Chapter 36 p2: Victory
After sleeping for a short while, Mi Yang felt someone touching his hand. He opened his eyes and saw Bai Luochuan.
Bai Luochuan took the orange from his hand. Seeing the red mark on his palm, his face darkened. He asked him, “What happened? Who hit you?”
Mi Yang pouted. “Teacher Wang. She said I missed a few steps in my winter break homework and was being tricky. She even called my parents.”
Bai Luochuan’s eyebrows shot up. He grabbed his arm. “Let’s go, let’s go find the principal!”
Mi Yang was a little dizzy. He said to him, “Let’s go in a bit. My mom is almost here. I’ll talk to my mom first, so she won’t worry.”
Bai Luochuan was still angry. “This is corporal punishment!”
Mi Yang shrugged. This level didn’t count as corporal punishment. In this era, schools with higher teaching quality in the north would more or less use physical punishment on students. Some parents also believed in the theory of “a strict teacher produces a brilliant student.” He had just grabbed the ruler, and this little injury would be gone in a while. If he really went to the principal, it wouldn’t solve anything.
Bai Luochuan’s face was ugly. “We can’t just let it go. You wait here. I’ll be right back.”
Mi Yang called out to him, wanting to give him the down jacket, but the young master Bai ran off without looking back.
Mi Yang watched from the window of the first-grade classroom. After a short while, he saw Cheng Qing’s figure. He took off the down jacket and immediately went up to the second floor. In the hallway, he couldn’t help but shiver. As soon as Cheng Qing came upstairs, she saw him and her heart ached. She immediately held him in her arms, unbuttoned her own coat, and wrapped the child in it. “Yangyang, why aren’t you wearing your down jacket? You said you weren’t feeling well this morning. What if you catch a cold?”
Mi Yang hugged her and snuggled, warming up a little. “Mom, it’s fine. I was wearing Bai Luochuan’s down jacket downstairs just now. I didn’t get cold.”
Cheng Qing pressed on, “Why did you go to the first floor? Did something happen?”
Mi Yang told her what had happened as they walked. As they passed by his classroom, he saw the back door open a crack. Tang Xiao and the others were passing his down jacket out like a game of hot potato. The little class monitor sat on the podium, maintaining order, her little face serious as she pretended not to see their little movements.
Mi Yang took it and put it on. He said to Cheng Qing, “Mom, when we get to the office, you have to believe what I say.”
Cheng Qing held his small hand and nodded. “Of course.”
When they arrived at the teachers’ office, Teacher Wang was sitting there and didn’t get up when she saw them, just tilting her chin. “Do you know what your child did at school? He talked back to the teacher, and it’s not the first time. A child this young is already hard to manage, and now he’s causing us trouble every day, disrupting our teaching progress. I can’t educate this child. You can take him back.”
Cheng Qing said, “Excuse me, teacher, is our child not keeping up with his studies?”
Teacher Wang said impatiently, “Didn’t you understand what I just said? I already said, it has nothing to do with his grades. It’s his own problem. He’s too naughty.”
Cheng Qing was protective of her child and couldn’t help but say, “It has nothing to do with his grades? When we registered for this school, the principal said it was the school with the best teaching results. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have come! So, after paying over a thousand yuan in temporary student fees every year, we get a ‘it has nothing to do with his grades’?”
Teacher Wang hadn’t expected the younger one to be hard to deal with, and the older one to be just as eloquent. She couldn’t win against this mother and son. Especially the way Cheng Qing stood there, protectively, it reminded her of the “spoiling the child” scene she had first seen, and she became even more impatient with them. “Fine, let’s say his grades are excellent, but he’s too much of a troublemaker! Since he came to our class, the learning atmosphere has gotten worse. None of them are obedient.”
Cheng Qing retorted clearly, “Then has the average score of the first class of the third grade dropped?”
Teacher Wang: “…”
Teacher Wang said, “He doesn’t cooperate in class activities!”
Mi Yang blinked his eyes. “But the principal praised me. He even said our class is very united. Teacher Wang, isn’t our class united? Then how did we win the ‘Best Class Activity’ award?”
Teacher Wang slammed the table in anger. “Then these honors are not a reason for you to skip the calculation steps and not do your winter break homework properly!”
Seeing her like this, Cheng Qing was even angrier. She immediately pulled Mi Yang to hide behind her and also raised her voice a little. “I was the one who told him not to write them. What’s wrong with that? It’s just a few optional problems. The fact that he chose to do them is already worthy of praise!” Before Teacher Wang could speak, Cheng Qing preempted her. “And our child already knows these things. You can see how good his grades are. Why make things difficult for a child? If that’s the case, then I’ll just have to let Yangyang skip another grade. We can’t afford to stay in your class!”
Mi Yang looked at Cheng Qing in surprise. Cheng Qing, however, squeezed his hand, not showing any weakness on her face.
The corner of Mi Yang’s mouth twitched. He had calculated everything, but he hadn’t expected his mom to bluff on the spot. She must really trust him.
Teacher Wang looked at Cheng Qing, then at Mi Yang, who was being protected behind her. She had nowhere to vent her anger. Swallowing it felt like a fire burning in her heart and lungs, and her words became even more unrestrained.
The little class monitor, during the break, had taken two workbooks to the teachers’ office. She was also worried about Mi Yang and wanted to check on the situation. But just as she reached the office and opened the door a crack, she heard Teacher Wang’s sarcastic voice.
“…Yes, I can’t teach him! It’s no use no matter who you find. Take him back and have him reflect for two weeks. I think it’s not just the child, you as an adult also need to re-learn what respect and politeness are!”
“Ha? What am I afraid of? I’ve worked hard at this school for decades and have taught so many students. I can’t even handle this one troublemaker! I’m telling you, not only do you have to reflect, but I’m also going to give him a demerit!”
“And, I’ve been wanting to tell you for a long time. Mi Yang’s schoolbag, I’ve been feeling uncomfortable looking at it since last semester. It’s old and tattered. It’s really affecting the image of our class! After he comes back from his reflection, he’s not allowed to carry it!”
…
The little class monitor stood outside the door, dumbfounded. After a long while, seeing that Cheng Qing was about to take Mi Yang out, she quickly ran back to the classroom.
Her chest was burning, but it wasn’t just from running too fast and breathing in the cold air. She felt a small flame of anger spreading and burning there. This small but firm anger compelled her to do something. She glanced at the class, closed the classroom door, and walked to the podium, slamming the workbooks down.
“Everyone be quiet, listen to me!” The little class monitor’s face was flushed with anger. She clenched her fists. “Classmate Mi Yang used his own time during the winter break to help us. He even persisted in tutoring us when he was sick. I was just passing by the office and heard Teacher Wang say that she’s going to make him go home and reflect for two weeks, and also give him a demerit… I don’t think it was his fault today. It was Teacher Wang who was being unreasonable!”
Tang Xiao stood up, his face sullen. “We can’t just let it go like this.”
The children in the class looked at each other.
“Then what should we do?”
“Class monitor, think of something!”
“That’s right, Mi Yang didn’t do anything wrong. I also only wrote the answers for those few stupid problems, without the steps. Old Lady Wang didn’t say anything at all!”
The little class monitor bit her lip. “I saw a principal’s mailbox. Bai Luochuan put a newspaper in it before, and the principal came to praise us.”
The little fatty immediately understood. “Then this time, we’ll put a, a suggestion letter in it?”
The other students immediately agreed. “Yes, let’s do that. Protest!”
“Mi Yang has helped us so much, and his grades are so good. Old Lady Wang is always targeting him!”
“Let’s go tell the principal!”
That afternoon after school, the children of the first class of the third grade all stayed behind to write suggestion letters. The little class monitor summarized them and chose the ten best ones to personally put in the principal’s mailbox, her little face looking particularly tragic.
On the other side, Cheng Qing was taking Mi Yang home on her bicycle. She said angrily on the way, “Yangyang, don’t listen to your teacher! If I had known she was like this, I wouldn’t have let you go to her class. Don’t feel any pressure either. I was just bluffing her just now. We’re not skipping a grade. If it really doesn’t work out, Mom will quit her job and take you back to Shanhai Town. We’ll go to Grandma’s house for elementary school. You can study in whichever grade you want. Who cares about this stupid school!”
Mi Yang, in the back, couldn’t help but laugh. He nodded. “Okay!”
Cheng Qing said again, “I’m going to take you to buy a new schoolbag right now…”
This time, Mi Yang didn’t agree. He hugged her. “No need, Mom. I like this one.”
Cheng Qing said, “This one is too old.”
Mi Yang smiled. “But this is a prize Dad won in a basketball game. It was his first time winning. I just want to carry this one.”
Cheng Qing also smiled. Her eyes were a little moist, but they were quickly dried by the cold wind. She said gently, “Okay, if our Yangyang likes it, then he can carry it.” She had never mentioned the family’s financial problems to the child, but they were definitely not well-off. Her son had been sensible since he was a child and had never asked for anything, so well-behaved that it made one’s heart ache.
On the first day of Mi Yang’s suspension, a major incident occurred at the school.
The children of the first class of the third grade had risen up.
During self-study class, Teacher Wang came in with a gloomy face, drew the classroom curtains, and closed the door, slamming a stack of letters on the desk! Her gaze swept over the whole class, and she said angrily, “Speak! Who was the one who led this? You’re all so capable now, you even dare to write this kind of thing in the principal’s mailbox!”
The whole class sat up straight, and not a single person said a word. They all looked at her in silence.
Teacher Wang was trembling with anger. She called the students out one by one to question them in the hallway, but not a single one spoke. They either kept their mouths shut or said “I don’t know.” After questioning a few, she deliberately tricked the next child she called out, saying to him, “Be honest and tell me everything. A classmate has already given a name. The teacher knows who did this!”
The classmate shook his head vigorously, looking at her with a silent and indignant expression.
Teacher Wang felt uncomfortable under his gaze. She had him go back and then called out a few of her favorite good students, including the little class monitor. She still used the same method, hinting that they should be obedient. “Someone has already spoken. Don’t think you can hide it any longer…”
The little class monitor was the first to flush and say, “Impossible!”
Teacher Wang pursed her lips and looked at her, her eyes stern.
But the little girl in front of her clenched her small fists and, while trembling, said loudly, “The students in our class are the best and the most united!”
Teacher Wang took them back to the classroom and looked at the group of children in the class, so angry that she laughed. “Good, good, you’re the best. Only the teacher is bad, right?”
Everyone was silent, looking at him. The 40 children sat there without a single one backing down, their backs straight.
Teacher Wang’s head ached with anger. She went to the podium and picked up the teaching pointer. Before she could speak, she heard the sound of the door being pushed open. She looked up and saw that it was the principal.
Teacher Wang forced a smile. “Principal, why are you here?”
The principal looked at her, his brow furrowed. “I’m here to see you about something.”
Teacher Wang felt a pang of guilt. She had a good relationship with the people in the principal’s office and had gotten the complaint letters in advance, but she wasn’t sure if these were all of them. The thought of a possible omission made her forehead break out in a sweat.
The principal was about to say something to her when he heard a young and beautiful lady who had come in behind him speak. “Since it happened in the class, I think we should talk about it in the class.”
The principal was very polite to her. “Alright, then I’ll have Teacher Wang apologize to you here…”
Teacher Wang was already in her fifties and was about to reach retirement age. She had always been used to getting her way at school. She had never bowed her head to a student’s parent before, especially such a young one. She was not convinced and said, “Principal, what did I do wrong to have to apologize?!”
The beautiful woman opposite her smiled. “Let me introduce myself. My surname is Luo. My child is in your class. His name is Mi Yang. I don’t know if you have any impression?”
Teacher Wang looked her up and down with a puzzled expression. This parent’s clothes were either rich or noble. It was clear that her family was well-off. But wasn’t Mi Yang’s parent the one named Cheng Qing?
Mrs. Bai looked at her, her face polite, but the smile did not reach her eyes. She had only stayed in this border town for her husband’s sake. Her family had been in business for several generations and was quite wealthy. The aura she exuded with every move was different. Just by standing there without speaking, she had already suppressed Teacher Wang. The corner of her mouth lifted a little, and her tone was sarcastic. “You probably don’t know, but you used corporal punishment on our child yesterday and made him stand in the hallway. Tsk tsk, he’s only seven years old! So small, and you didn’t even let him wear his down jacket. He caught a cold after he went back and had a high fever that wouldn’t go down. Fortunately, we found a military doctor to treat him. Guess how serious it was? Pneumonia.”
Teacher Wang’s face was pale. “Impossible! He, he only stood for a little while. How could he get pneumonia!”
Mrs. Bai raised her eyebrows. “Oh, so you’re admitting that you made the child stand in the cold wind as punishment, right?”
Teacher Wang’s eyes darted away, and she refused to answer.
Mrs. Bai took out a hospital slip from the small bag she was carrying, with the diagnosis of pneumonia written on it. She looked worried and sighed, not saying much, which made the principal beside her break out in a cold sweat.
The Bai family’s child, he couldn’t afford to offend him!
Mrs. Bai turned to the principal. “See, what did I say? I originally thought the child might have been exaggerating. After all, she’s a teacher who educates people. Ai, now it seems our child was not wrong. And this is just what he said. How much more is there that he didn’t say? Let alone the fact that our Mi Yang is a ‘little prodigy’ who skipped a grade. If he’s treated like this, how much more would an ordinary child have to suffer?”
After a barrage of words, the principal smiled apologetically and nodded in agreement, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.
The little class monitor, sitting in the first row, had been watching the principal. Her mouth moved slightly, and she trembled as she raised her hand a little, wanting to call out “report.”
Teacher Wang was quick and saw it first. She scolded, “Wang Yiyi!”
The second group of people who came in from outside the door were startled by Teacher Wang’s loud voice. They were dressed in suits, carrying briefcases, with badges pinned to their chests. This time, even the principal was a little nervous and stammered, “Deputy, Deputy Bureau Chief Wang, why are you here?” He had been to a few meetings at the Municipal Education Bureau and recognized these leaders.
Deputy Bureau Chief Wang waved his hand. “Just a little something. I came to take a look.” His gaze fell on the little class monitor who was raising her hand. “What’s going on here?”
Teacher Wang quickly said, “We’re having a class meeting. This group of students is a bit hard to manage…”
The little class monitor raised her hand in protest. “No! We’re just fighting for our legitimate rights!”
The principal cried out in his heart. What was going on? Why was everyone coming to the first class of the third grade today?! He glared at Teacher Wang, who was standing there. But although Teacher Wang’s face was pale, she was also at a loss. She didn’t have the ability to provoke the Education Bureau, did she?
Deputy Bureau Chief Wang came over with his staff and stood at the podium, looking down. He saw the “complaint letters” on it. This time, Teacher Wang came to her senses and quickly reached out to take them, feeling very guilty. Deputy Bureau Chief Wang didn’t stop her, just took out a white envelope from his briefcase with a chuckle and placed it on the desk. “What a coincidence. I also received a complaint letter like this. 39 children from the whole class have signed a real-name complaint against the first class of the third grade—Teacher Wang.”
“Corporal punishment of students.”
“Unfairness.”
“Privately accepting gifts from students’ parents.”
“Using the winter break to privately hold tutoring classes and charge high fees.”
…
As he listed them one by one, not only Teacher Wang, but also the elementary school principal beside her, turned pale. Teacher Wang opened her mouth but couldn’t say a word. She swallowed hard but didn’t know how to refute. In front of her sat a whole class of little witnesses. They sat so straight, their eyes clear, as if if she said a single word of a lie, they would immediately stand up and expose her.
Mrs. Bai had watched a good show. Seeing that the people from the Education Bureau had already started to talk to Teacher Wang, she also nodded. “Then I won’t disturb you. I’ll be leaving now. After all, the child is still sick and needs to be taken care of. Oh, right, Principal, can our Mi Yang come back to class now? You said before that he had to go home and reflect, and that he would be given a demerit!”
The principal repeatedly nodded. “Of course, of course, classmate Mi Yang is welcome back at any time. The school will not wrong any student. There will be no demerit. You can rest assured!”
Only then did Mrs. Bai leave, satisfied.
And Teacher Wang and the principal were also taken to the office by the people from the Education Bureau for a talk.
The children of the first class of the third grade all started to discuss among themselves. Some children also relaxed their clenched hands, their palms sweaty. They had also been nervous and scared just now.
Yu Tian was already trembling with fear. She carefully touched the class monitor’s shoulder and, when she turned her head, asked, “Class monitor, weren’t, weren’t you scared just now? It’s the first time I’ve seen a leader.”
The little class monitor was silent for a moment, then leaned closer and whispered to her, “Don’t be scared. That’s my dad.”
Yu Tian: “…??”
Yu Tian: “Then why didn’t you say so earlier? Couldn’t you have just told your dad directly?”
“I can’t betray everyone! We are one. The whole collective must be united!” The little class monitor was a little angry, her little face still red. She clenched her fists and said righteously, “Hmph, I knew Teacher Wang must have turned bad. If I couldn’t get it into the principal’s mailbox, I would have anonymously submitted another one.”
Yu Tian thought for a moment. “You submitted it to the Education Bureau?”
The little class monitor shook her head. “I put it in my dad’s bedroom.”
Yu Tian: “…” Then what’s the point of it being anonymous or not.
What the little class monitor didn’t say was that not only had she put it in her dad’s bedroom, but she had also specially placed it on his pillow. A large, snow-white envelope with two bright red characters written on it: Complaint!
Deputy Bureau Chief Wang had been startled when he saw it.
