Urban Martial Saint

After Lin Tianyou returned to Shenchuan City, Ye Qing had him take a look at Huang Fulin’s granddaughter’s condition. By the sound of Huang Fulin, the result seemed quite good.

Actually, this was normal. Xiao Bei’s condition wasn’t serious; the key was that surgery was needed, which would cost a substantial amount of money. Ye Qing had now purchased his land for a high price, and with money on hand, treating his granddaughter’s illness was no longer a difficult thing. Of course, having Lin Tianyou treat her added even more assurance, and thus Huang Fulin was extremely grateful to Ye Qing.

Moreover, Huang Fulin’s days were going quite well now. With such a large sum of money for retirement, he could live without worry, spending each day with his wife, taking care of these children. His three sons also dared not come to stir up trouble anymore; his life now was like living in a fairy tale.

Of course, Huang Fulin was also very devoted to these children. He prepared varied meals for them every day, and insisted on paying out of his own pocket, refusing to accept Ye Qing’s money. In the end, Ye Qing had no choice but to contact the vegetable seller, paying in advance to have daily necessities delivered, which finally allowed Huang Fulin to save the money.

The children were also very fond of Huang Fulin. After all, they had lacked affection and care before, when even daily meals were a struggle and they would often get beaten up. Now with Huang Fulin looking after them, their lives were much better than before. They would constantly call him ”grandpa,” which Huang Fulin found endearing.

Ye Qing greeted Huang Fulin with a smile and after chatting for a bit, he went upstairs to find Fang Tingyun.

In the upstairs room, Fang Tingyun was sitting with an elderly man with white-haired. The old man was not young anymore, wearing thick glasses and an old Chinese tunic suit that had faded from washing, awkwardly holding a teacup and looking very much like an intellectual from a bygone era. Ye Qing had seen him once before, from a distance, when the construction of the orphanage began. Now that he had visited in person, Ye Qing wondered what it could be about.

Fang Tingyun was chatting with him and upon seeing Ye Qing enter, she immediately stood up and said with a smile, ”Ye, you’re here!”

Then she introduced the old man, ”Principal Wu, this is Boss Ye, the one who invested in building the orphanage.”

The old man hastily set his teacup on the table, turned his head nervously to look at Ye Qing, and reached out his hand sheepishly, saying, ”Mr. Ye, no... no, Boss Ye, hello…”

Seeing the old man’s unease, Ye Qing smiled lightly and shook his hand, saying, ”Principal Wu, no need to be so formal, just call me Ye Qing. Please, take a seat!”

Ye Qing and the old man sat down on either side, and Ye Qing looked at Fang Tingyun, wondering what this was all about.

”Ye, let me introduce you,” Fang Tingyun said. ”This is Principal Wu, the former headmaster of the Erdao Village primary school. Erdao Village primary school is private and was recently inspected and found to have dangerous buildings, leading to its temporary closure. The children from the school had to go back home, unable to continue their studies. So, Principal Wu is here to see if we have any spare classrooms to provide just a few for the children of Erdao Village, which would be enough!”

”Not many, not many, just three… no, two classrooms would suffice!” Principal Wu looked nervously at Ye Qing, afraid of being turned down as he pinned all his hope here. Three classrooms would make it possible for the students to go in, and they could study in separate classes at different times. But two classrooms would be too cramped. Yet, he had to lower his expectations, as arranging even one classroom for the children was no easy task.

”Ye, Principal Wu is a good man. The Erdao Village primary school was actually built by Principal Wu personally going from house to house, collecting funds from former students. However, due to limited funds, the buildings weren’t built sturdy enough, and now the children have no classrooms and have been sent home to herd sheep and cattle,” Fang Tingyun said, looking at Ye Qing. ”Ye, do you think you could help Principal Wu out?”

Principal Wu looked at Ye Qing with a pitiful expression, saying, ”If it’s really not possible to spare more, one… just one classroom would be enough…”

Ye Qing finally understood why Principal Wu had come. Seeing the faded clothes on Principal Wu, he couldn’t help but feel a flood of emotion. Without a doubt, Principal Wu was another person like Gu Xianping, preferring to live a life of modest means himself to secure a future for the children. Running that private school, he probably didn’t earn much as a headmaster, but he devoted himself to thinking of these children, which filled Ye Qing with immense respect for him!

After pondering for a moment, Ye Qing asked, ”Principal Wu, how many students do you have in total at your school?”

”Over one hundred thirty people...” Principal Wu said.

Ye Qing nodded and asked, ”Then, how many teachers does your school have?”

”Including myself, four in total. One is an old substitute teacher from the village, and two are my former students who didn’t do well in the college entrance exams, but teaching primary school is still manageable for them,” Principal Wu paused, then looked at Ye Qing somberly and whispered, ”Boss Ye, they are all children from poor families, their families really can’t afford the tuition fees. So, regarding money, I really have no solution. Boss Ye, you are a kind-hearted person, could you possibly also help these children?”

”Principal Wu, rest assured, I’ve got this covered!” Ye Qing looked at Principal Wu and said warmly, ”Just let those children come here to study. However many classrooms you need, just tell me, I’ll make sure to arrange them for you. As for the tuition fees, don’t worry about it, I’ll cover all of that. Moreover, Erdao Village is too far from here, so if the kids are willing, I can also provide food and accommodation for free. And if they don’t want to stay here, I can buy a few school buses to pick them up and drop them off every day for school!”

”Really?” Principal Wu’s eyes widened in astonishment, he looked at Ye Qing, his lips trembling, his face unable to contain the excitement.

Fang Tingyun chuckled on the side and said, ”Principal Wu, I told you, Ye is a good man. He will definitely take care of the children’s matters!”

”Ye... Boss Ye, thank you so much, truly, thank you!” Principal Wu said as he bent over, about to kneel on the ground.

”Principal Wu, please don’t do this!” Ye Qing hurried to support Principal Wu and said, ”I’ve got all of this, but I do have a request.”

”Oh?” Principal Wu was taken aback for a moment, then looked at Ye Qing and said, ”Boss Ye, as long as it’s about getting the children an education, whatever request you have, just say it. Even if it costs me my life, I’ll do it for you!”

”Principal Wu, you jest,” Ye Qing said with a smile, ”It’s nothing major, mainly because the orphanage I’ve just started also needs teachers for the children to learn. However, I only have one teacher here now, and it’s not easy to recruit more. I was thinking of asking for your students to come over here, and also hiring your teachers to come as well, to teach both my kids here and your students together. That way, I can also put my mind at ease. Principal Wu, what do you think?”

Principal Wu initially thought Ye Qing had some other request, but upon hearing this, he immediately let out a sigh of relief and gratefully said, ”Boss Ye, this... this is quite easy to handle. That school of mine has been shut down, and those three teachers are now unemployed, so hiring them would be good for them too. Boss Ye, I... I also thank you on their behalf!”

”Actually, it’s me who should thank you for the children!” Ye Qing said with a smile, ”I started this orphanage on a whim, and in fact, there’s a lot I don’t understand. Take education, for instance, having a professional like you in charge would certainly ease my worries. After all, I’m responsible for these children now, and if my ignorance led to their education suffering, then I would be to blame. Principal Wu, with your wealth of experience, I was thinking of hiring you as well to be the principal of the school here, to take full charge of school matters, if that’s convenient for you?”

Principal Wu’s greatest desire was to see children receive an education. He had been retired for several years but was still striving for the children. After all, he had been in the education sector for so many years, and to suddenly leave it all behind made him feel a bit lost. Hearing Ye Qing’s words, of course, he was very happy to be able to come here and watch the children go to school, which was also his dream. However, he couldn’t bring himself to take the position of principal no matter what. In the end, feeling helpless, Ye Qing let him become the vice-principal instead, but he was still in charge of all school matters.

Having settled that matter, Ye Qing immediately asked Fang Tingyun to bring the design plans for the classroom buildings so Principal Wu could personally review them. Since the designs were created by someone else, Principal Wu had more say in how the classrooms should be arranged.

Seeing the design plans, Principal Wu was overcome with excitement. Ye Qing had invested heavily in this area, resulting in the construction of classrooms far superior to those that had been funded for his school. The classrooms in the design were fully equipped, precisely what he had dreamed of for a school. After reviewing the plans multiple times from start to finish and only suggesting a few minor modifications, he was mostly satisfied.

While the foundations were still being laid, Ye Qing handed the plans to Fang Tingyun and asked her to inform the construction team of the modifications, directing them to follow the changes suggested by Principal Wu. Meanwhile, Ye Qing instructed Principal Wu to call over the three former teachers from his school to discuss the matter of hiring them in person.

The old teacher from Erdao Village quickly cycled over, while the two younger teachers were working on the production line in the industrial zone. Upon receiving a call from Principal Wu, the two young men immediately resigned, went to their dormitories to pack their belongings, and after some effort arrived at the orphanage in two tricycles. Though sweaty and exhausted, it was clear they were very pleased.