It was already past nine o'clock in the evening when Zhou Xiu got on the subway.
Zhou family.
It was a rare occasion that Zhou Cheng and Liu Mei closed their stall early. Liu Mei was watching TV at home and Zhou Cheng was sleeping.
When Liu Mei went downstairs, she saw Aunt Lin from the neighboring house holding her daughter's hand with a smile on her face, holding a bunch of nutritional supplements and clothes in her hands.
Aunt Lin's daughter even held her hand and said coquettishly, "If I do well in the monthly exam, can you let me go to S City for a trip on May Day?"
Liu Mei was surprised to see Aunt Lin's daughter being so naturally intimate with her.
Zhou Cheng's family has moved into this old building for some time and has become quite familiar with the neighbors.
Aunt Lin came to visit Zhou's house and chatted with Liu Mei. Liu Mei envied Aunt Lin's good relationship with her daughter. Even though the girl was grown up, she was still willing to hold her hand.
"Our Xiuxiu is more independent and doesn't like to be so clingy with her parents."
Aunt Lin's face darkened after hearing this. She looked around for a long time but didn't see Zhou Xiu. She asked, "Where's your Xiu Xiu?"
Liu Mei said: "Their school went on a spring outing today and came back late."
Aunt Lin couldn't help but scold Liu Mei: "You don't care enough about your child. Aren't you worried that he hasn't come home yet so late?"
Liu Mei narrowed her eyes and became confused. "Why worry? She's already in high school."
She looked at the time. It was not yet nine o'clock.
Normally Zhou Xiu would stay in school for evening self-study and would not come back until this time. If it were in the countryside, the county middle school would be on vacation and she would not get home until the middle of the night.
Aunt Lin couldn't help but complain, "Even if she goes to high school, she is still a child. She didn't come back in the middle of the night. How dangerous this area is. Such a beautiful girl, let alone her, my daughter is in her third year of high school, and I have to pick her up every night."
She looked at Liu Mei with a strange look:
"Girls should be spoiled. Nowadays, most children are only children, so there is no difference between boys and girls. I saw that you only wanted one child, and I thought you didn't care about the gender... I saw Zhou Xiu wearing school uniform every day and nothing else to wear. She would go out to help you on weekends when she was not studying."
"Such a sensible child, you are really abusing him."
You still want your daughter to be close to you like this?
Liu Mei stammered in response, "We've treated the child very well. We've provided her with good food and drink, and sent her to a good school. Her cousins in the countryside have no education at all."
Aunt Lin's three views were shattered after hearing this.
Isn't it natural to raise a child and provide for his/her education? How can this be considered good for her?
She didn't believe it and started counting them one by one with Liu Mei.
"If I hadn't mentioned it before, you wouldn't have bought new clothes or skin care products for Zhou Xiu, right? She's old enough now, and she's at the age where she loves beauty. Have you bought her sanitary napkins every month? Have you taken her shopping? Have you cared about what she likes?"
Liu Mei's understanding was greatly impacted, and she said, "Children in our countryside are all brought up in rough conditions."
Aunt Lin rolled her eyes, thinking of a joke on the Internet: "Does it mean that all the eggs are given to the son to eat, women are not allowed to sit at the table to eat, and girls have to be exchanged for dowry for the son when they grow up? Does this count as rough raising?"
Liu Mei and her husband were exposed by this statement and fell silent as they recalled the past.
Liu Mei's mind was very complicated. After a long while, she said, "We don't understand. We didn't think about these things before. We raised children the same way as the villagers did."
Zhou Cheng was also speechless after being scolded. He took out his cell phone and called Zhou Xiu: "Xiu'er, are you almost home? Do you want dad to pick you up?"
Zhou Xiu was sitting on the bus at this time, memorizing biology knowledge points. She was stunned for a while when she received Zhou Cheng's call.
After a while, she said, "No, I'll get off soon."
Ten minutes later the bus arrived at the station and Zhou Xiu got off.
On a slightly cold night, Zhou Cheng and Liu Mei rode their electric bikes and waited for people at the entrance of the urban village.
Zhou Cheng rubbed his hands and handed his daughter a piece of roasted pig's trotter. "Eat it. It will fill your stomach."
The food was still warm, with chopped green onions, pepper and salt dotted on the pig's trotters, giving off an enticing aroma. This was Zhou Xiu’s favorite food when she was a child.
Zhou Xiu sat in the back seat of Zhou Cheng's car and took a few bites of food because he was so hungry.
…
Wednesday.
Zhou Xiu came to school with several boxes of Telunsu on her stool.
She thought Huaxu was too lazy to carry milk every day, so she brought several boxes to school at once. She had just moved all the milk cartons to the ground and opened the drawer, and the snacks and nutritional supplements in the drawer fell to the ground with a clatter. She was surprised.
The behind-the-scenes footage showed Zhou Xiu’s dazed expression for a moment, her eyes wide open, like a ragdoll cat.
She suddenly couldn't help laughing.
She pointed at the things around and said to Zhou Xiu, "It looks like they were given to me by boys from other classes."
Du Feiyang couldn't help but burst out laughing, "Who is so childish?"
Like a nouveau riche, who would chase a girl these days and fill up all her desks and chairs? All these things only cost a few hundred dollars. You want to chase girls with just this little money?
He patted Tan Ming's shoulder and said, "Why not learn from Tan Mingming? Mingming is better at picking up girls than him. It's either Chanel or Gi."
Tan Ming, who was named, looked inexplicably ugly and he covered Du Feiyang's mouth.
Zhou Xiu took out all the snacks and nutritional supplements in the drawer and found a pink envelope at the very back. The signature was from an unfamiliar boy in Winner Class.
Zhou Xiu was carrying these things, and called Du Feiyang for help, "Help me carry it."
Du Feiyang is very familiar with this kind of operation. Class 24 is full of handsome men and beautiful women, and small things like stuffing snacks into the drawer couldn't be more common. For a period of time, Tan Ming could rely on snacks given by girls as meals.
He raised an eyebrow, "Xiu Xiu doesn't want it?"
In the past, Huaxu and Tanming would share the snacks and gifts they received with the students sitting at the tables in front, behind, and to the left of them. Such as chocolate, macarons, and nuts. But... Du Feiyang looked down at the food filling the aisle.
These things are really funny. It is not only funny, but also large in quantity and highly sustainable.
At the rate Zhou Xiu drinks a box of milk every day, doesn't she have to think of him every day?
Zhou Xiu shook her head, "Give it back to him."
After hearing this, Tan Ming quickly stood up, picked up a box of Telunsu in each hand, and walked to the door of Winnaban.
It was still early at this time and not many people came to school, and there were only a few people in the Winner class.
The boy who secretly stuffed the pink bomb saw Zhou Xiu at the door and came out quickly.
He has a pretty appearance, but is much inferior to boys like Xi Shaoyuan and Tan Ming who are gifted with good looks.
Tan Ming breathed a sigh of relief for unknown reasons.
Zhou Xiu returned everything to him, including the letter. Before Zhou Xiu opened her mouth, the boy said:
"I know, you don't have to return these things to me. Xiuxiu, you are so thin, you need more nutrition."
He had been paying attention to Zhou Xiu for a long time. She was slender and thin, so frail that she seemed like she could be blown away by a gust of wind. He didn't look like he was eating well.
These things were obviously bought with great care.
Zhou Xiu thought for a long time, bowed and said, "I'm sorry."
When the boys saw Zhou Xiu bowing, they were about to cry. He likes such a nice girl.
He kept saying, "I know, I know. You don't have to say it anymore. You should study hard and stop rejecting me."
"Zhou Xiu, can I wait until you graduate from high school?"
He actually cried. The sincerity in his eyes was so heartbreaking that even a grown man like Du Feiyang couldn't bear it.
Zhou Xiu handed the letter back to him personally, "No need to wait for me."
Du Feiyang and Tan Ming watched him carry boxes of milk, snacks and nutritional supplements back to the classroom. His back in the cold wind was truly unforgettable.
Du Feiyang didn't come to his senses until he returned to his seat.
He couldn't help but sigh: "Fortunately, I like Sister Xu, so even if she rejects me, we can still be friends. It's really pitiful that I like Xiuxiu, but I don't even have any thoughts about her."
Du Feiyang thought about Zhou Xiu's character and felt that it made more sense.
Tan Ming did not make any comment.
He flipped through his phone aimlessly and found that the only connection between him and Zhou Xiu was a transfer made a few months ago.
Based on Tan Ming's many years of experience, Zhou Xiu's personality is not suitable for confession, and once she does, she is doomed to fail. She is different from girls like Lu Lingshan who have been admired since childhood.
Tan Ming frowned slightly.
Yu Qingyan was too lazy to pay attention to Du Feiyang's summary of this poor student, and simply rolled her eyes: "Your academic performance is not even as good as Xiuxiu's, and you still want Xiuxiu to like you?"
Du Feiyang couldn't help but make a sound of "It's too difficult", "Are poor students also cute? Are poor students also thoughtful?"
Yu Qingyan nodded, "She is cute, but it's pitiful that no one loves her."
"They study hard late into the night, participate in competitions, and get into 985 or Ivy League schools. You are a person who has wasted half of his life just taking the college entrance examination. What thoughts can you talk to them about? Your thoughts are not even on the same level."
Even she is aware of being a poor student, so unless Xi Shaoyuan is blind, he would not like her.
After expressing her feelings, Yu Qingyan prepared to study.
Du Feiyang turned his head and found that Tan Ming, who was habitually sleepy early in the morning, took out the English test paper and started writing seriously.
Du Feiyang: “…”
"Even you think that poor students don't deserve love?"
Tan Ming said calmly: "Don't think too much, the monthly exam is coming soon."
When Du Feiyang heard this, the hairs on his body stood up and he dared not continue to act playfully.
…
On Wednesday afternoon, Zhou Xiu went to attend the training of the competition class.
Old Wang held a pile of test papers with a smile on his face and handed them to Xie Cheng and others: "It's just right that you guys are all here. Finish these papers before leaving."
He saw Zhou Xiu carrying her schoolbag and preparing to go to the biology class next door, and he called her slowly:
"Zhou Xiu, stop right there. You have to stay here and finish this class before you leave."
"I asked around. The class next door is reviewing the experiments you have done."
Although the biology competition is only a few days away, the math competition is only a month and a half away. Such favoritism is like sand in the eyes of Lao Wang.
Logically, Zhou Xiu felt that she should indeed stay in the math class. After all, she had already solved the experimental part and completed it to a high degree.
But her head felt swollen and she felt sick from doing math. Going next door to look at the plants was just the right way to relax.
Although Zhou Xiu is diligent, he does not push himself.
Lao Wang looked around and asked, "Where is Xi Shaoyuan?"
"Teacher, Brother Yuan has asked for leave, and I don't know the reason." said a student in the Wen Na class.
Lao Wang was a little angry. He looked around but couldn't find Zhang Qi. He asked again, "Where's Zhang Qi?"
The student in Wen Naban coughed lightly and couldn't help laughing secretly. A classmate let it slip:
"He caught a cold from playing bridge yesterday and asked for a day off."
An expression of being deceived slowly appeared on Lao Wang's face, and he questioned, "Can you catch a cold from playing cards?"
It’s just skipping classes, and saying it’s because of a cold is too perfunctory an excuse. Will these students still feel guilty?
The other students then told Lao Wang the rules of the game.
After hearing the whole story, Lao Wang found a reason. He raised his eyebrows and called Zhou Xiu back, saying, "It just so happens that Xi Shaoyuan and Zhang Qi are not here. Zhou Xiu, please write their shares."
"I caught a cold playing cards with you."
He took out two other test papers and handed them to Zhou Xiu.
Other students: “…”
The way this blame is passed on is extremely strange, what kind of... weird logic is this.
Zhou Xiu, who received ten test papers, said: "..."
She sat back in her seat, reluctantly took out her fountain pen, and began to write. The other students got five test papers, and Zhou Xiu got fifteen.
It was obvious that Teacher Wang was dissatisfied with Zhou Xiu's behavior of missing every math training class.
Before the competition, we need to use the tactic of doing a lot of questions to build up her foundation.
After school, everyone had left, but Zhou Xiu was still writing the test paper.
She rubbed her eyes.
Lao Wang kept back several top students to write the test papers, and two other people who also received such special care were Xie Cheng and Xu Haobo. Xu Haobo quickly finished a test paper, handed it in and left.
Lao Wang stretched himself and said, "Xie Cheng, you can go back now. Zhou Xiu, you continue to write. I will go to patrol the senior high school for two self-study classes. I hope to see you finish the two test papers after the evening self-study get out of class."
Zhou Xiu paused after putting down the pen and looked at the teacher in disbelief.
Lao Wang left with the wolfberry and red date tea.
Xie Cheng sat down and said calmly, "Let's divide the work. You write the big questions and I'll write the fill-in-the-blank choices."
Xie Cheng turned on the lights in the classroom, sat down next to Zhou Xiu, and took out the same Olympiad test paper and began to write attentively.
Zhou Xiu planned to find some time to finish it in one go. Fifteen papers were too many and he simply couldn't finish them all.
The biology competition is next weekend, and from the teacher's tone, it must be completed this week.
This was bound to disrupt Zhou Xiu's review plan. After listening to Xie Cheng's words, she thought for a moment and agreed with him.
Zhou Xiu concentrated on writing the big questions. She spread out the fifteen test papers and started writing one by one. When it came to writing the big questions, the train of thought was actually quite smooth, and Zhou Xiu finished two test papers in just one hour.
Zhou Xiu felt that he was fast enough. He looked up and saw that Xie Cheng had easily completed four portions.
Zhou Xiu was so surprised that he was speechless, his eyes fell on Xie Cheng.
The boy had clear features and was concentrating on writing on the test paper, the pen held in his fingertips occasionally sketching carelessly, as if he was casually doodling.
But Zhou Xiu knew that the difficulty of multiple-choice questions and fill-in-the-blank questions would not be much less than that of the big questions.
She finally felt the same subtle mood as the top students in the Rocket Class.
Two hours later, Zhou Xiu worked hard and finished five more copies.
They wrote until ten o'clock, when the evening self-study get out of class was over. Lao Wang came to inspect the class with a cup of wolfberry and red dates tea. He saw that Zhou Xiu had finished two test papers and nodded with satisfaction.
"Just go back tonight and leave the rest to me next weekend."
Zhou Xiu nodded and Lao Wang left the classroom.
After the teacher left, she continued to write with her head down. At nine o'clock, she rubbed her sore eyes, took out eye drops and dripped them twice.
After taking a break, I continued writing.
Xie Cheng had already finished filling in the blanks and multiple-choice questions on fifteen test papers. He stood beside Zhou Xiu, leaned over to take the test papers, and began to read them one by one.
Although the test paper was completed in a hurry, the handwriting was unexpectedly neat and beautiful, the thoughts were smooth, and the answers... were correct.
When writing the last few papers, Zhou Xiu got stuck for once. The test paper, which she had originally expected to finish by 10:30, took her until 11:30.
As the pen tip dropped the last number, Zhou Xiu loosened his stiff thumb. The 15-point test paper was finally finished. Zhou Xiu leaned back in the chair and stretched.
Xie Cheng sorted out the test papers, left both test books to Zhou Xiu, and said casually: "I'll take you back."
Zhou Xiu packed her bag and shook her head, "Thank you, but no, there should be another subway."
Xie Cheng didn't force her.
After all, I was rejected once last time.
Zhou Xiu picked up her schoolbag and left in a hurry, trying to catch the last subway, but as soon as she got to the subway station, she found that the subway had stopped running.
She took out her cell phone and wanted to call Zhou Cheng, but after hesitating for a while, she put it back in her pocket.
My parents have to get up early, so they should have gone to bed by now.
The system then said: [Young man, let me call a taxi for you. 】
Zhou Xiu shook her head and said, "It's not safe to take a taxi late at night. I'll see if there are any shared bicycles." 】
It thought about it and said, "I will help you match a female driver with good quality and advanced evaluation." 】
Pay special attention to the word "female". Zhou Xiu couldn't help but laugh.
[Okay, I’ll call a taxi.] You help me match. 】
Late at night, the bustling city has fallen into silence and the bustling streets have gradually faded away. Only the roadside food stalls are still doing brisk business.
Xie Cheng's driver looked at the girl in front and couldn't help asking, "Do you really want to follow?"
Why don't you just call someone up? The driver of the Xie family really couldn't connect the word "pervert" with his own young master.
The clear light from the phone shone on Xie Cheng's face, and he said calmly, "She doesn't want to get in the car."
"Follow me."
Zhou Xiu walked towards the place agreed upon by the online car-hailing company. When passing by a food stall, a girl with a red face couldn't help but call out to Zhou Xiu:
"Hey, sister. Is there a car following you?"
There was a black Phaeton following the little girl not too far away, moving forward at a snail's pace. When she turned, it turned with her. It was obvious that he was following the girl.
The girl was wearing a high school uniform. The black and white striped spring uniform of Yude made her look bright and pure. From a distance, you could tell she was a pretty girl.
When I got closer, I found that his facial features were even more spiritual.
The men and women at that table watched as the million-dollar luxury car slowly followed the girl, as if it was escorting her all the way. I couldn't help but exclaim in my heart, what a fun guy.
Nowadays, young and beautiful girls are deceived by men using sugar-coated bullets.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiu turned around in surprise and found Xie Cheng.
At this time, the car simply moved forward a little. Xie Cheng got out of the car and said helplessly: "I'm sorry, it's not safe for a girl to walk alone at night."
"Come up, it's getting late. Go back to bed early."
Zhou Xiu was stunned for a long time, the night wind ruffled her hair. Looking at Xie Cheng standing by the car, she had a strange and warm feeling.
Her eyes fell on Xie Cheng's face. After thinking for a moment, she canceled the order and got into Xie Cheng's car. In less than twenty minutes, Zhou Xiu returned home.
After Zhou Xiu got out of the car, she said to Xie Cheng in the car: "Thank you."
Her figure was soon drowned out by the dilapidated old residential building.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
