Chapter 164 Youth (Two in One)
There are tender yellow forsythia flowers on the Diecui Cliff.
The winter jasmine is very short, only as tall as the calf, with branches spread out and yellow flowers blooming at the ends of the branches. There are not many leaves, only individual yellow flowers.
The winter jasmine flowers bloomed and the cat at home started to stay out all night. Fang Wei knew that spring had arrived.
Of course, as an area with a warm subtropical monsoon climate, there is more than just forsythia in the spring in the Xuanzhu Thousand Islands.
The mango trees planted in the school are in bloom. The flowers are as small as rice grains, clustered into layers of flowers, weighing down the branches so much that they can hardly bear it, so they just let them fall down.
The big lychee tree at the entrance of the village was also in bloom, with yellow-white flowers covering the green leaves, the fragrance of flowers filling the air, and the sound of bees filling the ears. Mr. Li, who sat under the tree for a long time, often had his hair covered with "flower snow";
Peach blossoms, rape blossoms, and countless other wild flowers bloom in this season, dotted on the similar yet different islands, forming a unique and vibrant spring picture.
Whether you look at them or not, they will quietly wait for the spring breeze to awaken them, and bloom as promised when the flowering season arrives, regardless of anything else.
Thousands and thousands of flowers are dotted among the green fields. It is so lush that I don’t know what to do.
It was in such a beautiful month of March that the first and second grades organized their own spring outing.
……
It was a weekend morning on March 10th, two days before Arbor Day;
The location is around the large reservoir on Baitan Island, with a clear stream and a large rapeseed field nearby;
The weather is sunny and nice, with a gentle spring breeze and a temperature of 13~20℃
It’s not a particularly far place, nor is it a particularly novel activity, but it still makes the boys and girls feel as warm and excited as spring.
The day before the spring outing, it was almost impossible to concentrate in class. We were always discussing during breaks and after class.
According to the spring outing planning plan provided by Fang Wei, Wen Susu began to assign tasks before school was over in the afternoon. The 42 students in the class were assigned tasks according to the distance of their residences. For example, who would bring the pot, who would bring the bucket, who would bring the bowl, who would bring the chopsticks, etc., all were clearly divided.
Without Teacher Wen's reminder, the first thing everyone did after returning home from school was to prepare everything they would take to tomorrow's spring outing and picnic, with the main goal of being self-sufficient and economical.
The Pineapple Island quartet didn't have anything to bring from home. Fang Wei and the other three's task was to go to school early, and then go to the market with Wen Susu to buy rice, meat, vegetables and other food.
When Fang Wei and three others, along with Wen Susu, returned to school from the market carrying loads of things, the rest of the class had already arrived.
"You all came so early!"
"of course!"
"Count the number of people, don't miss anyone."
"Teacher Wen, everyone is here!"
"OK! Come help carry the stuff, and let's go together~!"
"it is good!"
The other students who were empty-handed hurried forward to help Wen Susu, Fang Wei and the other three take the meat, vegetables, snacks and drinks in their hands. After everyone took a little, they were able to go on with light loads.
Today is not a class day, but all the students in the class are wearing school uniforms.
Wen Susu was wearing a baseball cap and had taken out the [Class 1-2] flag that had been custom-made for the school sports meet. She walked at the front of the team holding the orange-yellow flag, and the boys and girls in the class followed behind her, just like a tour group and a tour guide!
The whole class lined up and set off for the large reservoir on Baitan Island. Even though it was still a long distance to the destination, for everyone, the spring outing had already begun from the moment they stepped out of the school gate.
……
It’s so lively!
As they walked through the town's crowded streets, almost everyone stopped to look at them.
The team was huge, with young boys and girls in blue and white school uniforms. Some of them were carrying a bucket of oil, some were holding a bunch of vegetables, some were holding a bottle of soy sauce, and some were carrying a wooden stick with a small iron pot hanging on the other end. They were talking, laughing, and playing as they walked forward.
Occasionally, Wen Susu scolded him for running around too much.
"Everyone, pay attention to the road! Don't run into the middle of the road and block other people's bikes or pedestrians!"
"Oh……"
They returned to the team honestly, but after a while, they started to smile at each other again...
Fang Wei and Cai Ling knew that A Sheng was walking together.
Xu Cailing and Liu Zhiyi were so excited! Although their walking posture was quite ladylike, they looked a bit like little birds in their eyes, with a sense of bouncing.
"Zhiyi, have you ever been on a spring outing before?"
"Yes. Cailing, what about you?"
"No! This is my first spring outing!"
No wonder Cai Ling was so excited. In the past, when she mentioned spring outing, she felt that it was just like the terms "Children's Palace" and "Science and Technology Museum", which were only things that could be seen in textbooks. However, she did not expect that she could now experience a spring outing in person.
"Then Zhiyi, what were your spring outings like in the past?"
"It's not fun... Everyone pays money, and then the class teacher takes everyone on the bus to the park or botanical garden, and then they have a meal together, and then they come back and write a reflection or something, just like a research trip."
"Ah? Is that so? That's very different from us!"
"Yes."
Liu Zhiyi nodded. Compared with that kind of spring outing, she definitely preferred this kind of spring outing. Even though she had to walk nearly seven or eight kilometers back and forth, when she thought of the wild natural scenery and the teachers and students bringing pots and rice to cook lunch together, her mood became free and happy.
There are many students in the class who live on Baitan Island, such as Pepe and her classmates. They are much more familiar with the scenery of Baitan Island than those who live on other islands, but the scenery they see is different due to their different moods. Even Pepe couldn't help but sigh, why didn't she realize that Baitan Island is so beautiful before?
……
Gradually, everyone walked out of the town, and their vision became wider, with green fields in sight.
The narrow country road has not yet been paved with asphalt, and most of the road is still bare yellow soil. Many rape flowers are planted on Baitan Island. In March, when spring is in full bloom, the rape flowers are in full bloom. The large rape fields and the small village with white walls and black tiles at the other end of the country road create a rural and wild scene.
As far as the eye can see, the scenery above, below, left and right all extends infinitely to the end of the field of vision. The azure sky and white clouds form a dome that envelops all the scenery.
Wen Susu led forty-two young boys and girls and walked in this pastoral scenery.
Occasionally, the sound of an airplane engine could be heard in the sky above. When everyone looked up, they only saw a long, straight white line drawn on the azure canvas...
"so beautiful!"
Wen Susu couldn't help but raise the camera hanging around her neck to take pictures of the beautiful scenery in front of her and of her classmates behind her.
"My home is in that village!" said a classmate, pointing to a village not far away.
"Why don't we all go to your house as guests? Your parents will definitely be shocked!" the other classmates said with laughter.
"It's like a large army entering the village. It must be scary!"
The spring scenery can be seen everywhere. In this scenery, sharing the moist smell of soil and the faint fragrance of rapeseed flowers are the comfortable and cozy teachers and students of Class 2.
Occasionally, we would meet old farmers carrying hoes on the road. When they saw such a large group, they also showed surprised expressions:
"You are all students from the town's middle school, right? Where are you going?"
"Let's go on a spring outing!"
"Picnic!"
"play!"
Without Wen Susu's answer, the boys and girls all spoke at once to answer the question.
The old farmer was even more confused. Perhaps he didn't quite understand what was so beautiful about the scenery that could be seen everywhere, nor did he quite understand the significance of such an activity. But compared to the scenery, he felt a stronger breath of spring from these teachers and students, which was probably the so-called youthful vigor.
They suddenly appeared in our sight along with the spring scenery, walking out of the school in groups. The boys had neat short hair, and the girls all had high ponytails and wore blue and white school uniforms.
Some carried vegetables, some carried pots. Cai Ling and Zhi Yi followed behind Fang Wei stealthily, playfully sticking cockleburs on his clothes, giggling with their hands covering their mouths, and jumping around like birds...
There was a bright morning sun in the east, and they were noisy and laughing under the golden sunlight.
The old farmer stood there with his hoe, watching for a long time, until they reached the end of their sight and blended into the spring scenery.
It was at this moment that he suddenly understood the significance of the spring outing.
……
The group walked leisurely and dawdled for a long time. They did not go straight to the destination, but visited many scenic places along the way. After walking for nearly an hour, they finally arrived at their destination - Baitan Lake Reservoir.
Baitan Lake Reservoir is the town’s main tap water collection site. The reservoir is very large, and standing on the steps of the reservoir, you can see rapeseed fields of all sizes.
The location for the picnic was chosen next to a small stream upstream of the Baitan Lake Reservoir. The water was very shallow, originating from the mountains. The water was clear and cold, and there was a natural pebble space next to it.
Along the moist banks of the stream, there are small wild flowers of various colors, and butterflies, damselflies, bees and dragonflies fly among them from time to time.
In such a place far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, you can only hear the sounds of nature in the quietness.
"Wow! Fang Wei, you really know how to choose a place! I believe you really have a talent for capturing beauty!"
"Sister... Teacher Wen, you said you lived on Baitan Island for half a year and visited many places, but you don't know anything about this place?"
"Hahaha, not bad, not bad! I'm very satisfied with this place!"
Ever since receiving the task of planning the spring outing, Fang Wei has been troubled for a long time about choosing a location. After all, there are many islands in the Xuanzhu Thousand Islands, and each island has different characteristics. Taking into account the transportation and the convenience of classmates, he finally chose Baitan Island. After all, Baitan Island is larger in area and there are more places to choose from for the spring outing. On the previous weekend, he and Cailing Zhiyi Asheng almost visited the entire Baitan Island.
Wen Susu is young and gets along well with the boys and girls in her class.
She found a small mound and planted the flag of "Junior High School Class 1-2" on it. Like a leader on an expedition, she clapped her hands and said loudly:
"Comrades! This is our base! Put down what you are doing, take your positions and start working!"
"receive!!"
So everyone started to get busy.
Fang Wei called a few boys to build a stove together. They used the stones picked up from the surrounding area to form a circle, and a simple stove was built.
There were more than 40 people in the class, so one stove was definitely not enough. So we brought five antimony pots and five aluminum pots on this trip. There were a total of ten stone stoves scattered along the cobblestone bank of the stream.
While the boys were building the stove, the girls were not idle either. They went to the nearby area to pick up some dry firewood. Soon, they had a large pile of firewood.
There was no picnic blanket, so everyone sat on the ground.
There was no need for Wen Susu to assign specific tasks. The young boys and girls, all from rural areas, were very perceptive and had sharp eyes and were ready to work.
Opening the bags of fish, meat and vegetables bought from the market, the girls rolled up their sleeves, revealing their tender little arms, and bent over to wash the meat and vegetables beside the clear stream.
The chopping board and kitchen knife were also brought over. Fang Wei squatted beside the stream, sharpening the knife on the stone, and cut the meat and vegetables that Xu Cailing and Liu Zhiyi had washed and brought over into segments or pieces...
"Oh! Class monitor has great knife skills! His cooking must be delicious too!"
The girls in the class all liked to come over to Fang Wei and watch him skillfully kill the fish and cut the meat into thin slices. Although they were all the same age, Fang Wei had a unique mature charm.
"His cooking is really delicious!" said Xu Cailing.
"Cai Ling, have you ever eaten the meal cooked by the squad leader?"
"Of course!"
"Wow!"
Gradually, everyone reached an age of understanding. Such exclamations and laughter made Xu Cailing blush with pride, and she hurriedly explained, "Zhiyi has eaten it too!"
"what?"
Liu Zhiyi was stunned and said, "Don't drag me into this!"
"Oh~~! The monitor will cook for you two!"
The girls' noises became louder, and Liu Zhiyi's face turned red.
But it’s better for two people to be teased than for one person. If two people are ambiguous, then three people must be friendship, right?
The young boys and girls who were just beginning to fall in love didn't take it too seriously. After playing around for a while, they went back to work quickly.
"Where's the rice? Who was responsible for carrying the rice just now?" "Here!"
"Let's wash the pot and cook first!"
“How much water should I put in?”
"No way, you've never cooked at home?!"
"Press your palm down, and make sure the water level just covers the back of your hand!"
The rice was poured into the pot, washed briefly, and added with water. The girls carried five pots to five stoves where fires were already lit.
The fire was burning brightly. The boys politely took the pots from the girls and carefully placed them on the stone stove.
After covering the pot, the water inside began to slowly boil, and gradually, the aroma of rice wafted into the air...
"Watch the fire! Be careful not to burn the rice!"
"I'll come and see the fire! I'll come and see the fire!"
On the other side, the meat and vegetables were also prepared, and the other five stoves were also lit. The flames licked the bottom of the antimony pot, and the remaining moisture after washing the pot began to evaporate quickly.
Nowadays, most boys and girls from rural areas can cook. The only difference is the level of cooking skills. Cai Ling can actually cook, but Fang Wei will not let her cook unless it is necessary...
Dupepe is different. She can do all kinds of housework and handicrafts. She is responsible for one of the pots;
Fang Wei was also in charge of one of the pots, making stir-fried pork with beans and braised fish;
Wen Susu was also responsible for one of the pots. She was going to make a big pot of braised pork, which is currently her best dish.
"Woo! I'm going to eat the braised pork made by Teacher Wen!"
"Hahaha, it feels like a dream. Teacher Wen is not only our teacher, but also our chef!"
“It smells so good!”
"Hey! You guys are exaggerating! I haven't even put the meat in the pot yet, but you can already smell the fragrance?" Wen Susu was both angry and amused. She never thought that one day she would be able to cook a big pot meal.
What no one expected was that Wang Yushan also volunteered to take charge of the pot. Her movements were quite skillful. She used a spatula to cut the tofu spread on her palm into pieces and put them into the hot pot to fry. The hot oil made a sizzling sound, but this most petite girl in the class was not afraid at all. Her expression was quite calm and her movements were extremely skillful.
"Oh my god! Wang Yushan! You can cook?!"
Ah Sheng, who was in charge of lighting the pot, was shocked. He usually only saw her studying, but he didn't expect that she could cook!
"I am the older sister at home. If I don't cook, who will? Hey, hey! Turn down the heat! Do you know how to light the fire? You'll burn my tofu!"
"..."
As the delicious dishes came out of the pot one after another, the other students couldn't help but look at the students in charge of cooking and Teacher Wen with admiration.
It was the first time that we were outside the campus and walked into each other's lives at such a close distance.
The students who did not have the task of cooking were not idle either. The boys went to find some relatively flat stones or bricks picked up from far away, and built low stone tables to use as dining tables.
Girls came and went, carrying plates of delicious dishes and placing them on the stone table.
Five pots of rice have been cooked. When the lids are opened, the rich aroma of rice can be smelled. Everyone holds hands, one person is responsible for serving the rice, and one is responsible for passing the empty bowls. Not even the rice crust is wasted. The rice cooked in the wild with firewood is really extra fragrant!
"Where's the drink? Bring a cup!"
"I'm coming!"
Soon, all the food was ready and laid out on a long stone table like a banquet.
Forty-two students sat on the ground, one on each side of the stone table. Wen Susu raised the camera in her hand and found a perfect angle. The picture included blue sky and white clouds, mountains, forests and streams, and in the middle were young boys and girls sitting in front of the stone table holding their bowls of rice.
"Come, let's look at the camera together!"
"Three, two, one, eggplant!"
With a click, Wen Susu took this photo with a smile, showing her great satisfaction.
"Teacher Wen, is it time to eat? I'm so hungry!"
“Let’s eat!!”
The young boys and girls who were originally sitting quietly stood up one after another because they wanted to eat food from everywhere!
The first thing to be divided up was Wen Susu's pot of delicious braised pork. It was such a big pot that not even any soup was left.
Every dish was extremely popular. One didn’t know whether it was because the food cooked with firewood was indeed more fragrant, or because everyone was in a relaxed and comfortable mood at the moment. Even Fang Wei felt that this meal during the spring outing was definitely one of the rarest delicacies he had ever eaten in his life.
Not too much, not too little, the ingredients were just right. The boys and girls were at the age of physical growth and development, and their appetites were particularly large. Plus, they were in a good mood and the atmosphere was lively, so there was not a single leftover food in the pot or on the plate.
……
After the picnic, it was already past twelve o'clock, the temperature gradually rose, and the sun became warmer.
But this spring outing and picnic did not end there. Even if Wen Susu wanted to end it, the excited boys and girls were not willing to give up!
"Then let's play games together!" Wen Susu suggested, clapping her hands.
"What are you playing?"
In the days before mobile phones, no one was addicted to their phones, and no one could imagine how much fun it would be to hold a small phone in your hands all day.
Fang Wei's spring outing plan did not include any game activities, and Wen Susu was at a loss for a moment. She thought for a while but still didn't know what game to play.
An idea suddenly came to her mind, and she clapped her hands and said, "Let's play Drop the Handkerchief!"
"Hahaha! Teacher Wen is so childish!"
"What the hell! You guys are talking like you're all mature! It's just a game of drop the handkerchief!"
"Okay, okay, then play with Teacher Wen!"
"Hey! I'm the one playing with you guys!"
The rules of the game of throwing the handkerchief are quite simple. Boys and girls of this age have all played it in their childhood. They can play games like throwing sandbags, hopping on squares, and playing with glass beads with ease.
"Is there any punishment for the loser?" everyone asked curiously.
"Of course there is!"
Wen Susu showed an evil smile and said, "Whoever loses can stand in the middle and perform a talent show for everyone, how about that?!"
"it is good!"
Everyone readily agreed.
Soon, everyone in the class sat in a circle on the open space next to the shade of the tree.
Wen Susu stood outside the circle holding a white handkerchief.
Thinking about it, I am already a 24-year-old girl, but I am still playing the childish game of throwing the handkerchief with them... Ugh! Junior high school students and high school students may think it is childish, but she really thinks it is very fun!
I still remember the last time we played the game of Drop the Handkerchief was during military training in college. A bunch of college students were having a lot of fun, but you little kids thought it was childish!
"Hey, everyone, sing! The game is about to begin!" Wen Susu shook the white handkerchief in her hand, looking like she was surrendering.
"Throw the handkerchief~Throw the handkerchief~~I'll quietly put it behind you~Don't let you find it~Catch up quickly~Catch up quickly~~"
The students in the class sang childhood songs together, clapping their hands to keep the rhythm while singing. Everyone had a smile on their face, and at the same time, they observed who Teacher Wen was hiding the handkerchief behind outside the circle.
Wen Susu took the handkerchief and started running slowly around in circles, humming the same song.
Suddenly, her movements paused and an exclamation was heard in the class.
The place where she paused was exactly where Fang Wei was. Fang Wei had a premonition that she would throw the handkerchief at him. Coupled with the shock of his classmates and her appearance of preparing to run away, Fang Wei stood up quickly. Before Wen Susu could run away, he caught the naughty teacher!
"Teacher Wen, you lose!"
"Hey, hey, hey! Look carefully! I haven't put down the handkerchief yet!"
"Hahahaha, squad leader, you've been tricked!"
"Sing, squad leader! Sing, squad leader!!"
"...???"
Fang Wei was puzzled, and then he looked behind him. He was fooled! Where was the handkerchief behind him?
"Wow! Mr. Wen, do you have to be so cunning?!"
"Hahaha, you've lost! Hurry up! Sing a song for everyone!"
"..."
"Sing, squad leader! Sing, squad leader!!"
Among them, the ones who laughed the most happily and shouted the loudest were Xu Cailing and Liu Zhiyi, as if they were afraid that he would not admit it.
Fang Wei had no choice but to walk to the center of the circle formed by everyone with a look of anger and amusement, and sang "Boundless Oceans and Vast Skies" for everyone.
"Steel pot~ crying for pot repair with tears~~ broken and chipped pots and ladles are replaced with new ones and left randomly~~ chasing pots in the wind and rain~ tearless chimneys..."
The music is on point, the tune is on point, but the poor Cantonese is not!
But this is not a big deal. While Fang Wei was singing, everyone was clapping to the beat. When he finished singing, the classmates around him burst into warm applause!
"it's your turn!"
Wen Susu gave him the handkerchief. Now it was Fang Wei's turn to throw the handkerchief away. She sat down in his original seat.
"Throw the handkerchief~Throw the handkerchief~~I'll quietly put it behind you~Don't let you find it~Catch up quickly~Catch up quickly~~"
Everyone clapped their hands and started humming the ballad again. Fang Wei ran slowly around in circles. Cai Ling was the one who screamed the loudest just now, he saw it!
He who does not seek revenge is not a gentleman! He threw the handkerchief behind Cai Ling calmly, and then ran away! !
But it seems like this was a wrong choice...
Xu Cailing was stunned for a moment, then after she reacted, she immediately picked up the handkerchief on the ground and chased after him!
Fang Wei was about to finish his circle and sit in her empty seat, just a little bit short! A small hand reached out from behind him and grabbed him!
"You lose! Hahaha! Still want to trick me? Humph! Go sing!"
"Hahaha, the squad leader is singing! The squad leader is singing!!"
"..."
The second time, Fang Wei was smarter and picked the weakest opponent - he put the handkerchief behind Liu Zhiyi.
"Zhiyi! Go chase him! The bad guy left his handkerchief behind you!"
"what?!"
The slow-reacting girl stood up hurriedly, her face flushed amid the jeers of her classmates. She couldn't find the direction for a moment. Others were running clockwise, but after she stood up, she ran counterclockwise towards Fang Wei!
Fang Wei's eyes almost popped out of his head in shock: "No! How can you still run like this! It's a foul! It's a foul!"
"Ha ha ha ha……"
The sounds of playfulness and laughter spread far and wide in the bright spring wilderness...
……
It was not until four o'clock in the afternoon that the spring outing picnic activity for the first and second grade classes was finally declared over.
Everyone took plastic bags and took away all the garbage, leaving behind only the stone tables made of stones and the stone stoves with ashes extinguished.
Wen Susu pulled down the flag that was stuck on the mound, carried it on her shoulders, and walked at the front of the team. All the young boys and girls in blue and white school uniforms followed her, bathing in the golden sunset light, and walked the same way they came.
The inner fulfillment makes one walk lightly;
The eyes are like lenses, recording everything today;
Perhaps many years later, he will not remember what he was cooking at that time.
But no matter how long it has passed, he will still remember the 42 students in his class going on a spring outing with Teacher Wen and working hard for a meal together;
I remember the curling smoke, the aroma of steaming food, and the crackling sound of the flames in the stone stove...
The dark green mountains in the distance support the vibrant sky.
It is the spring of the world and also his youth.
(This chapter is not easy to split.. Two chapters combined into one big chapter, no more tonight~)
(End of this chapter)
