Chapter 176 Welcome back, Teacher Wen! (Two in one)
The second year of junior high school is a watershed in the three years of junior high school and is a very important transition period for boys and girls who are in adolescence.
With the addition of a new subject, physics, the learning task became more difficult, and many students began to feel uncomfortable.
For the students in Class 2, this phenomenon of maladjustment is more serious. The maladjustment in learning is secondary. The key point is that Teacher Wen, who has been with them for a whole year, is no longer here!
The school issued new textbooks, a new set of school uniforms, and a new classroom... None of this is important. What is important is that there is a new head teacher, a new Chinese teacher, and the teaching and class management methods have also changed. Even the art class that I had never missed has become a self-study class!
The students in Class 2 were having a hard time adapting to so many changes all at once. They didn’t feel anything when Teacher Wen was here, but now that she’s gone, everyone is missing her kindness and looking forward to her return soon…
The first few days were fine. In order not to disappoint Teacher Wen, everyone was relatively well-behaved and cooperative.
But as the days passed, the long-awaited teacher Wen still hadn't returned, and the class became increasingly restless.
"Class monitor, tell me the truth, is Teacher Wen not coming back?"
"How is that possible? I talk to her on the phone every day about class matters."
"Then why hasn't Teacher Wen come back yet?"
"It's almost time. Auntie will be discharged from the hospital soon, and Teacher Wen should be back in two days."
"You said that last time?"
“…This time it’s real!”
As the communication bridge between Wen Susu and her classmates, Fang Wei, the class monitor, is really overwhelmed.
He did not dare to tell Wen Susu the truth about the situation in the class, for fear that she would be worried in Shanghai. Naturally, he wanted her to accompany her aunt out of the hospital in peace and ease the relationship between mother and daughter.
As for Wen Susu's situation, he told his classmates the truth. Although they understood, they were still anxious! They came to him every few days to ask about the situation. If Teacher Wen really didn't come back, who knows what kind of chaos Class 2 would be in.
Just as the West cannot lose Jerusalem, Class 2 can never lose Teacher Wen. When she is not there, the whole class seems to have lost its soul, like a nest of messy ants that can't find their direction.
……
On the afternoon of Sunday, September 9th, Fang Wei rode his bicycle to Baitan Pier.
Nine days have passed since the start of school. It seems like a short time, but in Fang Wei's eyes, it feels so long...
And today, Wen Susu is finally coming back!
At noon, he received a call from her saying that she was coming back. Estimating the time, Fang Wei arrived at Baitan Wharf early to wait.
The feeling while waiting was wonderful. After all, she never came back after she left that year, but now the butterfly flapped its wings, bringing changes to the trajectories of each other's lives.
It is foreseeable that this incident will have a more far-reaching impact, changing not only his and Wen Susu's lives, but also the life trajectories of more students in the class.
Is it good or bad?
He didn't know.
This made Fang Wei feel an unprecedented sense of solemnity and tension.
He is like an invisible helmsman, guiding the direction of the so-called destiny. What seems to be an ordinary day in other people's lives is so spectacular in his eyes...
The sea breeze blew across the pier, and the sea surface sparkled in the bright afternoon sunshine.
The transport ship sailing from Shanghai gradually appeared in the reflection of Fang Wei's pupils. He sat on his bicycle and subconsciously raised his head to look at it.
[Bu——]
The long whistle sounded, awakening Fang Wei from his thoughts. He hurriedly pushed his bicycle closer to the covered bridge.
It was not a holiday, so there were not many passengers getting off the ship. Fang Wei easily spotted the beautiful and gentle figure in a long dress among the crowd getting off the ship.
It's only been two months since we last saw each other, but somehow it feels like we haven't seen each other for a lifetime.
Unlike her classmates who grew rapidly, Wen Susu didn't seem to have changed much, except for maybe a little longer hair?
The sea breeze was quite strong. She was carrying a schoolbag on her back and dragging a heavy suitcase in her hands. The wind blew her hair onto her face. She used her free hand to tuck her hair behind her ears.
"sister--!"
“Sister! Here!”
She felt a little dizzy after sitting on the boat for too long, and only heard me after I called her twice.
Following the voice, Wen Susu saw it was him and a smile immediately appeared on her face. She raised her hand and waved to him.
"Hey! Fang Wei——!"
She quickened her pace, and Fang Wei also rode closer on his bike.
The two finally stood in front of each other and smiled at each other.
"How did you grow so tall?!"
The first thing Wen Susu said was exclamation.
I clearly still remember that at the end of the semester, he sent her to the dock to take the boat. He said he was only meters tall. It had only been two months since they last saw each other, but he was actually taller than her!
Fang Wei couldn't help laughing when he heard this: "Sister, have you become shorter?"
"How is that possible! How tall are you now?"
"I'm meters tall!"
"Grown three centimeters in one summer vacation?!"
"Hey, taller than me."
Wen Susu has no brothers or sisters at home, and it is her first time as a teacher. It was not until now that she was shocked by the changes in puberty.
She still remembered that when Fang Wei first entered school last year, he was only about meters tall. When he stood next to her at that time, he looked like a primary school student. She also said that his school uniform was so big that it couldn't fit him, but unknowingly, it had become a perfect fit.
Wen Susu couldn't help but raise her hand and compare the heights of the two, confirming that Fang Wei was indeed taller than her.
"Oh my god, I was only gone for two months, right? I didn't travel through time, did I? You're actually taller than me!"
"Hahaha, sister, you must be dizzy from riding the boat, right? It's not like I suddenly became taller."
"To me, it's just that I suddenly got taller, right? I don't feel anything even though I see it every day."
"Then don't be surprised when you return to class tomorrow. We have all grown a lot taller during the summer vacation!"
"Really?!"
Wen Susu was a little excited and curious when she heard this. Just as her classmates missed her, she also missed her classmates. She couldn't wait to go back to the class to see how everyone had changed after not seeing them for a whole summer.
As a teacher, she would occasionally fantasize about the future. She would think about ten or twenty years from now. If there was a reunion of Class 2 at that time, she would be really curious about what these boys and girls would look like. She would probably be old by then and might be embarrassed to see them. But thinking that they would still call her Teacher Wen affectionately and praise her for being as young and beautiful as she was back then, she would feel inexplicably happy and extremely fulfilled.
"How are things going in class during my absence?"
"Sister, you're finally back! If you were a few days later, there would probably be a huge uproar in the class!"
It was not until she set foot on this land that Fang Wei began to complain to her.
"Huh? That's not what you said on the phone?"
"That's just my consideration! I'm afraid you'll be worried over there!"
"Hahaha……"
Anyway, the matter was finally resolved. Listening to Fang Wei talking about what happened in class these days, Wen Susu also felt relaxed and amused.
"Sister, you're still laughing. My credibility as the monitor is almost gone. You have to give me a good compliment!"
"Yes, yes, thanks to our class monitor. I asked Teacher Chen, and she also said that you have helped a lot these days, so you must have received a praise!"
"Haha, Teacher Chen has a headache too."
"Hey, then don't tell them that I'm back yet. I'll suddenly show up in class tomorrow and scare everyone!" Wen Susu said mischievously. Just thinking about the shocked expressions of her classmates, she was so happy.
"..."
It is because he wants to speak but stops, and he stops talking but still wants to speak.
How could everyone not know? I was almost tied up and tortured! The whole class knew you were coming back on Monday! Why are you standing here scaring the air?!
Seeing that Wen Susu was still amusing herself in the dark, Fang Wei maliciously did not tell her, because the classmates in the class had already secretly discussed the big plan...
Fang Wei took the suitcase from Wen Susu, tied it to the bicycle with a leather rope, and pushed the bicycle to walk back with her.
"Sister, have you had lunch?"
"Eat now. It's already past five in the afternoon. Haven't you eaten yet?"
"I must have eaten. I was afraid you might catch the boat and come back without lunch."
"No, I ate it at home. I even made lunch today!"
Wen Susu said lightly: "After lunch, my dad drove me to the pier to take the boat!"
Seeing her happy expression, Fang Wei knew without asking that after this incident, her uncle and aunt finally recognized and supported her career, and he was happy for her.
"Auntie has been discharged from the hospital now, right? How is her recovery?"
"It's no problem. Just take more time to rest. You don't know that she kept urging me to come back to school early a few days ago so as not to delay your course progress!"
Wen Susu gave Fang Wei a thumbs up and said, "Fang Wei, you are amazing!"
"Ah? What's wrong with me?"
"You made a phone call to my mom the other day. My mom is such a stubborn person, but she actually accepted my teaching after hearing what you said. She even praised you, saying that Susu, you are a very good student and don't look like a 14-year-old child at all. She said that you will definitely be great in the future!"
Seeing Wen Susu's proud look, Fang Wei said with a smile: "Then Auntie is praising me, why are you so happy, sister?"
"Then you are my student! If she praises you, isn't that the same as praising me?"
"No problem. But sister, what I said on the phone that day was all true. It's not just me who thinks so. All the students in our class 2 think so. We are all grateful to you for coming here to be our teacher, and we are proud of you for being our teacher!"
"Oh... don't say these things to my face, it makes me embarrassed!"
Wen Susu smiled and actually blushed. She had always been worried that her job was not good enough, but she didn't expect that she was already such a qualified and praiseworthy teacher in the eyes of her students.
"Sister, don't you want to express your thoughts?"
"As long as you study hard and have a bright future, I will be satisfied!"
“…This is too official and boring!”
"Hahaha……"
It takes more than five hours to travel from Shanghai to Baitan. She came here from afar and guided the young boys and girls to go far away.
Fang Wei knew that perhaps for other teachers, this was just official courtesy, but for Wen Susu, she really meant it, and it was her purest and most sincere wish.
It was already past five in the afternoon, and the cafeteria was closed on Sunday, so the brother and sister went to the market to buy some vegetables so that Fang Wei could have dinner with her in the evening.
Walking into the campus after an absence of two months, Wen Susu inexplicably felt as if she were in a different world.
"You know, I had a dream last night." Wen Susu sighed.
"What dream?"
"I dreamed that I quit my job and never came back. I wanted to see what you guys looked like when you grew up, but I couldn't."
"Oh! Sister doesn't care about us at all. Even if she quits her job, she can still come back to see us if she wants."
“…I don’t have the face to come back.”
"Haha, it's just a dream anyway, don't take it seriously."
"correct."
Wen Susu let out a long sigh. She hadn't even put down the things in her hands yet. When she passed by the teaching building, she couldn't help but go up to the classroom to take a look first.
"Come on, go on! Let's go check out the classroom!"
"…Why don't we go back to the dormitory and put our things away first?"
"Let's go!"
Before Fang Wei could finish his words, Wen Susu, carrying a bag on her shoulder and vegetables in her hands, jogged up the stairs, so he had no choice but to follow her.
After going up to the second floor, Wen Susu subconsciously turned into the corridor and walked to the window of the classroom where Class 1 and Class 2 used to be.
"Fang Wei, do you have your keys? Open the door."
"...Sister, our class is upstairs now, Class 2, Grade 2!" "...Ah?!"
Wen Susu finally reacted, smiled awkwardly, and hurried back to the third floor.
As the class monitor, Fang Wei had the classroom key. He took out the key from his pocket and opened the classroom door.
The classroom was empty on Sunday, and the brother and sister walked into the classroom.
Wen Susu stood on the podium, with a panoramic view of the classroom in front of her. It was different from the classroom of Class 1 in the first grade of junior high school, but it still gave her a special sense of familiarity - the red flag of "Model Class" belonging to their class, which had never changed hands, was hung on the wall, and at the back of the classroom, there was a blackboard newspaper that only Class 2 would carefully make.
"You guys finished the blackboard newspaper so quickly?"
"Yes, without the blackboard newspaper, I always feel like something is missing."
"Not bad, not bad! Have you changed your seats?"
"Well, it's changed. Just like last semester, I'm moving from left to right. I'm sitting in the second group now."
Without Fang Wei pointing it out, Wen Susu easily remembered the specific location of each of them.
She walked over to Fang Wei's table and patted his seat: "You sit here, Zhiyi sits here, Cailing sits here, and Asheng sits there!"
After entering the second year of junior high school, a new physics course was added and the daily class schedule also changed.
The class schedule was posted on the wall, and Wen Susu came over curiously to take a look at it.
It mainly depends on the Chinese and art subjects she is in charge of. Since she has multiple duties, she only teaches her own class for Chinese, but needs to teach four classes in the whole grade for art.
She is not here these days, and Teacher Liu is still teaching Chinese, but there is no one to teach art, so all art classes in the grade have become self-study classes.
Students from other classes also miss her. Perhaps it is because they have taken her classes that they envy the students in Class 2 so much.
"Sister, I'm going to go back to school tomorrow, how are you feeling?"
"a little nervous!"
"what?"
"Hahaha, where are you guys in the textbook right now? I haven't even prepared for the lesson yet! How about I let Teacher Liu take over for two more classes for me?"
"I strongly object! Let's go back to the dormitory and cook. After dinner, go prepare for class!"
The brother and sister came to the teacher's dormitory together.
Fang Wei helped her carry the suitcase upstairs. Wen Susu took out the key and opened the green iron door that had been locked for two months.
When I pushed the door open and entered the room, the air inside seemed a little turbid, with the smell of dust mixed with the smell of watercolor ink. I must clean it first.
"Sister, please turn on the air conditioner, TV, refrigerator and other electrical appliances to see if they are broken. There have been several severe thunderstorms before, and several light bulbs in my house have burned out."
"It's okay. I unplugged the plug when I left. Can you help me check if there's anything damaged by rats..."
"Don't worry, there shouldn't be any more rats coming."
Although he said so, Fang Wei still helped her check carefully to see if there were any signs of mice visiting.
Fortunately, when I left, the place was cleaned thoroughly and all the pipe openings were sealed, so there were no traces of rats.
Fang Wei opened the balcony door and windows to let some fresh air into the house.
Wen Susu checked the electrical appliances and found that there were no problems. It was hot in the room, so she turned on the air conditioner in the room without closing the door, allowing the cold air in the room to blow into the living room.
When she put away her luggage and carried the dishes to the kitchen, she turned on the lower light. To be more precise, this action should be called "turning off".
"what?"
"what happened?"
[Da Da Da——]
Wen Susu pressed the switch several times in a row, but the lights in the kitchen did not come on.
"Ah, the kitchen light seems to be broken! Maybe I forgot to turn it off when I left..."
"Let me see."
Fang Wei moved a high chair over and stood on it so he could see the LED light tube above. Both ends were black and it looked like it was burnt out.
"It may have been damaged by lightning. I'll go buy another one and replace it."
"Fang Wei, you can also change light bulbs!"
"...Sister, you are so surprised. I thought this was a job to make photolithography machines."
“That’s pretty impressive, isn’t it?”
"..."
Fang Wei took the broken light bulb out and quickly bought a new one from the hardware store.
When I returned to the teachers' dormitory, Wen Susu was already cleaning. She was mainly wiping the dust off the furniture and other items with a rag, but it was a busy job. She also changed her skirt into more homely shorts and T-shirt.
Fang Wei stood on the chair again, raised his head and hand, and replaced the new LED light tube.
Wen Susu was afraid that he would fall, so she stood by and helped support him.
Thanks to his current height, Fang Wei can easily change the light tube with just a high stool, otherwise he would have to find a ladder.
He clapped his hands, got down from the chair and turned the switch back on.
A bright and dazzling light was emitted, and the new lamp was much brighter than the old one.
"That's good now. I complained that the previous one was too dim. Sometimes I couldn't see clearly when I was cooking in the kitchen at night."
"Sister, why didn't you tell me earlier? I would have helped you change it."
"Hahaha, I'll look for you if there's work next time!"
With Fang Wei around, the little problems that troubled her in daily life were no longer a problem, and Wen Susu felt more and more a sense of belonging to life here.
Wen Susu cooked again in the evening. There were no other friends or relatives around, but fortunately Fang Wei was there to keep them company, and the brother and sister had this welcoming dinner together.
It gets dark late in late summer. It’s already seven o’clock, but when I look out, the sky is still filled with brilliant sunset glow.
"Sister, I'll go back first. You should prepare for the lesson. See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow. Remember not to tell them I'm back yet!"
"...good good."
……
Sometimes I think, being a squad leader is really hard!
Monday, September 10th.
Everyone in the class had arrived early in the morning. They brought the colorful flowers they had picked to Fang Wei, and then the clever Pepe arranged these scattered flowers into beautiful bouquets.
"Class monitor, you didn't lie to us, did you? Teacher Wen is coming back today, right? We have all the flowers ready!"
"This time it's real. If it's fake, I'll eat all the flowers right there!"
"No cheating for food and drinks!"
"..."
It’s not that Fang Wei deliberately betrayed Wen Susu. The classmates in the class knew as early as last Friday that Teacher Wen would be back today, Monday!
Today is not only the day when Teacher Wen returns, but September 10th is also Teachers' Day!
On such a special day, how could the young boys and girls who missed and looked forward to Teacher Wen's return not prepare a surprise for her?
We discussed this for a long time. A male classmate suggested closing the classroom doors and putting flowers on the doors. When Teacher Wen opened the door, the flowers would fall down. At this time, everyone stood up. It was definitely a big surprise!
However, this was unanimously criticized by the female classmates as "very boring" and "very childish".
After much discussion, we finally decided on a plan that was more ceremonial.
When Wen Susu didn't come to the classroom, everyone gathered together and chattered.
There are still people watching.
A Sheng and several male classmates leaned on the window, staring in the direction of the teachers' dormitory building, and saw a beautiful figure in the distance.
"Teacher Wen has left the dormitory building!"
"Teacher Wen is coming up the stairs!"
"Get ready! Get ready!"
……
After resting for more than two months, I finally have to go to the classroom for classes today.
Wen Susu got up early and changed into a bright floral dress according to her mood.
When she went upstairs with the lesson plan in her arms, she was still thinking about how she would appear in the classroom to scare everyone!
Think about how everyone in the class would look and feel when they see her, and what would they chatter about?
She was delighted, but also a little nervous. She had been a teacher for a year, but she was still as nervous as when she first started teaching, about to walk into the classroom!
It was morning reading time. When she was in the corridor, she could already hear the sound of students reading aloud from various classes.
I thought everyone in Class 2 was also doing morning reading, but today seemed a little different...
The classroom of Class 2 was unusually quiet, without the noise of the past. Only the 42 students in the class were sitting quietly in their seats, reading books.
No, where is the sound of morning reading? Go to study!
Wen Susu observed the scene in the classroom furtively through the gaps between the classroom door and window, and she was almost angry to death. Could it be that when she was not there, the class didn't even read during the morning reading class?
Just as she quietly slipped to the front door, intending to suddenly show up and scare them, Wen Susu was startled first -
The moment she stepped into the classroom, as if something had happened, with a loud "Stand up!", everyone who had just been reading quietly with their heads down stood up in unison.
As they stood up, many petals and red confetti were thrown into the air!
Wen Susu was stunned.
Everyone looked at her, their expressions were very excited. Before she could say anything, the whole class suddenly shouted in unison:
"Teacher Wen! Welcome back! Teacher Wen! Happy Teacher's Day~!!"
"you……"
"Teacher Wen! We miss you so much! Happy Teacher's Day!"
The blessing voices that suddenly rang out from the entire Class 2 drowned out the recitations from other classes for a moment.
Wen Susu was stunned. She looked at the boys and girls in the class who had grown taller, and felt their mood at the moment from their emotional eyes and loud words.
Then, Fang Wei came over with a big bunch of flowers in his hands. He walked up to Wen Susu, who was unable to think, and handed them to her solemnly.
"Teacher Wen, these are the flowers that all the students in our class prepared for you. Welcome back, and wish you a happy Teacher's Day~!"
These were not commercial flowers. This large bunch of flowers included various colorful flowers, each of which was a token of their love. After they learned that she was coming back today, they picked them from various islands and prepared them for her.
Wen Susu took the bouquet and gently stroked the petals. Thousands of emotions seemed to surge in her heart and her eyes instantly became moist.
At this time, other classmates also came running over, some handed her Teacher's Day cards, some handed her small Teacher's Day gifts...
She stood on the podium, and soon the flowers and gifts filled the entire podium.
Wen Susu wanted to say something, but couldn't utter a word. Her eyes were red, and she turned around, tears streaming down her face.
At that moment, all emotions turned into crystal tears.
She wiped her tears carelessly, and choked with sobs as if aggrieved: "Why didn't you tell me in advance... You just wanted to see the teacher make a fool of herself... Woo..."
"Teacher Wen is not ugly! Teacher Wen is the most beautiful in the world!"
"Happy Teacher's Day, Teacher Wen~!"
"thank you all……"
"Teacher Wen, your vacation is over. You can't be absent from today!"
"No, I won't be absent again..."
Looking at the boys and girls in the class who were having fun as if they were celebrating New Year, Wen Susu cried and laughed. This was probably the happiest day in her teaching career.
(End of this chapter)
