Episode 19 recap: Child Falls into Water, Relocation Plans Fall Through
In Episode 19, An Yan bids farewell to Gouxi Village early the next morning and returns to Heping Middle School. Meanwhile, two vice principals are busy making recruitment calls, but their efforts are misunderstood, leading to a minor mix-up where they are thought to be scammers. Cong Jun Sheng, seeing that An Yan was safely returned by Lu Guang Bin, discreetly asks if they plan to reconcile.
An Yan straightforwardly admits that Lu Guang Bin did mention getting back together, but she declined his proposal. With this revelation, Cong Jun Sheng finally feels a weight lifted off his shoulders.
Upon returning to school, An Yan immediately gets to the point and approaches Director Li to request the selection of outstanding teachers from various villages. This strategy proves effective, as the response from the teachers is enthusiastic. However, Director Yu is less pleased and ultimately compromises, agreeing to two spots but insisting that An Yan negotiate directly. Without hesitation, An Yan takes action.
Feeling sympathetic toward An Yan, Cong Jun Sheng specially prepares a hangover soup for her. As An Yan drinks the soup and reviews the experimental plan Cong Jun Sheng created, she feels it aligns perfectly with her vision. She suggests that both schools collaborate on the experiment to learn from each other. Just then, Fang Xiang rushes back with good news: Zhang Hongyang has shown exceptional talent in running, achieving the level of a national second-tier athlete, which adds another training direction for the school.
Coincidentally, the higher-ups have approved the policy for recruiting rural teachers. Principal Wang carefully selects two candidates, but An Yan disagrees, arguing that teachers with higher professional titles are more motivated and have greater potential for achievement.
The villagers of Gouxi, led by Lu Guang Bin, visit the new school and express their satisfaction. While enjoying the coolness by the river, a child suddenly falls into the water. Without hesitation, Fang Xiang jumps in to rescue the child. Although the rescue is perilous, the child is ultimately unharmed. Concerned about river safety, An Yan promises to come up with a solution.
An Yan reluctantly says goodbye to the villagers, particularly noticing that Sister An and Wen Jing are very interested in the new school but worried about the children's safety. She takes the two children to familiarize them with the environment, as Sister An hopes Wen Jing will attend school while fearing her younger son might sneak off to the river.
To strengthen the teaching staff, An Yan and Principal Wang visit Teacher Yu Li Juan, hoping she will join the Fourteenth Middle School. However, Teacher Yu is hesitant because she values her happy family life and doesn’t want to fall behind; she aims to achieve a senior professional title before retirement.
An Yan promises to help her advocate for a position, but the condition is to build an excellent team of English teachers. Meanwhile, Fang Xiang tries to persuade Teacher Wu Hong Lin to join, but is politely declined due to inadequate calligraphy skills. An Yan decides to reach out to Wu's colleagues to gather more information and increase the chances of success.
As the principal, An Yan makes it a point to personally teach physics, allowing her to understand the students better and motivate the teachers. The newly hired teachers arrive one after another, including An Yan's proud protégé, Pei Qiu Yun. Having graduated with honors at the graduate level, Principal Wang worries he won’t be able to keep her, but Pei Qiu Yun expresses her desire to work in rural education to fulfill her personal values. Both principals praise Pei Qiu Yun, considering her a valuable asset to the school.
Cong Jun Sheng brings Yang Yang to visit An Yan, and An's father seizes the opportunity to inquire about his relationship status. Cong Jun Sheng honestly shares his situation and even offers to help with cooking, winning An's father's favor.
After the interviews, An Yan speaks privately with Pei Qiu Yun, telling her that, given her qualifications, she could attend a better school. However, Pei Qiu Yun insists that she wants to work alongside An Yan.
That evening, An Yan returns home to see Cong Jun Sheng busy in the kitchen and the children playing joyfully in the yard, warming her heart. She asks Cong Jun Sheng for advice on how to prevent the children from swimming in the river. He cleverly suggests, “Why not build a swimming pool? If the children have a safe place to swim, they won’t take the risk of going to the river.” An Yan thinks this is a brilliant idea.
At that moment, Lu Guang Bin visits with his daughter. Upon seeing Cong Jun Sheng there, his expression darkens, but he politely greets them before taking his child outside. Meanwhile, things are not going well at Wen Jing’s home; her father, having lost money gambling, even considers using her tuition fees to gamble, which leads to a confrontation with his wife.
Sister An watches all this unfold, feeling a mix of emotions.
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