Chapter 2 Chapter two

After some arrangement, Fang Siying's small dormitory for singles is very refreshing, elegant and clean. On the window, there are brand-new curtains with light green striped flowers. On the bed, there are beige and coffee-colored bedspreads, a small rattan tea table, covered with a crocheted tablecloth, and two rattan chairs. There are two black satin cushions, on the small desk, there is a small table lamp with a beige lampshade, and in a green glazed vase, there are a few emerald green bamboos just picked from the hillside behind. .A few simple cosmetics are placed on a small dressing table.

After everything was set up, Fang Silk sat down in the chair in front of the desk, looking around the room, she felt confused and couldn't believe it.Come to think of it, a few months ago, she was far away, with a high-paying job and a luxurious apartment house.But now, she is staying in a small school in the suburbs of Taiwan, working as a primary school teacher, which is simply unbelievable!She still remembers what Mr. Zhang from the Ministry of Education who introduced her to this school said to her: I don’t know you, Ms. Fang. With your qualifications, the Ministry of Education can easily introduce you to any university as a lecturer. , why did you choose this Zhengxin National Primary School?Elementary school teachers are not paid well, and it is not easy to teach, you have to know phonetic symbols.

I will phonetic symbols, don't worry, Mr. Zhang, I will be competent and happy.This is her answer at the time.I don't want to be a lecturer, I like children, and college students scare me! But why do you choose to be righteous?Can another school do it? Oh no.I just hope it's honest, I like the environment there. Now, she is staying in the staff dormitory of Zhengxin Primary School. Leaning on the window, she can see the green hills in the distance, the hillside outside the school, the tea gardens all over the hillside, and the sparse bamboo forests.Yes, the environment here is picturesque, but is it only the environment that made her so determined to stay and teach?Or is there some other inexplicable reason?She also remembered Principal Liu here, that fat, good-tempered woman in her forties, who showed surprise and amazement towards her.

Oh, Ms. Fang, I have wronged you so much to teach here! No, this is the job I've wanted for a long time.Knowing her foreign master's degree surprised the principal, she said. So, would you like to be a sixth grade tutor? sixth grade?I'm afraid I won't be able to teach the graduating class. If possible, can I teach the fifth grade?Ke Ren is the best.Fifth grade, after the summer vacation, the child should be in fifth grade. In this way, she was responsible for fifth grade mathematics. This is the end of the summer vacation, and there are still two days left before school, so she can easily walk around, have a look, and get to know other teachers in the school.She walked to the dressing table and looked at herself with satisfaction. Her hair was loosely tied on top of her head, she had lightly put on some powder, she was wearing a pair of myopia glasses, and she was wearing a plain, dark blue suit.She already looks like a teacher.

Taking a handbag, she walked out of the dormitory.She wanted to go for a walk outside the school. It was dusk, and the field under the setting sun was confusing.Walking out of the school gate, she walked along the main road. On both sides of the main road were tea gardens, and short plants were neatly planted in the fields.She looked at the tea trees and imagined that when picking tea, there were tea picking girls all over the field, with headscarves tied to their heads, hands and feet wrapped with cloth, bent over, and carrying tea baskets. touching. Not long after walking, she saw the Bai house, which looked very beautiful under the light of the setting sun. Outside the wall, it was also surrounded by tea gardens.She stopped for a moment, just as the red door of the Bai residence opened, a 1964 Chevrolet drove out and sped towards Taipei, kicking up a cloud of dust.Chevrolet in 1964!

It is now 1965, and that man is quite wealthy!Fang silk lingered in thought.In the United States, most international students study cars when they have nothing to do, and she has also contracted this habit. Therefore, she can call out the year and name of almost any car at a glance. After crossing the Bai house, she saw the smoke-filled villa again not long after.The burnt house tempted her, she hesitated for a moment, then walked into the iron gate, sure enough, the roses were still blooming well, she picked two branches, stood there, staring at the ruins for a long time.Then, turning around, she walked out.The setting sun burned beautifully in the sky, she took a deep breath, enough, she felt full of heat and strength.

I will never regret my choice! she said to herself. Back in the dormitory, she put two roses into the vase on the desk. The bright red of the roses against the emerald green of the bamboo leaves was bewilderingly beautiful.All night, she was fascinated by this vase.The night was falling, and in the surrounding fields, there were bursts of frog drums and insects. She listened, and then she let out a low, soft sigh.Opening the desk drawer, she took out a stack of letterheads and began to write a letter in English. The content of the letter was: Dear Alex: I am sorry, I have decided to stay in Taiwan and will not return to the United States. Angry, I bless you to find a better woman than me.I can't explain what's going on, it's just a coincidence, that May afternoon, I would go to the suburbs on a whim.Then I was fascinated by a pile of ruins and a little girl

She didn't finish writing the letter, and when she put down the pen, she sighed in vain.It was something inexplicable, Alex would never understand what was going on, she couldn't explain it.He'll think she's crazy!Yes, she stared at the two roses on the desk in a daze, God knows, why did she stay?There is a man overseas who wants to marry her. She is over thirty and should have been married long ago.God knows!She may have really gone crazy! It's been three days since school started. Standing in the classroom, Fang Siying was giving a lecture while looking at the girl sitting in the middle of the first row.She was teaching about chicken and rabbit cages, but the girl didn't look at the blackboard. She rested her chin with a small hand, and cast her eyes out of the window mistyly. There was a kind of concentration on her pale face. Fang Siying couldn't help but follow her gaze and look out the window.Outside the window is the campus, there is a huge banyan tree, and there are a few white clouds floating in the distant sky.Fang Siying stopped lecturing, and called softly: Bai Tingting!

The girl didn't realize it, and was still staring out of the window.Fang Siying couldn't help coughing, raised her voice slightly, and shouted again: Bai Tingting! The child still hasn't heard, her pair of black eyes are deep and dark, not like a child's eyes, and her focused expression is even less like a child, what is occupying the heart of this child?Fang Siying frowned, and raised her voice: Bai Tingting! This time, when the child heard it, she jumped up in shock and stood up. She looked at Fang Siying with a pair of eyes full of panic.Her small, bloodless lips trembled slightly, and her thin fingers nervously grasped the textbooks on the desk.She opened her mouth and said softly: Oh, teacher?

Fang Siying was overwhelmed by this timid and begging tone.She involuntarily relaxed her frowning, and walked to the child's desk.Bai Tingting looked up at her, with a passive expression waiting to be scolded. You didn't listen to the book, Fang Siying's voice was unexpectedly gentle.What are you looking at? Bai Tingting moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue, and Fang Siying's gentle tone and kind eyes encouraged her. There was a bird's nest in that tree, and she said in a low voice: a mother bird kept flying in with something in its mouth, and I was looking to see if there were any chicks.

Fang Silk Ying turned her head, really, in the thick branches and leaves of that tree, a bird's nest was firmly built at the fork of the two branches.Fang Silkying turned her head and looked at Bai Tingting absentmindedly. She couldn't blame the child. Okay, sit down and listen carefully in class, otherwise, how would you understand? She paused and added: After school, come to the staff room and I want to talk to you. oh?teacher?A look of panic appeared on the child's face again. Don't be afraid, she pressed her hand on the child's shoulder soothingly, how thin and small the shoulder is!Nothing, just talking.sit down!Let's go back to the books and forget about the birds. At five o'clock in the afternoon, the flag-lowering ceremony was over.Fang Siying sat in the teachers' lounge, watching Bai Tingting walk in slowly.There is Bai Tingting's homework book spread out on her desk. She has never seen such a bad exercise book. Almost none of the ten four questions are correct, and the mistakes are ridiculous. It makes her wonder how she read it in the fourth grade. .Now, looking at the child standing timidly in front of her, those two thin arms were exposed from under the short sleeves of the white shirt, so thin that they seemed to break if touched.She couldn't help feeling a strong, unspeakable pity and trembling in her heart.What kind of child is this?What kind of life is she leading?Had her parents not noticed her frailty? teacher.Bai Tingting let out a soft cry and lowered his head. Come here, Bai Tingting.Fang Siying pulled her to his side, and carefully examined that delicate and beautiful little face.Do you understand all the books I teach in class? Oh, teacher.The child let out a low cry, lowering his head even lower. Don't understand?Fang Siying tried to keep her voice as gentle as possible.If you don't understand, you should ask me, okay?Your practice is very bad! The child sighed lowly. how?What's your problem?tell me.she asked patiently. I just don't understand, the child sighed and said: Why put the chicken and the rabbit in the same cage?What a hassle!Moreover, the head of a chicken is fundamentally different from that of a rabbit, so why count how many heads and how many feet there are!My old friend has chickens and bunnies and they have never been such a hassle, I can easily count them all!She sighed again. oh!Fang Siying was stunned, facing that innocent little face, she didn't know how to answer.It's just a way, a way to teach you how to count, understand?Her clumsy explanation. The child looked at her with innocent eyes and shook his head. Teach us how to complicate matters?she asked. Oh, mathematics is like this. It uses various methods to test your mind and train your calculation ability. You must accept this kind of training. When you grow up, you will encounter many problems in the future. You need to use what you have learned to solve.do you know? I know, Bai Tingting lowered his eyelids and sighed again.I thought, I'm stupid. No, don't think that way, Fang Siying said quickly, holding the child's two little hands in hers.Her eyes rested on her face with infinite tenderness.I think you are a very smart and lovely child. Two blushes flew on Bai Tingting's cheeks, she quickly raised her eyelashes, and the other party took a lingering look, there was shyness, comfort, and joy in those eyes.A faint smile flickered across the corner of her mouth, and that appearance was charming. Tell me, who's in your family?Fang couldn't help asking, she was suspicious of the child's thinness. Dad, Mom, Ah Zhu, and Lao You.Bai Tingting answered without thinking, and then explained: Yazhu is a maid, and Old You is a driver and a gardener. Oh, Fang Siying was stunned for a moment, and then looked at Bai Tingting carefully.But she said softly: Does your mother like you? The child jumped in surprise, she quickly raised her eyelashes, and looked directly at Fang Siying, those black eyes were burning and menacing. Of course I like it!She almost shouted, her face was flushed with excitement, her breath was short of breath, she looked very angry and full of hostility.They all like me, dad and mom!Lowering her eyelashes, she bit her lips tightly with her thin white teeth, then raised her head again, the hostility in her eyes disappeared, replaced by an almost pleading look.Teacher Fang, she said in a low voice: Don't listen to other people's nonsense, don't listen!My father and mother love me, really!I kid you not, really! There was a serious expression on her small face, which caused Fang Si to feel pain in his heart.Don't listen to other people's nonsense, how do you say this?She looked at the child, and remembered that May afternoon, the blind father, and she took a breath with the child. All right!Bai Tingting, no one doubts that your parents don't love you!She touched the child's hair and found that a braid was loose. She turned her back to her and helped her tie the braid.Turn her face away again.Go back and ask your parents something, okay? OK Go ask your father and mother if they can let you stay at school for an extra hour every day, and I will make up your arithmetic for you.Come to my room after school, and I'll start over for you, otherwise, you won't be able to keep up with work, you know? ok sir. Well, go for it! Goodbye, teacher.The child looked at her again, and there was a special light in his eyes, a kind of gentle, childish, and attachment light, which tightened Fang Siying's heart.She knew that this child liked her, and she knew even more that this child must be living in loneliness, because a little love and care would bring her so much happiness!Watching her retreat towards the door of the teachers' lounge, she couldn't help calling out to her again: There is one more word, Bai Tingting! teacher?The child stopped and turned to look at her. Do you have younger siblings? No. Are your parents the only child of you? Yes. Do you have grandparents? Grandma died three years ago. Grandpa died long ago. I never saw him. oh.Fang looked at Bai Tingting thoughtfully.Well, it's all right, you can go. Bai Tingting left.Fang Silk slumped deeply in the chair, still staring at the door where Bai Tingting disappeared.Holding a pencil in her hand, she subconsciously bit the rubber tip of the pencil with her teeth, and bit the rubber tip into a big gap.It was not until another female teacher came over that she interrupted her meditation. I saw you were asking Bai Tingting, is this kid in trouble?The female teacher asked with a smile. Oh, Fang Silky raised her head. It was Li Yusheng, who taught fifth grade Chinese. She was a very good-tempered and young female teacher. She had been teaching in Zhengxin for three years. In addition to teaching Chinese, she also served as Bai Tingting class tutor.It's nothing, Fang Silkying said: "The grades in math are not good, let's talk to her, this is a very special child!" Yes, very special!Li Yusheng said, pulled up a chair, and sat down opposite Fang Siying.If you saw her composition, you would never believe it was written by an eleven-year-old. how?Well written? great!The imagination is rich enough to surprise you!Li Yusheng shook his head with a smile, sighed and said: This kind of child with partial talent is the most troublesome. She has always been a problem child in our school. Every year, we hold meetings to discuss whether she will be promoted or not. Not good, but Chinese is amazingly good!Don't let that kid fool you, though, it's a gremlin! Trick me?Fang lingered puzzled and said: What do you mean?Did she lie? lie? !Li Yusheng smiled exaggeratedly.She is a master at lying!You will gradually know. how?Fang frowned puzzled. Li Yusheng leaned closer. You are a new teacher, so you must not know the story of her family.Li Yusheng said, with a mysterious look on his face.For as long as humans have existed, women have had an instinct to tell stories. story?Fang Siying frowned even tighter.what story?She stared deeply at Li Yusheng, but what floated in front of her eyes was the shadow of the blind man. Bai Tingting's father is Bai Peiwen, you know Bai Peiwen, right? Fang Siying shook her head. Hey, you really don't know anything!Li Yusheng said.Everyone knows Bai Peiwen's wealth here, have you seen those tea gardens outside the school?That's all from the Bai family!There are more than these tea gardens in his family. In Taipei, he also has a huge tea processing factory.People in this area say that no one can estimate Bai Peiwen's property.It is too rich to set fire to a big house properly! What?Fang Siying was taken aback.What did you say?Set fire to it?Who set the fire? Have you ever noticed a burning house?It's called Hanyan Villa? Yes. It turned out to be the house of Bai's family. It is said that Bai Peiwen set fire to it and burned it down! Bai Peiwen himself?Fang Siying's eyebrows were tightly knotted.Why? Some people said that because the house was haunted, others said that because the house reminded Bai Peiwen of his dead wife, they simply set it on fire and burned it down.However, after the burning, Bai Peiwen regretted it again, so he often ran to the ruins, trying to find his wife's ghost again. his wife?Fang Siying's eyes widened.You mean, his wife is dead? His first wife was also Bai Tingting's biological mother, and now this wife is the second wife. oh.Fang Siying swallowed a mouthful of saliva.He looked blankly at Bai Tingting's exercise book on the desk. It is said that Bai Tingting is not Bai Peiwen's daughter.Li Yusheng went on to say that it seemed that he deliberately wanted to reveal this story little by little, so as to arouse the surprise of those who listened to the story step by step. What?Sure enough, Fang Siying quickly raised her head, her mouth opened wide in surprise.What did you say? That's right, I heard that Bai Peiwen's first wife was a very beautiful and shy little thing, but she didn't come from a good background. It turned out to be a female worker in Bai Peiwen's factory in Taipei, but Bai Peiwen Peiwen fell madly in love with her, and he married her back home despite his family's objections.Two years after marriage, when Bai Tingting was born, an accident happened.It is said that Bai Peiwen found out that his wife was having an affair with a man in charge of a tea garden under him, and drove his wife out of the house in a rage.Unexpectedly, his wife threw herself into the river that night.As for the person in charge of the tea garden, he was also driven away by Bai Peiwen.Therefore, everyone said that Bai Tingting was the daughter of the manager of the tea garden, not Bai Peiwen's. oh!Fang Siying said with difficulty: But she remembered the resemblance between Bai Tingting and her father. That's why, Li Yusheng continued talking on his own, without noticing Fang Siying's confusion.Bai Tingting has not been favored by his father since he was a child, and after having a stepmother, Bai Tingting's life is even more difficult.Besides, Bai Peiwen is blind again Has he been blind for many years? There are always six or seven years. How blind? Can't figure it out.Li Yusheng shook his head.He was injured when he heard that it was a fire. Anyway, this is a legendary family, and any story can happen. Who knows how he was blind? Doesn't the stepmother like Bai Tingting? Li Yusheng smiled subtly. Bai Tingting must tell you that her mother loves her very much, right?She said: I won't say anything, if you are interested in this child, you will discover many stories about her.You are studying education and studying children's psychology. This child is the best research object. You might as well get as close as possible to her. Then, I believe, she pursed her lips and smiled, looking at Fang Siying.The whole school knew that Fang Silk came to teach sincerely just because he was interested in children, unlike their other teachers who had to work.She will amaze you!You try it! Li Yusheng stood up and looked out the window. The sun had already set, and the twilight had already poured in from the window. In the teachers' lounge, the other teachers had already left. Oh, she said in shock: We talked so late, I have to leave right away.She lives in Taipei, hurriedly picked up the handbag, she said: Goodbye. goodbye! Fang silk lingers watching her leave.Then, she was still sitting in that chair, facing the twilight window by herself, staring silently, absent-mindedly, and for a long time.