Chapter 408 The Old Darkness Has Passed

• Back then, everyone felt bad watching Rhea Wood work herself to the bone. Now that she was pregnant, she could finally take a breather. Casper Frost had worked so hard to cherish her—no way he’d let her keep doing chores. Dumb pretty boy Zhao Qingyu shrank under everyone’s glares, totally clueless what he’d said wrong. After a midnight snack, no one felt sleepy. They decided to sit up and see the year out together. The village had a tradition for New Year’s Eve. In most places in the city, you only stay up till midnight, but in their village the old custom still held: on New Year’s Eve, you keep watch till dawn. When Rhea used to spend the holiday alone, she’d keep vigil too. She’d haul over a stack of test papers and drill through them all night long. She believed keeping to tradition brought luck. Roger Frost wasn’t in great health, so he turned in first. The bed curtains fell. The room quieted. In the tiny house, they played cards, munched on snacks, whispered and laughed. Together they said goodbye to the past and held on to hope for the new year. Time ticked by. Rhea yawned again and again, curled up in Casper’s arms. “Catch some sleep,” he coaxed softly. Rhea shook her head. “It’s not dawn yet. I have to keep watch.” Casper pulled her closer, making her more comfortable. “We’re husband and wife now—one heart. I’ll keep watch for you. You’re pregnant. Staying up like this is bad for you.” Rhea yawned once more and gave in. Mostly, she was just wiped—she could barely keep her eyes open. Nestled against Casper, she fell asleep the second she closed her eyes, a smile still lingering at her lips. The lively bunch also started to fade. In twos and threes they leaned on each other, dropping any pretense of posture, sharing blankets and nodding off where they sat. In the end, even the girls huddled together and slept, till only Casper stayed awake. He sat quietly, holding Rhea, gaze calm on the window. No one knew how long it had been before the darkness outside slowly lightened. The old year slipped away. The new one began. The old darkness passed; dawn broke on the future. … The next morning. Everyone was still sprawled and snoring. Casper had already taken Rhea out. They went to pay respects to Morgan again. After the wedding, Rhea and Casper didn’t rush back to Wingston. Starting on New Year’s Day, they carried gifts and went door to door to offer holiday greetings. Lucas Fray and the others had rare time in the countryside and were in no hurry to leave. They all stayed in the school dorms, and it didn’t feel right to freeload, so they declared they’d tutor the kids. Normally, these children never got to meet so many outstanding people. In Oldham, it was hard to find top-notch teachers. Now a bunch of substitutes had shown up at once—Mr. James couldn’t be happier, and the students threw themselves in with everything they had. These substitutes had never met such eager, serious learners, so they matched that enthusiasm with their own. Hong Qin didn’t dare linger at school; she slipped farther away, scared someone would notice her. Truth was, no one did. They had no idea who she was. To them, she was just a teacher from the mountains. Lately, Hong Qin felt hollowed out. She couldn’t measure up to Rhea, and it stung. But there was nothing she could do. She started telling herself not to compare. Rhea was an exception. It wasn’t just her—even few people could hold a candle to Rhea. She still hated it, but after that pep talk, the knot in her chest loosened. With her mind settled, she dressed neatly and headed to school. She hadn’t done anything wrong lately. She was a teacher in her own right. Why hide? Those folks used to living easy weren’t any different from her. Sure, if there was a difference, it was that their families had more money. With that thought, she squared her shoulders and walked in—then spotted Luo Qing and Zhou Yang talking. Standing together, Luo Qing spoke gently to Zhou Yang, who was short on patience and bristling, not wanting to listen. Luo Qing soothed her, patting her shoulder, then handed her a candy. One look at that scene, and the composure Hong Qin had just rebuilt shattered. Why was Luo Qing being so sweet to Zhou Yang? Luo Qing was polite to everyone. Even when Hong Qin shamelessly tried to flirt, Luo kept her distance and turned her down, kindly but firmly. Fine, she couldn’t beat Rhea—but how could she lose to Zhou Yang, too? Zhou Yang had zero feminine vibe, wasn’t prettier than her, and her personality didn’t stack up either. From any angle, Hong Qin was better. She strode over, face frosty, and greeted them coolly: “Ms. Luo, did you finish the book you borrowed last time? If you did, I need it.” The holidays had Luo Qing busy, so she winced and said, embarrassed, “Sorry, I haven’t finished it. I’ll go get it for you now—you can read it first.” Zhou Yang stared for a good while before placing her. “You’re that Hong Qin!” Hong Qin answered with icy calm. “Mm. What a coincidence.” Zhou Yang didn’t bother being polite. “Sure is. You’re not Cheng Zijin—drop the icy act. Since we ran into each other, here’s the deal: don’t even think about picking on Rhea and Ke Shuyao, or I’ll make you regret it.” Hong Qin hadn’t expected Zhou Yang to go straight there. Getting called out in front of Luo Qing was humiliating. She snapped, “Zhou Yang, don’t push it. When did I ever bully Rhea? She’s the one who hit me.” Zhou Yang thought about it and, yeah—someone playing mind games like Hong Qin, running into Rhea’s straightforward style, wouldn’t get anywhere good. Say what you want, plot all you like—she’d just slug you. Zhou Yang, cocky and a bit unreasonable, said, “I don’t care. Just stay the hell away from Rhea. I don’t like you.” Bullies got no mercy from her—same as Rhea. Put on airs and try to lord it over people? She wouldn’t stand for it, wouldn’t forgive it. Hong Qin’s chest ached at the pushback, and she didn’t dare do anything to Zhou Yang. Eyes shining with hurt, she turned to Luo Qing. They’d known each other for a while—wouldn’t Luo speak up for her when she was getting steamrolled? After Zhou Yang’s little flex, she noticed Hong Qin kept staring at Luo Qing. That look was skin-crawling, gross. Zhou Yang wasn’t usually the sharpest, but just then she connected the dots. Was Hong Qin into Luo Qing? She stepped closer to Luo. Hong Qin’s face did indeed sink another shade. Zhou Yang raised a brow and, without ceremony, set her hand on Luo Qing’s shoulder. Luo didn’t pull away. Hong Qin’s expression went pitch black. Zhou Yang chuckled to herself, palm still on Luo Qing’s shoulder. “Let’s go. Didn’t you want me to run drills for those little bookworms? I’ve got a dinner at Rhea’s later. Busy day.” Luo Qing shot Hong Qin a complicated look, then left with Zhou Yang.