As the last student left.
Two security guards, like door gods, slowly closed the school’s iron gate.
The old principal turned to Xiao Yue beside him and said, "No one’s around now, shall we go in for a walk?"
Xiao Yue just looked through the iron gate at the empty school without speaking.
"I know, this school has left you with many unpleasant memories, but after all, having spent several years here, there must be some good memories too..."
"Do you remember the ginkgo tree next to the playground? The first time I saw you, you were under the ginkgo tree, so young, with furrowed brows, as if there were countless unsolvable knots in your heart..." Follow current novels on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝘯𝘦𝘵
"Do you like the ginkgo tree? I often saw you standing under it..."
"Your class teacher, Teacher Sun, was too mercenary and not very good at teaching, but he was a master at currying favor, putting all his efforts there... what excellent teacher... alas, judging advanced positions and titles is not just divvying up rewards..."
Silently, Xiao Yue walked into the school.
Perhaps moved by the old principal, or perhaps tired of his talking.
Although school was out, there were still some students inside, those whose parents were too busy at noon and left them to have lunch at the school.
The so-called lunch at school was actually in the cafeteria, where teachers who didn’t go home also ate.
However, for such a large campus, the few students made it seem quite empty.
Just as the old principal had mentioned, Xiao Yue went to a ginkgo tree next to the playground.
Looking at the tree canopy in front of her like a magnificent umbrella, Xiao Yue reached out to touch the trunk.
"This ginkgo tree was planted by my principal. I was still a student back then, during a tree-planting festival. Many other trees were planted around as well, but after so many years, only this one remains..." the old principal said with some emotion.
Xiao Yue looked at him in surprise, the principal’s principal, that must have been a very long time ago.
"Back then, the school was not like now, there wasn’t such a big playground, this was a small grove..."
While they were talking, Zhao Xuerong came over.
She was surprised to see the old principal.
Clearly, she recognized the old principal, but only from photographs, as he had passed away by the time she started working at the school.
"Principal Wei?" Zhao Xuerong called out, somewhat uncertainly.
"Teacher Zhao, hello," Principal Wei greeted Zhao Xuerong.
"You know me?" Zhao Xuerong was surprised.
Principal Wei nodded, "Because I come to the school often, I basically know all the teachers, but it’s the first time we’ve met since the incident involving Teacher Zhao..."
Zhao Xuerong said in response, "I came to the school once, and then never came back."
"Is it because other teachers were spreading rumors about you?" Principal Wei said.
Zhao Xuerong remained silent upon hearing this.
Principal Wei continued, "Not being envied is to be mediocre; in fact, people like you, Teacher Zhao, are really suited to be teachers."
Zhao Xuerong looked at him puzzled.
Principal Wei explained, "Because you teach purely to impart knowledge to the children, not for the salary or benefits. So all your thoughts are focused on the children rather than on the role as a teacher itself..."
Zhao Xuerong was rather embarrassed by his compliments, even doubting herself: Am I really that great?
But in reality, she had merely followed her family’s arrangements, step by step.
Xiao Yue, standing to one side, was becoming somewhat impatient.
So she asked Zhao Xuerong, "Have you found the person who killed you?"
Zhao Xuerong shook her head; it wasn’t that easy. At noon, all the teachers were eating; dreams were inaccessible and private discussions of such matters didn’t happen.
She came to the school purely for a final look since, after all, she had feelings for it, having been a teacher here for many years.
Moreover, after eliminating her best friend from suspicion, her husband Ding Zhihao became the primary suspect.
"Eh, wasn’t your death an accident?" Principal Wei was quite surprised upon hearing this.
Zhao Xuerong nodded, recounting to Principal Wei how she had felt physically unwell at the time.
Upon hearing this, Principal Wei looked down, deep in thought, and after pacing a few circles, he asked, "Were you taking any medications regularly?"
Zhao Xuerong shook her head in response: "I was very healthy and didn’t need to take any medicine. I seldom even drank alcohol."
"Did you experience symptoms like accelerated heartbeat and dizziness before?" re-asked Principal Wei.
After thinking it over, Zhao Xuerong shook her head again.
"It seems it wasn’t chronic poisoning; otherwise, you definitely would have shown some persistent symptoms. Could it be that a teacher at the school poisoned you?"
"I’ve thought about that too, but what I don’t understand is why would they do it? I haven’t had a dispute with any other teacher during my years here, so instead, I suspect it might be my husband..."
"That’s incorrect..." Principal Wei disagreed with her reasoning.
"If your death was indeed a homicide, the murderer might still be at the school. We need to find him; he who could kill you can harm others too. With so many children here, it’s very dangerous..." Principal Wei said gravely.
But then he sighed deeply, his expression becoming somber: "Even if we find the murderer, we can’t do anything; after all, humans and ghosts follow different paths..."
"Don’t worry about that, Principal Wei. If we really can find the murderer, I have a way," Zhao Xuerong said.
Upon hearing this, Principal Wei looked at her in surprise.
Then he turned his head towards Xiao Yue, and finally, his gaze fell on the chain around Xiao Yue’s waist and the Three Pure Ones Bell.
He had thought it peculiar before but hadn’t thought much of it. Now, hearing what Zhao Xuerong said, the experienced Principal Wei immediately suspected something about Xiao Yue, vaguely understanding something.
Principal Wei met Zhao Xuerong’s expectant look and asked, "The day of the incident, did you go home for lunch, or did you eat in the school cafeteria?"
"I ate in the school cafeteria."
"Besides eating in the cafeteria, did you eat anything else that day, particularly something given by other teachers?"
"Nothing," Zhao Xuerong said very confidently.
She had thought about this before, but she remembered not eating anything passed to her that day.
"Then there are only two possible places for poisoning: the cafeteria or your water bottle. Did you drink any water that day?"
"No," Zhao Xuerong said again.
"So it was the cafeteria? But everyone ate the same food during lunch at the cafeteria. Why was I the only one poisoned? Was it specifically targeted at me? But I don’t recall offending anyone in the cafeteria, I am not even familiar with them and have never really interacted..."
Zhao Xuerong had doubted the cafeteria as well, but that possibility had only briefly crossed her mind and was then immediately dismissed, for to her it seemed utterly impossible.
"Sometimes the most impossible answer happens to be the correct one," Principal Wei said meaningfully.