121. "The Four Outcasts"

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No further comments reached Chen Ruowen because the internet cut out again. Frustrated, Chen Ruowen wanted to retract the status she had just posted, but with no connection, she couldn’t do anything. Not only was there no internet, her phone also ran out of battery; after blinking twice, the power indicator went off and the phone shut down automatically. Chen Ruowen was so annoyed she almost threw her phone again. Bai Jinyan found it odd that Chen Ruowen suddenly lost her temper and couldn’t figure out why, so he just continued cooking. Then, hurried yet attentive, he served the children their meals and patiently helped them finish eating. After laying out bedding in the classroom during the short lunch break, they took a nap before Bai Jinyan quickly returned to the kitchen to prepare Chen Ruowen’s lunch.

After washing the dishes, the afternoon classes began, lasting another four hours without a single moment of rest. Chen Ruowen finally understood why Bai Jinyan hadn’t called her once since arriving, and why her messages to him often took a long time to get a reply. He simply had no time at all. How could he possibly manage everything alone? After bidding farewell to the children in the class one by one, Bai Jinyan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At this hour, the adults in the village had finished their work and returned, bringing a livelier atmosphere to the village, which during daytime was inhabited only by the elderly and children. The first thing the adults did upon returning was to lead their children to line up and greet Bai Jinyan.

“Greetings, Teacher Bai.”

“Greetings, Teacher Bai, is my mom troubling you?”

“Greetings, Teacher Bai…”

Faced with smiling faces from all directions and listening to these heavily accented greetings, Chen Ruowen was utterly confused. What were these people saying? Why were they all shouting “Greetings, Teacher Bai” at him?

“Teacher Bai!” Among the circle of incomprehensible dialect greetings, a voice in standard Mandarin stood out prominently.

“Village Chief Ge,” Bai Jinyan greeted the middle-aged man politely.

“Oh, Teacher Bai, you’ve worked hard. It’s tough for you to manage so many children alone. Come to my house for dinner later!” The village chief said warmly.

Rainbow Village had little to offer. On Bai Jinyan’s first day here, the basket of eggs brought by the village chief was the best gift the entire village could muster. Bai Jinyan’s willingness to stay and teach all subjects alone deeply moved the chief, who could only express his gratitude by inviting him to dinner.

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“Greetings, come to my house!”

“Greetings, come to my house! I caught a wild rabbit in the mountains tonight; we’ll have mutton and oil meat!”

The parents also eagerly invited Bai Jinyan. Meat was a luxury in Rainbow Village, with many families only able to eat it three or four times a year. Upon hearing the promise of meat for dinner, the other parents and children nearby looked on with envy.

The parent holding the child who had asked Chen Ruowen at noon whether she was a fairy was the one who caught the rabbit. Upon hearing her father speak, the little raindrop looked up at Bai Jinyan with eager anticipation.

“Teacher Bai, come to our house for dinner! Teacher Chen, you must come too!”

Chen Ruowen felt a bit vexed—was she just the added bonus here?

“Teacher Chen?” Village Chief Ge was somewhat surprised by the child’s address. Following his gaze, he looked at Chen Ruowen and paused for a moment before a pleased expression appeared on his face. “Teacher Chen is also willing to volunteer to teach in the village?”

Chen Ruowen’s frustration deepened. Someone who naturally became the center of attention wherever she stood was only now being noticed?

“It’s a great joy to have another teacher!” Village Chief Ge said happily and promptly grabbed Bai Jinyan’s arm. “You must come to my house for dinner today—let’s go!”

Little Raindrop’s father bit his lip. “Then I’ll bring the rabbit and invite the whole village!”

“Yes, such a joyous occasion must be celebrated by the entire village!” Village Chief Ge agreed.

Bai Jinyan quickly shook his head, stopping them from making a big celebration.

“Thank you all for your kindness, but it’s really not necessary.” He patted Little Raindrop’s head. “The rabbit meat should be saved for the children—they’re growing and need nutrition.”

“But, Teacher Bai…” Little Raindrop’s father tried to persuade him again.

“Really, no need. If the villagers truly want to thank us,” Bai Jinyan smiled, “please lend us the power outlet at the village entrance later.”

Young people outside were truly strange—wasn’t rabbit meat delicious? Why did they care so much about that power outlet? Past volunteer teachers who came here also rushed to that little hut at the village entrance after class, but no one understood what was so interesting about that little power outlet.

Village Chief Ge shook his head and looked at Chen Ruowen.

“Well then, Teacher Chen…”

“I’m the same as Teacher Bai.” Chen Ruowen linked her arm with Bai Jinyan’s and gave a graceful smile.

The village chief and several adults didn’t insist. Instead, they continued to inquire about their wellbeing, specially asking Chen Ruowen if she needed anything, where she was staying, and whether the village should provide her with an extra quilt or similar necessities.

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Chen Ruowen smiled politely throughout, shaking her head gently, her demeanor courteous yet tinged with a subtle detachment.

Several families came forward repeatedly to greet them, holding them captive for half an hour before finally letting them go.

“This is the only place in the village with electricity, and the signal is only stable here,” Bai Jinyan explained as he helped Chen Ruowen plug in her charger.

During their days in Rainbow Village, he always stood in this drafty little shack to answer Chen Ruowen’s calls.

Taking advantage of the signal, Bai Jinyan checked his phone for recent messages, replied to a few greetings from family members, and opened their social circle posts.

After about ten seconds, Bai Jinyan suddenly froze, inexplicably blushing.

When her phone powered on, the first thing Chen Ruowen did was open her social feed, hoping to quickly delete the embarrassing status she had posted at noon.

The comments and likes had already exceeded ninety-nine. Opening the messages, Chen Ruowen instantly saw the latest update:

“Bai Jinyan liked your status.”

Chen Ruowen was stunned, then glared fiercely at Bai Jinyan.

He had seen it! If he had to see it, why did he even like it? And now he was pretending to be innocent in front of her!

Feeling a bit guilty under her gaze, Bai Jinyan cleared his throat and changed the subject.

“Do you want me to call Uncle Chen? There’s no signal in the village, and he hasn’t been able to reach you all day—he must be worried…”

No sooner had Bai Jinyan finished speaking than Chen Ruowen’s phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID and answered angrily.

“Dad.”

Bai Jinyan sighed in relief.

On the other end, Chen Liwan was indeed terribly worried. He had received news from Old Cui last night and started preparing helicopters with Zhao Yan to transport supplies. But no one could reach Chen Ruowen all day, and the mountainous area’s signal was so poor that even drones couldn’t fly in.

If Chen Ruowen hadn’t updated her status at noon, Chen Liwan might have dropped everything and come looking for her himself.

The call lasted over half an hour. Chen Liwan was practically interrogating Chen Ruowen about every detail of her midday meal before reluctantly hanging up.