Chapter 24: Going Home

“Are you really going to teach high school?” Teacher Yang asked in surprise as she entered the office right after class.

Not just her but everyone present was equally astonished.

Lin Qiao had only been here for a few days, and she was just a recent high school graduate, yet she was going to teach high school.

However, Teacher Yang’s question, “Are you really going to teach high school?” indicated she knew some inside information. Facing the always diligent and responsible Teacher Yang, Lin Qiao smiled, “Teacher Jiao from the first year of high school got injured, so Principal Qi asked me to substitute for a while.”

Teacher Yang nodded, “Do your best. With your level, staying here is a bit of a waste.”

Her calm reaction helped others start to process the shocking news. Only Teacher Zheng couldn’t hide her displeasure, “The Ji family’s daughter-in-law is different. She’s only been here a few days and already gets to teach high school.”

This was clearly implying that Lin Qiao had used connections. Teacher Yang frowned at this.

Lin Qiao, however, didn’t even look up, “If Teacher Zheng wants to, you can also ask Principal Qi for a trial lesson.”

Teacher Zheng was at a loss for words and immediately fell silent. If she could teach high school, she wouldn’t constantly receive complaints from parents about her teaching level and fear of being replaced by a newcomer. But how could Lin Qiao, who was around the same age and also just a high school graduate, get to teach high school? And wasn’t she afraid of not teaching well and being scolded by those troublemaking parents?

The high school and junior high school buildings were not far apart, separated by only about ten meters. When Lin Qiao arrived at the office, the science office had already received the notice and had prepared a desk for her. “This is Teacher Jiao’s desk. You can use it for now.”

Group Leader Gao brought over two large stacks of assignments and placed them on her desk. “Finally, someone to take over. These past few days have almost killed me.”

There were four science classes in the first year of high school. Teacher Jiao taught two, and Group Leader Gao taught the other two. With Teacher Jiao absent these past few days, the other two classes were also assigned to Group Leader Gao. Poor him—not even forty years old, he is losing hair in clumps.

Group Leader Gao touched his head with lingering fear, “Almost ended up like Secretary Qu.”

“Be careful, or Secretary Qu will hear you.” The office laughed at him, and Lin Qiao, from her previous interactions, found Group Leader Gao quite amusing.

However, Lin Qiao didn’t find it amusing when she started grading assignments anymore. The chemistry performance of the two classes taught by Teacher Jiao was quite poor, especially in Class Four, where Junzi was. The assignments were full of mistakes, and the notebooks were noticeably shorter. She recalled the number of students she saw during the trial lesson and roughly counted. At least a dozen notebooks were missing. With a class of fifty to sixty students, at least a quarter hadn’t submitted their assignments. She didn’t know if this was just today or a regular occurrence.

Lin Qiao decided not to rush the grading and asked Group Leader Gao, “Do you have the results from the last midterm exam?”

“Results?”

“Yes, I want to see the level of the two classes.”

Although she was only substituting for a few months, as a teacher, she had to be responsible for the students.

Group Leader Gao realized Lin Qiao wasn’t here to muddle through. “Alright, I’ll find them for you. Not sure where they were put.”

Finally, he found them in a drawer. They were handwritten grade rankings and average scores for each subject. To be honest, the performance of the two classes taught by Teacher Jiao wasn’t great, especially Class Four, where Junzi was. Their chemistry scores were at the bottom.

“I remember Teacher Jiao is the head teacher of Class Four, right?”

“Yes, that’s why their class doesn’t even submit homework. At least Class Three has a head teacher to keep them in check.”

Group Leader Gao, who was also the head of the first-year science group and had substituted for a few days, knew a bit about these two classes. “Class Four has a lot of troublemakers. Even when Teacher Jiao was here, they were hard to manage. If you really can’t handle them, just focus on the good students in the front.”

This was the unfortunate reality of being a teacher. Not every student is easy to manage, and those who are difficult can disrupt others, so they often end up seated at the back.

Lin Qiao understood and asked more about the two classes before continuing to grade the assignments.

For her first official chemistry class, Lin Qiao carried the assignment books herself and asked upon entering, “Who is the class representative?”

A quiet girl in the third row raised her hand, “I am.”

Students sitting in the third row usually have good grades. Lin Qiao handed her the assignment books, “Distribute these quickly.”

The girl hurriedly stood up to take them, and the rest of the class finally reacted, starting to make a fuss. Especially Junzi, whose eyes nearly popped out, “You’re really going to be our teacher?”

“Is it real or fake?” Lin Qiao looked at him with a meaningful smile, “You better be careful.”

Junzi didn’t understand at first, then exclaimed, “You won’t tell my parents, will you?”

If Lin Qiao wanted to report him, it would be too easy. She wouldn’t even need to find his parents specifically; she could just shout from her own yard.

Seeing Lin Qiao smile without speaking, Junzi immediately backed down, grabbed the blackboard eraser from her hand, and said, “Teacher Lin, you rest. I’ll do it!”

This behavior earned him unanimous disdain from his classmates. When he returned to his seat, he was met with a chorus of boos. Annoyed, he said, “If you were me, you’d back down too. Qi Huaiwen would understand.”

His deskmate, Qi Huaiwen, just glanced at him and continued reading his novel, while the others didn’t believe him.

“I’m serious,” Junzi said urgently, “Her house is right next to mine, just a wall between us. Wouldn’t you back down?”

No one booed him this time; instead, they all laughed, almost writing “schadenfreude” on their faces. After school, seeing Lin Qiao, a group of them pushed Junzi, “Aren’t you going to greet your Teacher? What if she thinks you’re impolite and tells your parents?”

“Get lost!” Junzi swung his school bag, and the group immediately scattered.

Lin Qiao had seen them earlier, but it was after school, and kids playing around wasn’t a big deal, so she pretended not to notice. After dinner, she returned home to find a figure quietly waiting outside in the twilight.

Ji Ze was leaning against the wall, one foot lightly touching the ground, holding a few leaves from a jujube tree that had grown through the wall, looking quite bored.

Lin Qiao was a bit surprised, “How long have you been here?”

“Not long.” Ji Ze clearly didn’t want to discuss it. He stood up and picked up a plastic bucket by his feet, “Is this the olive oil you wanted?”

Lin Qiao thought he was just saying it, but he actually got it. And in just a few days?

And this amount…

She looked up at her nephew, “How many pounds is this?”

“About twenty pounds? A friend got it. I’m not sure, as long as it’s what you wanted.” Ji Ze placed the bucket in front of her. Lin Qiao opened it and looked, “It really is olive oil.”

“Let me carry it in for you.” Ji Ze directly picked up the plastic oil bucket.

Twenty pounds was quite heavy. Since he was carrying it, Lin Qiao didn’t insist on taking it herself. She took out her keys and opened the door, “Have you had dinner?”

“Yes.” Ji Ze responded casually, feeling uncomfortable from the moment he stepped inside. He had been to his uncle’s dorm and office, but this new home was his first visit. And with his uncle not home, it was just him and Lin Qiao, making the awkwardness even more pronounced.

Ji Ze didn’t look around. After placing the oil in the kitchen, he was ready to leave.

“How much did it cost?” Lin Qiao felt it was a lot and quickly asked.

Ji Ze didn’t even turn his head, “I don’t know. Just use it.” He took a few long strides and was out of the courtyard.

The Ji family men all had long legs. Although Ji Ze wasn’t as tall as his uncle, he was still over 1.8 meters. Lin Qiao couldn’t catch up, so she didn’t try. She decided to wait for Ji Duo to come back and ask his opinion. If that didn’t work, she would make some handmade soap and give some to Ji Ze. Twenty pounds of oil would last her forever if she used it alone.

With the oil in hand, Lin Qiao bought the other materials and made the soap on Saturday night.

She had to return to the old house on Sunday and had little time. Plus, the wedding photos were ready for pickup, so she needed to visit the photo studio.

Making handmade soap wasn’t difficult for Lin Qiao, at least easier than baking a cake. She sourced distilled water through the school, and sodium hydroxide was available in the market. The rest was just careful measurement and handling. Mixing the lye with the oil generated a lot of heat, which could splash and burn the skin. The fumes were also irritating, so it was best to protect her hands and eyes.

Lin Qiao opened the kitchen windows and door for ventilation and was busy when a familiar jeep stopped outside.

After being away for nearly ten days and attending a debriefing meeting, Ji Duo’s expression hadn’t changed, but his jawline was sharper, and he spoke even less, resting with his eyes closed in the back seat.

Xiao Fang parked the car and was about to call out when he smelled something strange.

The car window was open, and Ji Duo in the back seat smelled it too, immediately recalling Lin Qiao’s words about it being edible and not poisonous. He got out of the car and entered the courtyard, where the smell was stronger. Not just the smell, but there was also some white smoke coming from the kitchen.

With a stern face, Ji Duo strode inside and grabbed a pot lid to cover the source of the smoke.

“Wait, don’t cover it!” Lin Qiao hurriedly shouted. She hadn’t expected Ji Duo to return when she made handmade soap in the kitchen.

Fortunately, although Ji Duo moved quickly, he reacted even faster and stopped mid-air.

Lin Qiao continued her work and quickly explained, “I’m making handmade soap, not a fire.”

Ji Duo realized that the smoke wasn’t coming from a pot but a small basin. However, with the smoke and smell in the kitchen, it was hard not to think otherwise. He frowned at the liquid in the basin, and Lin Qiao spoke again, “If there’s nothing else, please step out. Be careful not to get splashed.”

The young woman, wearing gloves and goggles, was working as carefully as possible, but some liquid still splashed occasionally. Ji Duo glanced at her and realized he couldn’t help and might even get in the way, so he turned and left.

Outside, he ran into Xiao Fang peeking into the courtyard, “What’s going on?”

“Nothing, your sister-in-law is making something.” Ji Duo closed the kitchen door.

Xiao Fang’s expression showed disbelief, but since Ji Duo said so, he didn’t ask further, “If there’s nothing, I’ll be off.”

After mixing the lye and oil, the mixture needed to set in the mold. Lin Qiao poured the mixture into the mold, scraped off the excess, cleaned up the tools, and finally came out of the kitchen.

The news broadcast had long ended in the living room. Ji Duo was half-asleep on the sofa, a cigarette in his hand and two cigarette butts in the ashtray on the coffee table.

Lin Qiao couldn’t help but feel that the man’s stubborn and handsome face looked a bit tired through the haze of smoke. Although he usually smoked, it was rare for him to smoke so much in one go. She instinctively slowed her steps and walked over to ask, “Do you want to go upstairs and sleep?”

“No need.” Ji Duo withdrew his vacant gaze, his expression returning to its usual sternness, “Is everything done?”

“Yes, it’s done. Once it sets by tomorrow, it can be cut into pieces.” Lin Qiao sat down on the other side of the sofa and, just as she relaxed, noticed the air in the living room wasn’t great. “Do you want to go for a walk? We can come back once the smell dissipates.”

She planned to wait until the smell was gone before returning to sleep.

Unexpectedly, despite looking tired, Ji Duo extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray and stood up, “Let’s go.”

By mid-May, the weather in Yandu was gradually getting warmer. After dinner, many people would go out for a walk to aid digestion. As Ji Duo closed the courtyard gate, Lin Qiao remembered Ji Ze bringing her the oil a few days ago, “He left right after dropping off the oil, so I didn’t get a chance to ask how much it cost.”

“Ji Ze brought you the oil?” The man’s expression paused in the night.

Lin Qiao was about to nod when a loud scream came from the neighboring courtyard, “Help! Murder!”

A figure darted out like a monkey, followed by an enraged Commander Liang, “You little rascal, stop right there!”

“Only a fool would stand still and wait to be hit!” Junzi retorted while fleeing.

Even more furious, Commander Liang looked around for a weapon and reached for his belt.

Junzi had already seen Lin Qiao and immediately ran towards her, “Teacher Lin, save me!” He ducked behind her.

It was already embarrassing to be seen disciplining his son, and now the rascal was hiding behind someone else. Commander Liang was at a loss, pointing at him, “Hiding behind a woman, what kind of bravery is that? Come out!”

Junzi, ever honest, replied, “I wouldn’t dare hide behind Captain Ji.”

Lin Qiao couldn’t help but laugh, looking at the imposing Ji Duo beside her and then at the boy behind her, “Did someone come to your house to report you?”

This was clearly a tease, and Junzi laughed, “No, I just did a little experiment at home as the teacher suggested.”

His eyebrows and eyes lit up when he mentioned this, and Commander Liang threw the item in his hand, “You call this spooky stuff a little experiment!”

Lin Qiao then noticed that Commander Liang was holding a small paper booklet, like cigarette paper, which Junzi quickly grabbed. He proudly showed it to her, “Teacher, see, I didn’t do anything wrong. It all shows up when heated.”

The words did appear, but Commander Liang’s face grew even angrier upon seeing them.

Lin Qiao was curious about what Junzi had written to make someone so furious. She took the paper and flipped through it, finding that each sheet was too small to hold more than one character. However, as she continued flipping, she read the complete message: “I warn you, Liang Dalong, be nicer to your son. He is your family’s lucky star.” The handwriting was messy, and the message was repeated several times.

“I’ve been writing this for days, and my dad just found out,” Junzi whispered proudly in her ear.

Commander Liang preferred rolling his own cigarettes, finding filtered ones too mild. Today, after finishing a booklet of rolling paper, he grabbed a new one. As soon as he lit it, he noticed something was off.

Junzi, who had been watching, seemed to be waiting for this moment and immediately exclaimed, “Why are there words on this paper? Dad, did you do something wrong? Is this a warning from the heavens?”

His performance was so exaggerated that Commander Liang saw through it instantly.

Moreover, Junzi didn’t even try to hide it. He immediately took a lighter and revealed all the words on the stack of paper…

Lin Qiao had seen people courting trouble, but never to this extent.

After listening to Junzi, she returned the rolling paper to him and stepped aside, “Go ahead, Commander Liang. I didn’t see anything.”

“Teacher, you’re selling me out!” Junzi yelped and ran off.

But he was too slow. Commander Liang grabbed him by the collar and smacked him on the back of the head, “Let’s see if you run again!”

Junzi quickly covered his head, “Don’t hit me! You’ll make me stupid!”

“Being a bit stupid saves me from getting angry.” Commander Liang dragged his son back home, still not satisfied, and kicked him twice on the butt.

The initial anger had long dissipated with the boy’s running, so the kicks were more symbolic. His wife came out to intervene, “Two hits are enough. It’s not a big deal. Junzi, why provoke your dad when you have nothing better to do?”

“I just learned a little experiment and wanted to try it,” Junzi chuckled.

Hearing this, Commander Liang remembered, “You called Xiao Lin ‘teacher’ earlier? Did she become a teacher at your school?”

“Which Xiao Lin became a teacher?” Commander Liang’s wife, who had just finished washing the dishes, paused in her actions.

“The wife of Captain Ji next door,” Junzi said excitedly. “She’s our chemistry teacher now. She taught us the experiment to reveal words on paper.”

“She became a teacher? But isn’t your class teacher the chemistry teacher?”

Commander Liang’s wife found it hard to believe. Lin Qiao was so young, barely an adult, and she was teaching high school?

“Our Teacher Jiao broke his leg, so Teacher Lin is substituting for him.”

Junzi, not noticing much else, was so excited about the experiment that he forgot about the beating, “Isn’t it amazing? You’d never guess what we used to write it.”

“Are you teaching Junzi’s class now?” On the other side, Ji Duo also asked about this. If he remembered correctly, Junzi was already in high school. When he left, Lin Qiao was still in junior high and hadn’t even started teaching.

Ji Duo’s return was perfectly timed, catching Lin Qiao busy making handmade soap. If he hadn’t mentioned it, Lin Qiao would have forgotten, “Their chemistry teacher broke his leg, so I’m helping out for a while.” She briefly explained the situation.

“You’re very good at chemistry.” This time, unlike in the car, Ji Duo made a statement.

Although Lin Qiao hadn’t given specifics, it was clear that it wasn’t easy for a high school graduate to surpass a university student, especially someone like Song Jing. If his sister-in-law knew, her reaction would be quite something. She had always held Song Jing as the standard for a daughter-in-law, praising her endlessly and completely looking down on Lin Qiao, the girl from the countryside. But perhaps what his sister-in-law cared about wasn’t these things, but rather family background and status.

With Ji Duo’s affirmation, Lin Qiao spoke honestly, “Don’t you find it fascinating? The soap we use, the medicine we take, and even the soy sauce and vinegar we cook with are all products of chemistry.”

She had initially been interested in these things, which led her to love chemistry. The more she studied, the better she got, eventually falling into the “big pit” of chemistry.

But it was also because of this passion that she could maintain her composure and repeatedly conduct experiments, even when her mentor’s demands made her want to scream.

When someone truly loves something, it naturally shows in their tone, and even the shadows the streetlights cast reflect their joy.

Ji Duo couldn’t help but picture her focused expression while working, and before he knew it, they had walked around the entire courtyard.

Seeing the guard at the gate, he checked his watch, “Let’s go back.” When Lin Qiao agreed, he added, “You don’t need to worry about Xiao Ze.”

This meant he would handle it, so Lin Qiao didn’t think about it anymore.

The next day at the Ji residence, Xu Li was even happier to see her son than the previous week.

“Getting married really makes a difference. You actually come home now. Before, we wouldn’t see you for ten days to half a month.”

Ji Duo no longer showed any signs of fatigue from the previous day. Hearing his mother’s teasing, he handed over a small paper bag, “Photos.”

“I guessed they would be ready.” Xu Li happily took them to the living room and called out to Old Mr. Ji, “You should take a look too.”

Old Mr. Ji was reading the newspaper, his reading glasses perched on his nose. He responded nonchalantly, but his face honestly leaned in.

The photos were taken by Ji Ze, and they turned out quite well. Although the camera’s resolution was average and the shooting technique was simple, they were much better than some straight male boyfriends’ attempts—especially the photo of Lin Qiao and Ji Duo together. Both of them were very attractive, with Ji Duo in his uniform and Lin Qiao wearing light makeup. Her upturned eyes and red lips against her fair face made her look like a rose on the tip of a spear next to Ji Duo.

Xu Li looked at the photos repeatedly, “Qiao Qiao is really beautiful. She looks even better with makeup.”

Old Mr. Ji didn’t comment on his daughter-in-law, but his expression showed agreement. However, when he saw his son, he said, “Why is the second son still so stern even after getting married?”

“When is he not stern?” Xu Li also showed some disdain.

It wasn’t noticeable without comparison, but standing next to Lin Qiao, Ji Duo looked like he was taking an ID photo.

“Qiao Qiao is still the most photogenic,” Xu Li couldn’t help but praise again.

As for the family photo with Ji Jun’s family, she didn’t mention it. She took out an album and inserted the selected photos, “The rest are for you to keep. I remember we have a Seagull camera at home that Xiao Ze brought over. Qiao Qiao, you look good in the photos. Do you want to take a few more?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Lin Qiao said. “No one at home knows how to use it.” She could take selfies with her phone, but she had never used such an old-fashioned camera.

Xu Li thought for a moment, “That camera is still black and white. Even if we colorize the photos, they won’t look as natural as color photos.”

Before the reform and opening up, domestic cameras were all black and white. Color ones only started appearing this year and were hard to get. Xu Li didn’t mention it again and took out an empty album, “I figured you two might not have time, so I bought one for you.”

As they placed the photos in the album, Lin Qiao suddenly remembered something, “I have a photo of Ji Duo when he was a child. I’ll add it later.”

A photo of Ji Duo as a child?

Xu Li’s expression paused slightly, and Ji Duo, who was being pulled to the study by his rarely seen father to play chess, also hesitated.