Chapter 3 These past few years, he seems to have spoiled her rotten. ...

Ning Yao stood up straight, unafraid that all eyes in the classroom were on her.

She said loudly, "My name is Ning Yao, Yao as in Yaotai. I like origami, chatting, and telling stories. Of course, what I like most is joining in the fun."

After saying that, he smiled generously, his lips curving upwards and his eyes crinkling.

Like a cat, she is proud and aloof, yet inexplicably a little silly.

A smile appeared in Teacher Li's eyes as she nodded. "Sit down. Let's begin today's lesson."

*

At noon, Ning Yiwen arrived at Ning Yao's classroom and saw Ning Yao surrounded by a group of little kids.

"Brother Ning!" Ning Yao spotted Ning Yiwen outside and waved to him.

Only then did I say goodbye to the children I had just met that morning.

On the way to the school cafeteria.

"Looks like you're doing well," Ning Yiwen teased.

Upon hearing this, Ning Yao immediately puffed out her cheeks, carefully looked around to make sure no one she knew was there, and then complained to Ning Yiwen in a low voice.

"Brother Ning, you know me, I don't like playing with these kids. They're all so childish."

Ning Yiwen chuckled to himself. He agreed with her statement, but he didn't think Ning Yao had the right to criticize others for being childish.

"Brother Ning, could you change my class?"

Seeing Ning Yiwen smile, Ning Yao couldn't help but push her luck.

Unexpectedly, Ning Yiwen shook his head.

“I’ve already taught you to read more words. Maybe I can talk to Old Chen and get you into a higher primary school.”

A higher primary school?

Ning Yao asked curiously, "How old are the people inside?"

She wants to play with people her own age.

Ning Yiwen glanced at her: "Most of them are fourteen or fifteen years old."

That's still a little short.

Ning Yao's face fell completely.

"Then I don't want to go to school anymore."

In the bustling canteen, Ning Yao pouted and pleaded softly with Ning Yiwen.

But Ning Yiwen was determined, "No."

"Anyway, I don't want to stay in this class anymore."

Ning Yao was angry.

She glared at Ning Yiwen with annoyance, wondering why Ning-ge had suddenly become so unreasonable.

She's angry. Ning Yiwen looked at Ning Yao with amusement.

A hint of mockery flashed in his eyes. "Well then, I'll give you a chance. I have a test paper here. If you finish it, I'll apply to switch classes."

examination paper?

Ning Yao stared wide-eyed at Ning Yiwen: "I have to do a test on my first day of school?"

His eyes were filled with the question, "Do you have any conscience?"

Ning Yiwen fell silent. "Think about it yourself."

He also knew that it was indeed difficult for Ning Yao to attend a primary school and mingle with a bunch of kids.

But there was no other way.

In recent years, he has been very busy with his studies and writing articles to earn royalties, so he hasn't had much time to take care of Ning Yao.

This directly resulted in Ning Yao still not knowing many characters even now.

She had no choice but to start learning from the basics.

Ning Yao didn't know what Ning Yiwen was thinking, but she knew that she was about to grow up.

That's how adults are; they have to choose between two choices they both dislike.

Doing a test?

Or should I continue hanging out with a bunch of little brats?

These are all choices she hates.

But now Brother Ning has only given her these two options.

Ugh, so annoying!!!

Okay, we've arrived at the cafeteria, let's eat first.

Ning Yao's eyes lit up as she looked at the food in the window.

These vegetables and meat look delicious.

Unfortunately, after eating in the cafeteria, we still have to face reality.

In the end, Ning Yao gave in and said to Ning Yiwen, "Brother Ning, let me see the test paper."

She wanted to see how many of the words on the test paper she could recognize.

As for the fact that she had guessed the paper and it would pass Ning Ge's test, she had absolutely no hope of it.

Ning Yiwen chuckled, "Okay, I'll give it to you tonight."

After saying that, as if he had thought of something, he said, "Don't worry, someone will be in your class soon."

Ning Yao didn't understand. She looked at Ning Yiwen blankly and asked, "Huh?"

Ning's words were completely unfounded.

The class is full of children under ten years old. Who else would come to her class like her?

Seeing that she didn't quite understand, Ning Yiwen didn't press her.

You'll find out then.

After saying that, he took her back to her classroom and then went back to his own.

Ning Yao quietly walked to the last seat.

Unexpectedly, the little radishes in front still heard her voice and immediately surrounded her.

"Sister Ning, how did you fold this this morning?"

"And this... I haven't gotten this right either..."

Looking at the pile of tiny radishes that hadn't even reached her chest yet, and the origami flowers and birds in her hand.

Ning Yao took a deep breath and put on a smile: "Come on, let me teach you."

This lesson went straight into the afternoon class.

I successfully earned a glare from my math teacher.

Ning Yao felt that she had used up all her strength.

Life at the school was even harder than when I was a waiter.

At least while she was working as a waitress, she could hear many people chatting and saying interesting things.

Once she arrived here, she wasn't interested in anything the teacher on stage was teaching. As for the little kids in the audience, they weren't interested in chatting, and even origami, which was something that could amuse them, was of little use.

Everything else was just a misunderstanding.

Unexpectedly, a young man came in just before get out of class ended.

At that moment, Ning Yao was resting her chin on her hand, her eyes following the teacher on the stage, her mind wandering far away.

There was a knock on the door behind me.

The students in the classroom were all drawn to look behind them.

It was a man in a suit, with a young boy beside him.

The boy was also dressed in a matching suit, with short, neat hair instead of a braid.

Ning Yao's eyes lit up. Haha, a friend of similar age has arrived!

The man knocked on the door very politely, and after the teacher looked over, he bowed slightly.

"Teacher, excuse me. This is my child who is coming to class, Huo Li."

Ning Yao laughed silently.

This man looks like her brother Ning. He brought her here this morning, and he looked just like this.

The teacher on the stage glanced at the boy, muttered something that no one could hear clearly, but he still nodded.

After looking around the classroom, he gestured and said, "Sit down in the seat next to the door."

This spot was right next to Ning Yao, separated by a narrow passageway about two people wide.

Ning Yao watched with wide eyes as the boy walked over and sat down beside her.

A crooked smile played on the corners of the boy's excessively young face.

But when his eyes swept over Ning Yao, she could clearly see that his dark eyes were as if covered with a thin layer of frost, devoid of any emotion, let alone a smile.

Ning Yao wasn't afraid at all. She even leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "Your name is Huo Li? Do you know a few words?"

Huo Li tilted his head to look at her, glanced at her with his eyes, and without saying a word, turned his head to look at the stage.

Ignoring people? Quite arrogant, huh?

Ning Yao shrugged. If she didn't want to talk to anyone, she didn't care.

He then turned his head away and continued to stare at the teacher on the stage, lost in thought.

However, after school, when Ning Yao went home with Ning Yiwen, she still grabbed Ning Yiwen's sleeve with great annoyance.

"Brother Ning, someone came to the classroom..." Ning Yao said, her eyes widening. "Brother Ning, so that's what you meant at noon!"

She exclaimed as if she had discovered a new continent, "Brother Ning, you're amazing! How did you know?"

Ning Yiwen glanced down at her and said, "Just don't offend him."

"Huh? Brother Ning, you know him?" Ning Yao was dumbfounded again. Why did Brother Ning always speak in such a profound way?

Ning Yiwen didn't say much to her, just said, "Just remember it."

"Okay." Ning Yao pursed her lips.

The streets on my way home were crowded with people, their shouts, inquiries about prices, and the sounds of buying and selling all mingled together.

Ning Yao followed Ning Yiwen's footsteps, never daring to stop, but her eyes never left him.

She has been working as a waitress for a long time, and spends most of her time in restaurants, rarely having the opportunity to go out and stroll around on her own.

After finishing her work, she had to go home because Ning Ge wouldn't let her wander around outside.

Last time, it was Ning who took her shopping.

“Brother Ning, look over there, selling voodoo dolls.” Ning Yao tentatively tugged at Ning Yiwen’s clothes.

Ning Yiwen looked in the direction she was pointing and saw an empty space between the two stalls. An old man dressed in drab gray was using a bamboo basket as a mat, with a winnowing basket on top of it.

There were many little figures of different colors on the winnowing basket.

They're all made of sugar.

"Want some candy?" Ning Yiwen stopped and asked, looking down at her.

Ning Yao licked her dry lips, and thinking of the sweet taste of sugar, she swallowed, realizing she did crave it.

Ning Yiwen then led her toward the sugar figurine stall.

How much is this?

The old man opened his cloudy eyes and looked at Ning Yao and the other person. "Three for one cent."

"So expensive!" Ning Yao gasped.

Now, one cent can buy several kilograms of rice.

"No, no, no!" Ning Yao quickly shook her head, grabbing Ning Yiwen's hand and trying to walk away.

But Ning Yiwen didn't move; he carefully looked at the stall.

The sugar figurines were neatly arranged on the stall, and the old man's eyes did indeed look cloudy.

However, he could tell that these sugar figurines were not fresh at all, and the old man's way of arranging them did not seem like that of someone who cherished his work.

Moreover, the price is wrong.

He lowered his voice, "Sir, the price is wrong. The sugar figurines here are one cent each."

After saying that, he walked away with Ning Yao.

The old man paused for a moment, then suddenly looked up.

But by then, the two members of the Ning family had already gone far away.

He frowned, looking around, wondering if he had been exposed.

impossible!

He also asked the people who had set up the stall earlier, and the price of the sugar figurines couldn't possibly be wrong!

Who exactly are those two people?

Meanwhile, Ning Yao sighed, "Brother Ning, you just told him the price was wrong, so why didn't you try to negotiate? This price is indeed too expensive."

Ning Yiwen didn't say anything, he just kept going.

He pondered to himself, what exactly was the current situation?

His abilities alone are still too limited; there are many things he cannot or should not do.

The two quickly returned to the courtyard.

Ning Yiwen cooked, and Ning Yao tidied up the house.

The two had a clear division of labor and finally ate dinner before dark.

Each person gets a bowl of white rice, some green vegetables, and an egg.

Ning Yiwen eats quietly, but Ning Yao is different; she loves to talk.

"Brother Ning, I feel like I understand you less and less."

Ning Yao swallowed what was in her mouth and, while picking up food, started chatting with Ning Yiwen.

"But there are many things you say that I didn't understand before. Do you think I'll be able to understand them if I really study hard?"

Ning Yao stared at Ning Yiwen with her dark eyes.

At this moment, Ning Yiwen was holding a bowl in one hand and chopsticks in the other, eating her meal attentively.

His movements were unhurried and deliberate, unlike Ning Yao's hasty eating. He would carefully chew each bite before swallowing it slowly.

“Brother Ning…” Ning Yao spoke up again when Ning Yiwen didn’t reply for a long time.

"Let's eat," Ning Yiwen said, and continued eating.

Ning Yao would never have acted like this before.

When her mother was alive, she was very well-behaved; she would eat quietly and do her work quietly.

He only becomes a little more lively when playing with the children at the village entrance.

It seems he's spoiled her rotten these past few years.

For some reason, that image flashed before my eyes again.

A woman with disheveled hair and a pale, ashen face kneels alone before a grave.

My heart aches!

Ning Yiwen closed his eyes tightly, trying to shake off the images in his mind.

Looking at the lively and naive Ning Yao beside him, he said calmly, "After you finish eating, we'll look at the test papers later."

Sure enough, Ning Yao's eyes widened, and her bulging cheeks stopped popping out.

I almost jumped up.

"Brother Ning! What's going on! Can we not talk about these things while we're eating!"

As he spoke, he lowered his head and began to shovel rice into his mouth.

She won't take her anger out on Ning Ge!

But it didn't say she wouldn't get angry!

Seeing her like this, Ning Yiwen couldn't help but smile. His mood also relaxed without him even realizing it.

Read books, Ning Yao. I look forward to seeing how you change.

A note from the author:

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