Urban Martial Saint

Wu Yian and the others were stunned for quite a while before they regained their composure, as the high salary offered by Ye Qing was completely beyond their expectations.

”Boss Ye, this... such a high salary, how can this be good?” Wu Yian said while twiddling his thumbs, ”Actually, I don’t need that much money, as long as you take care of the other three, that will be enough. The key is the children, ensuring the children can attend school safely is what’s most crucial!”

”Principal Wu, you don’t need to worry about these things!” Ye Qing said with a light smile, ”I also have some businesses in Shenchuan City. Even though those businesses aren’t exactly reputable, when it comes to money, there’s definitely enough to go around.”

”Boss Ye, you are too modest!” Wu Yian said, ”I’ve heard from Miss Fang that you own several entertainment venues in Shenchuan City. Plus, Miss Fang mentioned that you are the most upright person—there aren’t any filthy activities in your venues, so the money you earn is clean. Besides, with all these rich people in Shenchuan City, those corporate business owners have a lot of money, but how many of them actually earn it cleanly? And even with all that money they have, few do anything beneficial. Even if they earn clean money, they can’t compare with you, Boss Ye. No matter what you do, as long as you take good care of these children, in my eyes, you are without fault!”

Wu Yian spoke from the heart, which warmed Ye Qing’s considerably. He pursued this line of work for the sake of these children, and Wu Yian’s words made him feel that his choice was the right one!

”In that case, let’s settle the matter!” Ye Qing said, ”Once our school is built, there will be student dormitories and teacher accommodations. When the time comes, we can arrange for Teacher Chen and Teacher Deng to stay here. It’s just that, during this period, I’m afraid there will be some inconvenience. I will make arrangements for someone to rent two houses in the town for them to live in for now. Once the teacher accommodations here are completed, we’ll move them in. How does that sound?”

”No, that won’t be necessary!” Wu Yian hurriedly waved his hand, ”Boss Ye, leave this matter to me. There are quite a few people in this town who were once my students. When I approached them about investing in the school, they were unwilling to spend the money. But if I ask them to arrange housing for a year or so, that won’t be difficult. Let me handle this!”

”If Principal Wu finds it convenient, then it is better for you to deal with it.” Ye Qing nodded, ”After all, I’m not familiar with the town here, and searching for a rental would probably take some effort. Principal Wu, you go and make the arrangements. As for the rent, Tingyun will reimburse it when the time comes!”

”What need is there for reimbursement? This small matter doesn’t even require money!” Wu Yian laughed, ”Boss Ye, you needn’t trouble yourself!”

”Hehe...” Ye Qing smiled lightly and glanced at Chen Yuzhong and Deng Xiang. The two of them seemed to have something on their minds. However, being young and somewhat reserved, they were hesitating about whether to speak up or not.

”Teacher Chen, Teacher Deng, do you two have something else to say?” Ye Qing asked.

The two exchanged glances, their faces flushed and heads lowered, not daring to speak.

”Forget it, I’ll speak for them!” Zhou Tianshun waved his hand, ”Boss Ye, first of all, I want to thank you for taking in these children and the four of us. Furthermore, the salary and benefits you’ve offered were beyond our wildest dreams, and we are truly grateful. But there’s a small issue they’re probably worried about, so I’ll just ask on their behalf!”

As he spoke, Zhou Tianshun looked at Ye Qing and said, ”Boss Ye, about this school, is it going to be public or private?”

Ye Qing was taken aback and replied, ”Public or private—what difference does it make?”

Wu Yian said in a low, worried tone, ”Xiao Chen and Xiao Deng are privately recruited teachers without official teaching credentials. If the school becomes public in the future, they... they might not be able to teach anymore...”

Ye Qing suddenly understood their concern, smiled and said, ”Don’t worry. Whether the school is considered public or private in the future, both of you will always have a job here. That is a promise from me, Ye Qing. Moreover, your salaries and benefits will definitely remain the best. That is another promise from me.”

”But... but our educational qualifications are insufficient, and we’re not officially certified teachers. I’m afraid that later on...” Chen Yuzhong said in a low voice, ”Later on, we might be suppressed by the establishment, and if officials have the say, then...”

Chen Yuzhong didn’t finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear—he was afraid that Ye Qing would not have the final say in the future.

”Rest assured, this is my territory, and others don’t get to call the shots!” Ye Qing said seriously, clenching his fist. This was indeed his intention because he had seen the treatment of these children in the public orphanages, and he would not allow those officials to manage this place, fearful that they would turn these children into tools for making money. So, no matter what, Ye Qing was determined to keep the orphanage under his control!

Ye Qing’s promise alleviated most of the worries in Chen Yuzhong and Deng Xiang’s hearts, and they too became joyful. Being able to work here indefinitely, with such a high salary, and doing the work they enjoyed, today was truly a turning point in their lives.

”You don’t need to worry about your educational qualifications either,” Ye Qing said with a smile, ”Isn’t there self-study examinations? When there are more teachers in the school and you have some spare time, you can sign up for it. All the expenses will be reimbursed by the school!”

”That’s not important, what matters is to teach the children well first!” Deng Xiang said, ”Boss Ye, rest assured, we will certainly update our knowledge in time, we won’t drag the school down!”

”That’s good...” Ye Qing said with a faint smile, then had Fang Tingyun take Chen Yuzhong and Deng Xiang to familiarize themselves with the school’s situation, while Ye Qing stayed to discuss the school’s future with Wu Yian and Zhou Tianshun.

The children at Ye Qing’s place varied widely in age, some of them had attended school, but most had not. To divide them into classes, an initial placement test was needed, something which Wu Yian and Zhou Tianshun, as experts, could handle without Ye Qing’s worries. The most critical things were the curriculum planning and textbook procurement. Ye Qing now had funds available and needed to inquire about what textbooks and teaching materials were required.

Wu Yian and Zhou Tianshun together prepared a comprehensive procurement list for Ye Qing. Bearing in mind to save money for Ye Qing, they cut back in many places, but in the end, under Ye Qing’s strong insistence, they added them back. Ye Qing could be frugal for himself, but he had no intention of cutting corners for the children.

Ye Qing stayed there until the evening, realizing there was much about running a school he didn’t understand. However, with the guidance of Wu Yian and Zhou Tianshun, both experts, Ye Qing also identified many deficiencies on his side and corrected many things in time, such as sports facilities and hardware materials—a lot of things were reorganized.

Seeing the final plan, both Wu Yian and Zhou Tianshun were incredibly excited. With the items listed on this plan, this elementary school was definitely up to the standard of those in Shenchuan City, even surpassing some of them. Ye Qing was really willing to invest, sparing no expense in all aspects, and in the end, nearly eight hundred thousand more would be needed.

Of course, the main reason was the small number of people here. Together with the children from Erdao Village, there were just over three hundred students in total. Therefore, not much money was spent. If it were like in the city, with an elementary school of over five thousand students, this amount of money would have been nowhere near enough.

”Boss Ye, once again I thank you on behalf of the children!” Wu Yian said, holding the list and had just spoken a couple of words when he couldn’t help his tears flowing, ”I originally only wanted to secure a classroom for the children, and Boss Ye, you’ve given them such a tremendous help. Boss Ye, you are a truly good person, I...”

Seeing that Wu Yian was about to kneel again, Ye Qing hurriedly held him up and said, ”Principal Wu, don’t say such things. I’ll make arrangements for the things on this list. From tomorrow, we will trouble you and Teacher Zhou to start teaching the children here. Alright, it’s getting late, the food in the dining hall is ready. I won’t invite both of you out for dinner tonight, let’s go to the dining hall and have a look, and you can give some suggestions while we are at it.”

”The dining hall is the best, going out would just be a waste of money, let’s go to the dining hall!” Wu Yian said, wiping away his tears, and spoke excitedly. In fact, Ye Qing inviting him to the dining hall made him even happier. An old intellectual like him didn’t care much about where he dined and disliked social obligations. A simple meal while checking out the dining hall’s situation was what he desired most.

Ye Qing led Wu Yian and Zhou Tianshun downstairs; most of the children had already arrived at the dining hall, with the younger kids seated directly at the tables. Those over ten years old were helping to serve dishes and rice. Over one hundred children, dressed cleanly and neatly, sat obediently by the tables waiting for their meal, which impressed both Wu Yian and Zhou Tianshun immensely.

”Boss Ye, Principal Wu, Teacher Zhou!” Chen Yuzhong and Deng Xiang greeted the three people from afar; both of them were dressed as chefs and were helping to serve the food.

Wu Yian and Zhou Tianshun waved back excitedly, seeing that the two seemed to have already integrated into their new roles.

”Old Wu, come over here, try the dish I cooked!” Huang Fulin also waved a serving spoon from afar, calling over to him, as he was an old acquaintance of Wu Yian. It was Huang Fulin who had helped introduce Wu Yian to this place.

Knowing that Ye Qing and Wu Yian had come to an agreement, he was also delighted, his respect for Ye Qing increasing even more.

Wu Yian greeted Huang Fulin with a smile, watching the children at the scene, he couldn’t stop grinning and said, ”Boss Ye, this place is... is truly wonderful!”

Ye Qing smiled lightly, feeling a sense of peace as he looked at the children. Unfortunately, many of the children were disabled, some missing arms or legs, which made Ye Qing’s heart ache immensely.

”I don’t have any grand ambitions; as long as the children are well taken care of, that’s enough for me!” Ye Qing said softly, having found the calling of his lifetime.