Chapter 88: Sad Things Connect to Next

[Your music teacher really did what he said, protecting you to the best of his ability, so that you don't have to worry about those inexplicable things, and you can focus on your studies and music... The price he paid was that his "confrontation" with other students became more and more obvious, to the point of "conflicts", and in the end... unsurprisingly, it was brought to the attention of the student's parents]

　　[Some parents complained to the school, saying that some teachers targeted their children and made things difficult for them. Some even exaggerated the situation and said that their students were physically punished... But these things obviously did not happen. You have never seen your music teacher physically punish students. He is never that kind of person, and the school will never allow teachers to physically punish students.]

　　[Although the school has repeatedly told parents that no teacher would ever physically punish students, and all surveillance videos have proven that students were not physically punished, those parents do not accept this explanation or the evidence provided by the school.]

　　["The teachers in your school must know that there are surveillance cameras in the school. If they want to punish my child, they must go to a place where there are no surveillance cameras!" — said those parents]

　　[The school immediately realized that these parents were going to resort to the old methods - making trouble]

　　[The main problem is that this is something that cannot be disproven because the parents' reasons are very sufficient, and since it is impossible for surveillance to be in "everywhere" in the school, parents can hold on to this point.]

　　[Also, the school cannot raise any questions, because that would make the issue worse. In addition, the parents' starting point is for their own children, which is a reason that cannot be blamed or targeted. Once a question is raised about this, the issue will suddenly become acute.]

　　["I just want my child not to be wronged" - parents have perfect excuses and justifications, and if the school objects a little, they will be counterattacked with "You don't care about my child, you are protecting the teacher"... and so on, and then they will be accused of "not caring about students, not being considerate of their parents", and then further questioning the school's educational ability]

　　[Don't feel confused, because the school has really experienced this kind of thing, and therefore the school particularly hates this kind of parents, but there is nothing the school can do, especially when the school has confirmed that there is nothing wrong with their own teacher, and it is completely the student's parents who deliberately exaggerate, and after they make a fuss, the school feels even more troubled]

　　[What's even more troublesome is that… maybe because they have the support and encouragement from their parents, those students also feel that they are doing the right thing, so they start to intensify their behavior, and the conflicts between them and your music teacher are getting bigger and bigger.]

　　[How does the saying go… "It's hard to learn good things, but it's easy to learn bad things." In order to more clearly "rebel" against the teacher, those students learned swear words and began to openly insult the teacher in class, which made the teacher very angry.]

　　[Afterwards, they also accidentally uttered swear words at home. When the parents heard their "cute and well-behaved" children say such vulgar words, they immediately became angry and asked them where they learned these words from.]

　　[They were also hesitant and didn't dare to tell their parents that they learned it on the Internet because they might be beaten and scolded by their parents… so they naturally thought of a "perfect" excuse - the school.]

　　[So they said they heard it from school, but they didn't say where in school they heard it from. Anyway, they heard it from school. It doesn't matter if it was from a teacher or a classmate because parents don't care about these things.]

　　[Parents only know that their children have learned things they shouldn't have learned in this school and that this school is not suitable for their children]

　　[As a result, parents' complaints became more frequent… and what's even worse is that some children used their "smart" little brains to ask their parents to target the teacher.]

　　[Because they found out that although the teachers could suppress them, they seemed to be quite afraid of their parents... In that case, they should let their parents help them deal with the teachers! ]

　　[In this way, they can also achieve a rare "victory" on the road of "fighting against the teacher"]

　　[So, some grumpy parents dragged their children to the school, and with the help of their children, they found your music teacher. As soon as they met, they expressed "friendly greetings" to your teacher, questioned his identity and teaching level, and even blamed the school.]

　　[When the parents brought their children to you, you were receiving extra lessons from the teacher. In order not to affect you, the teacher asked the parents of other students to go outside the classroom before talking... During the whole process, you sat in the piano room, listening to the vague reproaches and insults outside the door, without saying a word]

　　[You can't say anything, and you can't take any action... Because once you direct the conflict towards yourself, everything your teacher has done for you will go to waste, and even... both of you will be affected, which your teacher absolutely doesn't want to see.]

　　[All you can do is to remember this friendship, keep this "love" in your heart, and... firmly and continuously move forward]

　　[However, your teacher does not accept all the blame from the parents. He knows that the parents are angry, so he silently accepts all the scolding. He only speaks slowly after the parents have vented their anger.]

　　[He clearly pointed out that their children were lying, and before the parents expressed their objections, he explained one by one what their children had done in school - in particular, he explained that their children had verbally hurt other students at school, and "spread rumors" at school, which had reached the level of "bullying". They even deliberately lied to parents, deliberately exaggerated or even fabricated their "experiences" at school.]

　　[At the same time, it was pointed out that their children actually just wanted to "get attention", that's all... and asked the parents if they... recently... didn't pay much attention to their children's situation? Or even ignored their children's situation? ]

　　["......"——The parent did not respond or refute. Apparently, he was right]

　　["I hope you can have a good talk with your children… and pay a little attention to them. If they can't get attention and care from you, who is closest to them… then naturally they can only get attention and care from other places. As for how to get this attention and care… and in what way… they don't know, and they don't understand. They just act according to their heart, and after getting the feedback they want, they naturally regard it as "right"]

　　["Because of this, they have no idea what impact their actions will have, and what kind of harm they will cause to others" - he said]

　　["You are the children's first, best, closest, and longest-lasting teachers, and the ones who can have the greatest influence on them, so…some truths can only be taught to them by you" - he concluded]

　　[No parents responded. Apparently, they came to their senses. After their anger subsided, their thoughts gradually became clearer. Many parents understood his intentions... Although they did not show it at the beginning, their first reaction was to pull their children aside and start to carefully inquire about their children's conditions.]

　　[It turns out that your teacher was right. Under the questioning and consolation of their parents, most of the children whispered what they had done. The parents became more and more embarrassed as they listened. In the end, they could only come to your teacher one by one and apologize to him/her. It was too difficult to get them to admit their mistakes and impulses in public, but your teacher didn't care.]

　　[He only hopes that these children can get the right guidance from their parents and get back on the right track - this is his responsibility as a teacher]

　　[However... there are still parents who are unwilling to accept these things]

　　["If we have to teach everything, what are you teachers for? What are schools for?" - Their reason is so simple]

　　[Although they know that it may be their own problem, they will not admit it. In fact, they do not think that there is a problem with them, but that there is a problem with your teacher or this school.]

(TL: F*cking Karen!!!)

[But at this time, they didn't dare to say much... because most parents are sensible people, so after apologizing, they took their children home on leave - they needed to have a good talk with their children and make them realize what they had done and where they had gone wrong]

　　[The remaining parents who refused to admit their mistake left angrily after seeing the crowd disperse and only a few of their families were left. Having lost the advantage of the crowd, they dared not make trouble anymore, because if they continued, it would only make them appear not to be "enlightened" enough and would only highlight their stupidity and impulsiveness.]

　　[But... it is impossible to get them to give up because after knowing the teacher to be targeted, the school received continuous complaints against your music teacher in the following days.]

　　[Although we know that there are only a few people causing trouble, they shouted very loudly and were very annoying, causing great trouble to the school. After consulting with your teacher...your teacher accepted the punishment of "temporary suspension"]

　　[Before your teacher left, you played a song for him as a thank you and parting gift... At the same time, you promised him that you would surpass him in the future and make him proud of you]

　　[He also listened to your performance very carefully and pointed out some minor problems one by one, such as fingering and the speed of some intervals.]

　　[At the same time, he also clearly pointed out that "the emotions in your music are very obvious, which is good, but at this stage, it is better to slow down a little and play according to the score step by step, because this will affect your test scores and the school you will go to in the future... But later, when you have achieved something in music, you can fully display your talent and emotions, which will be your unique advantage."]

　　[He gently rubbed your head and whispered to you to take good care of yourself. If you have any difficulties, you can ask the teacher for help. If all else fails, you can communicate with him and he will come to help you.]

　　[Finally, he hugged you gently and accepted your promise - he believed that you would definitely surpass him, and you were the best and most excellent student he had ever taught.]

　　[After this incident, you lost the protection of your teacher, but along with that, you also left with the rumors that spread among the students... You became a lot more relaxed, the school environment became friendly to you again, and you returned to your previous self.]

　　[Running briskly back and forth in the school, helping here and there, humming a song that expresses your happy mood while helping others, leaving your voice everywhere in the school]

　　[It's just that compared to before, you help people less often and for less time because you need to spend more time practicing your instrument and singing - you promised your teacher that you would become someone that everyone could only envy but not be jealous of, and you promised Father Enrique that you would move towards a more dazzling future.]

　　[You carry their expectations and blessings, and you... also want them to be proud of you]

　　[You have to prove to others that you are worthy of Father Enrique's blessing and the teacher's "favor"]

　　[You need to let those people in the community who are kind to you know that you have lived up to their kindness and wishes. You need to let those parents who are still scolding your teacher know that the teacher they are scolding has a student who is brilliant enough.]

　　[But... as the saying goes, life is often full of surprises... oh no, good fortune never comes alone, and misfortunes never come alone]

　　[Sometime after you lost your teacher's protection... news came from the church]

　　[The church you are in, or the church that Father Enrique manages... is on fire]

　　[A fire, whether man-made or accidental, burned down the church and your "home"]

　　[The good news is that the children in the church are fine and everyone is alive and well]

　　[The bad news is that the fire caused the death of one person... and the only person was Father Enrique]

　　[Father Enrique tried his best to rescue the children in the fire, trying to save every child. However, he inhaled too much toxic gas, which caused a respiratory infection. Coupled with his old lung injury, he finally died due to ineffective rescue.]

　　[After hearing the news, you froze in place, your vision gradually became blurry, tears flowed from the corners of your eyes, across your face, and wet your clothes]

　　[You hastily wiped away your tears, asked for leave from school for the first time, begged for help from everyone you could ask for, and finally gathered enough money to go back "home" and hurried back]

　　[At Father Enrique's funeral, you saw the children you once knew, and also saw… a black and white photo of Father Enrique surrounded by flowers]

　　[You carry a white lily you bought in a hurry and walk slowly to his side. You look at his cleansed face and his happy smile. You place the flower on his chest in a daze, a little mechanically.]

　　[Until the coffin containing him falls into the tomb, and the loose soil gradually fills up and covers his coffin, you become dazed for a moment, as if you finally understand that he... has left.]

　　[Tick-tock——]

　　[The timely rain falls gently and silently along with your tears]

　　[Your "home"...is gone]"