"Shut up! Quit your bullshit, what do others’ affairs have to do with you! And stop bringing up whether someone will die or not, you’re the one who should die! Your whole family should die! Damn it, if you don’t want me to report your financial crimes to the Bureau of Education, then hurry up and meet me, or I’ll make sure you can’t walk away from this!" Ye Tian was about to hang up the phone, then remembered something and added, "I am at the school gate, come over."
Wang Yulan’s mind went blank in an instant; the thing she had been fearing every day had finally happened. If there really was a report to the Bureau of Education, she definitely wouldn’t be able to escape. The principal wouldn’t protect her, and might even push her forward to take the blame. The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became. Wang Yulan picked up her cell phone wanting to call the principal, but her hands hovering over the keyboard couldn’t press down, and after several attempts, she finally put down the phone. This brief moment allowed her to regain some reason. She wondered how a child from out of town could know about financial crimes. Thinking about it, it seemed suspicious, so Wang Yulan decided to check it out.
"Hello, Director Wang."
"Hello, Teacher Wang."
"Teacher Wang, let’s go out together after work tonight."
Along the way, students and teachers greeted her, Wang Yulan smiled and nodded on the surface, but inside she was extremely nervous, never knowing if the person standing at the gate was someone from the surveillance department. Her wavy hair swinging with each step, echoing with her footsteps, endlessly wafting.
Ye Tian and He Ku were sitting in the duty room, holding hot water and warming themselves around an electric heater.
The old gatekeeper was smoking a large pipe, looking at the two men with discontent, the more he thought about it, the more he felt deceived, beginning to suspect that these two were scamming him. But since the call was already made, he’d wait and see, with the leaders around, he could clear himself.
Ye Tian warmed himself by the fire while devising a strategy in his mind. What was initially a small matter had now blown up into a financial crime. The setting was done, and now it was all about how to wrap things up. Looking at He Ku, then back at the old gatekeeper, Ye Tian rubbed his face, a visage of worry and lamentation, "What the hell is this mess!"
The closer she got to the school gate, the more intense Wang Yulan’s nerves grew. The person she was about to face could potentially throw her into prison, and judging from the voice, this person seemed very irritable. From her experience, such temperaments were often found in minor level officials who drive Volkswagens or old Santanas, perhaps even borrowed, wearing dated and cheap clothes, reeking of systemic decay. They might not hold high positions, but their temper was formidable, making them the most troublesome kind. Conversely, those in higher positions usually had excellent composure. Thinking this, Wang Yulan’s heart began to settle, "What I did was for the benefit of the students’ health, improving the school’s meals. If you don’t believe, you can check the accounts. Besides, your approach was already somewhat threatening, I can sue you as well."
Having thought of her strategy, Wang Yulan’s courage was slowly returning, and her usual bold, fearless character started to resurface, confident in handling a pretentious minor official. Besides, this was her home ground, so there was even less to worry about.
With her chest out and head high, she walked confidently to the school gate, at this moment almost eager to confront this yelling minor official.
Huh? What’s happening?
Wang Yulan was stunned. There was nothing at the school gate, no people, no Volkswagen, no Santana, just an old battered bicycle leaning against the wall of the gatekeeper’s lodge. It belonged to Old Wang from the duty room.
A head popped out from the duty room entrance, sporting a buzz cut, looking rather ordinary except for his unusually bright eyes, "Are you Director Wang?"
Hmph, just by his appearance you can tell he’s no good. A section chief? He’s nothing!
When Wang Yulan saw that timid little head at the doorway, she immediately became furious. You can’t even pay, and you dare summon someone else. Upon seeing Teacher Wang’s fiercely sharp triangle eyes, the little head swiftly shrank back, not daring to show itself again.
"What are you glaring at!"
Ye Tian found this woman distasteful, claiming to be a teacher yet dressed in stockings in the dead of winter, her heavily smoky makeup looking like ash at the bottom of a pot, who is she trying to scare? Her face was thick with garish makeup, just like those cabaret hostesses.
Wang Yulan’s body shivered, her high heels wobbled, and she nearly lost her footing.
"What are you trying to do? If you dare mess around, I’ll... I’ll call the police." A black smartphone was pressed to her ear.
Ye Tian scoffed at her. The screen was still lit up, not even unlocked.
Probably feeling Ye Tian’s disdain, Wang Yulan felt somewhat annoyed. When had she ever been treated in this school? Everyone else was always polite and respectful, even the old widow, the school principal, would nod and bow to her. Who does he think he is!
"Come over here, let’s talk this through, why He Ku can’t go to school, and then there’s this matter with your... your tuition fees, let’s discuss if it’s possible to pay a bit less."
Ye Tian didn’t want to make a big fuss about this matter. These kinds of issues, no matter how much you argue, don’t change much, the government is busy, they wouldn’t have the time to bother about this matter and even if they did, doesn’t the school have its own connections? It’s not simple to run a school in Beiping, everything surely is set up properly. Ye Tian isn’t foolish, finding issues here is uncomfortable, he might be fine, but He Ku would likely suffer. So, Ye Tian thought about whether it might be possible to pay a bit less money, after all, it’s not a lot of money, losing one person’s fees won’t make a significant difference. However, to Wang Yulan, Ye Tian’s thoughts appeared as admitting fault and submitting.
Wang Yulan folded her arms in front of her chest, tilting her head high. Ye Tian immediately knew this was bad, once a woman takes this posture, it means she won’t give up until she’s satisfied.
"Hmph, pay less? This is the era of educational equity; do you think this is some kind of private small workshop style of teaching? You think you can monopolize it? The school is for everyone, not for one person. The tuition fees are regulated by the education bureau, don’t spout nonsense if you don’t understand, and there’s no need to discuss this with me. Why don’t you discuss this with the child’s father instead? Always short on tuition fees, always asking for a few more days of leniency, if everyone acted then we might as well close down the school. It’s not about the money; it’s about the attitude. Don’t think just because you’re shivering from the cold that you’re a pitiable person trying to escape the tuition fees with these little tricks. Nowadays, even the beggars on the streets are millionaires, if you really don’t have money, might as well go beg, your pitiable image might just be useful, and with a little makeover..."