Chapter 52: Conflict with the Teacher

By the time He Yuzhu woke up naturally when the sun was high, Chen Qingshan had already left without disturbing him.

Outside the window, the sky was gray and white, and sparse snowflakes, swirled by the cold wind, tapped sporadically against the window lattice.

He pondered for a moment and decided to go to the school anyway, intending to discuss with Principal Feng whether he could start attending in the second half of the year.

He wrapped his old cotton-padded jacket tighter around himself and strolled out the door.

The cold wind scraped through the alley like a small knife, and a thin layer of fine snow had already covered the ground, making a slight "crunching" sound when stepped on.

He walked into the school gate with his neck hunched, just in time to see Lao Zhou in the gatehouse propping up his arms and dozing off, his head bobbing and nearly hitting the desk.

"Uncle Zhou, where did you go to make a fortune last night? So sleepy like this?" He Yuzhu asked with a grin, leaning against the window.

Lao Zhou jolted awake, and seeing it was him, rubbed his eyes with annoyance: "Yo, did the sun really rise from the west? How do you have time to come to school today?"

"I'm thinking of talking to the Principal to see if I can come in the second half of the year. Learning these things now is just nonsense; there's nothing useful at all." He Yuzhu kicked the snow on the threshold and said indifferently.

"And listening to storytelling at the teahouse all day isn't nonsense? Can you learn the true scriptures there?" Lao Zhou glared at him.

"Pretty much! At least it's better than learning that fake history that licks the assholes of the little devils!" He Yuzhu curled his lips, his tone filled with undisguised contempt.

"Who said the school's curriculum is useless?" A stern voice rang out abruptly from behind him.

He Yuzhu turned his head and saw Principal Feng standing behind him silently, wearing a thick cotton robe with a scarf covering half his face; the exposed brows were tightly locked, and his expression was very unpleasant.

"I said it." He Yuzhu stuck out his neck, not retreating in the slightest.

Principal Feng was so angry he laughed: "I know you! He Yuzhu, who skips school every day! Let me tell you, if it weren't for Lao Zhou pleading for you every day, I would have expelled you long ago!"

"Principal Feng," He Yuzhu was not afraid; instead, he leaned in closer, lowered his voice, and his words hammered down like nails, "Everything taught is just stuff that sings the praises of the devils, and we even have to learn that damn Japanese language—what's the use of learning it? Once the little devils are beaten away, even dogs won't want to listen to this Japanese! Rather than wasting time here grinding my butt, I might as well listen to storytelling at the Qianmen tower. Principal, I really don't plan to come for now. Once the devils roll away, I will definitely come back to study properly, okay?"

"Oh, my little ancestor!" Principal Feng turned pale with fright, looked around hurriedly, his voice trembling, "Get out of here immediately! Right now! Immediately! Don't talk nonsense here and bring disaster upon yourself!"

"Look how scared you are!" He Yuzhu looked at him with disgust.

"If you don't leave, I'll have Lao Zhou chase you out with a broom!" Principal Feng was anxious and angry, making a move to grab his ear.

"Alright! You've agreed to it then! I'll definitely be back in the second half of next year!" He Yuzhu dodged with a cheeky grin. He originally wanted to leave, but then remembered that traitor Teacher Ma who had betrayed him. A fire ignited in his heart, and he decided he had to meet him today; he couldn't let him off so easily.

"Principal Feng, I'm going to say goodbye to my classmates today and go home in the afternoon!" He Yuzhu said.

"Don't cause trouble! Otherwise, otherwise I'll call your parents!" Principal Feng warned.

When He Yuzhu lifted the cotton curtain and walked into the classroom, the noisy room suddenly quieted down, and the little classmates looked at him in surprise. Yan Bugui had been spreading the word everywhere that He Yuzhu was dropping out, and everyone had heard about it.

His seatmate Ma Laoer nudged him with his elbow and asked in a low, excited voice: "Zhuzi, where have you been running wild all these days? I have to say, with you not coming, I've actually missed you!"

"Stop your glib talk. Your house isn't far from mine; why didn't you come find me?" He Yuzhu tucked his cold hands into his sleeves and replied disdainfully.

"Didn't I hear that your house was searched by the little devils? I was afraid someone was tailing me and that I'd get caught too." Ma Laoer hunched his neck and said truthfully.

He Yuzhu cursed Yan Laoxi for his loose lips internally, but on the surface, he said lightly: "Don't listen to their wild rumors. My house is fine; there's nothing wrong at all."

"Then why did you come to class today?" Ma Laoer was puzzled.

"That 'Big Macaque' sold me out last time; I can't just swallow this anger. I have to settle this with him today." Before He Yuzhu finished speaking, the urgent ringing of the class bell sounded.

Teacher Ma, clutching his lesson plan, walked onto the podium with his signature bowlegs.

He habitually scanned the class with a gloomy gaze and suddenly discovered that He Yuzhu was sitting there perfectly fine, his heart skipping a beat.

After he reported him last time, he had assumed He Yuzhu would at least be severely punished, never expecting this kid to return unscathed and even dare to come to class! He was suspicious and uneasy, and his voice while teaching carried a hint of unnaturalness.

Today was a geography lesson.

He Yuzhu watched coldly as Teacher Ma drew a map of China on the blackboard, marked the Northeast, Huabei, and other regions occupied by Japan with different colored chalk, and began to talk at length about the customs of the so-called "Manchukuo," boasting about how happy the people there lived in the "Land of Kingly Way," his face even revealing a disgusting expression of yearning.

Just as Teacher Ma was spouting saliva and speaking vividly, He Yuzhu suddenly raised his hand.

Teacher Ma was interrupted and was very disdainful: "What? Want to skip school again? You, you don't even need to come to school; it's a waste of two steamed buns!"

He Yuzhu stood up and said clearly: "Teacher, my Siqiang fled as a refugee from that 'Land of Kingly Way' you speak of. He said that over there, the Japanese tore down the commoners' villages and forcibly drove people from several villages into one place, calling them 'group settlements.' The newly built houses were as low as dog kennels, and people couldn't even stand up straight inside! Moreover, the Japanese made children only a few years old work in the fields for them. Once the autumn harvest came, they snatched away almost all the grain, leaving the farmers only a little bit of bran and chaff. Life was truly worse than that of pigs and dogs! How did it become a paradise in your mouth, Teacher?"

Upon hearing this, Teacher Ma's face instantly turned the color of a pig's liver. He slammed the table and roared: "He Yuzhu! I used to think you were just unruly and naughty, not liking school! Now I realize you are an out-and-out Red element! Your parents must have problems too! I, I will go find someone to report you immediately!"

He Yuzhu showed no fear; instead, he sneered: "Teacher Ma, you've already reported me once; I don't care about one more time!"

Teacher Ma realized that intimidation was ineffective and also felt that he had said many things he shouldn't have in his agitation. His face changed several times, and he forcibly suppressed his anger, softening his tone: "He Yuzhu, you are still a minor, and what you said is just childish talk. I won't hold it against you today. You, you get out of the classroom immediately! I'll pretend you said nothing, and I won't really report you and your parents. Get out now!"

"Do you really think I like listening to you farting here?" He Yuzhu scoffed, sat back down brazenly, and slumped over his desk, "However, it's snowing outside today, and it's freezing. I have nowhere to go, so I'll just borrow your precious spot for a nap. You just continue your class; I'll treat you like a fart—once it's released, it's over. We'll mind our own business!"

An irrepressible roar of laughter erupted in the classroom.

The students had long disliked this Teacher Ma, who wore a slick, oily side-parted hairstyle, always carried an inexplicable sense of superiority, and frequently insulted students. Seeing him so humiliated by He Yuzhu, they all felt greatly relieved.

Ma Laoer secretly gave He Yuzhu a thumbs-up under the desk and whispered: "So satisfying! This 'Big Macaque' always scolds me too, saying I look poor and deserve to suffer."

He Yuzhu watched the "Big Macaque" teacher on the podium, whose face was livid but helpless, and felt a sense of satisfaction in his heart.

After finally enduring until the end of the morning class, He Yuzhu's gaze remained fixed on Teacher Ma, whether intentionally or not.

Watching Teacher Ma's unique bowlegged gait, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind: Could this guy be a little devil? But his Chinese is spoken too fluently.