Cangmang Asks the Way 1: Guardian of the Lamp

He rushed into the teachers' office, even knocking the door askew! Fang Wenhui was so shocked by his deathly pale and sweaty appearance that she jumped up!

"Teacher Fang... Teacher Fang!" Tianci's voice was completely hoarse and distorted. He almost collapsed to the table, trembling and sobbing as he shoved the note, soaked with despair, into Fang Wenhui's hand, stammering incoherently, "Wanqing... she... she gave this to me! She's trying to kill herself! She's gone! Not home! Quick... quick, save her! To the river! It must be the river!"

Fang Wenhui quickly scanned the words on the note. When she saw "the match went out" and "too cold and too heavy to hold on," her face instantly drained of color. She swayed and had to grab the table to steady herself. Her eyes behind her glasses were filled with unprecedented shock, pain, and a strong sense of crisis!

She grabbed the phone, her fingers trembling slightly with nervousness as she dialed the principal's number: "Principal Wang! This is Fang Wenhui! Lin Wanqing left a suicide note and has serious suicidal tendencies. She has already left home! The situation is extremely urgent! Please request the school to immediately organize a search! The focus should be on the banks of the Gan River! Yes, the suicide note is in my hands, it's absolutely true! ...Okay! Let's go to the river right away!"

The entire Jixian No. 1 Primary School was instantly enveloped in a tense atmosphere! A piercing announcement shattered the school's tranquility: "Attention all teachers! Attention all teachers! Assemble immediately in the meeting room! Emergency! Repeat, assemble immediately in the meeting room!"

On the conference room platform, Principal Wang's face was grave. He quickly and methodically assigned tasks. The teachers, their expressions serious, didn't bother asking for details and immediately went to their respective assigned areas. Fang Wenhui tightly grasped Tianci's cold hand: "Tianci, come on, let's go to the river!"

The two rushed out of the school gate and ran desperately towards the Gan River.

The Gan River outside Ji County appeared particularly turbid, swift, and icy under the gloomy sky. A cold wind, carrying water vapor, swept over them. Fang Wenhui and Tianci ran along the riverbank, their feet sinking into the deep water as they called out, "Wanqing—Lin Wanqing—" Tianci's heart pounded as if it would explode, his eyes fixed on the murky water and the overgrown riverbank.

Suddenly, Tianci's gaze fell upon a shallow spot in a distant river bend. In the murky water, a thin figure in an old gray coat was swaying and staggering, step by step, towards the deeper, faster current in the center of the river. The water was already above her knees and was rapidly rising to her waist. That figure was Lin Wanqing!

"There she is!" Tianci cried out in anguish, rushing towards the scene like a madman. Fang Wenhui's heart leaped into her throat. She ran alongside, shouting at the last second to the people searching along the river: "Found her! In the river bend downstream from the old wharf in the west of the city! Quick! Someone come quick! She's in the water! Hurry!"

The icy river water felt like countless steel needles piercing her bones, but this stinging pain brought her a numb calm. The world on the shore—those sounds, those faces, that endless suffering… was finally fading away. She stopped struggling, letting her weight carry her downwards, as if sinking to the bottom would return her to an eternal silence where she would never be hurt again. Just as the river reached her chest—

"Wanqing!" A familiar roar, filled with endless terror and tearing pain, pierced through the cold air and water, and suddenly crashed into her ears.

Lin Wanqing trembled violently. She turned around, and in her blurred vision, she saw that familiar figure—Cang Tianci—rushing desperately to the riverbank. And beside him was Teacher Fang, who had warmed her heart for four years.

Teacher Fang was desperately holding onto Tianci, preventing him from rushing into the river, while shouting at the top of her lungs, "Wanqing! Come back! Come back quickly! Don't do anything foolish! Teacher is here! Tianci is here! We're all here!"

"Wanqing! Come up! Please! Come up!" Tianci's voice was choked with sobs, filled with unprecedented fear and pleading.

Wanqing glanced at them longingly, then resolutely plunged into the icy river. Just as the water was about to engulf her, several urgent shouts and splashes came from the bank.

Two physical education teachers who had received the news rushed over from nearby and swam to her side. One of the teachers lunged forward, his arm reaching out to grab Lin Wanqing's flailing arm just before the current completely engulfed her. With his other hand, he grabbed her waist and, together with his companion, pulled her out of the deadly whirlpool.

Lin Wanqing huddled in the arms of the teacher who was rescuing her, trembling like a leaf in the wind. She was carried ashore and wrapped in a thick blanket. Fang Wenhui immediately rushed over, holding her soaking wet, cold, and shivering body tightly: "Silly child! Silly child! How could you be so foolish! Why couldn't you tell your teacher what was wrong? Why did you have to take this path?"

Lin Wanqing nestled in Teacher Fang's warm embrace. The real, living body heat seeped through her damp, cold clothes like a faint electric current, piercing the thick, icy shell she had built around herself. Teacher Fang's heartbroken whispers and Tianci's suppressed sobs reached her ears. Her stiff body trembled slightly at first, then the boundless grievances, fear, and despair that had been suppressed deep within her finally burst forth like a flood... She gripped Teacher Fang's clothes tightly and broke down in tears.

In the school infirmary, the stove burned brightly. Lin Wanqing, now dressed in a clean school uniform, leaned back in a chair wrapped in a thick blanket. Her face was still pale, but her eyes were no longer lifeless; instead, they were filled with the bewilderment and exhaustion of someone who had survived a near-death experience. Fang Wenhui held her hand tightly, sitting beside her. Cang Tianci stood to the side, his face still pale, his eyes filled with lingering fear and worry.

"Wanqing, Tianci," Fang Wenhui's gaze slowly swept across the two children's faces, "Today, my heart was almost broken by you two!"

She paused, her voice growing even more somber: "Wanqing, I know you've suffered a tremendous injustice, your heart is filled with bitterness. What your father did was wrong, it was illegal. That wasn't discipline, that was a crime, that was a coward bullying the weak! My heart broke when I saw the wounds on your face! But child, you must remember, no matter how cold this world is, no matter how wicked people are, your life is a unique treasure! A treasure that those who hurt you never deserve to take away! Death is not liberation, it's surrender to those evil people and evil deeds, it brings pain to loved ones and joy to enemies!"

"Think about it, if you really left today, how much pain would your teacher feel? How much pain would Tianci feel? How desperate would those who truly care about you feel? And the person who hurt you, would they truly repent? No! They would just feel like they've gotten rid of one 'trouble'!"

Fang Wenhui turned her gaze to Tianci, her eyes filled with deep pity and lingering fear: "Tianci, you did the right thing. You saved Wanqing. But remember, your life is just as precious as Wanqing's. If anything had happened to you, your teacher would never forgive herself. We're saving her, not by sacrificing ourselves, but by using a smarter method. Look, you came to your teacher, your teacher went to the school, and together we all came together—doesn't that make us stronger? In the future, no matter what happens, don't try to handle it alone. Tell us, tell your teachers, tell the police. We adults, these rules and laws, are there to protect you. Remember, no matter how big the obstacle, as long as you're alive, there's hope, and there's a possibility of change!"

"Only by living can there be hope, and only then can change be possible!"

These words were like a bolt of lightning, cleaving a path to light through the darkness of Lin Wanqing's heart. Her body trembled violently once more.

Teacher Fang seemed to sense her body's reaction. Her gaze returned to Lin Wanqing, her right hand stroking her still slightly damp hair, her voice incredibly gentle: "Wanqing, don't be afraid. Your teacher is here, the school is here, the country is here. Domestic violence isn't a private matter; it's a public issue that the whole society must address. The school will not stand idly by in this situation. The Women's Federation and the neighborhood committee will also continue to monitor the situation. Your father must be held accountable for his actions. As for your safety and your future, your teacher assures you, we will do everything in our power to protect you. Now, don't think about anything else, just rest well and recover. Remember, as long as you live, there is light. This light not only illuminates yourself but also those who care about you, like Tianci, and it is the most powerful resistance against darkness. Live on, live well, live a meaningful life—that's the loudest slap in the face to those who hurt you!"

Fang Wenhui's words, like warm spring water, gently flowed into Lin Wanqing's cold and desperate heart, and like a lamp, illuminated the fog of fear and anger shrouding Tianci's heart. Looking into the unwavering light in Teacher Fang's eyes, feeling the powerful strength and unconditional support conveyed in her words, the two children's nerves, stretched to their limit, finally relaxed. Their tears welled up again, but this time, they were not of despair, but rather a mixture of grievance, lingering fear, and a faint but real glimmer of light.

The incident of Lin Wanqing's drowning was like a boulder thrown into the calm waters of Jixian Primary School, causing a huge uproar. Principal Wang was furious and personally supervised the follow-up handling. The school leadership severely criticized Zhang Zhengping for his simplistic, crude, and seriously negligent handling of the rumors of "puppy love" between Lin Wanqing and Cang Tianci and the hidden details of domestic violence.

Zhang Zhengping locked himself in his office for an entire day. On his desk lay a copy of Lin Wanqing's heart-wrenching "last words," along with preliminary reports from the Women's Federation and the neighborhood committee. He recalled his words to Lin Wanqing—"lacking self-respect," "bringing shame to the class"—and his reprimand of Cang Tianci and his decision to call her parents… A wave of immense guilt and lingering fear overwhelmed him. He prided himself on being strict and fair, upholding the school's reputation, yet he had almost become the final straw, driving a poor child suffering from domestic violence to her death. His prized "rules" and "judgments" appeared so cold, arbitrary, and even cruel in the face of real human life and profound suffering. This heavy self-reproach and reflection shook Zhang Zhengping's rigid educational philosophy for the first time; he began to truly examine the weighty responsibility and complexity behind the word "education."

Inside the Lin family's dilapidated little house, the atmosphere subtly shifted. Lin Jianmin looked at his daughter, brought home by the school teacher, her face pale, her eyes vacant, as if she had lost her soul. He listened to the neighbors' whispers and the stern warnings from the Women's Federation cadres when they visited again: "Regular follow-ups," "Random checks," "A second offense, and immediate police intervention"... He felt unprecedented pressure. This drowning incident had blown up too much, exceeding his previous understanding of "disciplining the child behind closed doors." For the first time, he realized that this "money-losing" child, whom he had always considered a burden and his possession, could have her life and death interfere with so many "outsiders"!

His face remained grim, he continued to curse and swear, and he still reeked of alcohol. But when his bloodshot eyes swept over Lin Wanqing, a hint of unspoken apprehension lingered in their depths, beyond the usual coldness and annoyance. Or perhaps, it was the frustration of being entangled in trouble? He still wouldn't give her a kind look, let alone show any affection, treating her merely as a "source of trouble" he had to keep in the house and handle with care. Cold silence and suppressed hostility replaced the naked violence, becoming the new dominant theme of this "home." For Lin Wanqing, battered and bruised, heartbroken and despondent, this was a mere sliver of breathing space in this hellish place.

After learning the outcome of Wan Qing's case, Cang Tianci's heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled back into his chest. What followed was an overwhelming sense of exhaustion and lingering fear, engulfing him like a tidal wave. Alone, he went to the sports school's training ground and repeatedly struck the heavy sandbags. With each push-off, a subtle, sharp pain deep in his right knee reminded him of his previous frenzy. He had to stop and rest.

Sitting in the empty training field, Tianci let the sweat flow freely. Teacher Fang's words echoed in his ears: "As long as you live, there is hope... use wisdom, use methods..."

He looked down at his calloused and bruised fists. These fists could defeat opponents in the ring, but they couldn't shatter the cage of the human heart. Teacher Fang's words, Coach Zhou's shouts, and his older brother's questions echoed and intertwined in his weary mind.

He looked up and saw that night had fallen, with a few sparse stars unexpectedly dotting the horizon, faint yet stubbornly shining.