C59 (1/2)

Zhu Ying was tightly hugged in my embrace, enjoying the happiness that came flying over in an instant without moving an inch.

I seemed to be able to understand Zhu Ying's current mood. She didn't have any evil intentions towards me at all;

Me and Zhu Ying having the same feelings, hugging her was also out of a kind of primal impulse, just to hug.

This is because when Zhu Ying left the Tong Village, I was in the middle of a life-long journey to decide the fate of a sprint — — College Entrance Test.

I toiled in the county for a week — including the emergency review before the start of the exam — and after finishing the college entrance examination, I hurriedly rushed back to Tong Village to see Zhu Ying. The few classrooms in the school were all empty, jutting out onto the hillside during the summer;

I put my hand on the locked steel door and looked out at the school yard. There was dust on the playground, but no footprints where the children had trod. It looked like the school hadn't been in class for days.

I turned my numb head around on my stiff neck and thought to myself: ”Zhu Ying, once we leave the small school in the mountain village, there will be no teachers, so the children will have to go home and rear the sheep. How can they come back to school …”

The poverty and backwardness of the mountains seemed to be at odds with the rapid development of society as a whole; the desolation of the mountain folk and the lack of real education for the next generation were inconceivable and incomprehensible to the urban population.

The second generation, who drove a Mercedes-Benz or a BMW, did not know that the terrain of the mountains was uneven and that it was impossible to build a straight road at all; people were used to walking.

I lingered in front of the school gate, staring at the simple and crude place Zhu Ying had lived in for three years; in my heart, it was as if I had overturned all kinds of flavors.

He was a little lame; I called him Lord Cripple.

Master Cripple, who was limping up the hill with a bunch of keys in his hand, saw me standing in front of the school gate when he walked up the hill and shouted in astonishment, ”Bones, what are you doing here? Aren't we taking the college entrance exam in the county? ”

I ran over and held Cripple Lord's arm as I laughed, ”Second Grandpa, the county's college entrance exam is already over; I'm back!”

Cripple Lord stared at me and said, ”Hey,” while opening his missing front teeth and laughing, ”I understand now, are you looking for Teacher Zhu?”

I didn't admit it or deny it. I just stood there and didn't say anything.

Mr. Cripple sighed and said, ”Teacher Zhu just left yesterday. In fact, three days ago, Wei Hua, the administrative officer of the corporation's county committee, called. He said that there was a bus that went to the provincial capital and told Teacher Zhu to prepare to ride back with it. But Teacher Zhu seems to be waiting for something so long that you have to make a decision! ”

Cripple Grandpa paused to clear his throat and said, ”Yesterday morning, Officer Wei Hua called again, so Teacher Zhu decided to leave!”

I thought in pain. I knew that Zhu Ying was waiting for me because she wanted to say her final farewell to me.

Zhu Ying had stayed in the Tong Village Academy for three years and didn't have many friends who were a little addicted to her personality. Usually, they would only come to my house to chat with my sister, Cherry, and even watch my retarded mother make pancakes for her to eat.

Zhu Ying also asked me to buy some daily necessities for her from the county city. Every week, when I return from the county city, I would deliver them to her.

The two of us walked around the campus after school, sitting on the kang in the winter and talking about our future and ideals.

After three years of teaching, Zhu Ying was already used to sleeping on the brick bed where Tong Village were burning hot on her butt.

In order to take care of the branch girls in the city like Zhu Ying, the Village Chief ordered someone to bring over several wagons of hard wood and wood in the winter.

The fire was used to light the fire, and the hard wood was set on fire; the kang was burned to the point of being a pancake.

That night, Zhu Ying and I sat on the hot brick bed and chatted about ideals. Outside, the wind and snow were blowing, and we didn't know what was happening.

If not for my sister Ying Zi, who was escorted by her retarded mother, coming to the school, Zhu Ying and I would have probably chatted until daybreak.

And it was also during that night that my sister Ying Zi secretly tugged on my sleeves and giggled, ”Brother, do you like Sister Zhu Ying?! ”Since you like her, why don't you marry her and be her sister-in-law?”