This title is very novel.
It was the first time that Teacher Meng was called that, and he still hadn't gotten used to it. Especially with Xu Yao present, she felt a little bit embarrassed and politely responded to Uncle Liu: "Hello."
This sound was a little quiet, but in the narrow space, I could still hear it.
In front of her was Xu Yao. She hadn't seen him for a long time and he was a special person to her. It was difficult for Meng Yao to restrain her eyes from looking at him. But he felt that it was too blatant to attract Xu Yao's attention, so every time he looked at him, he would only glance at him for a short time.
Xu Yao had been looking down at his phone, but he raised his head and said a few words to Uncle Liu. His skin had been very fair since high school, but now it was slightly darker than before. The sunlight outside the car window hit the side of his face. Meng Yao looked at it intently and found that he was more mature and tasteful than before.
When Xu Yao raised his head again, Meng Yao was afraid of being discovered, so he subconsciously turned his head hastily as if to cover up, and moved his gaze away from him towards the window. Pretend to be looking at the scenery.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the co-pilot Xu Yao turn his head, look at her position, call her name amidst Meng Yao's gradually accelerating heartbeat, and then reminded her warmly: "The drive is a bit far, it takes more than three days. Hours, you can take a nap first."
Meng Yao couldn't help but panic when she heard her name being read out by him, and quickly nodded to him pretending to be calm.
In fact, her sleepiness had long since disappeared, but she didn't know what to do at this moment. Although she and Xu Yao were not strangers, their relationship was not close enough to reminisce about the past. In the end, Meng Yao could only close his eyes and sit here. Pretending to sleep in the chair.
There was a faint smell of leather inside the van. The windows on all sides of the van were closed tightly. Although the air conditioner was turned on, the cooling effect was obviously not very good. Meng Yao was nestled in the seat with his face facing the chair. The smell was not good. The smell of leather penetrated directly into her nose, making her feel stuffy and reluctant to act rashly.
It was really uncomfortable, so I closed my eyes and gently adjusted my posture.
But the rustling sound of clothes rubbing against each other was inevitable, which was somewhat obvious in the quiet car.
Xu Yao looked at the back seat through the endoscope. Meng Yao closed his eyes and frowned slightly. She looked paler than before getting in the car.
Xu Yao thought for a while and told Uncle Liu in the driver's seat to lower the windows.
"What's wrong? Bored?" Uncle Liu spoke with a little dialect.
Xu Yao said: "Well, a little bit."
Uncle Liu laughed twice, looking very familiar with Xu Yao, and joked: "Are you still bored after sitting here for so many times?"
Xu Yao also laughed: "This road is too roundabout."
Uncle Liu lowered the windows in the car.
Meng Yao didn't fall asleep. He heard the information in this paragraph and thought about it secretly. After the car window was lowered, fresh air came in, and Meng Yao's dizziness was relieved a lot. The weather in Yunnan was not very hot. The car was driving on the road, and the cool wind blew in. Meng Yao didn't know why. Maybe it was because no one was talking in the car and it was too quiet. The sleepiness that had slipped away quietly came back, and she gradually fell asleep.
The car drove on a flat road for nearly an hour. Uncle Liu asked Xu Yao if he was feeling better.
"The next section of the road is very dusty, so you have to close the windows."
Xu Yao glanced at the rearview mirror. Meng Yao was sleeping soundly. His long black hair was blown by the wind and raised an arc in the air. The frown on his fair face relaxed.
Xu Yao's gaze lingered on the endoscope for a short time. When he withdrew his eyes, he nodded to Uncle Liu: "Okay, close it."
The car window slowly rose, and the refreshing summer breeze was isolated from the glass window.
Xu Yao noticed that the person in the back seat moved slightly again.
The car continued to drive forward and passed a convenience store. Xu Yao suddenly asked Uncle Liu to stop for a while and said, "I'll get out of the car to buy something."
Uncle Liu pulled over the car and stopped. Xu Yao got out of the car. His tall figure melted into the light. He walked into the convenience store with long steps and came out with a white plastic bag in his hand.
As soon as Xu Yao got in the car, he took out a bottle of water from the plastic bag and handed it to Uncle Liu. Uncle Liu waved his hand and said he wasn't thirsty. He insisted on handing it over and said, "Drink some water. We have to drive for a long time."
He also bought another box of chewing gum, tore open the package and took out two pieces for Uncle Liu, saying that he would chew them to wake up.
Xu Yao raised his head and took a few sips of water, screwed the cap on, and placed the bottle on his lap. The white plastic bag was placed beside him by the car door.
Meng Yao was awakened. When she opened her eyes, she was stung by the sunlight shining directly from the car window, and she subconsciously tilted her head. Before he could wake up, the car body shook again. Meng Yao woke up and realized where he was.
Her first reaction was to see Xu Yao, the co-pilot. She didn't expect that she would actually fall asleep so comfortably in Xu Yao's presence. Xu Yao was looking forward intently, and the sunlight cast a pale light and shadow on him. He didn't seem to pay attention to anything else. Meng Yao sat upright calmly and clicked on his phone to check the time.
More than an hour had passed since she received Xu Yao's call.
Meng Yao lowered his head and tried to figure out how long he had slept. The car was bumpy and he almost lost his grip on his phone by accident.
She looked out the window and saw that the road they were driving on was full of potholes and was an unconstructed dirt road.
There are overgrown weeds on both sides of the road, with branches and leaves flying wildly.
It was a completely different scene from the high-speed rail station that was bustling with people an hour ago.
"Meng Yao?"
Xu Yao turned around and called her.
Meng Yao looked away from the window when he heard the sound and looked over. Xu Yao noticed at some point that she had woken up. He reached out and handed her a white plastic bag: "I was a little thirsty just now and got out of the car to buy some water. I brought it for you and Uncle Liu." bottle."
Meng Yao was stunned. Before she could subconsciously say no, Xu Yao took the bag and handed it forward. Meng Yao's eyes fell on his slender fingers, and then moved down to the white plastic bag. It took a while for her to react and reach out to take it. She had just woken up and her throat was a little dry, so she cleared her throat and said thank you.
Xu Yao said calmly, "No need."
He quickly turned back.
Meng Yao squeezed the plastic bag tightly. As soon as she got it, she noticed that there seemed to be more than just water in the plastic bag. She opened it and looked inside. In addition to water, she also found a pack of plums and a box of mints.
Meng Yao was stunned for a moment in the back seat.
Both plums and mints can relieve motion sickness, but Meng Yao didn't know why these two things appeared here. Meng Yao basically didn't get motion sickness, except for the short period of time before going to bed when the air was not circulating and it was a bit stuffy. Therefore, she did not associate these two things with herself, let alone touch them casually. I just unscrewed the bottle cap and drank a few sips of mineral water to soothe my throat.
The further the car drives forward, the narrower the road becomes.
After shaking for a long time, we finally drove into a village.
Meng Yao looked out the window, observing this strange place.
The houses here are generally built very low-floor, without exquisite ornate decoration. The better ones look slightly painted on the exterior walls, and most of them are even adobe houses.
The house is simple, the environment is difficult, and the location is remote.
This is a place that many people may never set foot in, but it is also their home that many people have lived in for their entire lives.
The car continued to drive for about ten minutes, making two turns before finally stopping.
"We're here." Uncle Liu stepped on the brakes and said, "There is a slope ahead that is too steep for the car to drive up, so we have to walk. But fortunately, we'll be there just after we climb this slope. It's not far."
This paragraph was a bit long, and Meng Yao couldn't fully understand it, so he could only piece together a rough guess.
But Uncle Liu explained it to her.
Instead, Xu Yao said "hmm" and responded for her, then unbuckled his seat belt, jumped out of the car, and said, "Thank you, Uncle Liu."
"You're welcome." Uncle Liu smiled heartily.
Meng Yao saw Xu Yao get out of the car and went to open the door. She didn't know whether it was because she was weak or something, but the door couldn't be opened for a while. She was studying it when someone suddenly opened the door from the outside.
She raised her head and ran into Xu Yaocheng's bright and beautiful eyes.
Xu Yao turned his back to the light and reminded her: "Be careful when getting out of the car."
Meng Yao's heart beat unbalanced for a moment, but when he realized it, Xu Yao had already walked to the back of the car to get his luggage.
Meng Yao hurriedly got out of the car, closed the door and walked over. When Xu Yao carried the suitcase down, he held it with his hand and said politely: "Thank you, I'll do it."
Xu Yao looked down at her and was about to say something when Uncle Liu also got out of the car and walked over. Xu Yao turned to talk to Uncle Liu and thanked him again. He politely said goodbye to him. Before leaving, Meng Yao also said thank you again.
After bidding farewell to Uncle Liu, Meng Yao and Xu Yao walked forward together. They were not familiar with each other in high school, so the atmosphere was somewhat silent when they walked together.
Meng Yao couldn't ignore Xu Yao's presence. He lowered his head and looked at the ground. After pondering for a long time, he suddenly asked as if he had nothing to say, "Uncle Liu, aren't you coming with us?"
Xu Yao didn't expect that she would suddenly speak and glance at her sideways. Meng Yao deliberately lowered his head and pretended to concentrate on looking at the road to hide his expression. Xu Yao also didn't see her tighten her fists unconsciously from the moment she spoke. Holding his hand, he explained: "Uncle Liu is a villager and lives nearby. Because he has a car, it is convenient to travel, so occasionally I ask him for help when I need to go out."
so.
Meng Yao nodded suddenly.
There was no more words between the two of them.
The road was not easy to walk, and the ground was paved with gravel. Meng Yao had a hard time dragging her suitcase while Xu Yao walked beside her, not walking fast either. Maybe he slowed down intentionally.
After walking a hundred meters, Xu Yao opened his hand to her again: "Give it to me."
He stated objectively: "The slope ahead is not easy to walk on. It may be a bit dangerous for you to drag your suitcase for the first time."
They had already reached the bottom of the slope.
Meng Yao raised his eyes and took a look. It was no exaggeration to say that this was really a hillside. The height is okay, but there are many obstacles on the slope, and it is narrow and winding.
No wonder Uncle Liu said the car couldn't be driven.
With Meng Yao's physical strength and unfamiliarity with the road for the first time, he would probably fall if he insisted on dragging his suitcase up this hillside.
Xu Yao had no intention of letting her show off any more. While Meng Yao was still looking at the hillside hesitantly, he had already reached out to hold the handle of the suitcase and signaled Meng Yao to let go.
Meng Yao's hand on the suitcase was glanced at by him, and he immediately let go of it subconsciously as if he had been burned. She watched Xu Yao pick up the suitcase effortlessly, unable to say anything except a dry thank you.
The sky here seems to be very close to the ground, as if you can reach out and touch the white and soft clouds on the horizon.
Meng Yao followed Xu Yao. She was a little worried at first, but she gradually felt relieved when she saw Xu Yao walking steadily while carrying the suitcase. She was lost in thought when she looked at Xu Yao's back.
Such a scene reminded her of the barbecue in her sophomore year of high school. She and Xu Yao went to buy drinks together. They were walking in tandem. She didn't dare to approach or talk to her, but she felt that she could have a good time with Xu Yao. The opportunity to be so close was extremely rare. While she felt lucky and hoped that time would go slower, she quietly took out her mobile phone and took a photo of the shadow on the ground as a souvenir.
She thought she would never have such a lucky moment again. Following Xu Yao, with only the bright sunshine and the gentle breeze for company, the time was quiet and beautiful.
But she didn't expect that a few years later, she and Xu Yao would meet again in Yunnan.
Be extra careful on the uphill road. Xu Yao would look back from time to time to confirm Meng Yao's safety. After climbing over the hillside and reaching his destination, Meng Yao stood firm on the ground and looked up at the campus in front of him.
The four characters "Sunshine Primary School" shine golden light under the sunlight.
Meng Yao stared at it for a while, then followed Xu Yao as he approached. Xu Yao reached out and pushed open the rusty iron door at the school gate.
The school is not large, and you can almost understand the facilities inside at the school gate.
The playground here is actually just a spacious open space, paved with cement, equipped with a basketball hoop, and two table tennis tables set up against the school wall.
A simple flag-raising platform was set up in front of the two-story teaching building, with the five-star red flag fluttering in the wind.
There is a low house next to the teaching building.
Everything is very basic.
But there are also surprising and eye-catching places.
For example, there are many beautiful flowers planted in cement flower beds on campus.
Green vine branches are climbing on the wall, extending outwards.
A lively look.
Meng Yao looked around every corner of the school, and suddenly saw a figure walking from the direction of the teaching building.
A woman in her fifties, wearing glasses, with an affable appearance.
Xu Yao also saw it and called her: "Principal Yu."
The man came closer and looked at Xu Yao with a smile: "I'm troubling you again."
"No."
Xu Yao turned his head and glanced at Meng Yao. Before he could introduce him, Principal Yu had already looked towards Meng Yao. She took the initiative to extend her hand and said warmly: "Meng Yao? Hello, I am Yu Yuan, the principal of Sunshine Primary School. We are here. Chatted online.”
Meng Yao gently held her hand and said, "Hello, Principal Yu, I am Meng Yao. Nice to meet you."
Yu Yuan smiled: "I am the one who is happy. Thank you for coming here."
She took a closer look at Meng Yao and praised from the bottom of her heart: "I'm even prettier than the photo on my resume."
Meng Yao smiled. Strange to say, she used to be a very inconspicuous person, but after entering college, she received a lot of compliments. She gradually developed from low self-esteem to self-confidence. Those compliments accounted for a large part of the reason.
She couldn't explain the reason, but it was probably because she felt that she was better than before. With confidence, she glanced at Xu Yao subconsciously, and then quickly looked away.
No one noticed her little move.
Yu Yuan said: "I heard the noise and guessed that you guys had arrived. When I came out and took a look, I guessed it was right."
"It's hot, let's go sit in the office for a while."
Yu Yuan looked at Xu Yao and said, "You have worked hard today. You have been working hard for several hours. Do you want to take a rest?"
Xu Yao knew that Yu Yuan probably wanted to talk to Meng Yao about various aspects of the school alone, so he did not refuse and nodded: "Okay."
He handed the luggage to Meng Yao and nodded to her.
Meng Yao took the luggage from him and followed Yu Yuan to the office on the first floor of the teaching building.
Yu Yuan brought a chair for her to sit on, and made her a cup of tea herself. She looked at her and said, "Isn't it hard to sit in the car for three hours?"
Meng Yao shook his head: "It's okay."
Yu Yuan said: "It just rained two days ago and the road is bumpy."
"The environment here is simple and the location is remote." Yu Yuan smiled, "To be honest, I was surprised when you contacted me. Not only are you beautiful, you are also very well-educated. I thought about it for a long time and still couldn't figure out why you would want to come here. Support teaching.”
"But whatever the reason, I appreciate you coming."
"The mountainous area where we are located is very poor, and the living and educational conditions are not good. Most of the children here are left-behind children. You have learned about these online before. There are not many students in our school, and there is only one class for each grade. But there are still not enough teachers, so we have volunteer teaching activities. Before you came, there were only seven teachers in our school, including me. Our seven teachers were responsible for all teaching in six classes. Two of them accompanied this campus Long-time teachers, teachers who come from the city to the countryside to teach, and people like you who came here through volunteer activities."
"Coming to this church may be difficult due to the environment, but it will also be a very special time. Because it is meaningful. For the children here, it is difficult to get out of the mountains. Many of them have so far... They have never seen the world beyond this, but you and we can all do our best to lift them up, let them understand the wider world, and work hard for the distant place they want to go."
Wisps of white mist rose from the teacup in front of him, floated in the air, and gradually dispersed. Meng Yao looked at the mist and remembered an afternoon in his senior year of high school for no reason.
She and Song Siqi were confused about the future at the time, and their only longing was to become a warm person.
Meng Yao didn't know how to say nice things. He just looked at Yu Yuan and promised, "I will do my best every day here."
Her eyes are clear and smart, and there is a toughness hidden in them.
Probably seeing that tenacity clearly, Yu Yuan smiled and nodded and said, "I believe you."
"If you have any difficulties or problems, you can come to me."
"Oh, by the way, there's one more thing."
Yu Yuan suddenly remembered something and said: "Our school may be a little different from other schools. Logically speaking, the summer vacation is not over yet. It should be the holiday time, but considering that our students are all left-behind children, some of them are during the holidays. I went to where my parents worked, and some of them stayed at home. But the family was full of old people and could hardly read, so the students during the summer vacation still came to school every day, because the teachers were also on holiday, so there were only one other student and me in the school. The two teachers who voluntarily stayed will not have classes, but I will gather them in a classroom and let them do homework together."
Meng Yao understood. She came to school early because she wanted to familiarize herself with the environment in advance. She said, "I can help starting tomorrow."
Yu Yuan smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
She looked at the time and said, "I'll take you to the dormitory first. You've been riding in the car all day, so have a good rest."
Meng Yao nodded.
The dormitory is in that low building.
Yu Yuan said that because school ends early and has enough time, neither the local veteran teachers nor the teachers who come from the city to support teaching live in the school. Only the volunteer teachers from other places and Yu Yuan will live here.
"The dormitory conditions are average, but hot water is guaranteed. Each room is equipped with a separate bathroom, but the area is a bit narrow. You can also rest assured in terms of safety. Although the dormitories are connected together, the doors of the dormitories are It can be locked from the inside, but cannot be opened from the outside.”
Yu Yuan also demonstrated it for her.
Meng Yao took a general look and found that the conditions of the dormitory were indeed average, but it could be seen that it had been cleaned before she came and was quite clean. Meng Yao had seen pictures and information about the school before coming and was mentally prepared, so she was very receptive. She put her suitcase away and said thank you to Yuan.
Some of the equipment in the dormitory was old and outdated. Yu Yuan was worried that she wouldn't be able to use it and wouldn't be used to it, so she explained everything. After that, she felt relieved and asked her with a smile: "Do you have any questions?"
Meng Yao wanted to shake her head, but then she thought of something and hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help but ask the question that had been hidden in her heart all afternoon, but she couldn't calmly ask the question to her face after she tried to ask it several times:
"Is Xu Yao... also one of the volunteers who came to the school to teach?"
