They All Say I've Met a Ghost

16

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter
Table of Contents

As strong as I was, I was still shocked by Tan Xiaoming's malice. Did today's students all go to such great lengths to disgust their teachers? I wasn't afraid for myself. I slept so well that I could even nap in a cemetery. But wasn't Tan Xiaoming afraid? The sacrifice was too great.

"I won't have a problem, but what about you? What about your family? Won't your parents be worried about you being out so late at night?” I asked with concern.

Tan Xiaoming's expression suddenly became very pitiful. He blinked tears out of his eyes. "My parents didn't want me. I had no place to sleep. I found that there was a bed in the morgue here, and I've been sleeping there ever since."

It really was too pitiful.

I thought about it and said to Tan Xiaoming, "Wait a moment."

After that I immediately called Principal Zhang. Lately the time I was able to contact Principal Zhang had stabilized. At night her signal would be better, and it would be relatively easy to contact her.

I left the students to themselves and went out into the corridor to make my call. "Hello, Principal Zhang. It's Shen Jianguo. I have a question about one of the students. His name is Tan Xiaoming. He says he's homeless. What's the situation? — Oh. His father was abusive, his mother couldn't bear it and left. He became the new target of his father's malice, so he couldn't stay at home."

So that was it. It was no wonder that Tan Xiaoming had a rebellious streak and seemed malicious. The harm his father had inflicted on him had been too great.

At this moment, I made a difficult decision.

"Principal Zhang, I'd like to ask if there's another employee who's going to move into the room Li Yuanyuan used to live in. If not, I want to have Tan Xiaoming live in it. Of course… the rent can be deducted from my salary."

Saying this, my heart lurched. It felt like a corkscrew being driven right into my heart, so painful I couldn't breathe.

Deduct my salary… Deduct my salary, when I was already so poor…

But Tan Xiaoming's problem had to be solved. First, find him a place to live. He couldn't keep living in the morgue. Then, contact his father. If he refused to correct his behavior, then the law would have to protect Tan Xiaoming's rights and interests.

Although it was better for minors to have unbroken families, with a father like Tan Xiaoming's, he would be better off without his care.

Fortunately, Principal Zhang was as kind as ever. "He can… live there… bzzt… No need… for you… to pay… bzzt."

Principal Zhang really was the best boss I had ever encountered (though I’d only met this one boss); as long as she didn't fire me, I would certainly follow her to the end!

After putting down the phone, I walked back to the classroom in a happy mood and said to Tan Xiaoming, "You don't need to live in the morgue anymore. Come back with me tonight. You can live in Apartment 404, Unit 4, Building 4 of the Farther Shore Estate. There are three bedrooms in that apartment. A female colleague moved out recently and left a room vacant. You can move in tonight. The school bus will pick me up at 2 o'clock. I'll help you move."

Tan Xiaoming must have been too surprised and pleased to control his expression. With a blank face he said, "The room Li Yuanyuan used to live in?"

"Oh, you know her. You should call her Yuanyuan-jie. It's not polite to call her by her full name like that," I corrected him.

"Hahaha!" Mu Huaitong burst out laughing. The way she laughed was very unique. Instead of pounding on the table, she scratched at the table with her fingernails, making an ear-splitting sound as she laughed.