Chapter 54: Shadow
“Teacher Li, can you switch my child’s desk mate to a high-achieving one to help him along?”
“Teacher Tong, is your math tutoring class still accepting students? Sigh, I told my child to sign up, but he wouldn’t. Now look how fast others are improving. That Ruan Xi is in your tutoring class, right?”
As soon as the parent-teacher conference ended, a wave of parents came for consultations. Before Tong Yao could even get back to her office, she was surrounded by a crowd of parents in the hallway.
“This… the child’s self-discipline is also very important. It’s better for tutoring to be voluntary, but if he comes, I will definitely accept him.”
“Yes, yes, Teacher Tong is right. My Yiran is in an outside tutoring class, and the effect is not good. I don’t know how much money we’ve wasted. The teachers at the school are the most reliable.”
“Teacher Tong, what kind of university can my child get into in the future? Can you help him set a goal?”
…
An hour later, Tong Yao returned to her office, exhausted.
She was very tired, but she still had to smile. She collapsed into her seat. Thinking that she was discussing a child’s future with their parents, she felt it was a worthy endeavor.
Most of the children at No. 1 High had responsible parents. They had basically been strictly educated since childhood, otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to get into No. 1 High. This also made the home-school connection particularly important, because everyone valued it, wishing that parent-teacher conferences were held once a month and that the child’s situation was notified via text message.
“Mr. Chen, you said you would be late, but the parent-teacher conference is already over. Why haven’t you come yet? This is irresponsible of you towards your child!”
In a corner of the office, the homeroom teacher of Class 4, Liu Jian, was earnestly persuading someone on the phone. Tong Yao’s gaze shifted to him, and she guessed who was on the other end of the line. With a frown, she really didn’t have the heart to face such a paranoid parent again. Looking at the time, it was already 6:30.
She couldn’t let Ruan Xi’s mother wait any longer.
She sat up straight, packed her bag, then checked her makeup in the mirror. There was no problem, so she sent a message:
“Ruan Xi’s Mom, I’m free now. Where are you? If you’re at the school, I’ll come find you directly.”
Ruan Xi’s Mom: “Little Xi and I are at the school gate. Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Tong!”
Tong Yao: “You’re welcome. It’s my duty.”
She walked in a hurry, weaving through the parents and students who had not yet left. The atmosphere of family reunions was mostly joyous. For the few children who had regressed significantly, their parents would not scold them in front of everyone. The teachers had been instructed to emphasize the children’s mental health issues during the parent-teacher conference and had shown a few videos that had been shown at the teacher’s meeting, which made the parents cry. Which family didn’t treat their child as a treasure? After watching the videos, the parents all told their children after the meeting, “Mom will never be fierce to you again,” which also moved the children to a daze.
Although in a few days, they would still scold when they should.
But at least at that moment, the child could feel a strong love and warmth.
In the crowd, she brushed past a girl walking in the opposite direction. Her arm was bumped. She looked up from her phone and, looking back, could only recognize a familiar back. That back was lonely and swaying, like it was gradually sinking into a boundless swamp in the crowd, and was finally swallowed by the crowd, disappearing without a trace.
The phone vibrated.
She came back to her senses and saw that it was the group chat for the second-year grade group.
Teacher Li: “Having top students help poor students is outdated. The poor students are not willing to learn at all, and it’s easy to corrupt the top students. Now it’s the top students helping the excellent students, to let those excellent students know that there are always people better than them, to see how the top students study, and not to be proud and complacent.”
Teacher Lu: “That makes sense.”
Tong Yao looked at it. It was probably the teachers complaining about the seating arrangement in the group chat and exchanging experiences. Although what Li Hanqiang said was cruel, it was true. To help poor students, it couldn’t be solved by just an excellent desk mate.
And why should the excellent students sacrifice their own time?
At the school gate, Ruan Xi’s mother saw her daughter constantly looking at a piece of stainless steel on the gate as a mirror and was speechless.
“You’re just meeting a teacher, is it necessary? Don’t you see each other every day?”
Ruan Xi stammered, “It’s different.”
The No. 1 High school uniform had no tailoring. Unless the figure was particularly exaggerated, otherwise, boys and girls looked pretty much the same from the neck down. The young girl tried to pinch the fabric at her waist behind her back. Sure enough, her small waist immediately appeared, and it also made her chest look a little bigger.
“What are you doing!” Her mother slapped her daughter’s hand away. Suddenly, she reached out, narrowed her eyes, and pointed into the distance. “Is that your Teacher Tong? My eyes are not good, I can’t see clearly.”
Hearing this, Ruan Xi was instantly invigorated. She looked in that direction and then flustered.
“Yes!”
The beauty in the distance was wearing a pure white high-necked knitted top, a beige A-line skirt, and a pair of plaid canvas shoes. After changing out of her professional attire, she seemed to have completely become a girl of the same age, who would laugh, make a fuss, have a little temper, and maybe even… fall in love.
The latter part was all Ruan Xi’s imagination.
She only knew that Teacher Tong was very beautiful, and her language was too poor to describe it. She felt like an ugly duckling, always trying to get close to the swan.
Not just the toad, but the ugly duckling also wants to eat the swan’s flesh.
Ruan Xi’s mother saw her daughter’s face was flushed red and thought the child was shy to see the teacher. She laughed and went forward to greet her.
“Teacher Tong, over here!”
Tong Yao turned her head, saw the two of them over there, and hurried over.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“No, no, I’m already very grateful that Teacher Tong could find the time.”
“Then… shall we talk while we walk?”
“Okay, okay!”
The young girl followed behind, silently listening to the adults in front discussing her situation.
This feeling was a bit bad.
In her imagination, it should be her clinging to Teacher Tong, telling her mother bit by bit how Teacher Tong had cared for and taken care of her.
But…
“You really don’t have to worry. Ruan Xi is a very obedient child. I think she can get into Xiamen University or Central South University.”
“Really? I was so worried about her in her first year of high school. She couldn’t keep up back then and would call me crying all the time…”
Ah!!!
Ruan Xi was already screaming in shame in her heart.
Mom told her all my embarrassing stories!
But… Teacher Tong seemed to be enjoying listening.
And… so her mother had always been worried about her studies, but didn’t dare to say it, for fear of putting pressure on her.
She knew that her mother had always felt guilty for not being able to provide her with a rich material life, but she didn’t really envy those wealthy people. At least she wasn’t cold or hungry, better than some and worse than others, and now…
She also had someone she liked.
With Teacher Tong as her goal, her life was instantly enriched.
It was just a pity that the atmosphere between her and Teacher Tong had been strangely restrained since the Arts Festival.
“We’re here.”
Tong Yao looked up at the restaurant’s sign. There were already quite a few students in school uniforms inside. She found a four-person seat, sat down on the inside, and then, the sofa under her shook. She turned her head in astonishment and found the young girl sitting next to her, staring at her, her eyes filled with either shyness or defiance.
“Little Xi, why are you sitting there?”
Ruan Xi’s mother’s surname was Gu. Ms. Gu was now very surprised. Her daughter, who had always been very clingy, was actually sitting with the teacher for dinner.
“Mom, I’m sitting with Teacher Tong.”
The young girl’s face was flushed with a lingering cherry blossom pink. She secretly glanced at Teacher Tong, pretended to pick something up, and then moved a little closer.
Tong Yao was not sure what the young girl was thinking. She uncomfortably drank some cold water and held up the menu to cover her face.
“…Just let her sit here. It’s a good thing for a child to be lively.”
“Mhm, Teacher Tong is right.” Ms. Gu nodded repeatedly.
Ruan Xi found that the most common thing her mother said to Teacher Tong was “Teacher Tong is right.” Like many parents, she treated the teacher’s words as a royal decree. She highly suspected that if Teacher Tong said “dating is conducive to learning,” her mother would also nod in agreement.
The three of them just ordered some home-style dishes. The spiciness of the Hunan cuisine was extremely appetizing. Although it was cheap, the flavor was full, and everyone ate happily.
“Hey, I see that many parents of third-year students have started to look for houses to accompany their children in their studies,” Ms. Gu sighed. “I heard that the houses nearby have all been rented out. I also want to come and accompany Little Xi for a period of time when she’s in her third year.”
“Mom, are you not working anymore?” Ruan Xi looked up, her mouth still full of food. “I don’t need you to accompany me. Please don’t rent a house.”
“How much are the school district houses now?” Tong Yao nodded, worrying about the little one’s life events with Ms. Gu.
Ruan Xi felt that she was being ignored.
“A suitable one is 5000 a month,” Ms. Gu frowned.
“That’s indeed quite expensive. The price will probably go up next semester.”
“I heard them say that accompanying a child in their studies has great advantages. I think so too. It’s so good to have your own space. You don’t have to queue up for a shower, no one will disturb you when you sleep, and you won’t disturb others if you study late. You can also cook and do laundry for Little Xi. This will be a great convenience for the child.”
The only problem was money.
The closer the house was to the school, the wider the lion’s mouth opened.
But for the sake of their children’s college entrance examination, countless parents were willing to scramble to stick their heads into the lion’s mouth.
“Mom…” The young girl’s voice was much smaller. “You don’t need to rent a house…”
She also realized the benefits of being a day student. The convenience for studying and resting, the convenience for practicing drawing—when she drew in the dorm, someone would always come to look over her shoulder, which was very disruptive to her train of thought.
“Indeed, being a day student can also allow parents to care for their children’s mental health in a timely manner, especially during the college entrance examination period. It’s very important for parents to help their children de-stress,” Tong Yao said. “Actually… Ruan… Little Xi and I get along quite well. My teacher’s dorm is too big for me to live in alone. She can live with me. She’s stayed at my place a few times and seems to have adapted well.”
After she said this, something like a sugar-coated cannonball exploded in Ruan Xi’s mind.
Live… at Teacher Tong’s place?
Live with Teacher Tong?
She barely dared to think further.
That was the deepest fantasy in her heart. If she thought any further, the dream would be over.
“Little Xi, you’ve stayed at Teacher Tong’s house?” Ms. Gu’s face was full of disbelief, as if her obedient daughter had turned into a little clingy dog. “You’ve caused trouble for Teacher Tong again? Teacher Tong, thank you for your kindness, but I’ll still find a way to deal with the housing issue myself. I really can’t trouble you with this.”
Mom! My own mom!
Ruan Xi’s heart was about to bleed.
Although she knew she shouldn’t cause trouble for Teacher Tong, that she couldn’t always receive Teacher Tong’s favor… but the opportunity to live together was slipping away like this. If it weren’t for the crowd, she would have already cried herself unconscious.
The young girl lowered her head in sadness, her toes tapping the ground. Teacher Tong was completely engrossed in chatting with her mother and didn’t even look at her. Was she still minding the kiss from that day?
“We’re done eating. Let’s call it a day, shall we? I’m going back to the school first.”
In the midst of their laughter, the dishes on the table were already clean. Tong Yao wiped her mouth, stood up, and said goodbye.
“Okay, take care, Teacher Tong!” Ms. Gu waved, then looked at her daughter. “Little Xi, want to come back to the hotel with me?”
“Mhm…”
Ruan Xi answered absent-mindedly. Suddenly remembering something, she slammed the table, stood up, and ran after the departing Tong Yao. “Mom, I’m going back to get my schoolbag. You go to the hotel first!”
“Hey, Little Xi…”
Her mother’s calls grew further and further away.
But Teacher Tong was getting closer and closer.
“Teacher Tong!”
Tong Yao turned back. The young girl was running straight towards her, her ponytail swinging high, a little comical, but also very energetic.
“I-I’m also going back to the classroom…” Ruan Xi said, her face turning red again. “Shall we go together?”
Tong Yao held her bag and said, “Sure.”
And so, the young girl quickly moved to her side, not just wanting to be side by side, but also close.
They walked in silence.
But strangely, it wasn’t awkward when the two of them didn’t speak. Even if they weren’t doing anything else, just walking forward, there was a quiet and beautiful feeling.
“Teacher Tong…” The young girl shyly tilted her head. “During the exam… can I stay at your place? I have trouble sleeping in the dorm…”
Tong Yao didn’t answer immediately. In an instant, she thought of many things—concerns, panic, nervousness. Fortunately, her facial expression management had always been good, so she didn’t show it. She felt she should refuse, but the words got stuck in her throat. It wasn’t until they entered the school that she slowly said, “…Okay.”
The young girl’s joy was obvious.
But Tong Yao’s heart was even more chaotic.
When they reached the classroom door, the young girl was going in to get her schoolbag, and she was going to the office. They were probably going to part ways.
“You go first…” She stood in the hallway and had just opened her mouth when her voice came to an abrupt halt.
A shadow fell rapidly past them.
This… was already the fourth floor.
That figure, in the instant she glanced to the side, she saw the school uniform on the shadow. In that moment, she realized it was a person.
A living person.
Perhaps soon to be “was.”
