The atmosphere was positive at school over the next few days. The village cadres came a few times and inspected the classrooms to see what repairs and decorations were needed. Yu Shi, the village head, declared that the village would not hold back a penny of the money awarded as a result of the inspection. Everything would be put towards renovations. He hoped that both teachers and pupils would be able to enjoy a warm and comfortable winter. Principal Yu announced this to all the children, and their cheers spread through the holes in the roof and cracks in the walls. The principal also promised that if there was any money left over after the repairs, they might be able to use it to subsidise some tuition fees. As he said "some" , his gaze lingered on the poorest pupils.
Nearly a fortnight later, Zhang Yingcai had the afternoon off and went down to the stream to wash his hair and clothes. He whistled "Our Lives are Filled with Sunshine" to himself, thinking that maybe now Sun Sihai and Deng Youmi were starting to play the song at a happier tempo. Suddenly he heard someone shout his name. He turned around to see Station-Head Wan standing on a large rock above the stream.
Yingcai rinsed himself and was just getting out when his uncle jumped down. He slapped his nephew twice without warning, so hard that Yingcai nearly fell back into the water.
Yingcai held his face. "What was that for?"
"You've got off lightly. If you were my son I'd strangle you."
"I haven't broken any laws."
His recalcitrance made Station-Head Wan event angrier.
"If that's the case, then you don't need me to look out for you. Why did you write that letter? Do you think you're the only moral person in the whole country? The only one who can see things clearly? Are we all hypocrites? All blind?"
"All I did was to explain what had really been going on."
"Do you think I didn't know that the enrolment rate is barely over sixty per cent? This area is so poor that even beggars don't bother coming. When I taught here I worked my fingers to the bone—and do you know what enrolment I managed to achieve? Sixteen per cent. So don't you go thinking that you're better than them. If Jieling could really manage over ninety per cent, then it wouldn't be enough to call those teachers National Model Workers. Anything less than Minister of Education would be an injustice."
The station head told Yingcai to finish washing his clothes, and then go back and wait for him. No matter what happened, he was not to leave his room. Beaten into submission, Yingcai did exactly as he was told.
At the flag-lowering ceremony that evening, Principal Yu called out the order to play the national anthem. For the first time ever, the flutes did not respond. He called again: still nothing. When he issued the order for a third time, his tone had changed. Finally, the solemn sound of the flutes responded.
Later that evening, Sun Sihai was chopping firewood, smashing his axe into the wood. With every bit of firewood that broke off, he cursed, "The son of a bitch. Son of a bitch!" He didn't stop until Principal Yu came over to speak to him.
It was very late by the time Station-Head Wan came to Yingcai's room. His expression seemed a little gentler. He lay down on Yingcai's bed for a long while before speaking.
"The price of a single stamp," he sighed. "That's all you spent. And with that, you've managed to cost the school both its Advanced School status and the 800 yuan bonus. Principal Yu needed that money to repair the classrooms. You know, the county knew all about it and everyone agreed that Jieling was leading the drive to push up enrolment in an area where it's more difficult to do so than anywhere else—but your big disclosure tore the paper from the paper-lined windows."
Yingcai tried to defend himself, but Station-Head Wan wouldn't let him speak.
"I've asked Principal Yu to prepare a report on the difficulties that school-age children have in attending school in mountainous regions; that will be some sort of answer to any criticism. I have discussed it with the teachers and they will each make time to go over the difficulties that each child faces in attending school with you. You should listen carefully. Maybe you will learn something."
When the station head finished speaking, he went to sleep. He snored so loudly that Yingcai was unable to fall asleep until late. When he woke up in the morning, the bed was empty.
After breakfast, Yingcai headed for the classroom, books in hand. Sun Sihai stopped him, "You relax. I'll take today's class."
"Didn't we agree that I would teach this week?"
"Don't you want a break?" was the calm reply.
"A break? I'm so worn out, what I need is a holiday." Yingcai held his head high and walked off unhappily.
The next day, he ran into Sun Sihai in almost exactly the same place.
"I thought you were on holiday. What are you doing here?"
Yingcai couldn't speak, he was so angry.
After the station head had left Jieling, his fellow teachers made their disgust for him clear. Everything Sun Sihai said to him contained a little barb. Deng Youmi was more straightforward: when he saw Yingcai, he walked away. Yingcai tried to tell Principal Yu that Sun Sihai was denying him the right to teach but the principal's response was infuriating. He feigned deafness and muttered something about how he always had problems with his ears in the cold months. A fortnight later, he still hadn't been allowed to teach, and Principal Yu and Deng Youmi were still avoiding him. He decided it was a conspiracy to get him to leave the school.
One evening, Yingcai saw a flashlight moving around outside. He stood in the doorway and watched Deng Youmi and Sun Sihai heading towards Principal Yu's home. They must be holding a secret meeting—why else would they leave him out?
Yingcai burst into the meeting room angrily. "Are you holding a school meeting? I should have been invited!"