Where Lake Meets Sky (Part 1)

CHAPTER 05

1 Chengtian Temple

The P5 School was located in Chengtian Temple in the north of the town. The temple was built in the Yuan Dynasty and was also one of the eight famous temples in Gaoyou, known as the Chengtian Dafan Monastery. One of the reasons why the temple was famous was because a rebel leader named Zhang Shicheng, who rose to power at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, took over Gaoyou town and proclaimed himself king in the Daxiong Palace of the Chengtian Temple, establishing the Great Zhou Kingdom. The temple was destroyed and rebuilt several times throughout history, and by the time of Cui Ge, it was difficult to find its ruins. Some say it was at the current soy sauce factory, while others say it was the meat processing factory. In any case, the Chengtian Temple had disappeared into history, and even the original location of the P5 School was hard to find. But if you want to understand the scenery of P5 a hundred years ago, there is a way. You can read Wang Zengqi's My Primary School. The description of P5 in the book is roughly the same as what Cui Xilin saw back then.

Teaching became Cui Xilin's second formal career. He cherished this job opportunity and loved this profession. Preparing for classes, giving lectures, grading homework, and visiting students' homes were all enjoyable tasks for him every day. Students and colleagues called him "Mr. Cui" or "Teacher Cui," which made him happy. However, this happiness came and went quickly because this time, he still encountered difficulties.

As fall was coming to an end, he went to work in the early morning. As soon as he entered the school gate and stepped onto the straight brick road inside, he saw Principal Dong standing under the thick ancient ginkgo tree on the side of the road, waving at him. Since he came to this school, Principal Dong often chatted with him with a smile on his face. Why did he look a little strange today? The principal smiled at him for a moment, but it quickly disappeared, and then he said, "Good morning, Teacher Cui. You don't have a fourth period class today. Can you come see me?"

"Oh! Good morning, Principal. What's up?"

"We'll talk in detail when you have time."

"Okay! I'll come find you after third period."

"No rush, come over after you finish what you need to do."

"Alright!" Cui Xilin walked toward the classroom. Before entering, he turned back and saw Principal Dong still standing in the same spot, with the morning light obscured by the shadow of the tree crown on his face.

After the bell rang for fourth period, the whole campus fell silent. Cui Xilin walked across the small playground and arrived at the principal's office. Principal Dong was waiting and stood up to greet him. He asked Cui to take a seat on the bench, closed the door, and sat opposite him. With a sigh, he said, "Brother Shuxian, there's a very tricky matter I have to discuss with you."

"Oh? Is there anything that can trouble Principal Dong?" Cui asked.

"It's like this..." Principal Dong hesitated to speak. "Brother Shuxian, how did you offend Wang Hongzao? He is causing trouble for me because of you."

"You mean the councilor from Jiaojia Lane, Wang Hongzao? Yes, I have offended him a long time ago. Back then, I participated in the reporting of a corrupt county magistrate, and because Wang was an accomplice of the dismissed magistrate, he started to hold a grudge against me. I wrote a letter to the provincial government exposing his monopolization of lawsuits. I also frequently expressed my opposition to the local tyrants and evil gentry. If we want to establish a democratic country, we cannot allow these forces to act recklessly. It is not surprising that Wang Hongzao hates me, but how did he cause trouble for Principal Dong?"

Principal Dong shook his head and smiled bitterly. "I don't understand why you have to offend him. You don't know who he is? With his influence in Gaoyou, almost anyone here is no match for him. You ask me how he caused trouble for me? It's because he wants to trouble you that he troubled me!"