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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 181: The Honest Good Student
Zhang Qiu suddenly froze and asked, "Why?"
"Because I don't want anything to happen to you."
"Silly girl, nothing will happen to me. It's not like before; even if I wanted to get blown up, it wouldn't be possible now. Hehe, don't worry."
"I know you won't get blown up, but in other aspects, you must be careful, especially in this line of work."
Zhang Qiu nodded, "For you, I will be careful too."
"What are you all doing? Making such a racket! Sit down in your seats!"
The homeroom teacher, Zhao Guohong, walked into the classroom with a History Textbook tucked under one arm and a stack of test papers in the other. He stood at the podium and slammed the thick stack of test papers down on the desk, raising a cloud of chalk dust.
"Listen to me." Zhao Guohong scanned the classroom.
Standing at the podium with a serious expression, Zhao Guohong looked around the room, and soon it fell completely silent. The students in the front row held their breath as they stared at the teacher. From Zhao Guohong's expression, they could already guess that a storm was about to hit.
Sure enough, Zhao Guohong asked very seriously, "Language Class, what are you all doing? Zhao Jibei!"
Zhao Jibei stood up. Zhao Guohong asked, "You are the class monitor; what is Language Class doing?"
"Singing." Zhao Jibei naturally knew what the teacher was really asking about.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Zhao Guohong knocked on the blackboard three times and pointed at the bold countdown written in chalk: "Look! Look! There's no time left! Huh? Calculate how much review time you have left after subtracting sleep and meals. Not much at all! And you're still playing around!"
"Teacher, this isn't playing; this is..."
"What do you mean it's not playing? It's all excuses. After the college entrance examination, you can play however you want. Don't let your heart fly away before the exam even starts; that's not acceptable." Before Zhao Jibei could finish her sentence, Zhao Guohong interrupted her.
"Everyone, keep your hearts in your stomachs and study well. Once the college entrance examination comes, we cannot afford to be careless," Zhao Guohong said passionately, repeatedly reminding the students until they all lowered their heads.
"Class is starting." Zhao Guohong handed a stack of papers to the first row. After the students in the front row kept their own copies, they passed the rest back. Zhang Qiu smiled as soon as he saw the questions.
On May 0, 191, Dai Qiu, a reporter from Shanghai's Civil Rights Journal, published a commentary titled "Kill" consisting of only four characters: "Xiong Xiling (Minister of Finance) betrays the country, kill! Tang Shaoyi (Prime Minister) deceives the people, kill! Yuan Shikai is tyrannical, kill! Zhang Taiyan is a traitor, kill!" The reason this fierce commentary was published was ( )
a. The Beiyang warlords' dictatorship and betrayal stirred public outrage.
b. The foreign concessions in Shanghai concentrated a strong atmosphere of freedom and democracy.
c. The south was controlled by revolutionaries.
d. The Provisional Constitution of the Republic of China stipulated "freedom of speech."
As Zhang Qiu pondered the answer, he heard Wang Zhengxiang ask, "Brother Qiu, which one should we choose for question three? I feel like any of them could be right."
"Let's go with 'd,' it feels right. But the person who made this question wouldn't really let us choose 'd,' right? There's no reason to praise the previous dynasty; let's choose 'b.'"
"Alright, Brother Qiu, I'll follow your lead." Wang Zhengxiang exaggeratedly marked an 'b' on his paper.
After a class spent in a daze doing problems, they finally reached the end of the period when someone shouted from the classroom door: "Zhang Qiu, come out for a moment."
Zhang Qiu looked toward the door where Zhao Guohong was watching. Although class had ended, the next period was history; as long as two classes were connected, there was no need for a break. The person standing at the classroom door was unfamiliar to Zhang Qiu. Seeing no one else going out, he directly said to Zhao Guohong, "Teacher, I'm looking for your student Zhang Qiu."
Zhao Guohong shot a sharp glance at Zhang Qiu and said sternly, "If someone is looking for you, go ahead."
Zhang Qiu stood up and walked outside. Gao Zhi, Zhao Pingchuan, and Wang Zhengxiang also got up to follow him. Zhao Guohong firmly stopped them: "What are you all doing? Go back to your seats and continue working on your problems; we are not done with class yet."
Zhao Pingchuan suddenly had an idea: "Teacher, I need to go to the restroom."
Zhao Guohong furrowed his brows and said, "Go ahead, you two. You aren't going to the restroom too, are you?" Zhao Guohong seemed to see right through Gao Zhi and Wang Zhengxiang as he scrutinized them.
Gao Zhi quickly clutched his stomach, pretending to be in great discomfort, and said, "Teacher, I really need to go. My stomach hurts; I've been holding it for half a class."
"And you?" Zhao Guohong asked Wang Zhengxiang.
Wang Zhengxiang chuckled, "Teacher, I've been holding it for a whole class."
Zhao Guohong glared, "No way, go back and hold it for another class!" Then he told Gao Zhi, "You can go." Without looking at them again, he turned to the students in the classroom who were focused on their exams and loudly said, "It's getting hot now; be careful with your food. I know the cafeteria food isn't great, but it's definitely cleaner than what you buy outside..."
Zhang Qiu followed the person looking for him to the stairs. Since only one person had come and Zhang Qiu didn't recognize him, he asked, "You were looking for me? Is there something going on?"
The visitor glanced around and whispered to Zhang Qiu, "Someone is investigating you."
"Who?"
"Mao Tong."
"Who is Mao Tong?"
"He's one of Brother Tiger's people."
"And who is Brother Tiger?"
"He's associated with East City Boss Lin."
"Lin Tao?" Zhang Qiu squinted at the student who had come to find him and thought carefully; indeed, he did not know this person.
"Yes, his people are investigating you. It happened this morning."
"Who are you, and why are you telling me this?" Zhang Qiu scrutinized the newcomer.
"It was Fan Shao who sent me to tell you."
"Zeng Fan?" Zhang Qiu was taken aback.
"Yes, that's our Fan Shao."
Zhang Qiu raised an eyebrow at the visitor. "So you are one of his people?"
"Yes." The newcomer appeared slightly flustered, taking two steps back toward the stairs.
Zhang Qiu smiled. "Don't be nervous. Let me ask you, why didn't your boss come to find me himself?"
"Well, I... I'm not sure about that."
The visitor stammered, and Zhang Qiu decided not to press further. Since someone was looking into him, he might as well look into them too. Zhang Qiu said to the student who had brought the message, "Go back and tell your boss that I thank him this time. That's all."
"Okay." The visitor hurriedly ran off.
Once the visitor left, Gao Zhi asked, "Brother Qiu, why did you thank him?"
Zhang Qiu smiled slightly. "One thing at a time; grievances aside, since he kindly informed me, I should at least express my gratitude. I just wonder if Zeng Fan is genuinely helping me or just playing tricks."
"Brother Qiu, don't let yourself be fooled. He didn't even dare to come see you in person; how can this be real?"
"Well, it might actually be true," Zhao Pingchuan interjected from the side.
"Why do you say that?" Gao Zhi asked Zhao Pingchuan.
Zhao Pingchuan smiled subtly and asked Gao Zhi, "After the Ancient City Battle, do you think Zeng Fan might come looking for trouble with us?"
"No," Gao Zhi shook his head, suddenly realizing, "You mean, Zeng Fan..."
Zhao Pingchuan nodded, "That's right."
Gao Zhi then asked, "What about Brother Qiu? What was the name of that guy you were investigating?"
"Mao Tong," Zhang Qiu immediately recalled the name.
"Yes, that's him. Brother Qiu, what should we do? Should we go after him?" Gao Zhi said while cracking his knuckles.
Zhang Qiu laughed, "There's no rush. I don't even know who he is. I'll ask Biao Ge later to find out more."
"Alright, Brother Qiu, I'll follow your lead."
"Let's go for a stroll and then head back. Two generals need to use the restroom."
"Brother Qiu, I really need to go to the restroom."
Zhang Qiu chuckled, "Okay, then let's go together. At least we won't be lying to the teacher; we'll be honest students."
Once they exited the teaching building, they felt the dazzling sunlight shining down so brightly that it was hard to open their eyes. Zhang Qiu, Gao Zhi, and Zhao Pingchuan all raised their arms to shield themselves from the sun and walked through the corridor until they reached the shade of a tree before lowering their hands. Zhang Qiu couldn't help but exclaim, "It really is hot; the sun is so intense. It would be great if it rained soon."
Zhao Pingchuan laughed and said, "Brother Qiu, don't worry; there will be rain on May Day, just a few days away."
"Really? Do you usually check the weather forecast?"
Zhao Pingchuan smirked and casually replied, "Brother Qiu, this isn't from checking the weather forecast; it's something I figured out myself."
Zhang Qiu suddenly froze. "You can read omens? Is it really that amazing?" he asked Zhao Pingchuan.
"Of course it's accurate, Brother Qiu. Let me tell you, back in middle school during gym class, it was a bright sunny day, and our whole class was out on the playground doing exercises with the gym teacher. When I looked up, I realized it was going to rain soon. I told the teacher, 'Teacher, let's go back to the classroom; it's going to rain any minute now.' You know what happened? The gym teacher looked up, squinting against the bright sun, and said, 'With this blazing sun, how can it possibly rain? Stop joking around and focus on your exercises; we need to perform at the county sports meet.'"
"And then?" Gao Zhi couldn't help but urge him on.
Zhao Pingchuan pushed aside Gao Zhi, who was almost crowding him, and said, "Hey, don't rush me. Look at Brother Qiu; he's not in a hurry."
Gao Zhi glanced at the leisurely Zhang Qiu and closed his mouth, waiting quietly. Zhao Pingchuan, however, remained unhurried. He casually picked a leaf and played with it in his hand before suddenly tossing it onto the grass. "I knew it was definitely going to rain. Since the teacher wouldn't let us leave, I thought of a way—just like today—I said I needed to go to the restroom."
After finishing his story, Zhao Pingchuan started laughing by himself. Gao Zhi urged him again, "Stop laughing and continue! Did it end up raining or not?"
Zhang Qiu chimed in with a smile, "It definitely rained."
"Really?" Gao Zhi pressed Zhao Pingchuan for more details.
"Yes! I took the chance to go back to the classroom. Not long after that, the weather changed dramatically; it went from bright sunshine to dark clouds rolling in, strong winds picking up, and then heavy rain started pouring down without any warning. I saw through the window that my classmates were all running towards the teaching building with their hands over their heads while the gym teacher was running alongside them shouting 'Be careful!' By the time my classmates got back to the classroom, they all looked like drowned rats. The gym teacher was the last one to come in; as soon as he did, he looked for me and said, 'I really should have listened to you.'" Zhao Pingchuan laughed so hard he bent over. Every time he recounted this story, he couldn't help but laugh as if it had just happened.
"Wow, that's incredible! You're even more accurate than a weather forecast!" Gao Zhi exclaimed in admiration.
"Of course! In ancient times, there were no weather forecasts; people relied on reading omens. This is all knowledge passed down from my ancestors." Zhao Pingchuan felt quite proud of this skill and even took bigger strides as he spoke.
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