Chapter 121: Going Home

Chapter 121: Going Home

As night fell, everyone went to rest.

The lights were all off, and the room was quiet, but none of the four people were asleep.

In the girls' room, Cheng Xiaoxiao hadn't lain down yet, leaning against a cushion, while Cheng Junjun sat cross-legged on the bed next to her, holding a doll's ear in her hand.

“Niannian looked really bad today when she heard us talking about those things. She was such a lively person when she was little, but now she’s become more and more introverted as she grows up,” Cheng Xiaoxiao said softly.

Cheng Junjun lowered her eyes slightly. "Sister, do you think we shouldn't talk so much about the past? It makes him think so much. Actually, I don't think the things that happened when we were kids were because of him at all, and I don't care about them anymore."

Cheng Xiaoxiao gave a wry smile: "He'll think about it even if we don't talk about it. If we don't think about it, there are other things that bother us. I used to think Bingbing was too reserved and never said anything, but actually, Niannian is the one who's very thoughtful. Her house is a complete mess."

Cheng Junjun put the doll down, lay down on the pillow, and whispered, "Actually, I just don't understand. If they favor boys over girls, why don't they treat him better? That day, they were arguing again at home. Bingbing called Niannian to the carpenter's shop. Mom was a little worried, so she asked me to get some food and check on him. But they closed the door, and Niannian was probably secretly crying. She was embarrassed, and I had to cover up when I went in."

Cheng Xiaoxiao was unaware of this and was very surprised: "Did they fight again?" She frowned deeply, "It's like their family can't live without resorting to violence. I still remember the time I smashed a thermos and burned his foot."

Because of her work, she was unaware of many trivial matters. The incident of burning her foot was back when Fang Yuenian was in her first year of high school. During winter break, a fight broke out at home, and he went to break it up. Fang Wu, in a fit of anger, started smashing things without looking where he was going, and it happened to hit Fang Yuenian's feet. She was burned quite badly at the time, and Fang Yuenian had to stay in the infirmary for several days to receive intravenous fluids.

"They said no, but they must have said something nasty. I overheard my mom talking to my mother-in-law the other day. She said her father was saying that she was immature, didn't care about the family, and only wanted to run away from home."

Cheng Xiaoxiao said with disgust, "Did he ever say a kind word to me?"

The two sisters chatted privately, and when they mentioned their shared biological father, they naturally didn't hold back. Cheng Xiaoxiao originally didn't have any resentment towards the Fang family, after all, she and Cheng Junjun were doing quite well now. It was just that she felt unhappy seeing Fang Yuenian grow up in such a repressed state.

Cheng Junjun laughed, "Everyone in the village knows what kind of person he is. There are hardly any people who don't dislike him. Besides, he's been well-behaved and has good grades these past few years. My mother-in-law said that people praise him behind his back."

Cheng Xiaoxiao lay down as well, pulled the covers up, and said softly, "No matter how good the villagers say about him, what's the use if his own family suffers at his hands every day?" She shook her head again, "Forget it, I've been too harsh. At least his mother is very good to him. And there's Bingbing too. When the two of them are together, they can at least offer some comfort."

Cheng Junjun pursed her lips in the darkness and suddenly asked, "Sister, are you happy to see how good their relationship is?"

“Of course,” Cheng Xiaoxiao said, reaching out to touch her sister’s shoulder. “Junjun, Niannian has protected you since you were little, fighting for you time and time again. He also values ​​Bingbing, always thinking of the best things for her. Even if he gets scolded or beaten, he wants to share everything with her. In my heart, he is also my own brother.”

Cheng Junjun felt a lump in her throat and remained silent for a moment before whispering, "Okay, I understand."

Just a wall away, Fang Yuenian was still lost in thought.

Cheng Bing pressed him down, preventing him from tossing and turning, and calmly asked, "Are you thinking about your second sister?"

Fang Yuenian: "Mm."

He turned to the side. "I always feel like Sister Jun knows something. There's always something else behind what she says. What do you think?"

Cheng Bing: "Did she ask you if you considered me a brother? Or did she ask if we were ready to part ways?"

“These two issues are the most obvious, but,” Fang Yuenian frowned, “her eyes were also strange, as if she was testing something.”

Cheng Bing felt the same way, but he still comforted Fang Yuenian by saying, "Second Sister is straightforward. If she really wants to know something, she will definitely ask directly."

He pondered for a moment, then asked, "Suppose she really finds out, what do you plan to do?"

“Brother Cheng,” Fang Yuenian moved closer to him, looking intently at his face, “Are you scared?”

Cheng Bing shook her head. "No."

"I actually wish she already knew, because her current attitude would mean that she hasn't reached the point where she can't accept this matter at all."

If this matter were viewed as a monstrous threat, even the slightest hint of something "abnormal" would not have led to this current approach of merely testing the waters.

Cheng Bing remained silent for a moment, then turned over and gently kissed him.

Fang Yuenian couldn't quite figure out what he meant.

Cheng Bing touched his arm and whispered, "Niannian."

He's been calling him that a lot lately before he falls asleep, and Fang Yuenian has gotten used to it. "Hmm?"

"You are very important to my second sister."

Fang Yuenian's breath hitched.

Cheng Bing kissed his forehead again and continued, "She doesn't blame you; she feels sorry for you."

Fang Yuenian's eyes gleamed in the darkness. He moved his lips, his voice barely audible: "Is that so?"

"Yes, so don't overthink it. If I have to be honest with my family in the future, I'd be willing to tell my second sister first. If she tests me even more obviously than she did today, I'd be willing to tell her now. What do you think?"

What else could Fang Yuenian say? She had agreed at the time.

It rained for several days in a row, sometimes lightly, so the four siblings would go out for walks and meals with their umbrellas. Since Cheng Junjun started her internship, there were many new and interesting things to talk about, and they were always laughing and chatting when they were together.

A few days later, the admission results were available for inquiry.

It was Cheng Bing's homeroom teacher who called. The school was even more anxious than he was. As one of the top five in the grade, Cheng Bing's admission situation was on the minds of the entire school leadership. Of course, they were also concerned about every single one of the top 100 students.

Checking the admission status was even simpler than checking the college entrance examination scores. This was mainly because Cheng Xiaoxiao and her two older sisters, Cheng Junjun and Cheng Qiuyan, were not as calm as Cheng Qiuyan. The two of them pressed the two prospective college students down in front of the table. For the first time, Cheng Xiaoxiao felt that the computer she had spent a lot of money on last year was finally of some use. Now, their expressions were serious, nervous, and expectant, and their fists were clenched.

"Stop dawdling, it's so annoying, can't you hurry up?"

Seeing Fang Yuenian struggling to enter the numbers for so long, Cheng Junjun impatiently slapped him hard on the shoulder, causing Fang Yuenian to scream in pain.

Cheng Bing's eyes turned cold instantly, and she glanced casually at the spot where Fang Yuenian had been hit.

Cheng Junjun, with her keen eyes, noticed it immediately, but reluctantly ignored it and urged, "Hurry up, Fang Yuenian, is your typing speed always this slow? How did you pass your computer exam?"

"Okay, okay, right away." Fang Yuenian didn't want to check first, but after being slapped, she quickly focused and dialed the number. After verifying everything, the result was finally presented to the four of them.

Fang Yuenian didn't freeze this time. She clenched her fist and growled, "YES!"

Then, in the next moment, overcome with emotion, he hugged Cheng Bing tightly, shouting, "Brother Cheng! I got accepted!!!"

I was admitted to my first-choice school and major.

Cheng Junjun and Cheng Xiaoxiao, who were just about to rush forward to celebrate, were speechless.

Cheng Bing was being strangled too tightly. "I saw it." His eyes were full of laughter, yet he looked up helplessly and patted Cheng Bing's back.

Fang Yuenian realized what was happening, let go of his hand, her face flushed slightly, and then turned around, saying, "Sister Xiaoxiao, Sister Jun!"

After a slight delay, the four of them began their celebration. Cheng Xiaoxiao excitedly reached out and shook Fang Yuenian's shoulder. Cheng Junjun was incoherent, slapping the table with both hands. After taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down, she urged again, "Hurry up, Bingbing, hurry up and check yours. My god, I'm even more nervous than when I checked my own admissions. My palms are sweating!"

Fang Yuenian excitedly volunteered, "I'll lose, I'll lose, I'll check for you!"

He could recite Cheng Bing's ID number backwards and type it in faster than he could type his own. When it came down to clicking "search," he stepped back and said with a sense of ceremony, "Quick! Brother Cheng, you go first!"

Cheng Bing clicked the mouse.

The admission notice for this year's No. 1 Middle School was posted at the street corner of Shuibiwei Town. It has been posted in previous years, but never before has the list been redder and more eye-catching than this year's.

The city admitted a total of four students to Tsinghua and Peking Universities, making history, and the remaining students were admitted to about ten other top-tier universities.

For Shuibiwei Town and Shuibiwei No. 2 Middle School, Cheng Bing was the first, followed closely by Fang Yuenian.

Then, in the small Shuibi Bay, it becomes a joyous occasion, like a scholar passing the imperial examination, requiring the sound of gongs and drums and the crackling of firecrackers.

When Fang Yuenian and Cheng Bing returned home from their trip, Lin Guohui no longer rode his electric tricycle or drove his old van. Instead, he somehow got hold of a brand-new Mercedes-Benz and drove straight to the train station to pick them up. When he got out of the car to greet the two children and help them with their luggage, Fang Yuenian couldn't help but laugh at his almost floating with joy.

"Uncle Lin, you bought a new car?" Fang Yuenian asked after getting into the car.

“It’s not mine, hehe,” Lin Guohui answered honestly to the children. “It belongs to the factory foreman’s family. When they heard I was here to pick you two up today, they insisted that I drive this car.”

Fang Yuenian laughed, "Why?"

"You two are going to Beijing to study soon, you'll be college students! Of course I'll drive a nice car to pick you up." Lin Guohui started talking, pulling out countless compliments from ancient and modern times, praising his children in every way possible. He also mentioned that their junior high school had contacted the family to say they had applied for scholarships for them.

Fang Yuenian was so flattered she almost fainted. Cheng Bing asked, "What scholarship?"

"It's the scholarship you used to get in junior high, the one with the couple's names. It seems like all the students in Shuibiwei got into top universities this year, and you two were first and second. They called a long time ago, Nian Nian, your mom should have received it too."

Fang Yuenian was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed, "I never thought I could actually get that scholarship. I remember in junior high school, only the top ten students in the grade could get it."

His best result throughout junior high school was the high school entrance exam, but he still didn't make it into the top ten. However, Cheng Bing always got first place every semester and never missed it.

Cheng Bing glanced at him but didn't say anything.

As Lin Guohui drove, he said, "When it was first established, it didn't give much. In the last two years, it seems to have given quite a lot. After all, it's a private donation, so it's already very good."

"That's right, it's really amazing."

Lin Guohui laughed again: "When you two become successful in the future and earn as much money as they do, you can get one too..."

Lin Guohui's idea was already quite ahead of its time, but after returning to the village, the praise and congratulations they received were far more exaggerated than that. It made Fang Yuenian feel as if they had not just been admitted to university, but were about to change the world and benefit mankind.

Not long after, after receiving their admission notices, they went to town to attend the scholarship award ceremony, and amidst the congratulations of relatives and neighbors, both families held lively celebrations to mark their college admission.

The glutinous rice ball soup at the graduation celebration was naturally meant to be shared; it was the result of their joint efforts. Author's note: Thank you to my mentor 9492239 (9492239) for your support! For more exciting content, please leave a message for this book on Liancheng Reading.