Chapter 99: I’m the President Now
Night school was on break for the Dragon Boat Festival, but the next day before classes resumed, Su He came to see Teacher Zhou.
“Teacher Zhou, I have a suggestion. This performance is a great opportunity to showcase the spirit of our night school. Why not invite the county leaders and the heads of the various factories to attend?”
Teacher Zhou frowned. “That… might be unnecessary, right? It’s not such a big deal, and making a huge fuss might not be appropriate.”
“If the provincial night school leadership is coming for an inspection, the grander the occasion, the better. Besides…”
Su He paused before continuing, “Our night school is funded by the authorities, but the budget is quite limited. Why not use this performance to get some donations from those factories?”
Teacher Zhou froze. He understood every word Su He said, but when put together… he just didn’t quite get it.
Donations?
Those factory leaders weren’t stupid—why would they donate to the night school?
But when it came to budget issues, Teacher Zhou couldn’t help but sigh. In this era, investment in education was already low—night school got even less attention. Forget any kind of holiday benefits; sometimes, they didn’t even have enough money for teaching supplies.
Even though he thought Su He’s idea was a bit far-fetched, he still said, “Go on back first. I’ll report it to the principal and get back to you.”
After Su He left, Teacher Zhou went to see Principal Chen.
Principal Chen was over fifty, with only a few strands of hair left on his head, which he carefully combed over to cover as much scalp as possible.
He was adjusting it in the mirror when there was a knock at the door. He quickly sat behind his desk. “Come in!”
Teacher Zhou came in and explained Su He’s proposal.
Principal Chen’s eyes lit up immediately!
Getting the county factories to donate materials?
That was fantastic!
What kept him up at night was the school’s budget—his hair loss was from stress over money!
“Quick, quick! Call her in—I’ll talk to her!”
Though Teacher Zhou felt it was inappropriate to pull a student out of class, seeing how excited the principal was, he had no choice but to go get her.
“Su He, come out for a minute. The principal wants to see you.”
Cao Hongmei’s face immediately changed!
Could it be that her niece sneaking into class had been exposed?
She knew being class monitor was a bad idea—like a mouse wishing the cat a Happy New Year—it was a death wish!
Now it had reached the principal? She’d definitely get kicked out!
Maybe even get accused of fraud and sent to the police station…
Cao Hongmei was so worried that her heart was in her throat.
Meanwhile, Su He followed Teacher Zhou to the principal’s office.
Principal Chen was all smiles, gesturing at the sofa. “Su He, please, have a seat!”
Teacher Zhou, standing to the side: “…”
Of course, Su He wasn’t going to sit so presumptuously. She quickly replied, “Thank you, Principal. I’ll just stand.”
In the end, Principal Chen and Teacher Zhou sat on the sofa while Su He pulled over a chair and sat.
Principal Chen said eagerly, “Su He, Teacher Zhou told me about your idea to invite the factory leaders and get them to donate materials. Tell me more.”
Su He could tell the principal was very interested—this gave her confidence.
“Principal, we can turn this performance into a formal showcase. Invite the provincial and county leaders, as well as factory heads, to demonstrate our school’s spirit.
Both the advanced studies class and the literacy class should perform.
We’ll prepare a batch of invitations. While delivering them, we can subtly mention our budget issues. I believe those factory leaders won’t be stingy—they’ll donate something.
For example, the textile factory might give us some scrap fabric. The food factory might donate canned goods or cakes…
Maybe the county leaders will be touched and approve more funding for us next year…”
Principal Chen kept nodding enthusiastically, not even caring that his carefully styled hair was falling apart.
In those days, sponsorships weren’t a thing, so Su He’s words opened a new world for Principal Chen.
If only he’d thought of this sooner—maybe he’d still have hair left!
Teacher Zhou hesitated. “It’s a great idea, but… do you think those factories will really donate to us?”
Principal Chen had the same concern and nodded. “That’s right. Su He, have you thought about that?”
Su He replied confidently, “Principal, Teacher Zhou, even though our night school doesn’t do business with the factories, many of their cadres have attended our classes. They’re our alumni.
As alumni, isn’t it only natural to give back to their school?
Besides, people care about saving face. If the textile factory donates, will the machinery factory just sit by? Once we get one to do it, the others will follow.”
The more Principal Chen heard, the more excited he got. “Right, right! That makes sense! Let’s do it!”
Then suddenly, Teacher Zhou asked, “Principal, who’s going to deliver the invitations?”
Principal Chen: “…”
Saying it nicely, they’d be delivering invitations. But let’s be honest—they’d be begging for donations!
If the factory heads declined politely, fine. But if they responded harshly, how would the messenger keep face? How would they face the students in class?
Principal Chen’s eyes landed on Su He.
“Su He, you’re our best student. And since this idea was yours, why don’t you deliver the invitations?”
If it worked, everyone would be happy. If not, only Su He would lose face—not the school. Principal Chen’s calculations were sharp—old fox indeed!
Su He looked troubled. “This… might not be appropriate. I’m just an ordinary student. The factory leaders might not even agree to see me.”
She paused in thought, then added, “How about we form a student union like they do in the capital universities? I could deliver the invitations as the student union president—it would sound more official.”
Principal Chen agreed almost instantly. The night school only had two classes, so a student union president was barely more than a class monitor. If she wanted the title, fine.
Su He continued, “Also, once the invitations are printed, besides the official stamp, it would be best if you handwrite the recipient’s name—it’ll feel more sincere.”
Principal Chen agreed to that too.
As long as they could get donations, all this was trivial.
Once everything was discussed, Principal Chen said, “You’re in charge of the performance now. If you run into any issues, come to me.”
Su He promised she would and returned to class.
Seeing her come back looking calm, Cao Hongmei finally relaxed.
During break, she asked, “Little Su, what did the principal want?”
Su He sighed. “He said the night school is forming a student union and insisted on making me president. I tried to refuse, but he wouldn’t let me. I had no choice but to accept.”
Cao Hongmei: “…”
A student who wasn’t even enrolled had become class monitor—and now the student union president?
She leaned in and whispered, “Does the principal know you’re not officially enrolled?”
Su He replied casually, “Doesn’t matter. What matters is I’m the student union president now. I’m heading to the literacy class to coordinate the performance.”
Cao Hongmei: “…”
Not long after, Su He returned.
Cao Hongmei was puzzled. “That fast?”
“Yeah, I appointed a class monitor and a deputy monitor. Once they finish collecting names and organizing things, they’ll report back to me.”
Cao Hongmei: …You’re not even a real student, and now you’re appointing class leadership?
