As she spoke, she took out a cigarette and lit it for Chen Yunqi, then lit one for herself. She then looked at Huang Yelin and said, "You don't have any food in your room. How are you going to entertain your teacher? Why don't you take him to Grandma's room? Your mother hasn't gotten up yet? Where's your brother?"
Huang Yelin said, "I still have the cured meat and potatoes you gave me last time. I gave them to Teacher Chen yesterday. My mother is taking care of my younger brother inside. I'll go call her for breakfast now."
Throughout the morning, Chen Yunqi could hear the occasional cries of a baby coming from inside the house. Seeing that Huang Yelin and Huang Xiaoya had gone inside to look for their mother, he asked Huang Shuai's grandmother about Huang Yelin's parents.
Grandma Huang sighed, "Alas, these two children are also unfortunate. Huang Youzheng loves to drink and is lazy. He doesn't do his work in the fields properly and can't find a wife. He bought a black sheep from the opposite mountain, but it's not very bright." She mysteriously pointed to her head and whispered, "It's a fool."
Huang Yelin's father, Huang Youzheng, was a notorious lazybones in the village. He not only loved drinking but also had a gambling addiction. He would gamble away any money he had, but he was unlucky and mostly lost. He was getting on in years, and no woman wanted to be with him, so he borrowed some money and bought a mentally challenged man.
Huang Youzheng didn't care about the villagers pointing and whispering. At first, he thought, "What do you know? It's good that he's an idiot. He just buries his head in his work, doesn't make a fuss, and you can't even see his face when the lights are off at night. As long as he can do his job, that's fine."
That foolish woman was quite something; she gave birth to three children for Huang Yelin in a row. She didn't even know how to properly rest during her postpartum period; before the babies were even a month old, she was carrying them on her back, pushing a stone mill barefoot. Huang Youzheng, however, knew nothing of womanly care. As time went on, she developed health problems without even realizing it. The foolish woman's health deteriorated, her mind became increasingly unclear, and she began to go insane.
Huang Youzheng regretted it now; a fool is a fool after all, and he caused a lot of trouble. The foolish woman's condition deteriorated rapidly, and she was almost unable to take care of herself. Huang Youzheng was exhausted by her behavior, and when things got heated, he would beat her.
The family was so poor they couldn't even afford to eat. In desperation, Huang Youzheng took his youngest son, who was only 100 days old, to sell so he could buy rice. The foolish woman didn't understand; she didn't even look for her missing son. She just sat there blankly all day, her breasts becoming so engorged that they blocked her milk ducts, and she developed a high fever. Huang Shuai's grandmother noticed and insisted on expressing the milk by hand, which slowly helped her recover.
The day they sent their little brother away, Huang Yelin and Huang Xiaoya chased after their father for miles, begging him not to sell him. Huang Xiaoya loved holding her little brother the most, and seeing her father walk further and further away without looking back, she cried until her eyes were swollen like peaches.
The money from selling her brother was quickly squandered by Huang Youzheng. To make matters worse, before the family could even secure a livelihood, the foolish woman became pregnant again.
When Huang Shuai's grandmother found out, she was so angry that she stood at Huang Youzheng's door and cursed him as a beast who couldn't control his own genitals.
Scolding him was useless; Huang Youzheng acted like a dead pig that didn't care about boiling water. He had no skills and even considered going out to work. Once he left, he never came back.
The woman's belly grew bigger day by day, and perhaps due to the power of maternal love, her mental state improved. She stopped acting erratically and sat quietly every day, grinning foolishly at everyone she met. With the help and support of the villagers, she gave birth to another boy a month ago.
The neighbors' help was just a drop in the bucket; no one was well-off, and there wasn't much they could do to help. Huang Youzheng's land was uncultivated, with only a skinny pig left.
Chen Yunqi smoked one cigarette after another, remaining silent.
"I don't want my dad to come back." Huang Yelin glanced at his mother sitting beside him, eating potatoes while holding his younger brother. "I'm afraid he'll sell my brother again."
Chen Yunqi was in a bad mood, feeling an indescribable sense of depression and bitterness. He asked Grandma Huang Shuai if she had considered contacting Huang Youzheng's relatives in Jiaoyuan County or reporting him missing to the police. Grandma Huang Shuai smoked a cigarette, looking helpless: "Of course we have. We can't get through to Huang Youzheng's phone. The village chief called his relatives, but they said he hadn't been there at all. Reporting to the police is useless; they said they've filed a case, but they still haven't found him. If you ask me, we don't know if he's dead or alive. He was such a gambler; maybe he owed money and got beaten to death."
Grandma Huang invited Chen Yunqi to her home for dinner, but Chen Yunqi declined. He helped tidy up the house and did some chores before preparing to return to school.
Before leaving, Huang Yelin's mother stood at the doorway holding her child, watching him. He stepped forward, tentatively extending his hands and seeking her permission with kind eyes. The simple-minded woman seemed to understand, and without hesitation, gently placed the child in Chen Yunqi's hands.
Chen Yunqi had never held such a small baby before. With an extremely awkward posture, he carefully cradled the soft body in his arms. The baby's eyes were narrow and long, somewhat resembling Huang Yelin's, and his face had developed some neonatal eczema due to neglect. At this moment, he had drunk his fill of milk and was sleeping peacefully and contentedly.
The resilient little life... Chen Yunqi's heart clenched at the thought of its unknown fate.
He returned the child to Huang Yelin's mother, squatted down, and said to Huang Yelin and his sister Huang Xiaoya, "The teacher is leaving now. I'll come to see you again another day."
He then said to Huang Yelin, "Take good care of your mother and sister. If anything happens, just tell me."
Huang Xiaoya was very reluctant to part with Chen Yunqi, pouting her rosy lips: "Teacher, don't leave, have dinner at my house before you go."
Huang Yelin was also reluctant to let him go, but he still sensibly said to his younger sister, "Teacher has something to do. Be good, okay? If you're not good, Teacher won't like you."
Huang Yelin and Huang Xiaoya accompanied Chen Yunqi for quite a distance. Several times Chen Yunqi urged them to go back, but they would stop for a while and then continue to follow him at a distance until Chen Yunqi had passed the most difficult part of the cliff. Only then did they stop, wave, and shout, "Teacher Chen, take care!"
Halfway there, Chen Yunqi heard a text message notification on his phone. He stopped to check and saw it was from San San, asking when he would be back at school and saying she wanted to wait for him for dinner. Chen Yunqi replied, and after typing a few words, a phone call came in.
He pressed the answer button, but before he could even hold the phone to his ear, Tang Yutao's exaggerated shout came through the phone, his tone so urgent that Chen Yunqi thought the school was on fire.
"Are you back yet? Hurry up! Li Hui and Teacher Sheng are fighting!"
Chen Yunqi quickened his pace to hurry back. When he returned to the school, panting, the small playground was already surrounded by villagers from Group 3.
He pushed through the crowd and saw that everyone had surrounded Teacher Sheng and Li Hui. Teacher Sheng's usually neatly combed hair, which was usually pressed tightly against his scalp, was now a mess from the fight. He was being persuaded by San San's father and a few other people, his face flushed with anger as he glared at Li Hui.
Li Hui looked arrogant, raising his chin and pointing his nose at Teacher Sheng. He was only wearing a sports jacket with the zipper ripped off, revealing a black T-shirt underneath. The T-shirt had the four characters "Pretentious Youth" written in large regular script on it, making the scene somewhat comical.
Tang Yutao held a down jacket in his hands, trying to put it on Li Hui, but Li Hui refused, as if only his current appearance could show his domineering and ruthless nature, and that putting on the down jacket would make him a sheep in wolf's clothing.
Tang Yutao looked helpless. Seeing Chen Yunqi was like seeing a savior. He took three steps at a time and rushed to Chen Yunqi, throwing himself into his arms.
"Oh my god, you're finally back! Waaaaah..."
Chen Yunqi was initially very nervous. Judging from the scene, the two seemed to be serious, and there were so many people watching. With so many people involved, there would be a lot of gossip. Moreover, the two involved were local teachers and teachers from other places, two factions that were irreconcilable. How to resolve this thorny situation was truly a headache.
To everyone's surprise, in such a serious atmosphere, Tang Yutao suddenly started acting cute and affectionate towards him, completely losing his dignity and the image of a people's teacher. Chen Yunqi silently cursed in his heart, wanting nothing more than to kick him.
He pushed Tang Yutao aside and said to Li Hui and Teacher Sheng, "Calm down first. It's cold, let's go inside and talk, don't stand here."
After saying that, he turned to the villagers who had gathered around and said, "Everyone, go back first. It's just a small misunderstanding. Let us handle it."
Teacher Sheng glared at Chen Yunqi and quickly went into the classroom. Chen Yunqi breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that Teacher Sheng would refuse to compromise and would insist on demanding an explanation in front of everyone, relying on his power to confront Li Hui.
Instead, Li Hui seemed to be nailed to the ground, refusing to move an inch, and said aggressively, "Why should I move? Let's talk here, and let everyone judge this!"
Chen Yunqi was furious. He grabbed Li Hui's arm and dragged him inside. Li Hui was small and was hurt by Chen Yunqi's pinch, but he didn't dare to cry out because he was too embarrassed to do so. He gritted his teeth and whispered, "What are you doing! Whose side are you on?!"
Chen Yunqi lowered his voice: "Shut up. Do you think the villagers will be so reasonable as to speak up for you? Have you forgotten what the surnames of the people in these three groups are?!"
San San's father and two others followed Teacher Sheng into the classroom. The group, as if locked in a blood feud, sat far apart, seemingly negotiating. Chen Yunqi had barely asked what was going on when Li Hui slammed his fist on the table, stood up, pointed at Teacher Sheng's nose, and shouted angrily:
"That bastard's stealing from school again!"
Chapter Sixteen: Eating Fish
The school recently received a new batch of donated supplies.
This batch of supplies was not a personal donation, nor was it collected by a non-governmental organization. It was officially donated by a company in City C through the Haiyuan County Education Bureau. Therefore, all the items in this batch were newly purchased, and the quantity was quite large. Tang Yutao and Li Hui went down the mountain some time ago. After the Education Bureau took over the inventory, they couldn't bring it back immediately, so they arranged for a truck to help unload it at the foot of the mountain when it passed through Tianyun Village.
On Saturday morning, Li Hui led a group of people and horses down the mountain to collect supplies. Teacher Sheng also led her horse and went along without hesitation.
After transporting all the supplies back to the school, everyone was exhausted, so they rested on the playground, drinking and smoking. Tang Yutao and Li Hui were busy greeting the villagers who had helped, and didn't notice that Teacher Sheng had secretly gone into the house.
After resting for a while, just as the villagers were about to disperse, the two went back into the house to recount the supplies. They planned to divide the items equally so that the people in Group 1 and Group 2 could take their portions back first, only to find that something was missing.
The donated items were always in whole numbers, with no odd amounts. Tang Yutao did the math and realized that five boxes of fever reducers, eight boxes of band-aids, three schoolbags, and two pairs of rain boots were missing.
This isn't the first time.
Tang Yutao didn't say anything, but Li Hui couldn't hold back any longer. Without saying a word, he rushed out, caught up with Teacher Sheng who hadn't gone far, and dragged him and his horse back to the school.
Without saying a word, Li Hui began to search Teacher Sheng's horse.
The horse was carrying a woven bag, which Teacher Sheng argued was something he had asked a friend in town to bring, and that it was stored at a general store at the foot of the mountain. He was just going to pick up his own things and was only helping to pick up supplies.
He refused to let Li Hui search him, and the two started fighting. Li Hui was young, and although he didn't have any fighting skills, he used brute force. Teacher Sheng couldn't gain any advantage and was pinned to the ground, his clothes covered in dust.
The villagers who had returned with him, as well as those who had rushed over after hearing the commotion, watched as the two men got into a fight. Li Hui was cursing, "I'll beat you to death, you shameless thief!" Teacher Sheng was covering her head with her arms, kicking her legs wildly, and sobbing as she cried out, "You bastard, I'll report you to the Education Bureau!"
Those who love a good show, after a while, Li Hanqiang jumped out first and pulled his in-laws back, followed by San San's father, and then several others came in to help break up the fight.
The onlookers sighed with disappointment when they saw the two separated. They hadn't even had a few sunflower seeds in their pockets before the show was over. Neither of them got hurt, nor did they utter any clever or interesting words. It was quite boring and not exciting at all.
After hearing what had happened, the classroom fell silent for a moment, everyone seemingly recalling the fight between Li Hui and Teacher Sheng. Chen Yunqi coughed a few times and said to the displeased Teacher Sheng:
"Professor Sheng, would it be convenient for you to open that package and show it to everyone? We don't necessarily need to search it, but this is currently the only way to prove your innocence. If Li Hui has wronged you, I guarantee he will apologize to you in public. What do you think?"
Teacher Sheng's eyes darted around as she thought of a response, but Li Hui interrupted relentlessly, saying, "Injustice? What a joke! This isn't the first time! Even if he didn't take it this time, he must have taken it before! He'll take it again in the future! Let's settle both the old and new scores together!"
"Listen to this! Listen to this!" Teacher Sheng was so angry that he was incoherent and his hands were trembling. He pointed at Li Hui, his eyes spitting fire: "Why should I prove my innocence to him? I am innocent! You are not police officers, what right do you have to search my things? I'm going to report you to the Education Bureau! When the supplies were inventoried at the Education Bureau, only the two of you were there! You said how much there was, and you said it was missing, and that it was missing! Who knows if you hid it yourselves and are blaming it on me!"
"you!"
Li Hui was so angry at his shameless words that he was speechless. He stood up and was about to pounce on him again, but Li Hanqiang held him down firmly, saying, "My dear in-law, you can't hit him!"
Chen Yunqi hadn't expected that Teacher Sheng would be so unyielding, and he couldn't think of a good solution right now, nor could he resort to force. He exchanged a glance with Tang Yutao, and then said, "Alright, everyone calm down. Let's leave it at that for now. Teacher Sheng, you can go back now. We'll check again later; maybe we miscounted."
Li Hui snapped, "What do you mean 'let's do it this way'? Who do you think you are? This isn't your place to make decisions!"
Chen Yunqi didn't look at him, but took out cigarettes and offered them around. Teacher Sheng smoked his cigarette, his shifty eyes fixed on Chen Yunqi.
"I agree. We can't just let this go; we need an explanation. I'm a teacher at the school too. Everyone saw how Mr. Li bullied me; I lost face. He didn't even apologize to me..."
"Teacher Sheng!" Chen Yunqi interrupted him sharply, stepping forward and standing in front of him. His 1.9-meter height exuded an imposing aura. He slightly lowered his head, his face expressionless, but his eyes held a hint of fierceness, which made Teacher Sheng shudder and feel a chill run down his spine.
"That's enough. I'm already being lenient by letting you go today. I know what's in that bag even if you don't tell me, and I think everyone here knows too. If you still have any shame, then leave now. Do you really think I wouldn't dare to search you? I'm not sent by the Education Bureau, so suing me won't do you any good."
At first, Teacher Sheng saw Chen Yunqi trying to downplay the situation and acting all calm and collected, so he assumed Chen was an easy target. He even went further, hoping to curb Li Hui's arrogance. He never expected Teacher Chen to have such a trick up his sleeve. His face immediately turned ashen, feeling as if everyone was staring at him, seemingly confirming Teacher Chen's words—that bag of things was indeed the missing supplies.
He threw the cigarette butt on the ground and fled.
Li Hanqiang spat at his departing figure: "Pah, you bastard."
Teacher Sheng left, and the others followed suit. Li Hui glared at Chen Yunqi until everyone was gone, then angrily uttered, "Fine, you're the most capable, I'm the boss!" He then kicked over a chair and left without looking back.
The poor stool was kicked upside down, and flying wood chips hit Tang Yutao's glasses.
Li Hui disappeared and didn't return to school all afternoon. Chen Yunqi and Tang Yutao reorganized the supplies and cleaned the school again.
Tang Yutao brought out a bucket of paint, pointed to a wall outside Chen Yunqi's house and said, "I plan to paint this wall black, and then draw a blackboard with chalk."
Chen Yunqi thought it was good, nodded, and asked him, "You can draw?"
Tang Yutao glanced at him sideways: "Do I look like someone who can draw?"
Chen Yunqi shook his head: "So, you're assigning me a task?"
"You're very conscientious, young comrade. I give you a verbal commendation on behalf of the organization." Tang Yutao raised his eyebrows at him. "Christmas is coming soon, so let's make the first bulletin board issue Christmas-themed! Here are three boxes of chalk for you to use as you like!"
"That's incredibly generous," Chen Yunqi said, giving a thumbs up.
Tang Yutao picked up a brush, opened the paint bucket, dipped it in black paint, and began painting the wall. Chen Yunqi followed suit, painting as he did so, saying, "Isn't it inappropriate for you to celebrate a Western holiday here? Do the students even know what Christmas means?"
"Who cares if he knows or not," Tang Yutao said dismissively. "I've been suffering here for over a year, can't I even indulge in a little romance now and then?"
He suddenly turned his head and said mysteriously, "I have something to tell you. Song Feifei is coming back to visit in a while, which will coincide with Christmas. Can you make this bulletin board a little more romantic?"
Chen Yunqi shrugged: "No, when I put up bulletin boards at school, the theme is always to promote the spirit of contemporary students, spread positive social energy, and advance ideological and cultural construction. I don't know anything about love and romance."
Tang Yutao pretended to splatter paint on Chen Yunqi with a brush, and said angrily, "Stop messing around, I'm talking to you seriously!"
"Song Feifei?" Chen Yunqi dodged Tang Yutao's brush, seemingly lost in thought. "Is she the female teacher from before? You like her?"
"It's alright, I don't particularly like her." Tang Yutao pushed up his slipped glasses, and the smile he couldn't hide at the corner of his mouth betrayed him: "If it weren't for the fact that you can't find many decent girls in this godforsaken place, I might not even be interested in someone like her."
Chen Yunqi wasn't good at rolling his eyes, otherwise, he would have rolled his eyelids to the sky in response to his insincere words.
The painting work proceeded in a pleasant atmosphere. They hadn't eaten lunch because they were so focused on mediating the dispute, and now both were hungry. They washed their hands, changed into clean clothes, and headed to San San's house together.
San San also heard about what happened at noon. He comforted Chen Yunqi, saying, "Don't worry about Teacher Li. I saw him go to Li Hanqiang's house. He must be going to drink. I'll go with you to pick him up later."
Even San San guessed that Li Hui would definitely get drunk tonight. Chen Yunqi could only smile helplessly and nodded in agreement.
During dinner, Chen Yunqi recounted what he had seen and heard at Huang Yelin's house. Tang Yutao listened in silence. He had always been strict with Huang Yelin, only knowing that the boy was bad-tempered, frequently fought with classmates, and never finished his homework. Every family in the mountains has its share of troubles, but he never imagined Huang Yelin's family was like this.
San San's father had also heard about Huang Youzheng's affairs. He put down his chopsticks, took a sip of baijiu, and said, "It's a pity about his kid."