CapĂtulo 1364: Chapter 1348: They Must All Know_2
Song Xiaodong nodded approvingly and said, âNot bad, the air in the mountains is indeed refreshing.â
Shen Yue secretly let out a sigh of relief upon hearing Wang Yanâs words. Wang Yan said she fell asleep early, which means she couldnât have heard anything from Shen Yueâs room. It seems she really needs to be more careful in the future, otherwise, it would be embarrassing if Wang Yan overheard anything.
Song Xiaodong held Shen Yueâs hand and said, âLetâs go. I reckon there are a lot of things to do today.â
Wang Yan agreed and went downstairs first.
Song Xiaodong and Shen Yue followed behind. Shen Yue suddenly remembered something, blushed again, slowed her pace, and said, âBig Brother Song, Wang Yan must know we spent the night together last night.â
Song Xiaodong squeezed Shen Yueâs hand and smiled, saying, âIf she knows, she knows. Itâs fine. She wonât talk nonsense. Sheâll be your bodyguard in the future.â
âButâŠâ Shen Yue suddenly thought that Wang Yanâs earlier words seemed a bit like she was trying to cover something up. She must have heard something, otherwise, why would she specifically mention going to bed early? This is not something she should be explaining to Song Xiaodong, right?
Chapter 1349 Anticipating Eyes
As the three of them just got downstairs, Village Chief Zhao Qiang walked into the village committee hall. This time he wasnât alone; quite a few people followed him. They were all dressed simply, mostly elderly, and even the two young people looked quite unhealthy.
Additionally, there were quite a few children, ranging from five or six to thirteen or fourteen years old. They were all staring at Shen Yue and the others with excited and eager expressions on their faces.
This village is very remote and lacks resources. The land is barren, and they have to rely on the mountains and water for their livelihood. Most young people leave to work elsewhere, leaving only the elderly and left-behind children.
Zhao Qiang wore a guilty expression on his face and said, âThese are the conditions here. You city people must find it hard to get used to, right?â
If Shen Yue didnât know Zhao Qiangâs tricks, she might be fooled by his act. She now calmly said, âItâs okay, weâre not afraid of hardship.â
Zhao Qiang gave a thumbs up and said, âTeacher Shen is right. Having a teacher like Teacher Shen here is a blessing for these children. Come, letâs have some food first. After eating, Iâll take you to the township to show you the accounts.â
Seeing Zhao Qiang speak so confidently, Shen Yue couldnât help but believe that the accounts might be in order.
Song Xiaodong nodded and said, âThen we will trouble Village Chief Zhao.â
Shen Yue asked, âBy the way, weâre thinking of cooking for ourselves in the future. Is there a place to cook here?â
Zhao Qiang waved his hand and said, âThereâs no need for all that trouble. The villagers are all very happy to have you here. Every household says theyâll invite you for meals, so you wonât need to cook for a few days.â
Shen Yue quickly said, âThat wonât work, it would be too much trouble for everyone. We better cook for ourselves.â
Zhao Qiang waved his hand and said, âTeacher Shen, youâre being too polite. Youâre helping our village. Whether or not they have children, everyone appreciates it. Having a meal at their house is nothing big, right?â
âYes, yes, itâs just a meal. Come to our place to eat.â
âYes, indeed. Youâre benefactors to our children. Weâve never had a good teacher here. Not just one meal, Iâd be happy to invite you every day.â
âIâm just worried whether the two of you can get used to our food as we donât have much to offer.â
Moved by everyoneâs warmth, Shen Yue quickly said, âThank you for your kindness, but I wonât be here just for a day or two. My main job is to teach the children. Disturbing everyone makes me uncomfortable, so weâll cook for ourselves. I hope you understand.â
An old lady suggested, âHow about this: whenever someone makes something tasty, they can bring some to the two teachers.â
âYes, that sounds great.â
Everyone agreed immediately, and Zhao Qiang loudly said, âSince the two teachers have decided, letâs build a small kitchen here at the village committee. Any objections?â
âNo objections, no objections!â Everyone agreed immediately.
âWe can gather a few people and have the kitchen built in a day.â
âYes, letâs gather some firewood too. The two teachers surely wonât cut firewood themselves, so weâll handle that from now on.â
The villagers were incredibly enthusiastic and started organizing the construction of the small kitchen immediately.
Zhao Qiang said, âAlright, you all go ahead and take care of it. Build it by the wall over there. Iâll take the two teachers to eat, and then we still have to go to the township.â
âTeacher, you wonât leave and not return, will you?â a little girl asked timidly.
âNo, we wonât leave.â
The little girl pouted, eyes brimming with tears, and said, âBut the previous teachers all said they would go to the township and then never came back.â
Shen Yue quickly bent down, hugged the little girl regardless of her dirty clothes, and said, âI will definitely come back. Iâd never lie to you.â
Perhaps feeling Shen Yueâs sincerity, the little girl smiled suddenly. Once Shen Yue released her, she excitedly ran to the other children and shouted, âTeacher said she wonât leave and wonât lie to us.â
All the other children looked at Shen Yue with excitement.
Shen Yue waved and said, âTeacher will be back tonight.â
All the children waved and said, âGoodbye, Teacher!â
Zhao Qiang led Song Xiaodong and the others out of the village committee hall, while Shen Yue softly said to Song Xiaodong by his side, âBig Brother Song, did you see those children? Theyâre so eager for teachers. Seeing their eyes makes coming here feel incredibly worthwhile.â
Song Xiaodong nodded and said, âYes, itâs indeed a noble thing to do. Not just the kids, the parents also hope youâll stay, which is why theyâre doing their best to treat you with the best they have.â
Shen Yue clenched her fists and said, âNo matter the difficulties, I have to stay.â
Song Xiaodong held Shen Yueâs hand and said, âListening to you makes me want to stay too.â
Shen Yue instinctively exclaimed with excitement, âThen stay!â But she quickly pouted and said, âBig Brother Song, how could you stay here? You have so much to do, youâre so busy.â
âAlthough I canât stay for now, maybe someday. At the very least, Iâll get more involved in charity projects like Hope Project. I really havenât done much in this area before.â
âThatâs great, that means bringing you here wasnât in vain, itâs worth it!â Shen Yue beamed, feeling thrilled to have recruited someone as wealthy as Song Xiaodong for the children in this impoverished area. This ensures more children can get a good education.
Zhao Qiang turned his head, smiling as he asked, âBrother, what work do you do?â
Song Xiaodong smiled and said, âIâm just a teacher.â
âOh, so youâre a teacher too.â Zhao Qiang quickly lost interest.
Zhao Qiang didnât realize that Song Xiaodong wasnât lying; heâs actually a teacher, though a university professor is just one of his identities. Not wanting to reveal his true identity, Zhao Qiang underestimated them, thinking these three couldnât stir up much trouble here.