After everyone in the yard had left, He Shuli seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Her straight back bent and she leaned against the door frame with a sad look in her eyes.
Du Yuanzhou walked up to her and hesitated for a while: "Shuli, I'm sorry, I didn't know those children would be like this."
The three children squatted at his doorstep every day, and Du Yuanzhou could see them every morning when he got up to go to work. He was a kind-hearted person, so it was normal for him to feel sympathy for the three children.
He Shuli felt extremely tired. After this farce that she had deliberately condoned, she felt like she had no strength left in her body.
She looked at the sky above the courtyard and said, "When Yu Daya came to ask you to adopt Yu Dahe, you were tempted, right?"
He Shuli has been with Du Yuanzhou for so many years and knows him so well.
In her previous life, Du Yuanzhou wanted a child, and she also wanted a child. She was happy to see Yu Dahe adopted. The couple had an agreement. Now she was not willing to adopt a child anymore because she felt that Du Yuanzhou's behavior made her too angry.
Du Yuanzhou is 29 years old this year. After August this year, he will be 30. Other people of this age already have several children. Whenever Du Yuanzhou sees other people's families surrounded by children, he still feels envious.
But he didn't really need to have a child. The reason he wanted a child was because he felt He Shuli was too lonely.
His job often requires him to go to the countryside, and sometimes he would be gone for several days. He Shuli was left alone at home, lonely. Sometimes Du Yuanzhou felt distressed and guilty just thinking about it.
If it weren't for him, He Shuli wouldn't have lost her child, injured her body, and was always ridiculed by his parents.
"I just think you are too lonely." Du Yuanzhou said.
He Shuli knew what Du Yuanzhou was thinking, but she also knew that if she didn't use harsh enough tactics, Du Yuanzhou would do the same thing again even if he agreed to her verbally.
"Why don't we get divorced? With your conditions, it will be easy for you to find another partner, and then you can have a child of your own." This thought often popped into He Shuli's mind for the second half of her previous life.
She thought that if she had divorced Du Yuanzhou at the beginning, and Du Yuanzhou had remarried and had his own children, his ending might not have been so tragic.
He has such a good temper, he will definitely live a very good life.
He will have a gentle and virtuous or capable and fierce wife, and a lovely and intelligent child. He will definitely be a good husband and a good father.
He Shuli's fantasy was interrupted by Du Yuanzhou's anger. He rarely had a look of anger in his eyes: "He Shuli, is this what you think of me? If I divorce you and marry someone else, would I still be worthy of being a human being? He Shuli, tell me, how long have you had this idea in your mind?"
"I'm telling you, He Shuli, I, Du Yuanzhou, will fight you to the death for the rest of my life, so don't even think about getting rid of me. Anyway, you said it yourself now, so when you're old, don't regret saying that I didn't adopt a child."
He Shuli looked at Du Yuanzhou and smiled. She said, "I will never regret it."
Du Yuanzhou saw determination in his wife's eyes. He thought, if there is no child, then there is no child. He will just try to spend more time with her in the future.
····
When the couple was about to come to terms with it, Jiang Youtao also received a reminder from the melon-eating system that the self-repair of Small World No. 8 had reached 70%, and the remaining 30% depended on time.
She looked at the sixth book again. The blood on the book was so light that only a thin layer remained. This meant that Su Jianing had almost vented all the resentment in her heart. Jiang Youtao estimated that with Su Jianing's temper, Lu Xiangqian would not live long.
Jiang Youtao was still a little confused about the small world No. 8, so she looked up the reason for the collapse of the small world.
After reading it, it was similar to her previous guess. Du Yuanzhou died, and Yu Daya and her two siblings were punished by law. As the main characters in the book, they represented the truth, goodness and beauty in the book. Yu Daya coveted her adoptive father, and together with her two younger brothers, she threw dirty water on him.
This is not only a moral flaw for her, but also a flaw in Du Yuanzhou's character. As a small world built on the premise of truth, goodness and beauty, the collapse of their personalities also caused the collapse of the small world.
But the Truth, Goodness and Beauty System is the Truth, Goodness and Beauty System after all. Compared with the stupid consciousness of other small worlds that says "if you make me collapse, I will make you fall into infinite reincarnation", No. 7 and No. 8 are simply a breath of fresh air.
Saved Jiang Youtao from her disgust for these small world consciousnesses.
Ever since He Shuli made a big deal about this matter, Jiang Youtao never saw Yu Daya and her two brothers wandering around again. There were a few times when Jiang Youtao passed by Old Man Yu's house and saw Yu Daya working.
The Yu family had no intention of sending Yu Daya to school, but instead let her older brother go. Yu Dahe no longer followed Yu Daya around every day like before.
Uncle Yu's neighbors had children of the same age as him. He followed them around to play all day long, and in just a few days, he had completely forgotten about his older sister, Yu Daya.
Time passed so quickly, as if in the blink of an eye, the spring in Zao Township was over, and the weeds on the roadside and the trees on the mountains were getting greener and greener.
In the spring, the fruit trees that were full of flowers were hung with green fruits, and the crops planted by the villagers in the fields also grew, covering the previously bare soil with a layer of green.
In this 1970s era, when summer approaches, it is also the most important moment in their lives: they are about to take the high school entrance examination.
Jiang Youtao knows the importance of academic qualifications to students, so she has been paying close attention to students' academic performance during this period, and the learning atmosphere for the second-year junior high school students has become increasingly tense.
Principal Huang was particularly happy to see that the learning atmosphere in Class 1, Grade 8 was so good.
As the principal, he had contact with many higher-level units, and he knew that since the beginning of last year, the higher-level authorities had made significant changes to the education of primary and secondary school students. In particular, last winter, the higher-level schools ordered all junior high school dormitories and canteens to be opened.
This made Principal Huang excited for a whole month.
He specifically asked people about it and found out that in many places, many educators who were once labeled as the "stinking ninth" have been quietly rehabilitated, and universities across provinces have quietly started renovations in inconspicuous places.
What does this indicate? It indicates that China's educational winter is over and spring is about to come.
This batch of eighth grade students may be the first batch of students to enjoy the spring breeze. Their future is far brighter than they think.
Principal Huang had attended Jiang Youtao and Gu Nianwei's teaching methods several times and knew their abilities very well. Therefore, Jiang Youtao became the team leader for this high school entrance examination.
There are not many eighth-grade students in Zaoxiang Junior High School, only three classes. All classes have attended each other's classes. Jiang Youtao is young, but her educational achievements are obvious to all.
What was Class 1 like before? Lin Manrou didn't teach with much effort, and the students only half understood. But now, in the last test for the whole grade, Class 1's Chinese scores have moved from the last place among the original three classes to first place.
Not only her, even the Chinese grades of the seventh grade class she taught for one semester were very good. Not to mention Gu Nianwei, even Teacher Zhang, who had taught students for several years, had attended her math class.
No one had any objection to Jiang Youtao becoming a substitute teacher.
July of the Gregorian calendar year has already arrived in the midsummer in Zao Township. Everyone has changed their thick long-sleeved clothes and put on short-sleeved ones.
Jiang Youtao was wearing a white short-sleeved top with a slightly nipped waist, grey wide-leg pants made of suit fabric, a pair of small round-toed leather shoes, and her hair was combed into a formal big braid.
This outfit makes her look older and she doesn't look so young anymore.
Today is the day for the eighth grade students to go to the county town for exams. As Jiang Youtao's prospective boyfriend, Fu Shaohua comes to pick Jiang Youtao up and go to the station together.
Jiang Youtao sat sideways in the back seat of Fu Shaohua's car.
This is the common riding posture for girls of this era.
When she was leaving the alley, she saw Su Jianing and He Shuli. They had become good friends without her realizing it and would follow each other wherever they went.
"Taotao, are you going to class?" Su Jianing greeted Jiang Youtao. Under Su Jianing's leadership, He Shuli also became familiar with Jiang Youtao and the others.
"Yes, the kids are going to the county town to take the high school entrance exam today, and I have to take them with me. Where have you been?" Jiang Youtao patted Fu Shaohua's waist, and Fu Shaohua stepped on the brakes, put his legs on the ground and waited for them to chat.
"Aren't the peonies on the mountain blooming? Shuli and I went to pick some and brought them back. Is Weiwei at home? I'll send you a few flowers later." Su Jianing showed Jiang Youtao the basket on her hand. There were white peonies, red peonies, and pink/white peonies in the basket. The colors were bright and eye-catching. If you got close and smelled them, they had a rich fragrance.
"She didn't have morning self-study this morning, she's still at home." The exams for the seventh and eight grade of junior high school are staggered, so they won't take the exams until tomorrow.
"Okay, I'll send the flowers to her later. These peonies are beautiful. When we picked them, they were all buds. They are very fresh." After slowly letting go of her hatred for Lu Xiangqian, Su Jianing ignited a great passion for life.
She would pick a handful of wild flowers when they bloomed in the spring and place them at home. She would also get up early in the summer when the peonies bloomed and climb the mountains with her friends to see the peonies in bloom.
Her condition improved visibly, and Jiang Youtao was happy for her.
He Shuli's temperament became more gentle. After she talked it out with her husband, Du Yuanzhou never mentioned the matter again. He would try to come home early after work. After knowing that she had a new hobby of liking flowers and plants, he would always bring He Shuli a bunch of wild flowers or some delicious food on his way back.
He Shuli suddenly became the woman envied by all the women in Xingfu Lane, Du Yuanzhou became the public enemy of all the married men in Xingfu Lane, and the Du family was completely integrated into Xingfu Lane.
Everything is moving in a positive direction.
Fu Shaohua drove Jiang Youtao away, and He Shuli said to Su Jianing, "Xiao Fu and Taotao are such a perfect match."
Both of them are good-looking, and He Shuli can't even imagine how beautiful their children will be in the future.
Su Jianing's face was full of smiles: "That's right, every time I see their faces, I can eat an extra bowl of rice."
He Shuli said: "Weiwei and Manqiu who live with Taotao are also good-looking. I don't know what kind of partners they will find in the future..."
"That's true, but if you ask me, the people in Xingfu Lane are all good-looking..."
The two of them walked further and further away, and their voices became inaudible.
But Fu Shaohua heard what He Shuli said. His face turned red. Looking at the back of Jiang Youtao and her classmates getting on the bus to work, his heart was extremely excited.
If their child is born, it will definitely be the most beautiful and the cutest in the world! But what name should they give it?
Fu Shaohua's mind was stuck. He decided to go back and look through the dictionary to find out the names of his daughter and son in advance, so that when the child is born, he won't be so panicked!
Jiang Youtao had no idea that Fu Shaohua had such a wild imagination. She explained the exam process to the students over and over again in the car.
The students felt the importance of teachers like Jiang Youtao and became nervous.
The bus stops directly at the entrance of the county middle school. The county middle school is much larger than the commune middle school. Not only does it cover a large area, but the school's infrastructure is also good, and the teaching building is a two-story red brick building.
The teaching building and dormitory were built opposite each other. In the middle of the two was a large basketball court. The basketball court was surrounded by a cinder track. There were many trees planted on both sides of the track, which were lush and green at this time.
The basketball court was full of people, all of whom were candidates attending school this year.
There are nine communes under Yangping County, and the students in each commune are similar. Today is the big day for the county-wide joint examination. As the first batch of students to take the joint examination, the leaders of Yangping County also attach great importance to this matter.
At 8:10, the sun had risen into the sky, and its scorching rays were baking the earth.
The director of the county education bureau gave a speech for nearly half an hour while standing under the flag-raising platform at the county middle school's basketball court.
It is only 75 years now, and there are still two years before the college entrance examination. Does the country attach so much importance to education now?
Jiang Youtao asked the melon-eating system, and the melon-eating system said: [ All kinds of reborn people and time travelers gather in the big world, and the development of the big world will always have some small deviations. But the general direction will not be affected. ]
These words from the melon-eating system gave Jiang Youtao a reassurance.
After the director of the Education Bureau finished his speech, the exam began. Students went to the examination room with their admission tickets with their school, class, and name written on them. Teachers like Jiang Youtao were waiting anxiously on the school playground.
While waiting, everyone couldn't help chatting. Next to Jiang Youtao stood next to a female teacher in her twenties. Her name was Zheng Zimei, and she was a teacher at the Wangjiatun Brigade.
At the same time, she was also an educated youth, but she had married in the local area six years ago.
After knowing that Jiang Youtao was an educated youth, she became particularly close to Jiang Youtao. She took Jiang Youtao to talk about her husband and in-laws for almost half an hour, praising them in every word.
When she found out that Jiang Youtao was seventeen years old, she was very excited to introduce her to someone.
The person she introduced was none other than her brother-in-law.
"My husband's younger brother is really good. He's about your age, tall and strong, and very honest. You'll definitely like him if you see him."
Zheng Zimei's words made Jiang Youtao frown uncomfortably. She interrupted Zheng Zimei and said, "Teacher Zheng, I have a partner."
Zheng Zimei was blocked by Jiang Youtao's words and was a little unhappy.
"Teacher Jiang, don't blame me for talking too much. I just think my brother-in-law is really good. It would be a pity if you missed him. You two are really a good match." Zheng Zimei looked regretful.
All in all, Jiang Youtao had known Zheng Zimei for less than half an hour. She could sit here and listen to Zheng Zimei fart for half an hour because she was too bored. But Zheng Zimei had introduced her to someone first, so what did she mean by this?
Is her brother-in-law a god from heaven? It would be a pity to miss him? They are quite compatible. Is she crazy?
They had never met before, and there was a high probability that they would not have the opportunity to get along with each other in the future. Jiang Youtao did not intend to spoil her: "Teacher Zheng, is your brother-in-law really that good?"
"That's right." Zheng Zimei thought Jiang Youtao had changed her mind, so she raised her chin high, looking like someone saying "come and please me".
Jiang Youtao rolled her eyes and said with a fake smile: "Teacher Zheng, you admire your brother-in-law so much, you must have a very good relationship with him. I'm not going on a blind date with your brother-in-law, and you're still so angry. If it were you, you should divorce your husband and marry your brother-in-law."
"After all, your brother-in-law is so good, it would be a pity to miss him. Instead of persuading someone who doesn't know your brother-in-law at all to go on a blind date with him, you might as well go on a blind date yourself."
"Teacher Zheng, there is a saying from the ancients that may not be sounds good here, but I think it is quite appropriate. It means that good things should be kept within the family. You can just do it yourself."
Jiang Youtao's words made the teachers around her burst into laughter.
Zheng Zimei didn't act like a teacher at all. She was not worried at all when the students entered the examination room. While all the teachers were worried about their students, she was the only one talking about her own things, bragging about how good her in-laws were and how good her husband was to her.
Now, look what happened. She caught a young teacher and wanted to introduce her to a partner. Even after the teacher said she already had a partner, she still refused to give in. Everyone was very happy to be fought back by Jiang Youtao.
Zheng Zimei's face turned pale and blue, and finally turned liver-colored: "What nonsense are you talking about!" Zheng Zimei said this, unconsciously looking at the two teachers from their school who came with her.
The two teachers often heard her bragging about her in-laws at school and were fed up with her.
The two pretended not to notice the look Zheng Zimei gave them. Zheng Zimei's face immediately fell to the ground, and she ran away to a deserted place in embarrassment.
Another female teacher from Wangjiatun Middle School walked up to Jiang Youtao and whispered to her, "It's good that you didn't agree to meet him. Zheng Zimei's brother-in-law has a mental problem. He looks tall and strong, about 1.8 meters tall, but what's the use of him? He's like a two or three-year-old child."
"Last time I saw her brother-in-law rushing to her arms to ask for milk." The female teacher couldn't stand Zheng Zimei's behavior. Isn't this pure deception?
"Is she sick?" Jiang Youtao was really angry. What if the person Zheng Zimei met today was not her, but some other thin-skinned girl, who might have been fooled by her.
If she introduce a fool to a normal woman, won't she feel guilty?
"She's not sick." The female teacher leaned closer to Jiang Youtao and said, "I heard that her in-laws gave her an ultimatum. If she can't find a partner for her brother-in-law, she will give birth to a child for him."
Jiang Youtao was stunned: "Is this still possible?"
The female teacher looked at her as if she were still young, and whispered to Jiang Youtao, "Why not? In ancient times, wasn't it common for a man to have two wives? She is also choosing two husband."
This is a nice way of saying it, but in reality, isn't this just wife-sharing? And it's wife-sharing for fools!
Jiang Youtao couldn't understand: "Why didn't she divorce or resist?"
"Her family background is not good. She is the descendant of a capitalist. Another reason is that her father-in-law is the director of the Revolutionary Committee of our commune." Obviously, the female teacher's family conditions are relatively good. When she talked about the director of the Revolutionary Committee, her disgust was written on her face: "She didn't marry into her husband's family voluntarily. Her husband raped her first, so she married into the family."
Jiang Youtao was even more shocked. She glanced in the direction where Zheng Zimei disappeared and said, "Didn't she say how good her man was to her?"
"What's so good about that? People don't even take her seriously. The position of commune teacher was arranged for her by her father-in-law to appease her."
"So she admitted it?"
"What can she do if she doesn't acknowledge him? She can't beat her father-in-law." The female teacher said, "Everyone was quite sympathetic to her at first, but she insisted on being so rude. Now everyone thinks that she and her husband are a family, and they are just like each other. Everyone is fed up with her."
"At least there is a teacher in our school who is about the same age as her. Because he said something wrong, she reported him and he is now living in a cowshed."
"Fortunately you are not from our commune, otherwise she would definitely report you if you had confronted her like that."
Jiang Youtao asked her: "Aren't you afraid of being reported by her?"
The female teacher rolled her eyes and said, "Who doesn't have a backer? Her family bullies the weak and fears the strong. They don't dare to do anything to me."
Jiang Youtao understood. No wonder this female teacher dared to gossip with her. Just then, Zheng Zimei came back after sorting out her mood, and Jiang Youtao and Zheng Zimei stopped talking about this topic.
The 90-minute exam passed quickly. When a bell rang, students filed out. Jiang Youtao hurried to greet them and led the students from her school back to the bus. Another teacher took the bus driver to bring the hot meals from the county middle school cafeteria.
After eating, everyone took a short nap on the bus. At two o'clock in the afternoon, they went to take the afternoon exam. At four o'clock in the afternoon, everyone took the bus back to school.
It was only five o'clock when they finished dealing with school matters. Gu Nianwei still had an evening self-study class. Jiang Youtao strolled to the post office and stayed with Fu Shaohua for a long time, and only went back when it was almost dark.
As soon as she entered Xingfu Lane, a man ran past her. Then, there was a knock on He Shuli's door, and Du Yuanzhou came out to open it.
Jiang Youtao just watched Yu Daya throw herself into Du Yuanzhou's arms.
Jiang Youtao's eyes widened!
He Shuli, who was one step behind Du Yuanzhou, ran up and pulled Yu Daya out of Du Yuanzhou's arms: "What are you doing!"
Yu Daya didn't care what He Shuli said at all. She threw herself into Du Yuanzhou's arms again and started crying loudly: "Uncle Du, please save me, please save me. My mother wants to take me away and give me to her stepson as a child bride. My grandparents don't care about me."