Chapter 29 Chapter 29: The Part‑Time Teacher
September nineteenth, Wednesday.
The weather was fine, the sun bright.
Autumn had arrived, and the midday sun was no longer as scorching as in previous months.
Near the dormitory area, the Biochemistry College dorm basketball tournament was in full swing.
There were three hundred and twenty‑two dorms competing, meaning three hundred and twenty‑two teams. According to the rules, the first round would eliminate teams until eighty remained. From those eighty, twenty would advance to the semifinals. From the semifinals, five teams would reach the finals.
The rules followed standard basketball format, full court, two halves of ten minutes each, with a three‑minute break. If tied, five minutes of overtime would be played.
On the court now was Dorm 330’s second match, against Dorm 316 next door. If they won, Su Yuan’s team would enter the top eighty.
The rubber court radiated heat, the crowd cheered with enthusiasm. Su Yuan, the only one not playing, wore a white sunhat and stood by a crate of bottled water, cheering for her roommates.
On the court, Ji Yehao, Gao Jun, and Yang Xiaowei moved swiftly, passing the ball back and forth until they reached the opponent’s basket.
“Go Yehao!” classmates from the Bioengineering class shouted.
“Ah, born of the same root, why must we harm each other.” Su Yuan sighed as she looked at the scoreboard showing 34 to 18. With a sixteen‑point lead, victory was certain. What weighed on her was not the win but the fact that they were eliminating another team from their own class.
Jiang Yuan, watching beside her, patted her shoulder. “What, already acting sentimental because victory is assured.”
Su Yuan grinned. “Look at Yehao and the others, growing stronger, while Dorm 316 weakens. They are doomed. The only question is whether they lose with dignity or without any at all. My judgment will not be wrong.”
“You are ruthless with your words.” Jiang Yuan laughed.
Su Yuan shrugged.
As they spoke, Dorm 330 scored again. The score became 36 to 18.
The halftime whistle blew. After three minutes of rest, the second half began. The gap widened further. At the end, Dorm 330 crushed Dorm 316 with a score of 70 to 28, advancing to the top eighty.
The result showed the vast difference in strength.
The crowd dispersed. Su Yuan went to fetch clothes for her teammates.
“Su Yuan, how did we play.” Yang Xiaowei flashed his teeth in a grin.
Su Yuan smiled. “The game was good, but the score gap was too wide. Dorm 316 will be depressed.”
Yang Xiaowei laughed. “Winning and losing is normal. This is about strength. Holding back would be meaningless.” He dropped the ball and began changing clothes right there.
“Shall we shower first or eat.” Ji Yehao asked.
“Eat of course. A good lunch to celebrate.” Gao Jun shouted.
“Then let’s go.”
Su Yuan nodded. The four walked to the food stalls outside the east gate.
After eating, Su Yuan did not return with them. She boarded a bus instead. Today Xia Linfei had arranged to meet her and introduce a job.
Su Yuan herself had raised the idea. Her finances were tight, and she needed a part‑time job. Distributing flyers was too exhausting. She had sworn never to do it again.
She mentioned it to Xia Linfei on QQ. Warm‑hearted as always, Xia Linfei immediately said she had a suitable job to recommend.
It was tutoring. Three sessions a week, two hours each. The student was a girl in her second year of middle school. Not mischievous, simply lacking talent. She struggled with science and math.
Su Yuan thought this was perfect. If it had been a boy, she might hesitate, since boys at that age were often unruly. But a girl was fine. And the subjects were manageable. Surely she could handle middle school science and math.
The pay was good. Eighty yuan per hour, one hundred sixty per day, four hundred eighty per week.
Such a promising job was impossible to refuse.
After five bus stops, she arrived at the meeting place. At the bus stop she waited until Xia Linfei appeared, stepping off the same bus.
“You took the 769 too.” Su Yuan was surprised.
Same direction, maybe they could ride together next time.
Xia Linfei smiled. “Did you forget I am now a graduate student at Binhe Polytechnic.”
Su Yuan blinked, embarrassed. “I forgot.”
Xia Linfei was twenty‑two. She had studied at the neighboring medical university and had just entered graduate school in molecular biochemistry. They were schoolmates. Su Yuan remembered she had mentioned it before.
“Now I have said it again. Do not forget, or I will knock your head.” Xia Linfei teased like an older sister.
“Alright, I will remember this time.”
Su Yuan laughed. Born in April 1993, she was nineteen. Xia Linfei was old enough to be her sister.
“Here, these are the textbooks and notes.” Xia Linfei handed her a bag containing middle school science and math books, plus notebooks of exercises.
Su Yuan was touched by her thoughtfulness.
“Let me tell you about the family.”
“Alright.” Su Yuan listened seriously.
They walked ten minutes into a residential complex, climbed the stairs, and stopped at a security door.
Xia Linfei rang the bell. Soon the sound of slippers approached. A girl of thirteen or fourteen opened the door, smiling. “Sister Xia, you are here.”
She shouted inside. “Mom, Sister Xia brought the new teacher.”
“Coming.” A graceful woman appeared and welcomed them warmly.
On the way, Su Yuan had already learned the basics. The woman’s surname was Zhang. Her husband’s surname was Tang. They ran a company in Binhe City. Their daughter Tang Wen was fourteen, lively and pretty.
Busy with business, the parents had neglected her studies. By the time they noticed, she had fallen behind.
Xia Linfei had been their tutor. But with graduate school demanding more time, she recommended Su Yuan as her replacement.
Su Yuan was lucky. The Tang family trusted Xia Linfei completely. Hearing her recommendation, they agreed readily, even keeping the same pay.
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