Her Middle School Homeroom Teacher

After saying goodbye to Xiao Ya's parents in the remote mountain village,

Wen Ning immediately headed to the middle school Xiao Ya had attended while she was alive.

It was the middle school closest to the village.

It was also where Xiao Ya had spent three short years studying and met that young boy.

Before Wen Ning left, Xiao Ya's mother had held his hand, repeatedly telling him about Xiao Ya's former homeroom teacher.

She was a very gentle woman who had always looked after Xiao Ya. If he wanted to learn about what had happened back then, Teacher Wang would certainly be able to help.

Floating beside Wen Ning, Xiao Ya heard the names of her old school and teacher, and her small, translucent body swayed gently. Some of her earlier fear and unease gave way to a trace of nostalgia.

She tilted her head up to look at Wen Ning and uttered a few slurred but deeply earnest words.

"Teacher Wang~was~good to me~"

Wen Ning nodded at Xiao Ya.

"All right, we'll go to Qingshan Township Middle School and ask Teacher Wang. I'm sure I can find the boy who helped you."

Following the address Xiao Ya's parents had given him, Wen Ning set off again, though he was exhausted.

Still, helping someone like this truly made him happy.

Compared with the little village hidden deep in the mountains, the township middle school was noticeably closer and easier to reach.

After a minibus ride of a little over half an hour, Wen Ning spotted several shabby classroom buildings in the distance.

As he walked in for a closer look, he saw that it was a typical township middle school. It was small, with aging classroom buildings and a concrete playground, lacking the polish of the schools in the city. Yet it was an important stepping stone that could help those rural children escape their circumstances.

It was also where Xiao Ya had spent three years of her youth, treading carefully, burdened by insecurity and fear.

Classes were in session, and the campus was quiet except for the sound of children reading aloud in their classrooms.

Standing at the school gate, Wen Ning explained his visit to the guard, lying that he was a distant relative of Teacher Wang's and had come to see her.

The older guard was friendly. Hearing that he was there to see Teacher Wang, he let Wen Ning onto the campus without any trouble and even pointed him toward the teachers' office.

Xiao Ya followed behind Wen Ning, floating along and looking around.

Her gaze lingered on the classrooms, corridors, and corners of the playground, her eyes filled with nostalgia and a barely perceptible hint of nervousness.

She had suffered ridicule and rejection here, but she had also found her only source of warmth. To her, it was a place she both feared and missed.

Seeing how nervous Xiao Ya was, Wen Ning comforted her.

"Don't be afraid. Remember? Teacher Wang is a good person. She'll help us."

Xiao Ya seemed only half to understand. She nodded lightly, her small hands clutching the hem of her clothes.

When he found the teachers' office, the door was closed. Wen Ning knocked gently, and a warm female voice came from inside.

"Come in."

He pushed open the door. The office was not particularly spacious, with just a few desks piled high with exercise books and lesson plans. A woman in glasses who looked to be in her forties sat with her head lowered, marking assignments, her expression focused and gentle. She was Xiao Ya's homeroom teacher, Teacher Wang.

Hearing him enter, Teacher Wang looked up. Seeing the unfamiliar Wen Ning, she looked puzzled, set down her red pen, and asked with a smile,

"Hello, who might you be? Is there something I can help you with?"

"Hello, Teacher Wang. My name is Wen Ning. Sorry to bother you."

Wen Ning stepped forward, his tone very polite.

"I've come to ask about a student named Xiao Ya. She was in your middle school class about five or six years ago. I'd like to learn about her time here."

"Xiao Ya?"

At the name, Teacher Wang's smile vanished, replaced by deep regret and sympathy. Her brows drew together slightly as she softly repeated the name.

"I remember Xiao Ya. Of course I remember her. That poor child really broke my heart."

Once Xiao Ya was mentioned, Teacher Wang began to talk freely, her voice full of concern for that special student.

She told Wen Ning that when Xiao Ya first enrolled, she had already known the child was in poor health and had cerebral palsy.

She spoke and did things a little more slowly than the other children. She was also exceptionally shy and withdrawn, never initiating conversations and always huddling alone in a corner of the classroom.

"Some of the children in the class didn't know any better. They mocked her unclear speech and unsteady walk, and sometimes they bullied her, too. Whenever I caught them, I gave those students a stern scolding. I was always telling the class to look after Xiao Ya."

Teacher Wang sighed softly, her eyes filled with helplessness.

"Xiao Ya was such a good child. Even when she was mistreated, she never said anything. She would only cry silently. It was heartbreaking to watch."

Floating beside them, Xiao Ya heard Teacher Wang's words, and her eyes instantly reddened. She lowered her head and began to sob quietly.

The pain of being bullied and the warmth of Teacher Wang's protection surfaced before her eyes. She still remembered how Teacher Wang had always spoken gently to her and helped straighten her books after they had been scattered.

Looking at the distressed Xiao Ya, Wen Ning followed up on Teacher Wang's words with the most important question.

"Teacher Wang, I heard there was a boy in the class who always looked after Xiao Ya and chased away the classmates who bullied her. Do you remember who he was?"

"You mean Lin Cheng, don't you?"

Teacher Wang answered almost without thinking, a hint of fond satisfaction appearing on her face.

"Yes, it was Lin Cheng. He sat at the back of our class. He wasn't much of a talker, but he was very kind. Quiet as he was, he always helped Xiao Ya without a word."

Recalling those scenes, she continued slowly.

"Whenever someone bullied Xiao Ya, Lin Cheng was always the first to step in and stop them. He helped her pick up books that had been thrown away. If someone called her names, he would argue with them. He also helped her move desks and chairs. Sometimes, when Xiao Ya walked slowly after school, he would quietly follow behind her, worried something might happen to her on the way. I even told Lin Cheng back then that he was a kind, good boy."

Wen Ning's heart lifted, and he turned to Xiao Ya. Her sorrowful face instantly lit up. The apprehension in her dark eyes was gone, replaced by anticipation. That name, which she had remembered even after death, had finally been found.

"Teacher Wang, do you still have Lin Cheng's contact information? Or do you know where he is now?"

Wen Ning hurried to ask.

As long as they found Lin Cheng, the longing Xiao Ya had carried for so many years could finally be fulfilled.

Teacher Wang thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Lin Cheng did well in school. After graduating from middle school, he went to high school in the city. I believe he stayed there afterward to make a life for himself. I still have him on WeChat. He used to send me greetings during the holidays. Let me find him for you."

As she spoke, Teacher Wang picked up her phone, found Lin Cheng's contact information, and sent it to Wen Ning. She also reminded him,

"Xiao Ya died so young. She had such a hard life. If Lin Cheng knew, I'm sure he would be deeply moved, too. If you see him, ask how he's doing for me."

After receiving the contact information Teacher Wang gave him, Wen Ning bowed to her.

"Thank you, Teacher Wang. Thank you so much."

When they left the teachers' office, the autumn sunshine fell on Wen Ning and Xiao Ya, warm and comforting.

Xiao Ya floated beside Wen Ning, her earlier timidity gone, leaving only anticipation. She looked at him and struggled to make every word as clear as she could.

"Find~Lin Cheng~thank~thank you~"

Seeing the light in her eyes, Wen Ning smiled and nodded.

"Yes. We'll go back to the city and find him right now, so you can tell him thank you in person."

Once he helped Xiao Ya fulfill this wish, she would be able to let go of all her lingering attachments and depart in peace.