Chapter 700: These Mountains Block the Road!

Tang Ye and Wu Chunming both have great stamina!

Without realizing it, the two of them were walking at the very front of the group.

They needed to stop from time to time to wait for the three people behind them to catch up.

Watching Meng Haibo drenched in sweat, Han Jing couldn't help but sigh that Reporter Meng was a bit weak!

As for Tang Ye, his steps were light and swift, his face wasn't flushed, and his heart wasn't racing; he was like a nimble little leopard.

Tang Ye and Wu Chunming chatted as they walked.

"Teacher Wu, how many years have you been a village teacher?"

"Me? It's been thirty years!"

Tang Ye was somewhat surprised; Wu Chunming looked old, but he was only in his forties, yet he had thirty years of teaching experience.

In other words, he had dedicated almost his entire youth to rural education.

"Teacher Wu, with your qualifications, according to policy, you could transfer to teach at a township primary school, right?"

Wu Chunming habitually adjusted his glasses and sighed: "I do have the opportunity to teach at the town's primary school, but if I did that, the children in the village would have no way to go to school at all. Besides, what young person is willing to take my place?"

At this moment, Meng Haibo caught up, wiping the sweat from his forehead while curiously asking: "Isn't there a constant push for centralized education now? Why not consolidate the village children into the town schools?"

Wu Chunming glanced at the rolling mountains and shook his head with a bitter smile: "It is these mountains that block the road!"

Not long after, the four of them understood what Wu Chunming meant.

They arrived at the edge of a steep cliff.

There was only a Vine Ladder woven from vines.

This was the path that had to be climbed to enter the village.

Wu Chunming pointed at the Vine Ladder and explained: "This Vine Ladder is very dangerous to walk on. When the village children in middle school go to town for school, they must be accompanied by an adult every day."

As for the younger children, climbing this Vine Ladder is simply too risky, so they can only stay in the village to study.

I have taught in the village my whole life, and I might not even adapt if I went to town, so I just applied to stay in the village permanently."

The angle of the Vine Ladder's incline reached up to sixty degrees at its steepest.

Below was a bottomless, steep precipice, and one could hear the sound of mountain springs gurgling.

At this moment, Meng Haibo no longer had the mood to marvel at the uncanny workmanship of nature.

"Reporter Meng, you go up first, I will go last," Wu Chunming arranged.

Meng Haibo was completely panicked inside at this moment.

He knew this interview would be tough, but he hadn't expected to risk his life.

Despite his fear, he was the first to climb up.

After reaching the top of the cliff, he felt his legs shaking uncontrollably.

Immediately after.

Han Jing climbed up.

"Old Meng, give me a hand!"

"Alright, hold on tight to me."

Meng Haibo leaned forward and reached out to grab her palm.

Han Jing was actually full of fear inside and didn't dare to look down the cliff the entire time.

After being grabbed by the wrist by Meng Haibo, her foot suddenly slipped, and half her body instantly detached from the Vine Ladder.

She swayed back and forth, like a snake gourd being blown wildly by a strong wind.

"Careful!"

"Oh my god!"

Seeing this, Meng Haibo was shocked and hurriedly used both hands to grab Han Jing's wrist tightly.

Tang Ye, who was following behind Han Jing, had been paying close attention to her movements with full concentration.

Seeing Han Jing's body slip out, he immediately grabbed the Vine Ladder's railing tightly with one hand, hooked his other foot firmly onto a vine rung, and leaned half his body out.

Han Jing had thought she was going to fall off the cliff.

But when she opened her eyes, she found herself leaning in Tang Ye's arms, and for a moment, her heart was filled with a complex mix of emotions.

Tang Ye also relied on instinct to pull Han Jing back to the Vine Ladder.

Through his efforts, Han Jing was successfully pulled up by Meng Haibo.

"Thank you, Tang Ye... If it weren't for you, the consequences would have been truly terrifying."

Han Jing slumped on the ground, still shaken, her body trembling non-stop.

Huang Sitian hurriedly handed her a water bottle to take a sip and comforted her softly: "It rained this morning, the ladder surface is too slippery, and you're wearing leather shoes; that was truly terrifying just now."

"I'll have experience next time I enter the mountains," Han Jing quickly adjusted her mindset.

If this were anywhere else, she likely would have given up long ago and found an excuse to turn back.

They were only halfway through the journey, and they had already suffered so much.

After thinking it over, she felt unwilling to give up and could only grit her teeth and continue walking forward.

Meng Haibo was also still shaken; in that moment just now, he had also thought something had happened to Han Jing.

Fortunately, Tang Ye acted in time to turn the tide and prevent the accident.

After this incident, Meng Haibo's opinion of Tang Ye also quietly changed.

Tang Ye was also secretly relieved; if he didn't exercise regularly and have decent core strength, he feared he would have only been able to watch the tragedy happen today.

After passing this dangerous section of the Vine Ladder, although the road ahead still had risks, the difficulty was much lower.

"Teacher Wu, since transportation from the village to the town is so difficult, why hasn't a road been built?" Tang Ye couldn't help but ask.

Wu Chunming sighed and said slowly: "The village started applying to build a road ten years ago. Later, people from the Government departments even came to the village to conduct research, but the final conclusion was that the construction cost was too high, so the matter was shelved."

"Afterward, we followed up several times, and the explanation we received was, 'In response to the Government's call, we must not damage the local ecological environment.'"

"But the villagers have to walk such a dangerous road every time they come and go; how unsafe that must be! Haven't there been any accidents over these years?" Han Jing asked, unable to help but speak with indignation after hearing this.

Wu Chunming gave a bitter smile: "Accidents happen every year, but after the news is reported to the town, there is never any response."

Fu Xiaoyun finished middle school in such a harsh environment, and only later was she admitted to Dayu Women's High School.

She is one of the few girls in our village who can attend high school, and she is also a role model for many little girls in the village.

With this happening to her family, she doesn't plan to continue her studies, and we all feel it is a pity for her."

Huang Sitian said with a serious expression: "Teacher Wu, when we see student Fu Xiaoyun later, please help us persuade her. This child studies hard, and her grades have consistently remained in the top twenty in her grade; as long as she persists, she has a very good chance of getting into a decent undergraduate university."

Wu Chunming shook his head with a face full of regret: "This child is too sensible. Actually, her mother also knows that she shouldn't delay her studies, but as the eldest daughter in the family, Xiaoyun always feels that continuing her schooling will place a heavy burden on the family, so she just can't change her mind."

Meng Haibo and Han Jing silently took Wu Chunming's words to heart.

As Reporters, they had heard and seen too many stories.

But today, the story about the mountains, the children, and rural education moved them from the bottom of their hearts!

……

After a long trek, the group finally arrived at Shanyang Village.

Walking into the dilapidated village primary school, Wu Chunming poured water for the four of them.

Tang Ye observed the situation of this primary school.

The flagpole platform in the very center of the playground was built with concrete, and the national flag was fluttering on the flagpole.

The school had eight classrooms, but only two were open.

Although it was the weekend, a group of children was still chasing a soccer ball that had lost all its skin on the dusty playground.

There were many students, but only one teacher.

Teaching from the first grade to the sixth grade, this seemingly slovenly teacher had silently persisted for thirty years.

After resting for a moment, Huang Sitian said to Wu Chunming, "Teacher Wu, let's go take a look at Fu Xiaoyun's home!"

Wu Chunming stood up and patted the dust off the corner of his clothes, "Yes, yes, yes, I will lead you there; let's not delay the important business."