Chapter 70: You

On the tenth day of the first lunar month, the remedial class at County No. 2 Middle School reopened.

On the first day of reopening, three things happened.

The first was that the school announced this year’s Gaokao subjects and their corresponding scores.

Since 1977, the total score of the exam had changed every year; the 1982 Gaokao total differed from that of 1981.

This year, mathematics had a 20-point bonus section, bringing its total to 120 points; politics, Chinese, physics, and chemistry were each 100 points.

English, which had previously counted at only 50% of its exam score last year, was raised to 70%, meaning a total of 70 points; biology was also raised to 50 points.

Calculated this way, this year’s Gaokao total would be 640 points.

This was an unqualified good omen for students with strong English scores.

After all, in this “mute English” era, students’ English scores varied wildly—a difference of dozens of points was enough to separate several tiers.

The second event was that Hu Man, class monitor of Remedial Class One, voluntarily stepped down, citing “insufficient energy.”

This wasn’t because Hu Man had backed down, but since she began studying off-campus with Li Ye, many duties expected of a class monitor had become inconvenient.

Xia Yue would naturally step in; rather than waste energy fighting over it, she might as well just step aside.

The third event was that Jiang Xiaoyan’s grandfather and mother suddenly arrived at school to transfer her out.

When Li Ye heard about it, he was also astonished.

If Jiang Xiaoyan were being taken by County No. 1 Middle School, he could understand—but the school she was transferring to was Binhe Township Middle School.

Many students gathered outside the Academic Affairs Office, straining to hear the muffled voices inside, but the cotton curtain at the door made it hard to make out anything clearly.

“Director Tang, we really can’t afford the tuition. Binhe Middle School doesn’t charge tuition and even gives scholarships.”

“We’ve raised this girl for ten years, never made her do a single chore, fed her well and clothed her well—just look at her face, rosy and bright—but isn’t it true that a single penny can defeat a hero?”

Inside the Academic Affairs Office, a rough, dark-faced old man kept complaining to Tang Feiyu.

Tang Feiyu’s cheeks twitched; with immense self-restraint, he suppressed his temper and didn’t spit in the old man’s face.

He was the Academic Affairs Director of County No. 2 Middle School; while he couldn’t claim to know every student’s situation, how could he not know Jiang Xiaoyan, a student so special?

He knew better than anyone how hard Jiang Xiaoyan’s life was—he’d seen her eat a single steamed bun with cold water more than once.

“Fed her well and clothed her well?” That’s pure, brazen lies—how could you even say that?

The reason Jiang Xiaoyan’s face was rosy, Teacher Luo had already explained—it was thanks to eating extra meals with Li Ye. Are you trying to gold-plate your own face?

Jiang Xiaoyan’s mother, however, kept asking Director Jin how likely Jiang Xiaoyan was to pass this year, and how much the teaching quality differed between County No. 2 and Binhe Township Middle School.

Director Jin replied clearly: “Our County No. 2’s teaching standards are certainly superior to Binhe Township Middle School’s.

If you transfer Jiang Xiaoyan to a rural school now, and she can’t adapt to the change, it will hurt her Gaokao results.

She’s spent ten years in school—don’t ruin her future over a final bit of carelessness!”

The old man grew impatient: “Why ask all this? The scholarship’s already been given to us—can we really send it back? Besides, I’m Xiaoyan’s grandfather—do you think I’d harm her?”

Jiang Xiaoyan’s mother wasn’t one to back down: “What’s wrong with asking? For all these years, have you ever cared for this child? Now you suddenly play the grandfather?”

“........”

The two argued without restraint, ignoring the embarrassed Tang Feiyu and Jiang Xiaoyan, who kept her head bowed.

At this moment, Jiang Xiaoyan’s heart was flooded with bitter sorrow, her spirit chilled.

Before the New Year, they’d agreed: if she ranked first, they’d support her continuing remedial studies.

But as the term opened, she was still twenty yuan short of the remedial fee.

Her mother went again to her mother’s house to borrow money—but returned empty-handed.

At that moment, the township middle school somehow learned Jiang Xiaoyan had scored exceptionally well in last year’s joint exam—upon checking, they found she’d ranked fifth in the entire county.

That’s how all this came about.

Jiang Xiaoyan also knew the real reason her grandfather had humbled himself to arrange her transfer wasn’t the waived tuition or scholarship.

It was because Binhe Township Middle School had promised to move her younger brother, Jiang Xiaoqiang, into the advanced class of the third year.

But Jiang Xiaoqiang had already repeated twice—what difference would an advanced class make?

There were no remedial classes in junior high; repeaters studied alongside third-year students, and the advanced class was the best in the school.

Perhaps they thought: if he got into the advanced class, he’d pass high school.

After high school, even if he didn’t get into university, the family could push hard enough to secure him a job—then his life would have a future.

But in arranging all this, who had considered Jiang Xiaoyan, except her mother?

These past months, Jiang Xiaoyan’s grades had soared; she ate well every day from Li Ye’s extra meals, and she felt her spring had finally come.

Li Ye had even promised her: in a few months, they’d take the train together to university.

She and Hu Man and others had already imagined what university life would be like.

But in an instant, why had time reversed, and winter returned?

Large, heavy tears fell plop-plop to the ground—who saw them? Who cared?

The arguing inside the Academic Affairs Office reached Li Ye’s ears.

He sensed sharply that Jiang Xiaoyan’s mother, who had always supported her continuing remedial studies, was now standing alone.

The school certainly didn’t want Jiang Xiaoyan to transfer—just look at how they treated Jin Shengli and Xia Yue.

If in the future, teachers merely favored good students,

then now, schools genuinely favored top students.

Students like Xia Yue and Jin Shengli held real privileges within the school; as long as they didn’t provoke universal outrage, the school went to great lengths to protect them.

Otherwise, how could Xia Yue and Jin Shengli dare to act up in front of Li Ye, given his background?

The school needed Director Li’s grain ration, but it also needed top students like Xia Yue and Jin Shengli—otherwise, if the Gaokao results were bare year after year, the principal wouldn’t keep his chair.

But favoritism aside, Jiang Xiaoyan had clearly shown her value.

Yet when real money was involved, the process became too complicated, too messy.

Jiang Xiaoyan wasn’t a current-year graduate—she was a repeater; how could repeater tuition be waived casually?

Schools weren’t flush with cash in this era; teachers’ benefits were minimal, and they might even owe wages to contract teachers. A few dozen yuan in expenses might require a full meeting to debate.

Li Ye turned silently and slipped away, knocking on the principal’s office door.

“Come in.”

Principal Chang, seeing Li Ye enter, wasn’t surprised.

The commotion outside was obviously about Jiang Xiaoyan.

But the school had its own difficulties.

To waive tuition, you needed a valid reason, didn’t you?

Jiang Xiaoyan’s family was poor—but weren’t other families poor too? If you waived her tuition today, tomorrow every parent hearing the news would come begging—what then?

Jiang Xiaoyan was a good student, yes, but she’d only ranked first once; she wasn’t like Xia Yue or Jin Shengli, who consistently ranked first and second.

If you waived her tuition, would you also waive it for Xia Yue and the others?

Even a clever housewife can’t cook without rice.

But Li Ye’s next move surprised Principal Chang.

He said nothing, pulled thirty yuan from his pocket, and placed it on the principal’s desk.

“I know the school has financial rules and can’t easily waive Jiang Xiaoyan’s remedial fee—she only ranked first once, not consistently.

I know many students here come from poor families; if the school opens this door, it’ll invite endless trouble and disrupt teaching order.

So I’m paying this money myself—but not in my own name, or it would hurt Jiang Xiaoyan’s self-respect, make her feel guilty and inferior, possibly damaging her Gaokao performance.

Paying it under the school’s name is easier—after all, a school exists to teach and nurture; no amount of care or affection shown to students can have anything but a positive effect...”

“Principal Chang, you can pay this tuition under the guise of teacher donations.

That way, you don’t need to go through school finances, and you don’t have to worry about other students’ thoughts—who’d dare take money from a teacher’s pocket?”

Li Ye finished speaking, and saw Principal Chang’s expression... turn unpleasant.

Slowly, he rose from his chair, eyes wide, neck flushed red, like an enraged bull, breathing heavily.

“Are our teachers, all of us, less than a child like you? Hmm?”

“........”

“You think you’re the only one who can do things? You’ve arranged everything for me so clearly? Very impressive!”

“........”

“You want to be the good guy but won’t take credit?”

“........”

Li Ye swallowed hard, realizing he’d ignored the era’s differences.

In the future, some students dared to “speak as equals” to teachers.

But in this era, for a student to arrange everything so clearly for a teacher...

Do you think you’re going to heaven?

Are you teaching me how to do my job?

Sure enough, Principal Chang opened the office door and shouted outside—seven or eight teachers rushed in.

Li Ye quickly took a corner, bracing for the worst.

Though a mob beating was unlikely, a group scolding was very possible—he’d just cover his ears and let them have their say.

But Principal Chang didn’t confront Li Ye. Instead, calmly explained the situation to the teachers and proposed voluntary donations, starting with his own five yuan.

The teachers fell silent for a moment, then began pulling out money—some three yuan, some two, some one yuan, feeling embarrassed even for that.

In 1981, contract teachers earned 18.5 yuan; in-service teachers made about thirty—struggling to support entire families, every penny was split in half.

Now, for the sake of a student’s donation, he didn’t hesitate at all—this poor scholar’s integrity was plain to see.

In the end, Principal Chang counted them up: twenty-one in total.

He reached out, took ten yuan from Li Ye’s thirty, and slapped it down on the donation pile.

Then, still angry, he said: “Li Ye, you contribute ten!”

“Ah!”

Li Ye quickly agreed, afraid of angering this stubborn ox.