Chapter 204 if-two little guesses 5
His pace gradually slowed. He had only wanted to get her away from the school gate, and hadn't really thought of an opening line. Should he just ask her, "Did you know I was going abroad?"? What if she said "yes"? She knew he was going abroad, but hadn't said anything. What else could he say? He didn't even know why he'd come to see her. What was he expecting? Or was he afraid?
"How...how have you been lately?" He looked down at their toes, one in front and one behind, moving forward alternately in tacit understanding.
"Fine, and you?" she replied.
"I'm studying for the exam."
"Is it the entrance exam for British high schools?" she asked, tilting her head.
Her heart sank for no apparent reason. She knew it, she knew it clearly. He stopped.
"My mother told you?"
"I guess." She smiled at him.
"Guessed?" he repeated. "Why?"
"Because you'll have to go there sooner or later. I knew it a long time ago."
"How early?"
A bicycle passed by, leaving behind a string of crisp bells. A group of elementary school students walked out of the schoolyard, hand in hand, saying goodbye to each other with laughter. She looked at the penguin-like children with nostalgia.
"In your third year of junior high, Aunt He said you missed the application for a British high school and would have to take the high school entrance exam. You'll have to wait for a transfer student spot next year."
He was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Did you already know when I came to see you in the third grade?"
"Well," she smiled at him again, "that's why I came to Huacai, because this is our last year."
"You..." He looked at her steadily, "Is this the reason why you took the Huacai exam?"
She looked up at the sky, where a plane's tail streaked through the clouds. "With distance, friendship fades. Rather than promising to remain friends in the future, it's better to cherish the remaining time. Tong Zhongyuan, no matter where you go, no matter whether we will meet again in the future, at this moment, you are my friend."
She thought for a moment and added an attributive: "My best friend."
"I wish you good luck on your exams." She held out her hand to him.
A group of children walked past them, carefree in their memories. Her invitation to shake hands was like a period, a farewell, her farewell to the old times.
He kept walking forward with his hands in his trouser pockets.
"No need to wish me well, I've always been very successful."
Qin Yizhang withdrew his hand, which was dyed golden by the setting sun, and trotted a few steps to catch up.
"It's good to have a smooth journey. It would be nice to give your blessing."
"Why don't you wear glasses anymore? I've asked you several times."
“I’m not nearsighted.”
"Then why did you wear glasses as a child?"
"I was correcting my farsightedness, but now I am normal and don't need to wear it anymore."
"You should buy a pair of plain glasses and wear them."
“…”
The setting sun followed their shadows, and that day, the hands he had never held overlapped silently in the warm orange projection.
In the bronze-shaped museum, the air was filled with the lingering smell of newly renovated wood mixed with paint. He Wu lowered his head, pinched his nose, and walked quickly.
"Teacher He!" Old Yang from the information room called her.
"Teacher Yang." She put down her hand that was pinching her nose and walked towards him.
"Let's go out and get some fresh air? Let's go together. It was just renovated not long ago, so it does still have a smell. If you ask me, there's no need to rush to move. The old building is fine, isn't it?"
"I heard the old building has been rented out, and the contract takes effect in October, so let's move in sooner rather than later."
"By the way, Teacher He," Teacher Yang said as they walked, "you went to England in October, right? Last time I heard you were there during this summer vacation?"
He Wu was silent for a few seconds.
"Not for now."
"Huh?" Teacher Yang asked in surprise, "Why aren't you going? Haven't you been preparing for this for a long time?"
He Wu smiled perfunctorily: "I have some things to do at home, so I can't leave for the time being. Let's talk about it in two years."
Teacher Yang understood a little bit, took the initiative to change the subject, and started complaining about the working environment in the new museum again.
At the end of the day, He Wu lazily packed her bag and left. She hadn't been able to concentrate these past few days and had been slacking off at work.
Tong Yinxu had already cooked dinner. When he heard the door lock click, he ran to his son's bedroom and knocked on the door: "Your mother is back."
Tong Zhongyuan raised his head from the desk and continued reading as if nothing had happened.
All that was heard was the sound of a door closing, the rustle of slippers walking away, and the faint sound of conversation accompanied by the sound of running water. After a while, Tong Yinxu shouted with the resonance of his chest: "Yuanyuan, it's time for dinner."
Tong Zhongyuan closed the book, opened the door, and walked into the dining room. He Wu and Tong Yinxu were bringing out the soup and dishes, and he picked up a few potholders and placed them on the table.
He Wu glanced at him and silently placed the steamed fish on the heat-insulating mat. Tong Zhongyuan didn't take the initiative to speak. He went to the kitchen to get the bowls and chopsticks, divided them up, and pulled out a chair.
Tong Yinxu fawningly served the rice and placed it in front of He Wu. He took a rag and opened the lid of the soup pot, saying flatteringly, "Yan Du Xian (pickled pork with preserved vegetables)! Isn't that cute? You like it."
He Wu forced a smile and picked up his chopsticks to eat. Tong Yinxu finally breathed a sigh of relief and sat down next to him to eat.
In front of Tong Zhongyuan was a plate of spinach, which he hated the most. In front of He Wu was the sweet and sour pork ribs, which he loved. When he tried to pick up the pork ribs for the fourth time, He Wu knocked the ribs away with his chopsticks.
"Have you ever thought about adults when you do things?"
Tong Zhongyuan put away his empty chopsticks and started eating rice silently.
He Wu became even angrier when he saw him like this.
"Did I not allow you to eat meat?! I told you to be considerate of others when doing things!"
Tong Zhongyuan quickened his eating pace. The only way for him to escape from this situation was to finish eating quickly and close the door.
Seeing that he said nothing but refused to apologize, He Wu felt a surge of anger in his heart.
It's not that she can't accept Tong Zhongyuan failing the exam due to a mistake, but a score like that definitely can't be explained by the word "mistake"! The only reason is that he did it on purpose, he deliberately failed the exam!
The moment she learned the results, she was stunned. Her first reaction was, "Did the school make a mistake? This couldn't possibly be her son's normal level." Full of questions, she asked Tong Zhongyuan, "How did you do on the test that day?"
"The questions are too difficult, I can't do them." He answered fluently without any shame.
"Did you get a C in every subject??!"
"It was my first time taking the test, and I didn't know it was this type of question," he explained calmly.
"Tong Zhongyuan!" He Wu slammed the table. "What do you think of your parents? You're the smartest person in the world, and everyone else is a fool? Even your parents are stupid in your eyes! You're my son, and you think I don't know you?!"
Tong Yinxu came up to stop her: "Why are you getting so angry? It's harmful to your health. It's not worth it."
"Look at him! Your good son! He's grown so independent and increasingly disregards his parents. Even with such a big incident, he showed off his power without even saying anything."
"Yes, yes, he's not good, but He Wu, exams are unpredictable. Think about it, during the college entrance examination, many people usually have good grades."
"He's different!" He Wu was so angry, "Others may not know him, but I do! He did it on purpose! Tong Zhongyuan, explain it to me today. If you don't want to go to England, why didn't you tell me? You're using such tricks to hurt our feelings."
Tong Zhongyuan remained silent the entire time. He actually had something to say: "You two should go to England. I can stay in Shanghai alone." He meant it, not out of anger. He was grown up and could take care of himself. He knew going to England was crucial to his mother's future, and he didn't want to hold her back. She had already sacrificed enough for him. But if he actually said that, she would only be angrier.
After the initial rage passed, He Wu was tired and she sat weakly on the sofa, holding her forehead.
"Tong Zhongyuan, I have one last question for you. Answer me honestly. Do you simply not want to go to high school in the UK, or do you not even plan to go there for university?"
Tong Zhongyuan remained silent. He Wu raised his eyes and looked into his eyes calmly and tiredly.
He looked away and said four words: "I don't know."
After a brief but terrifying calm, He Wu's roar blew off the roof.
"Little bastard!!! I knew you did it on purpose!!!"
The classroom was very quiet, with only the sound of chalk scratching on the blackboard.
Zhang Li looked around, crumpled the note into a ball, and threw it on Qin Yizhang's desk.
Qin Yizhang was startled, looked at her, picked up the paper ball and opened it.
"Tong Zhongyuan is not going to study abroad, did you know?"
After reading the note, Qin Yizhang stuffed it into the desk and continued listening to the class.
Seeing her complete lack of reaction, Zhang Li felt a bit disappointed and unwilling to accept the situation. She had originally thought that since they were childhood friends, Qin Yizhang might know something about the inside story. Some people said that Tong Zhongyuan failed the exam and was not admitted, so he stayed at Huacai. Another theory was that Tong Zhongyuan didn't even take the exam. If he really didn't take the exam, then why?
As soon as the school bell rang, Zhang Li came over. Qin Yizhang knew what she was going to say, and before she could speak, she quickly picked up her schoolbag and said, "I have something to do today, so I'll leave first."
Before she could answer, she had already rushed out of the classroom.
Her schoolbag bounced rhythmically behind her as she ran all the way to the school gate, looking around. No, he hadn't come out yet, so she should be the first one.
Students who had just finished school came out one after another. Some of them knew her and greeted her or saluted. She looked in the direction she had come from, and finally, that familiar figure appeared.
He walked leisurely, chatting with a male classmate beside him. There was a subtle impatience on his face, which he hid well, but she saw it at a glance.
His gaze drifted aimlessly into the distance, but when he caught sight of her, he didn't look away and his pace quickened. The classmate hadn't reacted yet, but to continue the conversation, he also quickened his pace.
After a few steps, he came in front of her.
"Qin Yizhang, what are you doing here?"
"Wait for you to go home together."
His heart jumped like a rabbit, and he didn't know what to say for a moment.
The male classmate who was talking about sex looked at him in surprise: "Tong Zhong..."
"Sorry," he turned his head and said, "I have something to do today, so I can't go with you."
After saying that, he walked forward on his own. After two steps, no one followed him. Sigh, he knew it. He turned around helplessly and tilted his head towards Qin Yizhang.
"Why don't you come over? Don't you want to go home with me?"
Qin Yizhang finally understood what he meant and immediately followed him.
Tong Zhongyuan's pace slowed down again, so slow that she could walk with him at a normal pace. She looked up at him and found that the corners of his mouth were curled up, not looking like someone who had just failed the exam. However, he was a very proud person. He might have cried for days at home hugging his pillow, but pretended to be calm at school. In any case, her purpose today was to comfort him and tell him not to be discouraged. Even though... he didn't pass the exam, she actually felt a very inappropriate, dark joy. This joy made her feel guilty and wanted to make it up to him even more.
"Tong Zhongyuan, I have something to give you."
She opened her hand to him, and in her palm was a small tubular box.
Tong Zhongyuan picked up the small box and scratched her palm with his fingertips.
"What is this? You gave me lipstick?"
He opened the small box and found a simple seal. This was a bit surprising. He looked at her and turned to the inscribed side. Although it was upside down, he still recognized the four words.
Serenity leads to far-reaching goals
"This is the first seal I carved. I'm giving it to you." She said a little embarrassedly, "It's just not very good. There's a little damage here..."
In order to carve this seal, she thought of many words of encouragement for him: keep trying, God rewards hard work, never give up... but she rejected them all. In the end, she carved these four words: tranquility leads to far-reaching goals. For Tong Zhongyuan, words that had nothing to do with this exam were the only comfort he could accept.
She leaned close to his chest, pointed at the seal in his hand, and said regretfully, "It's the bottom of the character '远'. I carved it too deep, and I can't fix it later."
Her hair fell into his palm, and he could feel her warmth even through the air on his chest. From this angle, her eyelashes fluttered gently like feathers.
She talked for a long time but he didn't move at all. She raised her eyes and met his gaze. He turned his head away quickly like a frightened deer, coughed lightly, picked up the seal, and pressed it to the back of his hand. The four words "Tranquility and Far-reaching" were printed in bright red on his skin.
"When did you learn seal carving?" he asked awkwardly.
"I can't say I've learned it, I've just been practicing. Actually, anything is always hard at the beginning." She chose her words carefully, trying to subtly encourage him with her own experience. "But even if there are flaws, this is the only complete chapter I've carved. I'll do better next time."
"Oh." He replied, then suddenly asked out of the blue, "Who are you going to give the complete one to next time?"
She was stunned: "I haven't thought about this question."
He held the seal up to the sun, then said nonchalantly, "Then give it to me. Only by comparing the two can we know if you've made any progress. Anyway, I'm not leaving. If you have any doubts, just come to me. I won't mind the trouble."
"You mean..." she asked hesitantly, "you won't leave in the future?"
"Yeah." He stared at her, and for the first time today, he didn't look away from her bright, innocent eyes. "I'm not leaving. From now on, I'll always be here."
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