Chapter 33

Summer didn't pay attention to anyone else's reaction. She went straight to get a bun and placed it into Logan's pot.

Then, she took two bowls and placed some pickled mustard greens into each.

Logan was quite particular; he didn't like sharing food with women or having anyone use his bottle cap to drink water. So, she made sure to divide the food into two separate bowls.

At this moment, the others had already started chatting again, treating Summer and Logan as if they were invisible.

Summer, detached from the lively atmosphere, put her portion of the pickled mustard greens back into the cupboard and tied the door with straw.

She placed the two bowls of pickled mustard greens on the empty table, poured two cups of hot water, and fetched two pairs of chopsticks, laying them on the edge of the bowls.

After arranging everything, she sat down at the table to rest silently.

The kitchen was bustling with people; a few words from anyone could add to the lively atmosphere.

Of course, there were also those who didn't say a word—like Summer, Logan, Henry, and Sophia.

Summer and Logan didn't really belong to this crowd.

Henry and Sophia, on the other hand, simply weren't in the mood to talk, not even pretending to.

Sophia had always been quiet, but she had been even quieter lately.

The melancholy on her face and in her eyes had deepened, making her look even more pitiable.

Of course, Henry pitied her, but Summer did not.

If Summer pitied her, she'd have to give her everything she had, and no one pitied her when she was in need.

***

The buns in the two pots were almost simultaneously ready.

Logan and Gabe went to fetch the buns, their group of ten noisily helping out.

Logan's side was much simpler.

He placed the buns into a bowl, brought them over, and sat down to eat.

He also brought Summer's bun over, so she didn't get up.

Once Logan sat down, they both picked up their chopsticks, eating buns with pickled mustard greens.

They ate in silence while the room remained lively.

After finishing their meal amid the unrelated chatter, Summer and Logan didn't linger at the commune. They left the kitchen, grabbed their backpacks from the dormitory, and headed to school together.

Once at school, they had barely sat down in the office when, sure enough, Billy came in with his father.

The father and son looked alike and had similar postures, both hunched over and timid.

As soon as they entered the office, Billy's father immediately thanked Summer and Logan, "Thank you so much for giving Billy a chance to attend school. We are truly grateful."

It wasn't much trouble after all.

Summer stood up politely, "No need to thank us, sir. We didn't do much, just talked to Mr. Leonardo. Your good behavior and the community's approval of you were the main reasons."

Billy's father continued to express his gratitude, "Still, thank you, thank you."

Before Summer could respond, Logan spoke up, "We're happy to help. Now that you have this opportunity, make sure to make the most of it and support our work in the future."

Billy's father repeatedly promised, "We will, we will."

Summer glanced at Logan and blinked, saying nothing more.

Logan didn't stay idle after speaking.

He opened the desk drawer, took out an enrollment form, and handed it to Billy's father, along with a pen, "Can you fill this out?"

Billy's father nodded, "Yes, I can."

He stood and filled it out, even though Logan suggested he sit down.

Once the form was filled out, he pressed his thumbprint onto it.

Afterward, he reached into his pocket and took out some worn bills, placing them on the desk, "The tuition for a semester is one dollar and fifty cents, right?"

Logan counted the fifteen bills and confirmed, "That's right. School starts in about three days; you'll hear the announcement on the community speaker. Make sure to listen for it."

Billy's father nodded and acknowledged.

With the matter settled, both sides felt relieved.

After a few more words of thanks, Billy and his father left.

Logan was storing the form and money in the drawer when they had already exited the office.

Logan had to call them back, "Wait a moment, there's something else."

Billy and his father returned, "Is there anything else?"

Logan took out a piece of candy from the drawer and handed it to Billy, "As promised, everyone who enrolls gets a piece of candy."

This was something they hadn't seen, let alone eaten, in years.

Billy didn't dare accept it and quickly declined, "No, I don't need it."

Logan didn't waste time arguing and directly placed the candy in his hand, "This is for everyone who enrolls, not just you. We keep our promises."

Hearing this, Billy slowly closed his fingers around the candy.

He didn't refuse again, thanked Logan, and left with his father.

Once outside the school gate, Billy's father said, "Now that you're going to school, study hard. Don't worry about others, just focus on learning. Our family has never had an illiterate person."

Billy replied, "I will, Dad."

Holding the candy in his pocket, he felt a sweet happiness.

***

After Billy and his father left, the office returned to its quiet state.

Summer sat back at her desk, resting her face on her hand and looking out the door, "It would be great if we could get a few more students."

Just as she finished speaking, a few people appeared in the doorway.

Two adults with two children, just the right number.

Summer jumped up from her chair in excitement, "Here they come!"

Logan glanced out the door.

In a moment, the four of them entered the office.

Before Summer and Logan could greet them, the two children shouted, "Teacher, we want to go to school!"

Summer and Logan smiled and said, "Welcome, welcome."

The parents followed up, "They wouldn't stop talking about it. All night, they kept talking about going to school in their sleep."

Summer smiled and took out an enrollment form, "Wanting to go to school is a good thing. School is a place to learn and grow. Education is important."

Summer and Logan each helped a parent fill out the form.

Since neither parent could write, Summer and Logan wrote for them, and the parents pressed their thumbprints on the forms.

After the forms were filled and the tuition paid, the children eagerly looked at Summer, "Do we really get candy?"

Summer smiled and handed each child a piece of candy.

As soon as the candy was in their hands, the children's eyes widened in excitement, and they ran off, shouting and jumping, showing off their candies to the other kids.

They ran to the group, their voices loud with excitement, "My dad took me to school! The teacher gave us candy right away! Look, real candy!"

This news spread quickly among the children, causing a commotion.

Soon, they were all running home, grabbing their parents and insisting on going to school.

Parents who had been hesitant after Summer and Logan's earlier visits, and whose families could manage to send their children to school, were now more convinced by their children's excitement.

After registering and receiving candy, the excitement among the children only grew.

Children who previously had no interest in school were now eager to attend.

Over the next few days, more parents brought their children to enroll.

Summer and Logan took advantage of the momentum, telling stories during the day, visiting homes in the evening to persuade parents, and waiting at the school at noon for more enrollments.

They busily moved between the small pond and the office, as the stack of forms grew thicker and the box of candies dwindled...

***

In the dimly lit office, Summer counted the forms and buried her face in them with a smile.

Logan watched her expressionlessly for a moment.

Then he asked, "Have you laughed enough?"

Summer looked up, still smiling, "Do you know how many students we've enrolled? Sixty! That's almost double the number from the book!"

Logan responded indifferently, "Are you silly? Teaching ten or a hundred, the salary is the same."

Summer blinked at him, momentarily taken aback by his comment.