Li Long rode Gu Xiaoxia back to the middle school on his bicycle. Neither of them spoke at first.
Still, Li Long could clearly feel that although Gu Xiaoxia was rather reserved, their engagement had brought them noticeably closer. When the uneven road made the bicycle wobble, she no longer held only the rail around the rear seat; she would instinctively grab his clothes.
That was clearly a sign of their growing closeness.
"Do you still have lessons to prepare when you get back?" Li Long asked first. "Will you have to stay and watch the school during the holidays?"
"No more lesson preparation. Exams are coming up, so right now we're mainly making sure the students revise properly-we've finished teaching all the lessons. I can go home once the holidays start. Female teachers don't have to stay and watch the school."
Li Long thought that sounded pretty good. At least teachers had it a little better than in his previous life. He remembered that in his previous life, teachers seemed to have more and more responsibilities as time went on. They were assigned all sorts of work unrelated to teaching during the holidays, and the pressure kept increasing.
Of course, he only knew what he could see on the surface. He wasn't clear on the specifics.
Besides, students these days showed a different level of respect for teachers. Teachers' authority still endured under the tradition of "heaven, earth, sovereign, parents, and teacher," and scolding, hitting, and corporal punishment still existed.
But Li Long felt there were far fewer such incidents in schools here than inland. After all, the population was smaller, and these villages and townships were newly established, so many traditional practices had been broken down.
Of course, parents generally still valued education. Boys and girls alike had