Chapter 192: Village School

In just two hours, the old house was cleaned thoroughly, inside and out.

The newly refreshed house finally had a simple, cozy feel.

But Fu Chao was still not satisfied.

“Why don’t we head down the mountain and buy some things to decorate? I wonder if there’s a place that sells furniture. We could just replace the sofa, table, and chairs…”

With 10,000 yuan in his pocket, Fu Chao was feeling flush and ready to spend without a second thought.

Unfortunately, Nan Zhi reminded him,

“It’s getting late. We need to go to the school next.”

It wasn’t just Fu Chao and the others; even the audience had just remembered.

[Oh, right! Nan Zhi and Qi Pei’er drew the volunteer teacher roles, didn’t they?]

[Heh, they finally remembered. The “young miss” went over there first thing in the morning, you know?]

[There was no set time, so what’s wrong with Nan Zhi and her group going a little later? It’s not like they were just goofing off at home! They had to sort out their basic living situation first!]

[Hmm, I’m curious. What can Nan Zhi teach the kids at school? How to cook?]

[What’s wrong with teaching kids to be chefs? It’s a useful skill! It’ll help them find jobs in the future! It’s much more practical, okay?]

[Yeah! And don’t forget Nan Zhi is a Yan University graduate. Aren’t her credentials good enough to teach a group of regular students?]

[Graduating from Yan University doesn’t mean you’re perfect at everything. After graduating, Nan Zhi didn’t pursue a career in her major and chose to become a chef instead. Doesn’t that prove something?]

[Well… but… didn’t Nan Zhi become an actress after graduating? Have you all forgotten?]

[The comments were pretty friendly last episode. Why has the mood suddenly taken a nosedive in this one?]

[Why else? Because a certain “young miss” showed up.]

[Stop spreading rumors, okay!]

…

The roles Fu Chao and Xie Yu drew were different from Nan Zhi’s and Qi Pei’er’s.

Their roles were more along the lines of village cadres or local officials.

So, only Nan Zhi and Qi Pei’er headed straight for the village elementary school.

Of course, Nan Yi and Qi Zhang would be with them the whole time.

As they walked, Qi Pei’er joked that Nan Yi and Qi Zhang, two kindergarteners, were about to get an early taste of elementary school life.

Qi Zhang was very excited, feeling as if he had suddenly transformed into a grown-up.

Nan Yi, however, wasn’t particularly moved. He had always just been his mother’s little shadow.

The village school wasn’t far; it was about a ten-minute walk away.

Looking into the distance, they could see a white building nestled in a verdant mountain hollow.

Nan Zhi’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

Beside her, Qi Pei’er let out a “wow.”

“This isn’t quite like the mountain schools I’ve imagined!”

It wasn’t just Qi Pei’er; for many people, their impression of schools in mountainous regions probably came only from photographs.

Generally, one would picture dusty, low-slung, tile-roofed buildings with bumpy, uneven ground, no traditional sports field, a dilapidated front gate, and simple dormitories where all the children were crammed onto large, shared sleeping platforms…

But the village school that appeared before them was nothing like that stereotype!

It was clear that its classroom building and dormitories had been built in recent years. They were new and clean, and the sports field was spacious.

Although the overall campus wasn’t large, it had a cafeteria, separate restrooms, a small library… everything was in place. It was a perfect example of “small but complete.”

It completely upended most people’s perceptions!

[Is this really a school in the mountains? The environment is so much better than I imagined!]

[Yeah, I grew up in the city, and the school I went to as a kid might not have even been this nice!]

[I used to see it in the news online and not think much of it, but seeing it now through the lens of a variety show, I can suddenly feel our country’s progress! So proud!]

[This show is so meaningful. It’s not one of those boring variety shows that are all about gimmicks and endless drama. At least it’s showing us the real mountainous regions of Guisheng Province!]

[But does a place like this still need volunteer teachers? Doesn’t that make Nan Zhi and Qi Pei’er’s presence kind of redundant?]

[Good facilities don’t equal good teachers. The main thing these remote mountain areas lack is teachers.]

[Exactly. I did a four-month volunteer teaching program before. The hardware and facilities have improved a lot, but they’re desperately short on teachers. Very few people are willing to stay in a remote, underdeveloped mountain village.]

…

The comments rationally pointed out the core issue.

And just as they predicted—

When Nan Zhi’s group arrived, they first greeted the old man guarding the main gate.

This gentleman was one of the village elders. His granddaughter was said to be a student at the school. He wasn’t guarding the gate for the money—the pay wasn’t much anyway. The old man mainly just wanted the children to have a quiet environment to study in.

On the way into the school with Nan Zhi’s group, the old man casually explained the school’s situation. He said that this elementary school’s enrollment wasn’t limited to their own village; children from several nearby villages also studied here.

The whole school didn’t have many students, only about 50 in total. The number of teachers was even smaller—just three, including the principal. Because of this, the children could only take basic academic subjects like language and math.

As for subjects like art and music, they basically had to wait for volunteer teachers to come to the mountains, which was a very rare occurrence.

You could tell the old man was very regretful about this. He added with a sigh,

“You have to study hard and read a lot. That’s the only way for our kids to leave these mountains…”

Qi Pei’er was characteristically blunt.

“But what if the children never come back?”

The old man could tell she meant no harm and replied with a gentle smile,

“If they don’t come back, it means they’re doing well! That’s what we all hope for! The children should all stride forward! Don’t look back!”

Qi Pei’er gave the old man a thumbs-up.

“You’re truly open-minded, sir. That’s the wisdom of life!”

The old man broke into a wide, happy grin.

Nan Zhi listened quietly, her gaze sweeping inch by inch over their surroundings.

Finally, her eyes landed on Nan Yi, who was holding her hand beside her.

“What’s wrong?”

Nan Zhi deliberately lowered her voice.

Qi Pei’er and the old man were chatting, and Qi Zhang was listening to them.

So none of them heard her; only Nan Yi noticed.

But he shook his head.

“It’s nothing.”

‘Nothing, my foot.’

Even his thin little shoulders were slumped as if crushed by some weight, and his mood seemed even lower.

But Nan Zhi didn’t press him, choosing to observe for now.

They soon arrived at the principal’s office. Before they even entered, they could hear peals of laughter coming from inside.

They could faintly make out a modest and gentle female voice saying,

“…Oh, not at all. It’s what we should be doing. Those with the means should naturally bear more social responsibility. That’s the guiding principle of our foundation, after all.”

Nan Zhi recognized it.

It was Chang Mu’s voice.

Taking a few more steps forward, they saw the show’s new guest star, Chang Mu, standing with the principal. In front of them was a mountain of shoeboxes.

Meanwhile, the assistant Chang Mu had brought along was holding up a phone, frantically taking pictures of the two shaking hands and chatting happily.

Of course, they didn’t forget to get the pile of shoeboxes in the shot.