PCJ – Chapter 101 An unexpected discovery

Although Xizi was very attached to Zhang Jiaohua, as soon as night fell, he would look for his parents. So, early the next morning, Liu Biao and Zhao Lanying took Xizi back home.

Not long after, the school started laying the foundation, assigning tasks to each student to bring farming tools like hoes and dustpans from home. Even though Zhang Jiaohua was still in the first grade, he was given the task to bring a hoe.

In the morning, a large group of children walked to school carrying hoes, lined up like a production team heading to work. Villagers couldn’t help but stop and watch.

“It’s been years since I’ve seen such a grand scene. I remember when the commune was building the reservoir, thousands of people worked together. The loudspeakers could be heard for miles, and there were hundreds of red flags fluttering. It was a sea of red at the Meishan Reservoir.”

“Yeah, and not just the reservoir. When the production team went to work, the whole team lined up, looking more impressive than these little kids.”

“What’s going on with this school? Why are they making such young kids work? My boy never does chores at home. I want him to focus on his studies and get out of here someday.”

…

“Jiaohua, why aren’t you in a hurry? You’re going to be late.” Liu Qiaoye pulled the still-drowsy Zhang Jiaohua out of bed. He almost brushed his teeth and washed his face with his eyes closed, only waking up a bit while eating breakfast. When he picked up his hoe to leave, there were less than ten minutes before class started. Although Meizi’ao Primary School wasn’t far, it still took about ten minutes to walk there.

Zhang Jiaohua wasn’t interested in school at all, and the teachers rarely paid attention to him, so he wasn’t in a rush. At this time, rural parents didn’t emphasize their children’s education much. Meizi’ao hadn’t produced a single college student in years, and even high school graduates were rare. Without any academically outstanding neighbors, Zhang Jiaohua’s childhood was relatively carefree and happy so far.

“I’m going to school, never late, love to learn and work hard, grow up to serve the people. The sun is shining, flowers smile at me, the birds say early, early…”

“Early my foot. Jiaohua, you’re still singing? The sun’s almost up, and if you move any slower, school will be over before you get there.” Zhang Enzhong, carrying a load of tofu, couldn’t help but comment as he passed by. Remembering how he lost a hundred yuan last time because of Zhang Jiaohua’s tricks, Zhang Enzhong slapped his own mouth. Speaking ill of Zhang Jiaohua was expensive.

Zhang Jiaohua rolled his eyes and ignored him.

“Jiaohua, I was just joking.” Zhang Enzhong got nervous when Zhang Jiaohua didn’t respond. A silent dog bites hard. What if Zhang Jiaohua decided to get back at him later? He hurried to catch up and tugged at Zhang Jiaohua’s hand.

“Jiaohua, say something. I was just joking.”

Zhang Jiaohua angrily thrust his hoe into the dirt, “Are you annoying? I’m almost late, and you keep bothering me. Do you want me to be late?”

“Uh?” Zhang Enzhong scratched his head, “You better hurry then.”

He was still a bit uneasy.

Zhang Jiaohua pouted, pulled out the hoe, and continued walking.

…

“Our first grade doesn’t have much work, just digging around the edges. Be careful. Don’t point the hoe at anyone, and no jokes. It’s easy to get hurt. Anyone who messes around will get their ears pulled off by me.” Gong Ziyuan wasn’t worried about parents complaining about corporal punishment; parents often told teachers to be strict. Being “sold out” by their parents, the kids had to endure. They envied Zhang Jiaohua, who seemed above it all, but couldn’t be like him and command respect from the teachers.

“Zhang Jiaohua, you don’t have to dig. Just watch your classmates. If anyone slacks off, report to me, and I’ll deal with them.” With this assignment, Zhang Jiaohua became the “secret agent” of the class.

Zhang Jiaohua, not keen on digging, gladly accepted the task.

The main workforce was the older students, led by the teachers, who first cleared away weeds and bushes. The larger trees had already been removed by the teachers, but much work remained. Everyone worked hard, proud to contribute to building the school. They could proudly tell future generations about their efforts. Meizi’ao Primary School was built by the villagers’ sweat, and now the students could earn their own glory.

Despite being just a group of kids, their combined effort was formidable.

Zhang Jiaohua and his classmates were stunned by the scene. They had never seen such large-scale labor. Eager to join, they were held back by Gong Ziyuan to avoid chaos.

“Teacher Gong, can we go now?”

“Yeah, when do we start?”

“By the time we get there, the older kids will have done everything.”

The teachers had little expectation from the younger students, just hoping they wouldn’t cause trouble, and didn’t plan to let them work right away.

“What’s the rush? Once the older kids clear the area, there will be work for you.” Gong Ziyuan glared at the troublemakers, silencing them.

Sixth-grader Chen Santou chopped through some bushes and uncovered a wall. Thinking he’d found treasure, he shouted, “Come look! There’s a wall here!”