Chapter 221

Captain Han thought they had already benefited greatly, and it would be too much to disturb them further.

Seeing that Mrs. Han still looked frustrated, he shared his reasoning with her.

Mrs. Han slowly relaxed.

If things were indeed as Old Han said, it wouldn’t be right to bother them further.

Seeing that his wife had given up on the idea of visiting Shi Tingyu, Captain Han couldn’t help but sigh, “You’re never satisfied.”

This time, Mrs. Han didn’t say anything. She turned back to the kitchen to continue cooking.

It wasn’t that she was never satisfied; she just wanted to pave the way for Xiaowei, her only child.

If Shi Tingyu knew Mrs. Han’s thoughts, she wouldn’t be surprised.

In later generations, some parents would do even crazier things for their children’s education.

Some parents would sell their spacious new homes for a small, old apartment in a good school district just to secure a spot for their child.

Gifting teachers with expensive cosmetics, bags, and other items was not uncommon.

Not to mention that some art students would go to great lengths and spend a fortune to get into the studio of an exam grader.

Some families, despite being financially strapped, would borrow money to buy higher grades for their children.

Others would transfer schools and change their household registrations just to take the college entrance exam in Beijing.

In short, to get their children into a good university, parents with connections would use them, and those without would spend money. The effort and sacrifice involved were immense.

However, Shi Tingyu thought that even if she participated in setting the art exam questions, it wouldn’t help the children from the compound much.

Most of the children from the compound would be taking the regular college entrance exam, which had nothing to do with art.

Even for those aiming for art schools, it wouldn’t make much difference.

Setting the exam questions was a closed process, and she wasn’t the only teacher involved, so she couldn’t control what questions were set.

Therefore, it really wasn’t necessary for these sisters-in-law to seek her out.

But sometimes, people just have to try, even if they know it might not help.

Several other sisters-in-law came to find Shi Tingyu later, but she turned them all away.

Seeing this, everyone stopped trying.

They realized that the teachers hadn’t come back, and Shi Tingyu wasn’t showing any signs of other activities.

However, Shi Tingyu heard that Han Wei had resigned recently.

Principal Ren didn’t make things difficult for him; he had a general understanding of the upcoming resumption of the college entrance exams.

As a principal dedicated to educating students, he was happy to see children get better educational opportunities.

Soon, it was October 21st.

On this day, newspapers and radio broadcasts were filled with news about the resumption of the college entrance exams.

The target group for the exams included workers, farmers, educated youth who went to and returned from the countryside, demobilized soldiers, cadres, and recent high school graduates.

This news ignited the passion of countless educated youth and stirred up families with members eligible for the exam.

However, the exam dates were set for December 11th to 13th, leaving very little time for preparation.

A few days later, the three teachers visited the compound again.

This visit caused an even bigger stir than the first one.

What did this imply? It indicated that Teacher Shi had significant ties to the upcoming exams.

For those who had just learned about the exams and had limited time to prepare, it was almost like a blatant hint that there was a shortcut here.

At that moment, Shi Tingyu was hosting the three teachers.

Teacher Wang smiled upon seeing Shi Tingyu, “Teacher Shi, we reported your difficulties to the higher-ups, and they agreed that you can bring another person to help take care of the child.”

At first, the higher-ups didn’t agree.

But after looking around, they couldn’t find an art teacher with a reputation and resume as impressive as Shi Tingyu’s.

They were reluctant to lose such an excellent talent.

Shi Tingyu had a bit of an inkling about this.

Teacher Wang continued, “But there is one condition.”

Shi Tingyu was surprised, “What condition?”

Teacher Wang, looking a bit embarrassed, adjusted his glasses, “We are short on teachers to grade the art exam papers. We’d like to ask you to help with the grading.”

Fearing she might refuse, Teacher Wang quickly added, “Of course, you can bring your child and the helper along.”

It wasn’t that they were trying to exploit her; grading was different from setting exam questions.

Grading was a massive task, with so many exam papers needing to be reviewed and scored in a short time.

Moreover, the grading teachers needed a certain level of artistic skill.

It wasn’t a position that just any elementary art teacher could handle.

With the matter settled, Shi Tingyu agreed.

The three teachers were visibly pleased.

“Then it’s settled!” Teacher Wang quickly finalized the arrangement.

“By the way, Teacher Shi, please let us know in advance who you’ll be bringing to help take care of the child so we can conduct a background check.”

Shi Tingyu agreed and left them with the contact information for the provincial admissions office.

“We’ll finalize the person in the next two days and let you know by phone.”

“Great,” Teacher Wang said. “We’ll be leaving on November 1st, so Teacher Shi can start preparing.”

With a week left, Shi Tingyu felt she had enough time.

After the three teachers left, the Lu household became bustling again.

A crowd gathered at the door.

Seeing this wasn’t going to work, Shi Tingyu decided to clarify things all at once. She knew all too well how crazy exam parents could get.

“The three teachers indeed came to invite me to participate in setting and grading the college entrance exam questions…”

The crowd buzzed with excitement, bombarding her with questions.

Raising her voice, Shi Tingyu continued, “However!”

The crowd fell silent, eager to hear what she had to say.

Seeing the crowd quiet down, Shi Tingyu sighed and said, “However, I will be involved in setting and grading the art exam, which has nothing to do with your children’s academic exams. So, there’s no need to waste your time here.”

“With the college entrance exam approaching, everyone should focus on their children’s health. Don’t let the stress of the exam harm their health. It would be counterproductive to fall ill right before the exam!”

Realizing Shi Tingyu couldn’t help with their children’s exams, the crowd dispersed.

They acknowledged the truth in her words.

With the college entrance exam so close, they couldn’t risk their children falling ill.

They needed to go home and supervise their children.

As the crowd slowly dispersed, Shi Tingyu quickly closed the door.

She went back inside to start packing. The combined time for setting and grading the exam would keep her away for nearly two months.

She hadn’t yet decided who to take with her.

She planned to discuss it with Lu Weiguo when he returned from training.

Her first thoughts were her mother, and Lu Weiguo himself.

Both had experience taking care of Shen Shen, and Shen Shen was familiar with them, so there would be no issues.

Shi’s father and mother had recently completed a project and hadn’t started a new one yet, so they should have time.

As for Lu Weiguo, given Teacher Wang’s indication that the secluded location for the exam setters would be in a military dormitory, it would be ideal if Lu Weiguo could lead the team. This would likely eliminate any background check issues, killing two birds with one stone.