12. Rich woman: A wealthy woman, or a rich woman in the common sense.

Fang Shuning sat up, feeling a bit of a headache and confusion. Why was Zhang Jianhua back?

Zhang Jianhua didn't answer Fang Shuning's question. Instead, she began to nag like a mother, "How many times have I told you not to keep the air conditioner on when you sleep? It's easy to get facial paralysis. I saw a bunch of Coke bottles outside again. Haven't I told you to drink less carbonated drinks? There's a layer of dust downstairs. You've been home for so long and you haven't even cleaned up..." Zhang Jianhua's voice echoed in Fang Shuning's ears like a devil's whisper.

Fang Shuning: If using air conditioning, drinking cola, and not cleaning are crimes, then let the judge sentence me to death, instead of letting Zhang Jianhua torture himself like this!

Fang Shuning took out her phone and glanced at the time. "Jianhua, if you have nothing else to do, you should go now. If you don't leave soon, you'll miss picking up the kids." Kindergarten lets out at 4:50 p.m., and it takes 40-50 minutes to drive back from Xitang. It's 3:40 p.m. now.

“Then tell Mom the truth. You suddenly returned to Xitang without saying anything. Did something happen to you outside?” Zhang Jianhua paused for a moment, then continued cautiously, “You didn’t lose a lawsuit and someone is causing you trouble, so you’ve come home to hide, did you?”

Fang Shuning: ?

Headache. Fang Shuning sighed deeply, "What could possibly happen? I haven't taken a single annual leave since graduation. I've just been promoted to chief lawyer, and I'll only be busier in the future. I just wanted to rest for a while before I got here, that's all. Besides, Jianhua, stop scrolling through Douyin and watch something more meaningful. I really don't know what's going on in your head. I really don't know how my sister could trust you to take care of the child."

"Don't change the subject. Swear you're not lying to me." Zhang Jianhua remained skeptical.

Fang Shuning closed her eyes, raised her right hand, and made a vow. Seeing Fang Shuning's solemn oath, Zhang Jianhua finally felt somewhat relieved!

Glancing at the time, Zhang Jianhua knew they'd be running late if they didn't leave soon. He quickly urged Fang Linhai to hurry up. While Zhang Jianhua was talking to Fang Shuning, Fang Linhai stayed outside. Before leaving, he looked at Fang Shuning, who seemed hesitant to speak, and said, "Dad, it's really okay. Don't worry about me. I just want to take a break after working long hours. Don't worry."

After telling Fang Linhai to drive carefully, Zhang Jianhua called out, "Come back when you have time," and then the two drove off.

Fang Shuning was wide awake, but still wanted to lie down for a while.

Going up to the second floor, at the corner of the stairs, Fang Shuning realized that while she and Jianhua were talking inside, Fang Linhai had cleaned up. Fang Shuning's empty Coke bottle, empty snack bags, and unpacked delivery boxes... were all neatly cleaned up. Her nose felt a little sore, but that was all.

After a few days of hard work, the village committee's public welfare teaching activities were finally ready.

Two empty rooms, one for teaching and one for entertainment. Liu Yi even paid for the air conditioning, projector, foam mats, and several handmade toys out of his own pocket. Fang Shuning couldn't help but ask Liu Yi if she needed her to donate some money to her. She was rich, a wealthy woman, a rich woman in the common sense.

Liu Yi declined for the time being, but said he would definitely not hesitate to ask if needed. Fang Shuning didn't say anything more.

However, Song Jiuchen, who was helping out but always had a very low profile, overheard these words. A strange idea, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, suddenly and uncontrollably popped into his head.

The night before the official start of the public welfare teaching activity, the three of them finished their final preparations (mainly Song Jiuchen and Liu Yi did the work, while Fang Shuning did the talking). They rested and chatted in the village committee courtyard. The village committee courtyard was large, but empty. Song Jiuchen gave the only recliner to Fang Shuning, who didn't stand on ceremony and lay down immediately. Looking up, she saw the sky, the dark night sky twinkling with stars. There was no light pollution, and the surroundings were quiet. The recliner swayed gently, but her heart was very calm.

Song Jiuchen and Liu Yi each took a small stool and sat on either side of Fang Shuning. Fang Shuning couldn't resist any longer, went inside to get herself a stool, and plopped down on it. Song Jiuchen immediately asked with concern, "What's wrong? Is this chair uncomfortable?"

"It's comfortable, very comfortable, but I'm lying there while you two sit on small stools, one on each side, making me look like a landlord, like Zhou Bapi. You all watched those movies when you were kids, right? Lying there, I feel like I am Zhou Bapi, and you two are the hardworking people I'm exploiting. I feel guilty."

Song Jiuchen had been troubled by a question, wanting to ask it several times but holding it back each time. It was this: why could Fang Shuning recognize Liu Yi at a glance, but not him after several glances, and even after he told her his name, she didn't remember him? They were elementary school classmates, so why was she showing favoritism?

Feeling the atmosphere was pleasant, Song Jiuchen voiced his doubts. He spoke jokingly, but inwardly he was wondering how Fang Shuning could have forgotten him.

Liu Yi looked on with a gossipy expression, while Fang Shuning pondered for two seconds before saying, "Maybe it's because you're a good person."

"ah?"

Fang Shuning is petty and holds grudges. Liu Yi used to constantly write her name on the attendance sheet, causing Zhang Jianhua to come to the school every few days. Fang Shuning tried everything—coercion, threats, and bribes—but nothing worked. Eventually, even Teacher Zhang became numb to it, choosing to simply ignore Fang Shuning's name on the attendance sheet. Song Jiuchen brought up the time when he and Fang Shuning sat at adjacent desks, and Fang Shuning hit him. If it had been Song Jiuchen who hit Fang Shuning back then, do you think she wouldn't remember him? She would remember him terribly!

However, Fang Shuning was also puzzled as to why Liu Yi always remembered her name before, while Cui Sitong always talked but didn't remember her name.

Cui Sitong sneezed twice, and immediately thought and cursed that Fang Shuning was definitely talking bad about her again!

Liu Yi said embarrassedly: "Is it better to keep offending one person or offend a group of people at the same time? The answer is obvious."

This really made Fang Shuning laugh in exasperation.

Fang Shuning looked at Song Jiuchen, her gaze lingering on his face. It was an undisguised, open scrutiny, the kind of hormonal gaze a woman gives a man. Thin silver-rimmed glasses and a defined jawline; the glimpses of his eyes behind the lenses paired with slightly pursed thin lips, and the two buttons undone at the top of his shirt collar—there was a contradictory sense of asceticism and danger.

Fang Shuning thought to herself that Song Jiuchen must have been very ugly when he was a child. She was an extreme person who cared a lot about appearances, otherwise she would have remembered such a beauty.

"Is Secretary Song married?"

"No, no, I'm single."

"What a coincidence, I'm single too."

It was getting late, so after teasing Song Jiuchen, Fang Shuning and Liu Yi went home to sleep.

However, what was said in jest was taken to heart by the listener. Lying on his small bed, Song Jiuchen couldn't stop thinking about Fang Shuning's words, "What a coincidence, I'm single too." He suffered from insomnia for the first half of the night, but slept soundly for the second half. On this summer night, his heart was filled with longing.

In Xitang Village and the surrounding villages, excluding some children whose guardians couldn't pick them up because they lived far away, and some children who came to the city to visit their parents, there were a total of 42 children of all ages standing, squatting, and crawling in the village committee office. Among them were some guardians who insisted on sending their two- or three-year-old children here after hearing that the childcare was free and that they could learn something from it.

Liu Yi refused, but they abandoned the child and ran away, as if they had planned it beforehand. Once they were outside the village committee gate, they could run left and right, and no one could catch up with them.

We had no choice but to let the Party Secretary uphold justice. But the Party Secretary, who was holding a baby in his arms, was in dire straits himself.

Fang Shuning wore flat sneakers, cropped flared jeans, a simple white short-sleeved shirt, and a simple ponytail today. She looked quite like Teacher Fang. However, when those 42 children were put in one room, Fang Shuning almost lost her temper.

The younger ones were crying, while the older ones were playing and shouting louder and louder, weaving back and forth, almost bumping into Fang Shuning several times.

I want to curse. I even want to hit someone.

"Song Jiuchen, you, right now, immediately, send those underage children back to their homes, one by one." Fang Shuning gritted her teeth, as if the words were being spat out from between her teeth, all of which showed that she was very angry!

With one child in his arms, Song Jiuchen went to call the one who was wailing on the mat, then picked up both children and carried them out the door. As he walked out, he called out, "Don't be angry in this hot weather, I'll take them back right away."

Song Jiuchen made several trips back and forth before finally seeing everyone off.

After dropping off the children, there were still 34 children left. The long and arduous morning didn't end until all 34 children went home for their afternoon nap.

Fang Shuning was slightly exhausted. Regardless of how dirty the mat was from being stepped on by the children in shoes, she lay flat on it. Thankfully, these children could understand human speech; thankfully, Liu Yi still maintained his teacher's authority. Thankfully… thankfully what? What was there to be thankful for? The only thing worth being thankful for was returning to the moment Liu Yi extended an olive branch to Fang Shuning, and how she refused all his touching stories. That was truly something to be thankful for.

So tired, so tired.

The moment I close my eyes, all I can hear in my mind and ears is the noise of children. I feel like I'll have nightmares. What data comes from that claims China's birth rate is declining? That's utter nonsense. The whole world is having babies, except for South Korea.

And they still encourage childbirth? Let whoever wants to have children have them, Fang Shuning certainly won't.

Having finally finished his work, Liu Yi glanced at Fang Shuning lying down through the window, feeling a little guilty. Song Shujing had also been busy all morning, and the village committee wasn't serving food today. Liu Yi invited the two of them to go to town to eat, but Fang Shuning didn't want to move. Liu Yi had to practically drag her to get up.

In the afternoon, we arranged a movie screening for the children, combining education with entertainment. Liu Yi alone is enough to care for the remaining 34 children.