PCJ – Chapter 387 Anger

A large group of monkeys stared wide-eyed at Curly Hair.

“Oh my god! Where did all these monkeys come from?” Curly Hair exclaimed. Then he saw a mass of black dots approaching him. By the time he realized that the black dots were pine cones, it was already too late to avoid them. The pine cones fell on his head like rain, sounding like a stick hitting a wooden fish, echoing with a thud, thud, thud.

“Ah!” Curly Hair and several other young men cried out in horror, clutching their heads and running back. Wang Yiyun quickly got up from the ground and, imitating Curly Hair and the others, held his head and ran toward the direction of Yidushui Middle School.

After running a long way, the rain of pine cones finally stopped.

“Why did you bring Wang Yiyun here for us to teach a lesson? Where is Wang Yiyun?” Zhang Jiaohua suddenly appeared before them.

Curly Hair looked back and saw Wang Yiyun following behind, so he had no choice but to walk over nervously. “Cousin, I’m sorry. It looks like you’re going to have a rough time today. Otherwise, we’re all doomed.”

“Cousin, what do you mean? Hey, Sha Mingyuan! If you dare to hit me, I’ll tell my aunt to deal with you when we go back!” Wang Yiyun was slapped in the face by Curly Hair.

Curly Hair sighed and smiled helplessly, “If it weren’t for you, would my brothers and I be in this mess? If you’re going to provoke others, you need to be more cautious, you know? If you want to die, that’s your business, but I want to live a bit longer! You should focus on your studies and stop causing trouble. How many times have I had to clean up after you? I’m telling you, if you provoke someone again, don’t come looking for me. Otherwise, I’ll end up dead because of you!”

Sha Mingyuan personally gave Wang Yiyun a beating, then walked up to Zhang Jiaohua, putting on a smiling face. “Brother, I’ve already taught this kid a lesson. He won’t dare to provoke you again.”

“Hmm, you all remember this. Don’t let me see you at Yidushui Middle School again, or I’ll beat you every time I see you,” Zhang Jiaohua warned Sha Mingyuan with narrowed eyes.

“Yes, yes, we won’t dare to come back again,” Sha Mingyuan hurriedly led the group of young men away.

Wang Yiyun was beaten to tears and trembling with fear, lying on the ground and not daring to get up.

“Wang Yiyun, stop pretending to be dead. We won’t hit you; it would dirty our hands! Why are you such a loser? You still dare to call those punks to our school to cause trouble; you really are something! I warn you, if I hear you bullying someone again, watch out, or we’ll really deal with you!” Zhang Yuanbao walked over and kicked Wang Yiyun a couple of times.

“We’re leaving! Let’s go play basketball.” Zhang Jiaohua called, and a group of people immediately headed for the playground.

“Jiaohua, are you guys alright? I heard that some punks were looking for trouble with you. We came over but didn’t see you; we were about to go look for you!”

“Yeah, if you encounter something like this again, just shout, and we’ll come over.”

“We from Meizi’ao won’t let anyone bully us.”

…

These guys all came from Meizi’ao and were fond of playing basketball. They were all quite spirited; if someone from their village was bullied, no one would stand by idly.

“It’s alright, we taught them a lesson. They won’t dare to come back again,” Zhang Yuanbao said.

Just like that, they passed a mundane week. Zhang Jiaohua and Zhang Yuanbao went to the county town, and when they returned, Nie Tong had already come back to school.

“Jiaohua, thank you. My grandfather’s foot has almost healed. Not only is his foot better, but many of his other ailments have also improved a lot. He asked me to thank you and wanted me to give you this.” Nie Tong held out a wooden carving of a deity, exquisitely detailed yet new, suggesting it was recently carved.

“This craftsmanship is really good. Did your grandfather carve this?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

“Yes. My grandfather used to learn the craft and was particularly skilled at carving. Unfortunately, his eyesight deteriorated with age, and he couldn’t do it anymore. I don’t know what happened, but after drinking the water you made, not only did his foot improve, but his eyesight has also gotten a lot better. He carved this at home these past few days and asked me to bring it to you,” Nie Tong explained.

“This craftsmanship is impressive! How about this: let’s go ask Teacher Cai for a leave and visit your home to help your grandfather’s eyesight fully recover,” Zhang Jiaohua suggested, knowing how to help Nie Tong after seeing the carving.

“Jiaohua, you’ve already helped us a lot. I really don’t know how to thank you,” Nie Tong said, deeply touched.

“Why say that? I’ll need your help with something in the future,” Zhang Jiaohua patted Nie Tong on the shoulder.

Hearing that Zhang Jiaohua wanted to go to Nie Tong’s home, Cai Kaiming did not object; instead, he wanted to accompany them. “Let’s go together. Once we sort things out, we’ll come back together. I’m worried about you two kids walking alone at night.”

Cai Kaiming was not really worried about the two kids walking at night. In rural areas like Yidushui Township, it was not a big deal for kids to walk at night, especially since they were both already in middle school.

When they saw Nie Tong’s home, Cai Kaiming was shocked. He could not imagine that Nie Tong lived in such an environment. The poverty in the countryside could reach such extremes. This situation was something he had only seen in extremely rare TV reports before; this was the first time he had seen such a vivid scene.

Nie Tong’s grandfather was deeply touched to see Zhang Jiaohua and his grandson’s teacher come. He wanted to get up to host them, but there was nothing at home, not even a cup of tea to offer.

“Old man, don’t be polite. I never expected your situation to be so difficult. I will honestly report your condition to the school when I go back, trying to get the school to waive some of Nie Tong’s tuition,” Cai Kaiming said.

“Thank you, thank you,” Nie Tong’s grandfather kept expressing his gratitude.

“Come, let me see how your leg is recovering. Does it still hurt?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

“It doesn’t hurt anymore. I feel like I can walk now,” Nie Tong’s grandfather replied.

“It’s fine to move around a bit, but be careful not to strain yourself or do heavy work. Otherwise, you could easily get injured again, and then it could lead to disability. I won’t be able to treat you anymore. If you don’t overdo it, your leg will heal after this period. I’m here today to help treat your eyes; afterward, you’ll be able to carve again. Our Meizi’ao tea factory needs many bamboo carvings, and doing this work pays more than picking tea in the mountains,” Zhang Jiaohua explained.

“Aren’t people from Meizi’ao not allowed to carve bamboo tubes for outsiders?” Nie Tong’s grandfather asked.

“Really? I didn’t know that,” Zhang Jiaohua found it strange.

“Can we really do that?” Nie Tong’s grandfather asked.

“Of course! The Meizi’ao tea factory is running short on bamboo carvings. They lack skilled craftsmen. Once your eyesight is better, I’ll take you to Meizi’ao, and you can work in the tea factory carving bamboo tubes,” Zhang Jiaohua assured him.

“That would be great!” Nie Tong’s grandfather excitedly grasped Zhang Jiaohua’s hand tightly. He began to see new hope in life. Previously, when his eyesight failed him and he couldn’t do skilled work, and his health started to decline—especially when he injured his foot—he felt like he was not only unable to help Nie Tong but had become a burden. During that time, he had even contemplated ending his own life. If he hadn’t been worried about leaving Nie Tong alone, he might have already done so. Unexpectedly, now there was hope for life again. In fact, he wasn’t even at the end of his life yet; he wasn’t even sixty!

Zhang Jiaohua treated Nie Tong’s grandfather, focusing this time on his eyesight.

By the time they returned to school, it was already dark. However, with the guidance of Zuan Mountain Leopard, the three of them were not afraid at all as they traversed the mountains.

“Jiaohua, how did you learn so much?” Cai Kaiming was astonished by Zhang Jiaohua’s treatment methods. Previously, he might have thought this was just superstition, but now he had changed his view on the Meishan Water Method. Nie Tong’s grandfather was living proof.

“I learned it gradually,” Zhang Jiaohua replied vaguely. The experiences from his dreams were difficult to articulate; if he told others, they might not believe him. So, he chose to be a bit vague.

“Jiaohua, can you really get the Meizi’ao tea factory to accept the bamboo tubes my grandfather carves?” Nie Tong asked, worry evident on his face.

“Of course! Just wait and see!” Zhang Jiaohua confidently reassured him.