Chapter 160 Chapter 160 Friends
Jiang Xi walked Professor Wang to the entrance of Changfeng County Middle School. "Professor Wang, we're at school. I'll help you down."
Wang Yu also hurriedly helped Professor Wang off the cart. Professor Wang looked at the large characters for "Changfeng County Middle School" and nodded, saying, "Old Xie hasn't gotten any better over the years. These characters are quite good."
Jiang Xi asked: "How do you know these words were written by the principal?"
Professor Wang said, "We were in the same class. Later we went to the countryside together. And then, well, I won't go into the details of what happened next."
"Anyway, we're close friends. I'd recognize his handwriting even if it turned to ash."
No wonder Professor Wang insisted on coming to see his old friend. It turns out he has such a deep relationship with Principal Xie Enze.
Jiang Xi said: "I'll take you to his office."
Professor Wang nodded as he looked at Changfeng County Middle School. "The school has changed a lot. I remember there were only two or three thatched houses before, but now they have tiled houses. How many students are there in your school now?"
Jiang Xi said, "Because there's only one middle school nearby, children from surrounding villages come here to attend. Changfeng County Middle School currently has over a thousand students."
Professor Wang nodded. "Compared to before, it's a lot now, but aren't there still a lot of people who don't come to school?"
Jiang Xi said: "Yes, there are many reasons. Many people drop out halfway through."
Professor Wang snorted. "What else could there be? It's all because they're poor. When people are poor, they don't think about anything other than eating and sleeping. When their calves are spinning with hunger, how can they possibly think about studying? They'd rather be gnawing on tree bark in the fields. Expecting them to recite poetry or solve math problems at that age? That's wishful thinking."
Professor Wang had a lot of emotions today. Jiang Xi listened quietly and roughly understood that Professor Wang must have a past that he had never told anyone about, and that past had deeply affected Professor Wang.
However, Professor Wang’s past is definitely related to Principal Xie. What secret is behind it?
Jiang Xi had no intention of prying into Professor Wang's secret, but he had unknowingly become a witness.
Jiang Xi took Professor Wang to Xie Enze's office.
Xie Enze was writing something at his desk. He was wearing a pair of reading glasses and sitting very upright. He had the unique temperament of an intellectual.
Professor Wang stood in front of the door with a limp on one leg. He didn't knock, but called out, "Old Xie!"
Xie Enze looked up and saw Professor Wang. He was silent for a moment, his eyes full of disbelief. After a while, Xie Enze stood up and said in a trembling voice, "Old Wang, why are you here?"
Professor Wang smiled and said, "You still remember me, kid. I thought you had forgotten me."
Xie Enze quickly stepped forward to support Professor Wang: "How could I forget? It's redundant for you to say that. What's wrong with your leg?"
Professor Wang waved his hand and said, "Don't mention it. I'm old and my bones are brittle. I was just fishing and when I stood up, there was a crack and my bone broke. But I'm much better now."
Xie Enze helped Professor Wang sit on the chair, and then he saw Jiang Xi and Wang Yu. He looked puzzled, as if asking why Jiang Xi came with Professor Wang.
Jiang Xi explained: "I asked Professor Wang to help us build the machine. Professor Wang said he knew you, so I brought Professor Wang to see you."
Jiang Xi explained the matter clearly in one sentence. Xie Enze nodded and said, "I didn't expect that because of you, we old friends would meet again. Jiang Xi, you are really a lucky star. Thanks to your financial support, many students have returned to school."
Jiang Xi: "I didn't do anything special."
Professor Wang was curious: "What did Xiao Jiang do to make you so happy?"
Xie Enze explained, "Director Jiang has established a grant fund at our school to help support students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds, especially those who have completed two years of high school but lack the funds to enter university."
"Thanks to Director Jiang's help, many of these impoverished students returned to school to take the college entrance examination. This year, the number of students taking the college entrance examination from our school is much higher than in previous years."
Professor Wang exclaimed: "I didn't expect Director Jiang to have such a warm heart."
Jiang Xi didn't take credit for it: "I just encountered it. Besides, I'm from Changfeng County and a student there. I've received a lot of help from the principal and teachers, so I just want to do what I can."
Professor Wang was particularly pleased: "The people in Changfeng County are all good. There are always many good people. Xiao Jiang, you are one of them. Changfeng County is really a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery."
Xie Enze also said: "Yes, there are always many good people in Changfeng County." This sentence was accompanied by a sigh, as if he was looking at other people through Jiang Xi. Professor Wang observed his old friend's expression and sighed.
Wang Yu was interrupted just as he was about to introduce himself. Now he didn't know whether he should greet Xie Enze, so he could only stand there in silence.
After a brief moment of distraction, Xie Enze looked at Wang Yu, and Wang Yu finally found the opportunity to introduce himself: "Hello, Uncle Xie, I am Wang Yu, my father's son."
Professor Wang...you might as well keep silent and pretend to be invisible.
Xie Enze looked at Wang Yu and said in a friendly tone, "You've grown up so much. When you were one year old, I held you in my arms. I didn't expect that you would become an adult in the blink of an eye. Come and sit down."
Xie Enze asked everyone to sit down and made tea for them.
Professor Wang asked, "How have you been these years? I see your hair has turned white."
Xie Enze said, "I'm doing okay. You're doing okay too. Your hair has turned completely white, and you've lost a lot of weight. How's your health?"
Professor Wang sighed, "As we get older, isn't it the hair that turns white first? We all worked so hard here, but I never thought you would be the only one left."
Xie Enze also sighed, "Yeah, I just don't know how the other Old Xie is doing now?"
Professor Wang paused and looked at his old friend. This person was actually brought up by his old friend. Professor Wang sighed in his heart.
Wang Yu, who was standing by, was a little curious and asked, "Uncle Xie, why is there another Old Xie?"
Professor Wang scolded: "Why are you asking so many questions? Just stay still."
When Professor Wang said this, his tone was unusually stern, unlike usual when although he disliked Wang Yu, his tone was joking and intimate.
Xie Enze waved his hand: "Old Wang, why are you so fierce? That incident happened so many years ago. Now that I can bring it up, I'm not afraid of others asking."
"Our hair has turned grey now. There's no need to dwell on what happened back then. Besides, I was also wrong back then."
After Xie Enze comforted his old friend, he turned to Wang Yu and explained, "Back then, your father, I, and another Old Xie were known as the Iron Triangle. We had the best relationship."
"Your other uncle and I both have the surname Xie. Back then, we were called Big Xie and Big Big Xie. Now, we're both old. I'm called Old Xie, and he can't be called Old Old Xie, so we call him the other Old Xie."
Professor Wang regained his composure with his old friend. Since his old friend had brought it up, he no longer avoided the topic. "I haven't had much contact with him in recent years. I'm embarrassed to contact him again because of that incident. Are you still in touch with him?"
Xie Enze shook his head. "I also cut off contact with him because of that incident. I was too young and impulsive at the time. Looking back, I was the one who took things too far."
The two old men were both filled with emotion because of the past. It is certainly a joy to meet good friends, because through old friends one can see not only the present but also the past.
However, there was one thing in Professor Wang and Xie Enze's past experiences that became a tacit topic between them, and they would never bring it up even if they met occasionally later.
Now that this past has been revealed, both of them can't help feeling a little melancholy. They were too young at the time and did everything without considering the consequences. They always felt that no matter whether it was friendship or anything else, they would never be able to squander it all.
However, no one expected that even the most indestructible relationship could not withstand unbridled consumption, and even the closest people would find it difficult to see each other after a quarrel.
Wang Yu had never seen his father look so bitter and resentful, and couldn't help asking, "Uncle Xie, what happened to make you all so sad?"
Xie Enze sighed, his eyes looking into the distance, lost in memories.
"I thought I was an upright person, but the only person I feel sorry for in this life is another Old Xie."
"Back then, your father, another man named Old Xie and I were sent down to a village near Changfeng County."
"There were very few people in that village, and the conditions were very difficult. But fortunately, the villagers there were relatively simple people. Apart from some hardships in life, we didn't suffer much mentally."
"The three of us were high school classmates. Although we studied different majors, our ideas were very similar in many aspects. Later, we were sent down together, so our relationship became closer and closer. However, because of one thing, we had a disagreement."
When talking about that incident, Xie Enze's fingers trembled a little. He picked up the teacup, but did not drink it. He just put the teacup down.
Because his hands were shaking, water leaked out of the teacup and wet Xie Enze's fingers. He acted as if he didn't notice and paused for a long time before continuing.
"At that time, there was a girl in the village named Lianxiang. She had two very shiny pigtails and round, bright eyes. When she looked at people, her eyes were like a pool of spring water. She was very, very beautiful."
"Given our situation at the time, although the villagers didn't deliberately cause us trouble, they still avoided us."
"But Lianxiang never despised us and always secretly brought us some food."
"According to her, she wanted to go to school but didn't have the opportunity, so she admired educated people. She brought us food just to get us to teach her how to write."
"Such a good girl. I was young at the time, and in that environment, I naturally fell in love with Xiulian. I just didn't expect that another old Xie also fell in love with Lianxiang."
"I'm quite timid. I know my status is not worthy of Lianxiang, so I didn't take a step forward. But the other Old Xie is different."
"He confessed his feelings directly to Lianxiang, and Lianxiang actually agreed. At that time, I was young and hot-headed and went to find another Lao Xie to argue with him."
"He told me that he didn't stop me from pursuing Lianxiang, but I was just too timid to take that step. Now that he has won Lianxiang, I don't have to regret it."
"Actually, what the other Mr. Xie said was right, but I didn't listen at the time. I just felt that the other Mr. Xie knew that I liked Lianxiang, but he wanted to snatch her from me and compete with me. This was not friendship at all, so I fought with him."
So that's how it is. Wang Yu then asked, "But why is my dad's relationship with that other Mr. Xie not good?"
All the old friends told about what happened back then, and Professor Wang didn't hide anything: "I was young at the time and didn't understand anything. I saw them fighting and heard what Old Xie said, and I felt that the other Old Xie was not good."
"I think if no one can get it, we're still brothers, but if you change the rules and try to get it yourself, that destroys the brotherhood."
"Actually, I was naive and childish, so I took sides. When the other guy, Old Xie, saw us like this, I remember he was furious. He told us that we were being indiscriminate and weren't brothers at all."
"After that incident, we gradually drifted apart. Later, we were rehabilitated and our identities were restored. We no longer had any contact with the other Lao Xie."
Xie Enze's voice was slightly hoarse: "I am sorry for him, and I am sorry for you. If I hadn't acted impulsively, our relationship wouldn't have become so strained, and we wouldn't have lost contact with him for so long."
"Actually, the other Mr. Xie is a really nice guy. He's the cleanest among us, and he cooks the best. He's also very sincere to us. Even if he only has one sweet potato, he'll share it with us. He even knows how to sew. When our clothes get torn, it's Mr. Xie who sews them for us."
Professor Wang also said: "He is like a little snail girl. We used to laugh at him. A grown man can do housework so well and is particularly fond of cleanliness."
"He was so particular about cleanliness that he would keep the grass in our shack clean, without even a speck of gravel on the ground. But how is he doing now?"
"I didn't want to mention him when I came to see you today, but now that you've brought him up, I don't know why, but I still miss him. Old Xie, how is he doing?"
Xie Enze closed his eyes slightly: "I also want to see him, I want to apologize to him, and I also want to know what happened to him."
Jiang Xi listened quietly at the side, and always felt that the other Old Xie was particularly like someone, like someone she had met in Shanghai before. Jiang Xi felt a little regretful that she did not ask what the name of Uncle Xie who was selling the house was.
Jiang Xi would not bring up anything that was not certain, so as not to give people hope in vain and then disappoint them. Jiang Xi just wrote this matter down and would verify it next time he went to Shanghai.
Professor Wang and Xie Enze reminisced about the past and chatted about family matters. Suddenly, Professor Wang said to Jiang Xi, "Didn't you say you were going to take an exam? Why are you squatting and listening?"
Jiang Xi exclaimed: "I'm going to take the exam. Professor Wang, please wait here for me. I'll tow you back on a cart after the exam." After saying that, Jiang Xi left Xie Enze's office at the speed of a 100-meter sprint.
Xie Enze: "Cart? What's going on? How did you get to know Director Jiang?"
Professor Wang smiled and said, "I'm going to tell you slowly..."
Jiang Xi went to find Xia Juhua. Seeing Jiang Xi, Xia Juhua put on a stern face and said, "Jiang Xi, I know you have a lot on your plate, but after all, you are still a student and you have to take the college entrance examination. You should focus on your studies and put other things aside for now."
Jiang Xi knew he was in the wrong, so he humbly accepted the advice and said in a positive manner, "I understand, Teacher Xia. I will manage my time well and not delay my studies."
Xia Juhua was not really angry with Jiang Xi. Jiang Xi had helped her so much and provided real money to those poor students.
Jiang Xi established a funding fund in the name of Wu Ji Zao Lu at Changfeng County Middle School to specifically help poor children study for exams. Because of this fund, more than one hundred students in the second year of high school returned to continue their studies, and the number is still increasing.
And, most importantly, Jiang Xi also contributed the review materials free of charge, because Jiang Xi has a lot of review materials and the quality is also very good.
The students' grades have improved. The results of the preliminary exam were far beyond Xia Jujuhua's expectations. Two outstanding students can even get into key universities. Although the other students may not be able to get into a university, they will have no problem getting into a technical secondary school.
Therefore, Xia Juhua loves Jiang Xi deeply and criticizes him harshly, but she is reluctant to criticize him too harshly and only gives a brief mention.
Xia Juhua handed the test paper to Jiang Xi: "This is a test paper specially left for you, please do it carefully."
Jiang Xi took it and started to work on the test paper seriously. Time passed minute by minute until the sun set. Jiang Xi finished the last test paper and handed it to Xia Juhua.
Xia Juhua put away the test paper and said to Jiang Xi, "I will contact the teachers of other subjects to help you mark the test paper. Don't slack off. The college entrance examination is coming soon, so you must review seriously."
Jiang Xi nodded and came out of Xia Juhua's office. Jiang Xi went directly to Xie Enze's office. Professor Wang was still there. Jiang Xi wanted to take Professor Wang back to the brine factory.
In Xie Enze's office, Professor Wang kept talking, reminiscing about his past life with Xie Enze and discussing current policies with him.
"Old Xie, we've finally arrived at a good time. Although we're still in the process of rebuilding, we have many promising talents. For example, my current student, Qi Yu'an, is a good talent."
"He's intelligent, diligent, and most importantly, willing to endure hardships and delve into research. He's definitely going to be a pillar of mechanical engineering in the future."
Xie Enze sighed, "A student who catches your eye must be very outstanding. I've never heard you praise a student like this in all these years."
Jiang Xi happened to come over at this time. Professor Wang pointed at Jiang Xi and said, "Qi Yu'an is Jiang Xi's partner."
Xie Enze's eyes were full of amusement, and he smiled: "Young and talented, a talented man and a beautiful woman, not bad, not bad."
Jiang Xi...inexplicably became the center of gossip.
After being teased by the two old men for a few more times, Jiang Xi tentatively asked, "Professor Wang, are we going home now?"
Professor Wang glanced at the sky and said, "It's getting late. I'll go back to the brine factory. You can come find me there later and we can go fishing together again."
"I told you I've improved a few fishing rods. They're different from the ones out there, and the chances of catching fish are much higher."
Wang Yu held his forehead. No wonder, he always felt that his father's luggage was a little too much. It turned out that he even brought a fishing rod. Now it seems that his father had planned this for a long time. He came to visit his old friend and wanted to stay in Changfeng County. No wonder he didn't bring him with him.
Xie Enze had other things on his hands, so he didn't ask Professor Wang to stay. He smiled and said, "Okay, I'll ask you to go fishing with me later, but we have to wait until your plaster is removed. Otherwise, if you get up, you'll make too much noise and scare away the fish. Even the best fishing rod will be useless."
Professor Wang didn't seem to mind his old friend's teasing. Instead, he said self-deprecatingly, "You're right. I'll definitely take good care of my injuries and drink more bone soup. I'll go fishing with you again when my legs and feet are better."
"Let's compete to see who catches more fish! If you lose to me, I won't hesitate to give you my fishing rod."
Xie Enze...
Jiang Xi sent Professor Wang back. It seemed that he had talked too much just now or was recalling the past. Professor Wang was very silent along the way, and Jiang Xi did not disturb him.
The wheels of the cart moved in the mud, leaving deep tracks that stopped at the brine factory.
"Professor Wang, the brine factory has prepared a room specifically for you. You can go there and rest first."
Professor Wang, supported by Wang Yu, said, "I'm going to go check on the lab first to see how Yu'an is doing."
Although Professor Wang was a little emotional after meeting with his old friend, he was still very dedicated. The first thing he did when he returned to the brine factory was to care about the progress of the machine.
Jiang Xi said: "I'll go with you to take a look."
Several people came to the temporary laboratory, and only Qi Yuan and Wu Yaoguo were left there.
Qi Yu'an had already assembled some parts and was comparing them with his notes. Wu Yaoguo was helping Qi Yu'an pass the parts, and the two of them chatted from time to time.
Qi Yu'an and Jiang Xi brought Wu Yaoguo back from Shanghai together, so Wu Yaoguo always felt that Qi Yu'an was one of his saviors and was very close to Qi Yu'an.
"Yuan, I didn't expect you to know so much. There are so many parts, and I don't even know what they are for, but you can put them together. It seems that reading is still beneficial."
Qi Yu'an fiddled with the parts while saying, "I'm just a beginner. Compared to Professor Wang, I know very little. He's the master in this industry."
Wu Yaoguo sighed, "Who would have thought that one day I would be able to work with a professor? This is all thanks to Jiang Xi."
"Jiang Xi is the most powerful person in our Jiang family. Our generation can't compare to her, and neither can anyone of her generation."
"Although she's very capable at work, we will always help her in her life. I told her grandmother a few days ago that Jiang Xi is working too hard and has a lot of things to do. We have to take good care of her in her life."
"If she needs it, we must stand up and help her. No one can bully her, otherwise I will be the first to disagree."
"My brother thinks the same thing. You've seen my brother, right? He's much stronger and more powerful than me. Not everyone can withstand a punch from him."
"We're all rough people anyway, so we'll still reason with you. But if reasoning doesn't work, we'll just fight back with our fists. We'll fight to the death to see who's right."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com