Chapter 277
After listening, Si Nian looked somewhat skeptical.
Was that really the case?
Wasn't it all a bit too coincidental?
But Little Boss was only ten years old; there was no way he could have found someone to beat up Teacher Xu that quickly, right?
Although a little worried, in any case, both children were fine.
As long as it wasn't him who did it, Si Nian didn't want to dwell on it too deeply.
That Teacher Xu deserved to be taught a lesson. If she kept treating children like that, how could they ever study properly in the future?
But what Si Nian didn't expect was to receive a notice the very next day: Teacher Xu had been beaten up and hospitalized.
What's more, the police were involved, coming to the school for questioning. They suspected there might be a case of corporal punishment by a teacher.
This was a major incident, and the entire school was in an uproar.
The teachers also began to feel nervous.
Sure enough, from the first-grade class, they confirmed that Teacher Xu had indeed hit a child the day before.
And the child she hit happened to be Zhou Zedong's younger brother.
Now it seemed the child definitely hadn't been lying.
If the child wasn't lying, then the one who lied was naturally Teacher Xu.
During the morning assembly, the police and the principal spoke on stage together.
First, the principal explained the previous day's situation and apologized to the students, saying Teacher Xu's teaching methods were too aggressive and that the school had already disciplined her.
Teacher Xu, her face bruised and swollen, was called up to apologize on the spot.
She burst into tears right then and there.
Of course, it wasn't out of remorse, but out of humiliation.
If she didn't apologize, she would lose her chance to be a teacher.
And with a record like that, no other school would take her.
Seeing Teacher Xu's sorry state, Si Nian's mouth twitched.
Then the police stepped forward to educate everyone on what to do if they encountered unfair treatment or corporal punishment from a teacher—to report it promptly, and so on.
Finally, Zhou Zedong, who had learned from the heroic example of Lei Feng and done a good deed, was called up on stage. Amidst the admiration and praise of his classmates, Zhou Zedong stood at the podium.
The two police officers took turns praising him.
They subtly mocked some teachers for judging students by their wealth, while also commending Zhou Zedong for his broad-mindedness.
To have a teacher compared to a fourth-grader and come up short made Teacher Xu so angry she could barely stand steady.
The people around her also looked at her with contempt.
Teacher Xu stared at Zhou Zedong as if she wanted to devour him.
Finally, seeing that Teacher Xu was about to faint from rage, the police ended their barrage of praise and presented Zhou Zedong with a "Righteous and Courageous" medal.
They were actually well aware that while Teacher Xu had laid hands on a child, that alone wasn't enough to make her leave.
These days, there were too many teachers who hit children.
Who hadn't been hit growing up?
What angered them was that Teacher Xu not only hit students but also insulted them.
Furthermore, it was hard to find a teacher for the school, let alone one who had been teaching the fourth grade all along like Teacher Xu.
Even if the school was willing to replace her, the parents might not be happy about it.
To avoid affecting the students' grades, they could only make her apologize.
But after this incident, she probably wouldn't dare lay a hand on the children again.
Down below, Zhou Zehan, seeing his brother receive the medal, jumped up and down excitedly on the spot. "That's my brother! Did you see that? That's my brother, my own brother!"
"Brother! Brother, I'm over here!" He jumped and waved, afraid Zhou Zedong wouldn't see him.
Zhou Zedong's gaze shifted, finding his brother in the crowd.
The corners of his pursed lips lifted in a barely perceptible smile.
But he soon shifted his gaze to Si Nian, who was standing to the side holding their little sister's hand.
Si Nian was also smiling at him, her eyes filled with pride.
His little sister reached out her hands towards him, seemingly calling for him.
But it was too noisy to hear clearly.
Just as the police officer was about to place the wreath around his neck, he tugged at the officer's sleeve and, pointing in Si Nian's direction, said, "Uncle Officer, I'd like to give this to my mom and my sister."
The officer's heart melted upon hearing this. What a filial child.
And so, Si Nian was called up to the stage.
Zhou Zedong placed the wreath on his little sister and handed the commendation banner to Si Nian.
The children watching from below were so envious.
The teachers (except for Teacher Xu) also cast approving glances their way.
"Teacher Si has raised her children so well!"
"Absolutely, it's truly something to be admired."
Down below, Little Second Brother had shouted himself hoarse but still didn't get a turn to go on stage.
Soon, the morning assembly ended.
Zhou Zedong returned to his classroom, surrounded and celebrated by his classmates.
In the eyes of the children now, he was a little hero.
They still remembered that Teacher Xu had punished him before.
Yet, not only did he hold no grudge, he had even saved Teacher Xu.
He must be a really good person.
Wow, they had a big hero in their class!
All the children were incredibly proud.
Other classes were envious of them.
Their attitude towards Zhou Zedong had done a complete one-eighty.
Chu Xiang'er walked to the front and stood beside Zhou Zedong, her eyes holding a touch of admiration. Especially seeing how, after receiving such a big award, he wasn't the least bit arrogant or complacent—his face remained as impassive as ever—her heart began to pound.
He was really so charming.
Clearly an excellent student, yet so low-key.
Did a good deed but didn't boast about it.
Although when he first arrived, he seemed a bit dark and not very good-looking.
But now, standing close, Chu Xiang'er realized his features were so fine. His nose was straight and tall, his eyes were big, his features were more handsome than anyone else's.
His skin was dark, but it gave him a very manly air.
Clutching her chest, she took the initiative to speak up. "Zhou, Zhou Zedong, would you like to be my deskmate? I can ask the teacher to change the seating. Someone as outstanding as you shouldn't sit in the back."
In their class, seats were assigned based on academic performance.
But Zhou Zedong arrived later, and there were no seats left,
so he had to sit in the very back.
He sat with Wang Yuanyuan, who didn't do well in her studies.
If he wanted, she could go talk to the homeroom teacher about it.
Hearing this, Yuan Yuan, squeezed in at the very back, didn't look too happy.
She lowered her head dejectedly.
Xiao Dong hated her so much; he definitely wouldn't want to sit with her.
Meanwhile, Chu Xiang'er's deskmate, Li Youcai, turned green with envy.
He had good grades, which was why he could sit with Chu Xiang'er, the top student in the class.
What right did that country bumpkin have!
His jealous gaze fixed fiercely on Zhou Zedong.
He couldn't understand what was happening.
Just yesterday, Zhou Zedong was the most pitiful person in their class, someone nobody paid much attention to.
Even the teacher disliked him.
How did he suddenly become a big hero?
Watching Chu Xiang'er fawn over Zhou Zedong, standing so close to him and speaking so warmly and enthusiastically...
Chu Xiang'er had never been this enthusiastic with anyone before; even with him, she was often indifferent.
What right did country bumpkin Zhou Zedong have!
Sour jealousy churned in Li Youcai's heart; he wished he could beat him up right then.
But now Zhou Zedong was the class hero. If he hit him, everyone would surely criticize him.
Although Li Youcai was spoiled, he wasn't actually stupid.
He knew he definitely couldn't do anything to Zhou Zedong at school.
But not being able to do it at school didn't mean he couldn't do it outside...
Zhou Zedong dared to steal Xiang'er from him and show off like this; he would absolutely not let him get away with it.
In the afternoon, Zhou Zedong arrived at the garbage dump below the tube apartment building as agreed.