??192 Chapter 192
◎Extra 9◎
Shanshan stood straight in front of her parents, rubbing her hands together, and her beloved storytelling had already been given to her father.
Xu Shengjie casually flipped through the storybook. There were quite a lot of stories in it, covering a wide variety of topics. The key point was that there was more than one book in the storybook, but several.
"You watch this every day?" Xu Shengjie looked at his daughter gently. Shanshan had a faint dark spot under her eyes. "Look at your eyes, they are all black from overwork."
"The storytelling session was really interesting." Shanshan whispered softly, but she was looking at her mother and her father was not involved.
"Um?"
Liang Baozhen glanced over and Shanshan immediately became obedient, lowering her head, feeling a little guilty.
"You don't sleep well every day, but you secretly read this? I haven't seen you read so actively in the textbooks."
“The textbooks are not as good-looking as this.”
"So you're not reading the textbook and are only reading this?"
"No, I read them all." Shanshan was clear-headed and couldn't say that, "I read them all after I finished studying."
"It's not that mom doesn't allow you to watch storytelling. Some of the stories in it are quite interesting..."
As soon as Liang Baozhen said this, Shanshan seemed to have found a like-minded comrade-in-arms. She looked up at her mother, and her eyes instantly lit up.
"Why are you so excited? You didn't write this story." Liang Baozhen continued to argue with the child, "But you can't look at it that way. We discovered it today. Who knows why he would hold it and chew it day and night normally."
"Mom, I don't read books." Shanshan defended herself.
"If you don't hold it, what's wrong with your eyes recently? Look at what's going on under your eyes? If you don't know, you would think your family is abusing you and not letting you sleep."
"I know I was wrong, Mom." Shanshan immediately admitted her mistake and defended herself by saying, "It's most convenient to read in bed at night. It's especially comfortable..."
"Are you still comfortable?" Liang Baozhen felt that she really needed to give her daughter a good lesson, otherwise her eyes would be useless sooner or later. She didn't want her child to wear glasses at such a young age. "If you keep looking like this, you will be the only one with four eyes in the class."
"Why four eyes?"
"Just wear another pair of glasses, and you'll have four eyes. Do you like having four eyes?"
Shanshan shook her head frantically, which was very ugly. "No, I only want two eyes, not four."
"Then you can't read these books like this anymore, and you can't lie on the bed with a book in your arms while reading. This reading posture is wrong and it's bad for your eyes."
"Listen to your mother. She makes sense." Xu Shengjie interjected at the right time to help ease the atmosphere. "We have to think about our eyes."
"But you two also like to lie on the bed and read." Shanshan whispered. Dad and Mom like to lean on the head of the bed, one reading a book and the other reading a newspaper.
"Hey, why are you involving us?" Xu Shengjie pulled the girl in front of him and poked her cheek, "We are adults, we are different, you can't do this to a child like me."
It’s an adult again, Shanshan sighed in her heart.
"Mom, can I still attend the story club in the future?" Shanshan was concerned about this. After admitting her mistake, she waited for her mother's "judgment".
Liang Baozhen saw her daughter's eyes were fixed on the storytelling magazine, and it seemed that she really enjoyed it. In fact, she also read it. There were indeed many interesting articles in it, but there were also some that were not suitable for children.
"We'll see how you perform later." Children shouldn't get too accustomed to things. Handle them with care now, and they'll be able to climb up the roof and take off the tiles in the future.
Shanshan seemed to understand the meaning of this sentence, but also seemed not to fully understand it. She immediately jumped behind her mother and gave her a back massage.
He punched his fists again and again, and asked his mother with a smile, "Mom, did I perform well?"
Liang Baozhen felt the force on her back and almost couldn't hold back her laughter. "Is it considered a good performance just by hitting her twice?"
Eh, it seems that it still doesn't work? Shanshan's eyes rolled around, and her eyes brightened up again. She took back her little fist and pressed it on her mother's shoulder again, massaging with all her might.
"That's enough. You have so little strength. Go back and rest. We can talk about the storytelling session later."
Xu Shengjie felt a little jealous when he saw his daughter trying so hard to please his wife. What was going on? Was he, a living person, just a decoration?
"Shanshan, give Dad a back rub, too."
"How can you have the nerve to call a child?" Liang Baozhen glanced at the man beside her.
Xu Shengjie said lazily, "This is called a loving father and a filial daughter. So Miss Xu will give you a massage?"
"Tsk~" Liang Baozhen looked at the daughter and asked her to stand behind her father. "Shanshan, give your father a back massage. Use more force. Your father has thick skin and he won't feel it if you don't massage him lightly."
"Who has thick skin?" Xu Shengjie didn't think it was the right thing to say. Although he was different from his wife, who had thin skin and tender flesh, but...
However, Shanshan happily ran behind her father and clenched her fists. Before she started, she gave her father a warning, "Dad, tell me if it hurts."
Xu Shengjie raised his eyebrows, wondering where this little girl got her confidence from, "Just hit me as much as you want, let me see how strong you are."
Boom boom boom!
Shanshan used all her strength to punch her father on the back with her little fists. She was punching hard and heard her mother cheering her on.
"Your dad doesn't feel anything, Shanshan, try harder."
Xu Shengjie felt that his daughter's strength was just like a mosquito bite. He straightened his back and was being beaten by the loving father and daughter. "Shanshan, try harder. You are really weak."
Shanshan didn't believe it and didn't care about the appearance. She gradually got more and more excited and her movements became bigger and bigger...as a result, it seemed that her little hand began to hurt slightly.
Xu Shengya came back from outside and saw the scene of the girl beating her old father. "What's wrong? Brother, what are you doing?"
"Shanshan is giving me a back massage."
"Ah? Is this a back massage?" Xu Shengya observed for a while and went back to the house to put her bag down.
"I can't take it anymore. My hands are sore from banging them." Shanshan was the first to give up. She was tired.
Xu Shengjie smiled and took the lady's hand and rubbed it for her. "Forget it, you still have to practice more in the future."
"Then I'll go back and do my homework first?" Shanshan saw that her parents were smiling and felt that the crisis had been resolved, so she prepared to behave herself.
Liang Baozhen listened and nodded, then stood up and prepared to leave the lady's room, "Then you should study hard and take what your parents say to heart."
"good!"
Watching Mom and Dad walk out of the house, Shanshan finally breathed a sigh of relief. It was so dangerous. Fortunately, these stories were kept.
"Shanshan is still playful." Xu Shengjie helped his daughter to speak well of him in front of his wife, "Just teach her slowly."
"Yes, take your time." Liang Baozhen raised her chin towards him, "You go in and collect all her stories first. She is so young, how can she be stable? You have to choose which ones to show her in the future."
"Ah? You have to pay it now? Why didn't you pay it just now?"
"I'm the bad guy, right? You're the good guy, the bad guy? That's beautiful. The girl will hate me, and you pay for it."
Xu Shengjie: "..."
Shanshan refused her father's request to take back her storytelling club when he came back. She looked at her big baby reluctantly, feeling very reluctant to leave.
"dad..."
"Okay, I'll talk to your mom later and see what you can see. You should also perform better yourself."
"Okay~" Shanshan pinched her wrist, alas, it was all in vain!
Heartbroken Shanshan turned around and ran into her aunt's arms, telling Xu Shengya about her misery in a wronged manner.
"Aunt, I'm so sad. My stories will be gone. Those books are so expensive."
"You like story time so much?"
"Yeah, the stories in it are really interesting, much better than the textbooks." Shanshan often encounters unfamiliar words when reading stories, but she can guess some of them by guessing, and it does not affect her reading at all.
"Then tell me, what story did you see?"
"Let me think about it." Shanshan recalled a story she had read recently. She and several of her good classmates liked it very much. "It said that a scholar proposed to the daughter of a high-ranking official, but the official's father disagreed and had the scholar beaten to death. Then he turned into a ghost and floated outside the palace every day..."
Xu Shengya: “…?”
What are these elementary school students watching?
"Aunt, they are so pitiful, and they have turned into ghosts." Shanshan blinked her big black grape-like eyes, with a heartbroken look on her face, "Pangpang said that this is what lovers cannot...what kind of attribute."
"How old are you? You already know about lovers? Also, don't be feudal and superstitious." Xu Shengya couldn't understand the kids nowadays. They seemed to be very sincere.
"It's just that one likes the other, just like what's written in the story."
Xu Shengya was defeated by her innocent little niece, and all lovers know about it. Alas, it is true that she is now trapped in love.
Since the last time Fang Zhibin said a lot of nonsense to her, Xu Shengya has not been to Xinhua Bookstore for a while, for fear of meeting people and not knowing what to do. Just half a month ago, the second brother invited him and a group of friends to his house for dinner, and the two met once, but she avoided him the whole time, and Fang Zhibin did not move, hesitating to speak, and did not speak when he realized that he was avoiding her.
Her colleagues at Red Star Middle School noticed that something was wrong with her recently.
In the office, the math teacher from another class saw that she was absent-minded and couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Ya, what are you thinking about? It's like you didn't hear me calling you several times."
Xu Shengya came back to her senses when she heard Teacher Xue's voice, "Ah, no, nothing."
She was confused and thought this was ridiculous. Fang Zhibin was someone she had known since childhood and was also a good friend of her second brother. How could he do this?
So weird!
"Teacher Xu." Just as Xu Shengya fell into deep thought again, a chemistry teacher from another office knocked on the door. "The chemistry test results for Class 2 are out. Can you come out? I want to talk to you about the students."
Xu Shengya not only taught mathematics to two junior high school classes, but was also the head teacher of Class 2 of Junior High School.
"Okay, I'll be right out."
The chemistry teacher of Class 2 is called Hua Feng. He is five years older than Xu Shengya. He is gentle and wears a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on his nose.
He and Xu Shengya were discussing the study situation of Class 2 in the corridor. This kind of thing happened frequently. Subject teachers would often talk to the head teacher about the class study, especially some promising students and problem students.
"Okay, thank you, Teacher Hua. I will focus on these students later." When Xu Shengya talked about work, she put aside the things that had been bothering her for a while and devoted herself to teaching.
"Okay, Mr. Xu, don't be too stressed. It's tiring to lead a class."
"Indeed, the pressure of leading a class is quite high. I am worried that I will not pay enough attention to every student. Don't delay."
"Take your time. This is all a process." Hua Feng had also taught a class and served as a class teacher. He was easy-going and would give her some advice from time to time.
Xu Shengya chatted with someone for a while. Seeing that it was almost time to finish school, she prepared to go back to the office to pack up her things. "Teacher Hua, thank you for your help. I will pay attention to you later. I will go back to the office first."
"Hey." Hua Feng called the man over, "Teacher Xu, I heard that you like watching movies. I have two movie tickets here. Are you free on Sunday afternoon?"
Xu Shengya looked at the movie ticket in Hua Feng's hand, and her mind suddenly remembered the movie ticket Fang Zhibin gave her. Why is this a popular gift now?
Two unattached men and women went to see a movie, especially since Hua Feng invited them, even if she was slow-witted, she could still figure out what it meant. Moreover, after being "educated" by Fang Zhibin, she was now very aware.
"Teacher Hua, this..." She was thinking about how to refuse without losing face, as they would still have to work together in the future.
"Teacher Xu." Hua Feng smiled slightly, with a bit of elegance, and said slowly and calmly, "As you think, I do have a good impression of you. I hope to have the opportunity to get to know you more. I also know that you don't have a partner now, right? Why don't you consider me?"
Xu Shengya didn't mind him being so direct. It was surprising that she talked about this kind of relationship as if she was talking about today's weather. As she listened to Teacher Hua's calm words, she couldn't help but think of the boy who confessed his feelings to her with red ears.
"Teacher Hua, I'm so sorry. I'm actually...not thinking about personal issues right now."
Perhaps he didn't expect Teacher Xu to reject him directly. Hua Feng raised his eyebrows in surprise and said persistently, "Teacher Xu, you can think about it again. I am sincere."
"I'm really sorry, Mr. Hua, I respect you very much, but I hope we can still be good colleagues and help Class 2 achieve good results. I really don't care about anything else."
Xu Shengya spoke so firmly that Hua Feng could not find any other solution and just thought that the girl was just too shy.
However, Xu Shengya was still depressed when she returned to the office. What were all these things? It was so frustrating!
When I got home, Shanshan was practicing calligraphy in the yard. My sister-in-law was beside her and giving her instructions from time to time. When she saw me coming back, Shanshan called her aunt loudly and wanted to show her her calligraphy.
Xu Shengya walked closer and saw that her niece's handwriting had indeed improved a lot. It had become neat and more beautiful than the clumsy handwriting of many elementary school students.
"It's well written. Shanshan is amazing."
"Really?" Shanshan squinted her eyes proudly, a burst of pride oozing out from the corners of her eyes, making her little face radiant and dazzling. "The teacher at the Children's Palace also said that my handwriting is beautiful, and praised me for my talent and that I am a good seedling."
"You remembered every word the teacher praised you for. You recited it clearly." Liang Baozhen wanted to laugh when she saw the young lady's boastful look. She was so proud, like a peacock spreading its feathers to show off its achievements to everyone.
"That's it. You have to remember it clearly."
Xu Shengya talked with her niece and sister-in-law for a while, and went back to her room without eating a few bites of dinner. She was now trapped in love, and two people expressed their feelings at once. She was worried.
"Xiaoya."
My sister-in-law's voice sounded outside the house, accompanied by several knocks on the door.
"Sister-in-law, the door is not locked, please come in."
Liang Baozhen brought a plate to her sister-in-law. On it was a three-tooth watermelon. It was bright red and dotted with black watermelon seeds. It looked sweet.
"Eat some watermelon. I see you haven't eaten much tonight. You'll be hungry soon."
"Thank you, sister-in-law. You can eat too."
Xu Shengya and Liang Baozhen were eating watermelon in the house. It was already the end of summer and the watermelon was not as sweet as it was two months ago. Fortunately, it was juicy enough and they could enjoy it.
Liang Baozhen has noticed these days that something is wrong with her sister-in-law, as if she is worried about something. However, as she grows older, she sometimes doesn't like to talk to her family. Her grandmother is old, and her elder and second brothers are both irrational. As a sister-in-law, she has to show some concern for them.
"Xiaoya, how is your work going recently? Is everything going well?"
"It's pretty good. The students in my class are much more obedient in the second year of junior high school, much better than in the first year."
Then it's not a work matter. Liang Baozhen had some guesses. Xiaoya was good in all aspects, so it might be a love matter?
"Do you have any idea of dating someone now? I'm not trying to urge you, but if you meet someone you like, don't miss it."
Xu Shengya suddenly looked up at her sister-in-law, wondering if she knew something. But she didn't tell anyone, and she really couldn't tell anyone in her family.
It seems that only my sister-in-law can speak?
"Sister-in-law, did you see something?"
The relationship between the two aunts and sisters-in-law has always been good. When Xu Shengya took the college entrance examination, she still slept next to Liang Baozhen. She always felt that her sister-in-law was a bit like a mother, which made her feel quite safe.
"Yeah, it's clear on your face that you're worried. When I asked you, it wasn't a work problem, so I guess it was just a girl's worry."
Xu Shengya's face flushed. She always felt it was not good to tell others about these things, but she herself was confused. Her mind and heart were in a mess.
"Actually, someone told me that they wanted to date someone."
Xu Shengya didn't mention who it was, so Liang Baozhen naturally didn't ask. She just asked, "Then what? What do you think?"
"Sister-in-law, there are two people." Xu Shengya said weakly.
Liang Baozhen smiled and held her sister-in-law's hand. "Our Xiaoya is so outstanding, it's normal for gay men to pursue her. Do you like anyone? How do you answer?"
"I rejected one today." Xu Shengya felt that it was okay to say it out loud. "Just tell them directly. I don't want any misunderstandings in the future."
"If you are sure you don't like her, you should just say it directly." Liang Baozhen was quick to notice the point in her words, "What about the other one?"
Speaking of the other one, Xu Shengya got a headache, "I don't know either."
"Don't know what?" Liang Baozhen realized that this was the problem. "You don't know how to reject him? Or do you not know whether you have the desire to be with him?"
Xu Shengya was left speechless by her sister-in-law's question and didn't know how to respond for a moment.
Liang Baozhen understood as soon as she saw her sister-in-law's expression. "Think about it carefully. Why can you reject one person directly but hesitate about the other one? Think clearly about whether you have the intention to date the person or not."
Xu Shengya was awakened by her sister-in-law's words. Why didn't she directly reject Fang Zhibin?
Xu Shengya, who was tossing and turning in bed and unable to sleep, patted her face and felt it was a little hot.
In March, it was Xu Shengya and Xu Shengwei's 23rd birthday. Since it was not a big day for their 10th birthday, the Xu family had dinner in the yard. However, everyone knew that grandma liked to have fun, so they still invited many relatives and friends.
The Liang family came over, Xu Shengya’s best friend from college also came, and Xu Shengwei also called a few of his good friends.
Biaozi happened to be back from a family visit leave this year, so naturally he came to visit his godparents and get together with some good friends.
Xu Shengjie was touched when he saw his adopted son who had been in the army for several years. How could he have grown so strong in the blink of an eye? "Biaozi is really different after training in the army."
Xu Shengwei patted his cheap nephew on the shoulder and smiled cheerfully, "Of course not, look at how strong Biaozi is."
"Biaozi's arms are now thicker than our legs. It's incredible." Fang Zhibin exaggeratedly, making everyone in the yard laugh. He glanced around and saw Xu Shengya also smiling. Their eyes met in the air and Xu Shengya immediately turned her head away.
The spring breeze blew, melting the ice and snow, bringing bursts of vitality. The snow on the eaves and branches of the trees dissipated, gradually revealing its true appearance. Xu Shengya took the money and went to the entrance of the alley to buy soy sauce, followed by a little tail beside her - Shanshan.
Shanshan followed her aunt out, ready to satisfy her craving and asked her aunt to buy her some rice candy.
The two, one big and one small, walked out, unaware that there was a tail following them.
After returning from shopping, Xu Shengya saw Fang Zhibin leaning against the wall at the entrance of the alley.
Fang Zhibin finally found a chance to meet Xu Shengya alone today. Of course, he was not completely alone, after all, there was a small light bulb there.
Shanshan looked at Uncle Fang and greeted him sweetly, "Uncle Fang, what are you doing here?"
Fang Zhibin touched Shanshan's head and said, "I'm here watching Master play chess."
"Oh, it's really fun, right?" Shanshan also likes to watch it.
"Yes." Fang Zhibin called Shanshan, "Shanshan, my cousin is about to take the junior high school entrance exam. I want to ask your aunt about this. Can you take the soy sauce back to your mother first?"
Shanshan nodded and went home holding the soy sauce bottle.
Xu Shengya looked at Fang Zhibin and felt that this man was really a one-trick pony. "Can you change your excuse? Last time it was your cousin, this time it's your cousin."
Fang Zhibin scratched his head and smiled shyly, "Then I'll switch to my cousin next time."
Xu Shengya: "..."
She found this man a little silly.
"Xiao Ya, I've thought about it. You must have been avoiding me recently. I can't keep sticking around you. Don't let it affect your reputation. But what I said in front of the Xinhua Bookstore last time was the truth." Fang Zhibin couldn't stand it anymore. It was not a good idea to drag it on like this. "Have you thought it through these days? If you really can't, give me a quick death!"
Xu Shengya saw the man in front of her, as if he was ready to go to the battlefield, ready to sacrifice himself generously, "What do you want to do?"
"If you don't have feelings for me, just tell me directly. I can handle it."
Xu Shengya looked at him and said awkwardly, "Oh, and then what? I told you that I have no feelings for you, and you want to leave now?"
"Bullshit!" Fang Zhibin just uttered two words, then immediately realized that this was too rude, and quickly changed his words, "That's definitely not the case. How can I give up so easily? Tell me what you think is wrong with me, and I will try to correct it."
Fang Zhibin talked eloquently, as if he was trying to convince Xu Shengya. Since the other person didn't like him, he had to work hard in other ways. "Look, our two families used to be neighbors and know each other well. Your second brother and I have this kind of relationship. If we are together, your family will be relieved, and you will be relieved too. We grew up in the same courtyard since we were young. I saw you when you were little. When I was a child..."
Xu Shengya just wanted to laugh as he kept talking nonsense, but she tried to suppress the curve of her lips, "Alright, alright, stop talking."
I finally understood a little bit of what he was thinking, but if he continued talking, I really didn't want to take that step.
"Okay, I won't say anything then."
Fang Zhibin smiled at Xu Shengya. At dusk, the sunset glowed in the sky, shining on the boy and girl. They each had their own thoughts, one was uneasy, and the other was happy.
"Why don't you consider me again?" Fang Zhibin had never pursued a girl before, and he was worried that he would offend her. He was also worried that he didn't keep a close eye on her and that others would take advantage of her. It was really painful!
"Let's talk about it later." Xu Shengya smiled. When she heard these three words, the man in front of her obviously wilted a little. She added, "I'm going to Xinhua Bookstore on Sunday."
Having said that, she walked around Fang Zhibin and prepared to go home, leaving Fang Zhibin standing there in a daze.
After a few seconds of reaction, Fang Zhibin understood. He grinned, showing off his big white teeth, and followed him. "Oh, what a coincidence! I'm going to Xinhua Bookstore on Sunday too!"
Xu Shengya didn't look at him, but smiled in her dark eyes, still not letting go, "It has nothing to do with me."
"Yes, it has nothing to do with you. Let's go our separate ways. Whether we can meet depends on fate."
The author has something to say:
See you tomorrow night~
Thanks to the cuties who irrigated the nutrient solution: 1 bottle of This Rain Keeps Falling; 1 bottle of Qianmohongchen; 2 bottles of Yushu;
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