Jeremy took a drink and put his glass down. "So, as I was saying, this genius showed up fifteen years after MRS Academy started."
Cynthia translated his words clearly. Even after all this time, her voice stayed steady and precise.
"But let me go back a bit," Jeremy said. "After using Johan's bakery as their school for five years, they hit their first big problem. They had three hundred applicants - way more than the bakery could fit."
Arvin noticed how Jeremy seemed to forget his injuries when telling the story. It reminded him of his grandpa, who'd get just as excited talking about their family's martial arts history.
"That's when Albert suggested buying land," Jeremy explained. "At first, they didn't think space would be an issue. They usually had about a hundred students, with most finishing the three-year program and moving on."
"But something unexpected happened in the third year," Jeremy leaned forward. "When the first twenty students graduated, they all got good jobs with great pay right away. The other ninety students - fifty second-years and forty first-years - saw this success and got excited."
Arvin noticed how Cynthia would glance at her brother now and then, checking on him while she translated. Her face stayed professional, but her eyes showed she was worried about him.
"Those first twenty graduates," Jeremy continued proudly, "became the school's best advertisement. They started telling others about MRS Academy - people who needed both education and practical skills."
"Back then, there's only few people that become the teacher and staff at the same time." Jeremy said. "Mark was the headmaster and taught math and physics. They had just two other teachers for regular subjects, and three instructors for hands-on lessons - mechanics, woodworking, welding, stuff like that."
Arvin listened intently as Cynthia translated, noting how these subjects differed from what he'd learned during his brief time in formal education. His grandmother had focused on languages, mathematics, history, and sciences, while his grandfather's teachings centered on martial arts and philosophy. These practical skills Jeremy mentioned seemed valuable in ways his own education hadn't addressed.
"The staff believed in Mark's vision," Jeremy said. "They saw the same problem he did - teenagers forced to work without proper training. Despite Mark pushing them, they wouldn't take full pay, saying they were just helping in their free time."
Jeremy shifted and winced slightly - a reminder of his injuries that he quickly tried to hide. "The graduates' word-of-mouth didn't work right away. By the fifth year, when the last group of forty students graduated, the school actually stood empty."
"But here's where it gets interesting," Jeremy's eyes lit up. "Including previous classes, about eighty percent of graduates found good jobs immediately. Add the first twenty, and almost all graduates got jobs."
"That's when everything changed," Jeremy continued. "Word spread, and suddenly they had three hundred applicants."
Fang Chou nodded, looking like he was remembering something from long ago. Christina noticed her husband's expression but kept focusing on Jeremy's story.
"The problem was," Jeremy's tone grew more serious, "they'd been running the academy for free all these years. They were in the red, even with the minimal staff payments. Mark refused any salary from Albert and Johan, insisting this was his idea. Luckily, he made money from his newspaper columns, and with Albert's help, he made some good investments. He'd even gotten married the year before, with a baby on the way."
Arvin noticed how the family dynamics shifted during this part of the story. Fang Chou looked nostalgic, Christina listened attentively, Cynthia translated precisely, and Jeremy told the story passionately despite being hurt. It reminded him of when his own family would share stories, though those times felt far away now. He felt a quick pang of homesickness.
"That's when Albert stepped up," Jeremy said. "He said he'd handle it."
"Using his connections, Albert talked to the government about buying the land where MRS Academy is today, plus the area around it." Jeremy gestured vaguely toward the school. "After long talks, he got a good price. But even after the three founders put their money together, they only had half the amount."
"Once again, Albert's connections helped," Jeremy added. "He got the other half through donations."
Jeremy's voice brightened. "They worked fast. Six months later, just as Mark's son was born, the new school building was done. It wasn't fancy like today, but it was enough. They also started hiring more staff to join the original five."
"But then," Jeremy paused, letting Cynthia catch up, "they faced a tough choice. With so many students, they couldn't run the school for free anymore. They had staff to pay, taxes to handle. The founders, Mark, especially worried the tuition fees would scare applicants away."
Jeremy smiled slightly. "But they were wrong. Out of three hundred applicants, only twenty dropped out. Their reputation for getting graduates jobs was too good to ignore."
Before Jeremy could go on, Fang Chou cleared his throat. "Son, I'm enjoying this trip down memory lane, but maybe we could speed things up a bit?"
Christina chuckled. "You're just like your father when he gets excited about something, Jeremy."
"That's true," Fang Chou grinned, his nostalgia turning to amusement.
Jeremy blinked, suddenly realizing how carried away he'd gotten. "Oh... right. I was nerding out again, wasn't I?"
Arvin watched this family interaction with interest. Even during a serious story, they kept their warm dynamic. It reminded him of his own family's gentle teasing when he got too excited about his training progress. His mother would exchange knowing looks with his father, while his grandparents would hide their smiles behind cups of tea.
"Alright, I'll skip ahead," Jeremy said, his cheeks slightly red from the teasing. "But I still need to tell you about the genius - it's important for what happened today."
Arvin noticed how Cynthia's usual poker face softened slightly at her brother's embarrassment. That brief change revealed more about their relationship.
"So, fast forward to fifteen years after the school started, or actually by the time he graduated, it was 1964 - that's when this genius finished school," Jeremy continued, speaking faster now. "He came from a lower-middle-class family and could only attend thanks to money from a successful MRS Academy graduate who lived next door."
Jeremy leaned forward slightly, his enthusiasm returning despite his attempt to stay concise. "Instead of college, he took a job at one of the leading phone manufacturers. There, he met his mentor, Martin. Eight and half years later, they created the first-ever cell phone."
At the mention of cell phones, Arvin's mind flashed back to the airport - those small blocks people held to their ears. (Ah, so that's what those are called. Father has something similar at home, though he prefers the regular phone. I've seen them in movies too, but never knew their proper name.)
"The invention made him rich," Jeremy continued. "Feeling grateful to his old school, he donated thirty percent of his earnings. When reporters interviewed him about his success, he mentioned graduating from MRS Academy."
Jeremy's voice grew excited despite his earlier promise to keep things short. "The news exploded. Suddenly, everyone knew about our school. For the past ten years, they'd had steady enrollment - three to four hundred students each year, mostly from poorer families, with a few middle-class students like me. The tuition stayed low so more people could attend."
"But after that interview?" Jeremy shook his head in amazement. "One thousand applications. In a single day."
"This completely surprised Albert, Johan, and especially Mark," Jeremy continued. "Mark had always been close to this 'genius' student, but even he never expected such an impact."
"That evening, the three founders met at their old bar," Jeremy said. "They usually met regularly to discuss school matters, but this was different - this was a celebration. They never dreamed their school would become known for such innovation."
Jeremy's voice softened. "Looking back, it all started with Mark's drunken rambling that night. They'd come so far through hard work, and occasional help from grateful graduates whose donations kept them going - unlike those first five tough years."
"But then things got... interesting," Jeremy continued. "Out of those thousand applicants, they could only accept half because of space limitations. Suddenly, rich parents started competing for spots. They tried bribing Mark, but he refused. Instead, he suggested they donate toward building more classrooms."
Excitement crept into Jeremy's voice. "The rich parents agreed. The school closed for almost a year for major expansion. When it reopened, the school had doubled in size - enough for a thousand students. They hired more staff, teachers, and instructors."
Jeremy sat back slightly, looking satisfied. "That was the beginning of MRS Academy's golden age."
He paused, glancing at his father before adding, "The next part... well, that's when things started to change."
Jeremy took another sip of water before continuing. "I'll skip ahead about fifteen years - nothing really interesting happened after the cell phone boom. But everything changed in 1989."
Arvin noticed how the mood in the room shifted. Fang Chou's nostalgic smile faded slightly.
"Mark died at seventy-five," Jeremy said quietly. "Heart attack. No one expected it. Even at sixty-eight, he'd insisted on staying both headmaster and teacher. His children begged him to retire, but..." Jeremy shook his head. "He loved teaching too much to stop."
"After his wife died from cancer two years earlier, the school became even more important to him," Jeremy continued. "He didn't want to be home alone. There was even a bedroom in the headmaster's office. It was built nine years before because of increasing paperwork. Mark often spent nights there, working late on reports."
Jeremy's voice grew softer. "His death hit Albert and Johan hard. Their best friend, the one who'd brought them together, had gone to join his wife. But there was a bigger problem too - they'd never really thought about who would replace Mark. Who could possibly fill his shoes?"
"That's when Rick Marston appeared," Jeremy's tone shifted slightly. "A teacher in his mid-forties who 'claimed' to be 'quite close' to Mark."
He paused briefly, "He then approached Albert and Johan, offering to take the headmaster job and make the school even more successful."
Arvin caught the emphasis Jeremy placed on the word 'claimed,' noticing how different it sounded from his earlier respectful mentions of Mark. Even without understanding the full context, Arvin sensed the story was taking a darker turn.
"Albert and Johan didn't immediately agree," Jeremy continued. "They said they needed time to think it over. But really," he glanced at his father, "they were thoroughly checking Rick's background."
"They spent a week gathering information from every possible source - other teachers, students, graduates he'd taught, anyone who knew him. The results showed Rick was completely clean." Jeremy paused briefly. "Almost too clean. Something about it bothered them, but they couldn't figure out what."
Arvin noticed Fang Chou nodding slightly at this part, looking thoughtful. The gesture seemed almost unconscious, as though he was confirming details of a story he knew well. Arvin wondered about the connection between Fang Chou and this history—perhaps more personal than Jeremy had revealed so far.
"They couldn't leave the school without a leader for too long," Jeremy explained. "There were other candidates, but about seventy percent had scandals in their past. The cleanest alternative had once been caught in an affair with another teacher at his previous school."
"So, one month later, Rick became the new headmaster." Jeremy's voice carried a hint of resignation. "The first year seemed fine - no major changes, but everyone assumed he was just adjusting. The second year actually looked promising. He secured more donations, and three students got full scholarships to Harvard - something that hadn't happened since Mark's time."
Jeremy straightened slightly, wincing at the movement. "During Mark's leadership, he'd managed to get fifty students into prestigious schools like Harvard, Stanford, and Princeton on full scholarships. Many more went to his alma mater, Boston University, some on full scholarships, others on partial scholarships."
"Rick's early success seemed to prove Albert and Johan made the right choice," Jeremy concluded. "They started to think their initial doubts were just old age making them too careful."
His voice grew darker as he added, "They couldn't have been more wrong."