Winter vacations arrive
Waking up in the morning, I discovered that the house was especially dark, but the outside was especially bright. Opening the door to look, the outside had already become a world of white. The snowflakes were dancing in the air filling up the sky. There was no time for me to change shoes, as I directly stepped on to the Shai valley plains wearing cotton shoes. I wanted to leave behind my footprints in the first snow of this new year. This was exactly the kind of a thing that children of my age liked to do. Unfortunately, my cotton shoes didn’t leave behind any pattern in the snow.
“YangYang, hurry up and come back! You shoes will go wet and you will die of cold.” Grandpa shouted immediately when he saw me.
Teacher Lin was also very happy, as she dashed into the snow and grabbing onto a lump of snow, she threw it towards me.
“Huh?” I didn’t think that Teacher Lin would behave like this. I had always regarded Teacher Lin as an adult and an elder. Of course there were also the special feelings that an adolescent has towards a beautiful girl. However, I didn’t think that Teacher Lin was actually very young. She is also only 18-19 years old, and she also similarly loves beautiful things.
Black bean also at the sight of something new, came running over to me cheerfully, and began bouncing vivaciously in front of me.
The three patterned pigs also dashed into the snow, believing it to be rice, they thought of eating it heartily. As they dashed into the snow they began gulping it down by big mouthfuls. The three piglets especially liked eating, disliked not eating. They also weren’t picky about the food. If evaluated by the standards of a child, then this would make for definitely the most well behaved child.
Having eaten snow for almost half a day, but they still weren’t satisfied. The three piglets resentfully returned to the pig pen to go sleep. Leaving behind the most shameful and ugly patterns in the Shai valley plains. These three fellows were also disappointed with the result.
“Huang Jingyang, let’s make a snowman!” Teacher Lin suggested.
Grandpa quickly called me back to change into a pair of rubber boots.
Having changed into the rubber boots, I was able to run laps around the Shai valley plains, so just then started piling up the snowman along with Teacher Lin.
The first lump of snow after being rolled into a big s...o...b..ll, const.i.tuted the snowman’s torso. Another ball of snow was rolled into a bit smaller s...o...b..ll, and together with Teacher Lin placed the smaller s...o...b..ll on top of the bigger s...o...b..ll, thereby making it the head of the snowman. After that came the time for decorating the snowman. Before long, a giant snowman was already standing in the Shai valley plains.
With the sudden snow, this meant that the year had almost pa.s.sed, and the winter vacations were approaching soon. I was looking forward to the winter vacations period, but actually did not notice that Teacher Lin would want to return home.
This was problem which was a big dilemma for me. The free time of winter vacation is for every child, no matter whether his scores are good, his performance is bad. All this time, I had been looking forward to the vacations. However, I was forced to face a problem. As the semester had ended, Teacher Lin was preparing to go home.
“Huang Jingyang, after Teacher Lin goes back, you must maintain your habit of studying every day. Every day you must persist in practicing writing characters with the ink brush. You must also read daily. You are very intelligent, you must get out of Ba Jiao Village. You cannot stay here for a life time, you know? Outside is a much bigger world.” I agreed to each of Teacher Lin’s requests.
“Teacher Lin, will you be coming back to Ba Jiao village, next year?” I seemingly had a premonition of something.
Teacher Lin didn’t speak for a very long time.
“Teacher Lin, don’t go.” Also though I knew from a very long time that Teacher Lin did not belong to BaJiao village, and she can’t stay in BaJiao village, however, really facing this kind of a fact, for me as a seven year old child, was really somewhat cruel.
“I don’t know. My family members want me to return. I don’t know if I would be able to come next year or not.” Teacher Lin couldn’t bear to tell me the truth, but also didn’t want to deceive me, because sooner or later I would come to know of the truth.
“Do you want to marry your boyfriend? He is not a good person.” My face was already full of tears, but I was still worried that after Teacher Lin goes back then she will get hurt.
“Don’t worry, Teacher Lin will not marry him. Teacher Lin will wait for you to grow up and come marry Teacher Lin.” Teacher Lin said as she smiled unwillingly, while gently wiping the tears flowing down her face.
I don’t know how the world of adults is like, but I am not able of stopping each and everything from happening.
I had already learned several hundred seal script characters, but able to bring out the charm only in 天 and 地 characters. After writing 地, I have been trying to comprehend the way of writing 雷 character. However, I have been unable to grasp even the basic outline. 震 represents 雷, however I always fall short of controlling the imposing manner of thunder and lightning. Therefore, it is only natural that I cannot bring out the charm in writing it. 天 and 地 after being written are capable of bringing tranquility and feeling of relaxation, however I know that if the 雷 character is written, then afraid that it would provoke the divine thunder from nine heavens. Even if I am able comprehend this kind of an imposing manner, I am afraid that I would have no means to write it down. Writing it down would mean injuring somebody, or perhaps even bringing harm to myself.
[TLNote: So basically after 天 = Sky, and 地 = Earth, He is now looking at 雷 = Thunder. Also, 震 is the Bagua representation of the thunder.]
Teacher Lin didn’t dare make me spend too much energy comprehending the charm of the characters, because she was afraid that I would suffer a mishap.
“Everything will come naturally, will be able to write characters well, don’t excessively pursue the charm of the characters. You are the only one your Grandpa can rely on, if you have an accident, then later who would take care of Grandpa in the future?”
I turned a deaf ear to Teacher Lin’s repeated urging, I had only one thought: Teacher Lin is going to go. After that it is unlikely for someone to treat me the same way as Teacher Lin did.
My heart had become empty and desolate, even so much that I forgot that I had to cut hogweeds. Early morning, I forgot to remember that the fish gra.s.s needed to be cut. Luckily, my house’s chicken, ducks, geese, pigs and ox can all go out to forage for food by themselves. They always knew that the plains had been covered with thick layer of snow, but upturning this snow, food can be gathered from under it. The fishes in the pond were hidden underwater during the winter, lying motionless. There wouldn’t be much problem even if they aren’t fed for a while. Grandpa scattered some boiled sweet potatoes, and also fed somethings to the ducks, geese, chicken and pigs.
Grandpa sometimes would also lovingly stroke my head with his hands. Ever since those two years of half-consciousness, I had for a long time didn’t care for someone to this extent. However, Teacher Lin was like a phoenix, Ba Jiao Village cannot keep a phoenix.
“Teacher Lin is a cultured person, how could we make Teacher Lin stay in this poor mountain nest of ours? Hurry up and grow up, after growing up, get out of this Ba Jiao village of ours and then you would be able to see Teacher Lin.”
I was suffocating from my broken heart, as I said while choking: “I just can’t bear to part with Teacher LIn.”
No matter whether you like it or not, what ought to come will always come. That day when Teacher Lin was to leave, the snow uncle also became bigger, feathers-like snow fluttered in the wind, capable of removing all footprints, wiping them clean. I insisted on sending off Teacher Lin to the village entrance, where Teacher Lin would sit in the car that had come to pick her up.
“Huang Jingyang, you need not send me off. You must have faith in Teacher Lin, after sometime I will come and see you.” Teacher Lin handed her favourite hat to me, while snowflakes fell down on to my body.
I didn’t speak, just kept forcefully moving forward.
“Teacher Lin, you had better let him send you off. He will not go back without sending you off.” Grandpa knew my temperament the best.
As regards Teacher Lin, tears were flowing from her eyes unprohibited.
“Huang Jingyang, you must listen to your Grandpa. You must study well, and in the future get out of this Ba Jiao Village!”
“Teacher Lin, I will seek you out in the future.”
“Good. Teacher Lin will be waiting for you.”
The wind on that day was particularly strong, whistling and whinnying.
An SUV stopped in front of the village entrance, its exhaust was constantly emitting white smoke.
“Master, the mountain road ahead is very bad, go a bit slow.” Grandpa especially walked up to the Master driving the car to say loudly.
At this time, the car’s rear door opened, and from the car, man got out.
It was actually Cui Chenlin!
I was stunned! Teacher Lin was also shocked!
We didn’t expect in the slightest for Cui Chenlin to come at this time.
All of a sudden, I firmly pulled Teacher Lin by her hand: “Teacher Lin, don’t be afraid. I will protect you!”
Cui Chenlin still looked as sinister as the last time, with that gloomy and cold qi on his body having become even denser. His two eyes were completely different from that of a normal person, it seemed as if the insides of his eye sockets had completely become black.
Smiling towards Teacher Lin, he said laughing: “Lin Jing, knowing that you were returning today, I especially came to pick you up.”
Teacher Lin was worried about me the most, as she squatted down besides me before saying into my ear: “Huang Jingyang, you return with Grandpa first. I will take care of everything.”
However at this time, my mental state had already gone awry. Fear, Anger, etc. all kind of negative emotions was making my my mental state very disorderly. All around my body, a gigantic vortex began forming. All kinds of primordial qi from the sky were being drawn into the vortex. The snowflakes there were falling from the sky without any pattern, had suddenly started revolving.
“Ah!” Cui Chenlin was startled upon seeing the white vortex around me.
Without any prior indication whatsoever, a m.u.f.fled thunder sounded out in the sky. It goes without saying that Winter doesn’t have much thunder, let alone it occurring on a snow day. However, today without any basis m.u.f.fled thunder echoed in the sky. There was no lightning, there was no warning.
“I won’t allow this!”
I suddenly shouted in a loud voice.
From my body suddenly leapt out, several bluish silver arcs, naturally these were arcs of electricity.
“Ah!”
I shouted while tightly clenching my fist.
Cui Chenlin rapidly retreated in shock, with the thought of escaping this crisis. However, the lightning was faster than the speed of his escape. A streak of lightning descended from the skies, and directly hit Cui Chenlin. Even though Cui Chenlin was a sorcerous cultivator, but his abilities were only so-so. Being struck by lightning would not have much great of difference compared to an ordinary person. Only, he wasn’t that easy to get rid of, but his crimes were also hard to take. Fortunately, although the thunder and lightning looked very imposing, their might wasn’t that particularly powerful. Cui Chenlin was stunned by the electric shock, but it wasn’t life threatening. He stiffly collapsed onto the ground, with the electricity on his body forming a black lump on his back.
I also stiffly collapsed onto the ground, losing consciousness.
“Teacher Lin didn’t go that day, kept watch on for several days right here. Her family called lot of times urging her to come back, and only today she returned. She said that she would come back after a few days. Next year, she will come to teach in Ba Jiao Village.” As I opened my eyes, Grandpa was rambling on in my ear.
However, the following several days, I also didn’t see Teacher Lin’s silhouette appear near the Village entrance. I went to the village entrance every day to have a look, with the hope of receiving Teacher Lin.
My everyday life once again fell back into its old routine. Feeding poultry and livestock every day, going to the mountains to find firewood, and overturning the very thick layer of snow to pull out hogweeds.