Chapter 43 Bullying
Du Chenzhe's reputation plummeted.
So what if the poetry is romantic and the writing is brilliant? He did not respect the teacher selection, cheated in the examination room by replacing the test papers, and then abandoned her after the truth was revealed, but he pushed all the responsibility onto Hu Yiqin. He has no character, no morals, and no responsibility!
Is such a person qualified to be a secretary? Is he worthy of being called an “educated youth poet”?
As for Hu Yiqin, she gained everyone's sympathy because of her good attitude of admitting her mistakes and taking all the responsibility on herself. Everyone thinks that she loves Du Chenzhe too much and is too humble, and Du Chenzhe should give her an explanation.
Finally, the farm considered opinions from all sides and cancelled Hu Yiqin's selection qualification, removed Du Chenzhe from the position of secretary, and criticized him throughout the farm.
A week later, Du Chenzhe and Hu Yiqin got their marriage certificate. Hu Yiqin got what she wanted and distributed wedding candies to everyone with a smile. However, Du Chenzhe's heart was as dry as a well, and his face was bitter without a trace of smile.
Ye Qin stood and watched from a distance, but when he returned to the dormitory he burst into tears.
Mourning the end of a first love is also about being sad about falling in love with a person of bad character.
Tao Nanfeng thought to himself that if he were to fall in love in the future, morality must be put first.
September has arrived in a blink of an eye, and the farm primary school has officially opened.
When the children saw the brand new campus, the large brick-and-tile buildings with large roofs, the spacious corridors, the bright and clean classrooms, the beautiful large playground, and the grand flag-raising platform, they all shouted excitedly.
“Our new school is so beautiful!”
"Will we all be able to study in classrooms like this in the future? New desks, new blackboards, new podiums, and new teachers!"
When the national anthem sounded from the loudspeakers, the children wearing red scarves faced the morning glow and saluted the bright red national flag, their little faces full of pride and excitement.
Xiao Aiyun obtained the first place in the written test and the interview, and was admitted as a public school teacher. She was officially transferred from the Infrastructure Department to the Farm Primary School and became a glorious people's teacher.
She was reluctant to part with the educated youth from Jiangcheng, and still lived in the No. 6 educated youth site, walking about 20 minutes to go to school every day.
By late October, the tea-oil fruits on the mountains and fields are ripe.
As soon as Xiao Aiyun returned to the dormitory, she started complaining: "Another student asked for leave today, saying that they wanted to help their parents pick tea fruit. There are fifty students in our class, and almost half of them went to the mountains. If we don't let them go, this is the biggest source of income for the villagers of Nanbeipo Brigade; if we let them go, it will really delay their studies."
Camellia oleifera is also known as tea tree and tea oil tree. The fruit is slightly red when ripe. The tea oil squeezed from it is clear in color and fragrant in taste. It is rich in nutrients and is a high-quality edible oil.
Every year, villagers pick the tea seeds, dry them in the sun, and then sell them to the tea oil factory in Quping Town. They use the money to buy daily necessities such as salt, soy sauce, needles and thread, and cloth. The oil tea fruit that we have been looking forward to for a whole year is finally ripe. It is a wild and ownerless thing, so who wouldn’t be eager to pick it by hand?
Everyone wants to pick more, whether old or young, they all go up the mountain to pick. No matter you are studying or farming, everyone will put down what they are doing at this time.
The picking period is about twenty days. Villagers go up the mountain one after another to pick ripe fruits. They first pick those with shiny skin, no hair, and slightly cracked shells. After three to five days of drying in sunny weather, the tea fruits will naturally crack open. The black tea seeds are separated, sieved and cleaned, and then dried for another two days, and they will be almost done.
No matter which house you go to at this time, you will definitely see pieces of tea oil fruits drying on the floor.
Although Xiao Aiyun is a city girl, she has been at Xiufengshan Farm for two years and has long since integrated into the local customs and practices. Although she is dissatisfied with students taking leave and not attending classes, she does not stop them.
Tao Nanfeng listened to her complaints quietly and asked, "When do the children usually go up the mountain to pick fruits, and how long does it take? They can't spend twelve hours a day picking oil fruits on the mountain, right?"
Xiao Aiyun seemed to be thinking, "How can we pick tea fruits for such a long time? Although they are wild tea trees, different production teams still divide the hills and only pick them in a few fixed areas. Tea fruits are generally picked in the order of high first and low, and sunny first and shady later. If we pick immature fruits, the seed yield will also be low."
Tao Nanfeng made a suggestion.
"The tea fruit picking season is the ten days before and after the frost. Do you want to talk to Principal Li Minli and adjust the class schedule during these ten days so that all the children can help with the housework without delaying their studies?"
"That's right!" Xiao Aiyun slapped his thigh, "Why didn't I think of that? Instead of dealing with it passively, why not take the initiative to arrange the teaching? I'll go find Principal Li now!"
Li Minli is now a Chinese teacher and principal of Xiufengshan Primary School. She is conscientious and responsible in her work and is also very caring towards Xiao Aiyun. She taught her step by step in the office how to write lesson plans, prepare lessons, teach classes and manage students.
Xiao Aiyun didn't want to wait a moment and ran to the elementary school with a flashlight.
Seeing that it was getting dark outside, Tao Nanfeng was worried about Xiao Aiyun walking alone at night, so he chased after her: "I'll go with you."
Xiao Aiyun happily took her arm and smiled, revealing two small tiger teeth: "Tao Nanfeng, you are so good to me."
Li Minli lives in the new dormitory assigned by the primary school. It is a one-story house with a ridge and a single-sided corridor. There are five households in a row. Her family lives in the largest one at the east end.
Seeing Tao Nanfeng and Xiao Aiyun running over, Li Minli, who was having dinner with her family, was startled. She thought something big had happened and stood up from her chair: "What's wrong?"
After hearing what Xiao Aiyun said, she nodded repeatedly: "Good idea, why don't we just make this rule a regular rule in our elementary school, just like the holidays during the busy farming season. Ten days before and after the frost, classes will start at 9 am and end at 4 pm, giving the children time to pick oil tea fruits."
Tao Nanfeng stood aside and watched Li Minli holding a coarse porcelain rice bowl in one hand and a pair of chopsticks in the other, with her left foot held by a three-year-old child. She looked like a housewife, but was talking about the important matter of teaching and educating people. Tao Nanfeng couldn't help but smile.
After Li Minli and Xiao Aiyun finished talking, they said to Tao Nanfeng embarrassedly: "I'm sorry, I've only eaten half of this, otherwise I'd like to invite you to eat together..."
Tao Nanfeng glanced at the dining table, smiled and waved his hand: "You're welcome, let's go back to the educated youth point to eat."
There was a small dark dining table with three bowls of food on it, one bowl of stir-fried water spinach leaves, one bowl of stir-fried water spinach stems with chili peppers, and one bowl of pickled beans. There was not a trace of meat smell. Li Minli married a local farmer and all family expenses depended on her, so they lived a very hard life.
Sitting next to the dining table was a dark, thin and honest man, and a shrewd-looking woman. They should be Li Minli's husband and mother-in-law.
The man didn't say anything, but the woman curled her lips and said, "You're busy even after get off work. How can a woman be a principal? It's more appropriate to give birth to a son as soon as possible."
Li Minli is a strong-willed person and never complains in front of her colleagues. Tao Nanfeng originally thought that she was a straightforward career woman, but he did not expect that she was a bullied young wife at home. A hint of sympathy unconsciously appeared in his eyes.
Li Minli pursed her lips, held her breath and put down the bowl and chopsticks in her hands, bent down and picked up the little girl who had been leaning against her legs, put her face close to hers, took her little hand and shook it: "Come, say goodbye to your aunt."
The little girl hugged Li Minli's neck with one hand and said timidly: "Goodbye."
Xiao Aiyun smiled and waved: "Goodbye."
Tao Nanfeng took out a piece of candy from his pocket and put it into the little girl's hand: "Be good..."
Li Minli looked at the girl with clear eyes in front of her and nodded: "Thank you." Once upon a time, she also had such a clear and simple youth, but after getting married, she could no longer feel the ease and happiness without worries.
After exchanging a few words of greeting and walking out, Tao Nanfeng and Xiao Aiyun sighed at the same time.
Xiao Aiyun said angrily, "Why do you want to get married? Principal Li is so pitiful. She works very hard at school and earns a lot of money every month, but she has no status at home. Look at her mother-in-law, she is an evil woman. She keeps asking her to give birth to a son all day long! Women's liberation has been talked about for so many years, why are sons still not as good as daughters?!"
Thinking of the timid look of the little girl just now, Tao Nanfeng felt very uncomfortable: "Principal Li's daughter looks... Alas!"
A three-year-old child is at his most lively and cute, but this little girl is very timid and doesn't seem to be a favored one. The idea of favoring boys over girls is serious in rural areas, and Li Minli must have suffered a lot of grievances in her husband's family.
Thinking of how her parents had given birth to four daughters and still wanted to have another child just to have a son, Xiao Aiyun spat, "Preferring sons over daughters is a deadly evil!"
Tao Nanfeng was a little confused: "I don't understand why Principal Li would marry a local villager. Is there no suitable partner in the educated youth camp?"
Xiao Aiyun lowered her voice and said, "You don't know about this? I heard that this man took a fancy to Teacher Li Minli when she first arrived at the educated youth center. He first helped her with labor and asked about her well-being. Later, I don't know how the news got out that he slept with her. From the villagers to the educated youth, everyone pointed fingers at him. Li Minli had no choice but to marry him."
Tao Nanfeng gritted her teeth and said, "Who would spread such news? It was probably her husband's trick! Maybe it was her mother-in-law's trick."
Don't be fooled by that man's honest appearance. He might be a cunning villain just like his stepmother Feng Chun'e, who always pretends to be pitiful to gain sympathy and gain benefits.
In that era, a woman's reputation was very important. Li Minli was a good girl, but she was forced to get married because of such rumors.
The two men sighed as they walked, unaware that a fierce quarrel had broken out in Li Minli's home.
Li Minli's husband's surname is Fan, and his name is Fan Qixi. He and Fan Wufu are cousins. His father died early, and he was raised by his widowed mother, Wang Chuntao.
Fan Sixi didn't say anything in front of Tao Nanfeng and Xiao Aiyun, but as soon as they left, he got angry.
"You are a woman, working all day long. Do you still want to take care of the family? You let my mother take care of the children, feed the chickens, and cook. Are you still a woman?"
Wang Chuntao stood up and cleared the dishes in a bad mood: "You do nothing but wait for me to serve you! You think you are so great just because you have some education? You think you are so great because you are a public school teacher? You can't even give birth to a son, what kind of woman are you?"
There is only a wall between each household in the ridge-top houses, so there is no privacy at all. Li Minli didn't want to argue, fearing that her colleagues would hear her and embarrass her. She picked up her daughter with a cold face and walked into the bedroom, where she sat at the desk, opened her lesson preparation book and stared blankly.
How does life slide into the abyss step by step?
After coming to the farm from the county town, she was overwhelmed by the busy farm work. Fan Qixi took good care of her and took the initiative to help her with the work, bringing her water, food, and wild fruits, and taking her to pick wild flowers, pull bamboo shoots, and fetch spring water in the mountains. The innocent Li Minli was attracted by such tenderness and freshness and followed him home.
It was during that visit that Wang Chuntao coaxed and tricked her into staying for a night. The next day, rumors were flying everywhere. How can a good girl sleep in the man’s house? He must have got into bed.
Li Minli, who had no choice but to marry Fan Qixi, was only 19 years old that year.
After giving birth to her daughter, she almost lost her life due to hemorrhage, and she has been unable to get pregnant since then. Her mother-in-law and husband changed their attitude towards her, and they kept making indirect complaints in front of her, as if a woman who could not carry on the man's family line was a sinner.
Li Minli also wants to jump out of this quagmire.
She was the Chinese class representative when she was in high school, so it was easy for her to apply for a private teacher position. At that time, the five yuan monthly subsidy for private teachers was issued by the brigade. I never got it in my hands and it was taken away by my mother-in-law early on. The subsidy for educated youth was 16 yuan per month. As soon as it was distributed, my husband would come to ask for it. If I didn’t give it to him, he would get a long face and become unhappy.
Fan Qixi made a living by farming and his family was extremely poor. When Li Minli got married, there was not even a decent bed and bedding. If it weren't for her efforts, the whole family would have starved.
But... no one appreciated it.
Fan Qixi had to resort to some tricks to coax Li Minli into marrying him. Fearing that she would dislike him, he took the initiative and found all kinds of faults in her, and together with Wang Chuntao, he tried his best to suppress her.
"You educated youth came to our farm, aren't you supposed to integrate with the workers and farmers? It's very honorable to marry a farmer. You have to understand this."
"At the beginning, the elders in our village said that we should not marry an educated youth with a bad reputation. If it weren't for our Qixi's kindness, a woman like you would have been drowned in the pond in ancient times!"
"If it weren't for my Qixi's kindness, who would marry you with your lazy appearance of not being able to work hard and not knowing the difference between grains? Look at the wives in our village, they are all good at everything, doing housework, farm work, and taking care of children. They are very diligent."
"Although you are educated, knowledge can't make a living. There are big-character posters in town saying that the more knowledge you have, the more reactionary you are. If you come to our farm, you must work hard and reform your thoughts. Don't act like an intellectual all day long, or I'll criticize you!"
Between the lines, the mother and son were trying to instill an idea in Li Minli: No one except our family would take in an educated youth like you who has a bad reputation and cannot give birth to a son. So you have to be grateful and give everything you have, and maybe then we will be nicer to you.
Li Minli was an educated youth from Yuezhou. She was the eldest daughter in the family. Her parents favored boys over girls and didn't care about her well-being or life or death. When he found out that she was marrying a local farmer, he simply said, "You didn't even give me a dowry? You're such a money-loser!"
Li Minli felt that she was helpless. If it weren't for the teacher's sense of responsibility and the children's love supporting her, she would probably not be able to survive.
Hearing curses in her ears, Li Minli closed her eyes in pain. A pair of soft little hands covered her lips.
A strong smell of candy came, and Li Minli opened her eyes and saw her daughter stuffing fruit candy into her mouth. Her daughter licked the candy wrapper in her hand reluctantly, and did not forget to comfort her: "Mom, don't cry, eat candy."
A sweet taste came out of the tip of her tongue, and Li Minli stared blankly at the candy wrapper in her daughter's hand.
The colorful transparent candy wrapper has two red lanterns in the red part, red flowers and green grass lace on the edge, and a big "Xixi" character. This is the gift that Tao Nanfeng gave to his daughter.
That beautiful Tao Nanfeng lives such a bright and open life. She was the same age as when she got married, 19 years old, but she was already the leader of the farm and everyone praised her.
Li Minli put the hard candy in her mouth into her daughter's mouth, touched her daughter's head and said softly: "Ailian, be good, eat it."
In this miserable home, Li Minli's daughter is her only concern. The reason why she named her daughter "Ailian" is because of the scholar's persistence in Li Minli's heart: I only love the lotus that grows out of the mud but is not stained, and is washed by the clear water but is not coquettish.
My daughter was as thin as a tiny bean sprout, with sparse and dry hair, and it was obvious that she was not well taken care of. Because she was a daughter, she was despised by her husband and mother-in-law, who scolded her all day long as a money-loser, which made the child timid and cowardly.
Fan Qixi walked into the room and sniffed: "Okay, you actually ate candy behind my back! You are a primary school principal, and you actually started eating alone?"
Tao Nanfeng's beautiful big eyes flashed before my eyes, clear and bright, exactly the same as when I was young. A power she had never felt before surged up, and Li Minli suddenly didn't want to endure it anymore.
She sneered: "What do you mean by stealing? You are greedy for the candy your colleague gave to your child. You have the nerve to say that!"
Fan Qixi snatched the child away, pinched her mouth, and tried desperately to dig the candy out, cursing: "You stupid girl, you don't know how to honor your father and grandmother when you have candy, and you dare to eat it all by yourself! I will beat you to death!"
Ailian flapped her hands and screamed in fear.
Li Minli rushed forward in panic, wanting to hug her daughter back, but Fan Qixi was so strong that he would not let her get close to him and pushed her to the ground.
"Behave yourself! If you piss me off, I'll strip you naked and throw you in front of the school gate. I'll see if you still have the nerve to be the principal of a farm primary school! You're still a role model for others, you bastard!"
The feeling of helplessness and humiliation made Li Minli's eyes go dark. I looked around in confusion, not knowing where the future lay.
A scholar meets a soldier and cannot explain himself politely. What should he do?
When the grandmother Wang Chuntao heard her granddaughter screaming, she came over and hugged Ailian, glaring at her son and said, "Okay, why are you arguing with the child? You should get rid of your mother-in-law and give birth to a son."
Son, son!
Li Minli didn't know where she got the strength from, but she suddenly got up from the ground, grabbed her daughter, and rushed out quickly.
All these years of forbearance not only did not earn them an ounce of respect, but instead made the mother and son behave even worse. She doesn't want to live like this anymore.
It was pitch black outside the door, with a flickering candlelight next door. Li Minli walked forward with one foot deep and one foot shallow, holding her daughter.
I heard my mother-in-law calling out from behind: "Li Minli, why did you take Ailian out in the dark? This is so outrageous..."
Fan Qixi grumbled to his neighbor, "Oh, my wife is so hard to please. She would run away if she said something she didn't like. Now that she's a principal, her attitude has changed."
Li Minli said nothing, just pursed her lips and ran forward. Her heart was beating violently, and she was extremely clear-headed at this moment.
Tao Nanfeng, go find her!
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