Countdown to Awakening

The two looked at Zhang Mei.

The man who started gossiping said sarcastically, "Why are you glaring at us? You did this and you won't let people talk about it? What kind of person are you?"

Zhang Mei's temper flared up immediately.

No, what did she do? Just going to the village chief's house is enough to get people to talk nonsense about her? These people are so idle. They can say anything. All they can do is gossip about her behind her back...

"What did I do? What did you two see? Do you have any evidence? If you don't have any evidence, don't talk nonsense..." Zhang Mei said.

The two men seemed dissatisfied, but they didn't dare to say anything. After all, the widow had a powerful tongue... If anyone offended her, wouldn't she drown them in spit?

"You need evidence to support anything you say. You don't have any evidence at all, yet you're still asking what's going on between me and the village chief. People like you won't have a good life in the future!" Zhang Mei continued.

The man refused to accept it. He stepped forward, hands on his hips, and shouted, "What are you talking about? You said my life would be difficult in the future? Hey, you, a widow whose husband has died, can live better than me? I really don't believe it... You only have one son, but I don't. I have other men in my family who can support me. What about you? A vixen like you can only shamelessly flirt with other men. You don't have any other tricks."

As the man spoke, he looked Zhang Mei up and down, as if repeating what he had just said.

She didn't notice the anger in Zhang Mei's eyes at all, and continued to taunt her provocatively: "I introduced you to Ma Hui, but you refused. Now you're trying to seduce the village chief. You're really smart. You know the village chief's family is rich and powerful. That's why Zhao Fu has to call you stepmother? I see you often looking for the village chief. I didn't expect that you're still thinking about how to seduce the village chief now..."

Zhang Mei also took a step forward, raised her hand and slapped the man directly. She said, "Don't pull it out of your mouth right after eating it!"

The man was beaten so badly that he dared not speak, and just covered his face with his hands...

No, isn't she just good at talking? Why does she hit people?

Another person was also shocked by Zhang Mei's behavior. Isn't she an educated person? How could an educated person get so angry? She's an educated person, and she hits people after just a few words!

At this time, Zhao Fu suddenly came out.

The man who was beaten quickly asked Zhao Fu for help: "Fuzi, oh, you have to look, this Zhang Mei, she hit me..."

Zhang Mei felt extremely disgusted when she saw her like this.

Zhao Fu completely ignored what the man had just said. He had heard everything that had just been said... "What are you talking about? Huh? Zhang Mei came to see my dad for something, what are you talking about? You have such dirty thoughts!" Zhao Fu shouted at the two of them mercilessly.

Why didn't he speak up for her? This Zhao Fu must also be having an affair with Widow Zhang! Okay, so the father and son are together with a woman...

"What did I say wrong? Were you also seduced by her? Zhao Fu, I'm not saying anything bad about you, but you're a married man, how could you be seduced away by Zhang Mei? Wouldn't your wife tell you? Zhao Fu, I don't think you're that kind of person..."

The person kept chattering, and Zhao Fu just wanted them to leave quickly.

"Zhao Fu, according to seniority, you should call me aunt. Why do you speak to me like that? I'm reminding you not to be seduced by that widow Zhang. After all, you already have a wife." The man who was beaten started to play the emotional card.

"Yes, I should call you aunt in terms of seniority, but we are about the same age. What you just said is not what an elder should say at all. How rude! You even said something about my dad and Zhang Mei. You are insulting my dad!"

At this time, the village chief came out.

"What's the noise about?"

He couldn't tell how many people were arguing at the gate of his yard... Not to mention what happened before, now there were people arguing here too...

"What are you arguing about? Huh?" The village chief's voice was almost hoarse.

"Dad, come and see for yourself. These two people actually said that Zhang Mei and you... I don't know what to say..." Zhao Fu stopped talking halfway.

He really didn't know what to say. The village chief also understood what he meant.

"Zhang Mei only came to my house to ask something, but you guys always have to say a few words. She has something serious to ask, so have you never come to my house before?"

The two of them felt a little guilty. They hadn't thought of calling the village chief out; they just wanted to embarrass Zhang Mei and talk about her behind her back.

"Village chief, we didn't mean it. We just wanted to talk about Zhang Mei, not you. Don't be angry." Another person who was with that person said.

The village chief already had enough on his plate. He didn't want to make a big deal out of it, so he just told them to go away and said nothing more before going back inside.

The two of them also left.

"Did you see it just now? The village chief looked at Zhang Mei with an evasive look in his eyes. It seemed like there was something going on between the two of them... Could it be that they were doing that?" the man continued.

"Really? Well, now that you mention it, it's true. I saw it just now. Do you think there's something going on between her and the village chief? Although the village chief is old, he should still be okay in that aspect. Don't you think so? After all, the village chief is a man, so it's okay as long as he's a man. But she's a widow, and widows aren't picky." Another person continued.

The man also smiled, then looked at the other person with an expression that said, "I understand."

Zhang Mei returned home, still furious. It wasn't because of the bad things those two had said about her, but because of something else.

Recalling what happened just now:

"Village chief, can I open a girls' school?" She went straight to the point as soon as she entered.

She wasn't sure if the village chief would agree to her opening a girls' school, but she had to give it a try, just in case.

The village chief's attitude was not unexpected, but it was also the result she had expected.

The village chief was stunned at first, then looked up at her again, perhaps in shock or perhaps confusion... "Are you really going to open a girls' school? Think carefully. It's very tiring to run a girls' school on your own. And you're a woman with a child. Although you have enough education, this is not appropriate."

Zhang Mei remained undeterred. She continued, "Village head, I understand your concern for me, but I believe our village should have more girls passing the entrance exams. So I'm willing to take on the responsibility of opening a girls' school, so more girls can leave the mountains and pursue better careers. Don't you want to see our village produce more talented people?"

The village chief was still a little stunned.

"No, Zhang Mei. You can't do this. Think about your son at home. He needs your care more. If you choose to open a girls' school now and focus your energy on children who are not related to you by blood, will you be able to take care of your son if something happens to him in the future?"

The village chief's tone was somewhat meaningful.

"I know. I can take care of it all. I'm not afraid of getting tired. I can also take care of my son."

The village chief still shook his head.

"Village head, just apply to the higher authorities and ask them to give me some money to build a school. It doesn't have to be a lot. Just a little bit will be enough..."

Seeing Zhang Mei anxious like an ant on a hot pan, the village chief finally spoke again and asked, "Why don't you want boys to go to school together? You only run a girls' school. Do you know how many parents will criticize you? They'll say you're biased. You can't afford to do that..."

Zhang Mei was choked by his words.

The village chief added, "You can't just run a school if you want, and you don't know how much it'll cost. Besides, if you only run a girls' school, it's bound to be very controversial. Think about it. If you can admit boys, it should be possible. Or, how about I arrange for you to be a teacher in the village school? You can teach there too. You'll be a teacher, too."

Zhang Mei didn't understand.

Since she said she wanted to open a girls' school, why did she have to let boys study together? If boys were allowed to study together, it would no longer be a girls' school. Her original intention had changed. Could it be that the village chief couldn't see the situation in the village?

Why not let boys go to school together? Isn't it because boys don't have to worry? If she lets boys go to school together, then her school will be almost the same as the school in the village.

She knew that future policies would lead to many girls dropping out of school after junior high. This was a pity. So she planned to open a girls' high school. If she had the opportunity, she might expand it to a junior high school.