Chapter 58 Ice Cream

Dan Anwen had actually considered bringing the teacher to live at his home, but the teacher was unwilling to trouble him.

He doesn't usually have that much time to come and see the teacher, so it would be good if the children could come and see the teacher more often.

The girl nodded and said softly, "I'll come to visit more often."

The night view of Nan'an City is extremely beautiful, brightly lit, and the streets and alleys are bustling with people on summer nights.

The car was heading towards Jinshan Villa when suddenly the man seemed to see something and stopped the car.

Turning her head, she asked gently, "Little one, do you still have room to eat?"

Gu Zhaodi didn't understand, but she nodded anyway, since girls usually have two stomachs, one for meals and the other for snacks.

"Get out of the car." The man strode out of the car first, followed closely by the girl.

The girl followed the man to the other side of the road.

"Uncle Dan, where are we going?" the girl asked, looking up. Her starry eyes were illuminated by the shop's entrance light, and she could see the man's handsome face in them.

Dan Anwen smiled slightly, her voice gentle, "I'll take you to get ice cream."

"ah?"

“You wanted to eat when we went to the amusement park last time, so I’ll grant your wish this time.” With that, the man stepped into the store first.

The girl behind him stood there stunned, surprised that Uncle Dan still remembered something that happened a few months ago.

The man turned around, his eyes behind his glasses so gentle they could melt water. "Let's go."

The girl blinked, snapped out of her daze, and followed.

Finally, the girl left the ice cream shop with a chocolate ice cream cone. The man standing behind her watched her lick the ice cream with tender eyes, while he carried an insulated bag filled with all sorts of ice cream.

Just now, the girl with only a belly was struggling to decide what flavor to eat in the store. After seeing her conflicted expression, the man immediately ordered one of every flavor.

The week flew by, and Guan Xiang probably figured out her true feelings for Nie Bowen. The next day, she regained her usual vitality, with no trace of sadness on her face.

When the news of Nie Bowen's upcoming departure abroad reached Dan Si's ears, his mood noticeably improved over the past week. He would hum a few old, worn-out songs from time to time, which was completely out of character for his school bully and unruly personality.

On Friday afternoon, the group went to Danyuan to study as usual. After more than half a year of study, not only Guan Xiang's grades improved by leaps and bounds, but even Tong Dan Si and Yao Xin, who were at the bottom of the class, had reached the middle level.

"Zhao Zhao, do you want to participate in the provincial essay competition?" Guan Xiang propped her head up with one hand and twirled a pen between her fingers with the other.

Gu Zhaodi paused in her homework. "I haven't thought about it yet."

She won an award for her essays in Lin'an City when she was in junior high school, but she didn't know what level she was at in Nan'an City. Although her Chinese teacher often praised her for her good writing, it didn't mean that she could stand out in a city like Nan'an City where there were many talented people.

Guan Xiang said, "What's there to consider? You write very well."

The girl pursed her lips. "I'll think about it carefully."

Before the two finished their conversation, there was a knock on the study door.

"You can rest for a while and have some afternoon tea," said Mrs. Dan, carrying snacks and coffee.

Since they started studying at the Tamil Garden, the Tamil Mother often brings them things to rest for a while, like today's afternoon tea.

Watching the four children enjoy afternoon tea, and thinking about Dan Si's rapid improvement in his monthly exam results recently, Dan's mother was genuinely happy. If it weren't for Zhao Zhao, who knows where Dan Si would be wandering around now.

"Zhao Zhao, did you enjoy today's snacks?" Mother Dan asked with a smile.

The girl swallowed the pastry in her mouth and said softly, "It's delicious, Grandma Dan."

"I'm glad it's delicious. I made it myself. Take some back with you when you leave."

After learning about the girl's family background and situation from Dan Si, Dan's mother felt very sorry for this well-behaved girl.

Whenever a girl comes to Danyuan, Dan's mother treats her to good food and drink. Even Guan Xiang said that she didn't receive this treatment when she came.

"Okay, thank you, Grandma Dan." The girl didn't intend to refuse Grandma Dan's kindness.

Guan Xiang was eating nearby when she suddenly remembered something. "Zhao Zhao, did you bring your composition book?"

The girl felt a little strange, but still answered truthfully, "I brought it, why?"

Guan Xiang's eyes lit up. "Grandma Dan, Zhao Zhao is a little conflicted about whether or not to participate in the provincial essay competition. Could you take a look at her essay?"

Danmu is a professor in the Chinese Department at Nan'an University. She has extremely high literary attainments and is often invited to serve as a judge for similar essay competitions.

"Really?" Dan's mother was a little surprised. She knew that the girl's academic performance was quite good, but she did not expect that the girl's writing was so outstanding.

Sometimes, good grades in Chinese language do not necessarily mean high writing skills; the charm of language is not something everyone can master.

The girl felt a little embarrassed; she didn't think her essay was very presentable.

"Grandma Dan, my writing is just so-so." The girl smiled shyly.

"It's alright, let me take a look." Mother Dan's expression was gentle and unpretentious.

The girl took out her composition book from her bag and gave it to her mother. She had a habit of copying all the compositions she had written into the same composition book.

Looking at the girl's neat handwriting in her composition book, Dan's mother nodded inwardly.

The girl's neat handwriting tells a story of her life. The story she writes is beautiful. Both her use of words and the refinement of her language are very skillful.

The four of them stared intently at Dan's mother. Seeing that she seemed satisfied, they felt there was a glimmer of hope.

Finally, Dan's mother picked through several of the girl's essays and said, "Zhao Zhao, you can go and participate in the essay competition without worry."

“I’ve looked at these essays of yours, and there’s nothing seriously wrong with them, except…” Mother Dan pointed to a certain part of one of the essays and frowned.

The girl's heart skipped a beat, and her voice was a little uneasy, "Is there something wrong with Grandma Dan?"

"If this part of the essay had been a little more emotionally charged, it would have gotten a higher score."

The girl glanced at the section she had written; it was about family relationships.

Due to her upbringing, she has hardly experienced heartwarming family affection, which reduces the fluency of her writing and makes her writing seem less emotionally expressive.

"So, Grandma Dan, do you mean that with Zhao Zhao's abilities, she can win an award in the essay competition?" Guan Xiang asked, leaning closer.

Danmu smiled and shook her head. "I'm not sure if Zhaozhao can win an award, because it also depends on the theme of the competition. But I'm sure Zhaozhao's essay won't be bad. Let's give it a try first."

"Then Zhao Zhao, go and register with the teacher next week." Guan Xiang patted the girl on the shoulder.

The girl pursed her lips, her almond-shaped eyes curving into a smile. "Okay."

Seeing that they had almost finished eating, Dan's mother took the plates downstairs.

Dan Si blinked as he watched his grandmother's departing figure.

"Zhao Zhao, did you tell my grandma that you were working at my uncle's house?" He finally remembered what he had forgotten.

It seems that only he knows about this in the family.

"Didn't you say so?" Gu Zhaodi's lips twitched slightly; she hadn't thought to tell Grandma Dan about this.

"I forgot." Dan Si just wanted to facepalm.

If his grandmother found out that he had kept quiet about the matter and had even conspired with his uncle to send a minor girl to work at his uncle's house, she would definitely break his legs.

"What should we do?" The girl was also a little at a loss, and she felt a little guilty.

Dan Si hesitated for a moment, then decided to let his uncle take the blame. "How about we let my uncle go and say it?"

The girl blinked, thinking it wasn't right to make Uncle Dan take the blame.

Perhaps the girl hesitated for too long, because Dan Si had already sent a message to Dan Anwen.

Dan Anwen replied to the message very quickly.

"My uncle said he would talk to him." Dan Si patted his chest with lingering fear, realizing he had almost been beaten by his grandmother.

Don't let Dan's mother's refined appearance as a university professor fool you; she's ruthless with her disobedient grandson, Dan Si. And then there's Dan's father, who dotes on his wife and can get his uncle to cut off his allowance in a heartbeat.

"That's good." The girl was also a little startled, not because it would be bad if Grandma Dan and the others found out about her job, but simply because she didn't know how to bring it up.

It wouldn't be appropriate to directly tell Grandma Dan, "I'm working at Uncle Dan's house to earn money now, would it?" Wouldn't that be strange?

After finishing all her homework, the girl returned to Jinshan Villa in Guan Xiang's car.