In the schoolroom, the mischievous children were already fully immersed in this magical world. Each of them stared wide-eyed, listening intently, so quiet that not a single sound could be heard.

When they heard about the monkey who fought his way alone through the thirty-three heavens, with a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and generals unable to stop him, the chubby-faced boy sitting at the very front turned bright red, his breathing grew rapid, and an unprecedented light of excitement shone in his eyes...

Chapter 11: The Unusual Mischievous Children

“All right, that’s it for this morning.” As the story of Journey to the West reached the part where havoc is wreaked in Heaven, Edward Thompson glanced at the time and, in good conscience, chose to stop right at the most critical moment.

The children were listening to Sun Wukong’s rampage, single-handedly fighting a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and generals, battling the Four Heavenly Kings, the Giant Spirit God, and Erlang Shen. Their hearts surged with passion, wishing they could become Sun Wukong themselves, enter that magical world, and swing the golden staff to cause chaos in Heaven... But just as the story reached its climax, it suddenly stopped, leaving each of them anxiously red-faced and feeling extremely uncomfortable inside.

Edward Thompson, however, acted as if he hadn’t noticed at all. He walked over to the sand table at the side, used his finger to write the character “柳” on it, and then said, “When you come to the school this afternoon, all of you must be able to write this character. Once everyone can write this ‘柳’, I’ll continue with the next part of the story.”

With that, he clasped his hands behind his back and leisurely walked out of the schoolroom.

He had barely stepped out when the group of children immediately crowded around the sand table.

“Teacher said we all have to learn this character!”

“This is our ‘柳’ character, right?”

“Move, move, let me see how it’s written!”

...

...

At this moment, the children seemed to have forgotten the “deep grudge” they held against Edward Thompson, their eyes fixed on the character on the sand table, trying hard to memorize it.

The children’s pride was strong as well—they didn’t want to be the one to hold everyone back by forgetting the character. Besides, each of them was filled with anticipation for what would happen next in the story, and for the magical monkey’s further adventures.

“Everyone, remember this character well! If anyone can’t write it this afternoon, watch out or I’ll beat you up!” The sturdiest boy, with a round little face, threatened the others fiercely while tracing the strokes of “柳” in the air with his finger.

Just thinking about that monkey who could travel through the heavens and earth, master seventy-two transformations, and do anything anywhere, made his heart surge with uncontrollable excitement...

Meanwhile, Edward Thompson stood at his own doorstep, watching a group of hens foraging on a small dirt mound not far away, and couldn’t help but reminisce about yesterday’s bowl of mushroom chicken noodles.

“Those kids are terribly naughty and hard to manage. Husband, it’s your first day as a teacher—are you getting used to it?”

A voice suddenly sounded in his ear, startling Edward Thompson. He spun around and saw that Grace Walker had somehow appeared right beside him.

The look of surprise was still on Edward Thompson’s face. Does this woman walk without making a sound?

And the fact that she would actually take the initiative to speak to him made Edward Thompson feel a bit flattered.

Although the two were husband and wife in name, they were more like strangers. Grace Walker used Edward Thompson to silence the others, while Edward Thompson relied on her for food—literally, for his meals.

If he didn’t stay in the stronghold, he’d probably either starve to death or be tied to a post and burned alive.

Finally calming himself, he said, “They are a bit unruly, but they’re still fairly respectful to the teacher. You don’t need to worry, my lady.”

After speaking, Edward Thompson remembered something, looked up at Grace Walker, and asked, “May I ask, my lady, how much is the monthly pay for being a teacher at the school? And what are the rules for the ‘束脩’...?”

Edward Thompson had previously made a point to learn about the school’s rules. The ceremony for accepting a teacher and the entrance rituals weren’t important, but surely there had to be tuition fees, right?

There was no other way—his family was already so poor they could barely put food on the table. If he didn’t think of something, they’d soon be eating nothing but bran and wild vegetables...

The so-called ‘束脩’ was the fee paid to the teacher when a student first met them, as a sign of respect. Edward Thompson was still hoping to use these small gifts to slightly improve their living conditions.

Apparently not expecting Edward Thompson to ask this, Grace Walker paused for a moment, glanced at Edward Thompson, her expression turning odd, and shook her head, saying, “The teachers at the school in the stronghold don’t get a monthly salary, and as for ‘束脩’... there isn’t any either.”

What?

Edward Thompson was stunned for a moment, thinking he’d misheard, and just stood there in a daze.

No salary? No tuition?

That means working for free!

Since ancient times, when has there ever been such a thing? Even the long-term laborers at Zhou Bapi’s house got paid, didn’t they?

What’s more, being a teacher is a sacred profession. Even if there’s no salary, it’s only right to accept a few gifts to improve one’s life, isn’t it?

These bandits don’t even understand the most basic manners of being human—not the least bit proper!