A Young Woman's Heart

The further away from the path, the more luxuriant the weeds grow.

This road leading to the dock is fairly well-trodden, and the mud is quite sturdy, so your shoes won't be covered in mud after just one step.

This is a relatively large island, with little flat land and mostly hills of moderate height.

The village houses are scattered haphazardly on the hillside, with only a few near the roadside appearing relatively neat.

"I thought coastal areas were generally very wealthy..." Su Yuqing cautiously peered inside, "This feels more like an inland mountainous area..."

“A poor area in an affluent region.” Mo Kong smiled knowingly and led her into a two-story building that was clearly newer, painted blue, and covered with white tiles on the outside.

A red flag stands on the roof, and a plaque hangs on it with the three large characters "Village Government".

There was no main hall; the village chief's office was right inside. A bunch of miscellaneous items were piled up against the wall. You could see the corridor on the second floor from the first floor. Some salted meat and sausages were hanging on the wooden railing. Sunlight was shining from the bedside onto a cotton quilt. It seemed that this was probably where the village chief lived.

On the heavy solid wood table, various documents were scattered about. An old radio sat next to a pen holder, broadcasting news with a few hissing noises.

"Yesterday at noon, the military, in conjunction with the police, investigated and dealt with... the criminal gangs in Cici... Village. The villagers had seized territory and robbed people on the road, seriously endangering the safety of... Cila... Our country will never allow any extra-legal forces to exist within its borders, and the fight against organized crime will continue to the end... Cila... Next... item..."

Then came a series of crackling sounds due to the poor signal. The old man sitting at the table slapped the radio a few times and fiddled with the long antenna. The sound immediately returned to normal and even became much clearer.

"Hello, I am..." Mo Kong was interrupted by the old man before he could finish speaking.

He warmly extended his two rough hands and shook hands with the man in front of him: "You're Mr. Mo, right?"

"Yes."

"Hello, hello, are you here today to check on things?"

"Hmm, how many school-age children are there currently?"

"Currently, there are 37 children aged six and above on this island, and about ten other islands of varying sizes nearby. That's over two hundred people in our entire town," the old man said, bending down again to search through documents. "We've already compiled a complete count, and we've even broken it down by age group..."

"Sir, what is your surname?" Mo Kong took out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes and handed one to him.

The latter took it, tapped it in his palm, and then skillfully placed it on his ear: "My surname is Zeng, haha."

"Is Principal Zeng not a local?"

"Yes... I was transferred here. I've only been here for three years. If I were in another unit, I would be retiring soon. But here, I'm serving the people, so I'll stay a few more years. After all, not many young people are willing to come to this poor place, and most of the people here are older. It would be difficult to communicate with young people."

"Yes." Mo Kong pressed the lighter with a 'click' and lit the cigarette with the dark blue flame.

“Currently, the town has entrusted me with the entire responsibility for this matter. The children now have to take a boat to the city to go to school, and there aren't many dormitories in the city, so many children are commuters. Besides, it's not very safe for primary school students to commute to school; this place is not like a big city after all…”

"Hmm, how long does it take to get from the farthest island in town?"

“Farthest? They’re all about the same distance, we’re in the center.” Village Chief Zeng said, handing a statistics sheet to Mo Kong. “The farthest place is only about a 10-20 minute boat ride away, but from here to the city, it takes an hour just to get to the shore, and then another half hour by bus to school. That’s three hours round trip a day…”

"Hmm..." Mo Kong nodded gently, carefully looking at the contents.

Only then did Village Chief Zeng have a moment to light a cigarette, and he quickly smiled and asked Su Yuqing, "You are...his sister, right?"

“This is my wife,” Mo Kong said, raising his eyelids to answer for her.

Su Yuqing smiled shyly and said softly, "My name is Su Yuqing..."

"Oh, Mrs. Su! Let me make you both a cup of tea..."

"No need, let's go take a look first."

"Let's make a cup first, and drink it as we walk."

"Alright." Mo Kong nodded.

Then, the three of them carried three cups of tea out of the village government building—it was called a building, but it was probably not even as big as a public toilet on the side of the road in Hangzhou.

“That primary school was abandoned ten years ago. It’s such a pity. It was built quite well, and the main structure is still intact. With some proper repairs, it can be used again,” Village Chief Zeng said regretfully, then quickly forced a smile. “Come on, let’s walk this way. This road hasn’t been used for a long time, so it’s overgrown with weeds. Look…”

Su Yuqing stopped to take a sip of tea, then quickly caught up: "Then why was it abandoned before?"

“There was a shortage of teachers in the village. At that time, there was only one principal and five teachers who had to teach all the courses for five grades. Back then, students graduated in the fifth grade. I heard it was really tough. And there was no new funding coming in. The villagers also generally felt that education was useless. Gradually, fewer people went to school, and it was eventually abandoned.”

"So that's how it is..."

"Parents' educational philosophies have improved now; no matter what, children still need to attend primary school..."

"That's why I came here." Mo Kong nodded, and the three of them walked uphill. The hill wasn't very high, and they reached the top in seven or eight minutes. Right there, there was a large flat area that had been artificially created. The original white signboard at the entrance was now completely blackened, and it was almost impossible to read what was written on it.

The school has only one teaching building, which has four floors. Although it is a bit small, it is still fully equipped and not much different from an ordinary teaching building.

At least this is a reinforced concrete building, not one of those mud-brick houses.

The open space in front of the teaching building should be the playground. There is also a low bungalow next to it, with several earthen stoves inside. Su Yuqing reached out and gently wiped her fingers, which were covered with black mud and ash.

She quickly took out a wet wipe from her small handbag and carefully wiped it clean before finally letting out a slight sigh of relief.

"This used to be the place where we cooked. We can build a small shed next to it to use as a warehouse..."

"Yes, we'll clean it up. It should be finished by this summer at the earliest." Mo Kong seemed to have a lot of experience with these things.

"Sigh... if it's done quickly, it should be possible." Village Chief Zeng smiled wryly, "but things usually don't go that smoothly..."

"Hmm." Mo Kong nodded, downed his tea in one gulp, and then walked into the teaching building with his hands behind his back. "Let's take a look inside."

“Be careful, there are still a lot of broken glass inside…” Village Chief Zeng reached out to help Su Yuqing up, but she quickly waved her hand, indicating that she could walk.

The corridor floor was covered in dust, and occasionally you could see footprints left by other people.

The morning sun shone into the room, and the weeds on the windowsill swayed in the breeze.

Everything outside the window seemed full of life, but the entire teaching building was filled with an atmosphere of decay and desolation.

Many of the windows were broken, and some had been removed.

The doors to many classrooms have disappeared.

Su Yuqing tiptoed into a classroom. Half of the large blackboard hanging at the front was crooked, and mathematical formulas that she hadn't erased when she left were still on it.

The large blackboard at the back was still relatively intact, and the blackboard bulletin board had not been erased.

The title, "Brave New World," was written in different colored chalk. Below it was an article written ten years ago, praising this wonderful world.

The air is thick with the scent of time; standing here feels like having a conversation across time with the children from over a decade ago.

Over ten years have passed, and they must have all grown up by now.

I wonder where I am now?

The teaching building seems to have a life of its own, conveying its loneliness and solitude in its own way.

Su Yuqing couldn't help but pinch the corner of her eye: "It's kind of pitiful to just leave it here like this..."

"Yes." Mo Kong nodded with a smile. "This place will be filled with children again."

"Sigh... I heard that when this school was at its busiest, every classroom was packed with children!" Village Chief Zeng said, somewhat moved by the scene. "Back then, this school building was considered quite advanced. The place where I went to elementary school was just a dilapidated farmhouse..."

Su Yuqing silently walked to the rows of crooked desks.

Some desks still have inscriptions, leaving traces of that era.

"Sun Jia was here".

"morning."

"I want to go outside and see the world."

"Wei Kaihang's desk."

"Li Yangfan likes Chen Jiajia."

She stopped in front of the desk with the name of who liked whom written on it, and bent down to look under the desk.

There were also a few marbles that children used to play with, and a small piece of paper covered in dust.

Su Yuqing carefully took out the small piece of paper, pinched it between her fingertips, shook off the dust, and then unfolded it.

It turned out to be a love letter.

But it was neither signed nor addressed to anyone.

The children's secret feelings were never expressed. Perhaps even now, the child who wrote the love letter has forgotten that he once had a crush on a girl.

Time is the most merciless thing...

……

Chapter 50 Opening on the 8th

The eighth day of the Lunar New Year was another day filled with the sound of firecrackers.

Many shops open on this day, and people also return to work on this day.

Some were celebrating the opening of new stores, while others were celebrating the reopening of old stores.

Li Wanyan and Mo Xueyao arrived by bicycle. From afar, they could see the lush green hillside. Spring had arrived, and it looked more vibrant than in winter.

As you climb the slope, the large sign for Hangzhou Cancer Hospital becomes clearly visible. A new awning and benches have been installed at the bus stop, adding a touch of humanistic care to the city.

Hangzhou has always been a city with a much stronger cultural atmosphere than a strong commercial atmosphere.

Although it is the provincial capital, it has a relatively more relaxed atmosphere.

It's not as busy as neighboring Shanghai.

The noodle shop was already open, but it didn't seem to be doing much business. Old Chen moved a small stool to the doorway and sat there leisurely smoking a Hongmei cigarette. There were a few cigarette butts on the ground, indicating that he had been smoking for quite a while.

"Uncle Chen!" Mo Xueyao held the dragon head with one hand and waved it forcefully at him.

"Oh, you're here? Happy New Year!" Old Chen waved with a smile, leaned back against the wall, and asked, "How was it spending the New Year at Grandma's house?"

"It feels so good to be home! I'm going to the shop now!" Mo Xueyao rode her bicycle past the noodle shop and saw the 24-hour convenience store. Grandma Jin and Zhuang Lianlian were sitting side by side on high stools for customers, and they looked like they were having a heart-to-heart talk.

Li Wanyan stopped behind her and pushed her bicycle behind the fruit shop.

A large pile of firecracker debris was still scattered on the steps in front of the shop, and the air seemed to still be filled with lingering smoke and dust.

The store had slightly fewer varieties of fruit than usual, but that made it look more organized.

Su Tang remained in its usual spot, watching the snail slowly climbing upwards, leisurely swaying its tail.

Whenever the snail was about to climb to the top of the cardboard box, it would use its hairy, chubby paws to pull it down, and then watch it continue climbing up from the bottom...

My mother isn't home; she's probably out buying groceries.