Chapter 88: The Volunteer Teacher

Aside from the children brought by the female guests, at the neighboring table sat several children from the village, dressed in traditional ethnic attire. The children's skin was very dark, yet their clothes were faded from repeated washing. Sitting there in perfect unison, they presented a scene that, at first glance, seemed almost comical.

“All right, I’ll start with the first question—the theme is ‘Spring.’”

Yin Shanshan was the first to pose a question, and as soon as she finished speaking, a six-year-old from the village quickly raised his hand.

“Village school! In the village, one is not aware of dawn…”

The child recited at a brisk pace, but his Mandarin was far from standard. Many people around them couldn’t help but laugh aloud, though Su Wan’ning only frowned.

“At night, the sound of heavy rain…”

The boy’s tempo slowed, and his face grew hesitant. His large, dark eyes glanced at the adults who were laughing at him, reflecting confusion, panic, and fear.

When he finished reciting the poem, Wang Zan led the applause. “Well done, a point for the Village School Team!”

“Which village school? Is it the one where ‘the village is not aware of dawn’?” Mingming asked, then doubled over, laughing.

Feng Rui stood aside with a smile, showing no intention of correcting him.

Su Wan’ning’s frown deepened.

Here, Mandarin was rarely spoken; by the time these children started learning it in school, their native dialects were already firmly established, making it even more difficult to correct their accents.

But that could not be an excuse for hindering their education, let alone a reason for others to mock them.

Yet no one on the scene seemed to think it was a serious matter. Even some viewers in Junlin’s livestream room started making jokes.

[Maybe Meng Haoran wrote his poems in a village school too?]
[Is your Mandarin so perfect? What’s the point of mocking them?]
[It’s just a joke, don’t make such a fuss.]

“All right, I’ll give the next question—the theme is ‘Summer!’” said Feng Rui, still lacking in originality, echoing Yin Shanshan and currying favor by following her lead. But this time, the village children, who had just been so eager to participate, all fell silent.

They sat in their seats, not making a sound nor moving about. Compared to the children brought by the other guests, they were clearly more disciplined and organized.

Yet they also seemed more subdued, lacking the liveliness that should belong to children their age.

Watching them, Su Wan’ning felt a sudden ache in her chest, her eyes growing slightly moist.

These children clearly wanted to answer, but now there was more hesitation and fear in their eyes.

The careless jokes and laughter of others could easily shatter someone’s childhood.

Su Wan’ning quietly sighed, and this small gesture was immediately noticed by Nian Nian, who was highly perceptive. She looked up at her mother with large, dewy eyes. “Mommy, what’s wrong?”

Su Wan’ning shook her head and patted both children’s shoulders. She had noticed earlier that neither of them had laughed at the village children’s accents.

“Mommy has something to discuss with the director. The two of you stay here and continue the competition.”

With that, Su Wan’ning stood up and walked to the director, speaking to him softly off camera.

“…You’d like to invite the teachers of these children here?” the director asked.

Su Wan’ning nodded. “Most of these teachers must be volunteers from inland provinces. You brought these children here to draw attention to local education, didn’t you?”

A spark lit Wang Zan’s eyes. He hadn’t expected Su Wan’ning to see through to his intentions, when the other veterans of variety shows present hadn’t picked up on it at all.

“All right, I’ll have someone fetch them right away.” Wang Zan nodded without hesitation.

Before long, the children’s volunteer teachers were brought in. Wang Zan paused the poetry recitation contest and began introducing the teachers to the guests and the livestream audience.

“These are all volunteer teachers at the village school. They come from across the country and have dedicated their lives to the education of the children here.”

A round of applause broke out. The teachers all looked embarrassed but smiled.

Then Su Wan’ning went forward to ask a few questions.

“You look quite young. May I ask when you arrived here?”

“I came right after graduating from university at twenty-two. It’s been two years now.”

Su Wan’ning’s eyes shone.

This was exactly the example she wanted.

“Have you managed to save any money in these two years?”

The people around looked shocked, even Wang Zan seemed taken aback by the bluntness of her question.

No one expected her to be so direct.

The teacher gave a shy smile. “I only get a little over two thousand a month. Living here doesn’t cost much, but I haven’t managed to save anything.”

The other volunteer teachers nodded in agreement.

“Why is that?”

They all began speaking at once.

“The desks and chairs at the school are too old, so we buy new ones every month for repairs.”
“We have to buy fans for the summer and heaters for the winter, as well as exercise books and other supplies for the children…”
“Educational resources here are extremely scarce. Sometimes we buy practice materials online, and just the shipping costs hundreds every month.”

[My sister volunteers too—it’s really tough.]
[Just after university, in the prime of life, they dedicate themselves to the grasslands. It’s not easy.]
[I apologize for mocking them earlier. The teachers have already done so much to help these children.]

The mood in the livestream room shifted. The children’s faces reflected surprise, especially Mingming.

He’d never imagined that some children couldn’t even afford exercise books.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have laughed at you earlier. In fact, I haven’t even memorized the poem you recited.” Mingming walked up to the boy who had recited the poem.

The boy smiled shyly, showing two rows of white teeth. “It’s all right. I can teach you.”

“That’s great!”

The children were reconciled, their innocent smiles returning.

Su Wan’ning seized the moment. “I have a suggestion. The local grasslands are full of cattle and sheep, all naturally raised and entirely organic. There’s a world of difference compared to the meat in the city. Why not sell the local beef and lamb through the livestream, with a portion of the proceeds donated to the school and the teachers?”

“That’s a great idea, I support it!” Yu Xin immediately responded.

Wang Zan nodded vigorously. “Excellent. I’ll talk to the village chief and the principal right away and get this underway as soon as possible!”

Yin Shanshan looked at Su Wan’ning with a forced smile. “You really are thoughtful, Ning. While we’re all busy reciting poems and keeping score, you’re already thinking about selling products.”

[Su Wan’ning must have come prepared for this, don’t you think?]