Section One: Reporting

  Ma Li had been staying at home for a long time during the summer vacation, he went to the personnel section of the county education bureau three times to ask, and finally knew his assignment situation on August 2.

  The first two times I went, a staff member from the personnel department heard the knock on the door, opened it a crack, fearing that the air conditioner in the room would run away, and coldly said, "Just wait at home, what's the hurry?"

  The second time I went there, it was another person who said: "The leader has not yet held a meeting to study this matter."

  The leaders of the Education Bureau studied personnel matters on July 27 or 28, just before the start of school. If they had done it earlier, more teachers would have known and found the leaders to ask for favors, so some leaders couldn't help but take care of them. When the new semester was about to start, they all hid away to study, either in a mountain resort or a hot spring hotel, where ordinary people couldn't find them. By the time people found the leaders, the documents had already been finalized and there was no room for change.

  Ma Lixin's home is in a small town, although the town is not as lively as the county seat, it is also the location of the town government.

  People from the countryside carry firewood to sell, pull cows to sell, and bring chicken eggs and vegetable baskets for a lively transaction in the market. They clutched the few notes they had exchanged, some generously buying two bowls of tofu and two fried dough sticks, while others hastily hurried back home to eat breakfast.

  Ma Lixin's home is next to the vegetable market, and his family has two stores. His parents guard the store every day, selling some dry goods and general merchandise, but they are not very busy, so he doesn't need to help out. He often reads books in the county town, and when he returns home, he seems like a guest. Moreover, the time he spends at home is not long, so his parents really treat him as a guest. His parents occasionally scold him, saying that they have raised him for so many years, but he doesn't do anything when he comes home, what will happen to him in the future?

  When he got tired of listening, he would go for a walk on the street. The street wasn't very long, and many people on the street didn't know him. As he walked along the street, the bosses sitting in their shops looked at him, taking him as a potential customer. He could only take a quick glance around, those uneven stone slabs and the wooden door sills of varying heights were all too familiar to him. So he went to the other side of the street to look at the river.

  The river is a clear stream. Not far away, there are stone steps extending into the river, and at dawn, noon or evening, there are people washing clothes and vegetables, bent over on the steps. He often goes to the riverbank to watch these people doing things, seeing them stir up the river water in circles like tree rings, with distant fishing boats vaguely visible, which sets off the beauty of the small river.

  Ma Lixin's reporting time is August 30th. The reporting location is at the Qiaoshan office, which is closest to the urban area. He was secretly delighted, as these places were usually hotspots for the Education Bureau, and ordinary people without connections would not be able to go there. He himself didn't have any connections and didn't know what reason he had been assigned to such a good place.

  He thought he'd go and report a day early. On the 29th, he arrived at the Qiaoshan Education Office. The education office was located behind Qiaoshan Middle School, while in front of it was Qiaoshan Primary School. The Qiaoshan Education Office managed Qiaoshan's middle school and primary schools as well as 12 other primary schools below it.

  Ma Lixin soon found the education station, where a bald staff member was very enthusiastic, pouring him boiling water to drink and turning on the fan for him to enjoy, far more enthusiastic than the personnel in the Education Bureau. Ma Lixin was delighted, and upon hearing that he was reporting as a new teacher, the bald man said: "Welcome, welcome! Our station head is not here, he has gone out on business, you have been assigned to Shuilu Primary School."

  Ma Lixin didn't know about Shuilu Primary School, nor did he know how to get there. He asked where Shuilu Primary School was. The man casually pointed with his hand, and following the direction of his finger, all he saw was a vast expanse of water, a reservoir in the distance, and a range of mountains.

  The man said that on the mountain, there is a bus trip every day. The bus goes down the mountain in the morning and up the mountain in the evening. If you miss the bus, you'll have to go up the mountain the next day.

  The man looked at him and immediately said: "However, the mountain is very good, the air is fresh, the scenery is beautiful, and the people on the mountain are also very hospitable."

  He didn't know how he walked out. Thinking it was still early, he sat down in a corner of the street. He hadn't asked where to take the bus earlier, so he thought about finding a place to ask, and after thinking for a moment, he saw a small grocery store with no one outside, just a few long benches, so he bought some small things and then stood up to ask the boss which bus to take to Shuili Elementary School. The boss very carefully told him where to get on the bus.

  The car was a broken-down vehicle. There weren't many people on it, with only about ten people scattered around. As soon as Ma Lixin got on, the car started moving.

  When he got on the bus, he suddenly realized that he was alone and unfamiliar with his daily necessities. He didn't know if there were things to buy at the new place. However, he thought that where there is a school, there should be a small shop. With this in mind, he just went along for the ride.

  When the car reached the middle of the mountain, he saw that the mountain road was very steep and the car was struggling to climb. The cliff outside the window was precipitous and full of hidden dangers. The outermost wheel of the car seemed to be pressed against the edge of the road, with the danger of overturning at any time. He looked at the other people in the car, who were either closing their eyes or gazing lazily at the scenery outside the window. He could only shift his gaze elsewhere and follow the ups and downs of the car.

  The car stopped at a turning point. "Everyone help!" the driver shouted. "Get down, get down." Mali Xinxin also got down and asked someone next to him if they had arrived at the waterway, but the person said it was still early. It turned out that someone on the mountain had suddenly fallen ill and the car was going to take the patient to the hospital below immediately. The driver said, "Come and help me." He looked around and saw that everyone on the bus was either an old man or a woman, so he reluctantly helped the driver lift the patient.

  Just as he was about to get off the bus, who knew that the broken-down bus started moving again. He wanted to shout for it to stop, but the bus quickly slid downwards. He had no choice but to stay on the bus.

  He went to school for registration, but somehow he ended up saving a patient. He was originally assigned to the Qingshan Office and was very happy, but it seems that there is no such thing as an unprovoked good deed in this world.

  When it comes to Qiaoshan, many people say it's good, but those who haven't worked in Qiaoshan have no idea what's going on inside. The car went down the mountain quickly, and when we arrived at the hospital, it was already very late. Since it was an emergency patient, the procedures were also done quickly, and before long, the patient was settled in. The patient's family members were all guarding the patient, and only he was left to go back up the mountain with the driver.

  The car lights weren't very bright, and as the car climbed up the mountain, he gazed out at the distant mountains below, where the twinkling lights flickered like eyes, while the nearby area was pitch black. The sound of the car's tires grinding against the stone road filled his ears, and occasionally a piece of hay would slide across the window glass, sometimes poking in to prick him. He casually closed the window, and without turning on the interior light, he could see outside very clearly. There were also fireflies hitting the car body, their tiny lights flashing and falling off.

  The driver didn't say anything either, he thought it was also impossible to speak. At night, it's not as good as during the day, and the road is not easy to walk on, so be careful. But what about himself at such a late hour? How could he find his way to school? He wanted to ask the driver. Never mind, let's talk about it when we arrive.

  People who got on halfway were still waiting on the road, and when the car came, they were chatting. When they got on the bus, they seemed to have come with enthusiasm. "I'm so lucky today, the yarn I didn't buy last time has arrived." "That's nothing compared to me, a piece of clothing I saw last time was 10 yuan, but today it's discounted to 7.5 yuan." "Really? Why didn't you call me?" Nobody asked him, because everyone on the bus knew each other from the waterway, and only he was the real outsider, someone should have asked him.

  It was already 12 o'clock at night when they arrived at the mountain top, and everyone in the car was yawning continuously, getting off the bus with half-closed eyes. He quickly asked someone, if everyone left, he wouldn't even have anyone to ask. "Elementary school?" The person being asked said strangely. Only then did the person being asked realize that there was still a stranger on the bus.

  The place where they got off the bus was still a distance from school, although not very far, it was very dark. None of them had flashlights, and even if they did, they would need to use them themselves. He walked with one foot heavy and one light, the road on both sides was pitch black, he usually had a big temper, but now he was in an unfamiliar place, he wanted to run but didn't know the situation ahead, there were occasional sounds from the mountain, every time there was a sound his hair stood up.

  He walked faster and faster, the faster he seemed to have more people chasing him. By the time he ran to the elementary school, his whole body was sweating. There were only the principal's family in the elementary school. The principal's family had gone to bed early.

  When he knocked on the door, the principal reluctantly asked who it was and what he was doing at this late hour. He explained his situation of climbing the mountain, so the principal had no choice but to open the door. The principal was wearing a pair of triangular shorts and a vest on top, saying: "Why didn't you come earlier? If you came earlier, I could have prepared a good place for you to sleep." Now you can just rest on my bed at home. At least there's a place to sleep, as long as there's one place it's fine. Who knows where to find a place to stay on this mountain even if you have money? Besides, who would let a stranger enter their home casually?

  The principal turned on all the lights, but they were dim and he estimated that some of them were only 15 watts. He then saw that it was a row of flat houses, and the bed assigned to him by the principal had only one frame. The principal found a sheet and a quilt and threw them at him, saying that conditions were limited. Then he went to sleep himself. He had no choice but to make do with it and slept for a night.

  The next day he got up very early. When he got up, the principal's family was still quiet. He had to go out and take a walk to see if there were any places to buy things.

  After turning around for half a day, I didn't find any small shops, but next to the school there was a very small place with two counters, which seemed to be a vegetable selling place. On the wall at the entrance of the school, three characters "small shop" were written, but the door was not open.

  The air in the mountain is really good, just like what the bald-headed man at the education station said, it has a sweet aftertaste. Ma Lixin is a very honest person, he was voted as the student who observes discipline the most in school by everyone.

  Recommend a new book "The Book Walker".