Xiaoqi had class in the morning, her last Japanese lesson.
She couldn't go pick up her dad, so her dad had to go sell bamboo baskets himself while she went to class first.
It was the last lesson. Zhou iling didn't really follow a curriculum after teaching hiragana. She taught whatever ca to mind, quite freely.
It was different from Xiaoqi's thodical teaching according to the textbook. Zhou iling was quite whimsical, just glancing at the textbook when she rembered.
If you judged teachers as good or bad, Zhou iling's style would probably be agonizing for most students. She taught whatever she wanted to say, but the howork was still from the textbook. You'd feel confused doing it, thinking "Where is this? What is this? The teacher didn't talk about this at all!!"
But for especially smart or talented students, her style was very good. They could connect the dots doing howork, realizing the teacher ntioned this, the teacher also brought up that, so the question must an this.
Xiaoqi wasn't an especially smart or gifted student. Guan Jingzhi was younger but better than her in this regard. But Xiaoqi was very diligent, and she had tried imrsive reading which was really effective. It was like being a Japanese-speaking child, or vaguely always having that feeling. When she studied later, she felt she could grasp things easily and make great progress.
But diligence was still the most important. She should have had this motivation when learning English earlier, then she wouldn't be in this situation now.
Grasping every mont to study and practice resulted in great gains.
In the last lesson, Zhou iling taught quite freely as usual with two students she quite liked in front of her.
She liked Guan Jingzhi at first, naturally because of the girl's family background, but Guan Jingzhi herself was also quite outstanding. As for Su Xiaoqi, Zhou iling was lost for words.
The first ti she t this student, she thought she had an impressive background. But it turned out she was just a rural student. She thought Xiaoqi was just an ordinary rural student, but it turned out she was even Guan Jingzhi's English tutor. She thought Xiaoqi was just a better student, but sohow she inexplicably won a swimming championship...
Every ti Zhou iling thought she understood, she was proven wrong imdiately. She thought Xiaoqi was poor, but she casually took out over 300,000 yuan to buy a house. Her husband's circumstances were good, giving her a high allowance, but Xiaoqi herself didn't have hundreds of thousands in cash on hand.
The girl bought a house as calmly as buying a tube of lipstick.
After repeatedly reevaluating, Zhou iling ended up liking this student.
She felt different, sohow like they were friends.
In the last lesson, there was no summary or anything. But Zhou iling gave both students small gifts.
Crystal hair clips.
Xiaoqi looked at the sparkling thing, was this really for her?
Shouldn't the teacher's gift have gone to Guan Jingzhi?
But as Zhou iling forcibly clipped it into her hair, Xiaoqi felt her neck go stiff. When the teacher handed her a mirror, she saw two girls inside, one with dium-length hair and a clip at her bangs that should have looked silly. But surprisingly, it looked quite nice.
The long-haired girl beside her had a clip at the side, also very pretty.
For the first ti, Xiaoqi realized that she and the beauty Guan Jingzhi looked good together in the mirror. She almost couldn't believe it.
In fact, Su Xiaoqi was naturally delicate and good-looking herself, but she was just insecure and driven to improve. There was an indescribable air about her, a bit countrified, while Guan Jingzhi was graceful and her 80% beauty gave off a 90% feel.
At this mont, the Xiaoqi in the mirror looked much better, like a beauty filter was applied. She was still herself, yet not herself.
After giving the gifts, Zhou iling shooed the students away.
Xiaoqi had agreed to et her dad downstairs, and saw him sitting on the steps outside the bookstore next door.
Guan Jingzhi left in her family's car.
Xiaoqi hurried toward her dad.
Seeing his daughter co over, Su Youfu also stood up.
The cultural center was right next to the bookstore.
Zhou iling, airing out the room after class, happened to see this scene through the window.
She held an exquisite blue cup with half a cup of freshly ground coffee. She didn't like sugar and preferred slowly savoring the acidity of pure coffee.
She also saw Guan Jingzhi leave in her family's car.
The other student she liked walked up to an old farr.
She seed to rember Xiaoqi saying her dad would co yesterday.
The man looked just like an old peasant, his clothes and manner standing out from others on the street.
Few people on the street wore sweatshirts with long sleeves over them despite the late sumr heat in Lushan City.
And he wore liberation shoes.
She saw Xiaoqi affectionately take the man's arm as she walked up, not caring at all what others thought.
The old farr stood up and walked down the stairs. Zhou iling felt sothing was off, and when he reached flat ground, she realized he was limping.
His foot dragged with every step. She was shocked and covered her mouth.
She didn't expect the father of the student she considered even better than Guan Jingzhi to be disabled.
The man held Xiaoqi's hand in one hand and a carrying pole in the other, with a sack as well.
"Dad, how were sales of the bamboo baskets today? Did you sell a lot?" Xiaoqi asked.
Su Youfu couldn't help a smile spreading across his face.
"Good. I saw the shop sold out of everything I delivered last ti. Boss Huang even called urging several tis, but craftwork takes attention to detail. If it's not well made, I don't want to deliver it either, so I put it off until today when conveniently, your class finished and I could co get you to go ho together."
"Are you tired? Do you need to rest a bit more?"
Xiaoqi felt her dad was a bit excited, like his body was shaking.
"Not tired. Driver Dayu said he was coming to town this morning and gave a ride. He dropped straight at Shuidong, so I went right to the shop after getting out of the car, not tired at all. It's because Boss Huang raised the price again."
Su Youfu spoke then stroked his face, perplexed. "I don't know where Boss Huang found it, but a video you took of weaving bamboo. He said it was fild by a student and wanted to also film when I work in the future. I don't know how to do that so I'll have your mom learn when we get back. She's smart and should pick it up quickly. And Boss Huang raised the price. The small ones used to be 150 yuan, big ones 200 yuan. Now the small ones are raised to 250 yuan, big ones 300 yuan. He even asked if I could make them if he sends pictures, and said the price could be even higher."
Su Youfu had a thick stack of cash in his pocket. He always did business in cash, and had an exceptionally large amount this ti.
"Oh right, I saved one for you that you said you wanted to give your teacher."
Su Youfu took a bamboo basket out of the sack, woven like a shopping bag. Sohow the edges were connected without any frayed bits, using old bamboo with spots, looking antique. The handles were made from bent bamboo roots section by section.
It was quite large, just the right size for Xiaoqi to carry A4 paper.
She was pleasantly surprised. It could definitely work as a commuter bag in normal tis. Despite being made of bamboo, it wasn't too heavy. Her dad had even sewn a white cloth pouch inside.
"Your mom sewed it and said it's for city folks, in case it's not secure, with a drawstring closure inside."
Xiaoqi wanted one for herself just looking at this bamboo bag.
She noticed there were even carved characters on the bamboo root handles.
The characters carved were "You Fu."
Examining the bag, she felt it was perfect from every angle.
"Dad, wait for . I'm going to take this to my teacher then co right back."
Carrying her dad's bamboo bag, Xiaoqi trotted back to the cultural center.
Zhou iling had felt inexplicably awful after seeing that scene earlier, maybe from the bitter coffee, so she closed the window and went into her office. But then she saw Xiaoqi run back clutching an extrely quaint and beautiful bag.
"Teacher Zhou, my dad made this to give you. I have to go, bye!" Xiaoqi put down the bag and trotted off again.
Zhou iling: ......
Looking at the bag on her desk, she examined it from top to bottom... It matched her traditional clothes so well, gorgeous.
Mixed feelings welled up in her heart again... Especially when she saw the engraving on the handle of the handbag.
She was an old regular at a tea house that served tea. A few days ago, she went to a relatively upscale new tea house. The boss there boasted about his small bamboo packs made by grand masters. It was a tiny little bamboo basket that could only hold two teacups. He said the small basket cost over two thousand yuan.
She thought it was quite elegant and had wanted to buy it at the ti. She looked at it carefully and saw a small engraved character on it, but considering it was not very practical, she gave up on it in the end. Still, she took quite a few pictures of it and even posted on her social dia.
Now...the exact sa engraved character was right in front of her...
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