"Studying every day, how can we keep up?" Song Jiao muttered. "They don't care about us, they only know how to study."
She stamped her foot, but ultimately decided to go out for a walk.
"Wait a minute," Song Xia called to the two of them and took out an account book. "This is the money from yesterday's cauliflower purchase, and also the hundred yuan from the sale of old furniture. You two check the numbers, and if there are no problems, sign your names next to the date."
Song Jiao pretended not to care: "Sister, you are our older sister, how could we question you about spending money recklessly? There's no need for that."
Song Xia insisted: "It's better to keep accounts. Four hundred thousand seems like a lot, but we will spend many years on it. Keeping accounts can avoid a lot of unnecessary expenses."
Song Jun reached out and took it, and Song Jiao leaned over to look at it. The notes were very detailed, and the lines were very close together, even including uppercase and lowercase letters, so there was no possibility of them being altered.
The two felt relieved; it seemed their older sister was serious, which put their minds at ease.
"If there are no problems, please sign."
The two signed the agreement somewhat awkwardly, but felt much more at ease. Seeing this, Song Xia didn't expose their little scheme, but casually reminded them, "Be careful when you go out, and come back for dinner on time."
Song Jun and Song Jiao each had their own friends, and they parted ways as soon as they went out. Song Jiao was invited to go shopping with someone. Students like them didn't have much money. At most, they could buy a cup of milk tea or some coin claw machines or video games.
Everyone knows about Song Jiao's situation. Children don't have many concerns; they are more curious and envious: "Song Jiao, I really envy you. You won't have any adults to look after you anymore."
"Does your sister give you money? I heard your dad left a lot of money. What if she spends it all herself and doesn't give it to you?"
“She wouldn’t dare,” Song Jiao snorted. “She has to tell us every penny she spends; we keep a daily record.”
"You guys keep accounts? Song Jiao, you're really something. This way, your sister won't dare to do anything reckless in the future."
"But in that case, wouldn't your ability to spend money also be restricted?"
Song Jiao's expression twisted slightly: "That's still better than my sister spending it all. Don't you guys have any limits on your allowance? I still need to study, and the money at home is saved for my education."
"Let's go get some milk tea later, do you have any money?"
Song Jiao snorted lightly: "I still have this much money. We have a rule that we get a certain amount of pocket money every week."
"Really? You're so lucky now, you have money and nobody's watching you."
The other person laughed and said, "Do you also want to be without parents? I'd rather be controlled than be without parents."
Hearing this, Song Jiao's face darkened, but the gloom quickly disappeared when her friend looked over. She only appeared sullen and sad. It wasn't until that person was criticized by their companions, and the person apologized and offered to buy her milk tea, that Song Jiao forced a smile and said it was okay.
During the rest of the trip, everyone was very considerate of Song Jiao's feelings, afraid of saying anything that might upset her.
From then on, Song Jiao seemed to have mastered a trick. Whenever she was unhappy, she would start to say that she was pitiful. Moreover, she knew how to be tactful and would not finish speaking herself, but let others fill in the gaps.
The next morning, Song Xia carried her schoolbag and felt nostalgic as she returned to school. Looking at her vibrant classmates, she smiled from the bottom of her heart.
"Song Xia, you're finally back!" They ran into a classmate on the school path, and as they walked together towards their classroom, the classmate asked in a low, nervous voice, "Have you taken care of everything at home?"
"It's all been taken care of."
Seeing that her eyes were no longer sad and she no longer looked as desperate as she had in the past few days, her classmate finally breathed a sigh of relief: "It's good that you can cheer up. We and the teachers have been very worried about you during this time."
"Thank you for your concern. We must always move forward."
"Yes, you have younger siblings, and you'll be taking the college entrance exam next year. There's no obstacle you can't overcome."
Soon after Song Xia entered the classroom, most of her classmates cast sympathetic and concerned glances at her. Although these glances made her a little uneasy, she knew that her classmates had no bad intentions. In high school, most people would have more empathy and would not be as ignorant of right and wrong as elementary school students.
Soon, her homeroom teacher arrived and rescued her, calling her into the office.
"Song Xia, the school knows about your family's situation. The teacher applied for a tuition waiver for you, as well as a living allowance. This is the tuition refund and living allowance that will be given to you this semester. In addition, these are donations from your classmates."
Song Xia was stunned; everyone's kindness left her at a loss.
"Teacher, I..."
"Don't be shy, just take them all."
Song Xia calmed herself down and said, "Teacher, I can accept the school's subsidy, but I can't accept the donations from my classmates."
She pushed the money back, saying, "I know everyone means well, but I'm not at the point where I need donations. Teacher, I have money. I can support my younger siblings' education, and the money my father left behind is enough."
“But your family has no future source of income, and you are all still young. How many years can that money last? Song Xia, don’t you want to go to university? It will take at least four or five years to graduate. Listen to your teacher, you must go to university.”
It felt so good to be cared for. Song Xia felt a bittersweet feeling in her heart: "Teacher, I won't give up my studies. According to the current policy, I can still apply for a scholarship for students in need after I go to university. It's really not that difficult. Teacher, please help me return the money to my classmate. If I really take it, I won't be able to study with peace of mind. There are many people in this world who have it much harder than me. They can all persevere, so why can't I?"
Seeing that she looked serious and genuine, the teacher sighed and took the money back: "Since you don't want it, I can't force you. If it makes you feel guilty, then it would truly be my fault."
Song Xia smiled and said, "With teachers and classmates caring about me like this, I don't feel guilty at all."
"Then let's go back to class. The teacher and class monitor will return everyone's money later."
When Song Xia returned to the classroom, she saw the concerned or evasive looks in everyone's eyes and bowed deeply to them: "I'm sorry to have worried you all during this time. I've adjusted my mindset. From now on, let's work hard together to prepare for the college entrance examination. I've fallen behind in my studies during this period, so please don't mind if I ask a lot of questions."
"No." The class monitor, a spirited girl, pushed up her glasses. "Song Xia, I've saved you a copy of all the tests from this period. If you have any questions, just ask me."
"And me, Song Xia, you've always struggled to get high scores in math. We can discuss it together sometime." This was the math class representative, a monster who consistently got perfect scores in the class.
The English class representative smiled and said, not to be outdone, "Song Xia, I've compiled some classic English grammar examples and common sentence structures. I'll make a copy for you later."
"Tang Ying, you're being unfair! Why didn't you say you'd give us a share too?"
"Alright, that's enough, it's hurting my ears. I have them."
Song Xia smiled as she looked at everyone; they were all very kind and good people. She preferred school life to her current one.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
