Two days ago, Yang Huan, who had just returned from her hometown and started her "risky" graduation trip with Ding Xiang, came to the mountains of Xiangxi.
To be precise, Ding Xiang's hometown was a remote mountain in Tuche Village, Yanye County, Maota City, Xiangxi Province.
It was a tough trip to her home. Yang Huan and Ding Xiang first took the train to the city, then took a five-hour bus ride to Yanye County. (Because of the twists and turns on the mountain road, it was very difficult to travel on the national highway.)
When they arrived at Yanye County, Ding Xiang told Yang Huan that she used to walk back slowly when she was still studying. But now, there was a road that led to Tuche Village. Ding Xiang and Yang Huan took a three-wheeled bus (which was a large compartment connected to a motorbike) and arrived at Tuche Village.
The passenger car was still open, and it ate dust and dirt along the way. The two girls were covered in dust and dirt.
But fortunately, Yang Huan could accept it. She came from a village, and this was her normal situation. Therefore, she joked with Ding Xiang, "Sister Ding Xiang, I realized that although our hometown is also a village, there are some differences. My hometown is in the basin, but yours is in the mountains."
After arriving at Tuche Village, Ding Xiang and Yang Huan found a small hotel to stay in because night had fallen. They rested for the night, had breakfast the next morning, bought some buns, and continued their journey.
The rest of the journey was a big challenge for Yang Huan. She had to walk with Ding Xiang on the steep mountain road. They crossed three mountains and arrived at the foot of Ding Xiang's Miao Stockade Village after noon.
They still had to climb up the stone stairs that were as dangerous as a stairway to heaven. Although the scenery along the way was beautiful, and the higher they climbed, the more they could see through the gaps of the forest and see the verdant mountains in the distance. However, Yang Huan was not in the mood to look around. She only wanted to reach Ding Xiang's home as soon as possible and have a good rest.
After two days and one night, Yang Huan and Ding Xiang finally arrived home when the sun was about to set and the sun was about to set.
There was nothing particularly surprising about it. It was a poor and underdeveloped village with old buildings. Other than the wooden structures, everything else was similar to the poor and shabby Wudaokou Village in Yang Huan's memory when he was very young. Of course, Wudaokou Village was much better now. Even without Yang Yi, the villagers lived in brick houses. With Yang Yi, they were moving toward a happy and well-off life.
However, the people of Baiyao Stronghold were still very enthusiastic. When they saw Ding Xiang and Yang Huan, they all greeted them in Miao language. Some of the children in the stronghold also ran up to Yang Huan and looked at her curiously. Their bright black eyes still had the liveliness of their age.
"Hello!" Although Yang Huan was very tired, she still happily took out some candies from her backpack and gave them to the children.
She learned it from her brother. Every time Yang Yi returned to his hometown, he would bring candy to the children in the village.
"Uncle and Grandma asked me where you are from. I told them that you are my classmate and that you are here to play. They were very happy and said that you are welcome." Ding Xiang helped Yang Huan translate the Miao language.
"Thank you. Thank you, uncles, aunts, grandpas, and grannies!" Yang Huan quickly replied and nodded gratefully.
The villagers of Miao Village continued talking enthusiastically.
Ding Xiang translated, "Everyone said that they didn't prepare anything because they didn't tell you in advance. It's too rude. Then, they invited you to their house for dinner and killed a chicken to welcome you. "
"So enthusiastic!" Yang Huan was flattered. However, if everyone wanted to invite her to their house for dinner, how could she be in two places at the same time?
"Why don't we forget about it? I think everyone has a hard life. It's not easy to raise chickens and ducks. I'll go to your house and eat something simple! "Yang Huan calmed down. She had been through hard times, so she was considerate.
Ding Xiang thought so too. However, the enthusiasm of the uncles and grannies was a tradition in their village, so she was too embarrassed to remind Yang Huan.
Now that Yang Huan had tactfully declined, Ding Xiang helped Yang Huan organize the words to persuade the villagers.
Back at Ding Xiang's house, Yang Huan met Ding Xiang's granny. After recovering, the granny was still in good health. Although her back was hunched and her ears were not as good, she still planted vegetables and raised chickens in the small field behind the village. She was self-sufficient and tried not to trouble others.
Ding Xiang's granny also talked a lot with Yang Huan. Even Ding Xiang could not understand some of the words and could not translate them.
After sitting with the granny for a while, Ding Xiang was busy preparing dinner. She and Yang Huan only had a few buns in the afternoon and were already hungry.
"I can't make a call. There's no signal in the mountain. Eh, sister Ding Xiang, let me help you! " Yang Huan took out her phone and wanted to inform Yang Yi that she was safe. When she saw Ding Xiang cooking, she wanted to help. Ding Xiang could not persuade her.
"You've been climbing the mountain for a day. You must be tired. You should take a rest." Ding Xiang's pot was taken away by Yang Huan, so she had to use a wooden basin to wash the vegetables. "If you want to make a call, you have to go back to the village. There's no signal tower here. Ah, I forgot to tell you."
"It's okay. We'll talk about it tomorrow! I was tired when I climbed up, but after seeing so many enthusiastic villagers, I don't feel tired anymore. " Yang Huan smiled and said while washing the rice, "sister Ding Xiang, your physical fitness is better than mine! I've been practicing martial arts since I was young, but my physical fitness is not as good as yours. After climbing the mountain for a day, you're still not tired! "
"I'm used to it!"
Yang Huan chatted with Ding Xiang. "But then again, the situation in your hometown is worse than I thought. I used to think that our hometown was very poor because it was so remote. But I didn't expect that your hometown was even poorer than when we were at our poorest! At least there were roads in our hometown, but on this mountain, there's no possibility of building roads at all. "
Ding Xiang sighed softly and said, "Yes, I used to think that after I studied, I would be able to find a way to let the villagers in the village live a good life. But now … "
Ding Xiang couldn't continue. The frustrated expression on her face said it all.
"You can't change anything. You can only go out," Yang Huan said softly as she thought of her experience after leaving the village.
Ding Xiang smiled and said, "Yes, but it's hard to change the minds of the older generation. We can only place our hopes on the younger generation. I also hope that my brothers and sisters will have the chance to go out of the mountain and see the outside world like me. "
"Studying … Studying is the best way to change one's fate." Yang Huan was not the same as she was half a year ago. With more experience, Yang Huan had a deeper understanding of how studying could change one's fate.
"We used to have a school in the mountain. It was built by an old grandpa who passed away a long time ago. Later, the village sent us a private teacher named Tao Shuping. I learned how to read and count from Grandpa Tao. Grandpa Tao didn't know English, but he was really responsible and taught us the basic knowledge patiently. Until one day, Grandpa Tao told me that Ding Xiang should go back to the village to study in middle school. That way, you can learn more … "Ding Xiang seemed to be reminiscing as she told Yang Huan about the past.
With Grandpa Tao's help, Ding Xiang walked out of the village. However, when she was in high school, Grandpa Tao's health deteriorated and he passed away. Nevertheless, he still left some money for her to finish high school. Ding Xiang had to work and save up for the rest of the journey. She slowly made her way out by herself.
"What happened next? What happened to the school after Grandpa Tao passed away? "Yang Huan asked, wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes. Her eyes were brimming with tears.
After Grandpa Tao left, the school was once again abandoned. Although a few civilian teachers came one after another, not all of them had the same selfless dedication as Grandpa Tao. All of them were frightened by the hardships of White Potion Stronghold. The longest one stayed there for two weeks before all of them ran away!
Ding Xiang wanted to finish high school and come back to teach, but the uncles and grandmas in the village didn't agree. They said that Ding Xiang was the first university student in the village and had to go back to school. She wanted to set an example for the children.
"Then what should we do? Another generation won't have the chance to study, "Yang Huan said worriedly.
"It's fine. It's fine now." Ding Xiang smiled.
Last winter, when Ding Xiang returned home, not only did she bring her grandmother down the mountain to see a doctor, but she also went to the village and found a solution to the lack of teachers willing to come to the village to teach the children. She personally paid for the private teachers and used money to keep them. She even hired two teachers to take turns teaching on the mountain. This solved the problem of not being able to reunite with their families for years on the mountain.
Yang Huan was shocked when she heard Ding Xiang's story.
"No wonder. Sister Ding Xiang, I was wondering why you were so reluctant to spend money!" Yang Huan looked at Ding Xiang and said, touched.
That's right, everything makes sense now!
Previously, Yang Huan and Guo Ziyi had been wondering why Ding Xiang was reluctant to spend the high salary that Yang Yi gave her. She couldn't even afford to buy herself a new set of clothes. She usually wore the same old clothes.
Yang Huan was different. Although she didn't spend lavishly, she wasn't as poor as before after her family's situation improved. She was willing to spend the money she needed. Usually, when she asked Ding Xiang to go shopping for clothes, Ding Xiang would always reject her. She even took out the clothes that Mo Fei gave her before and said to Yang Huan, "I have so many new clothes that I can't even wear them all!"
That's right! Guo Ziyi once suggested to Ding Xiang that she get a loan to buy a house in Jiangcheng. It was a profitable investment, but Ding Xiang didn't agree to it.
It turned out that all the money she saved was used here.
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