C19 Endless Rain

A Wednesday in mid-September. It started to drizzle in Dai Village since morning. Looking up, there were no dark clouds in the sky. However, the sky seemed to be covered by thick gray particles. These grey particles did not seem to have any intention of flowing in the air without wind. After eight o'clock, the rain increased. On the distant Big Tea Mountain, the rain washed down. At the end of his line of sight, A thin blue lightning bolt silently struck the ground from midair. . .

Tao Huizhen had been busy bringing the children who lived at the foot of Big Tea Mountain to school. Her feet were full of mud. Her hands were holding an umbrella, but her clothes were still wet from the rain. This was the year. . . The biggest and most urgent rain in Dai Country. Under the water, the tea field shook its waist. Ten thousand lines of rain formed a curtain of rain. It was hard to tell whether it was raining from the sky or from the ground.

The rain flowed down from the banana leaves of the village and from the roof of the bamboo house, forming puddles in the village. The air gradually became fresh and cool.

It had been more than three months since Tao Huizhen came to Dai Village. Summer had passed in the hot and rainy days. Instead, it was the beginning of autumn, and the rain was getting heavier. This caused the still hot temperature to temporarily ease.

Eleven students actually did not come to school today. Tao Hui looked at the rain outside and lowered her head. The school dormitory seemed a little empty and cold.

The sound of rain outside the house was very urgent. She shivered. Her shirt was drenched and stuck to her skin, cold and damp.

When it was nine o'clock, the rain did not reduce in the slightest. The sky was still filled with grey particles. Tao Huizhen thought of the students' homes to investigate. Today, she was going to give a new lesson. She didn't want any students to miss the lesson. When she was looking for Dao Xiaotong to take her place in the class, she realized that Dao Xiaotong had disappeared.

Dao Xiaotong looked at the rain outside the empty window and a gust of cold air came in from outside. The entire Dai Village was dark green. She looked at the rain that filled her field of vision and said, "The rain won't stop for a while. It's probably going to fall in the evening. "

"Not necessarily. It's even possible that it's raining. It's already autumn. " Elder Lee was sitting on a stool, weaving a bamboo basket in his hand. His eyes never left the work he was doing. When he woke up in the morning, he looked at the sky. It was not entirely dark, but rolling dark clouds. It was as if there was a glimmer of light in the dark clouds, creating that kind of gray atmosphere. So according to experience, This was the precursor to a drizzle.

Before the rain, it usually rained heavily. After that, the rain slowed down and stopped at a certain amount of rainfall for an hour. This kind of rain could very well last for a week. In Elder Lee's memory, there was a year when this rain lasted for half a month. That year, Tian'er. It was very similar to today's weather. The autumn rain might stop for a few minutes to a few hours. Then, the sky seemed to be leaking, and it kept falling.

Elder Li pondered in his heart. Fortunately, he had prepared quite a number of wild vegetables yesterday. These wild vegetables were enough for the animals in the small courtyard to eat for a few days. Hopefully, the weather would be sunny earlier. However, if it was as bad as that year, he still had to brave the rain and go to the foot of the mountain to harvest the wild vegetables. That pig was now at the right time to grow. It couldn't eat without food. Whether it was strong or not directly affected the children in Da Tea Village primary school. As well as the teachers, were there any documents to use next year?

The old man sat for a long time and felt his feet go numb. He thought to himself, No problem, cutting some wild vegetables won't be a problem for him. Although the foot of the mountain was muddy, he wouldn't be scared away. He had seen the little girl who lived in the second house at the foot of the mountain. She often went out to cut wild vegetables on rainy days.

When Elder Lee asked her why she didn't prepare more wild vegetables to avoid going out on rainy days. The little girl's answer was very interesting. She said, 'There's only one duck at home. It eats very little, so I have to give it as much fresh as possible. ' She would only shrink at home in a rainy day.

Until now, Elder Li still couldn't forget the words of the little girl. Although these words sounded very childish, it was only the literal meaning. But for some reason, The old man felt a deep meaning. When the little girl looked at Elder Li. In less than a second, their gazes met. Then, they looked at each other. Elder Li knew that she must have remembered the beginning of the construction of Da Tea Village Primary School. He had visited her home with Officer Wang and the others.

Elder Li felt guilty about this matter. The little girl must have thought that everyone had abandoned her. However, the old man knew that no matter what, he couldn't convince the girl's grandparents. Her family's situation couldn't be changed by outsiders. From then on, no one from Da Tea Village Primary School had ever come to her house. The former branch teachers didn't even know that she existed.

Was this a form of helplessness for an old man who had already aged? And for the little girl, was there no hope at all?

After exchanging glances with the little girl, Elder Li shifted his gaze away. The little girl's gaze made him suddenly think of the green peacock in the mountains -

Dao Xiaotong had hidden in Elder Li's house before the rain had gotten heavier. The house was in the backyard of Da Tea Village Primary School. The rain was lighter than before, but the sky was darker. A transparent water line seeped down from the ceiling and the corners of the walls. This small house also missed the rain.

She stretched her hand out of the window and used her palm to catch the rain dripping down from the roof. She heard the "gurgling" sound of the rain gathering in her palm. She was like a child whose mind was still immature. She stuck her head out of the window and looked at Da Tea Village Primary School in the rain. She couldn't help but feel a bit worried.

Elder Li's small house was filled with humidity. The house was very small, and a small wooden bed was placed in a corner. Dao Xiaotong leaned against the window. With the bamboo basket that Elder Li had woven, the house seemed to be stretched out.

It was dark in the single-story house and the gray weather outside. It formed a contrast. Dao Xiaotong turned around and looked at her feet. Under the dim light, She could not even see the patterns of the bamboo basket woven by Elder Li. She could only see the outline of a gourd. But she could feel Elder Li's hands never stopping. Weaving a bamboo basket was a common skill among Dai villagers. Elder Li did this by instinct. However, Dao Xiaotong did not know this skill.

"It did not rain when it was supposed to. Now, it has fallen. The rain will last for a few days. I'm worried that the room will leak. " She said. She was referring to the school dormitory.

Elder Li nodded. His voice was the same as the weather, unable to raise his spirits: "A moment of heavy rain will cause water to drip, and even if it rains, it will also cause water to seep out. Just like my room, when the school dormitory was built, the roof was thin and poorly paved. It has not been repaired in the past two years. "

"Oh. " Dao Xiaotong did not know what to say. She looked out the window again.

Elder Lee finally stopped what he was doing. He stood up and massaged his waist. There was a thick calendar hanging on the wall. He glanced at the date and said, "Saber Master, in the blink of an eye. . . Teacher Tao has been teaching in Dai Village for more than three months. Time passes really quickly. This group of kids met a good teacher. She devoted all her time to the children's studies. She's even purer than the previous teachers. "

"It's already been more than three months? Teacher Tao really isn't afraid of suffering. She was the one who stayed in Dai Village the longest. I've never heard her complain before. " Dao Xiaotong interacted with Tao Huizhen every day as she recalled. Little by little.

Elder Li nodded as well, but he changed the topic. Soon, he said with a hint of worry, "This kind of good teacher can indeed be met by chance, but we have to be prepared to leave at all times. In terms of time, Teacher Tao has already been here for long enough, even if she leaves now. We have to accept it with a peaceful attitude. Teacher Dao has rarely entered the classroom these days, right? I still hope that you can learn more essential lessons from Teacher Tao. Once Teacher Tao returns, I will have to rely on you here. "

" Teacher Tao won't leave. She said that she has a fate tied to these children. " Dao Xiaotong seemed to firmly believe Tao Huizhen's words. She shook her head repeatedly and her hands were also waving in front of her as if Elder Li had said something about the root. It was a completely different story.

Elder Lee believed that too. He believed that Tao Huizhen's belief had never been extinguished since the moment she arrived in Dai Village. However, from a rational point of view, who wouldn't be suffering when living in Dai Village in a big city? Being a church in Dai Village was not a kind of enjoyment no matter what.

Elder Li silently lowered his head and rubbed the corners of his eyes with his rough fingers. His head was somewhat swollen. His ears also did not seem to be so clear. He heard a strange sound of something hitting the mud in the rain outside the house.

"There is no such thing as a banquet that will never end, no matter how much Teacher Tao loves these children. No matter what kind of future she entrusts to the children, she will always be a staff member who supports education. There will always be an end to it when there is a beginning. It was impossible for her to live in Dai Village for the rest of her life. We can't ask for that either. What Saber Master needs to understand is. . . From the day the teacher came, we can't let our guard down. . . We should be prepared to accept the teaching teacher and leave. This day will come early, late, and late. "

What Elder Li said was the ultimate problem. There will be an end to it once it starts. This was an unavoidable problem for Dai Village Primary School. The previous branch teachers had already proven this point. It could not be denied that they loved these children, but in the end, they came from a completely different place from Dai Village.

But no matter what, Elder Li's heart was filled with gratitude and respect for them. The reason why Great Tea Village Primary School was able to reach today was also because of the strength each of them contributed.

On this rainy day, when they discussed the topic of "leaving," Dao Xiaotong felt inexplicably uncomfortable. An unexplainable feeling spread out from her body, and she seemed to have become illusory. She stared at Elder Li with a helpless look in her eyes.

"The children have a sense of reliance. The frequent change in teachers is also a blow to them. However, when we do education, The goal is to let the children learn knowledge, so we can't be so particular about other things. As long as Saber Teacher learns more experience, It was more important than anything to be able to do so when there was no teacher to teach them. At the end of the day, Da Tea Village Primary School. . . We still have to rely on ourselves. "

"Then I will learn more from Teacher Tao. "

"You will be able to learn half of Teacher Tao's lecture experience. After she leaves, you will also be able to take charge. "

As Elder Li spoke, he seemed to see a figure in the light. He felt a pair of scorching eyes burning his back. Turning his head, the old man saw a pair of muddy cloth shoes standing in front of the door outside the house. The owner of the cloth shoes was wearing a pair of loose trousers. Elder Li immediately understood that the strange sound he heard just now was footsteps.

After a moment of hesitation, Elder Li raised his head and matched the pair of eyes that Tao Huizhen was staring at him with. Her eyes did not dodge at all. There was a kind of questioning light in them. The corner of her mouth trembled twice.

Elder Lee was the first to look at her. He knew that Tao Huizhen had heard what he and Dao Xiaotong were talking about. There was no malicious intent in her words. However, if she had no intention of leaving, her words would have hurt her. Elder Lee knew what to say. He had to at least explain one thing. However, when he looked over again, Tao Huizhen's eyes did not move. He hesitated for a moment.

"Teacher Tao! You are drenched. " Dao Xiaotong did not understand what had happened. From her point of view, Tao Huizhen's gaze did not change at all. After all, all of this had happened in an instant.

Tao Huizhen's clothes were wet as they stuck to her shoulders. Her hair was stuck to her cheeks and there was a drop of water on her hair.

Finally, she lowered her gaze and looked at Dao Xiaotong. Then, she turned around and left. As she walked in the rain, Tao Huizhen thought to herself, My lesson experience is to suffer even more.

She left Elder Li's small courtyard and passed by Da Tea Village Primary School's school building. She then returned to the small bamboo building where she lived. While changing her clothes, she recalled the days when she was a dancer. She began to miss Wen Xiu and her parents again. She stared at the ivory watch on her wrist and remembered Wen Xiu's advice to her.

She recalled the year before she came to Dai Village, she had been thinking about teaching all day. In order to get rid of her utilitarian desire, she had regarded teaching as a career outside of her dream. In Dai Village, she had never given herself time to think about things like "what should I do without teaching" or what should I do.

She almost wanted to cry out. The sound of the rain outside the window easily drowned her tiny sobs. Not a few drops of tears fell, but she quickly held it back. After putting on her dry clothes, she picked up her umbrella and walked towards Da Tea Village Primary School.

The classroom was still filled with students in the morning, and the empty seats remained the same. Those eleven students seemed to have made an appointment and none of them came. She was no longer in the mood to go and inquire. And this was even after coming to Dai Village. She lowered her head for the first time in the face of a setback. She recalled Elder Li's words and gently pinched her cold hands. She clenched her fists.

It was a very small but dense rain outside, and the school building was dimly lit. She thought for a moment, then stepped on the steps beside the podium, hesitating about something.

At this time, a few children ran to the cabinet behind the classroom and dug out the dirty black porcelain jar from the bottom. When Tao Huizhen was cleaning the classroom, she had seen the black porcelain jars a few times, but she never knew what they were for. The children carried the black porcelain jars back to their seats.

"What are you doing with it?" Tao Huizhen's voice was somewhat hoarse.

"Teacher, it's raining a lot. It's starting to leak. This is specially for receiving rain. We can't let the rain wet the book. " The fifth year student, Iwahan, answered at the same time. He placed a black porcelain jar at the corner of the table, and drops of rain fell from the ceiling. A "pata pata" sound was heard.

"Yan" was a relatively large surname in the Dai clan. It was a family name that could be traced back to several generations. It should be a very large family name. Then, as time passed and culture changed, the family began to spread its branches and leaves, and the later generations gradually scattered.

Yan Hahan was a legitimate child of the Dai family, and their ancestors paid close attention to the passing of incense. He was rarely affected by the Han transformation. Among the many Dai races, his family paid more attention to the traditional culture of the Dai race. So far, he had retained the essence of Dai culture. In terms of offering sacrifices, festivals, and food consumption, one could see the cultural differences between his family and other people's families. He was even more pious to traditional cultures.

Perhaps this was similar to what people often said about "old traditions," but it was also on a completely different level.

Therefore, Yan Hahan's Mandarin was not very good. He could only speak the Dai language. There were a few Mandarin phrases scattered around. Knowing that Tao Huizhen did not understand what he said, Yu'er translated for Tao Huizhen again. Only then did Tao Huizhen look at the black porcelain jar beside Yan Hahan in realization. Beside the jar was a water seal. It was probably dripping on the table before receiving the rainwater.

It turned out that these black porcelain jars were prepared to receive the rain. Tao Huizhen felt a slight pain in her stomach.

She looked up and saw the droplets of water dripping down from the roof of the school dormitory. They fell in different places one after another. There were jars under them, but there were also some places where there were no jars. The droplets of water fell from high places onto the table, splashing onto the faces and noses of the children. The children were silent.

Tao Huizhen's gaze was focused on the roof of the school building for a moment, and a bolt of lightning flashed through the window. She was still hesitating on the other foot under the stairs as she firmly stepped onto the stairs. She stood in front of the podium and shouted, "Students, class!"