Teacher Xiaoche, Lao Wu and Lao Zhang were all infected by Principal Wang's emotions and took the lead in applauding.

Wang Yuanchu raised his hands to signal everyone to be quiet and continued his speech.

"As the principal, I would like to make a statement here and set two goals for myself! Teacher Wu, Teacher Zhang, and Teacher Che can be witnesses! The first goal is that all three of our fifth-grade students will be admitted to the commune's junior high school this semester! The three of you need to make up for your cultural classes, and it is best to eat and live in school! Four trips a day for dozens of miles of mountain roads, this time is wasted on walking! Go back in the evening to discuss with your parents, bring the bedding over tomorrow morning, prepare enough rations and vegetables for the week, and lay on the floor in the classroom at night! I'll be in charge of supplying oil and salt, and you'll do it yourself when you collect firewood and cook!"

The fifth-grade students are all thirteen or fourteen-year-old children, two boys and one girl, sitting alone on the edge of the crowd, listening carefully to the principal's speech, looking quiet and polite.

It is not easy for them to be able to persevere until they are about to graduate from primary school and not drop out.

Obviously, these three students are good seedlings who love to learn and can endure hardships. Being admitted to the commune junior high school 30 miles away to continue their studies is also their most urgent desire at present.

But at that time, unlike today, nine-year compulsory education had been universalized, and there was a certain percentage of elimination rates for junior high school.

If you don't pass the cultural test in primary school, you won't be able to go to middle school.

Over the years, the teachers and students at Redstone Bay Elementary School have not taken teaching and reading seriously.

It is inevitable that every session of the joint entrance examination of the commune will eat zero eggs.

Seeing the old principal talking to them, the three fifth-grade babies were very surprised, a little shy and smiled at each other, and they all nodded eagerly, which was regarded as responding to Wang Yuanchu's request.

The junior students looked at the three seniors with envy and laughed maliciously.

I guess they are muttering about a girl and two boys, how to arrange sleeping at night.

When Mr. Wang first came to Hongshiwan Primary School, Grandma Chengzi prepared a clay pot of cooked lard for him, and entrusted Lao Wu to purchase more than 200 catties of rice and coarse grains such as buds and potatoes locally, so he had the confidence to open a small stove for the three fifth-grade children.

Cook together, eat together, work together, learn together, know and do together, and teach and learn from each other.

When I was studying at the Normal School, I was deeply influenced by the great educator Mr. Tao Xingzhi's rural education thoughts.

Returning to the post of principal of the primary school in his twilight years, Wang Yuanchu was already a little impatient to practice such an educational concept.

"My second goal is to strive to have one classroom in each class before the start of the next semester! One desk for every two students! Build a big kitchen and build a few more pots and stoves! Students should not rush home at noon in the future, whether it is steaming rice or heating cooked food, there will be a place! Students, your task now is to study hard, not to skip class, not to be late or leave early! Let's all work together, okay?"

"Good!"

In the warm response and applause of all teachers and students, Wang Yuanchu ended his speech.

I don't know if it was from the warm sun or excited, the old gentleman's face was full of hot sweat beads, so he had to unbutton the khaki tunic and take out a handkerchief from his pocket and wipe it very embarrassed.

"Principal Wang, we have two blackboards, five grades, how do you think this course should be arranged?"

Lao Wu is the homeroom teacher and Chinese teacher of the first, second and third grades, and when he began to prepare for class, he found that the blackboard was not enough.

Originally, in the classroom, the three grades used the blackboard recycled, with the first grade attending classes, and the second and third grades having self-study or physical education classes.

Now that the class is being moved to the open air, Mr. Wu doesn't know whether to use the old method, so he specially asks for the opinions of the leaders.

"That's it, the fifth grade has six cultural classes a day, and I am in charge of Chinese and mathematics! The first, second, third, and fourth grades have a half-day cultural class and a half-day labor class! Go to the canyon below to move stones! Teacher Wu, this matter will be arranged by you! Lao Zhang, the car! You two will follow when you are not in class! You must pay attention to the safety of the children going uphill and downhill! The school building will be built in the summer, and we will try to prepare the necessary stones ourselves before this!"

Wang Yuanchu went back to the dormitory to get textbooks and chalk, and happened to meet Lao Wu calling him, so he hurriedly recruited Lao Zhang and the car over, and held a meeting temporarily.

"This is a good idea! We have 50 students who make three hundred pebbles six times a day, which is 36,000 stones for four months and 120 days in a semester! There are enough stones to build ten classrooms!"

Lao Zhang is very good at calculating mathematics, and the amount of stone used to build the school building will come as soon as he opens his mouth.

The most indispensable thing in the mountains is the stone, the large and small pebbles in the canyon have been washed by thousands of years of flowing water, all of them have no edges and corners, they are regular and thick, and a big pebble can be worth two or three green bricks.

On the way to visit my home yesterday, I saw that the walls of many mountain houses were made of local materials and made of pebbles, which were more solid and beautiful than adobe houses, and also gave Wang Yuanchu a lot of inspiration.

"Okay, the first and second grades are taught in the morning, and the third and fourth grades are taught every afternoon. Teacher Zhang, you are responsible for leading the team in the labor class of the third and fourth grades. Teacher Che, you are solely responsible for the labor class in the first and second grades. After I finish the cultural class, I will be assisted by the mobile movement! The old principal, it depends on you to go to junior high school in the fifth grade! The promotion rate is 100%, and the district education committee has a reward of 200 yuan, and when the time comes, you will give us a few bonuses!"

Mr. Wu is very satisfied with Principal Wang's arrangement, why didn't he expect it when he presided over the work of Hongshiwan Primary School all these years?

In addition, there are only three students in the fifth grade, and there will be a large difference in the promotion rate.

There was a student who could not get into junior high school, and among all the village primary schools in the district, the admission rate was at the bottom.

Therefore, the annual promotion reward in the district has nothing to do with Red Rock Bay Primary School.

If it is really like what Comrade Wang said, all three children will be sent to junior high school, 200 yuan will be rewarded by the education committee, 100 yuan will be reserved for teaching funds, and the remaining 100 yuan will be divided equally among the four teachers, and each of them will be 25 yuan, which is equivalent to his three-month salary.

Lao Wang graduated from the Republic of China Normal School, and when he was young, he worked as a primary school principal for seven years, and he has a deep teaching foundation, so there should be a way to improve the children's grades as quickly as possible.

Wang Yuanchu, who had just resumed his official duties, did not know about this information, so he was very happy after listening to Lao Wu's introduction.

Xiao Che and Lao Zhang had never cared before, and they hadn't heard Lao Zhang say it, so they all danced happily, and for the first time they had a beautiful vision for the future of this dilapidated primary school.

Teacher Zhang and Teacher Che soon led more than 20 children down the mountain to hold stones, and Wang Yuanchu and Teacher Wu continued to class.

The spring is bright and the mountains are full of flowers, and the crisp sound of children reading is echoing in the green hills on all sides with the warm spring breeze.

Wang Yuanchu put down the chalk from time to time and walked into the middle of the babies.

All the students sat on the floor and used the wooden benches as desks. Despite being all dirty and with fluffy chicken coop heads, every little face is full of life and sunshine.

A pair of innocent big eyes, full of thirst for knowledge, really teachable!

The old gentleman's eyes moistened, and a fiery sense of mission stirred in his chest.

Half a life has been bumpy, but I didn't expect that in old age, I could use it as a human ladder to build a bridge to the future for these lovely mountain babies.

This is a sweet cause, a gift from God, worthy of his dedication without regrets.

Even if you eat bran and exhaust your efforts, you are happy.

On the weekend, Wang Yuanchu asked Teacher Xiao Che to inform her father and other members of the Red Rock Bay Brigade to come to the school for a joint meeting to discuss the construction of a new school building.

"Principal Wang, what is the matter of the students' timber to pay for tuition?

Che Zhishu is a veteran, about the same age as Wang Yuanchu, and after listening to his plan and introduction, he asked everyone in confusion.

Several people looked at each other, not knowing what Secretary Che meant.

"Lao Wu, the whole mountain behind, all the bamboo gardens and woods are the property of your school, you have been the principal for so many years, you don't know?

Seeing that everyone didn't speak, Lao Che asked Teacher Wu directly.

"This one, hehe, I really don't know. ”

Lao Wu was very embarrassed to be asked by the Che branch secretary, and stammered and prevaricated.

"Hehe, forget it. It's also my fault, I haven't talked to Lao Wu about this all these years, and I feel that the school in the deep mountains and old forests can't become a climate. Hey! It's rare that Principal Wang is so attentive to our Shanliwa! What does the team need to organize and coordinate in the future, old principal, just let my daughter bring a message back!"

Seeing that Lao Wu was embarrassed, Che Zhishu no longer embarrassed him, turned his head and put his heart into account with Principal Wang.

"Secretary Che, with the support of the brigade and the ready-made timber and stones, there is no shortage of things to prepare for the construction of the school building! Several of our colleagues have discussed that the start of construction this summer will not affect the classes. At that time, if the parents of the students are not enough, they will have to ask the team to think of a way for us. ”

After listening to the conversation between Lao Wu and Secretary Che, Wang Yuanchu suddenly became enlightened.

There is such a large forest in the back mountain, and there is wood to have wood, and there is bamboo to have bamboo.

The colorful pebbles in the canyon can be used as rockery materials in the city park.

Red Rock Bay Elementary School is simply sitting on a mountain of gold begging for food, and the previous principals are really too careless.

The old gentleman was very confident and gave him enough time to be able to run this school in the mountains and the garden in the future.

"The house builder will be arranged by our team at that time, and the food during the construction period will also be distributed to each team. The establishment of the school hall is a major matter related to future generations, and every family in our Hongshiwan Brigade has the responsibility to do so! Old principal, you just need to stand up and organize and command when the time comes!"

Seeing that it was almost noon, and it was about to be difficult for Principal Wang to arrange meals for everyone when he sat down again, Secretary Lao Che hurriedly pulled Zhao Wenwen and prepared to end the conversation.

"It's already very embarrassing for the villagers to work without paying, how can we let them pay for food again?

Wang Yuanchu stood up humbly, habitually touched his pockets, and prepared to hand cigarettes to the two brigade cadres. Only then did I remember that the two cigarettes I had brought from outside the mountain had been handed out two days ago.

In the years when he was the "old four", the awe for the leader of the brigade could not be changed for a while, although he is also a leader now.

The old gentleman had to rub his hands awkwardly and shake hands with the old car secretary to say goodbye.

"Uncle, don't cook at noon alone, go to my house to eat, my mother's lunch has already been prepared!"

After the business was over, Mr. Che affectionately took the old principal's arm and invited him to his home as a guest.

"Your family, as well as Lao Zhang and Lao Wu's family, I won't go over to eat from now on. Thirty miles of stuttering is too cost-effective, and it's not as convenient as my old man's own hands!hahaha!"

Wang Yuanchu happily declined Mr. Che's invitation, and he was telling the truth, the homes of the three colleagues were too far away from the school.

"Old headmaster, I'm fine in the afternoon, I'll accompany you here! By the way, I'll teach you an old craft of improving food!"

Teacher Zhang's playfulness was very big, so he took off his padded jacket and put it on the bushes next to him.

The warm sun shines on the body and has the feeling of early summer, and the clothes for the winter are a little unbearable.

"What old craft?"

Wang Yuanchu asked with a half-believing smile, and Lao Wu, who was about to go on the road, and the car turned around curiously to look at Lao Zhang.

"Fishing! The silver carp in the reservoir below is big and fat, and catching one is enough for you to eat several meals! Stew it in a pot of preserved lard and coarse salt, that is fresh! Make a few more cups of soju, and the days will be fairy!"

Teacher Zhang's salivating expression made people drunk when they looked at it, and everyone laughed heartily when they heard it.

"What did I think, I had a hook and rod ready! Do you want to stay? We'll eat fish at night!"

Wang Yuanchu was worried that he was too lonely, and Mr. Zhang was willing to stay and accompany him to fish, which was very much in line with the old man's wishes.

"How can I have food and drink without my old Wu! I won't leave either! Lao Wang, do you still have the soju you bought a few days ago?"

After listening to the renderings of the two colleagues, Mr. Wu, who has always been serious, couldn't hold back.

"There are still a few pounds! But the soju pipe is enough, I am not responsible when I am drunk, and I don't have a futon for the two of you! Hahaha!"

Unity, tension, seriousness and liveliness, when it comes to fishing and drinking, Principal Wang Yuanchu suddenly became an old naughty boy.