Every teacher hated students who broke the rules and refused to play by the book, especially thorns in the side who disrupted class order.
In Teacher Luo's eyes, Li Ye was exactly that kind of detestable "thorn in the side" right now.
The students from three classes had been merged into one, and things were already unstable. If Xia Yue, the former Class One monitor, was not suited to be class monitor, then no matter who replaced her, the class would only become even more chaotic.
Under normal circumstances, Teacher Luo would have dragged Li Ye out for a "good talk" by now, letting him learn that a cultured person's iron fist was no joke either.
But not now, because Li Ye was questioning Xia Yue's qualifications as class monitor on the grounds of "poor moral character."
In these times, the words "moral character" were an important standard that could be elevated into a major issue, even tied to something like being a "traitor."
Weren't all the villains in movies depraved scum with corrupt morals?
"What evidence do you have to prove that Xia Yue's moral character does not meet the standards for a class monitor?"
Teacher Luo spoke coldly, giving Li Ye a chance to explain himself.
Li Ye said calmly, "Xia Yue used her position as a class cadre to privately take away her classmates' parcels and letters. Without the recipients' knowledge, she opened classmates' mail and withheld their letters.
"If there was urgent content in those letters, or valuable items in those parcels, how much harm and loss could Xia Yue's actions cause the recipients?"
"Didn't she know that opening someone else's parcel without permission was against the law?
"Why would a student be so bold? Why would she act so casually?
"I believe that because of her status as class monitor, Xia Yue developed a desire for power above her classmates, which led to this lack of moral character."
"..."
The entire class was dumbfounded. They did not quite understand how Li Ye had turned what seemed like such a trivial matter into something connected to lawbreaking and moral depravity.
But upon thinking it over carefully, every sentence Li Ye had said made perfect sense and was impossible to refute.
Xia Yue panicked and immediately argued with Li Ye, "I only helped bring your mail and letters back for you. It was just classmates helping each other. You're slandering me."
"I'm slandering you?"
Li Ye sneered. "Didn't you open my parcel and look through the books someone sent me?"
With an ugly expression, Xia Yue forced herself to argue, "I was helping you study with me. Classmates are supposed to help each other."
Li Ye cut her off sharply. "You only need to answer whether you opened my parcel or not. Any excuse is merely a lie pasted over the truth."
"..."
Xia Yue opened and closed her mouth, unable to say a word.
The evidence was as solid as a mountain. How could she argue her way out of it?
Teacher Luo glanced at Xia Yue and immediately understood the general situation.
This kind of matter could be made big or kept small. At its smallest, it was curiosity between classmates—opening someone else's parcel to satisfy one's voyeuristic urges. At its largest, it was campus bullying.
Thinking of the recent rumors about "Huang Shiren" at school, as well as the large batch of affordable grain the school logistics office had just obtained, Teacher Luo could not help but feel a headache coming on.
Food was still distributed by ration in these times. If a household had even one big eater or half-grown boy, there would definitely not be enough food. If they wanted to eat their fill, they had to buy high-priced grain outside the quota.
Someone's grandfather had just helped solve your difficulties, and then his grandson immediately ran into campus bullying. What the hell were you trying to do?
Hold the emperor hostage to command the feudal lords. Hold the grandson hostage to command the grandfather?
Damn it, was that something a human being would do?
"Both of you, sit down! I will investigate this matter as soon as possible, but no matter what conflict you have, you cannot delay your classmates' lessons."
Teacher Luo shot Xia Yue a fierce glare, then turned and walked out the door.
Xia Yue sat down in a daze. Even after Teacher Ke stepped onto the podium, she had not called out, "Stand up."
Teacher Ke did not fuss over it. She picked up a piece of chalk and wrote her name on the blackboard: Ke Zhiyu.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Ke Zhiyu, and from now on, I'll be teaching your English class. Please turn to page eighteen and read it after me first."
Only then did Xia Yue snap out of it. Along with her annoyance, a surge of defiance shot straight to her head.
A connected student who failed every subject has the right to question me? You think you can get into university just by tattling?
Do you even know how to study? Do you understand what English is? You're a poor student, and you'll always be a poor student. Sooner or later, the teachers will understand who can truly bring honor to the school.
Xia Yue turned back and glared fiercely at Li Ye. Then she opened her textbook, sat up straight, and prepared to show the teacher what a top student was capable of.
In an era when university admission rates were extremely low, every student with a chance of getting into university was the school's treasure and enjoyed invisible privileges. Even if Teacher Luo wanted to remove Xia Yue as class monitor, teachers from the other subjects would speak up for her.
And when it came to English, Xia Yue possessed absolute confidence.
After Lu Jingyao got into Beijing Foreign Studies University, Xia Yue, as her close friend, had immediately sought her out, obtained Lu Jingyao's English study notes, and humbly asked for every "secret to studying."
Xia Yue had secretly studied at home for several months, and her English improved by leaps and bounds. Now, if she claimed to be second-best at English in Class One, no one would dare claim first.
It was now 1981. Just a few years earlier, neither middle schools nor high schools even had English classes, and English had never counted toward the total college entrance examination score. A small place like Qingshui County simply did not value English.
Only after the notice came this year that English scores would count for fifty percent of the total score in next year's college entrance examination did the schools begin to take it seriously.
County Second High School had weak teaching staff. It had never had a dedicated English teacher before, and English classes had been taught part-time by two teachers from other subjects. Their thick rustic-accented English sounded downright comical.
Compared to them, Xia Yue's English level was unmatched at the moment. She believed that Teacher Ke on the podium would recognize her at first glance as a "Qianlima."
"THE MONKEY AND THE CROCODILE"
"One day a little monkey was playing in "
The moment Teacher Ke began speaking from the podium, Li Ye was surprised.
This Teacher Ke had some real skill!
In his previous life, Li Ye had wrestled stubbornly with English, listening to countless kinds of original English materials.
He could not say that he understood that mysterious, indescribable thing called "the beauty of English," but he could certainly tell whether pronunciation sounded beautiful.
Teacher Ke's pronunciation felt even a notch better than that of Li Ye's university English teachers.
Compared with the pronunciation of County Second High School's two English teachers from a few days ago, the difference was like that between a national broadcaster and a village committee loudspeaker.
"THE MONKEY AND THE CROCODILE"
"One day a little monkey was playing in "
The Class One students began reading along. Xia Yue's voice was especially loud, while the other students sounded so feeble in comparison.
Li Ye had no intention of laughing at them. After all, their English education was not even equal to that of fourth-grade elementary school students in later generations. Mute English was a widespread phenomenon, and those who dared to read aloud boldly were already in the minority.
Li Ye quietly read the text after Teacher Ke, neither showing off nor trying to stand out. But the difference was too obvious, and it still drew the attention of his new deskmate.
Wen Leyu secretly glanced at Li Ye, her autumn-water eyes faintly filled with surprise.
More than a year ago, she and Mom had squeezed into that dilapidated room at Liuqiao Township Elementary School, living a poor yet peaceful life. Then one day, a Teacher Lu came to their door with gifts and asked Mom to teach his daughter English.
Mom had actually been unwilling at first. She did not want to stir up trouble, but Wen Leyu had only swallowed a few mouthfuls of saliva while staring at that bag of White Rabbit candy, and Mom immediately agreed.
The next day, Wen Leyu met Lu Jingyao, along with another person—Li Ye, who had brought Lu Jingyao over.
Lu Jingyao had a gentle personality and studied diligently. It did not take her long to win her mother's affection.
But this Li Ye was a different matter. He looked somewhat simple-minded. More often than not, he stared blankly at Lu Jingyao instead of putting his mind into studying.
Later, her mother said that the boy was not there to study at all. He was there to keep Lu Jingyao company, and he would most likely fail to get into university.
Yet Wen Leyu and Mom did not dislike Li Ye, because every few days, he brought scarce goods like candy, meat, rice, and flour. He also thoughtfully explained that according to rural customs, students were supposed to provide meals for their teachers.
Although Li Ye would eat with Lu Jingyao after the food was cooked, they could never finish it all. Most of it was actually left for Wen Leyu and her mother.
Later, perhaps because Li Ye's English grades had not improved much, he shifted all his energy to subjects counted in the college entrance examination and no longer went to Wen Leyu's home as often for tutoring.
But the various daily necessities had never stopped coming.
Until one day, Wen Leyu's mom quietly asked Li Ye, "If Lu Jingyao gets into university and you don't, what will you do?"
Li Ye had smiled and said, "We're engaged. What else can we do?"
Even now, Wen Leyu still remembered Li Ye's expression then. It was not the domineering look of some great man, but an indescribable calm contentment.
Wen Leyu's mom said that was anticipation for happiness.
But such anticipation might not necessarily bear fruit.
Wen Leyu did not know very clearly what happened afterward. Mom said it was hard to say who was right and who was wrong in such matters, but she believed that the boy before her had been let down by Lu Jingyao.
Especially after she came to understand the college entrance examination deeply, she found Li Ye's devotion all the more pitiable.
The college entrance examination was becoming harder and harder. The admission rate did not seem to change much, but for Li Ye, whose talent was ordinary, the possibility of testing his way to Beijing to find Lu Jingyao was growing smaller and more distant.
But just now, when Wen Leyu heard Li Ye reading the text aloud, a thought arose in her mind unconsciously.
So he had been studying English seriously too? For the lover in his heart, he had changed so much?
Wen Leyu read the text along almost automatically as her thoughts drifted. Every now and then, she would unknowingly glance at Li Ye.
But when she glanced over for the third time, she discovered that Li Ye was quietly looking at her.
Before you continue