“Teacher Ran! Looking for Sha Zhu?” Yang Xuan smiled.
Ran Qiu Ye’s face flushed slightly, and she shook her head: “No, I’m going to Jia Geng’s house for a home visit.”
Yang Xuan immediately understood that Ran Qiu Ye was going to Qin Huai Ru’s house to demand the tuition fees.
Teachers in this era also had it tough. Though the students weren’t competitive, tuition fees were hard to collect. Many families were truly struggling.
But in reality, even most struggling families wouldn’t withhold their children’s tuition. If they couldn’t afford it, they’d simply drop out of school. But Qin Huai Ru was different. She couldn’t afford the tuition, but she wasn’t willing to let Bang Geng drop out. After all, he was the only sprout in the Jia family.
Hearing the voices, He Yu Zhu hurried out.
“Teacher Ran, why don’t you come in for a sit?” He Yu Zhu invited warmly.
“No, no, I’ll go to Jia Geng’s house first for the home visit.” Ran Qiu Ye hurriedly waved her hands, somewhat fearful of He Yu Zhu’s enthusiasm.
She wasn’t stupid, and she had already sensed He Yu Zhu’s affection for her.
However, He Yu Zhu didn’t quite meet her standards. If it were someone like Yang Xuan, that would be ideal.
But Yang Xuan was too young, only sixteen this year. They were completely incompatible.
This made Ran Qiu Ye somewhat regretful. She wasn’t young anymore, and she felt a sense of urgency in her heart. She also wanted to find someone to lean on sooner rather than later.
After all, she was the only daughter in her family.
Ran Qiu Ye walked towards Qin Huai Ru’s house.
Qin Huai Ru was quite warm to Ran Qiu Ye. But the moment Ran Qiu Ye brought up the tuition fees, the atmosphere immediately changed.
Qin Huai Ru’s attitude turned cold: “Teacher Ran, it’s not that I don’t want to pay the tuition fees, it’s just that I can’t afford it. My husband is gone, and although I took over his job, I’m still an apprentice. My monthly salary is only twenty-something yuan. There are five people in the family, and only three have ration coupons. We buy all high-priced grain. This little salary isn’t even enough for food. If I could afford it, I would have paid the tuition long ago.”
Ran Qiu Ye said with difficulty: “Jia Geng’s mother, I really have no choice. The school has given an order that if Jia Geng doesn’t pay the tuition fees, he won’t be allowed to take the final exam. He won’t be able to go to junior high next semester. Please try to find a way.”
“I’ve exhausted all my options, but I really don’t have the money.” Qin Huai Ru shook her head.
Despite all her efforts, Ran Qiu Ye couldn’t persuade Qin Huai Ru to pay the tuition fees. She could only leave Jia’s house helplessly: “I’ve notified you today. What the school does next is beyond my control.”
Ran Qiu Ye had once felt pity for Qin Huai Ru’s family and had waived their tuition fees, actually paying them out of her own pocket. But there were other students in her class who were even more struggling than Qin Huai Ru’s family. Ran Qiu Ye’s monthly salary wasn’t high either. It was impossible for her to pay all the students’ tuition fees.
This time, she decided to be firm.
Qin Huai Ru chased after her: “Teacher Ran, why don’t you stay for dinner at my house?”
Ran Qiu Ye quickly waved her hands: “No, no, you should try to find a way to pay Jia Geng’s tuition fees as soon as possible. It will really affect Jia Geng’s education later.”
Qin Huai Ru glanced at He Yu Zhu’s house and said: “Teacher Ran, wait a moment, I’ll go and ask the neighbors for a loan.”
Qin Huai Ru wanted to take this opportunity to ask He Yu Zhu for money again.
“Sha Zhu, my sister is truly desperate. I only need to borrow five yuan from you. I’ll pay you back when I get my salary next month.” Qin Huai Ru said.
He Yu Zhu snorted coldly: “You first return the dozens of yuan that Jia Geng stole from my house, and I’ll immediately lend you five yuan.”
“That money is with my mother-in-law. You know what kind of person she is!” Qin Huai Ru said.
He Yu Zhu chuckled: “So you Jia family actually has money? You just don’t want to part with it. Paying tuition for school is a matter of course. If you can’t afford it, don’t go to school. Nowadays, there are plenty of dropouts!”
“Sha Zhu, are you so heartless?” Qin Huai Ru immediately donned a pitiful expression.
He Yu Zhu quickly retorted: “Qin Huai Ru! Stop that! I helped your family before out of pity. I have no feelings for you at all. There’s no question of heartlessness. I still don’t have a girlfriend, and Yu Shui will soon be dating, I need to save her dowry. So, from now on, I won’t be able to help your family like before! Give up on that idea.”
Seeing Qin Huai Ru and He Yu Zhu, Ran Qiu Ye felt something was off between them. She turned around and walked towards the outer courtyard.
He Yu Zhu quickly chased after her.
Seeing He Yu Zhu pursuing Ran Qiu Ye, Qin Huai Ru immediately understood that He Yu Zhu had feelings for Ran Qiu Ye. A cold smile appeared on her face.
He Yu Zhu caught up to the outer courtyard: “Teacher Ran, I want to explain something to you. Qin Huai Ru and I actually have no relationship at all.”
Ran Qiu Ye coldly replied: “Whether you have a relationship with her or not is none of my business. I have no relationship with you either.”
Yang Xuan walked out smiling, saying to Ran Qiu Ye: “Teacher Ran, this Sha Zhu is indeed an idiot. Come on, dinner is ready at my house, come over for a sit. Sha Zhu, you come too.”
Teacher Ran didn’t refuse, but she furrowed her brow at He Yu Zhu.
As a young woman, she naturally wouldn’t want to date a man who had an unclear relationship with a widow.
“Teacher Ran, actually Sha Zhu isn’t lying. He’s just a good-natured fool. He gets played by others all the time without realizing it. But he’s not a bad person. He’s one of the few good people in the world.” Yang Xuan briefly explained He Yu Zhu’s situation.
Ran Qiu Ye was furious: “They’re all like this? They’re too much!”
“Teacher Ran, you might think what I said isn’t entirely true. Don’t worry. Believe me, Qin Huai Ru will soon come to you, saying how she and Sha Zhu have such a great relationship, how difficult their journey together has been, and begging you to let Sha Zhu go.” Yang Xuan said.
“No way? Sha Zhu doesn’t have those feelings for her, and she’d still do that? Does she really like Sha Zhu?” Ran Qiu Ye was more idealistic in terms of love.
Yang Xuan laughed: “Like him? Bullshit! She just needs a sucker like Sha Zhu to support her whole family. No matter who Sha Zhu goes on dates with, she’ll come out to sabotage things. If she really liked Sha Zhu, why wouldn’t she suggest living together with him? She just wants to hold on to Sha Zhu.”
“I, I, I’ve never seen such a vicious person.” Ran Qiu Ye said.
At this moment, Qin Huai Ru was asking Jia Zhang Shi for money.
“Mom, you have to give me five yuan this time to pay Bang Geng’s tuition fees.” Qin Huai Ru said.
Jia Zhang Shi valued money more than her life. How could she possibly give it away? She only cared about herself, no one else, not even her grandson, was more important than her. She was a selfish and self-centered person. Even if Bang Geng dropped out of school, she wouldn’t give up her retirement money.
“I saw Sha Zhu greeting Teacher Ran just now, and then they went to Yang Xuan’s house together. It seems like Sha Zhu is ready to date Teacher Ran. If they start dating, they won’t be able to help our family anymore. Give me five yuan. Tomorrow I’ll pay Bang Geng’s tuition. Then…”
Despite all her efforts, Qin Huai Ru could only get three yuan from Jia Zhang Shi. She ended up adding two yuan herself and finally managed to gather Bang Geng’s tuition fees.