Chapter 24 – Elementary School Lacks Teachers

Jiang Jun was stunned for a moment. He knew nothing could escape that boy’s sharp eyes!

So he said openly: “Haha, well… Sister-in-law’s cooking is just too delicious. My wife at home got tempted badly and insisted I come and ask how it’s made.”

Ye Qing pursed her lips and smiled. So that was it! No wonder Qin Ye had been making such strange expressions.

She quickly replied: “I haven’t been here long, so I actually haven’t met Sister-in-law yet! When I get the chance to meet her, I’ll teach her!”

She shouldn’t have said that—just as the words left her mouth, she saw Qin Ye shake his head.

“You can forget about it! His household? It’s always Staff Officer Jiang who cooks. As long as he doesn’t do it, his wife eats at the canteen every single day!”

“Sometimes even the laundry is done by Old Jiang. Around here, Old Jiang is famous as a ‘Five-Good Husband.’ Am I wrong, Old Jiang?”

Jiang Jun smiled awkwardly. “Yes, yes! Well, you two keep eating. I just came to see how you’re doing. As long as you’re not dead, that’s good enough. I’m off!”

With that, he picked up his bowl and ran off.

Once Jiang Jun had run off, Ye Qing stretched her neck out curiously and asked: “What’s a Five-Good Husband?”

Qin Ye laughed. “Good character, good to the elderly, good to his wife, good to his children, and good at doing housework.”

“Pfft!”

Ye Qing couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “You know what, a man like that is actually pretty attractive!”

Qin Ye stopped smiling. “What? You’re envious now?”

Ye Qing tried to hold back her laughter. “No, I’m not! But… if certain people could be like that, then that would be even better.”

Qin Ye rolled his eyes at her. “Keep dreaming!”

Ye Qing recalled what Zhao Qingmei had mentioned and asked: “I heard the Military District Elementary School is recruiting teachers. Is that true?”

Qin Ye continued eating without even lifting his head. “Yes. One of the teachers followed her husband to another post, so now they’re short-handed. Why? You want to try?”

Ye Qing put down her chopsticks and looked at him eagerly. “Yes! I really want to give it a try.”

Qin Ye looked at her with curiosity. “I know you went to school. How many years did you study?”

“I studied two years of high school, then my father passed away. After that, my mother didn’t let me continue. But don’t worry—I’m definitely not worse than them.”

Qin Ye looked at her thoughtfully. “A high school student teaching elementary school is definitely more than enough. But… applying to be a teacher involves taking exams, and they’re quite strict. Are you sure you can do it?”

He thought back to the Ye Qing from before—so timid she couldn’t even speak a full sentence in front of him. Though she had improved a lot, he still couldn’t quite believe Ye Qing could actually be hired as a teacher.

After all, the Military District Elementary School had high standards for their teachers.

Ye Qing’s eyes sparkled. “How would I know if I don’t try? Quick, tell me where to sign up.”

Seeing that she was truly sincere, Qin Ye said: “Political Commissar Zhang is the one who knows about this. Go ask him tomorrow.”

Receiving definite information, Ye Qing was thrilled and skipped off to do the dishes.

The next morning, she went straight to Political Commissar Zhang’s home. He was just about to head out when Ye Qing blocked him right at the door.

After hearing Ye Qing’s request, Political Commissar Zhang told her that she needed to go to the Cultural Department of the Armed Forces to sign up. Then she would have to take an exam organized by both the Cultural Department and the school. Those who passed the written exam would then undergo a joint interview by the Cultural Department, the school, and the military unit. Only those who passed all stages could be officially hired.

Political Commissar Zhang looked at Ye Qing. “Here’s a suggestion—if you’re serious about taking the exam, head to the Regiment Headquarters Library and borrow some books to prepare properly. Also, take a look at the current elementary school textbooks in advance.”

“Right now, they only need one teacher. I heard there are already dozens of people signed up. They’re not only evaluating academic qualifications, but even more so, psychological quality and professional competence.”

“Comrade Ye Qing, it’s not that I want to discourage you, but if you don’t have relevant experience, I’m afraid it will be very difficult to pass the assessments.”

Ye Qing nodded seriously. “Alright! I understand! Thank you, Political Commissar Zhang. I will prepare well!”

Sun Fang came out from the gate. “Hey, Ye Qing, weren’t you going to learn vegetable planting from me? How come now you’re trying to become a teacher?”

Ye Qing smiled. “Sister-in-law, I still want to learn how to plant vegetables, and I also want to teach. The two things don’t conflict at all! When shall we head out?”

Sun Fang laughed cheerfully. “Alright! Let me tidy up a bit and we’ll go! You go get ready too.”

By the time Ye Qing walked out with a shovel on her shoulder, Sun Fang was already waiting at her gate.

The two of them chatted and laughed as they walked toward the western side of the military dependents’ compound. There was a small river over there, where everyone usually did laundry. Ye Qing was quite familiar with the road leading there.

On the way, they ran into several military wives who had just finished washing clothes. They greeted them enthusiastically.

“Fang Fang, is this the Regiment Commander Qin’s wife? Tsk tsk, she’s really pretty!”

A woman in her thirties, with short hair just to her ears and wearing a plaid jacket, was walking back holding a basin filled with freshly washed clothes. She looked Ye Qing up and down, and her mouth didn’t stop either.

“I used to hear that Regiment Commander Qin married a rural wife and felt sorry for him. But now that I see her—well! She’s not bad at all! Just look at that face… tsk tsk, really good-looking! And the key thing is—she’s capable! You couldn’t find one like her even with a lantern!”

Ye Qing felt a little embarrassed from all the compliments, her face flushing red. “Sister-in-law, you’re too kind. I’m just a rural girl, no special skills, just know how to do some work.”

The woman curled her lips and said: “What do you mean just know how to do some work? Knowing how to sing or dance doesn’t fill your stomach, right? Being able to work is the best! Only someone who can work is suited for home life.”

“You two heading out to plant vegetables?”

After chatting a bit more, Sun Fang pulled Ye Qing away.

In a low voice, she said: “That woman just now—don’t get too close to her. That mouth of hers is something else. She can talk a dead man back to life, and you’ll have no choice but to agree!”

“You haven’t been here long, but you’ll understand after a while. This military compound is just like a village. In the village, everyone is related in some way, and there’s a village chief in charge. But here? No one’s in charge, but all the men are brothers who’ve shared life and death in the same trench.”

“Think about it! Sometimes it’s even more complicated than a village!”

Ye Qing simply smiled without replying.

She agreed with Sun Fang’s words. Where there are people, there is a jianghu—a world of social intrigue. What’s more, there were so many unemployed women here, who had nothing to do except gossip all day. There was no way trouble wouldn’t come up.

This was one of the reasons she wanted to find a job. Only by keeping herself busy could she avoid joining in the nonsense and spare herself a lot of unnecessary frustration.

The small river flowed in winding curves to the northeast, encircling the entire military district at its center.

Sun Fang pointed toward a field ahead and said: “Those plots are mine. And right beside mine is some unused land. You can turn that soil and start planting.”

“You know how to till the ground, right? If not, I’ll show you how.”

As she spoke, she spat into her palms, rubbed them warm, then picked up Ye Qing’s shovel. With a forceful thrust, she dug into the soil, then picked out the stones and wooden sticks and tossed them aside before continuing.

She didn’t forget to remind Ye Qing as she worked. “The deeper you dig the better. Give it a try.”

Ye Qing took the shovel and tried to dig. Watching Sun Fang do it seemed easy, but once it was in her own hands—it was a whole different story.

The ground was really hard! Even if her original self had been used to farm work, this body was too weak! After just a few digs, she was already gasping for air.

Not far away, a clear female voice called out. A woman in a fashionable dress was waving at Ye Qing.

Ye Qing did not recognize her.