Big Brother / Da Ge / The Unknown

Chapter 21

The reactions of the people varied. Xiao Bao knew rationally that it was a good thing, but emotionally, she clearly didn't think going to school was a good job. She was happy on one hand, but on the other hand, she took pleasure in the disaster that her older brother would have to sit in a chair and listen to lectures and do homework just like her.

Xiao Yuan, however, was much more attentive than her. Even though he was so young when Wei Qian dropped out of school, he genuinely felt the despair and sorrow that Wei Qian suppressed in his heart. Therefore, he looked up at Teacher Li with a bit of anticipation, with the frenzied joy of a child who had lost the chance to study and had now received help.

But the one with the biggest reaction was Old Lady Song. Old Lady Song had lived longer than the three of them combined and had experienced too much.

She noticed that when Wei Qian sat in front of this Teacher Li, his whole demeanor changed. He appeared cultured and polite, much more mature than his peers, with a handsome face and a youthful vigor that shone through now that his thuggish air had faded.

A young man in the prime of his youth, radiant and vigorous.

A thought flashed through Old Lady Song's mind, and she made a decision on the spot, thinking that this boy should go to school.

However, it was only Wei Qian who, after hearing Teacher Li's words, just froze for a moment. After a while, he barely lifted his eyelids and chuckled lightly, responding indifferently, "Thank you, Teacher, but... cough, I'm just not very keen on studying by nature, probably not cut out for academics..."

"Are you afraid you can't afford the tuition?" Old Lady Song suddenly interrupted him.

Wei Qian frowned and glanced at his comrade, who was as useless as a pig. If it weren't inappropriate to make a scene in front of Teacher Li, he would have slammed down his chopsticks right there—what did it mean to cry poor in front of someone else's teacher?

Was it to gain sympathy or shamelessly take advantage of someone's kindness to ask for poverty relief? There should be a limit to shamelessness, right?

But Old Lady Song didn't care. She could do anything, even roll on the ground. Face? What was face? Could you eat it?

So she spoke up again before Teacher Li could, "It's okay, you go study. I'm not old yet, I can still work. I guard the intersection, sell hundreds of tea eggs from morning to night, you do the math, that's quite a bit of money, right? The two of them are still young, not at the age to spend much. Elementary school miscellaneous fees aren't much for a year, at most just some textbook fees. You go study with peace of mind, don't worry."

Wei Qian glanced at Teacher Li's expression, quietly grinding his teeth, and managed to squeeze out an innocent and somewhat embarrassed smile to Teacher Li, "No, actually it's not because of financial reasons..."

He tried to maintain the demeanor of a student council president, and Old Lady Song took advantage of this again, interrupting him with a loud voice she had honed from cursing in the streets, shouting at Teacher Li, "Teacher, thank you so much, you are our family's benefactor. As long as you let this boy go back to school, I, the old lady, will pay for the tuition. Even if it's university in the future, we can afford it. As long as the child has prospects, we can't let anything hold him back, right? Ah... You said, he really can..."

Teacher Li adjusted his glasses with a smile and said, "Auntie, don't worry. I've been a teacher all my life, without power or influence, but I can still manage this little thing. It's a pity for a good child; this child had good grades, even ranked in the top ten—right, Wei Qian? In a couple of days, I'll have your uncle take care of it. Once it's settled, you can enroll after the summer break. If there are any financial difficulties, you can tell the teacher. At worst, you can pay me back when you grow up and become successful."