Chapter 4 Ning Yao put the book down in a panic.
After the two finished their meal, Ning Yiwen brought over a test paper.
"Take a look." The words on the test paper were written with a brush.
The elegant handwriting appeared as an unsightly black worm to Ning Yao, who was illiterate.
"Brother Ning, it's late now. Watching this is quite hard on the eyes."
Ning Yao stared wide-eyed, making up stories without even blinking.
A small kerosene lamp beside them burned silently, quietly enduring Ning Yao's blatant disregard for her.
Ning Yiwen knew Ning Yao's character, so he curled his lips and didn't argue with her. He simply said gently, "Take a look first. Fill in as much as you know, and I'll check it when I come back after I've finished cleaning up the dishes."
In fact, although he has been busy these past few years, he has gradually helped Ning Yao catch up on her studies.
Therefore, he initially estimated that Ning Yao could complete two-thirds of the test paper.
Upon hearing this, Ning Yao's face immediately turned into a bitter expression.
She knew Ning Ge's personality well; the gentler his voice, the less chance he gave her to object!
She reached out and took the test paper, gave it a quick glance, and her head was spinning.
Literacy and arithmetic are one thing, but why are there also geography and botany?
Ning Yao bit the pen, frowned, and thought carefully.
I don't know how to do this question.
Is this the correct question? I'm not sure.
I still can't do this question.
Finally, Ning Yao glanced at the paper she had drawn on and buried her head in it with a helpless expression.
She thought, "If Brother Ning sees this test paper, he'll definitely give me extra homework."
The thought of not being able to earn money in the future meant that I spent most of my time either at home or at school.
Moreover, she felt that her future was very bleak because she had to study in both places.
Oh my god...
Ning Yao snatched the scroll with her head.
Bang, bang, bang! The table, unable to bear the weight, began to protest.
When Ning Yiwen came in, he saw Ning Yao's actions. "Are you done?"
Upon hearing the sound, Ning Yao immediately sat up straight, held the test paper in both hands, and looked at Ning Yiwen with pleading eyes.
"Brother Ning, I tried my best, I really tried my best."
Ning Yiwen looked amusedly at the ink splatter on Ning Yao's forehead and the ink that had seeped into the scroll.
She said softly, "Let me take a look first."
As he examined the area, Ning Yiwen's smile faded, and the wrinkles on his brows deepened.
Ning Yao's heart sank deeper and deeper.
It's over.
She wailed inwardly.
"You don't understand this one?" Ning Yiwen spread the test paper on the table and asked, pointing to it.
Ning Yao peeked over and mumbled, "I don't understand."
"And this one?" Ning Yiwen pointed to another blank, unanswered question.
"There are a few words in this question that I don't recognize," Ning Yao replied softly, her head down.
Ning Yiwen: "..."
He wondered if he was being too lenient with her.
He learned these things in just a few months when he first encountered them in his previous life.
Ning Yao, on the other hand, spent nearly two years learning, albeit with some stumbles and setbacks!
Could it be that he taught poorly?
Ning Yao looked at Ning Yiwen's furrowed brows and felt that the creases on Ning-ge's brows were so deep they could kill a mosquito!
After killing the mosquitoes, isn't it her turn to be killed next?
Ning Yao's heart trembled slightly.
"Ning Yao." Ning Yiwen finally spoke, his tone heavy.
Ning Yao stared at him with wide eyes and obediently replied, "Brother Ning."
Ning Yiwen was naturally displeased, because Ning Yao's progress was even worse than he had imagined!
But seeing Ning Yao staring at him innocently with wide eyes, he couldn't bring himself to scold her harshly.
He could only sigh and say, "Ning Yao, let's revise the study plan."
that's all?
Ning Yao's eyes lit up. "Okay, Brother Ning, how do you suggest we change it? You tell me, and I'll write it down!"
Ning Yao was overjoyed that Brother Ning didn't scold her.
He eagerly took a sheet of white paper, dipped the pen in ink, and prepared to record.
Ning Yiwen thought for a moment and slowly said, "The daily calligraphy practice was previously five sheets, but now it will be changed to ten sheets."
Ning Yao's wrist trembled slightly as she wrote down the words, but she still managed to write them down word for word.
"To speed up your literacy process, you need to read the article five times every morning and five times before going to bed."
"You're pretty good at math, so we won't give you extra homework for now. But you need to start learning a foreign language..."
Ning Yao's face, which had just brightened, darkened again as Ning Yiwen spoke.
It was as dark as the future she had imagined.
Ning Yiwen hadn't scolded her yet, so she didn't dare to talk back now, otherwise the scolding she had escaped might come back again.
Ning Yao reluctantly picked up her pen and wrote down Ning Yiwen's requests one by one.
"Brother Ning, are you done talking?"
She asked plaintively, shaking the white paper as she spoke.
On the surface, it seems to be to speed up the drying of the ink, but in reality, it's a reminder to Brother Ning that the blank paper is almost too thin to write on, so it's time to stop.
Ning Yiwen nodded, "That's all for now."
Ning Yao reluctantly agreed, "Okay, Brother Ning."
Unexpectedly, Ning Yiwen thought for a moment and then went back on his word, adding, "If the teacher assigns other homework in class, that's a separate assignment, and we'll complete it together."
Ning Yao: "..."
She seemed to hear the little voice inside her head snapping to death.
*
Time flies, but for Ning Yao, who is filled with bitterness and resentment every day.
Every day felt like an eternity.
The classes proceeded as scheduled, and the homework assigned by Ning Yiwen after class was also carried out without fail.
One month later.
Ning Yao has lost a bit of weight.
Ning Yiwen looked at Ning Yao's pointed little chin, frowned and asked himself, "Did I cook something that didn't suit her taste?"
"Ning Yao".
Sitting in the middle of the courtyard, Ning Yao, who was engrossed in her studies, looked up and asked, "Brother Ning, did you call me?"
His eyes were glazed over, and his reactions were a beat slow.
What was she looking at just now...? I seem to have forgotten.
Ning Yao sighed inwardly, hoping that Ning Yiwen would see her hard work and give her some different tasks.
"Have you been eating poorly lately?" Ning Yiwen asked.
"Huh?" Ning Yao was taken aback. "No."
At school, we eat in the cafeteria, but at home, we eat meals cooked by Ning Ge himself. That's already pretty good.
Ning Yao herself is not a picky eater.
He shook his head honestly, "Brother Ning. No."
Ning Yiwen stepped forward and grasped her slender wrist. "How come you've lost so much weight?"
Seeing Ning Yiwen's troubled expression, Ning Yao rolled her eyes and her face instantly fell.
She said timidly, "Brother Ning, it's probably because studying is taking up too much of my time."
The little finger pointed to the books on the table.
Ning Yiwen thought about it for a moment and felt that it made some sense.
"Reading is indeed mentally taxing."
Ning Yao was surprised that Ning Ge agreed so readily, her eyes widening as she waited for his next words.
She hoped the next sentence would be—you don't need to do so much homework anymore.
But to my surprise, Ning's next words were: "Then you should take some supplements."
With that, he went back to his room, took out some silver coins, and came out to say to Ning Yao, who was still standing in the courtyard in a daze:
"I'm going to buy something. You continue reading."
Ning Yao replied listlessly, "Oh."
I still can't escape the matter of reading.
I'll go back to the battle with books.
Unexpectedly, not long after Brother Ning left, there was another knock on the door.
Ning Yao was puzzled and muttered as she opened the door, "Brother Ning, you..."
A middle-aged woman with her hair tied up stood at the door, carrying a basket on her arm.
"Aunt Xia, it's you." Ning Yao composed herself and greeted her with a smile.
Aunt Xia looked left and right, and seeing that there weren't many people around, she whispered, "Ning girl, when are you and your Ning brother getting married?"
Ning Yao was taken aback.
Aunt Xia, with her keen eye for gossip, immediately knew that Ning Yao had completely forgotten about this matter.
"Hey! Let's not talk here, let me in first."
Aunt Xia stepped across the gate and into the middle of the courtyard, looking at the books on the stone table.
Surprised, "Oh, so...you're reading?"
Ning Yao nodded honestly, "Yes, it's been a month."
Aunt Xia didn't ask about her studies, but instead asked, "Have you settled on the marriage you mentioned before?"
Ning Yao shook her head; she had forgotten.
Aunt Xia could tell from her expression that she didn't care about this matter.
"You said you wanted to get married last time, so I went to ask. Getting married in the city is so simple."
As he spoke, he explained all the things related to the wedding to Ning Yao.
Ning Yao listened attentively and said, "Okay, Aunt Xia, I'll talk to Brother Ning about it later and we'll decide."
Before leaving, Ning's mother specifically told her about this matter again and again, so she couldn't forget it.
Unexpectedly, after Aunt Xia finished explaining the wedding process, she mysteriously told her something else.
"Didn't your brother Ning bring it up with you? Let me tell you, this is something only a man can bring up."
Ning Yao pursed her lips and said dejectedly, "No."
Mentioning this, Ning Yao's face darkened slightly. Her brother Ning had never mentioned this matter before.
She was going to bring this up last time, but Ning changed the subject by talking about reading.
Later, when she suggested having his baby, Ning-ge refused.
Aunt Xia frowned when she noticed her strange expression. "Your brother Ning wouldn't want to marry you, would he?"
These words startled Ning Yao.
"How is that possible!"
However, while the denial came out of his mouth, he kept the question in his mind.
She carefully recalled all of Ning Ge's actions during this period.
None of his actions showed any intention of marrying her.
Ning Yao's face kept changing color.
Aunt Xia felt that she had said too much.
She covered her mouth and said, "Then I won't tell you anymore. I'll tell you what to pay attention to when you decide to get married later."
After saying that, he quickly left the Ning family.
Ning Yao, in a daze, went forward to close the door and returned to her original seat.
I'm looking at the book, but what's on my mind is—
Could it be that Brother Ning... actually has no intention of marrying her?
Once this idea popped into my head, it grew wildly and uncontrollably, like weeds in spring.
Ning told her that reading books would help her understand many principles and open up more career paths.
Is the only way out to let her leave?
Will she be able to survive independently after leaving?
The book in his hand suddenly felt like a hot potato.
Ning Yao hurriedly put down the book, her mind in turmoil.
This was the first time she realized that Ning Ge might, possibly... not want her anymore.
She was abandoned by her biological parents back then, but luckily she met Ning's mother and Ning's brother.
But what if even Brother Ning doesn't want her anymore?
What should she do?
Ning Yao was completely flustered.
The outside world is vast, but Ning Yao cannot imagine what it would be like if she were the only one experiencing it...
Her fingertips unconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes, and her pink nails gradually turned white.
A note from the author:
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