Chapter 30: Suspicious Teacher

Jiang Yiliu didn’t know how long he had been crouched in the grass. His legs were completely numb when the two people finally parted ways,one heading toward the village, the other away from it.

He pinched his calves until the tingling subsided, then followed the figure heading back into the village.

“You little girl, why are you back so late today? There’s a pile of chores waiting at home!”

As soon as Dani stepped through the door, she was bombarded by her grandmother’s scolding. Only then did she realize how much time she had wasted on the way home,it was already past lunch. She stood awkwardly at the door, clutching a small booklet in her hand, uneasy and nervous.

The others in the house had already started eating. Since there were more people than usual, two tables had been set up in the main room. The elders and men sat at one, while Gu Dongmei and several children sat at the other.

“Alright, alright, Dani runs around every day,it’s exhausting. So she was late just this once. The food’s already made, no need to keep scolding her,” Grandpa Jiang said, noticing his old partner was also present. He nudged Grandma Miao lightly under the table, hinting that she should stop before others started laughing at them.

Grandpa Jiang had spoken, so Grandma Miao could only snort in discontent.

“The school is two hours round trip. From now on, you should be like Erni and Sanni,bring some food and eat at school. We don’t need you to help with chores during lunch.”

Jiang Dahai glanced at his parents’ expressions, then at Uncle Ruan and Uncle Bai sitting nearby, and finally said what had been on his mind for days. The truth was, the Jiang family didn’t actually need Dani to run back and forth every day to help. Grandma Miao could still manage to make lunch on her own.

“Dad,”

“What nonsense are you spouting? Girls need to be hardworking, or no one will want to marry them. Do you want your daughter to rot at home?” Before Dani could respond, Grandma Miao exploded.

“All the girls in this family have been sent to school,who’s going to do the housework? Look around the village. What other family sends all their girls to school? Besides us, is there another one?” Grandma Miao put down her bowl and didn’t bother eating. It was clear she had long harbored resentment.

Ruan Yuanjiang and Bai Fangqiu felt a little awkward. After all, this was a family matter. Even if they disagreed, it wasn’t their place to interfere. Still, they were clearly dissatisfied with Grandma Miao’s narrow-minded view.

“Brother Ruan, things are different here in the countryside compared to your Haicheng. You can raise your daughters like refined young ladies,we can’t. Tell me, if a village girl doesn’t know how to do housework, who’s going to want to marry her? You think I’m being harsh as a grandmother, but if I weren’t, what would happen? Look at our girls,everyone in the area knows they’re hardworking and capable. In a few years, I bet people will be lining up outside our door to ask for their hands in marriage.”

Grandma Miao truly believed there was nothing wrong with her way of thinking. After all, girls in the countryside weren’t blessed with good fates. Not everyone could be lucky like Dazhen,marry a city boy and land a stable job. Most girls studied a few years and ended up back in the village as farmers.

Her words might have sounded logical at first, but in reality, they were nothing but unreasonable ranting. It wasn’t like Dani and her sisters didn’t do chores,they got up early every day to cut pig grass in the mountains and cooked pig slop with the village women. They weren’t doing any less work than others. Jiang Dahai just didn’t want his daughter to make the tiring trip back and forth every afternoon. Doing a bit less wouldn’t suddenly brand them lazy.

Anyone with half a brain could understand this, but Jiang Dahai was Grandma Miao’s most obedient son. One look at her heartbroken face, and all the courage he’d built up immediately deflated.

Gu Dongmei, seated at the other table, saw her husband back down so quickly. She glanced at her furious mother-in-law and swallowed the words she wanted to say, lowering her head in silence.

Ruan Yuanjiang sighed inwardly. These girls were truly unfortunate to have such a father. Jiang Dahai was kind and honest,a good man,but in this matter, he simply didn’t know how to stand his ground.

“Grandma, I’m back!”

Just then, Jiang Yiliu, who had been eavesdropping outside, hurriedly stepped in. The small boy carried two large bags in his arms as he appeared in the courtyard.

“Back already? Where’s your uncle? He didn’t even walk you back? Don’t tell me he made you come alone?”

The moment her grandson returned, Grandma Miao forgot all about disciplining her granddaughter. She came out of the house, took the two bags from his hands, and peered outside, looking displeased when she didn’t see Gu Xiashi.

“What happened to your clothes? Did you fall? Your knee is scraped!” Seeing his dirt-covered face and the big tear in his pants, she shrieked like the sky was falling. She nearly started stripping him on the spot to check for bruises.

“I’m fine, really.” Jiang Yiliu flushed red and stopped her from undressing him. There were too many eyes watching,he still had his pride.

“You little rascal. What are you so shy for? I used to change your diapers when you were a baby.” Seeing how agile he was, Grandma Miao sighed in relief. She gave him a playful slap on the butt and scolded him fondly.

“Xiaobao, where’s your uncle?” Gu Dongmei had just come back from work and heard that her big brother had picked up her son. She had been planning to catch up with him when he dropped the boy off, but now he was nowhere to be seen.

“Uncle dropped me at the door and left.” Jiang Yiliu didn’t tell the truth. His eyes flicked to his Dani’s face,she looked completely calm, which only made his doubts grow stronger.

“Couldn’t even stay for lunch, huh?” Grandma Miao chuckled upon hearing this. One less person meant saving some food. Her opinion of Gu Xiashi improved even more.

“Come on, eat! What are you all standing around for?” Grandpa Jiang saw that his grandson was fine, and the worry left his face. He slapped the table and urged everyone to sit. Dani, still standing at the door, finally breathed a sigh of relief and sat beside Gu Dongmei, picking up a steamed bun to eat.

“Grandma, this bag has meat buns that uncle bought. Steam them tonight and share them. The other bag has snacks,so I'll take it to my room.”

Jiang Yiliu grabbed one of the bags from Grandma Miao’s hands and dashed off.

“Hey, wait! What snacks? Let grandma keep them for you. Your room has mice,they’ll eat everything!” Of course, Grandma Miao wasn’t worried about mice. She was worried about Dani and her sisters.

Her grandson was a softie. If he had something good, he’d want to share it with those girls. But she wasn’t that foolish. The girls would be married off one day,why waste good food on them? If they got used to eating well, wouldn’t others gossip?

Jiang Yiliu knew Grandma Miao all too well. That’s exactly why he wouldn’t hand over the snacks. If she got her hands on them, she’d ration out one or two pieces a day, watching as he ate them. The rest? Gone. His sisters wouldn’t even get the crumbs.

By the time Grandma Miao followed him inside, he had already hidden everything. She roughly turned over the bedding on the kang but found nothing.

“Where’d you hide it, huh? Grandma loves you the most,why would I take your stuff?” she coaxed, pretending to be sweet, like the wolf grandmother from fairy tales.

Jiang Yiliu turned his head and clutched his stomach. “Grandma, I’m hungry.”

“Hungry? You’ve got a bag full of buns and you didn’t eat one? What’s wrong with you? The porridge’s still warm,I’ll get you some.”

Hunger couldn’t wait. The candy could be found later. Grandma Miao decided she’d turn the room upside down after lunch,she refused to believe she couldn’t find it.

Too bad the candy was safely stowed away in Jiang Yiliu’s space now. She was doomed to come up empty.

Jiang Yiliu slipped out of the room. While Grandma Miao was in the kitchen fetching porridge, he winked toward the girls’ table. Sini and the others immediately understood,he had hidden the goods. They covered their mouths and giggled. Their little brother had saved the day,tonight, they’d have something sweet to eat.

Even Ruanruan, who’d only been here a few days, had already caught on to Jiang Yiliu’s skill in playing cat-and-mouse with Grandma Miao. She joined in their silent laughter.

Jiang Yiliu sat at the men’s table. A slight turn of his head let him see the women’s table. Dani sat diagonally across from him. As he drank the porridge Grandma Miao had just brought, he carefully observed his eldest sister.

She was only fourteen and hadn’t developed much yet. Her dry, yellowing hair was tied into two braids that hung over her chest. Her face was slender with single-lidded eyes, a round nose, and plump lips. Only her sallow complexion detracted from her features. Today, she wore a dark gray cotton coat, which made her look even duller. Her chest was completely flat,maybe because of all the layers, but she looked rather bulky.

Dani noticed her brother looking and gave him a warm, childlike smile.

Jiang Yiliu stirred his porridge gloomily. His sister was still so young,how could she already be dating someone?

In the village, people married early. Many got engaged at fifteen or sixteen and tied the knot by seventeen or eighteen. They held the wedding first, then got the paperwork later. It was practically the norm.

Divorce wasn’t common back then. Once a wedding banquet was held, the couple was considered family in everyone’s eyes.

Jiang Yiliu had no intention of letting his sisters marry that early. The world was changing fast, and he wanted them to go out and see more, not be shackled to this little mountain village their whole lives.

That’s why the idea of Dani finding a boyfriend now was something he couldn’t accept.

Who was that man, anyway? How old? Where did he live? Jiang Yiliu knew none of this. He was afraid his simpleminded sister would be tricked. She was still too young,maybe she didn’t even understand her own feelings yet.

This wasn’t the future, where free love was widely accepted. In places like this, once a girl was known to have had a boyfriend, every nearby village knew. Moving on to another relationship would be tough.

“Free love,” “gender equality,"those slogans were everywhere, but actually putting them into practice was hard. In a small place like this, most marriages were arranged by parents. True love matches were rare. One relationship might slide, but two or three? That was enough for gossip to destroy a family’s reputation.

It wasn’t that Jiang Yiliu was old-fashioned,it was just too hard to break the rules in this era. And Dani was too gentle to be the one who could do it successfully.

He shoveled another spoonful of porridge into his mouth. Nothing could be confirmed yet. Tonight, when his second sister and the others got back, he’d have to nudge them for answers. Asking Dani directly would be too obvious,what if it tipped her off? The other sisters spent time with her; they were bound to know something.

"Sanni, today when I was walking past your school with Uncle, I saw a man in a gray wool coat, wearing glasses, with slicked-back hair. He looked exactly like someone from a photo. Who was that?"

That evening, Jiang Yiliu was lying on the heated brick bed with his third sister, Sanni. Dani and Erni were still outside helping with chores, while Sini and Ruanruan had been taken to the kitchen for a bath by Gu Dongmei. Only the two of them remained in the room.

Jiang Sanni was already nine this year, still as greedy for sweets as ever. She was calling for a piece of candy while holding a strip of hawthorn leather, her mind already busy trying to figure out who her brother was talking about.

If it had been the more clever Erni, she might have started suspecting something already. The road to the county didn’t even pass by Hongqi Village, so how could Jiang Yiliu have seen someone from their school?

But Sanni was simpler. That was exactly why Jiang Yiliu avoided the others and asked only her.

"I know who you’re talking about." Sanni took a happy bite of the hawthorn leather, mumbling through her full mouth. "You must’ve seen Eldest Sister’s Mandarin teacher. The girls at our school all like him,he’s good-looking and teaches well. Everyone envies Eldest Sister’s class for having Mr. Rong as their teacher."

"Mr. Rong? Eldest Sister’s Mandarin teacher? Is he from Hongqi Village?" Jiang Yiliu asked, feigning curiosity, though his fists were clenched tightly. A student-teacher relationship would be scandalous. If something really happened, it could become a disaster.

"Mr. Rong is a sent-down youth from Haicheng. He’s currently staying in the educated youth house in Hongqi Village. But since he’s well-educated, everyone agreed to let him teach at the school." This was common knowledge in the village, and Sanni eagerly shared everything she knew.

"Are you sure it was Mr. Rong I saw? Maybe it was just someone who looked like the person I described," Jiang Yiliu asked skeptically.

"Impossible," Sanni retorted immediately. "He's the only one in our school who owns a wool coat like that. His family sent it from Haicheng. If you saw him near the school, then it had to be Mr. Rong."

She clearly didn’t like her brother doubting her judgment,until he handed her another piece of candy. Only then did she beam again.

Jiang Yiliu wasn’t being stingy. He was just afraid his sister would ruin her teeth,dentists were hard to come by these days.

At this point, it was almost certain that the man was Mr. Rong, just as Sanni had described. It wasn’t that Jiang Yiliu thought poorly of his sister, but based on her description, how could a well-educated, well-liked man like that fall for a teenage country girl? It just didn’t add up.

What worried him most was that Eldest Sister might get fooled. When these educated youths returned to the city years later, they often abandoned the partners they had taken in the countryside,and those left behind rarely had happy endings.

When Jiang Dani and the others came in from their chores, they saw their little brother frowning deeply while Sanni grinned like a little mouse.

"Sanni, did you take your brother’s candy again? You’re not a little kid anymore. Still this greedy?" Dani scolded lightly, thinking her brother was upset about it.

"No! Uncle bought these for all of us. What’s wrong with Sanni having a few? Eldest Sister, Second Sister, you have some too! Eat them quick,I’ll hide the rest before Grandma finds out." Jiang Yiliu jumped to her defense.

Dani hadn’t been serious anyway. Her little brother had always been generous with his sisters,he’d never fuss over a few pieces of candy.

"Smart boy." Erni pinched his cheek playfully, smiling.

Ever since their brother was born, she and Dani still had to work, but now they could go to school, had full stomachs, and the house no longer felt so oppressive. Jiang Erni knew all of this was thanks to their little brother. Even now, she silently thanked the heavens for sending Xiaobao to their family.

As she savored her candy, she thought of her friends in the village who had brothers. None of them had someone like Xiaobao, who always remembered his sisters when he got something good. Boys in other families didn’t even fight their sisters for food,it was considered a miracle. With such a thoughtful little brother, it was no wonder the grandparents doted on him. Though it sometimes felt unfair, she never blamed Xiaobao. Her resentment was aimed at the gender bias of the times.

"Eldest Sister, is your teacher Mr. Rong really that great? Sanni just told me about him. Do you think he’ll be my teacher when I start school?"

Jiang Yiliu asked casually, watching her face closely.

"Mr. Rong?" Jiang Dani’s expression was completely normal. "He teaches Mandarin really well and he’s a kind person. If he ends up teaching your class, that’d be great."

No blushing, no panic. Jiang Yiliu was puzzled. That wasn’t the face of a girl with a crush. Had he misunderstood? Maybe it was someone else?

He decided to observe Dani more closely in the coming days. If it came to it, he could follow them to school. After all, village kids were left to roam freely. If something went wrong, he could always hide in his space.

One way or another, he had to get to the bottom of this.

"Doctor Bai! Doctor Bai! Help, quick!"

In the middle of the night, while everyone was still deep asleep, a loud, anxious male voice rang out from the Jiang family’s courtyard.

Jiang Yiliu had been sleeping lightly due to his worries and was jolted awake immediately. Groggy, he looked out the window.

Several people stood outside with kerosene lamps. He could vaguely make out their shadows, but the window was fogged over, obscuring their faces. The voice sounded familiar, though. He patted his head to clear the grogginess.

"What’s going on?" came Grandpa Jiang’s voice, followed by heavy footsteps.

Jiang Yiliu knew the adults must all be awake now. Whatever had happened, it must have been serious for Grandpa Bai to be called out so late.

"Yiliu gege?" Ruanruan mumbled sleepily as she saw him getting dressed.

"Go back to sleep. I’m just going to take a look." He tucked her in and quietly left the room.

His sisters were all deep sleepers. Their breathing filled the room, none of them stirring.

Jiang Yiliu pulled on a thick coat and stepped outside. The main room was already lit with a kerosene lamp. His parents, grandparents, and the three guests staying with them were all there, looking at the visitors.

"You too? It’s freezing outside," Jiang Dahai grumbled, seeing his son up, and tried to usher him back inside.

"Uncle Mo, what happened?" Jiang Yiliu asked Mo Dashuan, the village chief. Judging from their faces, something serious had gone down.

Mo Dashuan had no time to explain to a child. He grabbed Bai Fangqiu and started to leave. "Wild boar came down from the mountain and attacked someone. There’s blood everywhere. We need you to save them."

As he spoke, he glanced at Grandpa Jiang and Grandma Miao. He hesitated, but the person behind him couldn’t hold back and said, "Uncle Jiang, Auntie Miao, you should come too. It’s Dachuan."

"What?"

"Dachuan got mauled by a wild boar." Grandma Miao instantly panicked. Even though they hadn’t spoken in years, that was still her son. Hearing he was hurt, how could she stay calm?

Grandpa Jiang’s face also tightened with worry.

"I’ll get my tools. We’ll head out right away," Bai Fangqiu said with urgency and dashed back to grab his medical kit. The group hurried out.

"Xiaobao, go back inside!" Jiang Dahai called out before rushing after them.

Wild boars coming down from the mountain,Jiang Yiliu remembered that.

The deep mountains around Qingshan Village were home to many wild animals, but most stayed hidden and rarely troubled the villagers. The exception was the wild boars, which often came down to raid crops. Their thick hides and toughness made them a nightmare to deal with.

In his past life, during the three-year famine, people had nearly stripped the mountains bare. Everyone was starving,anything edible got eaten. Wild boars, tigers,anything that moved was fair game. After that, the boars vanished for years. Only recently had they begun to reappear.

Back then, around this same time, a herd of wild boars destroyed several acres of sweet potatoes. The village suffered greatly until Uncle Mo managed to get approval from the county and organized a hunting party that killed more than a dozen boars. The meat was shared among the villagers,it was more festive than New Year’s. Even Jiang Laidi, who was at the bottom of the pecking order, got a thumb-sized piece.

Jiang Yiliu recalled that no one had been hurt back then. Everyone had been asleep at night,who would be out in the fields? So why was Jiang Dachuan there now? It didn’t make sense.

He was satisfied with their current life. He didn’t want the family to get entangled with Jiang Dachuan’s side again. If his grandparents softened because of this, it would be the last thing he wanted.

He decided to follow and find out what really happened.

At the foot of the mountain, a crowd had gathered. Jiang Yiliu slipped through the layers of people, using his small size to his advantage. Inside the circle, he saw Jiang Dachuan and the rest of his family.

Dachuan looked terrifying,covered in blood. His thick cotton coat had been shredded by the boar, yellowing cotton stuffing spilling out. The worst part was his leg,a large chunk of flesh had been ripped off, exposing white bone. Blood gushed from the wound. He was drenched in sweat, trembling, and staring blankly.

Several young women turned away, unable to bear the sight.

"Dachuan, you can’t die! What’ll we do,me and the kids?" Fan Xiaojuan wailed, slumping to the ground and shaking him desperately. Someone finally pulled her away so she wouldn’t hinder the treatment.

Jiang Yiliu glanced around. The field bore signs of boars,dug-up sweet potatoes, gnawed remains, and a urea sack filled with more yams, plus a shovel tossed aside. He quickly figured out why his second uncle had been there so late.

The villagers weren’t stupid. They knew what Dachuan had been up to. But given his current state, no one had the heart to say anything yet. There would be time to settle that later.

"Father, Mother, I beg you,please give me some money! Send Dachuan to the county hospital. He’s your son! You can’t just watch him die!" Fan Xiaojuan sobbed hysterically, snot and tears streaming, as she knelt before the elder Jiangs and banged her head on the ground.

"Brother Bai, what do you think?" Grandpa Jiang ignored her and turned to Bai Fangqiu.

Bai Fangqiu shook his head and opened his cloth kit full of silver needles. "Right now, I can only stop the bleeding. Otherwise, he’ll bleed out before we even get him to the hospital." What he didn’t say was: even if they got there, Dachuan’s leg would probably be crippled. With that much muscle torn off, he’d never walk properly again.

"No! Don’t touch my Dachuan! Who knows why you were even sent down here,maybe you’ve already killed someone! You’ll kill my husband too!" Fan Xiaojuan shoved Bai Fangqiu away like he was some kind of thief.

"All you ever do is give people bitter dregs to drink. Even the other educated youths say traditional medicine is nonsense. You’re a fraud!"

To her, anyone who’d been exiled here was no good. The villagers were fools for worshipping him like a miracle doctor. But she wasn’t one of them.

At this rate, Dachuan really wouldn’t make it. Bai Fangqiu motioned for the Jiang family to hold her back. Ignoring her sobs and screams, he stepped forward and began using his needles to stop the bleeding.

He was a doctor. He couldn’t just stand by and watch a man die in front of him. As for what came after, Bai Fangqiu let out a bitter smile. If he weren’t so stubborn, he wouldn’t still be stuck here.

Jiang Yiliu sighed. Grandpa Bai was probably going to get dragged into trouble again.

TN:
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