Ch 37: Caring for Left-Behind Children

This day was full of mystery and anxiety for Jian Ni.

Although he accidentally caused his teacher to fall, the teacher woke up on the way to the infirmary, and was walking briskly, seemingly without any problems.

“It’s said that the Old Man has been a teacher for most of his life, his teaching years are older than my age, he shouldn’t be so petty, right?”

His uncertainty stemmed from the teacher’s deep gaze at him before leaving.

Jian Ni, with his thick hair, was completely unaware that the point wasn’t that he made the teacher fall.

But rather, the dignity he had tarnished.

The dignity of someone who, besides lesson preparation, diligently styles their wig and insists on wearing it.

However, due to his easygoing nature, Jian Ni’s anxiety gradually dissipated with the passage of time, in the Valentine’s Day atmosphere.

Until Rui Bu Si walked over with a face full of mischievous glee.

Stopping Jian Ni, she blinked, and asked mysteriously:

“Do you know? Actually, our Demonology Teacher and Plant Magic Teacher don’t get along well.”

While trying to comfort a boy who had been rejected on the way, Jian Ni was puzzled why Rui Bu Si would specifically come and tell him this:

“Hmm?”

In the dark corner of the corridor, the boy he was about to comfort—a boy who was crying after being rejected by his crush—stopped crying, wiped his eyes, and secretly shifted his gaze to this side.

“Remember the potatoes in the school’s small garden?”

“Very memorable.” He nodded emphatically. “So what exactly are you trying to say?”

Please don’t beat around the bush, he was really anxious.

When they first met, Rui Bu Si didn’t speak in such a way that kept people guessing.

“Ahem,” clearing her throat, Rui Bu Si patted his shoulder, earnestly saying, “Those potatoes, were planted by the Old Man after he made a bet with the Old Woman.”

The Old Man refers to the Teacher of Magical Physics, and the Old Woman refers to the Teacher of Magical Botany.

They were among the few teachers in Meng Academy who were the same age as Teacher Qian Jin.

However, although the classmates gave them these nicknames, they weren’t a couple, and they rarely saw them talking.

Jian Ni scratched his head.

So?

He only dug up three potatoes, two of which were eaten by Rui Bu Si and Ya Ya, and one was given to the Old Woman.

Could it be—

“Those potatoes were some rare variety?!”

This time, Rui Bu Si didn’t beat around the bush. She shook her finger, and as Jian Ni’s hanging heart settled, she slowly explained:

“Before, the Old Man bet with the Old Woman that he could grow potatoes, worried that he wouldn’t be able to grow them, he secretly planted a few in the small garden.”

“He himself couldn’t grow them, but the ones in the small garden were indeed about to be harvested.” Unfortunately, they were dug up by an unlucky student just as they were about to be harvested.

And it’s not just that they were dug up, but it also caused such a commotion.

“Because of the food poisoning incident, Director Pa was particularly angry and investigated the source.”

Seeing that he still looked rather confused, she sighed deeply and continued, “Originally, if no one knew about it, it would have passed, and the Old Man would at most have lost the bet.”

Losing a bet was just a matter between two people, they could bet on such things, which meant they probably bet a lot, losing was losing.

“But after Director Pa investigated, now all the teachers in the office know.”

Yes, all the teachers in the office know that the Old Man couldn’t grow potatoes, so he secretly planted them in the small garden to win the bet.

Yes, all the teachers in the office know that the Old Man lost the bet.

Jian Ni’s mind started to turn, and his heart began to beat faster.

He began to realize the seriousness of the problem.

He didn’t know if the Old Man was very concerned about face.

But he knew very well that he had embarrassed the Old Man twice in a row.

The first time was in front of all the teachers in the office.

The second time was in front of all the classmates.

Oh, with the speed at which gossip spreads in Meng Academy, it would probably be the whole school’s teachers and students.

Rui Bu Si was certainly aware of this as well.

She also knew very clearly that the Old Man was very concerned about face.

With three parts probing, three parts luck, and four parts evasion, Jian Ni stiffly opened his lips:

“Why do you know so much about this?”

Maybe the Quark Clan has a tradition of celebrating Valentine’s Day and April Fool’s Day?

Right?

“I heard two teachers chatting on the way.”

Of course not, why would she go listen to teachers chatting, after coming out of the attic, she immediately ran to Jian Ni to make fun of—ah, no, to kindly inform him.

The two teachers’ conflict was mentioned by Mi Ya Xing during a casual chat in the attic.

He also told her a few of the Old Woman’s little secrets, and incidentally told her why he had a Demonology book on his desk that day, but the Old Woman said nothing.

Well, her curiosity was greatly satisfied in just a few hours.

At this time, Jian Ni certainly didn’t know that Rui Bu Si came to him purely out of her own amusement.

He was immersed in sadness and tentatively asked:

“Then I made him lose the bet, and I just made him fall in public…”

Would the Old Man resent him?

“Not only that, you also pulled off his wig, he will definitely resent you,” Rui Bu Si added, confirming his thoughts.

“I’m doomed!” The hanging heart finally died, a wail echoed through the corridor, “My Demonology participation grade will be very, very low!”

“My Potionology participation grade was already very low, now this, another subject…” counting on her fingers, dark clouds instantly covered Jian Ni’s head.

At the beginning of school, due to Teacher Qian Jin’s memory issues, forty points were deducted from his Potionology participation grade.

Now there’s another accident, and the Demonology participation grade is impossible to be high.

And Magic Botany is so difficult…

If this continues, wouldn’t he…

The image of Director Pa slapping a withdrawal notice on his face flashed in his mind, and a loud thunderclap sounded in the dark clouds above his head.

“Oh, don’t be sad, my friend.”

Covering her sadness at her friend’s misfortune with a strong smile, Rui Bu Si comforted him:

“As long as you can get a perfect score on the exam, what does it matter if the participation grade is low?”

That’s true, Jian Ni dejectedly lowered his head:

“Thank you for telling me this, but don’t comfort me.”

He couldn’t even understand the questions in the book, and he couldn’t do the experiments, how could he possibly get a perfect score…

Lamenting the misfortune of life and the ups and downs of fate, he completely failed to notice that Rui Bu Si’s mouth had never stopped smiling from beginning to end.

He also didn’t notice the wide-eyed boy in the corner who had been ignored by the two of them.

In the attic, Mi Ya Xing, waiting for Rui Bu Si to return from her scouting mission, looked out the window boredly.

It was almost dark, he couldn’t really wait here for the moon to rise and watch until midnight.

——Rui Bu Si said before she left that the moon would be very beautiful here at midnight.

Rubbing his hands, which were starting to get cold, he didn’t know if the moon would be beautiful at midnight.

But he knew it would be very cold here at midnight.