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Chapter 537: Chapter 527 Internship at the School
Many students shared the same thoughts as Niu Changchun, but when they saw her walking into class behind Shen Yunfang with a poor complexion, they knew she hadn’t succeeded. Everyone weighed their own chances in their hearts and eventually gave up on the idea of asking Shen Yunfang for help.
In reality, nobody truly believed that Shen Yunfang could help them. It was a desperate attempt for a solution, but with no other options left, turning to Shen Yunfang was like clutching at straws.
Seeing that Shen Yunfang didn’t breathe a word, everyone lost hope as well.
For half a month, the Agricultural University campus was fraught with anxiety. Finally, the grand drama of assigning internship placements came to a close, and all the senior students knew where they would be interning.
Of course, the outcomes brought joy to some and sorrow to others. The majority of the students followed the school’s principle of being assigned nearby, which left half of the few female students in the class in tears, upset about not getting their desired internship placements. A minority of students, perhaps with more capable families, received better placements, eliciting envy, jealousy, and resentment from many classmates.
And then there were the very few students whose placement announcements were delayed. Shen Yunfang was one of them.
"Yunfang, you don’t need to worry; I think this is a good thing," Ma Liang wasn’t very good at comforting people, but seeing Shen Yunfang sitting alone in the classroom, just quietly watching her classmates express their joy or dismay, he felt uncomfortable.
"Yeah, I think it should be a good thing too," Yunfang nodded in agreement. She had also inquired about the few students who had not been assigned yet and found that each one seemed to have an extraordinary background. It seemed the school was saving the best for last, to avoid resentment and unnecessary trouble after the other students had left.
Seeing that she truly wasn’t concerned, Ma Liang changed the subject. "It’s good you feel that way. Yunfang, I’m now around the Capital, so it would be great if you could be assigned here too. But if you’re sent somewhere far, can we still collaborate?"
Over the past three years, Ma Liang and his senior sister had been collaborating with Shen Yunfang, from the initial Thirty-Six Stratagems to Transformers 1, 2, and 3, to writing couplets and painting New Year pictures during the holidays. They had enjoyed a very pleasant partnership.
Shen Yunfang was a great boss. She had given them raises for two consecutive years and occasionally provided side jobs. There were also holiday bonuses, allowing him and his sister to live comfortably and save a little nest egg. Such a good boss was hard to find, so one of Ma Liang’s purposes for coming today was to find out where his boss would be assigned. If Yunfang was placed too far away, could they continue their partnership?
"Of course. Are you thinking of switching jobs?" Shen Yunfang asked, a bit surprised.
"Not at all, absolutely not. You’ve been so good to us. Both my sister and I have decided to stick with you," Ma Liang quickly asserted his loyalty, afraid Yunfang might misunderstand.
Shen Yunfang blinked. She was thankful that others weren’t around, or it might have led to misunderstandings. Yunfang appreciated Ma Liang’s sincerity. Throughout their long collaboration, he had never asked for a raise because of one reason or another; it was she who, feeling embarrassed to withhold earnings as profits increased, had initiated their raises. As a boss, she was very happy to have such hardworking and dedicated employees.
"If that’s what you both think, then let’s keep our partnership going. Distance isn’t an issue. Even if we really end up far apart, can’t we still write to each other?" thought Shen Yunfang optimistically. With the determination to make money, distance was a trivial matter. Now, she should consider signing a new contract with Ma Liang and his senior sister before heading off for the internship, extending the one-year term to three or five years would be perfect.
Ma Liang was relieved to hear her response. "That’s great, that’s great. Anything you need, just let me know."
"Sure, I’ll reach out if there’s anything," Shen Yunfang dismissed him. Although Ma Liang was from the Capital, as far as she knew, he didn’t have much of a network. He himself was squeezed out of assignments in the Capital, how could he help others? 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓅𝓊𝓫.𝒸ℴ𝓶
By late March, all the senior students who should leave had left the school, leaving only a few behind.
Before April had arrived, the final wave of senior students had already been assigned.
When Shen Yunfang learned of her internship placement, she was very surprised; she had actually been retained by the university.
Without needing to think about it, she knew it must have been arranged by the military. With her performance over the past three years at the university, she really did not qualify to be retained on campus.
Although her grades were not bad, she was not a consistent scholarship winner. There were many who had better grades than her, and she was not particularly active in participating in school activities. To be honest, it seemed she had never participated at all. If there was anything unique about her, it must have had to do with her tutoring fellow students in English. Perhaps the leaders thought she was good at being an "English teacher" and therefore had the makings of a real teacher.
"Although you are interning at the school, you must still work hard, put in the effort, and learn some real skills from Teacher Cai. Internship does not guarantee assignment, so I hope you seize this rare opportunity," Zhu Zhengqi said earnestly in the office.
"Yes, I will continue to work hard," replied Shen Yunfang, who naturally couldn’t admit that she had not intended to stay at the university. Now that things had turned out this way, she decided to stay at the school for the time being.
Zhu Zhengqi nodded in satisfaction, "Normally the school provides dormitory arrangements for interns. Not student dorms, but teacher dorms, two people to a room. But I suppose you wouldn’t be needing that."
Zhu Zhengqi, as her class advisor, was quite familiar with Shen Yunfang’s situation. He knew she had her own place in the Capital and needed to take her child to and from school every day. She hadn’t lived on campus during her studies, and with the greater freedom during her internship, it was even less likely she would stay at the school. His question was more of a formality.
"No need, Teacher Zhu, I won’t be staying on campus," Shen Yunfang confirmed that she would still live at home.
"All right, then there’s the matter of meals. As an intern without a salary, the school will provide for meals. Every month on the eighth, come to me to collect meal tickets. You can eat at the teachers’ cafeteria." Previously students would eat in the student cafeteria, but now as an intern, Shen Yunfang could enjoy some of the benefits meant for teachers. "Here, these are for April, with a few extra days. I’ve included tickets for the additional days, so make sure to keep them safe," Zhu Zhengqi said, placing a stack of meal tickets on the desk for Shen Yunfang to take.
Shen Yunfang picked up the meal tickets and examined them. They were made of plastic, with different colors and patterns denoting various denominations. The one on top was for two yuan, with a white background and a blue basket.
"Come by next Monday, and for now, just follow Teacher Cai and learn," Zhu Zhengqi said with a hint of heartache.
"Follow Teacher Cai?" Shen Yunfang was surprised. Was following Teacher Cai something just anyone could do? With Teacher Cai’s temperament, wouldn’t she be reprimanded until she shone golden bright within a couple of days?
"Ahem, the decision was made after discussion by the leadership team," Zhu Zhengqi said, with a lack of confidence. He was somewhat displeased. Wasn’t it unbecoming for a high-ranking leader to make life difficult for a female student? However, his rank was lower than theirs, so his words carried less weight.
Shen Yunfang found it strange. Why would the leadership team need a meeting to decide on her, a mere intern’s, mentor? Were the school leaders too idle, or what?
"It wasn’t Vice Principal Tao who deliberated over this, was it?" Shen Yunfang could only think of such an eccentric person.
"As long as you understand, that’s good. Now that the decision has been made, all you need to do is work hard on your own tasks," Zhu Zhengqi said sternly, "In fact, Teacher Cai is a very excellent teacher. Although he seems quite strict, if you spend more time with him, you will find that he is actually a very good teacher."
