Ch. 414: Mr. Edwards’ Unraveled Life Chapter 414

Chapter 414

Norah nodded. "Okay."

She returned to her room, gripping her phone, as countless faces flashed through her mind.

She was restless at first, unable to sleep. Eventually, exhaustion took over, though she didn't even remember when she drifted off.

By the time she woke up, it was already the next day.

She had promised Baimo that she would start substituting for the children at school today.

In the morning, the man's mother prepared some corn porridge. Norah drank half a bowl before setting off for school with him.

Recalling how the students misread a word last time, she decided to teach them the words for "birth mother" and "rhyme."

The classroom was basic, with a black-painted wall serving as a chalkboard. The chalk itself was short and worn down.

She wrote "birth mother" and "rhyme" on the makeshift blackboard, then introduced herself in Yi dialect. "Hello, everyone. My name is Norah. Since Teacher Baimo is away, I'll be your substitute teacher for now."

Regardless of Baimo’s character, these children were innocent.

By helping them, she was not only doing a good deed but also improving her image in Baimo’s eyes. Maybe, through him, she’d get the chance to meet Pharaoh.

But the children didn’t listen to her.

They deliberately spoke loudly, ignoring her presence entirely.

"Quiet!" Norah commanded.

She knew they weren’t convinced by her, but she had already taken on this responsibility—she intended to see it through.

A little boy immediately shot back, "Just because you can speak some Chinese doesn’t mean you’re Chinese, and it definitely doesn’t mean you can be our teacher!"

Norah instinctively turned toward the voice.

It was Ahsan—the same boy who had picked up a stone to throw at her yesterday.

"If you don’t want to listen, you can leave. But don’t stir up trouble here," she said firmly.

Before coming here, she had done her homework. She could speak Yi dialect, though she was a little slow.

"What do you mean by ‘stirring up trouble’? You’re twisting things again! We don’t want you here!"

With that, Ahsan kicked over the desk in front of him.

"Ahh!"

A little girl sitting in front of him was caught off guard and crushed beneath the falling desk, letting out a cry of pain.

Instead of helping her up or realizing his mistake, Ahsan sneered, full of disdain. "Are you stupid? Why didn’t you move out of the way?"

Tears welled up in the little girl’s eyes, and she began to sob.

Norah’s expression darkened. She stepped forward, lifted the desk off the girl, and helped her up. A red mark had already formed on the girl’s back.

Meanwhile, Ahsan stood there, arms crossed, his face indifferent and arrogant, as if nothing had happened.

Norah crouched beside the little girl. "Don’t cry. I’ll put some medicine on it later, okay? For now, just sit over there and rest."

After settling the girl, she turned back to Ahsan, her expression stern.

She spotted a long ruler on the lectern, picked it up, and said, "Hold out your hand."

"No way!" Ahsan shot back, unbothered and defiant.

If she wanted to gain control over the classroom, she needed to handle Ahsan first.

Besides, he had not only hurt his classmate but also refused to acknowledge his mistake.

Norah grabbed his wrist and gave him two light slaps on the palm with the ruler—a warning more than a punishment. "Go stand outside. You’ll come back when you’re ready to apologize. The rest of you—stay seated. If anyone doesn’t want to attend class, you can leave now."

With that, Norah carried the injured girl to Baimo’s room in the school building.

The other children, shocked by her strictness, sat quietly at their desks.

Ahsan, on the other hand, clenched his sore palm, scowling as he ran off.

Norah unlocked Baimo’s room and found it neatly arranged. Spotting a bottle of red medicinal ointment by the window, she carefully applied it to the girl's injury.

"I’ll treat it again after school. You should take this home with you. I’ll also talk to your parents. Next time, if something like this happens, don’t just cry—tell a teacher or an adult. And don’t be afraid of Ahsan, okay?"

The little girl hesitated, her eyes still teary. "But… I’m scared. If I tell, Ahsan will beat me."

"You don’t have to be afraid when the teacher is here."

Norah gently patted her head, reassuring her for a long while before leading her back outside.

Just as they stepped out of Baimo’s room, they found themselves surrounded by a group of villagers.

Norah recognized them immediately—these were the same people who had confronted her yesterday.

A man stepped forward. "Yesterday’s incident was Arlene’s fault. But today’s issue—this can’t be on our family again!"

Norah suddenly made the connection—Arlene and Ahsan were siblings.

Ahsan’s outburst today was likely fueled by both past grievances and new resentment.

She lifted the little girl’s shirt, revealing the red welt on her back for everyone to see.

"I’m substituting for Teacher Baimo today. I haven’t even gone looking for Ahsan’s parents yet, but you’ve already shown up on his behalf. So, let’s talk about what actually happened."

Her voice was steady as she continued, "I was teaching when Ahsan refused to listen. Instead, he flipped over a desk, injuring a classmate. Not only did he show no remorse, but he also encouraged the other children to defy the lesson. Do you send your children to school just so they can act like bullies?"

"If a teacher can’t discipline a student, then what’s the point of having teachers at all?"

Norah’s words were sharp and fluent in Yi dialect.

The villagers fell silent.

Then, the little girl spoke up, "Ahsan always bullies us! Today, he said the new substitute teacher is a bad person and told us to gang up on her. If we didn’t agree, he said he’d beat us!"

"Liar!" Ahsan yelled, unwilling to admit anything.

The little girl held her ground. "If you don’t believe me, ask the other students."

Ahsan’s father’s face darkened. "So you’re a little tyrant now? You bully your classmates and even a teacher? Get over here! Let’s see if I don’t teach you a lesson!"

With that, he raised his foot to kick Ahsan.

As he reached to grab his son’s ear, Norah intervened, gripping his arm. "Mr. Ahsan, beating him won’t solve the problem. He needs to understand what he did wrong. That’s why I had him stand outside earlier. Let me handle it. I’ll teach him properly."

Ahsan, clearly terrified of his father, hesitated but followed Norah back to the classroom.

Before she could say another word, a sudden explosion rocked the school.

"Boom!"

The building trembled violently.

Then came a sharp whistle—"Tutu—"

Norah’s instincts kicked in. She turned to the children, her voice urgent. "Everyone, follow me! Now!"

She tried to lead them to safety, but before they could move far—

"Boom!"

A fiery explosion lit up the sky. The sheer force of the blast sent a wave of heat crashing over them.

Norah instinctively shielded Ahsan and the little girl, pulling them close.

The village erupted into chaos.

And less than a minute later, just as the Allied troops arrived, a convoy of vehicles waving Chinese flags rolled into the village.