Reborn in 72, I hunt to support my family and spoil my younger sister rotten.

Upon returning home, Li's mother immediately boiled water and made Li Xiaoyun a bowl of ginger tea.

"Xiaoyun, drink something to warm yourself up." Li's mother handed her a steaming bowl, her eyes full of affection.

Li Xiaoyun took the bowl and took a small sip.

The spiciness of ginger tea melts in your mouth, and the warmth spreads from your stomach throughout your body.

"Auntie, let me help you." Seeing that Li's mother had started cleaning the stove, she wanted to put down her bowl and go help.

“Sit down,” Mother Li said firmly. “Drink this bowl of ginger tea first. Xiaohua, go get your sister-in-law a soft cushion.”

Li Xiaohua skipped and hopped into the inner room and quickly brought back a cotton cushion.

This is something that Li's mother usually wouldn't use.

The kitchen quickly became lively.

Fish was stewing in a large pot, and Li's mother added extra slices of ginger, saying it was to dispel the cold.

On the small stove next to it, a bowl of steaming egg custard was rising with hot white steam.

Just as Li's mother was busy preparing the meal, footsteps came from the yard.

"Xiangyang, someone's coming," Li Xiaoyun whispered a reminder.

Li Xiangyang got up and looked outside, only to see Wang Jingyun leading Wang Ying into the courtyard.

Wang Jingyun was carrying a bundle, presumably with New Year's gifts.

"Uncle Wang!" Li Xiangyang quickly went out to greet him.

"Oh," Wang Jingyun exclaimed with a sharp eye, spotting Li Xiaoyun sitting by the fireplace as soon as he entered the room, and asked with a smile, "And this is...?"

Li Xiangyang quickly introduced, "Uncle Wang, this is Li Xiaoyun, she is..."

"His girlfriend." Li Xiaoyun stood up and confidently took over the conversation, "Hello Uncle Wang, my name is Li Xiaoyun."

Wang Jingyun beamed, "Good, good, good for you too. Xiangyang is a lucky kid."

Then she turned to her daughter and said, "Xiaoying, quickly call her 'sister'."

Wang Ying glanced timidly at Li Xiaoyun, then at Li Xiangyang, before softly saying, "Hello, Sister Li."

"Xiaoying is so cute." Li Xiaoyun squatted down and gently patted Wang Ying's head.

"Come, come," Wang Jingyun handed the bundle to Li Xiangyang, "this is your New Year's gift. Since it's such a wonderful occasion today, we should definitely celebrate."

Li Xiangyang took the bundle, opened it, and found that besides some candies and snacks, there was also a thick stack of books.

“These books were all carefully selected by me,” Wang Jingyun said. “There are history books, literature books, and I even brought a few science books. I’ve categorized them, from easy to difficult, so Xiaohua can look at them first.”

"Uncle Wang, you're too kind," Li Xiangyang said, somewhat embarrassed.

"Don't mention it," Wang Jingyun waved his hand. "You've got a girlfriend, that's great news! It's a pity I didn't know beforehand, otherwise I would have definitely prepared a gift. Xiaoyun, don't look down on Xiangyang's family because of their poor circumstances."

“Uncle Wang is joking,” Li Xiaoyun said seriously. “In my eyes, Xiangyang is the best.”

We welcomed Wang Jingyun and his daughter into the house, and they exchanged pleasantries.

Soon, stewed fish, steamed egg custard, stir-fried cabbage, and a dish of pickled vegetables were placed on the dining table.

Li's mother specially took out a small bag of flour from the cupboard and steamed some buns.

"Come on, everyone, eat while it's hot." Li's mother served each person a bowl of steaming fish soup. "Xiaoyun, eat more fish, it'll warm you up."

While sipping his fish soup, Wang Jingyun casually asked, "Where is Xiaoyun from?"

“I’m from the city,” Li Xiaoyun answered calmly, holding her bowl. “I came to the countryside in 1968.”

"The city?" Wang Jingyun nodded slightly. "I heard the policy regarding educated youth returning to the city has been relaxed recently. What are your plans?"

Li Xiangyang paused slightly as he picked up some food, and then glanced at Li Xiaoyun out of the corner of his eye.

Li Xiaoyun, however, remained calm. She put down her bowl, looked at Li Xiangyang, and said softly, "I don't want to go back. It's nice here; I'm free."

“It’s certainly free here,” Wang Jingyun said meaningfully, “but young people in this new era always need something to strive for. What are your plans for the future?”

Li Xiaoyun put down her chopsticks, her eyes resolute: "I want to be a teacher."

"Oh?" Wang Jingyun became interested and put down his chopsticks. "Tell me, why do you want to be a teacher?"

"It's a little embarrassing to say," Li Xiaoyun said gently, holding the bowl in both hands, "When I was little, I thought teachers were very respectable. It wasn't until I went to school myself that I understood the meaning of teaching and nurturing students. I've also taught classes, and every time I see the light in their eyes when they learn something new, I feel a great sense of accomplishment."

Wang Jingyun nodded: "It's good that you have ideas and know what you want to do. Do you know the Confucian Analects' views on education?"

"'I do not enlighten those who are not eager to learn, nor do I instruct those who are not struggling to express themselves.' Is this what you mean, sir?"

"Go on," Wang Jingyun said, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

"This saying speaks to the way of a teacher. If a student doesn't have a strong desire to learn, don't inspire him; if a student has no questions, don't answer them."

Li Xiaoyun paused, "But I think it's too difficult. Of course, it's also a direction to strive for. Therefore, as a teacher, the key is to inspire children's thirst for knowledge."

“Well said,” Wang Jingyun put down his chopsticks. “Since you mentioned inspiring children’s thirst for knowledge, then tell me, how do you think we should cultivate children’s thinking abilities?”

After a moment's thought, Li Xiaoyun said, "I think we need to start with everyday life. For example, when teaching arithmetic, we can't just have children memorize the multiplication tables; we also need to help them understand how these numbers are used in daily life."

"Like calculating the weight and approximate volume of grain when dividing it, what about the volume of the same mass of iron? These are real-life arithmetic problems. Children understand them easily because they relate to things in their daily lives."

Wang Jingyun's interest deepened: "What about Chinese?"

"Language arts should be more relevant to real life."

When Li Xiaoyun spoke about topics that interested her, her eyes lit up. "When I was in school in the city, my favorite thing was when our teacher taught us to read 'Zhu Zi's Family Instructions.'"

"For example, the saying 'A bowl of porridge or a bowl of rice should remind us of the difficulty in obtaining them; half a thread or half a strand should remind us of the hardship in producing them'—thinking about it now, aren't these sayings precisely teaching us to cherish food and conserve cloth?"

“That’s right.” Wang Jingyun nodded slightly. “Then do you know the principle of ‘teaching and learning complement each other’ in the Book of Rites?”

"I know a little," Li Xiaoyun said modestly. "Learning makes one realize one's shortcomings, and teaching makes one realize one's difficulties. Knowing one's shortcomings allows for self-reflection; knowing one's difficulties allows for self-improvement."

"I understand this to mean that teaching and learning are mutually reinforcing. As teachers, we must not only teach our students, but also continuously learn and improve ourselves in the process of teaching."

……

As the two discussed, everyone unconsciously put down their chopsticks and bowls and listened attentively.

"Young lady, you are very kind. It's truly rare to find someone who understands you like this. Knowledge can be increased through reading; that's not the most important thing."

"The most important thing about being a teacher is one's understanding and attitude towards education. Having this heart for nurturing people is the most precious thing. It's a quality that I've seen in many college graduates but doesn't possess."

After some conversation, Wang Jingyun nodded repeatedly and then asked, "Do you know the current situation of teachers in rural areas?"

“Most of them are private school teachers,” Li Xiaoyun replied. “They are all very hardworking, but their abilities are similar to mine, and they do have shortcomings. I heard that public school teachers are mostly in central primary schools, where the requirements are very high.”

“You seem to know a lot about this,” Wang Jingyun said, carefully examining Li Xiaoyun. “You don’t need to be so modest. I think you’re qualified to be a public school teacher. By the way, I can recommend you when I go back to the city. Of course, you’ll have to pass the assessment first.”

"Really?" Li Xiaoyun's eyes lit up, but she quickly calmed down. "Uncle Wang, you don't need to be troubled by my relationship with Xiangyang..."

“It’s not about connections,” Wang Jingyun said seriously, “it’s because you genuinely have the ability. I’ll tell you the assessment requirements later, so prepare well. Rural areas desperately need teachers with your attitude.”

Li Xiangyang listened from the side, both surprised and delighted.

He knew Wang Jingyun's importance.

Since he said that, it means that Li Xiaoyun really has that level of skill.

By the time Wang Jingyun and his daughter left, it was already dark.

Before leaving, Wang Jingyun patted Li Xiangyang on the shoulder: "Treat Xiaoyun well. You have good taste; you found a good wife."

Li Xiangyang smiled sheepishly.

After everyone had left, Li Xiaoyun helped clear the dishes and suddenly asked, "Xiangyang, how did you meet Uncle Wang? He has an extraordinary air about him; he doesn't seem like an ordinary person."

"It was quite a coincidence," Li Xiangyang said, putting the dried bowl back in the cupboard. "That day I went to the county town and ran into him at the leather tannery. His daughter was sick and he was asking Old Zhou for money to buy medicine, so I... and then..."

Wow, ten yuan, you just lend it to me like that?

Li Xiaoyun stopped what she was doing and looked at Li Xiangyang.

"Yeah, I felt he wasn't an ordinary person back then," Li Xiangyang laughed. "I didn't expect I'd be right."

“It’s not a matter of guessing right or wrong,” Li Xiaoyun said, gazing tenderly at Li Xiangyang’s profile. “It’s because you’re kind-hearted. If it were anyone else, would they bother with a stranger asking for money?”

Li Xiangyang felt a little embarrassed after she said that: "It was nothing, really."

"It's because of you that I..." Li Xiaoyun started to say, but suddenly blushed and turned around to continue tidying up.

Li's mother watched the two young people from the side, beaming with joy.

She felt that today was a really good day.