A Leisurely and Extravagant Life - Chapter 37
Chapter 37: Shaving the Head
Cheng Yulian suddenly felt that crows were kind of cute. But when she walked into the classroom, she was a little embarrassed: “Today I had something at home, so I came late. We’ll make up the self-study period. For this class, let’s go over the homework. Some of you made mistakes yesterday that really shouldn’t have happened—you didn’t read the questions carefully…”
Luo Tianwang sat in the back row, eyes fixed on the blackboard without moving. But in his mind, all he thought about was what to cook for dinner today. Cooking rice wasn’t a problem—he had learned that long ago—but he had never really cooked dishes.
In this season, there were plenty of vegetables: string beans, yard-long beans, eggplants, cabbages, loofahs, bottle gourds, winter melons… Just counting them, his ten fingers weren’t enough.
Cheng Yulian glanced at Luo Tianwang in the back. She had originally planned to drag him out and scold him. Yesterday he still hadn’t done his homework—stubborn as stone. But today she was in a good mood and didn’t want to make things hard for him. In fact, sometimes she felt pity for him. He used to be cleverer than most kids, but after that strange illness, he completely changed.
After going over the homework, Cheng Yulian told the kids to correct their mistakes. Then she walked to the back of the classroom and stopped in front of Luo Tianwang’s desk.
“Luo Tianwang, why didn’t you hand in your homework?” she asked.
“My homework book got lost,” Tianwang said. It really was gone. He hadn’t done the homework, true, but he had brought the book. Then after taking a nap, it disappeared.
Cheng Yulian frowned. That sounded like a terrible excuse. “Why didn’t you get lost too then?”
“My grandpa says even if I did, nobody would bother picking me up. All I know is how to eat,” Tianwang replied.
The whole class burst into laughter.
Cheng Yulian could only shake her head regretfully. She pitied Tianwang for giving up on himself. She made an effort for once, but quickly gave up.
In farming families, expectations for children weren’t high. Few families hoped their kids could go to college. For a village like Hemawan, college was a distant dream.
Since Liberation, there had been only a handful of high school graduates, let alone college students. To villagers, studying a bit more simply made it easier to get factory jobs later, and to find their way when leaving home. Honestly, a simple life of working at sunrise and resting at sunset was acceptable to them.
But times had changed. First people weren’t satisfied with not having enough to eat, then not satisfied without meat, then not satisfied living in thatched huts…
Goals kept rising, and life grew harder.
Sometimes Luo Baolin sighed. Back in the production team days, though they were poor and sometimes went hungry, everyone worked hard together. The family stayed united—what hardship couldn’t they overcome? Now life was better, but families were scattered in all directions. Wasn’t life just about having three meals a day and a bed at night?
Tianwang had plenty of dreams, but never once dreamed of going to college. So if homework could be avoided, he would dodge it at all costs. Since Cheng Yulian wasn’t pressing him, he had no intention of changing.
The little sparrow still flew to his desk from time to time. It seemed smarter now, no longer bringing him food. Maybe it realized Tianwang didn’t share its taste.
Tianwang also sometimes saw the five young crows around the school. Luckily, under the watch of the two adult crows, they didn’t come into the classroom to cause trouble.
“Tianwang, are those crows yours?” Luo Shengui asked.
“None of your business,” Tianwang snapped. He didn’t want to deal with this traitor.
“You really climbed the locust tree to dig out the nest?” Shengui pressed.
“None of your business! Stop poking around.” Tianwang flopped down on his desk.
“Just now Principal Cai was chasing crows with a stick. If he finds out they’re yours, he’ll definitely come after you,” Shengui warned.
“I didn’t raise any crows. Who raises crows? Just because there’s a crow’s nest in the tree by our pond, that makes them mine?” Tianwang denied flatly.
While they argued, Luo Zejun hurried out of the classroom.
“Uh-oh, Zejun went to snitch,” Shengui said, glancing at the back door and seeing only Zejun’s retreating figure.
“This is all your fault! Get lost. Keep running your mouth and I’ll beat you up!” Tianwang raised his fist threateningly.
Meanwhile, Zejun ran into Principal Cai Binghong’s office. Cai was washing his head again. He’d already washed it six or seven times, pulling out much of his precious hair, but he still felt like there was a stink stuck there.
He’d just washed again and sniffed his hand when Zejun burst in, making him jump.
“What are you doing? Don’t you know how to knock?” Cai barked.
“Principal, Tianwang brought his crows to school,” Zejun reported.
“What?” At the word “crows,” Cai shot up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
“The crows at school are Tianwang’s. Everyone in the courtyard knows. He’s got evil energy, he can make them listen. Those crows are his,” Zejun said.
At first, Cai really wanted to go after Tianwang. But then he thought—this was too ridiculous. Who raises birds without cages? They weren’t pigeons. How could wild crows be tamed so easily?
“Get back to class!” Cai roared. Zejun nearly burst into tears, wiped his eyes, and ran back.
“Zejun, did you go tattle again?” Shengui asked when he returned.
“Hmph,” Zejun snorted and walked off.
Tianwang glanced toward the principal’s office. Cai was now wearing a barber’s white smock, while Zhao Pingshui held a razor, preparing to shave his head.
Zhao hesitated. “Principal Cai, are you sure you want it all shaved off?”
“Yes, shave it. Cooler that way,” Cai said firmly. That pile of crow droppings had left him with a huge psychological shadow.
“Then I’ll really shave it all?” Zhao still wasn’t sure if Cai meant it.
“Do it, do it.” Cai closed his eyes.
So Zhao pressed the razor down, shaving away Cai’s few remaining hairs, one stroke after another.