Three days have passed since Teacher Ma was paraded through the streets, but the topic of her is still going strong.
Song Lili keenly noticed that some people in Hongqi Village seemed to be restless, and an uneasy atmosphere permeated the village.
Two days later, Song Lili realized that her feeling was right, because the first person to jump out was her cousin, Song Jianguo.
A week later, Teacher Ma was once again paraded through various villages, bound and paraded. This time, however, something was different: a paper sign was hung around Teacher Ma's neck, which read, "Down with demons and monsters!"
The number of people criticizing Teacher Ma was more than double that of the last time. They were all wearing red armbands. Some were pressing down on Teacher Ma, while others were raising their arms and shouting.
What they were chanting was "Down with the demons and monsters!"
Among those people, Song Jianguo was prominently featured, and he looked excited, as if he wanted to take the lead.
Song Lili looked at Song Jianguo coldly, knowing he wasn't one to stay put, but she hadn't expected him to start acting up again so quickly.
Never underestimate people's ability to imitate. In just a few days, so many people have imitated the behavior of those teenagers from before.
At this rate, in less than half a month, the entire Hongqi Town will probably look like this.
This rapid development left Song Lili speechless. Were there really that many people acting impulsively?
This time, the criticism session reached Hongqi Village, which happened to be during dinner time when many people were at home.
Having learned from the previous experience, many people went out to see the excitement, and this time, Song Lili went too.
As for Teacher Ma, Song Lili was completely unrecognizable from her former self. Her hair was a messy clump on her head, covered with solidified mud, and she looked filthy.
Her clothes were wrinkled and covered in mud, with a long tear on the right sleeve.
On her feet were a pair of cloth shoes whose color was indistinct. The sole and the upper on one side were separated, and only when she walked could her equally indistinct feet be seen.
Her hands were tied behind her back, and her head was lowered, so her face was completely hidden by her loose hair.
However, Song Lili could roughly tell that her body was very weak. She staggered and looked like she was about to fall if someone pushed her even slightly.
Seeing Teacher Ma like this, Song Lili couldn't reconcile her with the neat and tidy woman she used to be.
She thought sadly that Teacher Ma might never be able to recover, and might even pass away.
In my heart, I can't help but hate these people.
But what could she do? She could only watch. All she could do was not follow those people and hurt Teacher Ma.
What infuriated Song Lili was that Song Jianguo's actions had crossed her bottom line.
Perhaps feeling that he had arrived in Hongqi Village, on his own turf, Song Jianguo became incredibly arrogant.
She gave Teacher Ma a hard shove, then watched as Teacher Ma fell to the ground and burst into laughter.
"Hmph, you're a teacher, yet you believe in those superstitious things and dare to teach them to your students, corrupting the future of our country."
"People like you should be beaten hard, preferably to death, so as not to delay others."
"Now, I'll give you a chance. Crawl between my legs, and I won't hit you today. How about I let you go?"
Perhaps because he had been reprimanded by his teachers when he was in school, Song Jianguo took all his anger out on Teacher Ma.
After hearing Song Jianguo's words, the others not only didn't think anything was wrong, but instead shouted and jeering, telling Teacher Ma to climb over.
"That's right. If you manage to climb over, we'll take it as a sign that you have the determination to break with the demons and monsters and to repent and start anew."
"Exactly, that's right, hurry up and climb! Weren't you so arrogant before?"
"Yes, climb, climb, climb..."
"Climb, climb, climb..."
"Climb, climb..."
More and more people joined in the chanting, making Teacher Ma look even more helpless and pitiful, while the villagers of Hongqi Village who were watching the spectacle began to feel sorry for him.
“Children…children…let it go…” someone shouted.
“Yes…this is going a bit too far…” some people who couldn’t bear it also chimed in.
Immediately, someone stood up to refute, "What do you mean by 'excessive'? Do you also believe in those demons and monsters?"
"Exactly, are you in cahoots with her? Are you trying to promote feudal superstition?"
"Hmph, I think they're all in cahoots."
The person being addressed became displeased: "How dare you kids talk like that?"
"Exactly, just because I said a few words, does that mean I'm on her side?"
The boys immediately retorted, "Of course, anyone who believes in feudal superstition should be criticized and educated."
This frightened the honest villagers of Hongqi Village. Most importantly, no one wanted to put themselves in danger for someone else's sake.
Helping others is always conditional; one should only speak out for justice if it does not harm oneself.
Whenever their own interests are at stake, they will immediately withdraw to protect themselves.
Therefore, even the slightest dissenting voice was silenced in the crisis.
Song Lili remained silent throughout, simply standing there watching as Teacher Ma was cruelly treated.
Looking at the arrogant Song Jianguo and the hot-blooded youths who aided and abetted evil, he had no thoughts whatsoever.
We should have thought of this a long time ago, shouldn't we?
However, Song Lili couldn't stand seeing Song Jianguo like this. She couldn't control others, but she could still manage Song Jianguo.
Otherwise, if they let him continue to be so arrogant, it might be their own family members who suffer in the future, and Song Lili wouldn't allow that.
Therefore, it's better to let Song Jianguo suffer some losses first.
The bustling crowd and deafening shouts faded into the darkness, eventually disappearing completely.
Song Lili stood there, watching the crowd leave, and also watching Song Jianguo follow the crowd away as if he had been injected with chicken blood.
They watched as the people who had come out to watch the excitement quietly slipped away and went home, hiding inside and keeping a low profile.
I also saw some people getting so excited by what they were being said that they wished they could go up there and criticize it themselves, just to vent their own passion.
I also watched those who remained unmoved, yet whose eyes held emotions of pity, compassion, and sympathy, from beginning to end.
Song Lili just stood there, as if she were an outsider, watching everyone's expressions, observing their feigned or genuine feelings.
However, in the end, they were unable to resist the general trend, and the final outcome would not be changed by a few people.
Some things are destined to happen; you can't avoid them or escape them.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
