Lin Jianxue looked at Fu Qingqing's lost expression and felt sad.

She reached out and gently touched Fu Qingqing's drooping little head, her voice gentle.

"How can it be useless?"

"Even if it's not for anything, it's good to relieve boredom."

"You're a playful kid. You can't just stay in the village and wander around all day."

"If something fuss happens again, Aunt Dong will be worried again."

Fu Qingqing suddenly raised her head, her face flushed a little, like a cat whose tail was stepped on, and she hurriedly explained:

"How could I have offended you..."

Her voice was small, filled with a sense of grievance and unwillingness to accept the outcome.

Lin Jianxue looked at her frightened look and couldn't help but chuckle.

She stretched out her fingers and gently pinched Fu Qingqing's chubby cheeks.

"Okay, okay, our Qingqing is the best and never messes with me."

It's like coaxing a grumpy little sister.

Fu Qingqing was pinched on the face by her, and turned her head away a little embarrassedly, but her tense little face unconsciously relaxed, and the corners of her mouth secretly raised a slight arc.

The thick and gloomy atmosphere just now seemed to be dispelled a lot by Lin Jianxue's gentle pinch and gentle smile.

"Sister...Sister Xiaoxue, are the textbooks...expensive?"

Fu Qingqing asked in a low voice, her eyes like black grapes flickering with tiny lights again, like stars lighting up again in the night sky.

The smile on Lin Jianxue's lips deepened.

“Not expensive.”

"As long as you want to see it, Sister Xiaoxue will buy it for you."

Fu Qingqing nodded vigorously, and a bright smile finally appeared on her little face.

"Um!"

*

The next morning, it was just dawn.

After Lin Jianxue had a simple wash, Fu Zhawei still took her to school.

Arriving at the gate of Zhenhai High School, Fu Zhawei stopped as he did yesterday and watched her go in.

It was still early when Lin Jianxue walked into the faculty office.

As soon as she stepped into the office, she keenly noticed that something was wrong with the atmosphere.

The faint chattering stopped the moment she appeared.

All eyes, almost at the same time, were cast on her.

That look was complex and difficult to understand.

There is curiosity that cannot be concealed, exploration that is deliberately suppressed, but more often than not, there is a vague scrutiny, and... a trace of undisguised disgust.

Lin Jianxue's heart sank slightly.

Lin Jianxue sat down at her desk.

She could clearly feel that the other teachers in the office were always glancing at her, intentionally or unintentionally.

That look was a mixture of inquiry, inexplicable excitement, and... a hint of disgust and contempt that was difficult to conceal.

Lin Jianxue's heart sank slightly.

She calmly took out her lesson planner, lowered her eyes, and began to prepare for today's lesson.

But the feeling of being on edge has not subsided at all.

*

The morning classes went smoothly.

Finally made it to noon.

Lin Jianxue had a simple meal of stir-fried vegetables and two bowls of rice in the teachers' cafeteria and was about to go to the office to rest for a while.

"Teacher Lin, please wait a moment."

A slightly serious male voice with a bit of official tone sounded behind him.

Lin Jianxue turned around and saw the school's principal, Wang Jianjun.

"Director Wang." Lin Jianxue nodded politely, her voice calm.

Director Wang pushed his glasses up on his nose and looked at her scrutinizingly with a serious expression behind the lenses.

"Teacher Lin, please come to my office. I have something I want to talk to you about."

Lin Jianxue understood in her heart, but her face remained calm: "Okay."

The light in the dean's office was dim, and the air was filled with the smell of old paper and cheap tea.

Wang Jianjun sat behind his large desk piled with documents and books, pointed at the paint-peeled wooden chair opposite him, and motioned Lin Jianxue to sit down.

He did not speak immediately, but slowly picked up the enamel cup on the table with the words "Serve the People" printed on it, opened the lid, blew away the floating tea leaves, and slowly took a sip of water.

That posture carried a certain sense of scrutiny and control that was unique to bureaucrats.

Lin Jianxue sat quietly, his back straight, like a plum tree standing in the cold, his expression indifferent and cold.

Finally, Wang Jianjun put down the water cup, and the bottom of the cup made a slight sound when it hit the table. His sharp eyes also turned to Lin Jianxue.

"Teacher Lin, I want to ask you, yesterday afternoon after school, was there a... um, unidentified young man who came into our school looking for you?"

His tone was clearly questioning, as if Lin Jianxue had made some unforgivable mistake.

Lin Jianxue frowned slightly.

"Director Wang, the person you're talking about should be my friend."

"I'm staying at his house now. It's getting dark, and he's afraid I might go out, so he came to pick me up after school."

Her explanation was neither humble nor arrogant, and every word was clear and concise without any emotion.

After hearing this, Wang Jianjun frowned even more.

He snorted heavily, and his tone became stern.

"Teacher Lin, you have to understand this is Zhenhai Senior High School! It's one of the most important high schools in our county! It's the place where we train successors to the revolution!"

"What is a school? It's a pure place! It's a sacred place for teaching and educating people! How can we let those relocated people with unknown identities and complicated backgrounds come in so casually?"

"Do you know what everyone outside is talking about right now?"

"They say our school's new music teacher is pretty and youthful, but her work style is questionable! She's been flirting with the relocated residents, and her actions are unclear!"

"What a negative impact this will have on the school! How will other teachers view you? What will parents think? They will think our teachers are morally corrupt and have ideological problems!"

Wang Jianjun became more and more excited as he spoke.

He slammed the table with a loud "bang", and his voice rose several pitches, full of intimidation.

"Teacher Lin, you are now an official teacher at Zhenhai High School! Your every word and action represents the image of the school! You must be aware of your status! You must take into account the reputation of the school!"

"From now on, don't let people like that come to the school to find you! And don't hang out with those downtrodden people, lest you stir up unnecessary gossip and ruin the school's reputation!"

Lin Jianxue listened quietly, his cold eyes gradually covered with a layer of biting frost, like the surface of a frozen lake in winter.

She originally thought it was just a simple inquiry, a routine reminder.

But I never thought that the head teacher would say such harsh and disrespectful words.

"Relocated households?"

Lin Jianxue's voice was not loud, but it carried a power that could penetrate people's hearts, and her coldness revealed an inviolable pride.

"Director Wang, you may have forgotten that I was also an educated youth sent to the countryside."

"Fu Zhewei, he's not some bad person, let alone the 'type of person' you're talking about who would bring a bad influence to the school."

"He works diligently every day and has been in Tonghua Village for more than a day without causing any trouble. How can he be considered a bad person?"

"He came yesterday just to pick me up and take me home, fulfilling his duty as a friend."

She looked calmly into Wang Jianjun's eyes, without any retreat or fear.

"If the school's rules prohibit even asking friends to pick you up, it will be misinterpreted as 'mingling together', will be considered 'causing gossip', and even affect the so-called reputation of the school..."

"Then I'll just quit this job."

The air in the office froze instantly, and it was so quiet that one could almost hear the sound of leaves rustling in the breeze outside the window.

The anger on Wang Jianjun's face froze in an instant, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on it.

He didn't seem to expect that this seemingly quiet young female teacher could be so tough in her bones!

Being a teacher is a stable job that many people are trying their best to get. It is a popular job that guarantees a stable income no matter the weather!

She just said she was done with it without a care in the world and quit? Was she crazy?

Wang Jianjun's expression changed several times, sometimes green and sometimes dark, which was very exciting.

He suddenly remembered the open music class next Friday that the entire county's education system would come to observe. The school leaders had made up their minds to make it a great success and bring honor to Zhenhai High School!

This Lin Jianxue is the main teacher of that open class. The school is counting on her superb piano skills and background in the Kyoto Cultural Troupe to perform well!

If she really quit now, what would happen to the open class? How would he explain it to the principal?

Thinking of this, the expression on Wang Jianjun's face relaxed instantly like the face-changing in Sichuan Opera, and he even squeezed out a stiff smile.

"Oh, Teacher Lin, Teacher Lin, what are you talking about?"

"Young man, don't be so angry."

He coughed twice, trying to hide his embarrassment, and his tone changed drastically, becoming softer and more soothing.

"I'm doing this... this is also for the good of the school and for your own good. I'm worried that you're still a little young and don't understand the importance of what others say."

"I didn't mean to say that, so please don't misunderstand me."

His eyes rolled and he immediately thought of an excuse to shirk responsibility.