Read Novel Full Chapter 74 – Teachers Don’t Make a Lot of Money, but They Teach People to Make Money
Chapter 74 – Teachers Don’t Make a Lot of Money, but They Teach People to Make Money
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The first part of this mass release can be found here
Xia Mian came out of the hospital holding Xiao Feng. The child’s eyes were a little red—he’d been a bit frightened by Fan Peiyu just now. Now he lay limply on her shoulder and softly asked, “Auntie, will that Grandpa be okay?”
Just a moment ago, he had stood with her by the window of the ICU and looked at Fan Huairen from a distance. The old man’s body was covered in tubes, which left a deep impression on the sensitive child.
Xia Mian gently stroked his back and said, “Of course. Grandpa’s surgery went smoothly. As long as he rests well, he’ll get better little by little.”
She smiled and added, “Speaking of which, it was all thanks to our little Xiao Feng—it was you who recognized the vase right away.”
Xiao Feng hugged her neck and nuzzled her, a faint smile appearing on his face. “Uncle won’t cry anymore, right?”
Xia Mian leaned her head back and pressed her forehead against his. “Maybe. But Auntie and Xiao Feng have already done everything we could. The rest is up to the uncles to overcome on their own!”
Xiao Feng’s eyes were full of innocent confusion.
Xia Mian ruffled his hair with a smile. “There are many people in the world who feel helpless, like those uncles. When we come across them, we just need to help however much we can.”
At this, she sighed. “But honestly, even a hero can be brought down by lack of money. Ninety percent of helplessness in this world comes from not having money. So, if we want to help lots of people, we’ve got to work hard and make money too.”
Suddenly, Xiao Feng seemed to remember something and stretched out his little hands. “Five million.”
Xia Mian froze for a second, getting a bad feeling, and quickly said, “Mhm, let’s make five million our goal. But we can’t rely on shortcuts like windfalls or lottery tickets—those are just castles in the air. Once the money’s gone, it’s gone.”
“Only by working steadily can we keep earning five million over and over.”
“For example, what Xiao Feng should do now is go to kindergarten and learn painting well. In the future, when lots of people like your art, you can earn many five-millions.”
“And Auntie will study hard too, get into a good university, and become a teacher. That way I can make money too.”
A chuckle came from behind them. “You won’t earn five million being a teacher.”
Xia Mian turned around to see Ning Shaobai standing behind her with a teasing look on his face.
Xiao Feng immediately hugged her neck and said, “My money for Auntie.”
Xia Mian gave him a big kiss. “Our Xiao Feng is the best.”
Then she said to Ning Shaobai, “Maybe I can’t earn five million myself, but I can teach a lot of people to earn five million.” She pictured it—two or three decades from now, the top dogs in all walks of life had all been her students. Just the thought made her giddy!
Ning Shaobai saw the look on her face and instantly knew what she was imagining. He couldn’t help but laugh.
“Besides, I’ve still got you, Dr. Ning, don’t I?” She leaned in sneakily, showing a flattering smile, “With our friendship… what do you say, can I hitch a ride on your coattail? I’ve got a few tens of thousands… if you’d just take a look…”
Ning Shaobai suddenly smiled. “Well, it’s not impossible…”
Seeing her eyes light up, he added, “But you’ll have to be ready to sell yourself to repay the debt.”
“Tch!” Xia Mian gave a dramatic ‘don’t look down on me’ expression. “I thought it was something serious! If you’re willing to help me get rich, forget just selling myself—I’ll throw in my artistic talents for free!”
Ning Shaobai narrowed his eyes and stared at her for a moment. Then he said softly, “Deal.”
If she weren’t holding Xiao Feng, Xia Mian would’ve leaped at him. “Hahaha, thank you, Boss!” she said, then ran off. “I’ll go transfer all my money to you now!”
Ning Shaobai watched her figure disappear into the distance, a rare smile on his face, which stunned a colleague who passed by.
“Dr. Ning, weren’t you having someone deliver medicine to your nephew?”
Ning Shaobai looked down at the brown paper bag of medicine in his hand and paused. “Well, she ran off too fast. I’ll just take it home after work.”
…
With the big boss promising to help her make money, Xia Mian no longer had any worries and was able to devote herself entirely to studying. Yan University Affiliated High was a top-tier school, after all. As the curriculum advanced, the tension among students gradually increased. The novelty of Xia Mian as a transfer student had worn off, and she had fully integrated into the class.
But her arrival had still brought noticeable changes to her class—most obviously in Sun Yuexin and Li Lizhen. These two former problem students, who used to either sleep or read romance novels in class, were now obsessively immersed in studying. Even their usual playmates found it a bit hard to adjust.
“Hey, what’s gotten into you two?” a friend from the neighboring class came looking for them. “Let’s go get some skewer hotpot. Xinsheng’s stall is out—if we don’t go now, we won’t get a seat.”
The duo looked a bit hesitant.
Sun Yuexin turned to Xia Mian and asked, “Have you tried the Xinsheng hotpot? It’s super tasty.”
Xia Mian hadn’t expected their stall to become so famous and couldn’t help but laugh. “Didn’t you two walk me home once? Did you forget where I live?”
Li Lizhen suddenly remembered and exclaimed enviously, “So that means you get to eat it every day?”
Xia Mian said proudly, “Whenever I want!”
Seeing them tempted, she added, “I heard from our homeroom teacher that Tian Xueya signed up for the English speech competition.”
If there was another major change in Class 1-3 besides the transformation of Sun Yuexin and Li Lizhen, it was that Tian Xueya had transferred classes. Although Xia Mian never brought up the threat of reporting her again, after all the rumors, exposed duplicity, and her mother’s outrageous behavior, the students in Class 1-3 had a very negative impression of her. When she returned to class, no one really wanted to talk to her.
Ma Xiu’e used Tian Xueya’s academic performance as leverage and convinced the principal to transfer her to Class 1-7, which was the furthest from Class 1-3.
Rumor had it that she was doing well over there. After all, only Class 1-3 had firsthand experiences of what she’d done, and Xia Mian had done her best to prevent gossip and further spreading of the story. So the other classes had only caught vague whispers and weren’t particularly affected.
Moreover, Tian Xueya was skilled at pretending. After what happened, she even toned down her usual arrogance toward other girls, seemingly trying to imitate Xia Mian’s ability to get along with both boys and girls.
Not long after she switched classes, small rumors began to circulate from Class 1-7. Apparently, the new transfer student Xia Mian had amazing grades and might even surpass Gu Zhou to take first place in the entire school. Tian Xueya had only been transferred because Xia Mian didn’t like her, so Tian Xueya was working hard to study and fight back, becoming extra diligent in her new class.
When Sun Yuexin first heard that, she was furious and nearly marched straight to Tian Xueya to confront her.
But Xia Mian stopped her. “There’s no way she said it like that, word for word.”
Having experienced the consequences of rumors herself, Xia Mian was sure Tian Xueya wouldn’t dare speak badly of her again. But the classic white lotus technique—telling half-truths and omitting key details—still worked just fine.
For example: “The teacher said her grades are really good…”
And when asked why she switched classes: “My classmates didn’t seem to like me…”
Or: “Xia Mian had just transferred and was really popular. I accidentally said something bad about her… she’s right to hate me…”
Class 1-7 didn’t know Xia Mian well. Plus, she’d had Hao Jian arrested and even forced his father to back off, which made him drop out. Rumors started flying around the school that Xia Mian had a powerful background. Naturally, the students in Class 1-7 assumed she was using her influence to bully others. Seeing Tian Xueya being pretty and smart, she felt threatened and forced her out of the class.
“If you go confront her now, wouldn’t that confirm we’re bullying her? She’ll just be pleased.” Xia Mian said. “Remember what I told you?”
Sun Yuexin rolled up her sleeves and pulled out her workbook. “I was actually starting to feel a little sorry for her and was going to go easy—but turns out a dog can’t stop eating shit. Just wait. If I don’t piss her off, my surname isn’t Sun!”
Xia Mian clapped her on the shoulder. “That’s the spirit! As expected of my bestie—come on!”
“…” Watching this exchange from the side, Li Lizhen couldn’t help feeling like she was being tricked again. But watching Sun Yuexin plow through practice problems triggered a sense of crisis—since we are besties, I must match their efforts and level up our grades together!
In any case, thanks to the motivation brought on by Tian Xueya, the two managed to maintain a strong fighting spirit. Upon hearing she’d entered the English competition, they immediately lost interest in snacking.
“What’s the plan?” Sun Yuexin asked.
“We’re all signing up,” said Xia Mian.
Li Lizhen quickly shook her head. “My English is the worst.”
Xia Mian patted her on the shoulder. “It’s just a speech, not an exam. And beating her is my job, anyway—you two are just there to boost morale.”
Then, putting on a pitiful look, she added, “If Tian Xueya’s got in, you know she’s going to try to set me up again. Are you going to let me go in there all alone?”
Sun Yuexin slammed the desk. “We’re in!”
Li Lizhen: “…”
Xia Mian grinned from ear to ear. “If you both improve by twenty ranks in the midterms, I’ll treat you to as many skewered hotpots as you can eat!”
Li Lizhen rolled up her sleeves. “Let’s do this!”
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Author’s Note:
Xia Mian sighed in satisfaction: “High schoolers are just so adorable.”
Xiao Feng looked up, eyes lit up: “Two sets of five million!”