Chapter 23: Old and Young

When Fang Mingyuan walked out of the principal's office, he couldn't help but shiver at his own pretentiousness, hoping that the last sentence would touch Principal Lushan.

Fang Mingyuan thought the possibility was high. The classical Chinese proficiency of the older generation of intellectuals was far superior to that of later generations. His own level of classical Chinese, which he had only mastered in childhood, would likely not even be worth a glance from Principal Lushan if he were an adult.

"Stay low-key, stay calm!" Fang Mingyuan kept reminding himself not to be impulsive like in his previous life, always wanting to step in when he saw something unreasonable.

The Chinese exam paper delayed him for half a class, but should he just go back? This class was still taught by Yan Dongyu, and even if he returned, he wouldn't be able to enter the classroom! If he got into another conflict with Yan Dongyu, things would get even worse. So Fang Mingyuan could only helplessly lean on the railing on the second floor, staring blankly at the playground below.

Calculating the time, he had been reborn... let's call it reborn, for a few months now. The small butterfly wings had already changed the situation for his family. Although he didn't know what the future would hold, things were ultimately moving in a positive direction. In the future, he wouldn't lack money; his memories from his previous life contained countless ways to make money. However, he lacked sufficient connections and the strength to protect himself. A mere bun stall wouldn't be taken seriously by important people, but in the future, without protection, he would be seen as a juicy target, and anyone might want to take a bite.

It's better to prepare in advance; he couldn't wait until trouble came to seek help, right? After all, adding flowers to brocade is not as good as sending charcoal in the snow.

But in his previous life, he had very little interaction with people in the political arena. The only ones in his family who could be considered part of the system were his two cousins in Beijing. Due to the significant age difference, when he went to Beijing, their children were not much younger than him, so there was no real connection. Apart from that, Fang Mingyuan was empty-handed.

"Five more years," Fang Mingyuan muttered. He remembered clearly that he got a Beijing hukou and transferred back to Beijing in 1989. Although in this reborn life, he hadn't decided whether to follow the same path, he needed to establish his roots in Qinxi over the next five years.

"What five years?" someone suddenly asked from behind.

Fang Mingyuan shivered; he had been so engrossed in thought that he hadn't noticed Principal Lushan coming out.

"Let's go, I'll take you back to the classroom!" Principal Lushan's voice was calm and indifferent as usual. Fang Mingyuan looked at him with some trepidation.

Principal Lushan blinked and smiled meaningfully, "Since you call me principal, I have to think about your future. You're right, the first to stick out gets shot. Your little wings are still too tender to withstand such storms. I'm old and can't protect you, so it's good that you think this way!"

"Thank you, Principal!" Fang Mingyuan said sincerely. It was great that Principal Lushan thought this way; he didn't want to expose himself too early to the public.

Principal Lushan smiled, "I'm your teacher, no need to thank me. You can come and chat with me when you have nothing to do; it's quite interesting." Fang Mingyuan nodded in agreement.

As they spoke, they had already reached the classroom door. Principal Lushan gently knocked, and after a moment, Yan Dongyu opened the door in a fluster. Seeing Fang Mingyuan, his eyes immediately narrowed, but when he saw Principal Lushan behind him, he forced a smile, though it was more painful than crying.

Since Fang Mingyuan was taken by Principal Lushan, Yan Dongyu's heart had been like a bucket of water being drawn from a well—up and down. Lushan was not someone who tolerated sand in his eyes. How could he not see that Yan Dongyu was deliberately making things difficult for Fang Mingyuan? Fang Mingyuan was quite clever; what if he reported him while he was away? He had heard that when his brother-in-law arranged for him to join the factory school, although Principal Lushan didn't openly oppose it, he had heard from colleagues that Lushan originally disagreed but reluctantly accepted him because he had previously taught in middle school.

Moreover, he had learned that in the factory school, Principal Lushan had the final say, a promise made by the factory leadership when inviting him. If he incurred Lushan's strong displeasure, his future in the factory school would be uncomfortable.

So during the next two classes, Yan Dongyu's mind was already in the principal's office, especially during the break when he learned that Fang Mingyuan was still there. Yan Dongyu was even more anxious.

If Principal Lushan was scolding Fang Mingyuan, why did it take so long? The old man wasn't one to ramble; he was always straightforward and decisive. The longer Fang Mingyuan stayed in the principal's office, the more uneasy Yan Dongyu became. He couldn't even remember what he had taught in those two classes.

"Teacher Yan, I've brought Fang Mingyuan back. Let him return to class. After class, come to my office; I have something to discuss with you." Principal Lushan's calm voice was like a thunderclap to Yan Dongyu, making his eyes go wide.

Fang Mingyuan looked at Yan Dongyu, who was unresponsive to Principal Lushan's words, and thought, "Is he scared stiff? How can he just stand there when the leader is speaking?"

Principal Lushan coldly patted Fang Mingyuan, signaling him to go in. This Yan Dongyu's mental fortitude was really too poor. He hadn't even done anything, and Yan Dongyu was already in such a state, clearly not up to the task!

"Cough!" With Principal Lushan's light cough, Yan Dongyu finally came to his senses, realizing that the leader was waiting for his response.

"Yes, yes, yes..." Yan Dongyu's face turned red.

Before he could finish speaking, the clear bell rang...

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