Rebirth begins with an arranged marriage

Chapter 13 Fan Ainong

While talking to Tang Huaiyi, Chen Dahe also saw Li Xiujuan carrying a schoolbag and food.

In the first year of high school, Li Xiujuan was also Chen Dahe's student, but unlike Tang Huaiyi, she didn't cause such a commotion that she couldn't even go to school; Chen Dahe only remembered that there was such a student whose family was not well-off.

"Li Xiujuan, are you experiencing difficulties at home too?"

"Hmm." Li Xiujuan nodded. "But it's alright now."

Hearing her speak in the same way as Tang Huaiyi, Chen Dahe couldn't help but laugh: "You two encountered the same problem? And you solved it together."

Tang Huaiyi thought to himself, "Isn't this the same problem?"

They almost became a couple.

"Li Xiujuan, you're also in Class 1 of Senior Three. Just go with Tang Huaiyi to find Teacher Tian."

"Thank you, Teacher Chen!"

"It's alright, no need to thank me; if you still can't go to school, just come to my house and I'll think of a solution for you." Chen Dahe said as he walked towards the first-year high school classroom.

Li Xiufang, carrying her bundle, said softly, "Your teacher is so kind. Are all the teachers in the county this good?"

"No, there are bad ones too," Tang Huaiyi said. "Not every teacher is like Teacher Chen."

What are some examples of bad teachers?

Li Xiufang leaned close to Tang Huaiyi and spoke to him.

Tang Huaiyi glanced at her healthy complexion and couldn't help but recall the dazzlingly white scene from yesterday.

This should have been a girl with fair skin, but her face and hands had a healthy tan from working in the fields, and her body under her clothes was also fair and had a beautiful curve.

Without losing focus or delaying his conversation, Tang Huaiyi replied to Li Xiufang's question: "Having such a 'monkey's butt' means you're no good."

"Monkey's Butt?" Li Xiufang asked, both curious and amused. "Why would someone have that name?"

"His surname was Hou, and he looked like a monkey—very thin and often drank. Sometimes he'd reek of alcohol during class, his face flushed, even his nose, so some people nicknamed him 'Monkey Butt,'" Tang Huaiyi said. "His worst trait wasn't drinking..."

"What else is he doing?"

As Li Xiufang was speaking, she saw Tang Huaiyi stop talking and then looked at a thin, middle-aged man walking in front of her, so she also stopped talking.

The middle-aged man stopped and looked at Li Xiujuan and Li Xiufang: "Which class are you two in?"

Li Xiujuan answered honestly, "From Class 1, Senior 3."

"I'm her older sister, I'm here to take her to school."

The gaunt middle-aged man nodded, glanced at Li Xiujuan, and left without saying anything.

He took two steps, then turned back to look again before walking away.

"This is Monkey's butt. Now you know who he is, right?"

Tang Huaiyi said in a low voice.

"A good-for-nothing?" Li Xiufang thought for a moment and said three words.

"More or less." Tang Huaiyi nodded.

Li Xiufang quickly warned Li Xiujuan, "This is not a good person. Be careful if he talks to you in the future."

"It would be best to invite Tang Huaiyi to go along."

Li Xiujuan nodded: "I know, everyone in the girls' dormitory knows to avoid him."

As they spoke, the three arrived at the door of the senior high school teachers' office. Tang Huaiyi asked Teacher Tian, ​​and a short, round-faced teacher stood up and asked, "What's up?"

"Teacher Tian, ​​I am a student in Class 1 of Senior Three. I couldn't come yesterday because of something at home when the classes were divided.

Teacher Tian was rather short, only reaching Tang Huaiyi's chest. She didn't smile much and asked with a stern face, "What's your name?"

"Tang Huaiyi".

"Oh, there you are."

Li Xiujuan whispered, "Teacher, there's me too. My name is Li Xiujuan."

Teacher Tian obviously didn't hear it.

Li Xiufang then spoke up from behind Li Xiujuan, raising her voice: "Teacher Tian, ​​may I ask you something?"

"Is my younger sister, Li Xiujuan, also in Class 1 of Senior Three? She didn't come yesterday either."

Teacher Tian maintained a stern expression, pausing slightly before saying, "It's in Class 1 of Senior Three."

"Let's go, I'll arrange seats for you."

Tang Huaiyi and Li Xiujuan then followed Teacher Tian to the classroom.

Li Xiufang stopped outside the classroom, listening to the chorus of reading aloud like frogs, lost in thought, not knowing what she was thinking.

The morning reading continued. The classroom was dimly lit, with the incandescent bulbs turned on at a low red light, but the dim yellow light wasn't very bright. But this was still better than a few years ago when students had to light their own candles.

As Teacher Tian led Tang Huaiyi and Li Xiujuan in, the reading aloud immediately quieted down a bit, and some students looked up.

Teacher Tian said coldly, "Have you all finished reading the first lesson, 'Fan Ainong,' in advance? I'm going to call on someone to recite it for me in class!"

The students immediately lowered their heads, like frogs afraid of being caught, and began to croak again.

"In the inns of Tokyo, we would usually read the newspaper as soon as we got up. The students mostly read the Asahi Shimbun and the Yomiuri Shimbun..."

Teacher Tian led Tang Huaiyi and Li Xiujuan through the group of frogs buried in their books to the corner, where she gestured for them to move the two rickety, pitted desks to the back of the classroom and put them together.

"Sit here for now, we'll adjust the seating later."

"Your names are on the dormitory floor; you can go there to put your bedding. During morning reading, exchange your grain for food coupons and hand them over to the class committee so you can have lunch at noon."

"Also, take advantage of the break time to preview the first lesson in Chinese class, 'Fan Ainong'."

After Teacher Tian gave the instructions, Tang Huaiyi and Li Xiujuan both nodded.

"By the way, did you bring your tuition?"

Li Xiujuan shook her head.

Tang Huaiyi knew that the tuition fee wasn't urgent and could be paid later, so he shook his head.

Teacher Tian only asked the question and did not have high hopes—the two students arrived a day late, and their clothes and appearance indicated that their families were in dire straits.

"Then you can hand it in later. Go put your bedding away and exchange it for food coupons first. Just leave your schoolbag on your desk."

After Teacher Tian finished speaking, she began to inspect the students' reading in the classroom.

The students immediately read aloud even louder.

Tang Huaiyi and Li Xiujuan glanced at each other, then at the two desks placed side by side, crooked and dilapidated, just like the chaotic life of a poor family.

Even if it's terrible, we still have to use it.

The two put their schoolbags on the desk and left the classroom.

The male and female dormitories were still the same red brick and tile houses. Tang Huaiyi went to the male dormitory and paid a month's accommodation fee of nine cents to find his bed.

After waiting at the entrance of the women's dormitory, Li Xiufang helped Li Xiujuan make up her bedding. The two of them carried the food out and weighed it together in the canteen.

Tang Huaiyi brought twenty-five catties of wheat, and Li Xiujuan brought twenty catties. The two of them ate coarse grain buns without any side dishes, and that was enough for about a month.

It wasn't that Tang Huaiyi was being pretentious, but the thought of eating coarse grains and plain water for a month, and then having to eat the same coarse grains even when he got home, made his stomach cramp.

We really need to find a way to change this situation.

If the crow doesn't bring back anything useful, and the Guangxu silver ingot is worthless, he'll have to find a way to earn some extra money in the county town on Saturday afternoon to improve his life and pay for his tuition...