A Young Woman's Heart

(One)

"I'll be proctoring your fourth-grade exams tomorrow, especially you three brothers, Ren Wenkai, Duan Xingyu, and Duan Haichao! You better write well. If you feel like you don't have time to write your essays, go write them first. No matter how well or poorly they are, make sure you reach the word count! Do you hear me?" Mo Xueyao stood with her hands on her hips in front of the fourth-grade students sitting around, slapping the small blackboard as she spoke. "Don't think that just because you're all in one classroom there are only one or two proctors. I'm telling you, each class has at least one! Nobody is allowed to cheat. Go back and study hard tonight. It's not difficult at all, understand?"

"I know—"

Such responses came one after another.

However, not everyone gives a lecture like Mo Xueyao.

In reality, this kind of lecture has almost no effect, since children are already tired of hearing it at home - isn't that how adults always talk?

……

(two)

"Hey, Shen Jiayue, your problem is carelessness. Be more careful when you're doing the questions. Don't rush, there's plenty of time." Hua Yinyin sat among the students, lazily resting her chin on her hand. "Go back and get some rest today, and make up for your weaker subjects. Oh, right, you're taking Chinese and math exams in second grade, right? I heard from Wanyan that your math isn't very good. Do more practice problems; that's how you improve your weaker subjects faster."

"Mmm." Shen Jiayue nodded vigorously, her chubby little face like a plate. She rested her chin on the back of her hand and shook her head in a relaxed mood.

"Good luck on your exams. If your class does well, I can give you less summer homework."

"Yay—" The children, who numbered less than ten in the second grade, cheered and jumped for joy.

Which student doesn't want to have a fun summer vacation?

Although more than a month has passed, there are still more than half a month left, which is still a long holiday compared to usual.

……

(three)

Wang Jiale, as expected of Wang Qianyu's class representative, is practically like a personal apprentice, currently showing the sixth-grade students one exquisite prize after another.

These things weren't the cheap trinkets you find at roadside stalls or general stores for five cents or a dollar. The cheapest one cost five dollars, and the Transformer toy for thirty-five dollars made the sixth-grade boy's eyes widen.

No matter what, he's still just a primary school student; how could he resist such temptation?

Girls also receive rewards, ranging from dolls to pretty stationery.

It can be said that everyone can receive a reward—as long as their English is up to standard.

But the higher the score, the better the reward.

Who knows, these students will probably go home today and start frantically memorizing English words.

Even if you don't master the techniques for learning English, and you just memorize it by rote, you still have to get a good score.

……

(four)

School ends at noon today.

The students were unusually reluctant to leave.

It's not about emotional attachment, but physical attachment.

After all, compared to the cool classroom, the outside is practically a furnace...

The teachers didn't even want to send them off, so in the end, three men were the unlucky ones who had to take the children down the mountain.

Boarding students don't need to leave; they can continue to cool off in the classrooms.

Under the blazing sun, a sudden downpour began, without even a cloud in the sky.

It's as if a water-spraying plane just flew overhead and sprinkled some water on the farmland.

The steam rising from the ground only made it feel more stuffy.

……

(Fives)

Mr. Xue squatted in front of a cornfield, unabashedly scooped up a handful of soil with his hands, and then gently scattered it back down.

It was hot, and the old farmer who came to weed in the morning was also squatting in the shade of a nearby tree to cool off.

Duanmu Ji and Qiu Yi had already gone upstairs and did not wait for him.

"Hey—young man!" The old farmer, a pipe dangling from his lips, waved vigorously. "What are you doing in this blazing sun?"

"I'm checking if the corn is ripe."

"Haha, you dare to steal some corn while I'm here? The ripe ones have already been harvested. These are all newly planted, where did they come from!"

“Oh.” Mr. Xue nodded, seemingly unsurprised. “Perhaps other parts of the corn are also edible.”

"It's edible, but it's usually used to make soup or decoctions for Chinese medicine." The old farmer waved his hand, his dark face covered with wrinkles. He tapped his pipe against the tree trunk next to him and took a deep drag. "Phew, stop looking and come sit under the tree and enjoy the shade!"

Mr. Xue didn't refuse, and he wasn't in a hurry to go back. He actually sat down under the shade of the tree.

Looking up, I saw an apple tree, its branches and leaves lush and verdant.

The small, adorable fruits are growing freely, and by autumn they will have grown into plump apples.

This might also belong to an old farmer, although it looks ordinary, like just a wild tree by the roadside.

That's how it is in the countryside. They cultivate a field and plant a few trees around it. They don't necessarily pick the fruit to sell later; they might just eat it themselves.

If they couldn't finish their food, they would exchange it with other villagers.

Apples can be traded for peaches, and peaches can be traded for loquats...

As a small village on an island, the villagers are more accustomed to exchanging goods and services in this way.

Even in this increasingly developed era.

Barter trade was also a common practice in the village.

"A kid from out of town, haha, oh, I remember now, you're that elementary school teacher, right?"

"Correct."

"You look so young." The old farmer scratched the uneven stubble on his chin, which looked like it had been trimmed with scissors. "Sigh, I feel like I was just as young as you last year."

"My uncle still looks very young, and he doesn't have much white beard."

"Hey, I'm getting old." The old farmer put his feet, clad in tattered cloth shoes, on the hoe. "I've tilled the land my whole life, done farm work my whole life, and never even been out to sea more than a few times."

Would you like to see the outside world?

"No, no, just thinking about it is fine, haha. What's so great about the outside world? It's just like this, you can see it on TV, nothing special. I've been to the city several times, it's just crowded, what's so great about it?"

"Hmm." Mr. Xue nodded with a smile, then suddenly asked with some curiosity, "Uncle, what is most important to a farmer?"

"The most important thing?" The old farmer rolled his eyes and grinned, "Ha, that must be sunshine, fresh water, and land! Hmm... add a touch of gentleness and kindness!"

Perhaps the old farmer was referring to his state of mind, but his lack of cultural understanding prevented him from expressing it accurately.

But it's also possible that this is exactly what he meant.

Mr. Xue smiled and nodded, just like him. The two of them, one fair-skinned and the other dark-skinned, sat together, creating a striking contrast.

"Uncle, you're quite the smooth talker."

“Hey, I’m not kidding you. I did have two years of schooling—in the army.” The old farmer held up a finger. “Unfortunately, I didn’t leave the army after that, so I didn’t continue my studies.”

Do you regret it now?

"Regret what? I've never had any regrets in my life!" The old farmer bent down and dragged a square bamboo basket woven from the soil beside him. The basket had a lid and although it was rustic and common, it was not rough.

He opened the lid, revealing a large porcelain bowl half-filled with long-grain rice, along with some dried sweet potatoes, two fried meatballs, and several pieces of boiled corn.

"Young man, have you had lunch yet?"

"not yet."

"Want to try some?" The old farmer brought out a bowl and handed it to him. "Stir-fried long noodles, have you ever had any?"

"I've eaten it."

"It definitely won't taste as good as mine! This is made with fresh rice!"

"I'll try it."

"You have to try it, it's delicious!" Seeing that Mr. Xue had only grabbed two, he urged loudly, "How can you taste anything with just a little bit! Grab more, come on! Open your arms!"

The old farmer simply grabbed a large handful and placed it in his hand, as if someone was sharing food with him, making him feel exceptionally happy.

He didn't eat the fried rice, but instead grabbed a piece of corn that was still a little wet and took a bite. Then he wiped his other hand, which was covered in mud, on his pants, picked up a dried sweet potato and stuffed it into his mouth, which seemed to be eaten as a staple food as well.

Unlike sweet potato chips, dried sweet potatoes are not crispy at all. They are very chewy and filling. Of course, their appearance is not flattering. They are dark brown in color, and each one is different in thickness and length. They are crooked and look like they were cut with a random knife, which is very messy.

"How is it? Is it delicious, young man?"

"It's delicious." Mr. Xue nodded gently. "It has a unique flavor."

What does it taste like?

"The fragrance of the soil."

"Haha, maybe my hands weren't clean enough." The old farmer didn't blush or skip a beat. He grabbed another meatball and handed it over, "Here, want one? It's all meat!"

"No, I'll eat at school."

"Okay." He didn't stand on ceremony and stuffed the meatball into his mouth in one bite.

A lunch like this would take two people to eat in the city, and they might not even be able to finish it.

You should know that fried rice is very filling.

But after the old farmer finished eating, he seemed to want more and drank most of the pot of water before finally letting out a satisfied burp.

The hot wind blew, pressing down the wild grass and flowers, but after it left, they stood up again as if they had springs in their bodies.

Several cats were catching butterflies on the edge of the field, and a dog jumped into a mud puddle, rolling around in it happily.

The bird perched on a branch, tilting its head to look down. When it saw Mr. Snow's gaze meet its own, it seemed to blush and fluttered its wings away.

A field mouse darted across the field, immediately catching the attention of the cats. They dropped the butterfly they were about to catch and ran after the field mouse.

The nimble weasel darted into its hole, seemingly having gained the upper hand.

Seabirds also fly across the vast blue sky, fertilizing the farmland in their own way.

Several sparrows, completely unafraid, perched on the scarecrow, sneaking around trying to steal some seeds that had just been buried in the ground or some newly formed fruit.