Chapter 16 Heading West
At six in the morning I dragged my suitcase onto the westbound high-speed rail.
About three months ago the department announced a teaching program.
It offered credits, but no one wanted to go.
The west was too far; it meant half a semester away.
I was the only one who signed up.
Because it was my hometown.
My grandfather had taught there for half his life. Now it was my turn.
Everything was going according to my plan.
After the election I left on my own.
I placed the breakup letter I had prepared long ago on the table.
I left a note telling Sheng Yan that the threatening video had been deleted and he could rest easy.
Then I blocked his contact.
Next I would send photos to Sheng Yichuan.
I would expose my relationship with Sheng Yan over the past month.
I admitted there had been a moment of softness.
Softness toward Sheng Yan.
But I still sent them.
I wanted Sheng Yichuan to suffer. I wanted the brothers to turn on each other.
No one could stop me.
After sending the photos I blocked Sheng Yichuan as well.
Life teaching back home was peaceful.
My senior occasionally messaged me about the Sheng family. Sheng Yichuan seemed to have fallen out with his brother. They had even fought. He hadn’t shown up at school for most of the past month. People in his class said he was leaving abroad.
I asked where to. She said abroad, apparently.
I replied, “Good.”
The rift had been created.
From then on there would always be a trace of resentment between them.
Sheng Yan must have been very disappointed in me.
How would he curse me?
Scheming? Heartless?
I stared at the screen for a moment, then put the phone down and went back to grading homework.
In the blink of an eye, the New Year approached.
I saved on travel expenses.
The old house felt cold and empty. When Grandfather was alive it still felt like home.
Now only I remained.
Firecrackers echoed outside. I sat under a small lamp calculating next semester’s teaching funds.
Not enough.
Even adding my scholarship wasn’t enough to buy textbooks for all the children.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door.
“Teacher Chen Songhe! A guest is here!”
“What?”
Who would visit during the New Year?
The villager said, “Someone from the city. Says they want to sponsor the school…”
Before he finished,
the person had already stepped into my small courtyard.
Under the silver frost moonlight his figure was still tall and straight.
Only his gunmetal-gray suit was covered in a thin layer of snow.