In order to cultivate Peng Yu's understanding of the university campus and strengthen his desire to learn, Peng's mother told me that she hoped Peng Yu could come to our school to be influenced and have a more real understanding of what a higher education institution is.
On Sunday, I went to pick him up at the gate of the North Gate, but after waiting for a long time I didn't see him.
Before I could even get angry, he called me and said, "Teacher Xue, you can't do this. You've left me standing here alone for so long."
"Aren't I waiting for you at the door?"
"Impossible!" he angrily said.
"How can it be impossible!" I became even angrier.
It took me a long time to figure it out. He took a taxi and said he was going to University A, so the driver took him to the main campus as a matter of course, and I thought he knew I was in the West District.
I said, "Don't move. I'll go find you."
Fortunately, there is a campus bus from the West District to the main campus, which runs every ten minutes.
I found Peng Yu and prepared to get him in the car and go back to the West District.
He said, "Teacher Xue, you are not a fake student of A, are you?"
"Why?" I turned back angrily.
"Why don't you study in our headquarters instead of going to that barren place?"
I explained unhappily, "It's the same in our school. The main department only has senior undergraduates and graduate students."
"Graduate students?" Peng Yu's eyes lit up when he heard the word, "Doctoral and Master's degrees?"
"Yeah. Almost." I nodded. At least not now, and not in the future.
He glanced at the people coming and going at the gate with an admiring look: "So they are either masters or doctors?" The intensity of the light emitted from his eyes was brighter than when Xiaobai saw the handsome guy.
"Actually, Doctor... they are human beings too."
Since I became a teacher myself, I have deeply realized how speechless a teacher is when he or she encounters an invincible student.
Later, Peng Yu insisted that I take him to visit the main campus, and he was completely disdainful of the West District where I lived.
At the library, he exclaimed: "This is the largest library in our province!"
In the cafeteria, he was surprised: "This is the cafeteria with multiple escalators!!"
At the gymnasium, he praised: "This is the venue where the National University Games were held!!!"
Arriving at the entrance of the Physics Department, he shouted: "This is the most powerful fluid physics research center in our country!!!"
To be honest, I was worried that his jaw might drop and he wouldn't be able to explain to his mother when he got home.
I don't have a strong sense of direction, and I rarely come to the main campus except for specific tasks. So I was surprised that he knew our school better than I did.
I asked, "What's the runny nose?"
He said happily: "Fluid physics."
I said, "Oh. When I first heard it, I thought it was the sniffle center."
Peng Yu turned around and looked at me with a sad look in his eyes and said, "Teacher, I really feel sad for you and your school."
But halfway through the trip, Peng Yu noticed something. He said, "I think the quality of both boys and girls in your school is not that high."
"What?" I think that except for those people in our dormitory, the IQ of all the teachers and students in our school is quite high.
"Not good-looking," he continued.
I was shocked. This bastard, he is also a member of the Appearance Association.
But now that I was a teacher in front of him, I had to pretend to be serious, so I said, "That's because everyone is studying hard and not spending time on appearance."
Yes, a teacher's demeanor must be displayed.
"Oh," he said.
We had just walked a few steps when he said, "But there are exceptions. Look at that guy walking towards us. He's really handsome."
Hearing his praise, I felt that I could at least save some face for University A, and I happily followed his gaze, wanting to take a look at this good classmate who brought honor to my alma mater with her beauty.
As a result, my expression froze in the middle.
Isn’t that person Mu Chenghe
He was wearing a black coat and holding a few books, walking on the cobblestone road opposite.
"He must also be a PhD or Master?" Peng Yu asked.
"No, he's a teacher."
"Teacher?" Peng Yu stared. "A doctor's teacher is a postdoc, isn't that a postdoc?"
“… That’s not how you count it,” I said. “He’s just a substitute teacher.”
"How do you know he is a substitute teacher?" Peng Yu didn't believe it at all and continued to ask.
"Because he's substituting for us!" I explained angrily.
“Oh…” He nodded.
I thought he had been convinced by my powerful argument.
Unexpectedly, two seconds later, Peng Yu looked at Mu Chenghe with an even brighter gaze and said something that was enough to make me vomit blood and die.
He said: "Teacher Xue's teacher? That's my great master. How great!"
The master teacher probably heard the noise and turned his head to see us. At this moment, even if I wanted to pull Peng Yu away, it was too late.
Peng Yu walked over generously and bowed: "Hello, Master, I am Mr. Xue's student."
When Mu Chenghe heard Peng Yu call him that, he was suspicious at first, but after hearing the second half of the explanation, he pursed his lips in sudden realization and did not laugh out loud. But I bet he must have been very happy.
I had no choice but to follow him and say hello, then explained: "I am a tutor outside, and Peng Yu is my student who takes English lessons here."
He asked, “Are you working part-time?”
"Yeah. He's the only one. He's in high school now and he wanted to come visit our school."
He changed the book in his hand and said, "It's noon now, have you eaten yet?"
Peng Yu immediately confessed: "No."
"That's great. I'll treat you two to a meal." The master said kindly.
I wondered, could it be that being addressed as Peng Yu made him so happy that he decided to bite the bullet and treat us all
But I have always had a very devout belief in food. As long as it is delicious, I can tolerate it, whether it means I have to meet my online friends under a pseudonym or eat in front of this person who became a master in his twenties.
The three of us went to a famous Chinese restaurant near the gate of A. After eating, we would owe him a meal anyway, so we might as well charge him more.
When picking up the chopsticks, I noticed that Mu Chenghe actually used his left hand.
Not only did I notice it, Peng Yu also noticed it.
Peng Yu asked: "Teacher, are you left-handed?"
Mu Chenghe smiled: "It's just a personal habit."
This reminds me of one thing. That night, when I saw him using the computer at his house, I felt uncomfortable. Now I think it was because he wrote with his left hand.
But he usually uses his right hand whether he is writing on the blackboard in class or signing things in front of us.
I can understand this. Traditionally, Chinese people do not approve of left-handed people, so using the right hand can avoid other people's curious gazes.
But, he can write with both hands, amazing!
Peng Yu said: "I think left-handed people are very smart. Teacher, you are also smart, right?"
Mu Chenghe smiled: "Left-handed people are not as advanced as people think."
I hit Peng Yu and said, "Come on, start practicing your left hand from today and see if you can become a genius."
Peng Yu was not convinced: "That's right. It is said that Beethoven, Newton, Einstein and Bill Gates are all left-handed."
I said, "Besides the few you mentioned, what about the thousands and thousands of other great men? Aren't they all right-handed? So generally speaking, right-handed people are smarter."
Peng Yu said: "Teacher Xue, you are making up stories!"
I said, “I am just talking about the facts!”
Anyway, I will not admit that the person with the left hand is superior to us. Someone must have degenerated, not evolved.
Peng Yu and I had a quarrel at the dinner table. Even I was surprised that I would quarrel with such a young child who called me teacher.
At this time, the master came out calmly to uphold justice.
Mu Chenghe said: "Actually, I am half left-handed."
"Half?" Peng Yu was suspicious.
“I sometimes use my right hand.”
"Why?"
"I don't use my left hand all the time. Maybe the concepts of Chinese and foreigners are a little different, or when I was a child, my parents' concepts were different from now."
"Why is it different?" Peng Yu asked seriously.
"Children born in your generation probably don't feel this way, but Xue Tong may feel the same way." Mu Chenghe glanced at me and continued, "When I was young, if Chinese parents found out that their children used their left hand, they would force them to correct it. Even if they didn't succeed at home, the teachers would force the children to correct it in school."
"Why should there be discrimination?" Peng Yu didn't understand.
"It's like people think white represents purity and black represents evil. There's no reason for it," I said.
Mu Chenghe nodded: "Maybe Chinese people don't like this position, which leads to the fact that almost all words related to the left are derogatory. So I have been corrected before, but I am stubborn and always feel comfortable using my left hand. So I use my right hand when I am in front of adults during the day, and use my left hand when I do my homework at night."
"Will you be beaten if you are discovered?" Peng Yu asked with interest.
"Just don't let them know, secretly." Mu Chenghe winked at Peng Yu, "Besides, adults usually only care about which hand you use to write. As for eating, playing ball, and twisting towels, they don't care. I also twist towels backwards, so I couldn't twist them dry before. But playing badminton is quite advantageous. When I need to catch the ball with my backhand, I just switch to my right hand. When I first started learning to write in primary school, I was left-handed so I wrote all the words backwards. No one could understand except me, and it could be used as a special password."
Peng Yu laughed: "It's so funny."
In fact, although I don’t want to admit it, I actually enjoyed listening to Mu Chenghe talking about the trivialities of his childhood.
"There are also troubles. Many things are designed for right-handed people and do not take the needs of left-handed people into consideration. For example, I hate using scissors the most because I can't cut anything without using my right hand. And if I use a public computer, I will never get used to other people's mice. In short, the left hand and the right hand will start a lifelong struggle with each other."
"Yes," I turned to face Peng Yu and said proudly, "It's better to use the right hand."
Mu Chenghe glanced at me, raised his lips but said nothing.
I turned my head and looked outside through the glass, and happened to see the building of the computer city across the street, with a huge advertisement hanging on the outside of the building.
On the left is a sexy goddess in a red evening gown holding a blood-red notebook with two lines of words printed next to it. The first line reads "Extremely thin and light, beautiful and tempting", and the second line reads "Amazing listing price: 6888".
The advertisement on the right is for a famous domestic brand. It shows a black desktop computer with a simple message "Christmas shocking student price: 3999".
Peng Yu said unconvincedly: "But I heard that left-handed people are more likely to be geniuses, especially those with extraordinary abilities in abstract thinking and mathematical calculations."
I couldn't help but laugh: "Come on, no matter how strong your calculation ability is, can it be faster than a calculator?"
Peng Yu puffed his cheeks and said, "That's not necessarily true!"
I pointed at the numbers on the two advertisements outside the window and said to Peng Yu earnestly, "How can it be uncertain? Can anyone calculate 6888 times 3999 in one breath?"
Just when we were about to continue arguing, I heard Mu Chenghe answer calmly from the side: "27545112." Almost without thinking.
"Huh?" Peng Yu and I were both stunned.
"I say, the answer is 27545112." He repeated it again to us who were stunned, and his tone was so gentle and refreshing.