1959Siheyuan, a Turnaround

Chapter 346 After Classes Resumed

At this time, Jia Zhang was crying so hard that even the farm manager standing nearby couldn't bear to watch it anymore.

He also made an exception and allowed Jia Zhang to rest for half a day, and then let her go back to work in the afternoon.

Four Nine Cities.

On the first day of school, Li Weiguo went to school with full enthusiasm as usual.

As a result, when he walked into the campus, the vibrant and noisy scene of the past seemed like a world away.

The playground was deserted, with only a few students cleaning silently in the corner, their movements slow and weak.

The basketball stand stands alone, the net is broken and swaying gently in the breeze, as if silently telling of the liveliness of the past.

When I came to the corridor where the classroom was located, the slogans on the wall had faded a little, revealing the traces of time.

Walking into the classroom, Li Weiguo was stunned by the scene before him.

There was a depressing atmosphere in the classroom. The desks and chairs were placed in a haphazard manner and it was not as clean and tidy as before.

The students were sitting scattered in their seats, each of them looked thin, with fatigue and confusion in their eyes.

Everyone sat quietly. There was no laughter and joy of the reunion in the past. Only low whispers echoed in the classroom. The topic was nothing more than the helplessness and sadness of food shortage at home.

Li Weiguo saw his deskmate looking ahead with empty eyes, so he gently patted his deskmate on the shoulder. The deskmate turned around and forced a smile as a greeting.

"Li Weiguo, you're here!"

In these trying times, even simple exchanges like this can feel heavy.

"Ah."

Li Weiguo just responded and then sat quietly on the stool without saying a word.

It had only been a short time since they last met, but he could clearly feel that his deskmate had lost weight.

The conditions of the other people were not very good either, and Li Weiguo found that there were a lot fewer people in the class this time.

Li Weiguo looked at all this with mixed feelings.

Who would have known that the first day of resuming classes would have such a learning atmosphere.

There is no laughter and chatter as in the past, but more of a struggle and persistence in not giving up hope during this special period.

At this time, the door of the classroom was pushed open and the head teacher, Teacher Zhao, walked in.

He was thin, his clothes hung loosely on his body, his dark blue Mao suit was washed to a pale color and had several patches on it. His face showed an unconcealable weariness, his eye sockets were sunken, but there was a hint of determination in his eyes.

He glanced across the classroom and saw the sparse number of students, and his heart suddenly tightened.

Nearly half of the familiar seats were empty, some of the tabletops were covered with a thin layer of dust, and some of the stools were crooked.

He knew that in this special year of famine, every household was struggling to make ends meet, and it was extremely difficult to send their children to school.

These children may be able to sit here only because their families have tightened their belts.

Teacher Zhao walked up to the podium slowly, resting his hands on the desk. After a moment of silence, he cleared his throat and said, "Students, look around us, there are many fewer familiar faces. This is an extremely difficult period, and every household is short of food and clothing. But the fact that you are here is amazing."

His voice was a little hoarse, but full of power. "I believe that the current difficulties are only temporary, just like the night, no matter how long it is, it will always pass. And knowledge is the light that penetrates the darkness. Even if there is only a glimmer of hope, we cannot give up learning."

"Okay, starting today, we will have normal classes. Students, please concentrate and make good use of this hard-earned learning opportunity!"

Li Weiguo, sitting in his seat, stared at the teacher without blinking.

He was well aware of the severity of the three-year famine in history. However, only a year had passed since the disaster and food was still scarce. Even wild vegetables and tree roots had become precious foods.

Working-class families in the city have a hard time making ends meet, and those in the countryside are suffering even more.

Most of the children in some villages are forced to stay at home to help with farm work. It is truly rare and precious for them to be able to attend school like me.

The teacher began to lecture and picked up the chalk to write on the blackboard.

The chalk writing is no longer as neat and powerful as before, but it reveals a kind of persistence.

In the morning, the teacher taught cultural subjects, but in the afternoon there was an additional labor class.

That is to say, from now on, in addition to attending classes every day, they must continue to learn how to farm.

This major change made the students extremely miserable, and they whispered about it in dissatisfaction.

"Now every household is hungry, how can they have the energy to work?"

"That's right, we are here to learn knowledge, not to learn how to farm..."

"I can't bear to work every day..."

Faced with the students' discussions, the teacher standing in front turned a blind eye indifferently.

Because this is the general trend and no one can change it.

The afterglow of the setting sun shines on the old streets, and the crowds of people going home from get off work are bustling about.

Yi Zhonghai walked in front with a brisk pace, a cheerful smile on his face.

Nothing could make him happier than the news that Qin Huairu was pregnant.

At this moment, Yi Zhonghai couldn't hide the smile on his face even if he wanted to.

Behind him, Qin Huairu followed closely as usual, with her head lowered and her steps hurried, as if she was afraid of losing him.

This way of leaving get off work has long become a habit for the master and the apprentice. The neighbors around them are also accustomed to seeing it, and no one has ever cast a strange look at them.

However, today, this familiar scene was broken by one person.

Next to Qin Huairu, Xu Damao appeared without her noticing.

Xu Damao found out that Qin Huairu and Yi Zhonghai had teamed up to plot against him, and he spent the whole day thinking about how to retaliate.

Unfortunately, he couldn't find a good solution after thinking hard.

But it doesn't matter at all, now he is causing trouble for two people.

"Hey, why is Qin Huairu walking so fast with her head down?"

When Yi Zhonghai heard this and turned around, the moment he caught a glimpse of Xu Damao, the smile on his face seemed to be quickly wiped away by an invisible hand, leaving only a look of astonishment and displeasure.

Xu Damao seemed to enjoy Yi Zhonghai's expression. He deliberately cleared his throat and said sarcastically, "Hey, uncle, why are you unhappy to see me? I didn't provoke you today."

His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for people around him to hear a few words.

Yi Zhonghai frowned, ignored him, and quickened his pace to get rid of this uninvited guest.

But Xu Damao was not willing to give up easily. He followed closely behind and continued to tease: "I say, uncle, you really care about your two apprentices. They are inseparable even when they go to and from get off work. I am a lonely person, and I am quite envious of them."

When Qin Huairu heard this, her face turned red. She secretly glanced at Yi Zhonghai, her eyes full of embarrassment and uneasiness.

Yi Zhonghai's face became increasingly gloomy, and he shouted in a low voice: "Xu Damao, stop talking nonsense and slandering people here!"

Xu Damao smiled disapprovingly, shrugged and said, "I'm talking nonsense? I don't have the time. The eyes of the masses are sharp. There are some things that can be seen clearly by anyone with a discerning eye."

As he spoke, he glanced back and forth between Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu with a meaningful look.