Chapter 48: This Person Has Changed! ④
When Nie Qiu returned to the classroom, she unexpectedly saw the homeroom teacher standing on the lectern. It wasn’t time for class yet.
The students below were not like before, each doing their own thing. Instead, they sat upright and serious. Li Kai, standing beside the teacher, looked particularly out of place.
Seeing Nie Qiu standing at the classroom doorway, Li Kai’s face turned red with nervousness. He hesitantly stepped forward, pulling Nie Qiu to stand on the lectern. “You, speak quickly, say what you said in Class 1 again.”
“Huh? What?” Nie Qiu was stunned, completely unable to understand.
“I said, quickly say to our classmates here what you said in Class 1 again.” Li Kai repeated helplessly, “Since you could encourage the classmates in Class 1, you are one of us, and you can encourage our classmates too. Speak, say what you said in Class 1 again.”
Nie Qiu looked at the people below. In their eyes, there was no desire for knowledge, only full of curiosity and scorn. She turned to Li Kai, “Li Kai, I don’t know what you want me to say, but I don’t think they will listen to whatever I say. For Class 10 as a collective, I…”
“Nie Qiu.” Teacher Yang walked to Nie Qiu’s side, intending to stop what Nie Qiu was about to say. “I don’t know what you said in Class 1, but everyone in Class 1 said they benefited greatly. Since Li Kai has the intention of having the classmates work hard to study, tell us what you said in Class 1, so that the classmates can all learn from it!”
“Teacher Yang.” Nie Qiu looked up at Teacher Yang, then said softly, “Teacher Yang, you are a teacher, and you are the teacher of Class 10. You should know the situation of Class 10… No matter what I say, will they really be willing to study seriously?”
“But Nie Qiu, you are a student of Class 10. Perhaps you will go to other classes later, but you are currently a student of Class 10, and you cannot deny that you were once a student of Class 10.” Teacher Yang placed his hands on Nie Qiu’s shoulders. “Nie Qiu, if even I give up on our students, then what can they do in the future?”
Nie Qiu smiled, suddenly feeling like crying. That’s right! If even this teacher gave up on Class 10, then Class 10 would truly become a class with no one in charge. These students would become even more unruly. At least now, there were no students in Class 10 who committed murder, arson, robbery, or looting, nor were there many who were late, left early, or even skipped class.
These people had not yet grown up. They were not irredeemable people; they were just children who were too fond of playing.
She also believed that as long as they weren’t too stupid and studied diligently, they would definitely be able to get into high school. Even if not a key high school, an ordinary high school would be fine.
She took a deep breath, turned to face the classmates, smiled, bowed deeply, and stood up straight. Under Teacher Yang’s encouraging gaze, she began to speak, “Hello everyone, I am Nie Qiu! As you can see, I am no longer the Nie Qiu I was before.”
Seeing the students sitting in the classroom start to whisper to each other, Li Kai got angry and slapped the lectern. “Quiet, listen to Nie Qiu.”
Zhang Haiyang, in a fit of excitement, stood up. “Whoever speaks again, I’ll rip their mouth open!”
Indeed, what Li Kai and the others said had quite an impact on the class. Although she didn’t know what their brothers were planning, out of respect for Teacher Yang, Nie Qiu said, “And the reason for my change is nothing else. It’s because when I was hospitalized, it almost used up all of my family’s savings. I don’t have a dad… my dad died when I was very young.”
Nie Qiu smiled and said, “I have a mom, but my mom isn’t a rich person. She only knows how to earn money through her hard work to provide me with food, clothing, and shelter, and to let me attend school. There’s only one semester left, and the nine years of compulsory education will be over…”
“If I don’t work harder, after graduation, I’ll have to go do barbecue with my mom! Or, find a factory and work day and night.” Nie Qiu looked at the students in the classroom and said loudly, “I don’t want this, not at all. I don’t want to be as tired as my mom every day, I don’t want to wake up before five o’clock every day to sew plastic flowers, I don’t want to buy, cut, and wash vegetables every day and then grill barbecue for people in a greasy environment, sweating profusely while still having to smile.”
“I want to live my own life, a life that belongs to me, a life earned through my own effort! I don’t want to regret it in the future.” Nie Qiu smiled and bowed. “I’ve finished speaking, thank you everyone.”
Then, Nie Qiu said something to Teacher Yang and returned to her seat. Li Kai also followed Nie Qiu back to his seat.
Teacher Yang stood on the lectern, feeling incredibly moved himself. He suppressed his surging emotions and asked loudly, “Did everyone hear that? In one semester, you will leave junior high school. Some of you may go to high school, some to vocational high school, and some will leave school directly to enter society. But… are you really going to leave like this? Are you really going to leave junior high school with regrets?”
To be honest, everyone in Class 10 was puzzled by Nie Qiu’s change. This person had changed! Her eyes were brighter, but after listening to her words, they understood why this person had changed.
That’s right! That’s right! Are they really going to be like this? Are they really going to be like this? Study a profession? Enter society? No, they still have time, they have better choices!
“Just as Nie Qiu said, if you don’t want to regret it, you have to work hard! After working hard, no matter what you become in the future, at least you won’t regret it, at least you won’t have regrets. Don’t you agree? Don’t you think so?” Teacher Yang roared, asking. In all his years as a teacher, this was the first time he had been so emotional. “Do you really want to be like this?”
“No!” Driven by Teacher Yang, the entire class roared as if they were going to lift the ceiling. No! These words from the bottom of their hearts, this feeling of resounding through the heavens, this soul-shaking sound.
Everyone was shaken, everyone was shaken by the desire emanating from their hearts.
They were not young anymore; they were fifteen or sixteen years old. In another two or three years, they would be adults. They were not fools. From the beginning, they had all understood very clearly that they were growing up, that they would be leaving school to enter society, and they began to feel a confusion they had never felt before. What would they do after leaving school? Those from wealthy families had connections and could inherit the family business. What about those from poor families? Upon entering society, would they work as waiters or go into factories?
This society was just that realistic.
They had understood this before, but they had never felt it so clearly and profoundly as they did at this moment. This time, from Nie Qiu, from Nie Qiu’s change, they truly felt that they were leaving, and after leaving, they would never return.
Perhaps if they returned, it would be with a different identity.
