Chapter 11: Hearing What Should Not Be Heard

Over the past few months, Zhu Daodong had been getting enough sleep every day and consistently exercising in the morning. His complexion had improved significantly compared to before. Moreover, his class's academic performance was outstanding, and Liu Tao had praised him at various meetings. Both physically and mentally, Zhu Daodong had undergone a qualitative transformation.

It had been several months since he started at the school, and the teachers there had come to recognize that this genuine college student had some real skills. Although he rarely managed class affairs, his class had the best discipline out of the twelve classes in the school. Whether during morning or evening study sessions, his class was the only one that did not require a teacher to supervise. His class's subject teachers were also the most relaxed, as they did not have to constantly worry about classroom discipline, making their teaching smoother. Gradually, Zhu Daodong also began to get along well with the other teachers at the school, although a few of the middle school teachers, even if Zhu Daodong wanted to get along with them, kept their distance.

This week was a "big weekend," which meant combining two Sundays for a break. Friday afternoon was free from classes, and Saturday and Sunday were off for two days. The students at Shulin Ridge Middle School lived as far as thirty miles away, so this arrangement allowed them to avoid spending too much time on the road. The two-day break also gave the teachers time to handle their personal affairs.

During the big weekend, only Zhu Daodong and Liu Tao's family remained at the school, while the other teachers took the opportunity to go home. Most of them were from the southern part of Shulin Ridge, with only a few from neighboring areas. Liu Tao had moved his family to the school because his wife had a leg problem, and Zhu Daodong stayed because his home was too far away. It took him a whole day to travel back to Furong County, and there were no buses in the afternoon. If he went home, he could only rest for one night and had to return early the next morning.

On Friday, the school canteen stopped serving lunch at noon, and the chef went home early. Therefore, Zhu Daodong would go to the Sanqing Taoist Temple early every day to have lunch with the nameless Taoist master.

However, today Zhu Daodong had something to do. He kept one student, Hou Tianming, who had always been at the bottom of the class. During the fourth class, perhaps because he was too excited about the upcoming two-day break, Hou Tianming kept talking to his desk partner about his weekend plans.

"Do you know why I kept you here?" Zhu Daodong asked, looking at Hou Tianming, who had his head down. Students were still very innocent, and being called to the office by a teacher was a serious punishment, more severe than being scolded by parents.

"I talked during class," Hou Tianming said softly.

"You talked during class? I heard you had a nice weekend plan. Can you let me see it too?" Zhu Daodong asked coldly. His teaching methods were actually quite humane. Other teachers, during the big weekend, feared that students would become too relaxed at home and assigned a lot of homework. However, Zhu Daodong required his class's subject teachers to assign as little homework as possible during the big weekend. After studying for half a month, students needed to release some pressure. If they had to do homework for two more days at home, what was the point of a break? As for his own Chinese class, he did not assign any homework during the big weekend.

"This..." Hou Tianming was shocked. How could Teacher Zhu know so much? Even his desk partner might not have heard everything he said, yet Teacher Zhu called him to the office immediately after class. It couldn't be that someone reported him, so how did Teacher Zhu know?

"Don't hesitate. You can go back now if you want, but you must write an essay immediately. The title is 'My Weekend Plan.'" Zhu Daodong could see Hou Tianming's shock and thought, "Did I act too hastily today? At least I should have pretended to stand outside the classroom for a while." Fortunately, Hou Tianming didn't dare to ask questions, and he would have to be more careful in the future.

Hearing that he had to write an essay under the supervision of his homeroom teacher, Hou Tianming's face turned grim. Teacher Zhu never physically punished students, but his punishments were humiliating. Sometimes, students preferred physical punishment to his methods. For example, when Hou Tianming used to talk during class, Zhu Daodong made him give a speech on the podium, and he had to speak for at least thirty minutes. If he was one minute short, he had to speak for two more minutes. After that speech, Hou Tianming never talked during class again. Today, he had simply become too excited.

However, if he didn't write the essay today, he wouldn't be able to leave. Hou Tianming knew that once Teacher Zhu said something, it was as firm as a rock, and there was no room for negotiation. The only way out was to finish the essay as soon as possible. If his family found out he was staying at school, they would come to the school, and that would be disastrous.

Hearing the scratch of the pen on paper, Zhu Daodong did not disturb him. He knew that his presence would only add more pressure. He casually walked to the corridor and watched the teachers and students prepare to leave the school, the campus gradually becoming quiet.

"Teacher, I'm done," Hou Tianming said from behind Zhu Daodong, who was listening to see if anyone else was still around.

Zhu Daodong casually glanced over the essay. Although the writing wasn't smooth, it at least explained the situation clearly. It turned out that Hou Tianming was excited because he was going to visit his grandmother in the county and planned to visit the famous Nantong Reservoir in Yuhua County. He had forgotten the previous lesson.

"Hmm, not bad. I think you can get at least eighty points for this essay. You can go now," Zhu Daodong nodded. Hou Tianming's Chinese scores were not good, and writing essays terrified him. To write a coherent narrative in such a short time was a significant achievement.

Hearing the praise, Hou Tianming's face turned red with excitement. From a young age, he had always been a negative example, criticized by his parents and teachers. He had never received praise from a teacher before.

However, his shyness prevented him from saying much. As soon as Zhu Daodong said he could leave, he grabbed his schoolbag and ran out of the school gate. His home was not far from the school, and if he returned late, his family might come to the school, and that would be a disaster.

After Hou Tianming left, Zhu Daodong was the only one left in the teaching building. He locked the office and classroom, prepared to go back to the dormitory to wash his face, and then head to the Sanqing Taoist Temple. Suddenly, he heard a strange sound.

Using his skill to judge the direction of the sound, Zhu Daodong immediately determined that it was coming from Hu Lihua's room in the faculty dormitory. She hadn't left? Zhu Daodong was very puzzled. In the past, he had encountered Hu Lihua leaving later than others, and her explanation was that she needed to take a nap before going home. Her home was about ten miles away, and riding a bicycle back, it made sense to rest first.

Hmm! Listening to a female teacher sleep was impolite. Confucius said, "Do not look at what is improper, do not listen to what is improper." Just as Zhu Daodong was about to use the Turtle Breath technique to reduce his hearing, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

Hu Lihua's sound was not breathing or snoring but a panting sound. Zhu Daodong had heard this kind of sound before in the video room near his university. He immediately increased his hearing, and as expected, there were two people's breathing sounds in Hu Lihua's room. What she said about needing to take a nap before going home was a lie; she was actually staying with someone else!