Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The mushrooms and pickled vegetables had all been stir-fried and were very fragrant. Although her buns weren't meat buns, they were bigger and cheaper than meat buns.
When everyone heard Mu Jingzhe calling for customers and saw that the buns seemed quite delicious, they bought one to try them.
Even Tang Moling had found the buns delicious, so they were naturally pretty good. Unless one particularly disliked the taste of pickled vegetables or mushrooms, they would find these buns delicious.
If one found steamed plain buns tasteless, one could add some fermented beancurd.
They tasted even better with homemade fermented beancurd.
The people who came to sell things were all from different villages. Everyone knew each other, but they couldn't bear to eat food from other stalls. Still, they came over to buy some buns after hearing that they were delicious.
The sales that day were pretty good. They finished selling all the buns that they had prepared.
Apart from the original bun store's owners, who rolled their eyes at them, everyone else was pretty nice.
Li Zhaodi hadn't expected that the buns would sell so well. She was so excited that she couldn't be bothered to nag Mu Jingzhe about not getting married.
"If the buns sell so well every time we come to the market, we could make quite a lot of money in a year."
"Yes, we can also sell them nearby on market day."
They could also go to the town's market day nearby, but it was further away and they would have to travel an hour longer.
However, this distance was nothing for diligent farmers. Li Zhaodi waved a hand.
"Then let's go there to sell them!"
The arduous journey of waking up early and working until late at night to sell steamed buns began. They would push their homemade tricycle, leaving the house before dawn and coming back only when the sky had turned dark.
It wasn't so bad now, as the weather was still warm. If it was winter, they would probably have frozen to death.
In addition, they had to make preparations. Over the course of these two days, they weren't able to sleep for more than a few hours.
However, Li Zhaodi didn't complain. She wasn't afraid of hard work. "There's nothing that doesn't require hard work. Planting crops is even harder. Selling steamed buns is much better. While you sell them, you can sit down and earn money. It beats working in the fields."
Seeing that they were working hard, Mu Teng came to help. Even Mu Han wanted to give them a hand.
After selling buns for a month, Mu Jingzhe calculated and gave half of the earnings to Li Zhaodi. Li Zhaodi didn't want it initially and was forced by Mu Jingzhe to take the money.
"Mom, you and Dad will have to come whenever I'm busy. Just keep it."
Now that she had some capital, Mu Jingzhe found the time to go to the city to purchase supplies.
She bought some fabric and prepared to make a new set of clothes for the children. They each had only one set, and there was not much for them to change into.
Also, their shoes were either too small or worn out.
This time, Mu Jingzhe didn't forget to make a set for Li Zhaodi, Mu Teng, and Mu Han as well.
Previously, Li Zhaodi had praised the children's clothes in an envious tone. However, Mu Jingzhe had taken it to heart and felt a little guilty for not making a set for them.
This trip to the city used up the money she had earned by selling buns, but it was a fruitful trip.
Mu Jingzhe went to the city and negotiated a business deal by using some new design samples. She handed over the hair ornaments she had made this time and earned back the money she had spent.
While making hair ornaments, she went with Li Zhaodi to sell the buns twice. After that, Mu Jingzhe decided not to sell buns for the time being.
"Mom, from now on, you and Dad will be the only ones selling the buns. You guys should be familiar with how to sell them by now. You made most of the buns anyway. I really don't have the energy anymore."
Selling buns was a more suitable business idea for Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng.
"If you're not free, I'll help. This business is viable. You have to continue it." Mu Teng had considered the long-term plan.
"Dad, if business is good, then you and Mom should continue working hard." She didn't want them to have to put up with Old Madam Mu picking on them.
"I've got a lot to do. Besides, with me away all the time, there's no one to take care of the children's meals. I can't keep leaving them buns to steam."
Shao Dong and the others didn't object much. It was good to have buns to eat, for the buns were delicious.
However, Mu Jingzhe didn't think it was a good idea.
During this period of time, Mu Jingzhe had been getting along quite well with them. Little Bei was close to her, Shao Dong's attitude had changed, and Shao Nan was smiling widely again.
The only person who hadn't changed much was Shao Xi. He had been watching coldly, feeling that Mu Jingzhe's thoughts were sincere and that she was trying to win people's hearts.
If Mu Jingzhe knew that Shao Xi thought of her this way, she might laugh out loud.
She really wanted to have the ability to win people over.
"Xiao Wu1, be careful so you don't fall."
After Mu Jingzhe finished preparing lunch, she saw Shao Zhong chasing after the little chicks in their house and quickly warned him.
Now that they had gotten more familiar with each other, Shao Zhong finally didn't push Mu Jingzhe away so much and quickly nodded.
During this period, Shao Zhong had become livelier and bolder, but he still couldn't speak.
Mu Jingzhe had talked to him quite a bit and tried to get him to speak, but to no avail.
Mu Jingzhe knew that she couldn't rush things or pressure Shao Zhong too much. All she could do was tease him from time to time.
"Xiao Wu, count the little chicks."
The yellow, tender little chicks had just hatched not long ago. In the future, when they grew bigger, it would be just nice for the family to eat them. Li Zhaodi had specially made her hen hatch these chicks.
These were Xiao Wu's favorite playmates, and he would chase after them every day. He would fight to feed the chicks twice a day, in the morning and at night. He knew that Mu Jingzhe didn't like chicken poop, so he rarely let the chickens into the courtyard or the house. He would clean up when he saw that they'd dirtied the place.
4
Mu Jingzhe had assigned him the task of keeping an eye on the little chicks, so he started counting seriously.
He knew how to count and quickly ran over to Mu Jingzhe. He stretched out his hands and raised two fingers, indicating that there were twelve chicks and not a single one was missing.
"Xiao Wu, you are amazing… Oh, your siblings are back. Let's eat first."
Then, Mu Jingzhe discovered that Shao Xi hadn't returned with them.
"Where's Shao Xi? Is he on duty?"
"No. The teacher made him stay behind."
"Why?" Mu Jingzhe frowned. "Could it be the Chinese language teacher again?"
She remembered that the last time Shao Xi had misspelled a word, he had been punished to copy it 100 times.
"Mm."
"What was the reason this time?"
"I don't know. The teacher only made him stay behind." Shao Dong shook his head.
"Auntie, the teacher has already asked Second Brother to stay behind several times," Little Bei added.
"How many times has it been? I thought that was the only time."
Mu Jingzhe could tell from their expressions that it was something that had happened while she'd been away selling buns, but they'd kept it from her.
"Second Brother forbade me to tell you." Little Bei stole a glance at Shao Dong and spoke quietly.
"I'll go take a look."
When she got to the school, all the students were gone, leaving only the teachers who hadn't left behind.
Mu Jingzhe found Shao Xi's classroom. As she approached, she heard slapping sounds. It was the sound of the teacher slapping Shao Xi's palm.
"Are you going to write it? Do you know how to write it?"
Mu Jingzhe knew the teacher. His name was Zhang Fei, and he taught Chinese. He was the only young male teacher in the school and he had a good relationship with the only young female teacher, Mu Xue.
When they'd met previously, she had thought that he was cultured. Why was he so scary in private?
Upon seeing Shao Xi's flushed face, Mu Jingzhe hurriedly ran over.
"Stop!"
Zhang Fei turned around and frowned. "What?"
Mu Jingzhe stepped forward to check on Shao Xi's swollen palm. "Why did he hit you so badly?"
The moment Shao Xi saw her, his expression changed. He felt embarrassed and didn't want her to see it, but how could he escape?
His hands were already trembling from the pain, and he was on the verge of crying out of anxiousness due to his inability to break free.
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Shao Xi was a prideful person and wouldn't cry even when he was beaten up. Thinking that Shao Xi was in too much pain, Mu Jingzhe felt even more anxious. "Don't cry, Shao Xi. Don't cry. We'll go back and apply the medicine now."
"Did I say he could leave?" The ignored Zhang Fei had a surly expression on his face. "You're not allowed to leave until you finish your writing."
"How is he going to write when his hand is in this state?" Mu Jingzhe's countenance was equally sullen.
"Why can't he write? It's not broken yet, is it?"
"He can write just because it's not broken yet? Even when his hands are in such a state?!" Mu Jingzhe's temper flared up. "As a teacher, is it appropriate for you to say such things?"
"I'm strict with them precisely because I'm a teacher!"
Zhang Fei was also angry. "Mu Jingzhe, what is this? Am I in the wrong for being a responsible teacher?"
Mu Jingzhe took a deep breath and calmed herself down. This wasn't the modern era, when teachers couldn't punish students physically. In this era, it was acceptable for teachers to mete out corporal punishment. Even parents supported it and would tell the teachers to hit and scold their kids if they were disobedient, believing that only then could they learn to be good.
Never mind if it was right or wrong. There was a limit to everything.
"Teacher Zhang, I'm not saying that you are wrong for trying to be a responsible teacher. If he made a small mistake, a little punishment is fine, but you can't just keep hitting him. I want to ask, what is it that Shao Xi did wrong? I will teach him that."
She had to stop the teacher from hitting him so severely.
"You'll teach him? Are you a teacher?" Zhang Fei's disdain was clear.
This attitude broadened Mu Jingzhe's horizons. "I'm not a teacher, but I'm a parent. Since I'm already here, isn't it better to communicate so that the teacher and parent can teach the child together?"
"Alright, I'll communicate." Zhang Fei scoffed. "His essay was messy, and he was spouting nonsense, so I asked him to rewrite it. His attitude was terrible, and he was unwilling to comply."
Mu Jingzhe was really shocked this time. "An essay? You're saying Shao Xi can't write an essay?"
'You must be joking. Forget about everything else. You're saying that this future famous writer, a literary giant, can't write a second-grade essay?'
Mu Jingzhe's expression of disbelief made Zhang Fei feel even more displeased.
"What? You still don't believe me? Could I be slandering him?"
Mu Jingzhe paused before saying, "Show me his essay."
Zhang Fei laughed. "You're not convinced, are you? Fine, I'll find it for you!"
A second later, he paused.
He had torn Shao Xi's essay apart.
Mu Jingzhe followed his gaze and saw a ball of paper by the door.
Her expression turned cold. "Don't tell me you tore his essay."
Zhang Fei snorted out of embarrassment. "Yes, I tore it. So what? It's rubbish."
Shao Xi looked at Zhang Fei coldly, his eyes filled with hatred.
Mu Jingzhe glared at him before picking up the ball of paper and carefully spreading it out.
Shao Xi was stunned for a moment. When Mu Jingzhe started to read, he wanted to say something but stopped. His expression became awkward.
Second-grade essays were very short, so Mu Jingzhe finished reading it very quickly.
She looked at Zhang Fei.
"You don't think it was well-written?"
Zhang Fei was about to speak when he saw that Mu Jingzhe was even more worked up than him. "How is he not good at writing? He writes really well!"
Shao Xi was stunned.
Zhang Fei's face twisted.
Both of them wanted to see traces of lying on Mu Jingzhe's face, but they didn't. Mu Jingzhe was serious.
Zhang Fei laughed and said, "You said he writes it well? The topic I set was 'my family'. Look at what he wrote!"
"You are aware of his family's condition. His parents are gone, so he wrote an innovative essay. This is excellent creativity!"
In the second grade, other than being asked to write about themselves, students would be asked to write about their parents or family and other things like that. Instead of doing that, Shao Xi had written that he had drunk some magical water and grown up overnight to become a father. He had written about being a father for a day.
There weren't many words, but the narration was clear and the content was very creative.
A child's world was full of imagination. Shao Xi had revealed his talent from a young age. It was such a pleasant surprise.
In any case, Mu Jingzhe was pleasantly surprised.
Some geniuses were just that incredible.
Mu Jingzhe showed no signs of acting. Zhang Fei was furious. "Mu Jingzhe, you… you said that on purpose to anger me."
"I did not. Don't spout nonsense. I really think it's good. Don't you think so? This is creative. This is wonderful creativity, Teacher!"
Mu Jingzhe wanted to tear Zhang Fei's head apart to see what he was thinking.
She carefully smoothed out the piece of paper in her hand and said, "Teacher Zhang, don't tear Little Xi's workbook again. What he wrote is very precious. If you don't like it, others will."
Although Mu Jingzhe didn't say that he was blind, Zhang Fei wasn't blind and could tell.
The way Mu Jingzhe looked at him was as if he had done something heinous.
Zhang Fei was so angry that he almost couldn't breathe. He looked at Mu Jingzhe and then at the stunned Shao Xi. He pointed fiercely at them and said, "Good, very good. Mu Jingzhe, you're very good!"
Upon saying that, he turned and left, certain that Mu Jingzhe had done that on purpose.
She had disrespected a teacher, so he wouldn't let this rest so easily!
Mu Jingzhe was also furious as she watched him leave. "What kind of attitude is this? You have eyes but can't see Mount Tai1, and you don't have the standards to appreciate it. Plus, you can't even take criticism?"
Mu Jingzhe was heartbroken. If there were more teachers like this, who knew how many talented students would be buried.
Shao Xi: "…"
He took a deep breath and said, "Stop acting. The teacher has already left."
"I'm not acting. I'm speaking the truth." Mu Jingzhe turned her head, thinking that Shao Xi was still young and since his teacher disapproved of his work, he probably didn't have confidence in himself anymore.
She emphasized her next words seriously. "Shao Xi, your writing is really good. Was anything else torn? You can't lose your papers. You have to keep everything."
A second-grade essay by a literary giant was also a rare treasure, so he had to keep it all.
As he looked at Mu Jingzhe's serious expression, Shao Xi couldn't tell if this was real or fake.
"The ones I wrote previously weren't torn up, only this one was. The rest is in the exercise book."
Shao Xi's homework had been left alone on the podium.
Mu Jingzhe quickly took it and carefully shook off the chalk dust. "Make sure you don't tear it."
Shao Xi looked at her. "You really think I'm a good writer?"
"Of course. Why would I lie to you?"
Mu Jingzhe wanted to take a look immediately, but her attention was quickly attracted by Shao Xi's hand, and she blew on it.
"Let's go tend to your hand first."
Shao Xi's expression was extremely stiff. This woman had actually blown on his hand?
Did she really think that she was his mother?
Although she had said that she was going to tend to his palm, there was actually no medicine. All she did was chew a wormwood leaf she found by the roadside and wrap it in his palm.
Since his hand had been wrapped, it was inconvenient for him to eat. Mu Jingzhe wanted to feed him, but Shao Xi refused and insisted on eating by himself.
After he ate, Mu Jingzhe asked impatiently, "Shao Xi, can I take a look at your other essays?"
Shao Xi wanted to refuse, but in the end, he nodded.
He wanted to see how far she could take this.
Mu Jingzhe was shocked after reading them.
"Waa… Shao Xi, you're amazing. How did your little head become so clever? Where did these marvelous ideas come from?"
Shao Xi: "???"
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Shao Xi looked at Mu Jingzhe helplessly.
Why was she still acting when they were already back at home? Or… was she serious?
"I'm telling the truth. You're really amazing."
Mu Jingzhe sighed. Shao Xi had turned only seven years old that year, yet he'd already managed to come up with incredible ideas such as going back in time.
"I finally understand why Teacher Zhang called it a mess. It's because he can't think like this and doesn't know how to appreciate it."
Mu Jingzhe wedged the torn piece of paper inside the exercise book. "I'll glue it up later. But Shao Xi, you have to remember that you write very well. Your writing is rare. You are truly one in a million. Don't mind what Teacher Zhang said."
Shao Xi wanted to find traces of lying on her face, but he only saw sincerity.
After being oppressed for so long, suddenly hearing this compliment brought a smile to his lips, but he held himself back. "You… You won't get any benefits by lying to me."
Mu Jingzhe laughed. "I don't need any benefits as long as you write an essay for me to read. Your talent is the best benefit."
The word 'talent' made Shao Xi's face burn uncontrollably. "You know about talent… Then in the future, I will still write whatever I think of. If Teacher Zhang causes me trouble and asks me to rewrite it, I will look for you."
"Don't worry, leave it to me. I'll deal with him."
She didn't care about other people. In any case, she was determined to manage Shao Xi. In the future, she wouldn't allow the teacher to hit him or punish him physically. She wouldn't let him tear up his workbook and degrade him either.
After all, a teacher could have a lifelong impact on a child.
Mu Jingzhe was prepared to send Shao Xi and the others to school in the afternoon. She wanted to talk to Zhang Fei. If it didn't work, she would talk to the principal. Hence, she wanted to find out more about the situation.
"Does he treat other students the same way?"
"Not really. I think he's more hostile with me… Oh, and my brother. He used to make my brother get up to answer questions and read out loud. When my brother stut… paused, he deliberately made my brother repeat it. He didn't stop our classmates from laughing at him either. Later, it was the principal who stopped him, refusing to listen to his quibbles about how he was training my brother."
Shao Dong stuttered when he spoke, and it was the same when he read a text out loud. Because of this, he only spoke when he absolutely had to, yet Zhang Fei treated him in this manner. One could imagine how angry and upset he was.
Mu Jingzhe clenched her fists tightly, feeling very upset.
At only seven years old, Shao Dong had to think of a way to protect his younger brothers and sister, but when he was humiliated, there was no one to stand up for him.
"I should have punched him earlier." Mu Jingzhe gritted her teeth.
Shao Xi nodded in agreement. He wanted to do that too. Upon seeing Mu Jingzhe get mad because of what had happened to his older brother, he felt a little better.
"When did he start doing this?"
"He has always been like that, but it's gotten worse recently." Shao Xi curled his lips. "Teacher Zhang has been in a bad mood recently."
Even if he was in a bad mood, he shouldn't be venting his anger on the students.
Mu Jingzhe went to ask around and found it strange. Although teachers were strict these days, she felt that Zhang Fei was treating others normally and was only targeting the Shao brothers, especially Shao Xi.
For the past month or so, it had become the norm for Shao Xi to stand as a form of punishment. He was also punished by being made to stay behind to get hit or being forced to run. He wasn't allowed to go home to eat either.
The reason was unclear.
In the afternoon, Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi went to school together. Zhang Fei's attitude was worse than in the morning, and he was waiting for Mu Jingzhe to apologize.
However, Mu Jingzhe wasn't there to apologize.
"Teacher Zhang, if Shao Xi has done anything wrong, you can tell me. I will get him to apologize to you, but I hope that you can treat him like you treat the other students."
She had to stop the teacher from picking on Shao Xi and Shao Dong. Being targeted by a teacher was a complete nightmare for a student.
"What do you mean? Are you saying that I deliberately make things difficult for him and punish him?" Zhang Fei exploded and went straight to the principal to demand justice. "I don't dare teach such a student anymore."
He wanted Shao Xi to be kicked out of his class.
The principal's head hurt. "We don't have many classes. Yours is the only class in the second grade. If he doesn't study in your class, where will he go? The parent just feels heartache for her child. You should be more forgiving…"
"I can't bear it. Just take him home and never bring him to my class again. If he wants to stay in school and allow me to continue teaching him, you have to listen to me."
Zhang Fei pointed outside. "He did his homework in a slipshod manner today and talked back to the teacher. I punished him by making him run in the field, but he didn't run. Now, he's going to run ten laps before coming back!"
It was as if Shao Xi had committed a heinous crime and Mu Jingzhe was being unreasonable.
Mu Jingzhe's fist hardened again when she saw his arrogant demeanor.
"Teacher Zhang, you're making him run ten rounds in this weather and you even hit him in the morning. If anything happens to him, will you take responsibility? Pardon me for being direct, but parents send their children to school to learn, not to let you vent your anger on them. Your students are not your punching bags."
"Did you hear what she said, Principal? Look at her attitude…"
"What's wrong with my attitude? Before you speak of my attitude, you should first examine your own attitude. Don't think that just because you're a teacher, you're superior to others. You should first check whether you're worthy or not. Ask yourself honestly, don't you feel guilty? No one here is a fool. You yourself know best whether or not you're picking on Shao Dong and Shao Xi."
2
Mu Jingzhe didn't back down. If you gave in to such a person, he would think that you were afraid and would be even more fearless. He would probably treat Shao Xi even more horribly then.
The conflict was brought to the surface and blew up completely.
Mu Jingzhe was also pulled to the side by Mu Xue, who wanted to speak to her.
"Mu Jingzhe, how can you spout nonsense? Teacher Zhang is a good person. He is capable. Besides, he isn't someone who picks on students. Don't act like a shrew and spout nonsense when you don't know anything about teaching."
"Yes, I have never taught before, but I know the limits of a teacher!" Mu Jingzhe had never taught before, but she had taken the exam to become a teacher, so she wasn't completely unfamiliar with teaching as a profession.
"I'm not spouting nonsense. He's really too much."
Mu Xue tried her best to persuade her. "Even if you're unhappy, you shouldn't have said that about a teacher. Jingzhe, now that you're their mother, you should fulfill your duties as one."
3
Mu Jingzhe didn't want to talk about the responsibilities of a mother. She was only responsible for taking care of them, but even so, she wouldn't allow anyone to hurt them.
At the end of the day, Mu Xue and Mu Jingzhe weren't on the same page, so their opinions differed greatly.
Later on, even Mu Xue got a little angry.
1
This was the first time she knew Mu Jingzhe to have such a sharp tongue.
During this period, Mu Jingzhe had given her a lot of surprises, including selling buns and making certain choices.
This was also the first time she realized that Mu Jingzhe's aura was really strong and her face was outstanding.
In the past, Mu Jingzhe's imitation of her had annoyed her to no end. However, now that she'd stopped emulating her, it also made her feel unhappy.
Mu Jingzhe was no longer the same as before—she had become very aggressive. Sometimes, she felt as if she was completely hidden when Mu Jingzhe was around. The first person everyone saw was Mu Jingzhe.
However, Mu Jingzhe was always trying to destroy her things and the people she was close to. She didn't know what method Mu Jingzhe had used to make Tang Moling, who hated her, lend her his car and eat her buns.
2
Zhang Fei was on good terms with her, so she wanted to cause him trouble too.
"Mu Jingzhe, how many times do I have to say this? Teacher Zhang isn't the person you say he is. He's paying attention to Shao Xi for his own good. I'm the one who asked him to take care of Shao Xi."
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Mu Xue had asked Zhang Fei to take care of Shao Xi?
Mu Jingzhe hadn't expected such a thing. "You asked him to take care of Shao Xi? When? Why?"
Mu Xue's face darkened. Why else? Because she'd almost become Shao Xi and his siblings' mother.
Even though it hadn't happened ultimately, she still pitied the children, so she had asked Zhang Fei for help.
"It was a few days ago. You misunderstood."
Mu Jingzhe shook her head. "No, it's definitely not a misunderstanding."
"Mu Jingzhe, can you not be so stubborn? Can you take some responsibility? If you keep making a fuss without apologizing and Teacher Zhang really doesn't want to teach Shao Xi anymore, what will happen to him? Will he stop studying?"
Mu Jingzhe wanted to say that there were other teachers and schools, but a second later, she was stuck.
This was the only school in the village.
There was only one second-grade class.
Mu Xue looked at Mu Jingzhe and took a deep breath. "If you are doing this for Shao Xi's good, apologize to Teacher Zhang now and promise him not to meddle in the way he teaches in the future. I believe Teacher Zhang isn't the kind of person who holds grudges."
"I can apologize, but I can't trust him. He's a vengeful person…" Mu Jingzhe was speechless.
"Mu Jingzhe, what's wrong with you? Do you really not want Shao Xi to study anymore?" Mu Xue couldn't take it anymore and interrupted Mu Jingzhe. Her eyes were filled with anger.
"If that is how it has to be, so be it."
"Mu Jingzhe, you…" Mu Xue was about to continue when she suddenly realized that the answer hadn't come from Mu Jingzhe.
She turned around and saw Shao Xi standing at the door.
Shao Xi glanced at Mu Jingzhe and then at Mu Xue. "She's not wrong. Even if she doesn't speak up about it or make a fuss, I can't tolerate it anymore. Whether you believe it or not, Teacher Zhang has been picking on me."
"Little Xi, you…" Mu Xue hadn't expected Shao Xi to say that. A hint of hurt flashed past her eyes, and she felt like her good intentions had been let down.
1
Shao Xi could see it clearly, but he pursed his lips, stubbornly refusing to comfort her.
He was even a little disappointed.
He used to like Teacher Mu Xue very much because she was beautiful and gentle. She was also good to them.
His father had once asked them if they'd like Mu Xue to be their new mother. At the time, both he and his brother had said yes.
Later on, Mu Jingzhe had become their mother instead of Mu Xue, and he had been extremely unhappy about it.
But now, he didn't like seeing Mu Xue say this about Mu Jingzhe.
Mu Xue had seen him being asked to stay behind after class before, but she'd never said anything about it.
On the other hand, Mu Jingzhe had only come once and had made the matter blow up.
Shao Xi looked at Mu Jingzhe. "You don't have to apologize. If he doesn't want me as a student, so be it. I don't care either."
He still had to study, though.
Now that the matter had blown up, all the students and the parents had found out about it, and Zhang Fei was no longer willing to accept an apology.
Even if they apologized, he wouldn't want Shao Xi as a student.
Mu Xue went to plead with Zhang Fei. When Zhang Fei saw Mu Xue, the anger on his face dissipated and his attitude became better, but he stood by his decision.
He couldn't accept being wronged.
1
The principal had told him to wait for him to think of a solution.
The people in the village discussed among themselves, and most of them thought that Mu Jingzhe had made a fuss and insulted the teacher.
Some people even said that she had done it on purpose because she did not want Shao Xi to study.
Mu Jingzhe was speechless, but she couldn't help but feel anxious.
Fortunately, Zhang Fei exposed himself soon.
Coincidentally, a family was holding a baby's one-month birthday party the next day. Zhang Fei went to visit them and met Mu Xue and Tang Moling, who were also there as guests.
Worked up by the incident, Zhang Fei drank quite a bit and got drunk.
After getting drunk, Zhang Fei declared in front of half the villagers that he liked Mu Xue.
Mu Xue used to be a village belle. At least one-third of the young men in the village fancied her. However, Zhang Fei felt that he was the most compatible with Mu Xue because he was a teacher and he was the closest to her.
Alas, Mu Xue had first liked Shao Qihai. Then, after Shao Qihai had passed away, he had thought that his chance had come, but Tang Moling had appeared out of nowhere.
Tang Moling had crushed him in all aspects.
Do you see why he was furious?
Ever since Tang Moling had shown up in his car a month ago, he had been feeling frustrated and anxious.
He had been picking on Shao Xi because he was in a bad mood.
1
As for why he had chosen Shao Xi, it was naturally because he hated his family. After all, they were Shao Qihai's children.
Mu Xue had asked him to take care of Shao Dong and Shao Xi, making him even more jealous. That was why he'd deliberately tormented them.
Shao Dong and Shao Xi had lost their parents, and parents generally believed that a teacher treated students strictly for their own good, which made him even more brazen. He'd even racked his brains to think of new ways to punish them.
Previously, he had been punishing Shao Xi by making him stand. Later on, he'd felt that this punishment wasn't enough, so he had come up with a new method and put two pieces of chalk under the kid's heel. This way, Shao Xi could only stand on his tiptoes. If the kid couldn't take it and broke the chalk, he would add more time to his punishment.
"I was waiting to watch you cry and beg for mercy. But even though you were sweating and your feet were shaking, you refused to beg for mercy. You even said you wanted to learn from your dad what 'sheds blood and sweat but never tears'. My foot."
It was Zhang Fei's first time getting drunk, so he had no idea what he was like when he got drunk. Due to the stimulation of alcohol, after seeing Shao Xi, he revealed his ugliest side, baring his most sincere thoughts.
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"Listen to me, the more you don't cry, the angrier I get. I just want you to cry. If I don't manage to make you cry, my surname won't be Zhang. Just you wait."
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When he turned to Mu Xue, his expression became flattering.
"Xiao Xue, are you satisfied with me for standing up for you? You and I are the most compatible couple. I've waited for you for many years. You can't let me down."
Mu Xue was extremely embarrassed.
She hadn't expected Zhang Fei to say such things in public. Previously, she had confidently told Mu Jingzhe that Zhang Fei wasn't that kind of person, but now, she had been slapped in the face.
He was that kind of person, and the main reason he'd picked on Shao Xi was because of her.
She felt extremely embarrassed, and her eyes were red.
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Tang Moling pulled Mu Xue behind him, then scolded Zhang Fei for lusting after someone out of his league before dragging her away.
Zhang Fei was so furious that he wanted to chase after her but was stopped by someone.
Zhang Fei turned to look at Mu Jingzhe and vented his rage on her. "Mu Jingzhe, just you wait. I will make you kneel in front of me! Who do you think you are to dare criticize me!"
Ha! He even wanted to make her kneel.
She would make him kneel first!
As Mu Jingzhe left, she kicked a rock and successfully tripped Zhang Fei, causing him to fall to his knees.
Because his face landed smack on the ground, he even bled from his nose.
His parents were scared out of their wits and quickly dragged Zhang Fei away.
Everyone looked at each other. They hadn't expected Zhang Fei to be such a person.
Zhang Fei's reputation had been tarnished. Only then did everyone realize that they had wrongly accused Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi.
When Mu Jingzhe took Shao Xi and the rest back home, she felt proud and elated. "When we go to school tomorrow, no one will chase you away. If anyone leaves, it will be Zhang Fei."
The corners of Shao Xi's lips curled up quickly as he said, "Thank you."
Sensing the excitement in his heart, Shao Xi quickly restrained it.
He wouldn't grow fond of her so easily or regard her as his mother.
He knew she could leave at any moment.
Shao Xi added, "Although I'm thanking you, I'm not as easily bought as Little Bei. Don't think that we'll be very close because of this."
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Mu Jingzhe: "Yes, yes, I understand."
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
When they went to school the next day, everything had indeed been reversed.
Zhang Fei's eyes were bloodshot, and he looked very dispirited. His anger and shame had made him lose all his vigor and arrogance.
An impulsive moment had caused a disaster. Everyone in the village had seen him make a fool of himself.
He could totally imagine what the villagers were saying about him behind his back. Without dignity and respect, he wouldn't be able to keep his head high as a teacher in the future. It could be said that those two cups of wine had made a serious impact on his career.
It would have been better if he could have gotten the girl he liked. However, when he had met Mu Xue just now, Mu Xue's expression had changed slightly as soon as she had seen him, and she had turned her head and walked away without even looking at him. It was clear that she was avoiding him like the plague.
Zhang Fei's heart sank.
He could only cling onto his job as a teacher. He made up his mind to never touch alcohol again.
The principal hadn't expected Zhang Fei to get into such a mess. Seeing that Zhang Fei knew that he was wrong, he had no choice but to help them reconcile. He asked Zhang Fei to apologize and promise that he wouldn't pick on the students anymore.
Merely a day had passed, and their positions had already been swapped.
Zhang Fei endured this humiliation and frustration and apologized to his students and Mu Jingzhe, who he despised.
Shao Xi felt proud and elated upon seeing Zhang Fei apologize, and his earlier grievances were finally resolved.
He snorted softly and didn't say anything. On the other hand, Shao Dong seemed very easygoing.
"It's okay."
Now that this storm was finally over, the principal heaved a sigh of relief. He also told Mu Jingzhe that Zhang Fei was still young, so he wouldn't be the teacher in charge for the time being, and the role would be given to the mathematics teacher instead.
However, Zhang Fei still continued teaching Chinese.
It was impossible to change this, as there weren't many teachers at this school.
Mu Jingzhe was naturally dissatisfied. However, this was the best outcome they could have hoped for given the circumstances. She could only hope that Zhang Fei wouldn't dare go overboard in the future. She would pay more attention and try her best to not let Shao Dong and Shao Xi suffer.
Mu Jingzhe had only thought of this. She didn't expect Shao Dong to suddenly ask the principal if he could skip a grade after everything was settled.
"Actually, I've already studied the second-grade textbooks with Shao Xi. It'd be a waste of time to continue attending second-grade classes. Can we go straight to the third grade?"
The principal naturally knew that Shao Dong and Shao Xi had good grades and that the children of the Shao Family were outstanding.
But… skip a grade?
"Are you serious?" the principal asked in disbelief. Shao Dong nodded affirmatively. Shao Xi's eyes lit up when he saw Shao Dong, and he also nodded affirmatively.
The reason why they had been able to learn the second-grade textbooks was Mu Jingzhe.
In the past, Shao Dong had worked hard to take care of his younger siblings. He'd also had to protect them from Fu, Lu, and Shou's bullying. He'd had to worry about food and even dig for wild herbs in his free time.
He'd only had time to learn during class.
However, ever since Mu Jingzhe had changed, he no longer had to worry about food. Every day, there was piping hot, delicious food waiting for them when they got home. Mu Jingzhe would also take care of their clothes and shoes.
He didn't need to wash clothes or cook anymore, nor did he have to care about anything else. His only responsibility was to take care of his younger siblings.
Now, he had a lot of time to learn. He would learn alongside Shao Xi and also teach his younger siblings.
For example, although Shao Zhong hadn't started writing yet, he could already count to a hundred. He'd also mastered simple addition and subtraction.
Unknowingly, he'd finished learning the second-grade textbooks.
"Principal, can we skip a grade?" Shao Dong glanced at Mu Jingzhe. Upon seeing that she didn't object, he asked again.
The children of the poor had to take charge of the household early. Shao Dong had been forced to become the head of the household long ago. His heart was filled with urgency. He knew that studying was good and that he had to study if he wanted to have a bright future. However, it was too time-consuming to study normally.
He wanted to finish his studies as soon as possible. While Mu Jingzhe was still taking care of them and he was young, he wanted to learn everything he could.
By the time Mu Jingzhe got married in the future, he would have gained a lot of knowledge and skills that would allow him to help his younger siblings study.
The principal didn't know about Shao Dong's long-term plans and couldn't help but look at Mu Jingzhe.
Mu Jingzhe agreed.
The children were smart, so she wasn't surprised that they had learned all this in advance. If they wanted to skip a grade, they could make the decision themselves.
The principal understood and could also see why Mu Jingzhe would give such a response. He said that he would think about this and reply after some discussion.
During dinner, Shao Dong specifically explained to Mu Jingzhe why he wanted to skip a grade.
He didn't tell her about those thoughts, only that he didn't want a teacher like Zhang Fei to continue teaching them. He didn't want to see Zhang Fei's fake smile, nor did he want to be hated by him.
"I know, I know what you mean. As long as he continues teaching you, I'll always feel uneasy." Who knew if he would secretly make things difficult for Shao Dong and Shao Xi.
Shao Dong nodded.
Previously, Zhang Fei had deliberately humiliated him. He hadn't had much of a reaction, but at the time, he hadn't known that Zhang Fei was picking on them. Furthermore, no one had been speaking up for them, so he'd had to endure it.
Now that everything was clear, he naturally wouldn't tolerate it anymore.
It was fine if he was targeted, but he had taken note of everything Zhang Fei had done to Shao Xi.
Zhang Fei didn't know that Shao Dong was famous for being protective of his own people and holding grudges.
Of course, he also remembered kindness. A drop of water should be repaid with a spring, but what he had done warranted revenge.
Since Zhang Fei had done something like that, he would have to bear everyone's criticism. If he couldn't take it, he could leave on his own and stop teaching.
The corners of Shao Dong's mouth curled up for a moment, but his eyes revealed a coldness that didn't match his age.
After he finished speaking, Mu Jingzhe suddenly thought of something. "Oh right, did your father always teach you that it was fine to shed blood and sweat but never tears?"
She recalled Zhang Fei's words.
Shao Xi nodded. "Yes, my dad didn't like us crying. If we cried, he'd get angry and say that we're not acting like men. It was the same for Little Bei. We had an agreement with him about not crying."
After Shao Qihai was gone, this promise had taken root in the hearts of the children.
Mu Jingzhe: "…"
There was nothing wrong with Shao Qihai's teachings. It wasn't good for a child to cry all the time, but how could a child not cry at all? It wasn't suitable for Shao Dong and the others to strictly stick to this teaching in such a situation either.
No wonder Zhao Lan had done whatever she'd wanted previously. It turned out that it was because the children wouldn't cry or shout, so she wasn't afraid that everyone would know how she treated them.
However, children who knew how to cry had sweets to eat. They still had to learn whatever needed to be learned.
Mu Jingzhe pondered this for a moment. "It's not good to cry all the time, but have you heard of the saying that 'it's not a sin for a man to cry1'? Besides, you're still young. It's normal for you to cry when you're bullied or you're hurting."
Shao Xi and Shao Dong looked at each other and shook their heads. "No, we've never heard of that saying."
Mu Jingzhe: "…"
Well, the song wasn't out yet.
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"In any case, don't hold in all your grievances in the future. If you don't tell us, we won't know. We'll only know when you cry and shout in pain."
Shao Dong and the others had conflicted expressions on their faces. They were probably used to it. They still felt that men should sweat blood and sweat rather than tears.
Mu Jingzhe was in no hurry to continue speaking. Shao Qihai, as their father, had been too assertive with his teachings, causing the few of them to suffer in secret.
Meanwhile, in the basement of a house in the suburbs of the neighboring province, a sound rang out. "Achoo!"
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