Her desk was right across from Peter Brooks, so Edward Brooks could openly steal a few more glances at her from time to time without drawing anyone’s attention. Before Edward Brooks reported for duty, she was the acting class leader, and now she also served as the class’s English teacher. The two of them often discussed class matters, which helped lift Edward Brooks’s spirits a bit.

However, when it came to drinking, no matter how lonely Edward Brooks felt, he would never go to her. As for the other teachers at the school, Edward Brooks was even less likely to seek them out. When he first arrived at Shumuling, the school had specially held a welcome banquet for the new teachers. The so-called banquet was just all the teachers eating together in the small cafeteria: one dish of tofu stewed with meat, one of stir-fried pork with dried tofu, one of braised tofu, one of mapo tofu, one of homestyle tofu, plus four cold dishes—practically a tofu feast. But this was already the school’s highest standard of hospitality.

This year, five teachers were assigned to Shumuling Middle School: three men and two women. Aside from Edward Brooks, who was a university graduate, the other four were all graduates of teacher training colleges. At the time, Principal David Clark gave Edward Brooks a grand solo introduction, calling him a top university talent, full of knowledge—he couldn’t praise Edward Brooks enough. After all, David Clark had personally requested this university graduate; praising Edward Brooks was really praising his own foresight and decisiveness.

Edward Brooks had never been praised so openly in his life, which made him even more uncomfortable. Coupled with his already terrible mood, his smile at the time looked barely better than a cry.

But even so, it still made Edward Brooks some enemies. At least those four teacher college graduates were full of disdain and hostility, especially the two who shared his dorm—they looked like they wanted to eat Edward Brooks alive.

Originally, the five of them got along decently, but after this incident, the four teacher college graduates banded together and isolated Edward Brooks. Once, Edward Brooks even accidentally overheard them talking about him, their tone mocking: “Isn’t it just a diploma? Doesn’t mean he’s that talented. Even if he is, so what? The real skill is teaching good students!” Then came a burst of chattering laughter. At that moment, Edward Brooks’s face felt as if it were being scorched by hot coals.

The newcomers who should have gotten along best now acted like strangers, and Edward Brooks’s relationship with the other teachers wasn’t close enough for heart-to-heart talks or carefree drinking. So when he bought alcohol, he simply didn’t bring it back to the school—he drank alone outside before returning. Back in the dorm, he didn’t care about reeking of alcohol and just collapsed into bed.

Edward Brooks often drank himself into a stupor, which made the two teacher college graduates in his dorm look down on him even more. Sometimes, they would even make veiled insults right to his face, like “asking” him to explain the meaning of “a wine sack and a rice bag.” Such innuendo was no different from a slap in the face. If it had been the old Edward Brooks, a fierce fight would have been inevitable. Edward Brooks was poor, but he had backbone and self-respect. If a person loses even their self-respect, what’s the point of living?

But now, Edward Brooks endured it. He didn’t even feel like getting angry anymore—such things were no longer worth his anger... However, Edward Brooks’s teaching style changed noticeably. According to the students, Teacher Brooks’s classes were now lively, engaging, and easy to understand, especially the classical Chinese lessons. Listening to him teach was like hearing a story—truly fascinating.

Keeping public and private matters separate was the standard Edward Brooks set for himself. He couldn’t let his own bad mood drag down dozens of students in the class. Back in college, Edward Brooks had resolved to dedicate himself to China’s education cause. But now, standing on the podium, he had forgotten all about that.

Their behavior was shameful, but it made him clearly realize his own responsibilities—he was shocked and sobered, which perfectly described Edward Brooks’s feelings. This incident had a profound impact on Edward Brooks. From then on, he always kept public and private matters separate in his work, no matter the job or position.

Since others disliked his reeking of alcohol, Edward Brooks simply drank outside, sometimes not returning all night. But staying out overnight cost extra money. Although Edward Brooks was technically a government employee, his salary wasn’t high. If he could save that money, he could buy two more bottles of Laobaigan.

Every day after school, Edward Brooks would carry two bottles of liquor and wander around the township, looking for a quiet, sheltered place. As he became more familiar with Shumuling Township, he finally discovered the perfect spot.

On the mountain behind the Shumuling Township government stood a Sanqing Taoist Temple. During the early days of liberation, when the “Four Olds” were being destroyed, all the Taoist priests there were driven out, and the temple had been vacant ever since. Only in recent years, no one knew when or from where, a wandering Taoist priest arrived. Upon seeing that no one managed the Sanqing Temple and not wanting to keep drifting, he simply declared himself the abbot, took the title “Unknown Elder,” and settled there openly. The local villagers didn’t give him much trouble. In fact, after he arrived, on the first and fifteenth of each lunar month, or on market days, people would sometimes come to burn incense and give him some offerings.