Chapter 42: Do You Think of Yourselves as Trash?

“Everything is fine. I can see that young Master Luo is growing up well, so you can rest assured.” Back in those years, when Luo Jiantao’s wife was pregnant, a checkup revealed the fetus was not well. If they terminated the pregnancy, it would be almost impossible for her to conceive again.

But if she gave birth, the child would likely be plagued by illnesses, perhaps even disabled. The Luo family had only one heir per generation; their lineage could not be allowed to end this way!

So, Luo Jiantao sought out hospitals far and wide, and eventually heard about Yin Fengmian’s remarkable skills. He came to her in hope, and after taking a few doses of her medicine, another checkup miraculously revealed that the fetus’s indicators were perfectly normal!

From then on, Luo Jiantao would send gifts up the mountain for every festival and holiday. Naturally, he became acquainted with Shen Chutang and knew very well the place she held in Yin Fengmian’s heart.

Moreover, he could see that this young girl had a talent that might even surpass her master; her abilities were by no means inferior to Yin Fengmian’s. When he heard Luo Shencheng mention Shen Chutang’s name earlier, he had thought it was just someone with the same name. He never expected it would truly be her!

“Thank Miss Shen for her concern. To have you come as my son’s teacher is our good fortune indeed. Please rest assured, I’ll make sure he behaves himself!”

Shen Chutang handed the phone back to Luo Shencheng. He accepted it, but was immediately met with a torrent of scolding from Luo Jiantao on the other end.

In eighteen years, Luo Jiantao had never even raised his voice at him. Luo Shencheng was stunned—who was this Shen Chutang?

Shen Chutang smiled with innocent charm. “You’ve prepared gifts for me, and even knelt before me. It would hardly be right if I didn’t offer you a present in return.”

With that, she loosened the cord at her waist and placed it on the teacher’s desk.

“Teacher, you’re not going to undress in the classroom, are you…” someone joked, reckless with their words. But then, they saw the cord begin to move.

The speaker’s eyes widened in shock. That was no cord—it was unmistakably a snake! Was this woman mad, using a snake as a belt?

The snake opened its bloody maw, flicking its tongue, its gaze cold and menacing as it stared at everyone in the classroom.

Shen Chutang extended her hand, and the snake obediently coiled around her arm, though its upper half remained poised and alert.

Looking at the three students standing at the front, Shen Chutang arched her lips in a sly smile. “Why are you still up here? Don’t you want to greet your new friend?”

The three of them hurried back to their seats. Now, all twenty students in the class were sitting in perfect order, their eyes fixed on Shen Chutang without a single blink.

“All right, now let me talk about the rules for this class. No skipping or leaving early; pay attention in class. No bullying classmates or picking on the weak. No disrespecting the teacher; honor your teachers and value learning. Is that clear?”

“Crystal clear!”

“Good. Clear your desks and prepare for a test.”

Instantly, wails of protest rose throughout the classroom.

“Teacher, why are we taking a test the moment you join our class?”

Shen Chutang produced a stack of test papers. “It’s all right. Just write what you can. I need to get a sense of your abilities.”

Luo Shencheng grumbled as he tidied his desk, “So what if you do? We’re all hopeless anyway.”

Shen Chutang looked at him. “Do you think you’re dumber than everyone else?”

Of course Luo Shencheng would never admit that. He instinctively wanted to retort, but the sight of the snake coiled around Shen Chutang’s arm made him hesitate. Reluctantly, he said, “It’s not what we say—everyone else says it. Our Z class is garbage; everyone in it is a hopeless case. But they’re not wrong. Studying isn’t the only way out, anyway!”

After entering Z class, students and even teachers would talk behind their backs. They were used to it. Shen Chutang must have come to this class simply because she didn’t know much about them yet. In time, she would surely become like everyone else.

Shen Chutang placed the snake back in its jar and leaned on the teacher’s desk with both hands. “I’ve seen people regret spending a fortune on something worthless. I’ve seen people regret leaving a good job. I’ve seen people regret trusting the wrong person. But I’ve never seen anyone regret getting an education.”

The classroom fell silent for a moment.

Shen Chutang swept her gaze over the group. “Do you all think you’re trash?”

No one answered.

She asked again, “What’s wrong, is that a hard question?”

A loud chorus replied, “No!”

Shen Chutang nodded. “From this moment on, we have only one goal: all twenty students in this class will get into college. Not a single one will be left behind.”

For a moment, everyone was stunned again.

None of them had ever dared to hope they could get into college. Their only plan was to finish the college entrance exam, go abroad, and find any university to get a diploma. But they never imagined Shen Chutang would say she’d take them all to college.

A girl timidly asked, “Teacher, are you kidding? Do you really think we can?”

After all, even their families had given up on them. As long as they didn’t cause trouble, it didn’t matter what they did—no one ever dreamed they might still make it to college.