Meng Yan's Transformation

Zhan Mengyan worked very hard this summer.

Every day before daybreak, Zhan Mengyan gets up early, first releases the donkey, ties it to a place with lush grass by the roadside, and then begins to cut fresh green grass to take home as feed for the geese. When the grass is almost cut, she goes into the cornfield to dig wild vegetables, which she will take home as feed for the fattened pigs.

Zhan Yu saw the piles of wild vegetables fermenting in jars, and the piles of fresh green grass on the ground. A few geese were eating and singing. He said happily to Yun Qing, "Look, it's great that Zhan Mengyan doesn't have to go to school. The family has an extra helper. How much pig feed can be saved in one summer? The pigs are so fat and strong when they are fed with fermented wild vegetables. It seems that we were right not to let Zhan Mengyan go to school."

"Shh"... Yunqing put her finger in front of her mouth, signaling Zhan Yu to keep his voice down.

"Look how scared you are. Zhan Mengyan hasn't come back from releasing the donkey yet. She can't hear you." Zhan Yu explained.

Yunqing glared at Zhan Yu and said, "Even if you're not back, keep your voice down. If you say you won't let Mengyan go to school, who will hear it? Tell Mengyan, do you think Mengyan will still work so hard at home like she does now?"

"Why are you glaring at me? It would be better if someone told Mengyan that we can't afford to send her to high school. Then you and I wouldn't have to tell her. I had planned to tell her on the day I knew the results of the high school entrance examination that she couldn't go to high school, but you wouldn't let me. Now I see Mengyan working happily every day, and I saw that she was so tired, so I advised her to take a rest before working again, but Mengyan always said that she wouldn't have time to help with housework after going to high school, so she had to take advantage of this summer vacation to help with the family more. I wanted to speak several times and wanted to tell her the truth, but I stopped myself. I think it's better for you as her mother to tell her about this matter." Zhan Yu replied.

"Zhan Yu, you always want me, as a mother, to be the bad guy. This matter should be told by you, the head of the family and the father, Meng Yan. If you saw Meng Yan's anxious look in anticipation of the high school entrance examination results, and her excitement when she knew the results, you would not have the heart to tell her that she can't go to high school. Just let her be happy for one summer vacation. Tell her the day before school starts. Alas... this child is so pitiful... she ended up in our poor family..." Yun Qing began to nag.

"Stop talking, it makes me upset!" Zhan Yu said irritably.

Zhan Mengyan spent the days happily and tiredly. Summer vacation was over, but no one told Zhan Mengyan that she could not go to high school.

"Brother Zixun, shall we ride a bicycle to the county town tomorrow? We can take turns riding, and I can also carry you. You can just drop me off at your ordinary high school, and I will walk to the county key high school to report." Zhan Mengyan asked happily as she watched Zhan Zixun packing his schoolbag.

“Hmm…” Zhan Zixun lowered his head, not daring to look into Zhan Mengyan’s eyes, and just said “hmm” perfunctorily.

"Brother Zixun, why are you unhappy? Don't you want school to start? Don't you want to go to school?" Zhan Mengyan asked again.

"No, I just feel that we are not in the same school and no one will take care of you. What if you are bullied?" Zhan Zixun said with pretended concern.

Zhan Mengyan looked at Zhan Zixun with infinite longing eyes and said, "Brother Zixun, you don't have to worry about me. I can take care of myself. Students in key high schools are all excellent in both character and academic performance. How could there be people who bully their classmates? Brother Zixun, don't worry, I will never embarrass you. Study hard, and I will go to your school to find you on the weekend, and then we will go home together."

Late at night, Zhan Mengyan was so excited that she tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep. She suffered from insomnia. Thinking that she would be able to go to high school tomorrow, she laughed secretly.

Yunqing felt sad when she heard Zhan Mengyan's laughter.

Zhan Yu heard Zhan Mengyan's laughter and thought about how to stop her tomorrow while she was at school.

The next morning, Zhan Mengyan was awakened by the sound of the door being locked. She quickly got up, washed her face and brushed her teeth. After a while, she suddenly realized that no one was in the room and breakfast was on the table. She hurried to push the door and found that it was locked from the outside. Through the crack in the door, she saw Zhan Zixun carrying a schoolbag and pushing a bicycle towards the gate.

"Brother Zixun, wait for me! Didn't we agree to go to school together today? Who locked me in the room? Brother Zixun, please help me open the door quickly!..." Zhan Mengyan shouted hoarsely.

Zhan Zixun didn't look back, he just slowed down his pace, then jumped on his bicycle and left...

When Zhan Mengyan saw Zhan Zixun abandon her and ride away on his bicycle, she immediately panicked. She desperately banged on the door and cried, "Open the door quickly! Why did you lock me up at home? I want to go to school, I want to go to school..."

Zhan Mengyan cried until her voice was hoarse, but she kept banging on the door.

"Mengyan, what's wrong with you? Where is your brother Zhan Zixun?" Zhang Xincheng asked through the door.

"Zhang Xincheng, please help me open the door quickly! I have to go to school. My brother Zhan Zixun left me alone to go to school." Zhan Mengyan said in a hoarse voice.

Zhang Xincheng was about to find a stone to break the lock when Zhan Yu came over and said, "Zhang Xincheng, don't worry about our family affairs. Go to school soon." Zhan Yu pushed Zhang Xincheng away.

"If you don't allow Zhan Mengyan to go to school, why do you lock her up?" Zhang Xincheng asked angrily.

"I told you to mind your own business, didn't you hear me? Do you want me to call your father to beat you up?" Zhan Yu said with his eyes wide open, blocking the door.

Zhang Xincheng rushed to the crack of the door and said to Zhan Mengyan: "Mengyan, don't worry, just wait for me, I will definitely come to save you, I promise to let you go to high school..."

Before Zhang Xincheng could finish his words, he was pushed to the front door by Zhan Yu. "Look at what you are capable of, kid. How can you let Zhan Mengyan go to high school? Stop giving Zhan Mengyan dreams that cannot be realized. Go away, go away!"

Through the crack in the door, Zhan Mengyan saw Zhang Xincheng being pushed farther and farther away by Zhan Yu. He kept looking towards Zhan Mengyan's door.

After Zhang Xincheng left, Zhan Yu came to the door of Zhan Mengyan, and Zhan Mengyan kept begging Zhan Yu to open the door. Zhan Yu said through the door: "Zhan Mengyan, please stop making trouble. Dad and Mom are incompetent and can't afford to send you to high school. Don't blame Dad and Mom for being cruel. We have no choice! I should have told you that I couldn't send you to high school as soon as your high school entrance examination results came out, but your mother saw that you were so happy after seeing your high school entrance examination results, so she couldn't bear to let me tell you about the financial difficulties at home. You were happy for nothing for a whole summer vacation. You calm down in the room first. If you don't cry and make a fuss about going to school, Dad will let you out, okay?"

Zhan Mengyan's eyes were red from crying and her voice was hoarse. She held on to the crack of the door with both hands and said, "Dad, please let me out first. Today is the first day of school and I have to report to school. I don't want to live in the dormitory. I'll ride my bike to the dormitory, so you don't have to pay for it. I won't order books either. I'll use my brother's books and bring food from home... I won't spend any money from our family to go to high school... Dad, please, open the door quickly..."