Chapter 9 A Music Teacher Needed

It was dinner time, and every household in Helian Village was eating, with occasional barks of dogs.

The moon was bright and the stars were sparse, Shu Qingyao followed the winding path, according to the route she had inquired about, and sure enough, she saw Secretary Wang Xingde’s house from afar.

Compared to the mud brick houses of most people in Helian Village, Secretary Wang’s house was a neat and tidy tiled house, with a big poplar tree planted in the yard. At this moment, the lights were bright, the Wang family seemed to be eating, Shu Qingyao carried a cloth bag, stood at the gate of the yard and shouted: “Hello, I’m looking for Secretary Wang!”

Soon, a short and stout woman came out of the house, wearing a fashionable Dacron floral shirt, she walked over and looked her up and down, with a smile on her face, she asked: “Little girl, what are you looking for my husband for?”

Shu Qingyao saw that she was kind, and her face was somehow familiar, she didn’t think much of it, and smiled: “The captain said that the private elementary school is recruiting a math teacher, I have a high school diploma, I came here to recommend myself.”

The woman looked her up and down again, Shu Qingyao could feel that she was looking at her clothes, “Old Wang, there’s a guest!” She shouted into the house, then warmly greeted Shu Qingyao, “You’re a city intellectual, right? Come in and have a seat, it’s so late, have you eaten?”

Shu Qingyao smiled: “I came after I ate.”

She followed the woman inside, and saw two men and a little girl sitting at the dining table, the two men, one old and one young, looked similar, they must be father and son, and the other thin little girl was holding a bowl, her head lowered, her face was not visible.

The dishes on the table were quite ordinary, similar to what they ate in the public canteen, it seemed that this Secretary Wang was a frugal person.

Shu Qingyao handed the meat and flour in the cloth bag to them: “Uncle, Auntie, I’m sorry to bother you.”

Xie Helan saw the flour and pork, her eyes lit up, but she said: “Oh, little girl, how can you do this, take it back, take it back.”

Shu Qingyao smiled: “I accidentally bought too much, it’s hot these days, the pork won’t last overnight, it will go bad if I take it back, Auntie, you keep it, it’s not worth much.”

“That’s right, it’s so hot these days, the meat will go bad overnight,” Xie Helan took it, and said to her son Xie Wei, “Xie Wei, what are you doing sitting there, go pour a glass of water for the little girl!”

The tall and thin young man with a bit of a ruffian look responded, got up and went to pour water.

Xie Helan hugged the meat and flour, happily intending to put them in the kitchen, Wang Xingde put down his bowl, coughed heavily, Xie Helan’s smile froze, and her movements stopped.

Wang Xingde was a thin old man, wearing a Dacron white shirt, a watch was on his thin wrist, he raised his eyes and looked at Shu Qingyao, and said slowly: “The school has recruited teachers for all subjects.”

Recruited?

Shu Qingyao’s face fell a little.

Then she still had to go weed?

Although she also knew that elementary school teachers were the hot cakes in the intellectual team, teaching was much easier than working in the fields, but hearing this answer, she was still a little disappointed.

She couldn’t handle this farm work with her small frame!

Wang Xingde gave Xie Helan a look, telling her to return the food, Xie Helan touched the fine five-flower meat and flour, she was reluctant to part with it, and quickly said: “Old Wang, how can it be recruited, doesn’t the school still need a music teacher?”

Music teachers are not easy to recruit, they not only need to know the five-line staff, but also need to know how to play the piano, most of the intellectuals from the city are from ordinary families, Chinese and math are fine, but they really don’t know the five-line staff and how to play the piano.

So the subject of music teacher was left behind.

After all, it’s not a particularly important subject, it’s okay if they can’t find a teacher.

Shu Qingyao asked: “You need a music teacher?”

Wang Xingde looked at her, “Do you know how to play the piano?”

Shu Qingyao nodded: “I’ve learned.”

The Wang family’s eyes on her immediately changed.

In these days, it was not uncommon for intellectuals to read and write, but it was truly rare for families to have the spare money to learn piano.

Xie Helan looked at Shu Qingyao, becoming more and more satisfied, this intellectual was beautiful, and her family must have money, she could let her son get together with Xie Wei, then she could go to the city directly, couldn’t she?

In recent years, there had been matchmakers coming to the Wang family to talk about marriage, after all, her son’s father was the secretary, although Xie Wei was not a good person, and his reputation in the village was not good, but with Wang Xingde around, people who came to introduce matches continued to come.

But Xie Helan didn’t like them.

Her son naturally had to marry the best, how could a woman from the countryside be worthy of her son?

“Girl, you know how to play the piano, that’s great, the school is just short of a music teacher.” Xie Helan sent the meat and flour into the kitchen, then came out with a smile on her face, “That’s settled, don’t worry, I’ll let Old Wang talk to your captain tomorrow, and you can go to school to teach!”

Shu Qingyao breathed a sigh of relief and smiled: “Then I’ll trouble you.”

As they were talking, the little girl who was eating at the table suddenly put down her chopsticks, tidied up her bowl and dishes, lowered her head and limped, holding her bowl, she was going to wash the dishes by the well at the gate of the yard.

Perhaps her leg was injured, when she stepped on the step, her legs went weak, Shu Qingyao was quick-witted, she grabbed her, but the little girl’s bowl fell, shattering on the ground.

“Bang!”

“Xie Xiaoqian!” Xie Helan was furious, she rushed over to scold her, “Are you a pig? You break bowls every day, how many bowls are left for you to break!”

Her big hand slapped down, it was about to hit Xie Xiaoqian’s face, Shu Qingyao subconsciously reached out to stop her.

“Slap!”

Outside the door, a hand accurately grabbed Xie Helan’s wrist, pushed Xie Helan back, a hoarse and angry male voice came from the door: “Xie Helan, don’t let me see you hit my sister again!”

The familiar voice made Shu Qingyao realize immediately, she protected the thin little girl behind her, Shu Qingyao looked up and met the fierce face of the young man at the door.

He was obviously stunned when he saw her, but he quickly looked away, strode in.

Xie Helan, Xie Xiaoqian, Xie Wei…

Shu Qingyao belatedly realized that she had actually found Xie Hezhang’s home!

This thin little girl, was she Xie Xiaoqian? Xie Hezhang’s deceased younger sister?

Xie Hezhang rarely told her about his family, but Xie Xiaoqian was his greatest pain in his youth, after he married her, he once took her to visit Xie Xiaoqian’s grave.

And it was because of Xie Xiaoqian’s death that Xie Hezhang broke up with his only remaining family, and even because of her, he became a juvenile delinquent, and spent several years in a labor camp.

“There are outsiders, what are you arguing about!” Wang Xingde slammed the table, angrily, “You’re making a fool of yourselves in front of outsiders!”

Xie Helan also realized that she was not behaving well in front of Shu Qingyao, she still wanted Xie Wei to date her, she couldn’t scare the little girl!

She straightened her face, Xie Helan smiled at Shu Qingyao, “Girl, it’s not safe to walk at night, I’ll ask Xie Wei to take you back to the intellectual dormitory.”

As she spoke, she gave Xie Wei a look.

Xie Wei was slow to react, he didn’t understand Xie Helan’s meaning, he complained: “Mom, I’m going to sleep, ask Xie Hezhang to take her.”

Xie Helan was furious, this idiot son of hers, he didn’t even pour water when she asked him to, and he didn’t want to take her, “You…”

Shu Qingyao looked at Xie Hezhang’s cold face, and smiled: “Okay, Xie Comrade, please take me back to the dormitory. It’s so dark outside, I’m scared.”