Shameless Gangster

Chapter 9B

Strong iron only needs fire to melt it, a steel heart only needs someone to soothe it

Translator: Sae

∞

The newly assigned volunteer Cui Wei was depressed as he looked at Han Jia who was next to him, talking to the students.

"My dad wants me to go home to help build the house," the dark-skinned boy touched his head. "I have to request time off."

Han Jia's expression did not change, appearing as though he was used to it and asked kindly: "How many days?"

"Three... two days," the boy seemed to feel embarrassed. "I would like to ask for two days."

"I'll just give you three days off," Han Jia smiled. "If you miss a class, the teachers can help you make it up. Since building a house requires you to climb up and down, you don't need to worry."

The boy nodded before he bowed and walked out.

Han Jia took out the academic record book from the drawer and wrote down the leave of absence for the boy just now.

Cui Wei finally couldn't help but ask, "Is this okay?"

"What's wrong?" Han Jia answered with a question without looking up.

"Just now... this... how can there be such a parent? That's wrong, why did you allow to take leave?" Cui Wei asked with widened eyes.

Han Jia closed the notebook in his hand and looked up at him. "The children here are all professional workers. Without his help, the house will not be built well."

"He's so small, what can he do?" Cui Wei was very puzzled.

Han Jia smiled: "What do you mean, what can he do? Moving bricks, building walls, getting the water, and so on. Do you think he's you who has shaky legs just from simply climbing a ladder?"

Cui Wei blushed as he quietly leaned over the table for a while before he suddenly sighed and said: "It's really different from what I had thought..."

Han Jia kept silent.

"Before I came here, I knew beforehand that the educational condition here was poor, but I didn't expect it..." Cui Wei continued to sigh in despair, "It's really hard for me to take..."

Han Jia still did not speak as he picked up the red pen and began to correct the assignments.

Seeing that, Cui Wei remained expressionless for another moment before he suddenly asked, "Han Laoshi, why did you come to teach here?"

Those words finally made Han Jia's pen stopped; he smiled and said: "How nice, one reporter left, another came."

"I don't want to pry into your life or anything." Cui Wei hurriedly explained, "I'm... Han Laoshi, I listened to the report on the school and was moved by the deeds of the many teachers who brought education to these underdeveloped areas. That encouraged me to sign up... don't laugh, really, I am very touched... like Liu Dezhu Laoshi, he's a local who teaches to repay his native land while one of my seniors does it for his title and extra credits... Han Laoshi, you seem to be different from us, why did you come?"

Han Jia looked at him for a while and then slowly said: "Why am I different from you guys?"

"The feeling is just different." Cui Wei replied very succinctly. "You are not like those who teach with an idealistic mindset on education and nor are you like those who come for the title... and you are never worried about students, angry, or too happy for them. I don't know how to say it, I'm not saying that you're not a qualified teacher, you teach very well, but... it always feels like something is missing... as if you did not have your heart here..."