Wen Shu continued, "Teacher Zhu, apart from you, how many people at our school deserve to be called teachers? You really shouldn't waste your time worrying about them."
"Well... Wen Shu, is that how you feel?" This seemed to be Teacher Zhu's first glimpse of a less obedient Wen Shu, one with a bit of a temper.
"Yes. To those people at school, teaching is just an ordinary job. Do any of them really see themselves as educators who nurture their students?"
"But the teachers have treated you pretty well..."
"When I was in elementary school, my grades were average, and I was bullied all the time. Not one teacher stood up for me. Later, when my grades improved and I had a chance of getting into college, they became willing to help me."
Wen Shu looked at Teacher Zhu with her large, clear eyes.
"Tell me, should I thank those teachers for chasing benefits and avoiding trouble, or should I thank myself for becoming a better student?"
Her question left Teacher Zhu speechless. He lowered his head and thought it over. She did seem to have a point.
Teaching was just a job that put food on the table. Teaching lessons was their duty; nurturing students was an act of kindness. Doing their assigned work well was enough. Why waste energy building relationships with students who would never get into college?
"Well said!"
Qin Siyang gave her a thumbs-up. "That's our top student for you! You really know how to put things! If you ask me, Teacher Zhu, you should rest when you need to and spend time with your granddaughter. There's no need to watch over the Library all day. Give me the key. With me here, nobody's going to mess the Library up."
Qin Siyang opened his lunch box, stuffed a giant-crested duck wing into his mouth, and crunched away.
The moment he bit into it, rich, savory juices flooded his mouth, making his eyes light up.
Damn, the special breakfasts the cafeteria made for the school's teachers and administrators tasted way better than lunch or dinner!
No wonder the teachers ate so happily in the school cafeteria. The food at the staff counter was worlds apart from what they served at the student counter!
It wasn't that the cafeteria cooks couldn't cook. They just didn't want to make good food for the students!
He really wanted to punch one of those cooks!
Forget it. He was eating for free himself, so he shouldn't make trouble. What beggar had the nerve to complain that the food was spoiled?
Teacher Zhu had taught at [Ju'an School], so he knew how good the cafeteria's breakfasts were. Wen Shu probably had never tried them.
Qin Siyang's mouth was so full of food that he couldn't speak.
"Mm! Mm!" He made two noises at Wen Shu.
Wen Shu looked up in confusion and saw Qin Siyang excitedly pointing at his lunch box, then repeatedly giving her a thumbs-up. He seemed to be praising the food.
Qin Siyang swallowed the delicious mouthful with an effort. "Try it! It's really good! Way better than the cafeteria's lunches and dinners!"
"The cafeteria's breakfast is exclusively served at the staff counter. It really does taste very good," Teacher Zhu agreed.
With both of them recommending it, Wen Shu put down her pen, went over to sit with them, and opened a lunch box.
She picked up a slice of black-and-white rabbitfish meat and put it in her mouth.
Wen Shu's eyes immediately lit up with delighted surprise. "It really is good!"
"Told you, didn't I? This is exclusively for the teachers' counter. I can eat as much as I want, so I brought a portion each for you and Teacher Zhu! Teacher Zhu, stop eating at home, too. What a waste of money! I'll pack extra every day, and you can take it home for your granddaughter. Stop letting her eat that swill from the student counter!"
Teacher Zhu smiled. "All right."
Qin Siyang asked another question. "By the way, why hasn't Zhao Liwen come to study in the Library today? Doesn't he need to study anymore?"
Wen Shu burst out laughing. "You scared him off."
"Me?"
"He stopped by the Library before you arrived and solemnly apologized to me. He said he hadn't known what was good for him and had interfered with my relationship with you. He asked me to pass on his apology and said he hoped you wouldn't hold it against him."
Qin Siyang curled his lip. "Young Master Zhao sure retreated fast. I hadn't even had a chance to go looking for him, and he already came to admit he was wrong. He knows which way the wind blows."
As he tidied the bookshelves, Teacher Zhu said, "You even beat up teachers at the school gate. How would he dare provoke a walking terror like you?"
"Stop tidying already. You're still insisting on working at your age! I'll be done eating in a minute. Leave it to me."
Whether out of sadness or reflection, Teacher Zhu actually took his advice. He put down the book in his hand, sat in a nearby chair, and sighed.
"All right. You've grown up, and what you say shows that you're starting to think like adults. Seeing two good children like you mature makes me very happy."
"You make it sound like you're about to leave us."
Qin Siyang meant it as a joke, but Teacher Zhu didn't respond.
Both he and Wen Shu found that strange. They looked up and saw the bitterness on Teacher Zhu's face.
"Wait, Teacher Zhu, don't tell me you're..."
Teacher Zhu waved a hand. "It's an old illness. There's no cure. Don't worry about me. Everyone has their own fate, and this is about it for my life. You still have a long road ahead of you. Make the most of it."
"What... exactly is wrong? Tell us."
"Stomach cancer. Nothing can be done."
"Late-stage stomach cancer?"
Teacher Zhu shook his head. "No, intermediate-stage. But there aren't any hospitals around the edge of the Safe Zone that can perform stomach cancer surgery, and I can't afford to go to one that can. I'll probably hang on for another few years, then it'll be my time."
"I've lived much longer than my husband did. I've seen plenty in my lifetime, so I don't have much to regret."
Despite those words of acceptance, Teacher Zhu's voice still trembled a little.
Only then did Qin Siyang realize that Teacher Zhu, who was always kind, warm, and smiling, had been suffering from cancer for a long time.
In all the time he had known Teacher Zhu, he had never seen the worry of a sick person on his face.
Teacher Zhu took another deep breath. "All right, let's stop talking about this. It's bringing everyone down. With matters of life and death, you have to learn to take them in stride."
"No way! I was planning to have a chat with the leaders at the Education Department and get you an official position. You can't just leave us like this!"
Teacher Zhu looked surprised at first, then gave a touched smile. "I'm grateful that you'd think of me, but I'm not cut out for that."
"I even found a way to make Auntie Zhang from the cafeteria the Director of Moral Education. Getting you a public-service job in education would be nothing."
"What? That's... isn't that appointing people based on personal connections? Zhang is a good person, but Qin Siyang, what you're doing isn't right."
"How is that appointing people based on connections? It's appointing people based on merit! Teacher Zhu, we're living through the apocalypse. We can't afford all those moral rules! What kind of predators are the officials around the edge of the Safe Zone? Every last one of them climbed up through relatives or by awakening a sequence themselves. How many actually do any work?"
Wen Shu agreed. "I agree. With your character, having you work in education would be a blessing for the students! Think about it. It's already been ten years since the apocalypse, and over a hundred universities for Sequence Ability Users have been built, yet [Ju'an School] still doesn't have courses teaching students about the apocalypse or sequences. Isn't that a failure on the Education Department's part?"
"If you took a position in the Education Department, you'd only need to do what you normally do to be better than ninety-nine percent of public servants!"
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