Unable to endure the hardships of rural life, she returned home to arrange a marriage with a militar

Chapter 175 The Sage Discusses Actions, Not Intentions

The story goes back to a month ago when Wang Yehong got up to use the bathroom one night. She heard her daughter, Xiaomu, crying secretly in her room. She went up to ask her why, but Xiaomu wouldn't tell her. Later, she noticed that Xiaomu's hand was swollen. When she asked her, Xiaomu said that she had accidentally fallen.

Wang Yehong choked up, "I don't know what's wrong with this child. No matter how I ask her, she won't say anything."

The tall lady, Gao Ju, rolled her eyes at her and said bluntly, "With your weak and cowardly nature, what's the use of Xiao Mu telling you? What problem can be solved by you and your daughter crying together?"

Wang Yehong felt as if she had been shot in the heart, and she cried even harder, sobbing, "It's all my fault for being useless. As a mother, I couldn't protect my child. That's why Xiaomu was bullied and didn't even tell me."

Seeing that she was about to lose control of her emotions, Gao Ju awkwardly shut her mouth and comforted her instead, "What did you do wrong? At most, you're just a little soft-hearted. But if we're talking about who's at fault, the source of this is the school teachers. You don't need to blame yourself too much. As long as we can resolve this, that's all that matters."

Wang Yehong nodded, and Xiao Ma asked curiously, "So you're sure it was Teacher Xiao Mu who did it?"

Wang Yehong nodded, "It's absolutely true. I couldn't get any information from the child, and I was worried. I heard from Sister Gao that there were children in the next brigade who were in the same grade as Xiaomu, so I went to inquire. That's when I found out that an art teacher had been targeting Xiaomu. Every Wednesday during her class, Xiaomu would either be punished by standing or have his hands slapped, which made it so that not many people in the class wanted to play with Xiaomu anymore."

Wang Yehong's eyes reddened again as she spoke. She was shocked and furious when she heard the news. Her first reaction was to rush to the school and fight that teacher. Her son, Xiaomu, had always been well-behaved. Why was she being targeted?

But before she even left the village, her anger dissipated. She thought about how her child would go to school if she left like this, and how she was bad at arguing and couldn't win against others. With that thought, her anger vanished completely, and she slunk home.

Xiao Ma asked, "Haven't you gone to school since?"

Gao Ju said, "Yesterday I was planning to go with her. I even dragged her to the school gate, but the security guard asked, 'What are you here for?' She was so scared that she grabbed me and ran back, and we didn't make it."

Wang Yehong looked embarrassed and tugged at Gao Ju's clothes, now she seemed to realize how ashamed she had been.

Xiao Ma had a general understanding of Wang Yehong's personality and understood why she sought help from the Women's Federation. However, she still tentatively asked, "Didn't you ask your family to inquire about the situation?"

Wang Yehong's expression darkened slightly. "There are only three of us in my family. My husband fell down the mountain a few years ago, and his leg has never fully recovered. I... I don't want to bother him with this matter. Can you come to the school with me?"

Wang Yehong looked at Shu Yun and the other person expectantly, and Xiao Ma nodded, "Okay, let's go find out what's going on together."

As they were about to set off, Shu Yun said, "Didn't you say that teacher's class is on Wednesday? Today is Tuesday, why don't we go tomorrow and see what's going on?"

Wang Yehong nodded quickly. She said she wasn't ready yet and needed to rest for a night to see how things went.

Gao Ju nodded, "I'll go tomorrow too. I think it's art class, right?"

Wang Yehong nodded, "Yes, that's their art teacher."

After agreeing on the time and place, Shu Yun and the other person said goodbye and left. Wang Yehong seemed a little worried and chased after them a few steps, saying, "Don't forget tomorrow!"

Xiao Ma waved his hand, "Don't worry, sister-in-law, I'll remember."

When Shu Yun returned home, her hands were empty and she felt exceptionally relaxed, but a strange feeling lingered in her heart, as if she had forgotten something. However, just then, Ding Hongmei from next door returned, which made Shu Yun put the brief feeling of unease to the back of her mind.

Ding Hongmei snorted coldly when she saw Shu Yun, and slammed the door shut with a loud bang, as if the old door was about to collapse.

Hearing the noise, Tian Xiufen peeked out and muttered under her breath, "Taking care of public property, does she really think this house is her own home?"

Shu Yun smiled, but she remembered that Ding Hongmei was now working as an art teacher at the military-affiliated primary school. Could it be such a coincidence?

"What are you thinking about?" Gu Jun came back and saw Shu Yun staring at a white wall, lost in thought. He looked around and felt that the house was unusually quiet today.

Shu Yun came to her senses. "I wasn't thinking about anything. Today I went with the Women's Federation to the nearby brigade to mediate disputes."

Gu Jun: "Hmm, any thoughts?"

Shu Yun sighed, "I feel that women's work is quite difficult."

Gu Jun pulled Shu Yun's hand into his palm and squeezed it. "Hmm, anything else?"

Shu Yun sighed and rested her head on Gu Jun's shoulder. "I feel that people of your generation are very simple, honest, ambitious, and have a strong sense of responsibility. Well... how should I put it, their thinking is very progressive and ideologically sound."

Gu Jun squeezed Shu Yun's hand. "What, you're not from this era anymore?"

Shu Yun bumped her head against his shoulder. "Why are you nitpicking with me? I just feel like my thinking isn't as positive as yours." In many situations, she still measures things by money, just like the comic strips she's drawing now. Her initial intention was to make more money. When she sees someone as pure as Xiao Ma, she feels ashamed of herself.

Gu Jun: "You are very good, the best in my heart."

Shu Yun looked up, "For example?"

Gu Jun pretended to think for a long time before speaking as Shu Yun's expression grew increasingly serious. "For example, you once jumped into the river to save a drowning child without hesitation. Not everyone has that kind of courage. Of course, although you didn't save the child, you almost drowned yourself."

Shu Yun was quite pleased with the first part of what Gu Jun said, but when Gu Jun finished speaking, her eyes narrowed and she pinched Gu Jun's ear, saying, "You've exposed my secrets again!"

Gu Jun let Shu Yun pinch his ear and laughed, "Of course there are other things too. He helped children who choked on food, and even drew propaganda posters to popularize first aid methods for choking. The comic strips you are drawing now also indirectly encourage the educated youth who went to the countryside to support construction to make good use of their knowledge to truly benefit the farmers on the Loess Plateau. These are all positive propaganda."

"The sage judges by actions, not intentions. This applies to you as well. No matter what your initial purpose was, as long as your actions are correct, that's enough. You're much better than those who just talk a good game but do nothing of substance."

Shu Yun felt very pleased to hear this, as if she were bathed in holy light, becoming tall and majestic. Meeting Gu Jun's gaze, she said shyly, "Actually, it's not that great, it's just what I feel like."