Hearing Xu Meijun say the same thing, Xie Ning secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said apologetically, "Actually, I heard some news that Weiwei is planning to have the people in the shed become primary school teachers."
Since receiving help from Ye Weiwei, the living conditions of the people in the shed have improved significantly.
In the past, he would always save some of his own food or go up the mountain to hunt some wild vegetables and fruits and secretly send them over there.
But his abilities are limited; even if he saved all his food and clothing, he couldn't possibly ensure that everyone was well-fed and clothed.
Thinking back to the days when several of them only had two quilts and two cotton-padded coats to get through the winter, and had to take turns wearing them when they went out, and then looking at them now, everyone has a thick quilt and no shortage of clothes and shoes for the winter, Xie Ning couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat.
He no longer had to live in constant fear every winter, worried that his father wouldn't make it and would freeze to death in the shed.
According to my father, Weiwei had an extra room specially built for the primary school. It would be used as a warehouse, and once they got to know the villagers, they could live there as a dormitory.
Weiwei even left them a batch of food and supplies on the mountain in case of emergency.
She really did everything she could think of and do!
Hou Zheng had anticipated this when Zhong Yan stirred things up, so he wasn't surprised; on the contrary, he was happy for Xie Ning.
"That would be best. Let them teach the village children. They'll definitely be able to teach them better. Besides, they're all getting old and their bodies aren't suited for working in the fields."
Xu Meijun agreed: "As expected of Ye Weiwei! She always arranges everything so clearly. I'm so glad to be her friend."
Ye Weiwei is someone who is always willing to help those she cares about.
Xie Ning's eyes were slightly red as he solemnly said, "She is truly wonderful! From now on, I, Xie Ning, will never refuse any request she may make."
Hou Zheng patted Xie Ning on the shoulder, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Everything will be alright. We need to believe in you, Weiwei."
Xu Meijun was also full of ambition: "I also believe what Weiwei said. We won't be trapped here forever. As long as we don't give up learning and wait for the right opportunity, we will have a chance to soar to the sky sooner or later."
Hou Zheng and Xie Ning were both full of fighting spirit.
The three encouraged each other, and after finishing their meal, they all picked up their books and began to study diligently.
On the third day after Ye Weiwei and the others left, village chief Lu Mingfa convened a meeting of all villagers, requiring at least one person from each household to attend, and all members of the educated youth settlement must be present.
Upon hearing that the meeting was related to the village primary school, everyone in the village who was at home went to attend.
Lu Mingfa first told the villagers that the village primary school would be completed soon, thanked the investor Ye Weiwei, and then reported to everyone the expenses for building the primary school and purchasing various teaching equipment, courseware, books, etc.
When the villagers heard that only a little over 600 yuan remained of the original 2,000 yuan, many of them became restless.
Some people couldn't contain their impatience and even asked about the elementary school teacher.
Several junior high school students in the village had their eyes on the position of primary school teacher early on, and some even had relatives from other villages who had attended high school, so they had been inquiring and testing the waters.
However, the village chief, the brigade leader, and Accountant Wu had always been tight-lipped, and they couldn't get anything out of them, keeping them hanging on.
Lu Mingfa said, "The money donated by Ye Weiwei, a former educated youth, is to be used for our village's specific purpose. Even though we still have more than 600 yuan left, this money is to be used to reward children with excellent academic performance."
The people below were confused. "If this money is used to reward the children, what about the teachers' salaries? Will our village have to pay for it too?"
A primary school needs at least six or seven teachers. Even if we take the lowest salary in other villages, which is ten work points a day and five yuan a month, it would still cost several hundred yuan a year. Where would their village come up with so much money?
Lu Mingfa looked distressed: "Everyone knows the situation in our village. There is absolutely no way the village can come up with such a large sum of money to pay the teachers' salaries."
"Yes! Not to mention work points, just the wages alone are a huge expense every year, equivalent to the annual income of several families."
"But what can we do? Our primary school is almost finished; are we just going to leave it idle?"
For a time, most people in the village were worried.
Some people, fearing that the previous promise of not charging tuition and textbook fees for the children in their village would not be kept, shouted from below: "Anyway, if you ask our family to pay for our children's schooling, we will absolutely not go back. Our family is dirt poor, we can't even get enough to eat, what's the point of studying! We won't study!"
Many villagers echoed this sentiment.
It's not that everyone is just following their lead; it's that many families genuinely can't afford to send their children to school.
Many of the children who had come to join in the fun were heartbroken when they heard that their plans to go to school were being canceled. Some even started crying and fussing, insisting on going to school and studying.
They made a promise with Little Star and the other kids from the Huo family who moved away: to work hard, exercise, study, and improve every day, and then see who's the best in the future.
The scene became somewhat chaotic for a moment.
Some parents have short tempers and don't tolerate their children's crying and tantrums, but when they see the eager and ambitious eyes in their children's eyes, they just can't bring themselves to slap them.
Hearing the commotion, Lu Xiaolan couldn't help but say, "Since it was Ye Weiwei who proposed building a primary school in the village, then let Ye Weiwei be responsible to the end! Let her pay the teachers' salaries!"
After she finished speaking, everyone around her turned to look at her, their gazes filled with hostility.
Lu Xiaolan felt uneasy under everyone's stares, but she forced herself to say, "Why are you all looking at me? Am I wrong? She was the one who started this whole thing, and now she's just gone and left us with this mess. She should be held responsible! Otherwise, if our village primary school is built but we can't afford teachers and it falls into disrepair, wouldn't we become the laughingstock of the whole commune? That would be incredibly embarrassing!"
"Shut your stinking mouth!"
Aunt Lü was the first to retort, "How dare you say such shameless things? Is it just because you have a big face?"
Aunt Zhou sneered, "Not only is she shameless, but she also has a foul mouth! With her stirring up trouble, it's as if Ye, the educated youth, was wrong to donate money to build a primary school in our village!"
Aunt Li glared at Aunt Zhang, who was about to speak up for Lu Xiaolan, and said, "You just got back from the hospital, why aren't you resting at home? Stop talking and do something good for the baby in your belly!"
Seeing that everyone looked down on them, Lu Xiaolan knew she couldn't defy the public's anger, so she wisely shut her mouth and dared not say another word.
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