Chapter 0556: The Taciturn Man

People's hearts can change.

Zhao Fusheng only understood this truth after he turned thirty. Before that, he had always believed that most people would persevere for their ideals and promises.

But when one after another, people around him came and went lightly, taking neither Zhao Fusheng's heart nor ambition, bringing him neither wealth nor honor, and even leaving with resolute determination, Zhao Fusheng finally understood.

Wang Xiaorong was probably such an example.

In Zhao Fusheng's memory of his previous life, she was unwilling to stay stuck here, so she kept seeking a transfer to a school in the district or city.

And a beautiful woman with no connections or background, unable to afford the money to pull strings, had only one thing to offer.

Of course, if she achieved her goal, it wouldn't be a loss for her. But unfortunately, the person she chose was Li Bo, whose greatest skill was bluffing. Relying on a relative in the district education bureau, he always acted like a big shot at school.

In reality, his relative was just a minor clerk who couldn't accomplish anything.

But Wang Xiaorong didn't know that. Perhaps this is a common flaw in people: when faced with something incomprehensible, they subconsciously guess or speculate about the hidden truth based on their own worldview.

So she chose the most wrong way to achieve her goal. As a result, just as she was about to offer herself, she accidentally overheard Li Bo on the phone with someone and learned the truth.

But by then, regret was too late. Li Bo, with the meat almost in his mouth, wasn't about to let go. He was about to force himself on her when several students and Zhao Fusheng stumbled upon them, and the matter blew up.

That was what happened in the previous life. Zhao Fusheng remembered it clearly. After learning the truth, he and several students gritted their teeth and took the whole blame.

Years later, recalling the situation, Zhao Fusheng could only say that he was still too naive.

"Sacrificing yourself for an irrelevant person, hah, what a fucking idiot." Zhao Fusheng silently cursed in his heart.

Sun Qingfeng might be a good person, but Wang Xiaorong was definitely a selfish woman. Although she was very beautiful, beneath that beautiful exterior hid a restless heart.

When people are restless, they always like to make choices they think are clever.

Zhao Fusheng had no right to blame others for choosing what kind of life to live, but he did have complaints about Wang Xiaorong choosing to push him and several students to the forefront at that time.

He didn't stay in the classroom long. Zhao Fusheng soon left the school. Hu Xia and Li Xuening seemed to have been assigned tasks by An Xiumei, though he didn't know what they were doing.

But judging by their happy expressions, they clearly enjoyed such a life.

"Youth is wonderful," Zhao Fusheng thought with a smile as he walked along the road.

The weather had been bad lately. Somehow, a fine rain had fallen for an entire week, as if reminding people that autumn had already arrived.

Even now, a fine, drizzling rain pattered densely against the boundless land.

From Red Flag Middle School to Riverside Village, it took about half an hour by bicycle. By bus, it was roughly seven or eight minutes.

Zhao Fusheng sat on the bus, gazing at the nearby village. Piles of deep gray clouds hung low over the earth; patches of lush green woods stood out, their trunks washed clean by the rain, revealing their beautiful bark. Amid the pervasive drizzle, tall willows stood tall and straight.

The ground was muddy, with murky puddles and mire making it difficult for pedestrians to walk. Even inside the bus, one could feel the jolts and bumps.

"Damn weather, just when we're about to harvest, it rains this long," someone muttered under their breath, clearly from a farming family.

Zhao Fusheng looked outside, inwardly agreeing with the man. Such weather was indeed unsuitable for harvesting.

Just then, the bus slowly came to a stop, and a medium-sized village appeared before Zhao Fusheng. Though shrouded in a misty drizzle, he still found it very familiar.

"Fusheng?"

A middle-aged man of about thirty happened to be walking to the crossroads. Seeing Zhao Fusheng get off the bus, he was first startled, then exclaimed in surprise.

Zhao Fusheng paused, turned to look at him, and immediately smiled: "Little uncle, where are you off to?"

The man, named Zhang Houde, was the husband of Zhao Fusheng's little aunt, Zhao Yuexiang. He worked as the logistics director at Riverside Village Central Primary School; both he and his wife were teachers.

"I'm interning at Red Flag Middle School and thought I'd come see Grandpa," Zhao Fusheng said with a smile.

"Good, good, good. This time your grandpa will surely be happy," Zhang Houde said.

He was truly in awe of his father-in-law. The old man had been a soldier and had learned a great deal from his company's political instructor, who, it was said, later died on the battlefield. That instructor, a top graduate from Peking University, was the person the old man most admired and respected. The instructor had once told him that no matter what, he must let his children study, because if a person didn't study, their life would be ruined.

Thus, even by scrimping and saving, the old man had ensured that all his children finished junior high school, and his youngest daughter even completed teachers' college.

In the 1970s and 1980s, for a rural family, this was nearly an impossible task.

So Zhang Houde truly admired his father-in-law. The old man could barely read a few characters, but his mind was remarkably clear.

"By the way, little uncle, I have something to discuss with you later. In the evening, I'll bring Grandpa over to your place for dinner," Zhao Fusheng said after a moment's thought.

This little uncle of his was also quite an interesting person. He had sat in the position of logistics director at the elementary school for ten years, not only without skimming any benefits but even spending a lot of his own money to buy things for the school.

Later, when Riverside Village Central Primary School was disbanded, while others scrambled to pull strings and find connections to get better positions, he calmly fulfilled his duties to the last, then dragged his reluctant little aunt Zhao Yuexiang to resign together, and the two of them started a tutoring class.

What happened next went without saying: the little uncle's family became the best-off among all of Zhao Fusheng's relatives. Even later, when Zhao Fusheng's family ran into trouble, the little uncle's family helped out a lot.

In Grandpa's words, Zhang Houde was the type who didn't say much but had his own ideas.

And this time, Zhao Fusheng was looking for him precisely because he had some other thoughts.