Chapter 256: Chapter 256: Cherish the Teacher, Trust the Way

How can one become a teacher that students like and admire?

First and foremost, competence is key. A teacher should be eloquent, knowledgeable, and able to demonstrate their depth of expertise in conversation, allowing students to feel the teacher’s rich experience and solid grasp of their subject.

Secondly, a sense of humor is important—it makes a teacher more charismatic and popular with students. A good teacher-student relationship is the foundation of education, and humor can foster deeper connections between people. It’s an excellent way to build a positive rapport with students.

When a student makes a mistake, if the teacher can handle it with an appropriate touch of humor, it allows the student to feel the teacher’s goodwill, understanding, and tolerance. This can dissolve resistance or rebelliousness, making students more willing to accept the teacher’s guidance.

Another important aspect is expressing fondness. Psychological studies show that when people are told they are liked by others, they tend to reciprocate those feelings. Appropriate praise in interpersonal communication yields great results. Research also finds that the degree to which one person likes another can predict how much the other person will like them in return.

Therefore, teachers should make an effort to express appreciation, praise, and recognition to students. In turn, teachers will receive students’ affection.

But above all, sincerity is always the ultimate weapon. Treating students with genuine care is the surest way to become a teacher they like, and to achieve the goals of education.

Of course, in modern times, there are even higher expectations for teachers. Besides professional competence, teachers are expected to respect students, practice empathy, be fair and just, and often surprise students in positive ways. But in this era, many things can be simplified. Children are pure and more inclined to trust their teachers.

Looking at the young faces in the audience—so innocent, youthful, and full of vitality—Gu Qinghuan felt a sense of pressure, but also an inexplicable sense of being moved. It was an era she could never return to.

Life, she thought, is half dust and toil, half stars and sea. It may be filled with trivialities, but it is also soaked in hope and sunshine.

At this moment, she suddenly understood Shi Tiesheng’s words:

“The bullet I fired carelessly in my teens hit me in my twenties, ten years later.”

Now, she was standing in front of the class, teaching just as her own teachers once did. The students below weren’t her, but they reminded her so much of herself.

The regret is that one cannot possess both youth and the feelings one has for youth at the same time.

Gu Qinghuan was, without a doubt, a charismatic teacher. All the students trusted this new female teacher deeply. She seemed so gentle yet steadfast, as if she could shield them from all the world’s filth and noise, preserving a pure land for them.

Gu Qinghuan also lived up to her own moral standards, striving to shoulder her responsibilities. Her life became simple and routine—just four places: the office, the classroom, the dormitory, and the cafeteria.

Yes, she started eating at the cafeteria too. She used to dislike the food there—it was bland and unappetizing. But now, to save more time for work, she had no energy to prepare tasty meals and had to take her two children to eat at the cafeteria. Only when she had spare time would she secretly treat them to something extra, like boiling an egg or steaming some preserved fish to go with porridge.

Fortunately, both children had experienced hardship and ate the cafeteria food without complaint, even telling their mother not to work too hard. The older child even took the initiative to look after his younger sister and help her with her studies, so Gu Qinghuan had one less thing to worry about.

Lin Muyang noticed all of this and felt even more admiration and respect for Gu Qinghuan. She was even more outstanding than he had imagined—her excellence radiated from the inside out.

She truly was a responsible and dedicated teacher. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say, she was a truly earnest person. Someone like her would probably do well at anything she put her mind to.

—

Spring had arrived, but Gu Qinghuan still hadn’t found time to tend to her assigned vegetable plot. She wanted to devote more time to planning for each student’s individual needs—there wasn’t much time left for her.

She had almost decided to give up the plot altogether. But then, Wang Qingchuan from her class found out by chance and, together with a few classmates, took the initiative to till the land for her in their spare time. They borrowed hoes from the school’s tool shed and even thoughtfully brought vegetable seeds from home to plant for her.

These rural kids were naturals at farm work. They didn’t need much instruction—within no time, the job was done. Gu Qinghuan didn’t even know about it until Lin Xiaomeng told her.

When the kids went over, Lin Xiaomeng was struggling with her own plot. Then she saw a group of boys carrying hoes, asked which plot was Gu Qinghuan’s, and immediately got to work. In no time, they had finished and even divided the plot into sections for different seedlings.

It left Lin Xiaomeng’s mind reeling. Why didn’t she have such capable and considerate students? Well, maybe it was because her students were still too young. She never knew that being a teacher could come with such perks.

When Gu Qinghuan found out, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She called the kids over, sincerely thanked them, and invited them to her home for a meal.

Yes, spring had thawed the earth, and the days were getting warmer. Recently, except for weekends when she went home, she mostly stayed in the dorm. She gradually brought over all the frozen dumplings, buns, bean paste buns, and crispy pork she had stored at home and finished them off.

During this time, the children had suffered with her—meals were as simple as possible. Heat up some buns, boil some dumplings, steam a few bean buns, and that was a meal. Most of the time, they just ate in the cafeteria. The preserved fish and cured meat at home were also finished off bit by bit.

Now, all that was left were some frozen pork and pig liver outside. She needed to use them up quickly, or they’d spoil as the weather warmed. Of course, she could just stash them in her space, but to be safe, it was better to eat them.

It just so happened that the Qingming Festival was approaching, and they’d have a few days off. These kids had helped her so much without saying a word—she had to treat them to something nice.

She had moved into the same office as Lin Muyang, who, upon hearing about the meal, shamelessly asked to join. Gu Qinghuan had no choice but to invite him as well.

The day before Qingming Festival, she only had one class in the morning. As soon as it was over, she hurried home to prepare. Since she only had one stove, she borrowed Lin Xiaomeng’s kitchen as well and cooked with two pots at once."