After Evan Lin finished washing the dishes, he returned home and glanced at Joy Zheng, who was sitting there holding her old, worn-out cellphone. The atmosphere felt a little strange.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Evan walked over, curiosity in his voice.
"It's nothing. Tomorrow at noon, the leaders from the county Education Bureau are treating us to a meal at Hongqing Grand Hotel. I'll take you to eat something nice." Joy Zheng smiled, her visible wrinkles deepening and making her look even more worn.
"If you have nothing else to do, go take a shower. I've already heated the water."
After some hesitation, Joy Zheng finally decided not to keep asking Evan about his grades. She worried that pushing any further might hurt his self-esteem.
The next day, Evan got up at a little after five in the morning to go for a run. When he returned, breakfast was already set out on the table, and Joy Zheng had already left for Flora Huang's house to tutor her students.
Eleven o'clock at noon.
Joy Zheng called Evan, telling him to head to the second-floor hall of Hongqing Grand Hotel around 11:45 a.m. for the meal.
When Evan answered the call, he was inside a cellphone shop in town. After hanging up, he pointed at the latest iPhone X on the counter.
"I'll take one of these phones."
"This phone costs ten thousand yuan. It's the latest model and supplies are really limited..." The saleswoman was about to say more.
After all, looking at this teenage boy, he really didn't seem like someone with money, and the old Nokia in his hand was practically a relic from another era.
"Card."
Evan put his card on the counter, not bothering to say anything else.
The woman, who had been a bit hesitant, took the card, swiped it through the POS machine, and froze for a moment when the payment went through. Then she quickly handed Evan the iPhone X.
"Mom's phone has been used for ages. She can't bear to buy a new one, so I’ll just get it for her."
Evan glanced at the iPhone X in his hand. Apple phones were expensive, but to him, it meant nothing. He just thought the full-screen display on this model looked nice, and it would be pretty good for Joy Zheng to use.
Hongqing Grand Hotel in Whitewood County was the top restaurant in the area.
The restaurant had been around for more than a decade. It started as a tiny eatery with just one stove, one chef, and one waiter, and grew into a three-branch chain in Whitewood County. Over the years, Hongqing Grand Hotel had mainly hosted weddings and graduation banquets, making it the most upscale venue in town.
At this moment, on the second floor hall in Whitewood County, quite a few teachers had already arrived and found seats at the tables.
"Wow, Director Deng, you're actually greeting us in person! Haha."
Several principals from Whitewood County schools walked over and, seeing Victor Deng standing at the entrance to the second-floor hall, hurried up to shake his hand.
Victor Deng was wearing a sharp suit today, looking especially formal and full of energy.
"It's only right, it's only right. The progress in Whitewood County education depends on all of you principals, and even more on the hard work of all our teachers. This time, the leaders from above are here mainly to inspect the work and understand the teaching situation of our teachers and principals. As someone who's been in the Education Bureau office for so long, my contributions are nothing compared to yours. It's only proper for me to welcome you all."
Victor Deng spoke loudly, his face beaming with a smile.
"Director Deng, if you ask me, it's our school's development that depends on your support!"
"That's right, that's right! Director Deng is always hands-on and takes the lead!"
The principals kept piling on the praise, making Victor Deng's face glow with pride.
Standing nearby, Flora Huang was dressed in an exquisitely tailored evening gown, making her stand out among the crowd. Hearing the principals' compliments, she couldn't have been happier, smiling as she said, "You all don't need to flatter Old Deng so much. If you keep going, he'll be embarrassed."
"Madam Director, you’re too modest. But Madam Director, you look absolutely stunning today."
"And the Director's daughter is getting prettier by the day."
It was the principal of No. 1 High School speaking, looking at Ivy Deng, who stood nearby dressed elegantly, proud as a white swan.
"Hello, Principal." Ivy Deng smiled sweetly.
"Everyone, let's not stand in the doorway. Come in and have a seat."
Flora Huang called out. After the principals took their seats, she turned to Victor Deng, frowning slightly and quietly asked, "That leader you mentioned, from above—haven’t they arrived yet?"
"Are they not coming?"
Flora Huang was a little anxious. With the recent crackdown on public spending, if the leader saw so many people invited for a meal, it could cause trouble if they got upset.
"That won’t happen. This meal for the teachers is being paid for out of the regular education budget. All year, Whitewood County hasn’t had a proper teacher appreciation event, and this time No. 1 High School even won third prize in the Math Olympiad. It’s a real honor. No matter what, this meal is deserved."
Victor Deng shook his head.
Inside the hall, teachers from different schools sat at different tables, while the principals and Education Bureau staff sat at the main table in the innermost part, forming a circle.
There were plenty of people at the banquet. Each table had teachers as well as their families and children—some of the youngest had just learned to walk, while the older kids were about Evan’s age.
Ivy Deng stood there absentmindedly, neither particularly happy nor upset. She noticed several boys her age at nearby tables sneaking glances her way.
But as soon as Ivy swept her gaze over those boys, she lost interest and ignored them completely.
She was still thinking about catching up on her favorite web dramas on her iPad. If Flora Huang hadn't insisted, she wouldn't have bothered coming at all.
Ivy Deng took out her iPhone 6s and checked her QQ feed. Just as she finished, she heard Flora Huang’s voice.
"Oh, Joy, you’re finally here! Hurry, come inside—your seat is at that table over there."
Flora Huang greeted the slightly travel-worn Joy Zheng with a smile.
Morning classes finished at half past eleven, and Hongqing Grand Hotel was quite a distance from Flora Huang’s house.
Joy Zheng had to pedal her bicycle hard to get there, and when she finally arrived, she was slightly out of breath.
Her clothes were plain and she looked a bit tired, but when she saw Flora Huang, she managed a faint smile.