Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Actually, before coming here, during the trial lecture for the children, Feng Yanwen had gone off-script a bit.

Distracted by the kids' random comments, Feng Yanwen's train of thought kept getting derailed, eventually going completely off the rails. But surprisingly, the effect had been quite good. After a moment of thought, Xu Meng pulled Feng Yanwen aside and said, "Just teach the way you did for the older kids." This was Plan B.

Feng Yanwen hesitated. "Will that work?"

Xu Meng nodded at her. "Actually, I thought it went really well. It's just that you're not used to such a freewheeling teaching style. You have no idea how great the atmosphere was back then."

Most teachers nowadays tend to lecture in a rigid and serious manner, but Feng Yanwen's approach with the children had a bit of a talk-show flair to it. Especially after frequent interactions with the quick-tongued second child, Feng Yanwen's sense of humor had grown significantly.

Feng Yanwen's emotions had calmed down somewhat. After steadying her nerves, she said to Huang Mei, "Since I'm already here, I might as well finish the lecture." If the railway bureau leaders saw her leave without even stepping onto the stage, it would only show weakness.

Wouldn’t that just hand them a ladder to climb over her?

The plan had undergone some revisions, and she would make further adjustments on the spot once she was on stage.

Huang Mei opened her mouth, her heart filled with even more guilt.

Thinking of Yin Juan's smug expression earlier, she had known right then that the outcome was rigged from the start. No matter how well Feng Yanwen performed, Jiang Haohao would still come out on top. But Feng Yanwen wasn’t about to let a connected candidate like Jiang Haohao win too easily.

Sometimes, working in such an environment meant facing these frustrating realities—connections mattered more than ability.

Xu Meng gave Feng Yanwen's hand a reassuring squeeze, offering encouragement.

"Mom, just teach the way you usually do. Even if you don't land this, at least leave a good impression on the leaders."

Feng Yanwen understood immediately. This wasn’t just about the railway bureau’s lecture—there were still so many students waiting below.

She was a teacher, here to teach. Other matters shouldn’t weigh on her mind.

When she lifted her head again, Feng Yanwen had fully composed herself. With a composed, graceful smile, she nodded at Huang Mei, who immediately understood and went to confirm the timing for the next session. There was a fifteen-minute break—some people went to the restroom, others stepped out for a smoke. By the time everyone had returned, Feng Yanwen was ready at the podium.

The front row was occupied by the railway bureau leaders, while Xu Meng, Huang Mei, and others sat in the back.

Jiang Haohao hadn’t left either, taking a seat in the rear.

A flare of anger rose in Feng Yanwen’s heart.

They simply didn’t want to see her succeed. Well, she'd damn well show them she could do even better.

And so, Feng Yanwen’s lecture began.

After the first session, most of the audience was already feeling fatigued. Some had even snuck out. If not for the railway bureau leaders sitting up front, the back rows might have dissolved into whispering and gossiping. At first, the room was quite noisy.

But at some point, the classroom gradually grew quiet.

Especially during the interactive segment. Most of the attendees, having just absorbed new knowledge from the previous lecture, found the material still fresh in their minds. Since Jiang Haohao had just regurgitated Feng Yanwen’s lesson plan earlier, Feng Yanwen decided to build upon it, expanding with deeper analysis. When she asked the audience to engage in simple dialogues, aside from a few who were too prideful to speak up, most responded with a sentence or two.

Her teaching style was relaxed and humorous, a stark contrast to Jiang Haohao’s rigid, scripted approach. Huang Mei, sitting in the back, brightened up and almost burst into applause. From her vantage point, she could also see several railway bureau leaders in the front row nodding slightly, their expressions pleased.

This Feng Yanwen really had some chops!

Gradually, the audience became actively involved.

Feng Yanwen offered a few more words of encouragement.

Jiang Haohao’s expression, initially sneering, grew increasingly stormy.

She got the teaching plan, but Feng Yanwen actually used it to her advantage, turning her into a ladder instead.

The one who meant to climb over others ended up as their stepping stool.

The audience occasionally chimed in with playful banter, making the classroom atmosphere livelier than during Jiang Haohao’s session.

Huang Mei also smiled—even if they "lost" this time, the "winner" came off even more poorly.

On stage, Feng Yanwen said humorously, "You all clearly have a knack for languages! The hardest part is speaking up, and you’re all doing great!"

The crowd broke into laughter, with no one mentioning the previous lecture.

Xu Meng’s lips quirked slightly, glancing at Jiang Haohao not far away.

This interactive style was far livelier than Jiang Haohao’s earlier session. Many who’d fumbled their words at first were now able to hold complete conversations, and some of the more eager learners spoke fluently.

Feng Yanwen encouraged them further—

"That was great!"

"Don’t stress over pronunciation—if they understand you, that’s what matters."

"Yes, just like that! You’re doing well. Keep it up next time."

Jiang Haohao’s face fell further. Hadn’t she been given the teaching plan? She had no idea about this interactive segment. Seeing how effective it was, she glared at Yin Juan.

Yin Juan, however, remained calm and gave her a reassuring smile. Passing versus excelling hardly mattered—as long as Jiang Haohao performed decently, Feng Yanwen’s trial lecture was just a formality. She assured her firmly, "I checked with the leaders after class. It’s confirmed—yours is secure."

Only then did Jiang Haohao’s expression ease slightly.

By the end of the lecture, fewer people were dozing off, and more were participating. The leaders’ faces betrayed their approval.

The same thought crossed everyone’s minds—if the position hadn’t been pre-assigned, having Teacher Feng teach might have been much better.

They all gave Feng Yanwen a warm round of applause, with some enthusiastic young people even giving her enthusiastic waves.

Feng Yanwen’s nose stung as she met Huang Mei’s flickering gaze. She understood everything now.

The fix was in from the start. No matter how well she performed, it wouldn’t matter.

After class, Huang Mei asked them to stay behind.

Though things hadn’t worked out, Xu Meng thought maintaining a good relationship with Huang Mei was still worthwhile. As a business-minded person, she believed in making more connections.

Huang Mei invited them into her office. She had already consulted the leaders, who told her the matter was entirely in Yin Juan’s hands. Since the trial lecture had already been arranged, it couldn’t be canceled midway—they let Teacher Feng see it through.

The implication was obvious—since she was already here, she could at least complete the lecture.

But nothing more would come of it.

Huang Mei served them tea and tactfully conveyed the leaders’ stance: "I regret how this unfolded. I only meant to help, but in the end, these decisions aren’t ours to make."

Having been part of the bureaucracy herself, Feng Yanwen understood perfectly. "I truly appreciate the opportunity you gave me."

Huang Mei waved her off. "No need—that just twists the knife."

She deftly shifted the topic. "How’s Xiao Xu’s studies going?"

Xu Meng playfully winced. "Ms. Huang, spare me the question!"

Clutching her face and stomach, she seemed to be in pain everywhere.

Everyone burst into laughter, and Huang Mei offered a few more words of encouragement. Feng Yanwen humbly said, "She’s really only strong in English—she scored full marks in the first placement test. Her other subjects lag behind; she’s pretty lopsided academically."

Huang Mei’s eyes lit up—a perfect score!

Her gaze toward Xu Meng instantly changed. "I heard from my nephew that your last placement test was quite difficult. How’d you pull off a perfect score?"

Catching how awkward her question came off, Huang Mei chuckled awkwardly. Her tone was no longer as casual as before, and she looked Xu Meng up and down a few times. When she looked back at Feng Yanwen, there was a newfound appreciation in her eyes.

Just when Feng Yanwen thought today’s visit would end in disappointment, Xu Meng steered Huang Mei’s focus onto herself with just a few words.

What happened next surprised her even more. In mere moments, Xu Meng hit it off with Huang Mei and even scheduled a trial lesson for next time.

Feng Yanwen hadn’t expected Xu Meng to connect so well with Huang Mei.

Nor had she imagined her daughter could hold her own like that.

In the end, the railway bureau’s training program fell through, but they secured a trial lesson with Huang Mei’s son.

Huang Mei’s child was born late and was only in elementary school. Hearing Xu Meng mention that starting English early made learning easier later on, she warmed to the idea of Feng Yanwen teaching him. Coincidentally, she had several relatives’ children who might join, forming a small class.

One kid or five, it’s all the same to teach!

Xu Meng had a sudden idea. "A small group would be more cost-effective. Three to five students would still be charged at the tutoring rate, though a larger group might water down the teaching."

Five bucks an hour was expensive for many.

But splitting the cost among three or five made it affordable for working-class families.

Just as Huang Mei hesitated over the price, Xu Meng blurted out this suggestion.

Feng Yanwen nodded eagerly. "Beginner classes take their time. I’ve been thinking of starting a small group myself."

Huang Mei grew even more interested, asking for details.

On their way out, Feng Yanwen chatted excitedly with Xu Meng about the potential of small-group tutoring. If successful, it could pad their income, especially for beginner students.

She sighed regretfully. "If only we’d secured the railway bureau’s training program. There’s a larger pool of students and connections there."

Railway employees had good incomes—prime targets for training programs. That circle was also well-connected, one Feng Yanwen had previously struggled to break into. Losing the railway gig was bad enough, but losing potential connections was the real kicker.

Xu Meng sighed. "At least we met Director Huang. She seems genuinely interested in small-group tutoring. Hopefully, she can round up enough kids."

The more she thought about it, the more promising it seemed. Beyond relatives, Huang Mei had colleagues—surely some would need tutoring.

Xu Meng grew determined. "Later, push the small-class idea. Start a class as long as there are students, regardless of numbers. We can discuss pricing later."

Feng Yanwen hadn’t expected her daughter to hit it off personally with Huang Mei so quickly. After their long conversation, she mulled over how Xu Meng worked her magic as they left the office building. With Xu Meng often away, she needed to develop such abilities herself.

She couldn’t always rely on her daughter—after all, she was the mother.

Gradually, Jiang Haohao slipped her mind entirely.

Connections existed everywhere; such things were unavoidable.

They perked up—until they spotted Jiang Haohao and Yin Juan at the gate.

Behind them stood an elderly man, facing a bushy-bearded foreigner who was clearly worked up, though it was unclear what they were discussing.

Jiang Haohao also looked awkward, gesturing helplessly for a long time before saying to Yin Juan, "This foreigner’s accent is so thick and he speaks so fast."

She kept saying "pardon?" to the foreigner.

The foreigner's expression gradually went from frustrated to furious, his voice so loud that even Xu Meng and Feng Yanwen, standing some distance away, could hear it.

Yin Juan suppressed her frustration and asked patiently, "You didn’t understand a single word?"

Jiang Haohao replied, "English is a vast language—do you know how many people speak it? I’m just a teacher, not an expert in English linguistics. It’s perfectly normal that I can’t understand him. Teaching and real-life communication are two different things."

Tsk, just moments ago, she had boasted so eloquently about her skills.

Besides, there’s a difference between struggling to communicate and not understanding a single word. She’s an English teacher, for crying out loud!

These days, relations with foreigners are taken seriously. A foreigner losing a wallet or needing assistance could get the higher-ups involved. Jiang Haohao, for whatever reason, insisted on stepping up despite her incompetence—perhaps jumping at the chance to interact with a foreigner. Who knew this troublesome foreigner would stick to them like glue?

And to make matters worse, their supervisor was right behind them, watching it all go down.

This would only confirm to the supervisor that Jiang Haohao was unreliable.

Jiang Haohao’s face darkened. Initially, she had wanted to showboat—foreigners didn’t come around often, and she cherished the opportunity to practice her spoken English. After all, wasn’t practice supposed to help? How was she supposed to know it’d blow up in her face?

"Forget it, I can’t get through to him. Let him find someone more qualified," Jiang Haohao said, about to bail.

But Yin Juan grabbed her arm. "Try again. If even you can’t understand him, who else here can? We can’t have this blow up in our faces."

Feng Yanwen couldn’t care less about the drama and tugged at Xu Meng, ready to leave.

Xu Meng, however, was glued to the showdown, signaling that she wanted to stay a little longer.

Feng Yanwen had never been one for such drama and sighed, trying to make out what the foreigner was saying.

No shock Jiang Haohao was clueless. British dialects vary widely—out of ten English speakers, you’d be lucky to catch one with a proper Oxford accent. Regional pronunciations could be so obscure that even native speakers might struggle.

This man’s accent differed slightly from what was commonly heard on the radio. Some of his word pronunciations were so unusual that even Xu Meng had to listen carefully to decipher them. She often listened to BBC recordings at home, seeing this as gold for her listening practice.

Xu Meng’s listening skills had been sharpened since she was a kid through radio practice, and with the advantage of her reincarnation advantage, her comprehension might even surpass Feng Yanwen’s.

But as they listened, both their expressions changed.

Xu Meng and Feng Yanwen exchanged a glance, clicking instantly to what the foreigner was saying.

This man was a British professor visiting China for an academic exchange. He had brought his daughter along, and upon arriving from Shanghai, his daughter had insisted on using the restroom. He let her go alone but, after waiting nearly ten minutes, realized she hadn’t returned. Going nuts but unable to just storm in, he called out her name several times outside.

His daughter was well-behaved and used to traveling with him—she wouldn’t have wandered off.

So he sought help from station staff.

But no one at the station could understand him. Spotting a national flag, he assumed it marked an official institution where people might be more educated.

Jiang Haohao’s ability to speak English had initially been a pleasant surprise, but she turned out to be completely out of her depth. The foreigner spoke his piece, Jiang Haohao spoke hers—neither understanding the other.

Now, he was freaking out like his hair was on fire—his daughter had been missing for over ten minutes.

He had repeated himself patiently many times, but Jiang Haohao kept saying, "Please speak more slowly."

They were talking past each other.

Neither Xu Meng nor Feng Yanwen could keep their cool.

Xu Meng quickly walked over and explained to Yin Juan: "He lost his child near the public restroom at the station square. The little girl went into the restroom and never came out. The foreigner called out several times at the restroom entrance, but there was no response. He got desperate and came looking for help. He mistook the place with the national flag for a police station."

But he'd come to the wrong place.

The railway bureau's office building is very close to the station. Since he couldn't find help at the station, naturally he went to the most visible building for help—a very reasonable approach.

On one hand, she said to the man, "Sir, don’t worry. What time did your daughter enter the restroom? Is she prone to wandering off?"

Her pronunciation was learned from tape recordings—BBC-standard Received Pronunciation, which few native English speakers would struggle to understand. Hearing Xu Meng's words, the man felt as if he had found a savior. He seized her hand and pumped it vigorously, nodding repeatedly.

"Yes, my Emma went missing about ten minutes ago. The restroom isn’t large, and I called out from outside. She couldn’t have not heard me."

The station restrooms were primitive—just rows of pit latrines. The man couldn’t just charge into the women's restroom, but since he had called out from outside, his daughter should have heard him. He had often taken his daughter out before, and she never wandered off.

Xu Meng’s stomach clenched with dread.

A train station, a little girl—all signs pointed to kidnapping.

They quickly exchanged more details.

Huang Mei, listening nearby, thought Xu Meng spoke exceptionally well. She also noticed Feng Yanwen conversing smoothly with the foreigner. As for Jiang Haohao, who had been standing there the whole time without leaving, though she appeared composed, her blank stare showed she hadn't understood a thing!

Xu Meng decided to divide up the tasks. Feng Yanwen would accompany the man, along with Huang Mei, to find railway staff and head to the scene. Since the bearded foreigner didn’t speak Chinese, someone had to stay with him. Meanwhile, Xu Meng and Yin Juan would report the case to the police—someone familiar with the details was necessary for communication. "I think the child might have been taken by kidnappers. Get the railway cops on this now."

Seeing Yin Juan hesitate, Xu Meng cut her off sharply, "Forget whether he’s an international friend or not—train stations are crawling with kidnappers and thieves. If nothing happened, fine. But now that something this serious has occurred, are you really going to say it has nothing to do with you?"

Yin Juan swallowed her protest. She didn’t want to get involved in this mess.

But there was no choice—someone’s child was missing.

Nowadays, even a lost bicycle belonging to an international friend would trigger a massive search, let alone a missing child.

Yin Juan went pale and, without further hesitation, took Xu Meng to the railway police.

Xu Meng handled all the communication, explaining how the foreigner had lost his child and how long it had been. Upon hearing it was a missing child, the railway police treated it with utmost urgency. They dispatched an experienced officer, Lao Li, to lead the search with the bearded foreigner. Since the man didn’t understand Chinese, Feng Yanwen was assigned to his group.

Xu Meng followed a female officer named Xiao Bai.

Lao Li kept nodding as he listened. "You’ve done very well. I’ll send people out to search immediately."

He sized up the teenage girl—she looked to be in her teens, yet she communicated so fluently with the foreigner.

Lao Li shook his head in amazement. Kids these days—really something else.

By then, even the railway bureau staff had been mobilized to help search for the child.

They set up a massive search—not just around the station, but all exits and entrances were covered.

Within an hour, Xiao Bai and Xu Meng caught sight of a furtive woman with a child.