Ultimate Teacher

Fang Yan tossed the High School Chinese textbook onto the desk and asked, "What do you want to study?"

The students exchanged puzzled glances.

Could they really choose for themselves? Wasn't it usually the case that whatever the teacher taught, they had to learn?

Fang Yan understood their confusion and smiled, "Alright then, each of you pick your favorite essay from the textbook. Whichever one gets the most votes, we'll study today."

"Teacher, I like Farewell to Cambridge Again!"

"I like Qinyuanchun!"

"Jing Ke Assassinating the King of Qin, that's so badass!"

Fang Yan signaled for everyone to quiet down and said, "A lot of you like Farewell to Cambridge Again, so today we'll study Xu Zhimo's famous poem. And since we're going to study Farewell to Cambridge Again, we might as well visit Cambridge to get a feel for it first."

"Teacher, Cambridge is in the UK!" Everyone laughed. This teacher was too whimsical, suggesting the whole class could run off to Cambridge just to study a lesson?

"So you all know Cambridge is in the University of Cambridge, in the UK. That means you already have some understanding of the poem." Fang Yan was quite satisfied with their reaction. "But even though we don't have Cambridge, we do have Queqiao Bridge."

Queqiao Bridge was a structure within Suzaku HighSchool, built over Quehe River, connecting the two banks of the river.

Every day after classes or at the end of the school day, Queqiao Bridge would be crowded with people. Some couples would stroll on it, whispering sweet nothings, so many students jokingly called it the "Magpie Bridge" (鹊桥), after the bridge in Chinese mythology where star-crossed lovers meet.

The autumn wind was gentle, and the sun was warm.

The willow trees swayed low, and ripples gently spread across the water. Occasionally, a fish would leap out, tracing a graceful arc before diving back into the shallow waters.

The lotus flowers had long since withered, and the leaves were now dry and yellow. At this hour, the Quehe River was tranquil, carrying a certain lonely vibe.

The students stood on Queqiao Bridge, both excited and curious.

"Teacher, what are we doing here?"

"We're having class," Fang Yan said. "Today, we'll study Farewell to Cambridge Again right here on Queqiao Bridge."

"Don't joke, teacher, how are we supposed to study like this?"

"Yeah, there are no desks or chairs, and we can't even take notes!"

"We don't need to take notes," Fang Yan smiled. "I want you to remember this in your minds."

Huang Haoran, the Chinese class representative, seeing everyone making a fuss, raised his voice, "Quiet, everyone, it's class time! Since Mr. Fang brought us out here, he must have his reasons. Don't you have any faith in Mr. Fang?"

On their first day together, Huang Haoran had his pride wounded by Fang Yan, but instead of holding a grudge, he had become one of Fang Yan's biggest supporters.

Moreover, after that incident, Lu Chaoge had called Huang Haoran to the office to inquire about the conflict between Fang Yan and Zheng Guodong, Li Yang, and Chen Tao. Huang Haoran wasn't intimidated or bribed by Chen Dahai but instead spoke candidly about what had happened and voiced the dissatisfaction many students had with those three troublemakers.

This was why Lu Chaoge had known Fang Yan was innocent and had stood up for him in the meeting.

Fang Yan wasn't surprised by Huang Haoran's change of attitude. After all, who doesn't look up to their idols or heroes?

"I'm both beautiful and strong," Fang Yan thought to himself. Maybe it was a bit self-absorbed, but—he firmly believed it.

Fang Yan scanned the surroundings and said, "Wait here for a moment."

Then, he quickly ran to the other side of the bridge.

Ten minutes passed, and Fang Yan was nowhere to be seen, but the students suddenly noticed a small black wooden boat slowly gliding along the Quehe River.

"It's Baldy!" a student shouted.

Baldy was the school's security guard. Due to his thinning hair, with only a few strands holding their ground, the students had long since ignored those precious strands and affectionately called him "Baldy." Over time, the nickname stuck, and even he had accepted it.

The security guard's duties included patrolling and retrieving items from the river.

Because Suzaku HighSchool had the Quehe River, and students often liked to play by the river or on Queqiao Bridge, belongings frequently fell into the water. Although the river wasn't deep, making it safe for students, they weren't allowed to jump in to retrieve their things.

That's when Baldy would appear, rowing the school's second-hand wooden boat, using a hook or sometimes diving in himself to retrieve the lost items.

But it was class time—no one was around, and nothing had been dropped into the river. So why was Baldy out here rowing?

As the boat approached, the students finally saw that their Chinese teacher, Fang Yan, was standing next to Baldy.

"Quietly, I leave, just as quietly as I came…"

Suddenly, a clear, resonant voice echoed from the middle of Quehe River, and the students' attention immediately shifted toward the sound.

"It's Mr. Fang!"

"Mr. Fang is reciting Farewell to Cambridge Again."

"Wow, that's so cool!"

"I wave my hand, bidding farewell to the setting sun's rosy clouds…"

Fang Yan waved to the west, his gesture graceful and filled with emotion.

"The golden willows on the riverside are the bride in the setting sun. Their reflections shimmer in the water, lingering in my heart…"

All the students' eyes followed his words, turning to the willow trees by the river. For the first time, they realized that these ordinary, often overlooked willows were so graceful and beautiful.

In an instant, the trees seemed alive, evoking a desire to protect and cherish them. They deserved recognition and respect.

"The green weeds beneath the soft mud sway gently at the bottom of the water. In the gentle waves of the Cam River, I would willingly be a waterweed."

Fang Yan crouched down, scooped a handful of waterweed from the river, and brought it to his nose, playfully inhaling its scent.

The chatter stopped. The bridge fell into a silent reverie, as everyone was drawn into the vivid imagery and poetic beauty.

That handsome young man dressed in a Zhongshan suit, that scholarly figure holding a handful of wild grass—wasn't he the poet who had just returned from Cambridge?

"The pool beneath the elms is not a clear spring but a rainbow in the sky. It shatters among the floating algae, settling like a rainbow-colored dream."

"Dream-chasing? I'll row a long pole, drifting toward the greenest grass. My boat brimming with starlight, I sing my song in the brilliant starry night."

Fang Yan's voice grew louder and more powerful, filled with energy.

The students' faces grew more serious, and many clenched their fists as they followed the rhythm.

"But I cannot sing. Quietly, I play the flute of farewell. Even the summer insects are silent, silent like tonight's Cambridge."

Fang Yan's voice softened, as though he were bidding farewell to his dearest love.

The students on the bridge, infected by the atmosphere, felt a weight in their chests and tears welling up in their eyes.

"Quietly, I leave, just as quietly as I came. I wave my sleeve, not taking away a single cloud."

Fang Yan waved to the students on the shore as the black wooden boat passed under Queqiao Bridge and drifted out of sight.

The students stood frozen in place, their hearts full of love and soaring poetry. 

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𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚!

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 shoutouts 𝘁𝗼:

•Leroy

• Jonathan Bailey

𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸:

• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 50+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.

• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁-𝗢𝘂𝘁: 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩!

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀!

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