How much do people in the mountains respect teachers like Jiang Baichuan?
To put it simply, Grandma Camellia has offended the entire village today!
In this day and age, how rare is it for a poor place like Langshan to have a principal like Jiang Baichuan who is not only highly skilled in teaching but also devoted to the school? You might not meet one like him for decades!
Such a good principal, and instead of thinking about how to repay him, the villagers condoned an elderly person in the village beating someone to the point of hospitalization?
If word gets out, who will dare to teach in Langshan in the future?
Isn't this tantamount to ruining the future of the children in the mountains?
"Don't worry! This incident has had a terrible social impact! We will definitely bring the perpetrators to justice!" The police station chief stated on the spot.
We can't remain silent!
One reason is that the behavior of a student's parent assaulting a school teacher has aroused public outrage.
Another, more important reason is that public opinion and netizens are still watching them closely.
Since the last school nutrition program corruption scandal was exposed by the media, netizens have been particularly worried that a good principal like Jiang Baichuan, who is at the heart of this news story, would face retaliation. They are especially concerned that news might break that Jiang Baichuan was assaulted at school...
Regardless of who injured him, netizens will definitely suspect that someone deliberately hired thugs to retaliate against the school. Once the public opinion ferments, the head of the local police station will be the first to be sacrificed!
So, after her son was arrested on suspicion of child trafficking, Camellia's grandmother was detained for assault...
Now look what's happened! There are only two adults in the Shan family, and both of them are in jail. One of them might have to serve many more years in prison, as child trafficking is a serious crime!
The other one broke into the school, committed violence, and injured a teacher; at the very least, he should be detained!
"If I had known that taking a hit would have settled things, I would have been eager for that old lady to hit me sooner." Hearing that the custody of the three sisters, including Shancha, had been successfully transferred to Aunt Chen, Jiang Baichuan happily hugged the thermos and took a big gulp of chicken soup.
Actually, he had wanted to be discharged from the hospital a long time ago, but Jiang Xiaoman and the police station scare him, saying that if he, the "victim," didn't stay in the hospital for a few more days, there would be no way to make Grandma Shancha receive the punishment she deserved. So he had no choice but to stay in the health center for five days. Fortunately, he can be discharged today.
Jiang Xiaoman looked at her uncle speechlessly, feeling as if her uncle had been hit on the back of the head with a brick, and seemed even dumber than before.
However, as the old saying goes, fools sometimes have good fortune.
Jiang Baichuan took the brick, but protected his student. He not only received commendation from the county education bureau, but also attracted reports from several media outlets.
In addition, in recent years, there have been frequent cases of people claiming to be "mentally ill" or having failed in their investments taking revenge on society, specifically targeting students who are defenseless. Jiang Baichuan was able to risk his life to protect his students when these "thugs" attacked them. Such a good principal is exactly the positive role model that the media needs most right now!
Forced to appear on television with half his head bald, Jiang Baichuan even received a 10,000 yuan reward for his act of bravery.
Moreover, because the news concerned children's safety at school, it attracted widespread attention from society.
Nowadays, both mainstream media and independent media love to chase trending topics. In a short time, countless influential figures in education and parenting praised Jiang Baichuan, and even some official accounts from the public security system took the opportunity to release some legal education videos.
Jiang Baichuan, the principal of this rural primary school, has become a sensation. It's highly likely that he will be among the top ten teachers in the county and even the city this year.
The villagers also showed great enthusiasm for Principal Baichuan, who was "discharged from the hospital after being seriously injured":
Jiang Xiaoman hired a van to pick up Jiang Baichuan. Along the way, upon hearing that Jiang Baichuan was in the van, people she knew kept stopping the vehicle and stuffing things like walnuts, free-range eggs, and wild honey into it.
From the health center to the school, the journey was like a shopping trip; the back seats were piled high with goods before the car even entered the village.
Once you get into the village, things get even more interesting.
The teachers and students at the school skipped classes and all rushed to the village entrance to welcome their principal father. The village chief personally brought a basin of water boiled with pomelo leaves. As soon as Jiang Baichuan got out of the car, he was splashed with pomelo water, which is said to ward off bad luck.
Jiang Xiaoman followed behind, thinking that his uncle really needed to get rid of bad luck. It had only been less than a year, and he had already been to the hospital twice. Could someone be that unlucky?
The children happily surrounded their principal father as they returned to school, with the villagers following along. They continued cursing Camellia's grandmother on the way, yet couldn't help feeling a lingering fear.
Now, Langshan Primary School is entirely supported by Jiang Baichuan. If Jiang Baichuan is really damaged by that old bastard this time, the village school will probably have to close down, and then the children in the family will have to be sent to boarding school in the town.
Even if you don't live on campus, the transportation costs for picking you up and dropping you off each year are not a small amount. Moreover, many young people in the family work outside, so even if they want to pick you up and drop you off themselves, they can't find anyone to do so.
Thinking of this, the villagers wished they could bring all the good things from their homes to the school to nourish Jiang Baichuan, hoping he would live a long and healthy life and that the village primary school could continue to operate for a long, long time…
Fortunately, there was still an empty room in the rented house they had, which was used to store grain. They asked someone to help them pile the things that the villagers had given them there. Jiang Baichuan rolled up his sleeves and couldn't wait to return to his beloved post.
After bringing his uncle back, Jiang Xiaoman did not go home immediately. Instead, he picked up Shancha and hired a car to go to Jiangwan Village. There, he picked up Chen Sao and Shancha's two younger sisters, Shanguo and Shanhua. The whole car went straight to Laoshan'aozi.
It wasn't that Aunt Chen was in a hurry to give her nieces away to be raised by others; the main reason was that she had heard that the old woman from the Shan family hadn't committed a serious crime and would only be detained for fifteen days at most before being released. She wanted to take advantage of the fact that the old woman hadn't been released yet to quickly settle her three nieces. By then, even if the old woman was released, it would be too late for her to do anything about it.
In Laoshan Aozi, Jiang Yu and Shan Yan started getting busy as soon as they received Jiang Xiaoman's call yesterday. First, they went down the mountain to the market and bought a lot of meat and vegetables, as well as snacks, drinks and fruits that the children like. Then they thoroughly cleaned the house and specially set up a room for Chen Sao and the three sisters to stay temporarily.
Even the ground in front of the door was swept clean, and a row of goji berries on the low wall in front of the door had already grown tender green fruits, looking particularly pleasing in clusters.
With everything ready, Jiang Yu had been looking down the mountain countless times since early morning, but the more she looked, the more uncertain she became. After finally returning home and drinking half a cup of cold tea, she couldn't help but stand up again: "I remember there are still quite a few hairy winter melons growing behind our house. I wonder if the kids like to eat them... Go and pick a basketful!"
Shan Yan had been running around like a headless chicken since yesterday. Seeing that he was so nervous that he couldn't sit still, Shan Yan simply dug a basket of peanuts from next door and asked him to help peel them: "Girls all love sweets. Those hairy winter melons are too sour. It's better to peel some peanuts and make peanut and walnut candy for the kids later."
The river fish finally calmed down.
Chapter 104
Jiang Xiaoman, along with Chen Sao and the three Shancha sisters, got off the bus in the village at the foot of the mountain. After paying the fare, the two of them each carried a large basket on their backs. Chen Sao led the second sister, Shanguo, while Jiang Xiaoman carried the youngest sister, Shanhua, in a basket. Shancha was already in sixth grade and could walk on her own.
The group trekked over mountains and valleys, finally arriving at Laoshan Aozi before dinner.
On the way here, Aunt Chen was already feeling a little regretful. She had only heard of Laoshan Aozi before, but had never been here and had no idea that the place was so remote!
Actually, the distance itself isn't particularly far, but the problem is that Laoshan Aozi is close to a primeval forest, and there are almost no roads in the mountains. When people walk in there and hear the sounds coming from the forest, they can't help but feel uneasy.
However, since this family was introduced by Jiang Xiaoman, and they met Chen's requirements for adoptive parents, and since they were already halfway there, even though she had some regrets, Chen was too embarrassed to make a fuss about turning back halfway, so she decided to go and take a look first.
If things really don't work out, she'd rather personally apologize than let her niece really live like a wild person in these deep mountains and forests.
To my surprise, when I arrived at Shan Yan's house, I found that his family's conditions were much better than I had imagined!
In the mountains, people judge whether a family is doing well or not by looking at their house and the amount of grain and meat they have stored.
Although the house of the Shan family was a bit old, it was clearly very sturdy. Moreover, the couple had prepared a room especially for the three sisters, with all the bedding and even the slippers being brand new!
Looking around the house, there were lots of meat and dried salted fish hanging under the eaves, and there was a small room next to it that was used to store honey. There were two beehives for extracting honey!
For dinner, they served white rice, and also bought drinks and fruit for the three sisters...
Seeing the table full of delicious food, Aunt Chen couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Her three nieces, even when living at home, probably never got to eat so many good dishes.
Jiang Yu went to great lengths to please the children. Worried that her cooking might not suit their tastes, she even went to a small restaurant in town to get some ready-made dishes.
The glutinous rice meatballs, fried pork chops, fried chicken strips, and pumpkin cakes are clearly dishes that the locals don't usually make.
Shan Guo and Shan Hua are still young, especially Shan Hua, who was only recently weaned and can only eat soft, mushy food. Shan Guo is a little better off, as he's about to start elementary school. The food at home is usually not very oily, so when he sees this table full of meat, his eyes practically light up with envy.
Camellia already knew the purpose of this trip from her aunt. When she saw the table full of dishes, the little girl almost burst into tears.
Who wouldn't want to be with their own parents?
But now, her mother is gone, and her grandmother is going to sell her two younger sisters to help her father find wives, so the three of them will have a stepmother.
There was a girl in her class who lost her biological mother, and her biological father found her a stepmother who supposedly didn't care about them at all. Later, for some reason, her father insisted on taking her to the city, and after that, we never heard from her again; nobody knows where she went...
Thinking of this, Camellia couldn't help but shudder.
"Camellia, are you cold? Yes, it's cold in the mountains at night. Wait here, I'll get you a jacket."
As she spoke, Jiang Yu stood up and went to the next room. After a while, she came out with a brand new men's jacket and looked at her apologetically. "There are no girls' clothes at home. You can wear mine for now. I bought this one but haven't worn it yet. It's a bit big. I'll roll up the sleeves for you."
As he spoke, he helped her put on her coat, buttoned it up, and then squatted down to carefully roll up the sleeves of Camellia's coat to her wrists.
"Alright." Jiang Yu smiled and looked up. He was about to remind Shan Cha to be careful while eating later when he looked up and saw that Shan Cha had been crying for some time, and the tears were dripping onto the back of his hand.
"What's wrong? Don't cry. Don't you want to wear a boy's jacket? Uncle will go down the mountain tomorrow and buy you a new one..."
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Yu was hugged tightly by Shan Cha, and the little girl buried her face in his chest and began to sob.
Aunt Chen wiped away her tears and went over to help comfort her.
Perhaps feeling embarrassed to cry in front of so many people, Camellia quickly stopped crying and shyly hid in Aunt Chen's arms.
"Our Shancha is so happy! They've never bought new clothes for their children before! Shancha's two new outfits were bought by Baichuan," Aunt Chen couldn't help but sigh.
It's her fault, really.
She had attended the weddings of both of her younger sisters back then. She thought her second sister's husband was an honest and upright man, but who would have thought that he was actually shrewd and selfish on the surface!
He went to work outside, making the excuse that they didn't have many expenses in the countryside, and gave his second sister 500 yuan a month for living expenses!
Five hundred yuan is supposed to cover the food, drink, and daily needs of two adults and three children for a whole month? How can he have the nerve to do that?
Other people's wives can at least eat an egg every few days when they are pregnant, but in this family, the old lady has to go and collect the eggs herself every day!
Once they've saved up enough, they sell it and keep all the money for themselves, not giving a single penny to their daughter-in-law.
Let alone the daughter-in-law, even the three granddaughters won't get a single egg.
The old woman said that all the money in her family was to be saved for her grandson, and that her granddaughter was a money-loser anyway, so no matter how well she raised her, it would just benefit someone else.
If it weren't for the need to raise them to pay for the bride price, Aunt Chen had no doubt that her three nieces would have starved to death at home long ago.
Jiang Yu was furious when he heard from Aunt Chen that the three Camellia sisters couldn't even get an egg at home.
God is so unfair!
None of them want children. Even a scumbag like Camellia's father has three such lovely and well-behaved daughters. Even if he doesn't spoil them, he should at least feed them.
Look how thin Camellia is, she doesn't look like a sixth-grade girl at all.
No one would doubt that she's in third grade, okay?
"Come on! Eat some vegetables! Eat more meat!"
Jiang Yu kept putting food on the three children's plates and urged Chen Sao and Jiang Xiaoman to eat while it was hot.
After dinner, Aunt Chen borrowed a large pot from Shan Yan's family to boil a large pot of water. She told Shan Cha and her two younger sisters to wash up and go to the next room to read and sleep. The four adults sat in the main room of Shan Yan's house and began to discuss future plans.
Aunt Chen was generally satisfied with the situation of Shan Yan's family. However, she also mentioned one thing: Shan Cha was already in sixth grade and would be going to junior high school in town next year, which was even farther away.
So she wanted Camellia to stay at their house temporarily, and then go to boarding school after she started junior high.
Actually, there was something else she was too embarrassed to say: Shancha was already a grown woman, and Shanyan's family was all men. If there were any malicious gossips, Shanyan and his wife's good intentions in adopting three children would only bring them trouble.
Unlike her two younger sisters, who are still young, even if they were sent here to be fostered, no one would say anything.
However, she didn't intend to say any of this. After all, she could tell that Shan Yan and Jiang Yu really wanted to adopt her three nieces, even though the eldest, Shan Cha, was already a teenager and could remember things. They didn't mind at all.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, sister-in-law. But Shanyan and I have also thought about the children's schooling. How about this? When Shanguo starts primary school next year, we'll rent a house in the village. We'll stay down here with the children most of the time, which will make it more convenient for them to go to school. We can go back to the mountains during winter and summer vacations, so you won't have to travel so far to visit them."
Aunt Chen was stunned for a moment, not expecting that Jiang Yu and his family would be willing to pay such a high price to adopt these three children. She immediately nodded happily and said, "That would be perfect. Although my family doesn't have much money, we have a big vegetable garden. You won't have to grow your own vegetables. Just pick whatever you want from my garden."