Chapter 28: Can Family Members Go?
After Sun Mulan finished speaking, she eagerly hoped that Zhou Wanfeng would stand up and take the lead, but she just sat there, her head down, doing her homework from beginning to end.
The words she had just said were like a gust of wind, a rustle and then silence. The students in the class went back to what they were doing before.
“Um… class president…” Sun Mulan called out, calling Zhou Wanfeng.
Zhou Wanfeng stopped her pen and looked up, her expression cold as she looked at Sun Mulan. The icy gaze made Sun Mulan freeze. She suddenly understood that the decision to have First Grade, Class Nine participate in the sports meet had made Zhou Wanfeng unhappy.
Sun Mulan’s brow furrowed. She stood stiffly on the podium, at a complete loss. The feeling of being isolated and helpless made Sun Mulan panic from the bottom of her heart.
She stood at the podium for more than a minute before Zhou Wanfeng slowly stood up, her expression grim. She walked to the podium and took the list of sports meet events from Sun Mulan’s hand. “Teacher, you can go back to the office first. First Grade, Class Nine is going to have a temporary class meeting now.”
Hearing that there was going to be a class meeting, Sun Mulan was taken aback. A… a class meeting? Shouldn’t I be there as the homeroom teacher?
Zhou Wanfeng’s cold gaze was fixed on her, as if to say that this was a class meeting and the homeroom teacher was not needed.
Sun Mulan left the classroom sheepishly. She knew in her heart that Zhou Wanfeng was angry that she had not refused the school’s proposal.
As soon as Sun Mulan left, Zhou Wanfeng looked at the list of sports meet events. The sports meet would be for three consecutive days, from next Monday to Wednesday. Not only would they not be able to review, but it would also delay their normal learning progress. The day after the sports meet ended would be the monthly exam on Thursday and Friday.
Letting out a frustrated breath, Zhou Wanfeng looked at the laughing and joking students below, who didn’t know the hardships of life. Bang, bang, bang.
Her palm slammed down hard on the podium.
Zhou Wanfeng’s brow furrowed. “Quiet down. We’re having a temporary class meeting.” She then held up the list of sports meet events in her hand. “Did you all hear what the homeroom teacher said about the sports meet? The monthly exam is next Thursday and Friday, and the sports meet is from next Monday to Wednesday. That means we’ll be taking the exam right after we get back from the sports meet. The semester’s curriculum will be delayed, and there will be no time to review. Everyone knows it’s a delay, so the spots for this sports meet were given to Class Nine. Do you all understand what that means?”
“I understand. It was originally a good thing, but they had to make it so disgusting. Isn’t it just because they think the students in Class Nine are not good at studying? That we don’t study at school.”
“Exactly. Isn’t this discrimination? Why does our class have to participate in the sports meet? Can’t I just lie on my desk and sleep in the classroom if I don’t want to participate?”
“It’s complete differential treatment. If there were any competition spots, they would definitely be given to the other classes. We don’t get any of the good things, and all the bad things are dumped on us.”
They were all junior high school students. The school’s actions were clearly looking down on them. Although they didn’t really want to study, it was definitely the school’s problem to be so blatant about it.
The class was in an uproar.
Zhou Wanfeng clapped her hands to quiet the class down. All forty-one students in the class looked up at her. They could all see that the class president was in a bad mood. Her brow had not relaxed at all.
“Whether we go to this sports meet or not is not up to the school or the teacher. You decide for yourselves whether you want to go or not. You have three minutes to think about it. Just think about whether you want to go or not. Those who want to go, think about what sports you can participate in. Don’t think about anything else.”
With that, Zhou Wanfeng picked up a piece of chalk and wrote on the blackboard: Vote, Want to go, Don’t want to go.
“The final result will be based on the majority vote. The minority will obey the majority.”
The students in the class immediately understood the class president’s meaning. If most of the class didn’t want to go, then they would collectively not participate and directly ignore the school’s decision. Anyway, what could the school do to them? Could they force the students to go if they didn’t want to?
As expected of the class president. We decide for ourselves whether to go or not.
“Class president, do you want to go or not?” Ding Gaoming shouted from the back row, and many eyes focused on her.
Tang Yuqing answered for her. She felt that as her deskmate, she had the most right to speak. “The class president definitely doesn’t want to go. The ones who want to go are the ones who think it’s boring to stay at school and not study. The class president uses all her break time to do her homework and problems. Especially with the exam next week, and the grade ranking, the class president definitely wants to get a high score. Everyone else is at school reviewing, but our class is being sent out. It doesn’t sound fair.”
The class was in a heated discussion.
“I kind of want to go and have some fun. I can’t concentrate in class anyway. It’s better to go out for a walk.”
“I don’t want to go. We have to sign up for sports, right? I can’t run or high jump. I’ll just be a disgrace if I go.”
Zhang Xi whispered to her deskmate that she wanted to go. “I practiced shot put for a while in elementary school. My technique is average, but I’m strong, and I can throw it quite far.”
“Class president, do you want to stay and study, or go to the sports meet? I’ll listen to you.”
Some people were in a dilemma and looked at Zhou Wanfeng for a decision.
Zhou Wanfeng looked down at the list of events. “It doesn’t matter to me. You can study anywhere. It’s up to you.”
“Now, those who want to go to the sports meet, stand up.” As Zhou Wanfeng’s words fell, people stood up one after another, from the front to the back of the classroom.
“Damn, there are still so many who want to go? What are you guys thinking?” the students who were still sitting said with a frown.
25 people were standing, 16 were sitting.
Zhou Wanfeng pointed at the people who were standing. “Those who want to go, try to sign up for as many events as possible. What matters is participation. Those who don’t want to go, change your mindset. Treat it as a class autumn outing. Bring some food and drinks, and if you’re in a good mood, cheer a little.”
With that, Zhou Wanfeng handed the list of events to Tang Yuqing and asked her to write it on the blackboard for others to refer to.
“Class president, Zhu Junling said he can long jump. He can fly when he jumps. Sign him up.”
“And Zhang Xi, she’s signing up for the shot put.”
Tang Yuqing was temporarily in charge of registration. Zhou Wanfeng went back to her seat to do her problems.
The class was buzzing with all sorts of discussions. The people who had originally not wanted to go suddenly found it interesting after the class president had reframed the concept.
Especially the people around Mai Jiaqi, who were all discussing what snacks to bring.
The class president had said that what mattered was participation. Disgrace? It would be Shuangshu Model Middle School’s disgrace. A group of twelve and thirteen-year-olds were now excitedly discussing the events they wanted to participate in.
It didn’t take long for Tang Yuqing to write down the names of all the participants on the sports meet event list.
Each person was limited to two events, excluding the relay.
No one was willing to participate in the middle and long-distance running events. Zhou Wanfeng took the list and wrote both their names down.
The 4x100m relay was short two girls.
Tang Yuqing saw Zhou Wanfeng fill in both their names and was stunned. “Class president, I have long legs, but I’m really not a fast runner. Everyone says I run like I’m taking a walk.”
“I’m the last leg. No one is asking you to run first. You can just take a slow walk,” Zhou Wanfeng said, looking at the registration form. She then stood up to find Sun Mulan.
In the first-grade homeroom teachers’ office, Sun Mulan was looking dejected. Zhou Wanfeng came in and handed her the registration form.
Seeing the filled-out registration form, Sun Mulan’s expression improved.
But she saw that Zhou Wanfeng was still standing at her desk, looking at her with a grim face.
“Zhou Wanfeng… I know that the school’s decision to have First Grade, Class Nine participate in this sports meet has made you unhappy. But there’s nothing I can do about the school’s arrangement.”
“Did you refuse?” Zhou Wanfeng asked directly.
Sun Mulan was speechless for a moment. Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times before she finally defended herself. “…The grade director asked me to understand the school’s difficulties. I couldn’t refuse at the time.”
Zhou Wanfeng frowned and took a deep breath, her tone stern. “Teacher Sun, you’re an adult and you’ve already entered the workforce, so I’ll be direct. You’re not qualified to be the homeroom teacher of First Grade, Class Nine. It has nothing to do with what kind of students are in Class Nine. As the homeroom teacher of Class Nine, you have to protest to the school for your students. You should be able to see such obvious differential treatment. The students of Class Nine can choose not to study themselves, that’s their own choice, not to be deprived by others. I have more money than I can spend, so I should just give it away? That’s not how it works, is it?”
“Respect the students. Ask them if they’re willing, instead of just forcing them. This time, the majority of the class voted to go. If the majority didn’t want to go, this registration form would have been in the trash can. You know it yourself, teacher. If the students of Class Nine don’t go, there’s nothing the school can do.”
Tears welled up in Sun Mulan’s eyes.
But Zhou Wanfeng was unmoved. “Others ask you to understand and tolerate their difficulties. Don’t you have difficulties? Aren’t your difficulties much more than the other homeroom teachers’? What kind of existence is Class Nine? Why are you silent when you should be complaining? The students of First Grade, Class Nine are not fools.”
With that, she reached out and pulled a piece of tissue from the desk, stuffing it into Sun Mulan’s hand.
Her voice softened. “Next time, if something like this happens again, and you’re in a difficult position and can’t refuse, just have the grade director or some other school leader come to First Grade, Class Nine and say it themselves. No one hates sports, but this method makes the students of Class Nine feel like they’re picking up someone else’s leftovers from the ground.”
Zhou Wanfeng even let out a bitter laugh. “The school… can abandon a class of students, but they don’t have to be so obvious about it. They’ve already been gathered in one class, and they haven’t ruined any other class’s studies. And yet they’re still reminded from time to time that First Grade, Class Nine has been abandoned. What, did the students of First Grade, Class Nine not pay their tuition? Did they forget what they wrote in their admission brochure when they recruited them? This is the first time, and the last.”
With that, Zhou Wanfeng turned and went back to the classroom. She disliked this method very much.
Then, the entire first grade discovered that after morning self-study, the entire Class Nine was not at the morning exercises. The whole class was on the big playground, their laughter and chatter carrying all the way to the small playground.
The students of Class Nine were training.
Two physical education teachers were in a hurry. They still had to teach some basic rules and techniques for the long jump, high jump, running, relays, and so on.
For example, the take-off posture for the long jump.
Zhang Xi’s shot put really had some potential. Several of the boys in the class had competed with her and lost. They had been fooling around at first, but when they suddenly realized that they might win an award in one event, they all got excited.
Zhou Wanfeng’s events were the 800m, the 1500m, and a relay. All she had to do was run. So while the others were laughing and joking with the physical education teacher, she was previewing her lessons with a book in hand.
In the blink of an eye, it was the weekend. Zhou Wanfeng woke up early as usual and ran for five kilometers. Halfway through her run, she saw Jiang Yi waving at her. There was another person standing next to him.
The two of them were about the same height, and both were thin.
Jiang Yi was wearing a tracksuit. He pointed at the boy next to him and introduced him to Zhou Wanfeng with a smile. “This is my brother, Jiang Chen. He’s in a key class at the experimental middle school. He’s also participating in the South District sports meet.”
“Bro, this is our class president, Zhou Wanfeng.”
Jiang Yi was in charge of the introductions.
Speaking of which, Jiang Chen was no stranger to the name Zhou Wanfeng. After Jiang Yi started at Shuangshu Model Middle School, he had often mentioned her. He knew all about her heroic deeds. Hitting people in class, hitting people on the street, hitting third years. Anyway, it was always hitting people.
Now that he saw her in person, she was not tall and was on the thin side. But from the way she had run over just now, Jiang Chen could tell that what Jiang Yi had said about her being a good fighter was probably true.
When she ran, her breathing was very rhythmic. When their eyes met, her eyes were exceptionally calm and sharp. She was indeed not to be trifled with.
After sizing her up, Jiang Chen smiled. “Jiang Yi often talks about you at home. He’s a slow-to-warm-up person. I was worried he wouldn’t be able to make any friends.”
What had been a solo run now became a three-person run.
Jiang Chen was clearly more talkative and cheerful than Jiang Yi, and he was also much more cunning.
“Bro, why are you participating in the sports meet? Isn’t the key class supposed to prioritize studying? And aren’t you guys having a monthly exam?” Jiang Yi looked at Jiang Chen, who was already out of breath after just a few steps. He didn’t understand. Wouldn’t it be a disgrace to participate like this? It wasn’t like they were like them.
At the mention of this, a curse suddenly escaped Jiang Chen’s lips. Zhou Wanfeng looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“That damn Lu dog. He wanted to go himself and secretly signed me up too. By the time I found out, the spots had already been submitted, and no one would take my place. That shameless Lu dog, he’s a real bastard,” Jiang Chen said, no longer running. He sat down on the edge of a flowerbed and waved his hand for Zhou Wanfeng to continue.
“Don’t let me delay your run. If you run into that Lu dog at the sports meet, please help me crush him,” Jiang Chen said. He couldn’t run himself, but he held onto Jiang Yi’s arm, clearly telling Zhou Wanfeng to run on her own.
“Bro?” Jiang Yi said, watching Zhou Wanfeng run off. He also sat down on the edge of the flowerbed. He didn’t exercise often either and was tired now.
Jiang Chen looked up. “What? You really want to ditch me and run with her? Can you even keep up with her?” He said, but still leaned closer to Jiang Yi. “Bro, this class president of yours is not ordinary. She has a strong presence. Who would be so blind as to provoke someone like that?”
“No one provokes her now,” Jiang Yi said, punching his legs. The whole school knew that Zhou Wanfeng was not to be trifled with.
Smack. Jiang Chen slapped him. “Be good friends with her. You can tell she’s the type who can protect you at school.”
After her morning workout, Zhou Wanfeng washed up and went downstairs.
She happened to run into Yang Yijun, whom she hadn’t seen in many days. The Yunhai City Children’s Go Competition was probably over. She was now sitting in the living room in a house dress, drinking tea. Seeing Zhou Wanfeng, she called out with a smile, “I heard from Yun Lan that you gave some tea to your Chinese teacher. Does he like it? I have some more here.”
“I don’t know. That old man doesn’t like me. He probably just threw it in a drawer,” Zhou Wanfeng said, sitting down on the sofa, holding a classic novel that Yun Jingya had recommended.
Yang Yijun took a sip of tea and said with regret, “That would be a waste.” She then glanced at Zhou Wanfeng. “I heard from Jiawen that your school is having an exam?”
Zhou Wanfeng smiled and looked back at her. “You must have heard other things too, right? Like the exam is on Thursday and Friday, and the sports meet is on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Or are you trying to talk about the fight that broke out before?”
“The fight is over. I’ve also heard the whole story from Jiawen. It’s not your fault. Next time something happens at school and they call for a parent, if your father is busy and can’t go, just call home. If Yun Lan is not free, I can go too. I heard that the other parent was very unreasonable last time. It must have been hard for you to be there alone. It’s quite pitiful to think about.”
Zhou Wanfeng’s lips held a smile. “Let’s not. I’m afraid it will be too much trouble to introduce, and I’m also afraid you won’t be able to hold back your laughter. If you’re free, don’t use your endless schemes and energy on me. I heard that Yuxiang Pavilion’s business is difficult. You should give them some advice instead of being secretive. And you should also help Auntie Yun keep an eye on my dad’s assets. These things are much more important than me.” With that, Zhou Wanfeng grabbed her book and went upstairs, planning to go to the terrace to read in the sun.
But Yang Yijun just picked up her teacup and slowly sipped her tea. Jiawen had said that the test papers for their school’s monthly exam this time were from another school, not made by their own teachers. She said the test papers were very difficult. This time, the school was also using this opportunity to see how big the gap was between their own students and the students from other schools.
The thought of Zhou Wanfeng not even being able to understand the questions on the entrance test, and now facing such a difficult test for her first monthly exam, and with no time to review, and even having to participate in a sports meet, she could almost imagine the pitiful score that would appear on her paper.
The thought made her raise her hand to cover her mouth. As she watched Zhou Wanfeng go upstairs, she asked, “What events did you sign up for at the sports meet? Can family members go?”