Chapter 156: Chapter 156: A lecture
'Teacher Wang,' Feng Yiping greeted her, then looked down and tried to walk into the classroom. Wang Yumin felt a little amused. Of the fifty or so students in the class, only this one dared to act dumb in front of her.
She had to call out, 'Feng Yiping,'
Feng Yiping, who had already reached the door, had to stop. He pretended to be confused, knowing in his heart, 'You're looking for me!'
Seeing his expression, Wang Yumin didn't bother to speak, just waved at him.
Feng Yiping, who was eyeing the title of 'model junior high school student,' had no choice but to trot over, then bow his head, looking like he was ready to learn. Wang Yumin couldn't help but tap him on the head with her finger, 'Good thing you remember the way I taught you to distinguish between the front and back nasal sounds. I improved on it and wrote a paper that was published in this issue of Middle School Chinese Teaching.'
'Oh, that's really good. Congratulations, Teacher Wang!'
It was really a long and difficult process for Wang Yumin's paper to be published. It took nearly half a year, and it was revised three or four times at the request of the editor. However, in the end, it was published in the journal of the Chinese Language Society, and all these twists and turns were nothing.
Among all the teachers in the county, only a senior teacher from the county experimental middle school had also published a paper there. Wang Yumin also looked forward to it. If she worked hard and published a few more papers, she could also be transferred to the county, and when her seniority was up, she could apply for the senior teacher evaluation and then make a bid to become a special class teacher.
'After all, you started this, so the teacher wants to thank you properly. Besides, if you have any more ideas like this in the future, whether they are mature or not, you can discuss them with me.'
'I'll remember what you said, Miss Wang,' Feng Yiping said, a little resentful. She'd dismissed him with such a kind but unhelpful comment, so mean!
As he watched Wang Yumin turn to go, he hurriedly took a few steps to catch up with her. 'Miss Wang, I'd like to take a few days off during the winter holiday.'
Wang Yumin ran her hand over her forehead. This kid really knows how to bargain. 'Okay, okay, I can't control you!'
'Thank you, Teacher Wang!' He had been worried about how to ask Teacher Wang for time off, and now it was so good.
Seeing his smug expression, Wang Yumin couldn't help but stab him with a comment, 'You should still be careful about some things. What's the point of running to the riverbank all day with a female classmate?'
Feng Yiping suddenly felt that he had lost out again. He had received a favour, only to be rewarded with a few days off, and in the end, he was lectured.
As a result, just a week later, Feng Yiping went to see Teacher Wang again to ask for leave. There was no choice. The youngest daughter of his uncle's family, Sister Yuhua, would be getting married the day after tomorrow. Brother Dongming had brought his daughter-in-law with him, along with Feng Zhanchang, and they had hurried back from the provincial capital the day before.
Every year, after winter sets in, there are more and more happy events in the countryside: weddings, birthday celebrations, and children's first birthdays, one after the other.
Several classmates in his class had already asked for leave, but the school had a rule that only the marriage of a sister could be used as an excuse for leave, so Feng Yiping had to put in a lot of effort, saying that it had already been decided in the family that he would be the one carrying the basin stand at the wedding.
The previous few months had also been a source of worry for Feng Zhenchang and Mei Qiuping. Often, someone would come to the village the day before to deliver the good news: whose daughter was getting married tomorrow, or whose child was having a first month celebration. With their tight finances, they would scramble to find the money for the gifts as soon as they heard the news. After all, you can owe anything else, but you can't owe a gift.
Now, he can cope with the gifts he has to give every day.
He is dressed in a long black overcoat, a white shirt with a blue sweater with a heart-shaped collar underneath, and a pair of round-toed black leather shoes. In this attire, it is no longer obvious that he used to be a farmer.
Brother and Sister Dongming of course went back to Fengjiachong first, and Feng Zhenchang went directly to the oil mill.
It was cloudy today, but the wind was not light. On the grounds next to the oil mill, there were eight sets of frames standing, with the noodles already put on them, although some of them had not been stretched to their full length.
Seeing him walking over in his fancy clothes, Auntie San, who was quick-eyed, called out first, 'Oh, the big boss is back!'
The few people who were busy put down what they were doing to come and say hello. Mei Jianzhong said a few words to him, and then said to San, 'Guoxing, find a set of clothes for him to wear. He can't work in this outfit.'
No matter how big a boss you are, you have to work when you get here.
So when Feng Yiping arrived before dinner, he saw his father and his uncles and aunts working together to move the shelves to the storage room to dry, along with the uncooked noodles on top. Only Grandpa was a bit more relaxed, sitting on a stool and surrounded by his grandchildren.
However, this time, the father and son did not meet so harmoniously. As soon as Feng Yiping arrived, Feng Zhanchang's face turned cold. After everything was put away and the helpers had gone home, Feng Zhanchang took Feng Yiping aside and scolded him on the spot.
'You've really grown up, haven't you? In the past, you didn't fight much with the other kids your age in the neighbourhood. Now, it's a different story. You've fought big fights, two against three, and you even spent a day in hospital. How many times have I told you not to always stick your nose in? Now you know how it feels!'
What can you do when your father is scolding you? Just bow your head and take it!
My eldest uncle came over to persuade him, 'Brother, forget it. It was someone else who provoked him, not Yiping who took the initiative. If someone wants to beat him up, are you telling him not to fight back?'
Although my eldest uncle is simple-minded, he has been in the army and of course agrees that if someone else is beating you up, you have to hit back, otherwise what kind of man are you?
'Why did those people pick on him and not someone else? It's because he's offended people in the past. How many times have I told you, either go ahead of everyone or stay behind, don't go left or right with the crowd, then who will pick on you and who will you offend?' Feng Zhenchang was angry and scared on the one hand, and on the other, he had probably not found a strong reason to lecture his son for a long time, and now he wanted to have a go.
Unlike Feng Zhenchang, who was born into a landlord family and began experiencing various movements in his teens, Feng Zhenchang's aunt, who was influenced by the strong family atmosphere, could not stand Feng Zhenchang's timid and cowardly nature. She came out with a basket of vegetables to sort, and interrupted, 'Big brother, forget it. Are you saying that you want to raise Yiping like a lady? It's best to never go out of the front door. What's the big deal with a few fights for a boy? Just look at some other people's kids. A boy, for example, is obedient when he's told to be obedient, but if someone bullies him, he dares not fight back, let alone tell someone off. He'll blush before he can even say anything. What will become of a child like that when he grows up?'
Feng Zhenchang said, 'That's not right either. He's still at school, but he's already getting into trouble with people in the community. This time it was lucky, but what if it happens again?'
Auntie and her two sisters were busy preparing dinner by chopping vegetables. 'What if the people in society do something? Yiping and the others have dealt with it before. Besides, the youngest brother had the most contact with those in society, and now he is the most capable! When he was young, he was also the most mischievous. On the contrary, those honest and obedient children were always bullied as children, and they are not necessarily able to do anything when they grow up.'
From the perspective of the third aunt, this is true, but the eldest aunt was very unhappy when she heard it. She always felt that she was insinuating that the eldest brother, who had the best temper of the four brothers and was now having the worst time, and her face immediately fell.
'Okay, it's all in the past, we've all learned our lessons, just let it go!' Grandpa also didn't want Feng Yiping to be scolded all the time, and came out to smooth things over.
'If I wasn't so busy this time I came back, I would go to your homeroom teacher at school today.'
Oh dear, that's really not a good idea. If I go, I'll meet up with them, and Feng Yiping's leave to go to the south will be revealed for sure. Then he'll suffer!