C18 The Front Page of the Newspaper

After leaving the small building of the Department of Education, Tao Huizhen's watch has been pointed at 1: 00 in the afternoon. Following the road that they had come from, Tao Huizhen walked back. She stopped in front of a phone booth and threw a coin into it. She skillfully dialed a number and put the phone beside her ear.

In the streets and alleys of Shen Yang, there had been very few public phone booths in the past two years. Many of them had been dismantled because they had been abandoned. Most of the people had used mobile phones. This kind of phone booth that was filled with money had gradually become an antique. However, in the small town of Mengla County, There were a few that stood tall, and they had a somewhat vintage cylindrical appearance. They were placed under the trees on the sidewalk and looked from afar. It made Tao Huizhen feel as if she had returned to a few years ago.

Summer of 2003.

Looking at the faded red telephone booth, Tao Huizhen felt as warm as the weather.

In the lazy afternoon, she always found a phone booth in the corner of the road. She would call Wen Xiu, who was far away in Australia. At that time, the literature show had just gone to Australia for about a year. It was relatively cheap to make international calls in the phone booth. Tao Huizhen chatted with her for an hour or two, and China's summer. . . It was winter in Australia. Wen Xiu often shivered from the cold, and only then did the two end the call.

Later, the phone booth that Tao Huizhen often used to call was demolished, so she bought her phone. She probably never used a public phone booth again. Now that a few years had passed and she was doing familiar movements again, leaning against the glass door of the phone booth, Tao Huizhen found a feeling that she had not felt for a long time, as if she had once again returned to the age of a student.

She called home, told her that she was safe, and told her about the feelings she had during this period of time in Dai Village. She talked about how the twenty-eight students made her feel the weight of the responsibility and the strong sense of honor. She told them how simple and honest the people of Dai Village were, and how pure they were. This place was completely different from the city.

His parents had nothing else to say except for the instructions. Because Tao Huizhen's phone could not be used, the two elders asked for her specific address and emergency contact details. They also said that there were other dance troupes that came to visit them recently. They hoped that Tao Huizhen would once again carefully consider her future path. Although she had already resigned from her original dance troupe, as long as she returned. . . The dance troupe would hire her with a salary that satisfied her.

"I know you won't consider it. You're more determined than anyone else. Even if I tell you, you should think about your future when you have nothing to do. Mm, don't think about us. We're all good. At least we're better than your ravine. " As he spoke, his father cut off the phone in advance.

"Dudu dudu. . . " The sound stunned Tao Huizhen. She held the phone in her hand and her father's strong northeast accent rang in her mind. After a while, she hung up the phone.

Walking on the street, Tao Huizhen held a small wallet in her hand. She had just received a subsidy of more than 100 yuan. It was not shabby at all.

She pondered over what she should buy for her students. It was not easy for her to come to the county town once. At the same time, her time was limited. After all, the journey was too far. She thought of the tattered books on the bookshelves behind the school building. The children had already flipped through them hundreds of times. The contents of the books could be memorized like flowing water, but they were arranged neatly as if they were treasures. Tao Huizhen could not help but want to buy some reading materials for the children.

But the problem was that this money could not buy a few books. New books would be finished by the hungry students in a few days. Compared to the textbooks in their hands, wasn't this a little too extravagant? She couldn't help but plan carefully again.

Holding her wallet, she couldn't help but recall the message that her parents had sent over the phone. Another dance troupe. They were willing to pay a hefty salary to invite her to join. Compared to the over 100 yuan subsidy currently available, it would be a considerable income. It wouldn't be difficult to buy 200 books. However, she could not delude herself with unrealistic things. At present, she was a teacher in charge of teaching. She could only earn the income of teaching teachers, and dance actors had nothing to do with her.

She suppressed the wild thoughts in her heart. Tao Huizhen saw the corner of the alley diagonally across from her. The house was painted with green paint, and it was a post office. She walked towards the house. In front of the post office, Tao Huizhen saw a green mailbox. Her footsteps slowed down, and a nostalgic expression appeared on her face.

Don't you know that the mailbox is still under normal service? Maybe someone will write a letter. But this must be the end of the letter conveying message. Not long after, A post tube, which could still be seen on the streets and alleys ten years ago, would disappear from people's sight.

Ten years ago, Tao Huizhen was in her youth. She was a young girl who had just come into contact with dancing. She often wrote letters to the post tube on the side of the street, so she would miss that time when it was popular. At this time, the service and facilities that gradually faded out of people's sight. In other words, from that era onwards, she would occasionally reminisce about the past.

In ten years, not only did the facilities disappear, but with the rapid development of the country, people's way of life had undergone a tremendous change. Some traces could only be seen from some small cities before they could see the blossoming of the afterglow. Their former glory and brilliance had already become history, or perhaps it had become a story in some novels.

The changes in each era were a cultural revolution. Some things were no longer there, but there were some things that had come. Some cultures were worth passing on and remembering. Tao Huizhen once again thought of Wen Xiu's words - they really couldn't disappear anymore.

Standing at the post office's entrance, Tao Huizhen's open field of vision could see the entire small city. She couldn't imagine. . . In another ten years, China will develop to what it looks like. Where would she be? What was she doing? However, in the ten years since 1996, it had been analyzed through the rapid development of China. In the next ten years. . . China's development will be more stable and faster.

Tao Huizhen's mood suddenly became calm and complicated. She had a feeling that in another ten years, fifteen years. At that time, everything she could feel would become completely different.

"Mail it?" A man looked at Tao Huizhen through the glass window. Maybe he felt that Tao Huizhen had been staring at the mailbox and was in a daze. She seemed suspicious and was afraid that she would destroy it. That was why he took the initiative to ask.

Tao Huizhen bent down and leaned her head closer to the small window, and saw the man's face with glasses clearly. He should be a staff member of the post office. "Hello, can I book a newspaper here?" Tao Huizhen asked.

"How long? Where to?"

"Yes, it will be for a few months in a row. It will be sent to Da Tea Village Primary School. "

"Da Tea Village Primary School?" The man at the post office had a puzzled look on his glasses.

"Yes, Da Tea Village has an educational point. Don't your postman know about it?"

The man's neck shrank as if he had understood. His voice was a few levels louder. "You are talking about the tea village at the Great Tea Mountain. There is an education point there. This is the first time someone from the Great Tea Village has come to book newspapers. It's too difficult to deliver newspapers at the place you mentioned. We didn't send reporters that far. It should take at least two or three hours to ride a bicycle back and forth. "

"Is there a requirement for the distance to be delivered here? It's fifteen kilometers from Da Tea Village to the county town. " Tao Huizhen said seriously.

It was not hard to tell from the man's accent that Tao Huizhen came from somewhere outside Dai Village. He pushed his glasses up. He put his finger into the lens and rubbed his eyes before saying, "Usually, we only send the newspaper to a few houses around the county. The villagers in the village don't read the newspaper. Which newspapers are you reading? If it wasn't for the current affairs section. . . I suggest that you increase the date of the newspaper delivery. For example, I can help you send the newspaper to a place so far away once a month. What do you think? "

"One month. . . "

"There's really no other way. The road in the Great Tea Village is too difficult. It's also very difficult to send them off once a month. But in the village, we should give support to those who can order newspapers in large quantities like you. " The staff of the post office expressed their sincerity to Tao Huizhen.

Obviously, the newspapers should be delivered every day. However, the journey was long and winding. In the small post office, only one reporter was not qualified to do such a difficult job.

Tao Huizhen's intention of subscribing the newspaper was to use it as an extraneous reading in Tea Village Primary School. She could not afford a large number of extraneous books, so she could only think of the cheap newspapers. If it was as the man said, She would postpone the newspaper that should have been read every day by a month. It didn't seem to have much of an impact. The goal of increasing the children's reading volume and knowledge was also achieved.

In the end, Tao Huizhen agreed to the staff's suggestion and shortened the time from one month to 20 days. In this way, Every 20 days, the children could not only read new things, but also read new things. They would also be able to understand what was happening outside the mountains. The children could read from the news. . . They could understand the outside world. Even incidents that happened overseas. Tao Huizhen was satisfied with her sudden idea.

In the end, she chose two newspapers. One was the People's Daily, and the other was the People's Daily of Yunnan Province. The two newspapers were one dollar a day. Tao Huizhen had booked them for five months in a row. The subsidy money she received today was just enough.

The date of order for the newspapers would start tomorrow and end in five months. After handing over the money, she logged in. Tao Huizhen also took a copy of today's newspaper and prepared to return.

"Da Tea Village is very far away. If you want to rush back, then hurry up. Otherwise, you won't be able to see the road before you reach home. " After learning that Tao Huizhen had walked over to the county on foot, a trace of sympathy appeared in the eyes of the man in the post office behind his glasses. He looked at the clock on the wall behind him. It was almost three o'clock.

Tao Huizhen did not stay any longer. She walked along the county town's road and soon saw endless fields and terraces. The small county behind her gradually disappeared into the bottom of her field of vision. It was like a small village, not eye-catching at all.

She noticed from the front page of the newspaper in her hand that on this day, China's Qingzang railway, two phases of construction, had gone through more than 40 years, and had finally been fully connected.

This day was July 1, 2006.