Chapter 49 of 100
Chapter 49
14 min read3,413 words
Chapter 5: Just Give Up on That Idea
"Caohu, what are you spacing out about here?" Someone suddenly patted Caohu on the shoulder from behind. Only then did Caohu snap back to reality, turned his head, and saw someone he knew—Luo Yuzhong, a second-year student at the Children's Middle School. His father was the director of the first workshop at the Qinxi Pressing Equipment Factory, and last night he had brought Luo Yuzhong to his home to "pay respects" to Cao Yinping.
"Luo Yuzhong, does your school not care about early romance?" Caohu hesitated for a moment before asking.
"Care about early romance? How could that be?" Luo Yuzhong looked at Caohu strangely, up and down. In the 1980s, how could a middle school not care about students' early romance? Even if it was just holding hands between male and female students, if the teachers saw it, it would cause a huge stir. At the very least, the teachers would name and shame the students, and call their parents in. At worst, the students would have to make a public apology to the entire school, receive a reprimand, or even be expelled. In the previous semester, two third-year students were caught kissing outside the school. They were first given a major reprimand, then their parents were called in, and finally, the two, who were originally in the same class, were separated. In the end, to save face, they were not made to make a public apology at a school assembly.
"What's up? Did you already have your eye on someone when you first entered the school?" Luo Yuzhong said with a half-smile, "If it's you, the school would probably turn a blind eye to you out of respect for your uncle. But the one you have your eye on might have a lot more trouble. So, be careful."
"Nothing, I just saw something strange earlier, which made me think your school doesn't care about this kind of thing." Caohu smiled. As long as they care, he would report it to the teacher, saying that Fang Mingyuan is in an early romance, and see if he doesn't get what he deserves.
"What kind of strange thing?" Luo Yuzhong immediately became interested and asked.
Caohu recounted what had happened earlier, and Luo Yuzhong chuckled, "If it's with Fang Mingyuan, you must have seen Zhao Ya and Feng Qian, the two flowers of the first year. Good eye, buddy. But if it's them, there's nothing strange about it. Even if you report it, no one will care."
"Why is that? Why wouldn't anyone care?" Caohu was even more puzzled. From Luo Yuzhong's tone, it seemed everyone knew about Fang Mingyuan's ambiguous relationship with the two girls.
"Fang Mingyuan is a freak. In five years of elementary school, he was always the top student in his grade. He's a treasure in the eyes of the teachers! And the few friends he has are all top students in their classes. Not to mention us, even the teachers wouldn't dare to mess with him. I'll tell you, when this kid was in second grade, his homeroom teacher tried to discipline him, but not only did he fail, the teacher was scolded by the principal, lost his reputation in the school, and was demoted from his position as homeroom teacher. He's still just a substitute teacher!" Luo Yuzhong, who was only one grade above Caohu, knew all about Fang Mingyuan's exploits. He was a model student who could stand up to teachers and win, and there was only one such student in the entire school.
"Just him?" Caohu asked in surprise, "Didn't his family step in?" Could it be that Fang Mingyuan has some family background? But among the main leaders of the Qinxi Pressing Equipment Factory, none of them had the surname Fang.
"Just him! From start to finish, his family never showed up or interfered. They must have found out later, but not at the time." Luo Yuzhong said firmly. This incident had caused a huge stir in the children's elementary school, from the principal to the first-grade students, everyone knew about it.
Caohu couldn't help but be amazed. This kid, Fang Mingyuan, was really something. He dared to stand up to a teacher in second grade, while Caohu himself at that age probably still believed everything the teachers said.
"Zhao Ya and Feng Qian have been friends with Fang Mingyuan since elementary school. I heard that Feng Qian's mother has a very close relationship with the Fang family, and Feng Qian often spent the night at the Fangs when she was young. As for Zhao Ya, it's even more extreme—her grandfather arranged a marriage between her and Fang Mingyuan. The three families are very close. If you report it to the teacher and the parents are called in, they might even think you're meddling. Who would do such a thing for no reason?" Luo Yuzhong said with a look of envy. Why didn't his own father think of arranging a few betrothals for him? If he had, he could now pursue girls with a clear conscience.
Caohu couldn't help but feel a bit discouraged. Hearing Luo Yuzhong's words, he understood that this kid was a big favorite in the eyes of the teachers, and his family didn't care about this matter. No wonder Luo Yuzhong said that reporting it wouldn't do any good.
"Caohu, I'm telling you, it's best not to have any conflicts with Fang Mingyuan. Not just in this school, but even in the factory, this kid is a big name. Almost half the factory knows him. If you have a good reason, it's one thing, but if you don't, a few words from others could drown you!" Luo Yuzhong advised him kindly.
"Ah?" Caohu was even more incredulous. How could a first-year student have such a big influence? The Qinxi Pressing Equipment Factory has over ten thousand employees, and if you include retirees and family members, it's more than twenty thousand!
"This is a long story, let's talk about it on the way!" Luo Yuzhong looked at his watch; it was already 11:45.
When the two of them slowly cycled back to the factory residential area, Luo Yuzhong had already succinctly recounted Fang Mingyuan's great achievements over the past few years to Caohu, leaving Caohu with wide eyes, almost doubting if he had heard correctly.
"In recent years, Fang Mingyuan has been relatively quiet, but the Fang family is now well-known in Hai Zhuang Town. Do you know the Fang family restaurant?"
"Of course I do!" How could he not know? The welcome banquet for Cao Yinping was held there, and Caohu had gone along. At the time, Cao Yinping had marveled at the high-end restaurant in the small town of Hai Zhuang, which was on par with the famous restaurants in Tongchuan City. Moreover, the dishes at the restaurant were indeed very delicious.
"Is that the Fang family's restaurant?" Caohu blurted out, his heart racing.
"You got it, that's the Fang family's restaurant!" Luo Yuzhong gave a thumbs up. He thought to himself, now you should finally give up on that idea.
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