Chapter 76: Summer Leisure
Chapter 76: Summer Leisure
Cheng Bing set a summer plan for Fang Yuenian, stipulating that she should study for at least two hours every day. Fang Yuenian optimized the plan to study for at least two hours every day while hiding from the sun under fruit trees, eating watermelon, grapes, bayberries, peaches, etc.
The Cheng family's watermelons grew well, and they also had other kinds of melons, apricots, and plums. The fruit trees in front of their house bore beautiful and plump fruits, which were always the envy of the village children.
Sometimes Cheng Bing would ask Fang Yuenian to go down to the field with him to pick melons. His family's melon field was next to the river, and there were three or four tall, lush evergreen plants on this side, their green leaves almost dripping in the summer sky. Before the morning dew dried, the two would walk to the end of the field, pick the melons, and then go down to the river to wash them clean. Under the cover of the dense bushes along the winding riverbank, they would find a clean stone to sit on and share a whole, sweet melon.
Fang Yuenian's aunt had two old bayberry trees. Every time they ripened, she would call out to the children among the relatives to pick them, otherwise the ripe ones would fall from the branches and be left for birds to peck at.
When Fang Yuenian went there, he was treated like a precious nephew. His aunt sent him to pick the fruit himself, giving him a pretty little basket as a gift, and he couldn't leave until it was full. He went frequently, all because Cheng Bing loved to eat them. When he got home, he would soak the fruit in ice water until it was cool before happily taking it back to share with him.
Summer, with its sunshine and sweet, juicy fruits, became a precious and wonderful time during my student years.
That day, a thunderstorm struck in the evening, which greatly relieved the heat.
Fang Yuenian's room didn't have air conditioning yet. He held a small fan to his head on his desk and was so engrossed in doing his homework that he didn't feel hot at all.
Wang Jing was now extremely satisfied with her son. Seeing that he hadn't remembered to come out after cooking, she quietly pushed open the door and asked, "Niannian, Mom made gourd soup and a dish of wild radish stems, which you like best. Come out and eat."
Fang Yuenian didn't turn around, but replied, "Okay, I'll be right there."
Summer dinners are difficult to prepare; the heat often makes people tired and lose their appetite.
Fang Wu was easy to please; after a bottle of ice-cold beer, he could eat two large bowls of rice with a bowl of stir-fried tofu with chili peppers. Teacher Fang was health-conscious and preferred light meals; a little vegetable soup and rice were enough for her. Old Mrs. Fang complained all day about feeling unwell, but she never missed a meal. She loved to eat her own homemade pickled vegetables and fermented bean curd, and didn't need fresh vegetables. Wang Jing's main focus of concern was only Fang Yuenian.
Her son couldn't eat spicy food, but some home-cooked dishes could only be stir-fried with chili, so she tried to make three or four mild dishes in different ways. Fortunately, Fang Yuenian wasn't picky in this regard, so she didn't encounter any major problems.
At this time, Cheng Bing was at home cutting her mother-in-law's hair.
The old lady always cuts her own hair when it gets long. Cheng Xiaoxiao used to be in charge of this task every summer, but this year she didn't have a vacation. Cheng Junjun stayed at home for half a month during the summer vacation and then went to find her sister. Since neither of the sisters was there, Cheng Bing had a chance to take the stage.
He imitated his older sister's actions, wrapping a smock around his mother-in-law's neck in a rather convincing manner, with tools like scissors lined up nearby. Cheng Qiuyan couldn't help but laugh at the sight, but she was also a little worried and kept giving instructions.
Grandma Cheng said, "Yanzi, go away and don't bother him."
Cheng Qiuyan covered her mouth and laughed: "Okay, okay, I won't bother you... Hey Bingbing, your comb isn't good, I'll get you a one with finer teeth."
"Isn't this good?" Grandma Cheng's posture was fixed, but she was actually suppressing a laugh. "I told you not to disturb me. The water's boiled, isn't it?"
“It’s done, it’s done. Oh right, I’ll close the door first,” Cheng Qiuyan said. “Other people passing by will think we’re doing something.”
Grandma Cheng said, "Yes, yes, even though I'm old, I'm still a little shy. If I don't cut it well, I can't let people see it."
Cheng Qiuyan: "Mom, don't move! If you keep moving, Bingbing might scratch the bottom!"
The mother and daughter burst into laughter and fussed around for a while before finally starting. Cheng Bing's skills were inherited from two generations of elders, so cutting hair was no problem for her. However, she was helpless against their laughter. After finishing the haircut and removing her blouse, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Grandma Cheng was quite satisfied with the results and praised them for a while before going to take a bath.
As Cheng Qiuyan tidied up, she said, "Bingbing, I see your hair is getting a bit long. Why don't you get it trimmed sometime?"
“Okay,” Cheng Bing agreed, then thought for a moment, “Let’s do it in a couple of days. The final grades will be out in the next couple of days, and I’ll fix them when I go to pick up the mail.”
Since the students have already left school, the final exam results are usually mailed to them. Cheng Bing and Fang Yuenian are in this remote corner of Shuibiwan, so they have to go to the village's collection point to get the mail. Once it's delivered, the shop owner will call to notify them, so it should be quick.
Cheng Qiuyan then asked, "How do you feel about your exam?"
Cheng Bing washed and dried the scissors and comb, and said slowly, "I hope to get into the top five."
Hearing this, Cheng Qiuyan was a little worried. She took two steps toward her son and said softly, "The family doesn't put so much pressure on you. You're already doing very well. Just do your best."
Cheng Bing smiled at her mother and said, "I know, Mom, it's okay. I know what I'm doing."
He was always sensible and never caused the adults any trouble, so Cheng Qiuyan trusted him completely. She nodded and smiled, "That's good. Okay, stop doing these things. Get ready to take a bath later. Don't study too late tonight, go to bed early."
On the day she picked up her report card, Cheng Bing said she wanted to get a haircut while she was at it.
Upon hearing this, Fang Yuenian hesitated. Although Cheng Bing's hair length was a bit beyond the school's regulations, it looked surprisingly good, somewhat like a handsome young man in a TV drama. She really didn't want him to cut it.
"Hmm, wouldn't it be better to wait until before school starts to cut it? That way, it won't be half-length and half-length, which is also a hassle."
Cheng Bing glanced at him, not understanding his other meaning, and simply said, "We can cut it again if needed."
"No way," Fang Yuenian couldn't hold back any longer, "I actually think you look really good right now, uh, anyway, we're at home now, and nobody's telling us what to do, so why don't we cut it when school starts?"
Cheng Bing paused for a moment, then said, "...Oh."
Fang Yuenian laughed and said, "It's too hot today. Actually, we can ask Li Peixiang to help us check our grades. I reckon we can find them on the school's website now. He's capable of that."
Cheng Bing said, "I still think we should go see for ourselves—didn't you wish that I would be in the top five?"
Fang Yuenian paused, "Ah," he opened his mouth wide, "Wang means wish, did I put pressure on you? No, it's okay, it doesn't matter what rank you get."
"It's not pressure, I still hope to make your wish come true, although I'm not 100% sure."
Fang Yuenian was deeply moved. Despite the heat, she reached out and hooked her arm around his shoulder: "I'm not so obsessed with Tsinghua or Peking University anymore. There are so many good universities. As long as we maintain our current grades, we can choose any of them. Just look at how Zhang Qing is suffering because of his grades. It makes me feel miserable. Why bother?"
He hasn't put his arm around someone's shoulder like that in a long time.
Cheng Bingxin's heart was pounding, but she managed to remain calm as she said, "You've heard?"
"Well, most people probably already know this. Actually, I think studying humanities is a good thing for her. She wants to be number one in the humanities class, so the pressure will be much less. But I don't know why her parents insist on pressuring her like that. It's obvious that she already has psychological problems, but they still do this."
Zhang Qing's incident caused quite a stir at the end of the semester. The news that her parents knelt down in the grade office in front of everyone and begged her to choose science spread like wildfire. Although no one dared to say it to her face, everyone felt behind her back that it was really too much.
Cheng Bing said, "Don't worry about me, I can handle it for now."
Fang Yuenian smiled, "Alright, alright, top student, okay then I'll make a bet with you. We'll compare our class rankings, and whoever has the lower ranking has to massage the other's shoulders for half an hour, okay?"
Cheng Bing was astonished by this bet, which was utterly unfair and unjust. He looked at Fang Yuenian and asked, "When?"
"Let's do it tonight. After I finish my homework, it's been several days since we did our homework together. Let's do it together tonight."
"You're convinced I can't win, aren't you?"
Fang Yuenian said smugly, "Hmph, you probably really can't beat me in class rankings. You better watch out."
Out of indulgence, Cheng Bing actually agreed.
However, fate was very kind to them. After receiving their respective envelopes, they exchanged them and opened them.
The first person to let out a strange cry was Fang Yuenian. His eyes were wide open, and he shouted without caring whether there were people on the roadside: "My God, you really got fifth place! My God, exactly fifth place!"
The result was truly surprising, and Cheng Bing even smiled. He waved the report card in his hand and said, "Why don't you take a look at where I ranked in our class?"
Fang Yuenian's smile froze. "No, first tell me what rank I got in my class."
Cheng Bing said reservedly, "First of all, you ranked in the forties in the grade. How do you manage to consistently rank in the forties? How can you perform so precisely and consistently, and still be so confident?"
Fang Yuenian blushed as he spoke, "No, I've always been such a good student with consistently excellent grades! Alright, tell me quickly, let me see..."
He reached out to grab it, and when he saw it, he was immediately stunned.
Third, if he wasn't mistaken, Cheng Bing also ranked third in the class.
So, after their study session ended that evening, they took turns massaging each other's shoulders for half an hour.
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