Chapter 40: Turning Calamity into Good Fortune

  If the first day of school was a hellish life for Sang Hong, then this day of confinement was like a paradise!

  In the early morning, Sang Hong was sleeping soundly under the warm quilt, and was respectfully woken up by someone. After rubbing his eyes and slowly coming to, he surprisingly found that it was the principal who had summoned him.

  Ahhhh... It's all over, isn't she going to be punished?

  But where does this little newborn egg need to invite this god?

  Every step is like going to the battlefield! Every move is like walking on thin ice!

  When she really saw the principal, looking at the golden epaulets with two pips and three stars, she was shocked. Was this the legendary general?!

  What's up with that? What kind of concept is that?

  She glanced at her own shoulder with only one stripe, feeling humble like a speck of dust, the disparity in status was so great that even the heavens and the earth were not comparable.

  What made her even more flustered was that the general was extremely kind to her, saying they were fellow countrymen and had especially invited her to dinner to hear the local accent and ask about their hometown.

  Ah! The anxiety in Sang Hong's heart was like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, completely gone.

  She herself is a clever devil who speaks to people in their own language, and as soon as she heard the principal was from her hometown, she immediately stuck to him like caramel.

  If she can chat with the principal like they're old friends, will she be able to walk around school as she pleases from now on?

  Song Jingzhu was so familiar with the old streets and scenes of A City that it made Sang Hong feel like he had met a kindred spirit.

  He casually asked a few casual questions, and soon Shang Hong put down her guard and brought out her skills in speaking, learning, joking and singing.

  "How's Broken Jar Mountain? You're really asking the right person!"

  When I was a kid, I lived in the old kiln factory at the foot of that mountain. While playing with friends, we often hid in broken kilns on the mountain. Some people accidentally fell asleep in the kilns and got their whole family searching for them with torches in the middle of the night!

  Xiang Hong was speaking excitedly.

  "Hehe, have you ever slept in a big vat?" Song Jingzhu liked this straightforward and unpretentious girl, and immediately chimed in to show his support.

  "Hmm... the last time it was my turn to find people, they usually hide well. I'd search for them while reminding them to hide well, and then sneak back home first, hehe!"

  Xiang Hong felt embarrassed and lied, saying it with a sly smile.

  "Haha - We used to play this game when we were kids too."

  Song Jing smiled and said with a hint of nostalgia in his eyes, apparently recalling the fun times of his childhood.

  Xiang Hong was somewhat stunned - she had actually played games with this general on the same mountain, and hadn't they hidden in the same big jar before?

  Excited! Excited! After the excitement, it's a bit bleak:

  "My old man was originally the best master in the old kiln factory, and later he became the factory director. Unfortunately, the factory went bankrupt more than a decade ago, and the broken kiln mountain also turned into a villa area for the rich. Before I came here, I remembered that there was only one shaded slope left, which was still the same as before. I guess it's not suitable for building houses because of the poor lighting."

  "Oh, in those years, the mountains and fields were all shards of broken jars, looking magnificent! By the way, what about that old temple street with the ancient locust trees?"

  "There's only that thousand-year-old locust tree left on the east side of the temple gate, and the temple has been expanded into a bustling street with shops."

  "Isn't there a thousand-year-old locust tree at the door? Why is only one left?"

  "Don't even mention it, just talking about it makes me angry. Xinshi District built a large park and specially left a place for the thousand-year-old cypress tree. They used cranes and other machinery to move it, but unexpectedly, the cypress tree died soon after being moved to the park. What a pity."

  "Oh no, it's really been ruined by bureaucratic style!"

  Song Jingzhu shook his head repeatedly, regretting it endlessly.

  Xiang Hong saw that he looked somewhat sorrowful, and suddenly "pffft" laughed, his eyes rolled around, and said:

  "That ancient locust tree is the dry nurse of many children who have lost their mothers, and many people have come to grieve beneath it. According to elderly locals, this thousand-year-old locust tree has become a spirit."

  The tree in the park died not long ago, and the next spring, the remaining old locust tree was exceptionally lush, and it even grew a very thick branch towards the west of another old tree pit, looking magnificent!

  The monks in the temple all said that the dead old locust tree and this soul merged together.

  "Oh, you think so?"

  "Uh-huh, of course, a tree that has lived for over a thousand years would naturally have spiritual intelligence."

  "Isn't it enough that you've fabricated a long-lived Peng Zu who's only eight hundred years old? How could he possibly understand the spiritual intelligence of trees that are over a thousand years old?"

  What Xiang Hong said was quite reasonable.

  Song Jingzhu nodded repeatedly, as if deep in thought. Suddenly, she seemed to realize something and hastily waved her hands to explain:

  "Uh, Principal, I was just casually saying that - nothing more," she said with a scowl, almost biting her own tongue, "I wasn't spreading any feudal superstition to you, don't take it seriously, heh!"

  Song Jingzhu smiled mysteriously and beckoned her over without a word.

  Xiang Hong leaned in with a mixture of trust and doubt, and all she heard him say was: "Actually, the old cypress tree to the west of the temple gate, I also paid respects to it when I was young."

  "Ah——" Sang Hong was stunned, and finally stuttered, "I—I'll be back home for the Spring Festival, I'll make a special trip to bring your regards to...your...dry relatives."

  "Really?"

  "Uh-huh, really, definitely, absolutely, I guarantee it." Sang Hong said in a series of nods.

  "Alas! 'Being a human is not free, being free is not being human.' I don't know if this old body will have the chance to visit Temple Street again. Please help me pass on my greetings during the New Year. Let's go, let's move to the dining hall and chat while we eat."

  ……

  This breakfast, Sang Hong was shocked and moved, but in the end, he still didn't know what the other person's true motive was.

  In comparison, Director Liu's dinner party made Sang Hong feel much more at ease, with a clear goal in mind!

  They were all talking about ideals and life, it was the age when they were easily enthusiastic, listening to his heroic deeds, she couldn't help but feel ashamed of her original inferior motive for applying to this school, and resolutely moved closer to the organization of justice.

  So when Director Liu told her that the military training and grand parade after forty days would also be an opportunity to select special soldiers from the nearby B Military Region, she suddenly lit up with excitement.

  Xiang Hong was so excited that she couldn't even speak properly, and immediately added gestures to illustrate:

  "Special forces of the B Army? Are those the ones that are extremely agile and perform special tasks on TV? Like the 'Snow Leopard' special forces?"