Chapter 9: Her Pushkin
The evening tutoring session lasted until just after nine o’clock.
“Alright, time to head back, everyone.” Tong Yao capped her marker. “Raise your hand if you don’t have parents picking you up and you don’t live in the dorms.”
As it turned out, nearly half the students raised their hands.
Tong Yao felt a bit of a headache coming on. “Don’t rush then. I’ll walk you to the bus stop.”
Xu Yin thoughtfully declined, “Teacher, there’s no need. We usually go home by ourselves on weekends anyway, and it’s not that late. Besides, there are five or six of us walking together, nothing will happen.”
Tong Yao thought about it. True, these boys from Class 4 are big and sturdy; protecting a few girls shouldn’t be a problem. If I join them, it might actually increase the risk of attracting unwanted attention.
“Alright, send me a message when you get home,” she said finally.
The departing students shouted their agreement, their voices echoing in the stairwell.
Only Ji Chen and Ruan Xi were left in the room.
“Um, Teacher Tong…” Ji Chen clutched his scratch paper, looking awkward and nervous, as if he wanted to ask a question. Tong Yao leaned her hands on the table and rubbed her temples, fatigue written all over her face. She said softly:
“Okay, save your questions for tomorrow. Go get some rest early.”
Ji Chen paused for a moment. “Oh, okay… You too, Teacher.”
After Ji Chen left, Ruan Xi, who was the last one remaining, felt her heart tighten. The words “Teacher, I have a question” that were on the tip of her tongue were forced back down.
But Tong Yao saw through the little girl’s attempt to hide her intentions. Leaning back against the table, she smiled and asked:
“What’s wrong? Do you have a question?”
Ruan Xi felt even more embarrassed, not knowing how to answer without troubling Teacher Tong. Finally, she whispered:
“…Mm.”
“It’s okay, go ahead and ask,” Tong Yao blinked. “Come here.”
“But…” Ruan Xi stammered, “Just now, Ji Chen…”
So she’s feeling awkward about that.
Tong Yao smiled. “He’s a boy; it wouldn’t be appropriate to let him stay. You’re different.”
Although she had just become an adult, Tong Yao wasn’t a fool who didn’t understand human nature. Ji Chen was a student, but he was also a boy only two years younger than her. Boys at this age were like little teddy dogs, their minds active. If he stayed here asking questions for a long time, it wouldn’t seem right no matter how you looked at it. Similarly, experienced male teachers wouldn’t keep female students alone to explain problems either.
Ruan Xi’s heart drummed. She thought, If it’s inappropriate for a boy, is it appropriate for a girl? Is it because a girl… wouldn’t have those kinds of thoughts about you?
That seems logical.
The little girl slowly approached. Tong Yao took the notebook and the heavily annotated test paper from her hands, feeling quite gratified.
“You don’t understand this question?”
“Mm… this step. It feels like… how was it suddenly proven?”
I smell it again.
Ruan Xi couldn’t control the heat rising in her face.
The fragrance on Teacher Tong.
What is wrong with me…
Tamamo on the floor rubbed against her feet, seeming to really like this new big sister. At first, Ruan Xi didn’t know it was the little fox rubbing against her and thought it was a bug or a rat, giving her a fright. After Tong Yao noticed, she called the little fox away.
“It rarely rubs against others,” Tong Yao laughed. “Looks like it likes you.”
The girl lowered her head, blushing furiously.
I’m liked by Teacher Tong’s pet…
When Tong Yao wasn’t speaking, the room was quiet. The sound of turning pages was fleeting, and breathing was clearly audible.
Time always passed quickly when she was with Teacher Tong.
Before she knew it, it was 9:30.
Tong Yao helped Ruan Xi pack up her test paper and notebook. Since Ruan Xi lived on campus and the school was absolutely safe at night, she didn’t walk her back.
“Go back and sleep early,” Tong Yao said as she saw her off at the door.
Ruan Xi put on her backpack and was about to go downstairs, but she hesitated. She turned back, seeing Teacher Tong and the little fox in her arms both looking at her. Thinking about making a request to someone of a teacher’s status for the first time, she became even more nervous and asked with a trembling voice:
“Um… Teacher Tong, can I still come tomorrow afternoon?”
“Afternoon?” Tong Yao thought for a moment. “Tomorrow afternoon is the tutoring class for the other 12 students? You want to listen to it again? The content is the same, you know. It’s not necessary.”
“Mm,” Ruan Xi nodded. “I think if I listen to it twice, I’ll grasp it better…”
“Don’t you want to rest? I see you guys only have Sunday free to go out and play, and you still have weekend homework to write. If you come for tutoring, you won’t have any entertainment time.” Tong Yao shook her head with a smile. “Work and rest should be balanced; you can’t get fat from one bite.”
But Ruan Xi shook her head desperately. “Teacher, I don’t need entertainment time. Taking classes here with you is very relaxing… I mean, my mindset is very relaxed… so, so…”
Ruan Xi was so anxious she couldn’t speak clearly, beads of sweat appearing on her forehead.
“Alright then,” seeing her like this, Tong Yao wouldn’t refuse. “I’m certainly happy you’re willing to learn. If you come a bit earlier, you can even have lunch with me. How about that?”
Lunch! Together?!
This bombshell almost knocked Ruan Xi out on the spot.
“H-Having lunch… wouldn’t that be too much trouble for you, Teacher Tong?”
“Not at all,” Tong Yao shook her head, her eyes curving into crescents. “I cook for myself and can’t finish it alone anyway, and rice isn’t expensive. Of course, you’re welcome if you come. But let me know before you come so I can cook enough rice for two.”
“Mm!”
Ruan Xi couldn’t suppress the joy in her heart. Flowers bloomed in her parched heart, and her gray world was embellished piece by piece. People can persist mostly because of hope, because they believe in the beauty of tomorrow—and Ruan Xi, at this moment, firmly believed that tomorrow would be better than any other day.
“Goodnight, Teacher Tong!” She shouted this sentence and ran downstairs without looking back.
“Walk slowly,” Tong Yao breathed a sigh of relief after sending off the last student.
A bit tired.
But, there’s also a fulfilling sense of happiness and joy.
I have nothing else to do anyway.
But if I can bring some positive changes to these students’ lives… then this life won’t be in vain.
However, looking at the footprints all over the floor, Tong Yao felt a headache coming on again.
I can only honestly mop it up.
After cleaning up and washing up, it was nearing ten o’clock. Checking QQ, basically all the students had replied to her, with the exception of Xu Yin.
Not home yet?
She frowned, feeling nervous.
Thank goodness I kept Xu Yin’s parents’ number.
“Hello,” she called, praying inwardly that nothing had happened. “Is this Xu Yin’s mother?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Has Xu Yin arrived home? She hasn’t replied to my message, and I’m a little worried.”
“Huh? She got home ages ago, that child.” Xu Yin’s mother sounded surprised. “Little Yin, didn’t you call your teacher?”
A scream with bathroom reverb came through Tong Yao’s phone:
“Ah! I forgot! Mom, give me the phone!”
“Hello, um, is this Teacher Tong?” Xu Yin asked urgently from the other end.
“Yes,” Tong Yao released her hand from her hair. Thank goodness it was a false alarm. “Are you taking a shower?”
“…Mm.” Xu Yin’s voice became very small, but surprisingly clear in the bathroom acoustics. “Sister Yao Yao, I’m sorry, I forgot.”
“It’s okay, as long as you’re safe.” Tong Yao sighed in relief. “I should create a group chat for you guys so you can reply in the group and remind each other. Alright, go to sleep early, I won’t disturb you anymore.”
“You’re not disturbing me!” Xu Yin said hurriedly, but couldn’t find another topic for a moment. She could only hear Tong Yao’s soft chuckle. After a goodnight, the call ended.
The girl in the bathroom was filled with regret.
She should have taken the initiative to call Teacher Tong; that way, they could have chatted longer. Now it was all over. Replying in QQ in the future meant the most legitimate reason for calling was gone.
“Ah!! I’m not resigned to this!”
Xu Yin walked out of the bathroom in her pajamas with a face full of regret, like she had lost millions. Her mother in the living room saw her and asked curiously:
“Are you that close with your teacher? I don’t see you chatting like this with other teachers.”
“Mm!” Speaking of the teacher, Xu Yin happily started promoting her again. “Mom, our Teacher Tong is super nice! And super pretty too!”
“Is that so?” Mother Xu didn’t think much of it. “How much do you have to pay for this tutoring?”
“Teacher Tong doesn’t charge money!”
“That good? Then this Teacher Tong is not bad. She sounded quite young on the phone too.”
“Hehe.”
At school.
The dorms closed at eleven. On Saturday night, the playground was empty, except for Ruan Xi.
She walked onto the soccer field. The artificial turf was covered with small rubber granules. The cool breeze that only existed at night blew gently. Tonight was a moonlit night. The moonlight was as beautiful as before, but her mood—
Was different.
Ruan Xi knew clearly that her life at school was different now.
If life deceives you,
Do not be sad, do not be impatient.
Melancholy days will pass,
Joyful days will come.
“I thought my high school life would just be like that…”
She whispered.
“Thank goodness.”
She remembered a movie she watched in middle school. She didn’t understand it then, but now, she seemed to understand a little more.
‘Some of us get dipped in flat, some in satin, some in gloss. But every once in a while, you find someone who’s iridescent, and when you do, nothing will ever compare.’
After meeting her, you realize that everyone else is just a floating cloud.
**
**
Tong Yao didn’t have the habit of sleeping in. In this life, she was as regular as a robot.
A few minutes before the morning alarm rang, she woke up and turned it off in advance.
It was Sunday.
The perfect face in the mirror had gone from unfamiliar to familiar. Her hazy eyes gradually cleared. She splashed cold water on her face, droplets sliding down her tender skin to her neck, making it chilly inside her clothes.
‘Since I get to do it over, I will be a perfect person.’
This thought took root like a conviction.
Actually… she didn’t have this pursuit at the beginning. It was just using the advantage of her past life’s memories to get a little praise and recognition, doing the best she could. But unconsciously, she seemed to have gotten used to this, and the people around her had gotten used to her being like this.
“Tamamo, time to eat.” She stir-fried some meat and cabbage. A plate for the little fox, a plate for herself, serving as breakfast. After breakfast and washing the dishes, she fell into a state of having nothing to do.
She was efficient at work, and lesson preparation was already done. At this moment, she was bored enough to tap her fingers on the table.
What else can I do?
Repeat this life until retirement.
I even… miss that child a little.
Just a little.
**
