My One And Only Love/ Exclusive Memory (Somewhere Only We Know) — 独家记忆 Chapter 3 Part 5
Translated&edited by Fei斐
Even so, I think I can be a good teacher.
University A's foreign language department was very popular, so as long as a small advertisement was posted outside, many parents would call to find English tutors.
Song Qiqi and I were also partnering a part-time job as a private tutor.
Basically, the tutoring market had two peak periods, one was before the beginning of primary and secondary schools, and the other was towards the end of the school term. The market price was generally 25 yuan per hour, and the cost increases or decreases depending on the child's grade.
The kid I tutored, Peng Yu, had just passed the high school entrance examination and was now in his first year of high school. During summer vacation, his mother was afraid that his English would be a hindrance (to get good ranking) among groups of master players in the strong high school "stage". She said that the child's knowledge of grammar was particularly poor and asked me to tutor him for two months. Three times a week, about three hours each time.
In university, the situation of part-time tutoring for students was relatively encouraged, but the safety issue was strongly emphasized, and students were also urged not to go to other people's home casually. However, Peng Yu was recommended by my mom's colleague, so there was no worries.
After school started in September, Peng Yu’s mother said that their new head teacher in the first year of high school was also an English teacher and asked the children to go to her home to make up the lessons, thus this cooperation ended tactfully.
I understand. At the end of the day, school teachers were important, especially the head teacher.
Hereafter, I was vacant for two months, but still hadn't find a suitable one.
Until Friday, Peng Yu called me by himself, saying that there were too many students at the teacher's place, that he was not used to it, and he still hoped that I would teach him.
I thought about it and promised him. The only requirement was that I could only tutor him once a week. Calculating this way, it was easier than Xiao Bai’s fellow villagers who went to a fast food restaurant to work. Anyhow, it could relieve the financial pressure of the family.
Peng Yu was a very clever boy, white (fairly light-skined) and chubby. It was the age, where I felt as if he had grown several centimeters taller if I hadn't seen him even for just a week.
The first time I saw him, I felt that he was only a little taller than me. Now, in less than half a year, he had grown even taller.
He often despised me, "Teacher Xue, have you practiced bone reduction skills?"
"Go, go, go." I said, "No matter big or small, I'm still your teacher."
I had always been petite. In some kind of cruel words, it was as though I hadn't developed any further after my teenage years, but Bai Lin and the others laughed at me, and even this little kid came to join in the fun.
In order to nurture Peng Yu's understanding of the university studies and strengthen his desire for learning, Mother Peng expressed that she hoped Peng Yu could go to our school to train and let him learn more about what higher education institution (university) was.
On Sunday, I waited to pick him up at University A's north gate, but after waiting for a long time, no one was seen.
I hadn't gotten angry yet. He called first, "Ms. Xue, you can't do this, ah. I've been standing here alone for a long time."
"Am I not waiting for you here at the gate."
"Impossible!" He was irritated.
"How can it be impossible!" I was even more angry.
It took a long time to figure out the ins and outs. He took a taxi and said he was going to University A. The driver naturally took him to the main campus gate, meanwhile I thought he knew I was in the West End.
I told him, "Stay where you are, I'll find you."
Fortunately, there was a campus bus, which runs every ten minutes, from the West District to the school's main campus.
I found Peng Yu and prepared to pull him into the bus to return to the West campus.
He said, "Ms. Xue, you're not a fake college student, are you?"
"Why is that?" I turned my head fiercely.
"Why aren't you studying in this main campus, but instead, you're going to a place where the birds don't lay eggs (remote place)?"
I wasn't in a happy mood to explain, "Our school is like this. There are only senior (4th year) and graduate students in the main campus."
"Graduate students?" When Peng Yu heard this word, his eyes lighted up, "Is it PhD and master?"
"En. More or less." I nodded, at least not now, nor in the future.
He glanced at the people who were coming and going at the gate with an admiring look, "Then, aren't they either masters or doctors?" The intensity of the light emitted by his eyes was even brighter than when fellow Xiao Bai saw a handsome guy.
"Actually, PhDs......They are also humans."
Since I became a teacher, I realized it deeply just how speechless a teacher would be when they met face-to-face with an invincible (in this context, an individual without rival) student.
Later, Peng Yu asked me to take him around the main campus, and completely disdained the West campus where I lived.
At the library, he sighed, "This is the largest library in our province, ah!"
In the canteen, he was surprised, "This is the canteen with multiple elevator in the legend, ah!!"
In the gymnasium, he praised, "This is the place where the nationwide Universiade (university multi-sports competition) was held, ah!!!"
At the door of the Department of Physics, he shouted, "This is homeland's most powerful fluid physics research center!!!"
To be honest, I was worried that his jaw would drop and that it would be difficult for me to tell his mother the reason why when he went back later.
I didn't have a strong sense of direction. Moreover, aside from completing specific assignments, I seldom visited the main campus for a stroll, hence I was surprised that he actually knew our school better than I did.
I asked, "What do you mean by 'runny nasal mucus'*?"
(*T/N: Runny nasal mucus «流涕 liú tì» has a similar sound to Peng Yu's fluid physics «流体 liútǐ»🙂😂)
He answered, feeling very happy, "Fluid physics."
I said, "Oh. I thought what you said was 'the center of runny nose' just now."
Peng Yu looked back at me with a bleak expression and said, "Teacher, I truly feel sorry for you and your school."
But after halfway through the trip, Peng Yu discovered a phenomenon. He said, "I wonder how could the appearance quality of your school's male and female isn't very high."
This bastard, as it turned out, dared to be a member of GLC— the Good Looks Club*— too.
(*T/N: 外貌协会(club/association) wàimàoxiéhuì, the "Good-looks club/outer appearance association, are addressed to people who attach great importance to a person's appearance. It is a pun on 外贸协会 Wàimào Xiéhuì— foreign trade association. Both phrases sounds exactly alike.)
But still, I was now a teacher before him. I had to think of a way to feign thinking profoundly too, thus I said, "That's because everyone have studied hard and didn't spend their minds on outward appearance make up and dress up."
The teacher's posture was timely brought out.
"Oh," he said.
We had just walked a few steps when he said again, "But there are special cases. You see, the man walking across is very handsome."
Hearing his compliment, I felt that I could save University A's face. I happily followed his sight and wanted to take a look at this good classmate who honored his alma mater with his good looks.
As a result, my expression was frozen halfway through.
Isn't that person Mu Chenghe.
He was wearing a black jacket and was walking from the library with a few books on the opposite side of road made of flagstone.
"He must also be studying for a PhD or master?" Peng Yu asked.
"No, he is a teacher."
"Teacher?" Peng Yu stared, "A PhD teacher.. in that case, a postdoctoral researcher?"
"...You don't calculate it like that," I said, "He is a substitute teacher."
"How do you know that he is a substitute teacher?" Peng Yu didn't believe it at all and continued to ask.
"Because he is giving us a substitute lesson!" I angrily explained.
"Oh——" He nodded.
I thought he had been persuaded by my strong rhetoric.
Unexpectedly, after two seconds, Peng Yu looked at Mu Chenghe with an even more brilliant admiring gaze, and said a word that would make me vomit blood and die.
He said, "Ms. Xue's teacher? Then he's my great teacher*, so great!"
(*T/N: 祖师爷 zǔshīyé — actually means a founder (of a craft, religious sect, school of learning etc), it's actually more of "my source of learning", but in way it also means "my grandpa/ancestor/master's teacher" or people who have made major contributions to the formation of an industry. 😅)
♡ 💜 ♡ 💜 ♡ 💜 ♡
Hello, Teacher Xue!
Chapter 3 part 6 will be updated on September 6th at 7 P.M. ^_^
I love Peng Yu haha 😂
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