Reborn before the famine, kicking away the scumbag's family and living a carefree life.

92. Disappointment (5)

The two of them fled like rats in the street, escaping the Education Bureau, still shaken.

They shouldn't have come today. Not only did they not get the results they wanted, but they were also humiliated.

This humiliation reminded them of the day they were disheveled and surrounded by villagers, where Cheng Xiao beat them.

That was their eternal nightmare. They had always acted as if nothing was wrong in front of others, but today, when they were exposed again, they realized that this humiliation was like a thorn that would forever remain in their hearts.

No matter how you try to hide it, the thorn is still stuck there.

The two of them, their hearts filled with despair, walked home with numb expressions and mechanical movements.

When they arrived at a secluded place, Du Mei finally couldn't hold back anymore and squatted down by the roadside to wail.

Her son drowned, and her two daughters became estranged from her. She went from being a respected teacher to being ridiculed by everyone.

She had a glimmer of hope and pride in her heart; she was a teacher, and she believed that one day she would stand on the podium again to teach her students.

Now that hope has been dashed, the ridicule and mockery of others will stay with them for the rest of their lives, and they will never be able to wash it away.

Qi Zhengyang felt no empathy for Du Mei's breakdown and tears; on the contrary, he felt utterly disgusted.

Naturally, he didn't have the patience to coax her.

Qi Zhengyang, annoyed and rude, grabbed Du Mei.

"What are you crying for? Aren't you embarrassed enough already?"

Du Mei was furious when she heard this.

"Shameful? We're in the same boat now, so we'll share the shame."

"It's all because you keep coming to my house that this mess happened. If it weren't for this mess, I wouldn't have lost my position as principal. Now, I'm not even qualified to be a regular teacher, let alone a principal."

"Can this be blamed on me alone? Do you think I could have done that kind of thing by myself? Qi Zhengyang, didn't you take the initiative back then? Didn't you seduce me?"

Du Mei was furious and spoke without restraint, her words so blunt that they attracted the attention of many passersby.

At this time, the famine in Nanyang County had been largely relieved, but the disaster victims in other places were still struggling on the brink of hunger and death.

This area was previously a disaster zone, and a large number of people fled out. Now that the famine has eased, people from outside are flooding in again.

Therefore, many refugees were eyeing the road with predatory intent.

These people migrated here simply to avoid starvation.

But the couple on the street actually argued about that kind of thing; they were just bored and had nothing better to do.

Everyone spontaneously gathered around.

"Please have mercy and give me some food! I've been starving for days."

"How about some food?"

Qi Zhengyang and Du Mei were all too familiar with that chillingly hungry look in their eyes.

They were startled.

Du Mei instinctively grabbed Qi Zhengyang's hand, and the two of them nervously pushed through the crowd and fled in a panic.

When the two returned home, they had missed lunch; the production team's canteen was already closed.

This means they would have to stay hungry until dinner time.

The feeling of hunger was excruciating. After a year of famine, they all had psychological trauma. Every time hunger came, they not only experienced extreme physical discomfort, but also psychological fear, the fear of being on the verge of death.

Although I can eat three meals a day now, each meal only contains three ounces of sweet potato, which is only enough to make me half full, so I get hungry very quickly. Now that I've missed the mealtime, every minute and second of waiting is torture.

On my way home from the cafeteria, I ran into Accountant Xu.

Accountant Xu asked in surprise, "Teacher Qi, Teacher Du, why didn't you go to work this morning? You didn't ask for leave either. When I asked your son Anhua, he said you went to school?"

Qi Zhengyang couldn't understand what Accountant Xu meant by saying that. As a village official, he couldn't possibly be unaware that he and Du Mei had been expelled from school!

If he didn't know, it would be understandable for him to ask, but Qi Zhengyang was too ashamed to tell him that he had been expelled from school.

If he knows this and still asks, it means he wants to see them make a fool of themselves.

Regardless of his purpose in asking the question, they couldn't answer it, so the two ignored Accountant Xu's words and turned away.

When they arrived home, their two nephews were talking, but when they saw them return, they wisely quieted down.

The second and third sons went to work, while the fourth, fifth, and sixth sons went to school.

Qi Zhengyang originally wanted his third son to go to school as well, but Du Mei wouldn't let him, saying that he was already thirteen years old and should go to earn money to support his younger siblings.

The two even had an argument about it, but in the end, Qi Zhengyang gave in.

Feeling weak and hungry, Qi Zhengyang asked his nephew, "Anhua, did you get some sweet potatoes for me and your aunt at noon?"

The nephew shook his head.

"Except for those who are on sick leave, everyone else has to go and collect it in person."

"Second Uncle, didn't you go to school? Didn't you eat at school?"

Qi Zhengyang's expression froze.

His answer was that they had been expelled from school and would now be working people.

This is a shameful answer.

So he didn't speak.

Seeing their uncle's strange expression, the two nephews dared not ask any more questions.

A little while later, the team leader and other village officials came and knocked on doors to call people to work.

Qi Zhengyang and Du Mei didn't want to go because they didn't know how to face the people in the production team.

I used to work with them every day, and they thought to themselves that this was only temporary, and that one day they would go back to school and become teachers. So they had a certain sense of superiority.

Now, they have been expelled from the school, and for such a disgraceful reason.

How could they accept such a disparity? They were even more ashamed to face the people in the production team.

Sanbao deliberately came in and asked, "Are Teacher Qi and Teacher Du home?"

An Hua said, "Captain, my second uncle and the others are at home."

When Qi Zhengyang heard the captain ask, he quickly came out of the house.

"team leader!"

“Teacher Du, I didn’t know you went to school this morning. I thought you had already received the notice from above, so I didn’t tell you. This was a mistake on my part, and I hope you won’t hold it against me.”

Neither their superiors nor the team leader notified them; everyone said others had already notified them. Was this intentional or unintentional? Were they trying to make a fool of themselves?

Although he was very unhappy, Qi Zhengyang couldn't lose his temper.

Getting angry is useless, and this feeling is really frustrating.

"From now on, you two will be members of our production team. It's good to participate in labor and construction, especially after this famine. Everyone should realize the importance of farming and growing food. So participating in labor is also contributing to national construction, which is an honor."