Chapter 433: Chapter 428: The Bottom Line Chapter 433: Chapter 428: The Bottom Line Principal Xie?

Erdan was momentarily bewildered, but then he realized, Uncle Xie must be who Third Uncle was referring to, right?

But wasn’t he the head of the junior high section? When did he become the principal?

And what’s this about being a big shot in the town?

Although his mind was full of questions, Erdan didn’t show it; after all, he had been working away from home for two years. Though he wasn’t yet able to keep his emotions completely off his face, he could maintain an outward calm.

He smiled and said to Uncle Liu, “I just mentioned it casually at the time, didn’t mean to bother him. I thought it wasn’t a big deal… didn’t expect him to take it so seriously. In that case, I’ll go pay a visit to Principal Xie’s home.”

Erdan did indeed need to go to Xie Yanhai’s place this time because Mu Jiawen had given him a card, instructing him to take his aunt to Yunzhou to buy a car.

But he hardly ever contacted Xie Yanhai; surely, it must have been Jiajia who told him about his family’s situation.

“That girl…”

Seeing Erdan about to leave, Uncle Liu hurriedly called out to him.

“Is there anything else, Third Uncle?”

“I…” Uncle Liu scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed, “I’d like to ask for your help with something.”

Erdan laughed and said, “Just tell me what you need help with, Third Uncle. Why be so polite with me?”

“It’s about Erdan. The kid’s playful and had to repeat a year in primary school. He’s just started seventh grade this year. Although the standards for moving from primary to junior high have been relaxed, if you fail, schools still don’t accept you. He scored fifty-nine in Chinese, just one point short… He’s only fourteen this year. If he can’t go to school, what can he do? He doesn’t want to repeat a year, so, you see…”

Erdan understood. Uncle Liu wanted him to ask Uncle Xie if there was any way to get Erdan admitted.

But he was hardly acquainted with Xie Yanhai; how could he presume to make such promises?

After a moment’s thought, Erdan could only say, “Third Uncle, let me ask around first, see what the school’s policy is, and what Principal Xie has to say…”

“Just tell Principal Xie, if there’s a need to pay a high price, we won’t miss out on a penny. We’ll pay whatever is required as long as the school can take him in.”

“High price?” Erdan asked in confusion, “Does it mean you can pay to get admitted if you don’t pass the exam?”

“That’s right. I heard that in the county schools, if you don’t pass, you can be admitted by paying a premium fee. They even have several price tiers: a thousand for missing by five points, two thousand for ten points… The highest I heard was ten thousand, but that’s for the county middle schools. Our town’s school doesn’t have such a policy yet.”

What kind of policy is that, if not extortion?

Erdan didn’t dare to commit to such a thing on behalf of Xie Yanhai. He mumbled a few vague responses and hurriedly left.

Ever since Mu Jiawen left for the May Day holiday, Li Yun had gone to the county to sign up for driving lessons. Because she only had time to practice driving on weekends, it wasn’t until last week that she officially got her driver’s license.

To be honest, before starting her lessons, she felt somewhat nervous, afraid that due to her age and lack of coordination, she wouldn’t pass.

But to her surprise, the learning and testing process went incredibly smoothly, and she passed each subject on the first try. This was a huge boost to her morale and confidence, and she felt well-prepared for her upcoming plan to learn the piano.

So now, even washing clothes at home, she could hum a tune.

Seeing her in a good mood, Xie Yanhai would occasionally come over and offer, “Need a hand?”

By the third time he asked, Li Yun threw the clothes she was washing into the basin and stood up from her stool with a stern face, “You want to help? Fine, then you wash.”

After saying that, he turned around and went back to his room.

Xie Yanhai sighed deeply. He had now certainly learned what it was like to push a woman to her limits.

For the May Day holiday, he went to Haishi and stayed there for half a month before returning. He really stayed in the hospital to accompany his uncle. The uncle and nephew got along so well because their temperaments matched.

After returning, he dawdled around at home for a few days before he went back just as the interns were about to leave.

To his surprise, that group of young people had found a camera to take group photos everywhere. As their first mentor, he had naturally been pulled in to take a few photos with them.

At that time, there were too many people and it was so noisy that he didn’t even notice who was standing beside him.

When the photos were developed, he was given a copy of each photo that included him. In his hurry to get to class, he didn’t even look at them and simply stuffed them into his bag.

After getting home, he tossed them carelessly on his desk without giving them much thought. Little did he expect that, in two of the group photos, his female apprentice was standing right next to him.

Li Yun had pulled out those two photos and slammed them on the table.

At that moment, his scalp went numb. He swore that he really hadn’t noticed who was standing next to him. After all, the principal was also there, standing close to him.

If it hadn’t been for the past incidents, he might have been able to argue with Li Yun with confidence. But after those past events, even if she was now overreacting, thinking back on Jiajia’s words, “Uncle, if one day my aunt sees you being flirtatious with another woman and she has no reaction at all, still able to talk to you calmly, then the two of you are done for.”

It made sense, a lot of sense!

So he spoke softly and quietly, trying to explain, “It was too chaotic then, too many people, and I was busy talking to the principal. I really didn’t notice who was beside me.”

“If you didn’t notice then you didn’t notice. Why speak so softly? Feeling guilty?”

Xie Yanhai: …

No, can’t you just say it’s because I’m gentle?

From that point until now, she either ignored him or always managed to find something prickly in his words. Frankly, no matter how you looked at it, she was displeased with him.

But there was no helping it. He asked Jiang Yan, who told him he had to coax her. There was no other way but to coax!

Xie Yanhai started to laboriously wash clothes, glancing several times at the location of the washing machine. He just couldn’t understand—just because he had to change clothes daily in the summer, why couldn’t he use the washing machine? Why must he hand wash?

As he finished hanging the clothes to dry, the front door creaked open.

Xie Yanhai turned his head to see it was Xiaotie. He exclaimed with surprise, “Xiaotie? When did you get back?”

“I just arrived not too long ago. Uncle, you’re really diligent—a good man!”

Xie Yanhai smiled awkwardly. It was the few times he washed clothes, and he had been spotted.

Li Yun heard the noise and came out from the main room. Seeing Xiaotie carrying bags big and small, she hurriedly went over to take them, “Why did you bring so much stuff again?”

Last time this kid came, he also brought a ton of things, but she knew it was mostly Jiajia who had bought them and sent them through him.

Even though they didn’t see Xiaotie often, due to Mu Jiawen’s influence, both Xie Yanhai and Li Yun had a good impression of him. That’s why, last time when they heard his house needed repairs and had been meddled with, Xie Yanhai immediately offered a helping hand.

The profession of a teacher is respected in any era, and since the Xie Family itself was well-known in Jianghai Town and Xie Yanhai had just been promoted from director to vice principal, his prestige in town had increased significantly.

So, as soon as he spoke up, a foreman who had previously worked on the construction of the school’s dormitories immediately brought several workers over.