"I am very grateful to my alma mater for cultivating me and am willing to do my part for its construction."
"I, Xue Fan, hereby donate one million yuan to my alma mater in my personal capacity, with only one condition." I took out a donation contract in the principal's office. "The condition is that Teacher Ma Mingyuan must make an apology statement to me in front of all teachers and students of the school and create a written document that meets my satisfaction."
The contract had been reviewed by legal advisors and school staff and was legally binding. However, the principal, having never seen such a bizarre contract, expressed his doubts.
"There's no need to doubt it. This amount of money is a drop in the bucket for me, but it should be of great use to the school. The running track here is made of cinder, and the desks and chairs are all very old. Now, private schools in the district are already using projection screens for classes, and it must be difficult to get funding approved from the city, right?"
I wasn't in a hurry. After several rounds of negotiation, the school signed the contract with me. I didn't make any concessions.
After the flag - raising ceremony on Monday, Teacher Ma and I stepped onto the podium. In just two years, he had aged a great deal. His temples were completely white, his cheeks sagged, his eyes couldn't focus, and he put on his reading glasses with trembling hands. In contrast, I stood tall and straight, on the verge of becoming an adult.
"I am the homeroom teacher of Class 5, Grade 1. Today, in the presence of all teachers and students, I want to say sorry to Xue Fan."
"Without any evidence, just because I saw that she came from a poor family, I wrongly assumed that she had stolen someone else's phone. Later, out of pride, I refused to admit my mistake, causing Xue Fan to endure a great deal of pressure..."
The entire audience was deathly silent as only a humble old man trembled while making his apology. I had reviewed this apology letter in advance and knew exactly what it contained. Even so, hearing him read it out loud and seeing the tears welling up in his eyes, I couldn't help but feel a deep sense of emotion. I had waited far too long for this apology. I had gone to great lengths just to hear these words. I believed that his apology after two years was sincere, because I had returned all the misunderstandings and pressure I endured right back to him.
On this crisp autumn day, when I looked at this dilapidated campus again, it no longer seemed like a dark abyss. The students in the audience were merely naive and ignorant children. And Teacher Ma, he was actually the same height as me, weak in body, so fragile that the slightest illness could bring him down.
The world suddenly regained its true form. I was in the prime of my youth.