Chapter 261

Flowers bloom and fade, seasons change, and a year passes.

After her conversation with Principal Zhang that day, Lingwu's exams ended in the small town. Unfortunately, after Lingwu withdrew, the candidate above her also failed the exam in Dingjiang County.

During the Spring Festival, the older generation in Wanyue Village couldn't help but feel bitter and envious when they saw the cars parked in front of Song Chunhua's house.

At first, only Principal Zhang would occasionally come to check on Ling Wu's studies.

However, whenever Principal Zhang had a gathering with his friends, he would always praise Ling Wu as the only one of her kind in the world. As a result, there were always teachers who did not believe in Ling Wu's intelligence who would come along with her.

Eventually, the "it's actually pretty good" moment will appear.

One person led another, until finally the small courtyard couldn't accommodate all of them.

Seeing the best teachers in Dingjiang County, and even retired government officials, sitting in her dilapidated courtyard, Song Chunhua went from being confused and helpless at the beginning to being able to do things with ease now.

She would occasionally try to offer them a cup of hot water to warm them up, but Xiao Song, who had recently been promoted, would hurriedly take the offer.

Xiao Song looked terrified. "Auntie, I'm here. It's cold outside. If you get cold, and Xiao Wu gets worried, Principal Zhang and the others could drown me with their spit!"

Xiao Song's surname is "Song," and Song Chunhua's surname is also "Song." Taking advantage of this surname, Xiao Song affectionately calls Song Chunhua "Auntie."

In this way, Song Chunhua was happy to have some free time. She handed the thermos to Xiao Song and sat down in front of the small TV that Ling Wu had bought with her hard-earned scholarship money to watch TV dramas.

Occasionally, when she was distracted, Song Chunhua would turn her head to look at the important figures from the county town sitting in the courtyard.

At this time, the little girl sitting among a group of important people, treated like a precious treasure, would always spot her peeking without fail, and then give her a bright and lovely smile.

Song Chunhua felt both warm and sweet inside.

Two years ago, she never would have imagined that her godforsaken place would be filled with a group of important people!

Song Chunhua, warmed by Ling Wu's smile, watched TV with a cozy feeling.

The group of people sitting around the stove in the courtyard also looked over after Lingwu stopped speaking.

Sure enough, the little girl was smiling at Song Chunhua!

An emotion called "envy" couldn't help but arise in my heart.

Everyone, including Xiao Song who served tea and water, shared the same thought:

How wonderful it would be if they had a little girl like that in their family!

Seeing the loving gazes of the group of people, Ling Wu paused for a moment and smiled back at them before continuing the topic that had just been interrupted.

Originally, the courtyard only housed teachers and the principal.

But one day, when Principal Zhang was praising Ling Wu over tea, he was met with an eye roll from the retired county head.

Principal Zhang, unable to contain his anger, snorted and dragged the old county head to Ling Wu.

After that, many strange people appeared.

Lingwu still remembers that day when Principal Zhang dragged an old man with a full head of white hair out of the car. The old woman was so frightened that she didn't even put down the broom in her hand before using one hand to separate Principal Zhang and the old county magistrate.

After that, the old county magistrate would always try to avoid the old woman when he saw her, but he would occasionally steal glances at her.

While everyone was unaware of what was going on, the old county magistrate, who had been secretly observing Song Chunhua for a long time, secretly became her apprentice and began to learn her skills.

The former county magistrate's once white hair has regained some of its black color, and the scene of him being dragged out of the car by Principal Zhang with one hand is no longer possible.

After seeing the group off, it was already night.

Because she was worried that Lingwu would hurt her eyes by reading at night, Song Chunhua installed electric lights in the small house after she had the money.

When the light was turned on, many of the wrinkles on the old woman's face disappeared, with only a few lines remaining at the corners of her eyes.

But the old lady didn't mind. She often said, "This is a blessing that only those who live freely and are happy every day can have."

Nestled in her grandmother's arms, Lingwu could smell the scent of sunlight filtering through the bedding. As she drifted off to sleep, Lingwu whispered, "Grandma, will you find me a grandpa someday?"

Song Chunhua wasn't sleepy to begin with, and upon hearing this, she was even more alarmed. "Which little brat said such nonsense to you?"

"..."

Lingwu didn't answer Song Chunhua's question, but instead asked, "Grandma, do you want to?"

"No," Song Chunhua replied decisively, her cheeks flushing slightly.

"Why?" Ling Wu asked.

Whether Grandma wants to find a partner or not is up to her; as long as Grandma is happy, that's all that matters.

She spoke up because she was worried that the old woman would miss out on a relationship that could have been hers because she was concerned about her.

Song Chunhua pondered for a long time before seriously answering Ling Wu's question: "In this life, one doesn't necessarily have to find a partner."

Moreover, when she was young, she had someone whose heart pounded like a bird chirping.

That man was her husband, the man everyone in Wanyue Village said was cursed to death by her.

He's a good person; he doesn't mind that she's strong or that she eats a lot in one meal.

He would only say that he was useless and couldn't give her a better life, and then he would work hard to make money behind her back, even going out late at night to catch fish for her as a treat.

I would also take her to play wildly on the ridges of the fields all day, and tell her mythological stories in the evening...

"If Grandma meets a grandpa she likes in the future, she doesn't need to worry about Xiaowu," Lingwu said in advance, offering a heads-up.

Finally understanding what Ling Wu meant, Song Chunhua tightened her grip on Ling Wu's arm, "You little brat, aren't you afraid of getting wrinkles from thinking so much!"

Laughing and scolding, Song Chunhua finally fell into a deep sleep.

In her half-dreaming, half-awake state, she had a vague answer in her mind: no matter how good others are, they can't compare to him.

The next day was the third day of the Lunar New Year. While playing with them, Dongliang kept staring blankly at Lingwu.

"Xiao Liu, are you mentally impaired?" Dayue picked up a snowball and threw it at Dongliang's head.

Dongliang neither dodged nor retaliated.

"It's over! Little Five, Little Six, I didn't make him stupid!" Da Yue explained to Ling Wu first.

Lingwu put down the Rubik's Cube she was teaching a group of children and walked towards Dongliang.

Having gained Ling Wu's attention, Dongliang explained with a mix of grievance and suppressed emotions: "Xiao Wu, after the New Year, my dad will be taking me away from Wanyue Village."

Upon hearing this, Da Yue, who was listening from the side, couldn't suppress the corners of his mouth from turning up, but he soon lost his nerve.

Dongliang is gone, which means one less person will be vying for Xiaowu's attention, but he has also lost a good friend.

Lingwu nodded and instructed, "Yes, Dongliang, you must study hard in the future, and don't forget what I taught you."

Lingwu had complete confidence in Dongliang, but she would only offer him some guidance when he got stuck in a rut.

Dongliang was strong and sturdy, but he was also very quick-witted, so Lingwu didn't worry about him much.

When Dongliang left, Lingwu gave him a photograph.

The photo shows a group of friends standing together, laughing heartily.

Dongliang, who had never cried in front of Lingwu before, waved goodbye with tears in his eyes this time.

"Xiao Wu, don't forget me when we meet again!"

"I won't forget." Ling Wu waved.

If he can stay true to his original aspirations, this life will only be better than the previous one, and they will meet again in the future.