717 Going to School
Xia He took out a notebook from her pocket and noted down the timeline that Xu Lan had mentioned. She could not treat this matter lightly and she must seize the opportunity.
“Thank you, Mother.” After saying that, Xia He hurriedly left the house. Taking advantage of the fact that it was still early, she quickly went to the dance studio to practice.
After the children left one by one, only Xu Lan and Liu Fen were left in the house. It instantly seemed cold and deserted.
“Look at you. It’s clearly for the good of the child, but you have to say it behind her back. Who would appreciate that,” Liu Fen said disdainfully.
“You still have the cheek to criticize me? Isn’t that how you treat your children? Otherwise, why would your third and fourth sons not come home all year round, but are doing the best among all these grandchildren,” Xu Lan said with a smile.
“You’re teasing me! Your eldest child is a university professor at such a young age, your second child is about to become the principal dancer of the dance troupe, and what more your third son. He’s an elite in the army and the top army warrior every year. If you say that my family members are not bad, then you’re really laughing at me,” Liu Fen said.
The two of them did not stay for long before they returned to Xu Lan’s house with their things. They asked the helper to buy some of the old master’s favorite dishes and prepare it for him when he got home.
Every week, regardless of whether the old master was at home or not, they would come back to the house. Sometimes, the old master would only come home late at night in order to get some peace and quiet, so no one really waited for him to come back. They went there every weekend so that everyone could get a chance to get together and the family could be harmonious.
Early the next morning, Qiao Mei’s house was empty. Qiao Qiang went up into the mountain to pick the remaining ginseng while Qiao Mei brought Zhang Wei, Zhang Chao and Zhang Qin to school.
After being delayed for so long, Qiao Mei had to go to school to show her face. Otherwise, she would not be able to get her graduation certificate and would be an uneducated person.
This was the first time she had entered the school in a long time. Before she went to the capital, she had always sent the children to the school gate only. She had never applied for admission.
When the principal saw Qiao Mei, he said in a kindly manner, “You must be their elder sister. I always hear these three children talk about you.”
“Yes, it’s me. Are these three children obedient in school? I hope they didn’t cause you any trouble.” Qiao Mei said.
“No, no! They’re very obedient! Their results are also not bad! Particularly Zhang Qin, her results are especially good. Zhang Chao is also very good at mathematics. Zhang Wei has consistent results. The youngest Zhang Miao also has very good results,” the principal said in satisfaction.
These children were easy to look after. When the other children were having fun and rolling around, not only did the four of them complete their homework and obtain outstanding results, but they also helped the teacher clean the blackboard and clean up after class.
These were things that other children could not do. It was all because of their good upbringing. With these children around, his usual workload became much easier.
There was only one school in the village, and he was both the principal and the teacher. The salary here was low and the work was tiring. It was not a nice place to work and if the children were not taught well, he would get criticized by their parents.
Moreover, many parents did not have good family backgrounds and did not have the money to continue paying school fees. He would help to pay for the school fees in such cases because he wanted more children to have the chance to study.
The principal brought the children into the classroom and then realized that Qiao Mei was still standing in front of the door. Thinking that she was worried about the children, the principal said patiently, “Don’t worry, the children are very safe with me. You can just come back and bring them home tonight.”
“I’m not worried about the children. I just want to tell you that I also want to go to school,” Qiao Mei said with a smile.
That bright smile and positive optimism stunned the principal for a moment. One look at Qiao Mei’s stomach and he knew that she would be giving birth in a few months.
It was ridiculous for a pregnant woman to come to study in elementary school. If anything happened, he would not be able to continue running the school.
“Students, take out the language books first and memorize the ancient poems inside! I have something on and will be back soon.” After saying that to the children in the room, the principal brought Qiao Mei to the room next door.
There was only a cabinet and a table inside, and a tattered bed in the corner. The so-called bed was built from a few broken wooden planks and covered with a few layers of quilts.
This was his home and what he had worked hard for his entire life.
“Please take a seat. My place is quite rundown. You can sit on the bed, it’s more comfortable,” the principal said.
