Chapter 43: Taking Over

As soon as they heard that Principal Zeng was looking for Lin Qiao and that Teacher Jiao was also there, who would still care about Teacher Zheng?

Someone immediately went up and nudged Qi Huaiwen’s back, “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know,” Qi Huaiwen glanced at Teacher Zheng beside him, “but it shouldn’t be anything bad.”

“Not bad?” Someone was still worried.

Teacher Jiao had a good temper and was a kind and amiable old man, and he probably wouldn’t do anything to Teacher Lin. However, Principal Zeng had previously asked Teacher Lin not to conduct experiments with them. Who knew why he was calling her now?

Some even feared that their argument here might be seen and blamed on Teacher Lin. The students were really worried. Even though Qi Huaiwen said so, they still left Teacher Zheng and surrounded Lin Qiao, wanting to escort her over.

Lin Qiao was a bit helpless, “I’m just going to the principal’s office, not to the Golden Throne to plead for my life.”

“Ha!” Someone couldn’t help but laugh at her joke.

Others also relaxed a bit, seeing that Lin Qiao was genuinely at ease, and gradually felt relieved.

When Lin Qiao pushed the door open and entered, not only was Principal Zeng there, but Vice Principal Qi was also present. A kind-looking old man with white hair and a gentle smile was sitting on a chair by the wall. As soon as he saw her, he stood up, “You must be Teacher Lin?”

Lin Qiao had already guessed his identity, “Hello, Teacher Jiao.”

“Hello, hello. Thank you for taking care of Classes Three and Four while I was away these past few months.”

Teacher Jiao looked like a very easygoing old man, speaking slowly and gently. However, his overly gentle nature might make it difficult to manage the troublemakers in the class.

After exchanging pleasantries with him, Lin Qiao was ready to hear why Principal Zeng had called her. But Principal Zeng’s gaze fell on the items in her arms, “What are these?”

“Handmade soap made by the students.” Since Lin Qiao had done it with the students, she wasn’t afraid of him asking. After all, she hadn’t used the laboratory or school funds.

However, with Teacher Jiao still present, she quickly added, “The students saw that I was leaving and gave me one as a memento.”

Teacher Jiao didn’t mind these details, “Did they make it themselves with lye and oil?”

“Yes.” Seeing his curiosity, Lin Qiao handed him a piece to look at.

Unexpectedly, the piece she handed over was Qi Huaiwen’s, with a neatly carved traditional character “Qi” on it. After looking at it, Teacher Jiao passed it to Vice Principal Qi, “Well made.”

Vice Principal Qi was also surprised that Lin Qiao could not only conduct experiments with the students but also produce usable items, “That kid never showed it to me.”

Finally, the item ended up in Principal Zeng’s hands. He rubbed it and suddenly looked up at Lin Qiao, saying, “Last time, I spoke too harshly.”

This was almost an apology, and Lin Qiao was slightly stunned.

Principal Zeng handed the item back to her and added, “Well done.”

Lin Qiao quickly understood that it was probably because of that newspaper article. Previously, Principal Zeng had been cautious and had not allowed her to proceed. Now that she had been publicly praised, what was there to worry about?

If this was the starting point, then being called in today shouldn’t be a bad thing.

Sure enough, Principal Zeng invited her to sit down, “Regarding your upcoming arrangements, the school hasn’t given a definite answer. The main hesitation is whether to have you start teaching first-year high school this year or to teach third-year junior high for a year and then take over Teacher Jiao’s classes when he retires next year.”

Chemistry is only introduced in the third year of junior high, so transitioning for a year would be most suitable. Currently, there is no shortage of teachers for the second year of high school.

Lin Qiao nodded, indicating she understood.

Principal Zeng glanced at Teacher Jiao, “Teacher Jiao came today and told me that he is getting older, and his legs haven’t been good since his injury. He wants to retire now. If you officially take over Classes Three and Four, do you have the confidence to teach them well?”

It turned out that she was being asked to take over Classes Three and Four. Lin Qiao was slightly surprised and instinctively looked at Teacher Jiao beside her.

Teacher Jiao patted his injured leg, “It’s not very functional. Just a few extra steps, and it swells up. I won’t be able to stand at the podium anymore. Since you’ve been teaching them for half a semester and doing well, please take care of them for me.” His tone was somewhat wistful, but his words were sincere. He clearly intended to entrust the two classes to Lin Qiao.

Lin Qiao wasn’t one to be timid, “I can take over, but I plan to take the college entrance exam next year, so I can only take this cohort.”

By then, she would leave for the exam, Teacher Jiao would retire, and the school would still lack a chemistry teacher.

Lin Qiao had to clarify this to ensure the school wouldn’t be left without a teacher. Principal Zeng hadn’t considered this and immediately frowned.

Vice Principal Qi, however, had already inferred something from her borrowing teaching materials, “By the time you take the college entrance exam next year, the first batch of normal school graduates should be ready.”

That was true, and Principal Zeng’s frown relaxed, “Then finish teaching this cohort and aim to achieve good results.”

Although it would be a pity to lose Lin Qiao, who taught well, she was only nineteen and still young, so wanting to pursue further studies was normal. Having only a high school diploma would be a waste for such a capable and ambitious young person.

With the matter settled, looking at Lin Qiao holding the handmade soap and thinking of the names carved on it, there was a touch of humor.

“I’ll have to ask them what they’ll give me when I leave,” Teacher Jiao squinted his eyes playfully.

Vice Principal Qi smiled, and even Principal Zeng’s stern lips twitched slightly.

With the atmosphere lightened, Principal Zeng remembered the recent meetings and asked Lin Qiao, “If we can start the experimental classes, do you have any other suggestions?”

Principal Zeng was very cautious. He even said, “If,” did it mean there was hope for this matter?

Lin Qiao’s heart stirred, and she didn’t rush to answer, instead pondering for a moment, “Let’s start with interesting basics. It’s most important to let most students experience experiments. You were right last time, Principal. Funding is indeed an issue. The country can’t afford to allocate funds to build fully equipped laboratories for every school.”

This was indeed one reason why there hadn’t been a resolution yet, and Principal Zeng nodded.

“Then there’s the teaching staff issue,” Lin Qiao said. “Some experiments have certain risks, like using alcohol burners. Even if students aren’t allowed to do them, teachers must be careful during demonstrations. Teachers conducting experimental classes must have a certain level of competence.”

Principal Zeng immediately thought of Zheng Huifang, who managed to injure herself during a demonstration. He later asked Xiao Gao about it and discovered that as long as the procedure was done correctly, the experiment wasn’t as dangerous as he thought. Zheng Huifang had caused the petri dish to explode due to two mistakes: using non-anhydrous alcohol and using far too much of it.

Principal Zeng nodded thoughtfully again, “This needs attention.”

“That’s all I can think of for now. If I have more, I’ll let you know.”

“Alright, you and Teacher Jiao go back and do the handover. Xiao Qi, stay here.”

After they left, Principal Zeng didn’t speak immediately. After a moment of silence, he asked Vice Principal Qi, “You mentioned wanting to recruit more interns?”

Vice Principal Qi had indeed suggested not only recruiting more college interns but also having military family members take exams before being assigned to school jobs. Those who passed could become teachers, while those who didn’t could be assigned to logistics, ensuring students weren’t affected. This idea was inspired by Lin Qiao and Song Jing. Their school had to arrange jobs for military family members, and while those recruited were fine, the ones assigned varied greatly in quality. This led to good candidates like Lin Qiao being overlooked while others like Zheng Huifang just coasted along. However, due to his personal experiences, Principal Zeng had an instinctive tendency to protect all elderly people and was cautious about any changes.

Seeing him nod, Vice Principal Qi continued, “Then let’s recruit a few more in physics, chemistry, and biology to see their level.”

These three subjects all had experiments, though some more than others. No one knew if the experimental classes would be approved or which ones.

Vice Principal Qi nodded and waited, but Principal Zeng never mentioned the entrance exams for military family members.

It seemed he still didn’t agree with that. Vice Principal Qi felt helpless but had no other options, “Anything else? If not, I’ll head back.”

Principal Zeng knew what he was waiting for but still said, “You can go back.”

On the other side, Teacher Jiao and Lin Qiao, who could be grandfather and granddaughter in age, got along very well. Because of Teacher Jiao’s leg, Lin Qiao deliberately slowed her pace, walking behind him without offering to help. This was very considerate, as many elderly people don’t like to admit they’re old and prefer to walk slowly on their own rather than use a cane or accept help.

Teacher Jiao smiled at her, “I heard you’re very good with the students.”

“The students are all very good,” Lin Qiao replied sincerely. These students, unrelated to the original plot, showed her the vibrant side of the world.

Speaking of the original plot, she almost forgot about it except when collecting royalties. She didn’t even know how the story had progressed. Regardless of the progress, it was likely off track, as her collaboration with Ji Duo had expanded from marriage to both the bedroom and career.

As they talked, Class Four arrived. Lin Qiao didn’t go in, leaving space for Teacher Jiao to speak with the students alone.

Unexpectedly, Junzi saw her and sneaked out the back door, “Teacher Lin, what did the principal want?”

He hadn’t been there during the argument and was worried after hearing about it, constantly concerned about Lin Qiao.

Thinking of what Liu Cuiying had said, Lin Qiao teased him, “Guess.”

“I can’t guess that,” Junzi scratched his head. “But seeing you like this, it shouldn’t be anything bad, right?”

“Alright, you go back quickly,” Lin Qiao urged him.

Teacher Jiao, who was on the podium, obviously saw this too, “Liang Jun.” Junzi hurriedly ran back through the back door.

As soon as he sat down, Teacher Jiao smiled and said, “I’m here this time to say goodbye to everyone.”

Goodbye? The students were all stunned.

“I’m getting old, and my legs aren’t very good. For the next year, a new teacher will be taking over.”

The students below were still confused.

A new teacher? Who? Why is Teacher Jiao leaving? Some, like Qi Huaiwen, reacted quickly and immediately looked towards the corridor.

Teacher Jiao smiled and also looked towards the door, “Alright, Xiao Lin, come in. I see they don’t want to listen to me.”

Lin Qiao had no choice but to walk in. As soon as she stood on the podium, the students erupted.

“Teacher Lin? It’s Teacher Lin!”

“Teacher Lin is going to continue teaching us?”

Some whispered, while others, not wanting to be too obvious, quickly pulled the people next to them.

Teacher Jiao saw it all, feeling a bit helpless but not unhappy, “You all seem much happier to see Lin than me.”

There was a burst of embarrassed laughter below, but those eyes indeed brightened up.

“It seems you’re more popular,” Teacher Jiao said emotionally to Lin Qiao. “I’ll leave these students to you then.”

“Okay.” Lin Qiao nodded, just about to say something, when the students interrupted. Unlike the first time with whistles and boos, this time, it was a round of applause. Especially Junzi and the other troublemakers; their hands were almost red from clapping.

After distributing the books and cleaning the classroom in the morning, Junzi rushed home like a whirlwind.

Liu Cuiying was bumped by him, dropping the dustpan in her hand, “Why are you running so fast? Aren’t you afraid of getting hurt?”

Junzi threw down his schoolbag and said, “Teacher Lin will continue teaching us.”

“What?” Liu Cuiying hadn’t reacted yet.

Junzi repeated, “Teacher Lin is going to continue teaching us. She’s our new class teacher!”

“Teacher Lin is going to continue teaching you? That’s great, really great.” Liu Cuiying finally understood, not even bothering to pick up the dustpan.

Junzi saw this and wanted to take advantage of his mother’s good mood to tell her about his plan to join the army early. But as the words reached his lips, he hesitated inexplicably. Seeing his mother humming a little tune, he decided to postpone it, not wanting to spoil her good mood.

While things were lively on Junzi’s side, Lin Qiao also received some good news. At the beginning of the month, she mailed a large package of clothes, both new and old, to Liu Yulan and the children. Liu Yulan received it and wrote back, saying her younger siblings loved the clothes and telling Lin Qiao not to spend so much in the future. The old clothes were good enough, and even her Uncle Yang was reluctant to wear them for work.

Then Lin Wei sent another letter home.

This time, it was sent from another place, and not only did the Lin family couple receive a letter, but Liu Yulan also got one, with a dollar enclosed, asking her to pass it on to Guo Yan when she had the chance.

Liu Yulan was clearly surprised to receive a letter from Lin Wei, and Lin Qiao was even more so.

Lin Wei’s way of doing things was quite different from his parents. Knowing it was inconvenient for Lin Qiao to contact him, he never inquired about her. Knowing she would worry about him, he asked Liu Yulan to keep an eye on the Lin family and wrote to Liu Yulan, even sending money to Guo Yan.

“Dawei said he has found a job and is doing well outside. He asked me to tell you and Yan Zi so you can be at ease.”

But Lin Wei was the type who could endure hardship and save money. If he was really doing well outside, how could he have only saved a dollar after so long? Even if the Lin family couple had some money, it probably wasn’t much. He likely saved it from his own expenses to reassure them.

Lin Qiao had no way to help, and since Lin Wei dared to write back, the address he left was definitely fake. He was determined to make his way outside.

The remaining letter was indeed a reply from the leader’s office. Having read the newspaper, Lin Qiao had roughly guessed its content. However, the signature was strong and powerful, with a grand style different from other handwriting. Comparing it with an old newspaper, she found it was the leader’s own handwriting. This made it very collectible. Lin Qiao decided to bring it to the old house next time to share the joy with the elderly couple.

Just as she put the letters away, Ji Duo returned.

At this time? Lin Qiao looked at her watch and saw it was nearly an hour before his usual time to get off work.

Ji Duo rarely came back at this hour, especially in the morning. Before she could think more, he was already striding upstairs, “I need to go out.”

His tone was still low, his expression still calm, but for some reason, Lin Qiao was reminded of the first time she saw him get out of the car. His actions were crisp, his speech decisive, and his aura and emotions all compressed into a calmness that seemed flawless at first glance.

Her heart tightened, “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Ji Duo replied subconsciously. Noticing her voice was lower than usual, he looked at her, “It’s a family matter of a relative.”

It wasn’t official business nor a matter of the Ji family, which eased Lin Qiao’s mind a bit. But if it was just a family matter of a relative, why was he so tense? The pressure was so low that it reminded her of when she had heard about Old Mr. Ji’s hospitalization.

Lin Qiao was curious but didn’t ask more. She never asked about things she shouldn’t.

Ji Duo, however, thought she would ask. While opening the cabinet to get a change of clothes, he hesitated whether to explain and how to explain.

Taking out the clothes, Lin Qiao handed him a bag to pack them, “Do you need to bring anything else? Do you have enough money?”

Calm and decisive, just like every time she faced a situation, which was something he admired about her—never wasting words. But today, watching her, he felt an inexplicable pang in his heart.

It was hard to say why, but the most likely reason was that he already had something weighing on his mind, and any little thing could easily irritate him. Ji Duo forcibly suppressed this emotion, “Just bring a set of long-sleeved clothes. How much cash do we have at home? Give me all the usable money.”

Wearing long sleeves meant the place wasn’t too hot, suggesting he might be going far.

Lin Qiao instantly thought of several places and went to the cabinet to get the money box, “The share you gave me a few days ago hasn’t been deposited yet. Including the previous amount, there’s over nine hundred.”

The man’s business seemed to have expanded, with recent daily accounts bringing in several tens each day. However, over nine hundred still made the man frown, as if he thought it was too little, but he took the whole bills, “I’ll be back soon.”

He secured the money, packed the clothes into a bag, zipped it up, and was ready to go downstairs.

Seeing him about to leave, Lin Qiao quickly followed him down the stairs. He thought she had something to say, so he stopped.

“What about Dad and Mom…” she began to ask.

“Just tell them I have something to do and won’t be back for now,” Ji Duo interrupted her directly.

Lin Qiao originally wanted to say a few more words, but seeing his calm eyes, she guessed he didn’t have time to listen to her nagging, so she simply said, “Safe travels.”

Ji Duo said nothing more, gave her a deep look, and turned to leave. At the gate, he paused again, “If you need a car, just find Xiao Fang.”

“Got it.” Lin Qiao saw him off to the door and watched him get into the car.

Ji Duo pressed his brow, quickly running everything through his mind to check for any omissions, then instructed Xiao Fang, “To the train station.”

After finishing his thoughts, he glanced back unintentionally, but the car had already turned the corner, and he could no longer see the small courtyard or the person.

The next morning, when Lin Qiao woke up, the pillow beside her was neatly arranged and showed no signs of being slept on. Downstairs, the kitchen hadn’t left her any food. She stood there with her toothbrush and toothpaste for two seconds, realizing how scary habits could be, especially those that permeate daily life. But she had to go to work and didn’t have time to think too much. She quickly washed up, ate breakfast in the cafeteria, and went to school with her things.

After moving up to the second year of high school, the entire grade moved to the upper floors of the teaching building, including the office.

Lin Qiao got a good spot by the window, perfect for catching early romances and smoking. Actually, it just had a good view, with a swallow’s nest under the eaves nearby, and she could often hear the lively chirping of the little swallows.

“This time, you can’t just focus on chemistry. Look at your class’s math scores.” The homeroom teacher of Class Three handed Lin Qiao a report card.

Lin Qiao felt a bit overwhelmed; the math scores were even worse than the chemistry scores before she came.

Soon, the language and biology teachers also came to her. As expected, Class Four was at the bottom in all subjects, a definite hellish start.

Group Leader Gao was organizing lesson plans and couldn’t help but laugh, “You’re back again, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I’m back again,” Lin Qiao said helplessly. “Please let me know if you need liquid soap so I can earn some extra money.”

Her words made everyone in the office laugh, and someone said, “Your friend’s soap is pretty good. I heard it’s now being sold in Yandu too.”

The soap had gained some small fame in Yandu, but it was still limited in scope and not easy to buy without a fixed point. Teachers like the homeroom teacher of Class Three and Group Leader Gao, who needed it, were used to finding Lin Qiao, so she always kept a large barrel at home.

As they were talking, Vice Principal Qi came in.

Lin Qiao thought he was there to remind her to watch Class Four’s physics, but he introduced a young man, “This is Wu Haiyang, our new physics intern teacher.”

“Wu Haiyang?” Several teachers in the office looked over, “Wu Haiyang is starting his internship, too?”

Lin Qiao was also familiar with the name and looked at the newcomer.

At twenty-six or twenty-seven, he wasn’t uncommon among the students of the 77 and 78 cohorts. He had an ordinary appearance but bright and determined eyes. It was clear from his walk that his legs were not nimble, but he was calm and at ease, showing no discomfort, somewhat resembling Vice Principal Qi.

Vice Principal Qi was obviously very satisfied with this student he had mentored. He pointed to his own desk for him and introduced him to Lin Qiao and the homeroom teacher of Class Three. It seemed he planned to personally mentor him, letting him intern in Classes Three and Four.

He politely greeted them and looked at Lin Qiao again when he heard her name, “Are you the Lin Qiao who made suggestions to the leader?”

“That’s her.” Mentioning Lin Qiao, Vice Principal Qi smiled, “You read that newspaper too?”

“Didn’t you say that one should never blind themselves and always pay attention to national affairs? Over the years, whether in the countryside or at school, I’ve kept the habit of reading newspapers. Even without your letter, I knew the country would resume the college entrance exam.”

Vice Principal Qi was even more satisfied and took him to class, ready to introduce him to the students of Classes Three and Four.

As the man with one thick and one thin leg limped into the classroom, Qi Huaiwen, who had been somewhat inattentive in the back row, immediately became serious.