117 Fight it to the end.

The evening was quite eventful. I acted as a devoted bodyguard to resolve Liu Xiaomei's troubles, a supportive big sister to comfort Long Xiaole, and a warm-hearted nanny to watch over the "five monkeys" upon returning home. By the next day, I was back to being the bumbling Teacher Zhang at work.

Being a teacher is indeed foolish. It is exhausting to cajole, threaten, and bribe a group of kids who have never studied into actually doing their work.

On Friday at school, I saw Wang Jiang standing at the classroom door. Hu Wanhua had come to school specifically to thank him.

Human beings are strange creatures. Most people are incredibly stubborn; whether they are smart, foolish, disabled, or not, once they set their minds on something, no amount of persuasion will work. They insist on crashing into walls, doing things their own way, and trying it out for themselves. This includes you and me.

Some are unlucky; they act blindly and stubbornly, and it is only after suffering a loss that they realize how foolish they were. Take Hu Wanhua, for example. She is young, and after this incident, while I cannot say she has turned over a new leaf, she has at least been well-behaved for a while.

She came to thank Wang Jiang, and I don't know what was said, but she ended up in tears.

Seeing Zhang Pa approach, Wang Jiang looked slightly impatient. "Alright, alright, it's fine. Go on back now," he said, turning and walking into the classroom.

Hu Wanhua murmured an acknowledgment and walked back, wiping her tears.

I glanced at her before walking into the classroom. "Is everyone here?"

"Everyone's here," came a scattered, lackluster response.

I scanned the room. It wasn't too bad; there were no empty seats. "Don't get annoyed with me, though I’m annoyed myself. Having to pour my heart out to you every day is exhausting, and yet you still don't listen."

"We do listen!" some students shouted.

"Listen?" I asked. "Fine. Raise your hand if you’ve been studying seriously lately."

The classroom fell silent instantly.

I am no deity, and these students are no robots. Aside from Yun Zheng, who had been moved, and Da Niu, who had his own goals—the only two actually reading—the rest were just putting on a show. Naturally, no one raised their hand.

I sighed. "Fine. Let's talk about something the school doesn't usually allow. Once you step into society, generally speaking, those who study well have an easier time. However, you can still survive without studying. The most important thing in life isn't just studying; it's being able to stay alive."

"Exactly! Teacher, you are so right!" As long as it didn't involve studying, this bunch immediately became full of life.

"But how do you stay alive?" I continued. "This might sound like nonsense, but some of you may have experienced it. They say online that 'if you don't court death, you won't die.' I want to tell you that this is true. It’s not just internet slang or a joke—it’s a reality. Let me tell you a true story: I had a classmate who lived near the school. One afternoon, a group of kids were playing wildly. There was a utility pole outside the school gate, and he tried to climb it. He reached the very top and was electrocuted to death. Another true story: there was a wharf near my house where they repaired ships. For some reason, there was a deep pit in the middle of the flat ground—maybe for work? I don't know why. A classmate from the next class went to play there, saw some water in what seemed like a small pit... and that was the end of him."

I took a deep breath. "These are true stories from my elementary school days. If you don't court death, you won't die. If you do, there will be retribution. Do you know why I'm telling you this? He Sheng-sheng, Sheng Yang, Luo Cheng-cai, and you two—you were all courting death. Fortunately, you've returned to school."

I paused. "I hate the phrase 'I'm doing this for your own good,' but that is exactly what I must say now. I am forcing the five of you to stay in school because it is for your own good. Really! You've watched enough gangster movies. Every one of them shows low-level thugs who have nowhere left to go. I am saying this seriously: there is no future in being a hoodlum."

"So, stop doing it. If you don't court death, you won't die." As I said this, I looked at Wang Jiang. While others might not understand what I meant, Wang Jiang certainly did. Hu Wanhua was the prime example of someone who courted her own disaster.

I clapped my hands. "Start reciting your books. Every little bit counts. Don't reach adulthood and find yourself drinking with friends, unable to even explain what the Pythagorean theorem is. That would be embarrassing."

Lately, at school, I’ve had to be earnest like this every morning, rambling on about seemingly useless things. I don't know how much of an effect it has, but I’ll take it one step at a time. I truly do not want these jerks in my class to continue being jerks.

Just as I finished, Teacher Huang, the homeroom teacher of Class 4, came to see me. "Xiao Zhang, I need to discuss something with you."

I smiled. "It’s my honor to discuss anything with you. Please, go ahead."

Teacher Huang said, "It’s like this. Hu Wanhua has returned to class, but she has fallen too far behind. She can't keep up in my class. Since I heard your class is starting from the basics, I was wondering if she could transfer to your class?"

Huh? I didn't know how to respond, so I said bluntly, "Is it possible for her not to transfer?"

"Not transfer?" Teacher Huang continued, "In my class, she has no friends, which isn't good for her growth. Don't you think? I think you are a responsible teacher, and perhaps a new environment would be good for her. What do you think?"

He had asked "what do you think" twice. What was I supposed to say? I thought for a moment and replied, "My class is all boys."

"But there is one girl, isn't there?" Teacher Huang said. "It's inconvenient for her to be the only girl in your class anyway. If Hu Wanhua comes over, it would be good for both of them."

I let out a soft sigh. "Let me think about it."

"No need to think, let's just settle it, shall we?" Teacher Huang said. "I've already asked the director, and he said it's fine as long as you agree."

"Don't we need to ask the student's opinion?" I asked.

"I need your consent before I ask her," Teacher Huang replied. "You can go to my class and look; she just sleeps on her desk, doesn't talk, doesn't read—it’s as if she doesn't exist."

I thought for a moment. "I still need to think about it."

"Take your time. I have to go to class now," Teacher Huang said, taking his leave.

I stood at the classroom door and looked inside. The room, formerly a physical education activity room, was huge. It could easily hold sixty-four people, let alone forty-six. After a while, I headed back to the office.

I spent the rest of the day as usual: copying study notes, returning to teach, and then going back to make more copies. I skipped lunch again, and it wasn't until two in the afternoon that I finally finished.

Back in the office, I carefully sorted the notes and tucked the originals away in my cabinet. I checked the time and called Liu Xiaomei. "Has that guy come by?"

Liu Xiaomei said no.

I thought for a moment and said, "Don't leave after school. Wait for me to pick you up." I was worried.

"Again? Don't go through all that trouble," Liu Xiaomei said.

I told her it was fine and hung up.

Since Wednesday, we had met for three days in a row. As soon as we met this time, Liu Xiaomei said, "It feels so good to be picked up. You should move in soon so you can pick me up every day."

I said, "You're becoming obsessed. That's all you talk about."

"What? You don't want to?" Liu Xiaomei asked. "If you don't pick me up, I'll go to your school every day... wait, you're always cutting class, so by the time I get there... never mind! I have to pick you up. Don't leave after school; wait for me to take you home."

I forced a smile. "I'll come to pick you up."

"No way. I must pick you up at least once. I’ll dress up beautifully and make a grand entrance at your school, letting the whole place know you have such a beautiful..." Liu Xiaomei stopped.

I smiled and asked, "A what?"

"An auntie, haha," Liu Xiaomei laughed. "That guy didn't come, and he won't be coming back. Let's go. Should we eat at my place or go out?"

"Whatever you want," I said.

"If it's up to me, let's eat at the dorm." As we headed back, Liu Xiaomei remembered something. "The song you asked me to work on—the lyrics and melody are almost done. How's your guitar practice coming along?"

She had jumped through three topics in one breath. I said, "Once I move in, we'll learn guitar together."

"I want to eat pig's trotters," Liu Xiaomei said suddenly.

That sounded fine. We went to the market, bought some braised trotters, and brought them home. But when it came time to eat, Liu Xiaomei only had two small, chewy pieces of meat with tendon. I finished the rest of the plate.

I remarked, "Just for the sake of your appetite, I should marry you. You're so easy to feed."

Liu Xiaomei looked at me with disdain. "Just because of that comment, I'm not marrying you."

I said, "I'll change, I'll change right now."

Liu Xiaomei changed the subject again. "Don't come tomorrow afternoon. It's too tiring for you to run back and forth."

I was startled. "Are you breaking up with me?"

Liu Xiaomei laughed out loud. "In your dreams! You want to break up with me? I haven't even possessed you yet."

I let out a sigh of relief. "I'm ready to be possessed at any time; it just depends on when it's convenient for you."

Liu Xiaomei ignored that and went back to the previous topic. "Didn't you say you have a dinner party on Saturday? The big gathering at Xingfuli. Go early."

I said, "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten."

Liu Xiaomei smiled. "You don't have to come tomorrow. Eat some fatty meat before you start drinking, or have a carton of milk. If you feel unwell after drinking, buy some hangover medicine."

I thought for a moment and said, "I should have enough time." The implication was that I still wanted to make the trip.

"Enough time for what?" Liu Xiaomei asked. "Every Wednesday and Saturday, we don't eat until after seven. If we buy groceries and cook, it's even later. Don't bother; I'll just go straight home after class tomorrow."

I thought about it and agreed.

It was a very interesting dynamic. Two adults, one thirty and the other nearly thirty, behaved like junior high students when they were together. The most intimate gestures were a hug or a light kiss on the cheek; most of the time, we just held hands. Yet, we both cherished it, enjoyed the feeling, and savored it.

Even when we were in the same room, we never overstepped any boundaries. To have such a beautiful woman and such a man, it was as rare as a giant panda.

We finished dinner quickly, and Liu Xiaomei brought up the animation project again. "Are you really giving it up? I think making an animation... you could learn, you could do it. We’d write the script, I’d handle the music, and we wouldn't have to spend a cent. We could create a brilliant and meaningful animation. What do you think?"