Chapter 43: The 1990s Teacher Supporting Character Who Despises the Poor and Favors the Rich (20)

Fang Yuwei herself did not expect Yang Liyu to do so well.

After all, compared to students in the city, he never took extra classes nor received specialized competition training. Educational resources were extremely scarce.

City kids were exposed to English from kindergarten. Kids in their town only started learning English in third grade, and many struggled with pronunciation.

The exam was on Saturday. On Friday, Fang Yuwei specially gave a haircut to several kids from her class who were going to compete, carefully trimming a new hairstyle.

During the haircut, Yang Liyu looked at Fang Yuwei seriously and said, “Teacher Fang, I will bring back a ranking.”

In these two years, Yang Liyu had grown taller and was no longer the impulsive kid he used to be. He had become steadier, less hot-tempered, and now played basketball.

“I believe in you, but don’t put too much pressure on yourself.” Fang Yuwei’s expectation for Yang Liyu was to reach the top fifty so he could get into City No. 1 Middle School.

“I definitely can.” Yang Liyu said confidently.

Fang Yuwei took a sponge to gently brush away the leftover hair on his body, then patted his shoulder and said firmly, “I know you can. Waiting for your good news.”

On the exam day, students gathered at Lin’s breakfast shop to eat breakfast. Fang Yuwei specially asked Mother Lin to reserve a table for them, laid with various pastries and soup noodles, all made as light as possible.

After breakfast, Fang Yuwei was braiding Tian Yuxin’s hair.

The Tian family lived in a nearby village. Tian Yuxin sometimes brought peanuts and sweet potatoes from home.

More often, she brought steamed sweet potato cakes or handmade snacks made by her grandmother, specially for the two little ones.

Because Tian Yuxin remembered Fang Yuwei saying kids don’t grow tall eating snacks. Her grandmother’s handmade cakes should be healthy and hygienic.

The two little foodies were as happy to see Tian Yuxin as they were to see Yang Liyu.

While braiding Tian Yuxin’s hair, Fang Yuwei whispered, “Don’t be too nervous, do your best. If you don’t pass this competition, you will definitely pass the smaller test.”

Tian Yuxin was not as talented as Yang Liyu. She studied hard day and night.

She was sensitive by nature, so Fang Yuwei worried about her pressure.

“Okay.” Tian Yuxin replied softly.

Fang Yuwei finished braiding and gave her a pair of pink mesh hair accessories decorated with pearls.

“Really pretty.” Fang Yuwei held up a mirror in front of Tian Yuxin and praised her without reservation.

The little girl looked at herself in the mirror and gave a shy, bashful smile, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz: “Thank you, teacher.”

“Wow—”

Xiao Yangyang was eating cake and toddled over with his short little legs. When he saw Tian Yuxin’s hair, his big cute eyes suddenly widened and sparkled. In a babyish voice, he said, “Big sister, you are so pretty.”

After saying that, he held the cake with his chubby little hands and took another bite, mumbling, “Mom, big sister is the prettiest big sister Yangyang has ever seen.”

Lin Yan was listening nearby and twitched the corner of his mouth.

He didn’t know from whom this little son learned to have such a sweet mouth, saying things like that to everyone.

Whether it was true or not, Tian Yuxin’s face was already flushed, and the emotional value given was excellent.

Fang Yuwei’s gaze shifted over her two sons. As they grew older, their personalities became more distinct. Xiao Yangyang flitted about among the older kids, lively and active, with a sweet and clever mouth. Meanwhile, Xiao Chaochao quietly held his cake, nibbling little bites, observing the older brothers and sisters, and also watching what his younger brother was doing.

After the competition results came out, Tian Yuxin had performed to the best of her ability. Fang Yuwei was both nervous and happy for her.

As for Yang Liyu, his result was definitely unexpected.

His comprehension and talent exceeded Fang Yuwei’s understanding of him.

On the day the results were announced, banners were hung all along the main streets of the town, especially near the school gate, with one every fifty meters. Principal Wang wished he could hang banners all over the school.

When night fell, deafening firecracker sounds erupted at the school gate.

The crackling and popping lasted a long time.

After the firecrackers stopped, the fireworks began.

The display was so loud it could be heard for miles around.

The next day, the entire town knew that two students from the town’s primary school had achieved excellent results in the competition and were already guaranteed admission to City No.1 Middle School.

For several days, the town’s teahouses and restaurants talked about this matter.

That was City No.1 Middle School.

The best junior high school in the city, a century-old institution.

It seemed their town’s school was not inferior; not only did they have quality teachers, but they could also cultivate excellent students.

Now, Zhong Quan and his group could not find any fault with Fang Yuwei and admired her deeply.

Even Principal Wang praised Fang Yuwei repeatedly.

As for Tian Yuxin, there was no doubt. Yang Liyu was considered talented, but why hadn’t so many teachers who taught him ever mentioned his academic talent?

Once Fang Yuwei took over, his academic performance shot up rapidly.

Moreover, Yang Liyu listened to Fang Yuwei the most. You could say she taught him.

Wang Guohai stubbornly insisted it was just luck that Fang Yuwei got students like Yang Liyu and Tian Yuxin who had good grades.

Fang Yuwei did not deny it.

Good luck and good fate cannot be begged for.

Before the small exam, Fang Yuwei even sincerely went to the temple to pray for a talisman paper for each student. She was not a superstitious person, but at important crossroads in the children’s lives, she still wanted to ask for blessings.

After the results, many students hugged Fang Yuwei and cried. Principal Wang, watching this scene, could not help but tear up.

Other teachers watched enviously, but hard work pays off. The children’s actions would not deceive them, and in education, they indeed were not as dedicated as Fang Yuwei.

Soon, the small exam results came out.

Principal Wang received the notice and was the first to tell Fang Yuwei.

From a distance, Fang Yuwei saw Principal Wang shout to her, “Your class’s Chen Shuang and Wang Tao got into City No.1 Middle School!”

Yang Liyu and Tian Yuxin’s scores were naturally good enough, but they had secured admission based on their competition results.

Chen Shuang and Wang Tao failed the competition but passed the small exam.

Fang Yuwei breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. This was the best outcome she hoped for.

This year, the town’s firecracker sound broke records from many previous years combined. The school broke long-standing records; four students from Fang Yuwei’s Class 6(1) were admitted to City No.1 Middle School.

In the children’s mouths, it was Fang Yuwei who made them succeed, and because of this, Fang Yuwei’s reputation soared. Wasn’t it also their success that made her?

A few days later, Fang Yuwei received a transfer notice. The Education Bureau wanted to transfer her to teach at City No.1 Primary School.

Fang Yuwei hesitated for several days after receiving the notice.

The Lin family was all here. Now Mother Lin and Father Lin were watching the breakfast shop, Lin Yan was busy with the milk tea shop and supermarket, and business was very good. She lived here comfortably and freely.

“You always wanted to go to a bigger platform. This is a good opportunity,” Lin Yan said to her.

“I don’t want to be weekend-only spouses with you,” Fang Yuwei said, used to relying on him, feeling reluctant at the thought.

If she went to the city, she definitely could not come home every day and probably would only return on weekends.

Lin Yan said, “Who wants to be weekend-only spouses? Wherever you are, that’s our home.”

Fang Yuwei did not expect Lin Yan, a gentle and humble man who handled things decisively and efficiently, to transfer ownership of the milk tea and breakfast shops without hesitation during the holiday, keeping only the large supermarket that did not require family supervision. Then he bought a duplex apartment in the city and opened a milk tea shop next to City No.1 Middle School.

“What if it loses money? Rent is very expensive,” Fang Yuwei worried about this.

Competition pressure in the city was much greater than in the small town.

“I bought the storefront outright. No rent to pay,” Lin Yan said.

Fang Yuwei: “……”

Should she praise him for being smart?

The two little ones were now at the right age for primary school. They followed Fang Yuwei and enrolled in City No.1 Primary School, officially becoming elementary students.

When Fang Yuwei first entered City No.1 Primary School, she was looked down upon. Many teachers there had bachelor’s degrees, and she was only a college diploma holder transferred from a township.

But this discrimination did not last long. Within less than a year at City No.1 Primary School, she passed all her self-study bachelor’s courses and obtained a bachelor’s degree.

This time, she passed all at once.

During that year, Lin Yan opened two large supermarkets and made big profits but was nowhere to be found celebrating Fang Yuwei’s exam success.

His wife was really amazing!

Lin Yan immediately booked a restaurant to have a proper celebration.

After school, Fang Yuwei was walking home when she ran into Chen Man in a hurry. They hadn’t seen each other for years. Chen Man’s face was sallow and she had become extremely thin, no longer holding the beauty she once had.

At first, Fang Yuwei didn’t recognize her, but Chen Man called out to her.

“Xiao Wei?”

Seeing Chen Man’s unhealthy look, Fang Yuwei was surprised.

Last time Chen Man and Wang Haohao came to pick Fang Yuwei up to go to a KTV private room, she declined. Wang Haohao got angry. Later, Chen Man called Fang Yuwei again, inviting her to go to a nightclub to relax, telling her not to stay home acting like a maid for Lin Yan. After several refusals, they lost contact.

Chen Man noticed her expression and smiled awkwardly. Seeing Fang Yuwei’s outfit and appearance looked better than a few years ago, she felt envious.

“You moved to the city?”

“Yes.”

“That’s really nice,” Chen Man sighed. “I don’t have your luck. By the way, how much compensation did each of you get?”

“What?” Fang Yuwei was confused.

“Your area was demolished, right? Didn’t you use the demolition money to buy a house and live in the city?”