A Young Woman's Heart

"The sink is a bit high..." The boy scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, picked up the soap, and began to clumsily lather his clothes.

"Have you been washing your own clothes these past few days?" Mo Xueyao squatted down and asked curiously.

"Yes, it was my roommate who taught me."

Do you change your clothes every day?

"Yes, teacher."

Mo Xueyao glanced at the clothes he was wearing and noticed that they looked wrinkled, and some parts of the hem and cuffs were obviously not clean. The only saving grace was that he had managed to wash away the smell, otherwise he would definitely smell terrible right now.

Perhaps that's why he was rubbing the soap so hard?

The tiny garment was completely covered in a huge amount of foam, making its original shape almost impossible to discern.

Is it tiring to wash your own clothes?

"You'll have to wash yourself from now on, you'll get used to it." The little boy took a breath, put the soap aside, and then rubbed and laughed as if he were playing with water, seemingly quite happy.

Children are always able to find joy in the mundane aspects of life; that's probably what makes them.

Looking at him, Mo Xueyao felt as if she were seeing herself as a child.

"Hey, don't you forget your scrubbing brush?"

"Yes, it was my own. I lost it by accident."

"Why don't you borrow it from your roommate?"

"Uh, I... I'm embarrassed to say."

"The teacher has extras, can I give you one?"

"No need, right?" the boy said instinctively, which shows that he has a good upbringing and his parents must have taught him not to take things from others casually.

"It's nothing, it's just extra of mine." Mo Xueyao patted his head. "I'll go upstairs and get it for you. Aren't your parents coming to pick you up on Sunday?"

On Saturdays, some boarding students are picked up and taken home after school.

However, since the break is only one day, not all boarding students will go home.

Besides your own wishes, you also have to consider whether your parents are available.

But basically, all the younger students go home, and some even bring home clothes they've accumulated over a week for their parents to wash.

“My parents aren’t home; they’ve gone out to work,” the boy explained casually. “I heard that my dad ran off with another woman, and my mom doesn’t want me anymore.”

"what?"

“I heard it from the adults in the village.” Despite his young age, he seemed to know everything. “My mom used to say that my dad is too young and it’s easy for him to go looking for other women.”

"Then why didn't your mother want you anymore?"

"……do not know."

"Who brought you here?"

"My aunt... my mom probably won't abandon me, but she really hasn't been back for a long time."

Mo Xueyao was silent for a few seconds, then forced a smile: "Okay, teacher will get you a scrubbing brush, use that to clean it better."

"Okay, thank you, teacher." This time, he didn't refuse.

Despite having decent upbringing, the parents seem completely unwilling to take responsibility.

But it's also possible that it's just hearsay.

Mo Xueyao felt somewhat heavy-hearted.

Urbanization has led many young people to move to cities, but the hardships of urban life have left them with little energy to raise their children.

I'll leave these children with my parents in the countryside...

That's why there are so many left-behind children.

"Can I have a sip of ice water?" Pushing open the door, Hua Yinyin immediately turned to look at her. "I'm so hot too."

"Aren't you not hot?" Mo Xueyao glanced at her sideways. "Do you have any empty bottles? Fill them with some cooled boiled water, and I'll take them down to chill."

"Hmm, I remember there were two Coke bottles in the trash can, I can just take them out and wash them..."

"Then go ahead and get it. Oh right, I have a scrubbing brush, since I don't wash clothes anyway, so bring me my scrubbing brush."

What are you doing?

“One student doesn’t have a scrubbing brush.”

"Little Yaoyao is so kind."

“We’re teachers, this is what we should do,” Mo Xueyao replied matter-of-factly, then took the two clean Coke bottles and her scrubbing brush downstairs.

When I went upstairs again, I ran into Ye Wen, who was going back to her room to get something.

"Wen, is there a first-year boy living at school? Doesn't he ever go home? He says his parents don't want him anymore?"

"Who?"

"Didn't you see that person washing clothes when you came up?"

"Oh—you mean that kid? His parents signed him up."

"Huh? Didn't they say that Father had a new lover and Mother had run away?" Mo Xueyao asked, slightly altering the child's words.

"What are you talking about? His parents both work in S City, so it's not convenient for them to come back. They're probably in the prime of their careers right now, and I heard they're making quite a bit of money. They're just very busy, and their place is too small, so they left the child here. I contacted them before, and they said they plan to wait until they've earned enough money there to buy a house before bringing the child over."

"Then why did he say his parents didn't want him anymore?"

"Maybe it's just gossip from the villagers," Ye Wen replied lazily. "It's just rumors, don't take it seriously, and kids can lie too."

"Tsk..."

"Speaking of which, his parents are still quite young."

"what?"

"My father is only twenty-five, and my mother is only twenty-one."

"Wow, how young were they when they got married?"

"It was an arranged marriage between children; they got married in their own village before they were even old enough to understand."

Mo Xueyao calculated the age: "So he was only about fourteen years old when he got pregnant? He was still a child himself."

“…Yes, that’s how it is.” Ye Wen smiled helplessly. “Many girls finish sixth grade, go to work in the city for a year or two, and then are called back to get married, even though they should still be in junior high school.”

"Ah..." Mo Xueyao could hardly believe that those innocent girls might become mothers in just a few years.

Back in junior high, if any couple actually slept together and did something, it would become big news.

However, in such places, getting married and having children is not uncommon.

"That's why we need to popularize education. Only when education keeps up will children be able to rebel against their predetermined lives." Ye Wen gently pinched Mo Xueyao's sweaty little face. "Knowledge is the only way to truly solve poverty."

Although it was just a summer teaching experience, she once again felt the greatness and nobility of this job, as well as the responsibility she carried.

"Alright, alright, I still have to go back to the city. Do you want me to bring you anything?"

"I don't really want anything for now... Oh right, bring some small items that can be used as rewards. I can use them to reward the students, and the other 'teachers' should also find them useful."

Okay~

……

Chapter Forty: Life Outside the Classroom (Part 2)

Monday, August 2001, 7.

Morning physical education classes are always the most popular among students.

Because it's still quite cool at this time, and the occasional clouds briefly block out the sun, making the blowing wind much cooler.

The students taking physical education classes are from the fourth and third grades, and Mr. Duanmu Ji and Mr. Xue each teach one class.

The former usually lets students have free time after running, while the latter always likes to play with the students.

"Little Ji likes to put on airs like a teacher."

"Little Yao Yao, aren't you the same?"

"What do you mean?"

"Hey, you're much fiercer in class!"

“It’s true!” Wang Jiale nodded in agreement.

"Hey you two, don't you have classes? I'm coming down to get some fresh air, why don't you come down too?"

"It's quite cool right now."

The three of them stood in a windy spot, where the clouds in the sky blocked out the blazing sun.

The wind, carrying the salty smell of the sea, brushed forcefully against everyone's faces.

"The wind is really strong today." Mo Xueyao just wanted to stand here and enjoy the breeze, doing nothing at all.

"Speaking of which, do I have class next period or not? Wen keeps changing the schedule, I'm so confused." Wang Jiale pulled a weed next to the wire fence and scratched his palm.

Mo Xueyao turned her head and glanced at her: "You don't seem to have class, right? Uh, I suggest you don't touch these grasses."

Why?

The person who answered her was Hua Yinyin: "Because dogs pee here, right?"

“That’s right.” Mo Xueyao had seen it with her own eyes, so now she tries to stay away from even the flower beds.

Humans can be controlled, but how do you manage dogs?

Even if you don't let it in during the day, it can still sneak in at night.

The gate was openwork, so it was as if it didn't exist to them.

"Ugh—" Wang Jiale disgustedly threw down the weeds and slapped her shoulder with her little hand.

"Okay, Lele—have you been itching for a beating since I've 'tortured' you in a while?!"