“Talking in class again? I heard you have a pretty good weekend plan—mind letting me in on it?” Edward Brooks asked coldly. His teaching style was actually quite humane; while other teachers would assign as much homework as possible over the long weekend, fearing students would slack off at home, Edward Brooks required the teachers in his class to assign as little homework as possible during the long weekend. After half a month of intense studying, the students really needed to relieve some stress. If they had to do homework for two more days at home, what would be the point of the holiday? As for his own Chinese class, he didn’t assign any homework at all during the long weekend.

“This…” Matthew Hall was shocked. This Teacher Brooks was really something—he hadn’t even been sure his deskmate heard what he said, yet Teacher Brooks called him to the office right after class. There was no way someone had tattled; he had no idea how Teacher Brooks found out.

“Don’t give me that. You can go back now, but you’ll write an essay for me right away. The topic is ‘My Weekend Plans.’” Edward Brooks could see Matthew Hall’s astonishment and thought to himself, Am I being too impatient today? At the very least, I should have made him stand outside the classroom for a bit. Luckily, Matthew Hall didn’t dare to ask any questions. I’ll have to be more careful in the future.

Hearing he had to write an essay, and under the watchful eye of the homeroom teacher no less, Matthew Hall’s face immediately turned bitter. Teacher Brooks never physically punished students, but his methods were even more embarrassing—sometimes you’d rather take a beating than endure his punishments. For example, when Matthew Hall used to talk in class, Edward Brooks would make him go up to the podium and give a speech for a full half hour; if he was even a minute short, he’d have to do two more minutes. Ever since that speech, Matthew Hall never dared to talk in class again, but today he’d gotten a little carried away.

But if he didn’t write the essay today, there was no way he’d get out of this. Matthew Hall knew that when Teacher Brooks said something, it was as solid as a rock—there was no room for negotiation. His only way out was to finish the essay as soon as possible. If his family found out he was kept at school, and came looking for him, he’d really be in trouble.

As the pen scratched across the paper, Edward Brooks didn’t disturb him. He knew that if he stayed nearby, the pressure would only be greater. He wandered out into the corridor, watching as teachers and students prepared to leave for home, and the whole campus gradually quieted down.

“Teacher, I’m done.” Just as Edward Brooks was listening to see who else hadn’t left, Matthew Hall’s voice came from behind.

Edward Brooks glanced over it casually. Though it wasn’t exactly eloquent, at least it got the point across. It turned out Matthew Hall was going back to his grandmother’s in the county this Sunday, and also planned to visit the famous Nantong Reservoir in Yuhua County. No wonder he’d forgotten his previous lesson in his excitement.

“Hmm, not bad. I think you could get at least eighty points for this essay. Alright, you can go now.” Edward Brooks nodded. Matthew Hall’s Chinese grades weren’t great to begin with, and essays were his biggest fear. For him to write a coherent narrative in such a short time was already a memorable experience.

Hearing Edward Brooks’s praise, Matthew Hall blushed with excitement. This kid had always been the example of what not to do, the target of criticism from parents and teachers alike—when had he ever been praised by a teacher face to face?

But his shyness kept him from saying much. As soon as Edward Brooks said he could go, he grabbed his bag and dashed out of the school gate as if fleeing. His home wasn’t far from the school, but if he got home late and his family came to the school looking for him, he’d really be in for it.

Once Matthew Hall left, the entire teaching building was empty except for Edward Brooks. He locked up the office and classroom, planning to wash his face and then head to Sanqing Daoist Temple. Suddenly, he heard a strange sound.

Listening carefully, Edward Brooks immediately determined the sound was coming from the staff dormitory behind him, from Grace Howard’s room. She hadn’t left yet? Edward Brooks was puzzled. He’d noticed before that Grace Howard always left later than everyone else. Her explanation was that she liked to take a nap before heading home. Her house was more than ten li from the school, and she rode her bike home, so it made sense to rest up first.

Wait! Listening to a female teacher sleep was really impolite. Confucius said, “Do not look at what is improper, do not listen to what is improper.” Just as Edward Brooks was about to use the turtle-breathing technique to dull his hearing, he suddenly realized something was off.

Grace Howard’s sounds weren’t breathing or snoring, but rather panting. Edward Brooks had heard this kind of sound before at a video room near his university. He immediately focused his hearing, and sure enough, there were two people breathing in Grace Howard’s room. So much for “taking a nap before going home”—turns out she was napping with someone else!

Chapter 12: Promotion and Joining the Party

Who would dare to be so brazen? Edward Brooks didn’t even need to go in to know, from the heavy breathing, that it was none other than the principal he’d always respected—David Clark!