Chapter 234 The Tragic Story of Sheng Xitai
Principal Wang was quite satisfied with Zhou Qinglan.
It was only 2 p.m., and the children had just finished class. So Principal Wang discussed with Zhou Qinglan the possibility of staying in the classroom that afternoon to check on things.
Since Teacher Huang is still here, let her guide the class for a couple of days. Once she's settled in, I can officially take over the class.
"Is it okay?" Zhou Qinglan turned her head and asked Sheng Xiping in a low voice.
"Sure, what's wrong with that? Work comes first."
Sheng Xiping laughed when he heard this. It was clear that Zhou Qinglan really enjoyed being a teacher and teaching students.
They still have some time before getting married. These days, weddings are simple and not so complicated, and the groom's side is mainly responsible for the arrangements.
Since the school is short of teachers, and Zhou Qinglan likes them, what else is there to say? Let them stay.
And so, Principal Wang led Zhou Qinglan to the third-grade classroom.
Qianchuan Elementary and Middle School has about ten classes in total, with only one class in the third grade, which has fewer than forty students.
Ms. Huang, who teaches third grade, was quite happy to learn that Zhou Qinglan was going to take over the class.
So they let Zhou Qinglan sit in the classroom first, listen to the third-grade curriculum and so on, sort things out for a few days, and then take over.
When Sheng Xitai saw that his sister-in-law had come to the school to be a teacher, he was terrified. He quickly sat up straight and didn't dare to make the slightest movement.
Zhou Qinglan stayed at school to attend classes, while Sheng Xiping went home to take care of other things.
After school in the afternoon, Zhou Qinglan stayed at school and discussed the third-grade curriculum and the students' situation with Teacher Huang.
After the two finished their discussion, they stepped out of the school gate and found Sheng Xiping waiting for them outside.
"Why are you here?" Zhou Qinglan was quite puzzled when she saw Sheng Xiping.
"I've come to pick you up, Teacher Zhou."
Sheng Xiping chuckled and handed the items in his hand to Zhou Qinglan: a notebook and a fountain pen.
"I just bought this at the store. You can use it for now. I'll buy you a better pen later." The forestry store didn't have any high-end products, just ordinary fountain pens.
"This is fine as it is, why buy anything else? All you do is spend money."
Zhou Qinglan complained about Sheng Xiping spending money, but she was secretly delighted, smiling to herself.
"Okay, okay, I will definitely pay attention in the future, I will be frugal, and I will never spend money recklessly."
In Sheng Xiping's eyes, whatever his wife says is right.
"Let's go home. Mom said she's making dumplings tonight to celebrate you becoming a teacher."
"Oh? Making dumplings? Why didn't you tell me sooner? I would have gone home earlier to help."
Zhou Qinglan glanced at it and realized it was already past five o'clock. Given how quickly her mother-in-law worked, she figured she'd be back just in time for dinner.
The two hurriedly returned to the Sheng family home, and sure enough, Zhang Shuzhen was cooking dumplings there as soon as they entered.
"Oh dear, the girl is back? Quickly, wash your hands and come inside for dinner."
"Your dad's back today too, so let's have a family reunion, eat dumplings, and celebrate my daughter becoming a teacher."
Zhou Qinglan stayed at school in the afternoon. Zhang Shuzhen knew that her daughter-in-law's job was secured, so she immediately took action.
They took the meat out of the storeroom and put it on the stove, then chopped vegetables and meat. By this time, the dumplings were ready.
"Mom, look, I didn't know we were making dumplings at home, otherwise I would have come back earlier."
Zhou Qinglan felt quite embarrassed, as her family was busy preparing delicious food, and she hadn't come back to help.
"Look at what you're saying. Now that you have a job, it's a serious matter, how can it be neglected? Those dumplings, Xiping, your dad, and I made them."
"Girl, remember this: work is important. Just focus on your job, Mom will take care of things at home."
Zhang Shuzhen didn't care about any of that. So what? Did they not eat or make dumplings before they had a daughter-in-law?
"Fourth brother, fifth brother, come and get the dumplings quickly."
The dumplings were ready in the pot. Zhang Shuzhen used a strainer to scoop them out while calling to her daughter to bring them inside.
With so many children in the family, everyone pitched in, and each of them got a plate, which they then carried into the house.
Sheng Liancheng and his son stayed on the mountain for quite a long time. When they finally returned, the whole family sat together and ate dumplings in a lively atmosphere.
"Sixth brother, have you finished your homework for today?"
While they were eating, Zhou Qinglan suddenly remembered that Sheng Xitai and the others had a lot of homework today, so she asked them about it.
"I'm done, I'm done, sister-in-law. I started doing my homework as soon as I got home from school, and I finished it a long time ago."
Startled by being called out by name, Sheng Xitai trembled and quickly replied.
How could he dare not write it? His sister-in-law is about to become his teacher; if he doesn't write it, she'll definitely criticize him as an example.
This is no joke. Survival is the priority. Homework has to be done sooner or later, so finishing it early will save me trouble.
"Yes, I can testify to that. Today, the youngest son came in and didn't do anything but start doing his homework."
Zhang Shuzhen chimed in, essentially vouching for Sheng Xitai.
In the past, when Sheng Xitai came home from school, he would always pet the dog for a while first, then complain that he was hungry and pester Zhang Shuzhen for some food.
Even if there's nothing good to eat at home, a piece of flatbread or a folded pancake would be fine.
After playing and eating to their heart's content, they finally went to do their homework.
Today, when Sheng Xitai entered the house, without anyone saying a word, he immediately put down his schoolbag and quickly lay down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) to do his homework.
That kid did his homework really hard; his handwriting was even better than usual.
Zhou Qinglan nodded upon hearing this. "That's good. Pay attention in class from now on."
"Yunfang and Yunfei, you two are in junior high now, you need to work harder on your studies. I'll give you a few more practice problems tonight."
Well, the eldest sister-in-law's aura immediately came through.
Upon hearing this, Sheng Yunfang and Sheng Yunfei quickly nodded. "Yes, yes, I understand, sister-in-law."
Zhang Shuzhen and Sheng Liancheng exchanged a glance and smiled. This was great; from now on, they wouldn't have to worry about taking care of the children.
The family enjoyed a lively meal of dumplings. Then, Zhou Qinglan watched Sheng Xitai recite his text, and then gave Sheng Yunfang and Sheng Yunfei practice questions, guiding them in foreign languages and composition.
It wasn't until after 8 p.m. that Sheng Xiping finally took Zhou Qinglan back to her old house.
On March 21st, the Sheng family hired people to help make quilts.
Generally speaking, the bride should be a woman whose parents are still alive and who has both sons and daughters; she is also called a woman of complete fortune.
Nowadays, it's easy to find a person with perfect fortune.
People like Xu Xiuxiang, Li Yuqin, and Zhao Chunlan got married early, around eighteen or nineteen years old. Now they are only in their forties, and their parents and in-laws are still alive.
Each family usually has several children, both daughters and sons, truly a blessed family.
Upon hearing that the Sheng family was going to make wedding quilts, the mothers of Sheng Xiping's friends came over without even being invited.
A group of people were busy stuffing cotton, laying out gauze, and quilting the outer and inner layers of blankets. They were laughing and joking, and they finished making all four blankets and quilts before dark.
When hiring someone to make wedding quilts, the host family must prepare a good meal to entertain them.
The Sheng family naturally had no worries about these things; they had everything they needed, and they prepared very lavish meals for lunch and dinner.
The women had dinner at the Sheng family's house and chatted for a while before going home.
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