Horse-head Wall Reflects the Qing Dynasty

Chapter 109 Yearning for Youth, Always a Strength; Awakening from a Dream, Nothing More.

"May I ask how this cup of tea is?"

The moment his gaze finally focused, Guan Yin was still in a daze—was this another dream?
But Cheng Heng was clearly standing in front of him, surrounded by his students... Guan Yin's hand trembled slightly as he took the teacup. He didn't know if he was nervous or excited, and he almost dropped the cup.

After all four plays had ended, the large troupe returned to the interactive story of the first play. Guan Yin was stunned for a moment, then drank the slightly cold tea in his hand in one gulp.

"It tastes like home."

Everyone in Guan Yin's colleagues knew that his hometown was Huangshan, so no one understood the hidden meaning in his words.

Cheng Heng, however, showed no reaction, remaining immersed in his role as a scholar from out of town who had come specifically to find a teacher... as if nothing had ever happened.

The excitement and commotion vanished in an instant. The four scenes came together quickly and ended just as fast. If it weren't for the lingering aroma of tea on their lips and the students still standing there, it's hard to believe that these scenes would have continued or drawn anyone into them. Everyone would have doubted whether any of this had ever happened.

That's how plays are; they end abruptly just when everyone is immersed in them and everything has reached its climax, leaving the lingering impressions only in people's minds, with endless imagination.

"Teacher, teacher, where are we going for dinner tonight? Is it good?"

Completely jolted back to reality by the students' voices, Guan Yin took a breath before speaking. The stories from those years seemed to have become blurry: "I don't know either. We should eat at the hotel. You should see it in the study abroad brochure. I'm not sure if it's good or not."

"I'll settle your wages when I get back tonight. Let's adjust your return tickets first." Cheng Heng glanced at Guan Yin not far away, seemingly trying to discern something different from the other's every move.

But Guan Yin remained silent, turning around to organize the students to leave—this sudden performance was unplanned, and the school and teachers had taken considerable risks to give the students the opportunity to watch it. A number of tourists had also gathered around, so it was clear that Guan Yin and the other teachers needed to quickly organize the group.

"Guan..." Just as Guan Yin was about to turn and leave, Cheng Heng subconsciously called out.

At least provide a contact method.

After a pause, Cheng Heng realized his abruptness and quickly caught up with Guan Yin, standing beside him: "Teacher."

"Would it be convenient to add your contact information?"

Guan Yin stood there stunned for a moment, and Cheng Heng hurriedly explained, "Because I saw that you and the students took some photos just now, I wanted to trouble you to forward them, but..."

"Okay." Guan Yin nodded with a smile and handed over the WeChat QR code on his phone.

"Ah, okay, okay, please wait a moment." Guan Yin's quick response left Cheng Heng somewhat flustered. He hurriedly opened the scanner and with a "beep!" sound, Cheng Heng's anxious heart finally relaxed.

"I'll send you the picture when I get back."

"okay."

Guan Yin led his students away, everything seemed to be done in a businesslike manner, as if there were no shared "memories" between the two of them.

Turning back, Cheng Heng typed his application information into the chat box, thinking about how to introduce himself, when he suddenly realized that Guan Yin's reaction was a bit too fast—as if the QR code had been prepared in advance, just waiting for him to turn around.

"So what do we do now? Pack our things and go back?"

"Okay, I'll settle your wages on the way." Thinking of his classmates, Cheng Heng sighed helplessly. "As for internship certificates and such, I'll try to find a way to get them for you."

"It shouldn't be that complicated."

"It is really……"

"Don't worry, it doesn't matter whether you get paid or not. We heard it just now. The problem actually lies with that boss. He doesn't treat college students like human beings. There's really nothing we can do about it."

The students chattered amongst themselves, each with their own requests, but Cheng Heng did not break his promise because of their politeness.

Even though, in Cheng Heng's own eyes, this promise seemed like a promise made years ago that had long been unfulfilled.

"Don't worry, I..."

Before Cheng Heng could even pay his classmates' wages out of his own pocket, the boss he had previously contacted called again.

"What do you mean?" the boss asked accusingly as his first words. "This is a breach of contract on your part. We agreed that this performance was specially prepared for this event."

"Then you have to pay me the penalty for breach of contract, otherwise how am I supposed to explain this to the scenic area?"

Every word and phrase sounded utterly ridiculous to Cheng Heng.

The original promise was a salary plus an internship certificate, which led to the entire class traveling all the way to Anhui to perform this show.

"We were supposed to reimburse your travel expenses later, but since you breached the contract first, this money has nothing to do with us!" Cheng Heng remained silent, and the boss on the other end of the phone assumed that Cheng Heng was feeling guilty and couldn't argue with him, so he said even more harsh words.

Regarding the travel expenses, the boss on the other end of the phone had promised to pay the students in advance.

It was agreed at the time that the money should be given to the students in advance, because we knew that the students did not have much income and at most had some part-time jobs, so we had to give them the travel expenses in advance, otherwise it would not be appropriate for the students to pay for it themselves.

Then they talked about unified ticket purchase, then about reimbursement later, and now they're turning around and blaming all the students for the problem...

"Are you done?" Cheng Heng couldn't help but sneer. "Don't you know that WeChat chat records are now evidence, and I have recorded all our call logs? If this goes to court, I don't think we'll be the ones who suffer."

"You!" The boss on the other side was clearly surprised that Cheng Heng was so well prepared, and he also didn't expect that the college students, who were always considered easy to manipulate, would actually run into such a tough opponent.

“I know what you’re trying to say,” Cheng Heng said with a smile. “You’re trying to say that you thought it was a joke that Gen Z was trying to reform the workplace online, but what you’re doing doesn’t count as reforming the workplace at all; it’s illegal and infringing on others’ rights.”

The students who had previously harbored some resentment towards Cheng Heng fell silent. No one was foolish enough to turn against someone who had helped them.

After a moment of silence, the boss on the other end of the phone may have finally realized how tricky the matter was, or perhaps he was worried that if a court record were kept, he would be discovered sooner if he tried to use the same trick again.

A weary yet threatening voice came from the other end of the phone: "What exactly do you want?"

"I don't want anything. I originally didn't want to argue with you and was planning to pay the money for my classmates myself." Cheng Heng knew that the other party had to be considerate. That gradually fading memory still brought about a change in him. His calm and powerful voice pierced the sky and reached the boss's ears.

"However, since you've brought up breach of contract, then you breached the contract first. Please make sure the travel expenses are paid to each student within five working days, and the double salary will be paid in the same way."

"You want an internship certificate? I'll issue one to you." "Oh?" This was clearly an attempt to negotiate, but Cheng Heng had no intention of wasting time with them. "But it's quite embarrassing to have an internship certificate from a company like this on your resume."

“We would still prefer double the pay.”

Cheng Heng's decisive actions inexplicably gave his classmates, who were initially skeptical and dissatisfied, a sense of anticipation and trust.

Cheng Heng promised to help them get the internship certificates, so they believed he would find a way. Everyone tacitly accepted Cheng Heng's explanation.

"Everyone? I'm not so sure, you all..."

“I know you wouldn’t know we put on a free show in advance if no one informed you.” Cheng Heng knew what the other party was going to say. Rather than letting the other party reveal the name of their classmate and cause the increasingly close team to fall apart, it was better to shut this unscrupulous boss up beforehand.

"But I can guarantee that no matter who you contact privately now, we will choose you to compensate us as agreed."

There was another long silence on the other end. Cheng Heng didn't need to look to feel the furtive glances from the team members—the scenic area didn't know the other party's boss's arrangements, but the people in the team certainly did.

So the moment the unscrupulous boss called, Cheng Heng knew what was going on.

Now that everyone has gotten back the rights they were fighting for, the conditions that the unscrupulous boss used to threaten the students no longer exist.

"Okay, I won't do it again..."

Do you really think I would cooperate with someone like you?

"I told you long ago that I have partnerships with all these ancient towns. You'll see when you're out of work!"

The unscrupulous boss made his final harsh statement, but Cheng Heng hung up before he could finish listening—his goal was to work diligently in the theater troupe and create a number of meaningful works, not to waste his life with such an unscrupulous boss.

Youth should be like this, and it's not too late to send it back. Cheng Heng looked up at the familiar scenery, and a most sincere smile finally appeared on his face... There was neither any pretense nor any helpless sneer, just the most simple happiness.

"Teacher, what are you laughing at?"

"It's nothing." Laughing at himself for finally being back, there had been no absurd events or developments, and even the memories of those years were beginning to fade. Guan Yin knew: This time it definitely wasn't a dream!

"Teacher, teacher, that actor was so handsome! He even added you on WeChat!"

Guan Yin paused. Looking back on her increasingly hazy memories, the feelings between herself and Cheng Heng seemed to be nothing more than a dependence that even surpassed kinship.

As for where these coincidences will lead in the future, Guan Yin himself is not sure. However, in the present moment, he cannot let the children be led astray: "Well, he added me because he wanted the stills we took. If you have any photos, share them with the teacher, and I will send them to them."

"Oh……"

Students of this age love to join in the fun, and when they don't get a satisfactory answer, their "oh" is filled with disappointment.

Guan Yin smiled helplessly. This long-lost sense of closeness, which was not bound by the teacher-student relationship, made Guan Yin realize that he was no longer dreaming.

"Alright, your homeroom teacher will be checking your diaries soon. Write them down quickly on the way to dinner so you can get some rest earlier tonight."

"Good teacher!"

With Guan Yin's reminder, a group of students hurriedly took out paper and pens—it was clear that some opportunistic students had already opened the AI ​​software, preparing to let the AI ​​complete this task for them.

Guan Yin turned a blind eye, pretending not to see anything, and had no intention of exposing his classmates' "little scheme." Everyone has a youthful phase, so he could understand the students' thoughts; sometimes, when they were in a good mood, they could even write neatly.

When you're really racking your brains, if one stroke doesn't look good, you can just get by with the whole thing... The real gains you take in your heart are far more meaningful than these empty words written on paper.

"You can write about what you thought when you happened to see the performance today. Did you feel regretful for not exploring Hongcun more and experiencing the local culture, or did you prefer this unexpected surprise?"

Seeing the students still holding the dyed fruit they couldn't eat, Guan Yin sighed. He had warned them many times not to buy it, but some students still succumbed to their curiosity.

One is a so-called "prune" made by cutting grapes into individual pieces and then applying oil; the other is a real prune that has been peeled, dyed, and then soaked in sweeteners, and is ultimately forced to be called a "golden prune"...

This "magical" fruit is a common sight in tourist areas, and despite all warnings and precautions, it's impossible to stop children's "curiosity."

"Teacher, this tastes awful."

"Now I suddenly understand why we always advised parents to bring cash for their kids when they were young, and not to bring cell phones!" Guan Yin said sarcastically, then sighed heavily. "I asked a friend to buy some loquats, and I'll share them with you when we get back to the hotel."

"Okay, thank you, teacher!"

"Teacher Guan is the best!"

The students' chorus of voices drew the attention of the homeroom teacher. Meeting the teacher's approving and affirming gaze, Guan Yinzhen realized—she was finally back.

"Teacher, I've never eaten a loquat before. Does it grow on a tree?"

Before Guan Yin could speak, a student had already scoffed, "How could you not have eaten it before? Never eaten fresh? Never even tried Sichuan fritillary loquat syrup?"

"That tastes awful."

"There is a difference between medicine and fresh fruit. The teacher will wash them and bring them to you later."

The water is shallow and the sky is clear. The white walls and black tiles in the distance no longer hide stories of heartache, helplessness, or deceit and scheming. Instead, there are still osmanthus blossoms in early autumn, sweet and slightly sour loquats, and the unchanging black and white of the white walls and black tiles.

"Teacher, is your house also like this? Like this... um, Hui-style architecture?"

"Teacher, is this kind of big room like a courtyard house in Beijing, which is not something that ordinary people can afford to live in?"

Guan Yin was well-liked by the students. A group of children chattered around him, asking him all sorts of questions, and Guan Yin answered them all with great patience.

As dusk approached, Hongcun took on a different appearance, except that Cheng Heng and his group were no longer in this picture, nor was Guan Yin's student study tour group.

The lights, white walls, black tiles, water ripples, weeping willows, small bridges... remain in their original places.