The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 269: Chapter 269: Got Caught

Han Xiaorui beamed, her eyes sparkling. ”Absolutely! I can’t wait.”

Back home, Wu Yao had already returned from the market. She was busy cutting vegetables into small pieces and threading them onto bamboo skewers.

Yang Zhigang brought a bottle of fine liquor, Wu Cuicui came with her homemade mung bean cakes, and Yang Jianguo had just arrived from the docks with a haul of wriggling fresh fish and shrimp.

And what’s a barbecue without garlic-roasted oysters?

They were a must!

The oysters, having already purged their grit, were scrubbed clean and then shucked.

Granny Cai came over with her son, daughter-in-law, and grandson.

An occasion like this wouldn’t be complete without Granny Cai’s signature barbecue seasonings and sauces.

The barbecue was getting underway, but Han Xiaoqing, who should have been home by now, still hadn’t returned.

”Wu Jiao, didn’t Xiaoqing say she was coming home today?” Han Xiaorui asked. ”It’s almost dark. Why isn’t she back?”

Wu Jiao scratched her forehead. ”I don’t know either. I’ll give her a call and ask!”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”You stay here and keep busy. I’ll go make the call.”

Han Xiaorui dialed the number Han Xiaoqing had left for her—it was her guidance counselor’s.

When the teacher on the other end heard that Han Xiaoqing was supposed to be home but hadn’t arrived, she grew worried as well.

Although public safety had improved significantly after a recent crime crackdown, criminals still lurked.

A beautiful college student like Han Xiaoqing could easily become a target.

Teacher Zhao quickly made some inquiries and discovered that Han Xiaoqing had been brought to the department director’s office and was being reprimanded.

Teacher Zhao was shocked. ’Han Xiaoqing has always been a model student,’ she thought. ’What could she have possibly done to be getting disciplined?’

Although she didn’t have all the details, she decided to call Han Xiaoqing’s family first.

”Ms. Han, Han Xiaoqing is still at the university. She and a few other students are in the department director’s office being disciplined for some mistake they made.”

”Please don’t worry. I’m on my way to find out what’s going on. Han Xiaoqing is a diligent student who always follows the rules. I’m sure she wouldn’t do anything too out of line. It’s probably a misunderstanding.”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Thank you for your help, Teacher Zhao. I’m not busy, so I’ll head over to pick my sister up.”

Teacher Zhao agreed. ”That’s a good idea. It’ll save her from traveling alone at night, which can be dangerous.”

Han Xiaorui hung up the phone. She brought a plate of barbecue over to Ye Feng. ”Eat up, and lay off the drinks. Xiaoqing’s gotten into a bit of trouble at school. I have to go get her.”

Hearing this, Ye Feng asked curiously, ”What happened?”

Han Xiaorui replied, ”Teacher Zhao wasn’t sure herself. She just said she was going to find out more.”

Ye Feng got to his feet and grabbed his keys. ”I’ve already had a few bites, so I’m not hungry. Let’s go now.”

Han Xiaorui called out to the others, ”Xiaoqing’s run into some trouble at school, so we’re going to get her! You all take your time and enjoy yourselves!”

Ye Feng drove Han Xiaorui straight to East China Normal University.

Meanwhile, earlier that afternoon after classes ended, Han Xiaoqing and her classmates were on campus selling small, freshwater ornamental fish. Their main selling point was that the fish were cheap and easy to care for.

The university had a strict rule against students running businesses on campus.

But with classes during the day, and it being unsafe to go out at night, they had little choice.

So, they decided to break the rules, setting up shop near the cafeteria entrance or the library—anywhere with high foot traffic—to sell their small ornamental fish and tanks.

They never stayed in one spot for long, moving every twenty minutes to half an hour.

These guerrilla tactics proved to be very effective.

By the time the student council members responsible for campus discipline spotted them, Han Xiaoqing and her friends would have already packed up their buckets and fled.

Over the past few days, thanks to these nimble tactics, they had sold a lot of fish.

All the money they earned was given to Teacher Wei.

Teacher Wei diligently wrote a receipt for every contribution and shuttled between the school and the hospital, ensuring Zhao Wencui could receive treatment and undergo surgery without any added financial stress.

However, someone had figured out their pattern.

And so, on this day, just as Han Xiaoqing was about to pack up and head home, the student council members finally caught them. They were all escorted to the department director’s office.

Han Xiaoqing, Sun Dandan, and Wu Yunqian stood in a line against the wall.

Director Zhou frowned. ”The university has rules against running a business on campus. Your primary responsibility is to study, not to make money. Are your course loads too light? Do you have too much free time on your hands?”

Sun Dandan, her heart pounding with anxiety, spoke up. ”Director Zhou, we weren’t doing this to make money for ourselves.”

”Not for money? Then what for?” Director Zhou said, his anger rising. ”Instead of admitting your mistake, you’re making excuses? Are you looking for official disciplinary action?” ’Caught red-handed and still refusing to confess,’ he thought irritably.

Wu Yunqian was so frightened she burst into tears. ”Director Zhou, please don’t be angry! We weren’t earning money for ourselves! It was for our roommate, Zhao Wencui!”

”She’s the student who got into that car accident a few days ago. Her family is very poor and can’t afford her medical expenses. Han Xiaoqing’s family owns an ornamental fish farm, so we got the fish from them to sell to other students. All the money we made from our stall yesterday, we gave it all to Zhao Wencui’s counselor, Teacher Wei.”

”That’s right!” Han Xiaoqing nodded, pulling a slip of paper from her bag. ”This is the receipt Teacher Wei wrote for us yesterday. She already took the money to the hospital this morning.”

”The doctors said the sooner she has the surgery, the better the outcome will be. We were hoping to earn enough not just for the operation, but also to help Zhao Wencui recover properly so she can come back to school healthy next year.”

Director Zhou was taken aback. He accepted the slip of paper from Han Xiaoqing and confirmed that it was indeed a receipt from Teacher Wei.

The anger drained from Director Zhou’s face, replaced by a sigh of relief. ’They’re good kids,’ he thought. He really didn’t want to have to punish them.

”This is your side of the story. I still need to confirm the details with Teacher Wei. If everything you’ve said is true, I’ll let it slide this time. But if you’re lying, or if this happens again, there will be disciplinary consequences.”

Hearing this, Han Xiaoqing nodded vigorously. ”I understand, Director. I promise it won’t happen again.”

’The money still isn’t enough,’ she thought. ’I’ll wait until the weekend and set up a stall outside other university gates. I’ll just pretend to be a regular street vendor.’

Just then, Teacher Zhao and Teacher Wei arrived. As Zhao Wencui’s counselor, Teacher Wei had the most thorough understanding of the situation.

Teacher Wei immediately vouched for the students. ”Director Zhou, they didn’t break the rules with malicious intent; they were just trying to help a classmate. I can guarantee this won’t happen again.”

Teacher Zhao, as Han Xiaoqing’s counselor, chimed in with her own assurances. ”Han Xiaoqing has always been an excellent, hardworking student. She was only trying to help her classmate. Her heart was in the right place.”

Director Zhou turned to Teacher Wei. ”How much more money does the student need?”

Teacher Wei answered, ”She still needs another two thousand six hundred yuan. For her family, that’s an astronomical sum.”

Director Zhou thought for a moment. ”I can submit a request to the university administration. I should be able to get an approval for one thousand yuan. As for the rest...”

Han Xiaoqing raised her hand. ”My classmates and I will raise the rest.”

”Are you planning to sell ornamental fish on campus again?” Director Zhou asked. He felt a bit unreasonable forbidding it under the circumstances, but he also knew that a university this large had to be managed strictly, or things could easily get out of hand.