"Xu Yao?" Yu Yuan was stunned for a moment, then said in surprise, "Do you really know each other?"
Meng Yao didn't understand where the word "true" in her words came from, and looked at her in confusion.
Yu Yuan smiled and said: "I had something to do this morning and couldn't leave. I asked him to pick you up for me. When I told him your phone number and name, he told me that he knew a high school classmate with the same name as you. We were They all thought it was just a coincidence.”
Meng Yao's heart skipped a beat because of this "recognition".
Yu Yuan asked: "So you are really high school classmates?"
A thin layer of sweat broke out on Meng Yao's palms. The sun was shining brightly outside the door. She suddenly felt that she was drowning in this warm color and could not escape it for the rest of her life.
She answered Yu Yuan: "We are in the same school."
"No wonder." Yu Yuan said, "Your school is really full of talents."
Meng Yao looked at her.
Only then did Yu Yuan answer her original question: "The story of Xu Yao and our school started many years ago."
"He is not a volunteer teacher, he is a sponsor."
Yu Yuan said: "A few years ago, there was a sudden change in the family of a student in our school. The student was only in the third grade at the time. His father was taken away in a car accident, and his mother was also seriously injured. Later, he left after a short time. The child lost his parents in a short period of time. His grandparents were old and had no income. He was in poor health and had to take medicine. He was so poor that he could almost be said to be living in poverty. At that time, what I could do to help him was limited because there were too many children in need of help in the school. Later, I contacted a reporter and posted about this child on the Internet, thinking that if some kind-hearted people would lend a helping hand to him, although it might not be many, it would be good if they could support him through this difficult road ahead of him."
"Xu Yao was one of the people who helped this boy."
"According to our chat later, we learned that when Xu Yao read about this child on the Internet, he had just entered high school. He said that the money he funded for this boy was a reward from his family for getting into a key high school. He donated it. Quite a few, a thousand dollars.”
"I often think about how warm-hearted a high school student must be to spend a thousand dollars to support a child he has never met."
"That's not all."
Yu Yuan said: "I wrote down the names of the donors and asked for their addresses. Later, I asked the child to write a thank-you letter to each donor and send it to them. Of all the people, only Xu Yao sent a reply. .”
"However, he didn't say anything particularly encouraging." Yu Yuan smiled. "What he told the boy was that we will always experience some difficult moments in life. It seems that only in this way can we be qualified to become extraordinary people. God is sometimes very unreasonable. If you resent Him, then resist. The first way to resist is to survive those difficult moments. After this step, it is up to you to decide how your life will be."
Yu Yuan said: "Such words actually had an effect. At least the boy didn't feel depressed anymore."
She said with emotion: "Many things in this world pass by in a hurry like running water. Everyone has their own life. They may have sympathy and pity for the suffering of others, but they always remember very little. But Xu Yao remembered this boy, and he left He gave me my contact information, occasionally asked about the boy’s current situation, and kept donating to him.”
"It was also a coincidence that when the boy graduated from elementary school, Xu Yao also graduated from high school. When he graduated, the boy wrote another letter to Xu Yao, to the effect of thanking him for his support in the past three years and saying that he would always remember it when he grows up. Pay him back."
"Xu Yao didn't reply to this letter, but he came here. That was the first time I saw him."
"To be honest, my first impression of him was that he was an overly good-looking young man."
Yu Yuan recalled and smiled slightly: "I guess he has never tasted the hardships of life, and may have never been to such a remote and poor place. But he did not show a trace of disgust, and he even got along with the children in this school He is very good. To be honest, I saw in him what education is."
"Since that year, Xu Yao has taken time to come here every holiday. He has donated books, clothes, and established a poverty subsidy to the school. All the funds have been given by him. Although it is not much, this donation has continued to this day. "
"I often read articles online and have seen many people's views and discussions on volunteer teaching. Everyone is saying that this is a great profession because you bring hope and knowledge to every child in the mountainous area. And Xu Yao is At his age, he has already given hope to many people."
This includes her.
Meng Yao said in his heart.
Sunshine makes the whole world bright and warm.
After Yu Yuan left, Meng Yao simply packed his luggage and then called his grandparents to report that they were safe.
Her grandparents did not show any particular support for her coming to Yunnan, but they did not oppose it as strongly as Song Lan and Meng Yuanshan. The old man has experienced hardship and has not received higher education, but he does not think that there is a distinction between high and low professions. On the contrary, it is a great thing to be a teacher and teach people poetry and calligraphy. But the problem lies in the region.
Everyone thinks that supporting education is noble when it comes to the news, but when it comes to their own families, they are inevitably worried about the remote and unsafe location and the difficult conditions.
Meng Yao told them on the phone that the school is very good, the sky here is blue and vast, and the scenery is great.
Grandma kept saying that would be fine on the phone. Before hanging up, she asked again: "Have you called your mother?"
Meng Yao was silent for a moment and said he would fight later.
Her tone was quite relaxed, but as soon as the phone hung up, her smile disappeared.
Song Lan's words last night echoed in my ears.
The phone call lasted for an unprecedented length of time. Song Lan lost control of her emotions for a time, and then she was probably exhausted. She said in a cold voice: "Okay, you go and pursue your freedom. I can't control you anymore. This family You don’t have to go back.”
She finally realized that after four years of college, Meng Yao had grown up. She has her own opinion and no longer wavers. The girl who would compromise with her back then has come a long way. From the moment she chose to volunteer to the time she went to Yunnan to teach in the so-called meaning of life, Meng Yao's kite completely escaped from her palm and floated further and further away.
Song Lan couldn't explain what was going on in her mind. She was used to being strong, and now she had raised a daughter who never looked back until she hit the wall.
She even had the idea that Meng Yao was against her. She had suppressed him before, but now she finally had a chance to rebel.
Therefore, she didn't go to the school she wanted her to get into; she wanted her to have a glamorous job, but Meng Yao didn't listen either.
Meng Yao didn't call Song Lan in the end. She knew that Song Lan was still angry and would probably not answer the call. Meng Yao sent her and Meng Yuanshan separate WeChat messages to inform them of his arrival.
When it was time to send, Meng Yao discovered that Song Lan had blocked her.
Meng Yuanshan did not reply.
Meng Yao stared at the chat page with Song Lan for a while. She couldn't tell what she was feeling. She wasn't sad, and she couldn't even talk about loss. She just felt that after so many years, she and Song Lan still couldn't understand each other. . In the end, Meng Yao exited the page expressionlessly, copied the content of the message sent to Meng Yuanshan, and sent a text message to Song Lan.
In the evening, Meng Yao had almost tidied up the room, and there was a knock on the door.
Meng Yao thought it was Yu Yuan, put down the things in his hands and went to open the door. The wooden door is a bit old and makes a creaking sound when pulled.
Meng Yao looked up and was caught off guard when she saw Xu Yao standing at her door. The sunset behind him was magnificent.
Meng Yao was stunned, not expecting Xu Yao to be here. Looking at him, he forgot to speak for a moment. Xu Yao lowered his head and asked in a normal tone: "Are you busy? Principal Yu asked me to invite you to dinner."
Meng Yao reacted for a moment before coming back to her senses. She nodded. The scenery on the horizon must be so beautiful, so she was a little nervous. She looked at Xu Yao and said, "Get busy."
Xu Yao: "Then let's go."
Meng Yao went back to the room and got his cell phone.
Maybe it was because she heard Yu Yuan talk a lot about Xu Yao at that time, or maybe it was because Xu Yao was an attractive person to Meng Yao who couldn't be ignored. Meng Yao couldn't bear to walk with him. Keep your eyes on him.
After going back and forth several times, Xu Yao didn't notice it, and Meng Yao felt that her movements were secretive. Until she looked over again, Xu Yao also happened to tilt his head, and their eyes met.
Both of them were startled.
Meng Yao felt that her face could not help but heat up under the sunlight.
She prayed that Xu Yao wouldn't notice.
The school has a separate kitchen. Because it is narrow, meals are packed and taken to the classroom on weekdays, and students eat in their seats.
When Meng Yao followed Xu Yao into the kitchen, he saw that the small wooden table in the kitchen had already been set with dishes and chopsticks, and Yu Yuan was busy waving a spatula. There was also a girl standing next to Yu Yuan.
Hearing the footsteps, the girl turned around and saw Meng Yao smiling friendly: "Teacher Meng?"
Meng Yao didn't know the girl's identity. He didn't see her when he came to school in the afternoon. He nodded politely and said, "Hello."
The lighting in the kitchen was not good, but it was still dark outside and the lights were already on inside the house.
The small light bulb must have been used for a long time, and it emitted a weak light that looked a little hazy.
Yu Yuan neatly took out a portion of green vegetables from the pot. The girl brought the vegetables to the table. Yu Yuan took off her apron and asked Meng Yao to sit down quickly.
"By the way, let me introduce you." Yu Yuan turned her palm towards the girl and said to Meng Yao, "This is Feng Xiao, one of the teachers in our school. Like you, he also comes to the school as a volunteer to teach."
"This is Meng Yao."
"I know." Feng Xiao looked at Meng Yao and smiled brightly, "I have been looking forward to it since I knew there would be a new teacher in the school, and finally I met you."
"This is indeed true." Yu Yuan testified for her and added, "Feng Xiao was not at school in the afternoon, so you couldn't meet him. Now we know each other, and we will work happily together from now on."
Meng Yao smiled at Feng Xiao and said "Okay" to Yu Yuan.
"Okay, let's eat. Xu Yao is already hungry." Yu Yuan joked.
Xu Yao cooperated and said, "It's a little bit."
Yu Yuan laughed.
She pushed the dishes on the table in front of Meng Yao and said, "I simply fried three dishes for Meng Yao to try."
It's all home-cooked food, but it tastes good.
Yu Yuan joked: "This is authentic firewood rice."
There was no drink, so tea was served instead. Yu Yuan raised a glass at the dinner table to formally welcome Meng Yao's arrival.
The atmosphere at the dinner table was good, because Yu Yuan and Feng Xiao basically never had a moment of silence. Although Meng Yao is not an outgoing person, she has learned some ways to get along with her during her four years in college than in high school. Xu Yao is not talkative, but he understands everything and can pick up any topic.
During the chat, Yu Yuan remembered and said to Feng Xiao: "Speaking of which, Meng Yao and Xu Yao are still school friends."
Feng Xiao was very surprised. He looked at Meng Yao and then Xu Yao, and asked, "Really?"
She admired Xu Yao so much that she jokingly asked Meng Yao, "Are you top academics so willing to help others?"
Meng Yao knew she had misunderstood as soon as he heard it. He glanced at Xu Yao and explained, "We are high school alumni."
"High school?" Feng Xiao was even more surprised, "Is this possible?"
"Yeah, it's amazing." Yu Yuan sighed.
This is indeed incredible, the chance of winning the lottery is the same.
Meng Yao was still a little unreal. She glanced to the side. Xu Yao was lowering his head to eat. He noticed her gaze and raised his eyes, a little confused.
Meng Yao said nothing and looked back.
Through chatting during this period, Meng Yao learned that the school did not have a cafeteria aunt, and Yu Yuan had always done the cooking herself.
Yu Yuan said: "Cooking is a piece of cake for people of our generation. This skill has been mastered since childhood. In fact, it is not just our generation. Children in poor areas, such as ours, have learned this skill since they were young. Yes, one reason is to help reduce the burden on my family, and the other reason is to support myself."
When Yu Yuan said this, she asked casually: "Meng Yao, can you cook?"
"I know a little."
Yu Yuanxiao: "Generally speaking, a little bit is modest."
This is really not the case.
Meng Yao shook his head and said honestly: "I can only guarantee that it is cooked."
Speaking of this, Meng Yao suddenly remembered that Zheng Hua had mentioned Xu Yao's good cooking skills before. Then she realized that she still remembered Xu Yao very clearly even after several years.
Time seems to have no effect on this aspect, and the traces Xu Yao left on her cannot be washed away at all.
Feng Xiao answered in surprise: "You are just like me."
Yu Yuan was amused and said on the side that it didn't matter if she didn't. If it wasn't a special situation, girls shouldn't let themselves be too tired.
After dinner, everyone went back to the dormitory together.
It was only then that the sky really darkened, the wind was blowing, and it was cool and comfortable.
Yu Yuan's dormitory was in the first room on the first floor. Feng Xiao and Yu Yuan lived on the same floor. The rooms on the first floor were full. Meng Yao's room was arranged on the second floor. She said good night to Yu Yuan and Feng Xiao and went upstairs. Only then did she realize that Xu Yao actually lived on the same floor as her.
The lighting in the corridor was too dim, and Meng Yao suspected that he would miss the mark in the next second.
Until they went upstairs, Xu Yao took out the key from his pocket and walked to the room next to her. Meng Yao was still in a daze.
I don't know if her eyes stayed on the bunch of keys in Xu Yao's hand for too long, and her expression was not very natural, which made people misunderstand her. Xu Yao turned around and looked over, nodded to her after thinking for a while, and said, "Good night, go to bed early."
Meng Yao failed to recover immediately and had no time to respond. Perhaps to reassure her, Meng Yao saw Xu Yao unlock the door with the key and walk into the room, and then heard him close the door, and a clear locking sound came from the room.
