Chapter 217: Youthful ④
“But after becoming the homeroom teacher for Class 10 and seeing off one batch of students after another, I realized that many students in Class 10, just like you, love to play and joke around, have their own interests, and the rebelliousness of adolescence. They’d let what the teacher said go in one ear and out the other. I’ve seen students now who are washing and repairing cars, some working in factories, some who went to vocational school and are now doing manual labor. Those who can’t stand hardship stay home, relying on their parents, becoming good-for-nothings and thugs. Some have told me they deeply regret not listening to me and not studying hard back then.” Teacher Yang wiped his tears with his sleeve. “I was twenty-one when I started teaching, and now I’m thirty-three. I’ve seen off three batches of students. The initial ambition and passion I had are long gone. I just think, as long as I’m responsible for you and fulfill my duties as a teacher, it doesn’t matter to me where you end up or what job you do. You are the fourth batch, and I thought I would, like the previous three batches, see you all leave our school campus with regret.”
“What I didn’t expect was that you are different.” Teacher Yang smiled, no longer crying, but smiling. “I never imagined the first place in the entire grade would be in our Class 10! Class 10! We are Class 10! How many people look down on Class 10? Teachers can’t see it, classmates look down on us, even people outside the school don’t see it. Look, you’ve done it! Your total score is third in the entire grade!!! And the first place in the entire grade is in our Class 10!”
As soon as Teacher Yang said this, the students in Class 10 were stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted. They cheered and rejoiced, whistling, banging on desks, throwing test papers, and even the more reserved ones stood up and applauded.
Having received their grades, they naturally knew that claiming first place in the entire grade was absolutely impossible, so it could only be Nie Qiu, who hadn’t received her grades yet! First place in the entire grade! First place in the entire grade! The classmates couldn’t help but want to shout like Teacher Yang, “First place in the entire grade is in our Class 10! In our Class 10!”
They did it. They proved that if they put in the effort, they really could, they really could! Thinking about their previous grades, for the monthly exam, they could say they won against Class 5 because they worked hard that month. But now they’ve tested on the entire semester’s knowledge, and they’ve beaten Class 3! First place in the entire grade is still in their class!
Nie Qiu herself looked around in disbelief. She saw Li Kai looking at her, Huang Yan looking at her, Peng Yu Yang looking at her, and her classmates looking at her. Finally, she looked at Teacher Yang, who was smiling at her. Under Teacher Yang’s expectant gaze, she stood up. To be honest, she thought getting second or third place would be enough. It would be fine, as she would still get tuition waived and receive a scholarship. Although she really wanted to get first place, she herself had said that for uncertain scores like compositions, it was hard to guarantee the grader would like her essay over someone else’s.
First place…
Teacher Yang handed Nie Qiu’s report card to her with both hands, and Nie Qiu received it with both hands. The classmates all stood up in a rush. The girls hugged Nie Qiu, shouting and jumping. Someone grabbed Nie Qiu and lifted her up, and the entire class swarmed her, lifting Nie Qiu up.
Holding the report card, Nie Qiu couldn’t help but scream. Then she saw the strong boys in the class lower Nie Qiu slightly and then, with a burst of strength, toss Nie Qiu up.
Nie Qiu felt her head spin, as if she were flying. The feeling of being suspended in the air intensified, and she couldn’t help but let out a loud “Ah!” and scream. But it wasn’t over yet. She was tossed up several more times by her classmates. Those throwing Nie Qiu from below naturally included Li Kai and Zhang Haiyang, and even Peng Yu Yang and a few good buddies squeezed in. There were also quite a few girls.
Boys and girls helped toss her up. Those who weren’t catching Nie Qiu were screaming and cheering from the sidelines, also acting as a protective barrier from the outside, afraid Nie Qiu might fall.
Teacher Yang knew the classmates were happy and knew they were venting their excitement and joy. He didn’t stop them, letting the classmates toss Nie Qiu like that.
When Nie Qiu was finally put down, her tied ponytail had come undone, and she looked like a madwoman, unable to stand steadily. But undeniably, although she had been a little scared just now, it had been very exciting. There were screams, applause, and cheers all around. She wouldn’t let her own feelings affect the mood of her classmates.
After Nie Qiu was put down, the classmates were still happy, just happy.
Nie Qiu got first place, and they weren’t jealous because it was Nie Qiu’s ability. Instead, they felt extremely proud. Why? Because Nie Qiu was from their class!
Seeing Nie Qiu put down, Teacher Yang pretended to be angry and said, “Hurry back to your seats, you’re making a scene!”
The classmates excitedly returned to their seats, listening to Teacher Yang’s instructions.
“After we hand out the report cards, there will be a flag-raising ceremony to award certificates. After the flag-raising ceremony, everyone will go on holiday.” Teacher Yang said with a smile, “I believe all the subject teachers have assigned you holiday homework. I hope you won’t neglect your studies. After the holiday, it will be New Year soon, so everyone should not set off fireworks and firecrackers in crowded places…”
Almost every semester before the holiday, teachers would remind students to complete their holiday homework and pay attention to safety. During the summer holiday, they would say not to go swimming, and during the winter holiday, they would say not to set off firecrackers. But these words were just talk. Who wouldn’t go swimming in the summer? Who wouldn’t set off firecrackers during New Year? They just wanted everyone to pay attention to safety.
As they finished speaking, the broadcast began to play. Following the instructions from the broadcast, other classes had already started walking towards the sports field one after another. Teacher Yang and the sports committee member directed the classmates to line up in the aisles between the desks in the classroom, and then led the entire class neatly towards the sports field.
Because they had performed well this time, compared to the flag-raising ceremony that morning, Class 10 walked even more uniformly this time. Amidst the music 《 “March of the People’s Liberation Army” 》 played before the flag-raising ceremony, everyone straightened their backs and held their heads high, looking spirited.
Teacher Yang found it amusing but knew that these children had worked hard and wanted recognition from others. They had achieved it, and that was the most important thing. These children had made progress, and the bonus he received would not be in vain. Although it sounded materialistic, teaching was his profession, after all.
While he was happy for these children, he was naturally also happy for himself.
