Chapter 151 Picking a Green Plum 6: Happy New Year

In the end, Xi Congshuang stayed.

The lights in the room were turned off, and they all lay down in bed. Su Cheng slept on the inside, and Xi Congshuang slept on the outside.

Xi Congshuang's phone was being monitored by a chip, so whatever she did with it would be seen. She had no interest in downloading anything or playing with it, so she quietly closed her eyes and lay down to wait for sleep to come.

Su Cheng, on the other hand, picked up her phone and fiddled with it. After putting it down, she also lay down.

The night deepened and gradually quieted down, with only the soft breathing around me audible.

After a while, there was a rustling sound around her. Xi Congshuang opened her eyes and was about to ask if she couldn't sleep.

The next second, she couldn't speak.

Because the person lying next to her crawled into the blankets, moved closer to her, stretched out his arms and wrapped them around her waist.

Xi Congshuang shuddered and subconsciously turned on the bedside lamp, pulling the person out of bed.

Su Cheng, her face slightly flushed from hiding her embarrassment, smiled at her, as if it were just an unintentional mistake.

"When you feel uncomfortable, is this how you hug your teddy bear?" Su Cheng asked. "Then when I hug you like this, do you find it unbearable?"

Xi Congshuang gritted her teeth and said with difficulty, "More or less, it won't hurt."

For Xi Congshuang, who rarely had close contact with others, this was a bit too much, and she found it unbearable.

It's like a traveler wandering alone in the wind and snow encountering a warm campfire; their skin is tingled and stiff from the heat of the fire, and it takes a very long time for them to recover.

It turns out that a sincere hug isn't that hard to get.

The hand around her waist hadn't loosened its grip; its strength was slowly tightening, and its presence was becoming increasingly noticeable.

Su Cheng was a little sleepy. She rested her forehead on Xi Congshuang's shoulder and yawned, her voice gradually lowering: "I just checked, a warm hug is more effective than a teddy bear. If you need it next time, just ask me."

"Why?"

"After all, we're friends..."

After a long pause, the person, still wide awake, asked again, "What if I don't want to just stay friends?"

Her voice was very low, and it was unclear whether she wanted to know the answer to the question or was afraid of waking the person next to her.

After a long while, Xi Congshuang still hadn't received a reply, so she adjusted her posture and looked down.

The person next to me was asleep with their eyes closed, their chubby face pressed against the pillow, their breathing long and even.

She did indeed fall asleep.

The two lonely souls embraced each other for warmth in the night, and before they knew it, Xi Congshuang also fell into a deep sleep.

*

The zero score simply faded away without any further developments. Teacher Wang couldn't get the parents to come, nor could she persuade the student, so she had no choice but to let it go for the time being.

After all, Xi Congshuang has already completed her studies. If she hadn't transferred to Yude No. 3 Middle School, she should have been at home preparing for studying abroad next year.

Diligent teachers simply cannot understand the strange ideas of wealthy people. What is the point of doing this, which undermines the self-confidence of teenagers?

But she was just a teacher, and at most she could do some ideological work with the students. As for the parents, she could only contact their assistants.

The assistants would only relay one message: "Make her explain in person why I'm taking her back; nothing else is negotiable."

The attitude was very clear: they would not bring Xi Congshuang back until they heard her admit her mistakes.

If all conversations are ineffective, then there is no need to continue the conversation.

After each call, Teacher Wang would think of Xi Congshuang's indifferent attitude, which was clearly something she had expected and was used to.

"This is difficult, really difficult." Teacher Wang put down her phone, picked up her teacup, stood up, and walked to the window to relax her eyes.

Xi Congshuang's parents only processed her transfer for one semester. Perhaps they will pick her up at the end of this semester. Her parents can't just abandon their child like this.

The teachers' office faces the playground. The students in Class 2 are having a physical education class. It is currently free time, and there are scattered students on the playground and under the shade of the trees.

Teacher Wang saw a familiar figure sitting under the shade of a tree, quietly watching the students running on the playground, maintaining his usual demeanor—neither participating nor holding them back.

There was an invisible barrier separating me from everyone, a sense of detachment and quiet.

Just as I was thinking this, I saw Su Cheng walk over carrying the things in her hands, and said something with a bitter face.

In Teacher Wang's eyes, Xi Congshuang, who was aloof and indifferent, suddenly became more lively. She moved and took one of the exercise books from her hand and spread it on the stone table.

Immediately afterwards, she skillfully took out a pen from her pocket and began to write.

Su Cheng also lowered her head and hunched over her desk.

Teacher Wang: "?" What is she doing?

Given that Xi Congshuang never does or hands in her homework, and can withstand being called on by the math teacher eight hundred times in a single class without doing it, what is she doing now?

When she remembered that a teacher had told Teacher Wang that Su Cheng's handwriting had changed recently, she almost couldn't resist going downstairs to catch the two of them red-handed, but then she thought better of it.

If Su Cheng's performance in the next exam is poor, I must call her into my office and have a serious talk with her.

Teacher Wang's worries were clearly unnecessary; in the next exam, Su Cheng and Xi Congshuang performed consistently well.

Su Cheng remained first in the grade, while Xi Congshuang firmly held onto last place.

Xi Congshuang, who has consistently held the top spot since the start of the school year, wanted to finish last, as it was a rare occasion for her to be last.

Fortunately, the teachers didn't know Xi Congshuang's true thoughts, otherwise they would have been furious with her rebelliousness.

A person who has been obedient for more than ten years can still be quite strange when they rebel.

After the third monthly exam, it was already late autumn, and students had to wear thick winter school uniforms to and from school.

Xi Congshuang is afraid of the cold, so she always holds a hot water bottle with a lazy expression and will not stick her hands out unless necessary.

After class that day, Su Cheng went to the water dispenser next to the podium to get hot water, but was stopped by the class monitor when she was about to go back.

Class monitor: "Orange, don't you think Xi Congshuang is a lot like an animal that needs to hibernate in winter?"

It would have been better if she hadn't said anything, because once she did, Su Cheng really started to feel a bit...

When you think of her as an animal that needs to hibernate, Xi Congshuang's rare expressions become exceptionally cute.

Su Cheng used to think Xi Congshuang was pretty, so pretty that she received a love letter less than a week after transferring schools. Now she's pretty and cute.

The young lady only does housework at home; otherwise, she avoids doing any work and simply dumps all the love letters into the trash can.

But the situation did not improve because of her silent resistance. There were still many people who judged her by her appearance, and the situation worsened. More and more people were betting that one day she might choose only one person out of a thousand.

One day, Xi Congshuang pondered the love letters that filled the locker. She knew that if she put them in the desk drawer, she would throw them away immediately, so she started to put them in her own locker as a second choice.

She said to the class monitor who was passing by, "If we collect these and they reach a certain weight, can we sell them to cover the class expenses for Class Two?"

Student life committee member: "Huh?!"

As it turns out, this method works.

Despite receiving an elite education, the young lady never lost her business acumen. Over the course of the semester, she managed to save up a cake for Class Two, which everyone shared on Christmas Day.

It wasn't that no one wanted to try a different approach and contact Xi Congshuang directly, but after trying, they found it was simply impossible.

Because of her quiet nature, Su Cheng was the only person in the entire school who had her contact information.

Su Cheng was eager to keep Xi Congshuang under her thumb. She persuaded the class monitor to sell the love letters as waste paper. She and Su Cheng cleared out a corner specifically to store the piled-up love letters.

At first, the large box of love letters was not well hidden and was almost discovered by the teacher. After many attempts, the pile of love letters was finally hidden.

This collection of love letters comes from the senior and junior high schools of Yude No. 3 Middle School. Some people are not giving up and will submit two, three, or even four more, accumulating them until they find that there are quite a few.

However, the class funds could not be kept from Teacher Wang. After hearing where the class funds came from, she fell into deep silence and called the students away with a headache.

"Go ahead, go ahead."

My head hurts so much, I can't think straight.

Xi Congshuang, who strived not to hold anyone back or make any contribution, contributed a cake to Class Two. Each person received only a small portion, but their joy was unparalleled.

"This cake was generously sponsored by Xi, so let's thank Xi."

"Hahaha, thank you, Xi."

Will there be another event like this next time?

"It's hard to say; this opportunity might not come again."

"I'm telling you, just eat the cake and that's it. Don't go around telling everyone how you got it," the class monitor instructed.

It's easy to be resented if you take advantage of someone else's good fortune. We can't let Xi be resented.

Students should all understand that after finishing the cake, they should eat the apples they didn't finish yesterday.

As Xi Congshuang held the cake, a faint smile appeared on her lips before she could even react.

The first to spot her was Su Cheng, who suddenly called out, "Xi Congshuang!"

Xi Congshuang turned around, a lingering smile in her eyes: "What?"

"It's nothing, I just wanted to see you."

Xi Congshuang's smile paused, then deepened, becoming much gentler.

The class monitor, who had glanced over unintentionally, was momentarily stunned; the allure of beauty truly transcends gender.

She saw Xi Congshuang every day and got used to it, only remembering that she was very beautiful and liked books in languages ​​she didn't understand. At this moment, she suddenly understood how amazing Xi Congshuang's existence was to students in other classes.

After a while, Su Cheng asked again, "Will you go home when it's time for finals and winter break?"

What she really wanted to ask was, after going back, would she come back?

Actually, she had secretly asked Teacher Wang how long Xi Congshuang could stay here. After learning that she had only completed the procedures for one semester, she felt reluctant to leave for a long time.

But she suppressed her reluctance. Su Cheng wasn't a three-year-old child; she clearly understood that Xi Congshuang's return was the best choice for her.

A young crush may not necessarily have a happy ending, and Su Cheng doesn't want to become someone who only cares about the present and doesn't care about the future. She hopes that the person she likes can live a good life.

The more they knew about Xi Congshuang's talents, the more they understood that a soaring eagle should not be confined in a cage.

All she could do was elevate herself to a higher position in order to have a chance to further her relationship with Xi Congshuang; not everything could be achieved through love alone.

They say that small people have small troubles, but Su Cheng feels that her troubles are huge.

distressed.

Both sides were too troubled to confess their feelings, and neither knew when the separation would occur.

Xi Congshuang thought for a moment: "My parents are determined to teach me a lesson, so I probably won't go back."

Upon hearing this answer, Su Cheng was initially pleased, but then belatedly realized that she felt a touch of bitterness.

Having parents like that is sometimes worse than living alone.

Su Cheng nudged Xi Congshuang's shoulder and asked, "Can I visit you during winter break?"

Xi Congshuang: "If it's you, it's anytime."

*

After the final exams, winter break officially begins.

The holidays for first- and second-year high school students are different from those for third-year students. They have holidays as usual, and Su Cheng really does look for Xi Congshuang every day. The time the two spend together is no less than the time they spend at school.

The chat messages between the two remained sparse because they had already said everything they wanted to say when they were face-to-face.

Similarly, Xi Congshuang's parents did not notice anything unusual, and even her assistant did not call to inquire before the Chinese New Year.

Clearly, this couple was busy with work, had lost all patience, and were masters of the art of playing hard to get.

To everyone's surprise, Xi Congshuang didn't care at all and continued living her life as usual. This was the freest moment she had ever experienced in her life, and she wanted to cherish every minute and every second.

The day before New Year's Eve, Su Cheng suddenly sat up from the sofa: "Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, let's have hot pot for our New Year's Eve dinner?"

She hadn't had hot pot in a long time and was craving it.

Xi Congshuang understood the implied meaning from the song: "I remember there was an induction cooker in the kitchen."

Su Cheng confirmed, "That's right, there is an induction cooker."

Since Su Cheng started visiting more and more frequently, the kitchen, which had been dormant for a long time, finally had a chance to be used, and she knew it inside and out.

Compared to Xi Congshuang's meticulously crafted dark matter, Su Cheng's work was practically at the level of a state banquet.

Su Cheng couldn't help but sigh, "Snowflake, oh snowflake, it turns out you have weaknesses too."

Xi Congshuang had no way to refute him and knew she was in the wrong, so she silently retreated and handed over control of the kitchen.

She really had no talent for this; the food she made was worse than rat poison.

Many times she couldn't understand why, even though she followed the steps in the tutorial step by step, every attempt seemed to result in black residue ruined by an ancient alchemist.

Take a bite, and you can see a white gate and stairs appear in the sky.

This is not an exaggeration.

Under Su Cheng's watchful eye, Xi Congshuang tried to learn how to fry an egg for the first time, strictly following Su Cheng's instructions step by step.

However, in the short time it took to reply to a message, when he looked up again, there was a lot of dark matter in the pot.

Su Cheng: "..."

Xi Congshuang: "…………"

"How could it have turned out like this?"

"have no idea."

From then on, Su Cheng forbade Xi Congshuang from approaching the kitchen.

*

Before going to the supermarket to buy groceries to go home, Su Cheng went home to bring clothes and her winter vacation homework to Xi Congshuang's house.

In previous years, she had to go to her uncle's house next door for New Year's Eve dinner, which made her feel uncomfortable and she was often given the cold shoulder. This year, she simply decided not to go.

She lived next door to her uncle's house and used to be taken care of by her uncle's family. However, her uncle's family had several children to raise and were too busy to take care of themselves. They also often complained to Su Cheng about being poor and asking for money.

This is also why Su Cheng is so short of money.

When Xi Congshuang first came to Su Cheng's home, she found that Su Cheng's family lived in an old residential area two streets behind the school. The residential area in front was mostly inhabited by teachers and staff, while this building was inhabited by residents from the same village who had been relocated due to demolition.

As they walked and talked, Su Cheng brought up her family's past.

Su Cheng's hometown is not here. Her family was among the early relocated households, even before Su Cheng was born.

According to current views, it's a great thing if your home gets demolished and redeveloped. A warm home can turn into a long string of cold numbers, which is something that people will feel uneasy about for years.

The problem was that the demolition happened early, so the money received was far less than it is now. After receiving a two-bedroom apartment, the remaining compensation was only around tens of thousands of yuan.

Su Cheng's father then used this money as seed money to quit his job and start his own business.

At this point, Su Cheng laughed and said, "Don't look down on me now that I'm working hard for a living. Before I was thirteen, I didn't live here. I lived in the city center where every inch of land is precious, and the housekeeper at home called me 'Miss'."

"Later, my family went bankrupt and our assets were seized, so I moved back here with my dad. My uncle used to have a sinecure at my dad's company, but when the company closed down, he moved back here too."

"Later, my father passed away in the hospital after being seriously ill. My mother came back for the funeral, stayed in China for a few days, entrusted me to my uncle's family, and then left again."

Su Cheng wasn't worried at all that Xi Congshuang would spread her secrets after finding out, because Xi Congshuang had been honest with her before she had.

She told Xi Congshuang that most things related to herself were irrelevant.

She herself didn't realize just how much she trusted Xi Congshuang.

Xi Congshuang opened her mouth, but swallowed back the words "Why didn't you take me with you when you lost your father at a young age?"

There's no reason why, and I don't have the heart to ask.

As they went up the stairs, Su Cheng made her footsteps quiet. Xi Congshuang didn't understand why, but she also made her footsteps quiet.

Everything went smoothly, and Su Cheng took out her key to open the door.

The building has three households per floor. Su Cheng's family is located on the left side of the stairs, her uncle's family is in the one directly opposite the stairs, and the rightmost household is where an elderly couple lives.

I thought I could avoid my uncle at this time, but sure enough, he came again after I opened the door.

Su Cheng was packing her clothes when someone banged on the door, which was slightly ajar: "Xiao Cheng? I heard you're back. Uncle has something to discuss with you."

At first, Su Cheng didn't want to pay attention, but she knew that if she ignored it, her uncle would keep waiting until she opened the door.

Su Cheng said to Xi Congshuang, "Wait here for me. No matter what you hear, don't come out."

Xi Congshuang agreed.

Su Cheng opened the door and met her uncle, who was raising his hand to knock: "What is it?"

Uncle: "I've been looking for you these past few days, why aren't you home? Xiao Hong is home every day helping his mother with housework, why don't you go help your aunt when you have time..."

Su Cheng interrupted: "I'm working a winter break job. My aunt had surgery recently and you said you didn't pay her. I couldn't just watch her writhe in pain, so I took a thousand from her. I don't have enough for my tuition, so I have to work part-time to pay for it."

Uncle: "What a coincidence. I was looking for you about tuition fees. It's getting late, why don't we go to my house for dinner and talk while we eat?"

There was a faint sound coming from the door behind them, and the uncle quickly said, "Your aunt has already prepared the meal."

Su Cheng disagreed: "I'm not going. I have to go to work later. I'm working the night shift tonight and I won't be back tomorrow. Let's talk here."

Seeing that he couldn't persuade her, the uncle lowered his voice and said, "You know, your aunt recently had surgery and is not in good health. Your uncle has to support your younger brother and sister, and I don't have enough money to cover the tuition and living expenses for three children."

"What I was thinking was, why don't you sell your house and move into your uncle's house with us? Selling the house would allow you to continue your high school and college education, so you wouldn't have to work so hard every day."

Although this old neighborhood is old, it is still a school district property, and there are quite a few people who want to buy it. It is not attractive, but the price is definitely not low.

Upon hearing the word "sell the house," Su Cheng's mind went blank for a moment: "What did you say? You want me to sell the house my dad left me?"

This excuse is so lame that it wouldn't even fool a three-year-old. One minute you're saying your wife cooked at home, the next you're saying she had surgery and needs care. How can a sick person move around?

That was just a minimally invasive surgery; she's been able to move around for a long time now. And yet they've set their sights on her only place of residence.

Hearing the elderly couple behind her open their door, her uncle quickly told her to lower her voice: "Keep your voice down, don't wake the old lady."

People's hearts are fickle. When her brother first passed away, her uncle's family took pity on her for losing her father at a young age and took good care of her.

He also promised his older brother's ex-wife that he would take good care of Su Cheng.

But in the face of each and every remittance of money, compassion and affection had long since changed.

Especially if their own child is not doing well, they would have to save up for a dowry early on and buy a better house to plan for the future.

As for Su Cheng, she's a girl; she can just get married eventually.

With a click, the door behind her actually opened. The old lady's ears were like those of a super-sensitive person; she would go out to check at the slightest sound.

She's also a chatterbox; she tells everyone whatever she hears, and within a day the whole neighborhood knows.

Su Cheng exchanged a glance with the old lady behind her uncle, her expression suddenly turning aggrieved, and she shouted, "I will not agree to sell the house my father left me!"

The old woman behind the door hurriedly called her husband, who was using a cane, to come and listen.

Su Cheng's voice grew louder with each sentence, and her uncle didn't even have time to cover his mouth: "If you send anyone to secretly look at the house, I'll die in front of your door!"

This was just a threat from the girl, but the uncle's expression changed.

Because his brother actually took a bottle of pesticide to the debtor's doorstep and drank it, he managed to get the debt back to cover the losses and pay the employees' wages. However, he was also unable to be saved in the hospital.

He spent half of the remaining compensation while Su Cheng was still young, and deposited the other half into a fixed deposit.

At this moment, the uncle was unaware that Su Cheng not only knew about the money that had been spent, but would also file a lawsuit against him in the future to get all the money back.

Su Cheng's current restraint stems from her awareness that she is too young to easily sue, which could negatively impact her studies. She is waiting for the right opportunity.

These were things Xi Congshuang didn't know; she thought her uncle's family was only after her brother's most valuable inheritance.

The old lady hurriedly said, "Xiao Cheng, don't talk nonsense during the New Year. Don't die at his doorstep. I'm old and have heart disease. I'll be scared to death."

"..."

With a third voice present, the uncle had no choice but to leave dejectedly.

The people living upstairs and downstairs are all from the same village who moved here, and he can't afford to lose face for the time being.

*

As the lights of every household shone brightly, the two, who had been busy all afternoon, finally got to eat hot pot.

Xi Congshuang prefers clear broth hot pot, while Su Cheng wants to try spicy hot pot, so they made a half-and half-half hot pot together, planning to eat hot pot while celebrating the New Year.

While eating hot pot, Xi Congshuang was considering the possibility of going back.

She didn't know about Su Cheng's situation before, but now that she does, she can't just sit idly by.

Indulging in momentary pleasure will only make the future more difficult. The best way to help Su Cheng is to go back and regain resources and power.

Otherwise, we can only continue to be powerless, unable even to help or speak up.

She also knew that Su Cheng didn't want her to come out because he didn't want her to look too embarrassed in front of her.

As teenagers, they should be at the peak of their youthful spirit, yet they succumb to shyness in front of their friends over trivial family matters.

To avoid making her feel embarrassed, Xi Congshuang pretended not to hear and went out to buy groceries with her as usual. But the words she had heard were already imprinted in her heart and she could not forget them.

At this moment, Xi Congshuang didn't realize that she was completely identical to her fifteen-year-old self, with every word she said and every reaction being exactly the same.

She has always been herself; the moment her memories returned, she became the complete person she is today.

"Su Cheng".

"What?" Su Cheng's rice noodles slipped back into the pot from her chopsticks. She said, "I'm really not used to you calling me by my full name so formally."

Xi Congshuang: "If I go back, will you always remember me?"

"...?"

Before Su Cheng could answer, the sound of fireworks going off outside the window could be heard, and the neighbors downstairs could be faintly heard counting down to the Spring Festival Gala.

Su Cheng's attention was immediately drawn to the sounds outside, and she just happened to see fireworks blooming outside the window, with layers of petals and colorful patterns.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven... three! two! one!"

When the downstairs neighbor counted down to one, Xi Congshuang said, "Chengcheng, Happy New Year."

————————

I did it! I actually did it!