Qin Yu Xiang was momentarily stunned upon hearing that Teacher Qin would be coming.
Teacher Qin was the teacher who had come to their village, Yue Hai Village, to volunteer teach back then. Their village was in a remote mountainous area. Although there was a school, the teachers were not permanent.
Basically, when teachers came to volunteer, the school would open. When there were no teachers, the school was just a decoration.
There was no other way. The conditions in Yue Hai Village were too harsh, and it was already considered quite rare for someone to be willing to come and teach here.
In the past, Yue Hai Village would only get a volunteer teacher about once every two years, and the students' studies were sporadic.
But after Teacher Qin arrived, she stayed for a full six years!
It was thanks to Teacher Qin that Qin Yu Xiang was able to complete her basic primary education.
Moreover, Teacher Qin was responsible for multiple subjects, being both a math teacher and a sports teacher. Almost every day's schedule was fully packed. The villagers of Yue Hai Village were deeply moved by Teacher Qin's dedication.
It was said that this Teacher Qin was not only a graduate of a prestigious university, but also came from a very good family background. Yet, such a person chose to teach in such a small mountain village.
Both Qin Yu Xiang and others from Yue Hai Village deeply respected this Teacher Qin.
Since Teacher Qin left, no teacher like her had appeared again, and Yue Hai Village returned to the state of getting a teacher only once every two years.
"What did you say? Teacher Qin is coming?" Qin Yu Xiang asked in astonishment.
To her, Teacher Qin was not only her teacher but also her benefactor.
In the past, when she and her mother had no one to rely on in the village, and when their family was so poor that they couldn't even make ends meet, it was this Teacher Qin who had always helped them.
It could be said that for Qin Yu Xiang, Teacher Qin was equivalent to her second mother.
Seeing Qin Yu Xiang's surprise, Xiao Gang immediately chimed in,
"Do you think I would lie to you? We've all spoken to Teacher Qin on the phone!"
Xiao Gang spoke with such conviction that Qin Yu Xiang couldn't help but feel conflicted.
On one hand, Teacher Qin had been so good to her, and she really wanted to see her again.
But on the other hand, Xiao Gang had been so disrespectful to Lin Xiao Tian, and she really didn't want to deal with him anymore.
As if sensing Qin Yu Xiang's feelings, Lin Xiao Tian tugged at her hand and said softly, "You want to go, right?"
Qin Yu Xiang nodded, but quickly shook her head.
"If you want to go, then let's go! I'll go with you," Lin Xiao Tian said, looking at her.
Feeling Lin Xiao Tian's encouragement, Qin Yu Xiang finally stopped hesitating.
"Where is Teacher Qin?" Qin Yu Xiang turned to look at Xiao Gang.
"We've arranged to meet at Yue Hai Restaurant. We should still make it if we leave now."
Seeing that Qin Yu Xiang had proactively asked for the location, Xiao Gang answered very promptly.
Then, he looked at Lin Xiao Tian again.
"Yu Xiang, this is our private gathering. It would be better if outsiders didn't come, right? I'm afraid it might disturb Teacher Qin."
Xiao Gang's remark was clearly directed at Lin Xiao Tian, implying that they did not want Lin Xiao Tian to accompany them.
Qin Yu Xiang was not foolish and naturally understood Xiao Gang's meaning.
"Xiao Tian is not an outsider. He's my boyfriend."
Qin Yu Xiang said this and then took Lin Xiao Tian's arm.
Seeing their intimate gesture, and seeing how close Qin Yu Xiang's soft body was to Lin Xiao Tian's arm at this moment, Xiao Gang's jealousy was almost boiling over.
"No way! He's not from Yue Hai Village. What would be the point of him going?"
"Besides, this Yue Hai Restaurant was opened by one of our classmates. Out of classmate affection, he's covering the bill for all of us this time. Now you're inviting others, isn't that making things difficult for us?"
Xiao Gang's words were reasonable, and he spoke with an air of righteousness, but in reality, he was just fixated on Qin Yu Xiang.
He knew perfectly well that Qin Yu Xiang already had a boyfriend, yet he still wanted to ask Qin Yu Xiang out alone.
What's more, Qin Yu Xiang had clearly rejected his advances multiple times, yet this Xiao Gang still clung to her like a persistent stain.
Lin Xiao Tian couldn't help but recall a certain phrase: "a wolf in sheep's clothing!"
"It won't be difficult! We'll pay for our own expenses," Lin Xiao Tian said calmly.
"Yes! We'll pay for ourselves. We won't spend your money. Is that okay?" Qin Yu Xiang echoed.
After speaking, Qin Yu Xiang held Lin Xiao Tian's arm even tighter.
Seeing the loving scene before him, Xiao Gang was on the verge of losing his temper.
But then, he thought of a good idea.
"Alright then! Since you say so, I won't say much more."
"However, I'll say this upfront: the expenses at Yue Hai Restaurant are very high in our county. And our classmate is quite well-connected locally. Don't even think about skipping out on the bill, or the consequences will be very severe!"
Xiao Gang said this, staring intently at Lin Xiao Tian.
Lin Xiao Tian smiled faintly, "Don't worry, we wouldn't do something like skipping out on a bill."
"That's good then!"
The two met each other's gaze.
One could almost see sparks flying in Xiao Gang's eyes, while Lin Xiao Tian remained composed.
This calmness of Lin Xiao Tian was interpreted by Xiao Gang as bravado.
Someone who couldn't even afford to eat and only dared to order drinks for his girlfriend, how could he possibly be so calm in front of him?
Acting!
Keep acting!
Xiao Gang had already decided that today, he would definitely make Lin Xiao Tian feel humiliated in front of Qin Yu Xiang.
In his opinion, only a high-quality man from the county like himself could be worthy of Qin Yu Xiang!
"Yu Xiang, get in the car! I'll take you to Yue Hai Restaurant!" Xiao Gang said, deliberately patting his car.
Xiao Gang's car was a Volkswagen. In a small county, having a private car was already a sign of importance. Xiao Gang not only had one, but it was a Volkswagen, which cost hundreds of thousands.
At this moment, he felt infinitely superior to Lin Xiao Tian.
"However, there's a slight problem with the back seat, it can only accommodate one person. Yu Xiang, you'll have to put up with sitting in the passenger seat." Xiao Gang said this and then glanced provocatively at Lin Xiao Tian.
The passenger seat was not a place anyone could sit. Xiao Gang's action clearly showed that he didn't take Lin Xiao Tian, the actual boyfriend, seriously.
"Yu Xiang, just make do with it! Yue Hai Restaurant is quite far from here. If you don't take my car, you'll have to take the bus. I know this county's buses best; they're filthy and smell awful. It's really not something a person can endure."
"And it's so hot these days, the buses don't even turn on the air conditioning. My car has air conditioning."
Xiao Gang continued.
But faced with Xiao Gang's persuasion, Qin Yu Xiang flatly shook her head.
"No, thank you. We can go ourselves."
"You're not thinking of walking, are you? It's very far! Yu Xiang, why would you put yourself through that?" Xiao Gang acted as if he was being righteous.
But faced with Xiao Gang's persuasion, Qin Yu Xiang remained firm in her refusal.
Seeing that Qin Yu Xiang was so uncooperative, Xiao Gang became a little angry.
"Alright! If you insist on doing this, I won't say much more. The gathering will start in about half an hour, so be sure to be there!"
After Xiao Gang finished speaking, he drove away.