Cangmang Asks the Way 1: Guardian of the Lamp

The air in the teacher's office at Jixian No. 1 Primary School was as thick as lead, and even the light coming through the window seemed murky.

Lin Wanqing's father, Lin Jianmin, arrived first. He was like a statue covered in mud and rust, wrapped in dark blue, greasy work clothes, his hair sticking to his forehead, his eyes puffy and dark, and the strong smell of cheap liquor and overnight sweat assaulted everyone's nostrils. He barged in, his cloudy eyes scanning the room, and instantly locked onto the small, thin figure in the corner that seemed to be almost huddled against the wall—Lin Wanqing.

"Damn it, it's you again, you good-for-nothing! I work myself to the bone all day, and what the hell have you gotten into trouble with at school this time?"

Zhang Zhengping frowned, suppressing his discomfort, and repeated in a serious and rigid tone the words "indecent behavior", "bad influence", "needs parental cooperation in discipline", and subtly pointed out the rumor of "being too close to male classmates".

"Too intimate!" Lin Jianmin's voice suddenly rose, like a broken gong being struck. He whirled around, his bloodshot eyes almost bulging out of their sockets. "You shameless little slut, you're a carbon copy of your mother who ran off with some wild man! I tightened my belt to send you to school, and instead of learning anything good, you've learned to seduce little brats? You've made me lose all face!"

He took a sudden step forward, raised his large hand, and slapped Lin Wanqing's pale face hard! "I'll beat you to death today, you disgraceful wretch!"

"Stop! This is a school!" Zhang Zhengping, his face pale with fright, hurriedly stood up to try and stop them, while the other teachers also cried out and gathered around. Lin Wanqing let out a short sob, instinctively covering her head and curling up. Her thin body trembled like a kite with a broken string in a storm.

Just as that fan-like hand was about to strike, Zhou Zhenhua, who had just arrived, moved with the speed of a cheetah. His right hand precisely seized Lin Jianmin's raised right wrist, his fingers gripping it tightly like an iron clamp, and he twisted and pulled it downwards and to the side. At the same time, his feet moved in a staggered fashion, cutting into the gap in front of Lin Jianmin. His left arm bent, and he used the hard triangle of his elbow to slam into the nerve plexus under Lin Jianmin's armpit, which had been exposed due to the forward thrust.

"Ugh!" Lin Jianmin felt a sudden, sharp pain and numbness in his entire right arm, as if the bones had been removed. His slap fell limply in mid-air, and his massive body lost its balance due to the force of the blow. With a muffled thud, he fell sideways to the ground in a sorry state. Half of his body hit the leg of the desk, making him grimace in pain.

"Try touching her again!" Zhou Zhenhua stared down at Lin Jianmin, who was lying on the ground, his eyes filled with resentment and a hint of fear as he looked at him.

Then, he turned to Zhang Zhengping, who was still in shock, and said in a steady voice, "Teacher Zhang, I am Zhou Zhenhua, Cang Tianci's coach. His parents live in the countryside and have entrusted me with all the responsibilities for him in the county town. Talk to me about Cang Tianci's matter." He patted Cang Tianci's shoulder reassuringly, as Cang Tianci, who had witnessed everything, was trembling with anger.

Zhang Zhengping was stunned by the sudden violent confrontation and Zhou Zhenhua's imposing manner. After regaining his composure, he habitually adopted a stern expression and reiterated the "case" and its "negative impact," ending with an emphasis: "Coach Zhou, look how bad the impact is. Rumors are flying everywhere, seriously disrupting teaching order and corrupting the class's atmosphere. Cang Tianci, as a sports school student, must pay even more attention to his moral character, and what about Lin Wanqing…?" He glanced at Lin Jianmin, who was slumped on the ground panting, and Lin Wanqing, who was still trembling, paused, and then added with even greater emphasis, "Indecent behavior, lack of self-respect—the school and family must work together to strictly manage them!"

Suppressing his anger, Zhou Zhenhua glared at Zhang Zhengping and retorted, "Teacher Zhang, I heard about the 'situation' you mentioned. But as Tianci's coach and actual guardian, I know his dedication better than anyone. This child sweats profusely on the playground before dawn every day, and rushes to class after training, just so he won't miss a single minute of learning. He and Lin Wanqing support each other and progress together, their leaps in grades are obvious to all. This is the most precious friendship and the healthiest mutual assistance between classmates, what's wrong with that?"

He stepped forward, his imposing manner commanding: "As for the rumors, I think the root of the problem lies in some students maliciously spreading slander out of jealousy or other dark motives. Teacher Zhang, you are an experienced homeroom teacher. Shouldn't you first investigate the truth and find the rumor-mongers when dealing with this issue? Instead of arbitrarily labeling two academically excellent and innocent children as 'misbehaving' and 'lacking self-respect' based solely on unsubstantiated gossip and what you've seen as ordinary behavior between the students—labels that could ruin their reputations and futures! Even more," he pointed sharply at Lin Jianmin, who had just been helped up by the teacher, "you know perfectly well what notifying these parents means! Are you solving the problem, or are you pushing the children into an even deeper pit of fire?"

Zhou Zhenhua's words struck like a hammer blow, each sentence hitting the mark. Zhang Zhengping's face flushed red and then paled. He knew deep down that Zhou Zhenhua was in the right, but the words "call the police" and "confrontation" conjured up images of endless trouble and the possibility of things spiraling out of control. He had to end this chaos immediately and bring everything back to the "order" he could control, even if that order was built on the suffering of two students. He forced himself to argue, "Coach Zhou! Are you questioning my judgment? So many students have complained..."

"What are you reporting?" Zhou Zhenhua interrupted sharply. "Besides Zhao Xiaohu and those other students who have a grudge against Tianci and are clearly adding fuel to the fire, do you have any solid evidence? Letters? Notes? Or did someone witness them doing anything inappropriate? If not, just because they are deskmates, studying together, and getting a little closer, based on rumors and your conjecture, you've made such severe punishments as changing seats, writing self-criticisms, and notifying parents, even publicly insulting a female student with the term 'lack of self-respect.' Teacher Zhang, is this how you teach?" The principles of education? Is this the fairness you uphold? If you insist on handling this, fine, bring Zhao Xiaohu and his accomplices in now, and let's lay everything out in front of both sets of parents. Let's see who is spreading rumors and who is truly undermining class discipline and school rules. I demand that the school immediately investigate the source of the rumors and severely punish the rumor-mongers. Furthermore," he turned his gaze to Lin Jianmin and said firmly, "Lin Jianmin beat his underage daughter; this is serious domestic violence. I will call the police now and request their intervention."

"Call the police!" Lin Jianmin and Zhang Zhengping exclaimed simultaneously, their expressions changing drastically.

Zhang Zhengping's face turned a deep purplish-red. Zhou Zhenhua pointed out that Zhao Xiaohu was the source and demanded a confrontation, directly shattering his plan to simply settle the matter peacefully and avoid further investigation. Calling the police only stirred up a hornet's nest. He slammed his hand on the table, his voice sharp with anger: "Enough, Coach Zhou! Stop spreading rumors and stirring up trouble. I'm the homeroom teacher, and I'm responsible for my class. This matter has a very bad influence and must be dealt with immediately as a warning to others! Call the police? What are you calling the police for! This is a family matter, and it's none of our business. My decision is final!"

He ignored the burning anger in Zhou Zhenhua's eyes and his still-arguing expression, and even more so, he ignored the faint hope that flickered in Lin Wanqing's eyes when she suddenly looked up, only to be extinguished by despair, and the almost bursting anger in Cang Tianci's eyes. He announced in a stiff tone, as if forcibly maintaining authority and reading a verdict:

"First, Cang Tianci and Lin Wanqing must immediately change seats and carry it out!"

"Secondly, walking together after school is strictly prohibited! If I see it again, I will deal with it seriously! Mr. Lin," he turned to Lin Jianmin, whose face was fierce and who was clearly still shaken by the word "call the police," "take your daughter home, have a proper talk with her and discipline her properly, and pay attention to your methods! Coach Zhou, may God grant you permission to take your child home and educate her properly. This matter ends here, and I don't want to hear any more rumors. If anyone causes trouble again, don't blame me for punishing them strictly according to school rules! Okay, this conversation ends here. You should all take your children home and educate them properly."

"Teacher Zhang, you..." Zhou Zhenhua still wanted to argue his point.

"Get out! All of you get out! I need to work!" Zhang Zhengping interrupted rudely, grabbed a pen from the table, and scribbled furiously on a document, as if the document carried his pent-up anger and authority.

Lin Jianmin, panting heavily, glared fiercely at Zhou Zhenhua, then looked at Lin Wanqing as if she were trash. He suddenly grabbed his daughter's wrist: "You shameful thing, get back with me now!"

"Dad...no..." Lin Wanqing let out a weak moan. Just as she was about to be dragged out the door, she suddenly looked up, her large, tear-filled, desperate eyes, like those of a dying fawn, pleadingly looking at Zhou Zhenhua before quickly glancing at Cang Tianci. In those eyes was fear, humiliation, and the last, faint cry for help. When Zhou Zhenhua was forcibly blocked by Zhang Zhengping, when Cang Tianci was pinned down by Zhou Zhenhua, when she saw the burning anger in their eyes yet their helplessness—that last glimmer of light, like a candle in the wind, flickered violently a few times before finally being extinguished completely.

Her eyes instantly became empty and lifeless, as if her soul had been ripped away. Her body no longer struggled, and she allowed her father to roughly drag her out of the office and disappear into the dimly lit corridor.

Cang Tianci's body trembled violently under Zhou Zhenhua's iron grip. He watched helplessly as Lin Wanqing was dragged away, as the last light in her eyes went out, as he looked at Zhang Zhengping's indifferent profile. The anger in his chest surged like magma, almost burning away his reason.

It wasn't just anger; it was the immense shame of witnessing violence and being powerless to stop it; it was a utter chilling disillusionment with Zhang Zhengping's hypocritical rules; it was the nakedest display of the world's twisted logic—power (the Zhao family), violence (Lin Jianmin), and rigid rules (Zhang Zhengping) intertwined into an invisible giant net, easily crushing the dignity and hope of the weak. His elder brother's words echoed in his mind: "Only by understanding the twisted logic of the world can one stand tall!" This "twisted logic," at this moment, was like a cold knife, etched into his bones.

Zhou Zhenhua felt the boy under his command trembling on the verge of exploding, and increased the pressure on his hands. He whispered, "Tianci, hold back! You can't control this, go!"