Chapter 122

Chapter 122

◎Ren Suiyi bellowed: Stop right there!◎

Over the next two days, Meng Qi, no longer needing to live in hiding, was visibly happier—exuberant, even! He spent most of his time outside the school, dragging Wang Boyuan all over the mountains and fields.

Before this, except for the time he went up the mountain to look for Maomao in the heavy rain, Meng Qi rarely ventured far from the school. He was a "fugitive" with a special condition. Just adapting to his new identity had consumed almost all his energy; how could he have time for sightseeing?

But now, things were different. Wang Boyuan had arrived! Having a loved one nearby let him relax and feel carefree.

Now, with Wang Boyuan in tow, he caught fish in the river, chased chickens up the mountain, watched others herd cattle, listened to the villagers' gossip... He did all sorts of things, proper and improper, truly having a blast.

That feeling of unrestrained freedom was similar to going on a spring outing with teachers and classmates in the real world. Without thinking about his current situation, and with Wang Boyuan's company, he could temporarily regard this otherworldly journey as an open-ended vacation.

But it was too much of a good thing.

Although Meng Qi had explained his relationship with Wang Boyuan to Li Qingjiang and the others, the two of them had been inseparable lately. Especially on the first night Wang Boyuan arrived, Meng Qi, too excited to sleep, had taken his pillow and gone to Wang Boyuan's room in the middle of the night. The next morning, when Qu Liang knocked on Wang Boyuan's door, a sleepy-eyed Meng Qi came out from behind it... Talk about a shock!

Add to that his unusual constitution and slightly swollen belly, and anyone who saw it would be stunned. Convincing themselves their relationship was purely innocent would take a ton of effort.

So Li Qingjiang and the others grew suspicious again, always feeling that Meng Qi and Wang Boyuan were involved. Their looks at Meng Qi and Wang Boyuan became strange, and their words carried a tone of probing and teasing, as if the scenarios they imagined were real.

Meng Qi found it impossible to defend himself.

But Wang Boyuan didn't seem annoyed. He smiled and comforted Meng Qi, "This isn't a big deal. Let them think what they want for now. Don't rush to explain. Besides, I think having me as a cover will make it easier to deal with others. It's actually a good thing. And besides, when the child is born, won't they call me godfather? Think of this as my early trial run as godfather, so that when the two of us meet, we won't be strangers."

Meng Qi found this reasoning quite sound and stopped rushing to explain to Li Qingjiang and the others. Instead, he earnestly reminded Wang Boyuan that when he eventually had someone he liked, he shouldn't be shy to speak up and let misunderstandings happen. When the time came, he could tell Meng Qi, and Meng Qi would personally explain to that person. They could even pluck a strand of the kid's hair and do a DNA test—easy peasy.

"Silly." Wang Boyuan, who was over 1.8 meters tall, lightly reached out and tousled Meng Qi's hair.

But this also loosened a knot in his heart. Hair messed up? That was fine. Meng Qi, while smoothing his hair down, smiled foolishly at Wang Boyuan.

"Hey, Uncle Gu, don't add any more sugar to the sweet and sour ribs today, okay? Any more and it'll be too sweet—my teeth hurt." Qu Liang came out of his room and happened to see Meng Qi and Wang Boyuan smiling at each other in the yard. His expression froze for a moment. Originally heading to the southeast corner to relieve himself, he turned and made for the kitchen in the southwest. Leaning against the wooden doorframe, he called out to Elder Gu, who was cooking.

Elder Gu, not knowing the situation, scolded him with a grin, "Without sugar, how can you call it sweet and sour ribs? That's nonsense. Leave the kitchen matters to me. Go lie down, dear. I'll call you when it's time to eat."

Qu Liang muttered, "If I lie down any more, I'll turn into a pig."

Because of Zhao Zheyuan's matter, Qu Liang had been in a bad mood these past few days. And since Meng Qi had nothing for him to do, he grew even more listless, spending most of his time eating and sleeping, with almost no other entertainment.

After Li Qingjiang took his pulse, he brewed two doses of bitter herbal medicine and pinched Qu Liang's nose and made him drink it. Only then did Qu Liang regain some vitality, occasionally stepping out of his room to play with the kids running around the yard.

Uncle Gu, a childless old man, loved every one of the younger generation equally. Seeing Qu Liang, usually so lively and energetic, listless every day, he felt very sorry for him. Not only did he think of ways to cook delicious food to tempt Qu Liang's appetite, but he also made sure to air out Qu Liang's room and tell him amusing stories to cheer him up. He was so kind to Qu Liang that every time Meng Qi saw it, he was reminded of his own grandparents.

Hearing Qu Liang grumble that he didn't want to lie down, Elder Gu called out to him. When Qu Liang poked his head back in to look, Elder Gu tilted his chin toward Liang Wenkai, who was adding firewood to the stove, and said, "If you've got nothing to do, come watch the fire for me. Let Xiao Liang rest a bit. He's been washing vegetables and chopping meat for over an hour—he's tired. You take over, sit here by the fire, and let the Kitchen God help you get rid of bad luck and dampness. You'll feel better."

Liang Wenkai heard this and, without waiting for Qu Liang to react, stood up with a smile, giving Qu Liang his seat. "I was about to go take a leak anyway. I've been holding it in for a while."

As they passed each other, Qu Liang slapped Liang Wenkai on the back and teased, "Kid, you can hold it in pretty well."

Liang Wenkai, striding out, replied, "I could hold it a bit longer."

Qu Liang immediately reached out and grabbed Liang Wenkai's arm. "Come on, come back and sit."

"Hahaha, you take over. I'm going. I really have to go." Liang Wenkai shook off Qu Liang's grip, turned, and ran out, sprinting to the latrine like his life depended on it. It seemed he really couldn't hold it another minute.

Qu Liang took two steps forward to the stove, moved the small wooden stool Liang Wenkai had been sitting on a bit farther back, plopped down, and continued feeding wood into the fire. He asked Elder Gu, "Uncle Gu, you said sitting by the fire can get rid of bad luck? Is that true? Does the Kitchen God really handle that?"

"Of course he does. The Kitchen God's abilities are vast. 'He goes up to heaven to report good deeds and comes down to earth to protect peace'—that's him. He oversees the fortunes and misfortunes of our entire family." Elder Gu replied as he stirred the golden needle vegetables in the wok.

Li Qingjiang had requested the golden needle vegetables. Recently, several children in each class had symptoms of runny noses and stomachaches. Golden needle vegetables, also known as daylily buds, have the effects of dispelling wind and relieving pain, clearing heat and promoting diuresis, and boosting immunity. Feeding them to the children could ward off wind-cold and stop abdominal pain. They were also known as "memory-boosting veggies," giving the kids a mental boost so they wouldn't always forget their homework—two birds with one stone.

So Elder Gu enjoyed making this dish and had even developed several ways to prepare it.

After Elder Gu finished speaking, Qu Liang first clasped his hands reverently and bowed three times toward the stove fire, then looked up at Elder Gu and asked seriously, "Is it really that effective, Uncle Gu? Then can I ask the Kitchen God to bless my bro Yuan to return safely and quickly? Brother Yuan has also eaten food cooked in this wok, so he should be within his jurisdiction, right?"

"Why not!" Elder Gu replied in a booming voice. "All Kitchen Gods under heaven are one and the same. It works no matter where you pray to him."

Qu Liang then looked down at the red, warm flames in the stove and muttered to himself, "Kitchen God, oh Kitchen God, you must, you absolutely must bless my brother Yuan to return safely..."

At noon when school let out, one teacher hadn't finished his lecture on time. He worried that leaving a bit unfinished would make the children forget everything he'd taught before after lunch and a nap. So he dragged the class for over ten minutes, so lunch was later than usual. By the time the children's meals were done, it was almost one o'clock. That's when Meng Qi and the others started eating.

The teacher who had delayed dismissal was surnamed Jiang. He was relatively young, but still in his forties. Younger teachers were reluctant to come here. Despite the high bonuses Meng Qi had promised, he had only managed to recruit two younger teachers. This one was one of them. Teacher Yang was the other, about seven or eight years younger than Teacher Jiang.

Teacher Jiang felt really bad for delaying their lunch. He apologized to them several times. Meng Qi told him not to worry about such small matters and comforted him with a smile, saying how common it was to be held after class—who hadn't been held after class in school?

In the end, Teacher Jiang left with a smile. He still had to go back to the classroom to supervise the children's nap. Once the kids were asleep, he would take a nap himself.

After Teacher Jiang was out of earshot, Wang Boyuan immediately gave Meng Qi a thumbs-up. "Not bad, Principal Ran. Very considerate of the teachers."

Meng Qi felt embarrassed by the praise and smiled shyly. "What principal? Technically, you have to put 'Honorary' in front. Honorary Principal is very different from a real principal."

Qu Liang asked in confusion, "What's the difference? I've always wanted to ask—aren't you the only principal here? Aren't you the principal?"

"When I first came here to rebuild the school, there was an old principal with the surname Lin. You probably don't know him, but A-Kai might remember." Meng Qi looked at Liang Wenkai.

The latter nodded and explained to Qu Liang and the others, "Principal Lin, whose given name was Lin Zhongzhu, was one of the more educated people around here. He was also the only teacher who had been teaching at this school since he was young. I was the one who got in touch with him back then."

Li Qingjiang asked, "Where is he now? Retired?"

Meng Qi nodded, continuing where Liang Wenkai left off. "In the month before I came, Principal Lin took me to handle approvals and contact the construction crew. Back then, he was the principal, and I was just a kind-hearted citizen. But later, when his children heard someone was taking over the school, they came and took him to the city not long after, saying they were taking him to see a doctor."

"Seeing a doctor was just an excuse, right?" Li Qingjiang asked again.

Just like a divine doctor to see through that. Meng Qi smiled helplessly. "Yes, I really thought they were taking him for treatment. Later, I found out it wasn't that. They had never agreed with Principal Lin continuing to manage the school. So shortly after they left, someone from the county office came and told me that Principal Lin had finished up his retirement paperwork and wouldn't be back. At the same time, they gave me the title of Honorary Principal and asked me to take over temporarily. They also said they'd send someone as soon as possible..."

Meng Qi's mood darkened as he spoke. Wang Boyuan reached out and patted Meng Qi on the back. Meng Qi smiled at him.

Only Wang Boyuan probably understood his thoughts. It wasn't that he didn't want to manage; it was that too few people wanted to—and fewer were coming. It was the same here as in the real world. When he was a child, he had almost missed out on school because of it.

"Maybe it's because this place is too remote. No one has come yet." Meng Qi let out a sigh.

"Folks who managed to pass the exams and get out don't want to be sent back here. I don't think anyone will come for a while. You might as well pack your bags and take over as principal." Li Qingjiang said.

Meng Qi frowned, about to agree with Li Qingjiang, when suddenly Qu Liang jumped up from his seat and, looking toward the school gate, shouted, "Brother Yuan! You're really back!"

Zhao Zheyuan was back?!

Meng Qi was naturally happy and excited.

But he was sitting with his back to the school gate, so he didn't see Zhao Zheyuan right away. When he heard Qu Liang's shout, he turned around with joy—but the moment he saw who it was, his face went pale as if he'd seen a ghost. His porridge bowl hit the ground with a crash. Before anyone could react, he jumped up from his stool and bolted to his room.

Wang Boyuan instinctively reached for him but missed by a mile.

"Meng Qi, stop right there!" A roar from behind him shook the ground.

It startled Meng Qi, making him stumble, but he still didn't stop his forward dash. He made it to his room just ahead of Ren Suiyi, slammed the door, and locked it.

Damn! Why the hell was he here?

Guess the Book God still plays favorites with his own kid.