Rebirth: Starting from a Trainee Teacher

Chapter 348: Rolling on the Kang.
The Spring Festival was as dull as usual. On the first day of the first lunar month, Zhou Jing played mahjong, and on the second day, he accompanied his family to watch a play. Originally, Zhou Jing didn't want to go to the play, as the play was attended by men, women, and children from the entire village. His father said that he couldn't drive Zhou Jing's SUV, so Zhou Jing drove to take them there.

When Zhou Jing arrived at the theater, he watched for a while with the mentality of being there since he was there. When he was young, he didn't understand it and thought it was boring, but now he calms down and watches it and finds it very interesting.

Gu Jia came to Zhou Jing's house as scheduled on the fifth day of the first lunar month and took the train. Zhou Jing drove to Qing County Railway Station to pick her up.

"Happy New Year, Master."

Zhou Jing took Teacher Gu's suitcase from the exit and said.

"Not happy at all. If possible, I would wait for you for two years, even if your age doubles."

Gu Jia didn't want to admit that she was twenty-nine years old.

"Master is younger than he was last year."

Zhou Jing kissed Teacher Gu on the cheek.

"I like to hear that." Gu Jia looked around. The mountain opposite the train station was covered with snow. The cool air made people feel refreshed. "Home is still so kind."

"How about settling down in my hometown and becoming a country girl?"

Zhou Jing parked his car outside the train station, holding a suitcase in one hand and holding Gu Jia's hand with the other.

"Sure, give me a piece of land so I can grow vegetables."

Gu Jia actually envied the pastoral life.

"Master, please get in the car."

Zhou Jing put the suitcase in the trunk, opened the door and got in the car.

Gu Jia was wearing a long white down jacket. She rolled up the bottom of the jacket next to the car door and got into the car. It was not so cold in the car, so she unzipped the down jacket, revealing a black slim sweater underneath, dark blue skinny jeans, and a pair of boots that almost reached her knees. She was beautiful and generous, with a royal sister's temperament.

"Is the Master cold?"

Zhou Jing fastened Teacher Gu's seat belt, touched Teacher Gu's long legs, and held her small hand, her fair and slender hand was warm.

"It's not cold, you're becoming more and more handsome and charming."

Gu Jia pulled her hair back and held the boy's head with both hands to look at him.

"Master is becoming more and more charming."

Zhou Jing kissed Teacher Gu on the lips and drove away.

The whole family was at their grandparents' house. There was nothing to eat at home in the county town these days. It was almost seven o'clock in the evening, so Zhou Jing went straight to his grandfather's house in the countryside.

The first time I took Gu Jia to her grandfather’s house, it was the Spring Festival, and the old lady gave a very formal reception. In order to wait for Gu Jia, everyone in the family went hungry.

"I only brought gifts for your grandparents and grandmother. Do you need to prepare anything else?"

Passing by the county town, Gu Jia said.

"No need. Do you want to stay at my grandfather's house tonight or go back to the county town?"

Zhou Jing thought about it and realized that there were no children at home, and the only close relatives were his uncle's family. It would not be too late to go to his uncle's house to buy things on the seventh day of the New Year.

"If your grandfather's house is more convenient, then I'll stay at your grandfather's house."

Gu Jiating wanted to experience country life.

"Then let's live in the countryside. Did you bring your toothbrush?"

Apart from the simpler life in the countryside, there are no other inconveniences. Zhou Jing's grandfather's house has three rooms, one for his grandparents, one for his parents, and one for Zhou Jing and Gu Jia.

"Bring it."

Gu Jia has the habit of bringing toiletries when she goes out.

"In small places, the New Year atmosphere is stronger."

Gu Jia looked out of the car window. There were colorful lights hanging on the trees on the roads in the county town, lanterns hung outside the shops, and the float processions were beating gongs and drums, giving the place a full flavor of the New Year.

"The only drawback is poverty. It will take a long time before we can get rid of the label of a particularly poor county."

Zhou Jing smiled and sighed.

"It's remote and without resources, and it's not easy to get out of poverty. If you work hard, you may be able to lead your hometown out of poverty and into prosperity. But there's nothing wrong with being labeled an extremely poor county. The efforts to alleviate poverty will be great in the next ten years."

Gu Jia was helpless. Even though her father was now an official in the province, he was powerless to help a poor county with limited geographical conditions and no resources out of poverty.

"really."

Zhou Jing nodded. In fact, there has been a lot of poverty alleviation work in the countryside in the past two years. Although it cannot substantially lift poor households out of poverty, it can at least ensure the lives of those who are having a hard time. It’s just that the grassroots cadres in some places are too irresponsible.

"To the north there is coal, to the south there is oil, don't you have anything in your county?"

The car was a bit stuffy, so Gu Jia opened the window a little. "Natural gas was drilled out, but I don't know if the reserves were insufficient or for some other reason, so they didn't continue to mine it. Oil was drilled out in the village next to my grandfather's house, but it wasn't mined either."

"Okay, stop the car so I can go to the bathroom."

It was already dark when we entered the village, Gu Jia took out two pieces of paper and said.

"Go to the field ahead."

After passing a flat field without snow, Zhou Jing stopped the car and turned on the high beam.

Gu Jia got out of the car. It was quiet all around. She trotted to the field to relieve herself. After she was done, she returned to the car, stamped her feet, and said, "It's so quiet in the countryside at night."

"Are you afraid of walking alone?"

When Zhou Jing was in junior high school, he once came to his grandfather’s house after dark. He was frightened when he passed by several graves.

"I would be scared to death if I were alone."

Gu Jia was originally timid, and the sparsely populated countryside seemed a bit desolate, which reminded her of the scenes from "The Old Corpse in the Mountain Village" that she had watched with the boy before.

After entering the village, they arrived at the bottom of the slope near Grandpa's house. Zhou Jing parked the car in an open space, got out to get something for Gu Jia, looked up at the bright starry sky and said, "Have you ever seen so many stars?"

"I saw it when I was a child. It was very beautiful. Auntie, you don't have to come down."

It was a bit cold at night. Gu Jia zipped up her down jacket and carried the down jackets she bought for the old man and the old lady. When she heard the boy's mother coming down, she called out softly.

Wu Suqin was able to walk easily, so she took the down jacket and pulled Gu Jia's hand, saying, "Happy New Year, Jia Jia. Are you cold?"

"It's not cold, happy new year, auntie."

Gu Jia took Wu Suqin's arm and smiled.

Wu Suqin held Gu Jia's arm and asked about her well-being, while Zhou Jing followed behind with a suitcase.

"Grandpa, grandma, she is your granddaughter-in-law Jiajia."

Dad, grandpa and grandma were all waiting at the entrance of the yard, Zhou Jing introduced.

"Happy New Year, Grandpa and Grandma, Happy New Year, Uncle."

Gu Jia wished a happy new year in a sweet voice.

"happy New Year Happy New Year."

The old lady took Gu Jia's hand and asked about her well-being.

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhou Jing returned to the house and took Gu Jia's luggage to his own room on the far left. He poured some boiling water from the thermos into the washbasin, added some cold water, and asked Gu Jia to wash her face first.

Wu Suqin and the old lady went to the middle room to prepare food.

"Is this the room you live in?"

Gu Jia took off her down jacket and put it on the kang, watching with interest.

The room was warm, with white walls and new tables and cabinets. It should have been renovated last summer. The floor was made of light grey tiles. There was a kang (a bed that was much larger than a double bed) with two logs burning on the stove at the head of the kang. The kang was covered with brand new sheets, and two new quilts with red covers were placed near the stove.

"How about it, do you want to sleep here tonight?"

Zhou Jing put his arm around Teacher Gu's slender waist and smiled.

"I just want to lie down and feel it now."

Gu Jia thought the conditions were very good. She was used to sleeping on a bed and liked this kind of kang very much.

"I don't know what it's like to roll around on the kang."

Zhou Jing bit Gu Jia's ear and said with a smile.

"I just know how to think wildly."

Gu Jia pinched the boy. Although she said this, she actually felt quite uncomfortable in her heart. The kang was so big that he could roll around anywhere he wanted.

Gu Jia took out the toiletries from the suitcase and went to wash her face.

"Master, please change your shoes."

Zhou Jing took out the cotton slippers he bought specifically for Gu Jia from the cabinet.

“That’s very thoughtful.”

Gu Jia's feet felt a little stuffy after being in boots for a whole day, so she felt much more relaxed after changing into slippers.

(End of this chapter)