Chapter 136: No Suspense
"Yes, hello, Principal. I’m here today to interview for the English teacher position at the military district elementary school."
"What’s your educational background? Which university did you graduate from? Do you have a letter of recommendation from your school?"
Principal Li Dongliang looked at Su Zhaozhao with a kind gaze.
’This is the first time in so long that someone has applied to be an English teacher here!’
They had previously wanted to recruit someone from West State University, but the students were hesitant when they heard how strict the requirements were here.
But this pretty young woman before them had come of her own accord.
"I graduated from middle school," Su Zhaozhao said.
’Of course, she didn’t have her diploma with her, and she had no idea if her stepmother had thrown it away.’
’But it was just a middle school diploma; it wasn’t that important anyway.’
As soon as she said this, the expressions of the teachers present stiffened, as did Li Dongliang’s.
Zhou Chengguo, who was listening from the side, suppressed a laugh.
’He was here to act as a supervisor. He knew a little about Su Zhaozhao—where she was from, her educational background. If she dared to lie to get this teaching position, he would absolutely expose her on the spot!’
’He could also see if Su Zhaozhao would try to pull any tricks during the interview.’
’He was worried Xie Huaizheng would pull strings for Su Zhaozhao, and he would not allow something like that to happen.’
"A middle school education?" Li Dongliang frowned. "Our minimum requirement for this position is an associate’s degree."
"Although I only graduated from middle school, Principal, I have been teaching myself English since I was a child. My family is from Jiang City, and my maternal grandparents come from a long line of scholars. So, I was immersed in learning from a very young age and picked up a great deal."
At this, Su Zhaozhao sighed. "I may have only finished middle school, but it wasn’t because I didn’t want to continue my studies. It’s just that my mother passed away, and my stepmother wouldn’t let me go to school. So, although I couldn’t continue my formal education, I’ve been quietly studying on my own all these years. I’m confident I’ll be able to take the college entrance exam in the future."
The college entrance exams had only recently been reinstated, so it was quite common for people to take them again after working for a few years.
After Su Zhaozhao’s explanation, the teachers present no longer looked so shocked.
They also felt that she spoke with clear logic and organization, sounding very much like someone who had never stopped studying.
Li Dongliang nodded. "Comrade Su Zhaozhao, I can see that you’re very motivated. However, since you’re interviewing to be an English teacher, we still require a written test and an oral exam. Are you amenable to that?"
"I can."
Su Zhaozhao looked at a small blackboard nearby and asked Li Dongliang, "On my way here, I memorized an English passage. I can write it out from memory for you to check for any mistakes."
"Alright," Li Dongliang nodded.
Su Zhaozhao walked to the small blackboard and began writing out a short story she had memorized the previous night.
At first, Zhou Chengguo stood to the side with a disdainful look on his face.
’How skilled could this Su Zhaozhao possibly be? She’s just bluffing. Soon enough, she’ll slip up.’
’Hmph!’
’What an ignorant woman. Does she really think she can become a teacher just because she knows a few English words?’
’He knew that a few of the teachers here knew a little English. They weren’t experts, but they could certainly gauge Su Zhaozhao’s skill level.’
But when his gaze swept over the English passage Su Zhaozhao was writing, he froze.
’He could understand a few words, but this handwriting... it didn’t look at all like it was written by someone who didn’t know English!’
’Her English penmanship was simply too good—very neat, with every stroke perfectly fluid.’
Moreover, Zhou Chengguo noticed that Su Zhaozhao wrote out the entire passage swiftly, without a moment’s hesitation.
"This... this is written so well!"
One of the teachers couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement.
"The vocabulary looks fine to me, and so does the grammar," another teacher commented.
Zhou Chengguo’s jaw trembled uncontrollably. "How... How can this be..."
He mumbled to himself.
Realizing he had lost his composure, he quickly shut his mouth and forced himself to calm down.
Soon, the entire passage was written out.
Su Zhaozhao turned to the group. "I’m finished."
"I can also read it aloud for you."
Without waiting, Su Zhaozhao began to read the entire passage she had written aloud.
Everyone was astonished as they listened to the English flowing from Su Zhaozhao’s lips. It was fluent—impossibly fluent.
It felt as if, had they not been looking at her, they would have thought they were listening to a native speaker.
’My god, how can someone’s English be this good?’
It was as if English was her mother tongue.
Li Dongliang immediately looked at one of the teachers. "Why don’t you ask this comrade a few questions?"
The teacher immediately asked in English, "Could you give a self-introduction? In English."
"My name is Su Zhaozhao. I’m twenty years old, and I come from Jiang City. Yes, the same Jiang City you know as a bustling coastal metropolis. My hometown has beautiful mountains and rivers, and it’s the birthplace of many famous historical figures. I have a rather cheerful personality. I enjoy reading, thinking, and analyzing interesting things. I came here mainly because my fiancé is here."
Su Zhaozhao gave a simple introduction of herself.
The teacher frowned in concentration, then turned to Li Dongliang. "Principal... I think she spoke very well. There were some parts I couldn’t understand, but from what I could grasp, she was perfectly correct."
Su Zhaozhao breathed a sigh of relief. ’Looks like my preparation wasn’t for nothing. I’ll most likely pass the interview.’
"Comrade Su Zhaozhao, are you certain you want to be a teacher at our military district elementary school? Can you endure such harsh conditions?" Li Dongliang frowned.
Seeing Li Dongliang’s serious expression, Su Zhaozhao grew anxious.
"I can. I came here to marry my fiancé, and I’ll most likely be settling down here in the future. So, I believe I am more than capable of handling this job."
"But..."
"Is it about my educational background?" Su Zhaozhao knew this was her biggest weakness.
In this era, many teachers were not formally trained and lacked diplomas, but as long as they had knowledge, they could teach.
But she also knew that the military district elementary school was very strict and placed a strong emphasis on credentials.
"No," Li Dongliang sighed. "I just feel that you’re too exceptional. Wouldn’t coming to our elementary school be a waste of your talents?"
’This young woman was pretty and young. Though her educational background was lacking, the English proficiency she just demonstrated was more than enough proof of her excellence.’
’Credentials certainly weren’t the only thing to consider.’
He even felt that the military district elementary school was beneath someone of Su Zhaozhao’s caliber.
"It’s no problem at all. I like it here," Su Zhaozhao said with a smile to Li Dongliang.
"So, Principal, did I pass the interview?"
"Of course." Li Dongliang shook Su Zhaozhao’s hand. "Teacher Su, when can you start teaching?"
"In a couple of days," Su Zhaozhao said.
"No! I object!" Zhou Chengguo shouted.