Chapter 35: The 1990s Teacher Supporting Character Who Despises the Poor and Favors the Rich (12)

Monday morning.

Fang Yuwei just finished a Chinese class and handed out collected test papers and exercises to the students, telling them to review at home and that she would explain them in the next class.

She returned to the office, where several teachers were chatting.

“Teacher Chen, are you really going to resign? Why not think it over again?”

When Fang Yuwei came in, Chen Rui did not avoid the topic and sighed, “There’s no way, this little money can’t support a family. My wife earns a thousand yuan a month working in a coastal city, and how much do I make at school? We aren’t even living together.”

“A thousand yuan a month?”

Chen Rui said, “Exactly. Working in a factory easily gets you several hundred, with food and accommodation included.”

Fang Yuwei sat down and started grading assignments. After a while, she understood their conversation.

Chen Rui is the homeroom teacher of Class 3(1). He teaches math, and is a college graduate. He married a woman from the same village; she went to work in a coastal city and can earn a thousand yuan a month.

He makes too little as a teacher and is barely able to support his family.

So he wants to resign and work in a factory there with his wife.

Fang Yuwei originally wanted to advise him that leaving home to work in a factory is not that easy, and it’s all hard physical labor, but she swallowed the words.

Being a teacher now is also not easy. Although life is peaceful, the salary is less than three hundred yuan a month. At that time, the local government had no money, and fiscal income was poor. She remembered the first time teachers got a raise was a few years later, and good treatment only really came about at least ten years after that.

Chen Rui needed money now, and the couple was living apart. Fang Yuwei dared not make promises or tell him the treatment would improve. Everyone has their own choices; no one can be responsible for another’s future.

Not long after, Fang Yuwei never saw Chen Rui again. It was said his ticket for going out of town was already bought, and he hadn’t finished the week’s classes anyway.

After Chen Rui resigned, no one taught math for grades three and four, so Principal Wang held a meeting.

At the meeting, Principal Wang did not dwell on the matter, showing that teachers resigning was common at that time.

“The homeroom teacher position for Class 3(1) cannot stay vacant. We need to find a substitute,” said Principal Wang as he looked around.

Experienced senior teachers didn’t want the job, so it would likely fall to a new teacher. Wang Guohai spoke, “Why not let Teacher Su take it? She’s also a college graduate.”

Su Yue had just been transferred here and needed an opportunity to prove herself. Getting closer to the principal could only be beneficial.

Upon hearing this, Su Yue did not object and even thought it was likely she would become the homeroom teacher.

Being a homeroom teacher was fine. Now it was already mid-semester, and taking on the role for less than two months before the holidays was not bad. At least she would have experience as a homeroom teacher.

“Teacher Su just transferred here and isn’t very familiar yet. I think Teacher Fang should take it,” said Principal Wang, looking at Fang Yuwei.

Being a homeroom teacher requires responsibility. Before, if someone suggested Fang Yuwei, everyone worried about the students and doubted she could handle it well. But after hearing her public lesson, they thought maybe she could.

Fang Yuwei did not refuse, “I have no problem with that.”

Principal Wang said, “Thank you for your hard work.”

Fang Yuwei smiled lightly and replied humbly, “It’s my duty.”

The meeting ended, and the next class was Class 3(1)’s math lesson, which had no teacher.

Fang Yuwei entered the classroom, and the noisy students immediately quieted down. Each took out their books and pretended to be serious.

She walked to the podium and looked at the students below, “Starting today, I am your substitute homeroom teacher, temporarily taking over for Teacher Chen and handling the class affairs.”

The students were surprised but also a little happy.

Fang Yuwei changed the subject: “Now, take out your math textbooks and let me see how far you’ve gotten?”

The students thought she wanted to understand the course progress, but unexpectedly Fang Yuwei looked at the textbook and then started writing on the blackboard. She was going to teach them?

“Teacher, can you teach math?” a brave student asked.

Fang Yuwei turned and smiled, “Listen carefully, then you will know if I can teach.”

Math had gone untaught for two days. If delayed any longer, it would be three days. She had no procrastination; if progress wasn’t caught up, the final exam would be a mess.

The students grew curious and listened seriously.

Fang Yuwei’s teaching was clear and smooth, even better than Chen Rui’s. She made it easy to understand and combined exercises to reinforce learning.

Her math class was as engaging as the Chinese class, never boring.

Principal Wang came out of his office, originally to check on Class 3(1)’s students, but found Fang Yuwei teaching math. He was surprised.

He didn’t enter but listened from the back door for a while. The teaching was good.

Principal Wang was pleased and nodded as he left.

Fang Yuwei was always organized. In just one day, she arranged the class affairs neatly. She also proposed changing seats every half month and said, “Everyone has the right to sit in the front row. Every student is equal.”

“In my class, there are no bad students, only students who don’t listen seriously.”

This sentence deeply struck the students.

Thinking it over, it was true. Other teachers had favorites, and some even gave up on other students, only focusing on the top ones. Fang Yuwei never favored a few; she treated everyone equally.

The students quickly accepted Fang Yuwei as their homeroom teacher.

During this time, Fang Yuwei developed the habit of getting up early. She used to need Lin Yan to bring her breakfast, but now she could get up with him.

At most, Lin Yan would leave earlier, and she would come later with their two little tails.

The morning breakfast shop was especially busy, business seeming better than before. The shed was full of people, and students and parents lined up to buy breakfast. Three people behind the counter were overwhelmed.

Two were making stuffed buns and cakes; one was handling change.

Father Lin and Mother Lin worked slower than young people. One did miscellaneous tasks and tidying up, the other fed the two little ones in the back room.

It was crowded and the two kids were naughty. Mother Lin wanted to help but did not dare leave her two well-behaved grandchildren alone, even locking the door.

As class time approached, the cash register was stuffed full of bills.

Fang Yuwei saw the register drawer couldn’t close properly, so she sat down to sort the change. She said to Lin Yan, “Go check on the boys, it’s time to take them to school.”

“Okay.” Lin Yan went into the inner room.

Fang Yuwei was sitting and sorting coins when suddenly a stiff voice asked, “How much is a steamed bun?”

“Twenty cents each, fifty cents for three.” Fang Yuwei smiled and stood up.

Yang Liyu saw it was Fang Yuwei, clenched his twenty-cent bill tightly, embarrassed but stubborn, and wanted to turn away.

You won’t buy it when you see it’s me? You don’t want me to make money?” Fang Yuwei half-joked, teasing him, “Come back!”

Yang Liyu really stopped, and when he looked at her, there was a bit of defiance in his eyes.

Just a kid with some pride.

“What do you want to buy?” Fang Yuwei asked.

Yang Liyu’s tone was a little sharp: “Steamed buns, didn’t you hear me say that?”

Fang Yuwei reached out her hand: “Money.”

Yang Liyu handed over his twenty cents, which he had saved for a long time and was reluctant to spend, pretending to be generous, without looking back.

“Don’t worry, I’m not making money off you. I’ll take the money for the steamed bun and give you a meat bun instead, okay?” Fang Yuwei gave him a meat bun, “Here.”

Yang Liyu stared fixedly at the meat bun as if trying to see through it, unable to take his eyes off it but did not reach out to take it.

Fang Yuwei said, “I definitely won’t make money off you. Meat buns cost a bit more than steamed buns.”

Yang Liyu hesitated for a moment, then took it with both hands.

The freshly steamed meat bun was hot to hold.

“Five minutes left until class starts. I’m going to the classroom now. Hurry up and get there. Being late means cleaning the playground as punishment,” Fang Yuwei reminded him.

Yang Liyu carried his overstuffed backpack and ran toward the school gate. After a couple of steps, he stopped again, dragging his feet slowly. Fang Yuwei noticed his shoes were torn and loosening as he ran.

On the playground, Yang Liyu hurried while feeling the heat of the meat bun in his hand.

He rarely had breakfast. That twenty cents was what he had saved since the New Year. He thought a lot and could only afford one steamed bun, so he wanted to eat a steamed bun.

He didn’t know what a meat bun tasted like.

How delicious it must be, he couldn’t even imagine.

Suddenly, a senior student riding a bicycle crashed into Yang Liyu. He fell down and loosened his grip, causing the meat bun to fall out of the bag and onto the ground, covered in yellow dirt.

Fang Yuwei had just returned from the shop and was told to go to the academic affairs office right after reaching the classroom.

Before she entered, she saw Wang Guohai inside scolding loudly: “You again. Fighting all day long. Can’t you stay out of trouble even for one day? Look at your family situation, and you still can’t behave!”

In the corner, Yang Liyu clenched his fists and glared at him fiercely.

“What are you glaring at? Believe it or not, I’ll slap you!” Wang Guohai shouted angrily and raised his hand.

“If you have the guts, kill me! If you can’t, I won’t respect you!” Yang Liyu suddenly yelled hysterically, his small face flushed red, eyes full of a ‘all or nothing’ hatred.

“You brat with no upbringing from your parents.” Wang Guohai, furious, grabbed a wooden stick from beside the desk, ready to hit Yang Liyu hard.

Before the stick could fall, someone grabbed it.