Chapter 60: Foolish Son

Does Su Qinghu want to go?

She really doesn’t. They say the capable do more work, but it’s only her first day on the job—can’t she get a break from that already?

“Sister Li, could you let me observe for a bit longer?” Su Qinghu put her hands together in a pleading gesture. “I’m new here.”

I’m new, I’m new, okay?

Sister Li smiled and let her off the hook, but the elderly lady’s son—the heroic teacher—wasn’t having it. “You should always be willing to try new things. Don’t shrink back before you’ve even started.”

Su Qinghu: “!!!”

Is this the educator’s instinct kicking in?

“I—”

She had just opened her mouth when the old lady’s son waved her off encouragingly. “Give it a try. Believe in yourself.”

Su Qinghu was completely thrown.

Come on, sir, do you even know what we’re doing right now? We’re conducting an interview!

This isn’t some kind of live teaching session! I don’t need encouragement!

All she wanted was to quietly blend into the background, take a few photos, and hand in her negatives before leaving.

As for “the capable do more work,” she hadn’t reached that level of enlightenment yet, and she really didn’t want to shoulder that burden right now.

“You ask, and I’ll answer.” The old lady’s son smiled calmly, his expression full of patient encouragement, like a teacher dealing with a mischievous child.

Su Qinghu: “...” Why did this look and gesture seem so familiar?

“Alright then.” Su Qinghu decided to compromise. “Shall we start the interview?”

Compete in patience with a teacher?

That’s like an ant trying to shake an elephant!

She wasn’t about to do something that foolish!

“Go ahead,” the old lady’s son nodded. “Ask your questions.”

“Where and when did you catch... that child?” Su Qinghu almost blurted out “the thief,” but managed to swallow the words at the last second.

The old lady’s son began to answer, his tone almost entirely objective, never highlighting his own role.

Once she’d finished asking about him and the child who’d stolen, Su Qinghu moved on to questions about the victims.

The old lady’s son said, “They were two elementary school students, both good-looking and neatly dressed. The older one was more steady, while the younger one was clearly more lively...”

As soon as he said this, Su Qinghu had a bad feeling.

Da Dan and Er Dan were both good-looking, had been bathing regularly these days, and today they were wearing new clothes. Da Dan did seem steadier, and Er Dan was obviously more energetic...

Ah, Su Qinghu wanted to clutch her chest—why was her heart beating so fast right now?

“The older child was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, and the younger one had on a more colorful short-sleeved shirt. At the time, I was focused on watching my own students and didn’t notice when they left,” the old lady’s son shook his head. “So I can’t provide you with any more information about the people who were helped.”

Su Qinghu wanted to howl at the sky.

It was her first day at work, and these two kids had delivered her a story!

The worst part was, this was the last thing she wanted...

This whole situation—

If it weren’t for the ongoing interview, Su Qinghu would have scratched her head in frustration. Right now, she really wanted to borrow a phrase from the old lady: acts of heroism are hard to talk about.

Seriously, it’s just not easy—she didn’t even know if she should turn in Da Dan and Er Dan.

It was just too hard... way too hard...

“Xiao Su?” Sister Li noticed Su Qinghu’s silence and gave her a reminder.

Su Qinghu said, “Sister Li, I don’t have any more questions.”

She turned again to the old lady’s son. “Sir, I don’t have anything else to ask. If I missed anything, could my teacher follow up with more questions?”

“Of course.”

The old lady’s son was quite pleased that Su Qinghu had taken her first step in interviewing, and readily agreed.

Sister Li asked a few more questions, then glanced around the room before finally looking at one of the walls.

Su Qinghu followed her gaze, and when she saw clearly, she looked at the teacher in shock.

That wall was divided into small squares, many of which were laminated, each labeled in black marker with the year, grade, and class—all student information.

The only part not laminated was a larger blank section, covered with small sticky notes listing the students’ basic details.

Or, more accurately, not just basic details, but analyses of student personalities, records of their hobbies, birthdays—a whole wall of love and care.

There were even notes on ways to get students interested in learning, how to implement them, and which methods proved most effective...

So, this wall was a record of all the students he’d taught over the years? All documented in such detail?

Sister Li was also a bit stunned. Without waiting for the old lady’s son’s permission, she walked right over.

“Can we...?” Sister Li pointed at the wall, her nose tingling with emotion. “Can we take a photo of this?”

The old lady’s son clearly hadn’t expected this request. Seeing the glimmer in her eyes, he paused. “If you’d like to take a photo... go ahead.”

“I’m sorry.” Sister Li pointed at the wall. “This habit of yours is just like my father’s...”

Chen Kenliang (the old lady’s son) said sincerely, “Your father—?”

“My father passed away in ‘76,” Sister Li managed a smile. “It’s been ten years now. Back then... I wasn’t able to be with him...”

“My condolences,” Chen Kenliang hadn’t expected such a story. He opened his mouth a few times before finally managing to say those four words.

Sister Li said, “It’s alright. My father always hoped that teachers would be treated better and respected. These days, while teachers’ salaries aren’t high compared to other jobs, at least they don’t have to live in fear or be scolded anymore.”

Chen Kenliang nodded, silent.

Su Qinghu looked at Chen Kenliang, then at Sister Li, and quietly continued to play her role as the background.

The interview ended, and Chen Kenliang saw them out of the study.

“Thank you for accepting our interview today. No need to see us out,” Sister Li said, then hesitated for a moment before turning to Chen Kenliang. “People change, especially when they leave a simple environment. Two years is enough to change someone. You don’t need to blame yourself.”

Su Qinghu wholeheartedly agreed.

“I did blame myself at first, and couldn’t figure it out,” Chen Kenliang said, “but now I understand: when you find a problem, you solve it. That’s what matters most. So, I just want to do better in my future teaching, guide students more effectively, and help them understand what’s right and what’s wrong.”

...

When they reached the courtyard gate, the short-haired woman and the girl called Xiao Ding were still trying to get in for an interview.

The old lady stood firm. She was elderly, and the two didn’t dare force their way in—nor would it have been proper.

Seeing the two come out, the short-haired woman and Xiao Ding both felt a pang of frustration.

Why did the old lady let them in?

“Come on, old friend.” As soon as she came out, Sister Li put her arm around the short-haired woman and led her aside.

Xiao Ding looked at the old lady, then at the short-haired woman, but in the end stayed put. Her teacher had told her: news always comes first, because it’s time-sensitive."