Making a move

Liao Yu stood beneath the school office's bulletin blackboard, looking at the rows of beautiful chalk lettering, at the ornate prose that should never have belonged to a thirteen-year-old boy. With her neck craned and her teeth clenched, she looked less like a twenty-two-year-old married woman entrusted with teaching than a sulking girl...

There was no expecting a thirteen-year-old boy to return to simplicity and write prose as fresh and unadorned as life itself, letting readers naturally savor its imagery. The sheer layering of words before her, the apt interweaving of sentences from Kahlil Gibran and Shakespeare-that dazzling extravagance alone was enough to overwhelm her...

At least, Liao Yu could not have written it...

"Tan Datong is being ridiculous. Can you write poetry for an essay? And he actually gave it full marks! Fine, full marks, but did he have to copy it onto the bulletin blackboard?" Liao Yu grumbled inwardly. Her breasts had been painfully engorged yesterday afternoon, aching all afternoon, and she had had no time to mark the papers, so they had ended up in Tan Datong's hands. Otherwise, she would definitely have given this essay a zero...

What unsettled Liao Yu most was that Qin An had those four perfect scores. With just a little effort, improving his politics and history grades could easily add over a hundred points to his total. There would be no question of his making the top ten in his year!

Liao Yu was not so devoid of professional ethics that she would pray for a student's grades to keep getting worse, but her dignity was at stake now. Qin An had said that if he made the top ten in his year, she would have to admit she had failed to recognize his ability and did not know how to teach, then go to Qin Huai and ask for Qin An to transfer back to Class 68...

Qin Huai would certainly refuse. Liao Yu had never met anyone prouder than him. When she had said, "Even if this boy fed me ginseng, I still couldn't handle him," she had mostly been joking. If Qin Huai had been willing to say a few conciliatory words and give Qin An a scolding, Liao Yu would not really have insisted on throwing Qin An out of Class 68 at all costs...

Who could have known that Qin Huai would say nothing at all and simply move Qin An to Class 69? Liao Yu felt she would lose every shred of dignity if she had to humble herself before Qin Huai...

As for Qin An, would he really refuse to return to Class 68? Seeing how much closer he and Ye Zhulan had become these past few days, could he really bear to stay in Class 69?

Ever since Secretary Tang had treated him to a meal there, Qin Xiangshan had taken a liking to Qi Mei's little restaurant. Its windows sparkled and everything was spotless; the floors, tables, stools, dishes, and cups were all polished until they shone. Especially notable was the chili sauce, with its thoroughly authentic flavor, which Qi Mei reportedly prepared herself and cured under the fiercest sun of July and August...

Qin Xiangshan thought that even when Fengyu County's chili sauce had been at its finest, offered as tribute to the imperial household, its flavor could hardly have surpassed this...

Qin Xiangshan raised his cup to toast Mo Wendi, the short, stout deputy director of the county Education Commission sitting beside him, whose smile made him look like an easygoing old fellow. "I really never expected Director Mo to come in person. Let me offer you a drink here. I hope you won't find the place too humble..."

"Not at all, not at all... If you don't mind it, Boss Qin, what right would I have to?" Mo Wendi laughed and drained his cup...

Qin Xiangshan had funded a substantial donation of teaching equipment to County No. 2 Middle School. While accepting the donated supplies, the school had gathered that Qin Xiangshan was interested in funding a science and teaching building for the school, and immediately called the county Education Commission. That was why Mo Wendi had come today. After all, the Education Commission was hardly a wealthy department at the time. Funds were tight, and even if it heavily favored County No. 2 Middle School, it still could not satisfy the appetite of this county key high school...

Qin Huai and Qin An were also at the table. Qin Xiangshan thought Qin Huai was perfectly capable of teaching high school, and his self-study bachelor's diploma would be issued soon. If he could transfer to County No. 2 Middle School, his pay and benefits would improve considerably. Besides, Qin Xiangshan had some other plans, but nothing had even begun to take shape yet, so it was not convenient to reveal them to Qin Huai...

"This is my younger cousin, Qin Huai, and my nephew, Qin An... Qin Huai and I both studied at No. 2 Middle School, so we count as old alumni. Donating a few things to the school now is just a small token of our goodwill. I'm sorry to have put you to the trouble, Director Mo. I feel bad about that..." Qin Xiangshan dipped his food in some chili sauce. "Ma'am, some more, please!"

"Sure, coming..." Qi Mei swayed her slender waist as she walked. There was always a certain seductive charm emanating from those long legs, that slim waist, and her full, bouncing breasts, and Mo Wendi could not quite help himself as he watched...

"So Teacher Qin graduated from No. 2 Middle School too. That makes us fellow alumni... How old are you, Qin An? You're probably not in high school yet, are you? Let your Uncle Mo say something a little out of place: work harder and aim for No. 1 High School. Then you'll have done better than both your father and your uncle... Ha ha!" Mo Wendi laughed and shifted his gaze away from Qi Mei. Qin Xiangshan had chosen this place over anywhere else; perhaps he had taken a fancy to the proprietress. As a mere deputy director of the county Education Commission, Mo Wendi had no standing to compete with him for a woman...

"Heh, my grades aren't good enough. Even getting into No. 2 Middle School would be a stretch..." Qin An said modestly. With his second uncle and father present, along with Huang Yaohua, whom even Mo Wendi addressed as his teacher, Qin An was on his best behavior...

Before coming, Mo Wendi had also made some inquiries about Qin Xiangshan. He had learned that Qin Xiangshan had a younger cousin, Qin Huai, at the town middle school, the same school as Huang Yaohua, his old teacher whom he had not contacted in years. Hoping to bring in a mutual acquaintance to build a closer relationship, he had brought Huang Yaohua along too...

"Qin An is remarkable. Getting into No. 1 High School is a sure thing for him... Especially with his English. Even I feel outclassed by that essay he wrote..." Huang Yaohua did not stint on his praise either. Such was the Chinese habit: reserved and self-effacing among their peers, they never minded lavishing praise on the talents of the younger generation...

"Oh? Then I've underestimated Qin An. The students I admire most are those with a strong command of English, because when I was young and studying under Teacher Huang, I never once passed English!" Mo Wendi laughed again and gave Qin An a thumbs-up...

"Don't praise him, Director Mo. The boy is clever, yes, but he's far too mischievous. You can't praise him-one word and his head's in the clouds..." Qin Huai said one thing, but his eyes and brows were full of delighted smiles. Ever since Qin An's results had come out, Qin Huai had been thoroughly content these past few days, prouder than he had ever been...

"You don't quite mean that... Teacher Qin, I'd say it's all thanks to your good teaching. Plenty of English teachers at No. 2 Middle School can't compare with you..." Since Qin Xiangshan had brought Qin Huai along, Mo Wendi could roughly guess what he had in mind. Apart from older teachers like Huang Yaohua who were unwilling to move, who would not want to teach high school? The pay and benefits would nearly double...

"You're too kind, too kind..." Qin Huai was also very pleased to have this opportunity to get acquainted with Mo Wendi, and offered him a toast...

Qin Xiangshan left the table to wash his face, and Qin An followed...

"Second Uncle, you aren't planning to make a move on No. 2 Middle School, are you?" Qin An handed Qin Xiangshan a clean towel...

Qin Xiangshan paused in the middle of wiping his face. He glanced around, then looked at Qin An in puzzlement. "What makes you say that?"

From his second uncle's reaction, Qin An knew his guess was not far off. He chuckled. "I just thought you were up to no good..."