Chapter 7 Curiosity: He had a face that was impossible to ignore. ...
Mu Tingyu accepted this invisible challenge in just one second, and stood up with great interest as she walked up to him.
The boy took a step back warily, as if some ferocious monster was approaching.
Mu Tingyu has rosy lips and white teeth, and her smile is particularly endearing. She has always been a favorite among children, and it is rare to see anyone show her such affection.
She smiled and asked, "What's your name? How old are you?"
The boy stared at him, wide-eyed: "Why should I tell you?"
"Oh~ You're not going to tell me?" Mu Tingyu held up a finger and shook it, laughing, "Did you take any of my candy yesterday? You're obligated to help someone who pays you."
"...It's just a piece of candy, who cares!" the boy snorted angrily, then pulled a piece of fruit candy from his pocket and threw it at her. "Here you go!"
Mu Tingyu reached out and caught it, momentarily surprised.
Yesterday, the children almost all opened and ate the candy on the spot, but he actually kept it.
Zhuang Ren's voice came from behind: "Yu Li, you can't be rude!"
He quickly stepped forward: "Teacher Mu, I'm sorry, this child is used to being wild."
Mu Tingyu indicated that she didn't mind, waved the candy in her hand at the boy Yu Li, and asked, "Why aren't you eating it? Don't you like the taste?"
Yu Li snorted and didn't reply.
“He’s just being stubborn,” Zhuang Ren squatted down and took his hand. “Ali, Teacher Mu came from a very far place to teach us for free. She works very hard, so you can’t be rude to her, understand?”
Yu Li remained stubborn and silent.
Mu Tingyu rested her elbows on her knees and propped her chin on her hand, asking, "Why won't you eat my candy, Ali?"
Yu Li stared at her, then suddenly asked, "Why are you laughing?"
"Huh?" Mu Tingyu looked surprised. "Don't you like my smile? Don't I look good when I smile?"
Yu Li twirled a small pebble with his toe: "...It doesn't look good."
Zhuang Ren quickly said, "Ali, what nonsense are you talking about!"
Mu Tingyu's expression turned serious: "You're the first person to say that my smile isn't pretty. I'll remember you. I've decided to go back tonight and practice in front of the mirror. I'll smile even better tomorrow. Don't run away after class tomorrow, remember to give me your feedback."
Yu Li's mouth was slightly open, clearly taken aback by her unconventional words.
"I won't stop smiling just because someone says I don't look good when I smile, because I am who I am. I love to laugh, and I won't change myself because of what others say." Mu Tingyu rested her chin on one finger and asked with a smile in her eyes, "So can you tell me why you pretend you don't like candy even though you clearly like it?"
"!" Yu Li was still young, and couldn't hide his feelings on his face. "You, how did you know...?"
Mu Tingyu winked slyly: "I won't tell you."
"you......"
"Because the candy wrapper has been opened." Mu Tingyu held up the candy. "Are you reluctant to eat it? I have many other different flavors in my pocket, you can pick another one."
"It's not that I'm reluctant to eat it." Yu Li curled his lip in disdain. "What kind of grown man eats candy? It's shameful."
Mu Tingyu chuckled: "How old are you?"
Yu Li sensed the teasing in her tone and blushed slightly: "I'm ten years old this year!"
Mu Tingyu shook her head and said seriously, "Ali, no matter how old you are, it's not shameful to love sweets."
"You're talking nonsense. My parents often scold me and say I'm a disgrace!"
Mu Tingyu slowly suppressed her smile.
Zhuang Ren sighed, reached out and patted Yu Li's head, explaining, "This child's whole family are fishermen, and when they're busy, they hardly have time to take care of him. You know, rough country folk don't know how to raise children. They just give them food and raise them to work, and that's enough. It's common for them to cook for themselves on the earthen stove. He's so young, and they've already made him work in the fields. How can he lift a hoe? His parents often beat and scold him."
Mu Tingyu frowned, staring at Yu Li's tense face, and after a long while asked softly, "Ali, can I come to your house to take a look?"
Zhuang Renyi was startled: "Teacher Mu..."
Yu Li's face was youthful, but his tone carried a maturity beyond his years: "Are you pitying me?"
“No,” Mu Tingyu said seriously, “I’m concerned about you.”
Yu Li lowered his eyes, put his hands behind his back, kicked a small stone away with his toe, and stammered, "We'll talk about it later. There's nothing to entertain you with."
Mu Tingyu smiled slightly and insisted, "No need for any hospitality, I just want to chat with your parents."
.
Xing Ze glanced at Mu Tingyu, who hadn't said a word since sitting down at the table.
"It doesn't taste good?"
Mu Tingyu looked up, exclaimed "Ah!", swallowed what was in her mouth, and said, "It's delicious."
After saying that, she remembered that she hadn't finished today's main task, so she immediately put down her bowl and chopsticks and transformed into an emotionless praise machine: "It's really delicious, it tastes even better than yesterday, your cooking skills are really good."
Xing Ze: "......"
He asked, "Didn't the class go well?"
“Hmm,” Mu Tingyu glanced at him in surprise, “No, not really.”
Xing Ze didn't ask any more questions and silently picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks.
Mu Tingyu scratched her cheek, looking a little undecided.
They've only known each other for a few days, so shouldn't they refrain from complaining?
After all, Xing Ze is a person with a strong sense of boundaries.
But seeing Xing Ze's downcast eyes, for some reason, her urge to confide in him welled up inside her.
It's strange, where does his affability come from?
Mu Tingyu kept thinking about it and finally attributed the reason to his delicious cooking.
Okay, to be honest, he's actually a pretty good person.
Xing Ze looked up and his eyes met Mu Tingyu's furtive gaze.
Mu Tingyu blurted out without thinking, "Well, it's about having a child, and it's giving me some trouble..."
Once the floodgates were opened, they couldn't be pulled back. She recounted what had happened that morning to Xing Ze.
After listening, Xing Ze said without pausing, "Don't go to Yu Li's house."
Mu Tingyu asked in confusion, "Why?"
Xing Ze paused for a moment: "His family members are not easy to get along with."
Mu Tingyu tilted her head: "I know a little bit."
After all, what kind of person would make a ten-year-old child cook and do chores, and then frequently beat and scold him, saying he's a disgrace?
Xing Ze stared into Mu Tingyu's bright yet innocent eyes, "Do you understand them?"
"Hmm?"
“It’s not just his family; it’s pretty much the same for all the villagers. They’re unwilling to communicate with outsiders, they only listen to what they want to hear, and they only do what they want to do.” Xing Ze’s tone was calm, but with an undeniable force. “So, it’s best not to go.”
Mu Tingyu suddenly remembered what Xiao Ping had told her.
"Xing Ze is considered a villager."
Actually, when she first saw Xing Ze, she knew he wasn't a native of the village.
The reason is simple: his temperament is far removed from that of a "village person".
But after spending time with him, I found that he was very down-to-earth.
Xiao Ping told me that he built the small building himself, and the furniture inside was very simple. His daily life was not refined, and could even be described as a bit rough. Putting aside his face, his life was no different from that of an ordinary villager.
Mu Tingyu crunched on an asparagus spear, staring intently at Xing Ze.
Well, actually, I can't help but feel ashamed.
Mu Tingyu admitted that he had a face that was impossible to ignore.
Although his features are unruly, they are softened by his calm and composed demeanor, making him appear less flamboyant and impactful, and instead exuding a sense of maturity from within.
A sense of curiosity arose in her heart.
Why would someone like this choose to live here permanently?
Xing Ze's hut seemed to be built in a rather remote location. She hadn't encountered any other villagers while riding her bike on the road these past few days, and she really didn't know what kind of "villagers" Xing Ze was talking about.
Her impression of remote areas was still based on the documentary her teacher showed in class when she learned about the concept of rural revitalization in high school.
All she remembered were those dark, wrinkled skins, cracked fingers, and weathered backs—human suffering she had never experienced before.
So when she was running out of inspiration, she saw the online volunteer teaching application and filled in the information without much hesitation.
On her way here on the first day, she saw some dilapidated low houses and imagined what the villagers would be like when she looked at the desolate fields.
But when she saw the kind-hearted older brother who helped her with her luggage on the bus, the enthusiastic Xiao Ping, and Zhuang Ren who was dedicated to education, she felt that the villagers should not be like what Xing Ze said.
“I’ll just take a look.” Mu Tingyu rubbed the handle of her chopsticks. “I want to know what Yu Li’s parents are thinking. I don’t understand why they would say their child is shameful. They are the closest people to Ali.”
Xing Ze's eyes were dark and deep: "That's because your family is very happy, and your parents have always respected you. But here, belittling education is the norm. No child has never been scolded or beaten."
Mu Tingyu fell silent, and after a long while, she let out a soft "hmm".
"If you're prepared to be kicked out, then go ahead."
Mu Tingyu raised her head and opened her mouth: "I didn't want to argue with them. I just wanted his parents to care about him. Ali's current understanding is incorrect. If this continues, he will become more and more repressed and will cause problems sooner or later."
Xing Ze picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and said calmly, "They won't listen to me."
Mu Tingyu lowered her head and continued eating, looking somewhat sullen.
After a while, Xing Ze's voice rang out: "If you want to go, I'll take you."
"Hmm?" Mu Tingyu looked up. "Really? What if you get kicked out too?"
Xing Ze glanced at her: "No, I helped them build a chicken coop before."
Mu Tingyu: "But I've never helped them build a chicken coop."
Xing Ze: "That's why I'm telling you to be prepared."
Mu Tingyu found the conversation amusing and couldn't help but laugh.
Xing Ze looked at her with a slightly strange expression.
“It’s nothing,” Mu Tingyu explained, “I just feel that you are becoming more and more alive.”
Xing Ze frowned: "What is the sense of being alive?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Tingyu glanced at him and asked, "How old are you?"
"Twenty-eight."
Hmm, three years older than me. Mu Tingyu pondered, chopsticks in her mouth. Not exactly old-fashioned, so why isn't she fashionable at all? She even needs Mu Tingyu's help with the terminology.
She said, "A sense of being alive means being very interesting."
Xing Ze didn't find his words funny at all. He glanced at Mu Tingyu's smiling face and swallowed back what he was about to say.
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