That sentence is the reason for perseverance.

Gently pulling open the classroom door, he walked in slowly, his eyes quickly scanning the room… and found what he was looking for. Satisfaction settled on his face, a smile blossomed, and he turned to write a large “6” on the blackboard. Today marked the sixth time since the parent-teacher meeting that the class had a perfect attendance.

Pointing at the “6,” Zhang Pa said, “Four more days, just four more days until barbecue night. Let’s keep it up, everyone.”

Given how low Zhang Pa’s expectations were—having to cheer them on just for showing up to class—the students responded loudly, “No problem!”

Zhang Pa chuckled, “Let me remind you again, four days to go. If anyone suddenly skips class, you know what to do, right?”

Yu Yuan stood up and shouted, “Damn it, if anyone keeps me from that barbecue, I’ll never let them live it down.” He was tall, heavyset, and his bluster was almost intimidating.

Zhang Pa was pleased. “And no leaving early, either.” He went to sit at the desk by the window. Not long after, the math teacher arrived. Zhang Pa greeted him, then got up and left.

He was skipping out, USB drive in hand, heading back to Xingfuli. First, he picked up his bicycle from the repair shop at the corner, then went to check in on Old Zhang the Fourth. Poor man still hadn’t been released.

When Zhang Pa arrived, Old Zhang’s wife said, “The police said, unless we hand over the dog, they won’t let him go. Something about assisting in their investigation.”

Zhang Pa asked, “Do you want to give them the dog?”

She replied, “Old Zhang thinks the dog’s important. I think people are more important. What do you think?”

Zhang Pa considered. “What did Old Zhang say to the police?”

She said, “Doesn’t matter what we say; someone saw him bring the dog home yesterday.”

Zhang Pa nodded. “I think you should talk it over with Old Zhang before you decide. Otherwise, you’ll just end up fighting.”

She agreed.

Zhang Pa then said goodbye and rode home.

No one was at Wang Baihe’s place, nor in any of the three rooms upstairs. The silence made Zhang Pa a little uneasy.

He went into his room, turned on the computer, and started working.

No one disturbed him all morning, and he finished his tasks with full concentration. At noon, he bought a cold noodle dish and mulled over what to do with the script as he ate.

There was another important matter: after listening to Fatty and the others’ advice, he’d decided to wrap up his current book. The recent chapters were all leading toward the ending. The difficult part wasn’t the ending—it was how to start the next book.

Liu Xiaomei’s mother had said that only a man with a happy, stable life could marry her daughter. He really did need to earn more. If he wanted to settle down, he couldn’t just rely on a teacher’s salary of six thousand a month. So, what kind of book would give him a better chance at some success?

First was the choice of subject matter, then the genre, but most crucially—the main storyline! The main line is the soul, the plot is the flesh…

He let his mind wander, then shut down the computer and went out.

That afternoon, the students were in class. Fatty and the others were playing video games. Liu Xiaomei was likely at work too. How did he, of all people, end up with so much free time all of a sudden?

He pedaled his bike to Hexinyuan Community—a name that’s truly hard to remember.

He rushed over, almost forgetting that there were still two big dogs at home. Luckily, the two brutes were well-behaved, curled up in his room without making a mess or a sound.

He checked the room; it was spotless. He leashed the dogs and took them out to the flowerbeds.

Carefully, he held on tight to the leashes, scanning left and right—at the first sign of children, he’d pull the dogs back home.

Fatty came out for a smoke. “Aren’t you tired, living like this?”

Zhang Pa replied, “I’m happy.”

“Idiot,” Fatty squatted down, “Da Zhuang signed up, and so did Tiger.”

“For what?” Zhang Pa asked.

“A martial arts competition—some variety show on TV, can’t remember which station. They did it last year, doing it again this year. You need a recommender and all sorts of nonsense. It’s a hassle.”

“Can they do it?” Zhang Pa asked.

“No chance for Da Zhuang. But if Tiger performs well, maybe he’ll get on TV. Da Zhuang wants to throw money at it, make it a live ad for his gym.”

Zhang Pa smiled. “Don’t you think he’s working too hard?”

“Of course,” Fatty blew a smoke ring. “Didn’t you say you could blow smoke rings too?”

“I forgot.” Zhang Pa tugged the dogs to head back.

Fatty took a drag, stubbed out his cigarette, and followed him inside. “What’s going on with the web series? Last time at Turtle’s place, everyone agreed to chip in. You keep stalling—it saves us money, sure, but what about Da Zhuang? It’s his place.”

Zhang Pa said, “You have the script and the equipment. You can film it yourselves.”

“Hell no. My philosophy is, if we’re going to do it, we do it right. Even if you’re not a pro, you’re the tallest dwarf in the crowd, aren’t you?” Fatty said, “Let’s get serious and start.”

Zhang Pa shook his head, unhooked the leashes, patted the big dogs, letting them play on their own. He stood behind Turtle, watching them play.

Turtle said, “Want to join a round?”

Zhang Pa shook his head. “Don’t know how.”

“Are you even from this era? You don’t know this classic… Damn it, you’re a useless teammate,” Turtle swore.

After standing there a while, Zhang Pa went out to buy food for the dogs, put it in the room, greeted Fatty and the others, and rode his bike back to school.

The school was the same as ever, the students the same as ever—idly killing time in the classroom. One student was watching a low-budget film on his laptop, a crowd gathered around him.

Even when Zhang Pa entered the classroom, no one bothered to rein themselves in.

He knocked on the lectern. “Am I invisible?”

One student called out, “Teacher, want to watch with us?”

Zhang Pa was exasperated. What kind of bunch was this? He knocked on the lectern again, “Li Yingxiong got into a fight outside. Anyone have news?”

“No idea. Li Yingxiong’s a blockhead, needs a lesson,” Yun Zheng shouted.

“Oh? I haven’t given you a lesson yet, have I?” Zhang Pa responded.

Yun Zheng said, “We’re a class, a team. We shouldn’t fight among ourselves.”

“Save it. He Shengsheng, you know anything?” Zhang Pa asked.

He Shengsheng stood up and replied, “No. None of us have been in touch with anyone lately.”

Zhang Pa nodded, “Sit down.” He looked at the dozens of students, all doing their own thing, and asked, “Isn’t there anyone here who actually studies?”

A few students glanced up at him.

Zhang Pa said, “Getting a zero on the exam—does that look good to you?”

“No exam, no problem,” Wang Jiang replied.

Zhang Pa was defeated. Raising his voice, he said, “Well, since we have nothing else to do, let’s have a class meeting.”

“Teacher, got any sunflower seeds?” Yu Yuan asked.

“Be serious, please. Today’s topic: when do you plan to enter society? After middle school? Or after two years at trade school?”

No one answered.

Zhang Pa turned to Lao Pi. “You start.”

Lao Pi stood up. “Never thought about it.”

“Think about it now. Here’s the truth: you’re all going to grow up. You’ll have to work and earn money. No one can coast through life forever,” Zhang Pa said.

“Why not? Eat, drink, and be merry all your life,” someone called out.

“If you want to go straight to prison after graduation, I won’t say another word. Otherwise, let’s have a real talk. To live, you have to support yourself! If you have a woman you love, you’ll have to support her too. So, what will you use to do that?”

“My family’s rich,” someone else shouted.

“Fine, you can ignore this topic. Anyone else? Lao Pi, is your family rich?”

Lao Pi said, “Teacher, why do you always pick on me?”

Zhang Pa smiled. “You’re still young, reckless, but that’s not right. Let me give you two words: rules. To live in this world, you have to follow rules. For ordinary people, that means earning a living. With your grades, you’re not going to be engineers or doctors. So ask yourselves—what can you do?”

“No one likes to be lectured, and I don’t want to lecture you. I just hope you think about what I’ve said. Think it over at home too. At the very least, figure out what you can do.”

He looked at the blank faces below. “Since no one wants to speak, class meeting’s over. Go home and think about how to earn a living. Think about what you’ll get from slacking off your whole life.”

The students answered, some half-hearted, some indifferent, “Got it.”

Knowing is useless, but Zhang Pa didn’t want to waste more words. He lingered in the classroom a while, then left.

For these students who refused to learn, Zhang Pa wanted to try a different approach—maybe talk to the principal.

Climbing the stairs, he couldn’t help but give himself a wry smile. Was he really starting to care about his students?

In his original plan, even after taking the job, he’d never intended to get too invested. Just get through the year, let the students graduate safely, collect his salary, and that would be that.

But people have feelings. Setting aside the rest, he had to think about the futures of Yun Zheng and the five monkey-like boys. That pressure made him hope the kids would at least be willing to learn.

The principal wasn’t in his office. Zhang Pa called him, and when he heard the principal’s voice, the man was cheerful. “You free tonight? Join me at a dinner.”

“A dinner?” Zhang Pa asked.

“Yes,” the principal said.

Zhang Pa considered. “What do you need me to do?”

“Drink,” the principal said. “Help me handle the toasts.”

Zhang Pa sighed. “At least you’re honest.”

“What’s there to hide? I’m the principal. Even if you’re just trying to curry favor, you should help me drink,” the principal said. “Don’t leave after school. Wait for my call.”

“I’m not going,” Zhang Pa replied.

“You should know something: we’re in this together. You help me out tonight, I’ll put in a good word for you when you need it,” the principal said.

Thinking of his wild teaching ideas, Zhang Pa sighed and asked, “White or beer?”

“Of course, white liquor. The good stuff! Several hundred a bottle—most people wouldn’t dream of drinking it.”

“Are we entertaining officials?” Zhang Pa asked.

“You’ll see tonight. Keep your phone on. That’s it,” the principal said, ending the call.

Zhang Pa let out a long breath. So even teachers had to do this kind of socializing?

Thinking about all the liquor he’d have to drink, he went out and bought some hangover medicine. Like it or not, there are some things you just have to do.

He stayed quietly in the classroom until the end of the school day, waiting for the principal’s call. But something unexpected happened—Li Yingxiong was ambushed.

Strictly speaking, Li Yingxiong shouldn’t have come to class. But last week, he’d given Blackie and his crew a proper beating. Li Yingxiong was worried Blackie would retaliate against his classmates, so he’d come back to school.