C37 Night of Sleeplessness

Dao Xiaotong came down from the bamboo tower for a while. She did not realize that the moonlight was so bright outside. She took the flashlight Tao Huizhen had placed on the bedside table.

She had planned to take the flashlight out of the village for a walk. But for some reason, she gave up on the idea of leaving. Maybe it was because Dai Village was too quiet at night. She was too timid, so she chose not to go far. She turned on the flashlight and found a piece of grass, then sat down quietly.

Not far away was Da Tea Village Primary School. The school building that had been standing in Da Tea Village for more than three years seemed to be covered in silver moonlight. From the east, south, and west of Da Tea Village Primary School. . . Three narrow roads were made of red soil. From there, one could reach all directions of the village. These few paths. . . At this moment, it was as if they were covered by thin white snow, giving off a clean glow.

In Dao Xiaotong's eyes, Da Tea Village was currently covered by a cold color.

After sitting on the grass for about an hour, She was used to the light at night. The mosquitoes were buzzing around her and she ignored them. Although it was already late at night. However, she was not sleepy at all.

She continued to sit, her heart filled with the night sky of the big city. Tao Huizhen had told her more than once about what a big city looked like. The two of them had eaten and lived together for more than a year. She had already seen the outline of a big city from Tao Huizhen's vision.

There was a sea of people and carriages, weaving with the pedestrians.

Lights and shadows intersected.

The skyscraper in the city center and the highway bridge in the city. The human road and the underground passage. . . The moat always surrounded the city. Tao Huizhen said, The moat was like the one outside Dai Village. It meandered away. In the few cities she had been to, the moat was a place where she could not see the upstream. She could not see the end of the downstream, but there was still water flowing all year round.

Dao Xiaotong asked Tao Huizhen, "The water in the moat can also wash clothes and vegetables?"

Tao Huizhen shook her head. In fact, the water in the moat was often polluted. This was because there were always people throwing garbage into the moat along the way. . .

Tao Huizhen also told Dao Xiaotong about the fast-paced culture of the metropolis. The communication between people was very complicated.

Countless nights later, the two girls turned off their lights on the bamboo building. They chatted for a long time. Dao Xiaotong was listening to Tao Huizhen's detailed explanation. She had visited the central area of the big city many times. She saw an industrialized city with a lot of factories. The industrialized buildings, which were dozens of square kilometers in size, were spread out, forming a dense mass of flat land. She also saw the high-rise buildings of the metropolis piercing through the clouds. Rows and rows of high-rise buildings. When the lights were on at night. Bridges, roads, trains, airports. All sorts of lights lit up. Streaks of light connected the entire city. It was like a huge orange spider web, flowing. It spread out in the endless night sky.

In China, all the first and second tier cities. All of them were able to reach the level of the above description. On the map of China, under the satellite camera at night. There were countless golden dots of light on the continent of China, representing cities that were glowing.

That was the city that Dao Xiaotong was looking for.

She could see the sky of the cities from a certain angle. The money that Dao Xiaotong had saved was only for the sake of going to that kind of city one day to take a look. Speaking of which, She did not have dreams that were too far-reaching and too great. For generations, she had never stepped out of this place. Dao Xiaotong only wanted to see with her own eyes, outside of Dai Village, which was surrounded by mountains. Was there a different kind of scenery?

Was the world that Tao Huizhen mentioned really that wonderful?

Tao Huizhen had always been supportive of Dao Xiaotong's dream. There were many secrets that she did not tell Dao Xiaotong. She did not want to ruin all of Dao Xiaotong's expectations. She hoped that one day, when she had enough money, she would be able to experience it personally. That was the beauty that should belong to her and enjoy it all by herself.

Speaking of which, Dao Xiaotong had been saving money for more than a year. She had only started to receive the monthly allowance of 30 yuan a month before Tao Huizhen came to Dai Village.

Unknowingly. Dao Xiaotong had already sat in the grass for two hours. She was still not sleepy and did not want to go back to the bamboo house.

Tao Huizhen's unique tone appeared in her mind once again. It was a way of wording that was different from the way the Dai people used to speak. It sounded like it was ringing in her ears.

"Saber Master, no matter what you say. China is developing at a rapid pace. The China you saw today. . . It's completely different from the China you saw tomorrow. It can also be said that there are huge changes happening in the last second and the next second. China was now a high-speed train. On the road to the future, bring along those special 'passengers'. Put down the 'things that should be stopped'. And before this train set off, there were already a lot of 'things that couldn't be abandoned' waiting on the train. This part. . . This is our China's tradition. "

He recalled Tao Huizhen sitting upright and upright as she puffed out her chest and said those words. Dao Xiaotong pursed her lips and smiled. She nodded her head and savored the words on the grass. Teacher Tao was indeed very serious.

"People in China have exceptional perseverance. This is the cornerstone of China's continuous progress. Look, From the start of the Qingzang railway to the opening, how many spring, summer, and autumn winters has it gone through? How many difficulties and obstacles have it gone through? Only then did it open up a railway on the plateau. For this matter, the Chinese would be able to persist for dozens of years. With such perseverance, They would be able to do whatever they wanted. Now, our country is in the area of railway, bridge, satellite technology, quantum communication technology and rice planting technology. They are all at the international leading level. As for all of this, we are currently unable to feel it in Dai Village. That's why, I support Saber Master's dream, even if it takes a long time to save money, it is still worth it. It's rare that you want to go out and take a look. Many people from Dai Village don't think so. You want to see farther places? That's right. In China, outside the mountains. It's a train moving forward at high speed. " Tao Huizhen said just like that.

"What if it's someone who hasn't gone out? You'll never be able to feel the rapid changes in China?"

"No, how can that be? I. . . Tao Huizhen was able to stand in front of you because of the achievements of China's education. As long as you give 'something to hope' some time, There will always be something to hope for. Dai Village would always feel that society was developing. I say China is a train that is moving forward at high speed. We are actually in the car. Hehe. "

Tao Huizhen's voice seemed to ring in Dao Xiaotong's ears at this moment. It was an almost undetectable, refreshing accent of a northerner. The light from the flashlight dimmed.

Dao Xiaotong liked Tao Huizhen's cultured appearance. She knew a lot of things that Dao Xiaotong did not know. She could also dance very well. The days that made Dao Xiaotong less interesting had become more colorful recently.

However, Teacher Tao, our relationship seems to be unable to be maintained for a long time. Dao Xiaotong thought sadly.

"But Teacher Tao, you have arrived. Makes me feel even more useless. I'm an orphan. I'm naturally disabled and don't have any skills. Sometimes I don't understand why I am qualified to be the teacher of the children. I obviously don't know how to do anything. . . "

"Actually, compared to you, Tao Huizhen, I'm much worse. No, we can't even compare. How can we compare? Beside you. . . My whole body seems so dim and dull. You have been in Dai Village for more than a year, and I have never taught my children again. The children like you very much, surpassing tens of millions of me. You have also truly allowed them to grow up. . . Ah, that day when Wu Huiyan was lost, Elder Lee wants you to come back and rest, and let me take over the class. And you did not agree. I know. In your eyes, I'm not a qualified teacher. You're afraid that I'll delay Wazi's studies. I'm more like a chef in Da Tea Village Primary School, right? I hate myself so much. Beside you, I already feel that I'm becoming less and less worth staying behind. I will still receive thirty yuan of subsidy every month. I feel that every time I receive a subsidy, it will be very painful, but what can I do. . . "

In the past few days, Dao Xiaotong had started to suffer from insomnia. Just as she had said, with Tao Huizhen by her side as a comparison, it gave her a lot of pressure. She was obviously willing to see Tao Huizhen teach the children how to read here. She was also more willing to prepare three meals a day. Sometimes, she would rather spend some of her savings. She wanted to give Tao Huizhen some good food.

She clearly liked such days. With Teacher Tao accompanying her, she was content. However, she was also facing a reality. She had once had a dream. Officer Wang fired her. He didn't want her to be the substitute teacher for the Da Tea Village Primary School anymore.

After waking up, she suddenly came to a realization. She couldn't take the thirty yuan subsidy money for free. But what could she do? Apart from cooking and washing clothes. Tao Huizhen didn't leave Dai Village. She had to face the day of being fired. She firmly believed that there would be a day when Officer Wang would not give her 30 yuan in vain. She hated herself for not being as outstanding as Tao Huizhen. But she did not hate Tao Huizhen. She deeply knew that. . . In her heart, she was more willing to maintain her current life. It wasn't just that the children couldn't leave Teacher Tao. It seemed like she was also enjoying immersing herself in it.

However, she could not figure it out. Once that thought was born, she would have to keep thinking about it and never come back to it. The thought kept bothering her in her mind. It made her worry all night, be conflicted and in pain.

She was worried that without the subsidy money, her dream would become a dream. That was her only dream. The only thing she could hope for in her life would be a ray of light. What was conflicted and painful was that it seemed that only she and Tao Huizhen would be able to stay. If this continued, there would definitely be one person who would leave first. And when anyone left, she would also suffer the same pain. This was the problem. This was the reason why she had been acting so strangely lately.

Time had already passed by after midnight. The moonlight moved to the west. The flashlight beside Dao Xiaotong finally extinguished after struggling a few times.

Without the torchlight, the moonlight became even more mesmerizing. Dao Xiaotong turned her head. She saw the lights on the bamboo house. Tao Huizhen stood under the roof. She was lying on the fence at a 45-degree angle above her. Her gaze seemed to be staring at her. It also seemed to be appreciating the night. It was as calm as the midnight of autumn. There was not a single fluctuation. He had been silently there for an unknown amount of time.

Was Teacher Tao worried about her? Dao Xiaotong stood up immediately. Her brain was slow and she did not realize that her actions over the past few nights would cause Tao Huizhen to be worried. Teacher Tao seemed to be still sick.

She could not see Tao Huizhen's gaze clearly, but she was looking in that direction. She tried her best to distinguish the expression on Tao Huizhen's face. She found that Tao Huizhen looked like a guardian angel.