In a flash, it was time for lunch. Principal Yu called the children back from the wilds and divided the weeds and mushrooms they brought with them between his kitchen and his pigsty. Yingcai was puzzled: was this not exploitation of child labour? Principal Yu went into his kitchen. There was some movement inside, as if he was cooking, then sure enough children appeared, rice bowls in hand. Principal Yu emerged carrying a large dish of food in both hands.
Station-Head Wan asked Principal Yu where his son was. Principal Yu pointed at a boy who immediately reminded Yingcai of famine victims he'd seen on television.
"Is that Yu Zhi? He's much thinner than last time I came up here. If you hadn't said, I wouldn't have recognised him." Station-Head Wan tasted the children's food and his face fell. "Old Yu, your wife's health wore out long ago, and if this situation carries on, your whole family will end up the same way."
Principal Yu sighed. "Community teachers like me have no capital; the only things we have in abundance are conscience and compassion. Look at all these children—what will happen to them if they don't get an education? And it's been like this for decades. The economy must start to improve soon, surely? When it does we'll be better off."
Eventually Yingcai heard enough to understand that between twenty and thirty children lived too far away from school to go home for lunch. Among that number were a dozen or so who could not go home at night either, and so lodged with Principal Yu during the week. Their parents would visit from time to time and brought fresh and pickled vegetables with them. Some grew rape and so in May and June they would send rapeseed oil in old alcohol bottles. Every child also had to bring firewood and rice.
After lunch, Station-Head Wan asked if he could go in to see Principal Yu's wife. The principal blocked his path, determined not to let him into his home. The noise of the scuffle must have alerted his wife, for she called out, "I am grateful for your kindness, leader, but I ask you not to come inside."
Station-Head Wan resorted to shouting from outside, but there was little he could say. Principal Yu urged him to go back down the mountain while light was on his side; the mountain track was tricky after nightfall.
"I don't want you all to see me off out of politeness, though, when you should be teaching. The children will run wild if they're left alone." Station-Head Wan paused, then added, "My nephew is young and green. Please, will you three help him learn how things work around here?"
Deng Youmi got in before Principal Yu. "We've already made a plan: neither the top nor the lower grades are quite appropriate, so he'll teach the third and fourth grades. After shadowing Director Sun for a few months, he can take over his class. Then Director Sun will take on Principal Yu's classes, which will free up the principal to oversee our work in eliminating illiteracy."
Station-Head Wan smiled for the first time. Deng Youmi took advantage of this to ask, "Station head, is there any hope that the government might allow some community teachers might become state teachers this year?"
Yingcai's heart skipped a beat. Principal Yu and Sun Sihai both pricked their ears up. But Station-Head Wan's reply was instantaneous and decisive. "No hope at all, I'm afraid."
Everyone, including Yingcai to some extent, was disappointed.
As his uncle walked off, Yingcai started to feel lonely. Suddenly Deng Youmi nudged him. "Your uncle is calling you—go and see what he wants."
Yingcai ran over to Station-Head Wan who was waving at him. As he drew close, his uncle said quietly, "I forgot something. If anyone asks how strong your glasses are, they're-4.00."
Yingcai felt a little put out. "I thought you were going to pass on some piece of wisdom!"
Station-Head Wan ignored him, and left.
Sure enough, Deng Youmi soon asked Yingcai how strong his glasses were. Embarrassed, Yingcai followed his uncle's instructions. Sun Sihai tried them on, then said, "He's right. -4.00." Realising that Sun Sihai, though he didn't wear glasses, was genuinely short-sighted, Yingcai felt a belated nervousness about the deception. He also admired how carefully his uncle had thought everything through. He was the type of man who, if he ever made a mistake, would never let on.
