Shadow Heir II: Dark Glory - Chapter 43

Early the next morning, Jiang Wanxing began her drive to Liangshan.

She didn’t know if the head of the Operations Department had done it on purpose, but he had arranged for a green military Jeep, as if afraid Jiang Wanxing wouldn’t be conspicuous enough.

The drive would take about three or four hours.

In the past, to reach Tianji Middle School, one would have to leave their vehicle at the foot of the mountain and hike over the ridges. However, after the school was completed, a mountain road was opened up. Although the lane was narrow, it at least allowed the wind from the outside world to blow along this path and into the deep mountains.

Finally, in the afternoon, a travel-worn Jiang Wanxing emerged from the mountains and saw the gates of Tianji Middle School.

Four large characters, written with iron hooks and silver strokes, closely resembled the calligraphy on the gate of Linjiang University, but there was no signature. The simple, plain gate was wide open, and students were hurrying in and out of classrooms and the cafeteria. Some students were even running while eating, chasing time and the sun that hadn’t yet set.

“A private middle school, all impoverished students, tuition completely free, one hundred percent college admission rate…”

Jiang Wanxing murmured these words softly. Anyone born in China knew just how shocking these phrases were when put together; it was tantamount to a miracle.

At the school gate, there was a line of text that read: Recruiting teachers and volunteers year-round.

Educational resources here were relatively scarce to begin with. Even if Tianji Middle School was willing to pay high salaries, not many teachers were willing to dedicate their lives to these vast mountains. Moreover, the school was completely free. Just the teaching and operational costs alone would amount to a huge sum every year.

Jiang Wanxing’s eyes grew a little misty. Perhaps only a place like this could raise a girl like Song Zhiyu, could nurture such a clear and pure gaze.

Then, she thought of her useless younger brother and shook her head. “When Jiang Haobing is on break, I’ll drag him here to be a volunteer.”

Several box trucks were at the school gate, unloading rice, flour, oil, and cotton clothes. Some teachers were personally helping to move the goods.

At this moment, the old man from the school’s reception room walked out with a cane and asked, “Little sister, what are you here for?”

Hearing this form of address, Jiang Wanxing felt a sudden warmth. She smiled and said, “Hello, Uncle. I’ve heard about Tianji Middle School for a long time. I happened to be passing by today, so I came to take a look.”

“Our school is deep in these old forests; how could anyone just happen to pass by?” The old man laughed. “Little sister, you came here on purpose, didn’t you?”

Jiang Wanxing smiled and nodded. “I want to donate some money to Tianji Middle School.”

It was true. Before coming here, she had already planned to donate, and after seeing the school, her resolve to do so had only strengthened. This school carried the dreams of so many children to walk out of the mountains. The weight of these dreams shouldn’t be borne by Su Wuji alone.

The old man chuckled. “Autumn has already begun. The donations we received in the first half of the year are enough. The principal said we won’t accept any more donations from anyone this year.”

“A little more wouldn’t hurt, right?” Jiang Wanxing said. “Running a school requires spending money in too many places.”

“That won’t do. Our school has rules. We’re not here to make money, so we can’t take extra,” the old man said. “If you want to donate, come back next year.”

Saying this, he pointed to the box trucks and said, “Look, two days ago, a very pretty little sister came to donate too, but the principal wouldn’t accept it. Today, she brought a few truckloads of supplies instead.”

Looking at the rice, flour, grain, oil, and cotton clothes, Jiang Wanxing realized, “So these are also donations.”

“By the way, Uncle, is the person who donated to build this school named Su Wuji?” Jiang Wanxing finally took the initiative to ask.

“You asked the right person. Nowadays, not many people in Tianji Middle School know about Teacher Little Su. He didn’t want any publicity himself; he didn’t even set up a donation monument,” the old man said.

“Teacher Little Su is so low-key…” Jiang Wanxing shook her head and smiled. If she hadn’t experienced the Sister Fen incident with him, it would really be hard to connect that flashy bar owner with this noble image before her.

The old man sighed with emotion. “Teacher Little Su is truly a good person. My leg was crushed by a steel beam at a construction site in the south. After I came back, I could only live on subsistence allowances. It was Teacher Little Su who was willing to take me in. The school provides food and housing, and gives me two thousand five hundred yuan a month.”

Jiang Wanxing looked thoughtful, then said, “That Su Wuji really is an impressive character. To build a school here and achieve a one hundred percent undergraduate acceptance rate isn’t something that can be done with just money.”

“Who says it isn’t? The teachers work hard, the government helped a lot, and the children’s lives have been changed. Teacher Little Su has gained boundless merit.”

The old man laughed heartily, then pointed to the gate and said, “Look, the one donating supplies this time is that little sister over there. Just like you, as soon as she arrived, she asked about Teacher Little Su.”

Jiang Wanxing pursed her lips, her earlobes slightly warm. She had done reconnaissance work in the military for so long, yet this time she had exposed her purpose so obviously.

Jiang Wanxing looked in the direction the old man was pointing. A girl wearing a thin jacket and jeans was holding a large stack of cotton clothes, stepping down from the back of a truck. Her movements were crisp and efficient, without a hint of fragility or clumsiness.

This girl was truly beautiful. Her appearance seemed to make the evening sunlight several shades brighter.

Jiang Wanxing was stunned for a moment. “Mu Qianyu?”

Yes, the girl appearing at the gate of Tianji Middle School was Mu Qianyu!

Jiang Wanxing naturally knew what Mu Qianyu looked like. After all, the Mu family had previously expressed interest in a marriage alliance with Fang Jingyang of the Fang family. And Fang Jingyang was the son of Jiang Wanxing’s eldest uncle.

The old gatekeeper glanced at Jiang Wanxing. “You two know each other? Both little sisters are beautiful and kind-hearted.”

“I’ve heard of her, but this is my first time seeing her,” Jiang Wanxing said.

At this moment, the light in her eyes became somewhat playful. After all, Su Wuji had once told her that he was pretending to be Mu Qianyu’s boyfriend only because of the Mu family’s power, forced by them. Now it seemed that wasn’t the case at all.

“Hmph, scumbag,” Jiang Wanxing muttered softly.

Seeing Mu Qianyu busy with work, she rolled up her sleeves and walked forward to help.

Mu Qianyu didn’t see Jiang Wanxing at first. It wasn’t until all the grain, oil, and cotton clothes were moved that she noticed the pretty girl.

“Thank you.” Mu Qianyu handed Jiang Wanxing a wet wipe to clean the dust off her hands. “You’re not a teacher at the school, are you?”

Even though she knew the Fang family in the Capital well, and knew Fang Jingyang had a cousin named Jiang Wanxing, Mu Qianyu didn’t make the connection at that moment. After all, due to her profession, Jiang Wanxing hadn’t left any public photos in the outside world for the past few years.

“My name is Jiang Wanxing, from the Capital.” Jiang Wanxing extended her hand, smiling. “Miss Mu, I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Having her name called out directly, Mu Qianyu was slightly surprised, then immediately shook hands with Jiang Wanxing and laughed. “I didn’t expect it either… To be honest, if we had met in Linzhou, I would have thought Sister Wanxing wanted to talk to me about the marriage alliance with the Fang family.”

Her smile was natural, without any defensiveness.

“I can’t be bothered with my cousin’s marriage,” Jiang Wanxing laughed. “I just heard that Miss Mu sternly rejected the family alliance. I truly admire that, so I wanted to go to Linzhou to see such an extraordinary woman.”

“Sister Wanxing, just call me Qianyu,” Mu Qianyu laughed. “I don’t deserve to be called extraordinary; I just wanted to fight for my own destiny, but…”

“But what?” Jiang Wanxing asked.

Mu Qianyu took out two bottles of mineral water and handed one to Jiang Wanxing. “I told everyone I went to the Capital, but actually, I came to Liangshan. How did Sister Wanxing know I was here?”

Jiang Wanxing took a sip of water. “It was a chance encounter. Before coming to Tianji Middle School, I didn’t know you were here.”

Mu Qianyu immediately guessed the reason!

The light in her eyes flickered, her pupils sparkling beautifully in the setting sun. “Sister Wanxing knows Wuji?”

“Wuji…”

Jiang Wanxing instinctively sensed an unusual relationship between the two from this form of address. However, this female officer liked to be direct.

Jiang Wanxing looked straight into Mu Qianyu’s eyes and smiled gently, a smile that also held seriousness.

“I’ve only known him for three days, but he left a very deep impression. I accidentally learned about this school and really wanted to come here to take a look.”

Mu Qianyu met her gaze, her smile unchanged, her voice soft. “What a coincidence. Me too.”

NOTES

“Boundless merit.” A Buddhist term used to describe great charitable deeds that accumulate spiritual merit.