NOVPUB"Let’s toast in advance to Chaoqun’s smooth promotion after his training at the party school! Everyone, cheers!" Chaoqun’s wife announced, raising her glass as the dinner was about to conclude.
The others all turned their gazes toward Zhang Youwen, seated at the head of the table. Seeing him nod and stand up, they all followed suit.
The three children glanced at each other and also stood up, holding their cups filled with juice.
"A clear mind is the foundation of governance, a straight path is the plan of life," Zhang Youwen declared solemnly, standing up to recite.
"The upright will eventually become pillars, and fine steel not made into hooks. Dad, don’t worry, I’ll remember that!" Chaoqun, seemingly reminded of something, had his eyes slightly reddened.
"Cheers!" Everyone brought their glasses together and shouted in unison.
Qingfan sat up straight, thinking to himself that a leader is truly a leader for his cultured way of speaking.
He really admired the family values of the Zhang family; their daily living was very ordinary, and they didn’t use their positions to seek any undue advantages.
Adults might play roles, but the behavior of children can’t deceive anyone. Yiyi’s first cousins didn’t seem like the arrogant and haughty type.
Speaking of arrogance and haughtiness, Qingfan suddenly remembered the group of middle school thugs, and he took this opportunity to mention it to Chaoqun.
After the dinner, the housekeeper cleaned up the table and served tea and fruit plates, while the adults sat around the table chatting.
"Yiyi and the others are about to enter middle school too, right? Why don’t they also come to study in Hong Kong? It’s nice for siblings to have company."
"Oh, don’t trouble yourself, sister-in-law, they said they don’t want to board for middle school, so they’ll just study in Li City, which is closer to home," Chunxue replied with a smile and a shake of her head.
"The middle schools in Li City are not very good. I remember hearing at the office that there are students who race modified motorcycles, and it even led to fatalities," Yiyi’s aunt, who works in the education system, said.
"Yes, yes, I know. I was passing by in a car when it happened, and it was the students from Fupeng Middle School!" Qingfan suddenly chimed in, causing all the adults to turn their eyes toward him.
"And it’s not just that. This week, on the bus ride home, I also saw a few middle schoolers racing motorcycles on the road. One of them had an accident. I don’t know if the person was okay. Plus, these middle schoolers often come near the elementary school to extort money from the younger students…" Qingfan continued non-stop, causing the adults to frown deeply after listening.
"If you don’t have money on you, they threaten to follow you home to get it. A group of them with knives will invade your house and then rob all the cash. One of my kindergarten classmates was robbed like this, and he didn’t dare tell his parents for fear of retaliation!"
"The students nowadays really are..."
"They really need to be strictly managed."
"What’s the name of your classmate, and where does he live? Do you know the names of the people who robbed him?" Chaoqun looked at Qingfan strangely, thinking about gangs, knives, and home invasions — crimes serious enough for long prison sentences.
[Could it be that some unlucky kid rubbed this guy the wrong way?] He couldn’t help but murmur in his mind, remembering a scam case from years ago.
"I have them, I have them. Uncle, do you have a pen and paper? I’ll write it down for you. These are just the ones I know about, there’s definitely more. Their threats are very scary, many young students dare not tell their parents or teachers!" Qingfan, after getting a pen and paper, quickly wrote down a few names, thoughtfully indicating their schools as well.
The names he wrote were indeed those scoundrels who had harassed Xia Xiaoxiao in the past. As for the story, it wasn’t made up; indeed, it had actually happened.
Qingfan’s own elementary school in a previous life was just a few hundred meters away from a middle school, so it was quite normal for his classmates to be extorted by middle schoolers. He and Xia Xiaoxiao, along with Lin Jing as their company to and from school, were spared such miseries.
One incident he particularly remembered was when a classmate was extorted for several hundred dollars, and the culprits were exactly those scoundrels.
Qingfan’s classmate didn’t dare say that he was paying for protection; he only dared to tell his parents that it was for school book fees. However, the regular monthly fees raised suspicions among the parents, who then sought answers from the homeroom teacher, revealing the truth.
However, it seemed that those responsible weren’t properly dealt with, as they continued their idle lives attending middle and high schools.
"Alright, when I come back from my training, I’ll make sure to take charge of this issue and ensure you all have a clean campus environment before you start middle school," Chaoqun promised, putting the note into his pocket.
Once in his new position, Chaoqun would be a second-grade police inspector, perfectly placed to oversee related police work, which was indeed part of his job.
"Uncle Chaoqun, it’s not just for us; you’re creating a clean campus environment for all students!" Qingfan corrected him.
"Haha, such high awareness from a little kid!"
"You’re right, you’re right, it’s about creating a clean campus environment for all the students!"
The adults clapped and praised his words.
Having said his piece, Qingfan politely closed his mouth, sitting next to Chunxue like a well-behaved child, listening to the adults as they discussed various topics. Occasionally, he would pour the brewed tea into the teapots, serving the adults with fresh tea. 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓹𝓾𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
When Qingfan finished pouring the tea, the elders would stretch out their right index fingers to tap on the tea table, a gesture equivalent to nodding in agreement.
He was aware of this tea table etiquette:
When an elder adds tea: One should stretch out the right hand with the palm facing down and gently tap the table three times with a clenched fist.
When a peer adds tea: Curl the right hand into a fist with the palm facing down, extend the index and middle fingers together, and lightly tap the table three times.
