Chapter 20: A Blind Cat Stumbles Upon a Dead Rat

The chaotic first self-study class had ended, and the students in the back rows filed out of the classroom. The girls in the first three rows gathered around Huang Li, while the boys surrounded Luo Wei.

Naturally, the students with good grades cared deeply about their homeroom teacher; everyone was discussing how they could help Teacher Zhang and ensure that the contemporary Chen Shimei received his due punishment.

“If only we had the black-faced Judge Bao now!”

“You think we're still in the Song Dynasty!”

“But surely there must be some official who can handle matters like this.”

The girls chatted animatedly, their voices carrying over to the boys' circle, which burst into laughter.

“Don't laugh, be serious.”

While the girls were busily brainstorming ways to help their teacher out of her life crisis, the boys simply looked to Luo Wei for ideas.

Luo Wei's face was grim, his hand clenched around the bullet shell hanging on his neck along with his keys. With his temperament, he would have gone straight to teach Teacher Zhang's husband, Zhao Kai, a lesson—beat him until he dared not divorce her.

Force—now that was the only effective solution to a problem!

Normally, boys and girls kept their distance and didn’t speak to each other, but with the class president and vice president leading the way, everyone gradually came together, resolving to seek out the town mayor to stand up for Teacher Zhang.

Ma Hongmei relayed every bit of intel she’d overheard along the walls to Li Jixiang, word for word.

The bell rang for the second English class of the afternoon. Teacher Gu entered with a roll of test papers under his arm, stood at the podium, and swept the room with a stern gaze, declaring, “Class begins!”

“Stand up,” Huang Li craned her neck and called out in her strongest voice.

English education had only recently begun in Xingqiu Town, and Li Jixiang’s cohort happened to catch the introduction of English in the elementary-to-middle school entrance exams. In three years, they’d finally recruited an English teacher—only for that teacher to be transferred away soon after. Teacher Gu was the last remaining English teacher in Xingqiu Town with a degree from a teachers’ college.

He taught all four classes in the sixth grade, and his schedule was constantly being shuffled. For Li Jixiang, today was her first proper English lesson—or rather, her first chance to showcase her extraordinary English skills.

Less than ten minutes after the papers were handed out, Li Jixiang raised her hand to signal she was finished.

It was Saturday, with only two afternoon classes. If she turned in her test, she could go home to continue her wealth-building plans—and, not to forget, to help Zhang Chunfen draft a plan for revenge.

Teacher Gu stood next to Li Jixiang from the moment he received her paper, his gaze never leaving the answers she wrote.

Earlier in the teachers’ office, Teacher Ren had dropped a bombshell: Li Jixiang, the worst student in the grade, had completed a perfect math test at lightning speed. Both tests had been handpicked by Teacher Ren from elite school collections to challenge the top students.

Teacher Ren’s revelation sparked immediate skepticism from the other teachers. A student could occasionally get lucky—a blind cat running into a dead mouse—and score well.

Though none of them truly believed a failing student could turn her fortunes around overnight, they couldn’t resist the urge to test her.

Teacher Gu, too, made a snap decision and let the students try out tomorrow’s English test ahead of schedule.

Li Jixiang seemed blessed by fortune, scoring full marks in both math and English.

If it wasn’t her ancestors smiling on her, then surely she’d been blessed by some immortal.

Teacher Gu was itching to share his judgment about Li Jixiang’s sudden turnaround with the other teachers.

Holding Li Jixiang’s English test in one hand, he absentmindedly tugged at the wool sweater tied tightly inside his waistband…

There is never a shortage of gossips in the world. When Li Jixiang arrived home, news that Zhang Chunfen had been abandoned by her husband—a teacher at the county high school—and was in the midst of a divorce, had already reached Grandma Li.

Grandma Li sighed over Teacher Zhang’s hardships: not only teaching students, but raising her child alone, and often visiting students’ homes after work.

“Her husband is no good! He’s as wicked as Chen Shimei, even more so. Chen Shimei only abandoned Qin Xianglian and their children after becoming a top scholar and marrying into the imperial family. Her husband hasn’t even made it big, yet he’s already looking down on Teacher Zhang…”

“I heard Teacher Zhang wouldn’t agree to the divorce, so her husband beat her severely, mercilessly. I wonder how she’s doing now?”

Grandma Li lamented from her little chair.

Li Jixiang listened silently. In recent days at school, only Zhang Chunfen had given her popularity points; she was determined to repay kindness with kindness.

When it came to dealing with men, who could match Miss Li? The only problem was, she had no helpers right now, which made things tricky.

She needed support… But from whom?

“Ring, ring, ring, ring…”

The bicycle bell rang incessantly before the bike even reached the door.

An Ning got off at the blacksmith’s shop, and An Chen, his plump little brother, hopped off without needing An Ning’s help—gritting his teeth, he jumped to the ground. Eagerly, he showed Li Jixiang his test paper from the morning, his eyes sparkling as he waited for praise.

But Li Jixiang’s gaze was fixed on An Ning, and she didn’t take the test paper from him.

-1-1-1… In an instant, her popularity points dropped by 50.

What was happening? Only then did Li Jixiang notice the chubby little boy standing nearby. An Chen bit his lip, his face full of grievance, holding up his test paper with arms as sturdy as lotus roots.

“Ah, you scored a hundred! Congratulations, congratulations. Your big sister gives you a thumbs-up!”

Li Jixiang patted An Chen’s head, but he just tilted his head, not yet smiling.

If she didn’t quickly placate this valuable source of popularity points, she feared her score would keep falling.

“How about a reward from your big sister?”

Li Jixiang squatted and rummaged through the few remaining trinkets Grandma Li had, pulling out a silver thimble and putting it on An Chen’s thumb.

“This is your prize—a gift from your big sister.”

An Chen stared in surprise at the silver thimble on his thumb. Only women wore thimbles when sewing quilts or shoes, so he didn’t understand why Li Jixiang gave him one. But he was delighted; as long as the big sister he liked noticed him and cared about him, he felt wonderful. And she’d not only given him a gift, but personally put it on for him.

“Tch, wearing a woman’s thing.”

An Ning scoffed, smirking sideways, though he still didn’t dare meet Li Jixiang’s gaze directly. Li Jixiang had said she needed to speak with him privately when he had time. His heart raced, his stern face flushed, and he masked his excitement with a show of superiority over his younger brother.

“Don’t get cocky—a blind cat caught a dead mouse, you got lucky this time. When I was in elementary school, my grades were way better, I got perfect scores all the time.”

An Ning deliberately kept his face cold, continuing to deflate his brother’s rising pride. He didn’t dare look at Li Jixiang, but from the way An Chen gazed at her, he could see little pink stars in his eyes.

Popularity points surged back up. Li Jixiang breathed a sigh of relief. From the brothers’ tone, a hint of mutual rivalry and jealousy was clear. It looked like she’d need to put in some effort to balance these two major sources of popularity points. She must avoid any more incidents of one rising while the other fell.

“Keep it up, An Chen!”

Li Jixiang clenched her fist beside her face, her smiling eyes curved like a crescent moon. An Chen nodded shyly, only for An Ning to grab him by the shoulder and drag him onto the bicycle.

“See you later, Grandma Li!”

An Ning called out, pushing off with force. An Chen stumbled, gripping the rear seat tightly.

“What a pair of brothers!”

What nonsense!

Li Jixiang smiled at Grandma Li.