Chapter 203: Evil Deeds
Trying to make some money is really tough.
With a monthly salary of just over two thousand from the kindergarten, when will I ever be able to afford a bag?
About a year of silence passed, and then Brother Qu got out.
The first thing he did after being released was find me and make me treat him to a meal.
Even though I wasn't eager to spend money, I was afraid he'd hit me. After thinking it over for a while, I went anyway.
We ordered a few small dishes and several bottles of beer at a street-side restaurant.
"Why didn't you come visit me?" he asked without looking up.
"Oh... Brother Qu, it's not that I didn't want to, but the prison is so far away. I don't have a car, and I don't have money..."
"Enough." He took a big gulp of beer, then raised his head and said to me, "Xiao Ran, do you want to make money?"
I noticed his eyes were even more terrifying than six years ago.
"Make money...?"
"I have a way for you to earn a lot. Now it's up to you whether you're willing to do it." Brother Qu said in a low voice. "I made a lot of friends inside and learned quite a few ways to get money..."
I stared at him cautiously for a long time, then asked, "What do you need me to do?"
"I heard you're in charge of a bunch of kids now, right?" Brother Qu asked.
"Yeah..."
"Pick a suitable kid and bring them out to me in a couple of days," he said. "Once you hand them over, you don't have to worry about anything. I'll give you thirty thousand."
"Just that?" This seemed too easy to me. Just bringing out one kid—why would he pay so much?
"That's right, just that. Contact me when you have news." He finished his meal, picked his teeth clean, and said to me under my skeptical gaze, "Oh, and I don't have a place to stay tonight. Take me to your place."
"Ah...? M-my place? That's not... not really appropriate..."
He glared at me with his fierce eyes and suddenly grabbed my wrist.
"Xiao Ran, you're not thinking of breaking up with me, are you? Do you know how long it's been since I touched a woman?"
"H-how could that be?" I forced a flustered smile. "My place is all cleaned up, just waiting for you to come back..."
That night, Brother Qu was rough, and I didn't dare resist at all.
His eyes were filled with murderous intent. I was terrified.
I could yell at the police, but I didn't dare provoke someone with eyes like that.
He really seemed like he would kill me.
The next day, Brother Qu left. I didn't know where he went.
I returned to the kindergarten, feeling troubled. Sure, I dealt with kids all day, but how was I supposed to legitimately bring one out?
"Teacher Xiao..." A child's voice sounded beside me, making me even more irritable than I already was.
"Speak!"
I turned my head and saw that little girl named Shanshan holding a very cheap hard candy in front of me, trembling as she offered it.
"Teacher Xiao... can I... give you this candy? Please don't hit me anymore..."
Hearing that made me furious.
I shoved her to the ground. How dare she be so ungrateful?
If she hadn't come to bother me, why would I hit her?
I was sitting here minding my own business, but she had to come over with that cheap candy as a gift—wasn't she just asking for a beating?
If all those other kids weren't sitting there watching me, I would have beaten her to death right then and there!
Shanshan looked terrified, but she didn't cry. She just sat on the ground trembling.
Just then, another teacher opened the door and came in. I couldn't even remember her name.
"Oh?" She immediately noticed Shanshan on the floor and hurried over to help her up. "Little one, how did you fall?"
"Teacher Song... I'm scared..." Shanshan burrowed into the woman's arms.
"It's okay, it's okay. Tell the teacher, what happened?" She picked up the hard candy from the ground and asked, "Why didn't you eat the candy the teacher gave you?"
"I don't want it... I don't want it..." Shanshan hugged the woman called Teacher Song tightly.
I felt disgusted. That woman with the surname Song wasn't even in charge of our class, yet she came over to give the kids candy.
Was she trying to take my place?
Just then, Chen Ting also came in. Seeing this scene, she quickly bent down to check on Shanshan.
"Shanshan, what's wrong?"
Shanshan didn't speak.
"Teacher Chen..." Teacher Song looked worried when she saw Chen Ting enter. "Shanshan seems really scared..."
Before she could finish, Chen Ting's face darkened. She stood up and pressed me aggressively, "Xiao Ran, what did you do again?"
"I didn't do anything." I said irritably. "Are you blind? Can't you see I'm just sitting here?"
Chen Ting looked furious. She ignored me and turned to ask the other children instead, "Did anyone see what Teacher Xiao did just now?"
The children's eyes went wide. None of them dared to speak.
After a long moment, a little boy named Chen Moran raised his hand. "I saw Teacher Xiao push Shanshan..."
"Yeah, yeah..." Many children chimed in agreement.
When Chen Ting heard this, she turned around and shoved me off my chair.
"Ah!" I was startled. "What the hell are you doing?!"
"Xiao Ran, listen to me carefully. I don't care what your relationship is with the principal. From now on, if any child cries in front of you, it's your problem." Chen Ting said viciously. "I don't mind if you don't want to take care of them, but I hope you'll stay far away from them in the future."
Teacher Song was also holding Shanshan and sighing. Instead of caring about poor little me, she went to comfort Chen Ting.
"Alright, Teacher Chen... don't get angry over someone like her." She patted Chen Ting on the back. "Be careful not to scare the children."
Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.
Shanshan was the one who came to provoke me, and they want me to stay far away from her?
That's just too unreasonable.
But this conflict actually gave me an idea.
Shanshan only had her elderly grandmother at home—her parents were both out working in the city.
She was my perfect target.
If I brought her to Brother Qu, I'd get thirty thousand.
Thirty thousand! That's a whole year's salary for me!
Shanshan should be proud—someone from a family like hers would never be worth that much otherwise.
I sent Brother Qu a message, telling him I had a target in mind.
Next came my plan.
First, I found Chen Ting and apologized to her. I said I was just a bit anxious earlier and pushing Shanshan was completely unintentional. I hoped she could forgive me.
Gullible bitch was so easy to fool.
She actually believed me.
"Xiao Ran, I'm not trying to target you, but I really hope you'll be kinder to the children." Chen Ting frowned. "Even though we deal with many kids at once, to each one of them, we are their whole world, you know?"
"Yes, yes." I nodded regretfully. "I won't treat them so badly anymore from now on."
Teacher Song was also in the office, staring at me meaningfully. That woman didn't seem so easy to fool.
"Teacher Xiao, was it really unintentional when you pushed Shanshan?" Teacher Song asked. "When you saw her fall, why didn't you help her up?"
"I was too impulsive at the time and didn't think of it." I sighed. "You probably won't believe me, but I'll make up for it with my actions. Let me personally take Shanshan home tonight."