Unable to breathe

Chapter 6

"Good! You cleaned very well, and I formally commend you! In a few days, leaders from the Education Bureau will be coming to our school to inspect the teaching environment. What should our class do? I thought about it all night and didn't dare to sleep, afraid that our class would fall behind! We must outperform the other classes! Let's create a sea of flowers. Tomorrow, each of you should bring a potted plant, the more the better, preferably ones that are currently in bloom. Tell your parents not to worry, the class doesn't need them, and you can take them back in a week at most. Anyone who can't bring one shouldn't come to class!"

The next day, bright red roses were placed on the teacher's podium, and non-blooming flowers were placed on all the windowsills.

Teacher Hao was very happy and immediately invited the principal over to see. The principal was overjoyed.

"Your class is just different; you can come up with something amazing! The whole school should learn from your class!"

Teacher Hao saw the principal out of the classroom, holding onto the principal's arm tightly:

"You think so highly of our class, I feel really reassured! I'm just afraid of bringing shame to the school, afraid of letting down the opportunity you gave me, afraid of letting down the trust the organization has placed in me, and afraid of failing the organization if I don't do a good job."

Seeing the smile on the principal's face, she talked on and on.

Bai Ge raised her hand to complain to the homeroom teacher, Ms. Hao, that someone hadn't brought flowers.

Teacher Hao has sharp eyes; with just one glance, he yelled at the mouse:

"Stand up! Why didn't you bring the flowers!"

The mouse tiptoed to its feet, bowing its head in remorse.

"explain!"

The shout startled him, and tears welled up in his eyes.

He spoke after a long time, but no one could hear what he said.

Class teacher Ms. Hao rushed over, grabbed his ear, and pulled him in front of the whole class:

"Is your head a pig's head instead of a brain? How can you be so stupid? I don't care if you borrow, steal, or rob, but if you don't bring me a potted plant tomorrow, don't come to class! Did you all hear me?"

The shouts of the whole class were deafening:

"I heard you clearly!"

The boy, Mouse, was kicked out of the classroom.

"Attention all teachers and students! Attention all teachers and students! Important announcement is being broadcast now. Tomorrow morning, leaders from the Education Bureau will be visiting our school for an inspection. This shows their care and trust in our key middle school. We must be fully prepared. When the leaders arrive, students must observe discipline, stand on the right, and greet them warmly and correctly, demonstrating the spirit of our key middle school. If any student dares to violate discipline and tarnish the school's reputation, they will be publicly criticized at the school assembly and 10 points will be deducted from their conduct score..."

The repeated broadcasts from the school's loudspeakers sent shivers down the spine of the boy named Haozi.

"Why did you come empty-handed again? Go back! Go back to school when you get some flowers!"

His homeroom teacher, Ms. Hao, stopped him at the door.

He could only squat outside the gate and cry secretly. As he cried, he seemed to dream that his mother came to his side holding a pot of blooming clivia. His mother said, "What's the big deal? Don't be such a coward! Didn't I say I'd borrow it for you? You think it's so easy to borrow? Hold it carefully, be careful not to drop it! This clivia is very valuable." His mother pushed him forward.

He couldn't tell his father that he had been kicked out of the classroom, since his father never cared about his affairs. He also dared not tell his mother, afraid that she would be sad, afraid that she would cry, afraid that she would punish him by making him kneel.

He had nowhere to go and didn't know what to do. While others were in class, he stayed on the playground. When he heard the bell ring, he rushed to the gate and hid outside.

After finally getting through the school day, he went home with his schoolbag on his back, just like his classmates.

His mother saw the tear stains on his face and pressed him for an explanation, but he wouldn't say anything.

Suddenly, a classmate ran up to him and said he had been expelled from school. He burst into tears. His mother was so frightened that she jumped up, shook him awake, made him kneel on the ground as punishment, and loudly demanded to know what trouble he had caused at school this time.

After hearing his words, Mom sighed heavily:

"You're such a silly child! If we don't have one at home, we'll go ask someone to borrow one! Just don't let the school expel you."

His mother hugged him and said:

"It's no big deal! Don't be a lazy bum!"

His mother, filled with trepidation, told him he must be obedient, especially to his teachers at school. She insisted he do exactly what they told him to do, emphasizing that a teacher's words were more important than his parents'. She also told him he must get along well with his classmates and absolutely avoid causing trouble. She said, "If you can't afford to offend someone, can't you at least avoid them? Everyone is older than us. People like us are untouchable; we're destined to suffer, and everyone will be afraid of us."

He knelt obediently in front of his mother, tears streaming down his face, and swore to her that he would obey her.

His mother borrowed a pot of blooming clivia for him. It had large, lush green leaves and six large, golden flowers. When he took it to the schoolyard, many people gathered around to look at it. He had never felt so happy before, and he even felt a little proud.

He slowly walked across the playground, hoping that all the teachers and students in the school would see the clivia he was holding in his arms.

Back then, clivia plants were very valuable. When Mr. Hao, the homeroom teacher, saw this pot of clivia with its golden flowers in full bloom, he was taken aback and quickly asked whose it was. When he learned that it was borrowed by his mother, he immediately praised him, saying:

"Good! You did well! This is how you should cherish the collective honor, knowingly venturing into danger!"

Teacher Hao asked Baige to move all their bright red roses to the ground, leaving only his golden clivia on the podium.

After carrying the flowers, the white dove walked to its seat, making a point of going around to the mouse and giving him a fierce glare:

"Wu Dalang! You're not even as tall as three pieces of tofu! You just wait!"

The leaders from the Education Bureau finally arrived and inspected their class. They not only praised them for cherishing collective honor and for their unity in moving mountains, but also commended their bright red hearts amidst the sea of flowers.

Finally, the bureau leader stared wide-eyed at the golden clivia on the podium, and after a long while, asked:

"Whose top-quality clivia is this? Excuse me, could you lend me a few stamens? I need them to pollinate my clivia."

The bureau leader's words were kind and approachable, but they scared him so much he almost wet his pants. A child who's never seen the world is hopeless. He wondered if he could give the leader a few flower buds. Actually, his family had never grown flowers, so he didn't understand that giving the leader a few flower buds wasn't a big deal. It was just that families with good flowers were reluctant to give their buds to others for pollination so that their good flowers wouldn't become commonplace.

While he was sweating profusely and unsure of what to do, Bai Ge raised her hand, and their homeroom teacher, Ms. Hao, immediately told her to stand up.

"Uncle Commander, you've worked so hard! On behalf of the whole class, I'd like to present you with this entire clivia plant!"

After Bai Ge finished speaking, she turned back and grinned at him.

Teacher Hao thought for a moment, then suddenly burst into tears and clapped his hands loudly. The whole class erupted in applause, so no one heard him crying, and no one would have thought that he had wet his pants.

Afterwards, Teacher Hao said in class that the bureau leaders wanted Hua Rui, which scared me to death. Luckily, our Bai Ge was brave and resourceful.