Chapter 74: Stay ④
All of it, all the touching moments, converged into one or two words: “Go for it.”
After the farewell party, it was time for morning self-study. Everyone used this period to clean up the garbage in the classroom, take down all the decorations, and then return the tables and chairs to their original positions. Everything would go back to how it was.
Walking on the tree-lined path of the school with Nie Qiu, looking at the scenery, and the beautiful statues of famous people, Nie Aifang smiled and said with emotion, “Qiu Qiu, I didn’t expect…” She smiled and didn’t say anything further.
Nie Qiu smiled, immersed in the passionate atmosphere just experienced, and didn’t hear what Nie Aifang said clearly. Hearing Nie Aifang speak, she finally reacted, “Mom, what did you say?”
Nie Aifang shook her head and smiled, “I’ll wait for you in the guard room. You should go to class! Didn’t you say you had to go to the office after morning self-study?”
Nie Qiu nodded and smiled, “Then… Mom, wait for me. I’ll come find you after morning self-study ends.”
Nie Aifang smiled and nodded, “Okay, go ahead!”
Nie Qiu turned and ran towards the teaching building. The classroom had already been cleaned and looked brand new. Nie Qiu smiled as she entered the classroom, picked up the workbook placed on the desk, and began to lecture those who were ready to attend class. She smiled and said, “I am very grateful to everyone for holding this farewell party for me. To be honest, it has given me a lot of feelings. I am very happy and honored to have met you all as friends.” With that, she bowed deeply.
“This may be the last time I stand on this lectern to study with you all. I also hope that everyone can put in effort and make progress.” Opening the physics workbook, Nie Qiu smiled and said, “Please turn to page thirty-nine. We’ll be discussing thermodynamics. The difference and formulas for heat absorption and heat release.”
Everyone in the classroom listened attentively. Nie Aifang, standing outside the classroom, also watched attentively. She couldn’t help but sigh; this amnesia had changed her daughter a lot, making her much more cheerful. She was happy and hoped to see her daughter like this.
“Friendships at this age are the purest!” Teacher Yang stood behind Nie Aifang and looked into the classroom with her, watching the students studying diligently. He said with a smile.
Nie Aifang nodded and watched with a smile.
The dismissal bell rang. Nie Qiu tidied up her books and then walked out of the classroom. Seeing Nie Aifang and Teacher Yang, she couldn’t help but smile, “Hello, Teacher Yang. Mom, this is Teacher Yang.”
Nie Aifang smiled and said, “I know. Teacher Yang, hello. I’m sorry, I was so engrossed in watching just now that I forgot to greet you.”
“That’s alright. You’re here to handle Nie Qiu’s transfer class application, right? Please follow me.” Teacher Yang said casually, leading Nie Qiu and Nie Aifang towards the office.
Huang Yan was pulling Peng Yu Yang, and Li Kai was followed by a few good buddies. More than half of the classmates from the class quietly followed. Since it was the end of morning self-study, students from many classes were active in the corridor. Nie Qiu and Nie Aifang, walking ahead, didn’t notice the people following behind. However, Teacher Yang glanced at Li Kai a few more times.
Standing in the office, Nie Qiu, Nie Aifang, and Teacher Yang completed the transfer class application form together. Nie Aifang hadn’t studied much and could only write a few characters. She didn’t write her own name very well and felt embarrassed, thinking she was embarrassing Nie Qiu. However, Nie Qiu and Teacher Yang didn’t mind. Nie Qiu held Nie Aifang’s hand and taught her to write each stroke for the parts that required writing, such as comments, guarantees, and signatures.
After finishing the transfer class application, Teacher Yang stood up and, holding three copies of the application, said, “I’ll submit this to the principal now. The application ceremony will be next Monday, and you can transfer classes.”
Nie Qiu and Nie Aifang both nodded with smiles. As they watched Teacher Yang leave the office, a female teacher inside the office smiled and said to Nie Qiu, “Nie Qiu, come here for a moment! I have something to ask you.”
Nie Qiu was stunned for a moment and walked over, “Hello, Teacher.”
“Yes, hello.” The female teacher smiled kindly. “Although I teach Chinese, I don’t teach Class 1. However, I am the homeroom teacher for Class 1. You can call me Teacher Liu.”
“Hello, Teacher Liu,” Nie Qiu greeted politely.
“Nie Qiu, I just saw that you’re here to fill out the transfer class application, right? I’m also very satisfied with your grades. I hope you can continue to work hard. If you maintain this performance, you’ll definitely be able to get into a good provincial first high school!” Teacher Liu said with a smile, but her words carried seriousness. “I don’t want you to think you’re amazing just because you’re coming to Class 1. You need to know that you were only eighth in the grade on this monthly exam. There are seven students ahead of you with better grades. So, when you get to Class 1, you absolutely cannot slack off, understand?”
Nie Qiu looked up at Teacher Liu, somewhat taken aback. Teacher Liu’s earlier kindness seemed like an illusion. How could a teacher speak so harshly? Teachers should be like Teacher Yang, offering positive encouragement! Not using pressure to make students improve!
Could it be… she was afraid that after going to Class 1, her grades wouldn’t be as good as she imagined? Could it be… she was afraid that after going to Class 1, she would drag down Class 1 and lower the enrollment rate for key high schools? That’s right, the original Nie Qiu’s grades were at the bottom of the entire grade. The exam points for each monthly exam were based on the knowledge points learned that month, so many people thought that she had improved recently, and it was just that she had studied well this month. However, the Senior High School Entrance Examination relied on knowledge points from all three years of junior high school. If she couldn’t get into a key high school, it might affect the bonuses of all the subject teachers in Class 1.
Seeing Nie Qiu remain silent, Teacher Liu sighed, “I know that studying in Class 1 would sound much better when spoken of. But Nie Qiu, I don’t want you to come to Class 1 just for the reputation. I hope you are truly here for your studies. And I truly hope you can get into a good school.”
Nie Qiu suppressed her impatience and nodded with a smile, “I understand.” She didn’t say yes or no, just that she understood.
Nie Aifang, standing to the side, felt a bit uncomfortable. Rationally, she knew that teachers talking about and educating students was normal. In their era, even scolding and corporal punishment were common. But emotionally, she couldn’t quite accept it. This was her daughter. She could educate her, scold her, or curse her however she pleased, but others couldn’t! She just felt uneasy!
“Yes, it’s good that you understand,” Teacher Liu smiled. “Then you can go down and prepare! I’ll arrange your seat. Oh, and also, ask other classmates about some of the materials our class needs to buy. Try to buy them at Xinhua Bookstore, okay?”
Nie Qiu didn’t speak and looked at Nie Aifang. Nie Aifang held Nie Qiu’s hand, smiled and said goodbye to Teacher Liu, claiming they had something to do, and turned to leave the office.
