PDLP 132. Preparing for the New Year
132. Preparing for the New Year
"Neighbors, come on out! It's Qingxia here to see you all. Sister Liu, Brother Li, Huanhuan, come on in! I, Qingxia, have said that once I'm successful, I won't let my neighbors down. This is just a small token of my appreciation, New Year's gifts. Please accept them and have a good New Year!"
In Fengwei Alley, Qingxia had someone bring a large cart full of New Year's goods, put it on the ground, and stood there loudly calling out to everyone to come out.
"Oh~ Brigitte Lin? You said you'd come back after you became successful, I thought it would be many years later, but I didn't expect you to become successful in just a few days? Your success is too fast!"
The widow Liu, who had argued with Brigitte Lin, was the first to come out. She was wearing a slightly bulky cotton coat and her eyes lit up as she looked at the New Year's goods piled on the ground.
“Sister Liu, my husband and I are very grateful to the neighbors for taking care of us recently. He has recovered from his injury and has gone back to work on the boat to earn some money. Before he left, he repeatedly told me to be grateful and thank the neighbors properly for their help.”
"Oh my, Brigitte Lin, this is quite a generous offer! So many New Year's goods, it must have cost a lot of money!"
"Yes, yes, it's enough that you mean it. There's really no need to waste so much money. Look, these are all good things. I've heard that these pastries are very expensive."
"What's so expensive about it? It's all just what we should do. Besides, I, Qingxia, said I was going to have a three-day feast in our alley, but lately those Japanese devils and spies have been keeping a close eye on us, so we'll have to postpone the feast for now. But it's already the New Year, so everyone should definitely accept these New Year's gifts."
"Oh, thank you, thank you. You know, the whole Qingxia family are such kind and grateful people. Let's not let her kindness go to waste. Let's take these New Year's goods back with us. It doesn't look good to leave them piled up on the road."
An elderly man, his face glowing, shakily came up to collect his New Year's gifts, which drew laughter and scolding from the women around him.
The people living here are mostly from the lowest rungs of Shanghai's society. Needless to say, Qingxia knows how difficult their economic situation is. But even so, no one betrayed them for the Japanese soldiers' bonuses. This is the feeling of mutual respect and sympathy among compatriots.
Qingxia was happy to see the bright smiles on everyone's faces after receiving the gifts. However, she was unaware that in an inconspicuous corner nearby, a secret agent had witnessed the whole scene and reported it to his superior.
The neighbors in the alleys received their New Year's goods, but their joy didn't last long. A long nightmare awaited them, but that's a story for another time. For now, let them enjoy this brief moment of warmth.
After Zhou Hongyi issued a three-shift duty arrangement to the police officers at the police station, he once again drove the only truck in the police station, loaded with New Year's goods, to the school near the Guanyin Temple, which was funded and built by his sister.
The school is called "Hope Academy". Although it has only enrolled about twenty children at present, they are all the future hope of this nation.
Zhou Pan'er has now shed her elegant lady-like attire and now wears more practical trousers and cotton-padded clothes. Her hair is simply tied up with a hairpin. She is busy every day improving the children's meals, teaching them to read and write, and teaching them what a country and a nation are.
As Zhou Hongyi got out of the car, the children happily came out to greet him. Soon, he had all the winter supplies brought into the school, including cotton-padded clothes, vegetables, rice and flour, sausages and dried meat for the children, as well as some textbooks and extracurricular books.
"Zhongliang, you're here! Look, the children all love you."
Looking at Zhou Pan'er, whose face was obviously haggard, Zhou Hongyi couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her. But at the same time, he also saw that there was a lot more light in her eyes. Unlike before, when she was like a canary kept in a cage, only able to keep an empty room every day and wait for a man's favor, she had now found her own meaning in life.
Zhou Hongyi gently hugged his sister and looked her over, saying, "Sister, you look much more beautiful than before. Although you're missing those gorgeous clothes and dazzling accessories, you radiate a kind of light from the inside out. Has anyone ever told you that you look quite like a Bodhisattva?"
Zhou Pan'er rolled her eyes, pinched her younger brother's ribs, and said, "You're getting more and more out of line. By the way, the school is taking in more and more children now, and we're a bit short-staffed, especially for teachers. We need teachers with professional knowledge."
Zhou Hongyi said, "If we don't have enough people, we can recruit from the refugees in the vicinity. As for professional teachers, that is a bit difficult, but I will find a way to solve it."
When it comes to professional teachers, the first person that comes to Zhou Hongyi's mind is Bodhi, who is now disguised as Mr. Ruoshui. Mr. Ruoshui is a teacher, and he thinks that through his connections, some more motivated and patriotic students can be hired to teach the children. It would be no problem to teach them the most basic and simple knowledge.
Zhou Hongyi and Zhou Pan'er were discussing how to improve the school when they saw a familiar figure flash past them.
Zhou Hongyi grabbed the short figure and pulled him over. The two looked at each other and recognized each other.
"It's you? Shoya, you go to this school too?"
"Boss! The principal of this school is your sister? Your family is truly philanthropists! May they live long and prosper!"
The young man Zhou Hongyi saw was the newspaper boy who delivered newspapers to his antique shop every day. He hadn't expected that the boy would come here to learn when he wasn't delivering newspapers. It seemed that he was an ambitious person.
Zhou Pan'er patted the child's head and said, "You two know each other? Xi Yazi hasn't been here long, but he's very smart and learns things quickly. I even told him to call all the newspaper boys who are eager to learn like him here so they can learn more characters, read more books, and understand more important principles. That way, they'll have more options when they grow up."
Zhou Hongyi wholeheartedly agreed, stating that children are the future of a nation, and education has always been a top priority in every era of history, and should never be taken lightly.
"Did you hear that? Listen to your principal and call all your newspaper vendors over. It's winter and cold. I brought some cotton-padded coats today. Everyone can take one according to their size. There are also charcoal stoves in the school, so it's warm. If you get cold outside, remember to come back. This is your safe haven."
As Xi Yazi listened, his eyes welled up with tears. He wiped them with his sleeve, forced a smile, and said, "Yes! I will definitely tell everyone this news. Boss Zhou, Principal Sister, you are both wonderful people! If you need my help in the future, please don't hesitate to ask!"
"Hehehe~ brat, how old are you? It's not your place to help with anything. The most important thing for you right now is to study and get in shape. The future of this country will be in your hands."
At the time, Zhou Hongyi did not realize that these newsboys who roamed the streets would later become his invincible intelligence network.