in the ass." She went over and slapped Li Lin twice on the bottom, making Li Lin scream and run out to her mother to complain.
Li Wei ignored Li Lin, who had run out, and glared at the remaining kids: "What are you looking at? Hurry up and write! If you don't do well on the midterm exam, you can expect to be returned by Teacher Li!"
She's getting closer and closer to her goal of getting a stable job after graduating from university, and nobody can stop her from moving forward. Especially not a bunch of burdens who've come to her doorstep.
Meanwhile, Li Lin, standing beside her mother, tearfully recounted her sister's accusations from head to toe.
Cheng Min, the mother, was incredibly busy. She had just finished building a factory in their yard this spring; it was even bigger than their old house, and they had many more workers, making their yard feel a bit cramped. She was so busy every day that she had no time for the children—after all, she had her eldest daughter. Now, Li Lin had suddenly run in, crying and getting in her way. Without even listening, she knew what was going on.
Cheng Min put down her work and went to the main house in a fit of anger. She scolded Li Wei, "I'm so busy, can't you take good care of the children? Why did you hit her for no reason? What kind of behavior is it to make her cry like that? Is she acting like an older sister? Take them out to play for a while. Don't you see any kids staying at home writing all day on Sundays? Do you hear me?"
Li Wei had already regretted hitting Li Lin, feeling that she had acted impulsively. Now that her mother had come over and made such a fuss, Li Wei, who hadn't thought anything of it before, felt particularly angry. What kind of mother is this!
She stood up abruptly: "I'm not a nanny. If you want to take care of the child, you take care of the child. I'm not going to help you anymore."
After saying that, he ran out without looking back and didn't come back that night.
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