Back to the Eighties: Mountain Foraging is Also a Way of Life
This chapter is machine-translated by AI, with ongoing community review. Quality may vary between chapters.
The principal of a county high school, in essence, already holds a rank that is not low, as it is a formal section-level position.
Of course, as long as they were within the small confines of DJ County, Wu Dong was essentially on equal footing.
After knocking on the door, without waiting for a response from inside, Wu Dong pushed the door open and walked straight in. Wang An, regardless of the propriety, followed him inside.
It had to be admitted that at this time, the vast majority of principals and teachers were truly dedicated to their jobs.
This was because they genuinely took the four words "teaching and educating people" as their life's purpose.
Of course, a few rare exceptions existed; after all, there is always some sand in the rice, so it was normal for there to be one or two scoundrels among the teachers.
Upon entering the principal's office, there was a plaque centered on the upper part of the north wall, with the four large characters "Teaching and Educating People" written on it.
Even with Wang An's shallow knowledge of calligraphy, he could see the sense of grandeur and solidity in those four characters.
Overall, those four words were written quite well.
To the right was an office desk made of solid wood. One look at this desk and it was obvious it was a product of a distant era; that sense of historical atmosphere had almost materialized.
Furthermore, there were actually carved patterns on the front panel of the desk.
Wang An was quite knowledgeable about carving, so he knew immediately that the patterns on the desk must have been the work of a master.
On the wall behind the desk, there was another plaque with the four large characters "Great Virtue Carries All Things."
It was obvious at a glance that these four characters were not written by the same person who wrote "Teaching and Educating People."
Moreover, the artistic conception expressed by "Great Virtue Carries All Things" was considerably richer than that of "Teaching and Educating People."
Most importantly, these four characters were actually an antique; they would certainly be very valuable in the future.
The person sitting beneath the plaque was the purpose of Wang An and Wu Dong's visit: Principal Yu Xiangnan.
Wang An held a fair amount of respect for Yu Xiangnan.
When Wang An had been expelled, he hadn't received a more severe punishment. On one hand, it was because Mu Xueqing refused to acknowledge it, and on the other, it was because of Principal Yu Xiangnan.
If Yu Xiangnan hadn't stepped in to protect him, Wang An might very well have spent a few years locked up.
Seeing Yu Xiangnan sitting there, Wu Dong hurriedly greeted him
"Hello, Elder Yu."
Wang An also quickly said respectfully
"Hello, Principal."
Seeing the two of them enter the room together, Yu Xiangnan's eyes instantly widened, and he said with a face full of surprise
"Director Wu? Wang An? Why have you two come together?"
Clearly, Yu Xiangnan was bewildered.
One was a powerful figure among the county's young guard, and the other was the county's most notorious troublemaker; the contrast between the two extremes was simply too great.
Wang An smiled without speaking, but Wu Dong took the initiative to say with a smile
"The two of us are sworn brothers through our foster parents, hehehe... we just had something we needed your help with, so we came together."
Yu Xiangnan nodded in astonishment, but the expression on his face showed that he still hadn't recovered from the shock.
After some brief pleasantries, Wu Dong directly stated the purpose of their visit. Finally, Wu Dong emphasized what kind of tragic fate Gu Xiaoshuang would face if she couldn't attend the County First Middle School.
Upon hearing this, Yu Xiangnan's face was filled with compassion and sighing, though he did not voice any opinions about the injustice of the world.
Clearly, a man of Yu Xiangnan's age had experienced or seen far too many tragedies; he no longer had that so-called surge of hot-bloodedness or righteous indignation.
Because anyone with a bit of age knows that such things are meaningless.
After a while, Yu Xiangnan sighed and said
"Sigh, to not forget her studies in such a family environment, and to know that studying is the only way out... what a good child, truly a good child."
Hearing Yu Xiangnan say this, Wang An knew the matter was practically settled.
Hearing this, Wu Dong smiled and said
"Elder Yu, then do you think you could make an exception for this matter?"
Yu Xiangnan snapped back to reality and turned to Wu Dong with a smile
"Even without these circumstances, if Director Wu says a word, I couldn't possibly refuse, hahahaha..."
As soon as Yu Xiangnan finished, Wu Dong immediately stood up, cupped his fists, and laughed
"Then I thank Elder Yu for your righteous assistance, hahahaha..."
Wang An also stood up and said
"Thank you, Principal. Thank you so much, Principal."
Yu Xiangnan waved his hand, saying nonchalantly
"For something like this, if I can help, I'll help. It's no big deal to me. If I had known about this earlier, I would have made an exception on my own without you needing to find me."
Changing the subject, Yu Xiangnan continued
"Besides, why would a school fear having too many students? Perhaps because of this, our DJ County will have one more college student. When that happens, I will share in the glory! Hehehehe."
Truth be told, Principal Yu Xiangnan was actually quite sincere.
Once he finished speaking, Yu Xiangnan laughed with a sense of old-age contentment.
As Yu Xiangnan laughed, Wu Dong and Wang An naturally laughed along with him.
After the three of them finished laughing, Yu Xiangnan thought for a moment and said
"It's just that the admission notices have already been sent out. I'm afraid there won't be enough time if we just re-issue one."
Pausing for a moment, Yu Xiangnan continued
"How about this, I see you came on a sidecar motorcycle? Why don't you give me a ride? Otherwise, with these old arms and legs of mine, pedaling a bicycle for dozens of miles would be quite a struggle, hahaha..."
Wang An knew that although Yu Xiangnan looked old, his actual age was less than 60.
It was simply because Yu Xiangnan had gone through a special period where his body suffered severe damage, causing his vitality to be depleted and making him look older.
He never expected that for the sake of a single student, Yu Xiangnan, a great principal, would actually make the trip personally.
It could be said that a principal like this would absolutely be worthy of being enshrined in the ancestral temple of the education world.
Hearing this, Wang An instinctively said
"Principal, this... there's no need for you to go personally, is there? If you could just take the trouble to issue a replacement notice, I can deliver it to her."
Wu Dong also added from the side
"That's right, Elder Yu. Riding in a sidecar means facing wind and noise all the way; there's no need for you to put yourself through that, right?"
Unexpectedly, Yu Xiangnan said very calmly
"No. If I don't deliver the notice into her hands personally, I won't be at ease. This child's fate has been too bitter; I must protect her for a stretch of her life's journey."
When Yu Xiangnan said this, although his tone was flat, his attitude was filled with an unquestionable firmness.
Especially when he spoke the last sentence, that resonant and unwavering attitude truly left both Wang An and Wu Dong feeling deeply shaken!
(End of Chapter)