Chapter 176: Chapter 159: Her Name Is Yan Shen
"You all just stand at the door, the house is small, don’t come in."
Gu Bai instructed the lawyer and Yi Jiahui.
Everyone who received the instruction stood at the door.
Jin Shulin couldn’t help but carefully observe Gu Bai upon hearing this; this unusually young man in front of him must be the leader of this group.
"Principal Jin, you haven’t answered my previous question yet. Has anyone from our foundation contacted you before?"
Upon hearing Gu Bai’s words, Jin Shulin hesitated to respond, only managing to slowly say after a few seconds, "Actually, we receive contacts from various charitable organizations every year, but these funds never materialize, so I didn’t take it seriously. Maybe someone contacted us before, but I don’t recall."
"..."
Listening to Jin Shulin’s lamenting tone, Gu Bai’s initial dissatisfaction with the foundation staff was stifled in his chest.
Isn’t this the norm?
Charity isn’t effective, donations barely reach; it’s not just here, it’s the same across all impoverished areas nationwide. The country’s scale is just too massive to be fully managed, but even if it’s merely the case, there are still plenty like Shi Haishui who prey upon charity’s name, exploiting the needy. Sometimes, the lack of aid isn’t due to insufficient charity in Hua Country, but because of such leeches, preventing many impoverished people from receiving help.
Gu Bai didn’t want to criticize; he wasn’t qualified to. He then helped Jin Shulin to sit on the bed and pulled over a nearby chair to sit opposite him, asking softly, "Principal Jin, you’re not from Xuyong County, are you? I noticed the locals here have a heavy Celestial Capital accent, yet you don’t at all."
Jin Shulin replied with a smile, "Of course not. The locals have low knowledge literacy rates, and few can qualify as teachers. Even though Heba Village Primary School has only a few dozen students, education should be meticulous without any half-heartedness.
Our school, including myself, consists of five teachers, all of whom came from different parts of the country for teaching support. I’m from Kyoto, and I came to Xuyong County for teaching support in the ’90s. I’ve been here for over 20 years now."
While speaking, Jin Shulin seemed to reminisce about something, his clouded eyes full of memories.
"Under such conditions, you’ve stayed for over 20 years?"
"Indeed, initially it was just to complete the teaching support mission assigned by the organization. But after arriving here, I became reluctant to leave..."
Jin Shulin’s tone was calm, as if upholding this rundown school in a remote village for over 20 years was a trivial matter.
"However, fewer and fewer teachers come here for teaching support now, and even if they do, they barely stay a few days."
At this point, Jin Shulin’s tone finally changed, not in reproach or anger, but in loneliness.
"Actually, it can’t be blamed on them; the conditions here are extremely harsh. The monthly stipend is merely 600 yuan, and even the lodgings are provided by local villagers. How many can really persist?"
Gu Bai couldn’t help but say, "But you persisted, for over 20 years."
Jin Shulin waved his hand, "I’m different; I’m a teaching support teacher from the ’90s, coming from tough times, so these so-called harsh conditions mean nothing to me. But those who came later are different; their lives are improving, so not enduring hardship is normal. You can’t expect them to be like us old folks, right? It’s unfair to them. Actually, those who genuinely come here, whether they stay or not, their kindness can’t be erased."
There were the elderly like Qian Gen Sheng.
And then the principal like Jin Shulin.
These people coming from those not-so-prosperous times always hold an awe-inspiring purity.
Such kindness permeates from the outside into the bones and then engraves into DNA, radiating in every word and deed, unable to be hidden.
After a long silence, Gu Bai slowly opened his mouth, "Principal Jin, before coming, I learned Xuyong County has 21 impoverished schools, mostly primary and middle schools, with only one high school. Are those schools the same as Heba Village Primary School?"
Jin Shulin nodded lightly.
"Some schools have slightly better conditions than Heba Village Primary School; others are actually worse. Overall, the situation isn’t much different."
"Worse conditions than Heba Village Primary School?"
To Gu Bai, Heba Village Primary School barely qualifies as a school; worse than Heba Village Primary School? What would that even be like?
"Our school’s conditions, though bad, still have a few complete classrooms; yet a bit further at Shibei Village Primary School, there aren’t even two decent classrooms. They have to suspend classes during storms and rains. Our school has several kids walking over two hours from Shibei Village to attend class here."
If someone had told him these things before, Gu Bai would have scoffed. This is 2017; Hua Country has reached comprehensive well-being; how could such places still exist?
But these words came from Jin Shulin, and Gu Bai had no reason to doubt; such an elderly man had no reason to deceive him.
"Assistant Yi!"
Outside, Yi Jiahui quickly came in upon hearing Gu Bai’s call.
"Chairman Gu."
"Do you have money with you?"
"Ah?"