Chapter 22 Opportunity

In the past few days since joining the army, Ji Duo has been going to and from get off work on time every day. If he hadn't told her he had a mission, Lin Qiao would have almost forgotten that he was a soldier.

Lin Qiao put down the book, "How many days will you be gone? When will you leave?"

"I don't know. I'll leave tomorrow."

"Do you need me to help you pack?" The other party specifically explained the itinerary, and Lin Qiao also expressed the concern from a partner.

"Need not."

Ji Duo refused bluntly, but his eyes never left her.

.

Lin Qiao thought for a moment and added, "Don't worry about home. I will be back on the weekend."

Xu Li was so good to her. Whether she had this man or not, she would go back to spend time with the old couple whenever she had time.

This time the man didn't say anything. He lowered his eyes and continued to flip through the book. It turned out that he was leaving and was worried about his family.

When the lights were turned off at night, the couple stayed on each side as usual, keeping a clear distinction between the two.

Ji Duo looked at it and couldn't help but frowning.

It had been a week since they got married and several days since they moved in, but they still hadn't consummated their marriage.

Even if Lin Qiao was resistant to him, she had agreed to their marriage at the beginning. Moreover, when they lay in the same bed, Lin Qiao never showed any nervousness or discomfort.

But he was just too comfortable. Often within two minutes of touching the pillow, he could hear the sound of long and even breathing.

What normal girl would be so heartless? Unless the man is not good enough...

Thinking of what Ji Yan said to him that day, Ji Duo paused and drove the idea out of his mind.

Although he had suspected Lin Qiao of hearing the rumors because of what the old man said, Lin Qiao had only been in Yandu for a short time and didn't know many people. And the way she looked at him showed neither rejection, contempt, nor sympathy, and it didn't seem like she knew those things.

That means you are too young and don’t understand anything.

Thinking that Lin Qiao had only been an adult for a few months, he relaxed his brows and whispered to the person next to him: "Did you have your period?"

"Which one?" Lin Qiao was a little confused. It took her a while to realize that the other party was probably talking about the menstrual period.

It’s no wonder she can sleep well. This body is naturally sleepy. Ever since she changed to going to bed early and getting up early, her sleep quality has improved dramatically.

Is it just that the family planning inspection is so strict these days? They just got married and the company started asking about their menstrual periods.

Lin Qiao's mind was not clear, so he forced himself to think and said, "Not yet."

Maybe it was because she was poorly fed and clothed since childhood, and had insufficient nutrition, so girls in this era mature sexually later, and most of them have their first period at the age of 18 or 19. The original body was not particularly late in this regard, but it was not regular, usually once every two or three months, and she has not had her period since she came here.

Ji Duo listened, but thought she was talking about her menarche not coming yet.

She was indeed too young and needed to be brought up. He was not a lustful person and could not force a young girl to have sex with him.

Seeing Lin Qiao holding her eyelids tightly and becoming drowsy again, he reached out and rubbed her hairy head, "It's okay, go to sleep."

Ji Duo left early the next day.

Lin Qiao ate when he was supposed to, and slept when he was supposed to. Apart from the lack of a heat source nearby, he didn't have any problems getting used to it.

When she went to work at school, Teacher Yang asked her, "I heard that many people went on missions. Has anyone in your family gone?"

"Yes." Lin Qiao answered truthfully.

Teacher Yang smiled and looked at her. "She has a good character. This was the first time I encountered my son going on a mission. I was so worried that I didn't sleep for two nights."

This made Lin Qiao a little confused about what to say.

Although she and Ji Duo were just partners, she was not completely unconcerned about each other's safety. The main reason was that Ji Duo said this in a very normal way, as if going on a mission was just like eating and drinking water. In addition, she felt that he was the male lead, so he would definitely be fine, and she didn't think about other aspects at all.

Teacher Yang didn't have to tease a newly married young wife. He tucked the printed test paper under his arm and said, "Come over here and help me monitor the test."

The reason why Vice Principal Qi asked her to guide the newcomers was not only because of her excellent teaching quality, but also because she was generous in hiring people. After Lin Qiao finished the exam, she asked Lin Qiao to grade the papers, and finally asked Lin Qiao to give the lecture during her self-study time, "Give it a try. A teacher still has to be able to teach."

Afraid that Lin Qiao would be nervous, he smiled and said, "Just treat them all as Captain Ji. Your Captain Ji is much scarier than the students."

Lin Qiao imagined Ji Duo sitting in the audience with a serious face, and couldn't help laughing. "He doesn't look like a student, he looks like he's here to inspect the work."

He is still the kind of leader with a cold face who can scare people so much that they can't speak clearly.

However, Lin Qiao was not afraid of reviewing papers. She had been a chemistry class representative for three years in high school, and had helped review papers when the teacher was too busy.

She had supervised this class before and graded the papers, so she was not unfamiliar with it. The self-study class was so interesting and fascinating. Everything that needed to be said was covered and the content was very clear.

Lin Qiao's clear voice and overly pretty face also have an anti-sleeping function. At least it is pleasing to the eye, and many people can avoid being too sleepy.

"That's all I have to say about the test paper. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

After throwing the remaining chalk into the chalk box, Lin Qiao looked up and saw Vice Principal Qi's face appear at the back door of the classroom, with the glasses on his nose still reflecting a faint light.

If she wasn't standing on the podium, she would have been scared by this sudden move.

Which student isn’t afraid of the teacher sneaking in through the back door when going to school?

Lin Qiao retracted her gaze and felt that Vice Principal Qi was too dedicated. Whenever she explained a test paper, he would come and check it.

After the students finished asking questions, Lin Qiao walked out of the classroom with her things in her arms. She found that Vice Principal Qi had not left yet. His thin figure was standing in the corridor. When he saw her, he smiled and nodded, "You spoke well. No wonder Teacher Yang asked you to give the lecture after just a few days."

"Thank you." Lin Qiao accepted it generously. He felt that the other party had deliberately stayed until now, and probably wanted to say more than just this.

Sure enough, Vice Principal Qi quickly asked her, "You don't have any classes next period, right?"

"No, I just have a few assignments to review."

"Then come with me to the office."

This was Lin Qiao's second visit to Vice Principal Qi's office. She felt that his attitude was gentler but more serious than the last time. He poured her some water and got straight to the point, "I remember you said you could teach in high school, too."

As soon as these words came out, Lin Qiao immediately thought of Lao Jiao who was injured a few days ago.

The school is short of teachers, but not for all grades. In recent years, many educated youth have returned to the city and have taken exams to become substitute teachers.

However, it is easy to find teachers for junior high schools, but it is not so easy for high schools. Those with low level of ability cannot even understand what they have learned themselves, so how can they teach others?

Therefore, Lao Jiao, who had reached retirement age, still struggled in his job, teaching chemistry to a class one or two grades higher. His broken leg made the already poor family even worse off, as they could not find anyone to substitute for him.

In his first year of high school, another teacher was able to help him take over one of the classes. However, in his second year of high school, the college entrance examination was approaching and both chemistry teachers were unable to spare the time, and one of them had a underlying disease.

Lin Qiao didn't ask around, but since the school was so small, she still heard some information from other people's gossip. She became serious, "I can only teach chemistry in high school, which is my favorite subject and the one I learn best."

"It's OK if you can teach chemistry. It doesn't take too long. Just help for a few months. One of our first-year high school teachers broke his leg."

Sure enough, it was about Teacher Jiao’s injury. Lin Qiao was about to nod when someone knocked on the door outside the office.

Vice Principal Qi paused talking to her and just as he said "come in", the visitor pushed the door open impatiently and said, "Didn't you say that Lao Jiao was injured and the school is in urgent need of a chemistry teacher? I found a college student to help you for a few months until Lao Jiao comes back. That should be enough."

He was a middle-aged man with a slightly bald head, and a young girl was following him.

When Lin Qiao saw her, he didn't know whether to say it was fate or something else. It turned out to be Song Jing, whom he had met at a wedding less than half a month ago.

Song Jing was holding a bag in front of her with both hands, standing in a proper and appropriate posture. She was obviously very surprised to see Lin Qiao.

Didn't Aunt Ye say that she was from the countryside, uneducated and ignorant? How did she end up here?

And judging from the test papers and lesson plans in her hands, she seemed to be a teacher at this school. Even if she was just a substitute teacher at a private school, she must have a high school education.

Song Jing began to doubt what Ye Minshu had said. Seeing how she was so open and aboveboard in welcoming and seeing off guests on her wedding day, she didn't seem to be ignorant.

In contrast, Lin Qiao was only a little surprised, but soon calmed down. After all, she knew that the other person was a teacher when she first met him.

The visitor obviously didn't notice the situation in the office. He introduced Song Jing behind him to Vice President Qi, "A college student from Capital Normal University, is that okay?"

This old song is still as rough and crude as ever.

However, the party branch was not busy, so he did not have to give lectures and had time to help with these contacts.

Vice President Qi was a little helpless, but he still politely nodded to Song Jing and asked the visitor, "She hasn't graduated from college yet, right?"

"The college entrance examination was only resumed in 1977. How can we find graduates now?" Old Qu was obviously very familiar with Vice President Qi. He poured himself a glass of water and said, "It's good to find a college student. It's better than those who graduated from high school.

Okay, Xiao Song will be doing internship in the second half of the year, so just consider it as getting a job early."

Although he didn't understand the situation clearly, this sentence of high school graduation accurately touched Lin Qiao.

Vice President Qi and Song Jing subconsciously looked at Lin Qiao, but Lin Qiao looked normal and didn't feel that he was being looked down upon at all.

Compared with academic qualifications, ability is not an intuitive thing. When time is limited, it is normal for employers to give priority to academic qualifications. At that time, the first-class universities were divided into different levels. If you can choose 985, don't choose 211. If you can choose 211, don't choose non-985 universities.

Seeing this calmness, Vice Principal Qi nodded secretly and said to Lao Qu: "I also have a candidate here. I was just discussing this matter."

Old Qu then noticed Lin Qiao and frowned, "Are you too young?"

Saying young is already an understatement. Lin Qiao looks like a high school student. It’s hard to say whether he has graduated or not. How can he still teach in a high school?

He felt that Vice Principal Qi was desperate this time, so he said, "I think you should look at Song Jing, who teaches in high school."

He didn't directly say that Lin Qiao's level was not good enough, which was already giving face to Lin Qiao and Vice Principal Qi. Vice Principal Qi also knew it and couldn't help but frowned.

This was also the problem he was worried about, otherwise he would not have asked about Lin Qiao's specific situation and then arranged for him to go to junior high school.

Just now, I heard Lin Qiao talking about the test paper. He did a good job on the junior high school content, but I don't know about the high school content. If there was really no one else available, he would let Lin Qiao take over for a few months and wait for Lao Jiao to come back. But now...

Vice Principal Qi looked at Lin Qiao hesitantly, but before he could speak, Song Jing, who had not interrupted him since entering the room, suddenly said, "Why don't we do a set of papers to see how we are doing?"

Seeing everyone looking at her, she smiled shyly, "I grew up with Comrade Lin's nephew, and according to seniority I have to call her aunt. I think Principal Qi must have a reason to invite her, so let's compete fairly."

"You two still have this level of relationship?" Old Qu didn't expect this.

"You should call me Comrade Lin." Lin Qiao spoke before Song Jing did. "I just got married and I don't know much about the situation at home. Calling me that makes me sound old."

But she saw clearly that the Song family wanted to get closer to the Ji family.

Otherwise, Song Jing had no relationship with her, so why did she call someone younger than herself "little aunt"? Ji Ze usually didn't call her that when he saw her.

And speaking of fair competition, how can a real high school graduate compete with a college student who majored in chemistry at a normal university?

After all, Song Jing just wanted to make it more legitimate for her to get this job opportunity so that others would not think that she was stealing Lin Qiao's job, which would be embarrassing if others spread it.

Just by saying this, Lin Qiao was put in a difficult position.

If she didn't take the exam, it would mean that she thought she was worse than Song Jing and was not qualified to be a high school teacher.

Originally, Lin Qiao didn't have to fight for it. After all, she would take the college entrance examination next year. Teaching in junior high school or high school was the same. The junior high school curriculum was not as tight as that of high school.

Song Jing insisted on putting her on a pedestal, so she didn't hesitate. Seeing Vice Principal Qi looking over, she nodded readily and said, "Let's give it a try."

This way there is no need to get entangled. Whoever has a higher level will go first, which is also a kind of responsibility to the students.

"Then I'll go find Lao Gao and see if he has any papers."

Old Qu was impatient and took the initiative to run this errand without waiting for Vice-Principal Qi to speak.

Soon, Gao, the leader of the grade one science group, came along with some unfinished homework in his hands. "I heard you were looking for someone to teach chemistry. I have two papers from the last midterm exam." He was tall and thin, and he lowered his head out of habit when he entered the room.

It’s better to have him here, so I don’t have to find someone to review my papers after the exam.

Team leader Gao simply sat down in Vice Principal Qi's office, marking the homework while waiting to grade the two students. He got tired of marking and stood up to move around. He also stood behind the two students and watched them answer the questions.

Song Jing was among the first batch of students admitted to university, so her grades must be good. Team Leader Gao nodded with satisfaction and went to see Lin Qiao again.

The test was suddenly about to start, but Lin Qiao answered calmly, and...

Team leader Gao raised his eyebrows and looked up at Vice Principal Qi.

When Vice Principal Qi saw his expression, he also stood up and stood behind Lin Qiao, and then stood there until Lin Qiao finished answering.

Old Qu had something else to do, and he was impatient to sit here and wait, so he left. When he came back, Team Leader Gao was marking Song Jing's papers.

"How is it?" He walked over directly.

Team leader Gao quickly ticked the paper with his red pen. "Not bad, full marks."

Old Qu was delighted when he heard this. "I knew she could do it. Old Song's daughter is good at studying in high school, and she even majored in teaching."

Team leader Gao didn't say anything. He put Song Jing's paper aside and picked up the one below to continue grading.

Vice Principal Qi looked at him and his eyes also fell on Lin Qiao's paper.

I don’t quite understand this old song. Song Jing got full marks. Is there any need to watch it?

Then he saw that the second paper was quickly filled with check marks and also got full marks.

Old Qu looked at Lin Qiao in disbelief, "You should have graduated a long time ago, right? You can still remember this?"

Song Jing also couldn't believe it. Her eyes quickly swept across Lin Qiao's paper, but she couldn't find any mistakes. She gradually pursed her lips.

Everyone thought Song Jingyuan won and the test was just a formality.

Who would have thought that Lin Qiao, a high school student who graduated from a rural middle school, could score full marks like her?

Facing the two people's gazes, Lin Qiao raised his hand and said, "I can guarantee that Team Leader Gao has never leaked the answer to me."

This amused Team Leader Gao. "Then I can guarantee that I have never seen this female comrade before."

The atmosphere became much better after the two of them said this. Lin Qiao smiled and said, "I didn't graduate, but I just had nothing to do recently and was preparing to be a teacher at the school, so I reviewed in advance."

This makes sense. It seems that she is a meticulous person. No wonder Teacher Yang changed his opinion of her after just a few days.

Vice Principal Qi smiled, and Team Leader Gao said directly: "If I can reach your level after reviewing, I won't have to worry about it anymore."

Then he asked, "You have such good grades, why didn't you go to college?"

Lin Qiao smiled and said nothing.

She passed the exam in her previous life and even studied for a master's degree. Of course, the original body didn't have such good grades, but if she worked hard, she could have passed the exam to get into a technical secondary school. However, when the original body graduated, Mrs. Lin was already in poor health. She had to take care of her grandmother and it was impossible for her to take the college entrance examination.

After Mrs. Lin passed away, the household registration and everything fell into the hands of Lin Shouyi and his wife, making it even more impossible for me to go to university.

Even if the original body could take the exam, she just happened to be admitted. Nowadays, many people go to college. How could the couple let her go?

Team leader Gao was just asking, and when she didn't answer, he joked, "Would you consider coming to our school to repeat your studies? I won't care if you don't come to class."

"I came here to join the army with my lover, and you ask me to go to school?" Vice Principal Qi looked at him unhappily and fell into deep thought.

Two people took the same test, and it was easy to choose the one with the higher level. But now their scores are the same, so isn't it a waste of time?

It can't be said that the exam was in vain. Originally, he didn't have high expectations for Lin Qiao's ability, but now he really thinks she can do this job.

"How about you give us two more difficult questions?" Lao Qu asked Team Leader Gao.

There was really no better way now, so Team Leader Gao went back to get the supplementary textbook, looked through the entire book, and came up with three more questions.

Still got full marks. Maybe because he was getting used to it, Lin Qiao was a little faster this time than last time and stopped writing before Song Jing.

After marking the papers, Team Leader Gao shook his head as he met Old Qu's gaze and said, "It can't be any harder. If it's any harder, it will be beyond the syllabus and there's no way I'll pass it."

The college entrance examination was only resumed in the past two years, and many students do not have a solid foundation, so the questions in the college entrance examination are not difficult. Schools want students to get more points on the premise of getting the basic points, rather than learning something that will not be tested at all.

So who should we choose?

There was no way that Lao Qu could give this job opportunity to Song Jing, who had found him, when both parties had perfect scores.

In the end, it was Vice Principal Qi who made the decision, "Let's have a trial class. A teacher still has to be able to teach."

Many people are good at studying, but are not suitable to be teachers. After all, just because you can do something yourself, it doesn’t mean you can teach others to do it.

Old Qu had no better solution. "Then let them try a class separately next Monday."

In this era, people still have only one day off per day. Tomorrow is Sunday. If I want to have a trial class, I have to wait until next Monday.

But no matter what, the school suddenly had two more useful people, which was a good thing. Vice Principal Qi smiled when he saw this, and when Team Leader Gao left the office with his homework, he was also in a good mood and walked briskly.

Only Old Qu was a little hesitant. When Song Jing said goodbye to Lin Qiao, her smile was not as warm as it was at the beginning.

So natural.

This girl must have been excellent since she was young and was used to being praised by others. She always felt that she could get both a job and a good reputation. In the end, she made things that were 90% certain to happen not so sure.

Lin Qiao felt that it was okay for young people to be strong, but he didn't like being the one being put on a pedestal. He also felt that the other party was trying to get close to him, so he said hello to Vice President Qi and prepared to leave.

Song Jing stopped her, looking apologetic, "I'm really sorry for today..."

"I know you didn't know before you came." As soon as she opened her mouth, Lin Qiao could guess what she wanted to say. She waved her hands and said, "It's okay. I didn't suffer any loss anyway." She left with the test paper and lesson plan.

This test delayed a whole class. As soon as Lin Qiao entered the office, Teacher Zheng looked at her with a half-smile and asked, "Two hours to study one test paper?"

After these few days, Lin Qiao finally figured out why the other party was always so weird towards him.

It’s not because Teacher Yang wanted to push herself to the other person, but because she also graduated from high school, also followed her husband to join the army as a teacher, and also taught in junior high school.

But with this level of teaching, since she only taught two classes, parents of students still complained to the school from time to time, hoping to change teachers for their children. So when Lin Qiao came, she regarded Lin Qiao as a competitor to replace herself and was dissatisfied with everything about her.

There are people who don't want to improve themselves but focus on others everywhere. Lin Qiao ignored her directly and told Teacher Yang: "Principal Qi wants to see me about something."

Because she hadn't said anything specific yet, Teacher Yang didn't ask, he just looked at her and asked, "How do you feel about your first class?"

Lin Qiao already had her own desk in the office. She sat down and thought carefully, "The students are much cuter than Captain Ji."

Teacher Yang laughed when she heard this. "That's good. In fact, you will get used to it after repeating it a few times. We all go through this the same way."

The next day, Lin Qiao was going back to the Ji family's old house. After dinner, she washed her clothes in the washing machine.

In this era, double-tub washing machines have just become popular. One side is for washing and the other side is for drying. Although it is a bit troublesome and noisy when washing, it is really durable. Some people use it for 40 years and it is still in good condition.

Lin Qiao hung the dried clothes in the yard to dry overnight, and they were dry when she woke up in the morning.

She folded them and put them in the cupboard, then went to the cafeteria to have breakfast. Seeing that it was still early, she went to the military store first.

Although she bought soap from the domestic brand Double Happiness when she got married, Lin Qiao actually doesn't like to use this kind of industrial hot-process soap. In order to quickly shape the soap, it not only wastes a lot of ingredients, but also adds a lot of additives.

She prefers handmade cold-process soap with mild ingredients, but she doesn’t know if she can buy the raw materials for making cold-process soap in this day and age.

After all, it is best to use olive oil, palm oil or coconut oil for making handmade soap, which are all produced in the south. The most common edible oils on the market in the north are soybean oil and lard.

As expected, after looking around for a long time, she still didn't find what she wanted. The salesperson saw that she had been looking for a long time without buying anything, and asked her: "You are dazzling me, what are you looking for? Although our military district store is small, we have many good things that you can't find outside."

This is the truth. You can tell from the cafeteria. Lin Qiao thought for a moment and asked, "Is there any olive oil?"

"What is olive oil?" The saleswoman was obviously a northern woman.

It looks like the only option is to use common oil. Although the quality may be a little worse, it is still better than the industrial soap you buy.

Lin Qiao was about to leave when he heard a familiar voice behind him asking, "Are you looking for olive oil?"