Chapter 34: Innocence

Since the ownership of the watch was still uncertain, it remained with Lin Qiao, who had taken it out when she pushed the man.

Ji Duo glanced at it. “Do you need it?”

All the money at home was with Lin Qiao, and she had never asked him for anything. Suddenly bringing this up, and in a lowered voice, it probably wasn’t for herself.

“No, I want to check the purchase route of this watch.”

In this era, watches were considered big items, requiring not only money but also tickets. This electronic watch was evidently scarce. Before their marriage, she and Xu Li had almost visited every mall in Yandu and hadn’t seen any, indicating it wasn’t easy to buy. Only a few had been sold. If she could find the purchase route, it might prove that Li Xiaoqiu’s mother had indeed bought it, thereby proving Li Xiaoqiu’s innocence.

She had carefully questioned both Li Xiaoqiu and the boy from Class Five named Feng Gang. Both watches were newly bought in the past few days, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to trace.

Of course, there was no need to let Li Xiaoqiu know about this. Given her personality, knowing might only add to her psychological burden.

Ji Duo took the watch and glanced at it briefly before saying, “This is smuggled.”

“Smuggled?” Lin Qiao hadn’t thought of that.

“Yes, I’ve seen similar ones before. They’re not worth much.”

Not worth much…

Lin Qiao realized that mechanical watches were more valuable than electronic ones. Why was an electronic watch sold at such a high price? She thought it was a matter of the era, but it turned out to be a matter of unscrupulous merchants.

This made things difficult. Who would openly sell smuggled goods?

“Try to find out as much as possible. If you can’t, it’s okay.” At least it was a lead, so Lin Qiao still asked Ji Duo for help.

After sending Ji Duo off, Lin Qiao returned to the office and found Li Xiaoqiu still sitting obediently in the same position. Clearly, she hadn’t moved a bit while Lin Qiao was out.

Thinking about what the man had said earlier, she explained, “He wasn’t in a good mood today.”

Otherwise, why would someone who’s already an uncle hurt a little girl’s feelings?

Li Xiaoqiu didn’t seem to mind, tugging at her clothes. “I know, Teacher. Your family is full of good people.”

They had just helped her out of a sense of responsibility, not wanting to wrong any student, and even Ji Duo was considered a good person now…

Lin Qiao felt a bit helpless. “After lunch, I’ll send a telegram to your grandmother’s house. This matter will definitely be cleared up. You can go back to class without worry.”

Unexpectedly, when she arrived at the post office, she ran into Li Xiaoqiu’s father, Teacher Li. They exchanged glances, and he immediately looked a bit embarrassed. So, after all the hitting and fussing, he now wanted to verify things?

Although Ji Duo’s words were harsh, he wasn’t wrong. Just because a man has a tough time outside, does that give him the right to take it out on his wife and kids at home? Saying he shouldn’t have kept her, blaming the child for not having a mother—shouldn’t he be treating the child better?

Lin Qiao didn’t want to talk much with him. She nodded and went inside to send the telegram.

Who knew if he was reliable? It was better to rely on herself and hope the missing watch from Class Five would be found soon. Actually, if they could report this to the police, it might be easier to investigate. But that was uncertain. If this dragged on too long, people would lose interest. Moreover, the school was full of teachers’ children and military dependents, and they clearly didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. Teacher Li certainly didn’t want that either. The longer this dragged on, the worse it would be for Li Xiaoqiu. If it dragged on without resolution, even if Li Xiaoqiu wanted to clear her name, she wouldn’t be able to.

In the afternoon, Vice Principal Qi also learned about the situation and called Lin Qiao and Teacher Bi to ask about it.

After the questioning, Lin Qiao lagged behind a few steps and didn’t rush to leave. “I’m not shirking responsibility, but I still think this is more likely to have happened in Class Five. The watch was taken off after the first period and was found missing before the third period after the morning exercises. During this time, there was a class and a break, so there should have been people in Class Five. How could an outsider come in without anyone noticing?”

Vice Principal Qi had the same thought. “I’ve already asked Teacher Bi to investigate further.”

“Can we tell the students that we’ve contacted Li Xiaoqiu’s mother and she’ll be here soon to testify for her?” Lin Qiao suggested.

Vice Principal Qi looked at her for a moment. “What do you mean?”

“Let’s trick them.” Lin Qiao confirmed his guess. “If the item wasn’t stolen by Li Xiaoqiu but by someone else, what would that person be thinking now? If they knew Li Xiaoqiu had been cleared of suspicion, what would they think?”

Knowing that Li Xiaoqiu was taking the blame, the real culprit might feel both nervous and relieved. If they found out that Li Xiaoqiu had been cleared of suspicion, their relief would turn into anxiety, and in the emotional turmoil, they might slip up.

“Of course, this is just a hypothesis. It’s also possible that the item was simply misplaced and not stolen.”

Vice Principal Qi was silent for a moment, clearly weighing the feasibility of this plan. “It would be best if I personally questioned them, one by one.”

Teacher Bi tended to be overly cautious and never got to the point. As just a class teacher, he didn’t command much authority among the students. To amplify the tension and make the culprit slip up, it was best for the Vice Principal to handle it himself.

With a plan in mind, Vice Principal Qi’s furrowed brow relaxed slightly. He looked at Lin Qiao. “Are you really only nineteen this year?”

Lin Qiao, of course, wasn’t. “If you asks like this, I’ll take it as a compliment on my youth, not a criticism of my audacity.”

Given more time, Vice Principal Qi might have come up with the idea himself. But for Li Xiaoqiu, nothing was more precious than time.

This finally brought a smile to Vice Principal Qi’s face. “Let’s hurry and investigate. Hopefully, we’ll have a result soon.”

From that afternoon until the evening self-study session, the entire high school department was investigating. Vice Principal Qi questioned students from Class Five, Class Four, and even Class Six, which was also adjacent to Class Five, one by one in his office. This way, anyone with information could speak without fear.

By the next morning, all the classes had been questioned.

Vice Principal Qi’s throat was hoarse from talking, and he drank several cups of honeysuckle tea to soothe it. “Keep an eye on these students. They all seemed a bit nervous.”

In fact, Lin Qiao had already received a telegram from Li Xiaoqiu’s grandmother’s house that morning. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very promising.

Li Xiaoqiu’s grandmother’s family didn’t know her mother’s exact address either, only promising to help look for her. There was no guarantee of when they might find her.

But Lin Qiao hadn’t been idle. “I also have a list of students from Class Five who didn’t attend PE class and those from other classes who didn’t participate in the break exercises that day.”

Comparing the lists, they found several overlaps. This narrowed down the suspects significantly, and teachers from several classes were brought in to help monitor them.

At noon, Ji Duo didn’t come back due to some business. After lunch, Lin Qiao had just sat down in the office when someone from the security office came to tell her she had a phone call. She hurried over to answer it, and Ji Duo’s deep voice came through the line. “We’ve found the smugglers. I don’t know if they have the information you’re looking for.”

“Found them?” Lin Qiao was a bit surprised. “How did you find them?”

This man seemed to follow the rules, but did he have connections in this area?

“Arrested them,” Ji Duo said succinctly. “I had someone take the call. You can ask him directly.”

He actually found a way to arrest the smugglers…

But thinking about it, it did seem like his style.

Lin Qiao didn’t have time to think more as the person on the other end of the line changed. She immediately focused and asked about the recent sales of electronic watches and if they remembered who they sold them to.

The person was quite cooperative and quickly recalled someone matching Lin Qiao’s description. “Is she particularly thin, not very tall, with a bit of a broken eyebrow on the left? There’s only one woman with a southern accent like that. At the time, I thought she was a colleague coming to gather information.”

Li Xiaoqiu’s grandmother’s family moved to the north after the founding of the country, but she had lived in the south as a child and still retained a southern accent.

Lin Qiao finally breathed a sigh of relief. When the call returned to Ji Duo, she said, “Can you have him give me a statement?”

With this statement, even if they couldn’t contact Li Xiaoqiu’s mother, it would clear Li Xiaoqiu of suspicion.

The man responded with a simple “Hmm,” without asking further questions, and hung up. A laugh came from beside him. “You went through all this trouble to arrest people just so your wife could ask these two questions?”

A young man in uniform tapped the table. “Do you think he’s unlucky? He was cautious enough, but those arrested were all involved in major smuggling.”

A row of recently arrested smugglers squatted by the wall nearby, sneaking glances at the two men.

With the country’s reform and opening up, it was inevitable that some bold and enterprising people would see smuggling as a lucrative business. In the south, they went through Hong Kong, and in the north, through Russia, making several times the profit in one trip. These were all arrested that morning, including the one Lin Qiao had just questioned.

Despite being watched by so many eyes, Ji Duo remained calm. “I didn’t ask you to arrest them. You were already targeting them.”

“Fine, fine, you got lucky. When will your wife treat me to a meal?”

Treat him to a meal? Ji Duo thought of Lin Qiao’s comment about her cooking not being deadly and said nothing.

“Really? You won’t even agree to that?” The young man was surprised. “Did you marry a wife or a treasure?”

Meanwhile, Lin Qiao had just hung up the phone and met Qi Huaiwen’s gaze outside the window.

The boy’s face was slightly flushed from the sun, and it was unclear how long he had been listening. His calm, expressionless eyes reminded Lin Qiao of Ji Duo for a moment.

Although both were quiet, Ji Duo and Qi Huaiwen gave off different vibes. Ji Duo’s emotions were very restrained as if nothing could disturb his calm. On the other hand, the boy’s coldness seemed like a silent rebellion, with sharp edges hidden beneath the surface.

Lin Qiao walked out of the security office and checked her watch. “You’re almost late, aren’t you?”

When reminded, Qi Huaiwen didn’t respond or rush to the classroom like most students would. He walked silently beside her, keeping a two-meter distance. As they neared the teaching building, he asked, “Do all teachers have such a strong sense of dedication?”

The question was not only abrupt but also carried a hint of sarcasm. After all, he had testified for Li Xiaoqiu when she was wronged the previous day.

Lin Qiao was puzzled. The boy didn’t look at her and continued, “Time, energy, even money—you give it all to the students. When something happens to a student, you’re more anxious than if it happened to your own family. Do all teachers have such dedication? Even though the students’ families are better off than yours.” His words carried emotion, more like he was speaking to someone else rather than Lin Qiao.

Lin Qiao thought of Vice Principal Qi, paused, and asked, “Do you think I shouldn’t care about what happened to Li Xiaoqiu?”

The boy didn’t respond, his gaze falling to the ground, lost in thought.

Lin Qiao stopped walking and faced him. “First, the school reimbursed the money for yesterday’s telegram. Second, I asked my husband for help just to try. If he could help, he would; if not, I wouldn’t force it. Being a teacher is just a profession. Becoming a teacher doesn’t make one a saint.”

To be honest, whether it’s teachers or doctors, their qualifications are based on professional skills, not morality. The reason we talk about teacher ethics and medical ethics was because teachers educate and doctors save lives, naturally giving them a halo. People have higher moral expectations of them. But without this halo, teachers and doctors are ordinary people, with emotions and desires, good and bad. Some, like Vice Principal Qi and Old Jiao, continue to work despite heart disease and retirement age, while others, like Teacher Zheng, muddle through their teaching.

“I help you improve your grades because I get paid for it, and I should fulfill my duties. As for other things…” Lin Qiao paused, looking directly at the boy. “When you stand on the podium, looking at the young minds below, knowing that many of your actions will affect their future, you become cautious and develop a sense of responsibility. This sense of responsibility is what sets us apart.”

Qi Huaiwen remained silent for a long time, and it was unclear if he understood.

As the bell was about to ring and there were no more students around, Lin Qiao was about to remind him to return to class when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye and suddenly said, “Shh.”

Qi Huaiwen was about to look up when Lin Qiao pulled him, and they both hid behind the wall of the teaching building.

Just as they hid, the window of the nearby office was opened wider, and a head popped out—it was Vice Principal Qi.

They exchanged glances, all surprised but silent, their six eyes all looking toward the restroom. Soon, they saw a figure sneaking around, looking around, and then slipping behind the boys’ restroom. Not long after, the person came out with hands in pockets.

Without needing any prompting, Qi Huaiwen had already rushed out, with Lin Qiao following closely behind. Vice Principal Qi was the last, climbing out of the window and almost dropping his glasses as he landed. But he didn’t care, quickly adjusting them and running after the others. By the time the suspect realized something was wrong, Qi Huaiwen had already caught him with the stolen goods in hand.

Seeing the electronic watch Qi Huaiwen had found and the boy’s pale face, Vice Principal Qi let out a long breath. “Take him to my office.”

Father and son were usually at odds, but they were in agreement this time. Qi Huaiwen still glanced at his father. “With your heart condition, you still dare to run? Aren’t you afraid of dying?”

It was clear they couldn’t have a proper conversation now, but at this moment, Lin Qiao and Vice Principal Qi didn’t care. They quickly took the boy to the office, and soon after, Xiao Fang brought over the statement from Ji Duo’s side. With this, Li Xiaoqiu’s suspicion was completely cleared.

Lin Qiao didn’t participate in the rest of the proceedings, but she knew that Teacher Bi’s afternoon classes were all canceled, and the boy’s parents were soon called to the school.

Vice Principal Qi’s office was quite noisy, with the boy explaining that he didn’t intend to steal. He just couldn’t stand Feng Gang’s constant showing off and wanted to hide the watch to scare him. He had hidden it under the tiles on the restroom roof, planning to return it later, but things had escalated unexpectedly.

“Then why didn’t he return it when Li Xiaoqiu was accused of stealing?”

Lin Qiao believed he intended to return it, but it was unclear whether he had planned to do so earlier or only recently.

When Qi Huaiwen was caught passing around a forbidden book, someone quickly slipped her a note, fearing he would be wronged.

In this case, it was Lin Qiao’s student who was wronged. Li Xiaoqiu was even slapped for it, and if Lin Qiao hadn’t intervened, she might have been hit more. So, no one found her words out of place.

However, the boy was definitely going to face severe punishment. Group Leader Gao shook his head in the office. “What was he thinking? His family isn’t poor.”

The school was mostly made up of teachers’ children and military dependents, and those who could bring their families to the military base either had high ranks or long service, so their conditions weren’t bad.

People often say idle hands are the devil’s workshop, and harsh living conditions can lead some to abandon their morals. However, Lin Qiao didn’t believe that character issues could be entirely blamed on material conditions. “At least the truth is out. I can return the watch and clear Li Xiaoqiu’s name.” She took the items to the classroom and handed them to Li Xiaoqiu in front of the whole class. “Wear it proudly. There’s no shame in something your mom bought for you.”

The girl nodded with red eyes, her dark pupils as clear as if washed by water. “Thank you, teacher.”

Lin Qiao suddenly felt a bit sorry for this girl. The swelling on her face hadn’t completely gone down, and judging by her father’s attitude, he probably wouldn’t apologize.

If her parents’ relationship wasn’t so bad, she wouldn’t have to hide things and almost be mistaken for a thief.

Lin Qiao patted the girl’s head. “Study hard. I remember you’re good at physics. Maybe in the future, the watches people wear and the TVs they watch will be your research.”

Li Xiaoqiu’s eyes turned even redder, and her ears, too, but she didn’t shy away. She looked at Lin Qiao and nodded earnestly.

Perhaps this feeling of being trusted and expected made Lin Qiao develop a stronger sense of responsibility over time. She let the girl go back and was about to say something more when Junzi started shouting, “I told you Li Xiaoqiu didn’t steal. Feng Gang said such nasty things; he deserved a harder beating.”

Even if Junzi hadn’t mentioned it, Lin Qiao would have demanded an apology from Feng Gang to Li Xiaoqiu. But she hadn’t even confronted him yet, and he had already come forward.

Lin Qiao raised an eyebrow. “Don’t think that hitting someone was right just because Li Xiaoqiu was wronged. Submit a thousand-word reflection by tomorrow.”

Junzi: “…”

A few chuckles erupted from the back row, and even Qi Huaiwen couldn’t help but smile.

Seeing this, Lin Qiao remembered his earlier words. Back in the office, she saw Group Leader Gao taking a break and asked, “Has Vice Principal Qi always been this dedicated to students?”

Group Leader Gao thought she was referring to Li Xiaoqiu’s situation. “This is nothing. When Old Qi was a class teacher, he was even more dedicated.”

So Qi Huaiwen was indeed talking about Vice Principal Qi. Lin Qiao put down her things and made a show of being all ears. “Even more dedicated? Tell me more.”

“Oh, there’s plenty. Before Old Qi became the principal, the office was full of banners from grateful parents. Especially this one boy he taught, who had a leg injury from a childhood fever. One leg was thicker than the other, and he walked with a limp. He was often bullied at school.”

“Are you talking about Wu Haiyang?” The head teacher of Class Three seemed to know the story too.

Group Leader Gao nodded. “Yes, that’s him. Old Qi worried a lot about him. In ’73, when they heard the college entrance exam might be reinstated, he helped him catch up on his studies, hoping he could get into college. With his leg, he couldn’t join the army, and other jobs would be difficult.”

If Lin Qiao hadn’t traveled to this era, she wouldn’t have known that the college entrance exam was briefly reinstated in ’73. But that year, a “blank paper hero” shattered many people’s dreams of advancing through academic achievement, leading to a widespread belief that studying was useless.

T/N : see notes.

“Did he get in?” Lin Qiao asked.

This time, the head teacher of Class Three answered. “Yes, he got in when the college entrance exam was reinstated in ’77. Vice Principal Qi was happy for days.”

“Indeed,” Group Leader Gao sighed. “None of our school’s recent graduates got in, but he didn’t give up on his studies despite spending years in the countryside.”

They hadn’t talked much when the parents left, and the school called a meeting for all teachers. The meeting was to discuss the boy’s punishment and remind everyone to focus on students’ moral education.

Back home, seeing Ji Duo, Lin Qiao remembered to ask about the afternoon. “How did you catch them? Does the military handle this?”

“A colleague in the relevant department recently caught smugglers.”

With that, Lin Qiao understood. After dinner, she asked him, “Should we invite them for a meal to thank them? They did help us out.”

“I’ll invite them on Saturday,” Ji Duo had clearly already arranged it. “I’ll take you along.”

Seeing Lin Qiao still thinking about thanking the person, the man watching the news on the sofa raised an eyebrow. “Why don’t you thank me?”

This question left Lin Qiao stunned.

Right, why hadn’t she thought of thanking him?

It seemed like she subconsciously felt there was no need to be so formal with him, unlike when they first met, where everything was a polite request. Was it because they had worked together for so long and become familiar?

Lin Qiao thought for a moment, then shifted her position and sat on his lap, placing her hand on his shoulder. “How do you want me to thank you?”

It was broad daylight, and Ji Duo immediately frowned, instinctively glancing out the window. Their house was standalone with its own yard, and outside the window was only their yard, with no one around except the setting sun.

Lin Qiao couldn’t help but laugh. She was about to stand up when he grabbed her waist and pulled her back. His brows were still furrowed, and upon closer inspection, there was even a hint of surprise in his eyes. It was clear that his action was an instinctive reaction.

Ji Duo realized this too, but since he had already pulled her, he didn’t let go. He looked at her intently. “Is that all the sincerity you have?”

The news was still playing on the TV, and the atmosphere suddenly became subtle. Even Lin Qiao was curious if he would actually do something in broad daylight.

Just then, the loud voice of Commander Liang’s wife came from next door. “Xiao Ji! You have a phone call!”

Ji Duo paused, let her go, and went next door. He returned shortly after. “I have to go out for a bit.”

T/N (Blank Paper Hero) refers to a famous incident during the 1973 Chinese National College Entrance Examination (高考). A student named Zhang Tiesheng handed in a blank answer sheet, protesting against the examination system. He wrote a letter on the back of the blank paper, criticizing the education system and expressing his belief that practical skills were more important than academic knowledge. Zhang Tiesheng’s actions sparked a significant debate in China about the value of education and the examination system. He became a symbol of resistance against the rigid and highly competitive educational structure of the time. His protest highlighted the need for educational reforms and brought attention to the pressures faced by students.