Chapter 2: The Odd Teacher Li
June 19
"Dodo, are we going to eat fish when we get back?" Xiao Nanhua asked excitedly as she sat on the water buffalo's back, looking at Su He with hopeful eyes.
Su He knew that life at home was difficult. He had six siblings in total, and he was the fourth child. His three older sisters were all beautiful and well-educated, having completed high school. Su He himself had just graduated from junior high school but had failed the high school entrance exams. His fifth brother was in third grade, five years younger than him, and the youngest sibling, Xiao Nanhua, was only three years old and not yet of school age.
Su He knew that life was tough for their family of eight, with five children needing education. They barely had enough to eat, let alone eat well. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten meat. It was even harder for a three-year-old child like Xiao Nanhua.
Su He nodded and promised, "Alright, I'll make fish soup for you when we get back!" He knew that his mother, Ye Chuanxiu, would never let him fry the fish since oil was a precious commodity in their household. They couldn't afford to use it for frying fish.
As they walked towards their village, Su He suddenly remembered the scene he had seen when he came up from the river earlier. If he wasn't mistaken, it resembled the place where he had lived in his previous life. Unlike others who preferred living in villas, Su He had bought a warehouse, renovated it himself, and found it quite comfortable.
But now wasn't the time to think about this. Shaking his head to clear it, Su He was brought back to reality by Xiao Nanhua’s laughter. Her simple happiness made Su He feel a touch of sadness.
It was 1979, a tough time for the country. But even dark times lead to brighter days. Slowly, they made their way towards Nanzhu Village. As they reached the village entrance, Su He spotted a familiar face coming towards them.
A moment of searching his memories jogged his mind. It was his old junior high homeroom teacher, Teacher Li. "Teacher Li, what a surprise! What brings you here?" he asked.
Teacher Li seemed lost in thought, and Su He had to call out to her to get her attention. When she finally noticed him, she smiled and said, "Oh, nothing much. I just came to visit your family."
Su He couldn't help but notice that she seemed a bit evasive, and he wondered why. However, he brushed it off as his imagination.
Teacher Li then asked, "You didn't pass the high school entrance exam. I wanted to ask if you plan to retake it."
Su He did want to retake the exam, but he knew that his family couldn't afford it. He had worked hard to earn the money for his previous education, but even with his family's help with living expenses, it had been a struggle. He didn't know how he could possibly come up with the money to retake the exam.
While he had ideas for making money, he couldn't openly discuss them. At that time, private business was not yet widely accepted, especially in J Province and Bihui City, where it was hardly heard of. News traveled slowly without the convenience of modern technology.
Shaking his head, Su He said, "Teacher Li, I'm not sure yet." He felt a mix of confusion and curiosity. He planned to find an opportunity to verify some of his thoughts in the coming days.
Teacher Li didn’t know about Su He’s thoughts and looked a bit let down. But Su He caught a quick look in her eyes that he couldn’t quite place. “Teacher Li, I haven’t had you over for a meal. Why don’t you take this fish for a stew?” he said, feeling a bit awkward but knowing she cared about her students.
He had forgotten Xiao Nanhua was still on the water buffalo. When she heard Su He offer the fish to Teacher Li, she quickly said, “Dodo, aren’t we going to have the fish?”
Maybe because of what Xiao Nanhua said, or maybe for another reason, Teacher Li shook her head. "No, you two keep the fish," she said. Then she quickly walked past Su He and disappeared down the path that went in two directions.
Su He watched her go, confused. He thought about how to teach Xiao Nanhua to share and be polite to teachers, even though she was too young to get it yet.
Seeing tears forming in Xiao Nanhua's eyes, Su He's nose felt strange. "It's alright. We'll take the fish home and eat it," he comforted her.
Happy, she nodded quickly. "Eat fish!"
Su He watched Teacher Li leave, still feeling confused. He decided not to think about it anymore. When they got home, they found his mom, Ye Chuanxiu, outside washing clothes.
"Mom, I'm home!" Su He called out. His mom looked up, and her eyes were a little red and seemed to be avoiding his gaze. This worried Su He. "Mom, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" he asked.
Ye Chuanxiu quickly shook her head. "It's nothing, just some dust in my eyes from the wind," she lied.
Su He thought it was odd. Both Teacher Li and his mom seemed to be keeping something secret. But since they wouldn't tell him, he decided to drop it. He held up the fish and said, "Look, I caught a fish! We can cook it for a special lunch today!"
After a brief hesitation, his mother nodded, "Alright. Your second sister recently had surgery and could use the nourishment."
---
Nanzhu Village (Current living Village), Teacher Li (His Middle School Teacher)
Chapter 2: The Odd Teacher Li
June 19
"Dodo, are we going to eat fish when we get back?" Xiao Nanhua asked excitedly as she sat on the water buffalo's back, looking at Su He with hopeful eyes.
Su He knew that life at home was difficult. He had six siblings in total, and he was the fourth child. His three older sisters were all beautiful and well-educated, having completed high school. Su He himself had just graduated from junior high school but had failed the high school entrance exams. His fifth brother was in third grade, five years younger than him, and the youngest sibling, Xiao Nanhua, was only three years old and not yet of school age.
Su He knew that life was tough for their family of eight, with five children needing education. They barely had enough to eat, let alone eat well. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten meat. It was even harder for a three-year-old child like Xiao Nanhua.
Su He nodded and promised, "Alright, I'll make fish soup for you when we get back!" He knew that his mother, Ye Chuanxiu, would never let him fry the fish since oil was a precious commodity in their household. They couldn't afford to use it for frying fish.
As they walked towards their village, Su He suddenly remembered the scene he had seen when he came up from the river earlier. If he wasn't mistaken, it resembled the place where he had lived in his previous life. Unlike others who preferred living in villas, Su He had bought a warehouse, renovated it himself, and found it quite comfortable.
But now wasn't the time to think about this. Shaking his head to clear it, Su He was brought back to reality by Xiao Nanhua’s laughter. Her simple happiness made Su He feel a touch of sadness.
It was 1979, a tough time for the country. But even dark times lead to brighter days. Slowly, they made their way towards Nanzhu Village. As they reached the village entrance, Su He spotted a familiar face coming towards them.
A moment of searching his memories jogged his mind. It was his old junior high homeroom teacher, Teacher Li. "Teacher Li, what a surprise! What brings you here?" he asked.
Teacher Li seemed lost in thought, and Su He had to call out to her to get her attention. When she finally noticed him, she smiled and said, "Oh, nothing much. I just came to visit your family."
Su He couldn't help but notice that she seemed a bit evasive, and he wondered why. However, he brushed it off as his imagination.
Teacher Li then asked, "You didn't pass the high school entrance exam. I wanted to ask if you plan to retake it."
Su He did want to retake the exam, but he knew that his family couldn't afford it. He had worked hard to earn the money for his previous education, but even with his family's help with living expenses, it had been a struggle. He didn't know how he could possibly come up with the money to retake the exam.
While he had ideas for making money, he couldn't openly discuss them. At that time, private business was not yet widely accepted, especially in J Province and Bihui City, where it was hardly heard of. News traveled slowly without the convenience of modern technology.
Shaking his head, Su He said, "Teacher Li, I'm not sure yet." He felt a mix of confusion and curiosity. He planned to find an opportunity to verify some of his thoughts in the coming days.
Teacher Li didn’t know about Su He’s thoughts and looked a bit let down. But Su He caught a quick look in her eyes that he couldn’t quite place. “Teacher Li, I haven’t had you over for a meal. Why don’t you take this fish for a stew?” he said, feeling a bit awkward but knowing she cared about her students.
He had forgotten Xiao Nanhua was still on the water buffalo. When she heard Su He offer the fish to Teacher Li, she quickly said, “Dodo, aren’t we going to have the fish?”
Maybe because of what Xiao Nanhua said, or maybe for another reason, Teacher Li shook her head. "No, you two keep the fish," she said. Then she quickly walked past Su He and disappeared down the path that went in two directions.
Su He watched her go, confused. He thought about how to teach Xiao Nanhua to share and be polite to teachers, even though she was too young to get it yet.
Seeing tears forming in Xiao Nanhua's eyes, Su He's nose felt strange. "It's alright. We'll take the fish home and eat it," he comforted her.
Happy, she nodded quickly. "Eat fish!"
Su He watched Teacher Li leave, still feeling confused. He decided not to think about it anymore. When they got home, they found his mom, Ye Chuanxiu, outside washing clothes.
"Mom, I'm home!" Su He called out. His mom looked up, and her eyes were a little red and seemed to be avoiding his gaze. This worried Su He. "Mom, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" he asked.
Ye Chuanxiu quickly shook her head. "It's nothing, just some dust in my eyes from the wind," she lied.
Su He thought it was odd. Both Teacher Li and his mom seemed to be keeping something secret. But since they wouldn't tell him, he decided to drop it. He held up the fish and said, "Look, I caught a fish! We can cook it for a special lunch today!"
After a brief hesitation, his mother nodded, "Alright. Your second sister recently had surgery and could use the nourishment."
---
Nanzhu Village (Current living Village), Teacher Li (His Middle School Teacher)
