25: Chapter 25 Visiting Villages to Understand the Situation, Warming Teachers' Hearts with Warmth

"Vice Township Head Huang, you are too kind. We usually just make this tofu to eat ourselves; it's nothing fancy," Village Party Secretary Zheng Yaoxian said with a smile.

"Village Party Secretary Zheng, did you make this tofu yourself?" Li Dakang asked.

"Yes, most people in the village know how to make it. It's considered an ancestral craft. It might have something to do with the brine used and the mountain spring water in the village. Our village's tofu is indeed a bit tastier than what you find outside," Village Party Secretary Zheng Yaoxian explained.

Li Dakang nodded, thinking to himself: Such high-quality tofu could definitely be sold externally, but the distribution channel is a problem.

But there is no rush. Today is mainly for a preliminary assessment. Once we finish visiting the other villages, we can consider it in a broader plan.

...

During the visits after the meal, the sight before him made Li Dakang's heart heavy.

Most of the adobe houses had peeling walls, revealing the straw-mixed mud bricks underneath. Only a few scattered houses made of green brick, with corn and chili peppers drying on them, could be considered the wealthiest in the village.

A barefoot little girl was squatting by the roadside, drawing something on the ground with a twig. Seeing strangers approach, she hurriedly hid behind a tree, revealing only a pair of wary eyes.

"How many children in the village are not attending school?" Li Dakang asked suddenly.

Village Party Secretary Zheng Yaoxian rubbed his hands together: "Of the school-age children... about one-third, I'd say. The road is too far, and families are short on labor..."

On the tractor ride back, Li Dakang's notebook was already filled with five pages.

Under the heading "Zhengjia Village," it was densely recorded with: Tofu craft, dropout children, mountain spring water source...

Next to each term, an asterisk was drawn, like lights waiting to be ignited in the dark night.

...

On the other side, at the entrance of the Finance Office of Qingshan Primary School, several teachers were pacing anxiously.

Teacher Gu rolled his lesson plan book into a cylinder, tapping out a rapid rhythm against his palm.

"Why did Accountant Zhang call us over? I have a class soon."

"Exactly. I still have a pile of things to do, and I haven't even graded yesterday's assignments."

"Could it be that we're getting paid?"

"That's impossible, right? We just went to the Township Government yesterday, and they're paying us today? Since when has the Township Government been so efficient?"

The teachers were discussing it in a flurry of voices.

"Don't be anxious, it will be ready in a moment," the person inside the Finance Office responded.

A while later, a voice called out from inside: "Alright, come in."

The group immediately walked in.

"Accountant Zhang, what is this all about? Did we really get our salaries?" Teacher Gu asked, half-jokingly.

"You guessed right, Teacher Gu. We received a notice from the Township this morning, and I went to the Finance Office to collect the salaries. I just got back, so I called you all over to collect them," Accountant Zhang said with a smile.

"Oh, really! Thank you, Accountant Zhang!" one teacher said excitedly.

"Teacher Gu, this is your salary, a total of 614.3 yuan. If everything is correct, please sign here."

Accountant Zhang handed over a stack of counted money.

"Accountant Zhang, this isn't right. Why is there an extra month's salary?" Teacher Gu asked, puzzled.

"It was specially approved by the Township."

Accountant Zhang pushed up his glasses: "Director Yu from the Finance Office said that Township Head Li instructed that an extra month be paid as compensation."

When the envelope was placed in his hand, Teacher Gu felt a sense of unreality.

He carefully opened it. Six hundred-yuan bills and some loose notes exuded the scent of ink. This was the first time in his twenty years of teaching that he had received "compensation."

"This... how can I accept this..." Teacher Gu's hands were shaking violently; he almost dropped the money.

"Director Yu said that Township Head Li stated: 'No matter how hard things are, we cannot let education suffer; no matter how poor we are, we cannot let teachers suffer,'" Accountant Zhang said, mimicking an official tone.

Teacher Zhou's eyes suddenly turned red. This middle-aged man who loved to complain was now wiping his eyes with his sleeve like a child: "I... I'm going to teach the children..."

His back, as he ran off clutching the envelope, looked a bit unsteady.

Under the paulownia trees on campus, several teachers looked simultaneously toward the direction of the Township Government.

The wind brushed through the treetops, the rustling sound like a response from the distant mountains.

...

On Friday, in the courtyard of the Guantian Township Government, the sunlight spilled lazily onto the ground.

Not yet 3:30 PM, some cadres whose homes were elsewhere had already started packing their briefcases, occasionally looking up at the wall clock.

Zheng Shijun stood by the window, watching the courtyard gradually becoming lively.

The sound of motorcycle engines, bicycle bells, and voices bidding each other farewell intertwined.

"Shijun."

The voice of Li Dakang came from behind.

"I am going to the city this weekend."

Zheng Shijun turned around and saw that the Township Head had changed out of his usual navy blue jacket into a neatly ironed white shirt.

"Do you need me to accompany you?" he asked subconsciously.

Li Dakang shook his head and patted his shoulder: "No need. You've been running around with me these past few days and must be tired. Get some good rest."

"Page me if anything comes up."

At exactly 3:30 PM, the Township Government was like a beach at low tide; in the blink of an eye, it was more than half empty.

Li Dakang walked toward the courtyard entrance, where Secretary Sun Wei's old 212 jeep with chipped paint was parked.

"Brother!"

Secretary Sun Wei poked his head out of the car window, his gold-rimmed glasses reflecting the sunlight.

"Want a ride?"

As the car drove out of the courtyard, Li Dakang caught a glimpse of several young female cadres standing by the roadside, pointing and whispering at the jeep.

"Want to come to my place for a simple meal?"

Secretary Sun Wei handed him a cigarette: "I'll tell your sister-in-law to whip up a few hearty dishes, and we'll have a few drinks."