BTYFOV Chapter 48

 Chapter 48: Collect Scraps

Gu Wuyi's brother, you're here again

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

"My brother?" Gu Wuyi was stunned by the question.

He understood every word the teacher said, but when put together, they made no sense at all.

The homeroom teacher nodded. "Qin Feng is not—he's not your brother, he's your cousin! You—you—how dare you! I think you shouldn’t even attend class anymore. Go home right now and bring your parents here! Otherwise, I'll personally visit your house after class."

Gu Wuyi was dumbfounded, experiencing for the first time what it truly meant to be speechless and unable to defend himself.

"Pfft!"

A stifled laugh came from behind.

The enraged teacher raised his voice. "Who laughed? Who was that?"

"Teacher, I laughed."

A boy stood up behind Gu Wuyi. Turning around, Gu Wuyi saw it was his neighbor—the one who lived behind his house and often went to and from school with him.

Gu Wuyi couldn’t help but glare at him.

The teacher asked, "You think this is funny?"

The student struggled to hold back another laugh. Seeing that the teacher was about to explode, he quickly explained, "The man who came yesterday was Gu Wuyi’s father."

"Am I blind or just stupid?"

The student silently mocked in his mind. Not only are you blind, but also stupid. He then added, "If you don’t believe me, you can check our student records."

Hearing this, the teacher hesitated.

Gu Wuyi finally found his voice. "Teacher, my biological parents passed away. The man who came yesterday was my adoptive father."

The teacher thought he had misheard. "Adoptive father?"

Gu Wuyi and his classmate both nodded.

At this point, the teacher realized he might have made a mistake. "I see... Well, then, you two sit down."

Gu Wuyi was stunned again. That’s it?

"What's wrong?" the teacher asked in confusion.

Gu Wuyi opened his mouth, wanting to say many things at once, but he suddenly didn’t know where to start.

"Open your books. Class is starting."

Gu Wuyi’s lips moved slightly, but he had no choice but to sit down. Yet, something still felt off in his heart.

In his previous life, this was the moment when he dropped out of school. He wasn’t sure if all second year middle school students had to go through something like this, so when he got home, he asked Qin Feng, who had spent decades in school and had plenty of experience.

When Qin Feng first heard that the teacher had mistaken him for Gu Wuyi’s brother, he was quite amused. But after hearing how the teacher handled the mistake, he frowned.

Seeing this, Gu Wuyi couldn’t help but ask, "Dad, you think something’s wrong too, right?"

"Of course, it's wrong! He jumped to conclusions without investigating the truth, made a judgment purely based on his own assumptions, and when he realized he was wrong, he couldn’t even say ‘I was wrong.’ Does he think he’s living in pre-establishment eras? Acting like ‘once a teacher, always a father,’ as if he can falsely accuse and humiliate students however he pleases?"

Gu Wuyi suddenly understood. "No wonder I felt something was off. Now that you put it that way, it all makes sense."

Miaomiao couldn’t help but ask, "Does that mean this teacher is bad?"

The brothers instinctively turned to look at Qin Feng.

Qin Feng almost nodded but suddenly hesitated. Even though it was still the late 1980s, and even twenty years later, there would still be plenty of teachers like this.

Even if Gu Wuyi were transferred to another class with a better homeroom teacher, that didn’t guarantee the other teachers would be any different.

Qin Feng shook his head with a smile. "This teacher may have low emotional intelligence and poor judgment, but the reason he was so angry is that, realistically, I couldn’t have a son as old as you. Wuyi, you’re thirteen this year. I’m only twenty-nine."

Gu Wuyi thought about it and realized it made sense. "No wonder he misunderstood."

Qin Feng added, "Your class has about fifty or sixty students, right? Not only did he notice me, but he also knew I was your father. Doesn’t that mean he actually cares about you?"

“Dad has a point.”

Qin Feng was worried that this incident might make Gu Wuyi lose interest in studying. In his previous life, there was a period when he hated going to school because his teachers hated him. It wasn’t until his parents shifted their career focus and moved to another city that he started enjoying school again and eventually managed to get into college.

"This is just a case of ‘the deeper the love, the stricter the discipline,’" Qin Feng said.

Miaomiao asked, "So, does that mean we just let the teacher's misunderstanding of Big Brother slide?"

Qin Feng thought for a moment. "Would Grandma ever apologize to me if she misunderstood me?"

That question stumped the little boy.

Qin Feng continued, "People of their generation are used to having the final say at home. And because he’s a teacher, he’s also used to having the final say in class. When he realized he might’ve been wrong, he immediately told your brother to sit down. That means, while this teacher has his flaws, they’re just minor ones. There are plenty out there who are much more stubborn and be a dead duck with a stiff upper lip.”

Gu Wuyi was curious. "What happens with those kinds of teachers?"

"Those teachers would say, ‘Oh, so you dare argue back? Just wait, we’ll talk after class.’ Then, students who don’t know the truth would misunderstand you. But the teacher? After class, he acts like nothing ever happened, as if he forgot all about it. Tell me, wouldn’t that be infuriating?" Qin Feng asked in return.

Gu Wuyi imagined the scenario and hesitated. "Then… my teacher is actually… not that bad?"

Qin Feng nodded. "No one is perfect. Since he genuinely cares about you, you should let it go and not hold a grudge."

Gu Wuyi opened his mouth slightly.

Qin Feng raised an eyebrow. "What? What’s on your mind?"

"I… I thought you were just making excuses for the teacher…"

Qin Feng laughed. "You’re my son. That teacher is neither my father nor my relative—why would I defend him? I’m just worried you’ll get upset, lose your temper, and pick a fight with him. And if you can’t win, you’ll just end up suffering."

"What do you take me for?"

Qin Feng blurted out, "Gu Xiao'er."

"Dad!" Gu Xiao'er couldn't help but slam the table and glare at him.

"What are you doing? What are you doing?" Madam Shi came in carrying bowls and chopsticks. "Are you having a tea party instead of washing your hands and eating?"

Qin Feng stood up. "Wuyi, if you're worried that the other teachers might be worse than your homeroom teacher, I can talk to your grade level director this afternoon and request a class transfer for you."

Gu Wuyi thought about the other teachers. His favorite was the math teacher—humorous, easy to understand, but unfortunately not the homeroom teacher. "Forget it then."

Qin Feng said, "If you don't want to see him anymore, just work hard and get into No. 1 High School. But if that happens, you'll probably have to live on campus and only come home once a week."

"I know." Gu Wuyi had already prepared himself for the possibility of boarding school in high school. "You forgot, Lin Xiaobo is also at No. 1."

Aunt Qin often visited the Lin family to learn watermelon farming from Lin Xiaobo’s father. That’s how she found out Lin Xiaobo had gotten into the city’s No. 1 High School. She even gave him a five-yuan red envelope to congratulate him.

Later, when she mentioned it to Qin Feng, she even asked if she had done the right thing.

Of course, she had.

If Lin Xiaobo became successful in the future, and Aunt Qin’s family ever needed a favor, they could just bring it up—"Do you remember me? The year you got into No. 1 highschool, I visited your house."

As long as the request wasn’t unethical, any person with decent emotional intelligence would be willing to help based on that small connection.

Back to the present, despite saying all this, Qin Feng was still worried that the incident with the teacher would leave a shadow in Gu Wuyi’s heart or make him a target for teasing by his classmates.

After lunch, he asked Fu Qingyun to take the two younger brothers to primary school while he rode his bike, taking Gu Wuyi along with Gu Xiao'er, who had just started his first year of middle school.

Gu Xiao'er knew that, like him, his brother wasn’t really a middle schooler inside, so he wasn’t that emotionally fragile. He couldn't help but wink and make faces at Gu Wuyi along the way.

Qin Feng occasionally glanced back and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with your eyes?"

Gu Wuyi replied, "Cramping!"

Qin Feng immediately understood. "Stop messing around and watch where you're going!"

After getting scolded, Gu Xiao'er pouted. "Dad, are you coming to my parent-teacher meeting later?"

"Are you my son?"

"Yeah."

"Then why even ask?"

Having been scolded again, Gu Xiao'er wisely kept his mouth shut.

As they entered the schoolyard, Gu Xiao'er was stunned—his dad not only escorted them to school but was also planning to walk his brother to his classroom.

"Is that really necessary?" Gu Xiao'er couldn't help but ask.

Qin Feng replied, "If you got bullied at school and I ignored it, assuming you were just being dramatic, would that be okay?"

Of course not!

Who wouldn’t want their parents to care? Who wouldn’t want their parents to stand up for them?

Gu Xiao'er made a silly face at him before slinging his backpack over his shoulder and heading to his classroom.

Qin Feng handed Gu Wuyi his backpack. "There's still time before class—"

"Gu Wuyi’s brother, you're here again?"

Qin Feng paused mid-step and turned toward the voice. A neighborhood kid from behind their house stood with a few classmates he didn’t recognize.

He raised an eyebrow, eyes sharp. "And who exactly is 'Gu Wuyi’s brother'?"

The boy instantly lost his nerve. "Uh—Engineer Qin, Uncle Qin… are you here to see our homeroom teacher?"

Qin Feng: "Why would I look for him? His eyesight’s bad—what if he mistakes me for someone else again?"

The teenager was momentarily speechless, then couldn't help but laugh.

Gu Wuyi also wanted to laugh.

Qin Feng: "I came to see you."

"Huh?"

Qin Feng nodded. "To check if you've been bullying Wuyi."

The teenager instinctively turned to Gu Wuyi.

—What did you tell your dad?!

Qin Feng: "Don’t look at him. My Wuyi is honest and prefers to avoid conflict. I’m worried someone might bully him, and he wouldn’t even tell me."

The teenager clicked his tongue.

Qin Feng deliberately asked, "He hasn’t bullied you, has he?"

The teenager quickly responded, "Of course not!"

"Oh, really?"

Panicking, the teenager nodded frantically—afraid that if he hesitated, Qin Feng might go home and report him, leading to a good old-fashioned belt stir-fry.

Gu Wuyi nodded. "Dad, you should head back."

Qin Feng: "Alright. If anything happens, tell me—I'll make the decision for you.”

Gu Wuyi knew his dad meant it. "Then I won’t walk you out."

"Walk me out for what? I’m taking your bike home. Later, you and Xiao'er can share one."

Qin Feng walked up to the teenager, placed a firm hand on his head, and warned, "Don’t bully my Wuyi."

The teenager obediently nodded. As soon as Qin Feng was out of sight, he hooked an arm around Gu Wuyi’s neck.

"Me? Bully you?"

"Exactly. Like right now."

The teenager hurriedly withdrew his hand. "Was your dad here to see our homeroom teacher?"

Gu Wuyi shook his head. "He said our homeroom teacher is just like most parents—scolding kids without knowing the full story. Talking to him wouldn’t help. My only way out is to get into No. 1 Highschool and escape this suffering as soon as possible."

"Teachers at No. 1 aren’t like that?"

Gu Wuyi wasn’t sure either. "At least it’s a better school. The teachers there should have a higher level of awareness, right?"

A girl sitting in front of him couldn't help but turn around. "Gu Wuyi, that really was your dad just now?"

Gu Wuyi nodded. "Who else? You think someone who isn’t my dad would show up again and again?"

The girl sighed. "Your dad is so handsome!"

A boy from the same residential compound puffed up with pride. "Of course! Engineer Qin is the pride of our factory!"

"The Northern Railway Factory?" the girl asked.

Gu Wuyi nodded.

Curious, she asked, "What does your dad do?"

The teenager couldn't resist showing off again. "He’s an engineer developing electric trains. Why else would I call him Engineer Qin?"

"That’s amazing!" Some classmates couldn’t help but exclaim.

The boy, clearly proud, added, "Of course! Engineer Qin is a PhD holder, one of the first batch of government-sponsored overseas scholars after the college entrance exam was reinstated."

As soon as he said this, whether they had been interested in Gu Wuyi or not, every classmate turned to look at him.

At that moment, Gu Wuyi finally understood what it meant to feel proud by association.

No wonder his childhood friend and classmate couldn't help but show off.

That teenager —his childhood friend—still hadn’t shown off enough. “Isn’t our Engineer Qin amazing?”

The girl was curious. “Gu Wuyi, your dad looks so young. Is he still single?”

The teenager answered for him. “You want to be Gu Wuyi’s stepmom?”

The girl grabbed her textbook and was about to throw it at him.

The teenager dodged. “No chance! My Uncle Qin is looking for someone with a similar background—preferably someone who earns more than him. That way, he can do whatever he wants without worrying about money.”

A classmate couldn’t help but ask, “Are there really women that impressive?”

The teenager didn’t know if there were. But since someone as outstanding as Qin Feng existed, surely there were equally impressive women. After all, Engineer Qin had once said that back in his university days, he was just an ordinary student. There were plenty of people who were better-looking and came from even wealthier families.

If no such women existed, then Imperial Capital University would be filled with only men—and all of them would end up bachelors.

Gu Wuyi cut the conversation short. “Class is about to start.”

His classmates wanted to keep asking questions, but Gu Wuyi had already sat down, opened his book, and started doing his homework.

Seeing this, they felt a bit embarrassed. But after school, a whole group of students followed Gu Wuyi.

The students from the staff residence all walked with him, making a detour around the Northern Railway Factory before heading home.

The gatekeeper at the entrance was puzzled. “Wuyi, are all these your classmates?”

Gu Wuyi nodded.

“Why so many all of a sudden?”

Gu Xiao’er grinned. “They want to see if Engineer Qin of the Northern Railway Factory has finished work yet.”

The gatekeeper had no idea what was going on.

The two brothers didn’t plan to say more. They pedaled their bikes and headed home.

When Qin Feng got off work, the gatekeeper stopped him.

Qin Feng chuckled. “I went to Wuyi’s parent-teacher meeting yesterday. His classmates’ parents all thought I was his older brother. Those kids probably came today just to check if Northern Railway Factory really had someone like me.”

The gatekeeper understood and found it amusing. “These kids, huh.”

Qin Feng smiled and walked toward home.

“Wait, Engineer Qin, there’s a letter for you.” The gatekeeper had originally come out of the security office to check if Gu Wuyi had finished school so he could pass the letter to him. But with all those middle schoolers around, he had completely forgotten.

Qin Feng followed him into the security office. Seeing that the envelope was once again in English, he knew there was a high chance it was from Gu Wuyi’s biological father.

After thanking the gatekeeper, Qin Feng opened the letter.

Perhaps to prevent just anyone from reading it, the entire letter was written in English.

This time, instead of asking about the situation in China, the sender informed him that they would be returning to the country soon—but first, they would go to Yangcheng, which was very close to Hong Kong.

Qin Feng suspected they were choosing Yangcheng as a precaution, ready to flee at any moment if things went south.

As long as they weren’t coming to Binhai to bother him, Qin Feng couldn’t care less where they went.

When he got home, he went straight to the kitchen, took out some matches, and burned the letter.

What he didn’t know was that some events in China had already made their way overseas, though the news was delayed. By the time Gu Wuyi’s biological father had sent the letter, he had just heard about student protests. If not for a high-ranking official stepping in to control the situation, this year’s college entrance exams in Binhai might have been completely ruined.

Since the news had been distorted abroad, it seemed as if another decade-long revolution was beginning. This scared the Gu couple so much that they canceled their plans to return to China.

Meanwhile, as universities resumed as usual, news about the introduction of tuition fees spread across the country.

Two hundred a year, plus living expenses—if students were frugal, six to seven hundred should be enough to get by. 

That wasn’t Qin Feng’s calculation. It was his father’s.  

After working out the numbers, his father told him that his salary and the little money saved throughout the year could only support one college student.  

At first, Qin Feng didn’t pay much attention.  

But as 1990 approached, winter break ended, and summer vacation was on the horizon, his father started nagging again—saying that by fall, Xiaoda would be in his third year of middle school, and in a few years, he’d be taking the college entrance exam, and so on.  

It was even more annoying than Tang Seng chanting scriptures.  

Qin Feng took out the bankbook left behind by Old Gu. That shut his father up—only for him to switch tactics, reminding Qin Feng that the money couldn’t be touched. It had to be saved for marrying off his two grandsons.  

Qin Feng considered taking out his own savings next.  

But then he remembered that he was single. If he did, his father would still have something to say.  

So he endured it until summer break. Then, when Gu Wuyi and the others started selling popsicles again, he had them take some time to show their popsicles earnings to his father.  

Even though Old Qin was mentally prepared, he hadn’t expected that in just a few years—selling popsicles  for only a few months each summer—they had already saved up enough for a whole year’s expenses.  

Staring at the deposit amount, Old Qin couldn’t help but ask, “All this just from selling popsicles?”

Gu Wuyi nodded. “My dad took us to deposit it. It’s a recurring savings account. Oh, and there’s still a piggy bank full of small bills that we haven’t counted yet.”  

Old Qin was stunned. “This… this… doing business really makes money. No wonder people like running businesses. In a couple of years, when I retire, I’ll start my own business too!” 

“You—” Gu Wuyi couldn’t help but ask, “At your age, what can you even do?” 

Without thinking, Old Qin confidently replied, “Collect scraps!”

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