Chapter 37: Rural Absurd Past Events Chapter 37: Mountain Gully Village 37

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

The primary school curriculum was relaxed, with only two classes in the afternoon, and school let out at four-thirty.

As soon as school was out, the students noisily formed groups and headed home.

Business at the village entrance convenience store was especially brisk during this time.

Li Xiulan was busy and delighted.

Selling all kinds of snacks and little toys to the children.

She felt her son Wang Dashan should have been back by now.

But after waiting a long while, there was still no sign of her son, which couldn't help but make her a bit worried.

Back then, rural kids had no concept of being picked up or dropped off for school; even preparatory-class little brats had to go to and from school on their own, and neither teachers nor parents would coddle them.

"How come Dashan isn't back yet?"

By the time it was past five o'clock, Li Xiulan still saw no sign of Wang Dashan, and she couldn't help but worry.

After all, today was the first day of school; she was afraid Wang Dashan might be too mischievous on the way back and have some accident.

At this time Niu Chunsheng was also in the store, and he said to Li Xiulan:

"Why don't you go check at the school? I'll watch the store!"

Li Xiulan nodded:

"Alright, I'll go right now!"

Li Xiulan, heart full of worry, walked out of the village entrance and trekked on foot to Shangou Primary School.

When she arrived in front of the school classroom, she saw Lin Xiaoyue keeping Wang Dashan after class for remedial lessons:

"Read after me once: 2 plus 3 equals 5!"

Wang Dashan had tears streaming in his eyes:

"2 plus 3 equals 4!"

Lin Xiaoyue was so infuriated by this little stubborn brat that her face twisted.

"How can you be so stubborn, you're angering me to death! Say it again, 2 plus 3 equals what? If you get it wrong again I really will hit you!"

Wang Dashan clamped his mouth shut, huffing with anger, tears flowing, not making a sound.

Seeing this, Li Xiulan was also furious.

This eldest son of hers was truly not a bit worry-free!

The teacher kindly kept him behind to teach him one-on-one, yet he actually didn't know what was good for him!

"Wang Dashan, are you courting death! You dare be stubborn with the teacher again, just watch me beat you to death!"

Li Xiulan stormed into the classroom, raised her hand, and gave Wang Dashan's buttocks two slaps.

Wang Dashan burst into loud crying:

"Mom, she hit me with a stick!"

Li Xiulan grew even angrier, and *pa pa* gave his buttocks two more slaps:

"It's already good the teacher didn't beat you to death, and you still have the nerve to complain to me? How much is 2 plus 3, you say it again for me!"

Wang Dashan pursed his lips, wearing a stubborn-donkey expression.

He knew the answer; Lin Xiaoyue had already taught him no fewer than ten times, he just wouldn't say it.

Li Xiulan, in a rage, hurriedly took the little stick from Lin Xiaoyue's hand and rained a flurry of painful blows on Wang Dashan, beating him until he danced on the spot and wailed loudly.

Li Xiulan's hand was much heavier than Lin Xiaoyue's.

"Ah, it hurts, stop hitting, Mom, I was wrong, stop hitting, wuwuwu, 2 plus 3 equals 5, equals 5! Stop hitting, I really know I was wrong, wuwuwu..."

Yet Li Xiulan still didn't stop hitting.

This was only Dashan's first day of class, and he had already caused her this kind of trouble; naturally she had to give this stubborn son a good lesson, otherwise Teacher Lin wouldn't be able to discipline him in the future.

"Alright alright, Dashan's mom, stop hitting!"

By the end, even Lin Xiaoyue couldn't bear to watch and hurried over to stop her.

Only then did Li Xiulan angrily stop:

"Wang Dashan, I'm warning you, from now on whatever the teacher says, you must listen carefully, no talking back, understand!"

Wang Dashan, crying, nodded very reluctantly.

He had been beaten scared this time.

But in his heart he still felt very unconvinced.

And this made him hate studying even more.

He felt the pain he was enduring now was all brought by studying.

If he didn't have to go to school, didn't have to learn that useless arithmetic, he wouldn't have been beaten this miserably.

"Teacher Lin, truly sorry, my Dashan is too mischievous, and also very stubborn, causing you trouble."

Li Xiulan hurriedly said apologetic words to Lin Xiaoyue.

Lin Xiaoyue laughed it off:

"It's fine, this child actually has a decent nature, just can't sit still a bit, and his learning ability is a bit worse than average students, but if I teach him patiently he can still learn. Take him back, I've assigned him homework, have him do it tonight!"

"Okay, I'll definitely make him do it tonight! Goodbye, Teacher!"

Li Xiulan led Wang Dashan out of the school gate.

Wang Dashan wore a thoroughly aggrieved expression.

"Go home, finish dinner, and do your homework immediately — don't you go anywhere to play!"

Li Xiulan warned Wang Dashan.

Wang Dashan suddenly broke free of Li Xiulan's hand and bolted toward the rice fields ahead in a flash.

"Don't you run — where do you think you're going? Get back here!"

Li Xiulan was furious to the point of explosion.

Wang Dashan ran far off, only then turning back to shout:

"The teacher hit me, you didn't help me — fine — but you hit me too? Are you still my mother? I hate you!"

Having shouted, Wang Dashan turned and fled.

That utterly infuriated Li Xiulan.

Her daily life was already busy enough, and this eldest son still gave her no peace of mind.

So she chased him down, caught Wang Dashan, and gave him another round of loving thrashing.

"Mom, I was wrong, stop hitting me, Mom, stop hitting me, I don't hate you, I love you, wuwuwu!"

In the end, Wang Dashan was dragged home by Li Xiulan, crying all the way.

This first day of school was, for him, absolutely a day he would never forget in his lifetime.

Even many years later, after he had grown into an adult, established a family and career, whenever he recalled his childhood, he still couldn't help but have today's scenes float up before him.

"Brother, what happened to you?"

Seeing Wang Dashan return crying, Wang Erhai and Wang Xiaohua both showed sympathy on their faces.

"Brother, were you bullied by a monster?"

Wang Erhai blinked his big, big eyes.

"There are monsters at school? No way! Mom said there are lots of kids at school! It's super fun!"

Wang Xiaohua said innocently.

"School does have monsters — a man-eating she-demon!"

Wang Dashan was huffing with anger.

In his eyes, Lin Xiaoyue was an utter, thoroughgoing she-demon.

"Wang Dashan, you hurry up and eat. Finish eating, do your homework. Finish it, I'll check it!"

Li Xiulan ordered in a harsh voice.

Rural women didn't have much cultural knowledge, didn't have much educational skill.

Facing a disobedient son, the only thing they could do was beat and scold.

It was precisely because she deeply knew she lacked culture that Li Xiulan trusted the teacher so much, never refuting any of the teacher's words or actions, giving the teacher great latitude.

In her view, it must be her own child who had done wrong, which was why the teacher made him stay after class.

Wang Dashan finished eating and reluctantly did his homework.

Lin Xiaoyue had assigned him twenty arithmetic problems within ten.

Facing these arithmetic problems, he scratched his cheeks and tugged his ears — there were only a few he could do.

And just after sitting down a short while, he started fidgeting again.

He simply couldn't concentrate at all.

A child like this, if he were in the city, would long ago have been labeled with childhood hyperactivity disorder.

"Wang Dashan, what are you doing? You just sat down and you're already acting like a monkey! Is your skin itching for another beating?"

Seeing him absent-minded, Li Xiulan rebuked him harshly.

Wang Dashan's face was full of grievance, because he simply didn't know how to do them at all.

Besides 1 plus 1 equals 2, and 2 plus 3 equals 5, he couldn't do any of the other arithmetic problems.

And he didn't even know why 2 plus 3 equals 5 — he had purely been beaten into fear until 2 plus 3 equals 5 was branded into his heart.

Li Xiulan had to go feed the pigs, couldn't keep watching Wang Dashan do homework.

The moment Li Xiulan walked away, Wang Dashan went monkey-like again — playing here, playing there, not the least bit focused on homework.

It was the youngest son Wang Xiaohua who, curious, walked up to Wang Dashan; small in stature, he stared with round, blinking eyes at the arithmetic problems before him:

"I know this one — 3 plus 5 equals 8!"

Wang Dashan was immediately surprised:

"Little brother, you actually know it? How do you know?"

Wang Xiaohua smiled innocently: "It's simple — just count on your fingers. Here three fingers, here five fingers, add them up: one two three four five six seven eight — that's eight! Mom taught me!"

Wang Dashan immediately praised: "Little brother, you're so smart! How about this one — 4 plus 3 equals what?"

"Equals 7!"

"Really amazing — why don't you help me write it then!"

"Okay, okay!"

Wang Xiaohua took the pen, wearing a serious expression, and wrote the answers crookedly in the homework notebook.

As for Wang Dashan, taking advantage of Li Xiulan's absence, he bolted out in a flash.

He hadn't forgotten — he'd made plans with his little friends to play glass marbles!