Chapter 19 Xie Suzhou seems to be crazy

The small figure in front suddenly stopped, stiffened, and did not dare to look back.

"Xie Chen, turn around."

A woman's voice came from behind him. Xie Chen closed his eyes, made up his mind, and turned around.

Su Cheng walked closer, his eyes wandered around his little face, and then he moved his lips, "Explain, why do I see you here?"

Xie Chen buried his face in his hands and mumbled for a long time, his voice low and muffled, "I... just happened to pass by."

"You happened to be passing by and ended up in the study?" Su Cheng raised his eyebrows and chuckled softly, "What a coincidence! I'll ask your second uncle to come over and take a look."

"No, no, no!" Xie Chen's face instantly lost color. Out of fear for his second uncle, he had no choice but to bow his head and beg the woman in front of him, "Please, please don't tell my second uncle that I was here..."

Looking at the top of the little guy's head, Su Cheng pursed his lips and asked softly, "Want to study?"

Xie Chen raised his head suddenly, a flicker of hope in his eyes, and then suddenly thought of something, the light in his eyes gradually dimmed, "No."

How does this look like it doesn't exist?

Pretentious.

Su Cheng sighed softly and reached out to pinch his face.

The feel is pretty good.

Xie Chen couldn't help but cry out in pain. He covered his left cheek tightly and stared at his stepmother with an accusing look on his face.

Su Cheng curled his lips, crossed his arms over his chest, and asked with interest, "Why do you suddenly want to study?"

“I didn’t…”

"If you can tell me the truth, I will find a way to help you."

Xie Chen paused, unsure whether his stepmother's words were true or not. He hesitated for a long time before speaking. "Those officials are ineffective, accepting bribes and favoring the bad guys. Although they didn't succeed this time, who knows how many unjust cases they must have committed in the past. I want to learn to read and write, so that when I'm old enough, I can become an official and protect peace in this area."

Su Cheng couldn't help but laugh, "Is that all you have?"

"What do you know!" Xie Chen's face flushed red upon hearing her teasing. He was so angry that he argued with her, "When I learn to read and write, I will definitely be a good official in the future!"

The smile on Su Cheng's lips deepened, and he threw the basin in his hand into his arms, "Come with me."

Xie Chen subconsciously hugged the wooden basin. Upon hearing this, his face was full of vigilance. "Why should I go with you?"

"Are you afraid I'll sell you out?" Su Cheng raised the corner of his mouth and glanced at him. "We don't have much money left in our family, and we still have to rely on your Third Uncle. It's going to be hard to pay your rent."

"Although your uncle is teaching in the classroom, there are many eyes watching. It's not good for him to use his position to insert you in. Why not bring you with me and help me? This classroom is not big, and the small kitchen is close to the classroom, so it's convenient for you to sit in on the lessons. When your uncle finishes school, he can come home and teach you privately. What's the problem?"

"Really...really?" Xie Chen was overjoyed, his body trembling with excitement, and the words "flattered" were almost written on his face. "Are you really willing to help me?"

"I am your stepmother after all. How can I ignore you just because I have the word 'mother'?" Su Cheng rubbed his little head and led him back.

[Host, Xie Chen's Favorability +3]

As soon as I turned around, I saw Xie Suzhou standing behind a bamboo forest. I didn't know how long he had been listening.

Xie Suzhou stood quietly in front of the green bamboo, his brows slightly furrowed and his expression complicated.

"Second uncle?" Xie Chen stood up straight in fear and hid behind Su Cheng quietly.

Xie Suzhou only glanced at him, then turned back to look at Su Cheng, his Adam's apple rolling, his thin lips parted, "Sister-in-law...thank you so much."

Su Cheng held Xie Chen's hand tightly and walked towards the small kitchen. When she passed by the man, she looked up at him with a bright smile, "We are family. Master Xie, you don't have to be polite with me."

The light-hearted words "Thank you, Master" made the man's ears burn.

It was not until she walked away with the child that Xie Suzhou gradually came to his senses.

The afterglow shone on him. Xie Suzhou's brows were filled with worry, and his chest rose and fell noticeably faster. "Gao Wei is right, I must be sick..."

Until noon, Xie Suzhou was a little absent-minded.

The teacher was not as serious as usual, and a beautiful girl came to the courtyard. The students' hearts were attracted by Su Cheng and they couldn't study at all.

"Dinner is ready!" Xie Chen put his hand to his mouth and shouted, "Get in line and get your meal!"

Xie Suzhou suddenly woke up, his thoughts were pulled back, he put down the bamboo slips in his hand and looked for the source of the sound.

From a distance, there were many children getting food, but no woman was seen. Only Xie Chen was standing in front of the rice bowl.

After everyone had left, Su Cheng still hadn't returned.

Xie Suzhou frowned and quickly stepped forward to ask, "Xie Chen, where did Su go?"

Xie Chen was eating happily when he looked up and saw that it was his second uncle. He immediately stood up, chewing his food and speaking incoherently, "My stepmother went to the fields to take food to my fourth uncle. She also packed some for my third uncle and Cuicui, and told me to go home and take it after I finish eating. Uncle Lu said there are a lot of dishes in the hall, as long as it can be eaten by the students, it doesn't matter if my stepmother takes some."

"...Oh." When Xie Suzhou heard that she was going to find her fourth brother, a trace of disappointment flashed in his eyes, but he did not show it on his face. He just turned his head slightly and even gave up the thought of eating.

"Uncle, this is the meal that stepmother left for you." Xie Chen pulled out a lunch box wrapped tightly in his clothes from behind his back and handed it to him. "Stepmother said that teaching every day is very demanding on your brain, so she gave you an extra egg, laid by our old hen, so you can eat it without worry."

The lunch box fell into my palm, still warm.

Xie Suzhou lowered his eyes and glanced at the green short jacket used to wrap the lunch box, and his ears suddenly turned red.

He was very familiar with this short jacket. When they had a close contact that day, Su Cheng was trapped in front of him and was wearing this jacket.

He could hardly tell whether the warmth in his palms was the residual heat from the food or the woman's...

"I understand." Xie Suzhou left only this sentence and walked away quickly. His steps were hurried and his back looked like he was fleeing in panic.

[Host, Xie Suzhou's favorability has begun to fluctuate drastically again. He seems to be going crazy...]

Su Cheng was walking in the field with a lunch box in his hand, looking for Xie Ming, when the system's voice suddenly rang in his mind.

"What's Xie Suzhou's current favorability score?"

[Xie Suzhou's current favorability is 40, and the reward has been issued.]

"There's no rush yet."

Su Cheng walked faster, and she had already seen Xie Ming working in the fields.

The man stood in the sun with bare arms, his collar casually torn open, his strong chest half exposed, the hoe in his hand raised and lowered, his long hair tied up high, the red headband fluttering in the breeze, sweat rolled from his forehead to his chin, and finally dripped into the soil.

At a glance, there were a few young girls standing by the field, glancing at Xie Ming from time to time, then looking shy and laughing.

But Xie Ming seemed to be blind to it, and his mind and eyes were filled with only the seeds beside him and the land under his feet.

"Uncle!"

When Xie Ming heard the familiar voice, he subconsciously looked up and saw a woman standing on the path not far away. She was dressed in bean green and had no makeup on, but she was dazzling enough. When she saw him looking at her, she smiled brightly and waved at him vigorously.

When the men working around saw her, they unconsciously slowed down their work.

Xie Ming was unhappy and glanced at them coldly. When he looked back at Su Cheng, his brows softened a little, "Why are you here?"