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It had been almost a year since Hu Ruoyun graduated from high school, and he often wrote letters to Teacher Wang Hongjian at Eight Middle School, but he had yet to visit him. At home, his parents didn’t allow him to help with chores, giving a solid reason: "Just take good care of Mao Na!"
So he simply told his parents that he would take Mao Na back to their old high school. Although there was a Provincial Road from Lao Gu to Gaoqiao Town, there was no public bus service. Fortunately, with the development of the economy, the flow of people had increased, and some clever individuals had started new transportation services.
At the crossroads of the Lao Gu Township market, five or six motorized tricycles were parked, specifically for transporting people to Pingbei and Gaoqiao—towns without bus service.
The next morning, Hu Ruoyun rode his family’s Twenty-Eight Bar Bicycle with Mao Na to Lao Gu Market. He found a tricycle and negotiated a price with the driver. In less than half an hour, they arrived at Annan County's Eight Middle School.
He told the security guard that he was a graduate from last year and had come back to visit his teacher. The guard was somewhat moved; hearing Hu Ruoyun's name made him feel nostalgic. He opened the gate and let them in.
Teacher Wang was in the last office—a room that was half an office and half a living space, furnished with a large bookshelf and a hand-cranked duplicator, which served as a sort of lounge. Upon seeing Hu Ruoyun enter, he quickly invited them to sit down and poured them both some water. When he learned that Mao Na was Hu Ruoyun's partner, he was even more delighted: "You’re doing well; nothing has held you back..."
They chatted about classmates and school matters. Principal Zheng had retired at the end of last year, and the new principal was the former Vice Principal Li Gewei. They also discussed several classmates' situations; some news was new to Hu Ruoyun: Sports Committee member Gao Jiazhuang and school beauty Wang Bingbing were both studying in Jiangcheng. Gao Jiazhuang was attending Jiangcheng Vocational and Technical College (similar in nature to Jingnan Academy on Wu Mingliang), while Wang Bingbing was studying at Jiangbei Province University of Technology under a sponsored program. It was said that after graduation, her parents could arrange a job for her in the county.
At noon, Teacher Wang wanted to keep them at school for lunch, but Hu Ruoyun insisted on taking him to New Daxin instead. He practically pushed Teacher Wang along while Mao Na went off to order dishes.
Teacher Wang had classes in the afternoon and couldn’t drink alcohol, so Hu Ruoyun took the two bottles of liquor he brought back with him.
Upon meeting Hu Ruoyun, Teacher Wang was happy at first, but after a few cups of tea, he shared his concerns: Principal Zheng had retired, and he had been specially recruited by Zheng. The new Principal Li didn’t seem to like him at all; starting this year, he wouldn’t be allowed to serve as homeroom teacher anymore. There were talks of major reforms in the school and purging hired staff...
"I’m thinking about quitting this substitute teaching job altogether and heading south to explore opportunities in coastal cities while I’m still young!"
Mao Na, who had been quiet until now, asked, "Teacher Wang, aside from these issues, your teaching and administrative work are going well, right?"
Teacher Wang forced a smile: "What good is that? After Principal Zheng retired, whether it’s student evaluations or colleague assessments, I ranked at the top. But all of it has been dismissed by Principal Li’s final decision!"
In a later television drama titled Infiltration, Wu Jingzhong, head of the Tianjin station for the Secret Bureau, famously said: "Personnel is politics!" That was exactly Teacher Wang's current predicament.
Mao Na comforted Wang Hongjian: "Teacher Wang, gold will shine sooner or later!"
After leaving Annan's Eight Middle School, they took another tricycle back to Lao Gu Market. Riding back home on that bicycle with Mao Na felt good; everything at home seemed fine as well. His family was busy with the mill and feed processing plant. He told his parents that he would take Mao Na back to the county town the next day.
The child had returned home; they had met their future daughter-in-law. The family was busy; if they wanted to leave, then so be it. Zhao Meirong packed a large bag of peanuts and half a bag of freshly ground wheat kernels for Mao Na along with a packet of sun-dried locust flowers: "Na, our family can't compare with yours; we don’t have much good stuff—take these with you..."
Mao Na quickly took everything.
Early the next morning, Hu Qihua drove the family’s Hand-Pulled Tractor, taking the two of them to Lao Gu Market. He watched as they boarded the bus heading to the county town before starting the engine and leaving.
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