【012】 Before the College Entrance Examination
Since that day, Gu Juan never saw Xi Lang again. He said that Xi Lang and he were from different worlds, and that the chance encounter that day was just a coincidence.
The Lunar New Year quickly approached. Winter break for high school seniors didn't begin until the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month. Back home, Gu Juan spent a day cleaning the house inside and out. Another day washing the sofa covers, curtains, quilt covers, and sheets, and airing the bedding, blankets, and cotton-padded clothes. Although much of the furniture was worn, after tidying up, the entire home was still clean and comfortable.
Gu Juan had no plans to buy new furniture. The further one cultivates, the longer one's meditation sessions become. The residents in this neighborhood are generally familiar with each other, and if he continues living here, staying indoors for extended periods would arouse suspicion. After he gets into university, he'll buy a house near it.
This year, he spent the Lunar New Year alone again. After packing up his house, he grabbed his wallet and headed to Shengming Mall to buy New Year's goods. The dim sun hung in the sky, yet it shone on him without any warmth. Three days earlier, there had been another heavy snowfall, and it hadn't melted yet. The trampled snow had frozen into ice, making it easy to slip. Occasionally, a low cry could be heard in the distance, surely someone had fallen.
Gu Juan walked slowly to Shengming Shopping Mall, where shoppers were coming in and out, making it very lively. Inside the mall, there were even more people, and from the elevator, one could see that every floor was packed with people.
Gu Juan didn't have many relatives. On her father's side, she only had her grandmother and her eldest uncle's family. On her mother's side, she had her grandparents, her eldest uncle's family, and her aunt's family. Her grandparents, uncle, and aunt all lived in another city. After Gu Juan lost her parents, her grandparents and uncle rarely showed up, revealing their lack of affection for her. Her aunt, Gu Juan's mother's younger sister, had a close relationship with her and treated her well, but as a married woman, she often felt unable to care for her even if she wanted to. For these reasons, even during the Lunar New Year, Gu Juan rarely interacted with her mother's relatives, at most making a phone call to wish them a happy new year.
Therefore, Gu Juan didn't have much to buy for the New Year. He made a list before leaving and bought everything according to it. This included tea, snacks, fruit, cigarettes, and alcohol for guests, new clothes for the New Year, Spring Festival couplets, and gifts for relatives and friends. It took him just over an hour to complete his shopping and he pushed the shopping cart home. Shengming Shopping Mall allows members living nearby to borrow shopping carts, as long as they return them within the hour.
Most of the people in the mall come together to buy New Year's goods, and Gu Juan's lonely figure stands out particularly. The uncles and aunts nearby would look at him curiously when they see him pushing a shopping cart alone.
As they were leaving the mall, Gu Juan unexpectedly ran into Mr. Xie, who was there with his wife and two children to buy New Year's goods.
Teacher Xie knew that Gu Juan had no parents, and felt a little pity for him, so he invited Gu Juan to his home to celebrate the New Year.
Gu Juan politely declined.
Even though he was the only one at home, he still cooked eight dishes for the New Year's Eve dinner, six meat dishes and two vegetable dishes. After eating, he went to play in the space, which was so comfortable.
On the first day of the first lunar month, Gu Juan visited his neighbors to wish them a happy new year and entertained the neighbors who came to his home to wish them a happy new year; on the second day of the first lunar month, he called his grandfather, uncle and aunt to wish them a happy new year; on the third day of the first lunar month, he went to Gu Xiangfu's house to wish them a happy new year.
On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Gu Xiangfu and Gu Yinyin visited Gu Juan's home. Neither Liu Guofang nor Gu Haojie were present. Gu Xiangfu, unwilling to become too involved with Gu Juan, simply shared a cup of tea and a few words before leaving. Gu Yinyin, reluctant to stay alone, gave Gu Juan an apologetic look, and the two exchanged a few words via text.
The New Year passed in such a dull manner.
After the Lunar New Year, time seemed to fly by even faster, and in the blink of an eye, it was already June. The atmosphere at school was becoming increasingly tense, and even the students who were just trying to get a high school diploma were no exception. They became much more obedient both in class and after class.
The school was worried that the students were too stressed, so they gave the seniors two days off on June 4th and 5th. Gu Juan planned to take Gu Yinyin to the neighboring city to climb Liufeng Mountain. Liufeng Mountain has beautiful scenery and is a great place to relax.
Gu Yinyin didn't dare to tell the truth to her parents, and only said that she was going to stay at a classmate's house with whom she had a good relationship for a day.
Gu Xiangfu agreed without much thought, but Gu Haojie disagreed. He glanced at Gu Yinyin and said righteously, "Dad, Yinyin's grades aren't great to begin with. I think it's better for her to stay home. Cramming at the last minute might not be useless. I don't want people to laugh at me in the future for having a sister who can only go to a third-rate university."
If it were in the past, Gu Yinyin would have felt a heartache upon hearing such words. But now, she just looked at Gu Haojie silently, her eyes calm and sharp.
Ever since drinking the medicinal juice and fruit Gu Juan gave her, Gu Yinyin's memory and comprehension abilities have gradually improved. In the February monthly exam, she ranked in the top 50 in her grade, much to Gu Haojie's astonishment. Both Gu Yinyin and Gu Juan had made significant progress, but Gu Haojie, despite consistently ranking in the top ten, was not impressive in the overall grade, hovering between 90th and 120th. Of the three of them, Gu Juan, Gu Yinyin, and Gu Haojie, Gu Haojie's grades had barely improved at all. This made him feel extremely unbalanced. As Gu Yinyin's older brother, he actually suspected in public that Gu Yinyin's February exam results were the result of plagiarism!
Gu Yinyin would never forget the contemptuous look Gu Haojie had given her. From then on, Gu Haojie was only her brother in name. To avoid trouble, she didn't show her true strength in the three monthly exams that followed. She deliberately left some questions blank, keeping her total score around 550.
Gu Xiangfu doted on and was tolerant of Gu Haojie, so he hesitated when he heard him say that.
Gu Yinyin said loudly, "Dad, just let me go. If I really can't get into a top university, I won't go to school anymore."
"Really?" Gu Haojie was a little excited. All the money his parents earned was his. If Gu Yinyin didn't go to college, she could save a lot of money.
Gu Yinyin didn't look at him, but stared at Gu Xiangfu coldly, "Dad, I'm serious."
His daughter's eyes were emotionless, as if she was looking at a stranger. Gu Xiangfu felt inexplicably guilty, as if he was meeting her for the first time.
"Dad!" Gu Yinyin raised her voice.
Gu Xiangfu nodded subconsciously, "Okay, go ahead."
——————————————
This article will be entered into the competition in March, and an olive branch is reserved. I look forward to your support, my dears, (づ￣3￣)づ╭～.
Regarding the updates to this article, I'm currently having trouble maintaining them. Sorry. Tomorrow, Moumou will be returning to her mother's place. Please check the bulletin board for details. Good night, everyone.
——————————————
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
