Chapter 162: Hoist with One's Own Petard

Indeed, Xie Yunzheng was exaggerating a bit, but Tian Jiao was a daring girl, the most spoiled child in her family since she was little—if she wanted the stars, they wouldn't just pluck the moon for her.

She certainly pursued Xie Yunzheng with great intensity.

Sweet, soft corn cakes paired with rich chicken soup—it was delicious enough to make one's tongue fall off. The others could only drool in envy.

"Who called?" Jiang Xun asked casually as he saw Zhou Yan return from the brigade headquarters.

"My mother." Zhou Yan frowned.

Jiang Xun understood. "Telling you to go back and get married?"

The Zhou family took Zhou Yan's marriage very seriously. The primary reason he had come to the countryside with Jiang Xun was that he had been forced into a corner by his family. Who would have thought that even after several years, the Zhou family still wouldn't give up?

This remark happened to be overheard by Feng Wanjia, who had come out to pour water. Her expression cooled slightly. "Brother Zhou, you mustn't be fickle. If you have someone you are meant to marry, you should stop provoking my cousin."

Her cousin was gentle and quiet; if she were to be deceived, how would she live her life in the future?

Zhou Yan's brow remained furrowed. "Naturally, I would never deceive her. I will handle my family matters myself."

"That would be for the best, but you need to hurry. If I’m not mistaken, your family must already know you have feelings for my cousin. I’m just worried about your mother..." Feng Wanjia felt both anxious and dissatisfied.

Zhou's mother was overbearing, and her cousin was certainly no match for her. If she were to hear something unpleasant, what then? Even if her cousin had a fondness for Zhou Yan, her path would only become more difficult. She felt quite vexed, thinking the Zhou family was a bit unreasonable—they knew Zhou Yan liked someone else, yet they kept arranging other prospects.

After Feng Wanjia went inside, Lin Jingyue looked at Zhou Yan. "Although this is your private business and I shouldn't meddle, we are friends, so I’ll say this: your relationship with that girl isn't settled yet. If someone interferes, you might truly lose your chance."

Isn't that how it always goes in television dramas? Sensational misunderstandings. Because of family obstruction, lovers are separated for a long time. Even if they eventually overcome hardships to be together, what about the time lost? Besides, this wasn't a TV show. What if, because of this, the two of them really had no future?

Lin Jingyue's words caused Zhou Yan's heart to sink. Thinking of what his mother had said today, he felt a surge of agitation. "It seems I have to go back."

Jiang Xun nodded. "You should go back. These things need to be handled properly."

The next day, Zhou Yan requested home leave and departed. Upon hearing this, Feng Wanjia wrote a letter to her cousin; Zhou Yan was, after all, a good man.

But the people of the Zhou family...

Leaving that aside for now, Lin Jingyue began her first day of teaching. The first class was for the first graders. As she walked into the classroom and saw the children, sallow-faced and thin, wearing clothes patched over patches, she felt a sudden tug at her heart. However, the next moment, seeing two or three little girls sitting at their desks while holding one-year-old babies, the corner of her mouth couldn't help but twitch.

Sighing inwardly, she revealed a smile. "Hello, students. We are meeting for the first time today. Let me introduce myself, I..."

"It's not the first time, Sister Lin, we all know you!" Tie Dan, wise beyond his years, shouted loudly.

Niu Niu was also bold. "Yeah, yeah, Sister Lin's name is Lin Jingyue, and she's the prettiest and most feisty girl in all our villages."

Lin Jingyue: "..."

No need to doubt it; Niu Niu's words were definitely from her mother or grandmother.

There were quite a few children from the Gaoshan Brigade in the class, and they looked at Lin Jingyue with cautious, sparkling eyes.

"Teacher Lin is so pretty."

"Prettier than my aunt, even though my aunt says she's the prettiest," said Tian Manzai, Tian Jiao's nephew, his eyes wide. "But Teacher Lin, my aunt says that pretty girls are supposed to have big tempers, so you being feisty is perfectly fine."

Lin Jingyue again: "..."

These little rascals.

The classroom was rowdy, leaving her both amused and exasperated. After the children finished chattering, she raised her hand. "No more talking now. Listen to me."

"From now on, whoever talks during class, I will beat them. Everyone knows I have a bad temper and am very good at beating people." She narrowed her eyes. "Did you hear me?"

"We heard you!" the children answered loudly. They had heard that the troublemakers in the brigade had all been beaten by Teacher Lin.

"Good. Since you all know me, I won't introduce myself. Now, it's your turn to introduce yourselves. Starting from the first row of the first group—Tie Dan, you go first."

Tie Dan stood up, remembering what Lin Jingyue had said about standing tall and having presence, and shouted, "My name is Li Tiedan!"

Lin Jingyue: "...Your formal name!"

"My formal name is Li Tiedan!" Tie Dan was puzzled; it was a very nice name.

Lin Jingyue's mouth twitched. You'll regret that later.

Next was Niu Niu. "My name is Deng Niuniu!"

"Sun Zhaodi."

"Tian Manzai."

"Wang Lufendan..."

"Yang Erwa..."

"Hu Daya..."

"Zhang Zhudan..."

After the introductions, Lin Jingyue's face twisted, and her mouth twitched uncontrollably. She couldn't help but cover her forehead, looking at their innocent faces. You will regret this so much in the future.

"Today, we are setting our first task." After the first class, she checked her watch; there were five minutes left. Lin Jingyue looked at everyone.

"Go home and tell your parents that you are in school now and should have a proper academic name—a formal name—to be written in your notebooks and textbooks. You can't just have names picked at random." Seeing the children were indifferent, she added, "Think about it: after finishing primary school, if you get into middle school and go to the city to study, others will be called Qingguo, Shengli, Yuanzhi, Yanran—so distinguished. And when it's your turn, your formal names are Wang Lufendan... Zhang Zhudan... Li Tiedan..."

Well, although they didn't yet understand the meanings of those names, they were indeed better than their own. The children nodded.

Lin Jingyue breathed a sigh of relief. She was afraid that in the future, if a child became successful and said they were her student, and people heard names like Donkey Dung Egg? Pig Egg? Iron Egg? Help!

"Educated Youth Lin, did you bring lunch? Want to eat together?" At noon, Tian Jiao held her lunchbox and waved it at Lin Jingyue.

There was a stove in the school, and students who brought lunch could heat it up. Teachers and students from the Lanshan Brigade generally brought their own, while those from the Qingshan Brigade went home to eat—though going home usually just meant roasting a sweet potato or a potato. Lin Jingyue used to take children up the mountain to forage specifically so they could get a bit of meat.

"No need, I'm going back to eat; it's close." Lin Jingyue stood up and smiled.

"Then I won't hold you up." Tian Jiao didn't say anything more. She heated her meal and sat down to eat with Tian Manzai, only to hear him mention the matter of formal names that Lin Jingyue had proposed.

Tian Jiao tapped her own head. "Oh my, why didn't I think of that? While 'Manzai' is okay, it doesn't sound very distinguished."