RYEY -Chapter 377 The Dilapidated School

“Mom, are you okay?”

Cheng Li and Cheng Liguo stood inside the gate. Not seeing Hu Lata, they quickly ran over, their faces full of nervous glances around.

“There’s no immediate danger. Let’s go eat together. Thank you, big brother, come with us.”

Li Bing shook his head and led the others back. The more he looked at Cheng Qiao, the less he understood her. But after taking a few steps, he remembered something:

“Sister-in-law, I checked just now. There really is such a school, but… tomorrow morning, let Xiao Dan take you to register at the school.”

Cheng Qiao nodded, but in her heart, she understood. There was no actual traditional Chinese medicine university. Even if it existed, it would have been newly established, and probably hadn’t even recruited proper teachers yet.

The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, Xiao Dan stood outside the guesthouse smiling, chatting with the staff. When he saw Cheng Qiao come out, he hurried over.

“Second sister-in-law.”

Cheng Qiao paused, thinking it was Guoqing, because Guoqing always called her that.

“Xiao Dan, I heard you asked Guoqing to deliver a letter to Chen Xiaoniu.”

Xiao Dan’s face turned red, but there was disappointment in his eyes. Cheng Qiao shook her head slightly. If he wanted to pursue a girl, he needed to go all-in.

Writing a letter and then waiting for a reply—or not knowing if he should write another—was both foolish and somewhat adorable. She wondered whether she should give him advice.

After breakfast, Xiao Dan led Cheng Qiao to the school.

“Xiao Dan, do we need to drive there?”

“Drive? It’s just behind our garrison, at a school that hasn’t had students in a long time. That’s why it’s slowly fallen into ruin.”

Cheng Qiao followed Xiao Dan along the garrison’s wall for over half an hour. Sure enough, they saw a somewhat dilapidated building.

The low buildings were missing doors and windows. Forget desks and chairs—some rooftops were gone, probably taken as firewood.

“Xiao Dan, you’re not mistaken?”

“Look at the gate number outside, and the school name.”

Cheng Qiao ran out suspiciously. She didn’t see any school plaque. Only when Xiao Dan pointed to a small, inconspicuous wooden sign at the gate did she groan.

“This is… so stingy.”

“Second sister-in-law, I suspect they only want your money to get the school up and running. Even emptying their savings wouldn’t be enough.”

A light flickered in Cheng Qiao’s mind. She seemed to understand something: they had let Li Huan develop the hometown, so maybe they wanted her to do construction here.

“Do you know where Principal Shen is? The transfer form says to look for him.”

Xiao Dan shook his head. He was just a soldier, didn’t know any Principal Shen.

Cheng Qiao told Xiao Dan to go back first; she wanted to explore the school. Xiao Dan nodded, but Cheng Qiao suddenly called him back to continue writing letters to Chen Xiaoniu.

Xiao Dan felt a little worried. The letters he sent had vanished into the void. Maybe the girl was frightened by his handwriting.

“Second sister-in-law, can you teach me how to write well?”

“Go to Xinhua Bookstore and buy some copybooks. Start by tracing, then imitating, and finally practice diligently.”

“Just that simple?”

“Simple…”

Cheng Qiao didn’t quite understand what Xiao Dan meant by “simple,” only that the child was incredibly endearing. She had almost forgotten that they were only a few years apart.

Cheng Qiao slowly walked around the so-called school. The space was fairly large, at least with a playground—but it was covered with rubble. Only a few stubborn weeds along the walls swayed in the wind.

“First, turn this into a proper lawn. When there’s time, transplant some trees from the Qilian Mountains. Then hire people to repair a few classrooms and the teachers’ offices. The rest can come gradually.”

Cheng Qiao muttered to herself. She no longer worried about space leaks. The path was clear, no need for hiding.

Water flowed from her hands, spraying at the roots of the weeds. She believed that in a few days, they would grow lush.

At the school gate, she held the small plaque in her hand. The simple inscription read: “Traditional Chinese Medicine University, Liangzhou Branch.” Nothing else.

Liangzhou—Cheng Qiao suddenly remembered that in ancient times, Wuwei had been called Liangzhou. She didn’t understand why the sign used Liangzhou instead of Wuwei.

“Are you Cheng Qiao?”

A slightly low male voice sounded. Cheng Qiao looked up and tentatively asked, “Principal Shen…”

Shen Sanleng nodded and extended his hand to introduce himself:

“I am Shen Sanleng, principal of the Liangzhou Branch of Beijing Traditional Chinese Medicine University. I’m not good at teaching, so please bear with me.”

“I understand. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be called Sanleng—that’s the name of a Chinese herb.”

Shen Sanleng smiled. The Shen family had four generations living together, a traditional family of Chinese medicine. But over ten years, some left, some scattered. Of the large Shen family, only he and his granddaughter remained, coming here away from home.

“Currently, this school only has you, me, and my granddaughter. She belongs to the Cultural Troupe, and I provide medical services for them.”

“Grandpa…”

A young woman in her twenties ran over. The troupe had new recruits today, and she had just come to check in.

“Shen Ying.”

Seeing her, Cheng Qiao recalled when she had helped Jiang Meili with a prank. Two female doctors had been there, one of them was Shen Ying.

“Cheng Qiao.”

Shen Ying still remembered when Liu Wenjuan was inexplicably disfigured. She had secretly taken tissue samples to study.

No matter what she tried, she couldn’t determine the substance in that small piece of tissue. She had consulted her grandfather, who just glanced and told her to stop researching.

“You two know each other?”

“No.”

Both replied in unison, then laughed foolishly. Not knowing each other yet calling each other by name proved that neither had taken the other to heart.

“Grandpa, she’s Jiang Meili’s… sister-in-law.”

Shen Sanleng nodded. Of course, he knew who Cheng Qiao was. He didn’t expect his granddaughter to know her. This made things easier—he didn’t have to teach Cheng Qiao himself; she could ask his granddaughter.

Cheng Qiao didn’t know Shen Sanleng was trying to pass the responsibility. She looked at the principal expectantly, asking how classes should be conducted.

Shen Sanleng shook his head. Now that he had freedom, his salary had increased rapidly, but it was nothing compared to repairing a school.

Also, Shen Ying was no longer young and unmarried. He didn’t want the Shen family line to end; at least someone had to carry on the family’s Chinese medicine legacy.

“Principal Shen, besides the two of us, are there any other students enrolled?”

Shen Ying looked at Cheng Qiao with unspoken feelings. Without her arrival, this branch of the traditional Chinese medicine university wouldn’t even exist.