"What...what did you say?" She looked at her son in disbelief.

A few days ago, he was acting like he was going to die, saying he didn't want to marry Xiuhe and that he was too domineering, so why should he have to listen to her in everything?

That really infuriated her.

In the past, my youngest son always did whatever he said and never resisted.

I don't know what's wrong with him this year. Ever since he broke off his engagement with Xiuhe, he's been like a completely different person.

One minute they're going to learn carpentry outside, the next they're going to find something themselves.

Is carpentry as comfortable as driving?

He can find something good himself.

If it weren't for him, he thought he could find someone with the same conditions as Xiuhe's family.

That's like a dream.

“I said, I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to marry Xiuhe. Not only will I marry her, I’m going to give her a dowry!”

Wang Yanmei: "? What do you mean by bride price? They said they didn't want it."

"Does she mean I can't just refuse? I wouldn't do something so immoral. If word got out, I'd lose all face." Pei Hai said matter-of-factly, "What kind of man is he if he can't even give a bride price when he gets married?"

Wang Yanmei: "..." She really never knew her son had such backbone.

She was very happy that her son was principled and responsible.

She would naturally try to save money wherever possible.

Anyway, everyone says that as long as she's good to her daughter, why bother raising this money?

“My mentor said I can become a full-fledged employee next month, earning 45 yuan a month. If I save for a year, that's more than 500 yuan. In a year and a half, I can save up 888 yuan for the bride price to marry her, and I can also renovate our house. That way, people won't laugh at me when I get married.”

"888?" Wang Yanmei nearly fainted from anger upon hearing this. "You make it sound so simple. Do you think this money is so easy to save?"

"Besides, your Aunt Li hopes your wedding can be held as soon as possible, preferably within the next two months. How can she expect her to wait a year?"

"I don't care! This is a matter of my manly dignity!" Pei Hai said firmly, "I absolutely refuse to marry her without spending a penny. Rather than be laughed at by outsiders, I'd rather kill myself!"

Wang Yanmei was startled by him. "Son, don't be impulsive."

She knew that men had self-respect.

But I never imagined that my youngest son would have such a strong sense of self-esteem.

It sounds like they got a great deal, but it's not a good thing if word gets out.

Their family was never good enough for the Li family, and now they're not even giving a bride price. Who knows what people will say behind their backs?

Although she was reluctant to spend money on a wedding, he was, after all, her most beloved youngest son, and she wanted to make sure the wedding was proper and grand.

Wang Yanmei hesitated. This marriage was indeed too rushed, and she didn't feel it was a real possibility at all.

"A year and a half is definitely not enough, at most half a year. You can save as much as you can by then." She didn't want her son to have a rift with her because he was unhappy with the marriage she had arranged for him, and that he would not be filial to her in the future.

If you treat your eldest son like that, what's the difference between raising him for nothing?

So he compromised.

Pei Hai wasn't sure if it would be enough, but at least there were still six months left, which was better than the previous month.

So he nodded, "Okay, I'll do whatever you say."

He breathed a sigh of relief, relieved that there was no need to rush into marriage.

But she quickly frowned again, "Mom, where's Pei Tiantian? Why hasn't she come back yet, so late?"

Wang Yanmei paused for a moment, then said indifferently, "She went out with Xiaoqiao, saying she was going to film something. I don't understand it, so I don't care."

Pei Hai clicked his tongue, "Running around outside every day at such a young age?" What kind of spell did Zhou Qiao cast on her?

These two siblings are really quite strange.

One is always out and about, while the other stays at home and doesn't even say a word.

They're twins, so why are their personalities so different?

...

Sure enough, the notification for the outstanding teacher award came quickly.

Song Yanzhi and Teacher Xu both received awards.

One is the Outstanding Education Award, and the other is the Diligence Award.

Each person receives a prize of thirty yuan and a medal.

I heard that next year I might have the opportunity to be recommended to take the junior high school entrance exam and go to a better place to teach.

Everyone was incredibly envious.

Some people couldn't help but ask the director, "I remember that Teacher Song's performance was similar to ours back then. How was this Outstanding Teacher Award calculated?"

The director gave the speaker a cold look. "Teacher evaluations aren't just about your usual behavior. Your classroom teaching and students' monthly exam scores are also part of our evaluation criteria."

"During this month of assessment, many of you teachers have only cared about yourselves, and the students' grades have not improved at all, and some have even declined. This is because you have spent too much time dealing with the leaders, while neglecting the students' studies. Pretending to be competent can only look good on the surface, but the results will not lie."

"Only Ms. Song's subjects have consistently seen a steady increase in grades. Several of her students who participated in the last competition were even invited to participate in other competitions, which has enhanced our school's reputation. Ms. Song deserves this award!"

No one really thought about this, because they always believed that when leaders inspected schools, they would look at things like cleaning and student performance, but not the teachers' behavior.

We never said before that we would select students based on their grades.

At the time, everyone was too busy taking care of themselves to notice details like whether the students' grades had dropped.

These days, how many students actually love studying? They're in a real bind.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!