Chapter 118

Chapter 118

Good News Every Day

On the very day the first batch of newspapers featuring the lost-and-found notices from Xiangyanghua Elementary School came off the press, Meng Qi distributed a copy to each student right after the morning flag-raising and national anthem singing.

For the next ten-plus minutes, the children were as excited as if they hadn't received a newspaper but a hundred-dollar bill, chattering away like little birds hopping through the woods, talking endlessly about the short text on that thin piece of paper.

Small people, small worries, but huge joy—how wonderful. In that moment, Meng Qi felt that the seeds he had planted had finally borne fruit.

"Teacher Ran, it's in the newspaper! Will we see my Dahuang tomorrow?" the dog-losing student raised his right hand high to ask Meng Qi.

He was the shortest, standing at the front of the line, so it was only natural that the first issue featured his lost dog notice.

Seeing that his Dahuang had made it into the newspaper, the little one was even more excited than the others, his face flushed pink, eyes bright and black, his right hand practically reaching for the sky as he stared at Meng Qi with a mix of anticipation and nervousness.

Meng Qi didn't intend to lie to him, so he shook his head and told him honestly, "Teacher can't guarantee we'll find him. We'll just have to wait patiently and see." Seeing the little one's head droop in disappointment, Meng Qi thought for a moment, then pretended to be downcast himself, slipping into character in a second. He frowned and asked the child, "If we don't find Dahuang, will you be disappointed in Teacher Ran? Will you still like Teacher Ran then?"

"Teacher Ran, Teacher Ran! Me! I'll still like you! Teacher Yang said that as long as we try, there's hope, but it doesn't mean we'll succeed one hundred percent. We all have to be ready for failure!" Yang Jiangmi, standing in the middle of the line, shouted at the top of her lungs to Meng Qi, afraid he wouldn't hear her.

She meant to say that even if they didn't find the dog, she wouldn't blame Meng Qi, but her ability to express herself logically wasn't quite developed yet, so she just said whatever came to mind. But Meng Qi understood and was almost amused by her, though he remembered he was still trying to cheer up the dog-losing child, so he suppressed the smile with considerable effort.

Yang Jiangmi's shout almost made Meng Qi laugh, but it made the dog-losing kid angry. He turned around and snapped at her, "Yang Jiangmi, don't talk! Teacher Ran was asking me, not you. You don't need to answer for me!" After yelling at Yang Jiangmi, he turned back to Meng Qi and hurriedly declared his loyalty, "Teacher Ran, I'll always like you, forever! I'll never be disappointed!"

Seeing the little guy was almost scared into tears by his own prank, Meng Qi quickly put on a smile and soothed him, "Alright, alright. Teacher understands. Teacher will always like you, always like all of you. Now, I have another piece of good news to tell you. Publishing lost person notices in the newspaper really works—it's not a joke. In a couple of days, a new teacher will be coming here. He's Teacher Ran's very best friend. Teacher Ran found him because he saw his lost notice in the newspaper."

"Wow! Is that true, Teacher Ran?" The children widened their eyes at Meng Qi, eager to confirm the truth of his words.

Meng Qi proudly lifted his chin, a triumphant smile on his lips, "Of course it's true. If you don't believe me, you can ask him yourself when he gets here."

Because of Wang Boyuan finding Meng Qi through a lost person notice he'd placed in the newspaper, the children became even more convinced of the newspaper's power. They eagerly awaited the new issues every day, and fewer and fewer skipped class or made excuses not to come to school. Of course, they also prepared themselves for disappointment.

"Just trying gives hope, but it doesn't mean one hundred percent success"—this valuable life lesson was etched into each child's heart through that thin piece of paper.

On the afternoon of the third day after Meng Qi had finished setting up the room, Wang Boyuan finally called. He told Meng Qi that he and Qu Liang had already met and were driving over, expecting to arrive in town around nine the next morning. They would return the car to Yang Yiming and asked Meng Qi to wait for them at Yang Yiming's shop at that time.

Good news: Wang Boyuan was finally coming!

Bad news: They still had to wait one more night...

Meng Qi, who had been waiting for so long, couldn't bear another minute. He longed to see Wang Boyuan right away. This cross-time reunion really shouldn't have taken such a long wait.

At around one in the morning, because he couldn't fall asleep tossing and turning, Meng Qi needed to use the bathroom again.

But the bathroom here was outdoors, not indoors, more than ten meters away from where he slept, and it had no electric light. Anyone wanting to go had to take a flashlight. It was quite a hassle, so unless absolutely necessary, no one wanted to brave the cold wind in the middle of the night. Most people just held it in.

But Meng Qi couldn't hold it anymore. He had to get out of bed, put on his coat, grab the flashlight, and head to the bathroom.

He was only in his fourth month, and already his body was breaking physiological norms. He couldn't imagine how uncomfortable it would be in the eighth or tenth month. As he walked, he sighed, passing by Li Qingjiang's room, when a sliver of light from the curtain seam caught his eye. He realized that the Miracle Doctor Li was still awake.

"Probably still staying up researching," Meng Qi thought.

Because of his situation, Doctor Li had been working hard lately. He had specially bought a set of expensive equipment for him, spent a lot of time and energy looking up references and literature, and dealing with all kinds of social obligations—things he wasn't good at, preferring to roam the remote mountains. Although Li Qingjiang never bragged about it in front of him, Meng Qi saw it all and kept it in his heart.

Just as he was lost in thought, Meng Qi suddenly heard Li Qingjiang's voice, low and soothing, with a hint of barely perceptible laughter: "Not sleepy... Where are you? ... Let's chat for another ten minutes... then go to sleep... Five minutes... You really don't need me to keep you company? ... Alright, then, I won't bother you... Hang up, hang up, really hanging up... See you tomorrow."

"Huh? Is he chatting with Qu Liang?"

Meng Qi, afraid of disturbing Qu Liang's driving, had been holding back even as he tossed and turned in bed. He didn't dare chat with Qu Liang or talk much with Wang Boyuan...

Doctor Li, why didn't he call me to join the chat? I wasted hours of chat time. Meng Qi pouted, then dejectedly withdrew his gaze from Li Qingjiang's window and continued toward the bathroom. Because his eyes hadn't adjusted to the dark, he accidentally bumped into a rattan chair leaning against the wall, making quite a noise.

"Who's outside?" Li Qingjiang asked in a low voice, afraid of waking the teacher next door.

Meng Qi quickly leaned closer to Li Qingjiang's window and replied in a similarly soft voice, "It's me, Master. I'm going to the bathroom."

"Just woke up, or can't sleep?" As he spoke, Li Qingjiang had already moved his chair, walked to the door, and opened it a crack.

Meng Qi took a couple of steps back and stood in the strip of light pouring through the door crack. "Can't sleep. I'm afraid I'll be awake till dawn."

"That excited?" Li Qingjiang shrugged.

Meng Qi answered happily, "Exactly! That excited!"

"Well, since you can't sleep anyway, let me tell you something even more exciting." Li Qingjiang leisurely walked out of the room, then gestured with his chin toward the bathroom. "Come on, let's go to the bathroom together."

"Not again..."

Meng Qi was speechless. "How does going to the bathroom together make me more excited?"

Li Qingjiang stumbled as he stepped forward, as if tripped by something—really he was stunned by Meng Qi's question. He then looked at Meng Qi with his face all scrunched up in an extremely ugly expression. "Don't short-circuit, good disciple. I meant I need to go too, so we might as well go together. That has nothing to do with the news I'm going to tell you. It's completely unrelated. We can talk on the way."

"Oh, that makes sense." Meng Qi felt embarrassed. He rubbed his nose and gave an awkward smile. "Sorry, Master. I've been too excited these past two days. My brain waves are abnormally active and tend to short-circuit. Hahahahaha..."

Li Qingjiang was truly speechless with Meng Qi. He couldn't help but sigh and tease him, "Is Qi Yun really that good that you're this worked up?"

Meng Qi dropped his playful attitude and nodded solemnly. "He really is. Once you meet him, you'll know I'm not exaggerating."

Li Qingjiang raised an eyebrow. "Then I really can't wait to meet him."

"Then I have to say, he won't disappoint," Meng Qi said confidently. He then held the flashlight and drew a circle in the darkness ahead, as if enclosing something. Then he lifted his wrist, sending the flashlight beam into the vast starry sky, mingling with the celestial clouds.

Were the stars he saw here the same as the ones people saw in the real world? He still didn't know the answer, but what he was sure of was that the stars he saw here were exactly the same as the ones Wang Boyuan saw! That was already lucky enough!

After admiring his handiwork for a moment, Meng Qi remembered to ask Li Qingjiang, "You haven't told me what news you have yet."

Li Qingjiang took the flashlight from Meng Qi and also swiped it through the air a couple of times while telling him, "Qu Liang said they've found Zhao Zheyuan. He's safe. We can rest easy."

Meng Qi was really excited. He turned his head sharply to look at Li Qingjiang, eyes bright. "Really? Is he okay? Did he say when he's coming back?"

Li Qingjiang didn't answer, still swiping. Meng Qi focused on Li Qingjiang's wrist, trying to read the cursive he seemed to be writing, but he couldn't quite make it out. "Did you just write the character 'Zhao'?"

"Writing Zhao Zheyuan's name... Haven't seen him for a few days. I kind of miss him," Li Qingjiang said as he wrote.

Meng Qi echoed, "I miss him too. Knowing he's safe, I feel a huge weight off my shoulders." Then he repeated the question, "Did he say when he's coming back?"

Li Qingjiang shook his head. "Qu Liang didn't say... Maybe he'll be back tomorrow."

"Mm."