The next day, after lunch, Jiang Xiaoli and Xiao Muyu took a taxi to Teacher Chen's house, carrying souvenirs from Lucheng and some holiday gifts.
As soon as the two of them got downstairs, they saw Chen standing in front of the window, craning his neck to look outside.
Jiang Xiaoli, beaming with joy, called out to the window, "Teacher Chen, stop looking! We're here!"
Chen saw that the two girls were carrying bags full of things, so he turned around and went downstairs to greet them.
He took the gift bag from Xiao Muyu and looked at Jiang Xiaoli with displeasure, "Didn't I tell you yesterday not to bring anything?"
Jiang Xiaoli shrugged. "Teacher Chen, I agreed, but my two mothers didn't."
Xiao Muyu smiled and followed behind upstairs. "Teacher Chen, this is just a small token of our appreciation. Please have a taste of our local specialty."
Upon entering the house, Chen introduced them to his wife, saying, "These two are my students."
He placed his things on the coffee table and gestured for the two to sit down, saying, "You can just call her Aunt Sun."
Jiang Xiaoli and the other woman politely greeted, "Aunt Sun, Happy New Year!"
Chen looked at the gifts they brought and asked, "Did you two go out together and just got back?"
Xiao Muyu nodded, "Yes, our two families spent the New Year in Lucheng."
Aunt Sun poured them two glasses of water and sat down next to them. "Oh my, is it warm in Lucheng right now?"
Jiang Xiaoli shared with her, "Yes, it's so warm over there, the temperature is twenty or thirty degrees Celsius, and we're all wearing short sleeves!"
"That's perfect! It's so cold here! The snow was heavy on the first day of the Lunar New Year!"
They chatted more and more animatedly, and Chen couldn't get a word in edgewise.
After about ten minutes, he couldn't help but cough a few times.
Aunt Sun glanced at him, then smiled and said to the two of them, "Look, you're annoyed that I'm keeping you chatting. Fine, you two chat first."
After she finished speaking, she went into the kitchen. Chen chuckled and touched his bald head, "You guys have been out playing for so long, have you fallen behind in your studies?"
Xiao Muyu smiled slightly, "Teacher Chen, I've finished all my winter break homework and I've started previewing the textbooks for next semester."
"Excellent! Very good!" Chen Zhe was very satisfied. He took a sip of tea and looked at Jiang Xiaoli, "And what about you?"
Jiang Xiaoli said confidently, "I'm doing very well too. I've completed all the study materials you planned for me before the holiday. I plan to do more practice questions recently."
Chen Zhe finally felt relieved. "Xu Xing came to see me a couple of days ago. He's about on the same level as you. I was worried you'd fallen behind since you'd been out having fun for so long."
Jiang Xiaoli wrinkled her nose. "It seems that Xu Xiaoxing really wants to surpass me!"
"Haha." Chen chuckled. "If only one of you were there, you definitely wouldn't be making such a fast pace. You're encouraging each other and progressing together!"
"Okay, okay, but I'm sure I'll beat him next semester!" She had this inexplicable confidence.
Chen laughed so hard his whole body trembled, his sparse hair shaking. "Xu Xing said the same thing when he came."
Xiao Muyu covered her mouth and chuckled, "You two are such a pair of sworn enemies! I really look forward to the day you two settle your differences."
Chen Zhe patted his chest and took two deep breaths. "Xiao Muyu, you are also very good. Your grades are very stable and your attitude towards learning is good. Keep it up and you will definitely achieve good results in the college entrance examination."
"Yes, yes." Xiao Muyu nodded. "Teacher Chen, I will."
The three of them, teacher and student, hadn't seen each other for more than half a month and had a very pleasant chat.
Jiang Xiaoli and her husband didn't leave until Teacher Chen's son returned with his wife and children.
Aunt Sun kept urging them to stay for dinner, saying, "You've come all this way, and it's the Lunar New Year, so why don't you stay for dinner?"
Jiang Xiaoli smiled and declined, "Aunt Sun, don't worry, I'll be bothering you a lot more often in the future. We won't disturb your family gathering today."
"Alright, don't stay any longer." Chen put on his coat. "Come on, I'll see you off."
Chen watched them get into a taxi before going home.
Xiao Muyu said happily in the car, "It turns out that communicating with teachers isn't so difficult after all!"
When she heard yesterday that Jiang Xiaoli wanted to take her to visit Teacher Chen's house, she hesitated a bit, wondering what to say when she arrived.
Today, Jiang Xiaoli led her to have a very pleasant chat with Teacher Chen, and she suddenly realized that she could actually be brave and socialize.
Jiang Xiaoli took her arm, "I told you you could do it! Just try a few more times and you'll get the hang of it."
"Yes, I will." Xiao Muyu made up her mind to change slowly; she didn't want to keep hiding behind her parents and Xiao Li.
When she got home, Xu Feng pulled her daughter aside and asked, "How were you feeling today?"
Xiao Muyu nodded, her face flushed. "I think it's great."
Jiang Xiaoli chimed in, "Auntie, see? I told you so! Xiaoyu bravely took her first step today. Shouldn't you give me a chicken leg tonight?"
"Hahaha." Xu Feng happily hugged the two girls. "No problem, I'll give you both extra chicken drumsticks!"
That evening, Li Guizhi told her daughter, "Xiaoli, call Zhong Yuan and the others later and ask them to come over for dinner tomorrow."
Jiang Xiaoli lay on the sofa playing with her hair. "Okay, I'll go talk to Zong Jiayu now."
After saying that, she put on a coat and ran out the door. Zong Jia opened the door and saw that she was just wrapped in a coat without buttoning it up, so he quickly welcomed her in.
"Why are you in such a hurry to go out? Be careful not to catch a cold. You just came back from a warm place and haven't adjusted yet."
She waved her hand dismissively, "It's such a short distance, it's fine. Your godmother said she'll invite Brother Dafu and Brother Yuan over for dinner tomorrow."
Zong Jia poured her a cup of hot water. "Okay, Dafu and the others also said they wanted to visit their godmother. As long as Dafu doesn't have to go home, he's willing to go anywhere!"
She pulled up her turtleneck sweater to cover her nose and mouth, revealing only her two round eyes. "What's wrong, Brother Dafu?"
Zong Jia chuckled lightly, "He met five blind dates during the New Year."
"Hahaha." She pulled down her sweater collar. "Tell me about it!"
Zong Jia returned yesterday and went to see Da Fu and Zhong Yuan in the afternoon.
Zhong Yuan was alright; his family didn't care about him, so he simply lived in the steamed bun shop.
Dafu was in a bad situation. During the Chinese New Year, his father, at the urging of relatives, introduced Dafu to many girls for blind dates.
On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Dafu finally rose up in rebellion, packed his bags, and went to the steamed bun shop to team up with Zhong Yuan.
"Hahaha." Jiang Xiaoli laughed gleefully, "With so many girls he's been on blind dates with, hasn't Brother Dafu found one he likes?"
Zong Jia shook his head helplessly, "If you ask me, Dafu is overthinking things. He said he doesn't want to consider these things in the short term. Judging from Zhong Yuan's words, he was scared by the pumpkin incident."
Jiang Xiaoli couldn't help but facepalm. "If you meet the right girl, you should still date her. I'll have to give him a talking-to tomorrow!"
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