Chapter 22: Studies Cannot Be Neglected
Chapter 22: Studies Cannot Be Neglected
Not to mention Wang Jing, even Cheng Qiuyan felt a pang of sadness watching this scene.
The two families have been bickering and quarreling for decades, and they've gotten through so many disagreements and awkwardness, but the two children have genuinely become good friends. Their close and affectionate relationship is something that should make these adults feel ashamed.
Grandma Fang ignored her, pushed past Cheng Qiuyan, and as soon as she showed her face, she called out, "Niannian! Don't drink that stuff!"
A loud howl shattered all the warmth, and Fang Yuenian almost choked.
Cheng Bing had no choice but to put down the paper cup and step back to make room for him. Wang Jing sniffed and stepped forward to say to him, "Did you fetch the water? I'm sorry to have troubled you. Here, let me do it."
Cheng Qiuyan beckoned Cheng Bing over.
Mr. Cheng and Teacher Fang stood together, and everyone was quiet.
Fang Yuenian was filled with anxiety, wondering what the adults had come up with. In his opinion, what was there to discuss? It was just that his father was pretending to be crazy again under the influence of alcohol.
After a long pause, it was Cheng's father who spoke first.
"Teacher Fang, let's not talk about anything else. Xiao Niannian will be staying at the hospital for one night. She has an evening tutoring class at school tonight, so let Bingbing go to class first. She can tell Xiao Niannian anything she needs to say when she gets back."
When Cheng Jiagong spoke, his expression was unusually serious, and the corners of his mouth were tightly pursed into a line, which was quite different from his usual cheerful and kind appearance.
Teacher Fang, who was usually aloof and somewhat arrogant, was surprisingly humble at this moment. His thin face was flushed as he said, "Old brothers, let's not talk about it anymore! You've all been doing well every year, so you should all go home. You've been working too hard. Ah, Guohui, Qiuyan, you should all go, go!"
Fang Yuenian looked bewildered and stared at Cheng Bing with trepidation.
Cheng Qiuyan patted Cheng Bing on the shoulder, and Cheng Bing finally realized what was happening and replied, "Tonight's tutoring session is about going over the test papers. I'll bring the test papers over in a bit."
Wang Jing said softly, "Okay, thank you for your help."
Everyone dispersed, leaving only Wang Jing at the hospital to take care of Fang Yuenian. Teacher Fang didn't even mention going home; she went straight to the school. Fang Wu was scolded by Wang Jing and went home to get money. Before leaving, he impatiently shouted, "Mom! Are you leaving or not!"
Having no other choice, Old Mrs. Fang could only say a few more words to Fang Yuenian with her heart full of love before following her out.
Cheng Bing silently nodded to Fang Yuenian and left.
Wang Jing settled Fang Yuenian down for a moment, then, remembering that her son hadn't eaten anything all afternoon, she said she was going out to buy some things, and also some daily necessities. Soon, Fang Yuenian was left alone in the ward, listlessly watching the IV drip.
On the nearby cabinet lay the water Wang Jing had poured before leaving. The disposable paper cup, crumpled by Cheng Bing, was still there. He was leaning against the headboard, within easy reach, and he did reach for it. Even though it wasn't necessary, he still slowly drank from it, using the same method he had used to crumple the cup.
The middle-aged man, who was also a patient, strolled back from somewhere. Upon seeing him like this, he exclaimed, "Oh, did everyone in your family leave?"
"Mmm." Fang Yuenian finished drinking the water.
"Your brother left too? Or was it your younger brother?"
“He’s neither my younger brother nor my older brother,” Fang Yuenian replied seriously, seemingly bored. “He’s my classmate.”
"That's quite rare!" the uncle exclaimed in admiration. "That young man is quite good, really quite good."
It was natural for Fang Yuenian to be pleased when someone praised Cheng Bing, so he smiled and said, "That's just what I was saying."
Even with the older men chatting, time still passed slowly. Finally, evening arrived, and Fang Yuenian finished her IV drip. Feeling that she had nothing to do, she got out of bed to wash up and brush her teeth, and waited patiently for Cheng Bing.
Cheng Bing arrived a little earlier than expected; judging by the time, she had only just finished one evening class.
He was carrying a schoolbag and his face was still a little sweaty. When he came in, Wang Jing had already drawn the curtains of the partition bed and was sitting on the small cot peeling an apple for Fang Yuenian. When she saw him, she quickly stood up.
"You're here!"
Cheng Bing nodded: "Mm."
"Have you eaten?"
"have eaten."
Wang Jing didn't know what else to say, so she put the apple down and said, "You guys talk, I'm going to go for a walk outside." She quickly went out.
Fang Yuenian's head was wrapped in new gauze, making her look like a round pineapple.
Watching Wang Jing leave, he quickly waved, "Come sit down!" Cheng Bing sat down on the cot, and Fang Yuenian asked in a low voice, "So, did you get anything out of him?"
As Cheng Bing took out the test paper, she said, "My mom said that both my grandpa and your grandpa got angry, but she didn't mention anything else and told me not to ask."
Fang Yuenian was disheartened, "My mom doesn't say anything either."
Both of them were eager to know how the two families had talked that afternoon, but it was clear that the adults were unwilling to tell them. Fang Yuenian had no choice but to ask again, "Why did you come so early? Did the teacher not finish going over the test papers?"
These days, rural junior high schools don't have any fancy stuff like reducing the burden on students or promoting moral, intellectual, physical, and aesthetic education. For ninth graders, there's only one word: rote learning.
There are evening classes from Sunday to Thursday, from 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm, called evening tutoring. There are endless test papers to write and endless exercises to explain. The usual schedule on Sunday is two English classes and two math classes, which corresponds to the two math classes and two English classes on Wednesday. One day is for writing test papers and the other day is for reviewing them. It is really unbearable.
“I came over after listening to the math teacher’s lesson,” Cheng Bing said. “I got the answer key and told the teacher I wanted to come to the hospital to explain it to you, and she agreed. The English test wasn’t too difficult this time, so the teacher let me go.”
Fang Yuenian grinned: "Thank you, Brother Cheng! Come on, let me see how many points I got on my math test!"
When Fang Yuenian received the test paper, she was immediately dissatisfied with the score of 82. Cheng Bing explained, "The teacher said this test was difficult. She even mentioned it when I went to get your paper. You did well."
Fang Yuenian asked with a hint of doubt, "Really?"
"real."
Fang Yuenian believed him, reached out and took Cheng Bing's test paper, and casually said, "So what did you get... 96! Holy crap!" He realized what he had said as soon as he said it, and with his mouth open, he forced himself to correct himself: "...It's still not good enough."
Cheng Bing rolled her eyes at him. "Alright, let's begin."
It took more than an hour to explain a math test paper. During that time, Wang Jing quietly came over to check on the students a few times and silently poured water for the two students several times.
She had wanted to get some more food, but considering that Cheng Bing had to go back to school after his presentation, she didn't dare to take up too much of their time, so she gave up. Cheng Bing and Fang Yuenian were also afraid of disturbing others, so they spoke in hushed tones. Fortunately, the other patients all had school-aged children at home, so they were very understanding and praised them several times without showing any resentment.
"I'll leave the answers to the English test for you. Check them yourself tomorrow; they're all basic knowledge."
Cheng Bing knew that Fang Yuenian had nothing on hand, so she brought him a small English-Chinese dictionary and two pens, which he would use before being discharged from the hospital and going home the next day.
Listening to his instructions, Wang Jing felt both awkward and grateful. Blushing, she said, "I asked his father to go back and bring the schoolbag, but he didn't. I'm so sorry to have troubled you."
Cheng Bing shook her head. "It's alright."
Fang Yuenian asked, "Can I be discharged from the hospital tomorrow?"
Wang Jing said, "The IV drip will be finished in the morning. The doctor said that the dressing change and stitch removal can be done at the village clinic."
He had seven stitches in his head, and the wound will need to heal for a while.
Cheng Bing nodded and said, "Then you can look at the test paper tomorrow. I'll go straight home tonight and explain tomorrow's content to you."
Wang Jing let out a soft "Oh dear," and said, "Then don't let it interfere with your studies, okay? All this back and forth is such a hassle..."
Fang Yuenian looked at Cheng Bing expectantly and whispered, "You have physical training this afternoon. It'll be too tiring for you to ride your bike home."
“My dad will be picking me up and dropping me off these days, so I won’t be riding my bike,” Cheng Bing explained simply. “Then I’ll go back to school first.”
The school's evening classes were almost over, and leaving now would allow them to catch the end of the school day. The streets were also crowded, and any further delay would make it too late. Wang Jing felt very apologetic and kept thanking him, even trying to slip two apples into his schoolbag, but ultimately failed.
The next day, Fang Yuenian was discharged from the hospital without incident. Fang Wu came to pick her up on his motorcycle. When Wang Jing saw that the motorcycle was covered in mud, she almost lost her temper at the hospital entrance. She wondered where the broken-down two-wheeled vehicle had crashed again.
Not to mention that the motorcycle had no roof or cover, and a perfectly good head would freeze numb from the wind all the way, not to mention that with a broken head that had been stitched up seven times, no one would dare to ride in his car even if there was nothing wrong with it. Wang Jing was considerate of Fang Yuenian, so she suppressed her temper, put all the hospital supplies and other odds and ends in Fang Wu's car, carried the medicine herself, and took Fang Yuenian to call a small car to go back.
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