Hearing this, the man sized up Jiang Cheng once more.
Seeing Jiang Cheng dressed so smartly, with even his overcoat being brand new, it was clear he wasn't from the village.
However, when he saw Xia Meng from the same village standing beside Jiang Cheng, Zheng Qiu's expression relaxed significantly.
Jiang Cheng didn't waste words and got straight to the point, saying, "It's like this, Principal Zheng. I'd like to donate some supplies to your school."
Seeing that Jiang Cheng was there to donate supplies, Zheng Qiu was pleasantly surprised. With a tone full of anticipation, he said to Jiang Cheng, "Supplies? Good, good, good. Thank you all."
Jiang Cheng waved his hand and said, "Don't thank me yet, Principal Zheng. The donation was a spur-of-the-moment decision after I arrived here. They haven't arrived yet, but they should be on the way."
Hearing this, Zheng Qiu thanked him again, "Thank you, that's wonderful. Today happens to be Mid-Autumn Festival. If the children can receive your supplies, they will definitely be very happy. Student Jiang Cheng, then on behalf of the children, let me thank you for your kind donation..."
Before the two could say more than a few words, they were surrounded by children. A group of kids watched Jiang Cheng and Xia Meng with curious eyes.
Jiang Cheng asked Zheng Qiu, "Today is Mid-Autumn Festival. Is there no school holiday?"
Zheng Qiu smiled and said helplessly, "Originally, there was supposed to be a holiday. However, the school is short on teachers right now, and Teacher Huang has gone back to her hometown for the festival. These children's schoolwork was already lagging behind, so we can only seize the time to start makeup classes."
Jiang Cheng glanced at the densely packed desks inside the classroom.
He noticed that there were both older and younger children, with a significant age gap between them.
Jiang Cheng frowned and asked, "Principal Zheng, are they having classes together?"
Zheng Qiu seemed to understand what Jiang Cheng meant and said helplessly, "Fewer and fewer volunteer teachers have been coming over the years. Even if young people arrive fresh out of graduation with dreams and willpower, they are all scared off by the school's environment within two months. After all these years, only Teacher Huang and I are left persevering. So, there's no other way but to have the older and younger grades attend mixed classes together."
Seeing children still in class during a holiday like Mid-Autumn Festival made the school seem a bit strict at first glance.
But upon further reflection, it was all out of necessity.
To be honest, who wouldn't want to rest or have a holiday on a day like this?
To be able to give up his holidays and persist in teaching the children, Zheng Qiu was indeed a responsible principal and mentor.
After Zheng Qiu finished speaking, Xia Meng, who was standing by, couldn't help but speak up to introduce him to Jiang Cheng, "Principal Zheng is a good principal. In my memory, he has dedicated his entire youth to Rongshan Hope Primary School."
"As far as I know, Principal Zheng was the first university student from our village. However, after graduation, he didn't choose to stay in the big city but resolutely returned to the village to become a volunteer teacher. He's been here for over ten years."
"Principal Zheng Qiu handles everything in the school personally. Not only does he teach us, but he also uses his monthly salary to subsidize the cost of school supplies for children who can't afford to go to school..."
Hearing this, Jiang Cheng couldn't help but feel a renewed sense of respect for Zheng Qiu.
Compared to Jiang Cheng, Zheng Qiu was someone who truly possessed the spirit of selfless dedication.
If one didn't have a strong inner core, who could persist as a volunteer teacher in such a dilapidated village for over a decade, living such a poor life?
One must realize that it's even harder for university students from small places.
Having finally escaped a small world, yet being able to stay true to his heart and choose to return, using his strength to help these poor Left-behind children—this was truly something an ordinary person could not achieve.