'Till Death Do Us Apart 長相守(bxb)

Chapter 11

XI

The weather in Tientsin this year was a bit unusual. First, the Indian summer was hotter than usual, and then winter came colder than ever with a huge snowfall in the end of November. The elderly probably would have said something like "even the gods change for the worst when the mortal world is in turmoil," but the kids didn't have a care in the world - snow is great!

The snow began to fall at noon, starting with sparse, powdery dots that slowly built up. By the end of the school day, the field was loosely covered with a few inches of snow. The class was no longer paying attention to the lecture and was anticipating the end of the lesson so they could play.

It was at times like these that Ch'in Ching seemed not to be a proper teacher; he was too lax with his students. He glanced at the time - fifteen minutes left of class - and shut the book, announcing, "Let's end here today. I'll let you out for a bit, but on one condition: go home right away afterwards.
The roads can be dangerous when it snows, so don't make your families worry."

The girls sang praises for their teacher as they ushered him out the classroom. Fang Hua was teaching maths in the next classroom and was nearing the end of her lesson. She was giving questions for the students to complete in class when she heard the commotion from the field. She looked out the windows and shook her head, chuckling, "All right. You can go out and have fun, too. Don't forget to do the questions at home."

"You couldn't keep them under control either?"

Ch'in Ching was standing at the edge of the field, making sure the girls did not run too wild, when he saw Fang Hua letting her class out early as well. He greeted her with a smile.

"It's not that." Fang Hua took her place with Ch'in Ching on the side. "I didn't want Lao -Wu to give you trouble. The law cannot be enforced if everyone is an offender, can it?"

The Lao -Wu that Fang Hua spoke of was the vice principal and head of Academic Affairs at Sheng Kung. He was a just, easygoing person, and asked the younger staff to call him Lao -Wu. In reality, they would not get punished by Lao -Wu for the likes of ending the lesson ahead of time. Fang Hua had only been joking, but the joke seemed a bit too intimate for their relationship. Ch'in Ching wasn't sure how to reply and chose to return with a chuckle.

"It's been rather cold lately." Despite the lack of a response, Fang Hua brought up a new topic for their small talk.

"It has indeed."

"Um...." Fang Hua faltered but found the courage to continue. "I was bored, so my mom had me learn to knit, and I made a pair of gloves, but they turned out too big. So, um, you could have them if you don't mind."

Ch'in Ching didn't know what to say. He knew that she must have knitted it especially for him. If he straight out rejected her kind efforts, it would turn unpleasant for both of them. But, at the same time, not rejecting them might give her false hope.

"I feel younger just watching them play." Fang Hua quickly changed the topic again because she sensed his reluctance, or perhaps because she was shy.

"You're younger than me, aren't you, Miss Fang? I haven't even begun to feel old, so you of all people shouldn't let it get to you,"
Ch'in Ching replied naturally right before a few students ran up to them asking them to join in their snowball fight. The two jumped into the action, and the uncomfortable atmosphere disappeared.

The roads were indeed dangerous when it snowed, and the trams were affected, too. Shen Liangsheng considered this and left the office early to pick Ch'in Ching up from work even though it was not a day on which they usually met.

He was nearing the school when he was forced to park the car and walk the rest of the way due to the number of adults waiting for their children outside.