Back in old Ruyqiuan
Earlier this year, I stopped by Ruyqiuan Tutoring Centre. It was the place I frequented as a kid, though my real motive was not the lessons but hanging out with classmates. We had chat perpetually, pretending to live in a fictional world (which is our co-creation), even on our way there.
One teacher taught math but also handled odd jobs. WeChat official account, for example (the teacher had at least some writing talent, publishing poems and stories back then, though the enthusiasm had waned). The teacher also organised public lectures on the Four Great Classical Novels to attract customers, while we only wanted to play Rubik’s Cubes. In the office the teacher usually led us in, a note reads ‘We must become elite professionals who strike fear into the hearts of others’. One character was replaced with a simple sketch resembling an ‘@’ symbol. We showed no respect by calling him by name, since another teacher shares his surname.
(17 Feb 2024) in Shanxi #laconic
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