Chapter 48: Iron Tree Blossoms【VIP】
The wasteland is not big, but we were able to harvest two full baskets of edamame.
Even the straw that was thrown away in the past, Shen Qingshan took it home and crushed it into fertilizer, turning waste into treasure, following his daughter's advice.
Huang Xing, carrying a basket and a low stool, followed her husband, rubbing the backs of her hands. "Ayao won't be home tomorrow because she's delivering cotton clothes to the quarry. You might as well empty the manure vat at home."
Shen Qingshan carried the load and handed the gloves to his wife, feeling torn at the moment.
On the one hand, he didn't want his daughter to meet Yang Jizong alone, but on the other hand, he had to obey his daughter-in-law's arrangements.
So he turned around to look at his wife's face and finally agreed to the task she asked him to do.
Chen Yao had to teach in the afternoon, so she and her uncle went home after harvesting the edamame in the field.
As soon as I opened the door, I was shocked by the indigo ready-made clothes that looked like people lying on the bed.
Yang Wenying, needle and thread in hand, spoke to the returning person without even looking up: "Hurry up and go to school to teach. If you don't go, those kids will probably make a scene!"
Chen Yao took another fierce look at the men's suit, took the shuttlecock from the table and went to the school with gritted teeth.
Although the weather is warm today, there is a cold breeze everywhere in the school.
There was no bright window paper to block out the light, so I could only open the skylight to read.
The children hunched their arms and rubbed their hands and blew out air continuously. When their fingers were no longer stiff, they continued to practice writing on the sand table.
When Shen Yao came over, Luo Dunzi was the first to notice her. He shouted with a runny nose, "Ah, Teacher Shen is here!"
The children stood up from their benches one by one.
Chen Yao tossed the shuttlecock to Luo Dunzi and said to the freezing children, "Do you know how to play shuttlecock? Go play outside for a while. Once you're warm, we can come back in to study."
Luo Dunzi was stunned when he held the colorful shuttlecock. He had never seen such beautiful feathers.
Not only had he never seen it, but neither had the other children in the village.
It was Zhang Chunya who raised his hand first and asked Shen Yao, "Teacher Shen, we don't know how to play shuttlecock. How do we play it?"
So Chen Yao, who was supposed to teach the children math, played shuttlecock and hopscotch with the children in front of the school today.
"1, 2, 3...10, 11...20." The children surrounded Chen Yao, clapping their hands and counting. The students who didn't know how to count followed the students who knew and were able to count slowly forward.
From a distance, Zhao Xiaofu could hear Luo Dunzi's counting voice, the loudest and smoothest.
As expected of a student he taught, so smart.
Chen Yao kicked 20 balls in one breath amid the cheers of the children. When she saw the last one flying out, she stopped and let Luo Dunzi pick it up.
Who would have thought that the shuttlecock would fall into Zhao Xiaofu's arms.
Zhao Xiaofu thought about it for a few days at home and finally convinced himself to follow Chen Yao to learn mathematics and learn Arabic numerals.
But he never expected that Chen Yao not only did not teach the children today, but also took the lead in playing with the children.
Look at the little ones whose faces are red from playing and whose heads are steaming.
"Zhao, Teacher Zhao, why are you here?" Luo Dunzi stood on tiptoe, snatched the shuttlecock from his arms and was about to run away.
Zhao Xiaofu grabbed his collar from behind and walked towards Chen Yao.
If you ask who the children in the school are most afraid of, it must be Zhao Xiaofu. If anyone fails to complete their homework, he will really spank the children's hands.
"Chen Yao, as a teacher, you don't teach by example, but instead take them out for fun? Is this the kind of school you want to run?"
The originally noisy scene suddenly became silent.
Chen Yao first rescued Luo Dunzi from the strict teacher in front of her, and then explained to the visitor: "This is not a crazy play, I am teaching through entertainment."
Zhao Xiaofu snorted coldly: "Sweet talk, what can you learn from playing shuttlecock?"
And what are those ghostly drawings on the ground?
Chen Yao followed his gaze and looked at the "hopscotch" game on the ground. "Teacher Zhao, everyone's teaching method is different. Look, when I teach the children to play shuttlecock, I can make them count. When I teach them to play hopscotch, they can remember the Arabic numerals in each box while playing."
"Besides, it's so cold, and if students sit for a long time, they'll get frozen. Moving around will warm them up, right?"
Shitou and the other older kids showed expressions of sudden enlightenment on their faces, looked at Chen Yao with admiration, and took the lead in answering yes.
Zhao Xiaofu was so angry at the collusion between the teacher and the students that his face turned ugly. He asked Shitou, "So, you guys learned while playing, but did you learn everything?"
This time the children did not answer in unison. Instead, their eyes flickered and they did not dare to look the two teachers in the eye.
Luo Dunzi tugged at the hem of Chen Yao's clothes and leaned towards Teacher Zhao, "You won't be able to do it if you play it once. If you play it every day, you will definitely be able to do it, right, Chunya?"
Zhang Chunya responded quietly in the crowd.
Seeing that Zhao Xiaofu was about to get upset, Chen Yao quickly gave her cousin a look and said, "You two should go back to the classroom first and write down what you know."
As the oldest student in the school, Tian Baozhu cooperated very well with her cousin and led a group of children into the classroom.
Without the children, Shen Yao walked towards Zhao Xiaofu: "Brother Xiaofu, don't be angry, why are you here at this time? Is there something you want to talk to me about?"
Zhao Xiaofu swallowed his words about wanting to learn Arabic numerals from her and said, "I'll supervise your teaching."
After saying this, in front of Shen Yao's surprised expression, he sat on the last empty seat in Zhao's room.
Chen Yao did not expose the fact that Zhao Xiaofu was in prison.
Just learn the method.
After the self-study class, Chen Yao told Zhao Xiaofu about her family's affairs for tomorrow.
Zhao Xiaofu paused as he put away his writing brush and asked, "Then I will be the one teaching tomorrow?"
Chen Yao nodded and showered Zhao Xiaofu with compliments as if they were free.
Zhao Xiaofu walked out of the school with his school basket without even looking at her.
At night, the north wind outside made the doors and windows rustle.
Chen Yao and Yang Wenying huddled in their quilts. Even though they were pressing their feet against the hot dirt, it was no use; they were still cold.
"You think it won't snow tomorrow?" Yang Wenying pulled the bedding of the two of them, making it airtight around them.
Chen Yao was extremely sleepy and turned over: "If it snows, you and your aunt will go and deliver the cotton clothes by yourself. I won't go."
Hearing this, Yang Wenying immediately turned over and sat up, looking down at Chen Yao: "That won't work, you have to go with me, didn't you ask my brother for advice on how to make paper and ink?"
Chen Yao shouted coldly, stretched out her hand to pull the man back to the quilt and muttered: "Who knows if your brother can do it? I didn't make this trip in vain."
Yang Wenying was unhappy when she heard this. How could it be a wasted trip?
"It won't be a wasted trip. When we get there, maybe my brother will not only know how to do it, but also find something in the mountains for you and us." Yang Wenying was pinched on the arm by Chen Yao, and she quickly changed her words.
Chen Yao buried herself in the quilt without saying a word. The hot air from her breath made her cheeks hot. No matter how much Yang Wenying begged, she refused to give her accurate information.
The next day, smoke was rising from the Shen family's kitchen before dawn.
After the family finished breakfast, Chen Yao put pumpkin pancakes into the pot again. She glanced at the four chickens squatting at the stove to keep warm and couldn't help sighing. She didn't know if they could survive this winter.
Why not eat it before it gets too hot? The dry pot chicken is actually quite tender.
When Yang Wenying was adding firewood to the stove, she noticed that Chen Yao's eyes were not right. She carried the four chickens into the nest like protecting their own chickens, and did not forget to pack the warm earthen clods and put them in as well.
The chicken coop suddenly clucked in response, and Yang Wenying was overwhelmed with maternal love, praising the chickens for being so adorable.
Chen Yao sighed and continued to put pancakes into the pot as if resigned to her fate.
When Miao led her son into the kitchen, a cold wind blew in, causing Shen Yao to cry out, "Aunt, close the door quickly."
"Ayao, are you done? Let's set off once you're done. I think the weather will be bad if it snows in the afternoon." Miao moved closer to the stove and rubbed her hands in the warm air.
Chen Yao picked up the pumpkin cakes and gave one to everyone, then wrapped up the rest and put them in her cousin's basket.
After eating the pumpkin cake, Yang Wenying went back to the house to get her brother's clothes and put them in.
Chen Yao said hello to her parents, and everyone set off for the quarry.
This was the first time that Miao had walked such a long mountain road, especially after leaving Shanghe Village, everything he saw was new to him.
Huang Dongsheng carried the load and led his mother out of the village. He acted like a little tour guide, explaining whatever his mother pointed at.
What village is the one we are passing by, how many people live in the village, who is the head of the village, and which family in the village has bad relations.
She made her mother laugh all the way.
But the laughter disappeared after entering the quarry, and was replaced by loud crying from inside the house.
Inside the mud house, the couple who had not seen each other for many months hugged each other and cried bitterly. Huang Songbai, wearing the new cotton-padded jacket sewn by his wife, also had tears in his eyes and hugged his wife tightly, refusing to let go.
Outside the mud house, four children, from tallest to shortest, stood in a row under the window, enjoying the cold wind.
Chen Yao couldn't stand the strong wind any more. She hugged her clothes tightly and shivered with cold. She looked up at Yang Jizong with a pitiful look and said, "How about we go to Instructor Xing's house to take shelter from the wind?"
Yang Jizong looked down at her and immediately walked in front. Chen Yao hurriedly put her arms around Yang Wenying's shoulders and hid behind him.
As for Huang Dongsheng, he turned back after walking only a few steps. He had to go into the house and urge his parents to talk about serious matters and not just cry like Yang Wenying.
Xing Fang was not in the room, so Yang Jizong greeted the guards and went straight in with his men.
He found charcoal fire, lit the charcoal basin, poured hot water, and after a series of smooth movements, Chen Yao knew while holding the tea bowl that Yang Jizong had become a frequent visitor to the owner of this house.
After drinking the hot water, Yang Wenying sat in the middle, looking at this and that, sighed, and she had to step forward.
This family will really fall apart without her.
"Brother, I've made you a new cotton-padded jacket too. Try it on when we get back to the house and see if it fits." Yang Wenying took out a pen and paper from her book basket and started sharpening them. Without waiting for her brother's reply, she muttered to herself, "It should fit. After all, A-Yao measured it herself, and she's always been pretty accurate."
"Puff--" Chen Yao spat out a mouthful of water. Fortunately, she turned around in time, otherwise all the water would have sprayed on the face of Yang Jizong opposite her.
Yang Jizong was not much better, his face flushed from choking on the water. He felt rude and clenched his fists: "Cough cough cough——"
After they calmed down, their eyes met, then they quickly turned away.
Yang Wenying sat on the stool and laughed secretly: "Brother, have you found anything new in the mountains recently? A Yao told me last night that if you didn't, you wouldn't come - woo woo woo."
Chen Yao suddenly stood up and covered Yang Wenying's chattering mouth. "Wenying, I remember you always cried loudly when you came to see your brother a few times ago. It's better for you to cry."
Woo woo woo—let go, who is crying so hard, I’m not, don’t talk nonsense.
Yang Wenying was about to express her dissatisfaction by pulling Chen Yao's hand away when a burst of hearty laughter suddenly rang out from the room.
Chen Yao was so frightened that she hugged Yang Wenying tightly, and they both looked at Yang Jizong.
Chen Yao: Oh my god, this guy looks so sunny when he smiles, not gloomy at all.
Yang Wenying: Oh my, the iron tree has blossomed, my brother finally got it!
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