Back to 80: My literary life.

Chapter 478 Ideal and Reality

"We have made a budget. According to the county's standards, it would cost at least 6 yuan to build a primary school. The village is extremely poor now, and the county and township finances are also tight. I heard that even the cadres' salaries cannot be paid on time. How can we have the money to build a school?"

Fang Minghua and the others didn't say anything.

In fact, this is the case with most rural schools in the Northwest region at this time, including the relatively affluent Guanzhong region. The foundation of rural education is very weak, but the degree of weakness varies.

"Who is the teacher at the school?" Zhao Hongjun asked.

"You know him too." Zhang Guisheng said with a smile.

As he was speaking, a fair-skinned young man wearing glasses walked out of a classroom.

"Zhang Xuewen!" Fang Minghua recognized him immediately.

Isn’t this the youngest son of Aunt Zhang, the landlord who worked with me during the time I was sent to the countryside to work?

"Fang Minghua!" Zhang Xuewen also recognized her: "Why are you back?"

"I came back to see you when I had nothing to do." Fang Minghua explained, "This is Zhao Hongjun, do you remember him?"

"Remember, how could you not remember? You are all from Xijing." Zhang Xuewen said with a smile.

"Hey, Xuewen, I remember when we left, weren't you preparing to take the college entrance examination? How come you became a teacher? Did you pass the entrance examination for a normal college?" Fang Minghua asked.

"I didn't pass the exam."

ah? this?
Fang Minghua quickly changed the subject and suggested going somewhere else, and everyone left the school.

"Hongjun, Minghua, my uncle will accompany you. I'm going to the county town right now. Come back to my house for dinner in the evening. Let's have a couple of drinks. Uncle, you can come too."

Fang Minghua and the others were about to say a few polite words when they heard Zhang Guisheng say, "Don't be polite, the two of you. Jianlin is rich and powerful now, so he doesn't care about you."

"Uncle, look at what you said." Zhang Jianlin said and hurried home.

Zhang Guisheng accompanied the two of them around the village. Zhang Guisheng then told them that Zhang Xuewen had failed the college entrance examination for three consecutive years, and finally with his help, he became a private teacher in the village.

"You all know that Xuewen can't lift anything with his hands or shoulders. He has no strength to do farm work. He is also a very honest person and not as eloquent as Jianlin. What else can he do if not do this?"

That's true. Fang Minghua nodded.

Everyone also looked at a poplar forest in the north - this was planted by Fang Minghua and his colleagues when they were educated youth. At that time, it was called the Educated Youth Forest. Now it has grown to the size of a bowl and is lush and green.

It was almost evening when Zhang Jianlin rushed back from the county town. His wife had already prepared a table of food. Fang Minghua and the other party were still the branch secretaries of Zhang. Zhang Jianlin called Zhang Xuewen, as well as Zhang Jianlin's wife and a child. They ate and chatted.

"Xuewen, have you thought about it?" Zhang Jianlin suddenly asked.

Before Zhang Xuewen could speak, Zhang Guisheng next to him interrupted and said, "Jianlin, you can't do this. If Xuewen follows you to the construction team, what will happen to the students in the village? He is the only teacher in our primary school!"

Unexpectedly, Zhang Jianlin retorted:

"Uncle, you have to think about Xuewen. How can a salary of less than 30 yuan a month be enough? Xuewen is already 28 years old this year, right? He still can't find a wife. I think you know the reason! There are no teachers in the school? Go ask the township or county for some!"

After hearing what Zhang Jianlin said, Zhang Guisheng stopped talking, sighed, picked up the wine glass and drank it all.

Zhang Xuewen didn't say a word from beginning to end, just ate his food in silence.

"What's the matter?" Zhao Hongjun asked.

Zhang Jianlin started talking.

It turned out that Zhang Jianlin's construction team's business was getting bigger and bigger, and he needed an educated person to help him handle the accounts and pay wages. He took a fancy to Zhang Xuewen, a brother in his family and an honest man, and offered him a monthly salary of 100 yuan.

Zhang Jianlin was hesitating, but Zhang Guisheng found out about it and he firmly disagreed because if Zhang Xuewen left, the village would have no teacher!

"Secretary Zhang, why don't you ask the higher-ups for it?" Zhao Hongjun asked cautiously.

"No one wants to come. We finally got a junior college student two years ago, but he ran away after less than a semester! He said he would rather not be a teacher than stay in this damn place!" Oh.
Zhao Hongjun also sighed, not knowing what to say.

At this time, Zhang Xuewen, who had been silent just now, raised his head and said: "Brother Jianlin, I heard that the county will hold a private-to-public teacher examination in July this year. I will take the exam again. If I fail, I will work with you!"

"Come on, come on, let's wish Xuewen success in the exam!" Zhao Hongjun took the opportunity to raise his glass.

After dinner, the two of them stayed at Zhang Jianlin's house at night and slept in the same bed, but Zhao Hongjun couldn't sleep.

"Minghua, let's go out for a walk and help digest the food."

Fang Minghua looked at his watch and realized that nine o'clock in the evening was indeed a bit early, so he followed Zhao Hongjun out of the yard.

The small village at night seems very quiet, with almost no lights. Party Secretary Zhang said that although the village had electricity last year, the electricity bill was too expensive and many farmers could not afford it, so they switched to kerosene lamps to save as much as possible.

Well, today is the middle of the lunar calendar. A bright moon hangs in the sky, illuminating the earth exceptionally brightly. In the distance is the Gobi Desert, desolate, solemn and profound.

The two of them unknowingly walked to the vicinity of the school again, and Fang Minghua suddenly discovered that there was a faint light in one of the rooms.

anyone?

Curious, I walked over and knocked on the door.

The door creaked open and a young man came out - it was Zhang Xuewen.

"Xuewen, you didn't go home?" Fang Minghua asked.

"Yes, I am correcting my homework."

Sure enough, Fang Minghua saw a pile of exercise books on the shabby desk.

"Most students only have one notebook. If I don't correct it and hand it out, they won't be able to do their homework tomorrow," Zhang Xuelin explained.

"Okay, you're busy, I won't disturb you anymore." Fang Minghua was about to leave but was stopped by Zhang Xuelin, who greeted him warmly.

"It's okay, I'm almost done with the revisions, come in and sit down."

There was only one chair in the room, so Zhang Xuewen took a broken bench from the classroom next door. After the two of them sat down, he hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Brother Minghua, Brother Hongjun, you are both worldly-wise people. I want to ask you something?"

"what's up?"

"Tell me, was what I said when we were having dinner today right?" Zhang Xuewen asked.

"You're right!" Zhao Hongjun spoke first: "As a person, you should consider yourself first. How can you live with that little salary? Education is first and foremost a matter of the country and society. You can't sacrifice your own interests!"

Zhang Xuewen listened without saying anything, but suddenly changed the subject and looked at Fang Minghua.

"Minghua, you are a great writer now, right? I have read several of your books, two of which are about private teachers, "Rural Teachers" and "Not One Less". I like "Rural Teachers" the most. Teacher Li Baoku is so great and touching. I can't do it. I am really ashamed of myself."

After saying that, Zhang Xuewen sighed.

Seeing Zhang Xuewen like this, Fang Minghua couldn't help but say, "Xuewen, that's just a novel, fictional. I wrote this novel to let more people know about the living conditions of teachers who are still in remote areas today, and to call on people to pay more attention and respect to rural teachers who are on the margins of society. I don't want you to be a martyr like Li Baoku!"

"Minghua is right. You don't have to worry about it. Take the exam first. It would be best if you pass. If you fail, go to Jianlin's construction team. Or just come to Xijing. I will definitely not let you down if you join my company!" Zhao Hongjun interrupted again.

Fang Minghua also nodded.

Zhang Xuewen smiled and shook his head: "Xijing is too far away, and I still have to take care of my parents."

The three chatted for a while, and then Fang Minghua and the others said goodbye and left.

On the way back to Zhang Jianlin's house, Zhao Hongjun lit a cigarette, took a puff and suddenly said, "Minghua, we have to do something here, right? How about helping them build a school in the name of the company?"

(End of this chapter)