Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  When they went to school the next day, everything had indeed been reversed.

  Zhang Fei’s eyes were bloodshot, and he looked very dispirited. His anger and shame had made him lose all his vigor and arrogance.

  An impulsive moment had caused a disaster. Everyone in the village had seen him make a fool of himself.

  He could totally imagine what the villagers were saying about him behind his back. Without dignity and respect, he wouldn’t be able to keep his head high as a teacher in the future. It could be said that those two cups of wine had made a serious impact on his career.

  It would have been better if he could have gotten the girl he liked. However, when he had met Mu Xue just now, Mu Xue’s expression had changed slightly as soon as she had seen him, and she had turned her head and walked away without even looking at him. It was clear that she was avoiding him like the plague.

  Zhang Fei’s heart sank.

  He could only cling onto his job as a teacher. He made up his mind to never touch alcohol again.

  The principal hadn’t expected Zhang Fei to get into such a mess. Seeing that Zhang Fei knew that he was wrong, he had no choice but to help them reconcile. He asked Zhang Fei to apologize and promise that he wouldn’t pick on the students anymore.

  Merely a day had passed, and their positions had already been swapped.

  Zhang Fei endured this humiliation and frustration and apologized to his students and Mu Jingzhe, who he despised.

  Shao Xi felt proud and elated upon seeing Zhang Fei apologize, and his earlier grievances were finally resolved.

  He snorted softly and didn’t say anything. On the other hand, Shao Dong seemed very easygoing.

  “It’s okay.”

  Now that this storm was finally over, the principal heaved a sigh of relief. He also told Mu Jingzhe that Zhang Fei was still young, so he wouldn’t be the teacher in charge for the time being, and the role would be given to the mathematics teacher instead.

  However, Zhang Fei still continued teaching Chinese.

  It was impossible to change this, as there weren’t many teachers at this school.

  Mu Jingzhe was naturally dissatisfied. However, this was the best outcome they could have hoped for given the circumstances. She could only hope that Zhang Fei wouldn’t dare go overboard in the future. She would pay more attention and try her best to not let Shao Dong and Shao Xi suffer.

  Mu Jingzhe had only thought of this. She didn’t expect Shao Dong to suddenly ask the principal if he could skip a grade after everything was settled.

  “Actually, I’ve already studied the second-grade textbooks with Shao Xi. It’d be a waste of time to continue attending second-grade classes. Can we go straight to the third grade?”

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  The principal naturally knew that Shao Dong and Shao Xi had good grades and that the children of the Shao Family were outstanding.

  But… skip a grade?

  “Are you serious?” the principal asked in disbelief. Shao Dong nodded affirmatively. Shao Xi’s eyes lit up when he saw Shao Dong, and he also nodded affirmatively.

  The reason why they had been able to learn the second-grade textbooks was Mu Jingzhe.

  In the past, Shao Dong had worked hard to take care of his younger siblings. He’d also had to protect them from Fu, Lu, and Shou’s bullying. He’d had to worry about food and even dig for wild herbs in his free time.

  He’d only had time to learn during class.

  However, ever since Mu Jingzhe had changed, he no longer had to worry about food. Every day, there was piping hot, delicious food waiting for them when they got home. Mu Jingzhe would also take care of their clothes and shoes.

  He didn’t need to wash clothes or cook anymore, nor did he have to care about anything else. His only responsibility was to take care of his younger siblings.

  Now, he had a lot of time to learn. He would learn alongside Shao Xi and also teach his younger siblings.

  For example, although Shao Zhong hadn’t started writing yet, he could already count to a hundred. He’d also mastered simple addition and subtraction.

  Unknowingly, he’d finished learning the second-grade textbooks.

  “Principal, can we skip a grade?” Shao Dong glanced at Mu Jingzhe. Upon seeing that she didn’t object, he asked again.

  The children of the poor had to take charge of the household early. Shao Dong had been forced to become the head of the household long ago. His heart was filled with urgency. He knew that studying was good and that he had to study if he wanted to have a bright future. However, it was too time-consuming to study normally.

  He wanted to finish his studies as soon as possible. While Mu Jingzhe was still taking care of them and he was young, he wanted to learn everything he could.

  By the time Mu Jingzhe got married in the future, he would have gained a lot of knowledge and skills that would allow him to help his younger siblings study.

  The principal didn’t know about Shao Dong’s long-term plans and couldn’t help but look at Mu Jingzhe.

  Mu Jingzhe agreed.

  The children were smart, so she wasn’t surprised that they had learned all this in advance. If they wanted to skip a grade, they could make the decision themselves.

  The principal understood and could also see why Mu Jingzhe would give such a response. He said that he would think about this and reply after some discussion.

  During dinner, Shao Dong specifically explained to Mu Jingzhe why he wanted to skip a grade.

  He didn’t tell her about those thoughts, only that he didn’t want a teacher like Zhang Fei to continue teaching them. He didn’t want to see Zhang Fei’s fake smile, nor did he want to be hated by him.

  “I know, I know what you mean. As long as he continues teaching you, I’ll always feel uneasy.” Who knew if he would secretly make things difficult for Shao Dong and Shao Xi.

  Shao Dong nodded.

  Previously, Zhang Fei had deliberately humiliated him. He hadn’t had much of a reaction, but at the time, he hadn’t known that Zhang Fei was picking on them. Furthermore, no one had been speaking up for them, so he’d had to endure it.

  Now that everything was clear, he naturally wouldn’t tolerate it anymore.

  It was fine if he was targeted, but he had taken note of everything Zhang Fei had done to Shao Xi.

  Zhang Fei didn’t know that Shao Dong was famous for being protective of his own people and holding grudges.

  Of course, he also remembered kindness. A drop of water should be repaid with a spring, but what he had done warranted revenge.

  Since Zhang Fei had done something like that, he would have to bear everyone’s criticism. If he couldn’t take it, he could leave on his own and stop teaching.

  The corners of Shao Dong’s mouth curled up for a moment, but his eyes revealed a coldness that didn’t match his age.

  After he finished speaking, Mu Jingzhe suddenly thought of something. “Oh right, did your father always teach you that it was fine to shed blood and sweat but never tears?”

  She recalled Zhang Fei’s words.

  Shao Xi nodded. “Yes, my dad didn’t like us crying. If we cried, he’d get angry and say that we’re not acting like men. It was the same for Little Bei. We had an agreement with him about not crying.”

  After Shao Qihai was gone, this promise had taken root in the hearts of the children.

  Mu Jingzhe: “…”

  There was nothing wrong with Shao Qihai’s teachings. It wasn’t good for a child to cry all the time, but how could a child not cry at all? It wasn’t suitable for Shao Dong and the others to strictly stick to this teaching in such a situation either.

  No wonder Zhao Lan had done whatever she’d wanted previously. It turned out that it was because the children wouldn’t cry or shout, so she wasn’t afraid that everyone would know how she treated them.

  However, children who knew how to cry had sweets to eat. They still had to learn whatever needed to be learned.

  Mu Jingzhe pondered this for a moment. “It’s not good to cry all the time, but have you heard of the saying that ‘it’s not a sin for a man to?cry1‘? Besides, you’re still young. It’s normal for you to cry when you’re bullied or you’re hurting.”

  Shao Xi and Shao Dong looked at each other and shook their heads. “No, we’ve never heard of that saying.”

  Mu Jingzhe: “…”

  Well, the song wasn’t out yet.

  “In any case, don’t hold in all your grievances in the future. If you don’t tell us, we won’t know. We’ll only know when you cry and shout in pain.”

  Shao Dong and the others had conflicted expressions on their faces. They were probably used to it. They still felt that men should sweat blood and sweat rather than tears.

  Mu Jingzhe was in no hurry to continue speaking. Shao Qihai, as their father, had been too assertive with his teachings, causing the few of them to suffer in secret.

  Meanwhile, in the basement of a house in the suburbs of the neighboring province, a sound rang out. “Achoo!”