Three Women in the Cage

When Teacher Wu was sitting in his office and looking at the stack of notebooks handed in at the table, he nervously took the notebooks one by one until he saw Xinxin's notebook.

He took it in his hand eagerly and opened it excitedly, as if he could finally discover the secret, and couldn't wait to look at the contents inside.

However, the more he read on, the deeper his frown deepened. As he read on, his heart ached. He had thought of many situations, but he had never thought it would be this situation. This reason about his family and villagers made him feel powerless.

He had always thought it was a purely personal problem, so he could prescribe the right medicine and provide effective counseling. However, how could he counsel this external issue?

He has no position and no ability to resolve other people's grievances. He can only stand from the perspective of a teacher and guide his students.

But he knew that if the external factors weren't resolved, then Xinxin's problems wouldn't be resolved either. It was a deadlock. What should he do? What should he do?

This is what he has always wanted to find out, but after finding out, he felt powerless.

He put the notebook aside and slumped down in the chair dejectedly. Suddenly, he didn't know whether it was right or wrong to find out her secret.

But now that it has come to this, he knows that Xinxin must be waiting for his response. If he doesn't respond and pretends not to see it, wouldn't that be unfair to her heart that she has finally opened with great difficulty?

He couldn't do this. He couldn't let her heart, which she had finally opened, close in disappointment. He couldn't let her take a step back, which she had finally taken. That would be irresponsible not only to himself, but also to her.

But what could he do for her? How could he respond to her? He couldn't think of anything and felt a little frustrated.

He put his hands on the notebook, staring at it blankly, sighing from time to time. What should he do?

That day, Teacher Wu drank and got very drunk. During the evening study session, he came to class with a red face. Sitting on the podium, he supported his chin, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Everyone was very confused. This was the first time they saw Teacher Wu drinking. They guessed that he was in a bad mood today, so everyone kept quiet spontaneously for fear of making him unhappy.

Later, for some reason, Teacher Wu called Xinxin out and stood in the corridor. Teacher Wu blushed and said, "Why are you unhappy? I want you to be happier. What should I do?"

When Xinxin heard him say this, she had a premonition that he had read her weekly diary. Xinxin was a little panicked. She had thought about his reaction, but she didn't expect it to be like this.

She lowered her head, flustered and unsure how to answer. Just as she was lost in thought, Teacher Wu suddenly stepped forward, firmly grasped her hand, and pleaded, "Can I go to your home for a home visit? Can Teacher Wu come to your home for a home visit?"

Hearing the word "home visit" instantly woke Xinxin up. She hurriedly let go of Teacher Wu's hand, took two steps back, and said in panic: "No! Don't go on the home visit, don't go..."

After saying that, she cried. She couldn't go on the home visit. That was her mother's only dignity, and she couldn't tear it apart like this. She couldn't let everyone know about the situation at home, otherwise she and her mother would become pitiful. Her mother was so strong-willed, how could she allow the little self-esteem she had left to be exposed like this?

She couldn't bear to have all her shame exposed, for everyone to analyze and judge. The pitifulness that everyone knew about would make her lose face.

Moreover, Xinxin never dared to reveal her inner secrets in front of her mother. Now if Teacher Wu were to visit her home like this, her inner secrets would be discovered by her mother. She didn't know how her mother would look at her. Would she feel that she was a failure for letting her daughter have such a bad experience?

Some things can only be kept in your heart and cannot be spoken out. If you say them out, things will change.

Xinxin was not ready to let her mother know her inner feelings, nor was she ready to let Teacher Wu communicate with her mother. She just wanted to talk, and she was not ready to make everything public.

Looking at the hand that Xinxin pushed away, Teacher Wu looked at Xinxin in confusion and asked, "Why? Why don't you want me to go for a home visit? I want to get to know your family better so that I can help you. Why don't you want me to go?"

He was in pain. The feeling of wanting to do something but being unable to do anything made him very uncomfortable.

Xinxin didn't know what to say. Teacher Wu didn't understand her concerns. Looking at Teacher Wu's concerned eyes, Xinxin begged with tears in her eyes: "Please don't go, please don't go..."

She couldn't let anyone disturb her mother. She couldn't. These things were too unbearable. Her mother didn't need pity. She couldn't take away her only pride. She knew her mother's stubbornness. Even if she was humbled to the dust, she didn't want others' pity. And now her actions were to expose her pity nakedly. She couldn't do this.

It's my own incompetence, it's me who wants others to save me, it's me who exposes my inner unbearableness, it's me who is useless, it's me who doesn't want others' pity but wants others to save me, it's my own fault...

She should have known long ago that no one could save her. Apart from telling others those unbearable memories over and over again and crying over and over again, nothing could be changed and she would even drag others into her circle of pain.

I shouldn’t say things, I shouldn’t impose my pain on others, letting them fall into the vortex of pain with me...

Seeing Xinxin crying uncontrollably, Teacher Wu finally couldn't bear it anymore and turned around and ran away, leaving Xinxin alone in the corridor crying breathlessly.

Since then, Teacher Wu no longer smiled like he used to. He always frowned, as if he was troubled by a thousand-year-old problem.

After that, he no longer talked to Xinxin, and Xinxin's notebook was never distributed. He carried it with him and took it out to look at it when he was in a bad mood.

After watching it, I felt gloomy all day long.

Since then, Xinxin always avoided his gaze, and both of them avoided each other to some extent.

One day, the English teacher called Xinxin to her dorm room. She enthusiastically pulled her to sit by the bed and spoke from the heart. At first, Xinxin thought she was talking to her about her studies, but then he started asking about her family, which made her wary. Later, the English teacher explained that it was Teacher Wu who asked her to ask, and that some things might be easier to talk to a female teacher.

It turned out that Teacher Wu thought that she didn't say it because she was worried about the inconvenience of the opposite sex. But she didn't, and that was not the reason at all.

Moreover, she could feel that the English teacher did not really want to care about her. She was just doing it to complete the task based on Teacher Wu's request.

Xinxin certainly wouldn't tell anyone about this perfunctory concern. She didn't want more people to know about it in the first place, and if she let Teacher Wu know, she would already regret it.

So, in the end, the English teacher didn't ask anything, and Xinxin just lowered her head and kept silent.

I don't want to think that Teacher Wu still cares about me and is still trying to understand me, but in the end, I can only do this and no one can help me.