Chapter 18: Yan Buxu's Troubles

Time flew by, and it was already October. In the northwest, the town of Hai Zhuang had a noticeable chill in the early mornings and evenings. After more than a month, the students in the class had become numb to Yan Buxu's strict requirements, which they had initially found unbearable. However, the nickname "Yan Buxu" had deeply taken root. Although the children still feared their teacher at school and dared not call him by this name, outside the school gates, "Yan Buxu" had become a synonym for Yan Dongyu. Even many parents, who might not know who Yan Dongyu was, would immediately understand when they heard "Yan Buxu."

Despite the parents' respect for the teacher, they believed that Yan Dongyu's strict rules were for better classroom management and to discipline their children, and no one protested to the school. Instead, they required their children to follow the rules. However, in private, the parents still had many complaints about Yan Dongyu's simple and brutal management style. After all, these workers were not farmers from the town; most had at least a primary school education, and some even had a high school education, so they naturally knew what kind of teacher would be more popular with students.

Fang Mingyuan had recently been busy relearning the English he had studied in the past. Although it was difficult at the time, he had managed to pass the CET-4. After years of exposure to movies and work, he could manage basic daily conversations. However, after being reborn, Fang Mingyuan felt that his current English level was insufficient for his future development plans. Given the current situation, he would need to accumulate strength for the next few years. The school curriculum was extremely boring to him, but unless he skipped grades and went straight to high school, he would have to spend at least seven more years with these young children. He did not want to waste seven years in a boring school.

Skipping classes was clearly unrealistic, as it would likely challenge his father Fang Sheng's limits. Moreover, in the current Hai Zhuang town, even if he skipped classes, there was nowhere for him to go. So, despite finding it tedious to see Yan Dongyu, listen to simple arithmetic problems, and do boring homework, Fang Mingyuan still had to attend classes obediently. However, he had replaced the elementary school textbooks in his book covers with English and ancient literature books. Unfortunately, computers were still extremely rare in China at the time. Even though the Qinxi Pressing Equipment Factory was a well-known large factory, it did not have any computers. Otherwise, he would have really wanted to find someone to learn from. If he could recreate the classic games in his mind, it would not only bring him substantial economic benefits but also be beneficial for recruiting talent in the future.

As the bell rang, Yan Dongyu entered the classroom with his lesson plan and a pointer, his face grim. The children straightened their backs and placed their hands behind them, a tiring but less severe punishment compared to being singled out for a lecture by Yan Buxu or having to copy the "No Permission" rules multiple times. After more than a month, the children could tell that Yan Buxu was in a very bad mood, on the verge of an outburst. No one wanted to be the victim of his anger.

Yan Dongyu was indeed very angry. Last night, his wife suddenly asked him if there were any other teachers surnamed Yan at the factory's primary school. She mentioned that her sister had talked about a male teacher named "Yan Buxu" who was very famous at the school. The more Yan Dongyu listened, the more he realized that the notorious "Yan Buxu" sounded more and more like himself. He carefully recalled his colleagues at the school and found that, apart from himself, there was only one other teacher surnamed Yan, a female teacher in the fifth grade who was nearing retirement and had a good reputation. Therefore, Yan Dongyu concluded that the cruel teacher who bullied the children was none other than himself!

This conclusion made Yan Dongyu furious all night. He had not expected that his efforts had not yet been formally recognized by the school's leadership but had already earned him a bad reputation among the factory's residents. If this news reached the school or factory leadership, it would be very detrimental to his future promotion. After much thought, he believed that the nickname and "rumor" must have originated from his class. However, he could not immediately determine which student might be responsible. Thus, Yan Dongyu's anger had not subsided, and his face was naturally not pleasant during class.

As a result, the children were on edge during this class, walking on thin ice. Yan Dongyu's methods of punishing students were too harsh. For these second-graders, who were only seven or eight years old, copying the rules and regulations he had established would take at least twenty to thirty minutes. Although the rules were not too long, Yan Dongyu required that there be no misspellings or corrections. One mistake meant starting over. If he made them copy the rules ten or eight times, they would have no time for anything else that night.

Seeing the children's frightened expressions, Yan Dongyu felt a sense of satisfaction. However, when his gaze fell on Fang Mingyuan, his anger flared up again. Although the child met his requirements, he always felt that while Fang Mingyuan's eyes were on him, his mind was elsewhere. What annoyed Yan Dongyu even more was that he felt Fang Mingyuan's gaze carried a hint of mockery, as if he were watching a clown at a circus.

Over the past month, Yan Dongyu had thoroughly investigated Fang Mingyuan's background. Fang Mingyuan's family had no deep connections within the factory. His grandfather was a retired old worker, and his parents and aunt were ordinary workers. His uncle sold buns at the factory gate and canteen, which was a decent income, but there was nothing else noteworthy about his background. The child was somewhat clever and had been the top student in the first grade last semester. However, in Yan Dongyu's view, being the top student in the first grade was not particularly impressive. The teachers were overreacting.

"Hmph! Don't let me catch you making a mistake!" Yan Dongyu thought to himself. If he could make this child submit, he was confident that no one would question his teaching and management abilities!

Fang Mingyuan, immersed in his ancient literature, had no idea that he had already caught Yan Dongyu's attention...

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