Chapter 242: Chapter 242: Feelings Between People Are Mutual

Lin Shengnan cried quickly, but she stopped just as fast.

“Sorry you had to see that! Honestly, I was just venting a bit. I feel better after saying it out loud. Thank you for listening.

We should really keep in touch more often. I used to think you were hard to get along with because you didn’t talk much and always seemed a bit cold, but now I see I was wrong.

Chunlin was right—since your Comrade Xu isn’t home, you should just leave all the heavy chores for him to do.”

“Alright, let’s not be so formal. I can see you’re both busy, so I won’t keep you.

Shengnan, come over to my place when you have time. We can have a proper chat.” After dropping off the things, Gu Qinghuan was ready to leave—she still had a ton to do at home, and they were busy too.

“Sure, let’s catch up when we get a chance. And I haven’t congratulated you yet for making it to the next round—good luck with the assessment tomorrow. I’m sure you’ll do great.” Lin Shengnan didn’t try to keep her, knowing she was busy.

“Thanks, I’ll take your good wishes.”

After Gu Qinghuan left, the couple opened up the things she’d brought and were surprised to find such a big piece of pork liver.

“This must be at least three jin! Where did Comrade Gu get so much pork liver?” Zhu Chunlin exclaimed in amazement.

“Why do you care where she got it? Just eat it and keep your mouth shut!

Zhu Chunlin, I’m telling you seriously—don’t go talking about these supplies to anyone outside, or if you get Qinghuan in trouble, I won’t forgive you.” Lin Shengnan warned him fiercely.

The truth was, Zhu Chunlin was too soft-hearted and sometimes careless, so Lin Shengnan had to be strict with him.

She understood perfectly well that Gu Qinghuan must have some black market connections—otherwise, there’s no way her family could have so many hard-to-get supplies.

Gu Qinghuan trusted her, and giving her these things was taking a risk. There’s no way she’d ever betray that trust.

Zhu Chunlin shrank his neck.

“Wife, I know. Gu Qinghuan’s been so good to us, I’d never do anything to hurt her. I was just surprised, that’s all.”

“Not even surprised—you need to forget about all this, and never mention it again. If anyone asks, just say we bought these things.

And remember what Qinghuan’s done for us. When we’re able, we have to repay her.

It’ll mean more work for you, running back and forth, and whenever there’s heavy or dirty work, we have to help her out.”

As Lin Shengnan spoke, she stroked the piece of fabric Gu Qinghuan had brought.

“This fabric is so soft—perfect for making clothes for our child. It’s a big piece, too; I can make a lot out of it.”

“Wife, I get it. Don’t worry, I’ll remember her kindness. Once I’m done with our chores, I’ll go help her with hers.”

Zhu Chunlin also touched the fabric. “Wow, it really is soft. A hundred times better than homespun or coarse cloth. Must’ve cost a fortune.”

“Of course! We really owe her a big favor. And look, there’s two jin of brown sugar—this stuff’s not easy to get, either.” Lin Shengnan sighed sincerely.

When Gu Qinghuan got home, her two kids were already awake. She sent them out to shovel the snow in the yard, then sat down to review for tomorrow’s teaching demonstration.

She figured the demo would probably be on Chinese or math, and the content would likely be at the elementary school level.

After all, the commune’s elementary school mainly taught students from grade school to junior high, and this recruitment was for elementary teachers, so the content was pretty much set.

All she could do now was review everything, so that when she got the topic tomorrow, she’d be able to jump right in and teach.

She’d already read through all the elementary and junior high textbooks recently. The Chinese curriculum was different from what she remembered from later years, but the basics were the same, so she could handle it.

As for math, there wasn’t much difference.

She doubted they’d test anything else, so she focused on Chinese and math.

She read and took notes, and before she knew it, the afternoon was gone.

At six, Gu Qinghuan got up to make dinner. The two kids had already cleaned the house inside and out, shoveled all the snow from the yard, and even moved the firewood next to the stove.

Since they’d had a good lunch, Gu Qinghuan didn’t plan to make anything fancy for dinner—just three bowls of egg noodles, each with a few pieces of crispy pork left over from New Year’s.

There’d been so much meat during the holiday that they hadn’t finished it all.

With some spicy pickled cabbage on the side, it tasted amazing.

The three of them ate their fill. Gu Qinghuan put the kids in charge of washing the dishes, then took a piece of fabric and headed out.

This piece was just like the one she’d given Lin Shengnan—light yellow, very soft, though not very big, just enough to make two little outfits for a newborn.

She planned to give it to Yan Lijun, as a way to return the favor for the New Year’s money she’d given her kids. It was only twenty cents, but it was a thoughtful gesture, and Gu Qinghuan felt she had to reciprocate.

Standing outside the old Xu family house, Gu Qinghuan didn’t go in. She just called out, “Lijun!”

Yan Lijun heard someone calling and was puzzled. When she came out and saw it was Gu Qinghuan, she wiped her hands on her apron and said, “Second sister-in-law, what brings you here?”

Gu Qinghuan stuffed the fabric into her arms and said directly, “Thank you for the New Year’s money for the kids. I don’t have much to give, but here’s a piece of fabric for your baby—enough to make two little outfits.”

She made it clear she was returning the favor, so there’d be no misunderstandings. She didn’t want to get entangled with Xu Huaiyu, that good-for-nothing, and risk not being able to shake him off.

Without waiting for a response, Gu Qinghuan excused herself, saying she had things to do at home, and left.

Yan Lijun unwrapped the oil paper and saw the pale yellow fabric inside. She instantly loved it—the material was so soft, perfect for baby clothes.

It made all the trouble she’d gone through to give the kids New Year’s money worth it. Back then, Liu Guifang had scolded her from head to toe, leaving her in tears several times during the holiday.

“Who’s out there, third daughter-in-law?” Just then, Liu Guifang’s voice rang out.

Yan Lijun quickly wrapped up the fabric.

“Mom, it was second sister-in-law.”

“What was she doing here?” Liu Guifang eyed the bundle in Yan Lijun’s hands suspiciously.

Yan Lijun, afraid of being scolded again, quickly explained, “Second sister-in-law gave it to me, to thank me for the New Year’s money I gave the kids.”

Liu Guifang curled her lip. “What good thing could she possibly give you?” She snatched it over and opened it, stunned.

“Second daughter-in-law is really generous now, giving away such nice fabric.” Why was she so stingy with her?

Yan Lijun could tell exactly what she was thinking. She thought, That’s because I showed her kindness first, so she’s returning the favor. You’re so stingy with her—of course she won’t be generous with you.

Feelings between people are always mutual."

"Chapter 243: Title: Plum Blossoms

Today was the day of the second round of selection. Since it wasn’t convenient to bring both children along, Gu Qinghuan could only drop them off at Chen Fengqin’s house to play with Erdan for the day.

Because she wasn’t sure exactly when she’d be back, Gu Qinghuan also packed them lunch—about a dozen large meat buns.

Chen Fengqin repeatedly insisted that she had no problem feeding two more kids for a meal, but Gu Qinghuan didn’t feel right taking advantage of others. These days, no one was well-off, and it was rare to eat something substantial even a few times a year.

After settling the children, Gu Qinghuan set out.

She left a bit late, so by the time she arrived at the classroom for the assessment, almost everyone was already there.

But she wasn’t late—it was just that everyone else had come too early.

Lin Xiaomeng waved her over to sit beside her, and Gu Qinghuan went over without hesitation.

Everyone waited until nine o’clock. The same group of teachers from last time arrived, along with a middle-aged man with graying hair who looked to be the leader. Everyone instinctively followed behind him.

Gu Qinghuan guessed he was probably the principal or someone in a similar position.

Sure enough, the leading teacher introduced the gray-haired man as Principal Chen of the commune’s primary school.

Principal Chen gave a brief speech, basically encouraging everyone to do their best and expressing his hope that capable teachers would join their team.

After that, the assessment began directly, following the number order drawn the day before.

Principal Chen and the other teachers served as the judges.

One by one, people went in. When they came out, they all looked worried and dissatisfied with their performance.

Since everyone was competing for the same positions, naturally, no one wanted to be a stepping stone for others. So those who had finished the assessment kept quiet about what happened inside, not wanting to give any hints to those still waiting. This was understandable.

Unknowingly, more than two hours passed.

Gu Qinghuan sat calmly in her seat, waiting for her number to be called.

Lin Xiaomeng alternated between being calm and restless, as if sitting on pins and needles. Finally, it was her turn.

“Good luck!” Gu Qinghuan encouraged her.

“Thanks!” Lin Xiaomeng went in.

About half an hour later, Lin Xiaomeng finally came out, and number eight went in.

She walked over to Gu Qinghuan, still looking a bit dazed as she sat down.

Then she whispered in Gu Qinghuan’s ear, “Qinghuan, I think I might have a chance! The teachers all seemed pretty satisfied with me, even the principal said I had the bearing of a teacher.”

Gu Qinghuan whispered back, “Then let me congratulate you in advance.”

“It’s all thanks to your tips yesterday. I did pretty well overall today.

By the way, everyone draws their own topic inside, so each person’s is different, but it seems there are only Chinese and math subjects.

I drew ‘Ode to the Goose,’ which was relatively simple. I added some of my own insights, so it went well,” Lin Xiaomeng quietly shared.

“Alright, got it. Thanks!” Gu Qinghuan had already guessed as much, but she appreciated Lin Xiaomeng telling her anyway.

“Good luck, you can definitely do it too.”

Lin Xiaomeng genuinely hoped Gu Qinghuan would succeed as well. If she had to work with someone, she’d much rather it be Gu Qinghuan, since they at least had some friendship.

As for Jiang Xue, her chances weren’t great—she was eighth in the written exam and drew a late number for the second round.

Not long after their conversation, number eight came out, and it was Gu Qinghuan’s turn.

Lin Xiaomeng also wished her, “Good luck!”

Gu Qinghuan straightened her clothes and walked into the assessment classroom with composure.

Several teachers and the principal were seated below the podium. One teacher came over with a stack of papers and asked her to draw one.

Gu Qinghuan picked one at random.

“Please give an impromptu lesson based on the topic on the paper. Keep it within half an hour. You may begin when you’re ready.”

The topic Gu Qinghuan drew was “Plum Blossoms.”

In the corner of the wall, a few branches of plum blossom,

Braving the cold, bloom alone.

From afar, you know it’s not snow,

For a subtle fragrance drifts your way.

This is also a poem that every primary school student must learn.

Being given only this poem and having to expand it into a half-hour lesson isn’t exactly easy—at least not for a novice teacher.

But Gu Qinghuan wasn’t just anyone. This little challenge was nothing to her.

She calmly walked to the podium, picked up a piece of chalk, and wrote the poem on the blackboard, stroke by stroke, her handwriting elegant and beautiful. The people seated below nodded in approval.

Even the principal, who had been frowning just moments before, unconsciously nodded.

He had thought this young woman was perhaps too pretty to be a teacher, but her handwriting made him see her in a new light. He began to reflect that he shouldn’t judge by appearances.

After finishing the board work, Gu Qinghuan pretended there were students below and had the “students” recite the poem with her three times, correcting their pronunciation as she went.

“‘Plum Blossoms’ is a five-character quatrain written by the Northern Song poet Wang Anshi.

Before we discuss the poem, let’s learn a bit about the poet.

Wang Anshi, courtesy name Jiefu, literary name Banshan, was a Han Chinese from Fuzhou. He was a renowned thinker, politician, writer, and reformer of the Northern Song dynasty. Together with Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan, and others, he is counted among the ‘Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song.’

He twice served as the head of the central government, implementing new reforms. After being dismissed in the ninth year of Xining, he retired and died of illness at Zhongshan in Jiangning. He was posthumously titled ‘Wen,’ and is also known as Wang Wengong.

His political reforms had a profound impact on the social and economic life of the late Northern Song, showing characteristics of modern transformation.

So, under what circumstances did he write this poem?

In the first year of Xining, he advocated ‘tapping the wealth of the rich to help the poor,’ strengthening the country and the military, and carrying out comprehensive reforms.

But opposition and slander were constant. In the spring of the seventh year of Xining, a severe drought struck, refugees wandered, and Wang Anshi was dismissed.

The following February, he was recalled to office.

In the ninth year of Xining, he was dismissed again. Disheartened, he gave up on reforms and retired to Zhongshan.

At this time, Wang Anshi’s lonely state of mind and difficult circumstances were much like the plum blossom that braves the snow and frost, which is why he wrote this poem.

The meaning of the poem is: A few branches of plum blossom in the corner of the wall bloom alone, braving the severe cold.

Why, from a distance, can you tell that the pure white plum blossoms aren’t snow?

Because there’s a subtle fragrance wafting from them.

The first two lines describe the plum blossoms in the corner, unafraid of the cold, blooming proudly. They’re inconspicuous, not easily noticed or appreciated, but they don’t care.

The ‘corner of the wall’ highlights the plum branches’ humble surroundings and solitary blooming, reflecting the poet’s difficult circumstances but steadfast attitude.

‘Blooming alone’ emphasizes the plum blossom’s fearlessness in the cold, its refusal to follow the crowd. Even in a remote, deserted place, it still blooms bravely in the cold. This describes the character of the plum blossom, but also seems to describe human character.

The last two lines focus on the plum blossom’s subtle fragrance. ‘From afar’ means the scent drifts from a distance, faint and not obvious. The poet is sensitive, perceptive, and good at discovery.

‘Not snow’ means that from afar, the blossoms look pure and white, but you know they’re not snow, but plum blossoms.

‘Subtle fragrance’ refers to the scent of the plum blossom. By personifying the plum, blooming alone in the cold, it’s used as a metaphor for noble character and extraordinary talent.”"

"Chapter 244: A Brilliant Explanation, Braised Pork Trotters