First, on a remote island, the fates of three teachers are intertwined, and a sad tragedy is staged. The protagonists of this story are Mei Yali, Ge Meixia and a male teacher surnamed Wang.
Mei Yali is a female teacher from Shanghai, and her presence brings a touch of urban air to the island. Mei Yali is not only outstanding in appearance, but also an intellectual woman with elegant manners and soft speech.
She came to the island with the army, and started a new life here with her husband Xu Fang. Xu Fang is one of the most eye-catching soldiers on the island, and their husband and wife are affectionate, and even their ten-year-old son Xu Mengmeng has inherited the handsomeness of his parents.
In stark contrast to Mei Yali is Ge Meixia, a local girl. Although Ge Meixia also works as a teacher in a school on the island, her position is not based on real talent, but on family connections.
The Ge family is a large family on the island, and many relatives hold management positions on the island. It was this relationship that allowed Ge Meixia to work as an art teacher at the school, even though she was not really good at drawing.
The third key figure is a male teacher surnamed Wang. Mr. Wang became the focus of this love triangle, but he didn't seem to know about it. Ge Meixia has always had a secret affection for Teacher Wang, thinking that she, an unmarried yellow flower girl, is the most suitable object.
However, Teacher Wang took good care of Mei Yali, which made Ge Meixia burn a flame of jealousy in her heart. Mei Yali and Xu Fang's affection has become the envy of the islanders.
In that era when blind marriage and blind marriage were prevalent, their relationship was particularly precious. However, it is this beauty that has become a thorn in Ge Meixia's heart. She didn't understand why Teacher Wang cared so much about a married woman and ignored herself as a single woman.
This complex relationship is undercurrent on the island. Ge Meixia's jealousy deepens, but Mei Yali doesn't seem to realize that she has become the object of envy of others.
Mr. Wang's act of kindness inadvertently exacerbated this contradiction. In this way, the prelude to a tragedy quietly unfolded on this calm island. The twist of fate came suddenly.
During a routine demining operation, Xu Fang was tragically killed, leaving his beloved wife and son forever. This accident was related to Jiang Defu's momentary negligence, which made Jiang Defu feel deeply guilty from then on.
Xu Fang's death not only robbed Mei Yali of her happiness, but also completely changed the attitude of the islanders towards her. From that day on, Mayali became the widow of a martyr. Her identity changed from an enviable happy wife to a poor widow in need of sympathy.
However, sympathy did not come as expected, and was replaced by strange eyes and whispers. What was once envy turned into suspicion, and kind greetings turned into discussion behind the scenes.
Mei Yali felt lonely and stressed like never before. She must be strong to raise the young Xu Mengmeng, while also facing the complex attitudes of the islanders. Xu Mengmeng also became extremely sensitive because of her father's death, and she was always cautious, for fear of embarrassing her mother.
Second, and all of this was seen by the jealous Ge Meixia. She secretly rejoiced, thinking that she finally had the opportunity to turn the situation around and surpass Mei Yali in Teacher Wang's heart.
However, she underestimated Teacher Wang's character. Instead of alienating Mei Yali, Teacher Wang took more care of Mei Yali because of sympathy and pity. In Ge Meixia's eyes, this kind gesture became an intolerable betrayal.
She began to spread gossip about Mei Yali on the island, suggesting that Mei Yali and Teacher Wang had an improper relationship. Some of the island's inhabitants began to look at Mei Yali with suspicion, making her situation even more difficult.
Jiang Defu also began to take special care of Mei Yali's family because of his guilt about Xu Fang's death. This was originally a well-intentioned move, but under the manipulation of Ge Meixia, it became a new source of rumors.
The atmosphere of public opinion on the island has become more and more complicated. In such an environment, only An Jie is still willing to have a sincere fellowship with Mei Yali. Two women with similar experiences support each other and become a consolation to each other on this hostile island.
However, this friendship is not completely immune to external pressure. Mayali felt that she was walking into a dark tunnel with no end in sight, and that this was only the beginning of the tragedy.
As time passed, Ge Meixia's jealousy of Mei Yali swelled day by day like a poisonous snake. This negative emotion finally exploded in a teaching, resulting in a heart-wrenching teaching accident.
That day, Ge Meixia walked into the classroom absentmindedly. As a person who obtained the position of art teacher based on relationships, she was not good at drawing in the first place. On weekdays, she can only draw model paintings in advance and let the students copy and learn by themselves.
However, on this day, because of the boredom in her heart, she brought the same painting into Xu Mengmeng's class for two consecutive days. The clever Xu Mengmeng quickly discovered this mistake. As a lively child, he couldn't help but laugh, causing the whole class to laugh.
This little episode could have been laughed off, but in Ge Meixia's eyes, Xu Mengmeng was no longer an ignorant child, but the embodiment of Mei Yali and the object of her jealousy.
She decided to take the opportunity to vent her frustration. Ge Meixia's punishment was almost cruel. She not only asked Xu Mengmeng to go out to punish the station, but also specially asked him to face the direction of his father's burial.
This form of punishment has gone beyond the scope of normal education and has a clear revenge nature. What's more, she began to question whether Xu Mengmeng was worthy of being the son of a martyr, and asked the child to reflect on whether he was qualified to be a descendant of a martyr.
Ge Meixia's behavior bordered on hysteria, attracting the attention of everyone in the school, including Mei Yali and Teacher Wang. Xu Mengmeng suffered from Ge Meixia's insult to him and his father under the eyes of all the teachers and students of the school.
Third, this scene dealt a huge blow to Xu Mengmeng's young heart. Since his father's death, he and his mother have had a hard time on the island. He had always been cautious, for fear of embarrassing his mother, but he did not expect to be so insulted.
Mei Yali saw it in her eyes and hurt in her heart, but because of her upbringing, she didn't dare to speak out on the spot. Seeing all this, Mr. Wang was extremely dissatisfied with Ge Meixia's behavior, but as a colleague, it was inconvenient for him to interfere directly.
This incident deepened his sympathy for Mei Yali's mother and son, and also greatly reduced his impression of Ge Meixia. This teaching accident became the beginning of the conflict between Ge Meixia and Mei Yali to become public.
It not only exposed Ge Meixia's inner jealousy and unprofessionalism, but also laid the groundwork for future tragedies. The people on the island began to talk about it, some sympathized with Mei Yali's mother and son, and some thought that Xu Mengmeng really needed to be disciplined.
However, no one realizes that this is just a prelude to an even bigger storm. Ge Meixia's jealousy has reached the point where she is uncontrollable, and she is about to take even more extreme actions to completely change Mei Yali's fate.
After the teaching accident, Ge Meixia's jealousy burned more and more. She began spreading rumors about Mayali on the island, using her connections on the island to incite others to be dissatisfied with her.
Ge Meixia's family is quite influential on the island, and many people are more or less related to her. This network of relationships became a powerful tool for her to spread rumors.
Soon, the people on the island began to look at Mei Yali coldly. What was once sympathy turned into rejection, and kindness turned into malice. At this difficult time, only An Jie is still willing to be friends with Mei Yali.
Two women with similar experiences, in this hostile environment, support each other and become each other's spiritual support. Finally, one day, Ge Meixia led a group of women to the door of Mei Yali's house.
Some of these women were seduced by Ge Meixia, and some were jealous of Mei Yali. They spoke ill of Mei Yali and insulted her, even those who spoke for her.
In the face of such insults, Mei Yali still maintained her demeanor and only whispered to dissuade. However, the women's invectives were like sharp knives that pierced Mayali's heart deeply.
It's hard to imagine what nasty things these women can swear. They accused Mei Yali of not following women's morals and implied that she had an improper relationship with Teacher Wang. Some even slandered Mei Yali for using her status as a martyr's widow for personal gain.
Fourth, these baseless accusations are all rumors carefully fabricated and spread by Ge Meixia. Finally, a woman spat at Mayali's feet, which became the last straw that broke the camel's back.
Mei Yali felt that her dignity had been completely trampled on, and life was worse than death. Beneath her elegant and intellectual exterior, she is now suffering unimaginable pain and humiliation. An Jie happened to witness all this, and she was distressed and helpless.
She watched as this once gentle and touching woman was insulted and slandered, but there was nothing she could do. In that particular era, even if An Jie wanted to speak for Mei Yali, he might invite himself into trouble.
After this farce ended, Mei Yali entrusted her son Xu Mengmeng to An Jie, saying that she wanted to be alone and quiet. Her eyes were full of despair and pain, which made An Jie feel uneasy.
However, no one expected that Mei Yali would choose to end her pain in such an extreme way. When An Jie realizes that something is wrong, she immediately rushes to Mei Yali's house.
Luckily, she caught Mayali drinking the pesticide in time and acted quickly to save her. This suicide attempt became a turning point in Mayali's life.
The incident shocked the entire island. Some people with a clear conscience began to reflect on their actions, but many more chose to remain silent. Although Ge Meixia did not directly participate in the final farce, the rumors she spread were undoubtedly at the root of the tragedy.
However, this incident did not make Ge Meixia feel guilty. On the contrary, she believes that she has finally "defeated" Mei Yali, and her status in Teacher Wang's heart will rise. As everyone knows, her behavior not only did not win the favor of Teacher Wang, but made more people see her despicable nature.
Mei Yali, who escaped death, seems to have become a different person. The once gentle and graceful Shanghainese woman seems to have disappeared. Instead, a woman with a drastic change in temperament became sharp, mean, and even began to exhibit the hysteria of a rural woman.
Fifth, Mayali's transformation surprised and unnerved the people of the island. She is no longer the weak woman who is bullied, but has become aggressive. Many people believe that it is the sequelae left by drinking pesticides, and some even say that she has gone crazy.
However, an attentive observer will find that Mayali's "madness" seems to be selective. She began to use Jiang Defu's sympathy and guilt for her to seek benefits for herself.
The most shocking thing is that she actually used this relationship to take away Jiang Weimin's escort quota. This move caused quite a stir on the island. People have different interpretations of this change in Mayali.
Some people think that she is really insane, but others suspect that it may be a self-protection mechanism for her. In this hostile environment, she chooses to survive in another way.
It wasn't glamorous, but it allowed her to stay on the island until her son went to college. In an environment where everyone is unqualified, it becomes a mistake to maintain one's own character.
Mayali's transformation may be a response to this harsh reality. In the end, Mei Yali's son Xu Mengmeng was successfully admitted to university and left this island full of painful memories.
Subsequently, Mei Yali also returned to Shanghai, saying goodbye to the island and no longer having any contact. This story gives us a profound lesson in how difficult it is to maintain one's character in an environment full of malice.
Ge Meixia's jealousy and vicious behavior not only "killed" the gentle and intellectual Mei Yali, but also distorted the interpersonal relationships of the entire island. It warns us to be wary of the malice in our hearts and to cherish the goodness around us.
At the same time, it also makes us reflect: in the face of injustice, should we blindly tolerate it like the original Mayali, or should we take extreme measures to protect ourselves like she did later? This tragic ending leaves us with deep food for thought.