Chapter 70: Chapter 70: Small Meeting in the Library
[🎉 Shoutout to Lost4art, Jose & H.O.N. for joining patreon. Thank you very much.🤗]
Wen Shu continued speaking, "Teacher Zhu, besides you, how many in our school are actually worthy of being teachers? You'd better stop worrying about them."
"This… Student Wen, is that how you see it?", Teacher Zhu seemed to be witnessing, for the first time, a Wen Shu who was not so obedient and had a bit of temper.
"Mm! To the people in this school, being a teacher is just an ordinary profession. How many of them actually think of themselves as educators guiding students?"
"But the teachers are nice to you…"
"When I was in elementary school, my grades were average. I was often bullied, and no teacher ever stood up for me. Later, when my grades improved and I had a chance to get into an academy, they were willing to help me."
Wen Shu's clear, bright eyes looked at Teacher Zhu, "So tell me, should I thank these teachers who avoid harm and seek benefit, or should I thank myself for becoming better?"
Teacher Zhu was left speechless. She lowered her head and thought about it—what Wen Shu said seemed quite reasonable.
Being a teacher was just a job to make a living. Teaching was their duty, while nurturing students was an extra kindness. As long as they did their basic job well, why should they waste energy building bonds with students who had no chance of getting into good schools?
"Good!", Qin Siyang gave a thumbs-up, "As expected from our grade's number one—what a well-spoken argument. If you ask me, Teacher Zhu, you should take a break when you need to, spend time with your granddaughter when you can. There's no need to watch over the library all day. Just give me the keys—if I'm here, the library won't get messy."
Qin Siyang opened his meal box and stuffed a Giant Crown Duck wing into his mouth, chewing with loud crunches.
With just one bite, a burst of rich, meaty juice filled his mouth, making his eyes light up.
'Damn, the special breakfast made for the school's teachers and leaders was way better than lunch or dinner.'
'No wonder the teachers ate so happily in the school cafeteria—turns out the food at the staff window was worlds apart from the food at the student window.'
'So it wasn't that the cafeteria chefs didn't know how to cook—it was that they simply didn't want to cook good food for the students.'
He really wanted to punch those cafeteria chefs.
Forget it. He was eating for free anyway—no point in complaining too much. A beggar shouldn't be picky about leftovers, right?
Teacher Zhu, having worked at Ju'an School, already knew the breakfast in the cafeteria tasted good. But Wen Shu had probably never eaten it before.
Qin Siyang's mouth was stuffed with food, making it impossible for him to speak.
"Mm! Mm!", He hummed twice at Wen Shu.
Wen Shu looked up in confusion and saw Qin Siyang excitedly pointing at his meal box while giving frantic thumbs-ups, as if to say the food was really good.
Qin Siyang swallowed the delicious bite with effort, "Try it! It really tastes great. Way better than the cafeteria's lunch and dinner."
"The cafeteria's breakfast is a special supply for the staff window, so the taste is indeed great," Teacher Zhu agreed.
Hearing both of them praise the food, Wen Shu put down her pen, moved over, and opened a meal box.
She picked up a slice of black-and-white Rabbitfish and put it in her mouth.
Her eyes immediately lit up with surprise, "It really is delicious!"
"I told you! This is from the teacher's window. I can eat as much as I want, so I brought a portion for both you and Teacher Zhu. Teacher Zhu, don't eat at home anymore—it's such a waste of money. I'll pack extra every day so you can bring it home for your granddaughter. Stop letting her eat the slop from the student window."
Teacher Zhu smiled slightly, "Alright."
Qin Siyang then asked, "By the way, why didn't Zhao Liren come to the library to study today? Does he not need to study anymore?"
Wen Shu let out a chuckle, "Got scared away by you."
"Me?"
"He came to the library before you arrived, solemnly apologized to me, and even said he was ungrateful, that he had interfered with my relationship with you. He asked me to pass on his apology and hoped you wouldn't take it to heart."
Qin Siyang curled his lips, "That Young Master Zhao sure retreated quickly. I haven't even had the chance to look for him, yet he came to admit his mistake first. He knows how to adapt to the times."
As Teacher Zhu organized the bookshelf, she said, "You even hit teachers at the school gate—how would he dare provoke you, you little demon king?"
"Please stop tidying up. You're already at this age, and you still insist on keeping busy. I'll finish eating soon—just leave it to me."
Teacher Zhu wasn't sure whether she felt sad or sentimental, but for once, she actually listened and put down the book she was holding. She sat on a chair beside them and let out a sigh.
"Alright, you're all grown up now, speaking and thinking like adults. Seeing you two good kids grow up makes me feel quite comforted."
"You're saying that like you're about to leave or something," Qin Siyang made a joke, but he noticed that Teacher Zhu didn't respond.
Both he and Wen Shu found it strange. They looked up and saw a bitter expression on Teacher Zhu's face.
"No way… Teacher Zhu, you're not…"
Teacher Zhu waved her hand, "An old ailment—it's incurable. No need to worry. Everyone has their fate, and my life is pretty much settled. You two still have a long road ahead—live well."
"What exactly is it? Tell us."
"Stomach cancer—no cure."
"Late-stage stomach cancer?"
Teacher Zhu shook her head, "No, mid-stage. But I'm on the edge of the safe zone. There's no hospital here capable of performing stomach cancer surgery, and the hospitals that can, I can't afford. I'll probably hold on for a few more years before it's time to go."
"I've lived longer than my husband. I've seen a lot in this life—there's nothing much to regret."
She spoke as if she had come to terms with it, but her voice still trembled slightly.
Only now did Qin Siyang realize that the always kind and smiling Teacher Zhu had been battling cancer all along.
In all the time he had known her, he had never seen any sign of worry on her face about her illness.
Teacher Zhu took a deep breath, "Alright, let's stop talking about this. It's making everyone feel down. Life and death—one must learn to take it lightly."
"Don't say that! I was even planning to talk to the education department's leaders and get you a government post. You can't just go like this."
Teacher Zhu was first surprised, then smiled with gratitude, "I appreciate the thought, but I'm not suited for that."
"I even managed to get Aunt Zhang from the cafeteria promoted to Director of Moral Education. Getting you a position in the education sector isn't a big deal."
"Huh? This… isn't this nepotism? Even though Xiao Zhang is a nice person, Student Qin, what you're doing isn't right."
"How is this nepotism? This is appointing the capable. Teacher Zhu, this is the apocalypse—we don't have that many moral standards anymore. The people in power at the edge of the safe zone are all beasts, relying on family connections or awakened abilities to climb up—how many of them actually do their job?"
Wen Shu agreed, "I support it. With your character, taking a position in education would be a blessing for the students. Think about it—the apocalypse has been going on for ten years now, and even awakened ability users have built dozens of universities. Yet, Ju'an School still doesn't have courses on apocalypse awareness and sequence abilities. Isn't that the education department's failure?"
"If you take a job in the education department, just doing your normal work will make you better than 99% of the current officials."
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y