Chapter 13 of 100

Chapter 13: Home Visit

17 min read4,310 words

It had been almost a semester since Zhu Daodong started teaching at Shumu Ridge Middle School, but he had not made a single home visit. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but he didn't want to disturb the students' families. Zhu Daodong, himself a child of a farming family, knew very well what it meant when a teacher came for a home visit. Regardless of whether the student's grades were good or bad, the parents would feel a certain amount of pressure.

Many of the parents in his class were farmers who worked at home. They were very simple and honest, but they were not good with words. Zhu Daodong had heard other teachers talk about how, when they went for home visits, the parents would stammer and couldn't even get a sentence out. He had experienced this himself when his own teacher came for a home visit, and his parents were so nervous that they were afraid of saying the wrong thing. Therefore, Zhu Daodong usually communicated through letters, which the students would take home for their parents to read, sign, or stamp before bringing them back.

The content of the letters was concise and straightforward, avoiding obscure words and using regular script. Most of the parents had little education, so as long as they could understand the message, that was enough.

Actually, there was another reason why Zhu Daodong was reluctant to make home visits: it would burden the students' families. People in the countryside were very hospitable, especially when it came to the teacher of their child. Therefore, whenever a teacher came for a home visit, they would insist on the teacher staying for dinner, and not staying would be considered disrespectful. To entertain the teacher, they would unhesitatingly kill a hen that was still laying eggs or catch a fish they were raising to sell. Zhu Daodong knew he couldn't eat such a meal, so unless there was a special reason, he never made home visits. Even in unavoidable situations, he would choose to visit in the evening, at least avoiding the need for a meal.

But this time was different. Early in the morning, Hou Tianming came to Zhu Daodong's office and told him that his father, Hou Yong, had invited Mr. Zhu to visit their home and insisted that he stay for dinner.

It was hard to refuse when a student's parent invited a home visit. Zhu Daodong kept Hou Tianming behind to ask about his family situation. It turned out that Hou Tianming's father, Hou Yong, was the deputy chief of the Shumu Ridge police station, and his mother, Ye Lijuan, worked at the family planning office. The reason they had invited Zhu Daodong for a home visit was that Hou Tianming had recently shown a significant improvement in both his academic performance and attitude. Although his grades were still at the bottom of the class, he was now passing in every subject, which was a remarkable achievement for him.

Because Zhu Daodong was coming for a home visit, Hou Yong and Ye Lijuan returned home early. Of course, Ye Lijuan had bought plenty of ingredients. When Zhu Daodong arrived at Hou Tianming's home, she came out to greet him briefly and then went back to the kitchen to prepare the meal.

Hou Yong was a former soldier who had worked at the Shumu Ridge police station for over a decade, only being promoted to deputy chief five years ago. Despite his long service, he still maintained a military demeanor, speaking straightforwardly and preferring direct communication. Although Zhu Daodong had only been teaching for less than half a year, he could sense why Hou Yong had stayed at the police station for so long. Such a personality was better suited to being a soldier, not a leader.

Since it was a home visit, the focus was naturally on Hou Tianming. With both parents at home, Hou Tianming behaved like a little kitten, hiding in his room after leading Zhu Daodong inside, claiming to be doing his homework. He only came out when it was time to eat.

"Actually, any student can be educated well. There are no students who cannot be taught, only teachers who do not know how to teach. Of course, parental cooperation is also very important," Zhu Daodong said, maintaining this attitude towards every student in his class. Whenever there was an opportunity, he would praise the students. Praise costs nothing, so why not? Sometimes, an unintentional word could boost a student's confidence, and sometimes, a single word could change their fate.

"We will definitely cooperate with the teacher," Hou Yong quickly responded. As long as it could help their child improve, they were willing to do anything.

"I heard you often beat and scold Hou Tianming?" Zhu Daodong asked with a smile.

"Well, as the saying goes, 'spare the rod, spoil the child.' If Tianming is disobedient at school, Mr. Zhu, you can also discipline him. I won't hold you responsible if you beat him to death," Hou Yong laughed.

"Beating and scolding a child doesn't necessarily make them study on their own. I believe encouragement and praise are the best methods. You should try to find his strengths and praise him often. I believe Hou Tianming's grades will definitely improve," Zhu Daodong said.

"Encouragement and praise? Mr. Zhu, you may know that I am a former soldier and prefer to use my fists. If I praise him too often, he might get too cocky," Hou Yong said, puzzled. He was good at solving cases, but when it came to educating his child, he was like a primary school student compared to Zhu Daodong.

"You can try it. If you don't believe me, set a time limit, say three months or one month. You might be surprised by the changes in Tianming," Zhu Daodong said with a smile. A home visit was not just about exchanging information about the student; it was also about getting the parents to cooperate in educating the child. Only by doing this could both sides achieve twice the results with half the effort.

"Maybe I was wrong. Since he started primary school, he has been mischievous. The more I beat him, the more mischievous he became. To be honest, he only got into middle school because of the principal's help; otherwise, he would have had to repeat the sixth grade," Hou Yong admitted. He himself had only graduated from junior high school and never imagined that his son would struggle to even finish primary school. Although the country implemented nine years of compulsory education, middle schools could still reject unqualified primary school graduates.

Hearing that Hou Yong was willing to change his approach, Zhu Daodong felt relieved. People like Hou Yong, who spoke their mind, would keep their word. Once they made a promise, they would stick to it.

"Dinner is ready, Tianming, come out and help," Ye Lijuan called from the kitchen, where she had been busy preparing the meal. Although she was cooking, she had been listening to the conversation between Zhu Daodong and Hou Yong. She could tell that Mr. Zhu had no prejudice against her son, and for that, she was very grateful.

"Can Mr. Zhu drink alcohol?" Hou Yong asked, taking out a bottle of 38-degree Xixing wine, which was considered high-end for ordinary people.

"I can have a little," Zhu Daodong nodded. He could drink two liters of 52-degree old white spirit, so a 38-degree Xixing would be no problem.

Hearing that Zhu Daodong could drink, Hou Yong was delighted. He had no other hobbies except for drinking. At the police station, his drinking capacity was among the best. Sometimes, when leaders from the bureau came, he was the one who had to accompany them. Drinking at work was sometimes like a battle, and Hou Yong had won many such battles for the police station.

But today, Hou Yong was destined to lose. Without a word, two bottles of Xixing wine went down. Zhu Daodong seemed unaffected, and Hou Yong knew that Mr. Zhu was a master of drinking. He suggested switching to the locally produced old white spirit, and Zhu Daodong had no objections.

Hou Yong's drinking capacity was about one and a half liters. This time, he was determined to match Zhu Daodong. After finishing a liter bottle of Xixing wine each, they moved on to the old white spirit. By then, Hou Yong was struggling. The alcohol made him talkative, and he became very friendly with Zhu Daodong, calling him brother and showing great affection. In the end, he didn't remember how he got to bed, only waking up the next day with a splitting headache.

"Li Juan, did Mr. Zhu get drunk yesterday?" Hou Yong's first question upon waking was about Zhu Daodong. He had drunk too much, but it didn't matter if he was unconscious. He just didn't want Mr. Zhu to be embarrassed.

"No, you called him a wine god, but I think he should be called a wine barrel. Mr. Zhu drank two bottles and didn't even blush or get dizzy. He chatted with Tianming for a while before leaving. You, on the other hand, were like a pile of mud," Ye Lijuan said, impressed by Zhu Daodong's drinking capacity.

"Young people are just better. If I were twenty years younger, I could drink another bottle of old white spirit," Hou Yong said, not willing to admit defeat. Men couldn't say they couldn't do something, especially when it came to drinking. He had already decided to have another drinking session with Zhu Daodong and settle the score.

Hou Yong was destined to lose the drinking contest. Since Zhu Daodong had injured his head in a fall outside the county education bureau, his drinking capacity had steadily increased. Now, even Zhu Daodong didn't know his limit, but he knew that two bottles of old white spirit were just enough to satisfy his thirst...

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