Chapter 93
The setting sun in autumn dyed the Shi family's mottled iron gate dark red. Sun Qiumei stood on tiptoe to look around, her plastic sandals making impatient sounds on the concrete floor.
Finally, Mu Dongjie came out of the alley, swaying his round body. His sweaty school uniform shirt stuck tightly to his belly, making him look both embarrassed and funny.
"My dear son! You finally finished the exam."
Sun Qiumei pounced on him immediately, the large palm-leaf fan was thrown aside, and the smell of cheap perfume mixed with sweat hit her in the face.
She glanced at Mu Dongjie eagerly and asked anxiously, "How did you do in the exam? I saw those students looked depressed after the exam. They definitely couldn't do as well as my Dongjie!"
Mu Dongjie raised his thick chin proudly, his small eyes narrowed into two slits, he reached out to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and his fingertips left gray marks on his shirt.
"You think you can stump me with just those few questions?"
He deliberately raised his voice, attracting the attention of neighbors passing by: "There are quite a few people crying in the examination room, saying that the questions are beyond the syllabus. It's so funny. They are all a bunch of losers. They can't even do such a simple question."
Sun Qiumei clapped her hands exaggeratedly, her bracelets jingling. "I told you! My son will definitely take first place!"
She reached out to hug her son's shoulders, but Mu Dongjie dodged aside with disgust.
The boy's thick earlobes turned red, and he muttered, "Don't touch me. It's so embarrassing if someone sees us."
The smile on Sun Qiumei's face froze suddenly and she withdrew her hand awkwardly.
The two men pushed each other into the Shi family's courtyard. The sheets on the clothesline swayed in the wind, covering the cracks in the wall.
Sun Qiumei suddenly remembered something and spat, "Humph! You said you have someone in the Education Bureau, but Shi Feihua can't even get a place in school!"
She wiped the sweat from her forehead and crushed the fallen leaves with her plastic sandals: "I think those two sons-in-law are useless. I have to rely on my son at the critical moment!"
Mu Dongjie sat down on the sofa carelessly, and the springs groaned under the heavy weight.
He crossed his legs, his fat ankles stretching his socks out of shape: "Wait until I get into Tsinghua University or Peking University, and let them all see me!"
Before he could finish his words, the door was suddenly pushed open and Mu Qianqian walked in with a laundry basin, her eyes sweeping over the two people slumped on the sofa.
"What are you looking at?" Mu Dongjie shouted, grabbing the melon seeds on the table and throwing them at him, "You have no manners! Hurry up and pour me a glass of water!"
Melon seed shells scattered at Mu Qianqian's feet. She bit her lip and turned her face away, causing ripples in the dirty water in the basin.
Sun Qiumei, however, was all smiles and quickly took out some biscuits from the cupboard: "Don't be angry, dear son. Mom will get you something delicious!"
The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the shabby window frames and onto Mu Dongjie's shiny face.
He chewed a biscuit while fixing his hair in front of the mirror, his fat fingers clumsily fiddling with his sparse bangs.
Sun Qiumei squatted beside him, carefully polishing his shoes, muttering, "When the notice comes, Mom will set up ten tables for a buffet! Let those people know how promising my son is..."
Mu Qianqian looked at the two of them coldly, rolled her eyes, and turned back to her room with disgust.
Three days later, it was the day for Capital High School to release its admission results.
Sun Qiumei got up early on purpose and called Mu Dongjie who was still lying in bed.
Mu Dongjie turned over in dissatisfaction and stayed in bed, refusing to get up.
Sun Qiumei had no choice but to help him put on his clothes herself and wait on him to wash and eat.
The two of them then slowly hurried towards Capital High School.
When we arrived at Capital High School, the morning mist had not yet dissipated, but the iron gate of Capital High School was already crowded with eagerly awaited students and parents.
Sun Qiumei was wearing a washed-out floral shirt, and her hair was stuck to her face by sweat.
She pulled at Mu Dongjie's sleeve, her nails almost digging into his flesh: "Hurry up! Don't dawdle!"
Mu Dongjie was dragged out of the house, wrapped in wrinkled clothes and sleepy.
His fat body swayed and he muttered in dissatisfaction: "Why are you in such a hurry? You can't escape first place!"
Sun Qiumei did not dare to delay. She helped him button his crooked buttons, wiped the saliva from the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief, and dragged him to the school gate.
The rustling of the sycamore leaves at the school gate was mixed with the sound of discussions.
The crowd crowded in front of the bulletin board like a tide, parents stood on tiptoe to look, and students' hands, clutching the corners of their clothes, were shaking slightly.
Mu Dongjie put his hands in his pockets, with his round belly sticking out, and pushed away the students who were blocking his way like a proud peacock.
“Make way!”
He shouted in a rough voice, pressing his fat palm directly on the back of the person beside him.
"Don't block me from seeing the results!"
The air in front of the bulletin board seemed to freeze.
The student who was pushed away turned around and glared at him angrily, cursing under his breath.
On the wall, a brand new report card had just been posted by the teacher. It smelled of ink in the morning light, and the name of the first place student was clearly printed at the top.
Mu Dongjie narrowed his eyes, a scornful smile on his lips.
But the moment his eyes swept across the list, the smile froze on his face.
He rubbed his eyes, and looked carefully from the first to the last, his Adam's apple rolling up and down restlessly.
"Impossible..." His voice suddenly rose, "I clearly answered all the questions!"
Sun Qiumei finally squeezed in through the crowd, her chest heaving violently.
She didn't bother to wipe the sweat from her forehead, her eyes were eagerly fixed on the top of the report card.
When she saw that the first place name was not Mu Dongjie, her smile disappeared instantly.
But she soon comforted herself.
The capital is a place of outstanding people and talents, so it is normal that he did not get the first place in the exam. This does not mean that his son Mu Dongjie is not smart enough.
So, Sun Qiumei's gaze dropped.
Second place, no.
Third place, no.
Sun Qiumei looked through the entire transcript five or six times but still couldn't find Mu Dongjie's name.
“How could it be…”
She muttered to herself, her fingers shaking as she ran over the list, her nails leaving deep scratches on the paper.
"My son is obviously the smartest..."
The parents and students around gradually gathered around, and whispers came like a tide.
"I heard that he was bragging in the examination room on the day of the exam!"
"That's right, saying that everyone else is useless and only I can get first place."
"In the end, I didn't even pass the entrance exam. It was hilarious."
Mu Dongjie's face turned red, and beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his fat cheeks.
He suddenly flew into a rage and tore the report card off the wall. The sound of paper being torn was extremely harsh.
"It's a shady deal! These results must be fake! I'm going to find the principal!"
"Yes! Find the principal!" Sun Qiumei immediately started shouting as if she had grabbed a life-saving straw.
"My son is so talented, how could he fail the exam? Someone must have tampered with it!"
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