I haven't been back for many years from the elementary school when I was studying with the fat man, and I only passed by the door the first few times. The changes are still quite big, the original wooden white lacquered sign has become a few large copper characters, and the gate has also been replaced with iron. There are several small shops around the elementary school, selling children's stationery and favorite snacks.

The only thing that hasn't changed is the big tree in front of the elementary school, in the past, the fat man and I were always assigned to clean the bag area at the school gate, the fat man had a bad habit when he was a child, and he often solved it on the spot when he wanted to pee. In the past, when I was cleaning, I used to hide behind big trees, and I had to help him watch the wind, which made a lot of jokes.

"There was a small river in front of you, do you remember? A few of us used to fish in the river in the summer, but you were the only one who didn't know how to swim. ”

The fat man said to me with a smile. I nodded, now that the river is gone, it has become a cement road, and I heard that it will be connected to the commercial street behind it for a while, anyway, the society is progressing, but some old things are gradually being abandoned.

The janitor is still there, but he is very old, with a white beard and deep wrinkles on his face, and we walked to the doorman's room, he glanced at us and suddenly smiled and said, "Oh, it's you two boys." ”

"Hey, uncle, do you remember us?"

The fat man asked with a smile.

"Remember, you two were the naughtiest in the school, picking pomegranates from the school and throwing mud into the principal's office. Especially you, a big fat boy, used to pee under the old locust tree in front of the door, and I peeked at it several times. I can't remember if an ordinary student graduates, but you two are so naughty, how can I forget?"

After a few words, he talked about the fat man peeing, and the shy fat man hurriedly waved his hand and shouted: "That's early, bad habits have long been changed." Uncle, we are here to see Teacher Shen today, Teacher Shen Mengtian. ”

"Teacher Shen, what's the matter, who are you two with her? This girl is good, the students like it, she is kind to people, and she often talks to me and brings me some fruit or something, she is a good girl. ”

The uncle said with a smile, it seems that Shen Mengtian's reputation in the school is really good.

"It's not a virgin, she called us here and made an appointment to meet today. How many times is she?"

I hurriedly shook my head and said, the uncle nodded and pointed inside, "The third row inside, three zero one, you go in." ”

The school was about the same as when we were kids, and it wasn't a good feeling to go back to our alma mater, because we weren't good graduates. In those days, it was good to be able to rely on state-owned units to eat mixed rice, but if you were self-employed and made a small fortune, you could get it. The fat man and I can only be regarded as unemployed vagrants, barely able to climb the threshold of small traders and hawkers, so there is no glory in coming back.

Looking at the students walking past us, the red scarf fluttering felt quite good. I asked, "Fatty, is your red scarf still there?"

"I don't know where the went, what's wrong? Don't tell me you still have your red scarf. ”

Actually, my red scarf is really kept in the closet, but I was embarrassed to say it, so I smiled and fooled it.

The third row of 301, the teacher's office was not particularly comfortable and luxurious at that time, it was generally a cement room with a wooden door, and the treatment of the teacher in that era was average, mainly solid and secure, and there was a little less intrigue than outside.

I knocked on the door and heard a voice from inside, "Please come in." ”

Pushing open the door, I raised my eyes and saw Shen Mengtian sitting at the desk revising papers.

"Which class are you in?"

She asked without looking up.

"It's us, Mr. Xu who let us come. ”

The fat man said behind me.

Shen Mengtian raised his head when he heard the voice and saw the two of us, first slightly startled, then hurriedly stood up and said, "I thought it was a student, you sit, I'll pour you some tea." ”

She seemed polite, and I don't know if it was because we came over to help or because we saved her relationship.

I want to mention here that Shen Mengtian took a break for a while after coming out of Xuanming Temple and asked for sick leave. Of course, she didn't mention the matter of Xuanming Temple, and began to resume work about a week later. I heard Mr. Xu say that her family conditions are not bad, her father and Mr. Xu are old acquaintances, and now she is the director of a state-owned factory, and her mother is the accountant in the factory. There are also cars and houses at home, which are much more comfortable than those of us ordinary people. She herself has no ambitions and big ambitions, she just wants to teach and educate people quietly.

"You don't have to be busy, let's ask about the situation. ”

I spoke, Shen Mengtian nodded, sat back at the desk, and continued, "Uncle Xu asked you to come, he called me yesterday." I've sorted things out a bit. ”

"Well, you can tell us what happened first, so that we can be mentally prepared. ”

Shen Mengtian nodded, organized the wording and said, "The thing is probably like this, I am teaching third-grade students now, and there are 25 people in a class. They were all children of nearby residents, and the specific incident happened a week ago, when a child at the school called in sick and left the school a day later. This student is usually very naughty, often disobedient to discipline, and often plays with toys secretly during class. It's a very energetic and somewhat rebellious child.,But after coming back from illness, he became unusually quiet.,I don't talk in class anymore.,Often in a daze.。 I didn't notice this at first, but the other teachers told me first. I felt as if the child had been stimulated in some way, so I, as the head teacher, talked to him. I found that he was still quite conscious, and the conversation with me could go smoothly, but he always felt very quiet, as if he had become a lot more mature all of a sudden. It made me feel like I was talking to an adult. ”

Hearing this, the fat man and I began to notice that something was wrong, and asked, "Is he the only one in this state?"

"No, I made an appointment to meet his parents, but this child's parents are busy with work and have been adjusting their schedules. But within a few days, other children in the class began to call in sick as well. The cycle is not long, and they all come back to class in one day. But when these children returned, they were in almost the same condition as the first child. No matter how lively he was, he seemed to be a different person when he came back from sick leave. ”

"Is it possible that you are overly concerned? Children are often scared and worried when they are sick, and then they are quiet for a while and gradually recover. ”

I raised my questions.

"I also had this question, so this week I interviewed several families and found that many parents reported that their sick children seemed to behave normally when they came home, but they often went to bed after eating and doing homework, without making noise or even sleeping. And I also observed that the child who had problems at the beginning is now deteriorating......"

Hearing Shen Mengtian say the word deterioration, my heart trembled slightly, and I felt that there might be a change.

"What does the deterioration look like? Can you elaborate on that?"

I asked.

"At first, the children gradually began to become less talkative, and the class seemed to be attentive, but in fact they were in a daze. One time I noticed him wandering in class, so I walked over and tried to educate him. But as soon as I tapped him on the shoulder, I heard him suddenly yell at me, which startled me. I couldn't control him, he yelled at me like crazy, but not by talking or abusive, or by screaming like a child. But the other students in the class didn't react, but looked at me coldly one by one. It's like a stranger, or like a puppet......"

Hearing this, it can basically be concluded that it is an unusual event, and the fat man and I looked at each other, and after exchanging their respective meanings, the fat man said, "Can we come to your class to have a look, or listen to your last class?" ”

"That's fine, I have a class in a moment, and you sit in the last row of the classroom and listen. ”

Shen Mengtian readily agreed.

"I want to go out and have a look during this time, this is my alma mater, no problem, right?"

I stood up and prepared to walk out.

"No problem, I'll go to class as soon as the bell rings. ”

After making an appointment, the fat man and I walked out of Shen Mengtian's office. “