Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 38 Part 1

Chapter 38: The First Franchisee

The next morning, the families of Guan Shulin and Guan Guo both went to the school.

Guan Yuan and the others' homeroom teacher had only been teaching for three years. She was a gentle young woman who usually looked after Guan Yuan and the other well-behaved, high-achieving students. After hearing about what happened yesterday, she went to see the Dean of Students, but ended up getting scolded by him instead.

Today, when Guan Yuan and the others went to the Dean's office, the homeroom teacher was worried they'd be treated unfairly, so she went along too. As they walked in, they saw the Dean busily pouring tea for a well-dressed woman, his face creased with fawning smiles.

Only the most arrogant boy from yesterday's fight had shown up, and he was sitting right next to the woman. The moment she spotted Zhao Shenggu and the others, she said, "Dean Ma, are these the ones who hit my son?" Her tone dripped with contempt.

"Uh... well..." Dean Ma stammered. A lot of people had seen yesterday's fight, so he couldn't just lie through his teeth.

But Wu Xiuli couldn't hold back: "Hah! Your son was the one who hit people, and you're blaming others? Look at how big and tall your kid is, and look at these two! My son's nose got busted! Let me tell you, this isn't over!"

Li Ying was also rolling up her sleeves, ready to start a fight at any second.

The woman had been acting all high and mighty just a moment ago, but when she saw the furious looks on Li Ying and Wu Xiuli's faces, panic flickered across her face. "What are you trying to do? You wouldn't dare hit someone at school, would you? Dean Ma!"

Dean Ma quickly stepped in front of the woman. "Now, now, parents, let's talk this out calmly."

"Hah! Talk it out calmly? Weren't you the one saying my kid should be expelled? Go ahead, expel him!" Li Ying was fuming. She could take a lot, but she'd never let her children be wronged.

Hearing the word "expel," the woman perked right up. "That's right! Expel them! Dean Ma, parents like these have no class—how could their kids be any good? Expel them, so they don't bring shame to the school!"

"Hmph, is the school yours? You think you can just expel whoever you want?" Li Ying shot back.

The woman smirked smugly. "As a matter of fact, it might as well be. Do you know who my husband is? He's the director of the Yun County Education Bureau. Expelling you is as easy as saying the word. And if your kids get kicked out of this school, I guarantee they won't be able to go to any other school in Yun County either."

When Wu Xiuli and Guan Shulin heard that, their faces fell. They didn't really know what an Education Bureau director was, but it sure sounded like a big deal. Guan Mumu was such a good student—if he really got expelled, his future would be ruined.

The woman saw their expressions and grew even more smug.

Li Ying, however, only got angrier. "I don't care how big an official your husband is—he still has to be reasonable! My kid did nothing wrong, so why should he be expelled?" 

Guan Guo also demanded in a gruff voice, "Dean Ma, is this how the school treats its students?"

The woman flicked her fingernails. "It doesn't matter whether they did anything wrong. I say they're wrong, so they're wrong. Dean Ma, say something! What are you standing there for?"

"Oh, right, well... it's true that Zhao Shenggu, Guan Shitou, and Guan Mumu were in the wrong. The decision is to expel them. The official notice will come out tomorrow. Parents, you can take your kids home now." Dean Ma said reluctantly.

Guan Guo and the others were about to lose it and charge forward when the door suddenly burst open with a loud kick. "Dean Ma, I had no idea the school had turned into your own little dictatorship. Since when can students be expelled without the principal's approval?"

"Principal..." Dean Ma said weakly.

Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu turned around and saw Old Master Li standing right next to the principal.

"Grandpa Li!" they both called out.

Old Master Li kept a stern face. "You two boys—you get wronged and don't even tell me! Just letting people push you around like that."

The principal hurriedly offered Old Master Li an arm. "Old Master Li, please, have a seat. Let's all sit down and talk this through. This is my fault—I let my staff get out of line."

Dean Ma looked like he'd seen a ghost. The principal usually spent most of his time drinking tea, playing chess, and scheming for promotions—he'd always trusted Dean Ma. Why was he acting so strange today? Seeing how obsequious the principal was toward Old Master Li, Dean Ma's heart started pounding. Had he pissed off someone he shouldn't have?

The woman recognized the principal too—he was always showing up at her house with gifts for her husband. "Principal, perfect timing. Dean Ma has already decided to expel these bad students. Just issue the official notice today."

To her surprise, the principal put on a righteous face. "Ma'am, the school has fully investigated this incident. These children did nothing wrong. It was Qian Xin and Sun Wu who started the trouble. Here's what we'll do—have Qian Xin and the others apologize to these kids, and the school will give them a demerit to keep them on a short leash."

"What!" The woman shrieked. She thought the principal had lost his mind. "Do you know who I am?"

The principal looked a bit nervous. "You're the director's wife, of course. But the school treats all students equally—no special treatment."

Dean Ma sensed something was off today. Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he quietly shrank into a corner.

Seeing the principal take this stance, the woman's eyes turned red with rage. Everywhere she went in Yun County, people gave her at least some respect—but today, she couldn't even take down a bunch of country bumpkins.

Old Master Li, who had been silent all along, let out a cold snort. He looked at the woman and said, "You seem pretty unhappy about this. Then go home and tell that husband of yours something for me—tell him Li Guofeng is waiting."

As soon as the principal heard that, he knew Old Master Li was going to stand behind these kids all the way. He quickly added, "Ma'am, the disciplinary notices for Qian Xin and the others will be issued today. We hope you'll cooperate with the school."

The woman pointed at the principal, trembling with fury. With a sharp huff, she snapped, "Just you wait!" and stormed off with his son.

The principal turned to Old Master Li and asked cautiously, "Old Master Li, would you like to take a stroll around the school? The grounds are quite nice."

Old Master Li waved his hand. "The grounds are fine, but the teachers' quality needs work."

The principal nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, yes—I'll strengthen management on that front right away."

Old Master Li gave a satisfied nod, then turned back to Zhao Shenggu and the others, though he kept his stern expression. "Go back to class. And next time something like this happens, you tell me first thing—got it?"

Guan Yuan grinned. "Got it, Grandpa Li."

Old Master Li patted his head. "Good boy. Now go to class."

Back in their seats, Zhao Shenggu looked puzzled. "Why was Grandpa Li upset?"

Guan Yuan shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe he was annoyed we didn't ask him for help."

Up ahead, even Guan Mumu and Guan Shitou were getting along—a rare sight. Guan Mumu was deeply moved that Guan Shitou had fought for him. Even when Guan Shitou still picked on him now and then, Guan Mumu just smiled it off, which took all the fun out of bullying him.

While things were all warm and fuzzy on their end, Qian Xin and his mother weren't having a good time at home. They stormed back in a fury just as Qian Xin's father was getting home from work. Seeing his wife's angry face, he said, "Who's got you all riled up now? You're always so quick to blow a fuse."

Qian Xin's mother immediately started ranting—though most of what she said was pretty one-sided. But Director Qian knew his own son well. "That can't be the whole story. I know what kind of kid he is! You think he'd let himself get pushed around? You spoil him too much."

Qian Xin was only in sixth grade. He pouted but didn't dare talk back.

"Anyway, never mind that for now. The real problem is that lousy principal today—he made our Qian Xin apologize to those country brats, and he's giving him a demerit! He's completely disrespecting you!"

Director Qian's heart skipped a beat. The principal had been trying to get in his good graces—why would he handle it this way? "Tell me exactly what happened. From the beginning." He said coldly.

Seeing his stern face, his wife dropped the exaggerations and told him everything straight. When she mentioned demanding that Guan Yuan and the others be expelled, he didn't even react—in his mind, that was nothing worth worrying about. But the moment she mentioned Li Guofeng, his hand jerked so hard he nearly spilled his tea.

"Describe that old man to me. Carefully."

His wife could tell something was wrong and started to feel nervous too. "He looked pretty impressive. The principal was all over him, calling him 'Old Master Li.'"

Director Qian's hand started shaking even more. No doubt about it—the principal was a shrewd one. He wouldn't openly take sides unless the other party had serious backing.

Smash! The teacup hit the floor and shattered. "You two have really gone and made trouble for me."

His wife flinched. "What's wrong? Who is that old man?"

"Who is he? He's County Chief Li's father."

The woman's face paled. "Oh no—what do we do now?"

Director Qian shook his head, a wave of helplessness washing over him. He knew better than anyone the kind of connections County Chief Li had. His older brothers in the capital all held important positions—rising stars in the political scene. Director Qian had been working hard to get on that boat, and now these two clueless people had ruined it.

With that thought, he couldn't sit still any longer. He got up, threw on his coat, and headed for the door. His wife asked, "Where are you going?"

He didn't look back. "To clean up your mess."

Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu never found out what happened after that. All they knew was that Qian Xin never acted up at school again, and the Dean of Students was nowhere to be seen.

But they had bigger things to focus on.

Old Master Zhao had told them that his son had no objections—the advertisement had already started running in the newspapers. Those newspapers—big as they were—were available right here in Yun County.

Old Master Zhao's son had written the advertisement for them, and the content was thorough. Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu were pleased with it. Now all they had to do was wait for responses.

Just one day later, someone showed up at their door.