20demayo Chapter 16 Special Concern
Chapter 16 Special Concern
A short while later, Xiao Li arrived hurriedly with two teachers from the school's academic affairs office. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Wang Dabazhang, they turned their attention to them, launching into a scathing reprimand. Their harsh words and sharp gazes made them lower their heads in shame. They even threatened to contact their parents, which made the teachers even more uneasy.
In those days without telephones and the internet, finding parents was no easy task. Owning a bicycle was the most enviable mode of transportation. Moreover, these children came from different villages in all directions, and the teachers didn't even know where they lived, so how could they possibly find their parents? It was just a way to scare them.
In truth, we should be grateful for the underdeveloped communication technology of that era. Nowadays, if a student makes even the slightest mistake, the teacher will immediately contact the parents by phone or WeChat, making today's children timid and lacking in spirit. Not being allowed to talk in class is understandable, but talking loudly after class is also forbidden, running downstairs is prohibited, and playing and roughhousing with classmates is also forbidden. Students aren't criminals, so why be so strict? The excuse is that it's for the children's good, but in reality, schools and teachers are afraid of taking responsibility, nipping any potential conflict in the bud. At the same time, they are also stifling youthful vigor and passion.
After being brought back to school, they were subjected to repeated criticism from teachers and school leaders. After hearing it so many times, they gradually became numb and stopped caring about what they were saying. They answered "yes" to every question: "Was it right?", "Was it wrong?", "Wrong?", "Can you change?", "Yes?", and "Can you study hard in the future?", just hoping to end this endless criticism as soon as possible.
When the criticism finally ended, school was over. They returned to their classrooms, packed their bags, hopped on their old bicycles, and rode off towards home with all their might.
As soon as Hong Liguo stepped out of the school gate, he saw Wang Yuxin standing quietly by the roadside, holding her bicycle. Hong Liguo assumed her bicycle was broken and she was waiting for someone to help repair it, completely unaware that it was Wang Yuxin who had called the police.
When they arrived, Hong Liguo was about to ask her why she wasn't leaving, or if there was something wrong with her bicycle. But she stopped him first, saying, "Hong Liguo, stop right there, I have something to tell you."
Hong Liguo quickly braked the car. Jun Ge then came to Hong Liguo's side and asked why he had stopped and what was wrong. Hong Liguo said, "It's nothing. You guys go ahead, I'll catch up with you later."
Fa Zi seemed to have noticed something. He glanced at Wang Yuxin standing by the roadside, a strange smile creeping onto his lips. Then he urged Jun Ge to hurry up and leave, so as not to delay things.
Of the six, Fa Zi was the oldest, Jun Ge was a year younger than him, and Hong Liguo, Hong Bo, Yan Bin, and Jie were all a year younger than Jun Ge. Among their peers, Hong Liguo was the oldest. Given Fa Zi's age and experience at the time, he must have already figured something out, while Hong Liguo was as innocent as a blank sheet of paper, knowing nothing, only that Qiao Shuang was beautiful and that seeing her made him feel comfortable.
Hong Liguo and Wang Yuxin rode their bicycles slowly, chatting as they went. It was then that Hong Liguo learned that it was Wang Yuxin who had gone to the police station to report the incident. Hearing this, Hong Liguo felt a surge of anger, blaming her for meddling and complicating a simple matter. Fighting was, in their eyes, a common occurrence, something that happened every day; yet she had gone to the police, almost sending them to jail. But upon calming down, she realized that if Wang Yuxin hadn't gone to the police, once Sun Changlin woke up, Yi Jianping and the others certainly wouldn't have let it go, and the conflict would likely have escalated further.
Hong Liguo genuinely didn't know at the time whether what she did was right or wrong.
Along the way, Wang Yuxin kept lecturing Hong Liguo with all sorts of grand principles. She told him he shouldn't be involved in gangs or fighting, but should focus on his studies, get into a good university, and get a good job after graduation. In those days, jobs were assigned, and a good job meant urban residency, meaning he wouldn't have to do farm work like his parents. Her words came out in a rapid-fire barrage, driving Hong Liguo crazy. He thought to himself, "This woman, how can she be so talkative? Just like my mother, so annoying. I wonder which unlucky guy will marry her and be driven crazy by her."
Years later, when Hong Liguo recalled the things she had nagged him about back then, he suddenly realized that she wasn't like his mother at all; she was clearly a sensible wife disciplining her naive young husband, earnestly advising him to change his ways. But some things, by the time you truly understand them, everything is already irreversible.
Hong Liguo's most impatient replies were: "It's nothing, it's no big deal, we can handle it. What's the use of a city household registration? Doesn't it still provide three meals a day? I don't care." Hong Liguo's tone was full of disdain and rebellion.
Hong Liguo's attitude seemed to have angered her greatly. Her eyes were slightly red and glistening with tears. She said in a trembling voice, "Hong Liguo, you are truly hopeless."
Seeing her growing anxious, Hong Liguo could only say perfunctorily, "Okay, okay, I'll fight less and study more from now on, alright?" But in reality, Hong Liguo didn't mean it that way at all. Hong Liguo thought to himself: Who do you think you are? Even my parents don't control me like this, why should I listen to you? If you tell me not to fight, I won't fight; if you tell me to study, I'll study. Would I still be myself? I am one of Jin Yong's Six Swordsmen, a renowned hero in the martial arts world. How can I be easily swayed by you?
She kept chatting with Hong Liguo until they reached her neighborhood before finally stopping. Hong Liguo watched her walk into her house, then quickly sped up to catch up with Fa Zi and the others.
When Fa Zi and the others saw Hong Liguo, they started joking about Hong Liguo and Wang Yuxin, teasing them about whether there was something going on between them.
Hong Liguo quickly denied it: "What's going on? I don't like an annoying woman! She's been nagging like an old woman the whole way, it's so annoying." A blush appeared on Hong Liguo's face, but her tone remained firm.
Fa Zi suddenly asked, "So, who do you like?"
His question stunned Hong Liguo, and Qiao Shuang's beautiful and charming face and graceful figure involuntarily flashed into his mind. Hong Liguo immediately became incoherent, hurriedly explaining, "No, no, I don't like anyone. There's no one I like."
Hong Liguo's heart raced, and the blush on her face became even more pronounced. Afraid that they would see through her thoughts, she quickly sped up.
At that moment, Jun Ge's words promptly diffused Hong Liguo's embarrassment: "Stop joking around. We're almost home. Think about how to explain this to your family!"