PCJ – Chapter 302 The Moon Outside the Mountain

Xu Xuehe arranged for Zhang Jiaohua to sit below the platform, but while he could control Zhang Jiaohua’s body, he couldn’t control his mind. While Xu Xuehe was teaching about the high sky, light clouds, and geese flying south, Zhang Jiaohua sat below thinking, “The Geng You directions bring prosperity, and everything is auspicious. The great river flows unusually. Flow to Yin Jia brings honor, and flow to break Geng Shen ensures escape.”

This was what Shi Qingwang mentioned to Zhang Jiaohua about the Twenty-Four Mountains. Shi Qingwang had only said it once, but Zhang Jiaohua memorized it immediately. If others knew of this memory ability, they would surely exclaim he was a child prodigy. But for Zhang Jiaohua, this was far too ordinary. The books Luo Yongming had lent him, Zhang Jiaohua only had to read once, and he remembered them all, as if he had photographed them into his mind. This was the power of the Meishan Water Masters. What seemed difficult to ordinary people was the most ordinary thing for them.

Xu Xuehe, seeing Zhang Jiaohua sitting attentively during the lesson, thought he was listening intently, assuming his plan had worked. Little did he know, what Zhang Jiaohua was thinking had nothing to do with the class. Not even in his dreams had Zhang Jiaohua seen a real Twenty-Four Mountain Sweeping Dogs. Even the old Taoist master had only heard of them. It seemed that only the ancestral master had ever achieved this. So, as for what the Twenty-Four Sweeping Dogs actually looked like, Zhang Jiaohua could only speculate. Of course, he had already noticed that although he had over forty mountain dogs, and they were quite imposing in Meishan, driving the wild beasts into the skies, there still seemed to be something missing among the dogs. Though they had great momentum, they always lacked that overwhelming force.

Sitting in the classroom, Zhang Jiaohua’s mind had already soared to the heavens. When school ended, he got up and went home without knowing what homework had been assigned.

The next day, Xu Xuehe realized Zhang Jiaohua hadn’t done his homework, so he called him into the office.

“Zhang Jiaohua, all the other students handed in their homework. Why didn’t you?” Xu Xuehe asked.

“I’m the only one in the class who can score 100. Principal Ma said if you get 100, you don’t have to hand in homework,” Zhang Jiaohua replied confidently. Ma Lixiong had indeed said that.

“Alright, but next time, if you don’t get 100, you’ll have to do your homework,” Xu Xuehe responded, already planning to make sure Zhang Jiaohua wouldn’t score 100 next time.

“Principal Ma said for language class, anything above 90 is fine,” Zhang Jiaohua said as he reached the door, suddenly recalling something and turning back.

Xu Xuehe felt like running to Principal Ma’s office to confront him. How could a principal say such irresponsible things?

Meanwhile, Zhang Wenrong, Zhang Jiagen, and Zhang Hanggou, who had been away from Meizi’ao for over a month, were experiencing life away from home for the first time. At first, the bustling big city overwhelmed them. After arriving in Guangdong, they smoothly entered a factory. In the beginning, wearing a factory badge and going to work on time made them feel a sense of novelty, almost like the city folks who earned a state salary. It was a great honor.

However, after a month, they began to realize that Guangdong wasn’t heaven. The endless work on the assembly line wasn’t a problem for them, as they were used to physical labor. But the monotonous, repetitive labor was far more tedious than cutting grass for pigs.

“Brother Rong, I miss home. Don’t you?” Zhang Jiagen said tearfully.

“Don’t be weak. Do you want Jiaohua to look down on you? That eight-year-old kid could manage a huge horticultural field all by himself. If we adults can’t make something of ourselves, how can we go back to Meizi’ao?” Zhang Wenrong retorted. But deep down, who didn’t miss home? Every time he dreamt of home and heard his parents’ voices, he thought he was back. But when he opened his eyes, he was still in this somewhat cold place. Although Guangdong’s weather wasn’t cold, the people here were much colder than the folks from Meizi’ao.

Zhang Hanggou wiped his eyes, hiding the tears from Zhang Wenrong and Zhang Jiagen.

“Don’t hide it. We all feel the same. Who doesn’t miss home? But we have to make something of ourselves! I refuse to believe we’re worse than anyone else! Brothers, we must fight for it!” Zhang Wenrong said loudly, wrapping his arms around Zhang Jiagen and Zhang Hanggou’s shoulders.

“Let’s fight!” Zhang Hanggou and Zhang Jiagen shouted together.

In such a large city, every individual was insignificant. They had to stick together to survive in this cold, concrete jungle.

Back in the village, Xu Xuehe had finally gotten some mimeograph paper and test sheets from the principal, Ma Lixiong. He spent half a day carefully preparing a unit test. This was a luxury for Meizi’ao Elementary School. If Ma Lixiong knew he was making such a big deal just to make Zhang Jiaohua do his homework, he would probably teach Xu Xuehe a lesson on the spot. The test papers were meant to be saved for the graduating class. In this era, moving from elementary to middle school was still a major hurdle. Less than 50% of Meizi’ao students went on to middle school. To get more students to that level, Ma Lixiong organized remedial classes every year for the sixth graders. There was no extra pay, and even the materials were hard to come by.

But Xu Xuehe was determined to stump Zhang Jiaohua, so he made the test especially difficult. He didn’t consider how it would affect the other kids in the class.

Fortunately, the rural kids were used to pressure, and nobody made a big fuss about the hard exam. Instead, they compared how many questions they couldn’t answer and even laughed about it.

Xu Xuehe, who came from the city, was puzzled. This didn’t seem like the same world he was used to. How could these kids be so carefree? Worst of all, he couldn’t stump Zhang Jiaohua. Any reasonable teacher would have to give him a high score.

Zhang Jiaohua, oblivious to Xu Xuehe’s schemes, was simply enjoying life.

In the meantime, while Zhang Jiaohua let the monkey leader stay where it liked, it had taken a liking to the horticultural field as its home. During this season, chestnuts and hazelnuts were ripe, and the monkey leader would collect them and bring them back in sacks. Now, Zhang Jiaohua didn’t even need to go out and gather the nuts himself.

One day, Xu Xuehe found Zhang Jiaohua roasting chestnuts over the fire and couldn’t help but say, “You’re so smart. It’s such a pity that you’re not studying seriously. You could go to college, and once you’ve gone to college, everything would be different.”

“What’s different about going to college?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

“You can work in a big city, earn a high salary, and live in tall buildings with electric lights and telephones. Haven’t you seen how city life looks on TV?” Xu Xuehe asked.

“But after college, I still have to work?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

“Yes, but you can have a more comfortable job and make more money,” Xu Xuehe explained.

“Work is to make money, and money is to support your family. Isn’t that the idea?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

Xu Xuehe nodded, “Yes, but going to college is more than just about making money. It helps you understand the meaning of life and realize your value.”

“So, if I can already make a lot of money now, does that mean I’m already valuable? Why should I keep studying then?” Zhang Jiaohua asked, puzzled.

“Value isn’t just measured in money. Studying helps you understand more about life. You should have big dreams. Zhang Jiaohua, you should leave Meizi’ao and see the world outside. Only then will you understand what I’m telling you today,” Xu Xuehe said.

“Teacher Xu, why did you study so much, only to end up back here in Meizi’ao?” Zhang Jiaohua asked, delivering a question that left Teacher Xu speechless.

Xu Xuehe had been enjoying the aroma of roasted chestnuts, but Zhang Jiaohua’s question nearly made him choke on one. Forget it, this child was a lost cause. Xu Xuehe left Meizi’ao Elementary dejected, carrying a bag of chestnuts back with him. Zhang Jiaohua’s world was finally peaceful again.

However, Teacher Xu’s words did have an impact. As Zhang Jiaohua gazed up at the moon, he often wondered, What is the world outside really like? Is the moon there even rounder? Why do they all want to leave?