Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 25 Am I a teacher from today?

Mrs. Scarlett, the principal of St. Lowood National School, was about forty years old. She was dressed cleanly and simply. There were only slight wrinkles on her well-maintained face. She wore a pair of silver-rimmed glasses on her nose, which made her look graceful and elegant. When Langning and Linger came to the principal's office, she immediately put down her pen while reviewing documents and warmly welcomed the two guests. She circled her little finger around her forehead, a gesture that showed that she was a believer of the original sect, following the mentor who symbolized knowledge and wisdom.

The circle represents the cycle of going back and forth from the unknown to the known. It is drawn between the eyebrows because people in ancient times believed that this position was the gathering of spirituality and formed the foundation of matter. Mastering spirituality is equivalent to mastering the mystery of material change. People who can glimpse all the truths in the universe are called sages.

But Mrs. Scarlett is not a sage, but just an ordinary believer, or perhaps a responsible principal. Because after greeting Mr. Langning, her first words to Linger were: "I have been waiting for a long time since I got the news, Mr. Linger. Your joining is the most important thing for our school."

Ling Ge thought she was being polite, so he politely replied, "It is my honor to be able to serve in such a historic institution, Principal Scarlett."

He addressed her as "Principal" instead of "Madam" or "Ms.", which made the other person smile even more happily. "Although this is just our first meeting, I am convinced that you are an outstanding young man, Mr. Ling. Perhaps people who study history always have the same qualities. They are all rational, wise and calm. More importantly, they are polite, which is exactly the quality that young people in the new era lack."

"It's not just young people," said Ronning. "As far as I know, for most people, politeness is limited to asking about the weather. Moreover, it needs to be analyzed based on the actual situation. For example, if foggy days last too long, their shelf life will be very short. This kind of relativity is not a philosophical issue, but a social issue in essence."

Mrs. Scarlett covered her mouth and chuckled: "You are always so humorous."

She invited the two guests to sit in the reception area, asked the maid to make tea, and served snacks such as gingerbread and cookies. As usual, they exchanged pleasantries first and talked about the internal affairs of the church union, such as the financial allocation of St. Lowood National School in the next quarter - part of which came from the Kingdom's Public Utilities Department, and the other part required the approval of the parish committee, which happened to be within Mr. Longning's scope of responsibility.

The two did not shy away from discussing with Lingge, and sometimes even asked for his opinion. Although it was not something that needed to be kept strictly confidential, this attitude still made Lingge feel a little strange. It was not because he liked being excluded, but because he knew very well that sometimes being accepted by others was the most important thing to be vigilant about.

Lingge naturally had no objection. Mrs. Scarlett was very satisfied with his attitude and asked again, "So, when do you think you can start teaching? For you, this is a new job you have never been involved in. We are happy to give you some time to adapt. Before that, you can get familiar with this school and get to know your colleagues. They are all very enthusiastic people, just like me."

"We hope to hand over the fourth-grade Ivy Class, the fifth-grade Frost Grass Class, and the Wisteria Class to you. They are all very well-behaved children. Although they are still very young, they are already full of desire for knowledge." Mrs. Scarlett asked Linger for his opinion: "What do you think, Mr. Linger?"

Many people only know about that continent by its abbreviation, but they don't know that the full name of "Eastern Continent" is actually Eastern Emperor Fante Continent, just like the full name of Western Continent is Sigiriya Continent. If you don't know much about it, how can you teach others?

Mrs. Scarlett asked the maid to fetch a letter of employment and several textbooks from her desk, and handed them to Linger, saying, "I believe Mr. Langning has already told you in detail about the salary issues in our school, so I will mainly tell you about the work. Perhaps other grammar schools and public schools have different practices, but the national schools under our church have always listed history as a compulsory course for children, which occupies a very important position in the eight-year compulsory education stage."

Linger nodded, put away the employment letter, and looked at the textbooks in his hand, which were "Ancient History of the Kingdom", "Modern History of the Kingdom", "Brief History of the Western Continent" and "History of Overseas Colonization". I won't mention the first few books. Judging from the title of the last one, it is indeed not the knowledge that should be learned during the compulsory education stage. Linger also waited until he entered university to start systematically contacting the history of the other continent on the other side of the sea.

"On the other hand, it is difficult to find good history teachers. Graduates of history majors from prestigious universities tend to continue their studies or work for nobles and large companies. Therefore, our school currently has only five history teachers, each responsible for a grade, with a total of 412 students. The pressure is very high. Mr. Matthew, who is in charge of the fifth grade, has complained to me many times, hoping that someone can help share his pressure. The instructor must have heard his prayers and sent us such an outstanding young man."

It turned out to be the case.

This discussion lasted for a few minutes before getting down to business.

What I said before was not a polite remark, but the actual situation.

"No need."

Ling Ge shook his head and said, "I once substituted for Mr. Tutor during my college years. Now I am just revisiting that time. Therefore, I don't need any time to adapt. I can start teaching at any time, including now."

"This is good news for both of us." Mrs. Scarlett looked at the maid standing beside her, who bowed her head slightly and said, "In ten minutes, the fifth-grade White Frost Grass class will have a history class. They are currently studying the history of the Hundred Years' War, and the teacher is Mr. Matthew."

"Then please inform him that from now on, the burden on his shoulders has been reduced by one third." "Okay, ma'am."

The maid saluted and left the office. Mrs. Scarlett turned around and looked at Linge with a smile: "We are all looking forward to your performance, Mr. Linge."

Lang Ning also nodded slightly: "Your brighter future begins from now on, Mr. Ling."

The young man pursed his lips and remained silent without responding, but suddenly he had an illusion that there was a more mysterious meaning hidden in their eyes and words. Was it the joy of discovering an enlightened person, or the comfort of observing a fellow believer? In the dark, the head of a giant beast emerged from behind the fog. Fate always has too many coincidences, making people wonder who secretly arranged everything.

The afternoon sun was warm and bright, and in the aroma of black tea, he replied softly:

"I am very honored."

……

Ten minutes later, Ling Ge appeared on the podium of the White Frost Grass Class, holding a copy of "Ancient History of the Kingdom" in his hand. Facing the clear and curious eyes below the stage, he introduced himself with a simple opening remark: "I am Ling Ge. From now on, I will teach you history in place of Mr. Matthew."

"If you have no objection, please turn to page 32, 'The Hundred Years' War between the Two Kingdoms', section 1, The War of the Philosophers."

"This was the fuse of the Hundred Years' War, and the direct cause of the division of the old Kingdom of Brittany. The subsequent War of Restoration established the new Second Kingdom of Brittany on the site of the old kingdom. Then came the War of Founding, which continued the national inheritance of the Bretons to the present United Kingdom."

"The three wars and the three kingdoms together form a thread that runs through the kingdom's ancient history. At the same time, it is closely connected with dozens of surrounding countries. Therefore, we can say that studying the kingdom's ancient history is equivalent to studying the ancient history of the entire Western Continent. This is the position it occupies in modern historical research."

"Of course, this concept is too complicated for you. Therefore, today we will only discuss some superficial things: What are the causes of war? What is the purpose of war? Are the process and results of war affected by factors other than politics? I hope you can get the answers to these questions yourself through learning."

The young man was speaking at the podium in a calm but steady tone; the people below the podium had some confused looks, some thoughtful looks, but they all listened attentively.

Outside the classroom, Lang Ning said to Mrs. Scarlett beside him: "It seems that he has really adapted to this new job. I hope that this adaptability will also help him to play a role when he steps into an unfamiliar field."

"But the premise is that he can successfully pass our observation." Mrs. Scarlett asked, "Do you have confidence in him, Mr. Langning?"

"Do not."

Lang Ning looked at the young man on the podium with a deep gaze: "In fact, I have full confidence in everyone."

Because what they are pursuing is not the future of a certain person, but the future of all mankind.

　I went to be a volunteer and just came back now. Family members, please give me some meow.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)