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墨書 Inktalez
The idea of Winter Ear is good, but she is not the only one with such an idea.
"Everyone pay attention, I am the village head, everyone knows that Yezi has returned. It's time for us to discuss and come to a conclusion. Let's gather at Team and decide who will go work at the Provincial Capital's specialty store."
The voice of Zhou Village Head echoed through Zhoujiatun via loudspeaker. The heads of households, wives, children, and girls all rushed to Team Dam.
The once quiet dam quickly became lively. A group of young people excitedly discussed their opportunity to go to Province, and soon they began arguing.
Yezhi, who arrived late, found a corner to enjoy the heated debate. She had to admit it was quite skillful; she couldn't come up with so many local-style insults herself. For the first time, she realized there were plenty of articulate boys and girls in Zhoujiatun who could speak freely.
"Yezi, you’re here!" Zhou Village Head called out, his voice cracking. The noisy crowd turned to look at her all at once.
Yezhi waved her hand and pushed Black Treasure, who had been following her closely, forward. "Come greet everyone; Niu Niu should also say hello." Black Treasure loved being in crowded places, especially when everyone was watching it. It seemed energized as it waved its paw, while Niu Niu coldly barked twice as a greeting to Yezhi.
Meizi Gege, holding a baby, laughed: "Everyone is about to tear each other apart, and Yezi still has the mood to let her pet show off. Isn’t that just adding fuel to the fire?"
Winter Ear shouted loudly: "We don’t have time to watch your pet perform tricks."
Yezhi smiled brightly, "But I have time to watch you all argue; it’s actually quite interesting. Keep going!" The more she encouraged them, the quieter the scene became.
"Yezi..." The village head felt a headache coming on; they had finally calmed down, so why was she encouraging them to argue?
"Leaf Sister, it was the village head who told us to discuss among ourselves, but we still haven’t reached any conclusion after all this discussion. What do you think we should do?"
Zhou Village Head widened his eyes. "Wednesday, you little rascal, why are you blaming me?" He felt wronged; after all, it was Teacher Xiao who suggested he let them handle things democratically and give them some freedom. Now look at what happened—these ungrateful kids!
Although Winter Ear was not convinced by Yezhi, she understood that holding this meeting meant listening to Yezi's opinion. "Yezi, who do you think should go first? I graduated from middle school; Xiao Wu has plenty of strength..."
"Is everyone going to listen to me?" She needed to clarify this point.
"Everyone hears you!" She was here to solve the problem, and besides, this shop in Province was something she had a hand in establishing, so she had a say.
"I propose that Xiao He and Willow Stick go first." Zhou Xiahe and Zhou Liutiao felt uncertain when they heard their names. It wasn't until everyone's gaze shifted to them that they believed Yezi was indeed talking about them.
"Why Xiao He and Willow Stick?" What could those two skinny ones do?
"You were arguing just now, and Xiao He's voice was thunderous. As for Willow Stick, they say an eighteen-year-old girl is like a flower; just standing in front of our little shop is a sight to behold."
Willow Stick's mother felt a sense of pride. Look at how well she raised her; even Yezi, who came from Province to the county, said her daughter was beautiful, which surely meant she was truly beautiful.
Willow Stick smiled shyly, feeling both bashful and pleased as Sister Ye praised her looks while she touched her own face.
"Am I not convincing?" Yezi's absurd reasoning left everyone speechless.
"Winter Ear, what are you not convinced about? Xiao Wu's voice isn't as loud as Xiao He's, and you don't look as good as Willow Stick!" Her words were indeed harsh; they not only struck down the overly self-important Winter Ear but also silenced those who were about to speak up.
Meizi couldn't help but bury her head in her daughter's shoulder, laughing quietly.
Zhou Village Head and Old Accountant couldn't help but smile as well. Aunt Ren Er cleared her throat, "Well, everyone has heard what Yezi said. Village Head, I think this matter is settled."
After finally establishing democracy, it turned into a farce with these young people. The more face they were given, the more they took advantage of it. "Xiao He and Willow Stick are set to depart three days from now!" Zhou Village Head thought that perhaps democracy should be limited in the future; it was too detrimental to the unity and harmony of their village.
"Village Uncle!"
Zhou Village Head glared at Zhou Xiaowu. "It's good for young people to be enthusiastic, but fighting over opportunities that everyone has is just asking for trouble! In three months, I will assign tasks; anyone who causes a ruckus will have their qualifications revoked." This time, everyone fell silent.
Yezhi thought to herself that Uncle should have done this sooner!
Xiao Cheng walked over and sat next to her. "Having a loud voice and being pretty—what kind of reasoning is that? It's surprising that everyone accepted it."
Yezhi smiled at him, "Arguing like this isn't a solution. If they accept it, then it's over. Do you think they aren't annoyed? Arguing is exhausting!"
Xiao Cheng was taken aback; this was his suggestion. He believed that the people of Zhoujiatun, influenced by culture, were different from others. He envisioned that through this democratic discussion, the young people of Zhoujiatun would awaken their self-awareness.
"I didn't expect it to turn out like this!" Xiao Cheng said with a bitter smile. Yezhi nudged him, "If it weren't for your encouragement, Everyone wouldn't have made such a fuss!" Yezhi's words were a bit absolute, but if it weren't for Teacher Xiao's constant urging for Everyone to be proactive, seize opportunities, and bravely express their own voices, the newly cultured youth of Zhoujiatun wouldn't have been so eager to stand out.
"I encouraged them!" Xiao Cheng exclaimed as he stood up in surprise. "It was you who encouraged them." Yezhi said while giving him a knowing look.
Xiao Cheng sighed deeply, gazing at the endless mountains. "When the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates departed from this world, he told his proud disciple that you are inherently excellent; it's just that you don't believe in yourself and thus overlook your own worth. In fact, everyone is excellent; the difference lies in how one understands oneself and how one utilizes and reuses oneself."
"Our great thinker Confucius had profound insights about life and self-awareness: 'Do not do evil even if it seems small; do not neglect good even if it seems minor.' He taught others: 'Do not impose on others what you do not desire for yourself.' Confucius had a high awareness of life; he thought this way and acted accordingly. Not only did he benefit from it himself, but his disciples were also influenced."
"Yezhi's personal awakening is very important. If we all possess a higher self-awareness, it is crucial for individuals, collectives, nations, and even society."
Yezhi felt overwhelmed by Xiao Cheng's references to Socrates and Confucius. She rubbed her temples: no wonder the young people in the village were becoming increasingly rebellious. If she were subjected to Xiao Cheng's "passionate" brainwashing every day, she might end up being even more outstanding than him.
"Teacher Xiao!" she wanted to say.
Xiao Cheng looked at her with such clear and selfless eyes, filled with ideals!
She turned her head, gazing at the distant mountains just as Xiao Cheng had before. "Teacher Xiao, when a person's self-awareness awakens, they gradually break away from the silent majority and from worldly concerns. There are now many different voices in the village; they still can't truly grasp what self-awareness means. Most of them are influenced by you and me. Don't rush to refute; I used to hope Everyone would have self-awareness like you said. Now I actually hope Everyone remains a bit 'ignorant' and awakens more slowly." This way, she could deceive them for a few more years, uniting Everyone's efforts toward her persistence and leading them toward what she considered a happy life. (To be continued.)
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