Chapter 154: The Class President
On the last day of military training, there was a parade performance.
Class 9’s performance was average. Some students even made mistakes, and they only got a third prize. But Tong Yao was very happy and said, “Everyone has done a great job.”
She even brought a small cart over. The foam box on the cart was full of ice and drinks.
“Hooray!” The students cheered, feeling a little guilty.
After all, they themselves didn’t think they were great.
After the performance, it was time to say goodbye to the instructor. After a brief separation, many people were reluctant to part. The first-year high school students were forgetful and emotional. They filtered out the times when the instructor was fierce. After half a month of getting along, they found that the instructor after the military training was quite kind and approachable. They all went forward to add the instructor’s QQ and WeChat.
Li Minghe stood on the periphery of the crowd. The conflict on the first day had long since melted away. In the following days, the instructor always praised him for his good performance. Since the instructor didn’t take it to heart, he couldn’t be too petty either—but in the end, he still couldn’t bring himself to say a few words.
And so, the first-year high school military training officially came to an end.
At the same time as school started here, Dongyang’s elementary school also started.
Xizhu Bilingual Experimental Elementary School, the name was so long that she didn’t know how to abbreviate it. Afraid of perverts and kidnappers nearby, the little girl was as delicate as a carved jade. Tong Yao didn’t dare to let her go to and from school by herself and had to personally pick her up and drop her off to feel at ease. Along the way, she emphasized this and that, and even she herself found that she was becoming more and more long-winded.
“Don’t talk to strangers. You must listen to the teacher,” she held Dongyang’s small hand. “If someone bullies you, you must tell me, tell the teacher. If an adult, including a teacher, bullies you, you must tell Little Aunt even more, you know?”
“I know,” Dongyang’s steps were light, her schoolbag on her back, looking at the school gate with longing. She had never been to kindergarten. For this bigger school, elementary school, her heart was full of yearning.
In the first grade of elementary school, many parents would directly send their children to the classroom door. After sending Dongyang into the classroom, Tong Yao happened to run into the homeroom teacher who was coming towards her. She quickly went forward to greet her.
“Teacher Qu, I’ll have to trouble you with my Dongyang.”
The homeroom teacher of Class 1(3), Qu Man, was a Chinese teacher with more than ten years of teaching experience. On the night of registration, Tong Yao had found time to treat her to a meal. She understood the thoughts of parents. They were always afraid that their children would be wronged. Even if they were not, they hoped that their children would get more attention from the teachers.
A child who is paid attention to is always more confident and cheerful.
“Not at all, not at all,” Teacher Qu said with a smile. She had a very good impression of this colleague’s parent, especially after knowing Dongyang’s background. Her heart was filled with more pity, and she also admired this woman who was willing to adopt a child. “Then I’ll go in first.”
“Mhm, okay.”
Tong Yao stood at the back door, watching Dongyang find her seat, put down her bag, and become desk mates with Bailu from upstairs. The corners of her lips curled up in a shallow smile. Suddenly, Dongyang turned her head, waved at her, as if to say, “Don’t worry.” So she also waved her hand, as if to say, “Study hard and get along well with your classmates.”
“Is that your older sister? She’s so pretty!” The elementary school students asked with curiosity.
“She’s my little aunt.”
When Dongyang looked back again, she found that her little aunt was already gone.
In a strange environment, without her little aunt by her side.
Her heart felt a little empty.
**
“Dongyang has gone to school,” Tong Yao said on the phone while rushing to school. “Sigh, I’m always worried.”
“Children’s adaptability is very strong,” Ruan Xi chuckled. “Dongyang will definitely make a lot of friends. She looks like the popular type.”
“Not at all. Dongyang is very fragile, and her mind is particularly sensitive,” Tong Yao said. “And she has no sense of security.”
“That’s because she likes to act spoiled in front of you.”
“Mhm… what are you doing?” The topic changed.
“Looking at materials.”
“I see that the other children all have parents, with a father’s love and a mother’s love,” Tong Yao brought the topic back, walking on the road and kicking a small stone. “Will Dongyang have psychological defects if she grows up with me?”
“How could that be? There are so many single-parent families in this world,” Ruan Xi was alert. She had heard that parents of kindergarten and elementary school students were the most likely to cheat. “And, I can be Dongyang’s dad.”
“You really dare to say that. You’re clearly the mom.”
“Then I’m the mom,” the young girl quickly got into character—anyway, she had to have an identity.
Tong Yao started to worry again. “And, what if she’s influenced by us and likes girls in the future…”
Ruan Xi said, “Then let her like them. That’s her freedom. What’s wrong with that?”
“I feel you’re too indulgent with her,” Tong Yao pouted. “How can naturally falling in love be the same as being influenced by parents? It’s as if we’ve deprived her of the opportunity to like boys. Oh, I’m at the school building. I’m hanging up.”
After hanging up, she returned to the office and found that the results of yesterday’s academic ability test had already been sent to the large group. They had only tested math, all of which was content from the first two months of the first year of high school. There was no prior notice. The purpose was to test their self-study situation during the summer vacation. The difficulty of the questions was not deep. Most of those who had previewed would know, and those who hadn’t really couldn’t solve a single one.
In Class 9, only three people had passed.
In other words, only three people had done their preview work during the summer vacation and military training.
She was a little troubled. Many children who had good grades in middle school would regress in high school because they couldn’t adapt, not to mention these students who had mostly muddled through middle school.
The only gratifying thing was that among the three people, Xia Zhi’s score was close to full marks. It seemed that her saying she was studying during the summer vacation was not a lie.
Because of this, she had made Xia Zhi her class representative.
But, what gave her the biggest headache was that this class did not have a reliable class president. The position of class president was a thankless job. You had to manage discipline and do all sorts of miscellaneous things. And the person who became the class president could not have grades that were too poor, had to have a good character, and also had to be popular… Li Hanqiang and Liu Jian were simply blessed to have class presidents like Ji Chen and Xu Yin.
When it was time to elect the class president, Li Minghe did not raise his hand to run. Tong Yao was already very fortunate.
But the result was that no one took the initiative to run for class president.
“Is no one going to be one?” Tong Yao forced a smile and encouraged, “This is an opportunity to train yourselves.”
But she also knew that the class president of this class could not possibly control that group of boys led by Li Minghe. She had heard that Li Minghe was with those hooligans from the upper grades and was very likely to take over as the school bully. Which student would dare to manage such a classmate?
Do I have to appoint a class president?
Perhaps… she should jump out of the mindset of a democratic election. In a class like this, it might be better if she appointed the class officers. If everyone had the right to vote, they might even elect a pop star as president.
“If no one is running, I’ll appoint one.”
She looked at a rather tall boy. His grades were average, but he had several buddies who played basketball, so he should have a certain appeal.
“Luo Heng, how about you be the class president?”
The boy named Luo Heng gave an awkward smile.
“Teacher, I have no experience. Let’s just forget it…”
The meaning of his resistance was not hard to guess.
Tong Yao didn’t plan on making things difficult for him, but she was in a difficult position herself.
“Let Li Minghe be one,” a boy jeered. It was Li Minghe’s little brother.
Tong Yao looked troubled. She wanted to say that Li Minghe was not suitable to be the class president, but… she found it hard to say.
Such words, whether they were true or not, were very hurtful.
“I don’t want to be one,” Li Minghe said with a look of impatience, lying on his desk, half-asleep.
The person in question didn’t want to, so the jeering also stopped.
Just then, in the quiet classroom, Tong Yao saw a small, wavering hand—
Xia Zhi’s hand was quietly raised, close to her ear, her fingers half-curled, as if she could retreat at any moment.
She was very nervous.
Tong Yao’s eyes lit up.
“Xia Zhi, then you can be the class president.”
The whole class looked over, in an uproar.
It wasn’t that they didn’t like Xia Zhi, but they were surprised that in the end, a gentle and quiet girl was chosen. This girl… what could she do? With no authority, who could she control?
But Tong Yao felt that Xia Zhi could. The scene at the supermarket that day was still vivid in her mind. From then on, she felt that Xia Zhi was very principled and would not easily give in. Under her gentle exterior was a firm heart.
Xia Zhi was dazed. She felt that Teacher Tong was so isolated and helpless, and she had raised her hand on impulse. But when she was really elected, she was not yet ready.
It’s still not too late to retreat…
What reason to use? Just use the reason that “I’m already the math representative and I’m too busy”…
Her lips trembled. She looked at Teacher Tong’s face, took a deep breath, and lowered her head slightly.
“Mhm, I’ll do it.”
“Good,” Tong Yao smiled. A major event was settled, and her heart was finally relieved. “Everyone, please give our class president a round of applause. You have to support the class president’s work in the future.”
The students clapped symbolically.
During dinner time, Tong Yao went to the elementary school to pick up Dongyang from school. She had a class in the last period, and the dismissal time for the first year of high school was naturally different from the first grade of elementary school. When she arrived, at the noisy and bustling school gate, Dongyang was among a few small children, obediently waiting for her at the school gate.
“Have the others all left?” She quickened her pace and ran to Dongyang, her heart aching. “How long have you been waiting?”
Dongyang shook her head. “I finished my homework in the classroom and just came out. Little Aunt just happened to come. I didn’t wait.”
“Really? Don’t lie to Little Aunt.”
“I really didn’t wait,” the child blinked her innocent, dark, and bright eyes.
Tong Yao sighed inwardly, rubbed Dongyang’s face, and smiled. “Let’s go, let’s go home.”
“Mhm!” The little girl said goodbye to the classmate who was still waiting for her mother next to her. “I’m leaving. Bye-bye.”
The classmate who was playing with marbles on the ground looked up. “Bye-bye, Xu Dongyang.”
“A new friend?” Tong Yao was curious.
“Mhm, he sits in front of me.”
“Is the school lunch good?”
“It is. Today was shredded potatoes, cabbage, and stir-fried pork with chili,” the child counted on her fingers.
“Was there anything interesting at school?” Tong Yao’s gaze became even gentler.
“Interesting things…” Dongyang thought for a moment. “I became the class president.”
“You ran for it yourself?”
“Mhm, I was elected unanimously!”
“So amazing, mua.”
