Chapter 135: A Good Teacher

It must be said that Su Lei’s strategy was indeed effective. Many of the children developed a tremendous interest in the guitar; it was truly magical that such moving sounds could be coaxed from just a few strings by a pair of nimble fingers.

The children, who had been cold and resistant toward the visiting teachers just moments before, immediately swarmed around Su Lei.

"Big Sister, can you teach us how to do that!"

Ming Han thought to himself that these little brats were certainly capable of bending when necessary; they could swallow their pride in an instant. Their address had jumped straight from "teacher" to "big sister," skipping several levels of formality.

Little Hei, in particular, looked at Su Lei with wide, watery eyes, looking as adorable as a puppy.

What a talent!

"Sister, you are so beautiful."

The senior student beside Ming Han grew dissatisfied. Wasn't this just bribery?

She turned around, went back to the dormitory, and brought out all the snacks they had brought with them: potato chips, chocolate, spicy gluten sticks...

"Whoever calls me a beautiful sister gets a snack."

There really were such shameless people in this world.

A crowd of children rushed over to her, calling out "Beautiful Sister," "Fairy Sister"... it was enough to make her heart bloom with joy.

"Children are simple-minded, after all; they only speak the truth." Watching the senior student’s beaming, self-satisfied expression, Ming Han was left speechless.

...

Su Lei was clever; she didn't take offense at the children’s initial coldness. She made the children like her so that she could gather firsthand information.

Little Hei, in particular, had almost become Su Lei’s little sidekick. He even thumped his chest and threatened the other mischievous children, "Whoever dares to make Big Sister angry is messing with Brother Hei."

Ming Han happened to be passing by when he said this and nearly spat out a mouthful of blood at the words "Brother Hei." Did a ten-year-old child already possess such kingly aura?

The kicker was when the children beside him cupped their hands and replied, "Since Brother Hei has spoken, I, Lord Yun, will naturally give you this face."

Ming Han recognized that kid; his name was Zhang Yun. He actually called himself "Lord Yun"?

In truth, one couldn't blame them for this way of speaking. While the outside world had long since moved on to wireless television, most people here only had black-and-white TVs with one movie channel and one general channel.

While other children were growing up happily in the worlds of *Pleasant Goat*, *Boonie Bears*, and *Peppa Pig*, these kids were watching martial arts films and gangster movies every single day.

These things had a profound impact on children. When Ming Han was young, he used to fantasize that he was Astro Boy, thinking that if he just grew some fire under his feet, he could fly away happily...

Once Su Lei had grown close to Little Hei, she asked him, "Why don't you like the teachers who came here to teach you before?"

Little Hei lowered his head. "Because they don't like us."

For adults, there are many adjectives to evaluate a person, but for children, there are only two feelings: like and dislike.

"They don't like the fruit we bring them from home, saying it isn't fresh or hygienic."

"They scold us for being dirty, like stray dogs."

"They look down on us for being slow, saying we don't understand the lessons no matter how many times they explain them."

The further he spoke, the lower Little Hei’s voice became, filled with a deep sense of inferiority.

Ming Han felt a surge of anger, yet also a deep sense of helplessness.

For many who come to volunteer, this place is merely a stopover on a long, winding life journey. But their negligence can wound the hearts of so many children.

"But Big Sister, you are always soft-spoken and gentle when you teach us. And you explain the parts we don't understand without ever getting tired of it. You are truly, especially good to us." Little Hei looked at Su Lei, revealing the most innocent smile.

"Every brother and sister who came this time is especially good to us," Little Hei said earnestly. His eyes held the satisfaction of a child receiving a cherished treasure, rather than the arrogant air of the boy who had been called "Brother Hei" earlier...

Su Lei would give lessons and play the guitar for the children. Sometimes, Ming Han would sing, and all the children would clap to the rhythm. This was a place far from the city, untouched by the devastating traces of modern industry; it held only the heavy, profound weight of history.

It was hard to get a full signal for mobile phones here; Ming Han was now almost completely cut off from the outside world.

Two days ago, Ming Han had received a text message from Chen Li: *Ming Han, I love...*

Due to the signal issues, the rest of the message didn't come through.

Based on the visible text, Ming Han guessed what Chen Li was trying to say.

In that moment, Ming Han felt nervous, shy, excited... a myriad of emotions surged into his heart.

He spent the whole night thinking about how to reply, but eventually, he drifted off to sleep. When he woke up the next day, he saw the full text: *Ming Han, I love Hawaii so much!*

Ming Han was stunned! So he had been overthinking it?

It was the fifth day of the volunteer teaching program.

Ming Han gathered the whole class.

With his hands behind his back, he paced back and forth. Seeing that everyone had arrived, he said, "Our country now advocates for comprehensive development in morality, intelligence, and physical fitness, so it is essential to have physical education classes. It can both improve our physical condition and temper our willpower."

A child raised his hand. "Brother Xiao Han, the village chief used to teach us P.E. too."

Ming Han was surprised; he hadn't expected the village chief to be so progressive!

"What kind of activities did the village chief teach you?"

The child listed them off as if they were precious treasures: "The chief would take us climbing trees to find bird eggs, going into the river to catch loaches, and sometimes we’d head up the mountain to find wild pheasants to catch and roast."

The village chief, who was observing their class, heard the boy spill all his secrets and couldn't help but blow his beard and stare. "You little brat, why are you saying all that? Isn't it embarrassing?"

Ming Han laughed awkwardly. "Chief, your educational philosophy is quite advanced! Combining physical education with labor!"

The village chief’s face turned red. "I know P.E. is supposed to involve ball games; look, we even have a basketball hoop at the school. It’s just that I’ve never been able to figure out how to play with this basketball thing."

As he spoke, the chief clumsily patted the basketball Ming Han had brought. The ball bounced up and struck him squarely in the groin.

The chief winced in pain but tried to look composed as he walked away, muttering, "Such a troublesome thing, why on earth does everyone keep clamoring to learn it!"

Ming Han showed off his dribbling skills in front of everyone—between the legs, behind the back, dazzling and incredibly cool.

The young boys' eyes were glued to the ball.

*If I could dribble as coolly as Brother Xiao Han, the girl who sits in front of me, Cuihua, would definitely have a crush on me, haha!*

After finishing his demonstration, Ming Han asked, "Who wants to try first?"

No one had ever played basketball before, and lacking confidence, they pushed each other forward, not wanting to make a fool of themselves.

Little Hei raised his hand first. "Brother Han, I'll do it."

Ming Han sighed helplessly; why did this kid have such a rough-and-tumble, underworld vibe when he spoke?

Ming Han demonstrated a few moves, and Little Hei managed to clumsily imitate him.

"Brother Hei is awesome!" someone cheered...