Chapter 37

Although the pork was cut by Yao Chunyu, Su Ye couldn’t bear to let her ruin a piece of pork—earning a bit of pork was not easy! Before Yao Chunyu could toss the pork into the pan, Su Ye decisively took over.

Su Ye blanched the pork belly briefly to remove any odor. Then she placed the slices on the pan, cooking them on low heat to slowly render out the fat. She added white sugar to caramelize it, flipping the meat slices to ensure they were evenly browned. She added chopped onions, ginger, and garlic to stir-fry, then poured in cooking wine to remove any remaining smells. After adding water to cover the meat, she simmered it on low heat for an hour.

When the rice was done, everyone politely left, though Fang Xiulian didn’t budge, and even Li Maogang couldn’t get her to leave.

Su Ye smiled. Fang Xiulian’s love for pork had remained unwavering. She hadn’t been able to get any meat to eat on her previous visits, but no one could change her mind.

Since she had stopped hanging around with Li Hongli and Gao Anna recently, Su Ye didn’t mind her anymore.

She smiled brightly and said, “Stay for dinner, everyone. Xingdou, you too. Last time, thanks to you, we were able to care for Xiangqian in the hospital.”

Ning Xingdou hadn’t expected to be included.

After returning to the rear area, Ning Xingdou realized his mother had been right—there hadn’t been pork available in the market for a long time. Even the soldiers recovering from injuries on the front lines didn’t get much meat while they were healing.

Gu Xiangqian had finally managed to get a pound of pork, and now it was already gone?

Ning Xingdou shook his head. “You all eat. I’m going back.”

Gu Xiangqian finally spoke up, “It’s fine. Let’s eat together.”

He went to the kitchen, fetched three sets of chopsticks, and set them on the table.

The aroma of the stewed meat was especially strong. After stewing for an hour, the water had evaporated, and the air was filled with the rich scent of meat. It smelled even better than the braised pork in the mess hall.

After Gu Xiangqian set the table, even someone as strong-willed as Li Maogang couldn’t resist the temptation.

Fang Xiulian’s eyes couldn’t stop shining. She quickly scooped a bowl of rice for everyone, then sat down and grabbed a piece of braised pork to eat.

Su Ye’s pork belly was particularly delicious. After having it on New Year’s Eve, Fang Xiulian had been thinking about it for a long time.

In March, she was still able to buy a pound of pork belly on the black market, but after April, such fortunate occurrences completely ceased. Not even the black market had pork for sale anymore, which shows just how difficult life had become. Ordinary people couldn’t even dream of having meat.

Only those lucky enough, like Gu Xiangqian and Su Ye, could continue to eat pork, piece by piece.

Forget about pork belly, even chicken, duck, or fish were rarely seen on the black market. When Fang Xiulian put the pork into her mouth, she almost shed tears of gratitude.

This was the familiar taste of meat she hadn’t had for two months! If it went on any longer, she might even forget what meat tasted like.

While recuperating in the hospital, Ning Xingdou had often seen Gu Xiangqian eating braised pork, but he didn’t expect it to taste this good—soft and tender, fatty but not greasy, with an intoxicatingly rich aroma of oil.

Fang Xiulian finished three pieces of meat and let out a contented sigh, feeling completely satisfied after the meal.

She couldn’t help but reminisce, “I remember last year during New Year’s, we had a pig’s head, some chicken, duck, fish, and even bought several pounds of crabs, fish, and shrimp. The table was full, and it took two days to finish everything. It was so delicious. Back then, I never would’ve dreamed that we’d be struggling to even get meat now. I wonder if things will get better next year.”

Li Maogang replied, “You’re thinking too optimistically, don’t even bother.”

Su Ye listened quietly, inwardly thinking it would probably be at least another two years before things improved.

After dinner, the group sincerely thanked the couple for the invitation. “Thank you, the braised pork was really delicious!”

“Next time, if we have meat at home, we’ll definitely invite you both to taste it.”

Su Ye had a habit of stockpiling food. While the several dozen pounds of pork and grain she stored each month wouldn’t starve her, it was far from enough to grant her true food freedom. Now that she had a new goal, after dinner, she threw herself into work, burning with the passion of striving for success.

—

A few days later, in the No. 1 high school.

Su Ye had stayed up late organizing key points for subjects like mathematics, physics, and chemistry, and she took them out to give to Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi borrowed them to read and was momentarily taken aback. After finishing, he fell silent for a while.

The handwriting on the paper was neat and elegant, and the diagrams were clear and standard. After a long time, Zhou Yi couldn’t help but praise, “This review notebook is very comprehensive. Did you prepare this for the college entrance exam?”

A thought crossed Zhou Yi’s mind, and he suddenly considered asking Su Ye to lend him the notes for a few days so that the students in his class could take a look at them. However, this thought was quickly extinguished in his mind.

Su Ye was also an examinee this year, and Zhou Yi wasn’t sure if she would be willing to selflessly share her notes with the students.

He handed the notebook back to Su Ye.

Su Ye pushed the manuscript forward and smiled, “No, this is for your class.”

“After substituting a few lessons for Teacher Lu, I noticed that some of the students have a poor foundation. If they could use this notebook to review, constantly going over it, the results would definitely be much more effective. Teacher Zhou, you can make a few copies of it and distribute them in class. Let them all memorize it over the next two months.”

Zhou Yi felt a mixture of emotions upon hearing this. He stood there for a while in a daze, and when he looked at Su Ye again, his gaze had changed.

When the teacher recruitment took place, Zhou Yi had pushed through all objections for Su Ye to come to No. 1 High School. His reasoning was simple: he just wanted to hire a capable teacher, and since Su Ye was competent, she was hired. What Zhou Yi didn’t expect was that after she came, not only did she perform her duties, but she also contributed so much to the school, which was a pleasant surprise.

This notebook alone, for just one subject, had already been meticulously organized, and Su Ye had done the same for the three subjects of mathematics, physics, and chemistry.

Teacher Lu had finished his business and returned to school. When he heard that Zhou Yi and Su Ye were discussing the review notes, he picked up the review materials and flipped through them.

As he focused on the pages, his breathing grew rapid. The more he flipped, the more his eyes sparkled with excitement. As a physics teacher, how could he not recognize the importance of these materials?

If each student memorized the contents inside, it was hard to say how many points they would gain in the exam, or how many more students would be able to go to university this year.

Teacher Lu eagerly said, “Little Su, how did you come up with this? This is such a great idea!”

“I really should have asked you to substitute for more lessons! The students in our class really enjoyed your lessons. Today, when I went to class, they kept asking if Teacher Su would come back to teach again.”

Teacher He couldn’t help but chuckle, “Old Lu, once is enough! You’re bullying Little Su like this—don’t you have any shame?”

Su Ye smiled and asked Zhou Yi for the list of students who had registered for the college entrance exam. She carefully went through the list and noted down the names of the students.

There were five classes in the senior year, and only about thirty students in total had registered for the exam. The atmosphere surrounding the exam was very weak, a stark contrast to the intense competition of the future where thousands of candidates vie for a spot.

At first, Su Ye didn’t understand. Since they had worked so hard to reach high school, why not go all the way and aim for a college degree? Later, she realized that in this era when education wasn’t widely accessible, a high school diploma was already considered a significant achievement—a high level of education.

When the class bell rang, Su Ye grabbed her teaching plan and headed to the middle school to teach.

The college entrance exam review notes she had left behind were passed around among the teachers in the office. The teachers of mathematics, physics, and chemistry who saw the materials felt breathless and their eyes turned red.

The math teacher, holding the materials, excitedly said, “Little Zhou, what are you waiting for? Go make fifty copies, no, make a hundred copies, and please ask the principal for funding!”

With this material, the number of students registering for the college entrance exam this year would surely be more than thirty! It might even double!

—

In the afternoon, when Su Ye didn’t have class, she eagerly went to the high school department.

The students in Class 1 of the senior year had already gotten used to this teacher who would occasionally audit their classes. Since Su Ye was close in age to them and didn’t put on airs, they quickly adapted to her presence.

Whenever they had questions during class, they could usually get them answered by her. The studious students in Class 1 often looked forward to Su Ye’s arrival.

A few of the students in Class 1 were members of the “Green Factory.” They firmly believed in Su Ye’s abilities.

One of them was Chen Ziming, and the other was Yang Chenxing. Chen Ziming came from a poor rural background. Every time Su Ye saw him, he was wearing a yellow shirt that had faded from frequent washing, paired with labor trousers. He had a pale face, but his demeanor was gentle yet resolute.

The impoverished students received a monthly subsidy of 10 yuan from the government. Chen Ziming would spend 5 yuan on himself and send the remaining 5 yuan back to his rural home. He lived frugally, as if he wanted to squeeze every last drop out of himself to help support his family. In these difficult times, every child who could escape from the countryside to high school was truly finding a way out of dire circumstances.

After learning about this, Su Ye added his name to the list for the “Green Factory” support program.

Yang Chenxing, on the other hand, had the opposite situation. His family was quite well-off. He appeared easygoing but was rebellious at heart. However, he was exceptionally intelligent. He joined Su Ye’s “Green Factory” purely out of interest, with a strong passion for studying mechanics.

Su Ye was disappointed to find that he hadn’t registered for the college entrance exam.

However, it was just a disappointment. For someone as smart as him, forcing him would be useless, only if he took the initiative to do it himself would it work.

After school, He Meimei invited Su Ye to go home with her.

He Meimei had bought a new bicycle, which would make commuting much easier. As she rode it, she said enviously, “I was worried you wouldn’t be able to graduate, but I never imagined you’d take such a big step and directly sign up for the college entrance exam.”

“I saw the math notes you organized, and every teacher I’ve shown them to has praised them. Su Ye, you’re amazing… After seeing your notes, I’ve decided to join with other teachers to organize notes for Chinese, history, and politics. But I think we’ll be way behind your progress.”

Compared to that, Su Ye had managed to organize notes for all three subjects in just one week. After the teachers reviewed them, they found no errors at all. The speed was truly astonishing, and He Meimei sincerely admired her for it.

Su Ye’s notes had already been sent for photocopying, and within a few days, they would be returned. The students would soon be able to use these notes to review.

Su Ye couldn’t help but wipe her brow, feeling embarrassed by all the praise. She didn’t deserve so much admiration—she was just a poor person struggling to make a living.

She hadn’t expected her review notes to cause such a strong response from the teachers.

The flattery was endless. If she didn’t have a sense of her own worth, she might have been carried away by all the praise. She stood tall, feeling as though the red scarf around her neck had become even brighter.

Ha ha ha ha ha! Look at me, so proud!

I don’t believe it! The streamer has such thick skin, but deep down, they must have some self-awareness.

The streamer actually didn’t interrupt Meimei and let her finish speaking… Wow, what a narcissistic woman.

The live stream chat instantly exploded with comments, “Blind person, you’ve finally become a sensation.”

Su Ye went to check her live stream backstage and found that there was an extra ten jin (5kg) of pork belly.

However, her smile didn’t last long as she saw the screen filled with complaints. With a darkened face, Su Ye blocked the chat completely. These people only knew how to make noise and none of them were kind-hearted.

The two of them continued chatting as they quickly returned to the military compound.

When He Meimei was about to enter the compound, a middle-aged couple stopped her.

This was a couple from a well-off background. The man wore a neatly pressed Zhongshan suit with white shirts, a pen in his pocket, and the woman wore a red-and-white checkered Soviet-style dress, looking very much like an intellectual.

The man said, “Hello, Teacher He, we are Lu Siyuan’s parents.”

He Meimei stopped in her tracks. She was the head teacher of Class 5 in Grade 12 and quickly recognized them as the parents of one of her students.

Father Lu said, “It turns out that Siyuan hasn’t been going to school for a long time. We thought he was preparing for exams, but he lied to us and went to hang out with street thugs. Teacher He, we really hope Siyuan can return to school and study hard, at least get his high school diploma. Please help him!”

Su Ye wasn’t unfamiliar with students skipping class. Even in Teacher Zhou’s class, many students skipped class. Those students had already given up on their diplomas and the college entrance exam.

However, in Su Ye’s class, she would never allow this to happen. First, the students were young and easier to guide, and second, none of them came from rich or powerful families—studying was their only way out.

He Meimei and Lu Siyuan’s parents stepped aside to talk.

The name “Lu Siyuan” sounded vaguely familiar to Su Ye.

She quickly remembered that she often heard Yang Chenxing mention Lu Siyuan’s name, and he spoke of him with great admiration.

Yang Chenxing often skipped class to hang out with Lu Siyuan, going to the streets or countryside to gather bird nests and pick corn. He had even once encouraged him to join the “Green Factory,” but that enthusiasm was short-lived and soon faded.

Every school has a troublemaker who leads others astray, a student who in later years would be called a “school bully.” In the present day, they would be referred to as “big brothers,” “delinquents,” or “thugs.” No teacher has any interest in dealing with such students, and Lu Siyuan was exactly that kind of person.

He Meimei shook her head regretfully and said, “This child, I also want to manage, but I just don’t have the ability to. I noticed a long time ago that he doesn’t like studying. Maybe it would be better for him to start working earlier.”

Lu Siyuan’s mother couldn’t help wiping away her tears, and his father’s hair had turned gray at the temples, his eyes bloodshot.

“How could that be a good thing? Teacher, please think of another way. My wife and I are both college graduates. He hasn’t even finished high school, and his future will be very difficult. Without an education, life will be tough.”

He Meimei shook her head.

Su Ye advised, “Blocking the teacher here won’t help. Why not take some time off and go talk to your child? If he won’t listen to his parents, how will he listen to his teacher?”

Her words made the couple blush. Father Lu said, “We only came to find the teacher because we’ve run out of options.”

After Su Ye sent the intellectual parents away, He Meimei shook her head and said, “Su Ye, the man you just talked to is the factory director of Changyou Oil Factory. Recently, their factory has been quite busy.”

Changyou Oil Factory? Su Ye was very familiar with that name. Isn’t that the factory where Yang Xue’s father works?

Most of the refurbished watches Su Ye was tinkering with were sold to the workers at that factory. She hadn’t realized that Lu Siyuan’s father was the director of the oil factory.

She asked He Meimei, “Do you really want to get involved in this? I’ll help you!”

Su Ye thought for a moment. Yang Chenxing’s breakthrough might lie with Lu Siyuan. Every additional person involved in the college entrance exam was one more chance for change. Since she had decided to help high school students, she was prepared for a tough battle.

He Meimei was very excited when she heard this and looked up at Su Ye.

As they walked, Su Ye said, “Tell me more about him. What kind of troublemaker is Lu Siyuan? Tell me all about him.”

He Meimei couldn’t help but laugh, realizing that even though Su Ye was not much older, she was calling a high school student her age a “troublemaker.”

But it didn’t sound out of place. Su Ye had a grounded aura, and her mind was particularly sharp. She always surprised people.

She had a great relationship with her students, and all the children in the middle school admired her. Maybe Su Ye really could handle Lu Siyuan?

He Meimei then told Su Ye everything she knew.