Chapter 194 She didn't want to owe anyone any more favors.
Liu Lanhua continued, “In my life, I’ve had no parents, and my husband even drove me away. I’ve had enough of other people’s scorn and charity. But you’re different. You’ve genuinely helped me. This jade pendant was passed down to me by my mother. It’s my only keepsake. It’s not worth much money, but in my heart, it’s more precious than gold!”
“I don’t want to carry this burden in my heart for the rest of my life, always feeling like I owe you something. Please accept this, just to make me feel better, so I can stand up straight and work at school. Otherwise, I’ll always feel like this job is stolen, this blessing is something I begged for, and I can’t stand up straight! Sister Jiang, please just take pity on me, okay?”
Jiang Wanqiu sighed, took Liu Lanhua's cold hand in return, and said softly, "Okay, Sister Lanhua, I'll accept it. Please don't cry anymore."
She put the small wooden box into her pocket, thinking to herself that she absolutely could not keep the jade pendant. She would find a suitable excuse and a different way to return it to her later.
Seeing that she accepted it, Liu Lanhua felt relieved.
Since then, Liu Lanhua has put in her best effort in her work at the primary school for children of employees.
She arrives at school before dawn every day, sweeping every nook and cranny until it's spotless, and polishing the windows until they reflect your image. She doesn't talk much, but she's quick and efficient; whenever she sees a teacher carrying homework, she rushes to lend a hand.
Over time, Principal Wang and all the teachers at the school came to like her.
Time flies, and more than half a month has passed.
That afternoon, Liu Lanhua was sweeping fallen leaves on the playground with a large broom.
Suddenly, a commotion and children's shouts came from not far away.
She looked up and immediately saw that Ping An, the son of her own Commander Zhao, was wrestling with a boy who was half a head taller than him.
The two children rolled around in the sand, throwing punches and kicks at each other, neither willing to give in.
"Oh dear! What are we going to do!" Liu Lanhua panicked and threw down the broom, rushing over.
"Stop hitting them! Stop it now!" It took her a lot of effort to pull the two children apart.
Ping An's face flushed red, and there was a scrape on his forehead, with blood seeping out. His eyes were wide open, staring intently at the other person.
Even after being pulled away, the tall boy wouldn't give up, yelling at the top of his lungs, "You're a liar! You lied! You cheated on the exam!"
"I didn't!" Ping An yelled at him, "You're talking nonsense! What makes you think I cheated!"
"You're not qualified to get perfect scores!" the boy said with disdain. "You're just a country bumpkin! You were expelled last semester and barely studied. How come you're number one this semester? What else could it be but cheating? You're a thief! Stealing other people's answers!"
A group of students quickly gathered around to watch the spectacle, pointing and whispering about Ping An.
Liu Lanhua shielded Ping An behind her and scolded the group of children, "What nonsense are you spouting! You little kids, how can you be so talkative! Disperse, disperse!"
But the situation was already getting out of control.
Just then, a stern female voice interrupted: "What's all this noise about!"
A female teacher wearing glasses walked over quickly; she was Ping An's homeroom teacher.
The moment she saw Ping An, covered in dust and being protected behind her, and the chaotic scene, she immediately understood what was going on.
She didn't even ask what had happened, her voice full of impatience:
"It's you again! Ping An!"
"You're always causing trouble at school, fighting with classmates. Now you've gotten more capable, even learning to cheat?"
The female teacher shoved Liu Lanhua, who was standing in front of her, aside and reached out to grab Ping An's arm.
"Come to my office! Today I'm going to get a good look at how your parents raised you!"
Ms. Zhang, Ping An's homeroom teacher, is a woman in her early thirties. She wears black-rimmed glasses, has thin lips, and naturally has a somewhat mean look.
She slammed the test paper with two bright red "100"s on the table with a "smack".
"Ping An!" she raised her voice. "Tell me, what's going on with this test paper?"
She kept looking Ping An up and down, her face full of disdain.
"During class, you're either sleeping or looking out the window; after class, you're either chasing or fighting. Yesterday you even beat up Liu Daliang from the next class. You're the most troublemaker in the whole school. What, you suddenly became enlightened overnight? You got full marks in math and Chinese?"
As she spoke, a mocking sneer curled at the corner of her lips. "Are you treating the teachers like fools? Or do you think we teachers are blind?"
Ping An clenched her fists into two small fists at her sides.
“Teacher,” he began, “I hit Liu Daliang yesterday because he bullied the new girl! And I didn’t cheat.”
"Don't try to argue with me!" Teacher Zhang slammed her hand on the table again. "Then tell me, how did you get this perfect score! You're the only one in the whole class to get two perfect scores. Even Hu Xiaohu, who usually gets the best grades, only got 92 this time. I'm asking you, whose score did you copy?!"
Ping An's chest heaved violently, and he retorted loudly, "Yeah, whose did I copy? Do you think I can copy air and turn it into a perfect score?!"
Teacher Zhang's face turned pale and then red after hearing his words, and she felt a lump in her throat, unable to speak for a long time.
She never expected that this wild boy, who usually only knew how to use his fists, would also be so eloquent!
Enraged and humiliated, all her reason was consumed by her fury.
"Fine, you! Ping An!" She trembled with anger. "You cheated and still don't know how to repent, and now you dare to talk back to the teacher! A student like you is simply hopeless! Get out! Go stand at the door of the corridor!"
She was furious and went around the table to grab Ping An's arm.
"Teacher! Teacher, please calm down!" Liu Lanhua, who had been cowering to the side, anxiously rushed forward to stand between them. "Ping An isn't like that. Sister-in-law Jiang is very strict with his family. He wouldn't do something like that! There must be some misunderstanding..."
Teacher Zhang was already furious and had nowhere to vent her anger. She glanced at Liu Lanhua with disgust, her gaze sweeping over the ripped blue overalls she was wearing.
"Misunderstanding? What do you know, you're just a janitor?" she said sarcastically. "When did it become your place to interfere in teaching matters? Go do your job! You got in through connections and you dare to meddle? You think you know how to teach students? Why don't you be the teacher?"
Liu Lanhua's face turned bright red after being rebuked by her. She stammered, unable to utter a single word, and could only watch helplessly as Teacher Zhang rudely pushed Ping An out of the office.
The sky gradually darkened.
All the students had left the school, and the teaching building was empty, with only the drafty wind whistling through the corridors.
Ping An stood against the cold wall, his stomach growling loudly with hunger.
He bit his lower lip hard, swallowing back the grievances and hunger. In his hand, he clutched the crumpled, perfect-score test paper tightly.
After some time, the office door opened. Teacher Zhang packed her things, slung her bag over her shoulder, and prepared to leave work.
She glanced at Ping An, who was still standing at the door like a wooden stake, and let out a cold snort.
"Still standing there? Fine, you've got guts. Leave when you've figured things out and admitted you were wrong." She locked the office door, the keys clanging in her hand. "Tomorrow, have your parents come to the school! I'm going to ask them how Commander Zhao raised such a liar!"
After saying that, she walked away without looking back. The "tap-tap" sound of her high heels hitting the ground echoed further and further in the empty corridor until it disappeared completely.
The entire teaching building was plunged into a deathly silence and darkness, leaving only Ping An alone.
...
The aroma of food filled the entire house.
Jiang Wanqiu's pregnancy has been stable recently, and her morning sickness has subsided considerably; at least she can tolerate the smell of cooking fumes now.
The hands of the wall clock had already wobbled and pointed to 8:30.
She frowned. Usually at this time, Ping An would have already pounced on his food like a hungry tiger, clamoring for dinner. What was wrong with him today?
After waiting for a while, she couldn't sit still any longer. She took off her apron and was about to go out to look for it when the door was gently pushed open by someone outside.
Ping An walked in with her head down, her small face pale from the cold under the light, and her lips even turning a little purple.
"Ping An! Oh dear, why are you so late today?" Jiang Wanqiu's heart tightened, and she rushed over to greet him.
She reached out and touched her son's little hand; it was as cold as a stone. "Why are you only coming back now? Were you out playing again?"
Ping An sniffed her nose, which was red from the cold, and didn't mention the punishment of standing in the corner. She just silently took off her schoolbag, took out the crumpled test paper, and handed it to her.
"Mom, I...I got first place."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Wanqiu's gaze fell on the two large, red "100s" on the test paper. She was first taken aback, and then a huge surge of joy welled up inside her.
"My God! A perfect score!" She hugged Ping An tightly, kissed his cold forehead hard, and her voice was full of undisguised pride. "Good boy! You really are my top student! You've made me so proud!"
Ping An's body, which had been as tense as an iron plate, instantly softened in his mother's warm and soft embrace.
He buried his head deeply in Jiang Wanqiu's arms.
After a long while, his muffled voice finally came out, with a strong nasal tone.
"mom……"
"If I said that I got this score myself, and didn't cheat, would you... would you believe me?"
Jiang Wanqiu was holding the test paper happily when she heard this and was stunned for a moment. Then she gently pushed her son away, cupped his little face which was red from the cold, and made him look into her eyes.
"Why are you suddenly saying this, Ping An? Tell Mom, what happened at school?"
Looking into her mother's trusting eyes, Ping An's pent-up grievances instantly broke down.
Tears welled up in his eyes, and he choked back sobs as he recounted everything the teacher had said and the classmates' mockery.
"...They all say I got first place because I must have stolen the teacher's paper or copied it...Mom, I really didn't..."
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