Chapter 11 The Gloomy Little Darling of the 1970s
Shen Ci spent several days familiarizing herself with the surrounding environment. From the casual conversations between Uncle Guan and Aunt Fan, she roughly pieced together the history of the house. The original owners had moved abroad and quietly sold the property.
In this era, many things are explicitly prohibited from being bought and sold privately.
Houses, cars... almost all decent assets belong to the state or the collective, but under any rule, there are always exceptions.
Having money alone is not enough; you also need matching power.
Just like the Friendship Store she visited before, it was not open to ordinary people at all, and any single item inside was worth more than half a year's worth of food for an average family.
She was waiting for the right opportunity.
On the other hand, Zhou Huai has been enrolled at Huaicheng No. 1 Middle School for a full month.
He had a solid foundation, was willing to work hard, and cherished this hard-won learning opportunity. He quickly became one of the top students in the class.
The advantage of living close to the school was that he could go home every day. His daily life underwent a complete transformation. He shed his previous thinness almost at a visible speed. Although he was still rather thin, his complexion and energy were completely different.
That evening, he hesitated before calling out to Aunt Fan, who was busy preparing dinner.
"Young Master Huai, what can I do for you? Would you like some dishes?"
Aunt Fan asked with a smile, feeling a sense of accomplishment as she watched the child gradually gain weight.
No...no.
Zhou Huai was still not quite comfortable with being addressed like that by people. Even though Shen Ci and he had both told him not to call him "Young Master," Uncle Guan and Aunt Fan still insisted on the old habit.
"Aunt Fan, I just wanted to ask... is it mandatory for parents to attend parent-teacher meetings at schools in the city?"
In the month since he came to the city, he has seen too many things that are completely different from those in the village. The outside world is advanced and serious, and even the school has many more rules.
"Parent-Teacher Conference?"
Aunt Fan was somewhat surprised, then nodded affirmatively.
"Of course, Young Master Huai. Since the teacher has given the notice, parents are definitely required to attend. Otherwise, why would it be called a parent-teacher meeting?"
You should tell your wife.
She carefully reminded him, and also vaguely sensed a subtle estrangement between the mother and son; the young master seemed hesitant to trouble his wife.
"Okay, I understand."
Zhou Huai nodded, but his heart was filled with even more hesitation.
He had never attended a parent-teacher meeting. In the past, the school would occasionally hold one in the village, but almost no parents would go. The adults had to work in the fields all year round to earn work points, so they didn't have the time. Even if they did, no one from the Zhou family would go for him.
At the time, he didn't think anything of it; everyone was the same.
But it was here that he learned that his classmates' parents would all show up on time.
He walked back with his head down, lost in thought, and without noticing, he bumped into a soft embrace that smelled faintly of fragrance.
"Ouch!"
Zhou Huai covered his forehead and hurriedly looked up. When he saw that it was Shen Ci, he was momentarily at a loss and subconsciously reached out to support her.
"...Are you alright?"
Even after being here for so long, he still couldn't bring himself to call Shen Ci by that name naturally, and Shen Ci had never forced him to.
"Ouch, did you hurt your head?"
Shen Ci's reaction was slightly exaggerated. She reached out and naturally rubbed his forehead where he had bumped it, her tone light and cheerful.
"It must be because the floor tiles are uneven! I'll have to be careful when I walk in the future, so I don't bump into the pillars."
These words sounded like they were coaxing a child, but Zhou Huai had never been coaxed like a child before.
The strands of hair on his forehead were ruffled slightly, and Zhou Huai's cheeks felt warm. That familiar feeling of being carefully cared for surged up again.
Things that were originally difficult to say suddenly found an outlet.
"I'm fine."
He spoke in a low voice, then paused, as if gathering his courage.
"The teacher said there will be a parent-teacher meeting tomorrow, and parents are required to attend."
As soon as he said it, he almost immediately followed up with something else, as if trying to preempt any possible refusal.
"It's okay if you don't have time to come, if it's inconvenient for you."
Quickly refusing on behalf of the other party seems to avoid the subtle disappointment of hearing the rejection firsthand.
Moreover, the very act of saying the word "parents" carried a strange, embarrassing feeling that made his ears burn, as if it revealed some hidden, inappropriate desire.
"Parent-Teacher Conference?"
Shen Ci's eyes lit up, and he did so almost without hesitation.
"You absolutely have to go! This is your first parent-teacher conference since starting high school."
Nothing is more important than my son's business, don't worry. What time tomorrow? Mom promises to be there on time!
She was feeling restless and bored at home.
She spends her days eating, drinking, having fun, and figuring out how to get a car to drive. The system hasn't rewarded her with one yet, so she has to find a way herself.
"Tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock."
Seeing that she agreed so readily without any sign of difficulty on her face, Zhou Huai felt relieved and then whispered the more important information that followed.
"The teacher also said... that my parents should speak as representatives."
He pursed his lips and added.
"It's probably because my entrance exam score was the highest in the county... The teacher probably wanted me to share... my educational experience or something."
He spoke somewhat hesitantly, as if he were causing trouble for Shen Ci.
Since arriving in this completely unfamiliar city with Shen Ci, Zhou Huai's heart has been filled with a mixture of cherishing and unease.
Right now, everything is as beautiful as a fragile glass dream. All he can do is study hard and make himself good enough, so that he can at least repay the huge price that Shen Ci has paid for him.
Therefore, he studied late every night, trying his best to make up for the gap between himself and his classmates in the city, in order to maintain his excellent grades.
Another side effect of his late-night studying was that he could often hear Shen Ci returning home late at night.
Almost always, it was close to midnight, shortly after he lay down, that he would hear the door open and the sound of Shen Ci's leather shoes stomping on the floor.
Day after day, Zhou Huai even developed a new habit: he could only truly fall asleep when he heard that soft sound that meant she had come home.
She's too busy and working too hard.
He didn't know what kind of job required her to work until late at night before returning home. He didn't dare to ask, and could only silently suppress this heavy feeling of gratitude in his heart, turning it into motivation to work even harder.
He remembered everything she did for him.
He will definitely repay her in the future.
"First place?"
That's amazing! No wonder he's my son!
Don't worry, Mom will be there on time and won't embarrass you. Is there anything you want as a reward?
Shen Ci asked, "No wonder he's a future villain. He's intelligent and good-looking. Who wouldn't want him?"
"award?
Why should we offer a reward?
Zhou Huai didn't understand what she meant by those words.
"Didn't you get first place?"
Shen Ci was somewhat puzzled.
Zhou Huai was even more lost in thought. There was a reward for getting first place, but he never imagined that he would only receive curses from his stepmother after being first place so many times.
They complained that his grades were too good, which meant he would never graduate and could go home to work.
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