Chapter 33 1
Wang Fang didn't expect that Xin Tianyi pulled her aside just to say this.
She also had some doubts in her mind. She was planning to stop Xin Tianyi from studying, but she had to have a reason to persuade him, so she didn't want to say it now. She thought that after the high school entrance examination, with Xin Tianyi's grades, he would naturally not be able to get into the normal secondary school, so it would be better for him not to go.
Wang Fang advocated letting things flow, not saying much, letting the results speak for themselves. So, she never asked about Xin Tianyi's grades. Even when he mentioned them, she simply asked, "Have you made any progress?"
But unexpectedly, Xin Tianyi seemed to know what she was thinking and said this directly.
She wants to continue studying.
And she was going to high school.
Wang Fang was unhappy.
Her original plan was to persuade Xin Tianyi to join her in business after the high school entrance exam and open another store. If Xin Tianyi luckily got into a technical secondary school, Wang Fang would support her through school. After graduation, she would be assigned a job anyway, which was fine.
But going to high school was not in Wang Fang's plan at all.
Because of the time spent in high school, if you go to a technical secondary school, you can also graduate from it. After graduation, you will be assigned a job and can get married in about a year.
But after graduating from high school, there is no job assigned, so what is the point of going to high school?
"I want to go to high school and then take the college entrance examination." Xin Tianyi looked at Wang Fang and said.
"High school? College?"
Wang Fang silently calculated in her mind: high school would take three years, and college would take...
She didn't know how many years of university study it would take, but it seemed like it would be at least three years, just like high school. So, Xin Tianyi would be at least 20 years old when she graduated. How could that be possible?
Wang Fang's eyes widened: "You don't want to go to technical secondary school, you want to go to high school?"
"Yes." Xin Tianyi said firmly.
"Wei Ran, who has such good grades, is still taking the normal school entrance exam. Why are you still in high school? Do you know how old you'll be after graduating from high school and then college?"
"I know." Xin Tianyi said.
Wang Fang waved her hands angrily: "Alright, stop talking, think about it again."
After she finished speaking, she got on her bicycle and left. Although she felt annoyed, she didn't take it too seriously because Wang Fang believed that with Xin Tianyi's grades, she wouldn't be able to get into high school. It was useless to think about it now. Only after the high school entrance exam was over could Xin Tianyi wake up.
"Mom, if I don't pass the exam, I'll just repeat the year. I must go to high school anyway!"
Xin Tianyi shouted at Wang Fang's back.
Upon hearing this, Wang Fang stepped on the brakes and almost fell over.
She supported the bicycle with one foot and turned to look at Xin Tianyi.
Unbelievable!
This child is like a worm in my stomach. She knows whatever I am thinking immediately.
While Wang Fang was surprised, Wang Yuxiu had already come out and called Xin Tianyi.
"Come back for dinner soon." Wang Yuxiu stood at the door and looked at her. "Everyone in the living area knows that you are going to high school and college."
Xin Tianyi turned around and walked home, saying with a smile: "Grandpa, I really want to go to high school."
"Okay." Wang Yuxiu said, "I support you."
After a while, Wang Mingjie also came back. Xin Tianyi gave most of the money given by Wang Fang to Wang Mingjie.
Wang Mingjie was not polite and took it directly from Xin Tianyi.
Xin Tianyi looked at him with amusement and jokingly said, "Brother, you answered so quickly, you really need money. What's the matter? Do you have a girlfriend and want to buy her a gift?"
When Wang Mingjie heard this, his face turned red.
"You kid, you say anything." Xie Mei immediately stopped Xin Tianyi and said to Wang Mingjie, "Go wash your hands. It's time to eat."
Wang Mingjie pocketed the money and went to wash his hands. Xin Tianyi sat in her usual seat, and lunch was already served.
There are two students at home, so Xie Mei and Wang Yuxiu prepare a rich lunch every day.
Both were retired workers with little to do, and their salaries were more than enough to feed their families. Wang Yuxiu was also incredibly diligent, visiting the morning market every morning to buy fresh vegetables and fish. He only bought what he needed that day, never buying more, simply to enjoy a fresh bite.
Especially tofu, it is always hot when you buy it.
Today I bought some freshly cooked tofu and made a dish of scallion-braised tofu. It was served on a full plate and smelled delicious.
"Eat it," Wang Yuxiu said, and he took a spoon and scooped two spoonfuls of tofu for Xin Tianyi. "Try the scallion tofu I made. I put two whole scallions in it today. It's especially fragrant."
Scallion-fried tofu goes best with rice.
Xin Tianyi doesn't particularly like tofu because he feels that no matter how it's prepared, it has no flavor.
But this scallion-fried tofu is very rich and has a strong aroma.
She can eat two big bowls of it with rice.
Wang Yuxiu discovered it by chance. After making it once, he saw Xin Tianyi eat two large bowls of rice that day, so when he saw some freshly cooked tofu today, he quickly bought a large piece and made it.
"If you ask me, your mother is right." Xie Mei suddenly said this while eating.
Xin Tianyi looked up at Xie Mei.
"For girls, being a teacher is a great thing," Xie Mei said. "You can take the entrance exam to a normal school, then go and study. After graduation, you'll be assigned a job as a teacher. It also gives you high social status, lots of vacation time, and most importantly, it's easier for girls to get married if they're teachers."
Xin Tianyi ate his meal and said, "Grandma, I can become a teacher after I go to university."
"You can become this job by studying at a normal school, why do you have to go to university? For a girl, age is the most important thing. It's easier to get married when you are young." said Xie Mei.
Xin Tianyi didn't want to debate with Xie Mei. Her generation had their own stubborn ideas and could not be convinced.
Xin Tianyi changed the subject and asked, "Then how did Brother Mingjie go to high school?"
Xie Mei choked and immediately said, "Boys and girls are different!"
Xin Tianyi just looked at Xie Mei: "What's the difference?"
Xie Mei fell silent, repeating her point: "Anyway, think about it. How much time does it take to go through high school and then college? As a girl, can you afford that? Wouldn't it be better to just go to a technical secondary school, get a job, and get married while you're still young?"
Xin Tianyi finished a bowl of rice, put down his chopsticks, and said, "I'm done."
"Hey!" Wang Yuxiu immediately called out to her, "Is that all you're going to eat?"
"Well, I'm not very hungry." Xin Tianyi said.
Xin Tianyi left the dinner table and returned to his room.
Wang Yuxiu saw her go in and said, "Why are you talking about this during dinner? Tianyi likes this dish. Last time, he ate two bowls of rice. Today, he only had half a bowl."
"The high school entrance exam is just around the corner, so we need to dissuade her from doing this. Kids these days are harder to manage. They're not like our time, when we just did whatever our parents told us to do." Xie Mei muttered, then said to Wang Mingjie, "Mingjie, spend the money your aunt gives you sparingly, and tell your mother that she's giving you more money. This way, your mother won't be resentful, wondering how much your aunt eats and spends at our house. Actually, your aunt rarely comes home, and when she does, she just sleeps for a night. It's a matter of fate, how much she can eat. And every time your aunt comes home, she buys things and gives money. This time, she even brought shoes for your mother..."
Wang Yuxiu frowned and interrupted, "Alright, alright, you have to talk about this over dinner."
At the same lunch time, Pei Juanjuan came back from the cafeteria to get her lunch as usual.
The food in the cafeteria has been very bad recently. There is one dish of cold cucumber salad and one dish of stir-fried pork with garlic sprouts.
Pei Juanjuan went to get her lunch late, and the garlic sprouts and shredded pork dish was almost gone. She got one portion but couldn't pick out many pieces of shredded pork.
Zhang Liangpeng had no appetite. He took a few glances and saw that there were only two dishes for three people, and the portions were too small. It was really not enough.
He asked Zhang Yang if he wanted to eat noodles.
Zhang Yang agreed immediately. He ate in the cafeteria all day and knew what every dish tasted like with his eyes closed. Besides being salty, there was no other flavor. The garlic sprouts, in particular, had been boiled in water and were wilted and awful.
"Look at you, you don't even like to eat stir-fried dishes. You've been spoiled." Pei Juanjuan rolled her eyes.
"We eat in the cafeteria every day." Zhang Liangpeng had already stood up and searched the cupboard. He found only a few tomatoes in it. He picked up two and washed them. He also took two eggs, cracked one and fried them, added water and noodles, and soon cooked two bowls of noodles.
Zhang Liangpeng gave the extra bowl to Zhang Yang, who quickly took it.
Pei Juanjuan had never been much of a cook, and usually just made do with her meals. Now that Zhang Liangpeng had become the factory director, she was even more ambitious and didn't want to rush around buying groceries and cooking. She went to the cafeteria to get food all day, and when she was making dumplings, she bought a few extra to heat up in the morning.
Zhang Liangpeng also had a lot of grievances but couldn't express them in words. Every time he talked about this, Pei Juanjuan would say that she was busy and went to and from get off work at the same time as him, so how could she have the time to prepare a table of food.
Zhang Liangpeng would occasionally buy some fresh vegetables and fish and bring them home before going to work. But by the time he came back, the vegetables had wilted and the fish had gone rancid. There was no point in just leaving them there.
So Zhang Liangpeng didn't buy it anymore. He just wanted to make do with what he had and not starve to death.
Zhang Yang and Zhang Liangpeng ate noodles without touching the dishes on the table.
Pei Juanjuan ate angrily and finished all the dishes by herself before she was done.
After finishing his noodles, Zhang Liangpeng suddenly remembered what Zhang Yang had said before about the baseline test, so he asked about it casually.
"The exams are over," Zhang Yang said. "The results are out."
"Really?" Zhang Liangpeng looked at him. "How is it?"
Zhang Yang first glanced at Pei Juanjuan, and saw her slowly picking up the chopped coriander from the plate without raising her head.
He could only turn his gaze back to Zhang Liangpeng.
"Well enough."
Zhang Liangpeng thought Zhang Yang hadn't done well on the test again, so he forced a smile and comforted him, "It's okay, try harder next time."
Zhang Yang put the bowl away and took out his report card from his pocket.
The report card was kept in his pocket, and he was always hesitating whether to show it to Zhang Liangpeng and Pei Juanjuan.
Because it seemed that neither of them was looking forward to his results, and they even forgot that he had to take the exam.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Liangpeng still remembered it, so Zhang Yang quickly took it out.
Zhang Liangpeng took the report card, glanced at it, and then quickly looked back.
The name above is indeed prominent.
Zhang Liangpeng exclaimed, "Twenty? Twentieth?"
He looked at Zhang Yang in disbelief, then showed Pei Juanjuan the report card: "Look, 20th place! Zhang Yang's!"
Pei Juanjuan didn't believe it either. She paused with her chopsticks and took a look at the report card that Zhang Liangpeng was holding.
I didn't take it, but just glanced at it, and finally stopped at the column for class ranking, which was indeed 20.
"Of course, Zhang Yang." Zhang Liangpeng said with a smile, "I knew it would be possible as long as you study hard."
Zhang Yang turned his gaze to Pei Juanjuan's face again.
Pei Juanjuan was still picking her chopped coriander, and was still angry at Zhang Liangpeng for leaving the delicious food alone and wanting to cook noodles for himself.
Pei Juanjuan didn't really care how Zhang Yang performed or what place he ranked in the exam.
Although she was a little surprised, compared with her own emotions and Zhang Mao's previous report card where he was the top student in the school, Pei Juanjuan felt that Zhang Yang's achievements were nothing compared to her.
No matter how happy and praised Zhang Liangpeng, Zhang Yang could not muster any interest.
Zhang Liangpeng smiled and patted Zhang Yang on the shoulder. "Well done, kid. That's a huge improvement. It really is true that 'a man should be looked at with new eyes after three days of absence'!"
Zhang Yang forced a smile, and when he looked up again, he no longer looked at Pei Juanjuan.
He rubbed his hands and said to Zhang Liangpeng, "Dad, I'm done eating. I'm going back to the house to rest first."
"Okay, let's go." Zhang Liangpeng said with a smile. He watched Zhang Yang stand up and leave, and suddenly asked, "Zhang Yang, what do you want to take the exam for?"
Zhang Yang stopped and before he could say anything, he heard Pei Juanjuan say, "What exam can he take? Look at what you're asking. I told you before to contact the technical school that matches our factory. While you're in office, quickly get him enrolled and assigned to work in the factory."
Zhang Yang didn't look back. After listening to Pei Juanjuan's words, he said, "I want to go to high school."
"Go to high school?" Zhang Liangpeng said, "Sure. After high school, just like your brother, you can take the college entrance exam."
"Why would he want to go to university? Anyone can get into university." Pei Juanjuan put her chopsticks on the table. "He's young and naive, and you're going crazy with him?"
Zhang Liangpeng immediately turned around and stopped Pei Juanjuan from continuing.
Zhang Yang had already lifted the bamboo curtain and walked out.
Behind him was the sound of Zhang Liangpeng and Pei Juanjuan arguing.
"You always say those things in front of Zhang Yang. Even though the child's grades have improved so much, I've never heard you praise him," said Zhang Liangpeng.
"Twentyth place? What's there to brag about? Zhang Mao is always the first in the grade." Pei Juanjuan said.
Zhang Liangpeng was speechless for a long time, then stood up angrily: "You."
Pei Juanjuan was quite reasonable and refused to admit defeat. Looking at the noodles they had finished, she warned Zhang Liangpeng: "Don't talk about food in front of the children in the future. Is the purpose of life to eat? You are always nitpicking about food. If you are so particular, why don't you come back and cook it?"
"Didn't I do it?" Zhang Liangpeng counterattacked.
Pei Juanjuan suddenly didn't know what to say and looked at Zhang Liangpeng.
Zhang Liangpeng looked down at her, as if he didn't want to talk to her any more. Finally, he said, "That person didn't live for exams. He always compares Zhang Mao and Zhang Yang. Zhang Mao is Zhang Mao, and Zhang Yang is Zhang Yang. Zhang Yang has many good qualities, can't you see?"
Pei Juanjuan spread her hands: "Where?"
Zhang Liangpeng suddenly realized that he and Pei Juanjuan could not say another word, so he immediately turned around and walked out.
As he walked out of the kitchen, he saw Zhang Yang.
Zhang Yang didn't go in, but just stood in the yard.
He also heard what the two of them said just now.
Zhang Liangpeng paused, prepared himself mentally for a few seconds, and then strode forward.
He walked over to Zhang Yang as if nothing had happened.
"Why don't you go and have a rest?" Zhang Liangpeng asked with a smile.
He didn't hear Zhang Yang's reply.
Until Zhang Yang, with his head lowered, began to move.
Zhang Liangpeng finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Yes, let's go take a nap first. It will be time to go to school again soon."
"Dad, I want to go to high school." Zhang Yang reiterated after walking into the living room.
This time he looked at Zhang Liangpeng and said this.
Zhang Liangpeng had never seen Zhang Yang look like this before.
From childhood to adulthood, it seems that he has never had anything that he absolutely must have.
No matter what it is, whether it exists or not, Zhang Yang doesn't care.
He had never been so persistent, and had never looked at himself in such a way.
"Okay, go to high school." Zhang Liangpeng suddenly felt a little emotional. Zhang Yang has grown up.
He knew what he wanted, and he also knew that he had to fight for everything.
"As long as you can pass the exam," Zhang Liangpeng said, "you can finish high school and then go to college. As long as you want to study, Dad will support you."
…
When she went to school in the afternoon, Xin Tianyi was very surprised that no one called her.
She came out of the alley and just saw Zhang Yang walking slowly out of his house.
Xin Tianyi waved at him, "Why are you so late today?"
Zhang Yang rubbed his eyes and said, "I slept too much."
"Then go call Wei Ran and the others."
"Wei Ran and Dabao went to a banquet," Zhang Yang said. "They went straight to school and didn't go home."
Xin Tianyi looked as if he had realized what was going on. "So it's just the two of us today?"
Zhang Yang glanced at her and nodded.
This was the first time the two of them walked together alone.
Xin Tianyi's head just reached Zhang Yang's shoulders. Although the two were not much different in age, there was a big difference in their heights.
"I remember you were born in September." Xin Tianyi asked.
Zhang Yang hummed, "September 11th."
"That's only three months older than me." Xin Tianyi said, "But look how much taller you are than me."
"I got it from playing basketball." Zhang Yang lowered his head and kicked a small stone on the side of the road.
"Can playing basketball make you taller?" Xin Tianyi asked.
"It should be possible." Zhang Yang touched his head in confusion.
Xin Tianyi looked at him and suddenly smiled.
This person looked like he hadn't woken up yet, his eyes were swollen.
Zhang Yang kicked pebbles as he walked. When he was almost at the school gate, he finally asked, "Are you going to a technical secondary school or a high school?"
"ah?"
"Last time we talked about it, you didn't answer."
"Really?" Xin Tianyi tried to recall and said, "I want to go to high school."
Zhang Yang's eyes suddenly lit up: "Me too."
His voice suddenly rose inexplicably, and the corners of his mouth curled up.
Xin Tianyi looked at him, and his eyes began to moisten again.
Turning his back, the summer wind dried Xin Tianyi's eyes in an instant.
Turning back, Zhang Yang keenly caught Xin Tianyi's thoughts. He looked into his eyes and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing." Xin Tianyi said with a smile.
"That's not right." Zhang Yang followed behind Xin Tianyi and said word by word, "Your eyes suddenly dimmed just now."
"Go!" Xin Tianyi changed the subject, "Do you think you can get into high school?"
"If you can do it, so can I." Zhang Yang said with a smile, "How about a competition?"
"Let's compete, who's afraid of who?" Xin Tianyi said with a smile.
"Then we can go to the same high school." Zhang Yang whispered.
Xin Tianyi was just about to step into the back door of the classroom when he heard Zhang Yang talking, but he couldn't hear what he said specifically because the classroom was so noisy.
The first class in the afternoon was history class, and everyone was memorizing the questions the history teacher was going to ask.
Xin Tianyi paused and asked, "What did you say?"
"I said, we can go to the same high school!" Zhang Yang said it again loudly.
Xin Tianyi saw Zhang Yang's different smile again.
Like spring.
She also unconsciously followed Zhang Yang's smile, slightly widening the corners of her mouth.
But just as he was about to smile, Yuan Dabao called out from behind, "You two, what are you talking about, you fools? Come here quickly, I'll show you something good!"
When Yuan Dabao's so-called good stuff was displayed in front of everyone, the friends gathered around were speechless.
Yuan Dabao said generously, "Don't be polite, eat now."
Xin Tianyi looked at the big elbow on the desk and didn't know what to say for a moment.
Zhang Yang opened his mouth wide and looked at Yuan Dabao: "Not only did you go to eat, but you also brought it back?"
"No. The pork elbows on our table were snatched up as soon as they arrived. This plate was from a private room. For some reason, no one went there. I waited until everyone finished eating and left, and then Wei Ran and I wandered around and found it. Many people went to pack up, so I took some back as well."
"It's so big and there are no chopsticks. How can I eat it?" Xin Tianyi asked worriedly as he looked at the big elbow.
"Go ahead." Yuan Dabao had already started tearing off a large piece with his hands, and he passed it to Xin Tianyi. "Here, try it. It's delicious."
Xin Tianyi didn't know whether to take it or not. Just as he was thinking of how to take it, Yuan Dabao got tired of waiting and stuffed it directly into Xin Tianyi's mouth.
"Look at you, you're not even actively eating." Yuan Dabao frowned, then asked Zhang Yang, "You're not active either?"
Zhang Yang had already started to tear it apart. "It just so happens that I didn't have enough for lunch."
"What did you eat?" Yuan Dabao ate a piece himself. "Why didn't you go to the banquet? I saw many workers from the cotton mill went."
"Ever since my father became the factory director, he has stopped going to such occasions. He also doesn't let my mother go. He also has others bring the gifts." Zhang Yang said slowly.
"Why?" Yuan Dabao asked.
"I don't know." Zhang Yang shook his head, then asked Yuan Dabao, "Why not call Wei Ran?"
"I told him on the way here not to eat it. He doesn't like pork elbows." Yuan Dabao became more and more curious. "How could someone not like pork elbows?"
As he spoke, his hands were filled with sticky collagen, and he held two paws and asked Xin Tianyi: "What about you, do you like it?"
Xin Tianyi raised an eyebrow, "I'm not picky about food."
Yuan Dabao said venomously, "You're still so skinny, like you're malnourished. Can't your parents buy you something juicy and filling?"
Before Yuan Dabao could finish his words, he felt something running over the back of his foot, causing him excruciating pain.
He almost cried out, and when he looked down, he saw Zhang Yang's foot had just moved away from his instep.
"I'm done eating." Xin Tianyi seemed not to hear. "I'm going to wash my hands. Class will start soon."
"I'll go too." Zhang Yang stood up immediately.
"Hey, wait for me." Yuan Dabao called out to them, "These two are such idiots. They ate and didn't even clean up."
He quickly cleaned up and rushed out of the classroom, shouting as he ran: "You two, wait for me! And Zhang Yang, why are you stepping on my foot?"
It was not until Sunday that Yuan Dabao found out why Zhang Yang stepped on his foot.
Wang Qinghua planned to improve the food on Sunday and asked Yuan Dabao, who specifically requested dumplings.
Pei Juanjuan came just as I finished kneading the dough.
Pei Juanjuan came to borrow a rolling pin, saying that she wanted to make dumplings at home and couldn't find it.
Wang Qinghua hadn't even had time to wash his hands. He raised his floury hands and said to Pei Juanjuan happily, "What a coincidence! We're making dumplings today too."
Pei Juanjuan asked what kind of filling it was, and Wang Qinghua said Yuan Dabao wanted pork and vermicelli noodles. Pei Juanjuan made a vegetarian one, and the two of them decided to make it together and eat it together.
Yuan Gaoyi was not at home, so Wang Qinghua carried the washbasin and followed Pei Juanjuan.
Pei Juanjuan saw her carrying a plate and then trying to get the stuffing bowl, so she couldn't help but say, "Let Dabao help you."
"What can he do?" Wang Qinghua said, "He can't do anything. I'm afraid he'll throw me to the ground."
"You." Pei Juanjuan took it and said, "You're spoiling the child too much."
Wang Qinghua smiled and curled his lips: "Just like you don't spoil him. When we raised Zhang Mao before, we all saw it."
"That's true." Pei Juanjuan admitted generously.
The two of them took their things and went to Pei Juanjuan's house together. Yuan Dabao had already arrived earlier.
The two of them sat on the sofa watching TV, a large ceiling fan whirring overhead. Pei Juanjuan and Wang Qinghua found the kitchen too hot, so they simply moved everything into the living room and slowly wrapped it under the fan.
"Director Zhang is not at home?" Wang Qinghua asked when he didn't see Zhang Liangpeng.
"I went to Master Wang's house," Pei Juanjuan said. "I go there every weekend. It's become a habit."
"Very good." Wang Qinghua said, "Master Wang is also good to Director Zhang. He has been following Master Wang since he joined the factory. In the years before you got married, you always ate at Master Wang's house."
"I know." Pei Juanjuan smiled: "That's why I never said anything. Today, when we were making dumplings, I said since we were already making them, let's eat meat. He said he would rather eat leeks because his master likes them. After making them, I have to go and deliver two plates."
"That would be great." Wang Qinghua said, his eyes full of loneliness.
Her family wasn't from the local area; her parents lived with her brother. Yuan Gaoyi was often away from home, so Wang Qinghua raised Yuan Dabao alone. Her daily life consisted of the cotton mill and her home, with no family members to talk to.
She was always lonely and always envied those families who lived together with their young and old.
"If it's just Master Wang at home," Pei Juanjuan said to Wang Qinghua in a low voice, "that would be great. But Wang Gang and the others..."
Pei Juanjuan said this and glanced at Wang Qinghua.
Wang Qinghua understood what Pei Juanjuan meant, smiled, and said, "Meilan and I aren't that close. We just came into the factory together and we just talk a few more words."
Pei Juanjuan smiled indifferently and continued, "They don't talk very nicely. Every time they go there, they always bully my old Zhang."
"They're just not convinced." Wang Qinghua saw everything clearly. "Master Wang passed all his skills to your Director Zhang. When the factory changed leadership, it was Master Wang who went around doing favors, and the old workers all elected your Zhang. Didn't that make him the new director? Wang Gang has always felt uncomfortable about this, as he feels his father isn't teaching him anymore. Anyway, don't overthink it. I don't think they're really targeting you, but Master Wang."
Pei Juanjuan took it to heart and nodded.
Yuan Dabao and Zhang Yang were watching TV while commercials were playing.
The two were choosing programs. When Pei Juanjuan and Wang Qinghua came in, they asked them to change the channel and wait for the TV series "Desire" to be played.
Yuan Dabao grumbled quietly that his mother had already watched the TV show last night and wanted to watch the rerun. But even though he complained, he didn't dare act capriciously at someone else's house. Bored, he perked up his ears to listen to Pei Juanjuan and the others chatting in the back.
"That's true." Pei Juanjuan nodded and looked at Wang Qinghua: "Your thinking is different."
"Look at what you say." Wang Qinghua laughed and said, "What do I know? If there's any difference, it has to be Wang Fang from Master Wang's family."
"That's right." Pei Juanjuan's eyes lit up with envy when she mentioned Wang Fang. "When I resigned, my wife made a scene at home. She called Liang Peng and me over and gave us a lecture. Look, now her business is booming, and her hands are cramping from counting money."
"I've bought two pairs of shoes from her before," Wang Qinghua said, stretching his feet out to show Pei Juanjuan, "Look at the leather, the quality."
"How's the price?" Pei Juanjuan took a look and said, "It's really nice."
"You get what you pay for," Wang Qinghua said. "It's more expensive than others, anyway. But once you see hers, others won't like it."
"So it can make money." Pei Juanjuan sighed again.
"She probably wants to make money and move out quickly. It's not good to live in such a crowded place forever." Wang Qinghua sighed. "She's an orphan and a widow, and her husband is gone just like that. It's really hard."
Wang Qinghua just finished speaking.
Zhang Yang immediately covered Yuan Dabao's mouth.
Because if he didn't cover it up, Yuan Dabao would scream out.
Zhang Yang dragged Yuan Dabao into the yard.
Yuan Dabao blinked his eyes repeatedly, and finally realized what was going on after Zhang Yang let go of his hand: "No wonder! No wonder!"
He looked at Zhang Yang in panic and said, "No wonder you stepped on me that day! Doesn't Xin Tianyi have a father? Her father died? You knew it a long time ago? Why didn't I know? Why didn't anyone tell me?"
Yuan Dabao covered his head in shame and paced around the yard: "Why didn't you tell me! If I had known this would happen, I would definitely not have made things difficult for her in the beginning. I even picked on her every day. Tell me, what have I done?"
After the dumplings were wrapped, Zhang Yang called Zhang Liangpeng home for dinner. Zhang Liangpeng said he would just bring them over and he would eat with Wang Yuxiu.
Zhang Yang went home to serve the dumplings. This time, Yuan Dabao offered to help deliver the dumplings without any instructions.
Each of them brought two plates, two plates of leeks and eggs, and two plates of vermicelli and pork, and sent them over together.
When they arrived at Wang Yuxiu's house, Yuan Dabao stood at the door and looked for a while. Seeing Xin Tianyi sitting at the dining table, he walked over and placed the plate of pork dumplings in front of her.
Zhang Yang watched Le from the side.
Xin Tianyi had no idea what these two people were up to, so he looked at Yuan Dabao and asked, "What's wrong?"
"No, nothing." Yuan Dabao said, "Eat it. This dish is pork vermicelli. It's delicious."
"Okay, let's go." Zhang Yang pulled Yuan Dabao. Yuan Dabao looked at Xin Tianyi apologetically and said, "Hurry up and eat. That plate is also pork. If it's not enough, come to Zhang Yang's house. There's still plenty."
Xin Tianyi felt that Yuan Dabao must be sick or had heatstroke.
It was like he suddenly became a different person.
While he was confused, Zhang Yang had already grabbed Yuan Dabao and dragged him out.
Xin Tianyi naturally didn't eat the second plate of dumplings, nor did he go to Zhang Yang's house to get more dumplings. He only saw Yuan Dabao and Zhang Yang when he went to school on Monday.
Wei Ran was not there.
"Where's Wei Ran?" Xin Tianyi asked the two of them, "Why didn't you call him?"
"I've asked for leave." Zhang Yang added, "I have a fever."
Xin Tianyi said "oh" and the backpack in his hand was taken over by Yuan Dabao.
Xin Tianyi looked at Yuan Dabao strangely: "What are you doing?"
"I'll hold it for you." Yuan Dabao said with his head down.
Xin Tianyi didn't understand and could only turn to look at Zhang Yang.
Zhang Yang smiled and said, "Just let him take it."
Seeing Xin Tianyi's puzzled expression, Zhang Yang quickly explained, "He has a disease that makes him feel uncomfortable if he doesn't hold something."
After saying that, Zhang Yang hung his schoolbag on Yuan Dabao as well.
Just as Yuan Dabao was about to protest, he saw Xin Tianyi looking at him, and then he said guiltily, "Yes, yes, that's it."
Xin Tianyi wanted to go see the sick Wei Ran, but Zhang Yang stopped him. He said he had gone to the clinic early in the morning and wasn't home yet. The high school entrance exam was coming up soon, and he couldn't afford to get sick. If he got sick, he had to go to the clinic right away so he could get treated and go back to school.
Wei Ran came to school before the second class was over.
When he arrived, he saw the teacher still giving a lecture, so he stood at the back door for a while.
It was very hot and the back door of the classroom was open. Wei Ran stood at the back door and looked inside, and just happened to see Xin Tianyi.
Xin Tianyi sat upright and stared at the teacher intently. Her eyes followed the teacher wherever he went.
Yuan Dabao didn't listen as attentively as Xin Tianyi. When someone came from behind, he noticed it and immediately turned around and saw Wei Ran.
Yuan Dabao smiled and asked silently, "Are you done?"
Wei Ran nodded, pointed to his butt, and finally made a gesture of giving an injection.
Yuan Dabao understood that he had to come to class after getting an injection.
I wanted to tell Zhang Yang the news, but when I turned around, I saw Zhang Yang busy writing.
This guy ranked 20th in the class, but he was still not satisfied. Now he doesn't even play basketball and is buried in books all the time.
Is it really as he said, that Wei Ran’s first place is his real goal?
He really has no self-awareness, Yuan Dabao thought.
Wei Ran waited until the teacher finished speaking before typing in his report.
When the teacher saw that it was Wei Ran who came back, his face was full of smiles. After class, he asked Wei Ran how he was feeling and outlined the key points of the lecture for him.
This is a special benefit for children with good grades.
As soon as the teacher left, Xin Tianyi walked over with his book.
It is true that he cares about Wei Ran, and it is also true that he wants to copy the key points drawn by the teacher.
Wei Ran gave his seat to Xin Tianyi and asked her to paint slowly and not rush.
Xin Tianyi asked, "Why do you have a fever? Didn't you say you've been feeling well lately and haven't had a headache or been sick in a while?"
"The day before yesterday, after playing basketball, it was so hot. Zhang Yang and Dabao showered under the school faucet, so I followed suit. Maybe the water was too cold, and it irritated me." Wei Ran said slowly, "I saw them showering like that, and they never got sick. I don't know why, but I showered that one time, and I felt a slight headache, a buzzing sensation, and my nose started to run when I got home."
"Did you start having a fever last night?" Xin Tianyi asked.
"Yes." Wei Ran pushed his glasses up awkwardly and said, "I'm really useless."
"It's not that you're useless." Xin Tianyi said, "After exercising, the body's capillaries are open. Washing with cold water will easily make you catch a cold and get sick. Next time, just take a towel and wipe it, don't wash it again."
Wei Ran nodded, "Yes. I was careless, thinking that Zhang Yang would be fine."
"His body is probably made of iron." Xin Tianyi said with a smile.
Wei Ran was standing aside. He had just received an injection and his fever had subsided.
He was weak and a little breathless. The discomfort was already tormenting him, but when his mother asked him if he could go to school, he saw her expectant eyes and nodded.
Dragging his tired feet, Wei Ran walked to the back door of the classroom. Looking at the classmates sitting in the classroom, he suddenly didn't know how long he could finish studying like this.
Why is he trying so hard to stay first?
Why is everyone asking him to get first place?
Why can’t he take the exam second, third, or even last place once?
Why was he the only one who was so tired out in a class of so many students? And everyone seemed to take it for granted that he always got first place in the exams?
He is not a god, nor is he a genius.
He just spent all his time on studying and studied very hard, so he could barely keep up.
Even when I was sick, when I was seriously exhausted and just wanted to lie in bed and have a good sleep, my mother's eyes were full of: You are a good student, you must insist on going to class, even if you are sick.
All these thoughts that Wei Ran had never had before came to his mind at once.
He stood upstairs and looked down. The students who were taking physical education class were running hard on the playground.
How long has it been since he last ran like this?
Wei Ran suddenly thought, how great it would be if time could stop at this moment.
No more exams, no more expectations.
…
Until Wei Ran saw Xin Tianyi.
She straightened her back and looked at the teacher.
He saw Zhang Yang again.
Zhang Yang buried himself in piles of books, probably trying to solve the questions at his own pace.
It turns out that he is not the only one who bears such expectations.
It turns out that he is not the only one struggling so desperately.
Everyone is working hard at their own starting line.
No one dares to slack off.
"What's wrong?" Xin Tianyi finished highlighting the key points and looked up at Wei Ran, "Are you feeling uncomfortable again?"
Wei Ran came back to his senses and raised the corner of his mouth: "No, I just feel..."
Before Wei Ran could finish his words, Yuan Dabao rushed over, holding his own textbook, and shouted to Wei Ran: "Please lend me your drawing book too, so we can share the happiness."
The author has something to say:
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided me with nutrient solution between 2023-05-11 16:37:04 and 2023-05-13 20:23:28~
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: @CC 12 bottles; 23155266 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
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