Chapter 283 Paper Cutting
He paused, his throat bobbing as if suppressing some unspeakable pain. "The walls were blackened with soot, and even the floor tiles were cracked."
He looked at her pale face with heartache, his eyes filled with pity and self-reproach. "But don't panic, the army has sent people to help with the reconstruction, and the building materials will arrive tomorrow."
Qiao Wanyin's tears fell instantly, silently sliding down her cheeks and landing on the bed sheet, leaving a dark stain.
She built it up herself, bit by bit!
Starting from scratch, every brick and tile was the result of her sleepless nights and sweat.
She remembers the first child timidly walking into the classroom, and the mothers at the first parent-teacher meeting nodding with tears in their eyes and saying, "Teacher Qiao, thank you for your hard work."
I remember she secretly used the spiritual spring in her space to stew chicken soup for her sickly child, simmering it bowl by bowl until dawn.
The children's rosy cheeks after drinking, and their innocent voices saying "Teacher, I have strength now"... all gone!
Overnight, it turned to ashes.
“Li An…”
She grabbed his hand, her fingertips icy cold, her voice trembling uncontrollably, "How...did the fire start?"
Fu Li'an's face darkened, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes. His voice was low but cold and hard: "At first glance, it seems that someone deliberately put it there."
"What?!"
Qiao Wanyin's eyes widened, her pupils contracted sharply, as if she couldn't believe her ears.
"The guards found spilled kerosene at the back door."
His voice was as cold as ice, each word striking the air clearly: "The marks are obvious; it wasn't an accident."
Qiao Wanyin shuddered as if struck by an electric current, and the hairs on her arms stood on end.
"Who? Who would do such a despicable thing?"
Her voice trembled, her eyes a mixture of anger and grief.
"Luckily it's nighttime, the children aren't home..."
She dared not think any further; her heart clenched as if someone had grabbed it and twisted it hard.
If there were children in the classroom when the fire broke out that day...
She dared not think any further.
She stayed in the hospital for two days with a persistent high fever. The doctor said it was due to intense emotional fluctuations and overwork.
Fu Lian took her home only after her body temperature stabilized.
As soon as I entered the residential compound, a group of people gathered at the entrance, chattering and discussing something.
When someone saw her, they immediately fell silent and turned to look at her with concern.
"Mom, what's this...?"
She asked Song Yazhi with a puzzled look, her brows furrowed slightly, a sense of unease rising in her heart.
Song Yazhi sighed deeply, tears welling in her eyes: "Your second brother and sister-in-law, along with a few soldiers, are helping you pack up. They've been working day and night these past two days while you were in the hospital, they haven't even had time to eat."
As Qiao Wanyin approached and took a closer look, a sudden pang of sadness struck her heart.
Second Sister-in-law, with her sleeves rolled up, revealing her rough but strong forearms, was kneeling on the ground, vigorously scrubbing the blackened wall with a steel wool pad.
My fingers were worn red, and there was black grime under my nails.
My second brother and several soldiers were unloading newly made tables and chairs from the truck; the wood still smelled of varnish.
They carried heavy loads on their shoulders, their steps were heavy, and beads of sweat streamed down their foreheads, past their temples, and dripped into the soil.
"Hey! Little sister's back?"
Li Hongmei spotted Qiao Wanyin standing at the courtyard gate immediately, her eyes lighting up. She quickly tossed the rag she was holding onto the bucket, brushed the sweat-dampened stray hairs from her forehead, and hurried over to greet her. "Are you feeling better? You look better than a couple of days ago. Don't push yourself too hard. With your second brother and me here, we'll make sure this kindergarten is beautifully cleaned up again, even brighter and cleaner than before! Don't worry!"
Looking at her second sister-in-law, who was covered in sweat and panting heavily, Qiao Wanyin felt a sudden pang of sadness, and her nose even felt a little swollen.
She opened her mouth, her voice so soft it was almost a whisper: "Second sister-in-law, these rough jobs can be done by Li An and the other young men. Why...why are you working so hard? They're not outsiders. I really can't bear to see you so exhausted."
"This won't do!"
Li Hongmei interrupted her directly, her tone resolute and brooking no argument.
As she spoke, she casually pulled a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe the sweat from her face, staring firmly at Qiao Wanyin. "We're sisters, family members who are connected even if our bones are broken! Your problems are my family's problems. Do you think I'd let you shoulder this alone? Don't say such formal things!"
Qiao Wanyin stood silently in front of the kindergarten's mottled, peeling wooden door, watching Li Hongmei's figure moving back and forth in the yard—sometimes moving tables and chairs, sometimes carrying water to wipe the walls, her faded cloth shoes crunching on the muddy ground.
The sunlight slanted down on her, casting a long shadow.
Qiao Wanyin's heart suddenly felt as if it had been gently caressed by the warm spring sun, soft and warm, like a long-dried riverbed being filled with clear spring water again.
"Second sister-in-law, take a rest."
She walked over, poured a cup of cold tea from the thermos, and handed it to him in a voice so gentle it was unlike her usual self, "Have a drink of water, take a break, the work isn't urgent."
Li Hongmei then stopped, shook her aching arms, and carefully wiped her hands with her sleeve as she took the teacup, afraid of dirtying the cup.
"Not tired at all!"
She grinned, revealing a set of neat white teeth, her smile as honest and simple as a country girl. "Look at this garden. After another half day of work, all the tables and chairs will be back in their places, and the window and door frames will be polished. As soon as it's light tomorrow, the children will be able to happily run back to class! We can't delay the children's studies."
In the days that followed, Li Hongmei did far more and with far more care than Qiao Wanyin had initially anticipated.
She didn't even leave herself a single room to slack off.
As dawn broke and the morning mist still shrouded the village paths, the "swish" of brooms sweeping across the ground could be heard from afar.
Li Hongmei was already sweeping the kindergarten yard inch by inch, with a large broom in hand and her trousers rolled up.
She carefully swept fallen leaves, scraps of paper, and pebbles into the dustpan, and the yard quickly became clean and tidy, as if it had been given a new look.
As night fell, the moonlight quietly shone on the empty playground. Everyone else had already gone home to eat dinner and watch TV, but Li Hongmei was still squatting at the entrance of the teaching building.
She checked each classroom one by one, carefully closing every window and locking the iron gate one by one, her movements as earnest as if she were guarding some rare treasure.
What Qiao Wanyin didn't expect was that one day she discovered that the classroom windows were covered with colorful paper cuttings—chubby little rabbits, golden stars, and delicate pink flowers, layered on the glass. When the sunlight shone in, the whole classroom glowed with soft colored light, like a little house in a fairy tale.
"Second sister-in-law, did you cut this?"
Qiao Wanyin asked in surprise.
Li Hongmei rubbed her hands shyly: "I was just killing time anyway, so I thought I'd do some cutting for fun. The kids will definitely like it, and it'll brighten up the classroom too."
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