The Little Life of a Big Landlord

Chapter 103 Sensation

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Shy? Dejected? Panicked? Annoyed? Joyful? ...

The feelings of Wei Jianguo and Xue Hua are beyond words. They made such a fool of themselves at their daughter's house. How could they ever face their daughter again?

While in the car, the couple could tell from the rearview mirror that Mrs. Liu hadn't said anything sarcastic; rather, the couple genuinely looked much younger.

The couple, who drove their Mercedes back to Sunshine Community, sat silently in the living room with a look of shame on their faces. Their expressions changed from black to white to red, from frowning to beaming, just like the face-changing act in Sichuan opera.

They exchanged a glance, their burning gazes like branding irons piercing into their hearts.

Xue Hua blushed as Wei Jianguo's gaze burned her, and she lowered her head slightly, her face full of shyness, as if she had returned to her wedding day.

"Old Xue... no, Xiao Hua, you look really beautiful today..." Wei Jianguo said, his face flushed and his head bowed.

"Ah...is that so?" Xue Hua's voice was barely audible.

"Ah...yes..." Wei Jianguo couldn't help but recall the skit performed by Guo Da and Cai Ming. He forgot the name, but it seemed to be about reminiscing about the feeling of first love.

"Hmm! We haven't eaten yet! I... I'll go cook..." Xue Hua's heart was pounding as she stood up and went into the kitchen.

"Hehehehe..." Wei Jianguo chuckled foolishly.

"Old Wei, what are you grinning about?" Just as Wei Jianguo was grinning foolishly, Yang Zhengfang pushed the door open and came in. Actually, it wasn't really pushing the door open, as Wei Jianguo's door was already half open.

"Ah... I... I... I..." Wei Jianguo was flustered and at a loss.

"Oh? Old Wei looks younger! Just like a twenty-year-old. Do you have some kind of secret formula? We're in-laws, you can't hide anything from me..." Yang Zhengfang was just joking around and didn't take it seriously, with a somewhat playful smile.

To Wei Jianguo, who already felt guilty, Yang Zhengfang's expression was a mockery of him. He was certain Yang Zhengfang knew something, and Wei Jianguo flew into a rage, standing up and shouting, "Did Yang Ming tell you? That little brat, he really did spread it! That big mouth..."

"What? What's wrong with you?" Yang Zhengfang didn't expect that his casual joke would elicit such a strong reaction from his in-laws, and he was at a loss for words.

"Wei Jianguo, what nonsense are you spouting?" Xue Hua rushed out immediately, her face flushed red as if it were about to drip juice, glaring angrily at Wei Jianguo.

Xue Hua thought to himself with resentment: "They were just asking a couple of questions! This idiot, why didn't he make sure he was being clear before blurting everything out?"

"Huh? My mother-in-law looks younger too?" Yang Zhengfang looked shocked, his eyebrows twitching slightly. What was going on? It wasn't a big deal that his father-in-law looked younger; men don't age easily, and some nutritional supplements and health products can make them look much younger. But women? Women over thirty are considered unattractive, and his mother-in-law looked like a young girl, which was abnormal... Looking at the couple's reactions, it was clear that there was something fishy going on.

As it turns out, gossip isn't just for middle-aged women; Yang Zhengfang's gossip spirit was ignited...

"Watch your mouth..." Xue Hua glared at Wei Jianguo and then slipped back into the kitchen.

"Uh... I lost my composure..." Wei Jianguo realized he might have acted impulsively and quickly tried to cover it up.

"No, tell me the truth, how did you all become so young? There must be a secret formula..." Yang Zhengfang said.

"Nothing, nothing..." Wei Jianguo denied it outright.

"I learned a new phrase: 'explanation' means 'concealment.' You're definitely concealing something..." Yang Zhengfang stared intently at Wei Jianguo with an expression that seemed to say, "I can see right through you."

"What did I explain?" Wei Jianguo muttered to himself, but said aloud, "Nothing happened, why would I hide anything? We just... um! Got a beauty treatment, yes! A beauty treatment..."

Yang Zhengfang's eyebrows twitched, and his smile became even more meaningful: "Do you think I'm a three-year-old?" Wei Jianguo's tone made it clear that he was just making up an excuse.

"It's just beauty and skincare..." Wei Jianguo stiffened his neck, determined not to let go.

"It's okay if you don't tell me, my son knows too, right? Hmph, I'll ask my son later..." Yang Zhengfang thought of a roundabout tactic.

Wei Jianguo's face turned pale instantly: "Let me tell you... even if you ask, he wouldn't dare to tell. Otherwise, I'll make my daughter divorce him..."

"Is it that serious? The more you talk about it, the more curious I get. I have to ask my son..." Yang Zhengfang's curiosity was piqued to its peak.

"You ask... If he dares to say it, I'll make Qingqing divorce him..." Wei Jianguo stared at Yang Zhengfang without backing down.

"I won't ask now. I'll ask you secretly when you're all in school..." Yang Zhengfang said with a mischievous smile.

"..." Wei Jianguo's face turned even paler. If that were the case, he really wouldn't be able to defend against it. In that case, the old man would laugh at him.

"If my father-in-law wants to know, it's no big deal..." Xue Hua said, her face flushed, as she walked out of the kitchen.

"Oh? You two look so red-faced, one of you is red and the other is pale. Something must have happened. But if it's really inconvenient, we can't force you, can we?" Yang Zhengfang said with a smile.

Wei Jianguo and Xue Hua both rolled their eyes. He was so aggressive just now, and now he's saying this? It seems he's said both good and bad things.

"Then let's not talk about it..." Wei Jianguo readily agreed.

"What can't be said?" Xue Hua glared at Wei Jianguo and laughed, "As for what medicine we take to become younger, well, you'll have to ask your son, our good son-in-law..."

"You mean, because of Mingming?" Yang Zhengfang was quite surprised. Wasn't my son a vegetable seller? When did he learn to do beauty treatments?

"Of course, it's because we ate what Yang Ming gave us that we became younger overnight. He also said that we were the first people to use this medicine..." Xue Hua's last sentence was clearly meant to sow discord.

Yang Zhengfang felt a little uncomfortable. When good news came, his son's first thought was not his parents but his in-laws. This would be unbearable for any parent. However, he couldn't show it in front of his in-laws. He said, "That's the only good thing about Mingming. He knows how to care for others and is respectful to his elders."

The three chatted for a few more minutes before Yang Zheng left.

"You did something wrong today... You're trying to sow discord between father and son. I can see that Old Yang's face isn't looking good..." Wei Jianguo criticized seriously.

"Who told him to be so aggressive?" Xue Hua stuck out her little tongue.

"..." Wei Jianguo was stunned by his wife's charming and innocent appearance.

"Silly boy! What are you looking at?" Xue Hua felt a little embarrassed by his gaze and glared at her husband, scolding him playfully.

"Huh? Oh! Old Yang is just that kind of person. I can let it go with my arguments, but you're really something. If you say something like that, won't our two families develop a rift in the future?" Wei Jianguo said.

"Make them quarrel? Hmph, not only will we make them quarrel, we'll also let them enjoy the same treatment we enjoy..." Xue Hua's lips curled into a wicked smile.

Seeing his wife's mischievous grin, Wei Jianguo couldn't help but shudder: How could my wife smile like that? It's really terrifying! Has she become younger, and her mentality has returned to that of her youth? No, when she was young, she was incredibly gentle, never speaking loudly, and her smile was so sweet you couldn't see her teeth... How come now, looking at her... she looks a bit like me when I smile mischievously? Could this be... a resemblance between husband and wife?

"What are you thinking about?" Xue Hua stretched out a small hand and waved it in front of Wei Jianguo's eyes.

"Oh! It's nothing..." Wei Jianguo immediately came to his senses.

"No, you must be thinking about something... Tell me quickly..." Xue Hua adopted the posture of a prosecutor who believes in leniency for those who confess and severity for those who resist.

"No, I was just thinking, if we go to school this afternoon, will it... cause any bad influence..." Wei Jianguo was quite quick-witted.

"What negative impact could it have?" Xue Hua was somewhat puzzled.

"Is that even a question? If we go to school looking like this, everyone from the principal and directors to the teachers and students will definitely be watching us. If some students follow our example and get cosmetic surgery or even plastic surgery, then... if something goes wrong, we'll be held jointly responsible. We could even be expelled from the teaching profession," Wei Jianguo said.

"Tch, even if something really happens, it'll just be a disciplinary action at most. What else could it be? It's not like we're the ones who tricked the students into getting beauty treatments. Besides, the school doesn't have the authority to expel us from the teaching staff..." Xue Hua said.

"Yes, yes, you're right." Wei Jianguo quickly went along with it. "But I'm still worried about the students. If something really happens and they get disfigured, we'll never have peace of mind for the rest of our lives..."

"Back then, I chose to stay with you because I saw your sense of responsibility and kindness. You haven't disappointed me. You've never changed. You're still the same person you always were..." Xue Hua said shyly.

"Hehe..." Wei Jianguo chuckled foolishly.

After the couple finished lunch, they went downstairs, drove to the school.

Grandpa Mei recognized the Wei family's car. When he saw the car drive into the school, he didn't stop it. Instead, he smiled and waved to them.

"Hehe, has Grandpa Mei eaten yet?" Xue Hua opened the car window and greeted Grandpa Mei.

"Oh? It's Qingqing? What brings you to school?" Grandpa Mei mistook Xue Hua for Wei Qingqing. Indeed, the mother and daughter do look quite alike. Even Aunt Liu would have mistaken Xue Hua for Wei Qingqing if she hadn't seen Xue Hua being helped out by Wei Jianguo and Wei Qingqing not being inside.

Xue Hua wanted to explain something, but Wei Jianguo drove the car away.

"Hehe... Uncle Mei treats me like a lover..." Xue Hua's vanity was greatly satisfied.

"Hehe, you two do look quite alike..." Wei Jianguo laughed.

The car was parked in front of the teaching building. This is the teachers' parking space. Usually, the principal, the director, and teachers who can afford to drive their own cars will park here.

"Old Wei is here?" A teacher who was about to enter the building lobby saw Wei Jianguo's car stop and quickly turned around to greet him.

"Old Zhao..." Wei Jianguo opened the car door and got out of the car.

"I have something to tell you. My son Liangliang is getting married next week, and we need to borrow your car as collateral..." Teacher Zhao was about to speak when she saw Wei Jianguo and was stunned. She pointed her finger at Wei Jianguo's nose, her hand trembling slightly, "You are... Old Wei, Wei Jianguo?"

Teacher Zhao's real name is Zhao Kui. He is 54 years old and teaches senior high school Chinese.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Wei Jianguo was a little confused.

"..." At this moment, Teacher Zhao's mind was a complete mess, and only three words could be conceived in this mess: "What the hell..."

"Borrowing a car, huh? No problem, we've been colleagues for decades. If Liangliang doesn't borrow a car from us for his wedding, I'll be furious with you..." Wei Jianguo chuckled.

"Let's go, let's go inside. What are you standing here for?" Xue Hua got out of the car at this moment.

"Qingqing? What brings you here..." When Teacher Zhao first saw Xue Hua, she also mistook Xue Hua for Wei Qingqing.

"What kind of look is that?" Xue Hua rolled her eyes at Teacher Zhao and walked into the teaching building first.

"Hehe..." Wei Jianguo chuckled and followed.

"What's wrong with your eyes? What did I do?" Teacher Zhao quickly chased after him.

Xue Hua walked into the office, where only one young teacher was tutoring a student. The other teachers had all gone to their own classes. When the young teacher saw Xue Hua come in, she quickly smiled and nodded, "Ah! You've come..." Her tone was very polite.

"Yes! You're here..." Xue Hua nodded politely. She wasn't familiar with this young teacher.

When it was time for class, Xue Hua walked into Class 4 of Grade 2, carrying a second-grade Chinese textbook. The classes she taught were Class 3 and Class 4 of Grade 2.

"Stand up..." Xue Hua had just entered the classroom when he heard the class monitor shout "Stand up..."

In elementary school, students would stand up and say "Hello, teacher," but this isn't the case in most high schools. Standing up is simply a way of letting students know that class time has started and all recess activities must end... The first class of the afternoon has begun...

"Sit down..." Xue Hua said in a clear voice as he stood on the podium.

The students sat down abruptly.

"Sister Qing, what brings you here? Is Teacher Xue feeling unwell? Are you covering for her?" a girl who knew Wei Qingqing said.

"Yes, Sister Qing, is Teacher Xue sick?"

"Sister Qing, if you're going to substitute teach, fine, but why are you wearing Teacher Xue's clothes? They make you look old..."

A group of girls were afraid of Xue Hua, but not Wei Qingqing. They immediately started chattering amongst themselves. They were in high school now, and high school students weren't like elementary school students who were afraid of their teachers.

"Can Sister Qing teach high school?"

"Nonsense, Sister Qing is a proper college student, and her academic qualifications are even higher than some of our teachers."

"A high level of education doesn't guarantee you can be a teacher..."

A group of boys started shouting too.

"Shut up, all of you shut up..." Seeing the increasingly chaotic classroom, Xue Hua's face darkened, and he slammed his textbook onto the podium.

The entire classroom immediately fell silent.

"What kind of eyes do you have? Don't you even recognize me? All these years of teaching you have been for nothing..." Xue Hua unleashed her fury, so powerful that the entire classroom fell silent.

The students looked at each other, then suddenly let out a deafening scream, and a group of girls rushed onto the podium.

"Teacher Xue, did you have plastic surgery?" This was a young girl who was a fan of Korean culture.

"What plastic surgery? Teacher Xue just looks younger..." This is a relatively objective view from a young woman.

"Teacher Xue, did you take some kind of magic pill?" This was a little girl who was fascinated by watching "Journey to the West".

"Teacher Xue, Teacher Xue, did you encounter the legendary aliens?" This was a little girl who was obsessed with UFOs.

"Teacher Xue, you must have met a cultivator. She gave you a youth-preserving pill, right? Is she going to take you as her disciple and teach you cultivation?" This was a young girl who was obsessed with fantasy novels.

A group of young girls, like a flock of sparrows, surrounded Xue Hua, making a huge commotion that sent chills down his spine.

"Shut up, all of you, go back to your seats..." Xue Hua finally exploded, his shout silencing all the students.

The girls all slunk back to their seats, stealing glances at Teacher Xue on the podium.

The classroom door suddenly opened, and Principal Hu Weiguo leaned out, coldly staring at the students. The students immediately fell silent, no longer daring to make a sound.

"Why is it you? Where's your mother? Is she sick? She didn't even ask for leave..." Principal Hu frowned when he saw Xue Hua on the podium.

"What kind of look is that?" Xue Hua glanced at the principal and pursed his lips.

"You little brat, you're getting more and more rude. When your mother comes, I'm going to have a good talk with her..." Principal Hu was a little angry. This little girl was getting more and more rude. She didn't even call him "uncle" when they met, and she spoke to adults in such a tone.

"You want to wait for my mother to come? You'll never get to see her in your lifetime, but you can go to her..." Xue Hua said.

The students in the classroom chuckled. It's said that Teacher Xue's mother passed away many years ago, and Principal Hu even attended her funeral.

"What...what do you mean?" Principal Hu was shocked. What did this girl mean? Could it be that Old Xue, whom the students respected, had already met with misfortune?

"What do you mean? Figure it out yourself..." Xue Hua stepped down from the podium, kicked the door, and slammed it shut, leaving Principal Hu outside.

Principal Hu was somewhat distraught. The thought of Lao Xue, with whom he had worked for over twenty years, being gone just like that left him feeling empty.

"It's true, life is short and unpredictable! Old Xue was such a good person, how could he just leave like this... Sigh!" Principal Hu sighed, wiping away a tear. "You've left us like this. We've been colleagues for so many years, we should at least give you a proper send-off..." He then rushed into the principal's office and summoned the directors of the political education departments of each grade to discuss the arrangements for Xue Hua's memorial service.

Principal Hu was also confused by the shock. If the girl's mother really passed away, would her daughter still have the mind to come to school to teach for her mother?

After the first class ended, Xue Hua returned to her office and found a large pile of bubble gum and chocolates on her desk. She remembered that these were her daughter's favorite snacks when she was little.

"What's going on?" Xue Hua asked, somewhat confused.

"Hehe, this was bought for you by Grandpa Mei. Grandpa Mei also said that you loved eating this when you were little. I wonder if you still like it now..." a teacher said with a soft laugh.

This teacher's surname is Ding, he is fifty-two years old this year, and he has shared an office with Xue Hua for twenty years. He is a senior teacher with rich teaching experience.

"Grandpa Mei, do you know what I liked to eat when I was a child? I liked bubble gum and chocolate when I was a child? I think the best one back then was White Rabbit candy..." Xue Hua thought of his childhood, and his favorite candy was White Rabbit candy.

"What White Rabbit? That's what we loved to eat when we were kids. You little girls, don't you just love chocolate bubble gum?" Teacher Ding said.

"Hey, you old Ding, what do you mean? Who are you calling 'little girl'?" Xue Hua glared at Teacher Ding and said.

"..." Teacher Ding was a little dumbfounded. How come this girl is becoming more and more unruly as she learns? What an adorable child she was when she was little! She would greet everyone earnestly. Hmm... I heard that she later developed a bunch of little bumps on her face. Maybe that's when she changed? It's really a pity.

"What are you looking at? You old Ding, do you think I'm your sweetheart? Let me tell you clearly now, I'm Old Xue, understand?" Xue Hua said, glaring at him.

"You... what did you say? You're Lao Xue..." Teacher Ding was so shocked that she stood up from her seat, her mouth wide open, pointing her finger at Xue Hua's nose, unable to speak for a long time.

"Hey hey hey... Old Ding, what are you doing? Why are you bullying the child? If Qingqing did something wrong, just tell her nicely. You're scaring her again..." One of Xue Hua's good friends walked into the office carrying a bag of chocolates. She saw Teacher Ding pointing at 'Qingqing's' nose, looking like he was about to eat her alive, and quickly came over to pull him away.

The teachers who came in later also tried to persuade him, and some of the teachers who were particularly close to Xue Hua started pointing their fingers at Teacher Ding and cursing him.

For a moment, the entire second-grade Chinese office was filled with noise, attracting many students to peek through the crack in the door.

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(End of this chapter)