pjbooks Chapter 36 Jumping into the Yellow River won't clear your name
Chapter 36 Jumping into the Yellow River won't clear your name
"You have no idea, it really scared me to death!"
As soon as morning reading class ended, Ma Laixi ran up to Song Siyuan and Tang Huaiyi and told them about his personal experience of "escaping death".
"I was thinking, if my dad got called to school by the teacher because of this, he'd definitely beat me with a doorstop. Our doorstop was that thick..."
Ma Lai happy raised his hand and gestured: "It's made of jujube wood, very sturdy!"
Song Siyuan laughed and said, "It's made of jujube wood. If it really wanted to hit you, it wouldn't break even if your bones broke."
"Exactly! I was thinking, if Teacher Tian really called my parents, I'd bring that door-blocking stick to school. Whatever my dad beats me with, I'd beat that bastard He Genbao to a pulp." Ma Laixi said with a look of relief, "Luckily, Teacher Tian didn't listen to He Genbao, she just scolded me..."
Tang Huaiyi listened with a smile. Seeing that Ma Laixi and Song Siyuan were going to eat, he waved slightly to Song Siyuan, indicating that they should go first.
After they all left, Tang Huaiyi and Li Xiujuan went to the canteen to eat with pickled vegetables a while later.
Guan Xiaolin waited for the two of them to arrive, not in a hurry. After tidying up the basket of steamed buns, she came back to talk to them.
"How's the crow? Is it behaving?" Tang Huaiyi asked.
"I don't know if that counts as being obedient... Anyway, when I told it not to fly and to stay at my house to recover from its injury, it really didn't fly; it only lets me touch it three times a day." Guan Xiaolin said with a smile, "I get annoyed too if it only listens to you and not to me."
"If this continues, I'll just be raising a bird for you for nothing, and once it can fly, it won't recognize me at all."
"It's alright, it probably doesn't recognize me anyway," Tang Huaiyi said with a smile. "Think about it, it's a wild bird after all. The reason it's behaving obediently is because it's injured."
"Once it's old enough to fly, why would it stay here with us?"
"That's right, then it will be able to fly freely."
Guan Xiaolin said with emotion, "In this way, we have done a great thing; I have never seen such a spiritual bird before, and its home is indeed the vast blue sky."
Tang Huaiyi nodded, took a bite of the cornbread, felt a bit full, then picked up the noodle soup and drank a sip, and ate some pickled vegetables.
Such a life would seem rather impoverished to later generations, and it couldn't compare to the well-off family like Guan Xiaolin's, but it was undoubtedly much better than before.
While they were eating and talking, a woman's cursing came from the teachers' office.
"You're the one who killed my son!"
"You shameless woman, my son is dead, you won't get away with this!"
Upon hearing the old woman's cursing, Tang Huaiyi, Guan Xiaolin, and Li Xiujuan exchanged glances and shook their heads slightly.
From their first year of high school to their third year, they had witnessed this situation more than once.
This old woman was the mother of Teacher Xu's ex-husband, a woman from the countryside who moved to the county town—in fact, Shannan County, this poor little county town, was not much different from larger villages and towns, so this nearly sixty-year-old woman retained the original rural knowledge and experience.
Because her son hanged himself after gambling, she was ignorant and had nowhere to vent her anger, so she took advantage of her son's ex-wife, Teacher Xu, to constantly cause her trouble, and would come to the school to scold her from time to time.
For this reason, even though Tang Huaiyi had never inquired about it before, he gradually learned the general outline of Teacher Xu's experience.
After a quick meal and rinsing their teacups, Tang Huaiyi, Li Xiujuan, and Guan Xiaolin returned to the classroom. Just then, the old woman who had been cursing left, giving them some peace and quiet.
Ma Laixi peeked around and watched the commotion for a while before telling Song Siyuan the latest news.
"Teacher Xu was crying so hard in the office that she couldn't stand up straight. Class Two probably won't be able to have class today."
"Do you know why Teacher Xu's mother-in-law came to make trouble?"
"I heard that before Teacher Xu's husband hanged himself, he came to Teacher Xu and said that she either had to raise money for him to pay off his debts, or she had to sleep with someone else to pay off his debts."
"Teacher Xu refused all his requests and kicked him out. He had no choice but to hang himself."
"Teacher Xu's mother-in-law said that if Teacher Xu could keep her son calm, he wouldn't have died..."
Song Siyuan and several other classmates listened with amazement. Tang Huaiyi also overheard it and thought to himself, "Sure enough, some beasts have beastly parents... Teacher Xu is really unlucky."
At lunchtime, Tang Huaiyi and Li Xiujuan were walking at the back of the students again. As they passed the teachers' office, they heard sobbing and whimpering coming from inside. Li Xiujuan felt a pang of sympathy.
"Teacher Xu's life is too hard."
Tang Huaiyi pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps, she needs a devoted, attentive lapdog."
Li Xiujuan asked blankly, "What kind of dog? Do such dogs even exist?"
Yes, there are.
Tang Huaiyi thought of how his third uncle was so obsessed with women that he treated even a woman like Widow Ma, who deliberately swindled him out of money, like a precious treasure. If he were given the chance to get married, he would definitely cherish it immensely.
There is still hope in this matter.
However, we should ask first, lest any trouble involve the Tang family.
"I'll go see Teacher Xu."
Tang Huaiyi said something, walked to the door of the senior high school teachers' office, and looked inside.
There were no other teachers inside, only Teacher Xu, who was sobbing uncontrollably on the table, her hair disheveled from crying.
"Teacher Xu."
Tang Huaiyi called out.
Ms. Xu quickly wiped her face, looked up, her eyes red and swollen, and tried her best to appear nonchalant as a teacher: "Excuse me, student, is there something you need?"
Tang Huaiyi then said, "Teacher Xu, I'd like to ask about your family situation."
Why do students ask teachers questions when teachers are the ones asking students questions?
Teacher Xu was stunned for a moment, then smiled wryly: "Thank you for your kindness, student."
"However, you should still focus your energy on your studies. Teachers have their own families and lives, and they don't need your concern."
As she spoke, she involuntarily twitched slightly—this was because she had been crying for too long, and her body involuntarily trembled with "grievance".
Tang Huaiyi wasn't planning on beating around the bush.
This is just an idea; if it works, great; if not, so be it. Wasting more time is not good.
"Teacher Xu, I'm asking about these things not for any other reason than to introduce you to someone."
"I always feel like people are bullying you because you don't have a man in your family to stand up for you."
"Ms. Xu, do you have any plans to remarry?"
Tang Huaiyi asked directly.
Upon hearing this, Teacher Xu fell silent.
After a few seconds, she sighed, "I have a daughter, I'm a widow, and I'm infamous. Who would want a woman like me?"
Does this mean you've definitely considered marriage, but can't bring yourself to do it?
Tang Huaiyi advised, "Teacher Xu, you are an educated person. How can you still be so upset about such a superstitious belief that she caused your husband's death?"
"Not that infamy."
Teacher Xu lowered her head and said bitterly, "I'm completely innocent... They all say I'm... Sigh, I can't clear my name even if I jump into the Yellow River!"