Chapter 29: The 1990s Teacher Supporting Character Who Despises the Poor and Favors the Rich (6)

Hearing Fang Yuwei accuse her of stealing money, Wang Guihua immediately exploded, glaring and shouting, “Who are you saying stole money? Who? Watch your mouth or I will tear your mouth apart!”

The two little kids looked scared and ran to hold onto Fang Yuwei.

“Aunt Wang,” Lin Yan’s voice deepened, “If there is something, talk it out calmly.”

“Have I not been calm? Look at what your wife is saying!” Wang Guihua grew angrier, showing no respect to Fang Yuwei, speaking sharply, “Who does she think she is, bossing me around?”

“That’s enough!” Lin Yan sharply interrupted, angrily saying, “My wife is not someone you can lecture. You are not fit to work here anymore.”

Wang Guihua did not expect Lin Yan to take the initiative to tell her to leave. Shock filled her eyes.

Lin Yan had always been gentle and calm; she had never seen him angry and always feared she would leave.

Now, he was helping his wife to kick her out.

“When you need me, you come ask for help. Now you kick me out. You really have guts!” Wang Guihua started cursing loudly.

Lin Yan and Fang Yuwei did not have time to respond before she suddenly rushed onto the road.

The two were shocked, fearing she might be unstable and try to harm herself. But she had just seen her son and cried out that Fang Yuwei was bullying her and falsely accusing her of stealing money.

Zhao Hui was riding a motorcycle. His arms were covered in tattoos, and he had a cigarette dangling from his mouth. He was a street thug. Seeing Wang Guihua being bullied, he stopped the motorcycle and pointed at Fang Yuwei, “Who are you accusing of stealing? Believe it or not, I’ll slap you dead.”

Lin Yan stood in front of her and the children, pulling them back.

Zhao Hui spat, full of anger, and aggressively grabbed a wooden stick from the nearby grass, ready to rush forward.

Fang Yuwei did not expect things to escalate to this point and quickly backed up holding the children.

Lin Yan’s face darkened, expression unchanged. He grabbed a wooden chair nearby. Judging by his stance, if Zhao Hui dared to attack his wife and kids, Lin Yan would smash the chair over him.

The wooden chair was heavy and quite dangerous. Zhao Hui would not come out unscathed.

People like this were typically tough on the weak but scared of strength. When Lin Yan lifted the chair, Zhao Hui’s steps slowed.

Wang Guihua was even more frightened by Lin Yan and hurriedly stepped forward to stop her son, “What are you two fighting for?”

Zhao Hui did not move his feet but kept shouting, “What’s there to be afraid of? If you provoke me, I’ll make sure they regret it. Better to have money but no life!”

Wang Guihua kept trying to reason, glancing at Lin Yan’s expression. Her confidence came from her two sons.

Who nearby dared to bully her?

With her sons stepping in, threats scared others away.

Lin Yan was completely unmoved, or rather, he did not fear her son who looked like a thug at all.

Zhao Hui finally made a proposal, “If my mom quits, that’s fine. But if you falsely accuse her of stealing, pay five times her wages. Then it’s over.”

“Whether it is a false accusation or not, the police will find out.” Lin Yan gave no room for negotiation.

“Are you asking for a beating?” Zhao Hui’s face turned dark again and tried to charge. Wang Guihua quickly stopped him, afraid her son would get hurt.

She did not expect the seemingly mild Lin Yan to be so difficult to deal with.

“You don’t want to run this shop anymore, huh?” Zhao Hui did not advance but kicked over a table.

Lin Yan coldly watched his behavior. He saw Fang Yuwei had already taken the kids to a nearby supermarket.

While Zhao Hui kicked over a second table, Lin Yan smashed the wooden chair hard beside him, making a solid noise.

The force was strong.

Zhao Hui was so frightened that he froze, not daring to move, fearing the next chair might hit his head and split it open.

Wang Guihua did not expect this side of Lin Yan. Her face turned pale, and she cried out as she stepped forward, “Stop, stop, forget it.”

“Forget it? You have to pay. You must pay!” Zhao Hui kept shouting but stopped any further action after seeing he could not scare Lin Yan.

Unbeknownst to them, Fang Yuwei had already called the police.

The police station was nearby. In less than two minutes, the police arrived.

Zhao Hui’s expression turned to fear the moment he saw the police arrive. He even tried to escape on his motorcycle.

These types of thugs were well-known in the town. They relied on the lack of surveillance equipment and the fact that most people were timid. They often lived off intimidating and threatening others.

If the shop owner showed fear, they would return frequently to extort protection money.

Wang Guihua used to feel proud of herself. She claimed that the reason this shop wasn’t forced to pay protection money was because she worked there. Otherwise, Lin Yan would’ve been extorted and lost a lot of money.

“Zhao Hui, why are you running?” As soon as the police saw Zhao Hui, they quickly rushed up and grabbed him like a chicken. One officer scolded harshly, “Behave yourself!”

Zhao Hui instantly deflated like a punctured balloon and began to beg for mercy, “This has nothing to do with me. They falsely accused my mom of stealing money. This is framing, isn’t it?”

Wang Guihua also hurried forward, “My son is right! They were the ones who started the trouble!”

The police immediately said, “Whatever it is, you can explain it at the station.”

“It has nothing to do with me.”

Zhao Hui continued to argue but was still dragged away. Wang Guihua and Lin Yan were also taken in to give their statements.

At first, Wang Guihua glared fiercely at Fang Yuwei and kept cursing, thinking nothing serious would come of it. But going to the police station was still shameful.

When the police asked Wang Guihua whether she had stolen money from the store, she immediately cursed, “Who stole money? Lin Yan’s wife is no good, always saying vile things. She’ll get retribution for that!”

“Bang!” The officer slammed the table, “Think carefully. Did you steal money or not?!”

Wang Guihua had always been unreasonable in the village. She thought having two sons made her untouchable and had a notoriously hard mouth. She even said, “If I stole money, let lightning strike me. Why do you think my son is so angry? I’ve helped Lin Yan so much and he doesn’t appreciate it!”

The police almost laughed in anger after hearing her self-righteous vows, “Do you know there are surveillance cameras in the store? Everything you did has been recorded. Repeated theft is a crime.”

At those words, Wang Guihua’s face changed dramatically. She had never seen a surveillance camera, but she understood the meaning of the word.

The camera caught her stealing money.

The officer said, “Theft is a criminal offense. You can go to jail for it.”

At this point, Wang Guihua collapsed into the chair, trembling all over in fear. She began to stammer, “I didn’t mean to steal. It was an accident. I forgot—”

Her unreasonable tactics may have worked in the village, but at the police station, no one would accept her excuses.

Later, the Zhao family found out what happened. Wang Guihua’s second son Zhao Nan even threatened that Lin Yan wouldn’t be able to run his store anymore and that he’d smash it up.

These thugs often drove unlicensed vehicles, covered their faces, caused trouble everywhere, and had never been caught or punished. They were very arrogant.

Zhao Nan only realized the seriousness of the situation after arriving at the station. Zhao Hui had a history of repeated offenses and would be detained for ten days. If he got caught again, it wouldn’t just be a matter of detention.

After hearing this, Zhao Nan planned to call in some underworld contacts to make Lin Yan suffer a little. But he still politely asked, “What about my mom? I’m here to bail her out.”

The police directly replied, “She can’t be bailed out. This case is already under formal investigation.”

“Why file a case?”

Five minutes later, Zhao Nan walked out of the police station dragging his feet. When he got home, Zhao Hui’s wife and their father rushed over and asked why Zhao Hui and Wang Guihua hadn’t returned yet.

Zhao Nan had completely lost his arrogant attitude. He said with a miserable expression, “Mom stole money from the shop. It was caught on the surveillance camera. They’re saying it’s theft. She might go to jail!”

When they heard about jail time, the Zhao family nearly passed out in shock.

Of course, they knew Wang Guihua had been taking money from the shop. In their view, it wasn’t theft but just a little “extra cash.” How could it lead to prison?

“Aren’t you going to get someone to bail your brother and mother out? Why are you just standing there?” Father Zhao urged Zhao Nan. He still thought his sons were powerful and well-connected.

“How am I supposed to do that? As soon as the police questioned Mom, she confessed everything. She admitted she stole money every day for the past few years. It could add up to several thousand yuan. We even have to pay it back.”

Zhao Nan was just a thug. Once things involved legal matters, he ran faster than anyone.

Now that both Zhao Hui and Wang Guihua were locked up, Zhao Nan didn’t dare get involved. He quickly told his father, “Dad, hurry and bring out the money. If we don’t pay, Mom might really go to jail!”

“Where would I get the money?” Father Zhao glared, “Most of the money your mom had went to your sister-in-law.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. I didn’t take anything.” Zhao Hui’s wife immediately denied it and held her son while backing away from them.

Wang Guihua had been taking small amounts of money every day. When business was good, she’d take a few yuan. When it was slow, she’d still take two or three yuan.

She would easily take over a hundred yuan a month. That’s over a thousand yuan a year. After a few years, it added up to several thousand yuan.

That was not a small amount.

The Zhao family were all lazy and gluttonous. None of the sons or daughters-in-law worked. The money Wang Guihua stole was spent little by little by them all.

“If we don’t pay, what then? Won’t Mom go to jail?” Zhao Nan was getting desperate.

When Wang Guihua heard this, she started sobbing and said that if they paid the money back, her sentence might be reduced. She tearfully asked Zhao Nan to go back and gather the money.

She also told Zhao Nan about the stash of money she had hidden under the bed. As for the rest, he would need to borrow it.

But the Zhao family had made a lot of enemies in the village. Zhao Hui and Zhao Nan, relying on their thug image, had offended many people. Wang Guihua was also arrogant. After working at Lin Yan’s shop and getting some money, she became even more disdainful.

No one was willing to lend them any money.

They scraped together barely a thousand yuan, which was far from enough.

The Zhao family went to Lin Yan again, begging him to sign a letter of forgiveness. Lin Yan had always been easy to talk to, so they thought it was a sure thing. But to their surprise, he rejected them without hesitation and demanded full compensation.

Without the letter of forgiveness and with the amount repaid falling short, Wang Guihua was charged with multiple counts of theft.

When she heard that she might be sentenced, she rolled her eyes and fainted on the spot.

As for Zhao Hui, he was initially only going to be detained for ten days. But it was discovered that he had been involved in a brawl at a mining site two years ago. He was detained again and a formal investigation was opened.

Zhao Nan, who had previously threatened to teach Lin Yan a lesson, was now hiding more carefully than anyone else, afraid of getting caught up in the trouble.

*

Wang Guihua’s matter spread like wildfire. She and Zhao Hui were thrown into jail, and many people clapped their hands in delight.

It was clear she had offended quite a few people over the years.

With Wang Guihua gone from the shop, Lin Yan had to work around the clock.

Fang Yuwei took on the responsibility of getting up early to take care of their son. When Lin Yan went to drop their son off at kindergarten in the morning, she would head to the shop to keep watch.

“One meat bun.”

“One plain bun.”

“Pack a serving of noodle soup for me.”

……

In the half-hour before school started, the shop was packed with students and parents. Fang Yuwei was overwhelmed with tasks. On one side, she was picking up buns, and on the other, she had to handle plain buns.

She also had to do mental calculations.

“Teacher Fang?” Some students and parents who recognized her were surprised.

They had vaguely heard that Fang Yuwei’s husband was the one running this breakfast shop, but Fang Yuwei had never shown up before.

In the past, when Fang Yuwei passed by this breakfast shop, she would avoid it like the plague. She thought she was at least a teacher, someone who held power over students’ academic fate at school.

Being associated with this kind of shop would only lower her worth. Even being near it was shameful.

“You’re quite early today.” Fang Yuwei had a slight smile on her face as she continued picking up buns, completely unbothered.

A parent stood nearby and, while buying breakfast, started chatting with Fang Yuwei.

Fang Yuwei responded casually, showing a decent amount of patience.

When they dropped off the student at the school gate, the parent couldn’t help but say to their child, “Your Chinese teacher seems quite nice. You always say she’s hard to get along with. You need to study harder.”

In the past, the student would have certainly argued, and some mischievous ones would have even shouted that they didn’t want to study. But today, the student didn’t argue and said instead, “I’ve been paying close attention in Chinese class lately.”

After paying attention, he found Chinese class to be quite interesting.

He should have focused earlier.

After the parent finished speaking, they felt that this Chinese teacher was not bad at all. She wasn’t arrogant, and judging by the child’s tone, her teaching wasn’t bad either.

From now on, they would buy breakfast here every day. The food tasted good too.

As it got closer to class time, fewer and fewer people came. Fang Yuwei tidied up and got ready to return to school.

Although it wasn’t her turn for morning reading and the school didn’t require her to be in the office yet, staying at the shop for too long still gave a bad impression.

When Lin Yan came back, Fang Yuwei was just about to eat a meat bun, and next to her was a glass of milk.

Back then, when Lin Yan brought breakfast home, Fang Yuwei would eat it depending on her mood. Sometimes he brought back two or three kinds of food, and if she was angry, she would throw them all out.

She gave him no face at all.

When Fang Yuwei was still in school, she had a plain-looking roommate who managed to live well through various means. So she had never really lowered herself to such an extent.

Because of this, after marrying Lin Yan, she felt her life was bitter and became increasingly resentful.

“It’s almost time for class.” Fang Yuwei sped up her eating. “I’m heading back to school.”

Lin Yan took out a dragon fruit from the bag and handed it to her. He had heard it was freshly picked from the tree this morning, vibrant red and green, and very fresh.

The child took after her and loved eating fruit. There had to be fruit at home every day.

“I’m full.” Fang Yuwei didn’t finish the meat bun.

Lin Yan said, “Just leave it on the table.”

She placed the unfinished bun on the table and reached for the dragon fruit. Her soft fingertips brushed against the back of his hand, gently tickling, like a feather brushing by, stirring ripples in his heart.

“I’m heading to the office first.” Fang Yuwei heard the school’s warning bell and quickly left.

Lin Yan said, “Be careful crossing the road.”

“Okay—”

Lin Yan frowned, watching nervously as Fang Yuwei crossed the road. Only after seeing her safely enter the school did he slowly breathe a sigh of relief.

These past years, although he had focused all his attention on their child, he still cared about her.

His feelings for her had not diminished with fewer interactions and her increasing coldness. On the contrary, he felt even more guilt.

Fang Yuwei was so busy and still helped him watch over the shop. Lin Yan sighed silently in his heart. After walking back behind the counter, he picked up the half-eaten bun she left and ate it naturally.

She didn’t eat much, just like their two kids. She could barely finish a few bites each time, and he always had to clean up afterward.

When Fang Yuwei arrived at the office, she was informed by the other teachers that she would have to give a public lesson next month, supposedly a requirement from higher-ups.

Every teacher in the school had to give a lesson. Those not teaching had to observe and learn.

“Teacher Fang, you really have to put some effort into this one. Take it seriously.” Wang Guohai acted like a senior and earnestly advised, “You’re teaching third grade after all. Even though you’re young and not as experienced as us, it shouldn’t be this bad.”

Wang Guohai had a problem with Fang Yuwei.

He thought the last time the Chinese department had a public lesson, Fang Yuwei’s was the worst. In fact, in the entire school, her lesson was the worst.

Yet Principal Wang still assigned her to teach third-grade Chinese, thinking that since he was older, he should handle first and second grades.

Wang Guohai believed that although he had inherited his position and only completed middle school, he had rich experience and should be teaching the upper grades. If some talented students made it to the city, he would feel proud.

“Teacher Wang, you’re experienced. How do you think the lesson should be taught?” Fang Yuwei humbly asked for advice.

Wang Guohai put on a superior air and criticized, “Your last public lesson lacked interaction. You were just talking to yourself. How could students stay engaged?”

“Also, your teaching method was wrong. You didn’t follow the explanation guide.”

“I couldn’t even bear to listen from the audience. You need to make big changes this time, or I won’t be able to give you a high score.”

……

Wang Guohai went on and on, every word expressing his dissatisfaction with Fang Yuwei. He believed she was the worst in the entire Chinese teaching group.

Fang Yuwei listened to Wang Guohai’s not-so-standard Mandarin and his superior lecturing tone. She nodded her head, wearing a look of sincere willingness to learn.

Once the other person left, she paid it no mind and went about her own business.

After class, Fang Yuwei returned to the dormitory.

Lin Yan was cooking. She noticed a bag on the table, curiously reached out to open it, and found it full of loose change.

There were coins and bills from one yuan to five and ten yuan.

“I was busy today and came back in a hurry,” Lin Yan brought out a bowl of soup and placed it in front of her, “Have some soup first. The rice isn’t ready yet.”

Usually, when Wang Guihua was there and busy, he would take the time to sort out the loose change. Today, he handled everything alone, and business seemed even better, so he had no time to sort it. He could only bring it back first.

Today’s soup was black-bone chicken with yam. Fang Yuwei took a sip, reached out to open the drawer on the side, intending to find a pen, and saw a stack of loose change inside. She turned her head to look at Lin Yan, “Why did you put this money in here? If it’s not being used, take it to the bank.”

That thick stack, though made up of five and ten yuan notes, still amounted to quite a bit.

The one thousand yuan that Wang Guihua handed over was still inside as well.

“Depositing it and then withdrawing it again is too troublesome.” Lin Yan’s voice came from the kitchen.

Fang Yuwei had just wanted to say something, but she paused awkwardly.

Their family had no savings. Lin Yan was the only one earning, and he had to cover the household expenses. The two children needed formula and schooling.

And also support Fang Yuwei.

What could she do with her salary of less than three hundred yuan? It was not even enough for a few days of fun in the city or for buying a few outfits.

They might argue and fight, and the kids were not her concern, but she still spent Lin Yan’s money.

Lin Yan would place money in the innermost drawer of Fang Yuwei’s desk. When she ran out of money, she would take it without even informing him.

Sometimes when she fancied several pieces of clothing, she would take all the money, and that was completely normal.

He never said anything. After all, the breakfast shop had daily income, which was enough to cover his and the kids’ daily expenses.

Fang Yuwei had not gone to the city lately and had not been spending money either, so unknowingly, the drawer had accumulated quite a bit. She felt that she really was a spendthrift.

Just as she was feeling guilty, a voice came from the doorway, “Lin Yan.”

Fang Yuwei got up to open the door.

Third Uncle Lin had parked his vehicle and was unloading the items from the back seat. When he saw Fang Yuwei at home, his expression became more reserved, “Lin Yan’s not home?”

Everyone in the village knew that Lin Yan’s wife was difficult to deal with. She hadn’t returned to the village for years.

Father and Mother Lin were honest people but had been bullied terribly. The whole family held strong opinions against Fang Yuwei. According to him, what good was marrying a teacher?

Villagers all said it would have been better to marry someone uneducated. Though they might bicker with the mother-in-law in the village, it wouldn’t be as bad as this.

Because of the comparison, Third Uncle Lin even thought that his own daughter-in-law—who was lazy, didn’t work, played mahjong all day, and often argued with them—was not so bad after all.

He carried the woven sack to the doorway and said calmly, “Your mother asked me to bring these things over. There’s a chicken she killed this morning, some mangoes she picked, and some vegetables.”

He truly felt that Father and Mother Lin had a hard life, harder than his own.

After saying that, Third Uncle Lin took fifty yuan out of his pocket and handed it to Fang Yuwei, “This is from your mother. She sold some pepper yesterday and asked me to give this to you.”

She did not give the money to her son but insisted it go to her daughter-in-law.

According to him, Mother Lin was trying too hard to curry favor, yet the other party didn’t appreciate it.

Why bother?

When he handed the money to Fang Yuwei, his face remained stern. In his eyes, this daughter-in-law of Lin Yan’s accepted the money but not the sentiment.

Such an ungrateful person.

“We have enough money. Please take it back to my mother, Third Uncle.” Fang Yuwei did not reach out to take it. She brought out a chair from inside, “Please sit. I’ll get you a cup of water.”

Just as she turned to go inside, Lin Yan, having heard the noise, came out with a cup of water, “Third Uncle.”

Seeing Lin Yan, Third Uncle Lin’s expression relaxed a bit, “Where are the two kids?”

In his opinion, Fang Yuwei’s only redeeming quality was giving birth to those two kids. Otherwise, they would have divorced a long time ago. Because of the children, the Lin family was still being controlled.

“They’re in kindergarten. I’ll be picking them up soon,” Lin Yan said, then added, “Stay and have a meal with us?”

Third Uncle Lin waved his hand, “I have to go back. I won’t eat.” He took a few sips of water and handed the fifty yuan to Lin Yan, “From your mother.”

Fang Yuwei actually refused it, which surprised him. But since the money had been brought over, he gave it to Lin Yan.

“What do I need her money for?” Lin Yan declined.

“Take it.” Third Uncle Lin forced it into his hands.

Lin Yan still didn’t take it, so he turned and stuffed it into Fang Yuwei’s hands, thinking she was just being fussy.

After finishing the water and forcing the money on them, Third Uncle Lin left.

The next day, villagers heard that Third Uncle Lin had delivered things to Lin Yan and curiously asked, “Did the money and stuff get delivered? What did Lin Yan’s wife say?”

“What could she say? Stuff for free, money for free, of course she accepted it,” Third Uncle Lin replied.

Aunt Pang from the village shook her head, “With a daughter-in-law like that, not only won’t she live with them, she doesn’t even want to see their faces. When they fall ill later, they won’t be able to rely on her.”

In rural thinking, sons were meant to support their parents in old age. Elderly parents should live with their sons. Otherwise, what was the point of raising them?

Father and Mother Lin had only one son. Their daughter-in-law didn’t welcome them. Living together was out of the question. To the villagers, that was truly pitiful.

Such misfortune could not be worse.

“Still hoping to live together? Dream on.” Third Uncle Lin scoffed.

Just as he finished speaking, Third Aunt Lin walked over, “Do we still need to buy more fertilizer? Lin Heizi is going to town. Let him bring it back on the way.”

“Why is he going to town now?” Third Uncle Lin was puzzled.

“Lin Yan is letting his mother stay in town. Isn’t that why they’re packing some things for Lin Heizi to bring over?” Third Aunt Lin said with a smile, “I heard it was the daughter-in-law who asked her to move in.”

“How is that possible?” Third Uncle Lin did not believe it, “You’re making things up. That daughter-in-law of theirs hasn’t even let her eat a meal there. Why would she live in town?”

“How am I making things up?” Third Aunt Lin glared and retorted, “Who said she didn’t get to eat? She came back from eating there last time!”