Chapter 53: Parent-Teacher Conference
This afternoon was the parent-teacher conference.
For teachers other than the homeroom teacher, parent-teacher conferences were actually very relaxed. They usually didn’t need to show up, but when Li Hanqiang invited Tong Yao to communicate with the parents in Class 7, she didn’t refuse.
She had to prepare well.
Tong Yao knew that she was new, and she didn’t look much like a teacher. Parents might have doubts because of her appearance and qualifications, but she believed that Class 7’s math scores were convincing enough. Besides, her relationship with the children was too close. Traditional parents would probably trust a strict teacher who used both kindness and authority more than a soft persimmon like her.
A teacher is a teacher. What’s the point of being friends with students?
She had always been a calm and understanding person. The students weren’t afraid of her and treated her like a gentle older sister. Sometimes, if they didn’t hand in their homework, she would let them off with a few soft words—fortunately, this was No. 1 High, and most students were self-disciplined enough. Otherwise, she didn’t know what her math class would have become.
Perhaps one day, she would also become the kind of fierce vixen that the students talked about.
Before the parent-teacher conference, the parents’ group chat was very lively. Li Hanqiang had posted the class’s report card and some comparative data in the group. A group of parents were saying, “Thank you for your hard work, teachers,” and “Thank you, teachers.” Although it was in the nature of fawning, for fear that the teachers would be dissatisfied with someone and give their child a hard time, Tong Yao, as a teacher, was still quite moved to see the words of thanks.
The names on the report card were covered, only the student numbers were revealed. Of course, every parent knew their own child’s student number, and for other students’ scores, they could basically only ask their own child. Although this veiled method had limited protection for privacy, it could still maintain the self-esteem of some parents and children.
Jiali’s Mom: “Oh, is it your family’s Ji Chen who’s first again this time? So amazing /thumbs up”
Ji Chen’s Dad: “Ha, this kid has finally gotten the hang of it. Your Jiali is also very amazing /big laugh”
Yiming’s Mom: “Sigh, if only my Yiming was half as hardworking as yours.”
Yiran’s Mom: “Boys are all mischievous. They’re already in their second year of high school, it’s time to focus /hammer”
A group of parents, some genuinely admiring, some feigning politeness. At this age, if they weren’t showing off their husbands, they were showing off their children. In short, Tong Yao found it very entertaining to watch.
But her amusement soon turned into a headache.
In her WeChat messages, a bunch of people were requesting to add her as a friend. These parents usually didn’t pay much attention to details, but now that they saw the whole class’s scores and were worried about their children’s math, they all wanted to consult her. Questions like “My child’s math was very good in middle school, why can’t he keep up in high school?” were ones she had answered countless times. The parents were too embarrassed to ask in the large group, so they all came to her in private messages.
In the dense list, her sharp eyes caught a name that made her eyelid twitch—Ruan Xi’s Mom.
The profile picture was a young girl riding a bicycle.
That’s right, it was that little girl with the surname Ruan, who was disrespectful, caused her trouble, but was also quite cute.
Many parents seemed to like using their children as their profile pictures. Tong Yao was just glad that Jiang Wu and Tong Sicheng didn’t do that—Tong Hua had wanted to use her as his profile picture, but after a beating, he didn’t dare.
She didn’t know what she was hesitating about. Was it the guilt of facing the parents after getting involved with their daughter? Wake up, I haven’t done anything! That kiss… a teacher encouraging a student, can that be called a kiss?
Tong Yao’s heart was pounding as she clicked “Accept.”
“You have added ‘Ruan Xi’s Mom.’ You can now start chatting.”
The other party didn’t say anything. Then, as if possessed, she clicked on this mother’s Moments.
I’ll just take a quick look, she told herself.
The other party hadn’t set any restrictions. The latest post was celebrating her daughter’s improvement in her exams. Scrolling further back, most of them were related to business.
October 5th.
“My daughter called me today, crying that she was so tired of studying there alone. I wish I could fly over to be with her, or bring her back to my side.”
This was a post from the last monthly exam, Tong Yao guessed.
Scrolling back to the summer vacation, there was finally a family photo of the Ruan family. The father was tall and thin, but his back was not very straight. The mother was gentle, but she looked older than Jiang Wu, who was about the same age, with a hint of unyielding stubbornness and a struggle against aging. This time, Tong Yao also recognized Ruan Xiaobei. The two siblings had inherited all the good looks of their parents. The boy had his hands in his pockets, and the girl was well-behaved and cute.
Just then, a WeChat message popped up. Seeing the sender, Tong Yao quickly switched back.
Ruan Xi’s Mom: “Hello, Teacher Tong. I’m so sorry to bother you. Thank you for taking care of my Little Xi at school. Little Xi has told me everything, and she also said that you are her favorite teacher. I’d like to treat you to a meal after the parent-teacher conference today or this weekend to talk about my child’s studies. Do you have time?”
The other party was very direct, unlike some parents who would beat around the bush, first saying “hello,” and then after a reply, “may I ask if you have time,” wasting time. Tong Yao had originally wanted to refuse directly, because she also knew that the young girl’s family was not well-off, and parents would be embarrassed to treat a teacher to a cheap meal, which would undoubtedly add a lot of financial burden. But after the parent-teacher conference, there would definitely be many parents coming to find her, and she couldn’t guarantee that she would have enough time to communicate with Ruan Xi’s mother in the office.
Considering everything, having a meal together was the most efficient way.
She thought for a moment and replied, “Okay, let’s do it tonight. Is the Original Flavor Noodle Shop at the school gate okay? I have something urgent and can’t go too far.”
The Original Flavor Noodle Shop was not a simple breakfast stall, but a small restaurant with decent decoration. Besides rice noodles, you could also order some home-style dishes. Many students would go there for a meal on weekends.
Ruan Xi’s Mom: “Okay, thank you for your trouble, Teacher Tong.”
The conversation ended. Tong Yao leaned back in her seat and let out a long breath.
She was going to have dinner with a student’s parent tonight.
It seemed… a little nerve-wracking.
**
The parent-teacher conference was an important event for the school to show the parents the teaching results and to educate the students from both home and school. To welcome the parents, the campus had to be cleaned, the cafeteria had to add a few meat dishes, and the classroom’s major clean-up went without saying. The floor had to be polished until it was reflective.
The life committee member and a few boys moved a few boxes of Nongfu Spring to the classroom and placed them on the desks one by one. After all, serving tea to guests was basic. The other boys went to move chairs, because some students had both parents attending, and there weren’t enough seats. Ruan Xi was sweeping the floor. Her phone had been returned at noon. She had contacted her mother and was a little expectant about the parent-teacher conference.
Previous parent-teacher conferences had been spent in trepidation.
“Everyone, put your mid-term exam papers, monthly exam papers, and entrance test papers on your desks, neatly arranged. Your parents will be looking at them. Don’t be the one whose parents have nothing to look at when other parents are looking.”
Labor Reform announced cruelly from the podium.
No one would be foolish enough to hide their papers from their parents, because that would be even worse—”You can’t even take care of your exam papers, what kind of student are you?!”—such a scolding was commonplace.
At three in the afternoon, the parents entered.
Ruan Xi accurately found her own mother at the door of another classroom.
“Mom!”
“Sweetie,” her mother turned back in surprise, then smiled. “I couldn’t find your classroom.”
Ruan Xi was a little embarrassed. She actually wanted her mother not to call her “sweetie” at school, but… seeing her mother whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, she let her.
“Have you gained some weight?”
Her mother looked at her daughter’s face and was surprised to find that her daughter’s complexion seemed a little rosier than before. She shouldn’t say she had gained weight, but… she was a little more plump and smooth. Before, she was a bamboo pole, but now she was a vine with body lines.
“No!” Ruan Xi retorted with a red face. “Where did I gain weight?”
On the side, a boy passed by, smiled, and gave a salute.
“Hello, Auntie!”
“Oh, hello.”
After the boy was far away, she asked with a gossipy tone, “Who was that?”
Ruan Xi pouted. “My desk mate. Don’t mind him.”
“He doesn’t like you, does he?”
Her mother was an experienced person and could see through a young boy’s thoughts clearly.
“Him?” Ruan Xi tilted her head as if it were a joke. “How is that possible?”
Her mother shook her head. Her daughter had no interest, so she didn’t plan on interfering. Thinking of dinner, she gave her a heads-up.
“I’m treating your Teacher Tong to dinner tonight. You have to come too, understand?”
But she didn’t expect this sentence to make Ruan Xi’s heart stop.
The young girl suddenly became a stutterer.
“You-you… are treating Teacher Tong? Why?”
“Didn’t you tell me how much your teacher has taken care of you? You have to be grateful. Of course, I have to thank your Teacher Tong in person.”
“But… but…” The young girl was speechless, and then she thought of a key question. “Where are you taking Teacher Tong to eat?”
“The Original Flavor Noodle Shop. Teacher Tong specifically chose it.”
“Mom!” The young girl covered her face. “How can you take Teacher Tong to that kind of small shop! The tables in that restaurant are all oily!”
Next, the young girl spent three minutes telling her mother that Teacher Tong was a super genius and a gentle, rich, and beautiful woman. She remembered the day she met Teacher Tong at the shopping mall. It was said that there was a Michelin three-star chef upstairs, and she… could she only treat Teacher Tong to rice noodles?
She had actually saved some money and had always wanted to treat Teacher Tong to a meal at the right time.
“Huh?” Her mother was also stunned. “Then what should we do? Should I tell Teacher Tong now and change the restaurant? She doesn’t want to go too far. I’ll look for something more expensive nearby… Oh my god, how could I be so thoughtless?”
She really didn’t know that her daughter’s Teacher Tong was such a precious little fairy. In her daughter’s heart, she was almost a goddess, right?
As a mother, her daughter admired a female teacher so much, and she actually felt a little sour in her heart.
But she was also glad that her daughter had met such an outstanding teacher.
“Mom, let’s just forget it…” Ruan Xi scratched her hair and sighed. “Since Teacher Tong chose it, let’s just go to the Original Flavor Noodle Shop… She must be trying to be considerate of us.”
She didn’t want to disappoint Teacher Tong’s kindness, and she didn’t want her mother and Teacher Tong to engage in the polite charade of adults.
She didn’t want her relationship with Teacher Tong to be stained with a disgusting, utilitarian blemish.
What she owed Teacher Tong, she would repay in the future.
This kind of thought of hers… was really—
Shameless.
**
The parent-teacher conference began. Tong Yao sat in the last row of the classroom, waiting for her turn to go on stage.
The students had already been dismissed and were wandering around the campus, waiting for the parent-teacher conference to end.
The young girl’s mother… was not far from her. To be precise, only two or three meters away.
“Next, let’s welcome Teacher Tong to speak.”
After various procedures, Li Hanqiang clapped on the podium.
She took a deep breath and walked forward. No matter what she was thinking in her heart, what she showed was always a proper, generous, and glamorous side.
“Hello, parents. I am the math teacher, Tong Yao.”
Her appearance was like pressing the pause button on the parents’ mental activities. Then, amazement, doubt, admiration—the emotions she was already used to facing were now handled with more ease.
Class 7’s math had ranked first among the parallel classes in two consecutive exams.
Data was the most direct truth.
Rendered by her excellent temperament, and under the awe of her genius halo—
She had completely won the hearts of the parents.
Ruan Xi’s mother clapped in her seat. No wonder her own daughter admired and loved her so much. If she were to describe this Teacher Tong, it would probably be…
A peerless beauty.
