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◎ Third update ◎
Looking at the two hair clips on either side, and then at Xu Shengjie’s serious and expectant expression, Liang Baozhen pointed and picked up the purple glass hairpin given by her second brother while praising it, “This hairpin is beautiful.”
Seeing Xu Shengjie frown upon hearing this, Liang Baozhen tried to hold back her smile and picked up the bow hairpin he had bought. “But the one you bought is also beautiful and very convenient to wear.”
Liang Baozhen silently apologized to her second brother in her heart. She looked at Xu Shengjie’s serious face, which seemed to be melting like an iceberg. Suddenly, it was as if spring had arrived and flowers were blooming. She felt a warmth inside and thought to herself that her husband was so easy to please!
However, she was quite surprised. This hairpin didn’t seem to be available in the city; at least, she had never seen this style when she and Cheng Caili visited the department store.
“Did you go to the black market again?”
Xu Shengjie turned over in bed and firmly denied it, “Why would I go to the black market? Except for the shortage of tickets, our life is good. Why would I do something that would make us nervous? I had an old acquaintance bring it over for me. He brought this stuff from the south and said it was the most fashionable.”
“It’s really fashionable. I’ve never seen anything this beautiful.” Liang Baozhen had never been able to afford any fancy hairpins in the past; even getting a steel hairpin was already good enough. She carefully stored these two hairpins in the dressing box on her desk.
***
In the next few days, Liang Baozhen and Wang Xin familiarized themselves with the factory operations while preparing the teaching lesson of the literacy classes. Most of the workers attending the literacy classes were in their thirties and forties. They had never been to school since childhood and could not read a single character. After a few years of literacy classes at the factory, many of them could now barely recognize a few characters.
The two decided that they would have to start with the basics and teach pinyin.
The empty room behind the State Cotton Factory canteen used to be the dining area, but later on, when the new canteen was expanded, it became unused and was piled with miscellaneous items. Now it is just the right place to be used as the place for the literacy classes.
The workers who came to the literacy class today were mainly from the Cotton Spinning Workshop, the Coarse Sand Workshop, and the Fine Spinning Workshop , a total of more than 30 people. Most of them lived in the factory’s dormitories and rushed to the class after dinner.
“Teacher Xiao Liang, Teacher Xiao Wang, what’s the lesson today?”
“I can recognize more than ten characters now.”
The old canteen was a long row of tables and chairs, and now a group of middle-aged workers were sitting there. Wang Xin suddenly felt a little timid standing in front. She graduated from junior high school and stayed at home afterward. At that time, each family with more than one child was required to arrange for one child to go to the countryside, and her eldest brother took the initiative to go to the countryside, leaving her in the city. She had a good life, but she had never experienced teaching so many people.
“Sister Baozhen, there are so many people.”
“Don’t be afraid. Just pretend the person in front of you doesn’t exist.”
Liang Baozhen had some experience teaching children in the village before, so she did not show any sign of nervousness when teaching her co-workers, who were much older than her.
A class lasts for 40 minutes, but only 20 minutes is actually spent on lessons. The rest of the time is for everyone to move around freely, practice with each other, and read quotations from leaders or essays in textbooks. It’s not like in school, where everyone is taught in great detail.
After talking for a while, Liang Baozhen felt thirsty, so she gulped down a cup of water and noticed an older woman raising her hand.
“Teacher Xiao Liang, how do you pronounce this word?”
Liang Baozhen walked over and simply sat on an empty seat to take a look. “It’s ‘cui,’ as in ‘cuì lǜ’ (emerald green), it means the color of leaves in summer.”
“Oh.” Qin Peichun from the Coarse Sand Workshop looked at the complicated characters in the book and tried hard to memorize them. She is thirty-six years old this year. She never went to school when she was a child because her family was poor. But thanks to attending the factory’s literacy class about ten times, she could now recognize a few characters.
As for studying, the more you learn, the more motivated you become. It’s quite interesting to take classes with a group of people.
“Qin Peichun, why haven’t you learned it yet? I already know this character” Li Shufen, who was working in the Cotton Spinning Workshop, was a little proud. She and Qin Peichun entered the factory at about the same time and had known each other for many years. Even the houses they were allocated in the dormitory building were next to each other. They had been quarrelling with each other for most of their lives.
Even learning characters turned into a competition.
“Bah, it’s just this one character I don’t know. I can recognize the others perfectly.”
“Come on, don’t be so proud. You’re the one who can barely recognize a few characters!”
The two had been competing for years, neither willing to give in. Liang Baozhen approached them and suggested forming a study group, supervising each other, and testing each other. “You can point to the characters in the book and quiz each other to strengthen your memory.”
“Let’s do it!”
“I refuse to believe I can’t beat you!”
“What’s this character?”
“It’s ‘qiáng’ (strong).”
“And this one?”
“Huá (China)!”
***
After a long time, the two became more and more enthusiastic, and even the whole literacy class followed suit and started testing each other. Liang Baozhen and Wang Xin saw that this was better than boring classes.
Sometimes the inexplicable desire to win is really useful!
After class, a group of people hurried out. Qin Peichun learned a few more words in class today and memorized two quotations from leaders. She was so happy that she was ready to go home and show off.
Her son and daughter are both in the first grade of junior high school and are doing well in their studies. As a mother, she cannot fall behind.
“Teacher Xiao Liang, Teacher Xiao Wang, thank you for today.”
“This method works well. I learned more characters and even beat Li Shufen. She’s going to be so mad, haha!”
“Qin Peichun, stop talking bad about me behind my back.” Li Shufen followed her out and bumped her old neighbor aside before saying to the two young teachers, “You two really teach well. People who’ve gone to school are different—so impressive.”
“Sister Qin, Sister Li, you’re the smart ones. You learned so quickly after just listening for a bit.” Liang Baozhen mainly encouraged the workers. The more she encouraged, the more interested they became in attending class.
“Oh, what’s the point? How can we be so smart?” Qin Peichun waved her hands and suddenly became modest. “At our age, being able to recognize a couple of characters is already good enough.”
It was rare for Li Shufen to agree with Qin Peichun. “Teacher Xiao Liang is so sweet. What she said made my face turn red. Hahahaha.”
“With skin as thick as yours, you can still get embarrassed?”
“Qin Peichun! What did you say?”
Liang Baozhen and Wang Xin listened to the two women bickering and couldn’t help but exchange smiles as they walked out together.
The two female workers loved chatting with young people. As they were talking, they wanted to find out if Wang Xin had a match or not. When they learned that Wang Xin didn’t have a match, they immediately became interested. “Do you want me to introduce you to someone? There are quite a few outstanding men in our factory.”
“How about Teacher Xiao Liang? Should I introduce someone for you too?”
Wang Xin blushed and stammered; she was unable to speak right away. She had never been close to a man before, so she felt shy at the thought of being introduced to someone.
Liang Baozhen smiled gracefully, “Thank you for your kindness, elder sisters. But I am already married.”
“You’re married?” Qin Peichun looked at Liang Baozhen, a beautiful young woman who seemed only seventeen or eighteen. She was surprised to learn she was already married. “Where’s your husband from? To marry someone as beautiful as you, he must be really lucky.”
“He’s from our factory too, and he’s a former soldier!” Wang Xin, who had met Xu Shengjie, spoke up to praise Liang Baozhen’s husband, “Baozhen and her partner look really well-matched.”
“Who is he? Which workshop is he from?” Li Shufen, who loved to gather information, was curious. She wondered which lucky guy had such a fortune.
Liang Baozhen smiled and introduced him, “His name is Xu Shengjie. He just returned from military service and joined the factory recently.”
“Xu Shengjie?” Qin Peichun looked at Li Shufen and thought the name sounded familiar. “Isn’t he the son of Hua Cui?”
“Yes!” Li Shufen also remembered after being reminded, He’s Hua Cui’s eldest son. I haven’t seen him in years. He’s already married?”
“Sister Qin, Sister Li, do you know my mother-in-law?”
“Of course. We used to work together and even saw your husband when he was young. How old was he back then? He must have been around five or six. He was very handsome as a child, the best good-looking kid, just like his father.”
“Ah, it’s a pity. Xu Gong and Hua Cui were such a good pair. I never heard they liked to drink. How did they end up falling into the river…” Li Shufen still held onto the regrets from over ten years ago but quickly changed the subject when she remembered Liang Baozhen was present, “But now it’s good. Xu Shengjie is married, which is great. As long as you two are doing well, that’s fine.”
Liang Baozhen listened and nodded. Just as she was about to ask a few more questions, they were almost at the factory dormitory of the State Cotton Factory. Qin Peichun and Li Shufen hurried home, so she said goodbye to the two of them.
“Sister Baozhen…Sister Baozhen?” Wang Xin saw Liang Baozhen was absent-minded all the way to the gate of the State Cotton Factory. She didn’t know what she was thinking about, so she couldn’t help but remind her, “Brother Xu is waiting for you at the gate.”
Liang Baozhen looked up and saw Xu Shengjie standing at the gate of the State Cotton Factory, standing straight with his bicycle in one hand, waiting for her.
It was already seven twenty in the evening. The sun had set, the full moon had risen, and stars dotted the sky. She said earlier before leaving the house that she would be eating at the canteen since she wouldn’t make it back home for dinner.
While Xu Shengjie was walking towards her with his bicycle in one hand, she noticed that the hot summer had passed and early autumn had quietly arrived; the night breeze was exceptionally comfortable. The group of workers who finished their shifts had dispersed, leaving only a few people on the streets and the occasional pedestrian passing by.
“How was class today?” Xu Shengjie knew that Baozhen had become a teacher in a literacy class, and he thought his wife was really impressive.
“It’s pretty good. Everyone is very attentive.” Liang Baozhen looked at Xu Shengjie’s profile, which looked even more handsome in the night. She thought of what Qin Peichun and Li Shufen said and wanted to ask about his parents situation back then, but she was worried about touching some painful memories.
After all, Xu Shengjie was only twelve years old at that time.
***
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