Su Xiaotian and over a dozen other children, after having breakfast prepared by Su Manxiu, arrived at the County No. 1 Middle School in a grand procession led by Chen Zi'an.
The junior and senior high school departments of the County No. 1 Middle School were together in a large compound on the east side of the county town.
This area was originally wasteland, and after the founding of the People's Republic of China, a new school was built here.
When the school was constructed, the intention was to build it into the county's highest institution of learning, so all the school's facilities were excellent.
Seeing the vast campus, Su Xiaotian was very pleased with such a spacious place.
It was a good place, much better than their previous elementary school.
It was even much better than the dilapidated classrooms of the junior high school in the town.
The tiled houses with red bricks, red tiles, and glass windows were neatly arranged on campus, in rows, looking very spectacular.
The classrooms were surrounded by lush green trees, and in a few small gardens, flowers were blooming beautifully, with butterflies occasionally fluttering by.
Everything was so wonderful that Su Xiaotian's mood instantly improved.
A campus should be a peaceful and serene place like this.
"Uncle, is this the County No. 1 Middle School? It's so beautiful!" Su Xiaotian couldn't help but exclaim.
"It is very beautiful!" Chen Zi'an nodded.
However, just over a month ago, it wasn't like this.
The County No. 1 Middle School at that time could only be described as chaotic.
Students didn't behave like students, and teachers didn't have the dignity of teachers. Students could even drag teachers out for criticism at will.
It was only after a month of rectification that the large posters and other things that shouldn't have existed in the vast campus were cleared away.
Undoubtedly, Chen Zi'an was the one who put in the effort to do these things.
Chen Zi'an had always disliked the chaos in recent years, but because his old leader told him to lie low and not meddle in affairs.
Chen Zi'an had never interfered in these matters before, but this time, in order to provide the children of the old Su family with a quiet learning environment, Chen Zi'an put in a lot of effort.
Fortunately, there were also some news from the education system, which roughly meant that there would be good news in the education sector this year.
The prominent figures in the county could all hear some news, so they adopted an attitude of observation and non-interference towards Chen Zi'an's rectification.
It was also because of these reasons that Chen Zi'an was able to sort out these matters in a month.
"Uncle, I like it here!" Su Xiaojiu said with a smile.
Xiaojiu had only attended school for a little over a year.
At other times, he learned with the help of his brothers at home, and at most, he would privately listen to lectures from teachers in the cowshed.
However, such learning was different from being in school.
Deep down, he really wanted to experience school life.
Now his wish had finally come true.
Su Xiaojiu stepped forward and took Su Xiaotian's hand, saying, "Xiaotian, you like it here too, right? I saw you smiling!"
Su Xiaotian was also very happy and immediately nodded, saying, "Ninth Brother, I really like it, I like it so much!"
The County No. 1 Middle School was also a bit different from what she had imagined.
In Su Xiaotian's memory, schools at this stage should have been chaotic.
Teachers could be criticized at any time, wearing tall hats and signs were minor matters, even having their arms broken or legs broken was possible, and there should have been large posters everywhere in the school...
But the County No. 1 Middle School was not like that. The campus environment was very good, and the people were also good, not at all the chaotic situation she had imagined.
Although some students still looked defiant when they passed by, as if they were arrogant, it was only revealed in their eyes, and they didn't attack others.
This was already very good. At least Su Xiaotian felt she could study with peace of mind!
She wanted to study, and she hoped that the school would be a place that truly taught and nurtured people, not a chaotic place that was beyond chaos, and she didn't want to waste her time in school at an age when she should be studying!
"The principal is already waiting, let's go!"
Chen Zi'an naturally had no patience to look at the scenery at the school gate. He had visited this school many times recently.
He had also agreed with the principal to bring these children to see the principal.
The children were all surprised, why did they need to see the principal?
Shouldn't they go directly to their respective classes?
"The principal said that your academic performance is good, and he wants to meet you," Chen Zi'an explained.
Good academic performance?
The children were quite confident about their academic performance, but they never thought that their grades were good enough to warrant a personal meeting with the principal.
Especially Su Xiaomei and Su Xiaocao, who felt even more apprehensive.
If we talk about good academic performance, it was the Su Shouwen siblings who were good at studying; their grades were actually just average.
Su Xiaotian looked at Chen Zi'an, wondering if it was because of their good grades, or if the principal wanted to curry favor with Chen Zi'an, a county leader?
Forget it, there seemed to be no need to dwell on these matters.
Suppressing their doubts, Su Xiaotian and the others followed Chen Zi'an to the principal's office.
The principal's office was at the back of the school. As Chen Zi'an led the group of children through the school, they saw many envious and jealous glances.
Su Xiaotian and the others knew it was because of their schoolbags.
Many people envied their brand-new schoolbags.
The principal was waiting outside the office door. When he saw Chen Zi'an appear in his sight, his face was full of smiles.
He ran over and reached out to shake Chen Zi'an's hand.
Chen Zi'an looked at Principal Guo's outstretched hand and extended his own.
Principal Guo was so excited.
"Minister Chen, you're here!"
Chen Zi'an nodded with great composure. Su Xiaotian felt that he looked like a graceful nobleman.
Su Xiaotian almost had stars in her eyes.
How had she never realized that her uncle was so distinguished?
The principal then turned his gaze to the group of children behind Chen Zi'an.
The children's eyes were clear, and compared to the students in the school, their eyes were so pure that it was almost unbearable to look at.
"Are these the Su family's children?" he said excitedly, rubbing his hands.
The children of the Su family from Hongxin Brigade were all good seedlings, even the worst in studies was not bad!
Chen Zi'an nodded faintly, "Yes. This is Principal Guo of the County No. 1 Middle School."
With a faint introduction, there was no excessive politeness, nor any flattery, not even a gesture to the children.
But the Su family children were very smart and immediately greeted Principal Guo.
Principal Guo looked at the more than a dozen children, big and small, who had excellent spirits.
What excited him the most was that there were three girls among these children.
In this era, there were few families that let their children study diligently. It was one thing for boys, but it was too rare for girls to study.
Especially for two girls in their late teens, it was even rarer.
Principal Guo worked in the city, but he also knew that girls in the countryside would generally be married off early to have children.
Those who were seventeen or eighteen were either already married or engaged and waiting to be married.
"Are you Su Xiaotian?" Principal Guo looked at Su Xiaotian, the youngest.
She was the youngest among the children, but also the best in terms of grades.
If nothing else, her essays were something that the other children couldn't match.
Although she was young, her handwriting was good, which showed that she had practiced diligently.
She was truly a good child.
Principal Guo was so satisfied.
He had originally wanted to visit the Su family in Hongxin Brigade, but due to various reasons, he couldn't.
Later, when he learned that these children were related to Chen Zi'an, he took the initiative to ask to meet the children before the start of the school year.
Su Xiaotian smiled and said crisply, "Hello, Principal Guo, I am Su Xiaotian, and these are my brothers and sisters."
"My brothers and sisters are all very good at studying!"
Su Xiaotian did not forget to promote the others.
Principal Guo smiled.
It was also at this moment that he remembered they were still standing outside talking, so he invited Chen Zi'an and the children into the office.
Principal Guo's office was simply furnished, with an old desk and a few long benches, nothing more.
Upon entering the office, Principal Guo invited everyone to sit down and personally brought a flat kettle to pour water for Chen Zi'an and the others.
He held a cup of water and politely placed it on the table in front of Chen Zi'an, saying, "Minister Chen, thank you. Without your care, our school might not be what it is today."
"A school should look like a school. This is a place for reading and nurturing people, not a place for some people to display their political ambitions," Chen Zi'an said in a calm tone.
Principal Guo agreed wholeheartedly. He didn't know when it started, but schools no longer seemed like schools.
Now it seemed that the children of the Su family could achieve such results, perhaps it was related to Minister Chen Zi'an's guidance.
After a brief conversation with Chen Zi'an, Principal Guo turned his attention to the children.
Principal Guo was also a sensible person. The school had been chaotic for not one or two years, but for several years.
Chen Zi'an had always watched from the sidelines, but this year he suddenly intervened, which should have been to allow these children to study well.
In that case, he had to teach these children diligently.
"Your academic performance is very good. I hope that when you come to school, you can achieve even greater results, bring honor to yourselves, and also bring glory to the school!"
He had to tell all the teachers in the school to teach these children well.
Let these children learn more useful knowledge and not disappoint Minister Chen.
At this moment, Principal Guo did not know that the knowledge reserve of these children even surpassed that of some teachers in their school, especially Su Xiaotian's knowledge reserve. It was not only enough to read the first year of junior high school, but also the second year of senior high school.
After a brief meeting, Principal Guo called the teachers from each class to pick up their students.
Su Xiaotian, Su Xiao Ba, and Su Xiaojiu were all students in Class 1 of Junior High. The homeroom teacher for Class 1 of Junior High was Han Liangping, a young man who looked to be around thirty years old, with a faint smile on his face, which made people feel quite comfortable.
When Homeroom Teacher Han Liangping saw these three younger siblings, he was quite surprised.
Children at this time started school late. Su Xiaotian was the youngest among the thirty-eight students in the entire class.
Upon arriving in the classroom, Han Liangping arranged seats for the three of them, Su Xiaotian, Su Xiao Ba, and Su Xiaojiu.
Because they were young and not tall, the three of them were seated in the front row.
After settling them in, Han Liangping scanned the students in the classroom. When his gaze passed a certain spot, Han Liangping couldn't help but frown, but he didn't say anything more.
"Classmates, today is the first day of school, let's introduce ourselves first."
As soon as he finished speaking, a bold voice sounded from the classroom.
"My name is Feng Xiangyu. My name means to soar through the universe. From now on, you all have to listen to me!"
A tall boy stood up, his voice full of confidence, even more confident than the homeroom teacher.
Teacher Han was stunned, and the students were also stunned.
What did this mean?
Su Xiaotian opened her eyes wide and looked at this student who called himself Feng Xiangyu.
Who was this person?
He could actually say that everyone had to listen to him!
He should see if he had the qualifications.
Feng Xiangyu was very tall. Su Xiaotian estimated that he was about the same height as her fourth brother. How old was he this year?
He should be several years older than herself!
At such an age, he was still in the first year of junior high. It was only he who had the nerve to act like a king here!
Su Xiaotian clearly looked down on such a classmate, but this disdain was only in her heart and not expressed.
"Classmate Feng Xiangyu, please sit down first. Everyone is a classmate, there is no such thing as who listens to whom!" Teacher Han said patiently.
Teacher Han was afraid of this Feng Xiangyu.
He was a repeat student, already fifteen years old, and relied on his family's influence to act like a king in school.
In the past, he even dared to physically assault teachers.
When Han Liangping heard that Feng Xiangyu was going to stay in his class, he objected, but he couldn't resist the power of the Han family, so he had to agree.
Han Liangping did not know that Feng Xiangyu wanted to stay in Class 1 of Junior High because he heard that there were several students with excellent grades in Class 1 of Junior High, and it was rumored that they had scored full marks in two subjects.
As a poor student, Feng Xiangyu strongly disliked classmates with good grades.
In the second year of junior high, there were no longer any students with good grades. He felt that it was meaningless for him to go to the second year of junior high.
Therefore, when his family proposed that he repeat a year to consolidate his first-year junior high knowledge, he immediately agreed in order to cause trouble for the new excellent students.
Feng Xiangyu's great name had quite a deterrent effect in the County No. 1 Middle School.
Most of the classmates in the class were afraid of him, and a small minority who were not afraid had never heard of his great name before.
But with him speaking so unscrupulously, many people were scared and didn't even dare to look at him more.
Among the many who lowered their heads and looked obedient, Su Xiaotian, who was bold and dared to stare at Feng Xiangyu, suddenly appeared, which was very conspicuous.
Feng Xiangyu glanced at Su Xiaotian and said lazily to Teacher Han, "I said listen to me, and you must listen to me. If you don't obey, don't blame me for being impolite!"
As he spoke, Feng Xiangyu also looked at Su Xiaotian intentionally or unintentionally, with a clear meaning of provocation and threat.
Such a little girl, who looked like a little dot, was quite bold.
He would let her know his power later.
Teacher Han also knew what kind of person Feng Xiangyu was, but he didn't dare to manage him actively.
He heard that no teacher who indulged Feng Xiangyu had a good outcome.
One had his head broken, another his leg broken, and since then, no teacher had actively managed him.
Teacher Han could only frown and dare not speak.
Feng Xiangyu was very proud of Teacher Han's silence.
He turned his gaze to Su Xiaotian and the other two in the front row.
Su Xiaotian, Xiao Ba, and Xiaojiu were all young and looked good. Carrying new schoolbags, they looked very eye-catching.
Feng Xiangyu naturally saw them. He naturally looked down on Su Xiaotian and the others. In his opinion, they were just three little radishes.
They looked so young, and it was rumored they were from the countryside, yet they were all carrying new army-green schoolbags.
Weren't they afraid of ruining good things!
He said imperiously, "You, hand over your schoolbags to me!"
Teacher Han remained silent, which emboldened Feng Xiangyu. He actually opened his mouth to demand other students' schoolbags.
"Classmate Feng Xiangyu, you are doing this..."
"Shut up, or I'll make you parade through the streets!" Feng Xiangyu said with a cold snort.
Han Liangping wanted to continue speaking, but he was afraid that Feng Xiangyu would do as he said. He had done such things before.
But after a moment of hesitation, Han Liangping decided to try to persuade Feng Xiangyu.
Feng Xiangyu's family background was indeed powerful, but compared to Minister Chen, it was still somewhat lacking.
As he was about to speak, Su Xiaotian stopped him with a look.
Su Xiaotian shook her head slightly at him.
It was enough for him to speak up. Su Xiaotian did not intend to let the teacher help her solve the problem.
After all, many problems are best solved by oneself if possible.
Relying on teachers to solve problems cannot solve them fundamentally!
Although Han Liangping didn't know what Su Xiaotian meant, he followed her lead and did not continue to speak.
Su Xiao Ba and Su Xiaojiu also looked at Su Xiaotian.
After hearing this, Su Xiaotian knew that this was not a good person, and it was not worth arguing with such a person.
However, if such a person was appeased once, they would become even more aggressive next time.
She stood up with a smile, her gaze fixed on Feng Xiangyu.
Su Xiaotian was ten years old this year. Her height was not low among her peers, but compared to Feng Xiangyu, who was already fifteen years old, she was not as tall, being a head and a half shorter.
It could be said that Feng Xiangyu looked down at Su Xiaotian.
Even though there was a distance between them, the natural height advantage made people feel that Su Xiaotian would definitely be at a disadvantage.
Su Xiaotian's deskmate was a very quiet girl.
She even gently tugged at Su Xiaotian's clothes, signaling Su Xiaotian not to get into a conflict with Feng Xiangyu.
Su Xiaotian just gave her a reassuring smile.
Feng Xiangyu did not understand Su Xiaotian's action, so he continued to stare at her.
"Little girl, what do you mean?"
Su Xiaotian smiled, but her words were very firm.
"It means nothing. Classmate, we only have one schoolbag, we can't give it to you!"
Feng Xiangyu clearly did not expect Su Xiaotian to say such a thing.
This was the first time someone had dared to defy his will.
If this bad influence were not stopped in time, what status would Feng Xiangyu have in the County No. 1 Middle School in the future?
Feng Xiangyu clenched his fist, making a cracking sound, and then looked at Su Xiaotian with disdain.
"Do you know how I deal with people who don't listen to me?"
Su Xiaotian certainly didn't know.
"I'm not interested in knowing!"
Indeed, she wasn't interested!
The fact that a little girl was so bold surprised everyone, including the homeroom teacher Han Liangping.
Only Xiao Ba and Xiaojiu had a bit of excitement and anticipation in their eyes.
They didn't think Feng Xiangyu could defeat Su Xiaotian, so they were looking forward to Feng Xiangyu suffering a loss.
Teacher Han was scared, afraid that the two would start fighting.
He could no longer fear Feng Xiangyu and quickly walked down from the podium, saying to Feng Xiangyu, "Classmate Feng Xiangyu, you are all classmates!"
He had been in the County No. 1 Middle School for several years, so he naturally understood the meaning of Han Liangping's words.
In the past, Feng Xiangyu used to beat up anyone who didn't listen to him.
If one still didn't obey after being beaten, he would beat them again until they submitted!
Su Xiaotian's small frame, she didn't know if she could withstand Feng Xiangyu's punch.
Feng Xiangyu looked at Han Liangping coldly.
He didn't regard Han Liangping as a teacher at all, and there was no respect in his eyes.
"You'd better get out of the way!"
Han Liangping dared not manage, but he had to manage.
Su Xiaotian, however, smiled at Han Liangping, clearly signaling him to rest assured.
As a teacher, Han Liangping, seeing such a huge disparity in strength, how could he be at ease?
"Su Xiaotian, how about..."
Han Liangping couldn't bring himself to say the rest.
Could he persuade Su Xiaotian to give her schoolbag to Feng Xiangyu?
"Teacher Han, the great leader once said that all reactionaries are paper tigers. In my eyes, classmate Feng Xiangyu is also just a paper tiger!"
This sentence shocked all the classmates, their mouths agape for a long time.
Only Su Xiao Ba and Su Xiaojiu were so excited that they were about to applaud.
Teacher Han's state of mind at this moment was one word: frustrated!
It was one thing that Feng Xiangyu was a hooligan, but how could Su Xiaotian, a soft and cute girl, also be a tough nut to crack?
Compared to Han Liangping's frustration, Feng Xiangyu was almost amused to death.
A little girl dared to call him a paper tiger directly in front of so many people.
If this could be tolerated, what could not be tolerated!
He, Feng Xiangyu, had never suffered a loss in the County No. 1 Middle School.
Even those older than him had never taken advantage of him.
Feng Xiangyu looked at Su Xiaotian, "How dare you provoke my authority, little girl? I don't have the habit of not hitting girls!"
This demeanor looked hilarious in Su Xiaotian's eyes.
A little child acting like an adult was too funny.
Su Xiaotian still had a bright smile on her face, and she spoke directly.
[Author's Note]
Six thousand words today. Shi Guang has worked very hard. Babies, don't forget your recommendation tickets!