Chapter 17

After school, a few students stayed behind in the office to wait for Su Ye.

There were two boys and one girl. Although they were all pale and thin, they stood tall with straight backs and had bright, energetic faces. Their dark eyes were filled with suppressed excitement.

Su Ye asked them, “How did it go?”

Yang Xue’s eyes sparkled with excitement. She pulled out three watches from her bag. “Teacher Su, I fixed these!”

She didn’t mention how she had gained the trust of the neighbors or the hardships of getting these three watches. She only showed Su Ye the results. She spread her thin palm, and the watches in her hand were polished to a bright shine, with the hands ticking away.

Su Ye took one watch and checked it against the school’s wall clock. It was actually quite accurate.

She patted Yang Xue’s shoulder. “Good job, you’ve made great progress. The hardest part is always the first step, but now that you’ve made it, everything will go smoothly from here.”

Su Ye casually asked, “You didn’t charge them for it, did you?”

Yang Xue straightened her back even more. “No, I followed what you said! But—”

Yang Xue was so excited that she stretched out a hand, trembling as she said, “I fixed one watch, and they gave me 50 cents. I didn’t even want it.”

Yang Xue had never thought about making money from this, but it could indeed earn money. Her mother had to wash clothes for a whole week to earn 1.5 yuan, whereas Yang Xue only needed a few days to fix these three watches. The first time she fixed a watch, she was nervous, but after doing it a few more times, she would definitely get quicker!

Others might not care about this small amount of money, but for a poor girl, it meant a lot… But what was more important was listening to her teacher!

Helping others brought joy and a sense of accomplishment! This sense of accomplishment couldn’t be described with just a few coins. It was a spiritual pleasure and satisfaction. Yang Xue thought that even if she didn’t have money to continue her education, she could still make a living with this skill.

The other two boys took out their own watches. One boy scratched his head and said, “Teacher Su, I can’t fix this one.”

“Is that so? Don’t worry, I’ll check them one by one,” Su Ye said, taking out her toolbox. She opened the broken watch and patiently showed the students how to fix it step by step.

The three students watched with wide eyes, completely focused, wishing they could engrave every step in their minds and remember it thoroughly.

Through some inquiries, Su Ye learned that watch repairing had a high status in this era. She wasn’t surprised that Yang Xue could earn money from fixing watches. But Su Ye didn’t just care about the money, she wasn’t interested in just this small income.

After spending so much energy, she naturally wanted to do something big.

Su Ye said, “Once you’ve all learned how to fix watches, I’ll teach you how to repair radios. The practical classes will continue after the school year starts. I’ll find a chance to talk to the principal.”

The three students were extremely excited to hear this news. They flew out of the office like happy birds, eager to spread the word to their classmates.

They remembered Su Ye’s promise to teach them how to make radios, and after such a long wait, they were finally going to learn how to repair radios.

In this era, there were many watch repairmen, but not many who could repair radios. Radios were a newer and more fashionable item compared to watches, with a shorter history.

In the 1960s, there were few entertainment activities, and citizens with money wanted mental entertainment. They were willing to save up and buy a radio. Whoever turned on the radio after work, cranked the volume to the max, and shared the music with the neighbors became the coolest person in the building.

After school.

Su Ye wrote a letter to the principal, proposing the addition of “practical science classes” in her capacity as a “science teacher.” In the letter, she wrote at length:

“During last semester’s teaching, I realized how important it is to develop students’ hands-on skills. Science is a complex and profound interdisciplinary subject that cannot be learned solely from textbooks, it requires practical hands-on experience to combine theory with practice…

Both vocational schools and universities already have experimental courses, and many advanced schools that were once praised also have them. I believe that experimental courses are crucial. Therefore, I formally propose to you, Principal, that we add this course for middle school students, and I would be happy to take on the responsibility of teaching it.”

After finishing the letter, Su Ye, following the usual practice of people from that era, added a quote from Chairman Mao at the end.

Su Ye handed the letter to the principal. She wasn’t worried at all about the principal rejecting the proposal. After all, suggesting “adding experimental courses” was part of the responsibility of a science teacher, and this letter was clear that she was offering to work for free.

Free labor? Why not take it?

Su Ye had found out that other advanced middle schools already had experimental courses, and although her school, a provincial-level institution, did not, this was an issue for her school. During the later years of the exam-oriented education system, all subjects such as physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics had their own experimental classes, which was proof of their importance.

The next day, the principal, full of excitement, came to Su Ye with her letter in hand.

“Su Ye, this proposal of yours is quite creative, and I’m really pleased after reading it. The school is lacking teachers like you—young, bold, and eager to contribute. As for how we can start the experimental courses, explain it to me in detail, and I’ll free up Friday afternoons to let you teach it.”

The school had previously offered experimental courses, but the teachers were inexperienced, and the school lacked the funds to buy teaching equipment, so the courses were discontinued. Su Ye’s suggestion hit the mark with the principal. She was so happy after reading the letter that she had no reason not to agree.

Especially since Su Ye also mentioned that she had taught her students how to repair watches, showing that she was a capable teacher. The principal, having read the letter, immediately sought out Su Ye.

The principal pulled a watch out of his pocket, smiling broadly, and said, “Little Su, have your students take a look at my watch and see if they can fix it.”

Su Ye stood up straight and said confidently, “Of course, Principal. Don’t underestimate them! They’re really good!”

Su Ye had finally earned the right to teach the experimental courses openly and officially.

Under Su Ye’s tireless guidance, the number of students who could repair watches grew from three to five, then six. Su Ye continued to encourage the smarter students to use their free time to help neighbors repair watches for free.

The project Su Ye had in mind was gradually taking shape, and she contentedly stroked her chin.

What was she planning to do? ^[1]“Teach a man to fish rather than just give him a fish” is a proverb that means it’s better to teach someone how to do something for themselves than to simply provide them with a … Continue readingTeach a man to fish rather than just give him a fish—Su Ye wasn’t the type to sacrifice herself. She wouldn’t pay for students’ education out of her own pocket again. Of course, she was too poor to afford such a thing.

Su Ye planned to create a “practical base.” This base would not only generate income to help support impoverished students but also help develop their hands-on skills.

The first time Su Ye went to the recycling station to collect scrap, she discovered many valuable yet underutilized electronic waste items. These items could still serve a purpose with a bit of repurposing. However, people in this era lacked creativity, and there were too few people with the technical know-how to repair or refurbish “old machines.”

Su Ye remembered that in the 1990s, a strong woman became the wealthiest person by collecting scrap. She turned waste into treasure and made a fortune. This woman had a famous saying: “A piece of paper is a forest.” In other words, waste in one place could be a treasure in another.

In Su Ye’s eyes, broken watches, radios, and even broken wires and metal parts were all treasures.

After the strong woman from the 1990s made her fortune from recycling, people who collected scrap were everywhere. The phrase “We buy old TVs, refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines” became a trend in every street and alley. If one could buy a broken watch or radio for one or two yuan, repair it themselves, and then sell it for three yuan, making money would be quite simple.

Of course, nowadays, people don’t really care about “making money” in this way. Su Ye couldn’t earn money this way—doing so would be akin to future “speculation.” Su Ye would only consider it if she thought she had too much time on her hands.

However, Su Ye couldn’t do it, but her students could. This project had a strong, legitimate foundation—”A practical base,” designed not for profit, but to create value through knowledge and labor, to promote resource reuse, and to subsidize impoverished students. It could work.

Her students had too much idle time. If they didn’t do something practical, Su Ye worried they might become the main force behind the “^[2]Red Guard was a group of radical students in China during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), led by Mao Zedong. They were tasked with promoting Communist ideology, attacking perceived enemies of … Continue readingRed Guard” in a few years.

On Friday afternoon, Su Ye began teaching her students about electrical circuits and electromagnetic waves in physics, giving them a preliminary understanding of how radios work.

After class, Su Ye opened the live broadcast backstage and was pleasantly surprised to find that her account had unexpectedly gained two pounds of meat, bringing the total to three pounds.

Su Ye had worked diligently through the winter break, teaching extra lessons and even supporting a student, and she had only earned one pound of meat. But now, suddenly receiving two more pounds only strengthened her belief that what she was doing was right—she was creating spiritual wealth.

Many things may seem meaningless at the time, but as long as the direction is right and you keep going, you’ll eventually discover their value.

The livestream was bustling and chaotic, and if the host hadn’t mentioned it, Su Ye wouldn’t have realized she had been planning this all along.

‘Wow, let me think for a second. It seems the host had started planning this a long time ago.’

‘The host has such great foresight! No wonder she was chosen for the 1960s, it was meant to be. If she hadn’t come, who would have? If someone else had come and failed, what would have happened? They would have starved!’

Su Ye, while checking her reward of pork, accidentally saw an incredibly long comment in the live chat. She froze, unable to respond, feeling a surge of frustration.

Couldn’t she starve to death too?

Isn’t she human, for goodness’ sake?

—

On the weekend, Yang Xue returned the three repaired watches to her neighbor. The neighbor was surprised to find that the little girl had indeed fixed the watches.

They couldn’t help but praise her, saying, “Studying really is useful!”

“Yang Xue’s dad, look at how clever this child is, she’s even learned how to repair watches. We should keep supporting her education.”

Although Yang Xue’s father was receiving financial aid from the school, he had been warned in advance by Teacher Su, so he didn’t dare to boast about it. He was deeply pleased with his daughter’s progress. He thought to himself, how regretful it would be if Yang Xue couldn’t continue her studies because of their poverty… Thank goodness for Teacher Su!

Watches were valuable items. Previously, Yang Xue had been embarrassed to ask anyone to let her repair their watches. After a lot of effort, she had only managed to get three broken watches. Now, however, the situation had changed. Neighbors who had once been reluctant to let her fix their watches were now bringing them to her to save money.

Yang Xue didn’t charge for her repairs, but a professional watchmaker would charge several yuan per repair. Why not take advantage of the cheaper option if it was available?

Although Yang Xue didn’t fully understand Teacher Su’s reasoning for having her help fix watches for free, she gained the respect and trust of her neighbors through her assistance. She also developed her practical skills.

Though it was a bit tiring, Teacher Su had said that this was part of exploring science, and that failure was part of the process—one had to learn from it. Yang Xue’s heart warmed, and she became more determined.

It felt like she had gained a new belief—one that was aligned with Teacher Su’s words about exploring science.

—

In the military compound…

Back to the point, Su Ye had received three pounds of pork belly, which was certainly a happy occasion. However, with the addition of the “troublesome” Gu Xiangqian at home, she didn’t feel quite so free to just take the meat and eat it right away.

Su Ye remembered the bucket of fish she had “caught” by the river last time, and decided to spend the weekend accompanying the military wives to go foraging for wild vegetables and fishing.

She had to keep up the act, you know?

In the live stream’s comment section, a flurry of “hahahahaha” appeared, with everyone understanding.

However, eating too much fish could become monotonous, and fish was difficult to preserve. Su Ye made a deal with her viewers in the chat—she wanted a rabbit.

On the weekend, Su Ye took her fishing rod to the riverbank. The same three people from last time—Li Hongli, Fang Xiulian, and Gao Anna—were there.

The Spring Festival had just passed, and they seemed well-off, each wearing Soviet-style coats with their hair styled with trendy hair wax. At this point, they hadn’t yet started focusing on bourgeois trends or political struggles, those with a bit of money still liked to dress up.

They had fruits and sunflower seeds to snack on. It seemed like fishing was just a fun activity for them, not something to improve their living conditions.

Unlike the dusty and messy Su Ye, who spends her days teaching classes, squeezing in time between periods to deal with a bunch of students asking questions, and then struggles to grade homework in the evenings, she’s naturally not in the best spirits to enjoy herself.

Su Ye, feeling bored, started fishing. Gao Anna began chatting with her, saying, “I heard that your school, No. 1 Middle School, treats internship teachers really well. My classmates are getting 32 yuan, not like our No. 5 Middle School, where internship teachers only get 28 yuan.”

“Isn’t that right, Teacher Su?”

Li Hongli, who worked in the Women’s Federation, was very clear about salary structures. She slowly began to explain, “Cousin, you’re just starting out, so you don’t understand that salaries are given based on level. For vocational school graduates, the internship salary should be at level 17.”

“Su Ye only has a primary school education. How could she possibly have a 32 yuan salary!” Her tone was filled with disdain.

Su Ye’s grip on the fishing rod tightened.

Why bring up something so sensitive? This person was really asking for it. Su Ye believed that Gao Anna knew exactly what her salary was, otherwise, how could she have been so specific about the 32 yuan?

Su Ye put down her fishing rod, putting aside the special rod that had caught three pounds of fish in one go last time. She cleared her throat and, sounding troubled, said,

“Well… I teach several classes, grade homework for different grades, and I’m so tired I could drop dead. No matter how much work I do, it can’t compare to those with a vocational school degree. It’s really frustrating when I get paid!”

Su Ye’s words unintentionally revealed what was really on Gao Anna, Fang Zhou, and Liu Qiu’s minds. Hearing Su Ye speak these words of self-mockery made Gao Anna feel a sense of satisfaction in her heart.

He Meimei, who heard this, thought Su Ye was being too self-deprecating. She shook her head and said, “Su Ye, don’t put yourself down like that. You’re really amazing! The principal even allowed you to catch up on your high school education. You’ll be earning 35 yuan soon!”

Su Ye suddenly changed the subject and smiled, saying, “But—well, God always favors hardworking people. No matter where they are, diligent people are always lucky. Last night, I dreamt I caught a whole bucket of fish and even caught a rabbit. I went home and had a feast. So today, I’m here with everyone, working to improve our lives.”

As soon as Su Ye finished speaking, the military wives burst out laughing, openly telling her she was being overly optimistic.

“In this day and age, even the fish are starving. And you think a rabbit’s going to just come to you?”

Su Ye remained silent and sat in place for a few minutes. Suddenly, a fat rabbit hurriedly rolled out from its hole and bumped right into the stone where Su Ye was sitting, dying instantly.

The teasing from earlier had barely died down when everyone stared in stunned silence at the rabbit lying at Su Ye’s feet, falling into an eerie stillness…