The old teacher’s school was very famous in the southern part of the city, and one could easily find it just by asking around.
Lin Yuan asked an elderly lady, who looked at her with a smile and asked, "Young lady, are you here to give Old Mr. Cheng silver too? Oh dear, no need for that. Nowadays, we all bring him food and necessities every day, you don’t need to worry about him. We’ll take very good care of him."
Lin Yuan responded with a smile, her curiosity piqued by Old Mr. Cheng’s popularity in the southern part of the city. It seemed that the old teacher indeed had the people’s hearts.
Following the directions given by the elderly lady, Lin Yuan easily found the school. Just as Shopkeeper Liu had said, the school indeed had no name. It didn’t even have a proper gate, just a large courtyard where about a dozen children were running around. Although their clothes were not very fancy, their smiling faces were genuine and sweet.
At that moment, the children were gathered around a slightly hunched old teacher, laughing and chatting with him, some helping him with a stool, others standing behind him to give him a back massage. Watching the kindly smiling old teacher, Lin Yuan thought that this must be Old Mr. Cheng, as mentioned by Shopkeeper Liu.
The warm sunshine of the winter day was a rare delight, but the scene before her seemed even more precious than the warmth of the sun.
She got off the carriage, and before she could walk over, a little boy holding a large bowl sprinted past her. As he passed by Lin Yuan, he turned his head and gave her a polite smile, a smile more pure and lovely than any she had seen at the Lin family’s residence.
"Teacher, teacher, my mother just steamed some cornbread, eat it while it’s hot!" the little boy said carefully, holding the large bowl in front of Old Mr. Cheng and offering him the cornbread with a giggle.
Old Mr. Cheng pursed his lips and smiled, nodding his head. He raised his hand to first wipe some dirt off the boy’s face with his sleeve, then broke off a small piece of the cornbread and began to chew it slowly.
"Is it tasty?" the little boy asked, eyes sparkling as he looked at him.
Old Mr. Cheng squinted his eyes and nodded, "Tasty, remember to thank your mother for me when you go back."
The little boy grinned and pushed the bowl further towards him, saying honestly, "Teacher, have another piece! Eat more!"
Old Mr. Cheng smiled and broke off another small piece, then turned to the children watching him with wide eyes and said, "Sharing is a virtue, let’s divide these cornbreads among your classmates to eat together."
The little boy tilted his head, then immediately nodded and uh-huh’ed, calling the others over with a laugh, and gave each one a piece of cornbread. There were only two pieces of cornbread in the bowl to begin with, and there were many children, so each only got a bite’s worth. But despite the small amount, they all ate happily.
Lin Yuan watched the scene before her with a smile, fond of their affection for each other and Old Mr. Cheng’s constant teaching.
"Do we have a guest?" After all the children had run to one side, Old Mr. Cheng, squinting his somewhat cloudy eyes, noticed Lin Yuan standing in the distance with a beaming smile. Indeed, he was old, trembling slightly even with the support of a cane.
Lin Yuan hurriedly walked briskly towards him and greeted him, "Hello, Old Mr. Cheng, my name is Lin Yuan, and I was introduced by Shopkeeper Liu of Fuman Building."
Upon hearing Shopkeeper Liu’s name, Old Mr. Cheng’s smile deepened, "Oh, Shopkeeper Liu, he is a good man indeed!"