Chapter 17 Peppermint Candy "Mr. Tao, you seem to know me very well. ...
"2018.01.03 Light rain turns to sunny"
Does it have to be Qingda?
Does it have to be you?
must.
——Excerpt from Tao Shuran’s Diary
*
The rain is still falling.
That's how the rain is in Fuqing, it never stops falling.
It rained for a whole month during the rainy season in August. Tao Shuran had just transferred to another school at that time and didn't like the weather at all.
Now she loves rainy days.
I like...the rainy day with Liang Yuanjing.
At this moment, everything was silent, and she occasionally glanced at him secretly.
Everything is implied.
Liang Yuanjing raised his eyebrows: "Why, you don't believe it?"
Tao Shuran didn't react and said, "What?"
Liang Yuanjing said: "I believe I can lead you to victory."
He raised his chin slightly, his jawline was cold and sharp, his tone was arrogant and domineering, and this high-spirited posture reminded Tao Shuran of every time he saw him on the playground.
She chuckled and replied, "Of course."
"Liang Yuanjing, invincible."
Liang Yuanjing laughed out loud and jokingly said, "Mr. Tao, you seem to know me very well."
This was originally a nonsense remark made on the court, which spread all the way from Linchuan Junior High School to the present. As the main striker of the school basketball team, Liang Yuanjing won all the competitions he participated in without exception.
Therefore, there is the joke "invincible".
Tao Shuran didn't have the chance to go to the scene, but she watched every live broadcast and remembered every word he said in her heart.
At this moment, because of his unintentional words, her heart was stirred up and it was difficult to calm down.
The rain gradually stopped, and the cell phone on the table kept vibrating. Tao Shuran glanced at it, put the phone in her bag, and pretended not to hear it.
Liang Yuanjing glanced at her with a subtle smile on his face.
The clock had already pointed to eleven o'clock, which was a very late time. He stood up, took out two pieces of paper and wiped the water stains on her umbrella handle.
He handed it over and took the initiative to say, "Let's go, I'll take you home."
"Don't come out so late next time. Your family will be worried."
Liang Yuanjing glanced at the phone she hid behind her back and chuckled softly.
He leaned over and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "Tao Shuran, you are not obedient at all."
*
Tao Shuran forgot how she got home. Tao Hongfeng had already fallen asleep in the bedroom. Five minutes later, Zhao Yanyun, who had just finished working overtime, also came back.
She was too busy with work, so the mother and daughter rarely met each other. When they suddenly met, they were both stunned.
Zhao Yanyun asked, "You haven't rested yet?"
"I've planned it." Tao Shuran was a little flustered and said casually, "I'll go memorize some more books and then go to bed."
Back in her bedroom, she kept thinking about what happened that night.
It was a night with only her and Liang Yuanjing. Even though it was just an ordinary scene, it was extraordinarily different in her heart.
Although it is a cold winter day, Tao Shuran's heart is warmed by the ironing.
She couldn't help but smile when she thought of his raised eyebrows, his unconcealable spirit, and his loud voice falling into her ears, saying that he would help her realize her wish.
She believed Liang Yuanjing.
Unconditional belief.
I just started to look forward to what method he would use to help her get into Qing University?
It was not until the next day that Tao Shuran understood what Liang Yuanjing meant. When he said he would help her win, it was not just talk.
Before the morning reading class started, he actually took out a collection of wrong questions and asked Tao Shuran to finish it and hand it to him this week.
Fang Qingyi, who was sitting next to her, saw it and looked at her with deep sympathy.
"Ranran, you are lucky! Our teacher Liang is serious about this and is going to start the process of strict teaching and producing outstanding students."
Tao Shuran asked in confusion: "Master Yan?"
"Yeah, when Zhao Zhengnian was in junior high school, he asked Liang Yuanjing to tutor him. Later, our teacher Liang scolded him and made him cry, right?"
"A man who was 1.8 meters tall, he must have cried so hard that it shook the world, right?"
Zhao Zhengnian yelled from behind, "Fang Qingyi, you've revealed all my dark history to me, haven't you?"
"I didn't care about Liang Yuanjing at all."
"The questions were too difficult! So difficult, I was moved to tears by them."
Fang Qingyi burst out laughing, not giving any face at all.
"I don't believe it."
They were arguing loudly, and Tao Shuran lowered his eyes, staring blankly at the book of wrong questions. There were not many questions on it, and most of them were handwritten. A small part were cut out from the test paper, and the ink marks next to them were still fresh.
She asked in disbelief, "Did you prepare all this last night?"
Liang Yuanjing supported his chin, his eyelids drooped slightly, and he hummed softly, his voice a little lazy.
"I've looked at your scores from the last few monthly exams. Your main areas of failure in math and physics are related to those same knowledge points. The sea of test questions won't help. You need to understand why."
"Your writing is an advantage. As long as you don't lose points in science, you will definitely be able to close the gap."
Liang Yuanjing was rarely serious, with his hands folded on his chin. He stared at her and smiled, then joked -
"Don't worry, it's different for you and him."
Tao Shuran was still immersed in this carefully compiled collection of wrong questions, but was brought back to her senses by his voice and was stunned for a moment.
She quickly assured: "Teacher Liang, I am not afraid of hard work."
"oh."
Liang Yuanjing said slowly: "But I don't want to see you cry."
Tao Shuran suddenly froze in place.
There was nothing ambiguous about this sentence originally, but when it fell into the ears of someone as attentive as her, it always had a bit of ambiguity that aroused people's imagination.
She bit her lower lip and forced herself to calm down.
Then Liang Yuanjing casually said, "Too noisy."
Zhao Zhengnian said with great emotion: "Ajing, why don't you treat me with such care?"
Liang Yuanjing said bluntly: "You have a pig brain, can you understand the question? This is the advanced version."
"When you win first place in the physical competition, I'll make you a basic version."
Zhao Zhengnian: "I declined."
Hearing this, Fang Qingyi, who had picked up a book in the front, turned around and asked, "Zhao Zhengnian, are you really going to pursue a career?"
Tao Shuran didn't expect Zhao Zhengnian's answer to be so firm.
He said: "Yes, this is my dream. Even if it means working harder, I am willing to do it. When I become famous, the only way you can see me in the future may be on TV."
"Okay, Mr. Zhao, could you please sign an autograph for me?"
Zhao Zhengnian said with an "okay, okay" look on his face, picked up the pen, and signed his own scribbled signature in a cool and neat manner.
Fang Qingyi put her palms together, shook the folded note, and swung it around in her hands very ostentatiously.
"Okay, the contract is done. You, Zhao Zhengnian, will be my slave for twenty years."
childish.
Zhao Zhengnian rolled his eyes and complained, "Twenty years, I'll sell myself to you."
"No, I'm not interested in your XXX at all."
Zhao Zhengnian then asked, "Then who are you interested in?" Fang Qingyi rolled her eyes. Coincidentally, Fu Changpei passed by the classroom door with his homework. Her eyes lit up in an instant, and she raised her voice and called him happily.
A piece of Wangzai milk candy was placed in her palm. Fang Qingyi handed it over and said with a smile, "Fu Changpei, please have some candy."
Zhao Zhengnian screamed in the back: "Is he the only one who has it?"
"You'll be so greedy."
Fang Qingyi glared at him, took out a whole bag from the drawer, stood up, and gave one to everyone in front and behind her.
Tao Shuran stared at the candy in his palm and couldn't help but laugh softly.
Liang Yuanjing lowered his head and peeled off the candy wrapper, then casually asked her, "What brand of mint candy did you buy last time?"
He took the initiative to talk to her several times today.
Tao Shuran was a little flattered: "You like it?"
She took out a whole unopened package from her pocket and placed it in front of him. Her fluttering eyelashes revealed her unconcealable feelings.
Soon, Tao Shuran stood up and, like Fang Qingyi, gave everyone a candy.
In the crowd, Fang Qingyi held the candy and looked at her thoughtfully.
Tao Shuran didn't know what to say, so he just looked away guiltily.
It's not just Fang Qingyi, it turns out she can't hide her secret love either.
*
Preparations for the college entrance exam have reached a fever pitch, and Tao Shuran and his classmates' evening self-study sessions have been postponed again and again.
By the time she got home from school, it was almost eleven o'clock.
After taking a quick shower and returning to the room, Tao Shuran took a deep breath and stared at the eye-catching countdown above the diary.
She was under great pressure, and after thinking about it, she could only write it down in her diary.
I saw Liang Yuanjing running out late at night that day, and later I vaguely heard Fu Changpei and others say that he didn't seem to have a close relationship with his family, and quarrels were commonplace.
I don’t know if his relationship with his family has improved now.
Just as I was thinking about it, the computer in sleep mode suddenly lit up and a short prompt tone sounded.
Tao Shuran was stunned for a moment, then slowly opened the miniaturized email address.
A long-awaited, even hopeless reply arrived.
It was a question she asked Liang Yuanjing about a math problem in a competition. She knew that he didn't use social software very often, especially □□. There were many girls who added him every day, but he was too lazy to check them most of the time.
Not to mention looking for a message in your mailbox like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Tao Shuran thought about it, his fingers pausing again and again on the keyboard, and he deleted and cut for a full 15 minutes before finally typing out a paragraph.
"Y, actually, I've been having some family problems lately. I had a fight with my parents, and I was very sad. But then I realized that each of us is an independent individual with our own soul, capable of fully controlling our own lives. So, we should never be saddened by someone who isn't worth it. The journey of eighteen is about to begin, and after this, among thousands of homes, there will eventually be a light for you and me."
She sighed inwardly.
I don't know if this comforted him at all.
Maybe it will come true.
It was past midnight and Tao Shuran still hadn't slept.
She took off her headphones and paused listening to English. She heard a quarrel outside the door. At first, the sound was muffled due to the wall, but later it gradually became louder and she could hear fragments of words.
Tao Hongfeng usually speaks in a low voice, but this time he spoke in a rare loud voice.
She shouted at Zhao Yanyun, "Is it so difficult to respect a child's own ideas?"
"You decided for her without even asking her if she wanted to be a lawyer?"
"I'm doing this for her own good!" Zhao Yanyun said, "Don't you know what our daughter is like? Her academic performance is average, she's not very bright, and she's not very good at speaking. She's going to study law in college, so I can at least have some resources to help her in the future."
"Besides this, what else do you think she can do?"
Tao Shuran lowered her eyelashes and stood outside the door, listening quietly.
After a while, the sound of a door slamming was heard. Zhao Yanyun had a temper that could easily explode at the slightest provocation. Usually at home, Tao Hongfeng would give in to her whenever possible.
Being humiliated, she was so angry that she just picked up her bag and left.
How could it be safe in the middle of the night? Although they were arguing, Tao Hongfeng was worried and followed them out.
The house returned to a peaceful atmosphere, as if the quarrel had never happened.
Tao Shuran looked up at the sky. It had just rained for a few consecutive days, and the stars in the night sky were dim.
From childhood to adulthood, the most common comment she heard about herself was "hard-working but not smart."
She is well-behaved, hardworking and sensible, but her talent is limited and she can never become the number one that everyone pays attention to.
It is a very sad thing that you cannot be the number one in your parents' hearts. Tao Shuran clenched her fingers tightly around the pen, and tears wanted to flow out but she suppressed them tightly.
She opened the collection of wrong answers again and began to force herself to focus on it.
But there was nothing she could do. Zhao Yanyun's words of disappointment kept ringing in her ears. After coming to the Affiliated High School, she fell from the top to the bottom. This feeling of disparity was hard to accept.
We still need to work harder.
Thinking of this, Tao Shuran felt overwhelmed by the exponential pressure and could hardly breathe. She pushed open the window, letting the biting cold wind in, and breathed with difficulty.
I don’t know if Fu Changpei’s store downstairs is still open.
Tao Shuran wanted to go downstairs to buy a bottle of drink and chat with someone.
Fortunately, Fu Changpei's place has not closed yet. This famous top student of his age actually works as hard as any of them.
Many times, Tao Shuran got up in a daze in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, and could still see a dim light on in his bedroom opposite.
She put on her ankle-length white down jacket, put some change in her pocket, and went out with a flashlight.
The old neighborhood is like this. Some street lights are good and some are bad. The few good ones are dim and you can't see the road clearly.
Tao Shuran was still a little scared when he went out in the middle of the night.
But fortunately, Fu Changpei's store was just opposite, and she walked over following his gaze. This time she was familiar with the place and stood at the counter at the door to pick out a drink.
"Give me two more candies. I want green apple flavor."
"How much is it, Fu Changpei?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the young man sitting at the counter raised his head, slightly apart, with the loose hair hanging down on his forehead, and a pair of slightly upturned eyes that looked a little sentimental.
There is a saying that is true, the way he smiles does look like he is trying to provoke people.
Tao Shuran asked with a little surprise: "Liang Yuanjing, why are you here?"
"Grandpa Fu is sick, and Fu Changpei has gone to the hospital with him. I'm here to help temporarily."
He held a mint candy in his mouth, which made a crunching sound when he bit it, and with his bony fingers he pushed open the old glass counter.
Without even looking up, he asked her, "Which candy do you want?"
Tao Shuran lowered her head, not in the mood to choose. Her heartbeat was completely messed up because of the chance encounter.
She said quickly, "Anything is fine, as long as it's sweet."
"Is there any sugar that is not sweet?"
Liang Yuanjing sneered softly, but suddenly stopped talking. He caught a glimpse of her miserable appearance out of the corner of his eye.
She was wearing an ankle-length down jacket with the zipper undone, revealing the pure cotton home clothes underneath. She was wearing a pair of rabbit-shaped plush slippers. Perhaps because she was in a hurry to go out, she didn't wear socks, revealing a pair of slender ankles that were red from the cold.
He asked, "What are you doing...?"
Tao Shuran pursed her lips. The howling north wind was rushing at the entrance of the alley. The air was freezing cold, but she met him here.
This is not a good time to meet, at least, she is not perfect now.
"You got kicked out because of a fight between your parents?"
When he said this, even Tao Shuran himself used a questioning tone, and his perfunctory attitude was obvious.
Liang Yuanjing chuckled and teased her, "Your parents had a fight and kicked you out, but they're still quite loving."
She just received the latest text message on her mobile phone. It was from Tao Hongfeng, telling her that due to some urgent matters, he and Zhao Yanyun had to go back to their hometown, and asked her to take care of herself for the next two days and eat in the school cafeteria.
Tao Shuran lowered his eyes, wanting to say that he actually knew it in his heart.
Mom and Dad quarreled again because of her.
She turned off her cell phone, intending to pretend she didn't know anything and wait until the clock struck seven tomorrow morning before continuing to play the role of the obedient and sensible daughter.
"Not going home? Planning to stay here tonight until school tomorrow?"
Liang Yuanjing sighed: "The little girl has quite a temper."
Tao Shuran pursed her lips tightly, raised her head and looked at the residential building not far away. After a while, she spoke in a muffled voice.
"In order to give me better learning resources, my mother moved her job to Fuqing, and my father quit his job to take care of me. They used the savings they had saved for many years to rent a house here for me to study. Whenever I return home, I feel a lot of pressure."
"I must study hard to be worthy of their efforts."
Liang Yuanjing turned his head to listen.
After a while, he approached her, and Tao Shuran was shocked when she smelled the refreshing mint scent on him, which was unique to summer.
"otherwise--"
Liang Yuanjing stood in the wind, blocking all the wind and rain. He leaned over like he had done all summer, and suggested in a low voice -
"Shall I take you in for a while?"
-----------------------
The author has something to say: Wuwu Ranran is really a very warm little girl.
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