Anyone who has attended school knows that the first three rows in the center of the lecture hall are commonly referred to as "prison seats," because you can’t escape the watchful eye of the teacher for even the slightest movement. That’s why no one sits there.
However, Xu Qingfan knew that the homeroom teacher would reorder the seating after arriving, so it didn’t matter to him.
At the moment, the desks were still arranged in pairs. Lin Wanning dragged him to sit in the second row, while Xia Xiaoxiao and Xiao Ruawen, being tall, sat in the third row. Wu Lingyu and Zhang Yiyi ended up in the first row, close enough to hook the chalk box on the lectern.
It was rare for six students like them to come from the same primary school, and the rest of the classmates were very quiet, occasionally stealing glances at Xia Xiaoxiao and the others.
From this moment on, those five girls were destined to become the moonlit beauty of many a young boy’s dreams.
As the time neared 8:40, the classroom was full, and the homeroom teacher finally made her belated appearance.
Xu Qingfan shook his head in resignation when he saw the grim face that entered the room.
[Why is it this bitch again!]
"Silence!" Shan Fengtao picked up the ruler from the lectern and slapped it on the desk, instantly quieting the classroom.
She picked up the chalk, turned to the blackboard and swiftly wrote down her mobile number and name, then announced, "My name is Shan Fengtao, I am your English teacher and also your homeroom teacher for the next three years. The number above is my mobile number. Those who have pen and paper, write it down; those who don’t, borrow it from a classmate next to you!"
The students obediently did as instructed, while Xu Qingfan, resting his cheek on one hand, uninterestedly recalled his middle school years in his past life.
The homeroom teacher before him was quite capable in terms of teaching, but her moral character was incredibly poor.
After graduating from middle school in his past life, his classmates listed three major accusations against her:
The first was a lack of respect for students’ privacy, randomly rummaging through students’ backpacks, drawers, and dormitory bedding. If forbidden items such as mobile phones or MP3 players were found, she would throw them into a bucket full of water in front of the whole class and verbally humiliate the student.
The second was her tendency to nitpick, where the school only required students to tie back long hair and have bangs that did not exceed the eyebrows during uniform inspections. However, she insisted that long hair affected learning, forcing students to cut their hair short; boys were even restricted to crew cuts.
The third and most disgusting point was her practice of giving preferential treatment to students who attended her tutoring classes outside of school. Since the school made its own exam papers and she had access to them, she would review the more challenging questions during tutoring sessions. Parents noticed significant improvements in their children’s English grades after a semester of tutoring and clamored to enroll their kids in her classes, often offering extra payment.
Under high-pressure management, it was natural to achieve good results. The average score of her class invariably ranked first in the grade for all three years of middle school. Consequently, parents did nearly anything she asked and would go so far as to give gifts or use connections to ensure that their children were placed in Shan Fengtao’s class.
Parents were happy, but who could the students share their grievances with?
Short-haired Xia Xiaoxiao was a rare sight, but if all the girls were unwilling to cut their hair, Xu Qingfan was determined to lead them in resistance this time!
"Three things, and I’ll only say them once, so listen up, everyone!
First, next Monday is the school’s uniform and appearance inspection. Everyone needs to have their hair cut short when they return. Girls’ hair must not be longer than the collar, and boys’ hair cannot exceed the spaces between the fingers!"
There was an immediate outpouring of grievances throughout the class.
"Silence, there are rules in the school, this is middle school, not primary school. Learning tasks in middle school are very heavy, so don’t spend too much time on vanity!
Second, electronic devices are not allowed during school hours. If you need to make a phone call, you can go to the office, or get a phone card. There’s a public telephone booth on the first floor. If I catch anyone with mobile phones, MP3 players, and the like at school, you’ll be responsible for the consequences!"
She said she would only discuss three issues, but went on to detail three main points and eight sub-points. By the time she finished, it was close to 9:40, having spoken for an hour.
The five girls ruefully touched their hair, clearly unwilling to cut it off, but with Shan Fengtao standing on the podium, no one dared to speak.
The boys sent to fetch books quickly returned, and after distributing the new textbooks, Shan Fengtao continued, "Write your name on the textbook you receive, and prepare for the corresponding subjects on your timetable in advance. Now, I’m going to call roll, and when I call your name, stand up and respond!"
"Present." Amidst everyone’s gaze, he stood up lazily and responded.
As expected, with perfect scores in four subjects, his student number was 01, logically the first.
"Present." Seated behind her, Xia Xiaoxiao also stood up and called out indifferently.
Following were Wu Lingyu and Xiao Ruawen, with the four of them dominating the top four ranks in the class. Zhang Yiyi and Lin Wanning were in the eighth and thirteenth ranks, respectively.
After spending over ten minutes on roll call, Shan Fengtao added, "This afternoon, you can move your luggage into the school dormitory. There is a hundred yuan in your school card. Once you return to school, you won’t be able to go out again. Remember to bring enough money; anything you’re missing can be bought at the school store. Be back by 7:30 p.m. for evening self-study. Xu Qingfan, Xia Xiaoxiao, Wu Lingyu, Xiao Ruawen, Lin Wanning, and Zhang Yiyi, you stay behind. The rest of you are dismissed!"