Free Web NovelChapter 19: Chapter 19: Wool Yarn
Teacher Fan was Su Li’s junior high homeroom teacher for all three years. She had always looked out for Su Li, who was a good student. When she found out Su Li had stopped her studies, she felt it was a great pity for a long time.
Su Li was one of three siblings. She had an older sister and an older brother, and she was two years younger than her brother.
Mr. Su treated all three siblings well, but Su’s mother was the complete opposite. She favored her son to an extreme degree, spoiling her only boy, Su Dan, rotten.
In the Su Family, everyone besides Mr. Su—Su’s mother, Su Li, and her older sister—was a servant, there to wait on Su Dan hand and foot.
To ensure "servant number three"—Su Li—was available to carry his schoolbag, fetch his water, and perform other services, Su Dan didn’t start school until he was eight years old, putting him in the same class and grade as Su Li.
They haphazardly scraped through elementary school in Su Family Village. Junior high was in town, a two-to-three-hour journey away. To attend, they had to board at the school and be completely self-sufficient, which included chopping firewood and cooking for themselves.
To ensure Su Li could carry firewood, build fires, and cook for Su Dan, she was permitted to attend junior high. Her grades were excellent—much better than her brother’s—but because Su Dan performed poorly, she was not allowed to continue her education.
Three years later, Su Li knocked on the door of Teacher Fan’s home.
Teacher Fan still remembered Su Li. The moment she opened the door, before Su Li could say a word, she called out her name and asked with concern what she needed.
Su Li took a deep breath and stated her purpose directly. "Teacher Fan, I want to go back to school. That’s why I’ve come to find you."
’Something I’ve wanted for two lifetimes... I’m finally doing it today.’
After hearing Su Li’s words, Teacher Fan was stunned for a few seconds.
She truly hadn’t expected Su Li to say something like that. "You want to continue your studies?"
In all her time as a teacher, the vast majority of what she heard was, "Teacher, I’m dropping out," or "I don’t want to study anymore." It was rare to hear a request like this, especially from a student who had been out of school for three years.
"Yes, Teacher." Su Li nodded firmly.
"You... come in, come in and talk." Teacher Fan led Su Li into her home. "Didn’t you get married last year? So why..."
When Su Li got married last year, she had someone bring Teacher Fan some wedding candy, so Teacher Fan knew she was married. That knowledge made her current request all the more astonishing.
"Yes, but being married can’t stop my desire to study. Teacher Fan, I want to take the college entrance exam. I want to go to university." Su Li’s eyes were shining with astonishing brightness.
Teacher Fan stared at Su Li, deeply shaken. "Go to university?"
"Yes," Su Li nodded. "Teacher Fan, I stopped studying after junior high graduation, so my academic record has a gap, and I..."
Teacher Fan waved a hand, cutting her off. "I know all that. What I want to know now is, are you serious about studying again? You’re not a kid anymore. You’ll be twenty-one by the time you take the exam. If by some miracle you get into a university, you’ll be even older by the time you start. Will your husband and his family allow it? Aren’t you supposed to be having children?"
Su Li shook her head with certainty. "None of those things are a problem."
’Even though we haven’t done the paperwork, in my heart, Tang Yuanxiao is already my ex-husband. What business is it of his whether I go to school or not?’
’I can’t help it. He was my ex-husband in my past life, after all. I’m just too used to it.’
’As for having children... what’s that?’
Su Li was so nonchalant that Teacher Fan’s face filled with suspicion. "You..."
"None of those things are a problem. What’s more, Teacher Fan, I want to take the college entrance exam this year," Su Li explained seriously.
’I never planned on starting from the first year of high school and taking the exam in three years!’
"What?" Teacher Fan was truly astounded this time. "Take the college entrance exam *this year*? You... this is no joke."
Her face hardening, Teacher Fan sounded a little angry. "Su Li, even if your grades in junior high were good, that’s not how you get into a university!"
"Teacher, please don’t be angry. I know how serious the college entrance exam is," Su Li explained hurriedly.
After Su Li spent a long time explaining, Teacher Fan finally relented. "I can see your sincerity and determination, Su Li. I always thought it was a great pity you didn’t continue your studies... How about this? I’ll keep this in mind. Now, you have to show me what you’re capable of."
"How do you want to test me?" Su Li asked, breathing a sigh of relief.
"A test. I’ll find a sample college entrance exam and have you take it. If your score is good enough, I’ll help you." Teacher Fan’s gaze became distant. "As a teacher, I can’t bury or hold back a talented student, but I also can’t just ignore the regulations."
"I know, Teacher. I understand. Thank you." Su Li was filled with both gratitude and excitement. "I swear I won’t let your kindness be in vain."
"Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. When can you come take the test?" Teacher Fan asked with a wave of her hand. ƒгeewebnovёl.com
"Would after the New Year be alright? I can spend the time before and during the holidays reviewing." After seeing Teacher Fan nod, Su Li asked hesitantly, "In that case, Teacher... could you get me a complete set of high school textbooks? All of them, from the first year to the third."
"You don’t have the textbooks?" Teacher Fan’s expression was impossible to describe.
Su Li stiffened and immediately replied, "I used to, but they were lost in an accident. Yes, lost by accident."
Teacher Fan looked skeptical. "I see. I’ll figure something out, see if I can find you a complete set."
Su Li nodded profusely. "Okay, thank you, Teacher."
Teacher Fan lived in the faculty housing provided by the school, so her neighbors were all teachers. She went from one house to the next, running back and forth. After several trips, returning with a few books each time, she had somehow managed to gather a complete set of high school textbooks.
Su Li was absolutely delighted. After thanking Teacher Fan profusely, she shouldered the basket, heavy and full of books, and headed for home.
The three-hour mountain path from town to Xinghua Village became a trek under a heavy load, yet Su Li felt nothing but joy, her energy boundless.
She made it back to Xinghua Village before sunset and carefully placed the basket of books into a wooden chest, locking it away like a precious treasure.
Mrs. Tang had returned from pasturing the ox and was simultaneously cooking dinner and feeding the pigs and chickens. Little Tang Mo was helping her.
Seeing Su Li, she immediately had her take over. "Su Li, you cook. While there’s still light, I’m going to go gather some leaves for the pigs. We don’t have any for tomorrow."
"I’ll go." Snapped back to reality, Su Li took the carrying basket from Mrs. Tang and turned to leave.
At that time, nearly every household raised a pig. With not enough grain for the people, there certainly wasn’t any for the pigs; even bran was scarce. To fatten the pigs up and make sure they were full, everyone had to find and gather edible leaves for them.
Mixing the slop with half a portion of these leaves gave the pigs a good appetite and filled their bellies. That way, they would grow bigger and fatter, and the family would have more lard and meat to last the year after the slaughter.
Raising a pig was a major undertaking for every household, and gathering these leaves was often the very first chore village children learned.
Su Li had done this chore plenty, both before and after getting married. By the time dusk settled, she returned with the basket half-full—she’d wanted to fill it completely, but it had grown too dark to see.
After dinner, Su Li thought for a moment before deciding not to go to sleep right away. Instead, she lit the kerosene lamp and took two large balls of yarn out of the basket she had brought back from town.
Su Li had bought the yarn at a shop she passed while leaving town. The moment she saw the yarn, the first thing she thought of was Tang Mo’s little bald head.
