“It doesn’t matter. As long as you want to study, I’ll find a way. As long as you want to,” he said.
After a long while, Chen Yunqi finished his cigarette, bent down and stubbed it out on the ground, and then heard San San whisper, "That's what I was thinking."
Chen Yunqi straightened up, looked at San San, and smiled happily.
"It's good that you want to. I'll find the right materials for you to catch up on as soon as possible. Have some confidence in yourself, and keep going."
San San's face was flushed. He felt Chen Yunqi's encouraging gaze. In the afterglow of the setting sun, the usual coldness and indifference on his handsome face faded away, revealing a gentleness that even Chen Yunqi himself could not perceive.
"Brother Xiaoqi, I'm sorry to have troubled you, thank you." San San said to him.
Chen Yunqi smiled and shook his head without saying anything more. In the distance, he could already see the small figure of his younger sister, San San.
As the small figure drew closer, Chen Yunqi finally saw the thin girl clearly. She didn't look like San San at all. She had single eyelids, a small mouth, and some faint freckles on the sides of her nose. Her long, black hair was tied into a low ponytail and fell behind her head. She was wearing a dark blue and white striped school uniform from the town's private junior high school and was carrying a military green canvas bag, which made her slightly hunched over, making her look short and thin.
The little girl climbed all the way up, her hair already soaked with sweat and her face flushed.
Chen Yunqi stepped forward first and took her backpack. San San untied the horse that was tied to the side, and Chen Yunqi secured the backpack to the horse's back. San San introduced the backpack to her sister, who had a questioning look on her face, and said, "This is the new teacher, Mr. Chen."
Then, pointing to his younger sister, he said to Chen Yunqi, "This is my younger sister, her name is Sheng Xiaoyan."
Chen Yunqi smiled and nodded, saying, "Hello, Xiaoyan."
Thirteen or fourteen-year-old girls are entering adolescence, an age of naivety and shyness. When Sheng Xiaoyan saw that Chen Yunqi was taller than her brother and had handsome features, she blushed and didn't dare to look him in the eye. Without responding, she quickly hid behind San San.
San San scolded her younger sister, somewhat annoyed: "How can you be so rude? You didn't even say hello."
Sheng Xiaoyan remained silent, stubbornly avoiding the issue.
Chen Yunqi smiled slightly and waved his hand to indicate to San San that it was alright: "It's okay, I don't mind. Xiao Yan must be tired from walking all this way, let's hurry back for dinner." After saying that, he led the horse and headed back.
Chen Yunqi led the horse ahead, with San San following behind. A little girl tugged at the hem of his clothes and clung to him. Every time Chen Yunqi looked back, Sheng Xiaoyan would dart behind San San to hide herself completely. When Chen Yunqi turned around, she would peek out to peek at him.
The three of them strolled home, and by the time they arrived, the sun had already set, and a gentle, orange-yellow crescent moon had quietly climbed into the deep night sky. Hot tea and cooked food were already prepared and waiting for them at home.
Chapter Ten: Shy
Sheng Xiaoyan is fourteen years old and in the second year of junior high school.
According to San San, her grades were average in her class. Because of her weak foundation, the gap between her and other students became very obvious when she went to the town school, which made her struggle for a while. In addition, the expectations her family had for her, especially her brother who gave up his studies to give her the opportunity, put a lot of pressure on her. So when she returned home, when her parents kept asking her about her studies, Chen Yunqi could clearly see that she was avoiding the question and would only answer "okay" or "pretty good" indifferently to any question.
But she was still at an innocent and carefree age. When her father promised to buy her a new pair of shoes after he carried the new piglets down the mountain to sell this month, she was overjoyed and stopped eating. She put down her chopsticks and excitedly described what kind of shoes she wanted.
For example, her classmate recently bought a pair of pink sneakers, which are quite nice, but she doesn't want to wear the exact same ones as her classmate; she wants a pair of blue ones.
Young, naive girls are quietly developing a love for beauty and a competitive spirit.
Tang Yutao and Li Hui arrived at dinner time, and their arrival made the atmosphere at home much livelier. After the meal, Sheng Xiaoyan was no longer so reserved in front of Chen Yunqi. After dinner, she helped clean up the dishes, washed the dishes, fed the pigs, and sat down to make tea for the teachers as her father instructed.
Children in rural areas mature early. Although Sheng Xiaoyan is not old, she already acts like the lady of the house when she returns home. She skillfully brews tea, listens to Chen Yunqi and her father chat, and occasionally chimes in when she hears something she understands. However, when Chen Yunqi talks to her, she still unconsciously reveals a slightly shy smile.
Xiaoyan gradually developed an interest in the new teacher, Mr. Chen. He spoke in a magnetic voice with perfect Mandarin pronunciation, which was much better than the Mandarin spoken by her school teachers. Mr. Chen was gentle and polite. He wasn't exactly a talkative person, but when he did speak, everything he said seemed to make perfect sense, and Xiaoyan listened with rapt attention.
Chen Yunqi, a cigarette between his fingers, was intently listening to Tang Yutao speak when, without noticing, a bit of ash fell onto his trouser leg. He glanced down, frowned slightly, and flicked the ash away gently with his thumb against his middle finger, but a faint gray stain remained on his cotton black trousers. Frustrated, Chen Yunqi gave up, looked up, and ignored it. San San, without a word, tore off a piece of toilet paper, poured some water on it, and handed it to Chen Yunqi, indicating that he should wipe it again.
Sheng Xiaoyan sat on one side, hugging her legs with one hand, resting her chin on her knee and looking sideways. In her other hand, she held a thin piece of firewood and absentmindedly stroked the ashes piled up in the fire pit.
She felt that her brother was different from usual tonight. He seemed unusually gentle and considerate towards Teacher Chen. How could she describe it? She couldn't think of a way. She just felt that he was like the docile little lamb she kept at home. In any case, he was someone she had never seen before.
The next day was the weekend, and Tang Yutao and Li Hui went down the mountain early in the morning to buy daily necessities, leaving Chen Yunqi at the school.
It was a rare sunny day. Not only was there no fog, but the bright sunshine streamed into the small room through the window, bathing Chen Yunqi in warmth. So, after waking up, he unusually didn't get up. Instead, he kicked off the blankets and leaned against the headboard in the sunlight, reading for the entire morning. Before he knew it, lunchtime had passed. He sat up, got dressed, and prepared to make himself a bowl of noodles when he suddenly heard someone gently knocking on the window.
The only window in the room was right next to the door. Through the blurry glass, Chen Yunqi saw San San standing outside the window, holding a few books. He opened the door, and San San, standing in front of the door, was bathed in sunlight, looking incredibly bright and gentle. The sunlight dyed his hair golden, and the neat strands of hair were blown by the breeze, fluttering playfully and adorably.
The temperature at noon was higher than in the morning and evening, so he didn't wear a thick coat, just a khaki jacket. The style of the clothes looked a bit old-fashioned, but San San himself was so youthful that he managed to suppress that old-fashioned look, like a child who had secretly worn an adult's work clothes.
His skin was fair and radiant in the sunlight, and the corners of his eyes were rosy. When he saw Chen Yunqi, he still rubbed the back of his head shyly as usual, and then presented the books in his arms to Chen Yunqi with both hands, saying, "Brother Qi, these are my old textbooks. I've kept them all, so you don't need to help me find them. I didn't study well, so if you have time, could you explain them to me?"
Chen Yunqi stared blankly at the three books in front of him for a moment. When he came to his senses, he quickly reached out and took the books and flipped through them. There were textbooks for several important subjects, including Chinese, mathematics, English, chemistry and physics. None of the books had covers, and the pages were a bit worn. On the lower left corner of each book cover, there were the words "Lan Yanshan, Class 2, Grade 1" written neatly in pen. They were not very pretty, but they had a certain elegance.
Chen Yunqi stepped aside to let San San into the room, placed the books on the table, and asked, "How many more books are there? Do you have any more, like those on politics, history, biology, and geography?"
"I was too embarrassed to bring all these from home, so just tell me about a few important ones." San San hadn't expected him to remember so many details, so she just stared at him blankly.
Chen Yunqi moved a long bench out from under the table and sat down with San San. The bench wasn't long, just right for the two of them. Chen Yunqi leaned half his body against San San's. At 1.9 meters tall, he was still a head taller than San San even when seated. San San instantly tensed up. At this close distance, he could smell a faint tobacco scent on Chen Yunqi's clothes. Turning his head, he could see Chen Yunqi's profile, his straight nose, thin eyes, and the beautifully shaped ear behind his sideburns. He could even see a small, light-colored mole on his clean right earlobe.
"Bring them all next time. Every subject in high school is important. I may not be able to teach as well as the teachers, but I will try my best to catch up with you so that you won't fall too far behind when you go to school."
As Chen Yunqi flipped through the book, his slender fingers tracing the pages, he didn't notice that San San's lips were slightly parted, staring at his profile, her thoughts already drifting to the other side of the mountain.
There was no movement or response beside him. After a while, Chen Yunqi suddenly turned his head and looked at San San with a questioning look. He was caught off guard and caught San San's somewhat dazed look.
At that moment, San San looked like a child caught stealing a snack, quickly averting his gaze and lowering his head, his face instantly turning red to the roots of his neck. Chen Yunqi was amused by his adorable appearance, his heart softening and a feeling of tenderness welling up inside him. He couldn't help but reach out and gently pat San San's head, his fingertips touching his smooth hair.
"Little student, what are you thinking about? You need to concentrate on the lesson."
San San's face was burning hot. She quickly nodded vigorously, desperately trying to sort out her thoughts and suppress the panic in her heart before raising her head again.
Chen Yunqi smiled as he watched San San's expression recover considerably. He thought to himself that the boy was too shy. Although mountain children are not well-informed, he was still a seventeen or eighteen-year-old lad. None of the young men his age in the village were like him, able to speak crude and vulgar language with ease without batting an eye.
The shyness, inferiority complex, simplicity, tranquility, and obedience that San San always displayed when he was with him filled him with tenderness and affection, making him want to take care of this innocent and sweet boy as a younger brother. He thought that if he really had a younger brother like that, someone he would worry about and care for, perhaps his life would be completely different from what it is now.
Putting aside these chaotic thoughts, Chen Yunqi picked up a piece of paper and a pencil, and began to scribble and draw on the table. After a short while, he had put together a simple tutoring plan.
He took out his phone and sent a message to Tang Yutao, asking if he could bring back a few sets of practice questions for first-year high school subjects so he could assess San San's foundational knowledge. The message took a while to send, and just as Chen Yunqi was about to put his phone away, he heard San San whisper beside him, "Brother Xiaoqi, can I have your phone number?"
“Okay,” Chen Yunqi replied without hesitation.
San San didn't have his phone with him, so Chen Yunqi wrote down his number on a piece of paper, tore it off, and gave it to him. San San took the paper, carefully folded it several times, and put it in his jacket pocket.
Aside from making calls and sending texts, San San doesn't use his phone for anything else. It's inconvenient to carry it in his pocket when he's working in the fields; it's easy for it to fall and break. His phone is an old, unknown brand with no entertainment features—just a pixelated Snake game, which he's already beaten to the final level.
The desk in Chen Yunqi's room was placed in front of the window. The two were sitting by the window talking when they suddenly noticed something appear outside the window out of the corner of their eye. It seemed as if a gaze was looking at them through the glass. The two immediately looked up and saw a dark, long, and deeply lined face reflected in the glass window, inches away from their eyes!
His face was almost pressed against the glass, his eyes squinting as he peered inside. The windowpane was covered in scratches and grime from years of wind and sun, making the blurry face appear even more frightening. San San screamed in fright and grabbed Chen Yunqi's arm.
Even with Chen Yunqi's usually calm demeanor, though his face showed no outward reaction, he was genuinely startled. The sudden appearance of the "face on the window" in this remote mountain school was like something out of a horror movie, incredibly terrifying. Chen Yunqi watched all kinds of movies, except horror ones, openly admitting he was a coward. But with San San beside him, he could only forcefully suppress his panic, grabbing San San's arm and pulling him to his feet. He pushed the stool aside, took two steps back from the window, and calmly said, "Don't be afraid."
The face outside the window seemed to be struggling to make out the people inside, before revealing a simple, honest smile. Chen Yunqi didn't recognize the face. San San composed himself, mustered his courage, and leaned forward. He frowned and stared for a long time before finally recognizing the face. His expression instantly relaxed, and the hand that had been tightly gripping Chen Yunqi's arm loosened its grip. He turned to Chen Yunqi and said, "It's Li Dong's grandfather."
Hearing him breathe a sigh of relief, Chen Yunqi realized that it must be someone from the village whom San San knew, so he quickly went over and opened the door, letting in a slender but tall old man.
The old man smiled somewhat embarrassedly and spoke in a string of Yi words as soon as he entered the door. He was almost as tall as Chen Yunqi, wearing a gray, coarse cotton coat, with a thick traditional Yi men's headscarf wrapped around his head, and a cigarette tucked behind his ear.
San San greeted the old man in Yi language, moved a stool over and invited him to sit down. After the old man sat down, he took out a cigarette from his pocket and offered it to Chen Yunqi. Chen Yunqi saw that although the old man looked hale and hearty, he guessed that he was very old. There was no reason for an elder to offer a cigarette to a younger person, so he shook his head, gently pushed the old man's hand back, took out his own cigarette from his pocket, took one out and handed it to him, and took out a lighter to light it for him.
The old man took a few puffs of his cigarette with satisfaction and praised Chen Yunqi for being sensible in Yi language. Chen Yunqi couldn't understand, so San San translated it for him.
It turns out that this old man was the father-in-law of Li Laoqi from Group 3.
Grandpa Li Dong has three daughters, two of whom married and moved away. After marriage, they rarely have the opportunity to return to the mountains. As the Spring Festival approached, the old man missed his daughters, but unfortunately, they were all busy and unable to come back. So he suggested that he go to another city to spend the Spring Festival with them. Grandpa Li Dong refused to accept his age and insisted on taking the train himself. That's why he came to the school to ask Tang Yutao for help in buying train tickets.
Chen Yunqi had San San ask Li Dong's maternal grandfather for the exact address and planned travel time, then copied it down on a piece of paper. He planned to go down the mountain next weekend to find an internet cafe to book train tickets online, and he could also take the opportunity to visit the town. When Li Dong's maternal grandfather heard that Chen Yunqi had agreed to help, he stood up and thanked him profusely, pulling Chen Yunqi towards the door. Chen Yunqi, confused, could only respond with a wry smile, looking at San San with a pleading expression.
San San was amused by Chen Yunqi's embarrassed look and explained to him, "Grandpa is inviting you to his house for dinner."
Grandpa Li Dong understood "eat" and nodded repeatedly to show that this was exactly what he meant. He took Chen Yunqi's hand with one hand and reached out with the other to pull San San out together.
Chen Yunqi was in a dilemma, frantically searching his mind for who Li Laoqi was. He felt embarrassed to go to Li Laoqi's house for dinner since they had never met or interacted with each other. San San came closer, winked, and said with a smile, "It's okay, go ahead, I'll go with you."
Li Laoqi's house is about a 20-minute walk from the school. Chen Yunqi and San San followed behind Li Dong's maternal grandfather. When they passed a cornfield on a slope, a woman wearing a dark blue cloth hat shouted at them from a distance.
Grandpa Li Dong stopped and responded to the woman in a deep, powerful voice. The woman picked up a bamboo basket from beside her, slung it over her shoulder, and then swung a pair of farm tools over her shoulder, each landing precisely in the basket. She ran over with the basket on her back, and as she got closer, San San whispered to Chen Yunqi, "That's Third Aunt, Li Laoqi's wife, and Grandpa Li Dong's youngest daughter."
Third Sister has dark skin and looks very thin in her rust-red coarse cloth jacket. She has just worked, and there are still fine beads of sweat in her hair. Her face is rosy and steaming. She wears blue cloth sleeves on both arms and military green rubber shoes like the men.
San San introduced Chen Yunqi to San Niang. As soon as she saw Chen Yunqi, she smiled broadly and simply, praising his handsome appearance. Her voice was loud and hoarse, and could be heard from miles away. When she learned that Grandpa Li Dong had invited Teacher Chen and San San to his home, she insisted on going back immediately to cook for them, even though she hadn't done any farm work.
Li Laoqi's house was built behind the hillside, with no yard in front. Under a tall walnut tree in front of the house, there was a small black and yellow mongrel dog tied up. It started barking as soon as it saw them from afar. Before they even got close, Third Aunt would pretend to be fierce and shout, "Little Black! Don't bark! We have guests!"
After being scolded, the little mongrel immediately lay down obediently, wagging its tail and gazing at them from afar.
Upon entering, one finds a narrow alleyway piled high with miscellaneous items, so narrow that several people can only pass through one by one in a row. Turning left at the end of the alleyway, one finds a doorway. Li Dong's maternal grandfather, who was at the front, opened the unlocked door and crouched down to slip into the dark room.
Chen Yunqi, walking behind, didn't see it. Just as he bent down and squeezed through the door, and straightened up, before Third Aunt could finish saying, "It's dark in here, be careful not to bump your head," there was a loud "thud," and Chen Yunqi's head slammed solidly against a roof beam. He was instantly seeing stars and, unable to see clearly inside, dared not go any further. He could only clutch his head and squat down.
"Wow! This is incredible!"
San Niang hurriedly turned around and bent down to help Chen Yunqi up. San San also squatted down behind her and asked in a very nervous tone, "Brother Xiaoqi, are you alright?"
Chen Yunqi took a moment to raise his head. The room was too dark, and San San couldn't see his expression clearly. She could only vaguely see him raise an arm and wave his hand to indicate that he was alright. Then, with San Niang's help, he slowly stood up. He didn't dare to stand up straight and could only hunch over and grope his way inside.
Seeing that he didn't speak, San San knew that he had been hit hard, so she didn't dare to relax and carefully followed behind Chen Yunqi to protect him as he walked inside.
“The beams in our main room are low. Old Li is short, so he's not afraid, but my dad and I often bump into them.”
Third Sister helped Chen Yunqi into the house and sat him down on a straw mat. While apologizing, she fumbled around for matches and lit the oil lamp.
The dim, yellowish light came on, and Chen Yunqi slowly adjusted to the light in the room, lowering the hand that had been covering his head.
San San sat down beside her. Her grandfather had already started brewing oil tea, and her aunt brought out pots, pans, and a kettle to prepare a meal. Watching them work with ease and without being affected at all, it was clear that they had long since adapted to the dark environment.
San San was still shaken. After Chen Yunqi took a sip of tea, she asked him in a worried whisper, "Brother Xiaoqi, are you alright? Does it still hurt?"
Chen Yunqi stared blankly at his teacup, as if he hadn't heard what San San had said.
San San stared at his blank profile, which appeared somewhat melancholy and lonely in the flickering lamplight. A question arose in his mind, followed by a startle: Had he been knocked senseless?
He gently nudged the arm of Chen Yunqi that wasn't holding the teacup, and called out again, "Brother Xiaoqi?"
This seemed to wake Chen Yunqi up. He exclaimed "Ah!" and turned to ask, "What?"
San San looked directly into Chen Yunqi's eyes from close range, boldly gazing into his eyes under the dim light. He couldn't help but swallow, his face flushing slightly. He asked, "What are you thinking about, Brother Xiaoqi?"
Chen Yunqi stared directly at San San, but his thoughts seemed to be wandering elsewhere. After a moment, he frowned, looking somewhat annoyed.
"I think I forgot to wash my face and brush my teeth today..."
A note from the author:
Today's Headline: Teacher Chen suffered a severe head injury and has become mentally disabled. XD
Chapter Eleven Third Sister
San San was anxiously wondering how badly Chen Yunqi had been hit when Chen Yunqi suddenly said something out of the blue. She was speechless for a moment, staring at Chen Yunqi as if she hadn't understood.
As he hesitated to speak, Chen Yunqi's stomach suddenly let out a series of pitiful growls, a sound born of hunger...
San San couldn't help but laugh out loud. He thought to himself, even if Chen Yunqi didn't wash his face for three days and was dressed in a burlap sack, he wouldn't look too bad.