Chapter 352: The Storm Is About to Descend

Lin Dongfan arrived at the provincial prosecutor's office gate and met Yang Qing and Tang Xia; it was already almost noon 12.

Tang Xia sat listlessly on the steps: "I haven't eaten breakfast today, I'm starving, the cafeteria's delicious food is calling me. About the blind date, can I skip it?"

"Damn it, get up!"

Yang Qing kicked Tang Xia on the butt.

Although not very hard, Tang Xia still frowned and complained: "I've said it, I have no interest in the female teacher volunteering in the mountain village; a forced melon isn't sweet."

"I didn't call you up for a blind date, I called you up to show the way." Yang Qing exclaimed excitedly: "You're not interested in her, I am; I like teachers."

Lin Dongfan burst out laughing; Yang Three Years indeed died at the hands of his ex.

His ex, Wang Minjun, was a teacher.

But Wang Minjun taught at a key high school in Place, being selected as an outstanding provincial-level teacher every year. If one were to discuss the importance of marrying the Deputy Director of the Provincial Education Department, one could write a 30,000-word essay here.

Lin Dongfan asked Tang Xia: "Since you insist on giving up your wife, I won't force you, but you must help Yang Qing arrange a meeting with the other party."

"This morning my mom called and arranged it; that girl said she has no time to come to the city today, you'll have to go to the mountain valley to find her." Tang Xia sat on the steps, unwilling to get up, he straightened his right leg, fished out a wrinkled photo from his pants pocket and handed it to Lin Dongfan: "She's teaching as a volunteer in Wushi Village, Liangshan Town, her name is Xu Yue; you go find her yourself."

"Is it her?"

Indeed, fate has us meeting again.

Lin Dongfan never expected that the girl with the wrinkled face in the photo was actually the girl he met yesterday at the western pastry shop's door.

Lin Dongfan handed the photo to Yang Qing.

He also chuckled and asked Tang Xia: "You pimple-ridden bastard, don't say I didn't warn you—once you pass this village, there won't be such a girl. This girl's character is quite good; I met her yesterday, are you really not going on the blind date?"

"I know she's nice, but she's not my type."

Saying that, Tang Xia shifted his gaze to Yang Qing: "Take a look first; if it works out, I'll be your matchmaker—remember to give me a big red envelope later."

"That request is not excessive at all."

Yang Qing was deeply attracted to the girl in the photo; the more he looked, the more everything about her pleased him.

Although the other party is a plain ordinary person, not as glamorous as his ex Wang Minjun.

But she wins with her clear eyes, obviously untainted by worldliness; her temperament should be able to toss his arrogant ex a hundred thousand eight thousand miles away.

"It's her—hand over the car keys, let's go."

Yang Qing stuffed the photo into his pocket and eagerly reached his hand toward Lin Dongfan.

Lin Dongfan glanced at the rundown second-hand car by the road: "You didn't drive yourself here?"

"Where does all this nonsense come from?" Yang Qing directly rummaged through Lin Dongfan's pocket, pulled out the car keys and walked off: "Believe me, in this situation I must drive your new Audi; you sit in the passenger seat."

"I gave you five million poverty alleviation funds, and you still won't buy a new car?" Lin Dongfan laughed and scolded: "A country bumpkin who can't make it to the big table—when you're enjoying a full spa treatment, where's your frugality?"

"Those five million, I haven't spent a single cent."

"You're saving it to have offspring, huh?"

"You're right, I'm saving it to have offspring. I need to father a beautiful, outstanding daughter, raise her into a wealthy young lady, and make her your Lin family's daughter-in-law. So…"

"So what?"

"To give birth to a daughter worthy of your son, choosing a wife is important. First, her figure and looks must be up to standard; second, her IQ must be up to standard; third, her character must withstand societal scrutiny. Only excellent genes can produce an excellent next generation."

"Damn, it sounds like you're breeding offspring for my Lin family."

"If you can grasp this, I'm genuinely pleased. The blind date, on the surface, solves my single status; in essence, it's selecting excellent genes for your Lin family. No thanks needed—I'm just being righteous."

"Don't rush to claim credit—whether Xu Yue will take a liking to you is still uncertain."

"I shaved today, specially styled my hair, and sprayed cologne in my armpits. From any angle, I'm more handsome than you; today's girl will be easy to win over."

No matter how loud the bragging, it doesn't affect Yang Qing driving the Audi smoothly onward.

From the urban area to Liangshan Town Wushi Village.

The whole journey is sixty-eight kilometers.

If you only look at the GDP figures published by the province, Jianglan Province is not a poor place; Place, as the provincial capital of Jianglan Province, is even less so.

But the prosperous lights of the city center still don't reach the remote mountainous areas in this era.

The poorest subordinate of the whole city is Yinan District; the poorest subordinate of Yinan District is Liangshan Town; and the poorest place in Liangshan Town is Wushi Village, located in the heart of the mountains.

As the city's poorest remote mountain village.

Wushi Village still retains the appearance of the 1970s-80s, lacking even a decent road. Past the central street of Liangshan Town, there is only a winding, muddy mountain path.

Many young people in the mountains have already gone out to work, leaving only the elderly and children.

The village elementary school has two teachers.

One is the nearly sixty-year-old headmaster Yuan Zhiyuan; the other is the volunteer teacher Xu Yue.

This April.

Because of overnight heavy rain triggering a landslide, the village elementary school was buried by mudslides, leaving twelve village children with nowhere to study.

Headmaster Yuan Zhiyuan had repeatedly reported to the town, but the problem was not effectively resolved.

The town leaders said the higher department had allocated no funds, the town lacked money to build a new school, and they proposed to merge Wushi Primary School, sending Wushi Village's children to Liangshan Town Central Primary School to study.

This directly caused all twelve children to drop out of school at home.

Because the road is too far, Liangshan Town Central Primary School starts class around eight in the morning; Wushi Village's children must get up at five a. m., trek in the dark, and need over three hours to reach school.

On rainy days, the muddy mountain road is also unsafe.

No way.

The headmaster had no choice but to consult the town leaders, first letting the children study in the village's old ancestral hall; when the town someday has money, they'll then plan to build a new school.

This wait lasted half a year, and no one ever brought up the matter of building a new elementary school.

Not long ago.

The village chief's idle son, Yuan Qiang, suddenly brought people from the Han Chao Group to the village to view the Yuan Clan Ancestral Hall.

Lu Han immediately took a liking to those eight thick, round pillars—made of golden-thread nanmu.

The matter of demolishing the ancestral hall was quickly put on the agenda.

But a problem arose: if the ancestral hall is demolished, where will those 12 village children go to school?

In anger, the old principal went to argue with the village head, saying the ancestral hall cannot be demolished.

He got nowhere.

The village head said: "The ancestral hall was never a school, and there is no obligation to bear the educational task. The matter of the children's schooling, you must go find the township leader to resolve."

The old principal again went to see the township leader, asking the township leader to step in and stop the village from selling the ancestral hall.

The township leader again said: "The village selling the ancestral hall is beyond the township's control. As for raising funds to build a new school, the township really has no money. Old Yuan, just stop stirring things up—merging Black Stone Elementary School is the trend. Now the number of left-behind children in the village is decreasing year by year; building a new school just for those 12 children is unrealistic."

At that moment, the old principal's heart turned cold a great deal.

He very much wanted to retort to the township leader: "What's wrong with building a new school for the 12 children? Would you let them all drop out of school to stay home, herding cattle and cutting grass, inheriting poverty generation after generation?"

But in the end he said nothing.

He endured his anger and remained silent.

He realized that these people simply don't care about the future of the mountain children; saying these things is merely self‑humiliation, and in their eyes those 12 children are just a burden.

Since you all don't care, I will!

The old principal then made a resolute decision: no matter what, he must guard that old ancestral hall, and absolutely cannot let those village children drop out of school to stay home.

Three days ago.

The tragedy ultimately still happened; the old principal, because he tried to stop the demolition of the house, was beaten to death.

And now.

The coffin is placed in the ancestral hall.

The volunteer teacher Xu Yue is now bringing several left‑behind children without parental supervision from the village, stubbornly guarding the entrance of the ancestral hall, preventing the village cadres from lifting the coffin for burial.