Teacher Zheng silently clenched her fists. The previous few times she came to the door, she was kicked out by the unreasonable Jiang Li.
I came here with great determination this time and was prepared to be humiliated.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Li broke his usual behavior and actually took the initiative to invite her in.
"It's Teacher Zheng. If you have anything to say, please come in and tell me."
A kerosene lamp was lit in the main room, and Jiang Yi's small figure was busy in the kitchen.
Teacher Zheng hadn't found a chance to get in the previous few times, so as soon as he came in today, his heart skipped a beat.
Jiang Yi's family conditions were very poor. The house was dilapidated and there was not a single good piece of furniture in it.
Jiang Li took a feather duster and swept the dust off the chair, then politely asked Teacher Zheng to sit down.
She also poured her a glass of water for the first time. Although the paint on the enamel cup was peeling and it only contained the simplest boiled water, Teacher Zheng was still flattered and stretched out her hands to take it.
"Thank you, thank you, Sister Jiang Yi, you are so polite!"
Sister Jiang Yi is the name given to Jiang Li, Jiang Yi's sister. If their mother were still alive, it would be Jiang Yi's mother who entertained Teacher Zheng.
"As you should. Is there anything that brings you here so late, Teacher Zheng?"
Jiang Li was a little nervous. She had planned to send her brother to school, but not at this time.
She is still in confinement after giving birth. She has two children to take care of, farm work to do, and housework to do at home. She can't do without someone.
"It's like this, Sister Jiang Yi, please listen to me and don't get excited."
In the past, whenever Teacher Zheng came over, Jiang Li would push her roughly as soon as she opened her mouth, and keep telling her to get out, not even giving her a chance to speak, let alone show basic respect to the teacher.
Teacher Zheng likes Jiang Yi from the bottom of her heart. Just as Liu Bei asked Zhuge Liang to visit him three times at his cottage, she also visited him three times for Jiang Yi.
What happened in the past was too unpleasant, and Teacher Zheng felt a little scared when she saw Jiang Li. Teachers are usually good at speaking, but her scalp went numb when she saw Jiang Li.
"Jiang Yi is truly a promising student, and his family is indeed in financial difficulty. I petitioned the school repeatedly, and they finally approved a waiver of his tuition and miscellaneous fees."
Teacher Zheng brought the good news with excitement. She raised her head and looked at Jiang Li with anticipation.
"But……"
As soon as Jiang Li opened his mouth, Teacher Zheng's bright eyes instantly dimmed.
"As long as you let Jiang Yi go to school, I can apply for a subsidy for outstanding students from poor families from the school. This means he won't have to pay a penny for school, and even his living expenses will be covered by the school."
Each school has only one quota for this subsidy per year, and it is very difficult to apply for it.
Not only do you have to write various certification documents, but you also need approval from your superiors, starting with the class teacher, dean of studies, vice principal, and principal, who must sign.
You also need to visit the village to confirm and get the signatures of the village team leader, village head, and Women's Federation.
The whole process is extremely troublesome, and you may not be able to get your application approved even after going through this process.
But as long as Jiang Yi can go to school, she is willing to write certification documents and ask leaders and village cadres to sign.
If the application is not approved, she can only take out half of her salary to subsidize Jiang Yi's family.
She has been taking care of Jiang Yi since the first grade of primary school. The child listens attentively in class, actively answers questions, is willing to help others, and actively participates in labor.
The most important thing is that he always gets 100 points in every exam and always ranks first in the grade.
Such an excellent child, due to his family's poor financial situation, had a bumpy road to school and almost dropped out several times.
After finally reaching the second year of junior high school, he unexpectedly suffered a sudden misfortune and both his parents died.
The situation was even worse for the already poor family. Jiang Yi didn't come to school as soon as the second year of junior high school started.
I watched as the promising young talent I had personally nurtured was unable to go to school due to family reasons, and all my years of hard work were wasted.
Jiang Yi's family doesn't care about his studies, but as a teacher, she feels more distressed than anyone else.
Teacher Zheng said so much but Jiang Li still didn't say anything. She looked at Jiang Yi's busy back and felt uneasy.
"Jiang Yi, come here for a moment."
Jiang Li called his brother, and Jiang Yi, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation, stopped working and ran over quickly.
He saw Teacher Zheng lowering her head in shame and greeted her softly, "Zheng, Teacher Zheng."
He dropped out of school midway, feeling ashamed of the love and cultivation that Teacher Zheng had shown him.
Now that Teacher Zheng came to his house again because of his matter, Jiang Yi was also afraid that his sister would suddenly get angry.
After all, his sister had just sold him and his younger sister not long ago because of the family’s financial difficulties.
Now that he stays here, he can help with a lot of things at home and is still of some use.
If he chooses to go to school, there will be no one to do the housework and my sister will have to bear the extra expenses for his tuition and living expenses. She will definitely not agree.
"Teacher Zheng, I don't want to go to school, so please don't come to my house to persuade me."
Jiang Yi said this against his conscience. He liked going to school and loved going to school, but he knew that his sister would never let him go.
He answered first to reassure his sister and at least not to sell him.
"Your academic performance is so excellent, you can go to a technical secondary school in the city. After graduation, you can get a job and help support the family."
"You're already in the eighth grade of junior high school. It's only a few years away from the eighth grade to technical secondary school. You're still young and you won't make much money if you stay at home. Things will be different in a few years."
Teacher Zheng didn't expect that even Jiang Yi himself was unwilling to go to school. She not only had to convince Jiang Li, but also Jiang Yi himself, which was more difficult than she had imagined.
She originally thought that Jiang Yi was a positive child who loved going to school, so she took the trouble to visit his home to do ideological work for him.
If this was really Jiang Yi's intention, although she felt regretful, she would respect his choice.
Whether a child can learn and apply what he has learned in class depends on his own learning attitude.
If Jiang Yi's mind is no longer on school, it would be futile for her to persuade him.
"Teacher Zheng, you've seen my family's situation. My parents are gone, and my sister is the only one supporting the family. She's still young, so how can I bear the burden of asking her to carry this burden?"
"And..." Jiang Yi was just about to talk about the two babies when they started crying together in perfect sync.
"Teacher Zheng, please wait a moment. I'll go check on the child."
Jiang Li and Jiang Yi returned to their room at the same time, each holding a baby in their arms.
Teacher Zheng was dumbfounded. Jiang Yi's family suddenly had two more children. Not to mention the issue of making money, the most practical problem at hand was that someone had to take care of the children, right?
Seeing the situation at Jiang Yi's home, Teacher Zheng completely gave up hope. She stopped trying to persuade him and prepared to get up and say goodbye.
As soon as she stood up, Jiang Li called her: "Teacher Zheng, I decided to let Jiang Yi go back to school."
Jiang Li's decision not only shocked Teacher Zheng, but even Jiang Yi himself was stunned!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
