Miss Ling's home is a small building with three floors and two floors, with elegant style, at the foot of the mountain not far from the highway, among the trees at the edge of the village. Apricot trees, persimmon trees and cherry trees are neatly planted in the open space around the house. In the gap between these fruit trees, according to the law that symmetry produces beauty, four small hexagonal flower beds are set up symmetrically in pairs, planted with osmanthus, gardenia, canna and rose, which makes people fall in love at first sight and admire. Behind the house is a hillside that gradually extends upwards, covered with peach trees, pear trees and pomegranate trees. Every spring, there are flowers in front and behind Miss Ling's house. Red is like fire, pink is like chardonnay and white is like snow. As long as you go to Miss Ling's house, or pass by, you will often see Miss Ling and his wife at home, smiling comfortably and looking happy.
However, everyone familiar with Mr. Ling knows that his home is not like this.
In the early autumn more than 30 years ago, I walked dozens of miles in the morning to find a school to work. It was nearly noon after reporting for duty, and the principal enthusiastically said that he would take me to Miss Ling's house for lunch. Although I felt embarrassed, my stomach was already growling at noon, so I had to follow the headmaster to the foot of the mountain not far away. When I arrived at Miss Ling's house, I just saw two men and women in their thirties covered in mud, one carrying heavy rice and trotting over in a hurry. When he came to our side, the man quickly unloaded his baggage and wiped his neck with a towel. With a modest and gentle smile, he naturally became polite to the headmaster.
We got to know each other during the conversation. This person is Miss Ling mentioned by the headmaster. He is tall and thin. Although his face was covered with sweat, it was difficult for him to blush because of his heavy burden. The original whiteness is still obvious. At first glance, he is a very gentle and gentle person. With him is his lover, of medium build, equally white and clean; Smiling face and gentle eyes faintly reveal persistence and shrewdness. The couple are busy harvesting mid-season rice today. At that time, the distribution of fields to households had just begun, because school was about to start and the mid-season rice harvest season was coming. Teacher Ling used the last day of the holiday to harvest the mid-season rice.
When I entered his house, I was always curious about the strange environment and looked at the front and back of the house silently. The three rooms of Miss Ling's house are old houses shared after marriage, and they are silently imprisoned at the foot of the mountain, just like an old and infirm person sitting quietly in a sparse forest, a short and shabby kitchen, barely standing outside the back door. There are many fruit trees planted around the house, but they vary in size. In the gap between the fruit trees, several Chinese roses and gardenias are planted regularly. There are four children at home, all girls. The oldest is just ten years old, and the youngest just can walk. I don't feel Zheng in my heart. Miss Ling and his wife are really burdened!
After I officially went to work, Teacher Ling and I became more and more familiar. Every morning and noon, he can arrive at school on time in strict accordance with the schedule stipulated by the school. When I go to work every day, my clothes are clean and tidy, and I never get sloppy. Compared with the first time I saw him covered in mud, he looked elegant and generous. After arriving at school in the morning, I always consciously go to the class to take students to study, or supervise students to read early, correct homework at the same time, or write lesson preparation notes. Seeing such a situation, I know very well that Miss Ling has many children and a heavy family burden. It is rare to have time to prepare lessons at home and correct her homework. She must hurry at school. In doing so, he actually achieved multiple goals and made full use of his time.
During recess, or during lunch break, Miss Ling always likes to call several students to the office, surround him and kindly ask the students what they don't understand in class. Every time I see a student blush, I feel embarrassed. He always kindly encourages students to speak their minds. Over time, students like to speak freely in front of Mr. Ling. Slowly, I noticed that the students called by Mr. Ling at recess had good and bad grades. For students with excellent grades, Mr. Ling gives them more learning tasks and tries to guide them to "a higher level"; For students with poor grades, Mr. Ling often analyzes the reasons for students' poor grades in conversation. For students with improper learning methods, guide them to improve their learning methods; For students with weak foundation, Mr. Ling pays attention to guiding students to strengthen the study of basic knowledge and enhance their learning confidence.
After so many years, I have long noticed that Miss Ling seldom asks for leave. Very few people with psychological shadow criticized Miss Ling for being stingy and afraid of deducting the attendance award. However, I don't think it is at all. Because miss ling never cares about a word because of deducting the attendance award; And every time I have to ask for leave, I can make time afterwards and make up for it in time. With the active efforts of Mr. Ling, the students in his class always get the best grades when they take the unified examination in six primary schools in the township every semester. They are either the first or the second, and almost never come behind the third.
As time goes on, I know Miss Ling better and better. Miss Ling's lover is from a neighboring village. They are the same age. When she was young, Miss Ling was handsome and handsome, which naturally had a certain influence on girls of the same age around her. But he only took a fancy to the girl in the neighboring village because he admired the girl's shrewdness. However, the girl is not completely satisfied with the kind and honest teacher Ling. Somehow, Mr. Ling, who has always been honest and plain, has carried forward the spirit of desperate pursuit and even stalking, and finally got what she wanted, and she has always been loving after marriage. Although family life has been difficult, it is as fragrant as plum blossoms reflected by Chun Xue; Just like a diligent swallow in spring, it is better than Qi Fei.
As a private teacher, Mr. Ling was assigned to the field like ordinary farmers, and there were five people in the whole family. There are more than three acres of paddy fields and four or five acres of scattered mountains. In mountainous areas, although these fields are not the most, the burden of farming is undoubtedly heavy for a family like Miss Ling who has more children and less labor. Between the Yangtze River and Huaihe River, rice is mainly planted in summer and autumn in paddy fields. Between autumn, winter and spring, rape or wheat should be planted according to family needs. In spring, sweet potatoes, corn and sorghum are mainly planted in mountainous areas, and red beans and mung beans are ordered in late autumn, or broad beans are produced. In 1980s and 1990s, the price of ramie in mountainous areas was high, and many people began to plant ramie on a large scale. Ling's field is naturally the same.
Throughout the year, except in cold winter when it rains, or when it rains heavily and can't go out to do farm work, Ling and his wife always get up at dawn, divide their work, make breakfast for one person, and then put a jar of cold water in the embers of the stove to make full use of firewood; Before cooking at noon, pour the hot water in the crock into the pot to cook, which can save wood; Or put it in a thermos for later use. A person cleans the house, prepares farm tools, etc. Before going out, I woke up my 10-year-old daughter, explained the things at home clearly, took farm tools or fertilizer seeds, faced the cool morning breeze and the naughty blinking stars, and took advantage of the faint light on the ground to work in paddy fields or mountains.
When the morning sun rises like rouge, Miss Ling's eldest daughter has arranged for her sisters to get up at home and has finished breakfast. Then, according to her parents' instructions when she left, she filled two pots of porridge with two big iron teapots, and then filled her father's clothes for work with a clean cloth bag and sent them to the fields where her parents worked. Seeing the eldest daughter struggling to come, Miss Ling rushed to the side from the field or the ground, found a place with water nearby and washed it quickly. Then she quickly took off her dirty clothes for work and put on clean and tidy work clothes. At this time, the porridge is not hot and tastes just right. It took Miss Ling less than ten minutes to finish her meal, and then she took her eldest daughter to school. After breakfast, Miss Ling's lover has been busy in the field until school. Then she hastily packed up the farm tools and took them home. She hurried home to watch her three young daughters playing at home and cooked lunch by the way.
In this way, when Miss Ling and her eldest daughter came home from school, lunch was basically ready. At this time, the whole family happily got together for lunch. Never allow anyone to have leftovers in his bowl when eating; Eat even a grain of rice. "Who knows that every grain of Chinese food is hard?" After lunch, Mr. and Mrs. Ling rested for a while and set out to work in the fields. If the weather is bad, Miss Ling will take her eldest daughter to school directly. Miss Ling's lover hurried to the field, repeating the actions of farmers over and over again for thousands of years. After school in the evening, Mr. Ling rushed directly to the field, put on dirty clothes for work, and was busy with his lover until he was full of stars, only to bathe in the coolness of the evening breeze and "take the moon lotus home".
After the birth of their son, Mr. and Mrs. Ling were very happy. For many years, in a remote and backward mountain village, the couple have been sneered at by others, and they can't even lift their heads to swear directly. At this time, they can finally be proud. But the family burden is heavier. My in-laws have passed away and can't afford a nanny. In desperation, Mr. and Mrs. Ling had to endure heartache and persuade their second daughter who had reached school age to look after her little sister and little brother at home. Watching the elder sister and the third sister go to school with their father carrying schoolbags every day, the second daughter began to reluctantly agree, and finally couldn't help going to school a few days later. In desperation, Miss Ling's lover had to persuade again and even shed sad tears. Seeing her mother in tears, the second daughter was in tears and comforted her mother again and again. "Mom, I listen to you. I look after my brother and sister at home. I don't study! "
Every spring, Mr. and Mrs. Ling always take time to plant some apricot trees and peach trees around the house, or take time to replant some pomegranate trees in the pomegranate garden. The first time I went to Mr. Ling's house, I saw that his house was full of fruit trees before and after. Since I worked here, I occasionally go to his house or pass by his house. The trees near his home are increasing year by year and are often updated. Every year when rape blossoms wither, the cherry in front of his house bears fruit on the fruit tree first. The particles of red agate are dotted among the green leaves, which is really attractive. When picking, Mr. and Mrs. Ling often offer to give some to their children, but every child is very sensible. After eating a few and tasting them, they almost said in unison, cherries are not delicious, so sell them! Every time I hear these words, Mr. and Mrs. Ling often smile and quietly wipe away the tears overflowing from the corners of their eyes.
In early summer, peaches and apricots ripen almost at the same time. Every evening when they come home from school, the couple always bring bamboo baskets and laundry baskets, and the three eldest daughters always smile to help pick peaches and apricots. Early the next morning, Mr. Ling rode a bicycle and carried two baskets of peaches, apricots and other fruits to the fruit wholesale market in the county and sold them to small traders. Then I ride my bike back to school.
In autumn, the yellow leaves fall, and the trees are simple and handsome. On the pomegranate tree, round pomegranates, like magpies climbing plums, proudly hang on high branches. Red persimmons hang like beautiful lanterns in the jubilant persimmon garden. Pomegranate and persimmon can be stored at home for several days. In order to sell a good price, Miss Ling is not as anxious as selling peaches and apricots. Always ask in advance, and then use Sunday, or when the price is right, sell it at one time.
Every year, when the fruits of each season are ripe, Miss Ling will bring some to school and put them in the office for everyone to taste. Colleagues knew that his family had many children and a heavy burden, so they were really embarrassed and advised him to take them to the city to sell them. After hearing this, Teacher Ling always squinted slightly, with a kind smile on her face, and explained, "Don't people just buy food?"? Don't be shy, even if there are fewer knots on the tree. Besides, although money is good, it is not as good as others! "
When my second daughter was ten years old, I saw the youngest boy walk unsteadily. Teacher Ling saw that the eldest daughter and the third daughter got good grades in school and worked hard. Every night when watching the eldest daughter and the third daughter read their homework, the second daughter looks envious and yearning, and occasionally turns her head to secretly sigh. She couldn't help but feel a dull pain in her heart and quietly told her lover what she thought. The lover is also very sad. Looking at her walking son, she sighed lightly and said slowly, "No matter how hard it is at home, we can't suffer." Let her study. We can't make her regret it, and we can't regret it for a lifetime. "
Since then, every day at school, the three daughters who are studying have brought their youngest sister to school. In class, she always accompanied her second sister to take her to class and sat at the table. It is often said that children from poor families are masters early, and children from warm and harmonious families are very sensible from an early age. The youngest daughter always sits still in class. Look at that, she seems to be listening to the teacher and reading the words in the book. The son was taken to other places by Mr. Ling's lover to work and look after his son. My son has been very obedient since he was a child. I never run far with my mother in the field, and I will never forget to say hello to my mother wherever I go.
Warm and calm days, like running water in a mountain stream, quietly passed away. When his son can go to the first grade of primary school, Mr. Ling's family is really lucky. Just like the old saying goes, when luck comes, it can't stop the fence. The eldest daughter graduated from junior high school with excellent results and was admitted to the local normal school. More than 20 years ago, a shining satellite was released in a remote mountainous area. At that time, students in normal schools not only didn't have to pay tuition fees, but also had a certain living allowance every month. Although the amount of subsidy is not too much, it is enough for any student's life. What's more, children who have been living in hardworking and thrifty families? It was summer vacation, and Mr. and Mrs. Ling, who were working in the fields, learned that their eldest daughter had been admitted. They couldn't help but leave their farm tools and go home, and read and read their daughter's admission notice.
The fact that the eldest daughter was admitted greatly enhanced the confidence of the Ling couple. At home, he often follows the example of his eldest daughter and teaches the other four children to do their best no matter what they do. My younger brothers and sisters, especially my third daughter, who is about to enter junior high school, are envious when they see that her younger sister is going to school and will be paid to be a teacher for a state banquet in the future. Seeing that her sister has won honor for her parents, she can't lose face in any case.
After the eldest daughter joined the work, the family's economic situation was greatly eased, but the Ling couple did not relax and enjoy happiness. Although several old houses were barely habitable, Mr. Ling and his wife couldn't restrain their inner envy when they saw the small buildings with novel designs and unique shapes springing up like mushrooms after rain in the village. At this time, although things in the family field are as usual, children can take care of themselves, but they can also try to take time out to do housework. After managing the field, Mr. Ling and his wife began to tidy up the open space next to the old house and prepare to build a new house. Take advantage of living at the foot of the mountain and actively prepare stones to lay the foundation.