Chapter 54: Are you guys having a feast every day!

"Please come in, Mr. Luo."

"Li Dayong, wash a basin for Mr. Luo and serve him some food."

It was the dead of winter; keeping Mr. Luo blocked outside the courtyard wasn't appropriate, especially since he had come to deliver a parcel for Li Ye.

So, Li Ye finally welcomed him in, and before even stepping through the door of the small warehouse, he called out for Li Dayong to serve a portion of pickled fish.

"No need, no need, I've already eaten at the canteen, really, no need."

Mr. Luo refused while swallowing hard.

This sour, savory aroma was just too intense.

Lifting the door curtain, Li Ye led Mr. Luo into the small warehouse, and then Mr. Luo was shocked.

"Whoa~, it's so warm in here."

"Whoa~, your dinner... is a bit lavish!"

The stove inside the small warehouse burned day and night, naturally warm as spring. The large aluminum basin was filled to the brim with pickled fish, glistening with oil—it looked like they hadn't skimped on the ingredients at all.

This intense sensory impact—the smell and the sight—left Mr. Luo, who had been reserved just a moment ago, unable to adjust for a while.

You have to understand that coal was rationed by coupons back then. For a normal family, coming home from work to light a fire and keeping it burning until the middle of the night so they wouldn't feel the cold was considered quite "well-off."

But here at Li Ye's place? Keeping it at twenty degrees all day long—how much coal must that waste?

Mr. Luo glanced at the coal basket by the stove; it was packed full of coal briquettes, and his eyelids twitched with envy.

【Comparing people to people is enough to make you die of frustration! You really can't compare the school system with the grain system.】

Mr. Luo comforted himself, yet without realizing it, he reached out and took the large enamel mug Li Dayong handed him.

Only then did he snap back to reality and hurriedly said, "No need, no need, I've already eaten, really..."

"Mr. Luo, don't be so formal. We made this dish ourselves; have a taste and give us your opinion."

Li Ye handed Mr. Luo a pair of chopsticks and then invited the others to start eating.

Hu Man, Li Dayong, and the others quickly moved to scoop up food, and soon their own enamel mugs were filled to the brim.

Mr. Luo's eyelids twitched as he watched—【They can really eat!】

Looking down at his own mug, half-filled with pickled fish, Mr. Luo felt a little less embarrassed.

In the eighties, in some village-run primary schools, families would take turns providing meals for the teachers.

Mr. Luo was just being reserved and shy, but to say he'd lose face just by eating a meal with students? That certainly wasn't the case.

"Teacher, look at our setup here. The self-study environment is better, and everyone's enthusiasm for learning is higher.

Besides... the class is so peaceful now, doesn't that have something to do with us stepping back?"

"Mmm, mmm, not bad, the environment here is really good... *crunch, crunch*... *slurp, slurp*..."

The hot, numbing, and spicy pickled fish made Mr. Luo gasp repeatedly; it was sour, refreshing, and comfortable.

Jiang Xiao hurriedly poured a bowl of water: "Drink some water, Mr. Luo."

"Mmm, mmm," Mr. Luo took a couple of sips, caught his breath, and said, "I came over today just to take a look. I have to say, the conditions you have here are truly excellent."

"However..."

Mr. Luo changed the subject: "In this exam, a few of you didn't perform... quite ideally! Did you encounter any difficulties in your studies?"

Hu Man and the others remained silent, moving their chopsticks rapidly. The delicious pickled fish filled their mouths, leaving them no time to talk.

Mr. Luo felt a bit awkward; he truly had good intentions.

This exam had brought unexpected surprises like Jiang Xiao, but also unexpected losses like Hu Man and Watching Wen Leyu.

With the college entrance exam only a few months away, every potential candidate tugged at his nerves as their homeroom teacher; how could he not be concerned?

Seeing that Mr. Luo couldn't even eat anymore, Li Ye had no choice but to say, "Ahem, they weren't... feeling very well those few days, so their performance suffered... so Mr. Luo, you don't need to mind it."

"I... *cough, cough, cough*..."

Mr. Luo choked and had to drink several mouthfuls of water before he could recover.

He was a man with several children; of course, he knew what it meant for a woman to be "not feeling well."

But Li Ye, you little brat, why do you understand these things?

How did the adults in your family educate you?

Could it be that children who are already engaged are truly different?

Seeing the faces of the girls turn red, Li Ye realized that in this era, he had been a bit too casual with his words.

But just as he was about to remedy the situation, Watching Wen Leyu said calmly and firmly, "Yes, I wasn't feeling well those days."

"..........."

Tonight's meal was eaten in a very strange atmosphere. No one spoke anymore; only the crisp sound of pickled vegetables being chewed by teeth could be heard.

After the meal, Mr. Luo finally said to Jiang Xiao: "Jiang Xiao, you did very well on this exam. The school believes you have great potential.

So, the teacher wants to hear your opinion: are you willing to... join Xia Yue and the others and focus on receiving professional guidance from the teachers..."

Jiang Xiao's expression changed instantly; she finally understood why Mr. Luo had come over tonight.

She asked Mr. Luo: "Mr. Luo, did Xia Yue say something to you?"

Mr. Luo clicked his tongue and nodded: "Indeed, Xia Yue said that you still have to cook for others after class, wasting precious study time. By rights, in your current situation, you shouldn't waste a single minute on anything other than studying."

"........."

Jiang Xiao's mind raced, and she asked Mr. Luo: "If I follow Xia Yue and the others to review, can I have meat at every meal?"

Mr. Luo: "........."

Jiang Xiao said at a rapid pace: "Yesterday we had braised soybeans with pork knuckles, the day before we had catfish stewed in an iron pot,

The day before that we had chicken stewed with mushrooms, the day before that we had ribs stewed with potatoes, the day before that we had twice-cooked pork..."

Mr. Luo: "......."

Are you running a restaurant? Are you having a feast every day?

Then Jiang Xiao added: "Ten cents a meal, all you can eat."

【Damn, save a seat for me too.】

Looking at the pickled fish remaining in the large aluminum basin, Mr. Luo had no defense left.

If one were to follow this menu, even a section-level official wouldn't have such treatment.

Mr. Luo couldn't find a reason anymore. He knew Jiang Xiao's situation—eating a few steamed buns with boiled water every day, and the school had never provided any assistance. Now that she had found a place that provided meals, would he really pull her away?

Would he have the face to do it?

In this day and age, heaven is great, earth is great, but eating is the greatest. No problem there.

"Alright then, this is all voluntary."

Mr. Luo stood up to leave, but suddenly caught sight of Li Ye's new book.

"Li Ye, I've always heard you've become a writer, but I haven't read your masterpiece yet. Can you let me take a look at that book?"

Li Ye couldn't say no, so he had to give him the copy of *Lurking* he had just unwrapped, which made Watching Wen Leyu pout.

She was Li Ye's proofreader and had been thinking about being the first to read the new book!

Everyone saw that they definitely wouldn't be able to do any problems for a while, so they decided to review and recite on their own, and wait until Mr. Luo left.

But they waited and waited; it had been an hour or two, and Mr. Luo's backside seemed to have taken root—he didn't move an inch.

Mr. Luo had become completely immersed in the exciting plot of *Lurking*.

Hu Man and the others were suffering. After realizing the benefits of Li Ye's "golden thigh," the evening study time was their life; every minute and every second was incredibly precious to them. Now that Mr. Luo was "oblivious" and getting in the way, it was truly frustrating.

Li Ye sensed everyone's suffering and, having no other choice, had to take action himself.

"It's time for our nightly reading. Today, let's read Lesson Nine of English together."

Li Ye took out the English book and began to lead the reading.

Hu Man and the others naturally followed, and the clear sound of reading immediately startled Mr. Luo, who had been lost in the novel.

"Oh, oh, this book is really good..."

Mr. Luo held *Lurking* and couldn't put it down. He truly hadn't expected that Li Ye could write such a book; he was simply a young genius.

However, immediately after, Mr. Luo discovered another highlight about Li Ye.

Li Ye's English pronunciation was incredibly pure, even more standard than the few substitute teachers at school.

"Hiss~~"

After Li Ye and the students finished reading, Mr. Luo said to Li Ye: "Li Ye, your English pronunciation is so good. How about you lead the students in the class in reading from now on?"

"Not interested," Li Ye said without hesitation. "I don't have the time, nor the mood to do such thankless work."

"........"

Mr. Luo had nothing to say.

The "Huang Shiren" affair had just been settled; Xia Yue and the parents of that Zhou Chenggong had both been called to school, and it had taken a lot of effort to suppress Li Ye's resentment and restore peace to the first repeat class.

Now, if you wanted Li Ye to help those who had mocked him, did you really think Director Li wouldn't lower his status and bicker with a few students as an adult?

"Alright then! It's just that Teacher Ma has something going on at home, and Teacher Ke has asked for leave. There hasn't been an English teacher at school for the past few days, and I'm just anxious..."

"Teacher Ke asked for leave?"

Li Ye looked at Watching Wen Leyu in confusion. This little mute hadn't told him! ===== CHAPTER 55 =====