Meng Yan's Transformation

After Zhang Xincheng left, Yunqing saw Zhan Mengyan's disgusted expression and asked, "Mengyan, why do you hate Zhang Xincheng so much? How did he offend you?"

"He didn't provoke me, I just hate the way his father speaks. I hate everyone in his family." Zhan Mengyan replied.

Yunqing smiled and said, "You are really good at creating idioms. I only know the idiom 'Love the house and love the dog', and this is the first time I have heard of the idiom 'Hate the house and hate the dog'. Why do you hate your uncle Zhang Bao? We still need him to dig a well for us tomorrow. If they come tomorrow, you can't look at them like you did today, or they will laugh at my daughter, Yunqing, for being uncultured and rude."

Zhan Mengyan lowered her head and pouted and said, "Mom, do you know why Dad got drunk today? It was because Uncle Zhang Bao asked Dad about my recommendation for the secondary normal school and someone else took my place. He also said that it was useless for a girl like me to study... I can tolerate whatever he said about me because he is an elder, but if he ridicules Dad because I didn't get into the secondary normal school and rubs salt into Dad's wounds, I can't forgive him. Dad is a person who values ​​face. I listened to Dad and took the secondary normal school exam to make him look good. I failed the exam and it was a big blow to Dad. I don't want others to use this to hurt Dad. If Uncle Zhang Bao hadn't mentioned my admission to the secondary normal school at the wine table, Dad would never have gotten drunk... Mom, can we ask another well digger to dig a well for our family tomorrow? If Uncle Zhang Bao comes, he will ask Dad about my admission to the secondary normal school. I don't want Dad to worry anymore..."

Yunqing found that Zhan Mengyan's voice was getting smaller and smaller, and she choked up several times. She looked at Zhan Mengyan with distressed eyes and said, "Mengyan, I know you are a sensible and good child, and you know how to feel sorry for your parents, but don't dad and mom also feel sorry for you. We saw that you didn't like to eat, didn't like to talk, and lost weight these days. Dad and mom's hearts are bleeding. How we hope that you can get out of the shadow of failing the junior normal school entrance examination and devote yourself to the preparation for the high school entrance examination. Romain Rolland once said: Go your own way and let others talk. We can't stop everyone from talking, we can only change ourselves. Your father has agreed with Uncle Zhang Bao to dig a well for our family. If we don't use him because he asked your father about your junior normal school entrance examination, we are too petty, without pattern, and without temperament. Maybe Zhang Bao asked about your junior normal school entrance examination out of concern for you. Did we misunderstand him or hate him?"

The next day, early in the morning, Zhang Bao, Zhang Xinzhong and Zhang Xincheng, father and son, came to Zhan Yu's house with well-drilling tools.

Zhang Bao surveyed the terrain and said to Zhan Yu, "Brother Zhan, I think the location of your water well needs to be changed. Move it three meters south."

Zhan Yu looked at Zhang Bao drawing the well site on the spot and said in confusion, "Brother Zhang Bao, you are the well digger today and you have the final say. I know nothing about digging wells. Just tell me what is needed and what is missing. I will find a few more people and try to finish digging the well today. Xincheng, don't work for now. You still have classes tomorrow. Go back to the county's No. 2 high school early in the afternoon. This job is tiring and dirty. A high school student can't do it."

"I can do ironwork, so there's nothing wrong with me digging wells. Let's see how long I can finish today. If it's late, I can get up early tomorrow morning and ride my bike to the county town to go to school." Zhang Xincheng said.

"Brother Zhan, don't worry about Xincheng! Let him do it if he wants to. Go to the supply and marketing cooperative and buy some plastic pipes."