God's Gift

Ah Chou looked at Chen Qingqiu's profile and his heart began to beat.

The villagers worshipped the Buddha in the mountains and paid homage to it, but Ah Chou felt that the Buddha was not even one-tenth as good as him.

Buddha loves the world and saves all living beings.

He is the Buddha.

She was an evil ghost saved by him, and the evil thoughts in her heart were smoothed out by him. She sat upright in the bright moonlit night, looking through the window glass at the moon in the sky, and stretched out her hand to grasp the bright light.

She fell in love with the moon that night.

But Achou did not dare to tell Chen Qingqiu what he was thinking. Even though Buddha loved the world, he was far away and untouchable.

The cleaner and clearer he was, the more she couldn't get close to him.

But Achou became a good and obedient student. He sat in the seat closest to him under the podium and looked up at him teaching on the podium.

Listen to him talk about everything from modern prose to ancient poetry, from the immortal poets to modern scholars and literati.

A boy asked him why the author of the article in the textbook was called "Mr." even though she was clearly a lady.

Chen Qingqiu thought about it and answered the boy:

"In the old days, the word 'Xiansheng' only referred to older and knowledgeable people, expressing respect, and had no gender distinction. It was only later introduced into foreign languages ​​that the title shifted its focus to men, but it has become secularized and lost its original meaning of respect."

"Calling a lady "Mr." is a respectful title for older and learned people, which shows her extensive knowledge and noble character, regardless of her gender."

Having said this, Chen Qingqiu smiled slightly and said to the boy:

"If you can improve your knowledge and make some achievements, then when people call you sir, the word can regain its original respectful meaning."

The boy scratched his head embarrassedly. Chen Qingqiu glanced around the class and looked at the girls in the class.

"The same goes for the girls in the class. No matter what you see in the village, remember that honor and knowledge have never belonged to men alone. You are born no different from others, and you can shine in all walks of life and gain people's respect."

Chen Qingqiu's voice was gentle and powerful, but the content was completely different from what the girls in the class had seen and heard in the village, which made the children who were originally discussing in a low voice quiet down.

But he just smiled and continued his lecture.

Achou tightened the grip on the pen in his hand and stared at Chen Qingqiu motionlessly.

When school was over, Achou and Chen Qingqiu walked home together. She thought for a long time and suddenly called out to Chen Qingqiu.

"gentlemen."

Chen Qingqiu was stunned for a moment, but soon realized what Ah Chou meant. He stopped, his expression became more bitter, and he shook his head.

"These two words carry too much weight, and I am not worthy of them."

Ah Chou looked at Chen Qingqiu. Although he didn't understand what he meant, something in his heart was shaken.

She returned home and sat by the window for a long time, watching the sky gradually darken and the moon slowly rise from the east.

Achou took out paper and pen and wrote a line on the letter paper.

"The moon hangs high in the sky, and it never dims because of anyone."

At night, Achou placed the letter in front of Chen Qingqiu's window and stood nervously under the tree until Chen Qingqiu found the letter.

This letter seemed to have opened a hole, and her surging emotions were like a broken dam that could no longer be sealed.

She had not originally thought of telling Chen Qingqiu who sent the letters.

But things are changing too fast.

Before Achou could react, Chen Qingqiu had transformed from a respected teacher into a beast.

She walked on the road, listening to the people around her talking and insulting Chen Qingqiu, and the hatred in her heart rose like a flame.

Achou believed more than anyone else that Chen Qingqiu would never do such a thing.

They tried to destroy her moon.

So Achou did the most rebellious thing in her life. She stood outside the school like a madman, silencing everyone who slandered Chen Qingqiu.

She had lived in this village for eighteen years, like a stone being trampled underfoot, being beaten and scolded. This was her one chance of resistance.

It was as if he had used up all his life's energy to vent all his hatred.

Chen Qingqiu was soon found. His face had become haggard overnight. Looking at Ah Chou with disheveled hair, he sighed and took her back home.

"Are you beating them because of me?" Chen Qingqiu, who was sitting opposite Achou, finally asked after a long silence.

"They deserve to be beaten." In front of Chen Qingqiu, Ah Chou retracted his fangs and stopped showing off his teeth and claws. His voice was dull: "You are so good to them, but they are ungrateful and slander you behind your back."

In the past, no matter how bad the conditions in the village were, Chen Qingqiu would always comb his hair neatly, tidy his shirt meticulously, and face his students with a smile.

But today he looked tired, with dark circles under his eyes, his hair was a little messy and fell on his forehead, and his clothes had many wrinkles.

After hearing Ah Chou's words, Chen Qingqiu was lost in thought for a long while, as if he was thinking about something, and then he asked, "What did they say?"

As soon as he asked the question, it was Achou's turn to not know what to say.

say what?

Beast, scum... The people in the village are not very educated, but they can curse even more harshly.

Her moon shouldn't have to hear those dirty words.

But Chen Qingqiu kept looking at Ah Chou, as if waiting for her answer, so Ah Chou replied: "They said that you...have a bad teacher ethics."

Chen Qingqiu didn't seem to expect Ah Chou to say that. He was stunned for a second, and soon smiled bitterly.

"This is the softest word I have ever heard in all these years."

But this gentle word is heavier than any insult.

Ah Chou looked at Chen Qingqiu's expression, stood up and walked a few steps to Chen Qingqiu, his voice became anxious: "Teacher, they are all talking nonsense, those people are vulgar and stupid, they don't understand anything, I know you are not that kind of person!"

In a hurry, Ah Chou grabbed Chen Qingqiu's hand. Chen Qingqiu's eyes fell on her hand and he was stunned for a few seconds.

Then, he slowly withdrew his hand and looked at Achou with gentle eyes.

"I am definitely not that kind of person, and I have never molested any of my students."

From his voice, Achou learned about Chen Qingqiu's past.

The first half of Chen Qingqiu's life was actually very ordinary.

He was born in a happy family. His parents were well-known good people in the neighborhood before they got married. Later, they met, fell in love, and gave birth to Chen Qingqiu.

Their family was not rich, but they had enough food and clothing. Chen Qingqiu grew up in their love. Because his parents often helped their neighbors, Chen Qingqiu was also lucky enough to be loved by many neighbors.

When he bought buns, the shop owner would always give him an extra one, he would always receive candies when he passed by the store, and the old lady next door would give him steamed sugar cakes every now and then, but his parents would rush to the front line when they needed help.

The first lesson Chen Qingqiu learned in his childhood was to repay kindness.