《I Want to Be Friends With You》


 CH 1

    As she walked through the long corridor and approached the head teacher¡¯s office, Aunt Hua grasped her little daughter¡¯s hand and was about to knock on the office door, when she caught a voice coming from inside.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to contact my parents. In my house, I can handle this by myself.¡±


    ¡°Student Zhou Yuan, you are an intelligent child, you should understand that scolding the teacher in class will affect her reputation.¡±


    Then, she heard the raspy voice of a little boy, who gravely said, ¡°She¡¯s also a professional teacher; therefore, she should also understand that making a mockery of a little child¡¯s stuttering in class isn¡¯t humorous and has dire consequences. As a professional educator, I believe that you, Teacher Li, realize that I just pointed out her lack of respect.¡±


    Aunt Hua found interest in this conversation, so she stayed a little longer.


    ¡°Teacher Xie meant no disrespect; she had good intentions, but the method was less than stellar. Forget it, I¡¯ll speak with her again. You can return to class now.¡±


    The door suddenly opened and a little boy, who wore a small suit and tie, came out lightning fast. When he noticed someone outside, he instinctively looked up.


    Only then did Auntie Hua see his appearance clearly. He was really handsome!


    Miaomiao, her little daughter, timidly hid behind Aunt Hua.


    After the boy left, Aunt Hua smiled and said to her little daughter, ¡°That kid is amazing, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    The little girl lowered her head and clenched her tiny fist. She appeared hesitant and gave no response.


    Aunt Hua wasn¡¯t disheartened by her lack of response, but rather, she entered the office with her little daughter.


    When the head teacher saw Aunt Hua, she stood up, smiled, and said, ¡°Sister Hua, I was wondering when you were going to come.¡±


    The head teacher had been Aunt Hua¡¯s university roommate and her best friend for four years. Even after graduating, they still stayed in touch.


    She heard that Sister Hua had a daughter, who was about to enter first grade. Uncoincidentally, she also taught the first grade, so she asked her friend to send Miaomiao over, in order to assist in her care.


    ¡°Is she Miaomiao? So cute.¡± The head teacher walked over, but little Miaomiao scurried behind Aunt Hua.


    The head teacher saw her reaction, and remembered what Sister Hua had mentioned before. She said to Sister Hua, ¡°Class will start in a little bit. Let¡¯s take her to the classroom.¡±


    Aunt Hua nodded, and then led Miaomiao to the classroom.


    When she arrived at the classroom¡¯s door, Aunt Hua squatted down and said to her daughter, ¡°Miaomiao, don¡¯t be afraid and get along well with the other children. I put a packet of dried meat into your schoolbag. Share it with the other children, okay? Aunty will pick you up in the afternoon.¡±


    Her eyes were a little downcast. Although Miaomiao was in first grade, this was the first time that she has entered school.


    Little Miaomiao clenched her hand tightly. She wanted to stretch it out to reach for her aunt, but to no avail. For a while, she stood there in hesitation, before finally entering the classroom.


    She slowly traversed inside and found the seat arranged by the teacher.


    After sitting down, she glanced at the door of the classroom again. Aunt Hua was looking at her with reddened eyes.


    Little Miaomiao averted her eyes and anxiously opened her hand, which revealed a piece of candy.


    This morning, Auntie looked a little down. If someone felt unhappy, they should simply eat sweets to uplift their spirits. Whenever she felt sad, she would often sneak out to eat candy.


    During the trip, she didn¡¯t have the courage to give any sweets to her aunt, until they reached school. Little Miaomiao frowned and felt very useless.


    Zhou Yuan looked at the little girl sitting next to him, who was different from all the other irksome children in the classroom. This girl was very calm and quiet. At first glance, she appeared like someone, who would achieve great things.


    Zhou Yuan felt this kid was pretty good. He wanted to recruit her into his inner circle.


    Thus, Zhou Yuan extended his hand with the attitude of a businessman. A smile radiated on his face, as he took the initiative to speak with her, ¡°Hello little one, my name is Zhou Yuan. I will be your classmate from now on. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    Little Miaomiao was taken aback and whispered, ¡°Miaomiao¡­¡±


    Meow? Zhou Yuan felt that it was unusual. Why did she reply like a cat when he asked for her name?


    Her voice resembled that of a grandmother¡¯s, but was also strangely cute.


    The bell rang, and Aunt Hua, who stood outside, watched her little daughter talk with her classmate. This sight slightly alleviated her worries. It seemed like her daughter still shared common interests with her peers. Aunt Hua could now leave with her heart freed and allayed from any concerns.


    Little Miaomiao watched as her aunt left. She felt a tinge of sadness and she hid the candy away.


    Little Miaomiao has never attended kindergarten. Although her aunt taught her at home, she was still very much frightened. Thus, she took out her new notebook and started to write diligently.


    Zhou Yuan looked at the noisy, little children in the classroom. They still haven¡¯t come out of the placidity of kindergarten. He turned his attention to his tablemate, who engrossed herself in writing. His eyes glinted with admiration.


    ¡°A good seedling. With a little training, she¡¯ll become reliable and talented in the future,¡± he thought.


    He can start by making this little doll his business partner!


    Zhou Yuan observed his new tablemate meticulously. She was quiet and taciturn. Her face was always buried in the book, until school ended in the afternoon.


    Zhou Yuan nodded satisfied. After all, fortune shone upon those who loved to study.


    However, he felt some dissatisfaction towards her. Her movements were slow, like a snail. But she was very organized for someone, who did things like a snail.


    The school stools were uniform and thus, weren¡¯t too tall nor low. But the little snail was shorter than her peers. When she sat on the stool, she found it difficult to do her homework.


    Pouting her face, she carefully cushioned the stool. Then she sat on it again.


    When the second period was over, the other students began to play with their friends. The other children constantly hounded Zhou Yuan with requests to play with them, but he refused.


    He was very popular with this group of little ones.


    Little Miaomiao sat in her seat and glanced secretly at her neighboring classmate, who was praised by her aunt.


    She wanted to talk to him. She slipped her hand into her bag, and rummaged for the packet of delicious dried meat, that her aunt had made and bestowed to her.


    She could befriend the other students by sharing the food, her aunt had said.


    Little Miaomiao felt the dried meat, grasped it in her hand, and wanted to offer it to her classmate.


    But¡­but¡­she didn¡¯t dare speak.


    Soon, the class bell rang and little Miaomiao looked at the dried meat in her hand. Frustrated, she placed it back inside her schoolbag.


    This class originally taught Chinese, but because of Zhou Yan¡¯s ireful words, Teacher Xie wept and didn¡¯t come to class. Teacher Li came in as the substitute teacher.


    Teacher Li looked at the two little ones, who sat in the front row, especially Miaomiao. She felt relieved, when she saw her obediently doing her homework.


    Zhou Yuan, who was precociously intelligent and cared for other children, would definitely not bully her.

 CH 2

    During lunchtime, the P.T. teacher would distribute meals and fruits to everyone. A small orange was today¡¯s fruit.


    Little Miaomiao quickly cleared the meal on her plate. And afterwards, she peeled the small orange and began to eat it.


    Zhou Yuan couldn¡¯t help but watch his little tablemate. Her cheeks bulged when she ate, almost like a small animal.


    After finishing their meal, it was naptime for the children.


    When Zhou Yuan awoke, his little tablemate was still sleeping and lying on her side. She didn¡¯t wear the school uniform. Instead, she wore a white, long-sleeved, ruffled shirt. Her sleeves wholly concealed her little arms, but she slept in a manner that left her hands slightly exposed. Then, Zhou Yuan noticed the many scars on the back of her hands and wrist. Some were old, and others were scrapped off, which revealed her blood red flesh.


    Zhou Yuan thought that he had been mistaken. He carefully pulled up her sleeves, which revealed even more scars, which marred her arms. They didn¡¯t seem to be natural either.


    His classmate slept tranquilly on her stomach. Her small body appeared very frail.


    With ire in his heart, Zhou Yuan stood up carefully, and walked away from the table.


    Teacher Li, who was napping, was abruptly shook and awoken. ¡°Teacher Li!¡±


    When Teacher Li opened her eyes, she saw Zhou Yuan.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Zhou Yuan. Why aren¡¯t you sleeping?¡±


    With a grave expression on his face, Zhou Yuan asked, ¡°Teacher Li, do you know about my tablemate¡¯s family?¡±


    Teacher Li frowned, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I suspect that her family is abusing her.¡± Zhou Yuan¡¯s expression became more grave, as if his archenemy had appeared before him. ¡°Her hands are covered with scars.¡±


    Teacher Li felt a headache after understanding what was going on. She considered Zhou Yuan¡¯s character and decided to tell him, ¡°Zhou Yuan, I know you¡¯re a smart child, so I¡¯ll tell you, but don¡¯t say anything to the others.¡±


    ¡°Little Miaomiao was severely abused by her parents. Her parents were later sentenced to prison and she was put into an intensive care unit. But none of her relatives wanted to care for her. Her current father is a doctor in that hospital and after his wife found out, she cared for Miaomiao daily. Gradually, she recovered. They decided to adopt Miaomiao, since the couple had no children of their own. Do not tell anyone about this, okay?¡±


    Zhou Yuan froze and then nodded.


    When he returned to the classroom, he saw that his little tablemate had already woken up. He looked at her with pity. Children, who endured hardship, will shine brighter in the future.


    The first graders were young. During afternoon¡¯s last class, Teacher Li came back and said, ¡°Children, don¡¯t worry, your parents will pick you up soon.¡±


    She and Sister Hua have been good friends. They always talked about how they would be parents in the future. Some time ago, she went abroad to study and neglected to visit Miaomiao.


    When it was time to go home, Little Miaomiao recalled what her aunt told her. She reached for the packet of dried meat in her schoolbag. She didn¡¯t share it with anyone.


    She felt a pang of anxiety. She failed to share it with anyone. She failed to befriend anyone. When she returned home, would her aunt feel like she had raised an awful, disobedient daughter?


    Her small hands clenched and squeezed the dried meat in her hands. The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became. She wanted to share the dried meat with somebody.


    Suddenly, she heard the P.T. Teacher calling for her, ¡°Little Miaomiao, your parents are here. Come here quickly.¡±


    School will be finished at 5¡¯o clock. Aunt Hua and Uncle Hua arrived at 4:30. Aunt Hua conversed briefly with Teacher Li. She was relieved, when she found out that Miaomiao was doing well in school.


    Little Miaomiao could only put the packet of dried meat back into her schoolbag. Carrying her schoolbag, she trudged out of the classroom with a languid gait.


    As soon as she came out, Aunt Hua hugged her.


    This frightened little Miaomiao, and she took a step back. Uncle Hua stopped Aunt Hua, ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited, you are frightening her.¡±


    Aunt Hua realized her overreaction and released little Miaomiao. Then, she held her little hand and asked her, ¡°What did Miaomiao do at school today?¡±


    Little Miaomiao clenched her hands tightly, as soon as the question struck her. She cast her eyes down. Because she couldn¡¯t befriend anyone and hand out snacks, a feeling of uselessness grew in her heart.


    When Little Miaomiao gave no response, Aunt Hua wasn¡¯t worried. She continued speaking softly, ¡°Today, Auntie went back to my office. I missed Miaomiao very much, as I was doing my work.¡±


    Uncle Hua stood there, watching them, nearby in the vicinity.


    Meanwhile, other parents were leading their children out of the classroom. The other first-graders were chattering like little sparrows.


    ¡°There was a new student in our class today.¡±


    ¡°Zhou Yuan berated Teacher Xie, until she broke into tears.¡±


    ¡°But Zhou Yuan was correct. Teacher Xie shouldn¡¯t make fun of children. We also have a sense of self-esteem, even if we are children. In the future, if you make fun of me for being toothless, then I will ask Zhou Yuan to scold you, until you cry.¡±


    Little Miaomiao lowered her head and listened to the other children speaking with their parents. Depression overtook her.


    They began to walk. Aunt Hua spoke about what she ate for lunch. She finally said, ¡°Today, I met a highschool classmate and we chatted with each other for a long time. As a result, when my colleague handed out pomegranates, I didn¡¯t get any. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve brought some back for my Miaomiao.¡±


    Just like the children next to them, she talked about everything incessantly.


    At the school gate, Aunt Hua and Miaomiao stood there and waited for Uncle Hua to drive over.


    At the same time, Zhou Yuan was walking with his father.


    Father Zhou was still admonishing Zhou Yuan, ¡°Little Zhou. Even if the teacher has done something wrong, you can¡¯t berate her in front of so many classmates. Do you understand?¡±


    Zhou Yuan was just about to retort, when he saw the little snail standing quietly in front of the school gate. She was holding the hand of the adult next to her.


    All the children left with their parents. He and his little tablemate were the only ones remaining. They were listening, as the adults continued to talk to them.


    Zhou Yuan heaved a sigh of relief, when he saw the aunt¡¯s gentle movements. This aunt would treat his little tablemate with kindness and love.


    After Uncle Hua drove over, Aunt Hua helped Little Miao to sit inside the car. When she went into the car, Little Miao hugged her schoolbag tightly and sat in the safety seat for children.


    Aunt Hua wished to help carry her schoolbag, but Little Miao held it and uttered, ¡°I¡­I¡¯ll hold it myself.¡±


    A feeling of happiness radiated from Aunt Hua, as she said, ¡°Little Miaomiao is so good.¡±


    After returning home, Little Miaomiao, who usually walked slowly, suddenly quickened her pace towards her room.


    Her room was decorated with an exquisite, princess-styled theme.


    Little Miao took out the dried meat and hid it under her bed. Then, she closed the schoolbag.


    Afterwards, she exited and placed the schoolbag into the study.


    ¡°Maio Miao, what do you want to eat for dinner?¡±, Aunt Hua asked, wearing an apron.


    Little Miao, who was concealing a secret in the cauldron of her heart, said timidly and softly, ¡°I¡¯ll eat anything.¡±


    ¡°Then, aunt will cook corn rice for dinner. Then I¡¯ll stir-fry some choy sum and a meat dish to make Sixi balls. And maybe, we can have cucumber preserved egg soup?¡±, Auntie asked with excitement in her voice.


    Little Miao raised her head and looked at her carefully. Seeing her smiling and talking, she thought to herself, Auntie¡­is really beautiful.

 CH 3

    After she decided what to eat for dinner, Aunt Hua lowered her head and kissed Little Miaomiao¡¯s forehead, ¡°Thank you, my dear, for helping Auntie decide so quickly.¡±


    She turned around and jauntily strolled into the kitchen. Little Miaomiao touched her forehead and felt as if she had eaten way too many sweets.


    Concurrently, Uncle Hua hung his coat on the hanger at the side and went into the study to get Little Miaomiao¡¯s Mickey Mouse schoolbag. He walked over to her and said, ¡°Miaomiao, did the teacher assign you any homework today?¡±


    Little Miaomiao came back to her senses and looked at Uncle Hua. She observed Uncle Hua¡¯s tall and imposing back traversing towards the study step by step. She became nervous, tightly held the hems of her clothes and looked down at her feet. Two cute, fluffy bunny slippers adorned her feet and the Little Rabbit¡¯s face seemed to almost stare back at her with its two cute eyes. As if mustering her courage, Little Miaomiao tried to utter forcefully, ¡°Homework was assigned.¡±


    Their teacher stated that parents should supervise their children, while they did their homework. Lastly, the parents will have to sign their homework sheets, and the teacher will check tomorrow.


    Little Miaomiao dared not to reveal too much to her tall and imposing uncle.


    Uncle Hua had no idea what Little Miaomiao was so worried about. He took out the textbook from her small schoolbag and saw two sheets, which comprised today¡¯s homework.


    He wasn¡¯t aware of anything else missing in the schoolbag. Uncle Hua looked at the sheet and said, ¡°Primary school students are under a lot of pressure.¡±


    Aunt Hua¡¯s voice radiated from the kitchen, ¡°It¡¯s okay. If she can¡¯t finish it. Then, we can do it. I heard, many parents do their primary school students¡¯ homework.¡±


    Little Miaomiao remembered what the teacher said. They should do their own homework and not let their parents do it, she recalled. But she remained silent. In her mind, whatever her aunt said, had more merit than her teacher.


    Little Miaomiao properly sat on her little stool. Under the supervision of Uncle Hua, she began to do her homework sheets. Uncle Hua¡¯s cell phone rang, and Little Miaomiao overheard Uncle Hua say, ¡°Okay, I am coming right now.¡±


    Then, he traversed into the kitchen and said to Aunt Hua, ¡°Dear, I have to go to the hospital.¡±


    Aunt Hua was already accustomed to it. She simply said, ¡°When food is ready, Miaomiao and I will deliver it to you.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need, you can¡¯t drive, and it¡¯s inconvenient to take a taxi. I will just order takeout by myself. I may come back a little late tonight. You guys should go to bed early.¡± After Uncle Hua finished talking to his wife, he squatted down again and said, ¡°Miaomiao has to watch Auntie at home. Make sure that she isn¡¯t picky with her meals, okay?¡±


    Little Miaomiao nodded timorously.


    After Uncle Hua left, Little Miaomiao was the only one, who was engrossed doing homework in the living room. From the kitchen, there was the sound of a knife chopping meat.


    The teacher assigned them two large sheets for homework. Little Miaomiao could only comprehend the first question on the front side. After finishing it, Little Miaomiao carefully flipped over the sheet to the back and looked at it. She couldn¡¯t comprehend the questions.


    Meanwhile, Aunt Hua was still cutting vegetables in the kitchen. The scent of rice in the rice cooker already started to waft out of the kitchen.


    Little Miaomiao stood up and walked towards the kitchen. She suddenly stopped herself, when she noticed a broom in a corner.


    Little Miaomiao turned her attention towards it. Walking over, she picked up the broom, which was a little taller than herself and started to sweep the floor earnestly.


    Aunt Hua had cut the meat and vegetables for the stuffing and poured oil on the pan. She heard no sound outside, so she poked her head out to see what her little daughter was doing.


    Ever since she had a daughter, she couldn¡¯t help, but furtively watch what her little daughter was doing.


    Then, she saw her little daughter, who held a broom and swept the floor with scrupulous care. The house wasn¡¯t dirty. They used a special sweeping robot. Because they had just adopted a child, the couple was a little too excited. They bought a copious amount of children¡¯s toys: Barbies, dancing dolls, panda dolls, totoro puppets, and even a few toy cars, princess crowns, shiny bracelets, puzzles, building blocks¡­


    Little Miaomiao doesn¡¯t play much with these toys, but there were two adults, who often played with them. As Little Miaomiao had started school, they were busy for the past two days. Hence, the house is a little messy.


    Little Miaomiao squatted down and picked up all the puzzle pieces on the carpet. Then, she stood up and put them in a box on the side. She moved at an unhurried pace, but she took her task very seriously.


    She was so well-behaved.


    In the kitchen, the oil in the pan was already heated, so Aunt Hua hurried back to cook.


    When she placed the chopped meat in the pot, there was a sizzling ¡°chi¡± sound, and the savory fragrance wafted out.


    Aunt Hua cooked very quickly. In just a fleeting moment, she made three dishes and a soup. Uncle Hua may not come back until the morning, so she saved some of the vegetable soup and put it in the container to keep it warm. If he¡¯s hungry, he can eat some of the leftover morsels.


    Then, she brought out the rest of the food.


    During their meal together, Little Miaomiao shifted her attention towards her aunt. She saw that Aunt Hua ate the cabbage¡­then, she ate the cabbage again¡­then, her aunt still picked the cabbage.


    While Uncle was at home, he always told Auntie not to just eat vegetables, but to also eat meat and rice.


    Little Miaomiao anxiously took a bite of rice. She pondered, why her Auntie doesn¡¯t eat meat¡­.


    She doesn¡¯t know what to say. Auntie is an adult. If she said that, would Auntie be disappointed?


    Auntie Hua picked up the cabbage again.


    Little Miaomiao observed her carefully. While she was eating, she pushed the plate of meatballs towards her aunt. Then, she lowered her head to continue eating.


    Aunt Hua eyed what her little daughter had done. Then, she quickly recalled what her husband said, when he was about to leave.


    So, she took one of the meatballs and ate it slowly and said, ¡°It¡¯s so delicious. I almost forgot to eat some meat.¡±


    Little Miaomiao was relieved, when she saw her eat the meat and continued with her meal.


    After Aunt Hua finished washing the dishes, she helped Little Miaomiao complete her homework.


    Little Miaomiao¡¯s body was tense because of the secret that she hid within her schoolbag. She was afraid of being discovered.


    In fact, Aunt Hua wasn¡¯t aware of it at all. Aunt Hua gave Little Miaomiao the dried meat, so that she could eat it, when she was hungry. But, because children often shared food and befriended each other, she told her to share her food.


    Aunt Hua took the homework sheets and checked them. Words and pictures filled the entire sheet. She noticed that Little Miaomiao had only finished the first question. She didn¡¯t do the pinyin question at the end of the language section. The mathematics and English section were also left blank. Furthermore, she didn¡¯t write her daytime summary.


    Little Miaomiao waited nervously.


    First, Aunt Hua looked through the two test sheets and felt relieved. Fortunately, she could complete her homework. She used to complain about children¡¯s homework before, and how she couldn¡¯t do it.


    Aunt Hua started to explain the second question slowly.


    Although the question wasn¡¯t difficult, the question was a little imposing. And Little Miaomiao was inclined to do things slowly. Therefore, she also did her homework at an unhurried pace.


    When the mother and daughter had finished writing the two sheets, two hours had already passed unknowingly.


    Little Miaomiao felt very sleepy. It was Aunt Hua, who wrote with a pen, while holding her little hand.

 CH 4

    When Aunt Hua finished writing the final question, Little Miaomiao¡¯s tender little face was about to knock on the table. Aunt Hua stretched out her hand, placed it flatly on the table, and allowed Little Miaomiao¡¯s little face to fall directly onto the palm of her hand.


    After raising her little daughter for such a long time, her little face became soft and fleshy.


    Aunt Hua¡¯s heart softened, as she looked at her little daughter. She leaned over and picked her up with care.


    Suddenly, Little Miaomiao woke up and felt as if she was floating in the air. Fear filled her eyes, as she struggled in fright.


    ¡°It¡¯s Auntie, don¡¯t be afraid. It¡¯s Auntie. Auntie is holding you.¡±, Aunt Hua saw Little Miao¡¯s fear-stricken eyes. She immediately understood what she was thinking, so she quickly allayed her worries.


    Only then did Little Miaomiao see with clarity that her aunt had picked her up. The panic in her eyes gradually subsided. Then, she carefully and slowly embraced Aunt Hua.


    The little girl in her arms placed her trust in Aunt Hua instantly. When Aunt Hua saw this, her hands shook and she almost broke into tears. Aunt Hua gently touched Miaomiao¡¯s head and said in a quivering voice, ¡°Auntie is here.¡±


    Aunt Hua embraced Little Miaomiao and returned to her bedroom. Little Miaomiao sat on the bed obediently, while Aunt Hua helped her slip into her pajamas.


    Aunt Hua took out the scar removal cream from the nearby cabinet. Then, she slowly applied it on Little Miaomiao¡¯s hands and calves.


    After applying the cream, Little Miaomiao was stuffed into her quilt. Aunt Hua didn¡¯t notice that Little Miaomiao slept in the same place tonight.


    When Uncle Hua returned, it was already past one o¡¯clock in the morning. He saw that his wife was still awake and was sitting on the sofa in the living room.


    Uncle Hua took off his coat and walked over, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you in bed?¡±


    Aunt Hua put down her needle and thread and replied, ¡°I am making adjustments to her school uniform.¡±


    She put down the blue and white school uniform. Then, she stood up and embraced Uncle Hua, ¡°Our daughter took the initiative to hug me today.¡±


    Uncle Hua rubbed her head, ¡°She¡¯s a good girl. She will get much better in the future.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯m not in a hurry. But when she hugged me, I was so excited, that I could¡¯ve cried.¡± Although she didn¡¯t give birth to her, she slowly healed her wounds little by little. Little Miaomiao dreaded them and hid whenever they approached her. But now she could sit at the same table to share a meal with them, go to school, and address her as Auntie. Her work was more arduous than most mothers.


    ¡°I saved some food for you. Go ahead and eat it first.¡± Aunt Hua sat down again and picked up the school uniform she bought today. ¡°I will be finished here soon.¡±


    Aunt Hua is a fashion designer. Not only could she draw up designs, but she also can create her own clothes. Slightly modifying a pre-existing design presents no difficulty for her.


    Uncle Hua saw that his wife had changed the cuffs of the original school uniform. It was no longer the ruffle design like the other clothes that she made for her. Instead, they became an elongated part of the cuffs, which were unnoticeable, except to those who paid attention to them.


    After Aunt Hua altered the school uniform, the house fell into silence. She carefully opened the little girl¡¯s room and placed the school uniform next to her.


    Little Miaomiao nestled inside her quilt, exposing only her small head. Aunt Hua couldn¡¯t help it, and she bent down and kissed her little cheek.


    During this time, Dad Zhou got up and trekked to the bathroom. When he came back, he saw a slit of light emanating from the slightly ajar door to the study.


    A shiver ran down his spine, and his heart began to palpitate quickly. He looked left and right, and he couldn¡¯t find any suitable weapons to use. He took off his slippers and held them. He furtively tiptoed into the study.


    He pushed the door to the study gently and saw his son sitting in front of the computer.


    Zhou Yuan had a perplexed expression on his face. ¡°Dad, why are holding your slippers. Are you about to squash a cockroach?¡±


    Dad Zhou put the slippers on the ground nonchalantly and said, ¡°I just saw a rat.¡± He changed the subject and asked, ¡°It¡¯s very late. Why are you here? If you don¡¯t go to sleep now, you won¡¯t be able to wake up tomorrow!¡±


    After saying that, he seized and picked up Zhou Yuan. Zhou Yuan was taller than his peers, but shorter than adults. He presented no challenge and was thrown directly into his bedroom.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about transferring. Go to bed!¡± said Dad Zhou.


    Because Zhou Yuan had this stain on his record, Dad Zhou naturally thought that he was up in the middle of the night to submit an application to university again.


    Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t retort. He was still thinking about the information that he had just discovered.


    Zhou Yuan now knew better. A year ago, he was unaware, but now, he understood. Not everyone in this world has his intellect, and not everyone great or talented would be remembered. Naturally, he understood why everyone couldn¡¯t live similarly to him.


    But he never thought that there were children, who suffered through such hardship.


    He had only experienced a tenth of his life and his greatest distress was his parents¡¯ refusal to allow him to skip grades. He had to interact with a group of children, who lived in a completely different world from him.


    When Zhou Yuan arrived at school the next day, he saw the Little Snail wearing the same school uniform as his other classmates. She was already sitting in her seat.


    Zhou Yuan approached her, ¡°Good morning Miaomiao.¡± He now knew that her name was Miaomiao, not Meow.


    Little Miaomiao was holding the packet of dried meat and was awaiting his arrival. Thoughts filled her little head about how to give the packet to the other party. So, she couldn¡¯t react when she heard him talking to her.


    Simultaneously, Zhou Yuan sat in his seat and saw that Little Miaomiao didn¡¯t answer him. He continued to patiently talk to her, ¡°When I arrived just now, I saw what would be served for lunch today. Today¡¯s fruit is pomegranate. Do you like to eat those?¡±


    The school would publish the menu for the children¡¯s lunches on the bulletin boards outside every morning. This made it convenient for parents, when they sent their children for supervision.


    When Little Miaomiao heard this, her thoughts drifted from the dried meat to a new source of interest. She turned her head and asked in a low voice, ¡°Sixteen?¡±


    Sixteen? Can that be eaten? Auntie taught her how to count. She can count up to fifty. Yesterday, her Auntie also said that she didn¡¯t get the sixteen. She didn¡¯t understand why sixteen could be eaten. She never heard about eating fourteen, fifteen, and seventeen.


    ¡°Yes, pomegranate.¡± Zhou Yuan coaxed the little child and asked, ¡°Does Miaomiao like to eat pomegranate?¡±


    Little Miaomiao didn¡¯t answer. Her little head was filled with only one thought.


    Sixteen.


    Little Miaomiao¡¯s mind meandered through many twists and turns. She finally decided.


    Simultaneously, her classmates entered one after another. Since children usually came to school during this time, they all arrived in groups of two or three. They walked in, held each other¡¯s hands, and talked about a variety of things.


    ¡°My tooth is loose. Mom said that after it fell, she would throw it under the bed¡­¡±


    ¡°My mother said that it should be thrown on the roof. Otherwise, no new tooth would grow!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Little Miaomiao watched them come hand in hand with envy. Her hand touched the meat packet again. Then she furtively glanced at her neighbor, Zhou Yuan, who was in a rush to finish his homework.


    Zhou Yuan went home yesterday and didn¡¯t do his homework. He now raced against time to complete it. For him, these two papers were more akin to child¡¯s play. Ten minutes were more than enough for him to finish them.


    His face radiated extreme sobriety, and Little Miaomiao was hesitant to disturb him.


    Little Miaomiao just observed him doing his homework. When he finished his homework, she thought about conversing with him and giving him the dried meat packet. She thought about befriending him.


    Zhou Yuan raised his eyes and met Little Miaomiao¡¯s gaze. He smiled at her and then, he continued to hasten through his homework.


    Little Miaomiao looked back with embarrassment.


    Soon, school began. The first class was Chinese with Teacher Xie. Aggrieved by yesterday¡¯s events, she cried and simultaneously felt incensed.


    After Teacher Xie came in, she felt a little abashed. But she didn¡¯t mention yesterday¡¯s events and immediately started teaching.


    Zhou Yuan wasn¡¯t going to embarrass her either. After all, they already dealt with the matter. As long as she didn¡¯t cause any more incidents. It would be boring to mention it again.

 CH 5

    Little Miaomiao never learned any of this before. When she arrived yesterday, it was already the third period, so she missed the lecture.


    The teacher in charge, Teacher Li, came in and said, ¡°Okay class. Don¡¯t cause any trouble. Start with your eye exercises. Do you remember how to do it?¡±


    The group of children responded promptly, ¡°Remember.¡±


    Little Miaomiao was a little flustered. She had no idea what was going on.


    Zhou Yuan had always been a clever person. Seeing her fidgeting in her seat, he instantly knew. He leaned over and said in a hushed voice, ¡°Turn your head and observe me doing it. Follow my lead and do whatever I am doing.¡±


    Little Miaomiao focused her attention onto him and observed him carefully. When Zhou Yuan performed a move, she imitated him.


    Teacher Li saw this. She smiled with approval and nodded her head. She felt certain that Zhou Yuan wouldn¡¯t bully her.


    Eventually, noon came. The P.T. teacher had already arrived. Zhou Yuan was a very clean person. To avoid food falling and sullying his white shirt due to his own youthful carelessness and inexperience, he swathed a white cloth around his chest.


    Ever since he taught Little Miaomiao how to do the eye exercises this morning, she grew more fond of her tablemate. She wanted to do the same things he did. But she didn¡¯t have any raiments to wrap herself in.


    Little Miaomiao looked at the paper towel and felt that it would suffice for her purpose. So, she tore out a sheet of paper towel, followed Zhou Yuan¡¯s lead, and wrapped it around her chest.


    Zhou Yuan saw his little tablemate slowly wrap a sheet of paper towel around her neck, but it was far too short to be used for wrapping.


    So, he removed the white cloth that he was using and leaned over, ¡°Little Miaomiao, you can use this.¡±


    After he uttered those words, he started to help her adorn the cloth around her body. Afterwards, he looked at her.


    The white cloth resembled a scarf in a way and it helped enshrine the little girl¡¯s cuteness.


    At this moment, the P.T. teacher came out and allotted them food and fruits.


    The pomegranate seeds were in the plate¡¯s fruit section.


    These were these sixteen that you can eat!


    Little Miaomiao¡¯s thoughts circled entirely around this one thing.


    After the P.T. teacher left, Little Miaomiao started to eat her meal, but kept focusing on the sixteen.


    Zhou Yuan liked to watch her eat. When her cheeks bulged, she looked very cute.


    She looked around intermittently and discovered that the P.T. teacher was supervising the other children.  Since the P.T. teacher paid no attention to her, her little hand clandestinely grabbed a handful of pomegranate seeds from the fruit bowl.


    After taking them, she put them under her desk. Then, she pretended to eat, as if she had committed no wrong. Her hands were too small to hold them all at once, so she repeated her actions several times.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    After everyone finished their meal, the P.T. teacher checked everyone¡¯s plates, including Little Miaomiao¡¯s. ¡°You are a good girl. You completely finished your meal.¡±


    Zhou Yuan saw Little Miaomiao lower her head and blush.


    During the afternoon, Little Miaomiao was a little restless in class. She always looked out the window.


    And during the final class, the P.T. teacher said, ¡°Little Miaomiao. Your parents are here, come here soon.¡±


    Little Miaomiao ran out with her schoolbag. It was the first time that Zhou Yuan saw her act so hastily.


    When Little Miaomiao came out, Aunt Hua touched her head joyfully, ¡°I heard the teacher say that Miaomiao learned how to do eye exercises with her classmates today. Miaomiao is amazing!¡±


    Little Miaomiao felt a little abashed and humbled. She thought about giving her Auntie the sixteen in her schoolbag, when they arrived home. But because the P.T. teacher was still present, she can¡¯t reveal the sixteen yet. If the P.T. teacher saw her, she will believe that she wasn¡¯t well-behaved, because she didn¡¯t finish her meal.


    Upon returning home, Little Miaomiao carried her schoolbag to her bedroom. She opened the schoolbag and took out the paper towel that contained the sixteen.


    But because she didn¡¯t have anything else to keep the sixteen, she wrapped them in a paper towel.


    The white paper was torn. When Little Miaomiao opened it, she saw that they weren¡¯t the same sixteen that were beautiful, vivacious and radiant.


    Sixteen withered into a dull, somber brown.


    Little Miaomiao originally anticipated this exhilarating event. But she saw now that sixteen withered and died. She felt tears welling in her eyes.


    She also saw several packets of dried meat in her schoolbag. None of which were handed out.


    Tears streamed down Little Miamiao¡¯s cheeks.


    Aunt Hua came knocking on the door, ¡°Miaomiao. What do you want for dinner?¡±


    Little Miaomiao quickly placed the withered sixteen under her bed and concealed it from her aunt. Otherwise, her aunt would definitely feel sad and dejected. Yes, because she didn¡¯t get sixteen¡­


    Then, she also hid the dried meat under the bed, before opening the door.


    Aunt Hua felt that there was something wrong with Little Miaomiao. Her eyes were downcast. She looked like she wanted to break into tears, as if she had suffered a great grievance.


    Aunt Hua suddenly thought of the various kinds of school violence that she saw on Weibo.

 CH 6

    The more Aunt Hua thought about it, the more scared she became. When she was studying, there were also some children in her class, who had slow reactions and didn¡¯t like talking. They were always alone.


    Aunt Hua imagined Little Miaomiao in school with a large group of children happily playing together, but her little daughter always remained alone and watched the others play. This unsettled her heart.


    Aunt Hua asked Miaomiao about it, but she said nothing. After dinner, Aunt Hua sent a WeChat message to Teacher Li.


    ¡°Lulu. Did something happen to Miaomiao, when she attended school today? She ran into her bedroom, as soon as she returned home, and there were tears in her eyes. When I asked her, she didn¡¯t say anything.¡±


    Teacher Li read the WeChat Message. She felt a little confused. Little Miaomiao didn¡¯t do anything at school. Although she was indeed a little special and not very sociable, it was obvious that there was someone else, who was even more special and even more unsociable. The one sitting next to her.


    Teacher Li messaged Aunt Hua back, ¡°Do not fret. I¡¯ll ask her tablemate. He¡¯s a genius child. A teacher once mocked a student, who had a stuttering problem in class. He stood up and recited the teacher¡¯s code of conduct, which made the teacher cry. But he is very amiable to other children.¡± Teacher Li was embarrassed to say that the child once stated that caring for human cubs is what everyone should do.


    Aunt Hua still remembers that little, precocious boy.


    Teacher Li quickly sent a WeChat message to the registered number of Zhou Yuan¡¯s primary school, ¡°Zhou Yuan, was there anything wrong with Miaomiao in school today? She looked sad, when she returned home.¡±


    While typing the message, Teacher Li decided to use Aunt Hua¡¯s own words, ¡°tears in her eyes.¡±


    Zhou Yuan was reading a book, when he received the message. After reading the message, a phantom image of his little tablemate crying appeared in his mind¡­


    Zhou Yuan recalled and replied, ¡°No, she was the same as she was the day before.¡±


    Then, he thought of something, ¡°She didn¡¯t eat the pomegranates at noon today. She wrapped them in tissues and hid them in her schoolbag.¡±


    Could it be because of this?


    Teacher Li: ¡°Thank you, Zhou Yuan.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Teacher. This is what I should do.¡±


    Teacher Li: ¡°¡­¡±.


    Sometimes, she wondered whether the other party was a peer of the same age. No, no, no, she felt like he was a parent of a student, who acted more maturely than her.


    Teacher Li quickly reported to Aunt Hua what Zhou Yuan had told her.


    Aunt Hua found this matter slightly confusing. She carefully opened the door of Little Miaomiao¡¯s bedroom. Little Miaomiao was fast asleep.


    Aunt Hua took her schoolbag and found nothing.


    Uncle Hua was much more scrutinizing, when he searched. Eventually, he stumbled upon an edge of a small piece of paper towel hidden under the bed, so he reached and took it out.


    He saw the withered pomegranate seeds.


    Was Little Miaomiao sad because the pomegranate seeds withered and died?


    Aunt Hua took the seeds from Uncle Hua and put them back in its original hiding place.


    Early next morning, Little Miaomiao awoke and heard Aunt Hua say, ¡°Dear, today is a good day for planting. Go and buy some pomegranate seeds. When the seedlings grow, we can plant them on the balcony. They will sprout and bear pomegranates.¡±


    When Little Miaomiao overheard this, she was stunned. She hastily ran to her bed and took out the sixteen from under the bed.


    Sixteen. It¡¯s so amazing. Not only can you eat them, but they can also grow more sixteen.


    Little Miaomiao clasped the pomegranate seeds wrapped in the paper towel and slowly opened the door. She had the sixteen that her aunt asked her, so she didn¡¯t have to go out to purchase it.


    When Little Miaomiao came out, she still wore the pink bunny pajamas. And just like a timorous, little rabbit, she said, ¡°Auntie¡­¡±


    Aunt Hua squatted down, ¡°Miaomiao got up so early today.¡±


    Little Miaomiao lowered her head and put the paper towel in her Aunt¡¯s hands, ¡°Sixteen¡­¡±


    Aunt Hua received it and wowed in astonishment, ¡°Miaomiao, Auntie was just about to look for pomegranate seeds!¡±


    Because she was able to help her aunt, a feeling of delight filled Little Miaomiao¡¯s heart. But, she was timid and had no idea how to express herself.


    Then, Aunt Hua dragged her to the balcony and Little Miaomiao saw a large ceramic pot that was filled with soil.


    Uncle Hua happily took out a small spade and planted all the pomegranate seeds that Little Miaomiao provided.


    Little Miaomiao happily looked on, as her uncle and aunt planted the sixteen. Due to her youth, she didn¡¯t understand why a feeling of euphoria filled her heart, but nonetheless, she was beaming with joy.


    Seeing her elated face, Aunt Hua and Uncle Hua looked at each other and smiled.


    After two days, Aunt Hua went to purchase some pomegranate seedlings.


    Aunt Hua packed up Little Miaomiao¡¯s schoolbag. They were about to depart for school. Before leaving, Little Miaomiao thought about going to her room. She wanted to secretly take the packet of dried meat under her quilt to bring to school.


    Aunt Hua made the dried meat herself and she packed it meticulously.


    Just then, Uncle Hua knocked on the door, ¡°Dear, are you ready? We should depart now.¡±


    Aunt Hua led Little Miaomiao out quickly along with her school bag. As a result, Little Miaomiao forgot to take the packet of dried meat.


    After her arrival at school, Zhou Yuan was nowhere to be found.


    Little Miaomiao sat in her seat and looked at the empty seat next to her. If she would¡¯ve brought the packet of dried meat, then it would¡¯ve sat comfortably on his table now¡­


    When Zhou Yuan came, he saw Little Miaomiao reading. Today, she wore a pink, long-sleeved shirt instead of her school uniform.


    The school only required students to wear school uniforms on Monday. They were permitted to wear their own clothes during any other day.


    Zhou Yuan walked over with a swift gait and said with a smile, ¡°Miaomiao, what do you think this is?¡±


    Zhou Yuan held a pomegranate in his hand, a pomegranate that had not yet opened its shell.


    Little Miaomiao raised her head and scrutinized the thing that was larger than an apple. But she knew that it wasn¡¯t an apple.


    She felt a tinge of confusion and she asked in a hushed voice, ¡°What is it?¡±


    Her voice was quiet. Like a grandmother¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Pomegranate.¡± Zhou Yuan declared.


    Before going to bed last night, he asked the teacher why Little Miaomiao was crying. The teacher said it was because her pomegranate died. So when he was heading to school, he passed by a fruit store. He asked his father to stop the car, got out and bought some pomegranates.


    Zhou Yuan put the pomegranate into her hand and said with a smile, ¡°I am giving it to you.¡±


    Little Miaomiao was taken aback. She held the pomegranate and looked at Zhou Yuan, who smiled back. Did he want to be friends? Good friends, perhaps that¡¯s why he gave me food¡­

 CH 7

    Little Miaomiao¡¯s thoughts circled around the packet of dried meat. She thought that she could¡¯ve shared it with Zhou Yuan, if she could¡¯ve brought it. The pomegranate that Zhou Yuan gifted to her was very large. She had to use both of her hands to hold it. She stared at it. She thought about whether Zhou Yuan gifted this to her as a token of friendship. If he did, she would accept it.


    Looking at her dumbfounded expression, Zhou Yuan found her cute. The other night, after discovering her past affliction, curiosity surged within him, and he wanted to know more. So, he sought and found a video that recorded her abuse. The video showed how her parents locked her inside a cat cage as punishment, which forced her to languish within a tiny enclosure for more than six years. He now understood why her reactions were slow.


    He didn¡¯t press her for any response and simply said, ¡°Tell me if you want to eat it. I will peel it for you. You should peel it right before you eat it or else it will rot when exposed to the air for too long.¡±


    Little Miaomiao blinked and didn¡¯t understand a word that he said.


    Patiently, Zhou Yuan clarified to her, ¡°The fruit contains the pomegranate seeds that we ate yesterday. If the seeds are exposed to air for too long, then they will wither and will become inedible.¡±


    This time, Little Miaomiao finally understood. She clasped the pomegranate tightly in her hands. She wanted to preserve it for her aunt. Her aunt said that it would take a long time for the seeds that they planted to sprout. She mustered up her courage to speak and said slowly, ¡°I want to take this sixteen back.¡±


    But she felt wrong for some reason. She couldn¡¯t hone in on what was wrong, but a tinge of anxiety crept into a corner of her heart. After all, it was something that her friend had gifted to her. She kept her head down and whispered, ¡°I¡¯ll gift you¡­the dried meat. It¡¯s very delicious¡­I¡¯ll give all of it to you.¡±


    Zhou Yuan looked at the top of her head. Seeing her lower her head while speaking, he thought that the little girl was too timid, whenever she spoke to him.


    Time froze for a moment and Zhou Yuan remembered how she took yesterday¡¯s pomegranate seeds home as well. He found this a little unusual. Why didn¡¯t she eat it and why did she keep it in her bag?


    He asked her, ¡°Why does Little Miaomiao want to bring it home?¡±


    Little Miaomiao whispered back, ¡°Auntie wanted to eat sixteen, so I want to bring it to her.¡±


    Zhou Yuan was speechless. Yesterday, she clandestinely hid the pomegranate seeds and brought them back home to gift them to her adoptive mother. But when she saw how they rotted away, she felt sad, is this correct?


    After realizing this, a wave of complicated emotions overcame Zhou Yuan. He couldn¡¯t help stroking her head, ¡°Alright, you can take them home, Little Miaomiao.¡±


    Little Miaomiao¡¯s mood lightened, and she gladly put the sixteen into her schoolbag.


    During this time, several children walked into the classroom hand in hand. They conversed with each other. Just like yesterday.


    Little Miaomiao looked at their interlocking hands and thought that they must be good friends. She pondered about her reception of Zhou Yuan¡¯s food and wondered if they were also, now, good friends.


    Little Miaomiao turned her head and focused her attention to Zhou Yuan¡¯s hand. His hand held a pen, and he wrote quickly to complete his homework.


    Of course, Zhou Yuan had to write swiftly, in order to finish his homework, as class was about to begin.


    Little Miaomiao thought that she should be patient. Tomorrow, she will give him the packet of dried meat and hold hands with him.


    After Zhou Yuan completed his homework, he realized that Little Miaomiao intermittently glanced at his hand. He also looked at his hand, but didn¡¯t see anything special in them.


    Then, Zhou Yuan remembered that scars riddled Little Miaomiao¡¯s hands. He noticed that the long sleeves of her dress that she wore today were custom-designed ruffles. The design looked gorgeous.


    Little Miaomiao always paid fastidious attention to her hands due to her scars. When she saw how Zhou Yuan pulled out his sleeves and concealed his hands like she did, she retracted her gaze. She thought that her tablemate didn¡¯t want to hold hands with her.


    When the second period finished, Little Miaomiao was on her way to the washroom, but she was intercepted by the little girl who sat behind her, who also coincidentally went to the washroom. She held Little Miaomiao¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Your name is Little Miaomiao, right? My name is Jing Jing. Let¡¯s go to the washroom together.¡±


    Little Miaomiao was surprised, when the little girl held her hand. She thought about whether she made a new friend.


    The girl named Jingjing had a round face and when she smiled, her eyes would curve. When she held Little Miaomiao¡¯s hands, she felt something amiss. Suddenly, she screamed, ¡°There are bugs on your hands!¡±


    Little Miaomiao was also startled and pulled her sleeves down to cloak her hands and retorted, ¡°No.¡±


    A few children were watching their interaction and they saw the back of Little Miaomiao¡¯s hands that were riddled with criss-crossed scars. This shocked all of them instantly.


    Zhou Yuan stood up and helped Little Miaomiao pull her sleeves down. Children had no emotional intelligence and would say whatever they wished. Zhou Yuan feared that they would harm Little Miaomiao¡¯s feelings by talking nonsense.


    He had to act quickly and preempt any difficulties that Little Miaomiao might face, so with a grave expression on his face, Zhou Yuan said, ¡°You all discovered it so soon!¡±


    Jing Jing who touched her hand still felt something was wrong. She couldn¡¯t help but to ask him, ¡°What happened to her hand?¡±


    Zhou Yuan soothed Little Miaomiao by gently stroking her head and said, ¡°Sure enough. You all have forgotten about the incident that happened five years ago, when we traversed into this world from another world.¡±


    Since Jing Jing screamed loudly, all the other students gathered around them. There were more than twenty little children encircling them. A tinge of fear crept into a corner of Little Miaomiao¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Five years ago?¡±


    Someone calculated his age and said, ¡°Zhou Yuan. Five years ago, I was two years old.¡±


    ¡°Is that five years ago?¡±


    Zhou Yuan whispered, ¡°Someone go and shut the door. Don¡¯t allow others to know about this. Why do you think we¡¯re in the same class? It¡¯s because of what happened five years ago.¡±


    A boy swiftly went to shut the classroom door.


    ¡°When we first arrived in this world, we were all omniscient and omnipotent. Not only that, but we could also communicate with each other at that time.¡± Zhou Yuan said seriously.


    One of the little boys quickly interjected, ¡°It¡¯s fake. I watched this on TV.¡±


    Zhou Yuan shifted his attention to him and said, ¡°Little Gang, do you remember the incident when you were a one year old and fell down from the second floor? At that time, we were all conversing and you paid no heed outside and fell down.¡±


    Zhou Yuan looked at another classmate and said, ¡°You were there during that time. But you were busy sitting on your dog¡¯s back and played with it as if it were a horse.¡±


    Little Gang was stunned. His mother told him about an incident when he fell down from the second floor. He was very fat when he was young. He tried to crawl over the security net affixed to the balcony, but he fell down. Fortunately, the lawn below broke his fall and he only received a few cuts to his ears. ¡°How do you know¡­¡±


    Another classmate said, ¡°My mom often said that I used to walk around everywhere and my family had to drag me back¡­¡±


    A quick-witted classmate instantly asked, ¡°Zhou Yuan, what was I doing at that time?¡±


    Zhou Yuan glanced and gestured as if he was recalling it and said, ¡°You always liked to bite your dad¡¯s slippers. We tried to persuade you to stop for a long time, but you didn¡¯t listen to us.¡±

 CH 8

    ¡°What about me? What was I doing at the time?¡± wondered another girl, her voice filled with excitement.


    ¡°You liked to sing for us. But the adults couldn¡¯t understand what you were singing about. They thought you were crying.¡± This girl didn¡¯t speak much about her childhood with her classmates, so Zhou Yuan just said that because children usually cried during their youth.


    Zhou Yuan continued to talk about a few other classmates. At first, this group of children thought that Zhou Yuan was lying to them. But the more he spoke, the more they started to believe him. Zhou Yuan really knew what happened when they were young!


    Zhou Yuan continued, ¡°We were all very good friends at that time. One day, we were discovered by the bad guys and we tried to flee from them. But our legs were too short and we couldn¡¯t run any faster. In order to protect us, Little Miaomiao went back to stop them from capturing us, but she was captured herself. Only now, was she saved and returned to us.¡±


    Little Miaomiao listened to Zhou Yuan, she couldn¡¯t remember anything that happened when she was only one or two years old, but she did remember what came afterwards. It turned out that some bad guys captured her during that time.


    The children erupted in excitement after listening to this story. They continued to bombard them with questions, some children directed their questions at Zhou Yuan and others at Little Miaomiao.


    ¡°My mother said I was stupid since I was a child. Is that true?¡± asked a little boy.


    Zhou Yuan replied to him, ¡°No. You were too intelligent, even though you possessed no talents. You were the most intelligent among us. But in order to be discreet and remain undiscovered by the adults, you pretended to be stupid on purpose.¡±


    ¡°Was he as smart as you?¡± All the children knew that Zhou Yuan was the smartest child in class.


    ¡°He was more intelligent than me, I just escaped getting caught because I¡¯m obviously not very bright.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­I¡­I¡­at that time¡­did I stutter?¡± Deng Feng, a classmate who stuttered a little, questioned anxiously.


    ¡°Of course, you didn¡¯t stutter. You were the most eloquent amongst all of us. You were just discovered by the bad guys, that¡¯s all.¡± Zhou Yuan said.


    The atmosphere in the room began to affect Little Miaomiao. She asked in a low voice, ¡°I¡­Where was I at that time?¡±


    ¡°You liked to defend us the most. You were also the cutest among us.¡± stated Zhou Yuan.


    Little Miaomiao blushed, after hearing his reply. An indescribable feeling began to surge in her heart.


    Abruptly, the class bell rang. Zhou Yuan ordered, ¡°Everyone go back to your seats. I¡¯ll tell you about your past endeavours, when we have time.¡± The children reluctantly returned to their seats. The math teacher soon walked in.


    Little Miaomiao lost herself in Zhou Yuan¡¯s words. She didn¡¯t realize until class started that she needed to go to the washroom¡­


    Fidgeting in her stool, Little Miaomiao couldn¡¯t help but stare at the teacher.


    She remembered her Aunt telling her that if she needed to use the washroom during class, she should simply raise her hand and ask the teacher to be excused. Just like how she saw other students raising their hand to be excused.


    Zhou Yuan soon noticed Little Miaomiao¡¯s uneasiness, swiftly reacted, and raised his hand.


    ¡°Zhou Yuan. What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Cai Jing and Hua Miaomiao need to use the washroom.¡± Zhou Yuan declared.


    The math teacher smiled and said to the two little girls, ¡°Go.¡±


    Cai Jing wanted to use the washroom, but she was too fraught with embarrassment to ask. After she heard Zhou Yuan¡¯s words of assistance, she instantly shot up, took Little Miaomiao¡¯s hand, and walked out.


    Because Zhou Yuan often lent a hand to the children, no one dared mock them, when they wouldn¡¯t request a leave.


    Afternoon came and school ended. Feelings of happiness and exuberance filled all of the students, especially Little Miaomiao.


    She made new friends today, she learned so much about her childhood, and even brought back sixteen for her aunt!


    As soon as Little Miaomiao returned home, she put down her schoolbag, and was about to gift her aunt with the sixteen.


    However, she soon saw something appear before her. Aunt Hua was holding a sixteen in her hand and said, ¡°Miaomiao, look what aunt bought for you today ~ This is the pomegranate that you ate yesterday.¡±


    When Aunt Hua was on her way to pick Miaomiao up from school, she remembered the pomegranates. Her thoughts drifted to how yesterday¡¯s pomegranate seeds were withered and rotten. An image of Miaomiao¡¯s sad face crept into her mind. She decided to buy some pomegranates.


    Little Miaomiao was astonished. Now that her aunt has sixteen, she thought, whether it was appropriate to give her the ones that she brought.


    After finishing her homework, Little Miaomiao fell into a deep sleep again. Aunt Hua took her homework sheets and put them into her schoolbag.


    Opening her schoolbag, she noticed a pomegranate inside. Aunt Hua was astounded. She was sure that there were no other pomegranates in the house.


    She sent a WeChat message to Teacher Li regarding it.


    Meanwhile, Teacher Li was speaking with one of the parents.


    Teacher Li received twin WeChat messages from two parents, ¡°Mrs. Li, my child told me that there was a student named Hua Miaomiao in class and about how she was injured by some bad guys.¡±


    It turned out that Deng Feng, who stuttered, was quite joyful and exuberant, when he arrived home. He explained to his mother that he didn¡¯t stutter at all as a child.


    Mom Deng and Dad Deng found it unusual. Didn¡¯t he stutter when he was a child? Wasn¡¯t there always a brief lull in his voice when he cried?


    Of course, they weren¡¯t so direct with him, instead they asked gently and curiously what he was talking about. How can Little Deng Feng¡¯s oration skills be comparable to those of fully grown adults? So, he expounded every detail that he heard from Zhou Yuan. But what caught their attention was the girl, Hua Miaomiao, whose hands were latticed with criss-crossed scars.


    Mom Deng panicked and sent Teacher Li a message about the aforementioned classmate. It disturbed her greatly, that there was a child about the same age as her son, who suffered through such anguish.


    After learning about the details of the matter, Teacher Li told Deng Feng¡¯s parents about Little Miaomiao¡¯s predicament.


    As Deng Feng was about to go to bed, his parents spoke to him with a solemn, grave tone, ¡°If you know something, then you should tell us.¡±


    ¡°Originally, we didn¡¯t want to tell you certain things, in order to protect you. In fact, you were also captured along with Little Miaomiao at that time. Those bad guys were afraid of your ability and wanted to silence you. But you were still a very eloquent and powerful being.¡±


    ¡°You should behave kindly to Little Miaomiao in the future. She was the one who informed us, where you were and this helped us free you from the bad guys.¡±


    Little Deng Feng¡¯s eyes opened widely, before he nodded vehemently.


    Teacher Li found it strange that Aunt Hua sent a message asking about whether or not school distributed pomegranates during lunch.


    Of course, the school issued pomegranates today. Teacher Li proceeded to ask Zhou Yuan about this matter. She was becoming more and more fond of this child. She wondered how this child was so intelligent.


    She soon received Zhou Yuan¡¯s reply, ¡°I gave it to her. Yesterday, she was sad and depressed, because the pomegranate withered and rotted away. She intended to give the pomegranate to her aunt, but before doing so, it had wilted away.¡±


    Teacher Li felt inexplicably moved, when she read this. She took a screenshot of her conversation with Zhou Yuan and sent it to Aunt Hua.

 CH 9

    ¡°I gave it to her. Yesterday, she was sad and depressed, because the pomegranate withered and rotted away. She intended to give the pomegranate to her aunt, but before doing so, it had wilted away.¡±


    When Aunt Hua saw Zhou Yuan¡¯s message, she was shocked, then, she suddenly burst into tears. Her tears kept streaming down her face, and no matter how hard she tried, they wouldn¡¯t stop. It was as if something had hit her heart.


    Uncle Hua thought that something bad had happened. He ran to her, and then read the message. After digesting the message, Uncle Hua now realized what was going on. He embraced Aunt Hua and said, ¡°I remember the day, when we picked her up from her first day at school. You mentioned that your colleagues gave everyone pomegranates, but you did not receive any. It seems she remembered it.¡±


    Aunt Hua began to tear up again. She thought that her little daughter was altruistically trying to make her happy.


    Little Miaomiao¡¯s circumstances were always different from other children. Many people even told her that it might be very difficult for Little Miaomiao to open up to them, when they adopted her, for she was older, and engraved deeply in her heart, as if tormenting her, were the physical and mental scars of her past.


    But, she never cared about these issues. She decided to adopt and raise her like her own daughter, she didn¡¯t want anything else. All she hoped for was for Little Miaomiao to be happy and prosperous.


    Early the next morning, Little Miaomiao woke up, and she noticed that her aunt¡¯s eyes were swollen with a reddish tint. She knew this situation well. Every time her aunt cried, her eyes would become swollen. But her aunt hadn¡¯t cried in a long time, why did she cry now? Little Miaomiao felt a little disconcerted.


    Little Miaomiao followed Aunt Hua and tried to strike up a conversation several times, but to no avail.


    During her past, when her mother cried, and Little Miaomiao asked about it, she would be beaten as a result¡­


    She wasn¡¯t afraid that her aunt would strike her. She definitely won¡¯t strike her. But Little Miaomiao¡¯s past still scarred and tormented her deeply. She recalled how her mother beat her, when she asked her why she cried. She doesn¡¯t want to ask her aunt, why she cried. She doesn¡¯t want her aunt to feel uncomfortable.


    Although Aunt Hua¡¯s voice was slightly hoarse, she was in a cheerful mood. She declared to Uncle Hua, ¡°The pomegranates that I bought yesterday are gone and now, I feel down¡­¡±


    After absorbing what Aunt Hua had said, Little Miaomiao now realized why she was despondent and cried. She realized that it was because sixteen was gone.


    A thought suddenly occurred to Little Miaomiao. She didn¡¯t give the sixteen that she bought for her aunt. She felt joyful that she didn¡¯t give it to her last night. She quickly ran to the living room, opened her schoolbag and found the sixteen inside. Her eyes instantly glinted with joy.


    Little Miaomiao took it out and held it with both of her hands. Then, she raced all the way to the kitchen, ¡°Auntie, Auntie¡­¡±


    Aunt Hua turned around and saw her little daughter holding up a pomegranate. Little Miaomiao¡¯s eyes were sparkling with joy. But after her aunt turned her head towards her, Little Miaomiao felt a trace of embarrassment, lowered her head and awkwardly said, ¡°Sixteen¡­¡±


    Aunt Hua squatted down and asked, ¡°Does Miaomiao want to give it to her aunt?¡± Aunt Hua took the pomegranate and gently hugged her, ¡°Auntie is very happy.¡±


    Little Miaomiao caught slight traces of melancholy and sorrow in her Auntie¡¯s voice, almost as if she was about to cry, even though she exuded heartfelt joy and exhilaration. She couldn¡¯t understand this emotional contradiction. She reached out her hands and embraced Aunt Hua to comfort her.


    Uncle Hua stood next to them and saw this scene unfold: ¡°¡­¡±


    He felt fortunate that he resisted all attempts at persuasion and increasing pressure, when he decided to support his wife¡¯s decision to adopt Little Miaomiao. After all, where else could he find such a well-behaved and filial daughter.


    The couple always desired to have children, but because of fertility reasons, they couldn¡¯t have any. Uncle Hua felt that Little Miaomiao was much better than the troublesome children of his brother.


    Aunt Hua peeled the pomegranate and the three of them ate it along with some noodles for breakfast. This was the first time that Little Miaomiao had eaten pomegranate. She absolutely adored its taste.


    After finishing breakfast, Aunt Hua helped Little Miaomiao pack her schoolbag and change her clothes. Before departing, a thought suddenly struck Little Miaomiao. She hurried back to her room and put the packet of dried meat into her schoolbag.


    After her arrival at school, Little Miaomiao saw Zhou Yuan, who was already sitting in his seat and was rushing through his homework.


    When Zhou Yuan saw her, he greeted her, ¡°Good Morning, Miaomiao!¡±


    He seldom did his homework at home because¡­his mother works at the Education Bureau. She strongly advocated for alleviating the burden of homework for children. She believed that children should go out, play everyday and enjoy their childhood.


    Little Miaomiao sat in her seat and placed her schoolbag under her desk. Her little hands unzipped her schoolbag and she took out the packet of dried meat. She felt hesitant and ambivalent about whether to give this to Zhou Yuan or not, but then she recalled yesterday¡¯s events.


    Little Miaomiao¡¯s doubts and ambivalence quickly dispersed, as she produced the packet of dried meat out of her school bag and offered it to Zhou Yuan. However, she dared not look into his eyes and only whispered, ¡°This is for you.¡±


    Zhou Yuan was astounded, when he saw the packet with dried meat inside and said with gratitude, ¡°Thank you, Miaomiao.¡±


    He immediately accepted it and thought that the two of them could eat it together in a moment.


    After accepting it, Zhou Yuan held his pen again and returned to his homework. His hands were concealed by his sleeves.


    Yesterday, Little Miaomiao held hands with Jingjing. Jingjing also told her that they would be good friends in the future, therefore, she is even more determined to become friends with Zhou Yuan. She had to hold hands, otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t be good friends.


    Because he had treated her very well and was so great, she wanted to befriend Zhou Yuan.


    But seeing Zhou Yuan earnestly doing his homework, she doesn¡¯t want to disturb him.


    One by one, the classmates arrived. They greeted both Zhou Yuan and Little Miaomiao.


    Little Miaomiao was a bit shy. But, she knew that everyone was a child and replied back, ¡°Good morning.¡±


    After she uttered the first sentence, she realized that it wasn¡¯t difficult for her to speak to them.


    A wave of excitement and joy swept over her, although she didn¡¯t understand why she felt these warm, exuberant emotions.


    Zhou Yuan was also in high spirits, as he felt that Little Miaomiao had made great progress.


    At this time, Little Deng Feng ran in with his schoolbag on his back. After arriving at Little Miaomiao¡¯s table, he took out his favorite vanilla-flavored wafer packet from his schoolbag and presented it to Little Miaomiao, ¡°For¡­for¡­you.¡±


    This astounded Little Miaomiao. After a while, Little Deng Feng squatted and said, ¡°I¡­I¡­in the future¡­will¡­I will protect¡­you¡­¡±


    Little Deng Feng, himself, was a little shy, and he didn¡¯t wait for Little Miaomiao to respond. He dashed back to his seat quickly.


    Little Miaomiao blinked, and Zhou Yuan said, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, he just wants to be your friend.¡±


    Little Miaomiao hummed in acknowledgment and saw Little Jingjing walking inside the classroom, while holding hands with a girl. She carefully stretched out hand and attempted to grasp Zhou Yuan¡¯s hand.


    Zhou Yuan continued with his homework, for he still had some unfinished questions.


    Little Miaomiao retracted her hand, interlocked both of her hands together and placed them on the desk. Staring at her hands, she thought that if she held hands with others, just like this, that they would be good friends.


    Zhou Yuan was writing and looked at Little Miaomiao, who was ruminating cutely. He thought that he shouldn¡¯t change schools for now, since she¡¯s naive and could be bullied easily.

 CH 10

    The morning¡¯s lesson passed by smoothly. But Zhou Yuan found that Little Miaomiao would sneak quick, furtive glances at his hand from time to time. He couldn¡¯t comprehend the reason behind her odd behavior.


    The first class during afternoon was physical education and it comprised a simple routine for children.


    The physical education teacher who would be teaching them had a tall and strongly-built body. As soon as he entered class, he said, ¡°The first task you are going to do today is to familiarize yourselves with our routine for P.E. class.¡±


    ¡°After today, everyone has to gather themselves in the playground for physical education, instead of just waiting for me and dawdling in the classroom.¡±


    The moment the teacher entered the classroom, Little Miaomiao turned her head and the sight of him made the blood in her veins freeze.


    Little Miaomiao thought that their P.E. teacher had an aggressively loud voice, just like her biological father¡­


    Noticing that the students were still chatting with each other, the P.E. teacher slammed the table loudly and roared, ¡°Students, stop talking! If you don¡¯t stop talking, then I won¡¯t lead you all to the playground. I will just let you sit in the classroom.¡±


    As soon as she heard the P.E. teacher¡¯s loud and sonorous voice, dark reminders of her troubled past began to resurface in her mind again.


    Do you like to cry? Have you cried enough! You have cried enough for me today!


    Little Miaomiao felt as if someone was tugging on her eyelids again.


    ¡°I was wrong. I won¡¯t cry anymore!¡±, Little Miaomiao abruptly screamed and hid under her desk.


    Little Miaomiao¡¯s actions startled the teacher, who was standing baffled on stage. She also startled Zhou Yuan, who stood near her.


    Zhou Yuan quickly bent down to his knees and saw Little Miaomiao hunkered in a corner. Her body trembled in fright.


    When a fellow student from P.E. class strode over, Little Miaomiao became even more frightened and cried, ¡°Don¡¯t hit me¡­I won¡¯t cry¡­won¡¯t cry¡­¡±


    All the students stood up, craned their heads and curiously watched this scene unfold.


    In a hurry, Zhou Yuan said, ¡°Teacher, you should lead the other students to the playground. I will coax her to do the same.¡±


    The P.E. teacher felt a sense of bewilderment at what just happened. But he considered Zhou Yuan¡¯s opinion, as he was very well-known in the teacher¡¯s office ¨C all the teachers chose him as someone whom they both love and hate, both admire and despise.


    Of course, the P.E. teacher was cognizant of Little Miaomiao¡¯s precarious situation.


    The P.E. teacher then scanned the other students, before uttering, ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s head to the playground.¡±


    Under the teacher¡¯s lead, all the children departed from the classroom, one after another, to proceed to the playground. When they passed by Little Miaomiao¡¯s desk, they all threw weird looks in her direction.


    When everyone retired from the classroom, Zhou Yuan pushed back his stool in order to sit under the table. He settled himself next to Little Miaomiao and called out to her in a muffled voice, ¡°Miaomiao, Miaomiao¡­¡±


    Under the desk, Little Miaomiao was scrunched up and faced the interior of the desk. Her back faced him, and she was tremulous with fear.


    ¡°The teacher who came to teach us is our physical education teacher. He got scared, as soon as he saw you hiding under the desk,¡± said Zhou Yuan.


    ¡°Little Miaomiao, look. What is this?¡± Little Miaomiao turned around and noticed the packet of dried meat in Zhou Yuan¡¯s hand. ¡°Was this dried meat made by your aunt? It¡¯s so delicious.¡±


    Although Little Miaomiao still shuddered with fear, as soon as she heard Zhou Yuan praising her aunt, she whispered, ¡°Auntie¡­took a lot of time to prepare this.¡±


    She busied herself in the kitchen for extended amounts of time and had to work strenuously to prepare this feast.


    As she thought of her aunt, tears began to spring in Little Miaomiao¡¯s eyes. If she was struck, her aunt would become crestfallen and cry¡­


    The first few days when Hua Miaomiao spent time in a hospital, Aunt Hua would often weep in secret. A crimson tint would dye her eyes. Little Miaomiao, who cried frequently, could tell with a single glance, that Aunt Hua wept.


    ¡°Little Miaomiao¡¯s aunt worked hard.¡± Zhou Yuan said, as he fed a piece to Little Miaomiao.


    Little Miaomiao took a bite. The familiar taste evoked memories of her Aunt and the security that she provided.


    She remembered how her aunt cooked savory food for her. How she helped her with her homework. How she healed her by applying cream on her wounds and feeding her medicine.


    Zhou Yuan heaved a sigh of relief, when he saw her emotions returning back to normal.


    It appeared that Little Miaomiao¡¯s aunt was a genuinely kind person. Little Miaomiao could even recall a certain sense of security and certainty just by tasting her aunt¡¯s food.


    But she had to eventually understand that the P.E. teacher is not the same person as the one who struck her. He would never strike her. She had to slowly accustom herself to the ways of the world.


    Zhou Yuan gently stretched out his hand and held Little Miaomiao¡¯s hand, ¡°Miaomiao, you just startled the P.E. teacher.¡±


    Little Miaomiao cast her eyes downwards and remained silent.


    Zhou Yuan touched her head and quietly said, ¡°He¡¯s a teacher and cannot raise his hand against any students. If he does, he will lose his job. Does Miaomiao know what a job is?¡±


    Of course, Little Miaomiao knew what a job is. Both her aunt and uncle were required to go to work everyday. She just doesn¡¯t know what kind of work they do.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t have a job, you won¡¯t have anything to eat,¡± Zhou Yuan said, ¡°Then you will be hungry.¡±


    Little Miaomiao knew what being hungry is. Her stomach would cause her discomfort, when she felt hunger.


    ¡°The teacher is afraid that some of the others will complain to the principal that he beat students.¡± Zhou Yuan continued, ¡°He was called to the principal¡¯s office and was scolded by the principal.¡±


    Little Miaomiao dilated her eyes at Zhou Yuan and said, ¡°But¡­but¡­he didn¡¯t beat me¡­¡±


    Little Miaomiao now realized that adults could starve. She was far too frightened before this, but now, she received awareness that the teacher didn¡¯t strike her at all.


    ¡°Then the P.E. teacher cried and replied, but¡­I didn¡¯t beat Little Miaomiao¡­all the other students were talking in class¡­I was shouting at them¡­Little Miaomiao was the most obedient one and didn¡¯t cause any trouble¡­I didn¡¯t even yell at her.¡± Zhou Yuan imitated the P.E. teacher, while pretending to cry.


    Little Miaomiao observed him. His acting affected her and tears began to fall, ¡°Don¡¯t cry¡­it was me who was wrong¡­¡±


    ¡°During this time, the principal is persuading him to stop crying and said if Little Miaomiao comes to P.E. class and talks to you, the P.E. teacher, then it means that you, the P.E. teacher, didn¡¯t strike her and you don¡¯t have to starve.¡±


    Little Miaomiao hesitated for a moment, before replying, ¡°Let¡¯s go to P.E. class.¡±


    Little Miaomiao was incognizant of what they taught in physical education.


    Zhou Yuan emerged from under the desk, straightened himself up and took out a tissue from a drawer and wiped Little Miaomiao¡¯s tear-stricken face, ¡°Then, we will go to P.E.¡±


    When they exited the classroom, they bumped into the head teacher, Teacher Li. Earlier, when the P.E. teacher left the classroom, the first thing he did was to contact Teacher Li. When Teacher Li reached the classroom. she overheard Zhou Yuan cajoling Little Miaomiao inside. Considering Zhou Yuan¡¯s kind attitude towards children, she decided not to intervene for the time being. She also heard the story that Zhou Yuan told her.


    When she saw Little Miaomiao emerging out of the classroom with her hand in Zhou Yuan¡¯s, she said with a straight face, ¡°Student Zhou Yuan, did you see the P.E. teacher? The principal has something to talk to him about.¡±


    Zhou Yuan said, ¡°No, no!¡±


    With Little Miaomiao¡¯s hand in tow, he raced towards the playground and said to Little Miaomiao, ¡°The principal has already called the P.E. teacher to meet him.¡±


    His sobriety and earnestness affected Little Miaomiao.


    Due to Zhou Yuan¡¯s persuasion, Little Miaomiao began to wonder if the powerful, vicious and muscular P.E. teacher was about to become a pitiful, starving and gaunt vagrant.


    After they arrived at the playground, they eyed all the students, who indulged in their playtime. Zhou Yuan searched around with his eyes, before his eyes finally fell on the P.E. teacher who squatted in the corner of the playground.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± Needless to say, he knew that the head teacher must have called him.

 CH 11

    They noticed that the tall physical education teacher was squatting aggrievedly in a corner of the playground. It¡¯s just as Zhou Yuan had described it.


    Zhou Yuan released Little Miaomiao¡¯s hand and tidied her hair. She ran too quickly just now, and the bangs in front became disheveled. ¡°Does Little Miaomiao know what to say to the P.E. teacher?¡±


    Little Miaomiao felt a lot of guilt for causing the physical education teacher¡¯s plight, but she lacked experience and didn¡¯t have a clue about what to say.


    ¡°You¡¯ll go up to the teacher and say,¡± Zhou Yuan began, before he imitated Little Miaomiao¡¯s voice and continued, ¡°Teacher Guan. I¡¯m sorry for scaring you.¡± While he spoke, Zhou Yuan produced a small bag of dried meat from his pocket, ¡°Then you will give this to him, and he will know that he won¡¯t have to starve anymore. Afterwards, he¡¯ll forgive you.¡±


    Little Miaomiao nodded in acknowledgement and slowly approached their teacher with tiny, tremulous steps.


    The P.E. teacher was squatting in the corner with his back facing them. His posture carried striking resemblances with Little Miaomiao¡¯s posture a moment ago, when she hid under her desk in class.


    With Zhou Yuan¡¯s encouragement, Little Miaomiao approached Teacher Guan. When she took a closer look, the burly P.E. teacher¡¯s back didn¡¯t look so intimidating. She gained quite a bit of courage from this.


    ¡°Teacher Guan¡­¡±, Little Miaomiao whispered.


    The P.E. teacher didn¡¯t turn to her and continued to obstinately squat with his back towards her. Seeing him unresponsive, Little Miaomiao became a little more anxious. She walked closer to him and gathered whatever courage she had. Then she called out with a slightly louder voice, ¡°Teacher Guan¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±, Teacher Guan deflated his mouth, turned back and looked at Little Miaomiao with sorrow.


    At this moment, Little Miaomiao should¡¯ve said her apologies to him¡­


    But nervousness gripped her heart. Confusion, uncertainty, and ambivalence. They all consumed the thoughts inside her little head and instead of apologizing first, she stretched out her hand and declared, ¡°Here¡­¡±


    Teacher Guan received the packet, then looked at Little Miaomiao. Teacher Guan possessed a towering, burly figure. When he squatted, he had almost the same height as Little Miaomiao.


    Teacher Guan whispered to her, ¡°Will you attend physical education?¡±


    Little Miaomiao nodded. Only after this interaction with Teacher Guan, did Little Miaomiao feel that he wasn¡¯t the same as those who struck her. She couldn¡¯t understand why she mistook him as being one of them.


    Little Miaomiao squatted down and articulated, ¡°I will attend physical education.¡±


    This relieved Teacher Guan¡¯s concerns. Then, he opened the packet of dried meat, took out a single piece and sundered it in two. He bestowed one of the halves onto Little Miaomiao and said, ¡°Each one of us will get a half.¡±


    Little Miaomiao received a half piece of dried meat and ate it.


    Teacher Guan also began to devour the other half. While eating, he said with a dispirited voice, ¡°Am I¡­too aggressive? That¡¯s why you believed that I was going to beat you earlier¡­¡±


    Little Miaomiao could sense a tinge of despondent sadness from his tone, so she whispered, ¡°No¡­¡±


    But Little Miaomiao¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t convincing at all.


    ¡°The principal told me that I¡¯m an adult, and that I have a reputation to consider. If I don¡¯t speak loudly, then the children won¡¯t be able to hear or respect me.¡±, Teacher Guan stretched out his hand and continued,¡±Otherwise, there won¡¯t be any food to eat¡­¡±


    Little Miaomiao considered it for a while. She realized that their classroom was too large. If the teacher¡¯s voice was too soft like her¡¯s, then the students wouldn¡¯t notice what the teacher is saying.


    Teacher Guan, who squatted next to Little Miaomiao, looked at her with eagerness and acted pitifully ¨C he hasn¡¯t done something like this since he was five years old.


    Observing him, Little Miaomiao felt that Teacher Guan was not really that intimidating. His voice was not so terrifying, even if he spoke loudly.


    Zhou Yuan, who stood not too far away from them, observed the two squatting and conversing with each other. He had no clue about what they were talking about, but just seeing Little Miaomiao speak even a little assured him that she was doing just fine.


    It was almost time for class to end, when the two finished their conversation. Only God knew what they talked about for so long.


    After class ended, the P.E. teacher returned Little Miaomiao to Zhou Yuan¡¯s care. As soon as the teacher left, all the other students gathered around them.


    ¡°Miaomiao, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Miaomiao, are you okay?¡±


    Zhou Yuan grasped Little Miaomiao¡¯s hand and started to traverse back to the classroom, ¡°She is fine. Let¡¯s all return to the classroom.¡±


    All the students followed their lead and trailed behind them. Instead of just two, now it was an entire throng of children, who journeyed back to the classroom together.


    Afternoon came, and when Aunt Hua arrived to pick up Little Miaomiao, she noticed something. As soon as Little Miaomiao left her desk, she waved at the little boy sitting next to her and said, ¡°Goodbye, Zhou Yuan.¡±


    This astounded Aunt Hua.


    When Little Miaomiao came out of the classroom, Aunt Hua gripped Little Miaomiao¡¯s hand, and they started walking. There were other parents with their own children who passed by. When the other children eyed Little Miaomiao, they waved to her and said, ¡°See you tomorrow, Miaomiao.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, Miaomiao.¡±


    ¡°See you tomorrow.¡±


    Although Little Miaomiao was still shy, she did reply back, ¡°See you tomorrow.¡±


    Aunt Hua was even more astonished, when she saw Little Miaomiao fearlessly getting along with her peers.


    A parent even greeted Aunt Hua, ¡°You must be Miaomiao¡¯s mother. I am Deng Feng¡¯s mother.¡±


    Later that night, Aunt Hua was helping Little Miaomiao with her homework. Abruptly, Little Miao, who was busy writing, said, ¡°Zhou Yuan always does his homework after he arrives at school during mornings everyday¡­¡±


    Aunt Hua was pleasantly surprised, when she heard her little daughter speak about her classmates.


    If anything, Little Miaomiao had always desired to converse with Aunt Hua similarly to how her classmates conversed with their parents. But she never ventured to do so. After a long time, she finally summoned up the courage to speak.


    Aunt Hua said softly, ¡°Then, he really is amazing.¡±


    Aunt Hua held Zhou Yuan in high regard. She still remembered what the little boy said in the office during that day. Whether it¡¯s the content of his speech or logic behind his words, he wasn¡¯t an ordinary child.


    Of course, when she later asked her friend about Zhou Yuan, she discovered that he knew more than a thousand words, when he was just two years old. Furthermore, at the age of three, Zhou Yuan had always lied to his nanny and had clandestine excursions outside by himself. As a result, his father, who was a university professor, began taking Zhou Yuan to his classes, which caused the ambit of Zhou Yuan¡¯s knowledge to expand. At the age of four, when he took his IQ test, his scores were so high that they shocked everyone. What is even more surprising was that his EQ is also very high. When someone asked him about how he acquired his knowledge, Zhou Yuan sighed, ¡°I learned it during my college life.¡±


    Only God knows that his college life was just him following his father to the classes that he taught.


    When he turned five years old, Zhou Yuan attended a kindergarten and began a life akin to that of an ordinary child.


    When Aunt Hua learned about him at the time, she was fearful that he would abhor Little Miaomiao, since he was a genius. But Teacher Li gave assurance to her that he was much more amicable and kind towards children than adults. Teacher Li mentioned, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about this. He cares for children very much.¡±


    Aunt Hua remembered their departure from school today. Little Miaomiao waved to him and said their goodbyes. It seemed that he really is a treasure.


    Little Miaomiao felt very proud, when she heard Aunt Hua laud Zhou Yuan. She raised her head and said with a smile, ¡°He is my good friend!¡±


    They shared their food, held hands, and bid farewell, when they departed school. They were just like other good friends.


    So, they both were also considered good friends.


    Aunt Hua touched Little Miaomiao¡¯s head, before saying, ¡°Miaomiao is so amazing! You can invite your good friends to our home to play, when you have time.¡±


    Little Miaomiao contemplated this for a brief moment, before she finally nodded.


    On the other hand, Zhou Yuan, whose mother requested him to read more comics and have more fun during his childhood, had no idea that his tablemate considered bringing him to her home and sharing her dolls with him¡­

 CH 12

    Aunt Hua had the affectionate habit of supervising Little Miaomiao while she did her homework. She also taught Little Miaomiao the subject matter of the lessons that would come the next day, so that Little Miaomiao wouldn¡¯t find her studies strenuous.


    When they reached the day¡¯s final lesson, Little Miaomiao already felt a rush of drowsiness ¨C her little head bobbed slowly.


    Hospitals were at their busiest during the transient changing of the seasons. Because of this, Uncle Hua was busy at work and often returned very late at night. Back then, Aunt Hua would feel a sense of lonesome solitude, but now she was no longer alone. She had a daughter who accompanied her.


    Aunt Hua directed her gaze at Little Miaomiao and noticed that she sat under the softness of the light. Her head bobbed due to her fatigue.


    A storm of emotions melted Aunt Hua¡¯s heart, as she stood up, gently hugged Little Miaomiao, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll teach you about it tomorrow.¡±


    As Aunt Hua lifted her up, Little Miaomiao presented no struggle like last time. Little Miaomiao opened her eyes and when she realized that it was her aunt, she drew Aunt Hua¡¯s neck into a warm embrace, before falling asleep.


    When she saw her cute reaction, Aunt Hua¡¯s heart gushed with joy. She lifted Little Miaomiao into the bathroom and placed her into her little chair. She wiped Little Miaomiao¡¯s face with a moist towel. During this treatment, Little Miaomiao would wake up intermittently in a daze and simply said, ¡°Aunt.¡±


    Aunt Hua scratched her nose and replied, ¡°Auntie is here.¡±


    Recently, Little Miaomiao felt very tired. Aunt Hua thought that perhaps she didn¡¯t take her daily naps at school. But when she asked Teacher Li about this, she discovered that Little Miaomiao took her afternoon nap everyday. Aunt Hua surmised that Little Miaomiao was just simply tired. That was probably why she slumbered a lot lately.


    After wiping her face, Aunt Hua undressed and wiped Little Miaomiao¡¯s body.


    She never gave Little Miaomiao a bath, as Little Miaomiao greatly dreaded water. Little Miaomiao¡¯s phobia of water was actually quite serious. At the beginning, Aunt Hua didn¡¯t bathe her in the hospital due to the manifold inconveniences there. Little Miaomiao¡¯s injuries further exacerbated her situation.


    Aunt Hua discovered Little Miaomiao¡¯s dread of water on the night they brought her back from the hospital. After she tucked Little Miaomiao into her bed, fatigue consumed Aunt Hua, and she unknowingly fell into a deep slumber.


    Suddenly, a loud and fearful shout startled Aunt Hua out of her sleep. She opened her eyes and felt as if someone was pulling on her arms in desperation.


    When Aunt Hua turned her head, she saw Little Miaomiao wailing out loudly. Her small face was overflowing with tears. She was weeping and tugging almost like a small animal struggling in desperation.


    After this incident, Aunt Hua watched a video of Little Miaomiao¡¯s torturous past and realized the source of Little Miaomiao¡¯s fear. In the video, those wretched people dunked Little Miaomiao¡¯s head into water. They waterboarded her. They watched her choke in water and struggle for air. They did it as a twisted form of amusement.


    Since then, their family never used the bathtub ever again. Instead, Aunt Hua would wipe her body everyday.


    Before going to bed, Aunt Hua rubbed ointment onto Little Miaomiao¡¯s scars. Uncle Hua asked one of his colleagues to produce this ointment for Little Miaomiao. A multitude of scars covered Little Miaomiao¡¯s body and considering her youth, Aunt Hua insisted on applying the ointment daily. Although the scars didn¡¯t fade completely, the ointment still had some effect. Aunt Hua surmised that if the lattice of scars didn¡¯t disappear by summer, she could simply design and create several long skirts for Little Miaomiao to wear.


    The ointment didn¡¯t carry the smell of typical Chinese medicine, but it did have a fruity scent that the children loved. There were several varieties and the one that she used today exuded the aroma of strawberries.


    Little Miaomiao obediently stretched out her arm for Aunt Hua to apply the ointment. After its application, Little Miaomiao couldn¡¯t resist her curiosity, so she sniffed herself. She found herself exuding a sweet-smelling fragrance.


    Aunt Hua kissed her on the forehead, ¡°Today, Miaomiao is a little strawberry.¡±


    This kiss reminded Little Miaomiao of a phrase that she had once read ¨C Mom¡¯s kiss.


    She continued to indulge in her thoughts which led to her remembrance of something else that happened at school. When Deng Feng¡¯s mother asked Aunt Hua if she was Miaomiao¡¯s mother.


    Of course, she was Miaomiao¡¯s mother.


    Half of Little Miaomiao¡¯s knowledge came from her experiences in the gruesome enclosure that imprisoned and immured her during the dark years of her life. Her beloved Aunt Hua gradually taught her the other half.


    Little Miaomiao was taciturn at school, but after listening to all her classmates speak about their mothers, she naturally understood that her ¡®mother¡¯ would never strike her.


    Memories of her classmates¡¯ statements echoed in her mind.


    ¡°Dad went to work today, so my mom dropped me off to school.¡±


    ¡°My mom said that I look beautiful in this dress.¡±


    ¡°My mom bought strawberries and milk for me today¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Aunt Hua did all of these things for her. So was Auntie¡­her mother?


    Little Miaomiao drifted deeper into her recollections, which led to another memory resurfacing in her mind. During her hospitalization, a grandmother, who was seemingly filled with anger and bellicosity, came into her room and began to speak loudly and aggressively with her aunt. The thunderous voice awoke Little Miaomiao from her slumber during that time, traces of fear crept into her heart, and she called out ¡°Aunt¡±.


    ¡°You see, she still calls you aunt instead of mom. A child, who¡¯s this old, would surely realize that you aren¡¯t her real mother, no? Besides, she has the genes of her parents, and when she grows up, she will become just as cruel and callous as them. You would be raising a wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing.¡± said the grandmother.


    Aunt Hua pleaded, ¡°Mom, please don¡¯t say that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing this for your own good. If you want to adopt a child, you could just go to an orphanage and adopt a boy who doesn¡¯t remember his past¡­¡±


    Little Miaomiao¡¯s little brain recalled that many individuals didn¡¯t like it, when she addressed her aunt as ¡°aunt¡±.


    Aunt Hua tucked the fragrant Little Miaomiao inside her quilt, ¡°Little Strawberry, go to sleep.¡±


    Aunt Hua retired from the room, but Little Miaomiao was still immersed in her thoughts.


    She couldn¡¯t think clearly, and eventually, she drifted off to sleep.


    During the next day, Zhou Yuan was the first person to arrive at school. After a brief period of time, he noticed Little Miaomiao¡¯s aunt seeing her off at the classroom door.


    Little Miaomiao came in with her schoolbag. She walked with a slow gait almost like a little, old lady. Or at least, she bore some resemblances with one.


    ¡°Miaomiao, good morning.¡± Zhou Yuan greeted her.


    ¡°Good morning, Zhou Yuan.¡± Little Miaomiao was still a little shy.


    Little Miaomiao slowly placed her schoolbag beside her desk, and instead of settling down on her chair, she walked out of the classroom.


    At first, Zhou Yuan conjectured that she simply went to the bathroom. But after a while, he noticed that almost all of his classmates had appeared, but Little Miaomiao still did not return.


    Zhou Yuan departed from the classroom to find her.


    As soon as he exited the door, he found Little Miaomiao squatting behind the flower bed that was near the classroom.


    The classroom for first graders was located on the first floor. And there were several flower beds containing osmanthus and gardenia plants directly outside it.


    Little Miaomiao was squatting there and her expression reminded Zhou Yuan of the phrase [secret observation].


    Zhou Yuan approached her, only to find a trio of children squatting there, not just Miaomiao.


    Jingjing and Deng Feng also squatted near Little Miaomiao. Their schoolbags were still secured on their shoulders.


    Zhou Yuan greeted them and squatted alongside them, ¡°What are you all looking at?¡±


    ¡°Little Miaomiao was looking at something here, and we just both followed her lead.¡± Jingjing said.


    Deng Feng nodded in assent.


    Little Miaomiao whispered, ¡°I want to see¡­other people¡¯s mothers¡­¡±


    Jingjing declared, ¡°You should have said this earlier. It¡¯s a simple task, I will show you my mother, when she comes to pick me up during the afternoon.¡±


    Deng Feng also patted his chest and remarked, ¡°You¡­you can¡­also¡­see my¡­mother.¡±


    Then, Jingjing remembered something troublesome. Usually, when parents came to pick them up, only the name of that particular child would be called and be allowed to leave. Similarly, she alone would be summoned and leave with her mother. She wouldn¡¯t be able to show Little Miaomiao her mother. No, she had to devise a plan to show her mother to Little Miaomiao.


    When school reached its conclusion in the afternoon, the P.T. teacher called everyone out individually by their names.


    When Jingjing¡¯s turn came, Jingjing laid on her stomach and screamed, ¡°My stomach hurts!¡±


    Jingjing¡¯s mother heard her daughter¡¯s voice outside. Fear enveloped her. Under the assumption that something dreadful had happened, she raced inside, ¡°Jingjing?¡±


    Jingjing quickly stated to Little Miaomiao, ¡°Look. She is my mother.¡±


    Little Miaomiao dilated her eyes and looked at Jingjing¡¯s mother, who was rubbing Jingjing¡¯s stomach in a panic.


    Zhou Yuan witnessed everything: ¡°¡­¡±

 CH 13

    Before Jingjing¡¯s mother arrived to pick her up, Jingjing spoke a lot about her mother with Little Miaomiao. Jingjing¡¯s eyes resembled her mother¡¯s. They even wore the same clothes.


    When she saw Jingjing¡¯s mother, Little Miaomiao realized that they were not the same size. Little Miaomiao couldn¡¯t understand how they could even wear the same clothes, when Jingjing was so small and her mother was so big.


    Her gaze was fixed on Jingjing¡¯s mother. She tried to come to a conclusion to this question.


    Jingjing tried to stall her mother to let Little Miaomiao observe her.


    But, no matter how many clever tricks children attempted to use, any adult could instantly see through them. Jingjing¡¯s mother quickly realized that Jingjing was just pretending to have a stomachache. She smiled and squinted her eyes.


    After Jingjing saw her mother¡¯s expression, she immediately embraced her mother¡¯s waist and shouted, ¡°After I saw my young and beautiful mother, my stomach doesn¡¯t hurt anymore!¡± This was how people were coaxed on TV.


    Jingjing¡¯s mother didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or to cry. But after she saw that she was fine, she lifted her daughter who was corrupted by TV shows, ¡°Okay, it¡¯s time to head home.¡±


    As they walked out of the classroom, Jingjing¡¯s mother started to admonish her, ¡°You can¡¯t scare me like that, do you understand? Do you remember the story of ¡®The Boy Who Cried Wolf¡¯, Jingjing?¡±


    Jingjing kept nodding her head, but she actually didn¡¯t pay any attention to her mother at all. She was too busy gesticulating to Little Miaomiao with a gesture that she had made up herself.


    A sense of pride filled Jingjing since she felt as if she had helped her friend. She had no idea why Little Miaomiao wished to see other people¡¯s mothers, but a sense of elation still crossed her for assisting her friend.


    Little Miaomiao cautiously nodded at her in acknowledgement. It seemed as if the two little ones had accomplished something sacred.


    Zhou Yuan stood next to Little Miaomiao and couldn¡¯t hold back his laughter.


    ¡°Little Miaomiao, your parents are here.¡± The P.T. teacher¡¯s voice entered the room from outside.


    Little Miaomiao returned to her senses. She slowly secured her schoolbag onto her back and glanced at Zhou Yuan. She imitated the other students and whispered the phrase that she had practiced many times in her heart, ¡°See you tomorrow, Zhou Yuan.¡±


    When she arrived at the classroom door, Little Miaomiao approached the P.T. teacher, and resembling the other children, she said, ¡°Goodbye teacher.¡±


    The P.T. teacher nodded and replied, ¡°Goodbye Miaomiao. Tomorrow is Saturday, so be obedient at home.¡±


    Little Miaomiao blinked. She recalled that the teacher had declared that tomorrow would be a holiday. Nervosity seized her when she talked to Zhou Yuan. This resulted in her forgetting this important fact. She told Zhou Yuan that she would see him the next day.


    The more she thought about it, the more she found it unacceptable. Abruptly, she stopped walking.


    Noticing that she had halted, Aunt Hua squatted down and asked her, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Miaomiao?¡±


    Little Miaomiao whispered, ¡°May we wait for a bit?¡±


    Little Miaomiao never had any requests before. But all of a sudden, Little Miaomiao started to form her own ideas and thoughts. She even began to openly express them. Aunt Hua felt that this was great progress.


    ¡°Of course, we could wait!¡±, Aunt Hua agreed with a smile.


    Soon, Zhou Yuan emerged and walked side by side with his mother.  Zhou Yuan and his mother bore no resemblances to the other mother-child pairs, who held each other¡¯s hands, while they strolled along.


    Zhou Yuan¡¯s mother had long, blonde hair and radiated a feeling of gentleness.


    Zhou Yuan noticed Little Miaomiao and asked, ¡°Miaomiao, are you waiting for someone?¡±


    When Zhou Yuan¡¯s mother heard her son use the coaxing tone that he often used on children. She wasn¡¯t surprised at all.


    Little Miaomiao nodded. She gathered her courage and said, ¡°Zhou Yuan, see you on Monday.¡±


    Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t know that Little Miaomiao was waiting for him, just to tell him that she would see him on Monday and not on Saturday.


    Zhou Yuan casually replied back, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll see you on Monday.¡±


    Afterwards, Aunt Hua and Little Miaomiao continued their journey back home. Uncle Hua was on duty again today, so just the two of them trekked back home.


    Aunt Hua said, ¡°Today, Auntie had thought about a new design and made a dress. When we get back, will Miaomiao help try on the dress for me?¡±


    Little Miaomiao nodded in assent, as she was willing to assist her aunt.


    The nearby children were all talking to their parents about school. Children of this grade level often spoke endlessly with their parents about anything and everything.


    ¡°I lost my pencil today. Little Hua lent me hers. I want to marry her in the future.¡±


    ¡°The teacher said we will choose the team captain next week.¡±


    ¡°Today, I got four small, red flowers. One in mathematics class, when I answered the question. Another one, when I went on stage. And another one, when I finished my lunch¡­¡±


    Little Miaomiao observed them, squeezed her little hands, and started talking about Teacher Li. She explained to Aunt Hua about how Teacher Li had praised her for her good handwriting, and how she only received a single, red flower for finishing her meal¡­


    She did not raise her hand to answer any questions; therefore, she only received a single, small, scarlet flower, whereas the other children had a triplet of scarlet flowers.


    Little Miamiao felt something tugging at her heartstrings. In reality, she actually knew the answers to several of the questions that the teacher had asked, but she didn¡¯t dare raise her hand.


    In the end, she missed out on receiving several red flowers.


    Little Miaomiao decided that she would raise her hand next time.


    On the other hand, Zhou Yuan¡¯s mother looked at her son, who didn¡¯t acquire any red flowers, and frowned, ¡°Zhou Yuan, do you not like the color red? Or do you hate flowers?¡±


    Zhou Yuan raised his head, ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan¡¯s mother had a headache. She settled down next to him and said, ¡°I am aware that this kind of lifestyle has little to no meaning for you, and I know that you just want to experience something larger and more grand.¡±


    Zhou Yuan responded, ¡°Of course. After all, God didn¡¯t grant me this IQ to solve how much seven plus six is equal to.¡±


    ¡°I just hope you could have as much fun as the other children. Hopefully, you could encounter something fun during this semester. If you have no desire to continue next semester, you could go to your father¡¯s college,¡± Zhou Yuan¡¯s mother said with a sigh.


    Zhou Yuan¡¯s spirits lifted as he hurried upstairs to write down his plans for next semester in his journal.


    Simultaneously, Little Miaomiao was trying on the new dress that Aunt Hua had made. She wore a long, ankle-length, blue skirt with a tassel design. A small, knitted jacket also adorned her, but the long skirt had the extra effect of concealing her numerous trellised scars.


    Aunt Hua lifted her in front of a full-length mirror, ¡°Does it look good?¡±


    Little Miaomiao peered at her own reflection in the mirror. While blushing, she whispered, ¡°It looks good.¡±


    Afterwards, Aunt Hua said in a mysterious tone, ¡°Wait for me.¡±


    She walked into another room. After a while, she came out adorning different clothes.


    She wore a long skirt with the same design as Little Miaomiao. She even wore the same jacket as her. Aunt Hua approached Little Miaomiao, drew her into a warm embrace and declared, ¡°Auntie and Miaomiao are now wearing matching mother-daughter clothes.¡±


    Little Miaomiao looked at Aunt Hua and a thought came to her mind.


    So¡­Aunt Hua is actually her mother¡­?


    Suddenly, a surge of emotion welled up in her heart, She couldn¡¯t understand it, but her nose was sour and eyes were wet.

 CH 14

    Uncle Hua still hadn¡¯t returned home by dinnertime. Aunt Hua called him to ask about his whereabouts, but the person who answered the phone was a member of the hospital staff, who stated that Uncle Hua was still performing an operation.


    Aunt Hua hummed in acknowledgement and hung up the phone.


    Little Miaomiao watched her from the side. Aunt Hua noticed Little Miaomiao¡¯s sidelong look and squatted down near her, ¡°Uncle is busy saving people.¡±


    Then, she picked Little Miaomiao up and settled her into her high chair and said, ¡°Tonight, it will just be the two of us who will be eating together. Uncle will return later.¡±


    As soon as Aunt Hua left her side, Little Miaomiao got off her stool and went into the kitchen. She observed Aunt Hua washing the vegetables. Little Miaomiao was about the same height as the kitchen counter. She glanced at the counter, before walking out of the kitchen.


    Immediately afterwards, Aunt Hua saw Little Miaomiao carrying a small stool. She placed it next to Aunt Hua.


    Afterwards, Little Miaomiao placed her hands onto the stool. Then, she clambered up the stool and slowly stood on it. Afterwards, she squeezed herself into Aunt Hua¡¯s arms and began to assist Aunt Hua with washing the vegetables.


    At first, Aunt Hua wanted to see what she was doing. When she saw this scene unfold, a feeling of effusive warmth filled her heart, ¡°Miaomiao is so good!¡±


    Since Little Miaomiao didn¡¯t have to attend school for the next two days, Aunt Hua didn¡¯t hurry to take her to bed, until Little Miaomiao felt sleepy.


    Today, she chose to sleep together with Little Miaomiao on her little bed.


    Previously, Little Miaomiao couldn¡¯t fall asleep when another person was next to her. But today was different, as Little Miaomiao quickly drifted off to a deep slumber with her aunt next to her.


    Looking at her little daughter¡¯s sleeping face, Aunt Hua couldn¡¯t sleep anymore.


    In the past, a lot of people tried to persuade her to raise a child. At the time, she couldn¡¯t understand why. But now, she couldn¡¯t wait to see what her daughter will do next.


    Aunt Hua planted a kiss on her little cheek. Whatever happens in the future, she will always be her mother.


    Early the next morning, Little Miaomiao woke up and realized that Aunt Hua wasn¡¯t sleeping beside her anymore. She slipped out of her pajamas and put on a shirt and jacket, just like how Aunt Hua had dressed her.


    She remembered what her teacher had said, ¡°Children should learn how to do their chores at home. They should also do their own work.¡±


    As soon as she opened her bedroom door, she heard the voices of Aunt Hua and Uncle Hua coming out of the kitchen.


    Aunt Hua was conversing on the phone and didn¡¯t realize that Little Miaomiao woke up. After hanging up the phone, she whispered to Uncle Hua, ¡°I won¡¯t allow that spoiled brat to stay here for two days.¡±


    Uncle Hua concurred, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have already turned down their request. I also don¡¯t like that kid.¡±


    Of course, Uncle Hua didn¡¯t like that kid. During last year¡¯s Chinese New Year¡¯s celebrations, Uncle Hua took Aunt Hua to his hometown, but that spoiled brat ruined everything. He was an irritating troublemaker. He even placed a firecracker into Aunt Hua¡¯s hat as a prank. Although Aunt Hua didn¡¯t receive any injuries, she was still frightened to tears. His elder brother even had the audacity to request that they drop the matter because Aunt Hua wasn¡¯t injured. Additionally, he stated that the child was still young and only played a harmless prank.


    Uncle Hua and Aunt Hua were so angry that they left without any dinner or exchanging their goodbyes.


    Just the thought of this incident drove Aunt Hua to tremble with anger and resentment, ¡°You can visit your hometown alone for this year¡¯s Chinese New Year¡¯s celebrations. Miaomiao will accompany me to my mom¡¯s house. My mother and grandmother also want to see Miaomiao.¡±


    Aunt Hua¡¯s grandmother was in her nineties and also lived in the same home as Aunt Hua¡¯s mother.


    Noticing the smoldering anger on his wife¡¯s face, Uncle Hua didn¡¯t object and said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll send you to the home of Miaomiao¡¯s grandmother first¡­¡±


    Aunt Hua was stunned, ¡°My mother often complains that no one calls her grandma. But now, there is someone who could address her as such.¡±


    Aunt Hua¡¯s mother had ailing legs. Additionally, her old mother was around, so she doesn¡¯t depart her home very much. Instead, she spends most of her asking about Miaomiao through WeChat.


    At first, Miaomiao¡¯s condition was abysmal; therefore, she didn¡¯t grant her grandmother the opportunity to speak with Miaomiao on the phone.


    ¡°How about you send a photo of Miaomiao? Or we could also do some kind of video chat, to get them acquainted with each other,¡± Uncle Hua articulated.


    ¡°My grandmother has hearing problems. She also speaks loudly; therefore, I¡¯m afraid that this will scare Miaomiao.¡± Aunt Hua said with tinctures of concern in her voice.


    ¡°Then, just let her converse with your mom via video chat. We can do the same with your grandmother later.¡±


    Little Miaomiao eavesdropped on their conversation. She realized that she shouldn¡¯t allow fear and uncertainty to overtake her. She was mother¡¯s mother; therefore, she shouldn¡¯t be afraid of her.


    After finishing breakfast, Aunt Hua held Little Miaomiao and sat on the sofa. She took out a tablet.


    Before making a call, Aunt Hua asked Little Miaomiao, ¡°Does Little Miaomiao know what a grandma is?¡±


    Little Miaomiao nodded her head. She wouldn¡¯t allow fear to consume her.


    ¡°The dress, which was embroidered with flower designs on it, was a gift from grandma for Little Miaomiao. You wore it last time. She also bought some walnut milk for Miaomiao.¡±


    Cautiously, Aunt Hua then asked, ¡°Does Little Miaomiao want to see grandma?¡±


    Remembering the conversation that she overheard in the morning, Little Miaomiao nodded and said, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Seeing her ready agreement to this, Aunt Hua was surprised. She clicked on the video chat icon and after a few more clicks, the other party picked up the call.


    Little Miaomiao saw an old woman appear on the screen.


    ¡°Is this Little Miaomiao? You greatly resemble your aunt when she was a child. So cute!¡± Grandma said with a warm smile.


    Little Miaomiao silently practiced her greetings in her heart.


    Good morning, grandma; good morning, grandma; good morning, grandma.


    Be sure to say it out loud! It¡¯s just like greeting Zhou Yuan at school.


    ¡°Good morning, grandma¡­¡± Little Miaomiao lowered her head and spoke in a soft voice tinctured with timidity.


    But, whether it was grandma on the phone or Aunt Hua beside her, they both heard her clearly.


    After uttering those words, Little Miaomiao realized that it wasn¡¯t an arduous task, so she raised her head. Noticing that Little Miaomiao was fine, Grandma and Aunt Hua were relaxed.


    Grandma continued to speak, ¡°Little Miaomiao is so well-behaved! Grandma will buy some candy for you to eat¡­¡±


    Aunt Hua heard a notification bell.


    When she minimized the video, she saw five red envelopes appear in the chat box.


    Aunt Hua said to Little Miaomiao, ¡°Grandma gifted you a red envelope. Click here to open it.¡±


    Under Aunt Hua¡¯s instructions, Little Miaomiao clicked on the red envelope. She didn¡¯t know how much money grandma sent. When Aunt Hua saw that her mother sent one thousand yuan, she thought that she should send back some money later.


    Aunt Hua maximized the video again, and grandma reappeared on the tablet.


    Although Little Miaomiao didn¡¯t understand much, she still learned her basic etiquette and decorum from school. After practicing several times silently in her heart, she uttered, ¡°Thank you, Grandma.¡±


    During this time, a loud, sonorous voice erupted from the phone, ¡°Yulan, why are you hiding in the bathroom?¡±


    Aunt Hua hurriedly placed a hand on Little Miaomiao¡¯s shoulders and comforted her, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, that¡¯s great-grandma. She is grandma¡¯s mother.¡±


    Little Miaomiao blinked her eyes. In fact, she wasn¡¯t afraid at all. She already was aware of it. When someone spoke loudly, it didn¡¯t mean that they would hit people.

 CH 15

    Aunt Hua¡¯s grandmother was older, in her nineties, and her ears were not very good. But she never enjoyed wearing hearing aids since she thought that they made her look unsightly like a little kid. So, she removed them. As a result, when she spoke, her voice sounded like thunder. It could even be heard several houses away.


    She (Aunt Hua¡¯s mom) was afraid that her mother¡¯s thunderous tone would frighten Little Miaomiao. Similarly, she was fearful that Little Miaomiao¡¯s reaction would hurt the old lady¡¯s heart. She discussed this earlier with Aunt Hua, so she took the tablet and hid inside the bathroom to surreptitiously speak with Little Miaomiao.


    After hearing her mother¡¯s voice outside, Miaomiao¡¯s grandmother was taken aback and whispered to Miaomiao, ¡°My mother is calling me, I will talk with Miaomiao later.¡±


    Then, she turned off the video call and simultaneously shouted to her mother, ¡°Mom. Stop talking so loud. I¡¯m coming out.¡±


    After yelling, she realized that the video call hadn¡¯t been turned off just now. So, she carefully said to Miaomiao, ¡°My mother is hard of hearing. She can¡¯t hear if not spoken to loudly.¡±


    During this, they heard the thunderously resonant voice outside the bathroom, ¡°Yulan! Why haven¡¯t you come out yet? Why are you hiding inside the bathroom?¡±


    ¡°Here!¡±


    After turning off the video call, Little Miaomiao realized that wasn¡¯t afraid at all. She was her grandma¡¯s mother.


    She was called great-grandma because she is her mother¡¯s grandmother.


    Little Miaomiao cautiously and stealthily held Aunt Hua¡¯s hand beside her. This was her¡­mother.


    Aunt Hua held her hand and was relieved to see that Little Miaomiao really didn¡¯t seem to be frightened.


    Aunt Hua¡¯s job wasn¡¯t easy, and there were still many designs and drawings that she needed to work on. Luckily, her boss allowed her to work from home.


    ¡°Auntie has some work to do. Little Miaomiao, could you read a book until my work is finished?¡±


    Aunt Hua put the book titled ¡°Fairy Tales¡± onto her desk.


    Little Miaomiao nodded.


    In fact, even after letting her read the book, Aunt Hua couldn¡¯t pry her eyes away from Little Miaomiao, who read the book and radiated a serious expression every once in a while.


    Looking at the blank paper, Aunt Hua stood up quietly and departed for the study room nearby to continue working on the design.


    In the living room, Little Miaomiao buried herself in the book of fairy tales. When she started to read Snow White¡¯s story, the tablet next to her began to vibrate.


    Little Miaomiao held the tablet and was about to take it to the study room and give it to Aunt Hua. The tablet stopped ringing before she even reached the study room¡¯s door. The door was unlocked, so Little Miaomiao trekked inside the room. She noticed Aunt Hua drawing something with intense focus and acuity.


    Little Miaomiao turned around and trekked out of the room. The tablet started to ring again.


    This time, she trotted out to the balcony and squatted near the pomegranate plant. Then, she imitated Aunt Hua¡¯s actions. Soon, the video call started.


    A white-haired grandmother appeared on the screen. Squinting her eyes, she got closer to the screen and muttered, ¡°Huh?¡±


    Little Miaomiao remembered this voice. It was the voice of grandma¡¯s mother. She summoned up her courage and asked, ¡°Are you great-grandma?¡±


    With each word, her voice sounded lower and lower, to the point where it became wholly inarticulate. She remembered her aunt and grandma mentioning that great-grandma was hard of hearing, and how her voice was too soft for her to hear.


    ¡°Juan¡¯er, why are you calling me great-grandma?¡± Great-grandma asked incomprehensibly.


    Little Miaomiao knew that Juan¡¯er was Aunt Hua¡¯s name. She looked at the old lady with a particularly puckered face, gathered up her courage and said, ¡°I¡¯m aunt¡¯s daughter. Did something happen great-grandma?¡±


    ¡°Aunt¡¯s daughter? Juan¡¯er¡¯s? Does she have a daughter? Oh, I remember now, Yulan told me about this. You are Little Miaomiao, right?¡±


    Little Miaomiao replied with a hum. She felt that she should say more, but she didn¡¯t know what to say.


    On the other side, the great-grandmother continued to speak, ¡°Yes, I came to the bathroom to start a video call with Miaomiao in secret. I am also wearing my hearing aids¡­how could I forget about them?¡±


    Little Miaomiao blushed. Realizing that great-grandma specifically called to speak to her, she felt obligated to say something. But the more anxious she became, the less she knew what to say.


    Great-grandma then asked, ¡°Will Little Miaomiao come to celebrate Chinese New Year this year?¡±


    Little Miaomiao blinked, ¡°What is Chinese New Year?¡±


    For some reason, nobody clarified what Chinese New Year was to her. This morning, she overheard Aunt Hua mentioning Chinese Year, and she became curious about it, but she didn¡¯t ask.


    Currently, she and great-grandma were speaking about it. Under such circumstances, she would naturally present her with this question.


    Great-grandma explained, ¡°On Chinese New Year, Miaomiao will wear new clothes. Then, she¡¯ll eat savory food and be gifted with New Year¡¯s money¡­Your mother had a hard time when she was a child¡­¡±


    The old lady¡¯s memory was a little confused. She cannot remember other people addressing Aunt Hua as aunt and not mother. She only remembers that Little Miaomiao was the daughter of her granddaughter.


    Little Miaomiao listened to this information carefully.


    ¡°On Chinese New Year, when your mother was a child, she had two pigtails and ran as far as she could. She kept shouting grandma.¡±


    Little Miaomiao digested this information carefully. She could already picture the scene in her head, but there was something that she couldn¡¯t understand, ¡°What¡¯s a pigtail?¡±


    ¡°When the hair is braided, it¡¯s called a pigtail.¡± Great-grandma continued, ¡°Your mother liked to especially wear two braids during her youth. Does your mother comb your hair now?¡±


    Little Miaomiao turned her head and was able to take a quick glance at her ponytail, ¡°Mom combed it.¡±


    As soon as she finished her statement, time froze for a bit. Because great-grandma continuously recognized Aunt Hua as her mother, Little Miaomiao did the same.


    After she finished speaking, she found when she said the word ¡°mother¡±, her mind formed a new image of Aunt Hua.


    ¡°Mom! Are you in the bathroom? Did you see my tablet?!¡± During this time, a loud knocking came upon the bathroom door.


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak so loud!¡± Great-grandma shouted, ¡°You¡¯re going to make me deaf¡­¡±


    Immediately afterwards, great-grandma said to Little Miaomiao, ¡°Miaomiao, let¡¯s converse again when we have time. Don¡¯t tell anyone about this. They wouldn¡¯t let me play with the tablet, isn¡¯t it just a board?¡±


    Then, Little Miaomiao watched her great-grandma, who had a puzzled expression, clicking everywhere on the screen.


    Little Miaomiao stood up, and then¡­her legs felt numb. It¡¯s almost as if someone was puncturing her legs with a needle.


    During this time, Little Miaomiao heard her Aunt coming out of the study.


    Little Miaomiao hugged the tablet and started to limp towards the sofa. But, since her legs were too numb, she fell down with a crash all of a sudden.


    Aunt Hua heard a crashing sound and ran over to her. Seeing her on the floor, Aunt Hua immediately embraced her, ¡°Are you okay? Did you get hurt?¡±


    As Aunt Hua picked Little Miaomiao up, she still clasped the tablet in her arms. She saw that the screen was shattered into many pieces. The tears, which she suppressed until now, suddenly fell, ¡°Broken¡­¡±


    At first, she held the tablet in her arms since she was fearful that it would accidentally fall to the ground. But she never expected that she herself would fall. Because of that, the tablet was crushed under her weight and the screen was shattered into many pieces.

 CH 16

    Aunt Hua thought that Little Miaomiao was grieving because of the pain from the fall. But she didn¡¯t expect that the first thing that Little Miaomiao was worried about was the broken tablet.


    The sight of Little Miaomiao crying about the broken tablet distressed Aunt Hua. She tried to lighten the mood, ¡°The tablet didn¡¯t get hurt, did it? Auntie will take it for repairs later. Let me take a look at you. Did you get hurt anywhere?¡±


    As she spoke to her, Aunt Hua wiped Little Miaomiao¡¯s flowing tears. Then, she put the tablet aside and searched her palms and knees for injuries. The area around the knees was red. But fortunately, the fall didn¡¯t scrape her knees. Aunt Hua picked Little Miaomiao up, ¡°I¡¯ll rub some ointment on you. It¡¯ll be fine after I apply it.¡±


    She took Little Miaomiao to the living room, where there was a special medicinal kit.


    ¡°Does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt,¡± Little Miaomiao said quietly. In reality, her legs still gave her pain, but not because of the fall. Her legs hurt because she squatted for a long time outside.


    She believed that her legs were broken. She believed that her legs were failing her. But she didn¡¯t dare say this to Aunt Hua. She was afraid that Aunt Hua would be overwhelmed by melancholy and sorrow. The thought of this caused her tears to begin falling about.


    Anguish could be seen on Aunt Hua¡¯s face. She blew air onto her knees and reassured her, ¡°Don¡¯t cry. It¡¯ll be better soon. Later, we¡¯ll put a carpet here, so that you¡¯ll never fall down again.¡±


    When she heard Aunt Hua¡¯s gentle voice, sadness gripped Little Miaomiao¡¯s heart even more. She tried to repress her tears. But because of this repression, her face flushed and she was out of breath.


    Aunt Hua stroked her face lovingly and asked, ¡°Are you still in pain? Miaomiao, please don¡¯t scare Auntie.¡±


    ¡°My legs¡­legs¡­broken¡­,¡± Little Miaomiao uttered in between her hiccups.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. We¡¯ll go to the hospital right now.¡± Aunt Hua stated in a hurry.


    At this time, they heard the sound of a key unlocking the door. Then, the door opened, and they heard Uncle Hua¡¯s voice, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    He noticed both the mother and daughter with tear-stricken faces inside the living room. Aunt Hua said sobbingly, ¡°Miaomiao¡¯s leg broke¡­¡±


    Anxiety and consternation instantly seized Uncle Hua, as he immediately ran over without even taking off his shoes. He squatted near the weeping mother and daughter, ¡°Let me take a look.¡±


    He held Little Miaomiao¡¯s leg, pressed it twice and looked at Little Miaomiao, ¡°Does it hurt here?¡±


    Little Miaomiao ceased crying, ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore¡­¡± Up until this point, her legs ailed her and she wasn¡¯t able to move her legs at all.


    Little Miaomiao shrank back. She didn¡¯t dare say anything else because she feared being scolded for lying¡­


    Uncle Hua still wore a serious expression on his face, ¡°How did you get hurt? Where did you get hurt?¡±


    Little Miaomiao uttered, ¡°There are needles¡­inside.¡±


    Uncle Hua froze for a bit. Then, he laughed, ¡°Did you squat on the ground for a long time? Was it like that when you stood up?¡±


    Little Miaomiao nodded.


    Aunt Hua asked quickly, ¡°Is it due to past injuries?¡±


    ¡°She has been squatting for a long time. Her legs were just numb.¡± Uncle Hua clarified.


    Aunt Hua breathed a sigh of relief and kissed Little Miaomiao¡¯s forehead, ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡±


    Little Miaomiao realized that she was mistaken. There was nothing wrong with her legs. Even if it was just a misunderstanding, she still broke Aunt Hua¡¯s tablet. This caused her to weep. A heavy feeling of guilt immediately gripped her little heart tightly.


    She didn¡¯t feel fear, but rather, she felt some disturbing emotion that she couldn¡¯t understand. This flustered her.


    Aunt Hua lifted her up. She thought that Little Miaomiao was still afraid because of her legs, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Uncle is a doctor. He said that there is nothing wrong with your legs; therefore, everything is alright.¡±


    Little Miaomiao hummed in reply.


    Uncle Hua stood next to them and happily said, ¡°Just now, you two were really close. I should¡¯ve taken a picture when I came inside.¡±


    The two wept because they thought that her legs were broken, but it turned out to be numbness in the legs. The scene that unfolded just now was simultaneously heartbreaking and funny.


    Aunt Hua continued to hold Little Miaomiao. Then, she touched her head and said gravely, ¡°Don¡¯t laugh at us. We were very scared at first.¡±


    Little Miaomiao couldn¡¯t speak, let alone look at her Aunt and Uncle.


    Because of this incident, Aunt Hua completely forgot about the tablet¡¯s shattered screen. At home, she used the computer and mobile phone more. And for drawing up designs, she used a dedicated, digital board. She rarely used the tablet.


    But Little Miaomiao couldn¡¯t forget about this matter. When she went to bed at night, her thoughts still swirled around the broken tablet. She wondered how she was going to fix it.


    Then, she thought of Zhou Yuan. Everyone praised him as being the smartest person.


    She remembered that Zhou Yuan knew everything, so he must know how to fix a tablet.


    On Monday morning, Little Miaomiao arrived at school with her schoolbag. After settling down in her seat, she secretly placed a packet of dried meat and a bottle of yogurt, that her Aunt gave her, inside Zhou Yuan¡¯s desk.


    As soon as Zhou Yuan arrived at school, he noticed the dejection on his little classmate¡¯s face. She came very early today. Zhou Yuan remembered that she was still studying about ¡°mother¡± last week.


    He approached her and said, ¡°Good morning, Miaomiao.¡±


    Little Miaomiao looked at him, ¡°Good morning, Zhou Yuan.¡±


    Zhou Yuan placed his schoolbag under his desk. Then, he looked at her and asked, ¡°Is there something wrong with Miaomiao today?¡±


    She looked melancholic.


    Little Miaomiao suddenly raised her head. Just as expected, Zhou Yuan was indeed the smartest person in the world. He knew about her mood, even before she uttered a single word.


    Although Little Miaomiao was still diffident, she was determined to do something for Aunt Hua. She felt a stronger desire to right the wrongs that she had committed. She produced the tablet from her schoolbag and said softly, ¡°This¡­is broken¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan assumed that she accidentally broke the tablet and didn¡¯t say anything to her parents. He took the tablet and scrutinized it. He understood that even though her Uncle and Aunt were very kind-hearted to her, her past incidents still affected her mentality. He comforted her and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. This can be fixed. Only the screen is broken.¡±


    Little Miaomiao widened her eyes and looked at Zhou Yuan, ¡°Really? Can it be fixed?¡±


    Looking at her big, watery eyes, Zhou Yuan found her very cute and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll have it repaired by tomorrow.¡±


    During class, Zhou Yuan discovered that Little Miaomiao kept observing him carefully¡­


    Zhou Yuan found it a little bizarre. Is it because she feared that he would run away with the tablet?


    Zhou Yuan was still very considerate about the little kid¡¯s thoughts. In his heart, he decided that he would take the tablet to be repaired during the afternoon, so that it could be returned to her as soon as possible.


    Little Miaomiao stretched out her arm to hold Zhou Yuan¡¯s hand. But, Zhou Yuan placed his hands atop his desk; therefore, she couldn¡¯t hold them. So, she retracted her hands in silence.

 CH 17

    Since she broke the tablet and made Aunt Hua cry, Little Miaomiao¡¯s thoughts focused on a single thing in her math class ¨C she had to raise her hand and get a little, red flower! She had to obtain a little, red flower!


    Only the math teacher rewarded the students with small, red flowers when they answered the questions. The other teachers, of course, rewarded them with their own little, red flowers, but in their own subjects and fields of study.


    The math teacher was a fat, old man. He was about to retire within a year. Since he was one of the older generation, he couldn¡¯t speak Mandarin very well. Despite that, he still insisted that everyone spoke Mandarin in his class.


    ¡°Students. Look at the blackboard. Can anyone answer this question? Let¡¯s see who could raise their hand the quickest!¡±


    Little Miaomiao knew that the teacher would ask this question. He asked this same question every day, when class concluded. She had already calculated the answer using her fingers, which she concealed under her desk.


    As soon as the teacher finished speaking, Little Miaomiao raised her hand. The math teacher noticed her and said, ¡°Student Miaomiao, please answer the question.¡±


    Little Miaomiao slowly stood up. Her behavior today surprised Zhou Yuan.


    Little Miaomiao answered in a hushed voice, ¡°15.¡±


    The math teacher said, ¡°Does anyone else have a different answer?¡±


    Little Miaomiao stood up in front of so many people to answer the question. Her legs trembled. Not only her legs, but her hands were shivering as well. As soon as she processed her teacher¡¯s words, she thought that her answer was wrong. Her face was red with embarrassment.


    Zhou Yuan noticed her ceaseless trembling. He glanced at her and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. The answer is 15.¡±


    Several of her classmates raised their hands and voiced out that the answer wasn¡¯t 15.


    Then, she heard the math teacher reply, ¡°If it isn¡¯t 15, then the answer is wrong.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± Teacher. You¡¯re scaring the children.


    Only then, did Little Miaomiao sit back down in her seat. She felt as if she had gone through some arduous journey and had barely escaped her death.


    Zhou Yuan understood that she was fearful about raising her hands in front of such an audience. He understood that she was apprehensive about answering the questions.


    Zhou Yuan looked at his tablemate.


    Was it because she accidentally broke the tablet? Was that why she trembled with so much fear and trepidation?


    Zhou Yuan could understand her situation. After all, she wasn¡¯t raised in a normal family environment. She never knew how parents and children got along with each other. She had to slowly get used to it¡­


    The math teacher continued with his lesson. Little Miaomiao laid on the table in exhaustion. She panted surreptitiously, for she was afraid that others would discover her fatigue. She was like a tiny kitten that tired itself out after running around too much.


    When class ended, the math teacher departed the classroom right away. This shocked Little Miaomiao since she expected to receive her little, crimson flower.


    The teacher should¡¯ve rewarded them with small, sanguine flowers, before exiting the classroom.


    Seeing her downtrodden reaction, Zhou Yuan figured out that she was thinking about the little, red flower.


    For adults, it¡¯s just a little, red flower, it bears little to no meaning for them. But for children, it¡¯s something of paramount importance, especially for the hardworking children.


    Under the pretext of leaving for the bathroom, Zhou Yuan quickly paid a visit to the teacher¡¯s office. He explained all of this to the teacher, and soon he returned with a little, red flower.


    Zhou Yuan focused on Little Miaomiao¡¯s expression. Her face lit up, ebullience swelled in her heart, and her attention wholly focused on the small, crimson flower.


    The small, crimson flower was a great way to lift up her spirits. Simultaneously, Zhou Yuan ruminated in his head about whether he could get the tablet fixed by this afternoon. If he surprised her with a fully repaired tablet with a new screen by noon today, would she become even more ecstatic?


    Zhou Yuan left the classroom and went into the office. He borrowed Teacher Li¡¯s cell phone and called his father.


    At noon, all the children were waiting inside the classroom for the P.T. teacher to distribute the meals and fruits to them.


    Zhou Yuan was waiting outside the classroom. His schoolbag was slung around his shoulders. His father soon came to pick him up.


    Father Zhou took his school bag, held it high and said, ¡°Does this tablet belong to the girl who sits next to you? You sure know how to get a wife at such a young age.¡±


    Zhou Yuan wasn¡¯t as tall as his father; therefore, he couldn¡¯t get back the tablet from his father. Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t even try to get it back from him and contemptuously said, ¡°Don¡¯t use your filthy brain to imagine something between us. It¡¯s just friendship between children.¡±


    Dad Zhou: ¡°I¡­was just kidding. I was mistaken.¡±


    Zhou Yuan responded, ¡°Don¡¯t joke around like that in the future. It¡¯s okay if I hear it, but if other children hear it, it would affect their physical and mental health.¡±


    Dad Zhou: ¡°¡­¡±


    Due to Zhou Yuan¡¯s departure, the seat next to Little Miaomiao was empty. She stared at the vacant seat and remembered that Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t notice the bottle of yogurt that she put inside his desk.


    As she thought about this, a sour mood slowly descended on her while she ate her lunch at the same time. She finished eating it, anyways, since she wanted to receive another little, red flower as a reward.


    After clearing her meal, she laid on her desk. In reality, Little Miaomiao never slept at school. She would just lie down on her desk and stare at the lines on the wooden table quietly.


    After some time, Little Miaomiao sensed that someone sat next to her. But she didn¡¯t move, because their teacher ordered them not to move during their nap time.


    Zhou Yuan produced the tablet from his schoolbag and placed it inside his desk drawer. He thought that it would be much more convenient to present it to Little Miaomiao in a bit. When he opened his drawer, he found a packet of milk candy, a packet of steamed meat buns and a bottle of yogurt within.


    Zhou Yuan looked pensively at the little girl who slept next to him. In his heart, he felt that she resembled a little ant that moved her food into his cave.


    He looked at the tablet. He couldn¡¯t wait to see her reaction when she realized that the tablet had already been fixed.


    Zhou Yuan laid down on his desk to sleep. As soon as his head touched the table, he fell into a deep slumber. He was still a child, after all, and venturing outside for such a long time could exhaust him.


    The ringing of the bell soon woke him up. The teacher didn¡¯t enter the classroom yet.


    The children were still conversing with each other in class. Zhou Yuan produced the tablet from his drawer and presented it to Little Miaomiao, ¡°It¡¯s fixed.¡±


    This stunned Little Miaomiao. She saw that the tablet¡¯s broken screen was no longer in pieces.


    Little Miaomiao glanced at Zhou Yuan again. She looked as if she stood before the most amazing and most powerful person in the world. He really repaired the tablet.


    Little Miaomiao held his hand. She didn¡¯t know how to express her feelings, so she could only hold his hand, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Zhou Yuan, who was clasped by Little Miaomiao¡¯s tiny hands, replied, ¡°You are welcome. This sort of thing is a simple matter for me. In the future, if you need any help, you could always ask me for assistance.¡±


    Zhou Yuan declared this to her. She could now look for him, if she stumbled upon something that she couldn¡¯t solve.

 CH 18

    During class, Little Miaomiao¡¯s heart fluttered all afternoon, because she had received two small, red flowers, answered the questions in class, and the tablet was finally repaired.


    When she returned home, she would share every detail of this exhilarating news with her aunt.


    When class was over, as soon as her name was called, she raced out of the classroom in a hurry. She even forgot to bid Zhou Yuan goodbye.


    Zhou Yuan watched the retreating back of the exuberant, little girl, before silently retracting his gaze.


    When Aunt Hua saw Little Miaomiao walked out of the classroom with a cheerful, ebullient expression, all of the dismal unhappiness that she accrued from work instantly vanished.


    Within her heart, Little Miaomiao silently mused about how she was going to announce her triumph to her aunt.


    Today, I received two little, red flowers. One was given to me in math class, because I raised my hand and answered the question.


    I have to be able to say this.


    Little Miaomiao squeezed Aunt Hua¡¯s hand and repeated those words silently in her heart. Then, she uttered, ¡°Auntie, two red flowers¡­¡±


    I said it incorrectly.


    Little Miaomiao became a little flustered when she saw that Aunt Hua looked at her. She said again, ¡°I got two red flowers today¡­¡±


    This time, Aunt Hua heard her clearly and said, ¡°Wow, Little Miaomiao got two red flowers. That is fantastic!¡±


    After digesting Aunt Hua¡¯s joyous words, Little Miaomiao continued, ¡°I got one flower for answering the math question, and I raised my hand¡­¡±


    She already had the words sorted out in her head, but because of her overexcitement, she spoke with a hint of incoherence.


    Fortunately, Aunt Hua understood her, ¡°Did Little Miaomiao raise her hand to answer the question? Awesome! Was the question difficult?¡±


    Little Miaomiao shook her head, ¡°It wasn¡¯t difficult, but the math teacher forgot to give¡­¡±


    Soon, they treaded out of the school grounds. Aunt Hua helped Little Miaomiao get into the car. A wave of blissful exuberance filled Aunt Hua¡¯s heart.


    Originally, she assumed that Little Miaomiao¡¯s condition would take much longer to improve, but she never expected that these little changes would arise in her so quickly. And they happened shortly after attending school, too.


    She didn¡¯t expect this quick turn of events. When she was little, Little Miaomiao endured a lot of malice and pain, which caused her to instinctively close off the vault to her heart. She would be beaten if she cried or uttered a word; therefore, she understood that she had to remain silent.


    After her change in environment, however, she slowly experienced kindness and love. She still couldn¡¯t express her emotions, and she still made a lot of mistakes, but instead of being beaten because of them, she was showered with kindness and affection. This encouraged her to improve for the future.


    After talking about the little, red flower, Little Miaomiao noticed that Aunt Hua was still looking at her. Her look urged her to continue. She pondered for a moment and said, ¡°After I answered the question, the teacher asked the other students a question. If they believed that 15 wasn¡¯t the correct answer, they should raise their hands¡­then, a person raised his hand. The teacher, then, told him that 15 was really the correct answer.¡±


    Although Aunt Hua looked at her with a straight face, a storm of gleeful emotions swelled in her heart.


    Instead of erupting in exhilaration about her improvement, she asked, ¡°The math teacher was really naughty, wasn¡¯t he? Were you scared because you thought that you answered incorrectly?¡±


    Little Miaomiao nodded in affirmation and said, ¡°I was scared.¡±


    Looking at Aunt Hua¡¯s expectant eyes, Little Miaomiao assumed that she needed to continue speaking. Soon, a thought struck her, and she said, ¡°Today, one of my classmates happily cried. Her mom is about to give birth to a younger brother¡­¡±


    Little Miaomiao¡¯s words didn¡¯t carry any other meaning. Little Miaomiao noticed that her classmates chatted about anything and everything with their parents. She had desired to do the same with Aunt Hua. She had always envied them for being able to freely express themselves with their parents. Now that she had the chance, she racked her brain and thought of her tearful classmate.


    As if mulling over something more complicated, Aunt Hua recalled that many of her colleagues were thinking about having another child. Several female colleagues had daughters, who were in college, and they had expressed their desire to have more children.


    She stroked Little Miaomiao¡¯s head and said, ¡°Auntie doesn¡¯t want a brother. I just want Miaomiao.¡±


    When they returned home, Aunt Hua went to change her clothes. When Aunt Hua left, Little Miaomiao placed the tablet onto the sofa.


    Aunt Hua came back in her new attire and saw Little Miaomiao sweeping the floor with a broom. She looked at her occasionally.


    As Aunt Hua walked over, she noticed the tablet on the sofa. She recalled her plans to have it repaired.


    She picked up the tablet and found that the screen was no longer broken or damaged.


    It seemed strange to Aunt Hua, since she clearly recalled that the tablet had a shattered screen.


    ¡°Honey, did you fix the tablet¡¯s screen?¡± Aunt Hua contacted Uncle Hua.


    ¡°No, I was going to take it for repairs this morning, but I couldn¡¯t find it.¡± Uncle Hua replied.


    Little Miaomiao lowered her head and averted her gaze. She continued to sweep the floor and pretended to be unaware of what was going on.


    There were only three people in the family. Her conjecture was unlikely, but she couldn¡¯t think of anything else.


    ¡°Miaomiao, did you fix the tablet?¡± asked Aunt Hua, as she picked Little Miaomiao up.


    Little Miaomiao embraced her, ¡°It was Zhou Yuan who fixed it.¡±


    Aunt Hua immediately recalled the precociously intelligent boy. Then, she smiled and uttered, ¡°He¡¯s really amazing!¡±


    Aunt Hua didn¡¯t press Little Miaomiao for any more details.


    Aunt Hua opened up her WeChat. Then, she requested Teacher Li to give her the WeChat ID of Zhou Yuan¡¯s mother.


    Teacher Li: ¡°Oh. In his family, Zhou Yuan is basically the one in charge. It would be more appropriate if I give you his WeChat ID.¡±


    ¡°He has a WeChat account?¡± Aunt Hua looked at a screenshot that displayed Zhou Yuan¡¯s explanation for why Little Miaomiao was weeping. She thought that his parents conveyed Zhou Yuan¡¯s message using their WeChat account.


    Teacher Li: ¡°You don¡¯t need to treat him like a child. Have you ever read one of those reincarnation novels? You could treat him like someone reincarnated.¡±


    Aunt Hua could not resist laughing. Then, she added Zhou Yuan¡¯s account. His WeChat account is very simple. His username is Zhou Yuan and his profile picture is ¡®Ô«(yuan)¡¯.


    It appeared like people often mispronounced his name. He probably was very aggrieved by this.


    Aunt Hua typed a verification message, ¡°Hua Miaomiao¡¯s mother¡±. She originally planned to type in Aunt, but she changed it to mother.


    Many people referred to her as aunt, but she was, in fact, Little Miaomiao¡¯s mother.


    Soon, the verification process was completed.


    ¡°Hello, classmate Zhou Yuan, I¡¯m Hua Miaomiao¡¯s mother.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Auntie.¡± Zhou Yuan replied back immediately.


    Aunt Hua: ¡°It¡¯s like this, Little Miaomiao brought the broken tablet to school today, which you helped repair. How much did it cost to fix the tablet?¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°Little Miaomiao had already given me the fee for repairs. [Picture]¡±


    The picture showed a bunch of snacks, an apple and a bottle of yogurt.


    Aunt Hua gave the snacks and yogurt to Little Miaomiao, which Little Miaomiao placed inside Zhou Yuan¡¯s desk drawer. Initially, Zhou Yuan refused to take them, which caused Little Miaomiao to lower her head in sadness. After seeing her dejected face that was on the verge of tears, Zhou Yuan agreed to take them.


    The apple was distributed by the school for lunch, but Little Miaomiao left it for Zhou Yuan, who was absent for lunch.


    Aunt Hua: ¡°How could those snacks add up to become tantamount to the repair costs?¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°These are all of her delicious treats that she gave to me. It¡¯s enough.¡±


    Aunt Hua: ¡°¡­¡±


    She suddenly felt like a layman who measured everything with money.

 CH 19

    Meanwhile, Dad Zhou came over and quickly read Aunt Hua¡¯s message. He said brightly, ¡°A bunch of snacks for a 400 yuan screen. So this was how the greatest entrepreneur of this century did business.¡±


    Zhou Yuan looked up at his father, as if he was looking at a fool, and said, ¡°Money isn¡¯t as important as people.¡±


    This retort made Dad Zhou feel as if the HP bar above his head had fallen all the way to zero.


    He slapped Zhou Yuan on his shoulder, ¡°Dude, your mom isn¡¯t here, so tell me honestly. In what year were you reborn? Do you remember any lottery numbers? And what was I like at that time? I will definitely not say it out loud.¡±


    Zhou Yuan stood up and picked up an apple. After taking a bite, he said, ¡°Dad, please don¡¯t indulge yourself in your imagination.¡±


    Suddenly, he felt that something was amiss. He lowered his gaze and saw blood on the apple. A tooth was inserted into it.


    He didn¡¯t turn around and calmly trekked into the bathroom.


    Dad Zhou was left speechless by his son¡¯s behavior.


    On the other hand, after reading Zhou Yuan¡¯s message, Aunt Hua couldn¡¯t help it and said to Uncle Hua, ¡°Miaomiao¡¯s tablemate is really good.¡±


    Classmate Zhou Yuan had once again changed Aunt Hua¡¯s views on ¡®how smart a child could be.¡¯


    It¡¯s no wonder why Mrs. Li told her that she could treat him like an adult. He spoke politely with poise and was generous enough to exchange a screen for snacks.


    Uncle Hua responded, ¡°It¡¯s certainly rare for a kid so young.¡±


    Zhou Yuan was certainly a great child, especially when compared to the two spoiled brats from his brother¡¯s household. Those two made Uncle Hua believe that all kids were the same.


    Uncle Hua¡¯s words reminded Aunt Hua of something, so she asked, ¡°By the way, didn¡¯t your brother ask for your assistance to enroll his son into Miaomiao¡¯s school?¡±


    ¡°I refused his request. I told him that the elementary school is quite strict. If they wanted to enroll their kid there, they had to live here permanently.¡±


    Aunt Hua was taken aback and said, ¡°No wonder why your mom once told me to register the name of your brother¡¯s youngest son into our household registry, since we have no children of our own¡­¡±


    Uncle Hua frowned, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about what my mom says. She¡¯s always like that. She can¡¯t wait to move all my belongings into my brother¡¯s house.¡±


    ¡°With Miaomiao here, I don¡¯t think that she will bring this up again.¡± Aunt Hua comforted him.


    Uncle Hua nodded, ¡°No matter what she says, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    There was still a monthly pension. Both of them were well-paid, especially Aunt Hua. In recent years, they bought a house and a car. They never had any major expenses, so they had quite a bit of savings.


    They chatted for a while. Aunt Hua looked at Uncle Hua, who sat next to her, and noticed that he seemed a little unhappy. She realized that it must be because of what she had said.


    In fact, Uncle Hua¡¯s mother allowed his brother¡¯s younger son to live in their household. It wasn¡¯t just for studying. Although she didn¡¯t explain things clearly, Uncle Hua was a sensible person who could deduce why she did that. This predicament brought him nothing but unhappiness.


    Uncle Hua leaned over and kissed him on the face. Then, she leaned on him, ¡°Miaomiao¡¯s condition is getting better and better now. She told me a lot of things along the way today. She also raised her hand to answer questions in class.¡±


    Uncle Hua stroked her head, ¡°She¡¯s going to get better and better in the future.¡±


    Before Little Miaomiao departed for school the next morning, Aunt Hua asked her, ¡°Would you like to take more snacks to school today?¡±


    Of course, Aunt Hua didn¡¯t mind that Little Miaomiao shared her food with Zhou Yuan. She just wanted her to eat some more.


    Little Miaomiao looked at the food and recalled how Zhou Yuan helped her yesterday, so she took a bag of snacks and fruits with her.


    After her arrival at school, she put all the snacks into Zhou Yuan¡¯s desk once more.


    Soon, Zhou Yuan arrived at school. Strangely, Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t greet Little Miaomiao and directly sat down into his seat.


    This perturbed Little Miaomiao. She remembered that she had left in a hurry yesterday without telling him that she would see him tomorrow.


    Could he be angry because of that?


    Little Miaomiao whispered, ¡°Good morning?¡±


    Zhou Yuan hummed in response and handed her a note, ¡°Miaomiao, good morning.¡±


    Little Miaomiao froze for a moment, turned her head and saw Zhou Yuan catching up on his homework.


    His face was taut, his lips were tightly pursed, and he looked a little unhappy.


    Traces of anxiety and perturbation crept into Little Miaomiao¡¯s heart. She squeezed her hand. She wanted to talk to him. But since he was busy, she dared not disturb him. So Little Miaomiao could only watch him from the side.


    After Zhou Yuan completed his homework, he turned his head and saw Little Miaomiao staring at him.


    Zhou Yuan was stunned for a moment and reflexively uttered, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    While he was speaking, Little Miaomiao¡¯s gaze zeroed in on his missing front tooth¡­


    Shock and dismay enveloped Little Miaomiao for a moment. Then, she quickly grabbed his hand. With tears cascading from her eyes, she asked him in a hushed voice, ¡°Did they beat you?¡±


    Once she got him, she would beg Aunt Hua to let Zhou Yuan stay in their house. She would share her food with him in the future¡­


    Shock and dismay also engulfed Zhou Yuan for a moment. Then, a realization struck him. Little Miaomiao¡¯s teeth should¡¯ve fallen out before, but it happened at the same time as her beatings. She probably thought that she lost her teeth, because she was struck.


    At first, he believed that his missing tooth would tarnish his image; therefore, he didn¡¯t want to speak with anyone. But he didn¡¯t want to see Little Miaomiao so sad and apprehensive, ¡°Nobody beat me.¡±


    Zhou Yuan took out a notebook and started to draw on it, ¡°We are born with two sets of teeth.¡±


    While speaking and drawing, he found it difficult to speak, because of the gap between his teeth. But, he still spoke soberly, ¡°The bottom set is stronger, so when it¡¯s time to come out, the top one will fall off naturally. I was eating when it did.¡±


    Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t mention that his tooth fell out while he was eating an apple, nor did he mention that his dad had teased him gleefully for an entire day. His dad still continued to tease him.


    Little Miaomiao probably understood it. She breathed a sigh of relief and realized that Zhou Yuan knew a lot of things.


    Zhou Yuan looked at the little girl¡¯s adoring eyes, then turned his head to the glass window next to him. Then, he grinned¡­


    It¡¯s such a shame to be a child.

 CH 20

    Zhou Yuan had lost his front tooth. He felt that this sullied his image and made him look funny, so he tried to be as taciturn as possible. After all, he wouldn¡¯t be the laughing stock of class, if he didn¡¯t open his mouth to speak.


    Little Miaomiao obviously was oblivious to this kind of reputation-saving tactic. She thought that Zhou Yuan must be forlorn. So, she tried to offer him solace and whispered, ¡°The tooth will grow back soon.¡±


    Little Miaomiao secretly made a mental note to ask Uncle Hua about teeth tonight.


    Little Miaomiao believed that her uncle knew everything, especially in regards to this.


    Zhou Yuan watched her comforting him, so he hummed in response. Then, he took out a book and began to read.


    While Zhou Yuan buried himself in his book earnestly, Little Miaomiao stretched out her hand and carefully pulled out the packet of dried meat that she had placed inside his desk drawer.


    In her heart, she thought that the dried meat was very difficult to chew, especially since Zhou Yuan lost his front tooth. It would just inconvenience him; therefore, she shouldn¡¯t bring any meat tomorrow.


    Moreover, if he eyed the dried meat, he would surely be disheartened, since he wouldn¡¯t be able to chew it properly.


    Little Miaomiao surmised that her furtive, little movements would go unnoticed, but Zhou Yuan obviously saw her. But he didn¡¯t move either. She heaved a sigh of relief after taking the packet back, as if the task was very difficult for her to complete.


    Although Zhou Yuan couldn¡¯t completely comprehend her thoughts, he thought that she was very cute.


    Normally, it didn¡¯t matter if Zhou Yuan never spoke in class. All the teachers seemed to have a certain impression of him after the Chinese teacher incident. But the third period was music class.


    The students had to go to the music classroom for their music instruction.


    When all the children arrived in the classroom, the music teacher was already sitting behind the piano. She adjusted the piano, raised her head and said, ¡°Children, do you remember the song ¡°Heavy Rain and Light Rain¡± that I taught you last time?¡±


    Little Miaomiao flipped through her music book and found that she had forgotten most of the song.


    But, having more children in the choir also bestowed Little Miaomiao an advantage. She didn¡¯t need to understand what she was doing ¨C she just needed to open her mouth and imitate the other children.


    ¡°Firstly, let¡¯s sing the song once from the beginning.¡±


    ¡°One, two, three¡­start!¡±


    ¡°Pitter patter, the light rain is falling, pitter patter¡­¡±


    Little Miaomiao followed the lead of the other children, although she didn¡¯t know what she was singing about.


    When she observed the students, the music teacher noticed that Zhou Yuan wasn¡¯t singing at all. After the song reached its conclusion, the music teacher walked over to the children. Little Miaomiao was blushing and shivering with apprehension when she saw the teacher approaching her.


    The teacher stopped next to Little Miaomiao and asked Zhou Yuan in a muffled voice, ¡°Did you forget the lyrics?¡±


    Zhou Yuan lowered his head and coughed twice. Then, he took out a piece of paper and wrote, ¡°I am suffering from a terrible cold and have developed mouth ulcers, so it¡¯s not easy to speak right now.¡±


    The teacher felt a little distressed and said, ¡°Remember to take the medicine.¡±


    Zhou Yuan wrote again, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Because of this, all of the other teachers believed that Zhou Yuan had mouth ulcers; therefore, it was uncomfortable for him to speak.


    When school reached its conclusion during the afternoon, Zhou Yuan walked out of the classroom. The P.T. teacher saw him and said, ¡°Student Zhou Yuan, you should pay more attention to your health. Keep yourself warm when you return home. You should also eat fruits that contain more vitamin C to help with your mouth ulcer.¡±


    These words baffled Zhou Yuan¡¯s father. His son dragged his father away in a hurry.


    After traversing a couple of steps, something finally dawned on Dad Zhou. He said with an inscrutable facial expression, ¡°Buddy, I now know that you were not reincarnated.¡±


    Zhou Yuan asked without hesitation, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because we adults don¡¯t care when others find out that we had lost a tooth. We adults all know that children will eventually lose some of their teeth. We don¡¯t take it seriously. Only a reputation-saving child will care about such trivial matters,¡± Dad Zhou said jauntily.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Dad Zhou sat in the driver¡¯s seat. He couldn¡¯t believe that his son didn¡¯t fight back. He weakly articulated, ¡°Dude, you should know that attacking a driver while you¡¯re riding in the car is extremely dangerous, right?¡±


    Zhou Yuan looked at him, ¡°¡­¡±


    On the other side of the street, after being picked up by her aunt, Little Miaomiao waited for the taxi on the side of the road.


    ¡°Uncle is on duty today,¡± Aunt Hua said, ¡°On National Day, I¡¯ll go to driving school. I¡¯ll learn how to drive, so that we don¡¯t have to take a taxi anymore.¡±


    Fortunately, it was easy to hail a taxi near school. Eventually, Aunt Hua found one. Aunt Hua helped Little Miaomiao into the taxi. Taxis didn¡¯t have a child safety seat, which caused Aunt Hua to frown, so she fastened Little Miaomiao¡¯s seat belt herself. She thought that she really needed to learn how to drive soon.


    After returning home, Little Miaomiao thought about asking her Uncle about how to make teeth grow faster.


    However, Uncle Hua still didn¡¯t return yet, even when it was Little Miaomiao¡¯s bedtime.


    Aunt Hua coaxed Little Miaomiao to go to sleep. She had always adapted according to her husband¡¯s work schedule, but¡­


    Aunt Hua stroked Little Miaomiao¡¯s face. She didn¡¯t want to raise her alone. Even after a week of living together, Little Miaomiao had only uttered three sentences with Uncle Hua. She was even a little afraid of him.


    Little Miaomiao was getting closer and closer to her. She would secretly hold her hand and allow Aunt Hua to hug and kiss her. She also spoke about school with her.


    But¡­was this considered to be a complete family? Little Miaomiao always acted cautiously, whenever Uncle Hua was home.


    She had never raised a child before. The two of them tried IVF multiple times, but they failed. Later, she slowly accepted the fact that she couldn¡¯t be a mother.


    She knew very little about how to raise children except for giving them love and affection.


    She was the same as any other woman that became a mother. She can¡¯t stop loving her child. But, unlike them who dealt with infants, she had a six year old child right from the start.


    The two situations were very different from each other.


    Aunt Hua sighed and couldn¡¯t help but embrace Little Miaomiao who slept next to her. Her concerns seemed to slowly fade away.


    She decided to speak with her husband about this matter.


    Because of this, Aunt Hua couldn¡¯t sleep. It was almost early in the morning when she heard the sound of the door unlocking from the outside.


    Aunt Hua scrupulously moved Little Miaomiao to the side, then stood up and saw the exhausted Uncle Hua.


    Aunt Hua traversed over to his side. Seeing that he was completely exhausted, she felt sorry for him. She was reluctant to explain her concerns to him, ¡°I¡¯ll heat up some food for you.¡±


    ¡°No, I already ate outside. I had an operation today. I couldn¡¯t get out of it.¡±


    Uncle Hua ensconced himself on the sofa. He was completely fatigued. Aunt Hua stated softly, ¡°Lie on my lap, I¡¯ll massage your shoulders. You must have had a rough day.¡±


    Little Miaomiao heard Uncle Hua while she was sleeping. His voice woke her up. She still recalled Zhou Yuan¡¯s problem, so she departed her room to ask Uncle Hua about it. She heard Aunt Hua offering solace to Uncle Hua. This halted her movements. Uncle Hua had to be exhausted.


    I shouldn¡¯t bother him today.

 CH 21

    Because she didn¡¯t press Uncle Hua for a solution to Zhou Yuan¡¯s tooth problem, Little Miaomiao felt anxious when she departed from her house.


    When she arrived at school, she noticed that Zhou Yuan wore a mask. After witnessing that, she couldn¡¯t find the courage to look at him again.


    ¡°Good morning, Miaomiao,¡± Zhou Yuan greeted her.


    Little Miaomiao was a little fearful of looking at his face, because of how she had made a promise yesterday that she would ask Uncle Hua for a solution to his tooth problem. She replied in a muffled voice, ¡°Good morning, Zhou Yuan.¡±


    Her voice sounded so soft that Zhou Yuan thought that he scared her because of his mask. He said to her, ¡°I¡¯m wearing a mask because I have a cold. I don¡¯t want to spread the germs to you.¡±


    His words appeared to be truthful at first glance. In reality, he just wanted to conceal his missing tooth from the others.


    However, both the teachers and his classmates believed his statement. Not only did they believe him, but they also believed that Zhou Yuan was a good student.


    But for the rest of the day, Little Miaomiao remained silent. Although Little Miaomiao wasn¡¯t very talkative, she would still utter something carefully from time to time. But today, she was far too silent.


    She was almost completely taciturn.


    On the other hand, everyone understood the reason for Zhou Yuan¡¯s taciturnity, since he convinced them that he had a mouth ulcer and suffered from a cold; therefore, the other children didn¡¯t approach him as often to speak with him. Truthfully, he felt relief from this.


    They usually liked to beleaguer him with very trivial questions such as what they used to do when they were younger. This forced him to make up stories every day.


    But Miaomiao was different from the other children. She rarely asked questions. More often, she simply greeted him and looked at him in a clandestine way.


    Occasionally, he felt that she was trying very hard to strike a conversation with him, for example, about the rain today.


    But today, she couldn¡¯t even attempt small talk. When the second period ended, Zhou Yuan leaned over and asked, ¡°Miaomiao, what¡¯s the matter with you?¡±


    He already conjectured that something was amiss. After all, Little Miaomiao had been thinking about her mother for a long time. Judging from her nervousness when she broke the tablet, she probably still didn¡¯t have a normal parent-child relationship at home.


    Therefore, Zhou Yuan assumed that the reason behind her abnormality was due to a family problem.


    During afternoon¡¯s naptime, Zhou Yuan couldn¡¯t sleep and was still mulling over the matter. He turned around and saw Little Miaomiao with her eyes closed, facing his direction. He noticed her long eyelashes trembling slightly.


    She wasn¡¯t asleep.


    Zhou Yuan waited for a bit to corroborate his guess, only to find out that she actually wasn¡¯t asleep at all.


    Zhou Yuan leaned over and called her, ¡°Miaomiao.¡±


    When he whispered her name, he felt as if he was learning how to meow like a cat.


    Little Miaomiao slowly opened her eyes and saw Zhou Yuan.


    Zhou Yuan scrupulously moved the stool back. Then, he took out a book and placed it on the ground and sat down. He then beckoned to Little Miaomiao.


    Little Miaomiao was stunned for a brief moment, before she followed Zhou Yuan¡¯s instructions.


    The two of them were young, so only two small heads were visible when they squatted down. They spoke in hushed voices, so that they wouldn¡¯t rouse the other students from their sleep.


    Zhou Yuan asked, ¡°Miaomiao, you can¡¯t sleep today?¡±


    What he didn¡¯t know was that Little Miaomiao could never sleep during their afternoon naptime.


    Little Miaomiao nodded. She would never dare sleep anywhere that wasn¡¯t her own home, for she feared that she would wake up at another place.


    Zhou Yuan saw her red eyes. She looked as if she was about to cry, yet she was simultaneously suppressing her tears. He was heartbroken when he saw her dejected look. The cub¡¯s tearful appearance probably awoke some instinct within him, so he couldn¡¯t help but touch her head.


    ¡°We¡¯ll secretly sleep under the table. No one will find us,¡± Zhou Yuan said while patting his knees, ¡°Lie down and sleep for a bit. We have class during the afternoon. Miaomiao will probably want a little, red flower, right?¡±


    He used to think that it was bizarre why Miaomiao would doze off during the afternoon classes. Although he thought that she looked cute when her head bobbed in a daze, he still wanted her to sleep.


    Little Miaomiao obediently laid on Zhou Yuan¡¯s lap. She didn¡¯t know if Zhou Yuan¡¯s words had some sort of power over her mind or if she actually was sleepy, but she soon fell asleep.


    Zhou Yuan witnessed her eyes closing. Her long eyelashes did not tremble like before. It seemed like she actually fell asleep.


    When the P.T. teacher was walking around, she saw two little heads under the table. Since the other children were still sleeping, she bent down and was prepared to speak to Zhou Yuan.


    Zhou Yuan quickly covered Little Miaomiao¡¯s ear in a hurry with one hand. Then, he whispered, ¡°Let her sleep for a moment. When naptime ends, I¡¯ll go and explain to the head teacher.¡±


    P.T. teacher: ¡°¡­¡±


    She decided to let it go. Based on her experience, whenever their opinions differed, she should always follow this child. Because in the end, she can¡¯t win with reason over him.


    When naptime ended, Little Miaomiao woke up and saw Zhou Yuan. She was relieved and believed that Zhou Yuan was a very trustworthy friend.


    She had to ask her Uncle about how to make teeth grow quicker.


    Little Miaomiao wanted to do something for Zhou Yuan.


    When school ended in the afternoon, the P.T. teacher shouted, ¡°Little Miaomiao, your parents are here.¡±


    When Little Miaomiao departed from the classroom with her schoolbag, she saw Uncle Hua standing there. Aunt Hua was nowhere to be seen. She looked around and eyed many unfamiliar faces, but she couldn¡¯t see her anywhere.


    Noticing her fear and consternation, Uncle Hua quickly squatted down and calmly explained to her, ¡°Auntie has to work overtime today, so Uncle came to pick you up, alright?¡±


    Little Miaomiao made a muffled sound and thought that she had to ask him about the tooth.


    When Aunt Hua came to pick her up, she would hold Little Miaomiao¡¯s hand. Initially, Uncle Hua also wanted to hold her hand, but considering her trepidation, he decided against this. Then, he said, ¡°Uncle has a holiday today. I¡¯ll be home today.¡±


    Little Miaomiao hummed in acknowledgement and looked at her uncle, who was as tall as a tree.


    From her viewpoint, all adults were as tall as trees.


    Uncle¡­why didn¡¯t he hold my hand?


    When they were outside, Aunt Hua told her to hold an adult¡¯s hand because she might encounter a kidnapper outside. If she was taken by them, she would never see her Auntie again.


    Little Miaomiao felt herself sinking into a maelstrom of fear and anxiety as she dwelled on the idea of being kidnapped. She would never allow herself to be taken away by them. She would see her Auntie again no matter the cost.

 CH 22

    Little Miaomiao wanted to remind Uncle Hua to grasp her hand¡­


    But she feared that he would dislike her if she pointed out his fault. Her heart tangled as she squeezed the hems of her clothes. She wanted him to like her, but she dreaded the idea of being kidnapped at the same time.


    While Little Miaomiao was brooding over this, the mother of one of her classmates walked past her and happened to glance at Little Miaomiao. When she saw Little Miaomiao¡¯s adorable appearance, she couldn¡¯t suppress her desire to stretch out her hand and ask, ¡°Are you Miaomiao?¡±


    Her son always mentioned that she was the best girl in his class.


    Her uncle didn¡¯t hold her hand; therefore, she greatly dreaded this sudden interaction, fearing that she was a kidnapper. After hearing her voice, fear overtook Little Miaomiao so much that she scampered towards Uncle Hua and grabbed his hand in a hurry.


    This stunned Uncle Hua for a moment. Then, he turned towards the mother next to him and stated, ¡°My kid is very shy.¡±


    The mother understood and smiled, ¡°I must have scared her.¡±


    Only then did Little Miaomiao realize that she wasn¡¯t here to take her away. She was just her classmate¡¯s mother.


    After exiting the school gate, Uncle Hua helped her into the car, and then he settled her into a child safety seat.


    After ensconcing himself in the driver¡¯s seat, Uncle Hua said to Little Miaomiao, ¡°Let¡¯s go to Auntie¡¯s company. Then, we¡¯ll head home to have dinner, alright?¡±


    Little Miaomiao nodded.


    She thought Uncle Hua wouldn¡¯t be able to see her nodding her head, so she uttered, ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Uncle Hua replied.


    Now that she was inside the car, Little Miaomiao dwelled on the idea of tooth loss. The ride was quiet, so Little Miaomiao mentally practiced what she should say.


    Uncle, what should somebody do for a fallen tooth to grow back?


    She practiced once more, before finally summoning her courage, ¡°Uncle¡­¡±


    At this moment, the car behind them honked. The loud noise drowned out her voice.


    Little Miaomiao felt a trace of distress because of this. When the sound of the horn stopped, she called him once more, ¡°Uncle¡­¡±


    Uncle Hua asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you hungry?¡±


    Little Miaomiao said what she had silently practiced many times in her mind, ¡°Uncle, what could someone do to make a fallen tooth grow¡­¡±


    This time, Uncle Hua heard her clearly. When Little Miaomiao asked him this question, he felt greatly surprised. He knew that she feared talking to him.


    Although she tried hard to overcome her fright and disquietude, he could still sense lingering traces of fear towards him, so he always tried not to worsen her fright.


    He didn¡¯t expect that she would initiate a conversation with him. He remembered that Little Miaomiao didn¡¯t lose any teeth; therefore, he assumed that this question had to be for one of her classmates.


    He replied, ¡°It¡¯s very normal for children to lose their teeth. They¡¯ll grow back soon. During this time, one should eat more food with a higher calcium content.¡±


    Little Miaomiao wanted to scribble down what her uncle told her, ¡®eat more food with¡­higher¡­content.¡¯


    She was too young to know what calcium was. But she still tried hard to remember.


    Soon, they arrived at Aunt Hua¡¯s company. After Uncle Hua stepped out of the car, he helped Little Miaomiao scramble out of her seat. This time, he clasped her hand.


    Aunt Hua¡¯s company had a special rest and reception area. Uncle Hua took her there, and then they waited for Aunt Hua to get off work.


    Concurrently, Aunt Hua¡¯s mind wandered off during her meeting. She wondered if Little Miaomiao could successfully adapt to this new situation.


    Little Miaomiao never cried, and she concealed her fears and dislikes deep within the vault of her heart. So, it was even more perturbing.


    When the meeting reached its conclusion, Aunt Hua hurriedly took her bag and left the room, and then she quickly entered the elevator. Some female colleagues followed her and asked, ¡°Why were you so absent-minded during the meeting today? Is something bothering you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I have to take care of some family matters, so I have to go back.¡± Aunt Hua said.


    At this moment, the elevator door opened. Aunt Hua saw a tall man holding a little girl who eagerly glanced in her direction.


    The scene was so harmonious and beautiful that Aunt Hua almost broke into tears.


    Aunt Hua ran over to them, ¡°Why are you here? Was Little Miaomiao fine with you picking her up from school today?¡±


    When Little Miaomiao saw Aunt Hua, she couldn¡¯t conceal the smile on her face. Then, she spoke in a soft voice, ¡°I got used to it.¡±


    ¡°Sister Hua, is this your daughter? She¡¯s so big and beautiful!¡± remarked a colleague next to her.


    ¡°Sister Hua¡¯s daughter is actually pretty big. I always thought that Sister Hua didn¡¯t have any children yet.¡± Another colleague chimed in.


    Aunt Hua never spoke about Little Miaomiao with her colleagues. She never told her neighbors that they had adopted Little Miaomiao either.


    Little Miaomiao was speechless. When she heard them say that Aunt Hua had no children, she felt very uncomfortable.


    Little Miaomiao had noticed a long time ago that her classmates addressed her aunt as ¡®Auntie¡¯.


    After learning for a while, she knew that the title of ¡®auntie¡¯ could be conferred to anyone, but not the title of ¡®mother¡¯. That could only be given to one¡¯s own mother.


    In order to speak with Little Miaomiao, Aunt Hua kneeled down in front of her. Little Miaomiao buried her face in Aunt Hua¡¯s body and said with every ounce of strength, ¡°Mom. Let¡¯s go eat dinner.¡±


    This stunned Aunt Hua. Did Little Miaomiao call her¡­Mom?


    The word ¡®mom¡¯ was a dreadful word for Little Miaomiao because of the scars of her past; therefore, she always called her Auntie. But the effect of the word ¡®mother¡¯ was far too powerful and emotional.


    She almost bursted into tears. This also touched Uncle Hua deeply in his heart. He pulled Aunt Hua up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go home now. Our daughter is hungry.¡±


    Aunt Hua came back to her senses and hummed in reply. But she still couldn¡¯t keep her emotions under control, so she quickly lifted Little Miaomiao into her arms.


    In the past, whenever she went shopping, she found that a bag of clothes was too heavy for her to carry. But now she carried a six-year old girl from the entrance of the company all the way to the parking garage without feeling any fatigue at all.


    When Little Miaomiao said the word ¡®mom¡¯, she discovered that the word resonated surprisingly well with her. For the very first time, she found that it emitted a wondrous melody for her ears. She noticed that Aunt Hua wasn¡¯t unhappy when she called her ¡®mom¡¯.


    So, Little Miaomiao called her again, ¡°Mom.¡±


    ¡°Ehh!¡± Aunt Hua replied. Then, she kissed her forehead, ¡°Mom is here.¡±


    These words alone were enough to almost bring tears to her eyes.


    ¡°Mom.¡± Little Miaomiao uttered again. She was kissed on her forehead, and she was a little embarrassed, but she wanted to be kissed again, so she once again said that word boldly and proudly.


    Uncle Hua walked next to them. He wanted to ask Little Miaomiao to call him dad, but he noticed that these two were in their own little world, so he decided not to bother them.


    Tears cascaded down Aunt Hua¡¯s face, as she kissed Little Miaomiao¡¯s forehead again, ¡°Mom is here.¡±


    ¡°Mom!¡±


    ¡°Mom is here!¡±

 CH 23

    On the way home, Aunt Hua smiled happily. She beamed like a flower.


    During the trip, Uncle Hua felt as if the word ¡®mother¡¯ had completely wreathed around him.


    Seemingly, neither child nor mother had tired themselves out. It was almost as if they were trying to make up for lost time.


    Little Miaomiao was very enthusiastic. She couldn¡¯t suppress her desire to hug Aunt Hua and call her ¡®mother¡¯ over and over again.


    There was an effusive warmth in Mother Hua¡¯s embrace, which enveloped Little Miaomiao, making her feel safe and sound. She recalled something that Zhou Yuan had expounded to her once. If she misidentified the wrong person as her mother, then the bad guys would take her away.


    Little Miaomiao vehemently promised that she would never commit the same mistake again as she hugged her mother tightly.


    Even after they returned home, both mother and daughter were still mushy and were calling out for each other from time to time.


    Additionally, Little Miaomiao kept throwing intermittent glances at Uncle Hua who was beside her. She wanted to address him as ¡®dad¡¯, but her embarrassment got the better of her.


    During the night, after Aunt Hua tucked Little Miaomiao in bed, she sent a message to her mother, grandmother, and Teacher Li. She informed them with ecstatic joy that Little Miaomiao had addressed her as ¡®mother¡¯.


    Uncle Hua sat on the bed and peered at her smiling face. He weakly asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you think that there¡¯s something missing?¡±


    Aunt Hua turned to him and blinked, ¡°No.¡±


    As he took the quilt, Uncle Hua replied, ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I know what you¡¯re thinking about. You¡¯re upset, because Little Miaomiao called me mom, but didn¡¯t call you dad, right?¡± Aunt Hua said, as she hugged Uncle Hua, ¡°We should not rush her. In her heart, she must¡¯ve called you dad many times, but she didn¡¯t have the courage to say it out loud.¡±


    Aunt Hua grabbed the tablet and said, ¡°My grandmother informed me just now that Little Miaomiao had already addressed me as mom when she conversed with her the other day.¡±


    Uncle Hua could understand the glee that she felt and stroked her head. He felt happy for her. In comparison to his wife, he was often busy and didn¡¯t spend as much time with Little Miaomiao.


    The following day, Uncle Hua and Aunt Hua dropped Little Miaomiao off to school. Of course, there were many other parents who also dropped off their own children to school.


    Little Miaomiao recalled something that Jingjing had done in the past. So, she imitated her. ¡°Goodbye, mom.¡± Little Miaomiao said while waving her hand.


    Then, she paused for a moment and shyly whispered, ¡°Goodbye, dad¡­¡±


    Carrying her little schoolbag, she proceeded to school.


    This tender moment was brief and ephemeral, but it was enough to completely stun Uncle Hua. After his senses returned to him, he turned to Aunt Hua in disbelief, ¡°Did she just call me dad?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miaomiao¡¯s dad.¡± Mother Hua replied with a mirthful smile.


    Father Hua held Mother Hua¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Hello, Miaomiao¡¯s mother.¡±


    They strolled out of the school and grasped each other¡¯s hands happily.


    When Father Zhou arrived at school with Zhou Yuan, he noticed a joyful couple treading out. He deliberately teased Zhou Yuan who adorned a mask, ¡°Classmate Zhou Yuan. Look, your parents-in-law.¡±


    Zhou Yuan raised his head and saw Hua Miaomiao¡¯s parents. Then, he looked at Dad Zhou in exasperation and said, ¡°I¡¯m only seven years old. Do you think this kind of joke suits my age range?¡±


    ¡°Dude, are you truly seven years old?¡± Father Zhou stretched out his hand and uttered, ¡°Look around. The seven year olds in their own families hold their parents¡¯ hands.¡±


    Zhou Yuan looked at his hand and said, ¡°I should go and greet my parents-in-law.¡±


    Father Zhou picked him up in a hurry and told him, ¡°Let¡¯s head to class quickly, your class will begin in a bit.¡±


    After all, he didn¡¯t want others to throw weird glances at him.


    Before his arrival, he gazed, from a distance, at a little girl in a pink coat who waited outside the classroom door. There was no need for him to get a detailed look, Zhou Yuan knew that she was Little Miaomiao.


    Father Zhou also noticed her, ¡°Is your little tablemate waiting for you?¡±


    Little Miaomiao quickly glanced at them. When she saw Dad Zhou, she timidly scurried into the classroom. Zhou Yuan declared to him, ¡°Alright, you can return now. I¡¯ll tell my mother that you dropped me off at school.¡±


    Father Zhou: ¡°¡­¡±


    Was his son eager to send him off because he had frightened off that little girl? He wondered if he had been spending too much time with his son lately. Recently, he became quite attentive also.


    As he watched his son walk into the classroom without glancing back, a sudden thought occured to Father Zhou.


    Wait a minute. This is a kind of scenario where he has a wife. Then, he gradually forgets about his own parents. Shouldn¡¯t this happen when he¡¯s a teenager and not a kid?


    When Zhou Yuan arrived in class, Little Miaomiao¡¯s thoughts immediately focused on his missing tooth; therefore, she delineated everything to him with excitement, ¡°Dad said that your tooth could grow back soon if you eat more food with more¡­¡±


    She had no idea what calcium was, so she was afraid of forgetting it. Ever since her father uttered the word, she told herself repeatedly, ¡°¡­with more calcium.¡±


    That¡¯s why she could properly inform Zhou Yuan.


    Looking at her earnest expression, Zhou Yuan found her very adorable. Children often chatted about anything and everything, but they would quickly forget some small details, but Little Miaomiao was different. She would earnestly and wholeheartedly do everything.


    Zhou Yuan admired her even more now. Hearing Little Miaomiao address Uncle Hua as dad, he figured out the reason why the couple was so elated when he saw them.


    Zhou Yuan rubbed her head, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll eat some food with more calcium. Fortunately, Little Miaomiao told me this, otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have known.¡±


    In reality, he already checked online about it himself.


    When Little Miaomiao heard him, she felt as if she had carried out a great deed. A tempest of excitement and exhilaration surged in her heart, as she shyly held Zhou Yuan¡¯s hand and returned to her seat.


    Then, a sudden realization struck Zhou Yuan. He initiated contact with Little Miaomiao¡¯s hand, and Little Miaomiao likewise did the same. He never rejected this.


    He only discovered this predicament now.


    His first thought was that he had to preempt his father from ever seeing this. Otherwise, he would tease him again. After all, adults were under a lot of stress, and in order to assuage their stress, sour moods, and ever-changing caprices, they went around causing all sorts of mischief.


    Little Miaomiao completed her homework under the auspices of her Aunt. Then, her aunt signed it after its completion. But Zhou Yuan finished his homework at school everyday. Afterwards, he signed it by imitating his parents¡¯ signatures.


    Little Miaomiao didn¡¯t disturb Zhou Yuan who busied himself with his homework. She stared at the list of little red flower stickers affixed next to the blackboard. Each student had a little red flower sticker pinned next to their name.


    Her name only had two little red flower stickers pinned next to it. One for answering a question. The other for finishing her meal.


    But she wasn¡¯t the person with the fewest flowers. Zhou Yuan had no flowers pinned next to his name at all.


    Little Miaomiao looked at the empty space adjoining his name and wondered how she could get a little red flower sticker for Zhou Yuan.

 CH 24

    Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t even have one little red flower because the most fruitful method to procure a little red flower was to finish lunch. Lunch consisted of a vegetarian dish, meat, soup, and fruit.


    The vegetarian dishes were usually stir-fried cabbage or spinach, and the meat dishes were stir-fried meat, diced chicken, or diced rabbit. The fruit changed every day.


    Zhou Yuan was a very picky eater. He didn¡¯t indulge in meat with a lot of fat, and he found no enjoyment from moldy cabbage or spinach. However, he did eat the fruit.


    Therefore, he would always leave a portion of his meal unfinished.


    That was why he had never received a little red flower. It could be stated that he was quite different.


    By the same token, he had never raised his hand to answer any questions like the other children because it confounded and abashed him. He didn¡¯t want to trouble himself with questions such as what one plus one was equal to.


    Little Miaomiao looked at the little crimson flowers for a while, and then she looked at Zhou Yuan who was sitting next to her. He signed the words ¡®Zhou Ming¡¯ on the parent¡¯s signature column on his paper.


    Little Miaomiao pursed her lips.


    His father doesn¡¯t sign his paper?


    Although Little Miaomiao couldn¡¯t comprehend the significance of this, she deduced that this was a very bad thing.


    Soon, the rest of the children came one after the other. As they sauntered past Zhou Yuan¡¯s table, they greeted him. Little Miaomiao also greeted them, ¡°Good morning.¡±


    Zhou Yuan observed her actions from the side and realized that Little Miaomiao had made a lot of progress. When she had first arrived, her voice trembled with fear and consternation during their first conversation, but now she had no problem greeting others.


    In math class, due to her prior experiences, Little Miaomiao rushed to respond to the question again.


    This time, the math teacher remembered her and said, ¡°Little Miaomiao gets another little red flower.¡±


    As he spoke, he went to pin a small, sanguine flower next to her name.


    Little Miaomiao noticed that there were three sanguine flowers adjacent to her name, but there were none next to Zhou Yuan¡¯s name.


    She wanted to go and take a little scarlet flower adjoined to her name and pin it next to Zhou Yuan¡¯s name.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Yuan buried himself in a magazine, and then he espied Little Miaomiao¡¯s odd behavior. Although she had always thrown clandestine glances in his direction from time to time, she kept doing it more with increasing frequency today.


    When she raised her hand to answer a question, she would peek at him.


    After she answered the question and sat back in her seat, she would peek at him.


    After writing for a while, she would peek at him.


    Given his intelligence, Zhou Yuan surmised the reason behind this.


    Was it because she could draw strength from me?


    I guess, in her mind, I¡¯m almost like a role model.


    Zhou Yuan straightened his back and continued to read with joy. The magazine he was reading was titled ¡°Tsinghua Management Review¡± which he took out of his father¡¯s study. His mother forbade him from reading such material. She believed he couldn¡¯t comprehend it; furthermore, she believed that children who pretended to be adults would forgo all enjoyment of their childhood years.


    But Zhou Yuan believed that even if he couldn¡¯t understand it, the whole learning process was a type of enjoyment in itself. After all, weren¡¯t these children also absorbing knowledge step-by-step? Weren¡¯t they also gradually understanding what they couldn¡¯t understand before?


    He just substituted ¡®addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and pinyin¡¯ with more profound knowledge; therefore, he had never abandoned his joy of learning as a child.


    Zhou Yuan inferred that he could indeed serve as a role model that Little Miaomiao could look up to.


    So, he straightened his already straightened waist even more.


    His little tablemate could observe him as much as she wanted. He was willing to offer her spiritual guidance.


    The students were also rewarded with a little crimson flower during their physical education class. Although Little Miaomiao didn¡¯t dread their P.E. teacher like before, she had never received a little red flower from this class.


    To get a little red flower in physical education, one had to volunteer and stand in front of the other students to lead the exercises. Currently, they were using loudspeakers to convey the exercises to the children.


    Of course, Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t get a little crimson flower either. He had no interest in standing before a group of elementary school children and jumping like a monkey.


    Although, he did memorize all of the exercises.


    Little Miaomiao was shorter than most of her classmates. So, she stood on the far right side of the first row, next to Jingjing.


    Jingjing was a chatterbox. She kept chatting with Little Miaomiao incessantly from the moment they formed a row.


    ¡°Miaomiao, my mother said we¡¯re going to the hot springs this weekend. Have you ever bathed in hot springs before?¡± Jingjing asked.


    Miaomiao was a little puzzled, ¡°What are hot springs?¡±


    ¡°A hot spring is a big pool filled with hot water, and we stand inside of it. There are people who keep the fire burning under the pool to make the water warm.¡±


    In the P.E. classes, boys and girls stand in separate rows based on their height ¨C from short to tall.


    Therefore, Little Miaomiao and Zhou Yuan stood diagonally to each other. The two girls whispered to each other, but Zhou Yuan couldn¡¯t hear what they were saying.


    Eventually, the P.E. teacher said to Jingjing, ¡°No more talking. Let¡¯s start the exercises. Are there any volunteers willing to stand in front and lead the exercises? They will be rewarded with a little red flower.¡±


    Little Miaomiao nervously squeezed her hand. She wanted to raise her hand and obtain a little red flower.


    Once she procured this little red flower, she would have four of them in total. And since she had four, she could divide them in half and pin two of them next to Zhou Yuan¡¯s name.


    There was a difference between standing in front of the class to lead the exercises and answering a question in class. She only had to stand up briefly in order to answer a question during class, whereas leading the exercises required prolonged standing in front of her classmates.


    And most importantly, not everyone was familiar with the routines. She feared that if she went up and did something wrong, then she would incur the mockery of her classmates.


    So, there were very few children who volunteered. Little Miaomiao hesitated for a transitory moment.


    No one raised their hand.


    The P.E. teacher asked again once more, a little aggressively this time, ¡°Will anyone come up to lead the exercises?¡±


    Little Miaomiao detected a slight grievance in his voice because none of her classmates cooperated with him.


    She felt that if she was in the P.E. teacher¡¯s shoes, she would also be very sad and indignant.


    So, Little Miaomiao raised her hand.


    ¡°Come up, Little Miaomiao, it doesn¡¯t matter if you do something wrong. It¡¯s wonderful that you¡¯re brave enough to stand here.¡±


    There was no doubt that the P.E. teacher wasn¡¯t very apt at expressing words that inspired others, but he still tried to offer encouragement to her.


    Little Miaomiao¡¯s legs shook with fear, but she still traversed before everyone. Her heart pulsated rapidly.


    Immediately, her eyes fell upon Zhou Yuan, and her heart filled with purpose.


    I have to get him two little red flowers.


    Zhou Yuan saw her look at him, and then he seemed to relax a little. His spirits lifted.


    Sure enough, I am my little tablemate¡¯s role model.


    The author has something to say:


    Zhou Yuan who doesn¡¯t even have a single red flower and still fancies himself as the role model for his little tablemate who had three red flowers.

 CH 25

    Little Miaomiao wasn¡¯t afraid at all. She thought she was smarter now because no one else knew that the P.E. teacher was actually very timorous, except for her.


    Little Miaomiao began to demonstrate the exercises. The head routine was the easiest. First, she had to nod her head, then she tilted her head up and turned her head from one side to another. Little Miaomiao could keep up with the rhythm.


    Since there was P.E. class today, the parents dressed their kids up in sportswear. Mother Hua prepared some sports attire for Little Miaomiao, but it differentiated itself from the other children¡¯s attires. Mother Hua designed Little Miaomiao¡¯s attire herself. It had a cherry pink color and had a hood and specially designed sleeves. The little girl looked very cute in it, and it still allowed her to perform every movement with meticulous precision. Every time she nodded her head, one could hear a clicking sound due to her strong movement.


    Zhou Yuan followed her lead. But the more she performed before them, the more she enthralled him. He found great enjoyment from watching a pretty-looking child exercising.


    However, she miscalculated the movements of the following sideways exercise. Little Miaomiao knew her own tendency to lean her body to the side when she stretched out her leg. She kept telling herself not to lean on the same side, but the more she said it to herself, the more she hesitated.


    All of her classmates laughed at her, but there wasn¡¯t any malice behind their laughter. Nevertheless, Little Miaomiao blushed with rueful embarrassment. She was a little concerned about whether her teacher would hand over the little red flower to her¡­


    Zhou Yuan frowned. Children were just this troublesome. They did things according to their own whims. Without any guidance, their emotional intelligence was practically zero. They would not reconsider their own actions, and they would always cause trouble for others.


    When class ended, Zhou Yuan instantly rushed to hold Little Miaomiao¡¯s hand. He wanted to comfort her. Little Miaomiao stood next to the P.E. teacher.


    The P.E. teacher crouched down and said, ¡°Miaomiao performed very well today. Here¡¯s a little red flower for you.¡±


    Little Miaomiao never expected that she would procure another little red flower, because she believed that her performance was terrible. When Zhou Yuan approached her, he saw her little face begin to beam with exuberant delight.


    Her surmounting exhilaration astounded Zhou Yuan for a moment. Then, he heard her erupt in excitement and jubilation, ¡°I got a little red flower!¡±


    A strong errant wind blew in the playground, which tousled her hair. She held a little crimson flower with one hand and adjusted her unkempt hair with the other. Her articulation was much faster than normal.


    This was the first time he heard her speak with such rapidity. Because of her zestful exuberance, her face flushed red like a little apple. One could tell with a glance that she was very happy. Zhou Yuan looked at the little red flower and thought its allure wasn¡¯t the same for every child. After all, every child interpreted its significance and charm differently.


    ¡°Amazing! Now, Miaomiao has four red flowers!¡± Zhou Yuan grasped her hand and walked back to the classroom. Seeing her hard effort to obtain a little red flower, he praised her without any hesitation.


    Little Miaomiao gladly accepted his praise.


    After their return to the classroom, Zhou Yuan helped Little Miaomiao pin the little sanguine flower next to her name.


    It was usually at the end of class when the teacher handed out everyone¡¯s little red flowers to take back home to show their parents.


    Eventually, it was lunchtime. Today¡¯s vegetable dish was made with carrots. After seeing the food, Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t even move his chopsticks. He thought that carrots had an odd taste.


    The P.T. teacher still reminded everybody gently, ¡°Don¡¯t be picky eaters. You¡¯re all good children only if you eat it all.¡±


    Little Miaomiao usually ate very delicately, taking small mouthfuls of vegetables and meat, but this time, she ate a lot with shocking alacrity.


    Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t find it unusual. He assumed that she was hungry due to this morning¡¯s P.E. class.


    He started to eat the rice and meat dish. Afterwards, he put his chopsticks down. Then, he began to eat the dragon fruit.


    The meal plate was set aside.


    While he ate the fruit, he casually looked around and noticed that Little Miaomiao threw furtive glances at the P.T. teacher. When she noticed that the P.T. teacher directed her attention elsewhere, she moved quickly. Almost as if she had rehearsed it many times in her mind, she rapidly put her chopsticks in his plate, and then she transferred all of the carrots from his plate to hers.


    Afterwards, she feigned ignorance as if nothing had happened. She kept her head down and continued eating her meal.


    A mirthful laugh slipped out of Zhou Yuan¡¯s mouth.


    This little thief is so cute!


    Little Miaomiao stuffed herself with carrots, meat, and rice. Then, she puffed. She had to finish the carrots as well.


    When the P.T. teacher peered at her, she found Little Miaomiao eating with great fervor and speed. She wasn¡¯t aware that Little Miaomiao was gulping down the carrots that her tablemate didn¡¯t finish. She said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. No need to rush, eat slowly.¡±


    Little Miaomiao nodded with determination.


    I could definitely finish it.


    Zhou Yuan inferred that she wasn¡¯t full, so he paid no attention to her rapid eating.


    Soon, he noticed that Little Miaomiao had cleared the food on her plate. Then, she started to consume the dragon fruit.


    When she finished, he saw her slump back in her seat. She touched her chubby belly. This action was sneaky and cute. A cheerful laugh once again escaped Zhou Yuan¡¯s lips.


    Before naptime, the P.T. teacher pinned a little red flower next to Zhou Yuan¡¯s name for the very first time. Then, she left.


    Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t notice this at all.


    When afternoon arrived, the head teacher brought him a little red flower which was pinned adjacent to his name. She asked him to take it home to show his parents. Only then did he realize this.


    Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t want to accept it, but when he met his little tablemate¡¯s expectant gaze, he reluctantly accepted it.


    Still, Zhou Yuan had no intention of showing the red flower to his parents. He just concealed it within his schoolbag. When he arrived home, he had a lapse in memory and forgot that his mother had a habit of checking his schoolbag everyday.


    Zhou Yuan was in the study when he heard his mother happily proclaim, ¡°Zhou Yuan! You got a little red flower!¡±


    A little red flower had its own little charm. Aside from his little tablemate, this flower was probably also alluring to his mother. At least, that was what he believed.


    Zhou Yuan continued to read. Then, he heard his mother say, ¡°You have three little red flowers. This is a great improvement! So, does this mean that you weren¡¯t a picky eater? Did you also answer the questions in class?¡±


    Zhou Yuan raised his head in surprise. He traversed out of the study. When he came out, he saw three little red flowers.


    Suddenly, he remembered Little Miaomiao¡¯s abnormal behavior today. She was obviously afraid, but she feigned bravery to lead the exercises. The other children laughed at her error, but when she obtained the flower, a whirlpool of excitement washed away her troubles again. When he didn¡¯t finish his carrots, she ate all the carrots for him. She ended up overeating. She continuously rubbed her belly throughout the afternoon¡­


    It turned out that she didn¡¯t do all this just for a little red flower. She also wanted to give him the little flowers.


    These moments of tenderness suddenly just dawned on him, as if someone had punched his nose and it became sore. Inexplicable feelings began to swirl in his heart and almost brought him to tears, but he couldn¡¯t understand why.

 CH 26

    Little Miaomiao wasn¡¯t aware that her secret gift of the little red flower had moved Zhou Yuan so much. She didn¡¯t think about it at all.


    She never had even one little red flower in her possession before this either. Of the students in the entire class, neither of them possessed any little red flowers. But now that she had some, she decided to share some with Zhou Yuan.


    She conjectured that his mother would sign his homework sheet if he had a little, red flower in his possession.


    Hua Miaomiao¡¯s thinking was very simple. The other day, she overheard Zhou Yuan¡¯s mother articulating her grievances about how he didn¡¯t have any little red flowers when they made their trek back home. She assumed that was the reason why he did his homework every morning after arriving at school and signed the sheets himself.


    Little Miaomiao connected the dots and her inferences led her to believe that Zhou Yuan¡¯s mother would definitely treat him better if he possessed a little red flower.


    Because of her personality, she never asked others to complete her tasks for her, so she worked arduously to clear all of the carrots, and then she secretly slipped him two little red flowers.


    Tomorrow was Saturday, Little Miaomiao was in no hurry to complete her homework. She helped Mother Hua in the kitchen prepare the dishes for dinner.


    Suddenly, they heard Mother Hua¡¯s phone ringing in the living room.


    Mother Hua discovered that it was a WeChat voice call.


    As soon as she saw the profile picture ¡®Ô« (yuan), Mother Hua realized that it was Miaomiao¡¯s little tablemate.


    Mother Hua answered the phone in surprise, ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Hello Auntie. Is Miaomiao there?¡± the kid said from his end.


    Mother Hua assumed that Miaomiao¡¯s classmate was looking for her to play with, similar to how she used to play with the children from her own neighborhood outside her house when she was young. But nowadays, there were a scant few children who played outdoors like that. She felt fortunate that Miaomiao still made several friends.


    Mother Hua called Miaomiao, ¡°Miaomiao, your classmate is looking for you.¡±


    Hua Miaomiao traversed out of the kitchen. This was the first time someone had called her.


    Who could it be?


    She came over and answered the phone just like how Mother Hua usually would.


    ¡°Hel¡­Hello¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan heard his tablemate¡¯s milky voice through the phone.


    Zhou Yuan chuckled lightly, ¡°Guess who it is.¡±


    Hua Miaomiao sat down on the soft, and just like what her parents did, she answered the phone earnestly, ¡°Zhou Yuan.¡±


    She felt a tinge of excitement and asked in a low voice, ¡°Why are you calling me?¡±


    Mother Hua watched as her daughter vehemently answered the phone. She thought the two little ones were so cute.


    She decided not to bother them, so she retired to the kitchen by herself to continue cooking.


    Zhou Yuan said, ¡°I found a little red flower in my bag, so I wanted to call you.¡±


    When Hua Miaomiao heard the reason, she asked him with a more serious tone of voice, ¡°Did your mother praise you?¡±


    Zhou Yuan replied, ¡°Yes, she praised me.¡±


    After Zhou Yuan answered, he fell into silence. After noticing the little red flower, he desired to call her immediately, but once he did, he had no idea what to talk about.


    Hua Miaomiao was a child, so she didn¡¯t converse much, and Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t know what to say; therefore, she also fell silent.


    During this, Zhou Yuan was trying to find a topic to talk about, then he responded, ¡°Since tomorrow is Saturday, we don¡¯t have any classes. Would you like to go out to play?¡±


    Hua Miaomiao replied, ¡°Go out to play? I don¡¯t know, are you going out to play?¡±


    On the weekends, Zhou Yuan usually attended his classes, but now, he thought that heading outside would be a good idea. It seemed his mother was traveling to the hot springs this weekend. He rejected her proposal to go with her in the past, but once he mused over it, it would be nice to let Miaomiao enjoy the outside world.


    ¡°If we went to the hot springs, would you come?¡± Zhou Yuan asked.


    Hua Miaomiao recalled that Jingjing spoke about the hot springs during their physical education class. Tremulous with fear, she asked, ¡°Are you going too?¡±


    Zhou Yuan knew about her diffident nature, so he responded, ¡°I¡¯ll accompany you when the time comes.¡±


    Hua Miaomiao scrunched her face tightly and said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll ask my mother.¡±


    In reality, she didn¡¯t want to go with them; it caused her so much pain and sorrow¡­but, Miaomiao felt that it would definitely be pointless for her to retort.


    Therefore, she decided to just go. When the time came, she would just endure the pain. She had already experienced it before.


    But how do I tell mom about this?


    Hua Miaomiao hesitated. She couldn¡¯t speak, but she wouldn¡¯t need to soon.


    The day slowly turned into the evening, and Mother Hua was helping Little Miaomiao with her homework, when all of a sudden, a notification sound came from her phone. When she looked through her phone, she found out that she had been added to a WeChat parents group.


    It turned out that Jingjing¡¯s mother had created a WeChat group together with Zhou Yuan¡¯s mother and Deng Feng¡¯s mother. She wondered if everyone was willing to take their children out for an autumnal trip.


    Jingjing used her mother¡¯s WeChat and sent a voice message to the group, ¡°Miaomiao, Deng Feng, Tiantian, Zhouzhou, let¡¯s all go on an autumn trip together. There are so many delicious things that we could eat. We could also climb the trees!¡±


    Hua Miaomiao raised her head when she heard the voice. She felt a slight misgiving, since she wasn¡¯t sure if her mother would let her go.


    Initially, Mother Hua didn¡¯t want to go, but when she overheard the little girl uttering Miaomiao¡¯s name at the beginning of the message, a tinge of astonishment arose in her heart.


    Was she also Miaomiao¡¯s friend? It seemed as if my daughter was beginning to open up her heart to her peers.


    Mother Hua began to interpret the group¡¯s messages in earnest. It turned out that they were planning an autumn trip in the Qui Ming Mountains. They wanted to eat roasted lamb and soak in the hot springs.


    Soak in the hot springs¡­pangs of regret crept into Mother Hua¡¯s heart. Miaomiao was terribly afraid of water; therefore, she wouldn¡¯t be able to soak in the hot springs.


    So Mother Hua said, ¡°Miaomiao might not be able to go. You guys have fun.¡±


    Hua Miaomiao tugged on her mother¡¯s sleeves, ¡°Mom¡­¡±


    Mother Hua lowered her head, ¡°Do you want to go?¡±


    All of them were going, and she would definitely be sad and dejected if she didn¡¯t go. And more importantly, the others would discuss their trip when they returned to school on Monday. Miaomiao wouldn¡¯t be able to join in the conversation if she didn¡¯t go.


    Those few friends who went to an excursion together would seemingly develop a better relationship.


    Would they reject Miaomiao and cease playing with her?


    The more Mother Hua brooded over it, the worse she felt.


    Mother Hua noticed Miaomiao nodding at her. A transient moment of hesitation briefly engulfed her. Then, she suddenly realized that it wouldn¡¯t just be a trip to the hot springs. There were a multitude of other activities there. The little ones definitely wouldn¡¯t have to soak in the hot springs for too long. She could definitely take the kids to indulge in other activities. She spoke to the other parents again to organize their plans, so that they could all travel together.


    Their mothers began to discuss their meeting time tomorrow, and what they had to bring along.


    Little Deng Feng and Jingjing had already started to converse with each other in the group. Just from listening to their voices, people could tell how elated they were.


    Mother Hua bought a swimsuit for Miaomiao, just in case.


    After all, Miaomiao got along well with her peers. Many changes in her personality revealed themselves, and she had overcome many problems that Mother Hua initially concluded would require a long time to overcome.


    The evening eventually yielded to the night, and Hua Miaomiao was fast asleep. That night, Hua Miaomiao had a nightmare. She dreamt that she was trapped in an abominable place where water from a desolate sea had surrounded her everywhere, immuring her in a watery prison.

 CH 27.1

    Early the next morning, Mother Hua woke up to discover that Little Miaomiao was already awake. Not only was she awake, but she was also properly dressed. During this time, Little Miaomiao sat on the balcony and observed the pomegranate plants.


    The pomegranate seeds were planted inside large flower pots on the balcony. These seeds weren¡¯t the same pomegranates that Little Miaomiao brought home, but rather, they were the ones that Father Hua bought from an online shop.


    Little Miaomiao always believed that the seeds were the same ones that she brought home, so she engrossed herself in their care. She would come out to observe them everyday.


    Mother Hua approached her and crouched down next to her, ¡°Miaomiao has grown a little bit more today.¡±


    Mother Hua uttered something akin to a pun.


    The pomegranate seedling and her little seedling have grown up a bit.*


    Little Miaomiao hummed and embraced her mother, acting like a baby.


    Mother Hua planted a kiss on her forehead and hugged her back, ¡°Are you hungry? Why did you wake up so early today?¡±


    Little Miaomiao didn¡¯t tell her about her nightmare. Instead, she just nodded at her mother¡¯s question regarding her hunger. Therefore, Mother Hua entered the kitchen to prepare breakfast.


    Father Hua was still asleep. He returned from the hospital after midnight, so he wouldn¡¯t be able to go to the hot springs with them.


    Mother Hua didn¡¯t think much about this because she had been living this kind of life for a long time. She was well aware that Father Hua was busy with his work even before their marriage.


    Soon, they heard the ring of the doorbell. While walking towards the door, Mother Hua uttered, ¡°It must be your tablemate.¡±


    When she opened the door, she saw Zhou Yuan standing outside with his mother.


    ¡°Hello, please come in. I¡¯m Miaomiao¡¯s mother.¡±


    Mother Hua stretched out her hand to greet Zhou Yuan¡¯s mother. Usually, it was Zhou Yuan¡¯s father who came to pick Zhou Yuan up from school, so they weren¡¯t acquainted with each other.


    Zhou Yuan¡¯s mother was a very enthusiastic and buoyant person. After a brief conversation in their group chat, the two of them added each other on WeChat. During their chat, they discovered that the two families lived close to each other. It only took 10 minutes to travel from one house to the other. So, they decided to have a meeting at Miaomiao¡¯s house.


    At first, Little Miaomiao¡¯s nervousness and apprehension consumed her, but they subsided a lot after she saw Zhou Yuan. This was the first time someone came to her house to play.


    Zhou Yuan and his mother settled themselves on the sofa. Mother Hua retired to another room to begin packing the luggage.


    Little Miaomiao was a little apprehensive of Zhou Yuan¡¯s mother. She didn¡¯t have the courage to sit in the same room with her. Originally, she wanted to follow her mother into the other room to help her pack the luggage.


    But Zhou Yuan was also present. Little Miaomiao instinctively felt that avoiding them wasn¡¯t polite, so she sat on the sofa to accompany Zhou Yuan and his mother.


    After figuring out how her son procured the three little red flowers, Mother Zhou immediately developed a liking for the little girl, especially after noticing her timidity, which caused her fondness for her to grow. She never thought about having another child, but after getting a good look at Little Miaomiao, she felt a sort of temptation to have a second child.


    At this moment, she noticed three little red flowers adorned on the wall, so Mother Zhou could not resist teasing, ¡°Miaomiao got three little red flowers. That¡¯s amazing!¡±


    Little Miaomiao felt a little embarrassed. Embarrassment always overtook her when others praised her.


    Mother Zhou continued, ¡°Miaomiao, you sit at the same table with Zhou Yuan, right? Does he listen to the teacher during class? Does he answer the teacher¡¯s question seriously?¡±


    When Little Miaomiao processed her questions, she lowered her head and thought to herself that she had to respond to these questions with care.


    ¡­What if I answer incorrectly¡­What if Zhou Yuan gets a beating after they return¡­


    She quickly recalled what her other classmates said about Zhou Yuan.


    Zhou Yuan is very smart, Zhou Yuan loves children¡­


    Then, she practiced it silently twice within her heart.


    Zhou Yuan listens to his teacher at school. He raises his hand to answer the teacher¡¯s questions seriously.


    She silently practiced it two more times to ensure that no mistakes would slip out.


    Then, she lowered her head and whispered, ¡°Zhou Yuan is very smart¡­Zhou Yuan loves children¡­Zhou Yuan listens to his teacher at school¡­Zhou Yuan raises his hand to answer the teacher¡¯s questions seriously.¡±


    She racked her brains and showered Zhou Yuan with fulsome praise.


    Finally, Little Miaomiao said nervously, ¡°Eat the fruit¡­¡±


    Her remarks sounded unreasonable, and immediately after she had spouted those words, a wave of nervousness and fright completely washed over her.


    Zhou Yuan felt a little uncomfortable, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t scare her, she¡¯s just a child.¡±


    Adults spoke casually, but children interpreted every statement in earnest. Sometimes, this caused them to fret.


    Mother Zhou watched the two little ones sitting together. Due to Miaomiao¡¯s answer, she felt that the little girl aroused pity, but now she felt even worse for teasing her.


    Her son was now acting like a little boy and not like a little, old man.


    Fortunately, at this moment, Mother Hua came out of the room. She packed a large suitcase and dragged it out.


    They drove off together in the car they had rented in advance.


    Little Miaomiao and Zhou Yuan sat together in the backseat. At first, this seating arrangement unsettled Mother Hua. Then, she thought that the two children shared a good sense of companionship with each other. She, an adult, shouldn¡¯t interfere with them.


    Therefore, the adults sat in the front, and the two children sat in the back. Mother Hua noticed that Zhou Yuan meticulously fastened the seat belt around Miaomiao.


    Mother Zhou also witnessed this scene and said to her, ¡°My son acted like a little adult since he was a child.¡±


    The two children began conversing quietly in the back.


    Little Miaomiao feared being overheard by Mother Zhou, so she leaned closer to Zhou Yuan¡¯s ear and whispered quietly, ¡°Zhou Yuan, did your family find out that you never raise your hand to answer questions at school?¡±


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with not raising her hand to answer questions at school, but it still vexed her that Zhou Yuan could incur reproaches or a beating from his mother.


    Zhou Yuan detected her nervosity and fear, so he leaned towards her, covered his mouth with one hand and whispered, ¡°They don¡¯t know.¡±


    The two mothers discovered their two children whispering to each other.


    Adorned with smiles on their faces, they both believed their children were naive and innocent.


    Mother Hua felt very happy that Little Miaomiao now had a good friend who cared about her.


    And Mother Zhou was happy that her son finally befriended someone of the same age. She was also full of glee because her son had finally regained the innocence and joy that was befitting of a child.


    Therefore, the two adults conversed with each other jauntily.


    The hot springs of Qui Ming Mountains were very famous. The mountain roads meandered into many twists and turns, and large trees adorned both sides of the road, creating a natural barrier. The deeper they drove, the more they marvelled at the ineffable beauty of the surrounding scenery.


    They soon arrived at their destination.


    Deng Feng and Jingjing had already arrived. They came separately, so they arrived faster than Zhou Yuan and Little Miaomiao.


    There was a large hotel on the mountain. Jingjing¡¯s mother booked a presidential suite beforehand which had a large living room and four bedrooms. She conjectured that each family will occupy one bedroom. It just so happened that, from all four families, only the mothers came, so they could just sleep with their child.


    The Chinese character for Miaomiao¡¯s name ¡®Ã硯 means ¡®seedling¡¯.

 CH 27.2

    As soon as they reached the lobby, Mother Zhou approached the hotel reception to book another room.


    Jingjing¡¯s mother thought it was unusual, ¡°Our room is large enough for all of us. There¡¯s no need to book another room.¡±


    Mother Zhou felt helpless, ¡°I also don¡¯t want to book another room, but my son wants to sleep in a separate room.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s too young, isn¡¯t it unsafe?¡± Jingjing¡¯s mother replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Mother Zhou found it difficult to expound her thoughts. She couldn¡¯t explain to them that the large suitcase they brought along only contained Zhou Yuan¡¯s bedsheets, towels, toiletries¡­


    They decided that Miaomiao would stay with her mother in one room, Jingjing would stay with her mother in another room, Deng Feng would stay with his mother is another room, Mother Zhou would stay in a single room outside, and Zhou Yuan would stay alone in a room in the suite.


    Little Miaomiao interpreted this situation differently from the others. The adults deduced that Zhou Yuan was precocious and was obsessed with immaculate cleanliness.


    In Little Miaomiao¡¯s mind, it was the result of Zhou Yuan¡¯s mother allowing him to sleep by himself.


    With so many strangers around, fear and dread would eventually find their way into Zhou Yuan¡¯s heart. So, Little Miaomiao approached Jingjing, and then she looked at Zhou Yuan who stood opposite to them.


    She held Jingjing¡¯s hand with one hand, then walked up to Zhou Yuan¡¯s side and held his hand with another. Then, she led them towards their room.


    Zhou Yuan¡¯s mother observed the two children holding hands and noticed that her own son didn¡¯t even put up resistance. She admitted to herself that people of the same age still had the advantage of being the same age.


    After entering the room, the adults placed their luggage into their respective rooms.


    Meanwhile, the four children sat in the living and played¡­mahjong.


    They had a mahjong table in the living room. Of course, they had no idea how to play, so they just made it up as they went along.


    Although Deng Feng stuttered, he was the most talkative in the group. The second most talkative was Jingjing.


    Both Miaomiao and Zhou Yuan were of the less loquacious type. Little Miaomiao was afraid of saying something wrong, and as for Zhou Yuan, he felt that it was unnecessary to speak.


    Deng Feng said, ¡°I¡­I¡­We¡­play mahjong for a while!¡±


    Jingjing responded, ¡°Alright. Do you know how to play?¡±


    Little Miaomiao didn¡¯t know how to play, so she listened attentively to the two children¡¯s nonsense.


    The four mothers were sitting on the sofa adjacent to them and discussed the itinerary for the trip. They preordered the roasted lamb yesterday while booking the room. Today, they needed to head out to check out the other restaurants. They had to order food for the children who can¡¯t handle anything too spicy.


    They intended to go hiking after lunch. Then, they would go to the hot springs, and then they would go to karaoke during the evening.


    The four mothers quickly planned their itinerary. Afterwards, they focused their attention towards their children who were still playing. A storm of happiness filled the children¡¯s hearts as they played.


    Deng Feng¡¯s mother was gleaming with joy as she watched the children¡¯s merriment. She always felt concerned about his stuttering since he could feel inferior in front of other children. She feared that other children wouldn¡¯t want to play with him.


    But now she discovered that her son conversed just as much at school as he does at home.


    So, Deng Feng¡¯s mother looked at the four children with unmitigated gentleness. She wanted to give Miaomiao, Jingjing, and Zhou Yuan a reward for their good behavior.


    Mother Hua also observed the children. It appeared that Miaomiao was very relaxed in front of other children.


    This allayed the concerns in her heart. It was a good thing to have companions during one¡¯s childhood. She used to worry that other children would bully Miaomiao at school because she was an introvert and didn¡¯t indulge in conversation.


    Fortunately, among these four children, two greatly enjoyed talking. Every word they said captivated Miaomiao.


    Mother Hua wasn¡¯t aware that Jingjing and Deng Feng were fond of Miaomiao because she would find everything that they said riveting. No matter what they spoke about, or how much they spoke, it never bored Miaomiao.


    So the two of them liked Miaomiao very much.


    After playing mahjong for a while, boredom overtook Jingjing, so she said, ¡°Let¡¯s play another game!¡±


    Deng Feng asked, ¡°Which one?¡±


    ¡°Ghost hunting, but you¡¯re not allowed to leave this large room.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s ghost hunting?¡±


    ¡°Ghost hunting is when one person is the ghost, and the others have to hide. If the ghost finds them, then they¡¯ll become ghosts too. Together with the original ghost, they will find the others. If the ghost finds everyone, then the ghost wins. Then, the first person who was found by the ghost becomes the next ghost for the next round.¡± Jingjing delineated in an articulate manner.


    The four adults were sitting on the sofa. All the children were young. It was rare to see children playing nowadays with such ardor.


    Zhou Yuan¡¯s mother was worried that her son wouldn¡¯t play such childish games with them while Miaomiao¡¯s mother was worried due to Miaomiao¡¯s lethargy.


    Would the other children reject her?


    Jingjing commanded, ¡°Let¡¯s stretch out our hands and see who¡¯s the ghost.¡±


    Mother Zhou¡¯s worries were unfounded. Zhou Yuan stretched out his arms, palms facing downwards.


    All the children spouted in unison, ¡°Put your hand behind your back! And now show it!¡±


    The four children stretched out their hands. There were three palms and one back of the hand. The back of the hand belonged to Miaomiao.


    This worried Mother Hua even more now.


    Does Miaomiao know how to play?


    Jingjing said, ¡°Miaomiao, you sit here. Then, close your eyes and count to 20. Then, you have to start finding us!¡±


    Little Miaomiao sat on the ground in earnest and closed her eyes tightly. She began to count, ¡°One, two, three¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan and the other two rushed to find places to hide.


    The four mothers watched them gleefully, enthralled by their frolic. Deng Feng¡¯s mother whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to the hot springs anymore. We could just watch this without feeling tired.¡±


    The other three nodded in agreement.


    After Little Miaomiao counted to 20, she stood up and began to look for them.


    She didn¡¯t know where they hid themselves, so she searched high and low.


    Little Miaomiao never played something like this before. She blushed with excitement as she started to search everywhere for the other children.


    While the children engrossed themselves in their game, the adults began sharing stories about their parenting experiences with each other.


    As a newbie mother, Mother Hua listened to their tales in earnest, almost taking mental notes of everything.


    After some time, the phone of Jingjing¡¯s mother rang. On the other hand, the children had already played several rounds of games, and each child had their own chance to look for the others.


    Jingjing¡¯s mother said, ¡°Okay, darlings. Let¡¯s go eat roasted whole lamb!¡±


    Of course, there weren¡¯t just roasted whole lamb but also other dishes.


    The children came out of the room simultaneously. Hunger grasped their hearts due to their frolicsome morning.


    While going downstairs, Zhou Yuan held Little Miaomiao¡¯s hand, and the two walked together.


    Mother Zhou grabbed Mother Hua¡¯s hand and whispered to her, ¡°He had never played with other children since his early childhood years. Fortunately, your daughter has appeared.¡±


    Mother Hua glanced at the two children holding hands, and a vortex of joy swirled in her heart when she realized that the two had a good relationship.


    Little Miaomiao asked Zhou Yuan with a hushed voice, ¡°What is roasted whole lamb?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a delicious meal.¡± Zhou Yuan said, ¡°I¡¯ll slice it up for you in a bit.¡±


    When the parents led their children to the tables, the roasted, whole lamb was already set atop the table. The aroma of the meat aroused the children¡¯s appetites.


    The four of them sat together while their mothers served them their shares, just like how the P.T. teacher would serve them food.


    The sauce for the roasted, whole lamb was made to be less spicy to accommodate the children. Zhou Yuan tasted it and found it suitable for children, so he sliced up some pieces and placed it on Little Miaomiao¡¯s plate.

 CH 27.3

    Mother Zhou sat next to him. This scene astounded her.


    Little Miaomiao began feasting on the lamb obediently. Then, Zhou Yuan stood up to scoop up a bowl of mung bean soup for her, ¡°Eat slowly.¡±


    Mother Zhou secretly filmed this scene and forwarded the video to her husband, ¡°Is our son possessed by something?¡±


    Father Zhou quickly replied, ¡°It¡¯s definitely him. That little girl is his little wife. You have never been to school, so you couldn¡¯t comprehend their relationship. Their relationship is so good that he wanted to take her home.¡±


    Mother Zhou said, ¡°Don¡¯t utter such nonsense in the future. Unless you want her mother to hear you and forbid your son from playing with her daughter again.¡±


    Of course, Father Zhou was just joking.


    Little Miaomiao also remembered to offer Zhou Yuan some food. She knew that Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t enjoy vegetables; therefore, she offered him some meatballs instead.


    Mother Hua watched them. She felt a sense of relief that her daughter was recovering faster than she initially thought.


    After she had sated her hunger, Little Miaomiao stopped and rubbed her belly. Although she couldn¡¯t eat anymore this time, her belly didn¡¯t hurt.


    Zhou Yuan¡¯s eyes softened when he recalled the scene of her filling up her stomach with carrots to obtain a little red flower for him. As a result, she found it difficult to eat anymore.


    Because they had also abated their hunger, the adults wanted to take the children to go mountain-climbing. Afterwards, they wanted to partake in a leisurely stroll. They assumed that they could also bathe in the hot springs, once the food had been digested.


    As soon as Little Miaomiao overheard the phrase ¡®bathe in the hot springs¡¯, she instantly began falling into despair. She tremulously reached for Zhou Yuan¡¯s hand.


    Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t know what was wrong with her. He deduced that she felt uncomfortable walking so fast, so he slowed down his gait and strolled alongside her.


    Mother Hua observed Miaomiao. She accompanied Miaomiao mainly because she wanted to ensure she played with the other children and to develop some sense of companionship with them. She only watched over her; she didn¡¯t want to disturb her time with the others.


    She realized that these children could offer each other things that their parents couldn¡¯t.


    They began to slip into their swimsuits in a locker room adjacent to the hot springs.


    The dressing room divided itself into rooms for women and men. The mothers led their children to the changing room. Because Deng Feng and Zhou Yuan were both very young children, they believed that it wouldn¡¯t be a problem if they took them into the women¡¯s changing room.


    ¡°Anyways, they are still young. Let¡¯s just cover their eyes.¡±


    Mother Zhou didn¡¯t feel the need to speak for herself this time.


    Zhou Yuan glanced at Little Miaomiao. Then, he took his swimming trunks and pulled Deng Feng who wanted his mother to assist him, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the men¡¯s locker room.¡±


    Mother Zhou: ¡°¡­¡± He just said it, I don¡¯t have to speak up this time.


    Deng Feng¡¯s mother was a little concerned, ¡°Can they do it by themselves?¡±


    Mother Zhou replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Soon, the little boys came back out with their swimming trunks. Meanwhile, Mother Hua and Mother Jing slipped into their own swimsuits before helping their daughters slip into theirs.


    While changing into her swimsuit, Miaomiao stared at the ground, lost in her own thoughts.


    She understood that adults weren¡¯t afraid of water, but she believed that other children were just like her, fearful of that liquid dread.


    She didn¡¯t know how to explain this fear to others.


    Mother Hua was afraid that Little Miaomiao would catch a cold outside, so she wreathed a towel around Miaomiao after she had slipped into her swimsuit.


    Mother Hua then picked her up and walked out.


    The hot springs were divided into two sections ¨C one big hot spring and one small hot spring. The big hot spring was for adults, whereas the small hot spring was for children. The water in the smaller one was more shallow than the bigger one.


    They naturally chose the smaller one.


    There were quite a few people who revelled in the nearby pools, but there were hardly any children. To be more accurate, there weren¡¯t any children at all, only adults.


    Little Miaomiao jumped from her mother¡¯s embrace and quickly stepped in front of Zhou Yuan.


    The fact that Miaomiao walked in front astounded Mother Hua. She dreaded water before, but now she had overcome her fear¡­


    Miaomiao¡¯s condition was getting better and better.


    What Mother Hua didn¡¯t know was that Little Miaomiao¡¯s legs were trembling with fear and trepidation. While she walked, the thought of fleeing from the water entered her mind.


    But if she fled, then Zhou Yuan would feel uncomfortable and indignant¡­


    So, she concluded that she should go into the pool first. When the other parents discovered that water gave her nothing but discomfort, they would never allow children to enter the water again. Little Miaomiao believed that since she had felt anxiety and distress so many times, one more time meant nothing¡­besides, she believed that her mother would definitely come to her aid.


    Little Miaomiao didn¡¯t blame her mother at all. She knew that her mother wasn¡¯t aware that she dreaded the glittering desolation known as water. After all, her parents had barred her from entering water prior to this.


    At that time, when she eyed her mother soaking in water, she was so scared that she cried out for a long time, but her mother didn¡¯t feel any discomfort at all, for the dread of water never plagued any of the adults.


    The thought of water made her blood curdle. She felt herself slipping into a slough of despondency as she inched closer to the sparkling dread inside the pool.


    As she walked towards the side of the pool, Jingjing¡¯s mother and Mother Zhou were already relaxing inside it, ¡°This is bliss.¡±


    Zhou Yuan was also about to step inside the pool when he noticed that Little Miaomiao was about to jump directly into the shimmering water.


    With quick reflexes, he grabbed her, ¡°You can¡¯t jump directly into the pool. You have to enter from the steps on the side.¡±


    Hua Miaomiao¡¯s actions also frightened Mother Hua. Fortunately, Zhou Yuan held her back.


    Hua Miaomiao wanted to go ahead of Zhou Yuan, but he held her back. However, her feelings of dread hadn¡¯t fully subsided yet, so her entire body was still shaking a little.


    Zhou Yuan took her hand and felt her shaking. He immediately deduced that she was afraid of water.


    Zhou Yuan dwelled on it for a moment and inferred that she wanted her mother to think that she was a good, obedient child. This was why she wanted to jump into the water despite her fright.


    In Zhou Yuan¡¯s little heart, something called pity was born.


    So, he took her and settled her down on the steps which were shallow and only reached her knees.


    After she settled down, Miaomiao discovered that¡­it wasn¡¯t uncomfortable¡­it didn¡¯t hurt¡­and¡­the water was warm and relaxing.


    Zhou Yuan asked her, ¡°Is it relaxing?¡±


    Meanwhile, Deng Feng and Jingjing have gone into the water, swimming on the surface with the aid of their moms. Their incessant giggling and laughter resounded throughout the hot springs.


    Mother Hua watched Miaomiao and Zhou Yuan. She wanted to approach them, but Mother Zhou pulled her back, ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Little Miaomiao blinked and whispered to Zhou Yuan, ¡°So, us children wouldn¡¯t feel uncomfortable in the water¡­¡±


    In her opinion, Zhou Yuan was the smartest kid in the world, so she was willing to tell him anything.


    Zhou Yuan was stunned, ¡°Why do you think that children are uncomfortable in water?¡±


    ¡°Because I used to feel uncomfortable in water¡­my nose felt uncomfortable; my eyes were uncomfortable; my heart was uncomfortable¡­¡±


    She was too young. She couldn¡¯t accurately describe what it felt like to choke in water and could only vaguely describe her feelings.

 CH 27.4

    After hearing her state that her nose was uncomfortable in water, Zhou Yuan knew that it had to be choking. He recalled her troubled past.


    He couldn¡¯t help touching her head, ¡°You won¡¯t feel uncomfortable in water anymore.¡±


    Little Miaomiao said with a rueful smile, ¡°I feel so comfortable now.¡±


    Zhou Yuan thought for a while, then he said, ¡°So, let¡¯s go down into the water a bit.¡±


    Currently, they perched themselves atop the uppermost step. The water only went up to their knees, and their upper bodies were exposed to the bite of the frigid wind.


    Little Miaomiao considered the importance of Zhou Yuan¡¯s words. She always listened to his venerable advice. So, the two took a step forward. But this time, they sat down. The water reached up to their chests.


    It felt similar to a large, warm quilt swathing itself around them.


    Little Miaomiao submerged her hand into the water. Due to its buoyancy, Miaomiao saw her hand floating on the water¡¯s surface. She widened her eyes in astonishment.


    Zhou Yuan imitated her childish and curious actions. He also submerged his hands into the water and allowed them to float on the surface.


    Then, they began to submerge and soak in the warmth of the hot spring.


    Further away, Deng Feng and Jingjing were floating on the water. Their mothers helped them float on the surface of the water.


    Mother Hua observed her daughter and Zhou Yuan soaking in the water. The sight of them caused a tempest of joy and ebullience to swell in her heart. She was glad that she had enrolled Little Miaomiao in a school instead of homeschooling her. She was worried that she would be bullied.


    Zhou Yuan listened attentively to Little Miaomiao talk about anything and everything. Such as how adults didn¡¯t dread water. Or how it turned out that adults felt no discomfort in water, whereas every child felt uncomfortable in water.


    Zhou Yuan frowned. Originally, Zhou Yuan deduced that Miaomiao wanted to go into the water for her mother¡¯s sake. Now, this proved him wrong. Apparently, her mother told her that children felt discomfort in the hot spring, whereas adults didn¡¯t.


    Zhou Yuan peered at Miaomiao, and he suddenly realized that she was going to dive when she was going into the water.


    Zhou Yuan had trouble envisioning it. He hesitated for a brief moment and asked, ¡°Miaomiao¡­why did you suddenly want to leap into the water just now?¡±


    Little Miaomiao felt a little nescient, and after mulling a bit, she whispered, ¡°I thought children would become uncomfortable in water, so I wanted the adults to find out about this and stop children from entering the water.¡±


    Zhou Yuan recalled her arduous efforts to procure a little, red flower for him.


    Zhou Yuan was an intelligent and wise child. He never considered himself to be a child. Because he had more contact with children, he never believed the saying that ¡®children were angels¡¯.


    If anything, he believed that children had much more in common with demons. They were self-centered. They did whatever they wanted without thinking about the consequences. They satiated their own rapacious desires. As long as it was for their own happiness and joy, they couldn¡¯t care less for the feelings of others.


    But he also understood the reason behind this. It was because they were unable to differentiate between right and wrong and couldn¡¯t discipline themselves. They had to slowly learn about these things which was a fundamental principle of self-improvement and moving onwards.


    It was the first time he realized that he could¡¯ve been wrong after witnessing Little Miaomiao¡¯s inclination towards self-sacrifice.


    The warmth of the hot springs swathed Zhou Yuan, and he felt the same warmth enveloping his heart.


    He rubbed Little Miaomiao¡¯s head.


    I must save a place for Hua Miaomiao in my business empire in the future.


    Zhou Yuan, who was still a little child, made this promise in his heart.


    He suddenly wanted to grow up with this business partner.


    Afternoon arrived. A feeling of languor enveloped everyone after they had soaked in the hot springs, so they journeyed back to their rooms to sleep.


    The four children slept in a large bed. Their parents followed behind.


    In between their nap, Jingjing had to go to the toilet because she drank a lot of water. When she came out, she heard a voice reverberating from the balcony. It sounded like the voice of Miaomiao¡¯s mother.


    Jingjing walked slightly closer and heard her furiously say out loud, ¡°Let me tell you this. If your brother¡¯s youngest son lives in our house, I¡¯ll move out with Miaomiao.¡±


    When Jingjing overheard this, she felt very terrible. Moving out of a house was no trifling matter. At her house, whenever her parents had a quarrel with each other, her mother took her along to live outside.


    Jingjing hurried back to their room and roused the other three out of their slumber. Then, she said nervously, ¡°Something happened. Miaomiao¡¯s mom is fighting with Miaomiao¡¯s dad. She said that she was going to move out¡­¡±


    Miaomiao opened her eyes widely; fear grasped her heart. Zhou Yuan hugged her and tried to comfort her, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Let¡¯s see what¡¯s going on.¡±


    The children opened a tiny slit in the door of their room. Then, they gathered around it to listen to the sounds outside.


    They soon overheard Zhou Yuan¡¯s mother comforting Miaomiao¡¯s mother, ¡°Why does his brother¡¯s son wish to live with you? Why does his brother want to do this?¡±


    Miaomiao¡¯s mother was fuming with anger, ¡°His family wants his son¡¯s name to be recorded in our household registry. I have never agreed. Now that Miaomiao is here, he¡¯s forcing us to allow his son to study here with us.¡±


    ¡°The chance of the school accepting him is very, very slim.¡±


    ¡°They already completed the paperwork for the transfer. They somehow managed to transfer over already.¡± Mother Hua was furious that this spoiled child was going to be attending the same school as Miaomiao. How could she not be angry and worried!


    The more Mother Hua dwelled on this, the more she felt herself falling precipitously into a slough of intermixing anger and despair.


    The children overheard this clearly, especially Zhou Yuan. They probably surmised that a troubling situation was beginning to brew.


    Jingjing frowned, ¡°It seems to be serious, what should we do?¡±


    She didn¡¯t understand much, but she knew that fear and anxiety had completely engulfed Mother Hua. She conjectured that this matter was starting to morph into something more serious and urgent.


    Zhou Yuan peered at Miaomiao. She was frowning and remained silent. He comforted her, ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡±


    Little Miaomiao herself didn¡¯t understand what was happening. She only knew that her parents were quarrelling¡­


    Zhou Yuan beckoned the other children to the bed. Then, he began to discuss the situation with them, ¡°Miaomiao, if a stranger goes to your house during these two days, don¡¯t stay alone with him. Do you understand? If he touches you, do anything to get your parents¡¯ attention. Start crying. Shout that you¡¯re in pain. If he insults you, tell your mother.¡±


    As soon as Zhou Yuan finished, Jingjing immediately followed, ¡°Yes, yes, yes. You have to cry and hug your mother¡¯s legs. While crying, say that you¡¯re a naughty girl. Say that you¡¯re not worthy of being your mother¡¯s daughter. Tell her to have another brother or sister, and you will be her daughter again in the next life¡­When my mother scolds me, my mother lets me go if I cry like this. It works every time.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Deng Feng shook his head, ¡°No¡­no¡­I did¡­like you said last time¡­doing this¡­will get a spanking¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Jingjing: ¡°That¡¯s because your tears looked very fake.¡±


    Zhou Yuan couldn¡¯t listen anymore, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her. If the other party touches you, just cry. Do anything to get their attention. You don¡¯t have to say a word. If he berates you, you have to tell your mom or us. Tell us exactly what happened, don¡¯t omit anything, okay?¡±


    In reality, Miaomiao had no idea what to do, but she concealed her uncertainty and ambivalence within the cauldron of her heart. She felt that crying wasn¡¯t good, but she was willing to follow Zhou Yuan¡¯s advice.


    As Zhou Yuan peered at her, he seemed slightly concerned.


    Jingjing pondered for a moment. Then, like a spy, she went to eavesdrop on what they were saying outside. She returned and reported nervously, ¡°Aunt Hua said that she¡¯s divorcing¡­she¡¯s going to take Miaomiao¡­¡±


    This just worsened into a very volatile situation.


    Once again, the children stood near the door and heard Mother Hua¡¯s ireful statements, ¡°One step forward, two steps back. His family has always been like this. I make a lot of money and handle all the household affairs. And yet, me and my daughter still have to suffer like this in the end. I got angry and said that I wouldn¡¯t leave the inheritance to their family.¡±


    Jingjing¡¯s mother and Zhou Yuan¡¯s mother were trying their best to convince Aunt Hua to reconsider, while Jingjing and Deng Feng were running around the room in a panic.


    Little Miaomiao crouched near the doorway and peered at Zhou Yuan. She was at a loss for words.


    Zhou Yuan pulled Jingjing and Deng Feng back, who were running around the room, and made them sit next to Miaomiao. The atmosphere was already very tense, and he didn¡¯t want these two to exacerbate the situation and create more confusion for Miaomiao.

 CH 28.1

    Little Miaomiao felt guilty after learning that her aunt didn¡¯t want that person to come. She felt responsible for this.


    Jingjing¡¯s thinking was very different from Miaomiao¡¯s. She saw Miaomiao¡¯s despondent expression, and then she realized that Miaomiao¡¯s family was being forced to adopt this problem child. He was going to become something akin to a second child. After realizing this, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid of him, Miaomiao. He will be enrolling into our school, which is our territory. After he joins our school, we¡¯ll catch a caterpillar and put it inside his desk. We¡¯ll steal his workbooks so that he can¡¯t turn in his homework¡­¡±


    Deng Feng stood next to her and nodded vigorously, ¡°When¡­he¡­goes¡­to the toilet¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan quickly stopped them from continuing, ¡°Let¡¯s wait first. We don¡¯t know what kind of person that boy is.¡±


    The four children were afraid of the adults discovering them, so they huddled in a corner. Then, they started discussing their newfound enemy who would surely begin bullying Miaomiao in the future.


    Little Miaomiao said, ¡°Or¡­I could give him all my toys. I don¡¯t play with them that much anyways¡­¡± She didn¡¯t want her mother to divorce her father because of her.


    ¡°You are so stupid. He isn¡¯t coming to your home to play with your toys. He¡¯s coming to take your parents away from you.¡±


    Jingjing¡¯s mind was unusually active concerning this topic. Her relatives had incessantly bombarded her with mentions about a little brother.


    Ever since her mother became pregnant again, her aunts and uncles constantly beleaguered her with this sentence, ¡°Jingjing, your mother is going to give you a younger brother!¡±


    Jingjing continued to elaborate on the ups and downs of life, ¡°During his stay in your home, he¡¯ll sit on the table to eat, while you¡¯ll stay in the corner. And when he¡¯s doing his homework, you won¡¯t be allowed to watch TV. And you have to carry him on your back when you¡¯re playing with him, and then you¡¯ll be forced to feed him snacks¡­¡±


    After listening to Jingjing¡¯s exaggeration of the situation, Zhou Yuan interjected quickly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miaomiao. It won¡¯t be as extravagant as she makes it sound.¡±


    After his interjection, he suddenly recalled a news story on TV about a 10-year-old boy who pushed his sister from the sixth floor. Or it was something akin to that.


    His mind conjured up this scene, and then he felt shivers all over his body. He quickly took out his phone and searched for something to forestall such an awful occurrence from happening.


    He remembered a news channel advertising a gadget called Little Genius Watch, which was designed specifically for children. This watch was better-suited for children than a mobile phone since children would sometimes forget to bring their phones with them or leave them at home. Something like that was less likely to happen with a watch since it¡¯s worn on the wrist.


    Zhou Yuan quickly found the shop online. He made a mental note of its address so that he could purchase one later.


    Today was Saturday and tomorrow would be Sunday, which meant Miaomiao would be home tomorrow. He wouldn¡¯t be able to stand by her side.


    So, Zhou Yuan opened up some pictures, which depicted the various functions of the watch, and then he began to expound every detail to Miaomiao.


    When the adults entered the room, they saw four little children sitting crossed-legged in a corner; they had serious expressions on their faces. The adults had no idea what they were discussing.


    Mother Zhou asked Zhou Yuan first, ¡°Zhou Yuan, what are you guys talking about?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a secret between us children.¡± Zhou Yuan replied.


    Mother Zhou: ¡°¡­¡±


    Now you admit that you¡¯re a child.


    ¡°Alright, everyone put on your coats. We¡¯ll be going to karaoke in a bit.¡± They all slipped out of their coats and took a nap.


    The karaoke place was located at the peak of the mountain, which was famous for its unique songs.


    It had to be because they gave a folk song kind of feeling.


    Mother Hua helped Miaomiao slip into her coat; her mood completely stabilized now.


    She looked at her mother, and then Miaomiao felt a pang of sadness in her heart. She couldn¡¯t resist hugging her.


    Mother Hua rubbed her head and asked, ¡°Which song does Miaomiao want to sing at karaoke?¡±


    Jingjing interrupted their conversation, ¡°Only mother is the best in the world!¡±


    Deng Feng followed her lead, ¡°Yes¡­in the world¡­only¡­mother is the best!¡±


    Because of this, the atmosphere in the room livened up again. Mother Hua laughed happily, completely dispelling every trace of dullness and despondency that appeared on her face earlier.


    They rented a car to drive up the mountain because the adults were worried that their children wouldn¡¯t have the energy to sing if they climbed the mountain.


    When they arrived at their destination, Miaomiao desired to go with her friends. She was still concerned that water made them feel uncomfortable and anxious.


    But she finally realized that the fear of water never really besieged them. Additionally, there were new tribulations that began to engulf her family; therefore, she stuck with Mother Hua and refused to leave her embrace.


    Mother Hua assumed she was scared because the night was beginning to encroach upon them. So, she held her and gently sang some nursery rhymes from her childhood, ¡°Little swallow, dressed in floral clothes, visits here every year in spring¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan¡¯s mother, Jingjing¡¯s mother, and Deng Feng¡¯s mother also sang along with her, ¡°I asked the swallow. ¡®Why did you come here, and the swallow replied, ¡®Spring is beautiful here!''¡±


    The mountain road was a little steep, and many trees adorned both sides, casting their shadows upon the path. As they traversed further, they drove past the tall street lamps. The evening breeze blew, and the mothers continued to sing a few more rhymes.


    ¡°What other rhymes did we sing when we were kids?¡±


    ¡°The sun is shining in the sky, and the flowers are smiling at me,¡± Deng Feng¡¯s mother sang.


    Deng Feng immediately raised his hands, ¡°I¡­I will sing!¡±


    ¡°Alright, then sing!¡± Deng Feng¡¯s mother said with a smile.


    Deng Feng sang fluently, ¡°The little bird asked me, ¡®Why are you carrying the dynamite bag on your back early in the morning?¡¯ I replied, ¡®I am going to bomb the school¡­¡±*


    All of the mothers started laughing after hearing this.


    Deng Feng¡¯s mother was astounded, ¡°You¡­¡±


    Deng Feng blinked his eyes in realization, ¡°I¡­I¡­didn¡¯t stutter¡­¡±


    During their music classes, he never had the courage to sing out loud and only lip-synched. Therefore, he never knew that he could sing fluently.


    He just sang a few lines that he heard from other people, which he found to be particularly impressive, so he sang them aloud.


    During their ride, the mothers from the ¡¯80s generation taught their children a few nursery rhymes from their days of youth.


    Little Miaomiao cuddled her mother and watched as she sang happily. She buried her head in her mother¡¯s arms. She surmised that it would be nice if her mother always stayed happy.


    Soon, they reached the peak of the mountain. Afterwards, they booked a room in the karaoke studio and led the children inside the room.


    They heard people from the adjacent room singing, ¡°He said the pain in the wind, and the rain is nothing!¡±


    ¡°Do you love me or not!¡±


    ¡°I love you even if I die!¡±


    Zhou Yuan¡¯s mother was tickled with laughter, ¡°Soon, the only song people will hear from other room is ¡®the only mother is the best in the world¡­''¡±


    Mother Hua nodded in assent and said, ¡°Let¡¯s select the song ¡®where is dad going?¡¯¡­This will be today¡¯s theme song.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± He felt as if he had brought seven children along with him.


    After entering the room, the mothers ensconced themselves in the seats that adorned the back of the room. Zhou Yuan decided to sit next to them, whereas the rest of the children stood before them.


    ¡°Zhouzhou, you¡¯re not going to sing?¡± Mother Zhou asked him.


    Zhou Yuan nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll just listen.¡±


    Mother Hua looked at her daughter. Nervousness beset her, but a slight trace of excitement also emanated from her. She was going to sing in front of a microphone for the first time.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start!¡±


    ¡°Only mothers are the best in the world. A child with a mother is like treasure, hidden in his mother¡¯s arm¡­¡±


    Miaomiao¡¯s voice echoed loudly from the microphone. One could hear a slight trembling in her voice as she sang.


    Mother Hua was touched as she listened to her daughter¡¯s voice.


    Mother Hua¡¯s reactions became much more unbridled this time. Normally, she never had any major quarrel with her husband¡¯s family since they only met each other once a year. If the circumstances had been different, she wouldn¡¯t have reacted angrily. Or at least, she would have no intention of divorcing from him.


    But now, as she watched her little seedling blossoming, she couldn¡¯t bear to watch her suffer.


    Although the three were singing out of tune, they still sang with utmost sobriety. Jingjing¡¯s mother shook with laughter as she recorded a video of their singing.


    Father Hua eventually came to pick them up, and he noticed Mother Hua holding Little Miaomiao in her arms. She was singing, ¡°Dad, dad, where are you going, we are not afraid when you are here¡­¡±


    Father Hua was taken aback because he overheard her singing this song. He entered the room and declared, ¡°I¡¯m here to pick you up.¡±


    Mother Hua peered at him; her face didn¡¯t show any ill feelings. She softly asked him, ¡°Did you eat lunch and dinner yet?¡±


    Father Hua was aggrieved. Ever since he found out that his brother¡¯s family had completed their transfer procedures to send over their child, he couldn¡¯t eat or sleep. And to aggravate the situation even more, his wife was bringing up the topic of divorce.


    After so many years of marriage, Father Hua had never seen Mother Hua so angry and determined.


    They trekked down the mountain. Mother Hua wanted to board a vehicle with Little Miaomiao and the others to go sightseeing. She wanted her daughter to spend more time with her friends and to have fun. Father Hua wanted to sit in the same vehicle with her, but he couldn¡¯t since he brought his own car.


    Zhou Yuan whispered something in his mother¡¯s ears, and then Mother Zhou walked over to the Hua family and said, ¡°How about this. Miaomiao, would you be willing to come with us, while the rest of you guys follow in your own car?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll take care of Miaomiao,¡± Jingjing¡¯s and Deng Feng¡¯s mothers felt that it was better if they remained silent in front of the child.


    Mother Hua squatted in front of Miaomiao, ¡°Are you okay with this arrangement, Miaomiao?¡±


    Miaomiao hummed in reply, walked up to Zhou Yuan and held his hand, ¡°Mom, you can stay with dad. He is alone¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan knew that she dreaded speaking in front of so many adults; therefore, he said to his mother, ¡°Miaomiao will sit next to me.¡±


    ¡°I want to sit next to Miaomiao too!¡± Jingjing declared loudly.


    ¡°Me¡­me too!¡± Deng Feng said. The joy of singing still enveloped him, but he regained his senses and followed along quickly.


    The four children couldn¡¯t be separated, so they all sat next to each other.


    *This is supposed to be a funny song/nursery rhyme from China. It¡¯s meant to be read as a funny rhyme and not to be taken seriously.

 CH 28.2

    As soon as they settled into their seats, three little heads huddled together. Zhou Yuan turned his head and saw Jingjing press Miaomiao¡¯s shoulder. She was whispering something into her ear. Deng Feng sat next to him and was trying to eavesdrop on their conversation but with little success.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    He heard Jingjing¡¯s sentence clearly, ¡°Three cobblers are equal to one Zhuge Liang!¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± Thank you for the strategy.


    Zhou Yuan pulled Miaomiao towards him. He didn¡¯t want her to listen to such absurd rumors.


    Zhou Yuan tried to soothe Miaomiao, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They¡¯ll calm down and think of the best way to resolve their problems.¡±


    Miaomiao whispered to him, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not afraid of getting my hair pulled¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan glanced at Jingjing. Needless to say, it had to be her who told Miaomiao that the boy would pull her hair.


    Zhou Yuan knew that she had suffered a lot in the past, so she cherished her present life very much. So, he earnestly said to her, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether you¡¯re afraid or not. No one can hurt you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want my mother to be sad¡­I just want her to be happy like before all this.¡± Miaomiao responded.


    He didn¡¯t believe that she was weak or anything similar to that, but he did feel heartbroken, ¡°If you get hurt, you mom would become even more upset.¡±


    Zhou Yuan rubbed her head, ¡°Think about it. If you¡¯re sad, wouldn¡¯t your mother be sad too?¡±


    Miaomiao recalled the time when she was hospitalized. Her mother cried for a long time because of her injuries¡­


    She nodded, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Seeing that she understood, Zhou Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he said, ¡°If someone ever bullies you, you must tell me¡­and your mother.¡±


    Zhou Yuan found her expression cute, so he teased her, ¡°What would you do if I¡¯m sad right now?¡±


    Miaomiao pondered for a bit. She had never encountered something like this before, so she didn¡¯t know how to respond. Suddenly, she recalled what her mother did when she was sad. She stretched out her arms, hugged Zhou Yuan and rubbed his head. Then, she said with a cute, milky voice, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. Don¡¯t be afraid. Auntie is here.¡±


    Zhou Yuan was amused that she called herself ¡®Auntie¡¯.


    Realizing her mistake, Miaomiao said again, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. Don¡¯t be afraid. Miaomiao is here. Will this make you happy?¡±


    Seeing her earnestness, Zhou Yuan replied, ¡°Now, I¡¯m feeling better. When I feel sad in the future, I¡¯ll tell you.¡±


    Although he stated this, he felt she wouldn¡¯t have the chance to do so in this life.


    The three mothers sat in the front, and they peered at them. They noticed that Jingjing and Deng Feng were sitting together. They were muttering something that they couldn¡¯t comprehend, whereas Zhou Yuan and Miaomiao held each other and were discussing something.


    Jingjing¡¯s mother uttered, ¡°I think we should come out to play more often in the future.¡±


    Most of them only had a single child, and they lived in high-rise apartments. They reminisced wistfully about their youth when they used to play with other children. However, their own children found it difficult to call over their friends and play with them, as they were overwhelmed by oceans of homework.


    Coming out to play today brought merriment to both child and adult alike.


    Deng Feng¡¯s mother nodded, ¡°After Deng Feng comes home, he just talks about Jingjing, Miaomiao and Zhou Yuan¡­¡±


    ¡°Our Jingjing does the same!¡±


    Zhou Yuan¡¯s mother smiled bitterly, ¡°Whenever these topics come up, I should just stay quiet¡­¡±


    ¡°I wonder how Miaomiao¡¯s mother is doing now.¡± Jingjing¡¯s mother said with a frown.


    ¡°She should be alright now. While talking on the phone, she was a little excited, but she should¡¯ve calmed down by now.¡± Mother Zhou said.


    At this moment, Mother Hua opened a bottle of milk and handed it to Father Hua, ¡°You didn¡¯t eat lunch or dinner. Drink this milk first.¡±


    Father Hua was upset, ¡°First. We should talk about how we¡¯re going to approach this problem¡­¡±


    Mother Hua replied, ¡°Fine, you speak.¡±


    ¡°The boy wouldn¡¯t be in the same classroom as Miaomiao. They wanted to send him over, but I already told them that I wouldn¡¯t take him in. I told them to just rent a house, so that he could live there.¡±


    ¡°Then, what about tomorrow? What should we do if they still haven¡¯t rented a house? That spoiled brat tried to put a firecracker inside my hat during our New Year¡¯s visit, and nobody reprimanded or punished him for that. After that little prank, he was so eager to buy a toy gun, that he cried. When they refused to buy him one, he bit his mother. Do you think that he¡¯s a sensible and obedient kid? Will he treat Miaomiao with care? Do you think every adult around him warned him in advance, ¡®When you stay at your third uncle¡¯s house, you should be nice to your uncle¡¯s daughter. Don¡¯t snatch her things and don¡¯t bully her?¡¯ Would they even warn him? Do they even care? Answer me without betraying their conscience. If you can, then I don¡¯t mind letting him move in with us.¡± Mother Hua said nonchalantly to her husband.


    Father Hua couldn¡¯t respond.


    Mother Hua peered at him and continued, ¡°They must feel that Miaomiao stole all of the resources that originally belonged to their kid. Now, they just can¡¯t wait to take them all back. Do you need me to explain their thinking? After we had adopted Miaomiao, they should¡¯ve just abandoned their farce. Normal people would¡¯ve accepted their loss and moved on. But what did they do instead? They decided to complete every required transfer procedure without consulting us beforehand, and they are going to send him over.¡±


    Mother Hua rubbed her temples, ¡°I had a minor emotional breakdown this afternoon. I was panicking when I mentioned divorce. We¡¯ve been together for almost fifteen years. It¡¯s been a long time.¡±


    After a brief pause, Mother Hua continued, ¡°Then, I realized something. I imagined every possible scenario, and then I had an epiphany. I found out that my life wouldn¡¯t be so hard even if you weren¡¯t there.¡±


    Then, Mother Hua heaved a sigh, ¡°I realized that my life wouldn¡¯t change at all. I would continue to work, pick Miaomiao up from school, come home, cook dinner, and sleep¡­But, at the very least, there will be far fewer awful relatives. My life would instantly become better. I found solace in that, at least.¡±


    Although he was a big man, Father Hua¡¯s eyes became faintly red and moist with tears when he saw her speak with such nonchalance. Her calm yet acrid words cut like a sword.


    He finally said, ¡°If they send their kid over to me tomorrow morning, I¡¯ll immediately send him back. Don¡¯t be like that. I¡¯m still dealing with this problem.¡±


    They were able to overcome many obstacles together. They overcame their long-distance relationship and the difficulties that it entailed. They prevailed over their inability to have children. They got past his forgetfulness when he forgot their wedding anniversary¡­


    She sighed, ¡°This problem is a wake-up call for us. I know you worked hard to make this relationship work, and logically, they are your mother and brother, so I won¡¯t hold anything against you.¡±


    Father Hua held her hand and didn¡¯t let go, ¡°Miaomiao also needs a father. Dear, you could trust me. I will take care of this tomorrow.¡±


    Mother Hua didn¡¯t respond and scampered into the car. She said, ¡°Let¡¯s go down the mountain. We can¡¯t let them wait any longer.¡±


    Once they reached the bottom of the mountain, she saw Miaomiao awaiting her arrival. As soon as the car halted near the entrance of the hotel, she rushed over.


    Mother Hua picked her up and said, ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±


    Night arrived, and they all stayed at the hotel. Father Hua didn¡¯t go back. Zhou Yuan took Miaomiao into a room, and the four children started to play random games with the mahjong tiles for fun.


    They were stacking tiles on top of each other to see whose tower wouldn¡¯t topple over.


    Miaomiao wasn¡¯t in the mood to play, for she was thinking about something else in her heart.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Yuan found someone who could purchase a Little Genius Watch from the city and deliver it to him.


    He just had to go down to the hotel lobby and sign the receipt.


    While Zhou Yuan was signing the receipt, the other party remained speechless. But he felt there was nothing wrong with a kid getting a Little Genius Watch.


    He was concerned about whether the child bought the watch without his parent¡¯s permission since he made such a long trek to deliver it. It would vex him greatly if his parents didn¡¯t pay him for the watch and its delivery. Then, the other party said, ¡°Please, sign your name on the receipt.¡±


    Zhou Yuan wrote his name elegantly on the piece of paper.


    The other party uttered, ¡°Damn. Do all elementary school kids sign so perfectly nowadays? And in cursive too!¡±


    Zhou Yuan ignored his foolish remarks and went upstairs to his room with the watch. He wanted to study its manifold functions and features.


    Then, he secretly called Miaomiao over and gently began his explanation about how to use the watch.


    ¡°This is extremely important. If you ever find yourself in any sort of danger someday, you¡¯ll use this to call me for help.¡± Zhou Yuan carefully demonstrated how to pick up and answer a call. Miaomiao understood his reasoning; therefore, she listened very seriously.


    Then, Zhou Yuan asked her to try making a call by herself.


    When the call connected, Miaomiao smiled in surprise and said excitedly, ¡°We could contact each other with this!¡±


    ¡°You must call me if you need any assistance in the future, okay?¡±


    Miaomiao nodded in affirmation.


    Zhou Yuan took the watch and wreathed it around her wrist. Although Zhou Yuan said that the boy probably wouldn¡¯t be as extravagant as they claimed, he was truthfully very concerned. He was even more worried than Jingjing and Deng Feng.


    Miaomiao¡¯s wrists were very gaunt and thin. Her arms were trellised with scars. She always wore dresses with long sleeves, and many of her dresses were designed to conceal the lattices of scars up to her wrist. Conveniently, this also hid her watch.


    Since it was concealed, Zhou Yuan felt this was their best option since no one could spot it. This was their best method.


    Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t want Jingjing and Deng Feng to know about the watch, as those two were very flamboyant and vivacious. If they knew about this, they would bombard Miaomiao every day with calls. It would be very difficult to conceal it from other people.


    Although it was easy to hide from the prying eyes of other people, it wasn¡¯t easy to hide from Miaomiao¡¯s mother. Mother Hua discovered her watch when she removed Miaomiao¡¯s coat at night.


    A transient moment of astonishment engulfed Mother Hua before she finally asked, ¡°Miaomiao, who gave you this?¡±


    A watch wasn¡¯t wrapped around her wrist at noon today.


    ¡°Zhou Yuan gave it to me.¡± Miaomiao didn¡¯t hide anything from her mother.


    Mother Hua took a picture of the watch. Then, she searched on the internet for its price. She found out that it was worth more than a thousand yuan.


    Mother Hua was momentarily astounded. He helped fix a tablet last time, which cost a few hundred yuan.


    He was just a kid. Surely, she shouldn¡¯t be taking advantage of such things from him. Also, where did he get so much money?


    Mother Hua quickly contacted Zhou Yuan.

 CH 29

    This time, Mother Hua wanted to repay him. She actually wanted to do so last time.


    ¡°Zhouzhou, Miaomiao, and I appreciate your kindness, but you are still only a kid with no financial resources. I¡¯ll return this money to you.¡±


    She wondered if Zhou Yuan used his New Year¡¯s money or the money that he had saved up. Since his savings were suddenly reduced, his parents would surely find out. They would feel a slight discomfort when they discovered that their son bought some things for a classmate.


    She wanted to bestow some money upon Zhou Yuan in private, so that his parents wouldn¡¯t find out about this. She was afraid that they might begin scolding or reproaching him if they found out.


    Although he was wise and precocious, there were many complications involving money.


    Soon, she received Zhou Yuan¡¯s reply on WeChat, ¡°I have a source of income. It¡¯s only a little gift and it¡¯s not entirely just for Miaomiao.¡±


    ¡°I bought it for peace of mind.¡±


    If something happened to her and he couldn¡¯t find her, he could at least appease his concerns and allay his fears if he knew that she was able to contact him if she found herself in any kind of danger.


    Mother Hua: ¡°¡­¡±


    What kind of income could he have at such a young age? It had to be New Year¡¯s money.


    Mother Hua still transferred one thousand, five hundred yuan to him on WeChat.


    Zhou Yuan, however, didn¡¯t accept this money. He believed it was something he had gifted to Miaomiao. It would be strange if he received money for it.


    At this time, Father Zhou sent a message to Zhou Yuan on WeChat, ¡°Big guy, what did you buy? It cost more than a thousand yuan.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°You linked my bank account to your phone number?¡±


    Father Zhou: ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject. Big guy, answer me fist. What did you buy that cost more than a thousand yuan? Didn¡¯t you just go to the hot springs?¡±


    Zhou Yuan never understood why adults loved to indulge their curiosity and revel in gossip all the time.


    He replied, ¡°Dad, I never asked you how you spend your money.¡±


    Father Zhou quickly replied, ¡°I sent the wrong message to you. Don¡¯t mention this to your mother, or you won¡¯t be hired in the future.¡±


    When Zhou Yuan had nothing better to do, he would make PowerPoint lessons for him. Of course, he didn¡¯t work for free, but he would never tell Mother Zhou about this.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    This was why he didn¡¯t converse with adults as much. Sometimes, they would forget that they were the ones who started the conversation in the first place.


    Since Zhou Yuan refused to accept the money, Mother Hua had to purchase a gift for Zhou Yuan that was worth as much as the watch. But she could only buy it when she returned home.


    The next morning, everyone awoke to the chirping of birds outside.


    Upon waking up, Mother Hua discovered that Miaomiao, who had been sleeping in her arms, had disappeared.


    This dismayed Mother Hua. She rushed out of the room and saw four children playing in the living room.


    More accurately, it was Zhou Yuan watching three children while they indulged in their frolic and games.


    The children had to go to school, and the adults had to go to work on Monday; therefore, they had decided to return to the city on Sunday morning.


    As they parted, they promised each other that they would go on some short vacations together in the future.


    The Hua family arrived at their house. They found an adult and a child standing in front of the entrance. The child was about seven or eight years old. He buried himself in his phone, playing games.


    Mother Hua sent a glance in their direction and without changing her expression, she bent her head to talk to Miaomiao, ¡°Miaomiao, let¡¯s give Zhouzhou a present first. Zhouzhou just gave you a present.¡±


    While holding Miaomiao¡¯s hand, she walked away.


    Miaomiao stared at the boy as she walked away. The little boy felt a stare on him and looked at Miaomiao. Then, he said, ¡°A hen that can¡¯t lay eggs.¡±


    He uttered those words as the mother and daughter traversed away from them. They were too far away to hear them. He couldn¡¯t say those words to them in their face. Although Mother Hua didn¡¯t hear his words, Father Hua did. Father Hua had an irate look on his face. He slapped him, ¡°What did you just say?¡±


    Mother Hua and Miaomiao left the community together. Mother Hua mused over what to do next. She decided to take a taxi to Miaomiao¡¯s school.


    She contacted her old classmate, who was also Miaomiao¡¯s teacher, Mrs. Li. Instead of calling her to explain her predicament, she sent a message to her, as she didn¡¯t want Miaomiao to listen to all of the unpleasant stuff.


    After reaching school, she began discussing with Mrs. Li about what to do. Mrs. Li quickly located a suitable house to rent. The location of the house satisfied Mother Hua, as the house was close to Miaomiao¡¯s school, which would make it easier to pick up and drop off Miaomiao at school. As for work, she decided to just take a taxi.


    Mother Hua said to Miaomiao, ¡°Mom still doesn¡¯t know how to drive yet, so let¡¯s live near the school, okay? That way, I don¡¯t have to drive.¡±


    Miaomiao whispered, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Then, Mother Hua took Miaomiao to a nearby supermarket to buy some daily necessities. While she was there, she also bought a watch for Zhou Yuan. Of course, it wasn¡¯t the same as the watch that Zhou Yuan had gifted to Miaomiao. It was just a simple one. Afterwards, she returned to their rental house.


    She saw countless missed calls on her phone.


    There were also a bunch of unread text messages, ¡°Honey, please answer my call.¡±


    ¡°Honey, I¡¯ve already discussed it with my mother.¡±


    ¡°Dear. Please call back.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t agree to the divorce.¡±


    Mother Hua replied, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for delaying my response for so long, but we should just separate. I think I was wrong in this situation. After all, that¡¯s your mother and brother who are asking you to take care of your nephew. You might believe that it isn¡¯t a big deal. But it is a big deal for me. You¡¯re almost always busy at work. At the end of the day, I have to take care of the child. I¡¯m frightened of this scenario. I¡¯m sorry that I can¡¯t accompany you to the end. Thank you for all these years. I wish you happiness for the future.¡±


    Father Hua quickly replied, ¡°Honey, we have been together for fifteen years now. We never fought. You were never angry with me all those years. Honey, please trust me a little, I¡¯ll take care of this problem well. I won¡¯t agree to the divorce¡­¡±


    Mother Hua turned off her phone and retired to the kitchen to cook.


    Miaomiao could sense Mother Hua¡¯s unhappiness. She felt sad for her.


    Miaomiao was sitting on an unfamiliar sofa. She looked around the room once. Then, she stood up, picked up a broom and began sweeping the floor.


    The previous owner of the house should have cleaned the house before leaving. But since the house was vacant for such a long time, there was a lot of dust.


    Miaomiao swept the house with utmost sobriety and earnestness.


    She wanted to make the house as clean as theirs.


    If they resembled each other, would mom be happy?

 CH 30

    Mother Hua¡¯s decision to divorce and move away with their daughter to another house in one day was unusual. She didn¡¯t even inform Father Hua. She was open-minded, and she often described herself as being indifferent and lazy with her actions. She usually allowed fate to take its course.


    Furthermore, she was soft-spoken and even-tempered. She would never embarrass somebody to their face, much less start quarrels, rivalries, and the like.


    On the other hand, the members of Uncle Hua¡¯s family had a different view on morality that were often in conflict with hers. They were skilled in moral abduction*. If she had stayed there and began conversation with them, she wouldn¡¯t be able to even utter a single word.


    Thinking about it, her mother-in-law would simply inform her that she was only going to stay with them for a few days. Since she was Father Hua¡¯s mother, it wouldn¡¯t be a big deal if their grandson also sojourned with them for a few days. She wouldn¡¯t be able to argue against her reasoning. Growing up, she was bestowed with friends and relatives who were kind and amiable, and her parents had taught her kindness and to not be afraid of loss.


    This was the primary reason why she was able to live with Father Hua for so long. Because, for the most part, she never cared about those things. If he had married a different girl, she would have divorced him a long time ago.


    However, she couldn¡¯t overlook it anymore. She would not allow others to bully Miaomiao so easily. Miaomiao cared for Mother Hua, and Miaomiao slowly tore down the barriers to her heart and accepted the world around her. She was finally freed from her fetters. But her gentle temperament wouldn¡¯t be able to endure or stop all this.


    Making a hasty departure from their house might have been impulsive, but she was worried about her soft temperament. She wouldn¡¯t allow Miaomiao to return to her previous state, which was fraught with lethargy and consternation.


    She understood her impulsiveness when she left so suddenly, but Mother Hua preferred such impulsiveness when she took risks.


    After coming into this new environment, she also began to feel a tinge of melancholy, as she departed far too hastily and forgot to bring her savings. But she did have some money in her own Alipay** account to use, but it wasn¡¯t enough to purchase a house.


    Obviously, the rented house wasn¡¯t that great. Both the d¨¦cor and the furniture were inferior to those of her own home.


    The kitchen also needed some repairs. The previous tenant had allegedly neglected to clean the exhaust hood, which was very dirty. Mother Hua sat with Miaomiao outside, and while wearing a mask, she washed the exhaust hood.


    The balcony of the rented house didn¡¯t have a balustrade or protective netting to prevent one¡¯s fall. So, Mother Hua kept conversing with Miaomiao to keep her away from there.


    ¡°Miaomiao lives near school now, which means that you can invite your friends over to play. You could also sleep in longer during the morning since you don¡¯t need to take a car.¡±


    Miaomiao replied, ¡°Mom can sleep a little longer too.¡±


    After cleaning the exhaust hood, Mother Hua retired into the kitchen to clean up. From inside the kitchen, she saw Miaomiao standing on a stool. She was busy wiping the table with a hanky.


    Mother Hua was astonished. She hurried out and carried Miaomiao off of the stool.


    Miaomiao¡¯s display of affection touched Mother Hua, so she kissed her on the head and said seriously, ¡°Mom will clean the table.¡±


    The issue completely filled her with panic for several reasons. On one hand, they have been together for a long time; therefore, she was obviously distressed by the abrupt separation. On the other hand, she might have felt that she was a little unreasonable.


    She could have elected to stay since her mother-in-law had already promised to sojourn with them for only a few days. They promised to leave as soon as they found a house for rent.


    All of this tired her out. It wasn¡¯t like in ancient times when she couldn¡¯t choose her own fate. Why would she plot and conspire? Why should she quarrel with a group of people? She didn¡¯t have this kind of mentality. While she occasionally watched television, she found the plots too bumpy. She didn¡¯t like it at all. She felt safer watching cartoons. This big clash of wits wasn¡¯t something that she was interested in.


    Since Miaomiao had entered her life, her character became much more rigid.


    The day eventually gave way to the night. When Mother Hua went to bed that night, she mused over her actions. She deduced that her actions might have been too impulsive. After all, she knew that Miaomiao had difficulty adapting to a new environment, and furthermore, moving wasn¡¯t the best decision.


    Mother Hua embraced Miaomiao, hummed a few nursery rhymes and lulled her to sleep.


    When Mother Hua saw her falling asleep, she felt a sweet and sour feeling in her heart. She didn¡¯t know how to explain the situation to her.


    The following morning, Miaomiao woke up at 6:30. Next to her, Mother Hua was also awake. Mother Hua looked at her watch, as she had switched off her phone.


    It was half past six.


    Mother Hua was about to get up. Then, she realized that she lived near the school and didn¡¯t need to take a 10 minute trip by car anymore; therefore, she could sleep for another half hour. ¡°Let¡¯s sleep a while longer.¡±


    So, both the mother and daughter slept for a little while longer. They awoke to the sound of the doorbell ringing. When they opened the door, they saw Father Hua standing outside.


    Mother Hua didn¡¯t even need to guess. She already concluded that Teacher Li had to have given him the address.


    ¡°Don¡¯t have work today?¡± asked Mother Hua who also tried not to mention their argument in front of Miaomiao.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t go.¡± Father Hua replied a little aggrievedly, ¡°You forgot to hand me the keys when you moved in. I couldn¡¯t enter the house.¡±


    Mother Hua replied, ¡°I¡¯ll give you the key later.¡±


    But she had no intention of giving him the key.


    The two eventually dropped Miaomiao off to school.


    Miaomiao was exceptionally quiet and remained silent during the entire trip. When they arrived at the classroom, Miaomiao suddenly hugged Mother Hua, then she hugged Father Hua before entering the classroom.


    After saying their goodbyes to her, Mother Hua and Father Hua left the school¡¯s vicinity.


    Jingjing and Deng Feng had already arrived and were waiting in the classroom. Zhou Yuan hadn¡¯t arrived yet.


    These two little ones, who were always present ten minutes before class, were obviously overexcited today.


    Earlier in the morning, they got up and asked their parents to quickly send them to school.


    As soon as Miaomiao entered the room, the two children leaned over immediately, ¡°How was it? Did you see that shameless person?¡±


    ¡°Did¡­he¡­bully¡­you?¡± Deng Feng quickly asked when he noticed her sad expression.


    ¡°Which class is he in? Let¡¯s go and beat him up!¡±


    ¡°Miaomiao shook her head. Her usual shyness fled, and she replied, ¡°I saw him, and my mother dragged him away from me.¡±


    ¡°Does he seem really bad?¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem to care about hygiene.¡± Miaomiao recalled him spitting yesterday. It was impolite and unseemly to spit on people. It was also unhygienic.


    Jingjing asked, ¡°Then, did you hear that he¡¯s coming to school today?¡±


    Miaomiao shook her head.


    At this time, Zhou Yuan finally had arrived. His arrival almost seemed to engild the place, removing some of the tension from the room.


    Jingjing rushed over to him and said, ¡°That spoiled kid is already here! Miaomiao¡¯s mother took her out to live with her!¡±


    Miaomiao hummed in response. Unhappiness consumed her, and she wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk.


    Zhou Yuan walked over and sat next to Miaomiao. He was worried that Mother Hua would compromise. After all, he didn¡¯t want Miaomiao to be hurt due to her gentle personality.


    It surprised him that Mother Hua had the courage to quickly act and intervene. Because of that, he felt relieved.


    ¡°That spoiled kid had to have enrolled in our school too. We have to do something to make him regret coming into our world.¡± Jingjing said.


    Deng Feng: ¡°Yes!¡±


    These two first graders called a child, who was older than them by a year, spoiled.


    Zhou Yuan said, ¡°We won¡¯t worry about him for the time being. We¡¯ll only interact with him if he comes to bully Miaomiao.¡±


    In this instance, if the other party doesn¡¯t bother them, the conflict is between the adults; therefore, the adults should resolve it amongst themselves. However, if he starts pestering Miaomiao, then that would be their problem.


    They weren¡¯t in the same class. If the other party approached Miaomiao specifically, then people shouldn¡¯t be surprised if they behaved a little rudely.


    Furthermore, Jingjing and Deng Feng could then stop their surmises about what this kid was like. They could ascertain his demeanor in person if the other party decided to accost them.


    Miaomiao considered Jingjing and Deng Feng to be good friends a long time ago. They held up their hands and uttered, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    After Jingjing and Deng Feng returned to their seats, Zhou Yuan comforted Miaomiao, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, nothing will happen.¡±


    Her schoolbag contained the watch that Mother Hua had bought for Zhou Yuan. Mother Hua told her yesterday that she shouldn¡¯t just casually accept gifts from others. These things all required money, after all.


    Miaomiao took out the box that contained the watch inside. Then, she placed it atop Zhou Yuan¡¯s table and said, ¡°My mother bought it for you.¡±


    Miaomiao¡¯s explanation was very simple. It was her mother who paid for the watch; therefore, she made sure to say that it was her mother who was giving it to Zhou Yuan.


    This gift astounded Zhou Yuan for a moment. Then, he said, ¡°Your mother gave it to me?¡±


    ¡°Well, mom also told me to tell you this¡­thank you for taking care of her daughter.¡±


    Although Mother Hua did tell her this, she did say to keep that part just between the two of them.


    However, Miaomiao thought that her mother asked her to say this to Zhou Yuan.


    Zhou Yuan was peering at this watch. Hearing her words, he couldn¡¯t resist teasing Miaomiao, ¡°Then, how will you thank me?¡±


    In response to this, Miaomiao took out a shiny bracelet from her schoolbag.


    Zhou Yuan just asked her in jest, but he didn¡¯t expect that she had prepared a gift for him.


    When she went to the supermarket with her mother yesterday, she secretly bought this bracelet with all of her pocket money.


    Mother Hua gave her pocket money everyday, but she rarely used it.


    Naturally, little girls considered shiny things to be pretty.


    So, she bought it when her mother wasn¡¯t paying attention.


    Zhou Yuan was astounded, ¡°Did you buy it for me?¡±


    Miaomiao nodded her head and peered at him with a gaze full of expectation.


    Zhou Yuan felt that he would never wear this kind of bracelet.


    Just forget it. A real man wouldn¡¯t care about what he wore.


    Zhou Yuan decided to wear this shiny bracelet that was made out of fake crystals.


    Miaomiao also prepared gifts for Jingjing and Deng Feng. Jingjing really enjoyed the shiny bracelet a lot and kissed Miaomiao, ¡°Miaomiao, you are so good to me!¡±


    Deng Feng wore it as well.


    Zhou Yuan retracted his gaze and fell into his thoughts. He wasn¡¯t a child, so he shouldn¡¯t have the childish feeling of ¡°you should be nice to me¡± that children have.


    * Moral abduction, also known as moral kidnapping, is a term that has arisen in China in recent years. Moral kidnapping means that people, in the name of charity, compel others to perform morality or stop behavior conflicting with morality by the force of public opinion.

 CH 31

    The weather was a little chilly today. As Miaomiao was leaving the classroom with her friends, she saw a boy blocking the entrance to the classroom. With one hand, he pulled Miaomiao away, and with the finger of another hand, he pointed at her and said, ¡°Come with me for a moment.¡±


    Miaomiao recognized the boy. He was the same one she saw the day before at their house. He didn¡¯t care about hygiene, and he liked spitting on people.


    Zhou Yuan pulled Miaomiao towards him and then looked at the boy, ¡°Is there something wrong?¡±


    Hua Jun replied, ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡±


    Miaomiao grasped Zhou Yuan¡¯s hand and whispered to him, ¡°I¡¯ll talk to him.¡±


    As soon as Zhou Yuan processed her words, he was astonished. He thought Miaomiao wouldn¡¯t dare talk to that boy.


    ¡°Why are you looking for me?¡± Miaomiao began conversing with him.


    In her mind, she simply wanted to live with her parents. Similarly, this person had to have his own parents as well; he should also have the desire to live with his own parents.


    Hua Jun was a head taller than Miaomiao. He threatened her imperiously, ¡°Since this is the first time we¡¯ve met, I¡¯ll just warn you today. Don¡¯t think that just because your surname is Hua that you¡¯re a member of the Hua family. In the future, if you don¡¯t obey my orders, I¡¯ll drive you out of the house. You¡¯ll rot in jail with your parents.¡±


    Miaomiao pondered over his words seriously for a while. Then, she asked him with a sincere tone that was simultaneously tinctured with pity, ¡°Did your parents kick you out of the house because you weren¡¯t obedient?¡±


    Based on Miaomiao¡¯s understanding, if his parents didn¡¯t drive him out of the house, then why would he decide to live with her parents?


    Miaomiao thought that it was pitiful. She couldn¡¯t imagine the sadness she would feel if her mother drove her away one day and declared that she didn¡¯t want her anymore. So, she said in earnest, ¡°You have to be obedient from now on so that your parents will accept you back into their lives.¡±


    Jingjing chimed in, ¡°Miaomiao, don¡¯t say that. His parents just abandoned him. It isn¡¯t nice to lie to our classmate like that.¡±


    Hua Jun was fuming with anger when he digested her words. He raised his hand in rage. He wanted to hit someone. Clearly, their words struck a nerve with him.


    Zhou Yuan quickly grabbed his hand, ¡°Didn¡¯t your parents teach you that a gentleman moves his mouth, not his hands?¡±


    Jingjing immediately added, ¡°Zhouzhou. Like I said just now, it isn¡¯t the same. His parents don¡¯t want him anymore. He¡¯s going to steal other people¡¯s parents now. Of course, no one taught him anything. Oh my God, I need to call my parents now. I need to tell them not to come pick me up this afternoon. I¡¯ll go home by myself; otherwise, he¡¯ll steal my parents too.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    This kid¡¯s mouth is so vicious; she likes to wield her words like a blade. It¡¯s impossible to do anything about it.


    Miaomiao conjectured that Jingjing was worried about Hua Jun snatching her parents away. So, she whispered, ¡°I¡¯ll help hide your mother when the time comes.¡±


    Meanwhile, Deng Feng stood behind, acting like her bodyguard.


    Because Hua Jun wasn¡¯t able to beat anyone up, he became even angrier, ¡°You were abandoned by your parents, and I¡¯ll send your parents to jail.¡±


    Miaomiao froze when she heard his words. All of a sudden, she jumped onto Hua Jun and bit his hand.


    Jingjing followed Miaomiao¡¯s lead and also began biting Hua Jun¡¯s hand. Deng Feng saw them and didn¡¯t want to be left behind, so he also rushed over and began biting Hua Jun.


    Due to the pain, Hua Jun howled loudly.


    Hearing his howling, the teachers, who were surveying the corridor, all gathered at the scene one by one. Meanwhile, Zhou Yuan quickly tried to pull the three little ones off Hua Jun.


    After Zhou Yuan pulled Miaomiao back, she stood by his side in silence. Tears began to flow down her cheeks like little rivulets of grief.


    Simultaneously, Jingjing sat directly on the ground and wailed out loud, ¡°I won¡¯t let you steal my mother¡­ahhh¡­I won¡¯t have a mother anymore¡­I¡¯m not a boy¡­¡±


    Deng Feng also wailed out loud, ¡°Why¡­why¡­would you¡­steal my mother¡­I¡­I¡­didn¡¯t¡­intend¡­ to stutter¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    When Hua Jun¡¯s teacher appeared on the scene, the new transfer student grabbed her, and then he began to curse, ¡°****¡± and ¡°****¡±.


    Seeing Jingjing and Deng Feng heartbroken and crying, Miaomiao, who had always been sensible and obedient, also started crying loudly.


    The scene became very chaotic.


    The only person who could clarify what had happened was Zhou Yuan. Some teachers hurriedly pulled the children into their arms and consoled them. They asked, ¡°What happened, Zhou Yuan?¡±


    These teachers believed that Zhou Yuan wouldn¡¯t lie. From their viewpoint, his IQ was above average, and he treated children with care.


    Zhou Yuan responded, ¡°This person rushed out of nowhere and said he would take their parents and incarcerate them¡­¡±


    Teachers: ¡°¡­¡±


    Three conspicuous bite marks were on Hua Jun¡¯s arms. He was crying and cursing. Even in the presence of teachers, he was still yelling aloud, ¡°****, I¡¯m going to tell grandma, and then I¡¯ll destroy you all!¡±


    After all, anything that offended or harmed Hua Jun would incur the wrath of his grandma. In fact, every time he fell on the ground, his grandma would seek vengeance, kick the ground and yell out loud, ¡°How dare you cause my grandson to fall!¡±


    The first-grade teachers instantly formed a negative opinion of the new student. The teachers from the second and third-grade classrooms were also present at the scene. The second-grade headteacher arrived at the scene as soon as she had gotten word of the scuffle between four first-year students and a student from her class.


    As soon as she stepped inside the classroom, she noticed three weeping children and a student from her class cursing and trying to hit the other children.


    The headteacher declared, ¡°Classmates. Go to the flag-raising ceremony now.¡±


    Every student, who was watching this scene, hurried to the playground at once. Then, the first-grade teachers came over to hug the three students who were still weeping.


    The second-grade headteacher who taught Class 3 also approached them and wanted to console Hua Jun who was from her class.


    Hua Jun had never felt such humiliation before. He couldn¡¯t bear with this loss. He couldn¡¯t even save his face.


    The second-grade headteacher from Class 3 was a young woman in her 20s. She saw Hua Jun cursing angrily. When she noticed his bite marks, the headteacher wanted to hug him to mollify his anger and relieve his pain.


    When she was about to draw him into a hug, Hua Jun suddenly grabbed her and gnawed violently on her hand.


    The headteacher screamed in pain. The other teachers diverted their attention away from the weeping Jingjing and Deng Feng who were on the ground, and then they rushed over to pull Hua Jun away from the headteacher.


    The bite was severe, and blood flowed from the wound.


    Jingjing nudged Miaomiao¡¯s shoulder and whispered, ¡°Miaomiao. This kid, I¡¯m a little sympathetic for him¡­¡±


    After biting him, Miaomiao felt regret for her actions, so she nodded her head in agreement¡­


    Although, in truth, the two peoples¡¯ sympathies arose from different sources. Jingjing was gloating at his situation. She was like an undercover agent, who had succeeded in his mission, whereas Miaomiao felt that she was only causing trouble for everyone. She felt she was dragging her friends into the fray¡­


    Every child, who was involved in this incident, was sent to the Academic Affairs Office.


    Inside the office, Jingjing narrated in a low voice, ¡°We were going to the playground when he ran over and said he was going to take our parents and drive us out of our house¡­¡±


    The dean: ¡°¡­¡±


    Is the transfer student sick in the head?


    ¡°I want my mommy. I want to go home¡­hiccup¡­hiccup¡­,¡± Jingjing uttered with a sad, crestfallen voice.


    While crying, Miaomiao began wiping away her streaming tears. She felt guilty.


    It¡¯s all my fault why mom and dad are getting divorced. It¡¯s all my fault why Jingjing and Deng Feng are being bullied.


    In her mind, she assumed that they were being bullied, and that was why they were crying. Rivulets of tears streamed down their little faces.


    The more Miaomiao mulled over it, the more her sadness assailed her. It was almost as if her sorrow was wrapping itself around her like a blanket. So, she cried even more, to the point where she had trouble breathing.


    At first, Zhou Yuan surmised that all three children were merely pretending. But when he noticed that Miaomiao was crying for real, he realized that her condition was terrible. He quickly stroked her back, ¡°He¡¯s gone. Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    The headteacher of Grade 1 was also anxious and quickly tried to allay Miaomiao¡¯s worries with a gentle voice, ¡°It¡¯s okay, everything is alright now.¡±


    Currently, the adults could only beseech Zhou Yuan for an explanation about what had happened.


    Zhou Yuan said, ¡°We were heading for the playground when we heard him calling us over for a moment.¡±


    What he told them was the truth.


    ¡°When we went up to him, he said that he would drive us out of our houses and send us to jail if we didn¡¯t follow his commands. I disagreed with him, so he struck me and grabbed my shirt. A button even came off my shirt during the scuffle. Then, Miaomiao and the rest decided to bite him¡­¡±


    At first, the dean thought it was illogical, but one of the teachers whispered to him that Hua Jun also bit the teacher of Grade 2 Class 3.


    The dean: ¡°¡­¡±


    Teacher Li alleviated the children¡¯s concerns, and then brought them back to their classroom.


    As soon as Teacher Li left, Jingjing and Deng Feng dropped their act and approached Zhou Yuan, ¡°What should we do now?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. First, he has to answer for biting the teacher himself.¡±


    The headteacher of Grade 2 Class 3 was very popular within her own classroom. But one of her students had bitten her and left a very conspicuous wound on her palm. All of her students could clearly see the bite mark with a single glance.


    The school called the parents.


    Not the parents of the four of them, but the parents of Hua Jun.


    His grandmother was supposed to go, but Hua Jun refused to allow her to come. He felt that the elderly would embarrass him.


    So, Father Hua didn¡¯t have a choice. He asked for a break from his work in order to go to the school. After his arrival, he immediately apologized to the headteacher.


    He was already cognizant of the entire matter, especially the phrase, ¡°I will send your parents to jail¡­¡±


    He never doubted this. He immediately realized that Hua Jun had said this on purpose. After all, he did learn of Miaomiao¡¯s history from his parents at home. Miaomiao¡¯s real parents abused her severely, and thus, were imprisoned.


    He was fuming with anger as he seized Hua Jun, who had just returned from the infirmary. He threw him into the car and drove back home.


    This turn of events happened in the dean¡¯s office, and Deng Feng quietly and discretely witnessed its unfolding. He rushed back to his friends, ¡°Won!¡­We won!¡±


    Deng Feng recounted the entire conversation that he overheard in the office.


    Jingjing declared in triumph, ¡°I¡¯m going to write about this in my memoirs!¡±


    Miaomiao hugged Jingjing.


    Deng Feng decided to join in and also hugged Miaomiao.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    I¡¯m not a child. I won¡¯t feel jealous just because Miaomiao didn¡¯t hug me.


    During the afternoon, Mother Hua arrived to pick up Miaomiao from school. After hearing about what had happened from Teacher Li, she felt angry and distressed.


    It wasn¡¯t until they reached home that Miaomiao admitted her mistakes. She confessed that she was in the wrong and that she shouldn¡¯t have bitten him¡­and also she didn¡¯t know why Mother Hua wasn¡¯t called by the teacher afterwards.


    At that time, Miaomiao was crying so much that she was incognizant of what the other children were saying¡­


    Mother Hua: ¡°¡­¡±


    Wait¡­Why is this version of the story different?

 CH 32

    Mother Hua quickly figured out the ins and outs of the matter.


    She felt relieved and amused at the same time.


    Compared to the children from my childhood, these children are different.


    With a very serious tone, Mother Hua said, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid of him. He¡¯s in the wrong for bullying you in the first place. If he bullies you again in the future¡­¡±


    Mother Hua pondered for a moment, and then she embraced Miaomiao on the bed, ¡°Tell me and the teacher. You¡¯re too young to beat your classmates.¡±


    This time, Miaomiao wasn¡¯t hurt since Zhou Yuan was present, along with Jingjing and Deng Feng.


    ¡°Jingjing, Deng Feng, and Zhouzhou are all good kids. You should get along with them well,¡± Mother Hua said with sincerity.


    Thinking about her friends, Miaomiao nodded in earnest.


    During the night, Miaomiao felt a little thirsty. When she woke up, she discovered that her mother no longer slept beside her.


    The moonlight illuminated her bedroom, so she could still see her surroundings. Miaomiao slowly traversed out of the room.


    Standing at the doorframe of her room, she noticed light emanating from the study room that was next door.


    Miaomiao approached the study room and gently pushed open the door. When she entered, she saw her mother, whose head was resting on the table.


    Miaomiao hurried over to her side. She saw her mother¡¯s head resting on the drawing board. She was fast asleep.


    She knew what this board was. Every time her mother drew a picture, she would then turn it into a dress, which could be sold for money. With that money, Mother Hua could buy some savory food for her.


    That was how her mother explained it to her, anyways.


    Miaomiao also recalled her mother telling her that her uncle was always very busy. He had to go to work and earn money to buy delicious food.


    Now, my mother wanted to make money on her own.


    Tears began to fill her eyes as Miaomiao gently pulled her mother, ¡°Mom, let¡¯s go to bed. Let¡¯s go to sleep.¡±


    She always fell asleep when she did her homework. Then, her mother would hold her and say, ¡°Miaomiao, let¡¯s go to bed. Let¡¯s go to sleep.¡±


    Mother Hua woke up and saw her little daughter, ¡°Baby?¡±


    Miaomiao hugged her, ¡°Let¡¯s go to bed.¡±


    Mother Hua hummed in response, and then she glanced at her design, which was almost complete. This was the busiest season for the company. Everyone was busy, and she was no exception.


    Then, she carried Miaomiao back to bed. Covering themselves with a quilt, she uttered, ¡°Let¡¯s go to sleep, now.¡±


    The next day, Mother Hua, as usual, brought a bottle of yogurt and some fruit for Miaomiao. Then, she put them into her schoolbag. She also slipped a ten yuan note into her bag.


    It would inconvenience children if they didn¡¯t have any money with them.


    After all, children also had friends to socialize with.


    Her mother retired to another room to change her clothes, so Miaomiao took advantage of her brief absence. She took out the money from her schoolbag and slipped it back inside her mother¡¯s bag.


    Mother Hua was one of those very scrupulous mothers who cared about every detail and did things with meticulous precision. The adults paid with their mobile phones, but Miaomiao didn¡¯t know how to use them; therefore, she kept a special money bag at home.


    In the past, Miaomiao had never used any of the money that was given to her. It was usually kept safely in her language textbook. But the other day, she used the money that she had saved up to buy some shiny bracelets for Zhouzhou, Jingjing, and Deng Feng.


    Since their house was close to school, they could easily walk there. This was the most convenient way to travel there; they no longer needed to take a car. After dropping Miaomiao off to school, Mother Hua was about to take a taxi to go to her company.


    When she traversed out of the school, she noticed a very familiar car parked near the gate. The car window rolled down, and she saw Father Hua¡¯s haggard face.


    Mother Hua frowned, ¡°You didn¡¯t go to work today?¡±


    Father Hua replied, ¡°I¡¯ll drop you off at your company first.¡±


    ¡°No, you should head back home to rest.¡± Mother Hua said with a sigh, ¡°Your condition isn¡¯t very good. You should ask for a leave of absence. The hospital should agree with your proposal.¡±


    He had such a special job. It would be impossible for him to perform surgery in such an unhealthy state.


    Father Hua said, ¡°Honey. I sent that kid back last night. Could we talk about it?¡±


    Mother Hua looked at him, then pulled the car door open, ¡°Don¡¯t drive. Let¡¯s just talk in the car. I¡¯ll take a taxi to the office. You go back to my house and sleep for a while.¡±


    Contradictions, conflicts, and discords between them had nothing to do with each other, so there was no need to be cruel to him.


    Mother Hua sat in the car.


    When Zhou Yuan arrived at school, he glanced in a particular direction. Father Zhou noticed his son¡¯s behavior and jauntily teased him,¡± Are you looking at your wife again?¡±


    Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t respond; therefore, Father Zhou continued teasing him.


    He said in an ebullient tone, ¡°You worked so hard to make some money, and then you spent almost one thousand yuan for your little wife. Your start-up capital¡­¡±


    That day, Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t tell Father Zhou what he had spent the money on.


    What did he do with that much money?


    Father Zhou became uneasy, and then he recalled his son reading some books about economics during that time.


    Maybe he bought some stocks?


    The more Father Zhou dwelled on this possibility, the more he believed it to be true. So, he quickly looked up the bill. He mainly wanted to see which stocks Zhou Yuan had purchased so that he could also purchase the same ones.


    After reading the words ¡®Little Genius Watch¡¯ on the bill, his eyes began to twitch.


    Although he could understand why other kids would spend their money on a smartwatch, he didn¡¯t know why his son would purchase one.


    He became very curious. As soon as Zhou Yuan had returned home, he looked for the smartwatch on Zhou Yuan¡¯s wrist, but he didn¡¯t see one.


    Eventually, Zhou Yuan revealed that it was for his deskmate.


    Father Zhou couldn¡¯t believe it.


    In fact, he still couldn¡¯t believe it. He knew that Mother Zhou wouldn¡¯t allow Zhou Yuan to get a job, so Father Zhou secretly assisted him by giving him some work. Zhou Yuan never touched a penny of his savings. It was all meant for his start-up fund.


    Now, he used all of the money from his start-up fund to buy a smartwatch for a little girl. This cost him over a thousand yuan. It was too extravagant¡­


    Father Zhou couldn¡¯t resist teasing him about it. Because he saw his son¡¯s solemnity, he continued to tease him over and over again¡­


    Zhou Yuan glanced at his father and said, ¡°If adults could only focus on getting things done correctly and less on gossip, then maybe, they could make up for their lack of IQ to some extent.¡±


    Father Zhou: ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan walked into the classroom very quickly. He looked very sophisticated.


    Upon entering the classroom, he found Miaomiao¡¯s schoolbag atop her desk. But the person was nowhere to be seen.


    Zhou Yuan found it a little strange; nevertheless, he took out his homework sheets from yesterday and began writing.


    After a few seconds, Miaomiao returned to the classroom. Her eyes lit up when she saw him. Then, she sat quietly in her seat and waited for him to finish his homework.


    Zhou Yuan often finished his homework within ten minutes, and he did this every morning after he arrived at school.


    He could complete his homework within ten minutes, whereas it would take Miaomiao at least two hours to finish it, even with the aid of her aunt.


    Last night, Miaomiao couldn¡¯t sleep due to her concerns. After every dinner, her mother would be able to focus entirely on her work if Miaomiao could finish her homework by herself without the aid of her mother. If she could get good grades by herself, then her mother didn¡¯t have to stay up all night to work on her designs in order to earn money.


    While working on his homework, Zhou Yuan felt an eager gaze on him. He finished writing his final words, signed the paper, and then he turned his head, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    First, Miaomiao took out the fruit and yogurt, then she placed it on Zhou Yuan¡¯s desk and said, ¡°Zhou Yuan. Is there a way I could use to become as smart as you?¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± Well, this is a little difficult.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t say it directly. He asked, ¡°Why are you suddenly thinking about such things?¡±


    Miaomiao sighed like an adult, ¡°Mom helps me with my homework every day. She¡¯s also very busy with her work¡­¡± It¡¯s all because of me.


    Because of me, my mother wants to separate from my father.


    Because of me, my mother has to work even harder.


    Miaomiao¡¯s nose turned sour when she thought about this.


    For a moment, Zhou Yuan was stunned, then he asked, ¡°So, are you hoping that you can finish your homework quickly like me?¡±


    Zhou Yuan contemplated for a while, then he said, ¡°You could try telling your mother that there¡¯s no homework today. Then, every morning, after you arrive, you could do it here.¡±


    Miaomiao nodded and decided to give it a try.


    Soon, Jingjing arrived. After coming to school, Jingjing was very concerned about Miaomiao¡¯s situation that involved her parents¡¯ divorce. For children of such a young age, divorce was a huge issue.


    Jingjing¡¯s desk was behind Miaomiao¡¯s. She patted Miaomiao¡¯s shoulder from behind, and Miaomiao turned her head in response. Jingjing¡¯s small head leaned to her ear, and she whispered, ¡°How are your parents today?¡±


    Yesterday, my father didn¡¯t come home, and my mother stayed up all night working to make money. I think my father isn¡¯t getting along with my mother.


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t dare entertain these thoughts further since they made her feel uncomfortable.


    Jingjing immediately figured out the situation. She gently held Miaomiao¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. We¡¯ll figure out how to reconcile your parents.¡±


    As soon as Jingjing said that, a light bulb suddenly went off in her head.


    After listening to them mutter for a while, Zhou Yuan turned his head to observe them.


    Immediately afterwards, he saw Miaomiao tugging on his sleeve, ¡°Zhouzhou¡­¡±


    Jingjing¡¯s plan was to beseech Zhou Yuan for help¡­because he was the smartest person she knew. He possessed a high IQ; therefore, he should be able to come up with a solution.


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t know how to ask. So, Jingjing recalled how she would beg her father to buy her ice cream. Then, she told Miaomiao, ¡°You have to sound pitiful. Make sure to use the ¡®you¡¯re the best in the entire world¡¯ line.¡±


    Jingjing didn¡¯t ask him herself because¡­Zhou Yuan wouldn¡¯t cooperate with her.


    Miaomiao was a little abashed after she had tugged on his sleeve and uttered his name. She couldn¡¯t muster up her courage to ask him for assistance.


    Zhou Yuan stroked her little head, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    His memory was good; therefore, he remembered Jingjing¡¯s routine with clarity. She usually did this to the little fool Deng Feng so that he purchased snacks for her.


    I¡­inexplicably¡­really want to hear Miaomiao tell me that I am the best¡­person in the world.


    Although Zhou Yuan was trying his best to resist, he somehow desired to hear Miaomiao declare that he was the best person in the world.


    He¡¯s falling for it¡­he actually cares about these foolish titles¡­like a kid would.

 CH 33

    Even before Miaomiao could complete her sentence, Zhou Yuan, who ¡®didn¡¯t care about such foolish titles¡¯ agreed to her request.


    A rubescent red dyed Miaomiao¡¯s cheeks as she blushed with embarrassment. She thought that she was very foolish because she couldn¡¯t do anything correctly.


    During class, Miaomiao still mulled over her family matters, so she didn¡¯t raise her hand to answer any of the questions.


    Seeing her distracted, Zhou Yuan felt sorry for her.


    It would inconvenience Miaomiao if they discussed her family problems in class; therefore, they all departed the classroom and headed to the flowerbed outside as soon as class ended.


    Of course, Deng Feng also joined in their discussion.


    The four kids squatted behind the flowerbed.


    ¡°Zhouzhou¡­do you have any ideas?¡± Jingjing asked.


    He never studied family issues, and in fact, didn¡¯t even fully understand how a divorce could impact a child. Since he wasn¡¯t an ordinary child, he asked Miaomiao, ¡°If your mother and father get divorced, who would be more upset about it?¡±


    Firstly, he decided to tackle the problem from this angle, and then he would decide if he should help them with their divorce problem. Whether this was the twilight of her parents¡¯ relationship or not, he had to consider every possibility and option before acting.


    In a forlorn voice, Miaomiao said, ¡°Mom will be sad. She will also have to work even harder.¡±


    Miaomiao thought nothing of the impact of not having a father. All she thought about was how she couldn¡¯t leave her mother.


    She doesn¡¯t want her mother to be sad and despondent; furthermore, she doesn¡¯t want her to be buried under a mountain of work.


    Miaomiao frowned again and said, ¡°I will go back today. I¡¯ll try to do my homework by myself. I won¡¯t allow my mother to help me so that she could work on her drawings and earn some money¡­¡±


    Jingjing nodded. Indeed, it would be much harder to raise a child alone.


    In a low voice, Deng Feng asked, ¡°Or¡­how about¡­looking for another¡­dad?¡±


    Miaomiao thought that Deng Feng¡¯s proposal was terrible.


    Zhou Yuan quickly rejected his suggestion, as adult relationship problems weren¡¯t something that children could handle or understand.


    Truthfully, Zhou Yuan thought that children were the wrong people to discuss things such as relationships and divorce with. The adults should be the ones who decided their own course of action, especially Miaomiao¡¯s mother, who seemed to have more knowledge about this.


    Zhou Yuan mainly offered his assistance because he feared that panic would consume the children, and he didn¡¯t want Miaomiao to feel sad and crestfallen.


    Zhou Yuan then suggested, ¡°Instead of talking about divorce problems, we should take care of our homework first.¡±


    Frowning, Jingjing responded, ¡°My mother also spends a lot of time helping me with my homework every day. It¡¯s because our homework is too difficult to understand. How about we steal the answer key paper and copy the answers?¡±


    ¡°We get our homework sheets during the afternoon. After that, our parents arrive to pick us up. When could we get the time to read the answers?¡± Zhou Yuan replied.


    ¡°Then¡­Miaomiao¡­you¡­you just¡­tell your mother¡­that you¡­forgot¡­to bring¡­your homework. This way¡­you¡­don¡¯t have to¡­do your¡­homework.¡± Deng Feng said with diligence.


    After pondering for a while, Miaomiao assumed that this would be a great idea.


    Zhou Yuan then poured cold water* on their plan, ¡°Miaomiao lives just outside the school now. Her mother could easily bring her back to school to pick up her homework sheets.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­then¡­what do we do?¡±


    Zhou Yuan replied, ¡°We have to think of a better way.¡±


    ¡°Before class started, I told you that you should tell your mother that you didn¡¯t have any homework. That idea also won¡¯t work.¡± When Zhou Yuan espied Teacher Li entering the classroom, he recalled that Mother Hua and Teacher Li were university classmates. Therefore, if Mother Hua asked Teacher Li about her homework, her lie would easily be revealed.


    Then, Mother Hua would be disappointed to discover that Miaomiao had lied.


    Therefore, they can¡¯t use that course of action.


    While listening to her friends, Miaomiao felt as if she didn¡¯t understand a lot of things. Since her friends were quite intelligent, she behaved very obediently and agreed to whatever they suggested.


    Jingjing asked, ¡°What should we do then?¡±


    Zhou Yuan mused for a moment, and then he thought of something. He asked Miaomiao, ¡°Does your mother use the tablet a lot for work when she¡¯s home?¡±


    Miaomiao shook her head, ¡°She doesn¡¯t use the tablet much.¡±


    Her mom used a special, larger tablet for drawing.


    ¡°In that case, you¡¯ll tell your mother that Zhou Yuan is teaching you how to do your homework. I will video call you, and then we could do it together.¡± Zhou Yuan elucidated his idea.


    Next to them, Jingjing¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°I want to join too!¡±


    Deng Feng: ¡°Me¡­too¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan felt a little helpless, ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s make a group video call. But don¡¯t speak too loudly.¡± He still hadn¡¯t decided where he was going to make the call.


    Miaomiao also understood that this would greatly inconvenience Zhouzhou.


    I might make things difficult for Zhou Yuan for the next couple of weeks.


    She whispered, ¡°If you do this, it could cause trouble for you¡­¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t trouble me. Besides, when you have gained enough knowledge in school, you won¡¯t need me to help you with your homework anymore.¡±


    Miaomiao thought Zhouzhou was wonderful. She tugged on Zhou Yuan¡¯s sleeve and hugged him, ¡°Zhouzhou, you¡¯re the best! You¡¯re the best person in the world!¡±


    For a moment, Zhou Yuan appeared to be taken aback. Then, the corners of his mouth slowly curved upwards.


    Deng Feng and Jingjing stood next to them; they glanced at each other. Then, they ran over for a hug too!


    Zhou Yuan instantly shot up, and he also raised Miaomiao to stand up with him. He wanted to avoid a group hug.


    After returning home, Mother Hua was going to help Miaomiao with her homework again. Miaomiao lowered her head and whispered, ¡°Zhouzhou said¡­said¡­said he¡­¡±


    She squeezed the hems of her garments and silently practiced what she wanted to say in her heart.


    Zhouzhou said that he would help me with my homework¡­


    Zhouzhou said that he would help me with my homework¡­


    Mother Hua sat next to her and patiently waited for her to speak.


    Then, Miaomiao began articulating, ¡°Zhouzhou said that he would help me with my homework.¡±


    When Mother Hua noticed Miaomiao¡¯s nervosity, she didn¡¯t realize that it was because of a plan. She surmised that Miaomiao just wanted to do her homework with her little friend and feared that she wouldn¡¯t agree to it.


    These kids are really close.


    Mother Hua replied, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Then, she handed over the tablet to Miaomiao so that she could answer Zhou Yuan¡¯s call.


    Soon afterward, Zhou Yuan called. After the call had connected, everyone found Zhou Yuan¡¯s environment a little strange.


    He wasn¡¯t sitting in the study. Instead, he was surrounded by hanging clothes and garments.


    The first person to bring up the question was Jingjing, ¡°Zhouzhou, you¡¯re not sitting in your closet, are you?¡±


    Zhou Yuan overheard his parents talking outside. They were discussing their travel plans for the weekend, ¡°¡­¡±


    Has anyone else here tried living under the auspices of a parent who fervidly insists that they alleviate the burden of students?


    *pour cold water on ¨C to reject

 CH 34

    He actually was sitting in his closet, which was large enough for a person to sit comfortably inside.


    The reason for this sitting arrangement was simple. If his mother found out that he was contacting his friends to assist them with their homework, she would incessantly nag him again.


    Also, if his father discovered this, he would never shut his mouth about it. He would keep bringing up the word ¡°wife¡±, which would give Zhou Yuan a massive headache.


    Since he knew that adults had this intrinsic habit of teasing people, he personally wouldn¡¯t care about it. But Miaomiao was still very young and sensitive; therefore, she definitely would feel uncomfortable.


    Since Jingjing already questioned him about his sitting arrangement, Zhou Yuan replied, ¡°Don¡¯t speak too loudly, alright?¡±


    Miaomiao peered at the screen with solemnity, and then she whispered, ¡°Okay. Is it okay to use this volume level to talk to you?¡±


    After noticing how seriously she cooperated, Zhou Yuan found her cute and nodded his head, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s fine.¡±


    After that, Zhou Yuan placed the tablet sideways on a table and adjusted the screen. Then, he took out the homework sheets and examined the questions.


    He couldn¡¯t understand why they had to ask children such trivial questions, but he still instructed the three of them, ¡°Start by answering the first question. If you don¡¯t understand, ask me.¡±


    Miaomiao nodded, then lowered her head and began working diligently on her homework. The top of her little head could be seen on the screen.


    When Zhou Yuan saw this, he felt like rubbing her head.


    Zhou Yuan coughed and then took out a book placed next to him. He began to read it. After some time, he looked up and saw Miaomiao still working on her homework with diligence.


    Zhou Yuan found this kind of strange.


    Does she understand all the questions?


    Of course, there were several questions, which confused Miaomiao.


    When she looked up to clear up her doubts, she saw Zhou Yuan reading a book. She didn¡¯t want to disturb his reading; therefore, she left the questions that bewildered her blank and skipped ahead to the questions, which she could answer.


    Miaomiao was well-behaved, whereas Jingjing and Deng Feng were the complete opposite. They kept conversing with each other. Jingjing announced, ¡°My mother said that if I finished my homework, then she¡¯ll take me to Disney World for my summer vacation.¡±


    Zhou Yuan chided Jingjing, ¡°Finish your homework first. You¡¯re not allowed to talk.¡±


    Miaomiao engrossed herself in her homework so much that she didn¡¯t even raise her head.


    During this time, Mother Zhou called Zhou Yuan and said, ¡°Zhouzhou, it¡¯s time to eat.¡±


    Zhou Yuan told Miaomiao, ¡°I¡¯m going to eat first. I¡¯ll be back later, and then I¡¯ll check your homework.¡±


    Miaomiao¡¯s heart pounded rapidly. She still left a lot of questions blank on her homework sheet.


    Would Zhouzhou judge me to be stupid when he checks my homework later?


    After swiftly finishing his dinner, Zhou Yuan retired back to his room.


    When he peered at the screen, he noticed that Deng Feng and Jingjing had already left for dinner, whereas Miaomiao was still engrossed in her homework.


    ¡°Miaomiao?¡±


    As Miaomiao raised her head, Zhou Yuan asked, ¡°Are you having any difficulties with the questions?¡±


    Since this video call was specifically set up for her, why doesn¡¯t she ask any questions?


    Miaomiao hummed in response and then began to speak, ¡°I don¡¯t understand this question¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan stared at the question. Although it was simple, Zhou didn¡¯t laugh at her, mock her, or call her stupid. Instead, he asked, ¡°Look at the question above. What¡¯s the difference between the two?¡±


    Mother Hua came to check up on them from time to time. When she heard Zhou Yuan¡¯s cute and solemn voice, she thought that he was an angel in the form of a child.


    Mother Hua considered sending Zhou Yuan an invitation to visit her home.


    At that moment, her phone rang.


    She looked at the caller ID. Seeing that it was her mother, she quickly retired to her bedroom.


    ¡°We¡¯ll come visit you.¡± Miaomiao¡¯s grandmother didn¡¯t say anything else.


    Mother Hua¡¯s mom didn¡¯t give her any advice on how to approach her divorce. After all, she had never personally experienced anything like that; therefore, she offered no suggestion or advice.


    ¡°Mom?¡± Mother Hua was surprised. Back then, when she had asked the two elders to visit her, they would turn her down.


    ¡°Well, we will stay there for a few days, so if you have to work overtime, someone will be there to take care of Miaomiao.¡±


    The day eventually surrendered to the evening, and Mother Hua was checking Miaomiao¡¯s homework. She discovered that she had finished her homework correctly. She felt happy and relieved. Then, she explained to Miaomiao that grandma and great-grandma would be staying with them for a few days.


    She nodded her head and understood what she said. She knew that grandma was mother¡¯s mother and great-grandma was mother¡¯s grandma.


    When I¡¯m sad, I want to be with my mom. Now that my mom is sad, she definitely wants to be with her mom.


    A tinge of concern crept into Mother Hua¡¯s heart as she worried that Miaomiao would be afraid of staying with strangers. After all, the two elders only conversed with her on video calls.


    If Miaomiao feared them, then there would be two problems. Firstly, it would have an adverse effect on her physical and mental health, and secondly, it would leave the two elders heartbroken.


    To help her feel more comfortable around them, Mother Hua started telling Miaomiao some of her childhood stories while she rubbed some scar removal cream onto her marred skin.


    ¡°Your grandma has an orchard. Does Miaomiao know what an orchard is? It¡¯s a place with a lot of trees, and they have apples and pears. People pluck fruits from those trees so that you could eat them. Your grandma has a lot of trees like that.¡±


    Suddenly, Mother Hua stopped talking, and she started falling into a sullen mood.


    She recalled the first time she met Father Hua.


    Whenever the apples ripened, people would often come to steal them. Therefore, she had to guard the orchard to catch these thieves in the act.


    One night, she caught a young boy stealing some apples. Enswathed in the shadows of the night, she strode towards him. When he saw her approaching him, both anger and humiliation engulfed him. Then, she stopped.


    They stood under a blanket of stars, which embroidered the night sky. Under the light of the argent moon, the boy¡¯s eyes looked very beautiful. For a transitory moment, she was mesmerized by them, but she quickly returned to her senses.


    She remembered that thieves like him kept taking the apples, which forced her to guard the orchard for such a long time. Of course, her heart was seething with anger; therefore, she threatened to take him to his house and request payment for the apples from his parents.


    The young boy replied, ¡°My family will kill me.¡±


    Her heart probably softened due to his handsomeness¡­


    ¡°Mom?¡±


    Upon hearing Miaomiao¡¯s voice, Mother Hua returned to her senses. With a wistful smile, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to grandma¡¯s orchard to play during the summer.¡±


    She didn¡¯t say anything else.


    Miaomiao clung to her mother and slept obediently. After they had moved her, Mother Hua had always fallen asleep in the same bed as her.


    Mom didn¡¯t have to go to bed late tonight. It¡¯s because I didn¡¯t ask her to help me with my homework.


    Miaomiao also thought, ¡®I should treat Zhou Yuan better tomorrow since he helped me with my homework.¡¯


    The rising sun welcomed the morning, and Miaomiao decided to go to school early. As soon as she stepped inside the classroom, she saw Zhou Yuan already sitting in his seat.


    Recently, Miaomiao became even closer to Zhou Yuan because they went to the hot springs together. They also did their homework together through a video call.


    As she ensconced herself in her chair, she saw Zhou Yuan working on his homework. She quietly inserted a straw into a yogurt bottle and gave it to him¡­


    Zhou Yuan took a sip.


    Back then, she would bring two bottles of yogurt, one for her and one for Zhou Yuan. But she wanted to save money now; therefore, she only bought one bottle.

 CH 35

    Miaomiao decided to bring only one yogurt bottle. After all, the pack that was at home was quickly running out. Noticing how her mother worked arduously to earn money every day, she decided to bring only one yogurt bottle.


    But she still wanted to give one to Zhou Yuan.


    In the end, Zhou Yuan was the one who drank the yogurt, whereas Miaomiao didn¡¯t drink.


    Zhou Yuan drank yogurt habitually since Miaomiao used to bring him a large variety of snacks. But after drinking two sips, he discovered that Miaomiao wasn¡¯t drinking hers.


    Zhou Yuan found it odd, ¡°Miaomiao, you¡¯re not drinking yogurt today?¡±


    Although Miaomiao shook her head in refusal, her gaze was firmly fixed on the yogurt bottle in Zhou Yuan¡¯s hand. Sucking in her saliva, she replied, ¡°I won¡¯t drink today.¡±


    I brought blueberry-aloe vera flavored yogurt for Zhou Yuan today. It tastes delicious and is both sour and sweet.


    With a single glance, Zhou Yuan could tell that Miaomiao wanted to drink it.


    Previously, Miaomiao used to bring two bottles. Each person would drink one for fun. When she handed him one this morning, he instinctively drank it, whereas Miaomiao didn¡¯t.


    When he looked at the yogurt he had already consumed, he felt his embarrassment begin to enfold him. Since he couldn¡¯t give it to Miaomiao anymore, he decided to finish it. After all, he didn¡¯t want to waste it.


    Fortunately, Jingjing and Deng Feng arrived at this time, which attracted Miaomiao¡¯s gaze towards them.


    The two little ones lived in the same district, although Deng Feng lived slightly farther away. Therefore, their parents usually took turns sending their children to school, and they often arrived at school at the same time.


    Jingjing¡¯s face scrunched up when she entered the classroom. She was displaying a scornful anger as she settled herself into her chair.


    As Miaomiao stared at Jingjing, she reached into her schoolbag for some snacks. To cheer up Jingjing¡¯s spirits, she handed her a bag of potato chips made by Mother Hua.


    Jingjing loves these chips a lot.


    Jingjing received it and declared to Miaomiao irefully, ¡°I will never play with Deng Feng again. Miaomiao, you should also stop playing and speaking with him.¡±


    Miaomiao had no idea what happened. She panicked and grasped Jingjing¡¯s hand, ¡°Jingjing, will you also stop playing with me in the future?¡±


    Up until yesterday, we played a lot together. But today, Jingjing said that she doesn¡¯t want to play with Deng Feng anymore. Will Jingjing say tomorrow that she will no longer play with me?


    Miaomiao enjoyed Jingjing¡¯s company a lot. She was smart and revelled in laughter. When they were together, she would be very happy and jovial. She just wanted to laugh and have fun.


    According to Miaomiao, Zhou Yuan was a very important person to her. But so were Jingjing and Deng Feng because they were all friends.


    My heart would feel uncomfortable if Jingjing didn¡¯t want to play and talk with me anymore.


    Miaomiao held Jingjing¡¯s hand tightly as she looked at her with big, teary eyes. She feared that Jingjing would say that she no longer wanted to play with her.


    Her reaction stunned Jingjing for a moment. Then, she quickly promised, ¡°No, I¡¯ll play with Miaomiao for the rest of my life. When we¡¯re old, I¡¯ll let my granddaughter play with your granddaughter.¡±


    She could only think about saying that for the moment. She wanted to ameliorate Miaomiao¡¯s fears and anxiety.


    Zhou Yuan was watching this scene and stared at how both of the girls were wearing serious expressions on their faces. Then, he turned his head to look at his first-grade Chinese Language textbook. He was dumbfounded.


    After the second class had ended, Zhou Yuan trekked out to buy a bottle of yogurt. When he returned, he found Jingjing, Miaomiao, and Deng Feng whispering to each other. He couldn¡¯t hear what they were saying.


    There was no doubt that they had reconciled again. Childhood friendships were very mercurial and capricious. Perhaps even the most intelligent or influential stock market analysts couldn¡¯t predict their trend.


    Upon returning to his seat, Zhou Yuan learned that Miaomiao¡¯s grandmother would be visiting her. The three little kids were discussing ways to make Miaomiao¡¯s grandmother like her.


    Zhou Yuan glanced at the quiet and well-behaved Miaomiao.


    Does she need to find a way to make herself more likable?


    Miaomiao whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do. I know that my great-grandmother had hearing problems, so she speaks loudly. I don¡¯t have to be afraid of her.¡±


    Jingjing, Deng Feng, and Zhou Yuan were all her friends, and she was willing to place trust in their suggestions.


    Suddenly, Jingjing excitedly exclaimed, ¡°I have an idea, I have an idea! Miaomiao, I know what to do!¡±


    Miaomiao stared at Jingjing. Her eyes were full of expectation.


    Jingjing asked her,¡± Miaomiao, did you learn the dance in kindergarten? It¡¯s called ¡®My country, my home¡¯¡­¡±


    Miaomiao shook her head. Since she had never attended kindergarten, she had never learned how to dance.


    Jingjing frowned, ¡°You don¡¯t know? Every time my grandparents ask me to dance, I do this dance. They always looked very happy when I danced¡­¡±


    When some guests visited their house, they would ask Jingjing to dance.


    Jingjing learned how to dance at kindergarten and was an excellent dancer.


    Ironically, Jingjing didn¡¯t like dancing very much, and she especially didn¡¯t like dancing for outsiders. But she danced for her grandma because it made her grandma happy.


    If Miaomiao could dance, her grandmother would definitely love her.


    Jingjing came to this conclusion due to her own experiences.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    But Miaomiao had never attended kindergarten, and therefore, she couldn¡¯t dance.


    Jingjing thought for a while, ¡°It¡¯s okay. It isn¡¯t too late to learn. After class, we will go outside, and I¡¯ll teach you.¡±


    Zhou Yuan wanted to say that this wasn¡¯t necessary, but he was also curious about how Miaomiao, this sluggish little child, would dance.


    So, at noon after lunch, Jingjing quickly pulled Miaomiao outside.


    Zhou Yuan and Deng Feng also followed them.


    ¡°Miaomiao, you only need to follow my every step. Just do what I do.¡± Jingjing said as she started dancing.


    She performed an easy version of hip-hop.


    Miaomiao thought that she must learn earnestly, ¡®Jingjing is doing her best to help me. I have to learn.¡¯


    While dancing, Miaomiao¡¯s small hands and short feet were uncoordinated, and it looked like she was hitting the air.


    Zhou Yuan watched her dance from the side. He wanted to laugh, but after watching her earnestly learning and trying to imitate Jingjing¡¯s every move, he felt distressed for her.


    Although many details weren¡¯t disclosed to the public, he had learned about her case. He knew that she had most likely suffered a serious injury, which resulted in a type of sequelae.


    It was challenging for Miaomiao to follow Jingjing, but she persisted.


    She kept thinking, ¡®I have to stretch out my left hand first, then my right hand. The right hand is the one that I use to hold my pen, so it¡¯s my pen-holding hand¡­¡¯


    Eventually, one of two of her movements resembled those of Jingjing¡¯s.

 CH 36

    Jingjing¡¯s dance moves were very dynamic. When she jumped, she would leap into the air while energetically moving her hands and feet together.


    In comparison, Miaomiao¡¯s dancing had more similarities to radio gymnastics*, as her moves were slightly rigid.


    Eventually, Miaomiao managed to learn several moves. She felt very happy. From the bottom of her heart, she found Jingjing to be very helpful and kind. After learning how to dance, Miaomiao believed that she could become as likable as Jingjing.


    When the bell rang, everyone went back to class together.


    Miaomiao regained her spirits and tried to answer some of the questions during the afternoon classes. She managed to secure another little red flower.


    After class ended, Zhou Yuan told Miaomiao, ¡°Don¡¯t act so shy around your grandmother when she visits your house. Call her Grandma. Hold her hand and answer any questions that she asks you.¡±


    Zhou Yuan was cognizant of Miaomiao¡¯s insecurities; therefore, he had to ease her concerns to make her feel comfortable.


    Miaomiao stared at him and nodded soberly, absorbing everything he had just said.


    The afternoon arrived, and class ended. The teacher said, ¡°Miaomiao, your mother is here to pick you up.¡±


    When Miaomiao started to recognize Mother Hua as her mother, the teacher also decided to switch her style of address and recognize her as Miaomiao¡¯s mother.


    Miaomiao carried her schoolbag and departed the classroom. Within her mind, she repeated what Zhou Yuan had told her, ¡®I should call her grandmother, greet her properly, and hold her hand. After all, she¡¯s my mother¡¯s mother.¡¯


    When she strolled out, she saw an old woman standing next to her mother.


    When she noticed her strolling out, the old woman called out to her with a smile, ¡°Miaomiao.¡±


    Don¡¯t be afraid. Don¡¯t be afraid. Call her grandma.


    Miaomiao mustered up her courage and greeted her, ¡°Grandma.¡±


    Grandmother patted her head and commented, ¡°Good girl.¡±


    Mother Hua carried Miaomiao, ¡°Let¡¯s go home. Great-grandma is waiting for us.¡±


    Miaomiao stared carefully at her grandmother. She wanted to hold hands with her for a while.


    Grandmother called Miaomiao to her side and her chin gently so that she could see her face. Then, she commented to Mother Hua, ¡°Miaomiao¡¯s eyes are big and round, exactly similar to yours. Our Miaomiao is a little beauty.¡±


    Miaomiao could hear her grandmother showering her with compliments, which made her feel embarrassed. She thought that she should say something in response, but she didn¡¯t know what to say. This gave her anxiety, and her eyes turned red.


    Seeing Miaomiao¡¯s face, grandmother thought that she had frightened her. To calm her down, she quickly announced, ¡°Grandma brought you a jar of honey-dipped fruits. Grandma and great-grandma made them by ourselves for Miaomiao.¡±


    When conversing, Miaomiao was incognizant of how to continue a conversation when someone brought up a topic. Therefore, she preferred to use the question-answer mode. She only needed to answer what others had asked her.


    Grandmother thought that this was the first time Miaomiao had seen her, and she believed that Miaomiao wouldn¡¯t be pleased if she kept asking questions. Nowadays, children didn¡¯t like it when adults continuously hounded them with questions.


    Miaomiao was at a loss for words after grandma finished talking.


    She was anxious because she couldn¡¯t clearly remember what Jingjing and Zhou Yuan had taught her.


    I can¡¯t perform the dance Jingjing had just taught me. I can¡¯t hold grandma¡¯s hand when mom is carrying me, and grandma isn¡¯t asking me any questions.


    She believed that crying would just compound the situation.


    If I cried, grandma might think I didn¡¯t like her. Then, grandma would certainly dislike me even more.


    In reality, her grandmother¡¯s thoughts didn¡¯t focus on this at all since Mother Hua had already explicated everything to her before her arrival.


    Miaomiao had an introverted personality. She was shy and dreaded strangers. She would hide behind a veil of reticence, but as one conversed with her more, she would slowly unfetter the shackles around her heart, and then she would begin speaking more.


    Of course, grandma knew about her predicament.


    While they were on their way home, Miaomiao¡¯s disappointment began to consume her. She believed that she made a terrible first impression on her grandmother.


    Soon, they arrived home.


    After Mother Hua unlocked the door, they entered the house.


    Miaomiao saw her great-grandmother sitting on the sofa. She was watching TV.


    ¡°Mom, we¡¯re home.¡± Grandmother announced.


    ¡°Grandma, we¡¯re home.¡± Mother Hua also declared.


    Finally, Miaomiao knew what to say.


    ¡°Great-grandma, we¡¯re home,¡± Miaomiao proclaimed in a similar manner.


    Great-grandmother turned her head towards them. She spoke with a loud voice that was full of energy and exhilaration, ¡°Miaomiao, you¡¯re back from school? Are you hungry?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. I ate a lot of food at school today¡­¡±


    I also helped Zhouzhou finish his food. Although this time I didn¡¯t have to finish as much as last time, since Zhouzhou ate a lot as well.


    After she finished speaking, Miaomiao realized that her voice was too low, and grandma would have trouble hearing her words properly.


    She gathered up her courage, raised her voice, and repeated, ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. I ate a lot at school.¡±


    Grandma nodded and said, ¡°You must be hungry. Come and eat some of the canned fruit I brought for you. Which fruit does Miaomiao like the most?¡±


    Miaomiao blinked her eyes.


    But I just said that I wasn¡¯t hungry.


    Mother Hua crouched down next to her and told Miaomiao, ¡°Your great-grandmother and grandmother brought you some canned fruits as gifts.¡±


    Miaomiao thought for a while and believed that her performance was terrible today.


    She instantly feared that they would dislike her.


    Miaomiao quickly held great-grandma¡¯s hand, ¡°Great-grandma¡­¡±


    ¡°Miaomiao wants the canned fruit, right?¡± Grandma proceeded to open up a can of oranges.


    She then fed Miaomiao some of the fruits.


    Miaomiao took a bite.


    It¡¯s sweet, very sweet¡­


    Miaomiao recalled Zhou Yuan¡¯s comments, so she gave the jar to her great-grandma and said, ¡°Great-grandma. You should eat it too.¡±


    Great-grandma was stunned, ¡°What a good girl you are.¡±


    Their interaction surprised Mother Hua; she didn¡¯t think that Miaomiao would get along with the two elders so quickly.


    Originally, she believed that Miaomiao would need some time to become accustomed to them, but Miaomiao had exceeded her expectations. She never expected Miaomiao to sit next to her great-grandmother and share some food with her.


    During the evening, Zhou Yuan and the others called her to do their homework together.


    Great-grandma turned off the TV after learning that Miaomiao was doing her homework.


    Once the video call connected, Jingjing immediately asked Miaomiao, ¡°Did you dance? Does your grandmother like you now?¡±


    With her face almost buried in her homework sheets, Miaomiao answered, ¡°No¡­¡±


    *Radio Gymnastics are warm-up calisthenics performed to music and guidance from radio broadcasts. They are popular in Japan and parts of China and Taiwan.

 CH 37

    Jingjing felt sad for her little friend. She whispered, ¡°They didn¡¯t let you dance?¡±


    In her opinion, Miaomiao¡¯s dancing was very cute. She was certain that others would share the same opinion. Therefore, if they permitted her to dance, she would certainly enrapture them.


    ¡°No,¡± Miaomiao shook her head.


    Zhou Yuan desired to rub her little head through the screen when he saw her little face filled with frustration.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Your grandma will like you,¡± Zhou Yuan said to comfort her.


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t want to look at Zhou Yuan¡¯s eyes. To avoid looking at him, she lowered her head and hummed in response.


    Her nose turned sour as she thought to herself, ¡®Zhou Yuan and Jingjing don¡¯t know that I didn¡¯t behave properly at all. When Grandma spoke to me, I didn¡¯t reply. If Zhouzhou knew about that, he wouldn¡¯t have said those words.¡¯


    She continued to mull over this, ¡®While I was at school, I was brave enough to speak to Zhouzhou and the others, but when I returned home, I couldn¡¯t even say one word.¡¯


    While Miaomiao was doing her homework, her mother and grandmother were cooking dinner in the kitchen. Her great-grandmother was watching them.


    In the kitchen, Mother Hua poured oil into a frying pan and added green onions, ginger slices, and garlic. She then asked her mother, ¡°Mom, did he call you?¡±


    Her mother shouldn¡¯t be cognizant of their divorce within such a short time span. Mother Hua could only assume that Father Hua had called her to tell her.


    Her mother merely nodded, ¡°Yes. He didn¡¯t say much. But he wanted me to come see you.¡±


    Mother Hua mused for a moment before replying, ¡°I think it¡¯ll work out in the end.¡±


    Her mother laughed and said, ¡°I¡¯m not here to convince you not to get divorced. I¡¯m here to cheer you up and spend time with my granddaughter.¡±


    ¡°Miaomiao is a piteous child, indeed. If you do get divorced, then your grandmother and I will be available to take care of her at home.¡± her mother added.


    Mother Hua had a job and was normally very busy with her work.


    If Miaomiao¡¯s grandmother stayed with them, then she could at least pick Miaomiao up from school and help her with her grocery shopping.


    This moved Mother Hua¡¯s heart*, and she hugged her mother, ¡°I¡¯ll consider this matter with care.¡±


    Miaomiao was still very young. If Mother Hua proceeded with her divorce, then Miaomiao¡¯s environment, that she was accustomed to, would change. It could have an adverse effect on Miaomiao.


    When Miaomiao grew up, the Hua family could tell her that her biological parents were sentenced to jail. Since Mother Hua had adopted Miaomiao, the Hua family might even verbally attack her. Mother Hua didn¡¯t want this to occur.


    From the beginning, the Hua family persistently believed that Mother Hua¡¯s and Father Hua¡¯s assets should belong to the male heirs of the Hua family.


    After they finished cooking, they all sat down at their dinner table to indulge in their meal.


    Mother Hua smiled at the three and said, ¡°Look at us now. We have four generations living together in one house.¡±


    It really is like this.


    Miaomiao hummed in response. Then, she remembered something Zhou Yuan told her. She had to pick dishes, which were easy to chew, for her grandmother and great-grandmother since they found it difficult to chew most foods.


    Miaomiao carefully scanned the table for them.


    Which foods are easy to chew and are more delicious?


    Meatballs tasted delicious, but they¡¯re difficult to chew.


    Stir-fried carrots aren¡¯t delicious since carrots, in general, don¡¯t taste good. That is why Zhouzhou avoided them.


    Stir-fried bok choy didn¡¯t taste good, and it wasn¡¯t soft either¡­


    Eggplant¡­it¡¯s soft.


    The minced meat-eggplant curry was placed in the middle of the table like an island in the middle of the sea.


    Miaomiao adored the taste of eggplant. She recalled its softness and succulent taste.


    Miaomiao held her chopsticks soberly, picked up a piece of eggplant, and placed it into her great-grandmother¡¯s bowl.


    ¡°Great-grandmother¡­eat it.¡±


    When her grandmother witnessed this, she said with an effulgent smile on her face, ¡°Miaomiao is such a good girl. You know how to offer food to your great-grandma. Would you care to do the same for me?¡±


    Miaomiao only had one pair of chopsticks; therefore, she intended to proffer food to her great-grandmother at first before offering some to her grandmother.


    After grandmother said that, she hurriedly gave her some food.


    Her grandmother jauntily said, ¡°Miaomiao is so good. She¡¯ll be blessed in the future.¡±


    This compliment lifted up her spirits, but her shyness still beset her. She finally did something that pleased her grandmother and great-grandmother, but she still didn¡¯t know how to reply back.


    The two elders always went out for a stroll after eating. It was a habit that they had for years.


    Their apartment was on the seventh floor, but there was an elevator that alleviated the burdens of the two elders.


    Mother Hua was hesitant to join them and asked Miaomiao, ¡°Does Miaomiao want to join us?¡±


    Grandmother additionally suggested, ¡°Little Miaomiao should join us for a stroll also. Walk a hundred steps after a meal, and you¡¯ll live to the age of ninety-nine.¡±


    Great-grandmother muttered, ¡°How old am I now?¡±


    ¡°Mom, you¡¯re eighty-three years old.¡±


    Great-grandmother responded, ¡°I thought I was going to be ninety-nine¡­¡±


    By that time, Miaomiao was already standing by the side of her great-grandmother, holding her hand.


    During the era of her great-grandmother, people weren¡¯t as tall as they are nowadays. Great-grandmother was now old, and her back was hunched; therefore, she was even shorter now.


    Holding her hand, Miaomiao sauntered out slowly with her great-grandmother.


    Miaomiao always walked slowly because she preoccupied herself with the thought of not falling whenever she took a step.


    When she walked with her mother, she always tried to walk more briskly, but now that she was walking with her great-grandmother, she synced her walking speed to hers with perfection.


    Mother Hua and grandma observed the young and old walking slowly together without concern.


    Great-grandmother normally wouldn¡¯t allow anybody to hold her hand while she walked. But she bestowed upon Miaomiao the honor to hold her hand as she traversed. She used to be a strong woman when she was younger, and she was still stubborn now that she was older. She didn¡¯t want to trouble anyone with her problems.


    Great-grandmother thought she was merely accompanying a child out for a stroll; therefore, she willingly held Miaomiao¡¯s hand. She even decided to adorn the hearing aid that she didn¡¯t like using.


    The two slowly strolled into the elevator. Grandmother and Mother Hua followed them.


    Mother Hua asked, ¡°Grandma, where would you like to go?¡±


    They had just moved here recently. She was busy taking care of Miaomiao, and she busied herself with work, so she couldn¡¯t go outside much.


    Great-grandmother asked, ¡°Is there a place for square dancing** here? Your mother is quite a good dancer. Let¡¯s go watch her dance.¡±


    Grandmother: ¡°¡­¡±


    Mother Hua was stunned and couldn¡¯t suppress her exuberant laughter. ¡°Mom, you went square dancing with some other people when you were in your home?¡±


    In the past, Mother Hua suggested square dancing to her since she had nothing to do. However, her mother refused. She said that she was very old. Additionally, performing in front of so many people would abash her greatly¡­


    Grandmother felt very helpless since her mother had betrayed her.


    My mother¡¯s memory isn¡¯t that great. She would intermittently forget certain things, so why does she remember this so clearly?


    Grandma said, ¡°Let¡¯s go see people square dancing, but you can¡¯t dance. You also have to pay to get in.¡±


    Square dance performers didn¡¯t just dance without a care in the world. They were organized and disciplined.


    ¡°I¡¯ll negotiate with them.¡± Mother Hua, who had never witnessed her mother dancing before, immediately replied, ¡°I won¡¯t allow anything to hinder your dancing career.¡±


    Grandmother: ¡°¡­¡±


    Miaomiao listened to their conversation carefully. She learned that grandma could also dance.


    Is it my turn to dance?


    She didn¡¯t say this aloud, but she kept the matter hidden in her heart.


    Then, she remembered Jingjing¡¯s words. Jingjing said that people would always like her if she danced.


    ¡®I must find a way to dance with my grandma,¡¯ Miaomiao thought to herself.


    By doing this, my grandma will like me.


    Many families came out for their nightly promenades in this area. Their own family of four slowly strolled out of their community and reached the square.


    When they reached there, a song was already loudly playing. ¡°The husband earns money for his wife, and she spends it on what she wants¡­¡±


    Miaomiao saw throngs of dancers who all performed very well. She thought that they were just as skilled as Jingjing.


    Miaomiao never knew that there would be so many dancers¡­


    Miaomiao never went outside during the evening. Her time was never free since she barely had any time to indulge in any nightly strolls.


    She scanned her surroundings in astonishment.


    Grandmother asked Mother Hua to keep an eye on Miaomiao, then she and great-grandmother approached the person in charge of this event.


    Mother Hua squatted down in front of Miaomiao. She noticed that Miaomiao didn¡¯t fear the crowd, and this relieved her heart.


    She considered taking Miaomiao out so that she could enjoy the night air, but back then, she was still frightened of a place bustling with activity like this one.


    Mother Hua wasn¡¯t aware that Miaomiao knew that this whirlwind of activity was called dancing, and she learned how to dance from Jingjing; therefore, she had nothing to fear.


    *The other person did something that made you feel very happy/moved/warm.


    **In China, square dancing or plaza dancing, is an exercise routine performed to music in squares, plazas, or parks of the nation¡¯s cities. It is popular with middle-aged and retired women who have been referred to as ¡°dancing grannies¡± in the English-language media.

 CH 38

    Zhou Yuan found strolling around the city to be the most annoying part of his day.


    If people invested more time into acquiring knowledge and skills to enrich themselves instead of idly strolling around in the park, then they would be able to fix society, and there would be fewer complaints. Furthermore, they would stop complaining about the amount of time they have left in their short, ephemeral lives.


    Zhou Yuan sighed as he watched the people coming and going.


    Father Zhou saw Zhou Yuan absorbed in his thoughts and said, ¡°Dude, please hurry up and move already. Your mother will check the total step count later.¡±


    Mother Zhou went to the gym, so Father Zhou took Zhou Yuan out for a walk.


    Father Zhou was an indoor man, so he hated the idea of going out for a stroll, but every time he saw his son worry about the country and the people, he felt less hesitant about this matter.


    Father Zhou teased Zhou Yuan, ¡°Have you been paying attention to the recent tax reforms during the last two sessions?¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about the one where the Secretary of Finance proposed to convert the classified tax system into a comprehensive and classified personal income tax system?¡±


    Father Zhou pretended that he didn¡¯t hear him, ¡°Hey, they are square dancing over there. Let¡¯s go watch them.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Then, Father Zhou pulled Zhou Yuan over to watch the square dance performers¡­


    Zhou Yuan couldn¡¯t resist at all, so he had no choice but to follow his father.


    Large crowds of people thronged the square. There was a warren of shops selling flashy and gaudy toys for children.


    A song was playing in the square, ¡°Let me stay with my heart ~singing leisurely~ the most dazzling national style.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± When I¡¯m old, I absolutely refuse to partake in any form of square dancing.


    Then, he noticed a small figure in the crowd. She had a little ponytail. She danced awkwardly with the other performers. She tried to keep up with their dancing speed, but she was unable to keep up, so she performed every move with a hastened pace. However, she didn¡¯t give up, and she tried to do her best to keep up with the other dancers.


    He blinked to make sure he wasn¡¯t just seeing things.


    Isn¡¯t she¡­Hua Miaomiao?


    At first, the adults nearest to her watched and laughed, but after a short while, they realized that the girl was a little shy and wasn¡¯t able to dance the correct moves, but she was still trying her best.


    While she danced, she whirled to the right, and then she realized that she didn¡¯t whirl in the same direction as the other dancers, so she quickly halted her movements. She then swirled in the opposite direction with a look of confusion. All the parents¡¯ hearts melted as they watched her perform her cute and clumsy dance moves.


    Like those parents, Zhou Yuan felt the same way. He felt as if his heart turned into a fluffy blanket that wanted to wrap itself around this little girl.


    Father Zhou happily squatted down and teased Zhou Yuan, ¡°Isn¡¯t she your little wife?¡±


    Zhou Yuan peered at Father Zhou with a very serious expression this time and said, ¡°You can¡¯t always make jokes like that. Once or twice is enough. I understand that you adults are forced to endure miserable, mundane lives and have little to no fun in life, so you like to joke around like this, but the more you tease, the more boring your jokes become.¡±


    In response to his reprimand, Father Zhou said, ¡°Then, should I just call her your little deskmate?¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    On a nearby bench, Mother Hua sat near Miaomiao¡¯s great-grandmother. Adorned with exuberant looks on their faces, they observed Miaomiao and her grandmother dancing with glee.


    After the song ended, Miaomiao was panting and covered with beads of sweat, which she wiped off her forehead.


    When Grandma and Miaomiao walked over to Mother Hua and great-grandmother, grandma finally said, ¡°Miaomiao is very good. Even though she never learned how to dance before, she still performed with me for such a long time.¡±


    After exercising, a person felt more relaxed. Miaomiao straightened her chest, feeling a great sense of satisfaction.


    She didn¡¯t know whether she performed the moves perfectly like Jingjing, but she was aware that she had a long way to go before she could perform with perfection.


    Because Miaomiao perspired a lot today, Mother Hua bathed her in a tub full of hot water. She even added some flower petals into the water.


    The fear of water no longer assailed Miaomiao, so she enjoyed taking baths very much.


    Obviously, Mother Hua wouldn¡¯t allow Miaomiao to take a bath by herself since she still feared that something might go wrong.


    Mother Hua carried Miaomiao into the bathtub. The bathtub was large enough to accommodate her, and the water was foaming with bubbles.


    Miaomiao¡¯s body was still latticed with many old scars. Her wrists, back of the hands, arms, and back were covered with them, but they were no longer as frightening as before.


    Miaomiao occasionally scrutinized her scars. At school, no one ever mentioned that they were ugly or scary, so she didn¡¯t think that there was anything wrong with them.


    In her opinion, this was both a rare but simultaneously a common thing to have.


    Every time Mother Hua saw the scars, her sadness would besiege her, but she was also glad that those egregious people were gone from Miaomiao¡¯s life.


    During this time, Father Hua¡¯s family did a multitude of things that made her feel very uncomfortable, but she felt very happy and mirthful today. Warmth and exuberance surged in her heart as she looked at her daughter.


    My Miaomiao can stand in front of so many onlookers without feeling fearful now. She could even dance with complete strangers. Her condition has certainly improved.


    Before, she had never even thought about it.


    Mother Hua foamed the shampoo, and then she rubbed it into Miaomiao¡¯s hair.


    My Miaomiao surprises me every day.


    She might not have been present to witness Miaomiao as she learned how to walk or talk when she was little, but she has watched her slowly come out of her shell.


    She felt an ineffable pride in her heart, a pride that she wasn¡¯t even able to feel when she won an international award in the past.


    One by one, Miaomiao picked up all the flower petals floating in the foam and held them in her palms. Then, she stretched her hands to her mother, ¡°Mom, these flowers are for you.¡±


    When she held those petals in the palm of her hands, they really did resemble a large flower.


    Mother Hua kissed her on the forehead, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Although her embarrassment besieged her, she still had to ask, ¡°Do grandma¡­and great-grandma¡­like me?¡±


    She did a multitude of things today. Some of which went well, and some of which she believed were failures.


    One failure was how she didn¡¯t talk to her grandmother more. Despite that, her grandmother commented on how well she danced.


    Miaomiao continued, ¡°I¡¯ll learn more from Jingjing tomorrow¡­¡±


    Miaomiao surmised that if she resembled Jingjing more, then she would become much more likable.


    Jingjing was really likeable. Miaomiao was especially fond of her.


    Mother Hua was shocked when she heard Miaomiao¡¯s words, and she replied, ¡°Grandma and great-grandma like you very much.¡±


    It was only then that she realized that Miaomiao had such a thought process.


    Mother Hua stopped washing her hair, turned her around, looked directly into her eyes and said softly, ¡°Mom will always love you. You don¡¯t need other people to teach you anything because mom only loves you.¡±


    Then, she suddenly remembered Miaomiao¡¯s first reaction after the tablet broke. She was cradling it as if it was the most precious thing in the world to her¡­


    ¡°If you do something wrong, mom would never hate you for it. She would be sad. She would be worried because she didn¡¯t teach you properly, but she¡¯ll never hate you. Mom will always be with you. She would always teach you things slowly and wait for you to learn. Even after you grow up, mom will still love you.¡±


    Miaomiao¡¯s eyes felt inexplicably warm, and she wanted to cry. However, this wasn¡¯t the same kind of crying as before.


    In the past, she cried due to pain in her heart and body.


    But now, she felt as if somebody was hugging her, bestowing a feeling of solace upon her heart and body. She felt so much comfort and warmth that she wanted to cry.

 CH 39

    Miaomiao embraced her mother, ¡°Mom, I love you.¡±


    Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she said those words.


    My mother is the most important person in the world to me.


    Hearing her words, Mother Hua also burst into tears.


    She then looked at Mother Hua¡¯s weeping eyes and asked in a nasal voice, ¡°Then, what things should I not do?¡±


    This is a very, very important question. Mom said that if I did something that was wrong, then she¡¯ll be sad¡­


    ¡®I need to know what I shouldn¡¯t do from the start so that I won¡¯t do it,¡¯ Miaomiao thought. This was very important to her. She never wanted to see her mother be sad.


    Mother Hua kissed her on the forehead, and then she softly said, ¡°This is a bit complicated. You should never intentionally hurt people. You can hurt someone in two ways. First, you cannot casually tease people. For example, if other people say that I don¡¯t look good, then I¡¯ll be sad. The second one is fighting. However, if someone hurts you first, you have the right to fight back.¡±


    Miaomiao remembered biting Hua Jun, but back then Hua Jun hurt her first¡­


    Turns out that my mom wasn¡¯t angry at me.


    A feeling of joy radiated from Miaomiao as she finally understood a multitude of things. Initially, she was already gleeful because of her mother¡¯s statements, but now she was even happier.


    Mother Hua said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s wash the foam out of your hair. Close your eyes now.¡±


    Miaomiao hummed, and then she closed her eyes obediently.


    Mother Hua gently rinsed Miaomiao¡¯s hair with warm water, which fell lightly on her head before slowly running over her skin.


    Miaomiao replied, ¡°Mom, whenever you think of something I shouldn¡¯t do, let me know, and I¡¯ll never do it.¡±


    Mother Hua chuckled with amusement. She thought that her daughter was well-behaved and reasonable, ¡°Well, mom will tell Miaomiao as soon as she thinks about it.¡±


    It never occurred to her that such moments could happen. A moment such as this one where Miaomiao was bathing in a tub filled with water while she sat behind her to wash her back.


    It was as if that traumatic past had never occurred.


    Since Miaomiao had short hair, she washed out the lather rather quickly.


    While Mother Hua was wiping Miaomiao, she heard Miaomiao say, ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll wash your hair too.¡±


    Mother Hua did not refuse, so she lowered her head and allowed Miaomiao to slowly wash her hair with her little hands.


    The next day, when Miaomiao arrived at school, she had a big grin on her face.


    When Zhou Yuan stepped into the classroom, Miaomiao greeted him cheerfully and enthusiastically with a sonorous voice, ¡°Good morning, Zhou Yuan!¡±


    Back then, she always did her daily routine and greeted him every morning, but she was a little cautious in her actions, like a little snail.


    Now, she erupted in excitement and exhilaration. Just by looking at her, Zhou Yuan could sense her joyousness.


    Zhou Yuan bought her a bottle of yogurt on his way to school.


    As soon as he sat down, he produced the bottle from his schoolbag and put it on her desk. Then, he asked, ¡°Did your grandma and great-grandma like you?¡±


    Miaomiao nodded vigorously, and then told him, ¡°Mom said that she loves me.¡±


    She considered Zhou Yuan to be her closest friend. She was willing to tell him anything. She just couldn¡¯t hold herself back, especially when such a pleasant event took place.


    ¡°My mom said that she loves me very much, even if I do something wrong¡­Anyways, she loves me a lot¡­¡±


    ¡°Your mother will always love you,¡± Zhou Yuan said with an effulgent smile.


    When she heard that, Miaomiao¡¯s face gleamed with even more joy. Because, in her opinion, Zhouzhou was the smartest person in the world. He would never say something wrong.


    Miaomiao had one more question she wanted to ask Zhou Yuan.


    ¡°Zhouzhou, do you know anything that I shouldn¡¯t do?¡±


    Zhou Yuan found this question strange, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°My mother said that if I did something wrong, then she would be sad because she had forgotten to tell me not to do it. I would like to write down a list of things that I shouldn¡¯t do in advance. After I remember all of them, I won¡¯t do them so that my mother won¡¯t be sad.¡± Miaomiao said as she took out a special notebook to write them in.


    Then, she looked at Zhou Yuan who was the smartest person in the world in her mind.


    Seeing the serious expression on her face, Zhou Yuan agreed and thought for a long time. ¡°Things that one shouldn¡¯t do¡­¡± Zhou Yuan immediately thought of a multitude of things, but the problem was that they weren¡¯t suitable for someone of Miaomiao¡¯s age range.


    He saw a line written in her notebook.


    ¡®Can¡¯t hurt other people.¡¯


    Zhou Yuan quickly perused this line.


    Miaomiao still looked at him. Her face was full of expectation, but he was unable to come up with anything that he could tell her.


    Fortunately, Jingjing and Deng Feng arrived, and they successfully attracted Miaomiao¡¯s attention away from Zhou Yuan.


    When Jingjing arrived at school, the first thing she did was to ask Miaomiao about whether or not she had danced yesterday.


    Miaomiao quickly replied, ¡°Yes, I danced.¡±


    Miaomiao continued, ¡°Everyone said that I danced very well!¡±


    Suddenly, Zhou Yuan remembered when he witnessed the little girl turning the wrong way as she whirled: ¡°¡­¡±


    Then, Miaomiao said, ¡°It¡¯s because they never saw Jingjing dance. Jingjing, would you come dance with me? Everyone danced in pairs, and all of them are taller than me, so I can¡¯t hold their hands to dance in a comfortable way.¡± Miaomiao truly believed that Jingjing was the most spectacular dancer.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± He recalled this scene well. Another group was dancing in the back. Miaomiao¡¯s group performed a square dance, whereas the group next to them had elderly couples dancing in pairs.


    So, Miaomiao wanted to do a couple¡¯s dance with Jingjing?


    Jingjing didn¡¯t understand much, but she listened to Miaomiao¡¯s request seriously.


    But Jingjing understood this, but she couldn¡¯t promise to come. ¡°Our home is far away, I need to speak with my mother about this.¡±


    ¡°I will try to convince my mother to drive me there,¡± Jingjing replied. She also wanted to dance with Miaomiao.


    Miaomiao believed that Jingjing¡¯s mother would find it too troublesome, so she responded, ¡°My mother is going to learn how to drive, and I¡¯ll learn with her. When I¡¯m ready, I¡¯ll drive and pick you up.¡±


    Next to them, Zhou Yuan eavesdropped on their conversation: ¡°¡­¡± What about me? How come you won¡¯t pick me up?

 CH 40

    The first thought that came to Zhou Yuan was to ask her, ¡®How come you won¡¯t pick me up?¡¯


    She stated that I was the best, didn¡¯t she?


    His second thought was, ¡®Miaomiao is too young right now. She can¡¯t learn how to drive. She isn¡¯t even allowed at the steering wheel of the car.¡¯


    The more I think about it, the more I realize that she can¡¯t pick up either Jingjing or me.


    His heart was now at ease.


    He took a book out of his schoolbag and began reading it. Then, he noticed that Miaomiao turned her head to look at him. With an ebullient smile, she said, ¡°When I can drive, I¡¯ll also pick up also, is that okay? We can dance together.¡±


    Before Zhou Yuan could respond, Jingjing said, ¡°How can the three of us dance with each other? There aren¡¯t any dances where three people can dance with each other.¡±


    She had never heard of three-person dances.


    As if she was facing some insurmountable obstacle, Miaomiao frowned and began dwelling on this.


    Yes, there isn¡¯t a dance where the three of us could dance with each other.


    Then, a light bulb went off in her head. In a milky voice, she said, ¡°Deng Feng. He¡¯s also part of our group. I¡¯ll dance with Jingjing while Zhouzhou and Deng Feng will dance with each other.¡±


    Miaomiao directed her gaze back to Zhou Yuan and asked, ¡°Zhouzhou, will you dance with Deng Feng?¡±


    Deng Feng heard someone utter his name, so he raised his head in curiosity, ¡°Wh¡­what?¡±


    In response, Jingjing said, ¡°Miaomiao said she would pick up to dance when she can finally drive. You¡¯ll dance with Zhouzhou.¡±


    Zhou Yuan conjured up a scene in his mind where he had to dance with Deng Feng, and he immediately rejected her proposal without hesitation, ¡°I dislike dancing.¡±


    Even though she felt regretful, Miaomiao still responded, ¡°Then, you¡¯ll come and watch us dance.¡±


    We¡¯re still good friends. We could still play together.


    Noticing the earnestness in her eyes, Zhou Yuan nodded.


    Miaomiao finally glanced at her desk after their conversation. She found a bottle of yogurt on top of it.


    Miaomiao peered at Zhou Yuan, ¡°Zhou Yuan. Did you buy this for me?¡±


    Zhou Yuan nodded.


    Miaomiao was ecstatic to get a little present from him, ¡°Zhouzhou, you¡¯re so nice to me.¡±


    Zhou Yuan produced a straw and inserted it in, ¡°Hurry up and drink.¡±


    During class, the Chinese teacher was beginning a new lesson.


    Suddenly, Jingjing thought of something. She bent her body forward and whispered to Miaomiao, ¡°Miaomiao, Miaomiao. When you drive us around, do I have to sit in the child safety seat?¡±


    Jingjing and Miaomiao weren¡¯t aware that children couldn¡¯t drive. No one has elucidated this fact to them.


    Miaomiao turned her head and whispered, ¡°No, my mother told me that children should sit in child safety seats.¡± Miaomiao remembered her mother explaining this to her.


    The Chinese teacher spotted them whispering to each other and said, ¡°Jingjing, Miaomiao. Pay attention and don¡¯t speak in class.¡±


    Miaomiao hastily turned around and listened to the teacher with sobriety. Then, she took out her ¡®special notebook¡¯ and wrote, ¡®Don¡¯t speak in class.¡¯


    In the future, pay attention to the teacher in class and don¡¯t speak.


    Now, Miaomiao was willing to memorize these rules since she felt that doing so would prevent her mother from feeling sad and dejected.


    Time passed faster when one paid attention in class. It wouldn¡¯t be long before class ended.


    Jingjing then entered a discussion with Miaomiao about where they could go when Miaomiao could drive.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go see the Golden Tower*,¡± said Jingjing. She watched a cartoon some time ago, which depicted pyramids in a land of gold.


    Because Jingjing was cognizant of what gold was, whenever she watched this cartoon, she would believe that it was called the Golden Tower.


    Miaomiao was incognizant of what pyramids were. ¡°What¡¯s the Golden Tower?¡±


    Jingjing naturally replied, ¡°It¡¯s a tower made from gold. Gold is shiny, yellow and very expensive. My father bought two gold bars and hid them under bed. Then, he told me that I shouldn¡¯t tell my mother about them¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± Miaomiao will find out that it¡¯s impossible to converse with this group of youngsters after a while.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Miaomiao replied. She felt as if she had learned a lot.


    Since gold was very expensive, Miaomiao proclaimed, ¡°I won¡¯t buy any gold at the Golden Tower. I don¡¯t have the money.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll secretly take two bars when the time comes. Once you have them, you can sell them for money.¡± Jingjing told Miaomiao.


    At that moment, Zhou Yuan, who was sitting next to them in silence, finally interjected, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to steal them.¡±


    Miaomiao replied, ¡°Then, I won¡¯t take any, and Jingjing won¡¯t either.¡±


    Jingjing was a little confused, ¡°Well. Then, we won¡¯t take them.¡±


    She sighed and continued, ¡°But what if we don¡¯t have any money. You know a semester costs a lot of money¡­more than 20,000 yuan.¡±


    Jingjing was talking about another kindergarten she attended in the past. Since it was a high-end, bilingual kindergarten, the tuition was very expensive. She once overheard her mother speak about its fees.


    More than 20,000 yuan¡­


    Miaomiao was unaware of how much 20,000 yuan was, but she knew that it was an exorbitant amount of money since Jingjing said so.


    Zhou Yuan palmed his forehead in exasperation and corrected her, ¡°We are in elementary school, which means we don¡¯t have to pay any tuition fees. We only pay 200 yuan for books, 1,000 yuan for our lunch and some other miscellaneous fees. The total is around 1,300 yuan per semester.¡±


    The school hired a chef to cook lunch for the first-graders. Lunch was very delicious, and the cost seemed reasonable as well.


    Although Miaomiao was unaware of how much 20,000 yuan was worth, she knew how much 1,300 yuan was worth.


    Her eyes immediately dilated.


    It¡¯s a lot of money. It turns out my studies cost a lot of money. More importantly, my school lunches cost a lot also.


    After hearing this, her first thought was, ¡®I could eat more at breakfast and dinner, which means that I could skip lunch¡­this way, I can save money.¡¯


    Suddenly, Miaomiao recalled that Zhouzhou wouldn¡¯t eat his vegetables. This was his daily routine.


    If I fell into hunger, I could simply eat all the vegetables that Zhouzhou refuses to eat. By doing this, Zhouzhou will receive a little red flower, and I won¡¯t need to starve to death. It¡¯s a win-win.


    The more Miaomiao thought about it, the better it sounded; therefore, she discussed her idea with Zhou Yuan.


    Noon came, and it was lunchtime. When the P.T. teacher served Miaomiao her lunch, Miaomiao lifted her head. Though her shyness still slightly consumed her, she still managed to ask soberly, ¡°Teacher¡­could I skip lunch?¡±


    The P.T. teacher was surprised to see Miaomiao looking into her eyes and speaking with her today.


    The P.T. teacher smiled and asked, ¡°How come you don¡¯t want to eat lunch, Miaomiao? Not hungry?¡±


    In reality, Miaomiao was hungry, and her stomach grumbled in response to her hunger.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s too expensive,¡± Miaomiao replied earnestly.


    The P.T. teacher felt amused and responded, ¡°How about I give you some more food, Miaomiao. Is that okay?¡±


    Zhou Yuan finally realized that Miaomiao felt this way.


    After thinking for a little bit, Zhou Yuan felt that he understood.


    Miaomiao¡¯s father isn¡¯t with her right now. She probably feels that her family is being mired in all sorts of financial problems.


    The P.T. teacher came back and added a spoonful of vegetables to Miaomiao¡¯s palate and uttered, ¡°Eat slowly.¡±


    After that, the P.T. teacher left without answering Miaomiao¡¯s question about whether it was acceptable to skip lunch or not.


    Miaomiao bit into the fried pork with black fungus.


    It¡¯s delicious.


    Because the teacher had already prepared lunch, I might as well just eat it for today.


    After Miaomiao finished her meal, Zhou Yuan gazed at her and said, ¡°Do you have money problems at home, Miaomiao? Is that why you want to skip the school lunches?¡±


    Miaomiao nodded. Back then, she used to be hesitant and refused to speak due to her bashfulness. But now, she could freely express her thoughts.


    Jingjing sat at the table behind them. She overheard this conversation, and thus she began to exclaim before Zhou Yuan could even utter a word, ¡°We could make money ourselves!¡±


    Deng Feng, who sat next to her, also joined in the conversation, ¡°Yes¡­Yes¡­make money¡­me too¡­¡±


    Miaomiao couldn¡¯t comprehend their comments, ¡°But I don¡¯t know how to make money¡­¡±


    In her viewpoint, one could only make money by drawing or performing surgery since her mother made money by drawing and designing clothing, whereas her father made money by performing surgery.


    Deng Feng said, ¡°This¡­this¡­I¡­I know how¡­outside our school¡­there are¡­¡±


    Jingjing always arrived at school in the same car with Deng Feng; therefore, she knew instantly what he was referring to.


    On their way to school, there was a beggar. There was a box and a music player in front of him, which played a song, ¡°As long as everyone gives a little love¡­¡±


    He always had this box with him. People passing by would occasionally give him some spare change if they had it.


    One day after school, Deng Feng noticed someone giving that person money. He then told his mother that he wanted to do the same thing when he grew up. When he finished saying that, his mother beat him up.


    Jingjing hurriedly said, ¡°No, we can¡¯t do that. My mother said that since we still have our hands and feet and if there is nothing wrong with them, it wasn¡¯t a good idea to do that. Money must be earned by hard work.¡±


    Jingjing also couldn¡¯t think of a way to earn money.


    As a result, the three little ones stared at Zhouzhou who sat next to them.


    Zhou Yuan, who buried himself in a book, gazed at the three children in response.


    Earning money¡­


    Drafting a presentation of a lesson? Correcting homework?


    Obviously, these three couldn¡¯t do it.


    Zhou Yuan started to drift off into his thoughts.


    What could the three of them do to make money?


    The thoughts of all four children swirled around the same exact thing.


    Suddenly, an idea struck Jingjing, and she declared, ¡°I know. I know. Let¡¯s go celebrate New Year!¡±


    Jingjing continued in exultation, ¡°When the time comes, we only need to bow and say Happy New Year. Then, we can make a ton of money.¡±


    Zhou Yuan who considered opening a store: ¡°¡­¡±


    When Miaomiao processed the words ¡®Happy New Year¡¯, she suddenly remembered a painful memory. Her body trembled with fear.


    She remembered someone hitting her and announcing, ¡°Quickly. Say Happy New Year to Laozi.**¡±


    She instantly shook her head and replied, ¡°No! We can¡¯t do that. It hurts.¡±


    Although she wanted to make money, she couldn¡¯t bear to see Jingjing in pain.


    Jingjing thought it was a little strange.


    Why would it hurt?


    Jingjing¡¯s suggestion stunned Zhou Yuan for a moment, and then he said in exasperation, ¡°You can only use New Year¡¯s greetings during New Year¡¯s Day.¡±


    Jingjing replied, ¡°Oh.¡± This didn¡¯t discourage her, so she continued to figure out another way to make money.


    Miaomiao finally thought of a solution. This was the first time she had conjured up a solution with conviction and sobriety. This was something that she considered doing for a while.


    Miaomiao proclaimed, ¡°Let¡¯s cook some food and sell it. I¡¯ll learn how to cook from my mom, so I could sell food like the teacher.¡±


    Jingjing nodded, ¡°This is an excellent idea. You won¡¯t have to pay for lunch now, and you¡¯ll be able to make a lot of money for your mom. When the time comes, I¡¯ll stand next to you to collect the money, okay?¡±


    Miaomiao agreed, ¡°Okay!¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± My business empire is over.


    * Golden Tower ¨C Jingjing saw the pyramids on T.V, but she didn¡¯t know what it was called, so she called it the ¡®Golden Tower¡¯.


    **Laozi ¨C Used as ¡®I, your father¡¯ (in anger, or out of  contempt) / ¡®I¡¯ (arrogantly or jocularly)

 CH 41

    Jingjing thought Miaomiao¡¯s idea was excellent.


    Selling food was the quickest way to make some easy money since everyone needed to eat. Business would be great.


    Zhou Yuan listened to their exuberant voices.


    They aren¡¯t concerned about how they were going to procure the raw materials; how to make the food; when to cook; where to sell, or who would be their customers.


    However, Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t have the heart to shatter these immature dreams of theirs.


    Great joy and ebullience often enfolded children when they came up with their own ideas.


    But these plans would never come to fruition, no matter what they did.


    Firstly, they had to think about how they were going to obtain some start-up capital, which they lacked. Then, they had to find a store and a chef. Realistically, Miaomiao could be the chef.


    Furthermore, they were just kids. This was the most pressing issue in comparison to their other ones.


    Zhou Yuan decided that he would let them realize the folly of their ideas on their own.


    After all, one had to be tactful when shattering the dreams of children with roseate dreams. Children often never came out unscathed when their dreams met the cold, hard truth of reality.


    Zhou Yuan watched them discuss their ideas in silence. They were talking about how much money they were to make every day and what they were going to do with that money.


    Miaomiao¡¯s face reddened with excitement, and her eyes were sparkling with a dreamy light, which glinted with her desire for money.


    ¡°After we make some money, I¡¯ll buy some cosmetics for my mother. My mother loves a brand called Lamei, but she said that it was too expensive¡­¡± Jingjing said.


    ¡°I want to buy some, too,¡± Miaomiao added cheerfully. If other people¡¯s moms had it, her mother should also have it.


    Deng Feng stuttered, ¡°I¡­I¡­¡±


    Jingjing unhappily interjected, ¡°No, you two can¡¯t buy it. There¡¯s only one bottle left. My mother said that the last bottle is on the official website. Since I suggested it first, I will buy it.¡±


    Deng Feng replied, ¡°Well¡­then¡­then¡­okay.¡±


    Miaomiao pondered for a moment.


    Yes, Jingjing brought up the idea first, so she should buy it.


    Zhou Yuan wondered whether he should just tell them that by the time they made any money or even before they saw any profits, somebody would¡¯ve bought it already. Their little business group was already precariously close to breaking up due to a conflict over cosmetics.


    Since children rarely carried any vindictive grudges, they quickly jumped from this topic and entered into a discussion about how they would sell their food.


    ¡°My mom told me that people who sold food could earn between ten to twenty thousand yuan per day.¡± Jingjing replied. ¡°We¡¯re a group of three, so we could probably earn more than that.¡±


    Ten to twenty thousand yuan, that¡¯s amazing!


    Deng Feng and Miaomiao¡¯s eyes glistened with excitement as they already looked forward to their bright future.


    ¡°Wait¡­Wait¡­When I¡­have¡­have¡­enough money¡­I will¡­buy¡­the school!¡± Deng Feng boldly announced.


    Miaomiao thought his idea was brilliant, ¡°Then after we buy it, the poor students don¡¯t have to pay.¡±


    Zhou Yuan was holding back his laughter while he listened to them. When he heard what she said, he was shocked. He felt as if a small rock had hit his heart.


    She worked hard to get that money, and the first thing she wanted to do was to make school free for poorer students. In a world where wealth is equated with power that¡¯s rife with greed and corruption, that¡¯s pretty naive but pretty cute at the same time.


    Jingjing¡¯s eyes lit up, and she took Miaomiao¡¯s hand and asked, ¡°Could I be the principal then?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± A voice suddenly sounded from behind them.


    The three children raised their heads and saw their school¡¯s principal smiling. There were quite a few creases and wrinkles on his face, which made him look a little scary.


    Every morning, when they entered the school gate, they saw the principal. At the school gate, the principal watched the children tread into the school, but he differentiated himself from the other teachers. He didn¡¯t laugh, and he had a very serious demeanor; therefore, he exuded an aura befitting of a principal. They were a little frightened of him.


    However, Miaomiao was a little abashed. In Miaomiao¡¯s opinion, the principal wielded a lot of power; otherwise, how else could he become the supreme existence of their school hierarchy. Since every teacher obeyed his orders, and every student had to listen to their teachers, she surmised that their principal was the most powerful and preeminent existence at their school.


    ¡°Jingjing, what would you do if you became principal?¡± he asked as he ensconced himself on a stool next to them.


    He was surveying the hallways when he passed by their class. He overheard the children when they said, ¡°What should I do if I had money?¡±


    Jingjing was different from Miaomiao. She was energetic. She exuberantly replied, ¡°If I¡¯m the principal, I¡¯ll burn all the books and tell the teachers, ¡®Since we don¡¯t have any books, we can¡¯t teach the students anymore, so tell them all to go home and rest.¡±


    The principal was amused by her remarks, and he replied, ¡°Then, if everyone went home and slept, wouldn¡¯t they all fail the final exam? When their parents find out, wouldn¡¯t they come and pester the principal? They will say, ¡®The kids at other schools scored 100 percent, why did your students fail the test? Did you even manage the school correctly?''¡±


    Conjuring up this scene, she clenched her stomach and gulped as if she had already experienced being beleaguered by a horde of angry parents. She imagined swarms of livid parents besieging her office, striding up to her with the report card, and angrily chastising her. The other principals were mocking her for her failure.


    Jingjing shrank her head, ¡°Then, I won¡¯t be the principal.¡±


    Adjacent to her, Miaomiao was quietly listening to their conversation. Although she couldn¡¯t quite understand what the principal was talking about, she thought he was a good person.


    She couldn¡¯t quite put a finger on it, but she believed that the principal was excellent. He looked aggressive and bellicose, but he wasn¡¯t like that at all. He was almost like the physical education teacher.


    For the first time, a thought occurred to her that perhaps she shouldn¡¯t just judge someone based on their outer appearance.


    Although she conjured up these thoughts in her mind, she didn¡¯t notice them right away.


    The principal turned his head, and he saw Miaomiao staring at him. Naturally, he was aware of who she was. She entered elementary school directly without attending kindergarten. This would not have been possible without his permission from the start.


    The principal smiled and asked Miaomiao, ¡°If you were principal, what would you do, Miaomiao?¡±


    The principal questioned Miaomiao for the very first time. Even though she was slightly nervous, and her hands shook with trepidation, she still said what she wanted to say, ¡°I¡¯ll let Zhouzhou go to sixth grade.¡±


    Zhou Yuan listened to them in silence since he didn¡¯t want to be involved in their childish colloquy.


    He didn¡¯t expect Miaomiao to abruptly mention him.


    What astonished him even more was Miaomiao¡¯s answer.


    How could she say that? Is it possible that she no longer wanted to sit at the same table with me?


    The principal asked patiently, ¡°Why should Zhouzhou be allowed to become a sixth-grader?¡±


    Miaomiao quickly replied, ¡°Because Zhouzhou is my best friend. I will make his wish come true if I become the principal. He doesn¡¯t want to attend first grade anymore.¡±


    In Miaomiao¡¯s mind, the highest grade possible was sixth grade, so she assumed that Zhouzhou wanted to be a sixth-grader.


    Not long after Miaomiao met Zhou Yuan, she overheard Zhou Yuan tell his mother that he didn¡¯t want to be a first-grader nor did he want to play with a bunch of kids who didn¡¯t understand anything.


    All this time, Miaomiao ingrained these words into her head. She thought that someone of Zhouzhou¡¯s intelligence should enjoy the company of smarter children much more.


    The principal directed his gaze at Zhouzhou; the boy looked astounded. Since Zhou Yuan was such a genius, he also knew him. One time, he approached him to request a transfer to a different school. But now, his expression told a different story. It was as if he didn¡¯t want to go to sixth grade.


    The principal responded to Miaomiao, ¡°You don¡¯t have to wait until you become principal. Zhouzhou can attend sixth grade right now. But, however, if he goes to sixth grade, he wouldn¡¯t be able to sit at the same table with you in the future.¡±


    Miaomiao¡¯s nose turned sour, and the corners of her lips curved downwards. Her voice sounded slightly sad and despondent as she said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. When I become smarter, I¡¯ll go to sixth grade with him.¡±


    The principal quickly inquired, ¡°Zhouzhou, do you want to go to sixth grade?¡±


    Zhou Yuan furtively held his little tablemate¡¯s hand under their desk and replied, ¡°Sixth grade has mountains of homework, so I¡¯ll remain in first grade.¡±


    The principal responded, ¡°It seems as if the principal isn¡¯t very good at all.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± These adults and their schemes¡­


    Zhou Yuan wondered how Miaomiao knew about it. Once, he told his mother this at school. She couldn¡¯t have heard it at any other time.


    His original words were, ¡°I¡¯m wasting my time studying in elementary school, which is basically like wasting money. God didn¡¯t grant me this intelligence just to squander it on these children who don¡¯t understand a single thing I say. There¡¯s no common language between us.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± Shut up.

 CH 42

    Miaomiao wasn¡¯t angry at Zhou Yuan, at all. She truly believed that if she became principal, then she should at least fulfill Zhou Yuan¡¯s dream so that he could advance to the more advanced grades.


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t think much of Zhou Yuan¡¯s statement, ¡®these children don¡¯t understand anything I say¡¯.


    She didn¡¯t feel sad when he uttered that. She was only sad because she wouldn¡¯t be able to see him in the future if he disappeared to sixth grade.


    Since Zhou Yuan has told her that he wouldn¡¯t be advancing to sixth grade, she felt a new level of joy and euphoria.


    Miaomiao¡¯s happiness and sadness were both pure and came from the bottom of her heart.


    She smiled at him. Her heart erupted with joy and happiness, and these feelings began to permeate every fiber of her body.


    Mother loves me, Zhouzhou won¡¯t leave, and I also have Jingjing and Deng Feng. The principal is also a good person.


    Miaomiao¡¯s heart was overflowing with happiness, so she rushed over to Zhouzhou and hugged him, ¡°Zhouzhou, I¡¯m so happy!¡±


    She learned this way of expressing joy from Jingjing. Every time Jingjing hugged her, Miaomiao felt a wondrous, exuberant feeling; therefore, she also hugged Zhou Yuan with heartfelt sincerity.


    Zhou Yuan heaved a sigh as he was being hugged by a little girl. He mused for some time. After weighing every aspect, he found two good reasons for not skipping grades. The first is because he saw no difference between sixth grade and first grade. The second is because his mother wouldn¡¯t agree. Therefore, when the principal asked, he refused his offer.


    His mother did promise him that he could study this semester at his father¡¯s university if he still wasn¡¯t inured to this type of lifestyle.


    The little girl embraced him, and her voice sounded very dependent, ¡°When I become smarter in the future, we could go to sixth grade together. Then, Jingjing and Deng Feng will have to use brother and sister.¡±


    They called sixth-graders ¡®elder brothers¡¯ and ¡®elder sisters¡¯.


    Miaomiao naturally believed that Deng Feng and Jingjing would have to call her ¡®elder sister¡¯ if she was a sixth-grader.


    As soon as Jingjing digested her words, she exclaimed, ¡°Then, I¡¯m going to the seventh grade, and then you¡¯ll have to call me sister!¡±


    Deng Feng also chimed in, ¡°I¡¯ll go to¡­eighth¡­eighth grade!¡±


    Suddenly, Jingjing diverted her attention to a new rival, and she exclaimed back, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go to ninth grade!¡±


    ¡°Tenth¡­tenth grade!¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go to eleventh grade, twelfth grade, and thirteenth grade. Anyway, I¡¯m taller than you!¡±


    Because Deng Feng couldn¡¯t win against her, and his defeat caused him to lapse into depression. He said aggrievedly, ¡°Sister¡­¡±


    Feeling proud, Jingjing rubbed the loser¡¯s hair and said, ¡°Good boy, listen to your sister in the future. Your sister will give you some candy.¡±


    For a while, Miaomiao observed their banter, and then she looked furtively at the person sitting next to her.


    What do I do¡­I really want Zhou Yuan to call me sister¡­


    But Miaomiao knew that it would never happen.


    This time, the principal interrupted the children¡¯s plans. As a result of their colloquy, none of the three children wanted to be principal. They realized that his job was too difficult.


    After their last class ended during the afternoon, the teacher told Miaomiao, ¡°Miaomiao, your grandma is here to pick you up.¡±


    Miaomiao hurried outside with her schoolbag and saw her grandmother waiting for her.


    Grandmother was in her 50s, but she has maintained herself well. She held Miaomiao¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Your mom has to work overtime, so grandma is here to pick you up.¡±


    Miaomiao understood that her mother had to work overtime to make more money.


    Her little mind kept focusing on the idea that she would soon sell some food so that she would be able to make a lot of money. Her mom wouldn¡¯t have to work overtime anymore.


    But she was too embarrassed to tell her grandmother about it.


    As she held Miaomiao¡¯s hand and strolled out of the school with her, grandmother curiously asked her, ¡°Isn¡¯t your tablemate the same boy who helped you with your homework via video call?¡±


    She nodded because she was used to this style of communication, ¡°Yes, his name is Zhou Yuan, not a circle, but¡­but¡­¡±


    Miaomiao wanted to introduce him by restating what Zhou Yuan had said before, but she couldn¡¯t remember it anymore.


    After all, children found it difficult to directly memorize the four words ¡®³Ë±Ëˆ’Ô«¡¯* because there was nothing associated with them.


    Grandmother had no intention of making Miaomiao introduce him to her. Mother Hua had told her that Miaomiao liked her little tablemate a lot, so she thought that this could possibly be a good conversation starter.


    While grandmother was speaking, she noticed Miaomiao carrying a large schoolbag.


    ¡°Miaomiao, grandma will help you carry your schoolbag, okay?¡± asked grandmother. She was worried that Miaomiao would feel encumbered and exhausted because of her large schoolbag.


    ¡°Our teacher told us to carry our school bags ourselves. This way, we could cultivate a spirit of hard work!¡± Miaomiao said with a sign. Then, she realized that she had actually rejected her grandma¡¯s offer¡­


    She was worried that her grandmother would be unhappy.


    Grandmother didn¡¯t seem to be upset at all. She merely smiled and exclaimed, ¡°Miaomiao is awesome!¡±


    Since Miaomiao wanted to carry her large schoolbag by herself, grandmother decided to go home first to leave her bag at home.


    Grandmother originally wanted to purchase some vegetables together with Miaomiao, but her plans had to change; therefore, she went home first.


    Miaomiao¡¯s grandmother told her that her mother was working overtime, but that wasn¡¯t exactly true. In reality, Mother Hua went to visit Father Hua so that they could discuss their issues.


    A voice reverberated from inside the house when grandmother and Miaomiao opened the door, ¡°Is Miaomiao back?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m back,¡± Miaomiao replied.


    Upon entering her house, Miaomiao placed her school bag on the couch. Then, she walked up to her great-grandmother¡¯s side and said with a sonorous voice, ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m back from school.¡±


    Grandmother asked, ¡°Do you want to go shopping with me, Miaomiao?¡±


    Miaomiao nodded in assent.


    She was already used to going out and shopping with her mother.


    Miaomiao then pulled out all the books from her schoolbag and looked at grandma with the bag on her back.


    Grandmother found it strange, ¡°Why are you carrying a schoolbag?¡±


    Miaomiao replied solemnly, ¡°To carry the vegetables.¡±


    The grocery store charged an additional 30 cents for a vegetable bag. Miaomiao remembered this, and she thought that 30 cents was likewise a lot of money.


    * ³Ë±Ëˆ’Ô« ¨C It is pronounced as ch¨¦ng b¨« gu¨« yu¨¢n.It is taken from ¡®The Book of Songs¡¯ and means ¡®to board the wall of broken earth and look at the distant past intently.¡¯ The sentiment is meant to express eagerness to see a beloved one.

 CH 43

    Miaomiao¡¯s grandmother was amused when she found out that Miaomiao wanted to use her schoolbag as a grocery bag so that she could carry some vegetables. Simultaneously, she was surprised because she discovered that Miaomiao wanted to use her school bag as a grocery bag just to save 30 cents.


    In the supermarket that they frequent, vegetables were packaged in bags that retained the vegetables¡¯ freshness; therefore, putting them into a schoolbag was no problem at all.


    Grandmother said to Miaomiao, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s put the vegetables in your schoolbag for now.¡±


    Great-grandmother decided to stay home.


    Miaomiao held her grandmother¡¯s hand when they left their house since the streets thronged with people, and she was a little concerned that someone would take her away.


    Grandmother grasped her hand and asked, ¡°What kind of food does Miaomiao want to eat for dinner? We¡¯ll buy whatever Miaomiao likes to eat.¡±


    Miaomiao couldn¡¯t explain why, but she thought everything was delicious and succulent.


    Grandmother didn¡¯t get an answer, but she wasn¡¯t in a hurry to obtain one. Instead, she continued to move forward towards the supermarket while holding Miaomiao.


    When they entered the supermarket, they noticed an employee sealing some schoolbags that belonged to college students.


    When someone brings this type of large schoolbag into the supermarket, the employee puts it in a big red bag, seals it, and then gives it back to them.


    Eventually, it was their turn. Elementary school students typically carried large schoolbags, which made it difficult to seal them, so the employee lowered her head and asked Miaomiao, ¡°Do you have anything in your bag that we also sell in the supermarket?¡±


    This question left Miaomiao speechless for a while. A stranger just asked her a question that she didn¡¯t have an answer for.


    Her grandmother replied to her, ¡°No, her school bag is empty. She said that she wanted to carry vegetables in her schoolbag.¡±


    ¡°Then, you may proceed.¡± The employee said kindly. She didn¡¯t put Miaomiao¡¯s schoolbag into a red bag to seal it.


    Miaomiao thought, ¡®She¡¯s so nice. When I come back tomorrow, I¡¯ll answer her questions by myself.¡¯


    Miaomiao couldn¡¯t understand why she had to put her schoolbag into another red bag to seal it, but since the employee didn¡¯t put it into a red bag to seal it, she surmised that the employee was being good to her.


    As they proceeded forward, grandmother pulled out a shopping cart from the right, and then she put down the front pedal of the shopping cart that was used for children to sit on. She then said to Miaomiao, ¡°Do you want to sit here?¡±


    There was another shopping cart with a child seated in the child seat in front of them.


    With a serious expression on her face, she shook her head and said, ¡°My mom said that I need to sit in a child safety seat while in the car, but there¡¯s no child safety seat here¡­¡±


    Miaomiao did not realize that she was now able to express her unwillingness to do something.


    Before, she wouldn¡¯t have her opinion. In the past, when adults asked to do something, she would do it, and it didn¡¯t matter if she wanted to do it or not. She couldn¡¯t explain why she didn¡¯t want to do it.


    She now had the courage because the adults no longer scolded or resented her when she didn¡¯t do something that they asked to do. On the contrary, adults often smiled at her.


    Grandmother laughed when she heard this, ¡°Yes, Miaomiao wants to sit in a child safety seat, not his.¡±


    Miaomiao felt very happy since her grandmother approved of her decision.


    She continued to traverse forward while holding her grandmother¡¯s hand.


    Soon, they arrived at the vegetable aisle. Due to Miaomiao¡¯s height, all she could see were vegetables arranged neatly.


    Grandmother said, ¡°Let¡¯s peruse the vegetable section and carefully select the vegetables that we want to buy. Let¡¯s begin with the leafy vegetables.¡±


    Noticing that Miaomiao was too short to see properly, her grandmother lifted her with one arm, ¡°Which leafy vegetable does Miaomiao like to eat?¡±


    There¡¯s lettuce, cabbage, spinach¡­


    Miaomiao remembered, ¡°Spinach. Mom said that eating spinach could make you very, very strong.¡±


    The last time Mother Hua brought Miaomiao to shop for vegetables, she inadvertently said this out loud.


    Mother Hua was talking about the Popeye cartoon character when she uttered that to Miaomiao, but Miaomiao was nescient of him, so Mother Hua just told her that he was a strong person, who ate spinach to become even stronger.


    Grandmother said, ¡°Then, we¡¯ll listen to Miaomiao and buy some spinach so that we can all become very powerful.¡±


    After the two picked up some vegetables, they placed them into a special bag next to them, and they were weighed and priced separately.


    Miaomiao noticed that there was an aunt who was weighing the vegetables on a machine. She pushed two buttons, which made a note come out. She then stuck this note onto her bag.


    As Miaomiao gazed at the machine, she thought to herself, ¡°When I begin selling food, I must also buy this type of machine.¡±


    Miaomiao had already conjured up the scene in her mind. She and Jingjing were standing adjacent to the machine and after two clicks, a note came out. Then, they stuck onto somebody else¡¯s bowl, and then they went to pay for their food.


    The vegetable aisle was quite far away from the cashier, and they still had to traverse through large sections of the supermarket.


    As they walked toward the cashier, they passed the snack aisle. Various tasty snacks were on display there.


    ¡°Do you want any snacks?¡± Grandmother asked Miaomiao.


    Miaomiao shook her head.


    Grandmother put the vegetables into Miaomiao¡¯s big schoolbag after paying for them, then she was prepared to carry the schoolbag herself.


    Miaomiao replied, ¡°Grandma, I¡¯ll carry the schoolbag.¡±


    Grandmother strapped the bag on Miaomiao¡¯s bag since she was so adamant about carrying the bag.


    The grandmother-granddaughter pair quickly purchased the vegetables and returned home. Upon their return, they discovered that Mother Hua had already returned home.


    When Miaomiao saw her mother, her eyes lit up. She hurried to her mother, hugged her and told her, ¡°Mom has worked hard¡­¡±


    Mom had to have worked very hard to get money.


    Mother Hua carried Miaomiao and said, ¡°Miaomiao is so good.¡±


    Grandmother strolled over and took out all the vegetables from Miaomiao¡¯s schoolbag.


    Mother Hua carried Miaomiao into the study. Since it was time for Miaomiao to do her homework, she prepared a video call with Zhou Yuan and the others.


    She made a video call to Zhou Yuan, but he never responded.


    Miaomiao found this a little strange.


    Did Zhouzhou also go shopping?


    She surmised that Zhou Yuan was out shopping for groceries too since she had just gone grocery-shopping and couldn¡¯t answer his call while she was there.


    While waiting for Zhouzhou to return from his grocery-shopping, Miaomiao began to do her homework by herself.


    In the end, Miaomiao fell asleep on the table. Mother Hua carried her to wash up. But Zhouzhou still didn¡¯t call back.

 CH 44

    Miaomiao finished all of her homework, but Zhouzhou still didn¡¯t call back yet.


    When Mother Hua stepped into the study to check on her, she saw Miaomiao lying facedown on her desk. When Mother Hua went to Miaomiao¡¯s side to carry her to the bedroom, she was surprised to see Miaomiao looking ardently at the tablet.


    Usually, Miaomiao would be sleepy during the time, but now she appeared to be wide awake.


    Mother Hua asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Taking her mother¡¯s hand, Miaomiao replied, ¡°Zhouzhou didn¡¯t call me today.¡±


    Mother Hua picked up the tablet and discovered that Zhou Yuan had sent a message on WeChat, which Miaomiao didn¡¯t see.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°Miaomiao, I have something to do today, so I can¡¯t do my homework with you.¡±


    Mother Hua informed Miaomiao of Zhou Yuan¡¯s message. Mother Hua thought that Miaomiao would feel forlorn, so she comforted her, ¡°Zhouzhou was probably busy today, but he won¡¯t be busy tomorrow. You can see him when you go to school tomorrow.¡±


    Miaomiao wasn¡¯t crestfallen or upset. She had been staring at the tablet and waited for Zhouzhou to give her a reply, but she thought that Zhouzhou was also busy shopping for vegetables.


    Since she was under the assumption that Zhouzhou had also gone outside to shop for groceries, she was waiting for a reply from him. But since he didn¡¯t reply yet, she began to conjecture that perhaps he didn¡¯t go out shopping at all. She feared that a kidnapper had taken Zhouzhou away.


    Zhouzhou is so smart and talented. Many people will surely like him. A few might even like him enough to kidnap him.


    Panic began to engulf her as she thought about this. Since Miaomiao found out about Zhouzhou¡¯s message, she heaved a sigh of relief and hugged her mother.


    Mother Hua bathed her and rubbed the cream that palliated the scars on her skin. They used up almost all of their medicine, and Mother Hua was considering buying some more.


    Once again, Miaomiao became as fragrant as a strawberry. She could not resist smelling herself.


    She exuded a faint, sweet smell that was redolent of fruit.


    This smell of fruit makes me feel comfortable.


    Miaomiao¡¯s act of smelling herself made Mother Hua laugh.


    Then, she picked her up and put her into the quilt. Mother Hua was by her side and asked, ¡°Dad was working overtime. Do you want to meet him?¡±


    This was considered normal since Father Hua had to work every day in the past, which made it difficult for Father Hua and Mother Hua to spend time together.


    Mother Hua wasn¡¯t sure what the word ¡®father¡¯ meant to Miaomiao, so she asked about it today.


    Miaomiao was a little nervous, so she squeezed her mother¡¯s pajamas. She knew her mother wasn¡¯t telling the truth. She knew that her father wasn¡¯t working overtime, but he couldn¡¯t live with them.


    She lowered her head and whispered, ¡°Does Mom miss Dad?¡±


    Mother Hua wasn¡¯t expecting Miaomiao to ask her a question in return. Caressing Miaomiao¡¯s head, she began falling into her thoughts. It had been more than 20 years since she first knew him, and it had been more than 10 years since she had fallen in love with him.


    The weight of time was enough to cause somebody to regard the other person like air, which was very important but was also easily ignored.


    Mother Hua had no idea what to say when she processed Miaomiao¡¯s words. After some time, she slowly said, ¡°A little bit.¡±


    Miaomiao hugged her mother. She felt so sad for her. Throughout this hard time, she tried to ignore this matter, but in reality, she kept it hidden somewhere in her heart.


    Mom and dad are like this because of me. It¡¯s all my fault.


    Miaomiao was sad and despondent. She didn¡¯t know what to say.


    Looking at her, Mother Hua sighed.


    The Hua family was scheming. They wanted them to divorce and have Father Hua marry someone else and have a child later on.


    Mother Hua recalled the scornful looks on the faces of the Hua family members. She felt that she should get divorced so that she could rid herself of all of these people, but now Father Hua didn¡¯t want to go through with it, so everything became very complicated.


    Miaomiao grasped Mother Hua¡¯s hand. She actually missed her father.


    If dad is here, then mom doesn¡¯t have to work as hard. She would be much happier.


    Slowly, Miaomiao drifted off to sleep.


    When she arrived at school the next day, she discovered that Zhou Yuan hadn¡¯t arrived yet.


    Usually, Zhou Yuan arrived earlier than Miaomiao, but he didn¡¯t today.


    Miaomiao placed the yogurt bottle on Zhou Yuan¡¯s desk.


    Then, she noticed Jingjing and Deng Feng entering the classroom. Other students also began to arrive one by one, but Zhou Yuan still did not arrive.


    Miaomiao turned her head and looked at Jingjing with a look of concern. She looked as if she wanted to ask her why Zhouzhou didn¡¯t come.


    Jingjing didn¡¯t know why Zhou Yuan was absent today.


    Jingjing said, ¡°Maybe, he just got up late.¡±


    Jingjing knew many things and told Miaomiao, ¡°The teacher probably knows why Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t come to school. When I was sick, I had to contact the teacher to let her know that I couldn¡¯t come to school.¡±


    After clenching the corner of her dress, Miaomiao departed from the classroom and went to the teacher¡¯s office. She hesitated for a while and stood before the door. She kept vacillating between her decisions. On one hand, she wanted to enter, but on the other, her shyness besieged her, which caused her to become fixed at the door. In the end, her curiosity to find out what happened to Zhou Yuan overtook her shyness, and she entered the office.


    The only time she came to the office was when her mother brought her here to enroll.


    Miaomiao remembered what her mother did at that time, so she knocked on the door.


    ¡°Come in¡±, the teacher said from inside.


    There were several teachers talking loudly and laughing in the office. As a result, Miaomiao¡¯s legs became a little tremulous.


    Despite that, she continued to walk. Teacher Li was surprised to find out that it was Miaomiao who was coming up to her. The teacher asked softly, ¡°Is there anything wrong with Miaomiao?¡±


    Miaomiao practiced what she wanted to say, then she whispered, ¡°Zhou Yuan, why didn¡¯t the teacher come to school today¡­¡±


    She realized that she had made a mistake after she finished talking. A soft, incarnadine red tinged her cheeks due to the embarrassment.


    Teacher Li understood what she was trying to ask. She held back her laughter as she declared, ¡°Student Zhou Yuan asked for a leave today. He got an allergic reaction to mango, which was rather serious. He¡¯s resting at home today.¡±


    Miaomiao was incognizant of what allergic reactions were, but just coming to ask about Zhou Yuan¡¯s absence caused Miaomiao to exhaust all of her energy.


    Even though she didn¡¯t understand what mango allergies were, she understood that it was something serious. When Miaomiao walked back, she lapsed into a state of confusion.


    Serious, how serious is it? It must be painful.


    An expression of sadness adorned Miaomiao¡¯s face when she returned to the classroom. She looked like she was about to burst into tears.


    Jingjing quickly asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is he sick? Is it serious?¡±


    Deng Feng also leaned over anxiously. He awaited an answer from Miaomiao.


    Miaomiao was still very tense. When she heard her two friends ask these questions, she couldn¡¯t suppress her tears and cried, ¡°It¡¯s very serious.¡±


    Before, she had overheard people say that she was injured severely, and she imagined that Zhou Yuan was in a similar situation.


    Miaomiao couldn¡¯t hold back her tears and thought about how much Zhou Yuan would have to suffer.


    The more she thought about it, the more her sadness assailed her.

 CH 45

    The sight of Miaomiao crying stunned Jingjing. She hurried over to Miaomiao¡¯s side to console her, ¡°Don¡¯t cry¡­it¡¯s okay¡­I have an idea.¡±


    Miaomiao asked her with teary eyes, ¡°What idea?¡±


    Jingjing wiped her tears and said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you during our break time at noon.¡±


    Because Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t come to school, Miaomiao was sitting alone in the first row. Jingjing didn¡¯t want Miaomiao to be alone, so she moved her stool to the middle of her desk, and then she took Miaomiao¡¯s stool from her desk and placed it next to hers. Therefore, the first row was now completely empty, whereas the second row had three students in it.


    Jingjing took Miaomiao¡¯s hand and declared proudly, ¡°Don¡¯t be sad anymore. I have an idea.¡±


    Consumed by his curiosity, Deng Feng asked her, ¡°What¡­what¡­idea?¡±


    Jingjing said with a mysterious smile on her face, ¡°You¡¯ll find out at noon.¡±


    After lunch, it was time for them to take a nap.


    The teacher would come over to supervise everyone. Miaomiao followed Jingjing to the table to lay down.


    Then, Jingjing suddenly pulled Miaomiao¡¯s hand and whispered, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the bathroom.¡±


    When Miaomiao was about to raise her hand to ask for the teacher¡¯s permission, Jingjing held down Miaomiao¡¯s hand, hushed her, and gestured to her to crouch down near the table. Although Miaomiao didn¡¯t know why they were doing this, she followed Jingjing¡¯s instructions and crouched down carefully.


    Deng Feng also followed them and squatted down carefully and surreptitiously.


    Taking the lead, Jingjing placed her hands on the ground and slowly crawled out of the classroom.


    Similarly, Miaomiao also crawled out of the classroom.


    When Miaomiao was outside their classroom, she stood up and was about to head to the bathroom, but Jingjing dragged her to the side of the flowerbed.


    Jingjing said, ¡°Miaomiao, let¡¯s go to Zhou Yuan¡¯s house to check up on him.¡±


    Deng Feng stood next to them and said, ¡°Teacher¡­won¡¯t let us¡­leave¡­¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t tell the teacher. We¡¯ll go by ourselves. Besides, we couldn¡¯t sleep at noon since we¡¯re worrying so much about Zhou Yuan. We¡¯ll return before everyone wakes up.¡± Jingjing said.


    Jingjing continued, ¡°My grandpa was very sick, and then he passed away to another world. He died and I¡¯ll never see him again.¡±


    The word ¡®death¡¯ carried too much weight for children. Especially for Miaomiao. When she was recuperating in the hospital, she heard someone say to her, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you die!¡±, ¡°I should have died when you were born if I knew you would turn out to be such a scourge!¡±


    Miaomiao was stunned.


    Jingjing held Miaomiao¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Deng Feng, you don¡¯t have to follow us if you¡¯re afraid. I¡¯ll go with Miaomiao.¡±


    Deng Feng replied, ¡°I¡­I¡¯m not afraid.¡±


    The three friends held hands and ran towards the school gates. When they reached the gate, it was locked. They couldn¡¯t leave because the iron gate was locked tight.


    Jingjing squatted behind the flowerbed with Miaomiao and Deng Feng and peered at the iron gate.


    Parents usually picked up their children before they were admitted outside. Now, we¡¯re not allowed to leave.


    They saw the school¡¯s electrician place a ladder on the ground next to them.


    Jingjing¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up.


    Her eyes first focused on the ladder, and then she looked at the adjacent wall.


    ¡°Let¡¯s climb the ladder and leave,¡± Jingjing suggested.


    Miaomiao whispered, ¡°Jingjing. Mom said that an adult should hold onto you whenever you go outside¡­¡±


    Jingjing indifferently replied, ¡°Then, you should hold onto me and treat me like an adult.¡±


    Miaomiao pondered for a while.


    I guess it¡¯s fine.


    Jingjing kept staring at the ladder, and when the electrician left, she dragged the two children over, ¡°Let¡¯s move the ladder¡­¡±


    Deng Feng was a little excited and nodded.


    The three of them hurried over and lifted the ladder together. It was quite heavy. Fortunately, they were able to lift it together, even though it required strenuous effort to do so.


    After lifting the ladder, Jingjing ordered them to set it adjacent to the wall.


    Jingjing looked at the ladder and announced, ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here!¡±


    Then, she began to climb up.


    Using both her hands and feet, Jingjing easily clambered up to the wall via the ladder.


    Deng Feng also followed her and clambered up quickly.


    Miaomiao had never climbed a ladder before and found it a little daunting.


    Jingjing perched on the wall and said, ¡°Miaomiao, don¡¯t you want to see Zhou Yuan one last time?¡±


    With tremulous legs, Miaomiao quickly climbed up the ladder like Jingjing. She remembered Zhou Yuan as she was climbing.


    They climbed up quickly, and the three children sat on the wall. Even Jingjing, who was the most courageous among them, didn¡¯t dare stand on the wall.


    Jingjing suggested to Deng Feng, ¡°Let¡¯s pull it up and put it on another side.¡±


    By doing this, we could descend this ladder.


    Deng Feng followed Jingjing¡¯s command and pulled the ladder up.


    Miaomiao watched them from the side. She had never stood at such a height before. Her legs were so tremulous that she was afraid to move, but she wanted to see Zhou Yuan.


    They quickly pulled the ladder up and set it on the other side.


    Even though it was a bit challenging to descend, everyone already experienced climbing it once already, so they were able to descend much faster.


    Soon, the three children stood outside their school.


    Miaomiao held Jingjing¡¯s hand tightly. Whenever she came out of her house, her mom or grandma would hold her hand¡­


    Deng Feng asked, ¡°I¡­us¡­now¡­how¡­will¡­we¡­go¡­?¡±


    Jingjing responded, ¡°I already figured it out. We¡¯ll take a taxi.¡±


    Jingjing stood on the side of the road and began hailing a taxi.


    She imitated her mother¡¯s gestures.


    Noticing three children standing nearby without any accompanying adults, a taxi driver pulled over in front of them and asked, ¡°Where do you want to go?¡±


    Jingjing responded, ¡°Zhou Yuan¡¯s house.¡±


    The taxi driver asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Zhou Yuan¡¯s house? Did your mother tell you?¡±


    Jingjing repeated, ¡°To Zhou Yuan¡¯s house.¡±


    The taxi driver laughed, ¡°You have to tell me the address; otherwise, I don¡¯t know where Zhou Yuan¡¯s home is since I don¡¯t know him.¡±


    Jingjing replied, ¡°Oh.¡±


    The taxi driver left.


    She turned her head to peer at her other two friends, ¡°He doesn¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Jingjing and Miaomiao squatted on the side of the road. They were still wearing their school uniforms, which looked very conspicuous. They attracted a lot of attention while they stood on the side of the road like that.


    They looked crestfallen as well.


    They were sitting near a bus stop. Many commuters were waiting for the bus there, and they immediately noticed the three children.


    A young girl squatted down and asked, ¡°Kids, where are you going?¡±


    Three children in their school uniforms who appeared to be six or seven years old. At this age, they could be left to fend for themselves, but it was still a little risky to ride a bus alone. However, since they were all together, it should be fine.


    The others at the station simply overlooked this occurrence, even though they did think that this was unusual.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to Zhou Yuan¡¯s house. He¡¯s very ill, and he¡¯s about to die¡­We want to see him one last time.¡± Jingjing uttered.


    Her mother had previously intended to see Grandpa one last time.


    The moment Miaomiao heard that, tears gathered in her eyes. But she refused to cry.


    The young girl digested her words, and then she saw the teary-eyed little girl who remained silent all this time. Her heart tightened at this sight.


    Jingjing continued, ¡°But we don¡¯t know the specific address of his house.¡±


    The young girl paused for a moment before asking, ¡°Do you know his phone number?¡±


    The three shook their heads at the same time.


    The young girl found it a little difficult since they were incognizant of both his address and phone number.


    At the same time, the bus that she was waiting for had arrived.


    The young girl got on the bus. From the window, she peered at the three despondent children who squatted on the side of the road after she got on the bus. She shook her head and got off, despite already purchasing a ticket.


    She squatted next to them, ¡°What about your parent¡¯s number? Do you remember?¡±


    Suddenly, Miaomiao remembered something. For a transient moment, she recalled, ¡°It was Baozi Thief*, No. 222.¡±


    When everyone went to the hot springs together, they exchanged their addresses.


    She remembered this because when her mother read it aloud, she thought, ¡°A thief stole the bun? And something about 222 buns?¡±


    Deng Feng and Jingjing were very happy, but this confounded the young girl after she processed her statement.


    So, she took out her phone, checked it, and quicked realized that it was ¡°Baozi Street.¡±


    Baozi Street, No. 222. Now, it¡¯s easy to find.


    The young girl was still slightly worried, so she sent a text message to her boyfriend and told him to go to the movie by himself, and then she got into the taxi with the three children.


    Nervosity gripped Miaomiao¡¯s heart as she stepped into the taxi. She kept musing about what Jingjing had said, about not ever seeing Zhou Yuan again.


    Meanwhile, the teacher had discovered that three children were missing.


    There was a surveillance camera in the classroom. The headteacher and the dean headed into the surveillance room and watched a video that showed three children crawling out of the classroom before climbing up a ladder and over the wall.


    The headteacher watched the scene where the three of them perched atop the wall and almost fainted.


    There was a security guard stationed at the school gate, but they somehow moved clandestinely enough to avoid being detected. And in the surveillance room, the other guard was dozing off at the time.


    The school dispatched their security guards and teachers. It was now impossible to hide this deed from their parents. They quickly called the childrens¡¯ parents and asked if the children were looking for them or if they had any idea where they would go.


    The parents hurried to the school, including Father Hua. Teacher Li knew that Mother Hua and Father Hua were divorcing, but she was afraid that Miaomiao and the other children would go looking for him.


    *Baozi = Bun


    **The pronunciation of thief and street is similar in Chinese.

 CH 46

    Baozi Street, No. 222 was an address of a residential area.


    As soon as the young girl and the three children scampered out of the taxi, they saw a gate that led to a residential area.


    Now, they wondered which house they should go to. At first, they believed that the address belonged solely to Zhou Yuan.


    The young girl squatted down and peered at the three children, ¡°Do any of you know where his house is? Which floor is it on?¡±


    The three children shook their heads.


    The girl was also befuddled by this development.


    If you don¡¯t know, how could I find it?


    Miaomiao remained taciturn throughout their journey. At this moment, she timidly extended her hand, ¡°I have this¡­¡±


    But she couldn¡¯t use the watch anymore. Zhou Yuan taught her how to use it during their trip to the hot springs, but she hadn¡¯t used it since then.


    She secretly tinkered with the watch one night, but it never turned on. Miaomiao surmised that the watch was broken, but she didn¡¯t say anything about this to Zhou Yuan¡­


    ¡°Phone watch?¡± the young girl asked, a little surprised.


    When Miaomiao lifted her sleeves, the scars on her wrists and back of her arms were naturally visible for all to see.


    The young girl was stunned for a moment. She didn¡¯t care about the watch anymore, ¡°What happened to your hand?¡±


    She clutched her phone tightly. The last time she visited Zhihu, she saw the news of a young single girl who was abducted by an old man after he had offered to help her.


    Why does this ordinary child have so many injuries on her hands?


    Her hands were shaking.


    No wonder why this little girl was so taciturn throughout this journey. Is it human trafficking?


    After hearing her question, Jingjing hurried to answer, ¡°When she was a child, some bad guys caught her, so she was injured.¡±


    Zhou Yuan had expounded this to them before, and Jingjing completely believed his explanation.


    Deng Feng nodded in assent.


    The young girl hesitated. Miaomiao¡¯s pink princess-style shoes had a pink bow and butterfly logo on the front. This caught her eye. She remembered this logo since it was from a famous international haute couture. This brand was notorious for their hardline attentiveness towards copyright; therefore, this shouldn¡¯t be fake or counterfeit. They would sue even if the logo remotely resembled their own.


    The young girl pondered for a moment.


    Traffickers wouldn¡¯t buy such expensive items, would they?


    However, she was still concerned, and thus she called her boyfriend to come over.


    After that, she started musing about her phone watch. She decided to let the other party come down to pick up the three children; rather than going in with them. This way, they could get the best of both worlds. The children would meet Zhou Yuan, and the young girl could then confirm if he was a trafficker or not.


    When she was a child, she didn¡¯t have these high-tech gadgets, so she didn¡¯t know how to use it. She tried pressing the button twice, but the watch didn¡¯t turn on. The watch should be off.


    But she tinkered with the watch a few more times, and then it turned on. She checked the contacts and found mom, dad, Zhou Yuan, police¡­


    There was no one else.


    The young girl asked, ¡°It¡¯s Zhou Yuan, right?¡±


    Zhou Yuan saved his number himself.


    Miaomiao nodded.


    Zhou Yuan was watching the financial news as he lay down on the couch in front of the cooler.


    Suddenly, he heard his phone ring.


    It was very uncomfortable for Zhou Yuan to talk, so he wanted to avoid answering the phone, but the phone kept ringing incessantly. He helplessly picked it up and looked at the caller ID. It stated ¡°Hua Miaomiao¡±.


    As soon as Zhou Yuan pressed the answer button, Miaomiao¡¯s voice bursted out, ¡°Zhouzhou, where¡¯s your house?¡±


    Zhou Yuan found her question strange, ¡°What?¡±


    Shouldn¡¯t she be in class right now?


    His voice sounded so hoarse that Miaomiao cried as soon as she heard his voice.


    Zhou Yuan then heard another voice emanating from the phone. It was Jingjing who shouted, ¡°Zhouzhou, where do you live? We¡¯re at the front gate!¡±


    Zhou Yuan frowned, ¡°Why are you at the front gate? Why aren¡¯t you in class?¡±


    He took out a mask, put it on, and walked out of the house.


    ¡°Are your parents with you?¡± he asked.


    Hearing his hoarse voice, the young girl couldn¡¯t believe that this voice was that of a child. She then said, ¡°I brought them here. Could you come to the front gate to pick them up¡­¡±


    He received another call on his cell phone at this moment. It was Teacher Li.


    Zhou Yuan said to Miaomiao, ¡°Don¡¯t hang up. Wait for me.¡±


    Zhou Yuan put Miaomiao¡¯s call on hold and answered Teacher Li¡¯s call.


    Teacher Li spoke, ¡°Did Miaomiao and the others contact you? At noon today, three children climbed over the wall.¡±


    Zhou Yuan replied, ¡°They just called me, and they¡¯re at my front gate of my community.¡±


    Zhou Yuan concluded that they didn¡¯t tell their parents about their little adventure. He picked up his landline and called the security guard of his community.


    When Zhou Yuan walked out of his house, the security guard already found three children squatting down at the front gate. They were busy talking on the phone, and a young girl stood next to them.


    He told them to wait in the security booth until Zhou Yuan arrived.


    When Zhou Yuan approached them, he saw a young girl behind the three children.


    His attire and mask made him look terminally ill, which was congruous with the image of someone whom they wanted to see one last time due to an irremediable disease.


    When Zhou Yuan approached, Miaomiao was already crying, ¡°Zhouzhou¡­¡±


    Jingjing looked sadly at Zhou Yuan and supported Miaomiao. Deng Feng also peered at him; his eyes had a glint of solemnity in them.


    Right from the beginning, the young girl felt that something was unusual, but the three children arrived safely and found their friend. Although their friend was incongruous in accordance with his surroundings due to his sickly appearance, she felt relieved that the children had reached their goal. She contemplated calling the police¡­


    A feeling of despondency consumed Jingjing, and she recalled the words her mother said to her grandfather. After overcoming her grief, she told Zhou Yuan, ¡°In the future, I¡¯ll take care of Miaomiao for you. You can go in peace.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± What the hell?


    The young girl: ¡°¡­¡±


    Deng Feng began to cry all of a sudden, and Miaomiao¡¯s face flushed red with tears. She was almost unable to breathe.


    Taking Miaomiao into his embrace, Zhou Yuan patted the top of her head. Then, he asked Jingjing, ¡°Where am I going?¡±


    Jingjing looked at Zhou Yuan, ¡°Another world of peace and happiness.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­when your mother arrives here, I¡¯ll repeat this sentence on your behalf.¡±


    No need to say who came up with this idea or took this action. Zhou Yuan already knew who it was.

 CH 47

    When Zhou Yuan mentioned their parents, Jingjing looked at the clock. Her original plan was to furtively leave with her friends and then return to school quickly so that the teachers wouldn¡¯t notice their absence.


    Only now did she realize that it was almost time for class.


    Jingjing spoke to Miaomiao, ¡°Take one final look at him before we hurry back to class.¡±


    Zhou Yuan wanted Miaomiao to stop crying, so he lulled her into a sense of security, but Jingjing¡¯s thoughtless words just made her weep again.


    Zhou Yuan¡¯s heart tightened when he witnessed Miaomiao¡¯s incessant weeping, so he cajoled her again, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her nonsense. It¡¯s just a mango allergy; I¡¯ll be fine tomorrow.¡±


    It¡¯s just a mango allergy, right? Only a child would do something like this. Needless to say, it¡¯s just a loss of culture.*


    The young girl then realized that the boy was only wearing a mask and a hat due to his mango allergy.


    Wait a minute¡­these three kids were under the assumption that he was going to die? So, they rushed over to see him one last time.


    Upon hearing the teachers and parents hurrying to their location, the young girl was relieved to find out that he wasn¡¯t a trafficker who was using his illness as a facade to kidnap children. Everything was fine now.


    Jingjing froze for a moment before finally suggesting, ¡°Don¡¯t complain¡­we have to go back to school soon.¡±


    However, the parents had already arrived to check on the situation.


    When Mother Hua noticed Miaomiao, she immediately ran up and hugged her. She buried her head into her neck and cried, ¡°You scared mommy.¡±


    Deng Feng¡¯s and Jingjing¡¯s mothers hugged their own children for about 5 seconds, and then  they wiped their tears and began harshly scolding them, ¡°Why did you skip class? You really had the nerve to climb over a wall, skip your classes, and run to the edge of the world!¡±


    ¡°Mom¡­I was wrong,¡± Jingjing said as she hugged her mother¡¯s leg.


    Jingjing¡¯s mother was already inured to her usual tricks. She blamed herself for spoiling her, so she commanded angrily, ¡°Stand up!¡±


    When she watched the surveillance footage, she realized that it was Jingjing who dragged the other two children to go along with her little plan. It was also Jingjing¡¯s idea to use the ladder to go over the wall¡­


    Jingjing is much too courageous for her own good. Her bravery led her to hatch up such a dangerous plan. She might be responsible for some disaster in the future if I don¡¯t put a stop to her dangerous shenanigans.


    Aggrieved by her mother¡¯s ire, Jingjing stood up. She threw a quick, furtive glance at Miaomiao, who was gently lulled by Mother Hua and was warmly embraced.


    She felt a sense of indignation due to this. She didn¡¯t know what to do to slip out of this predicament.


    Jingjing felt aggrieved since her mother had scolded her in front of so many people and didn¡¯t love her anymore.


    My mother promised that she would save my face outside, but she doesn¡¯t even bother anymore. She doesn¡¯t love me at all¡­


    This thought filled every crevice of her mind, yet she refused to cry. Instead, she stubbornly suppressed her tears and refused to lower her head.


    This just served to anger Jingjing¡¯s mother even more since Jingjing doesn¡¯t understand the gravity of the situation, ¡°We¡¯ll go back to school first, then I¡¯ll discipline you.¡±


    Zhou Yuan told Mother Hua that the young girl accompanied Miaomiao and the others over. Since they didn¡¯t have any gifts, they tried to repay her by offering her some money, but the girl left immediately.


    After their mothers had arrived, the three children¡¯s fathers arrived soon afterwards. While Jingjing and Deng Feng were harshly reprimanded by their fathers, Father Hua simply embraced Miaomiao and said, ¡°It¡¯s great that you¡¯re okay. Everything is fine.¡±


    During their drive back to school, Jingjing refused to sit with her mother.


    Miaomiao felt responsible for this.


    If I didn¡¯t ask the teacher what had happened to Zhouzhou, Jingjing wouldn¡¯t need to take me with her to see him¡­


    This whole mess took place because she wished to see Zhouzhou. Since she feared that Jingjing¡¯s mother would beat Jingjing, she implored her mother for permission to sit with Jingjing.


    Since all of them couldn¡¯t fit in one cab, they hailed three. Because Miaomiao wanted to sit with Jingjing, there wouldn¡¯t be enough space for Mother Hua; therefore, Mother Hua reluctantly acquiesced to Miaomiao¡¯s passionate pleas and allowed her to sit in Jingjing¡¯s cab while she sat in another car.


    Miaomiao sat next to Jingjing.


    If her mother wants to hit her, it would be better to hit me in her place instead¡­


    ¡°Jingjing¡­¡± Miaomiao softly spoke her name and tried to grasp her hand, but Jingjing wouldn¡¯t allow her and continued to ignore Miaomiao.


    Currently, she didn¡¯t care about anything or anyone and stared out the window with an obdurate, uncaring attitude that seemed to imply that she was ¡®the enemy of the world.¡¯


    Her obstinate demeanour enraged Jingjing¡¯s mother even more when she noticed her indifference. She didn¡¯t even apologize for her error.


    ¡°You still don¡¯t think you¡¯re wrong? Running away from school with your classmates. Do you even care about the consequences? If some people kidnapped you, took everything from you, and forced you to beg people for money on the streets, what would you do then?¡± Jingjing¡¯s mother commented.


    After Jingjing¡¯s mother finished speaking, she reached out to hit Jingjing, but Miaomiao suddenly hugged Jingjing to protect her.


    Due to her ire, Jingjing said without thinking, ¡°I¡¯ll just beg in the future. Auntie, when you pass by, remember to please give me some money.¡±


    While I think of you as my daughter, you intend to treat me as your Aunt???!


    Jingjing¡¯s mother was furious.


    I must discipline this hapless child right now.


    Due to what Zhou Yuan had expounded to her before, Miaomiao always believed that she was her mother¡¯s daughter. But some bad people abducted her away from her mother.


    Upon hearing Jingjing¡¯s mother¡¯s words, Miaomiao recalled the harsh treatment that she incurred during her abduction.


    The thought of this made her feel as if she was slipping into a slough of despair. ¡°We¡­we don¡¯t want to be kidnapped. We don¡¯t want to beg on the streets,¡± she said as she clenched Jingjing¡¯s hand.


    Now, Jingjing was truly sad.


    My best friend isn¡¯t on my side but on my mother¡¯s side.


    Jingjing felt as if someone had stabbed a knife through her heart. She shouted angrily and pushed Miaomiao away from her, ¡°I¡¯ll want to be kidnapped alone. I also don¡¯t want to be friends with you! I don¡¯t want to be your friend anymore!¡±


    Miaomiao was taken aback for a moment and felt forlorn. She didn¡¯t know what to say as she stayed silent for a while. She sat in her seat, staring blankly.


    Tears flowed down Miaomiao¡¯s cheeks, and Jingjing¡¯s mother wiped Miaomiao¡¯s tears as she coaxed, ¡°Miaomiao, don¡¯t cry. Jingjing doesn¡¯t understand what she¡¯s saying.¡±


    As Jingjing watched her mother comforting Miaomiao, she thought that she didn¡¯t care for her. Immediately, her tears began to stream down her cheeks, and she screamed, ¡°I don¡¯t like Miaomiao anymore! I don¡¯t like Miaomiao anymore!¡±


    Miaomiao was silently sobbing, but when she heard Jingjing¡¯s angry words, she cried out loudly.


    Jingjing regretted her words when she saw her crying so loudly, but she turned her head away and refused to apologize.


    Jingjing¡¯s mother was so angry that she wanted to hit Jingjing, but as soon as she reached out her hand to strike, Miaomiao hugged Jingjing again and prevented her from being hit.


    On the other hand, Jingjing refused to let Miaomiao hug her. They were both in tears. It was a mess.


    Jingjing¡¯s mother could only Mother Hua, who was in another car.


    As everyone stopped their cars, Jingjing¡¯s mother took Miaomiao back to Mother Hua, ¡°I¡¯m very sorry. My daughter has always been arrogant. I¡¯ll let her know the severity of her mistake and make her apologize.¡±


    Mother Hua¡¯s heart broke as she watched Miaomiao¡¯s weeping. As she embraced Miaomiao, she heard her say sadly, ¡°Jingjing¡­Jingjing¡­¡±


    She comforted her, ¡°It¡¯s alright, Miaomiao. Don¡¯t be afraid; mom is here.¡±


    Jingjing¡¯s mother returned to her car and pressed her palm onto her temples in exasperation.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine for now. But in the future, Miaomiao will cease playing with you. She will never like you again.¡±


    Until today, Jingjing¡¯s mother spoiled her quirky daughter without a care in the world, but today, she realized that she could also become emotionally aggravated, and she never realized this earlier.


    Jingjing refused to listen to her mother.


    Jingjing¡¯s mother asked coldly, ¡°Do you truly believe that you¡¯re being treated unfairly? Do you think that your scolding was unwarranted? Do you hate Miaomiao just because she didn¡¯t side with you? Should she just say that some criminal should just kidnap both her and you together?¡±


    Jingjing replied, ¡°Auntie. I never thought that I was being treated unfairly.¡±


    ¡°Try calling me aunt again and see what happens.¡±


    Jingjing¡¯s mother took a deep breath and decided to forget about this. ¡°Do you understand the danger that you were in today? What would you do if the three of you fell off the wall? What would you do if you were kidnapped?¡± she asked softly.


    ¡°Relax. Nothing happened to us.¡± Jingjing knew that something was wrong, but she still spoke stiffly.


    ¡°Do you know why Miaomiao was afraid of being kidnapped?¡± Jingjing¡¯s mother understood that her words were useless against Jingjing¡¯s obstinacy.


    Jingjing¡¯s mother took her phone and searched for a video on the Internet. She opened the video and showed it to Jingjing, ¡°This is Miaomiao.¡±


    Jingjing¡¯s mother put her mobile phone in Jingjing¡¯s hand. The video started playing.


    There was a small child in a hospital bed. Her head was shaved, and she was extremely gaunt and unhealthily thin. There was a look of fright in her big, pain-filled eyes. Her pallid face shuddered with fear. Her thin, emaciated body was completely wrapped in bandages. The reporter was still speaking about the abuse that the cadaverous child had incurred.


    A multitude of images flashed behind the reporter. They showed her face doused in blood. Blood even streamed out of her mouth¡­


    Jingjing¡¯s body trembled with fright as she watched this video.


    ¡°Mom doesn¡¯t want to punish you. She wants you to understand that there are bad people out there. Miaomiao is afraid to go outside by herself, but she willingly followed you because she liked you, but you treated her lightly.¡±


    Jingjing couldn¡¯t hold back anymore and began to cry.


    She cried out, ¡°Yeah¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    They had already reached school at this point.


    Mother Hua was holding Miaomiao. Miaomiao was still sad about Jingjing¡¯s dislike for her and refusal to play with her.


    Jingjing jumped out of the car. She cried and called out for Miaomiao.


    ¡°Miaomiao, I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    Miaomiao cried again.


    Deng Feng¡¯s parents spanked him, but he felt that a man shouldn¡¯t cry. He witnessed his two friends crying as soon as he got out of the car.


    Their parents probably also beat them.


    Deng Feng was under the assumption that they had been severely beaten.

 CH 48

    Although the children were in class, the campus wasn¡¯t empty at all. Some security guards and teachers, along with the dean and principal, were standing outside and awaited their return.


    They were shocked to see two weeping girls, so they rushed over to their side to see what was happening.


    Jingjing¡¯s mother was a little embarrassed when she had to explain what had transpired. Miaomiao was crying because Jingjing made a fuss and said that wanted to break off their friendship, whereas Jingjing was crying because she finally realized that she had committed a wrong¡­


    Deng Feng¡¯s mother briefly explained the matter, and then asked the three children to apologize.


    Miaomiao followed closely behind. Fearing that Jingjing wouldn¡¯t play with her anymore, she stood next to Deng Feng and cried and apologized.


    Despite his bewilderment over the whole matter, Deng Feng followed suit, ¡°Yes¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    The principal saw how the children realized that they were wrong. They checked to see if they were fine. After seeing their rivulets of tears, he asked their parents to pick them up.


    Jingjing peeked over Deng Feng¡¯s shoulders at Miaomiao and said, ¡°Miaomiao¡­I lied¡­I would like to become your lifelong friend¡­¡±


    Miaomiao began to cry. She was upset. She regarded Jingjing as her second best friend. She liked Jingjing a lot. She felt tremendously happy when she was with Jingjing, and Jingjing had told her before that she would like to be good friends with her for the rest of her life. Miaomiao would never declare their friendship to be over to Jingjing.


    Miaomiao¡¯s voice sounded as if she was submerged in water, ¡°Then, this time¡­when you speak¡­you must¡­you must mean it¡­¡±


    Jingjing approached Miaomiao and hugged her, ¡°Miaomiao. I do mean it this time. I¡¯ll treat Miaomiao very well in the future.¡±


    The onlookers, who watched this scene, were both distressed and amused at the same time.


    Jingjing¡¯s mother apologized and told Mother Hua, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My daughter is ignorant.¡±


    When she saw Miaomiao crying out rills of heartbreaking tears in the car, Mother Hua became very distressed. No one doubted that the two girls¡¯ relationship was very good. When the other person told her that she no longer wanted to be friends with her, she cried for a long time. Since the children moved past this, Mother Hua felt that the adults should also move past this.


    Father Hua held Mother Hua¡¯s hand and asked her, ¡°Can I¡­finish my overtime work now?¡±


    Mother Hua told Miaomiao that her father was working overtime, so he was unable to come home during this time period.


    Mother Hua sighed, ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see. I think it¡¯s great to live with my mom like this. I also think living near the school is great. And I heard that your family is looking for a girl in her 20s.¡±


    Mother Hua turned her head to eye the man she had loved for a long time. With everything that had happened, she was exhausted and said, ¡°You need some time, too.¡±


    Taking Miaomiao into her arms, Mother Hua traversed toward her community.


    Fortunately, I still have my daughter.


    Miaomiao hugged her mother¡¯s neck and whispered, ¡°Daddy¡­is following behind.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s going to be working overtime for a bit. Miaomiao is good.¡±


    Miaomiao replied, ¡°Oh.¡±


    Then, she looked in the direction of her father.


    Mother Hua didn¡¯t inform the two elders at her house of Miaomiao¡¯s disappearance. She didn¡¯t want them to fret. When they returned home, grandmother saw her little granddaughter¡¯s eyes, which were red and swollen.


    As Miaomiao¡¯s grandmother wiped her eyes with a cold towel, she asked, ¡°What happened? Did you fight with your classmates?¡±


    Miaomiao shook her head in response. Sitting next to her, Mother Hua interjected on her behalf, ¡°She was scared at first. Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s fine now.¡±


    Mother Hua didn¡¯t elaborate further; otherwise, her mother would become incensed and wouldn¡¯t allow Miaomiao to play with Jingjing and the others. She was also much too embarrassed to say that Miaomiao assumed that Zhou Yuan¡¯s mango allergy made him irremediably ill.


    Meanwhile, Father Zhou and Mother Zhou also got the news.


    Father Zhou couldn¡¯t contain his laughter, ¡°Those three kids are so funny.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    The next day, Zhou Yuan went to school early. He didn¡¯t wear his mask since his face wasn¡¯t swollen anymore.


    Soon, Miaomiao also arrived. Zhou Yuan noticed that Miaomiao¡¯s normally big, watery eyes were extremely swollen. It almost looked like they were closed.


    This resulted in a somewhat funny-looking appearance. Zhou Yuan knew that this was due to her unceasing weeping yesterday.


    Currently, Miaomiao had an interest in beauty, and wanted to look beautiful, just like a little girl. When she saw her swollen eyes during the morning, she walked during her trek to school with her head down. Since her good friend Zhou Yuan had seen her, she felt even more embarrassed.


    Miaomiao ensconced herself into her seat. Naturally, Zhou Yuan avoided looking at her eyes due to their inordinate swelling. ¡°Did you finish your homework?¡±


    Miaomiao nodded. Yesterday, they departed school after finishing their homework.


    Jingjing arrived soon afterwards. Jingjing¡¯s eyes were also swollen like Miaomiao¡¯s eyes.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    These three people caused such a big ruckus yesterday that the entire school knew that there were three first-grade troublemakers who jumped over the wall and went out to play.


    When these three came to school today, many people were watching them.


    They surmised from their swollen eyes that they all probably incurred a severe beating yesterday.


    The students were discussing this spectacle with each other. All of the students knew that they weren¡¯t allowed to climb over the wall to play.


    Jingjing pulled out a box of chocolates from her schoolbag and offered it to Miaomiao, ¡°These are some chocolates that my aunt brought back from the United States¡­They¡¯re for you.¡±


    Jingjing feared that Miaomiao wouldn¡¯t accept them, so she anxiously remarked, ¡°Are you still mad at me?¡±


    She wasn¡¯t angry. The two made up yesterday, but she felt that she shouldn¡¯t accept someone¡¯s presents if she had nothing to give back¡­


    Jingjing opened the box of chocolates, and she immediately descried eight beautifully crafted chocolates within. Their opulent appearance resembled something that more affluent households would indulge in.


    Jingjing took out one piece of chocolate and personally fed it to Miaomiao.


    These chocolates were tremendously delicious. Usually, Jingjing saved them up and ate them slowly to savor their sumptuous flavor, but she now wanted to gift them all to Miaomiao.


    Miaomiao was astonished as the chocolate almost immediately melted in her mouth. Its sumptuous taste conquered her taste buds.


    Jingjing commented with content, ¡°It¡¯s delicious, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Zhou Yuan looked at Miaomiao, who was enthralled by the chocolate. He felt a sense of satisfaction and joy. He then looked at the box to check its brand name.

 CH 49

    Since Miaomiao enjoyed her gift and wasn¡¯t angry at her, Jingjing decided to gift the entire box to Miaomiao and placed it under her desk, ¡°Miaomiao. Eat slowly. It¡¯s all yours.¡±


    Miaomiao ran her hand over the box.


    The chocolate is very soft and easy to chew. It¡¯s also very tasty¡­


    Great-grandma will absolutely love this.


    This led Zhou Yuan to notice one of her very strange idiosyncrasies. Miaomiao couldn¡¯t resist putting her hand under her desk to brush her hand on the box of sumptuous chocolates. Then, she gulped down her saliva.


    Zhou Yuan was amused by this little girl¡¯s gluttonous idiosyncrasy. His mind was wandering, and he couldn¡¯t focus on his book since he wanted to see what this little glutton would do. She looked like she wanted to devour the entire box amidst their class.


    However, even when class had ended, she didn¡¯t eat anything in secret. She just merely rubbed the box with her hand.


    She restrained herself very well.


    Zhou Yuan surmised that she would begin eating with fervor as soon as class ended, but this never happened. After class, she turned around to face Jingjing who sat behind Miaomiao in the back row.


    Miaomiao took out her homework sheets and placed them on Jingjing¡¯s desk. Then, the two little girls began to work on their homework.


    Their reconciliation today was even mushier because of yesterday¡¯s quarrel.


    Compared to adults, children behaved very differently. Adults quarrelled like a shattered mirror. Even if the mirror was repaired, there would still be cracks in it.


    Children fought more like a magnet being pulled apart. When they reconciled, they¡¯ll just just attract each other even more.


    Miaomiao couldn¡¯t resist holding Jingjing¡¯s hand as she did her homework.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    He anticipated that Miaomiao would begin feasting on the chocolates.


    But even when it was time to go home, Miaomiao still didn¡¯t consume the remaining chocolates.


    Zhou Yuan found it strange.


    It¡¯s obvious that she wants to eat them. Why isn¡¯t she eating them?


    Miaomiao quickly left the classroom when school ended in the afternoon.


    Today, Mother Hua came to pick up Miaomiao.


    Mother Hua noticed that her daughter walked much more briskly today.


    In the past, Miaomiao would leave slowly, but today, she seems to be accelerating her pace.


    Is she hungry?


    When they entered their house, Mother Hua commented, ¡°Miaomiao. Grandma already prepared dinner. I¡¯ll serve it to you now,¡± and retired into the kitchen.


    When she came out of the kitchen, she saw Miaomiao producing a beautifully decorated box from her schoolbag, and then she placed it in front of her great-grandmother, ¡°Great-grandma¡­they¡¯re soft.¡±


    They¡¯re so soft that you don¡¯t even need to chew with your teeth. Elders would find them suitable for eating.


    Grandmother also came out of the kitchen and stood next to Mother Hua as they witnessed this. She whispered, ¡°Miaomiao is too¡­too¡­¡±


    She couldn¡¯t find the correct word to describe her granddaughter.


    Miaomiao carefully took out a piece of chocolate from the box and handed it to her great-grandmother. At first, her great-grandmother thought it was just an ordinary snack, so she happily ate it.


    As a result, when she put it into her mouth, she realized that it was something she had never tried before.


    It¡¯s very delicious.


    ¡°Did she buy it herself?¡± Mother Hua whispered.


    Grandmother then hearkened back to something. There was a box that stored some money for Miaomiao that was located near the entrance. She opened it to check, ¡°You asked me to put some change in this box today. There¡¯s just as much money in here as before; nothing was taken out.¡±


    The box was filled with ten yuan notes. It was Miaomiao¡¯s pocket money. Even though Miaomiao was still a primary school student, she still needed some form of entertainment, so Mother Hua gave her ten yuan per day so that she could purchase some things. She knew that Miaomiao won¡¯t use the money all the time; therefore, she kept it for Miaomiao. This box was used as a container for the unused funds.


    Mother Hua was a little surprised. When they had moved in, she had placed a hundred yuan into the box. Every morning, she gave Miaomiao ten yuan. She already gave out these bills, so how could they still be here?


    What¡¯s going on?


    ¡°It¡¯s possible that she never used the money and put it right back into the box,¡± Grandmother said.


    Mother Hua decided to ask Miaomiao. When Mother Hua walked over, she saw Miaomiao putting the box of chocolates on top of the coffee table. Then, she told her grandmother, ¡°Great-grandma. I¡¯m leaving the chocolates right here. You could eat them whenever you want.¡±


    She didn¡¯t hand over the chocolates to her mother or grandmother because, similar to her, they liked eating a variety of other savory foods, whereas grandmother had no teeth; therefore, she was limited in what she could eat. Also, there weren¡¯t many pieces of chocolate left.


    ¡®Great-grandma should eat these chocolates,¡¯ Miaomiao thought to herself.


    Mother Hua hugged Miaomiao and asked, ¡°Where did Miaomiao get these chocolates?¡±


    ¡°Jingjing gave them to me.¡±


    Mother Hua thought that it would be considerate if they prepared a gift in return. When children became friends, they naturally gave gifts to each other.


    ¡°Would you like to give Jingjing a present also?¡± Mother Hua asked.


    Miaomiao nodded. She also wanted to give Jingjing a gift.


    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll head out and buy one in a while. Miaomiao can buy whatever she wants.¡±


    When Miaomiao heard the word ¡®buy¡¯, she was shocked.


    Mother Hua then asked, ¡°Miaomiao doesn¡¯t use the pocket money, does she?¡±


    Mom found out.


    Feeling a tinge of guilt, Miaomiao squeezed the hems of her clothes. Then, she wondered what Jingjing or Zhouzhou would do in this situation.


    Then, Miaomiao whispered, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Miaomiao also needs to have some money with her so that you could buy some food when you¡¯re at school.¡±


    She had a very frugal roommate in college. She developed this habit since her parents never gave her any pocket money when she was a child. This caused a bit of a headache for her since she didn¡¯t buy her own things during her four years of college. She didn¡¯t even buy her own toilet paper and simply used the stuff that her other roommates had purchased.


    Mother Hua had noticed for a long time that Zhou Yuan loved Miaomiao very much. He bought her everything, but it was this matter that led to her heightened sense of vigilance. She didn¡¯t want Miaomiao to take things for granted.


    Due to this, she always thought that Miaomiao should have some money with her. If she wanted to purchase more opulent items, such as phones and watches, then she must ask for the money.


    Miaomiao shook her head, ¡°I eat enough for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I don¡¯t need to buy anything else¡­¡±


    In her opinion, she ate food every day. She doesn¡¯t need to buy any more snacks.


    Mother Hua asked, ¡°After your P.E. class is over, what would you do if you¡¯re thirsty?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just bring my water bottle¡­¡± The other kids often forgot to bring a water bottle to their P.E. classes, but Miaomiao strapped one around her neck. That way, she wouldn¡¯t have to buy a water bottle after class.


    Mother Hua: ¡°¡­¡±

 CH 50

    The water bottle that Miaomiao used was a cute, little portable bottle that Mother Hua had purchased for her. It was designed for elementary school students. It could be worn around the neck. When the lid was opened, there was a suction nozzle, which one could use ideally to drink water.


    Mother Hua thought, ¡®No wonder why Miaomiao always remembered to bring her water bottle every day.¡¯


    Mother Hua was touched and was sad at the same time, ¡°Miaomiao, you don¡¯t have to do this.¡±


    Would the other children ridicule her daughter for bringing a water bottle? After all, the children in her P.E. class went to the store to buy their own material water instead of bringing their own water bottle.


    Mother Hua squatted down, ¡°You can occasionally buy some food with your classmates.¡±


    Miaomiao believed that she didn¡¯t need to buy food if she wasn¡¯t hungry. However, she wasn¡¯t able to expound this clearly to Mother Hua.


    The next day, Mother Hua put a ten yuan bill into Miaomiao¡¯s schoolbag. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to use it, you can keep it for later.¡±


    Miaomiao replied, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Meanwhile, Zhou Yuan was worried about his finances since the price of the chocolates was 455 yuan. It wasn¡¯t a particularly exorbitant price for him, but his savings were running out.


    He considered it for a while, but he still wished to find other ways of making money.


    Then, he remembered Miaomiao squinting her eyes with delight as she ate her chocolates.


    He then made an order. Furthermore, he chose the fastest delivery option available when he placed his order.


    The bank card, which Zhou Yuan used, was under Father Zhou¡¯s name, and his cell phone number was also entered into the section that requested his contact information. If any money was deducted, Father Zhou received an alert.


    Father Zhou was watching television in the living, and then suddenly he received an alert. After digesting the text message, he went to the study to find Zhou Yuan.


    ¡°Big Brother Zhou, did you finally buy some stocks from overseas?¡± he asked.


    Zhou Yuan peered at his father and replied, ¡°No.¡±


    Glancing at the computer, Father Zhou walked to the entrance of the study and looked into the kitchen. After ensuring that Mother Zhou was too busy cooking in the kitchen, he went back to the computer table and asked, ¡°Boss Zhou. Do you have any plans to buy any stocks?¡±


    As Zhou Yuan furrowed his eyebrows, he replied, ¡°There isn¡¯t enough data.¡±


    ¡°I asked my colleague to find out information about some stocks. I¡¯ll present you with the information right away.¡± As soon as Father Zhou uttered this, he immediately sat in front of the computer cheerfully as he opened the files.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± How long have you been waiting for this moment?


    While Father Zhou sat at the computer, he didn¡¯t forget to check what Zhou Yuan had just bought. He saw that he had bought¡­chocolate?


    Father Zhou patted Zhou Yuan¡¯s shoulder, ¡°The boss indulges in some very sumptuous chocolates in comparison to me. During my youth, I ate some chocolate that cost only two cents. You just bought some very opulent chocolate. For this price, you could use it to buy a ton of the cheap chocolates that I ate when I was young. Boss¡¯s behavior is completely different from ours.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°By the way, you didn¡¯t buy this chocolate for your little tablemate, did you?¡±


    Then, Zhou Yuan interjected, ¡°Are you going to keep talking ceaselessly? Or are you going to show me the stocks?¡±


    Father Zhou immediately ceased speaking.


    The little tablemate that Father Zhou had mentioned raced quickly to school. Since she had much better balance than before, she wouldn¡¯t fall down while she ran.


    She was also holding something in her hands.


    Zhou Yuan saw Miaomiao panting as she ran, and he noticed the gift box in her arms. A bow was tied on top of the box; therefore, he knew with certainty that it was a gift box.


    Zhou Yuan also touched his own gift box that he placed under the desk, and then he smiled.


    Miaomiao sat down into her seat, placed the gift box on top of the table, and then she took her water bottle off her neck and put it on the table as well.


    She turned to greet Zhouzhou, ¡°Good morning, Zhouzhou.¡±


    Zhou Yuan greeted her back, ¡°Good morning, Miaomiao.¡±


    Miaomiao was still a little worried. After all, this was the first time she was going to give such a stately present to somebody.


    Zhou Yuan grinned as he asked Miaomiao, ¡°Why didn¡¯t Miaomiao do her homework during the video call yesterday?¡±


    ¡°I was shopping for presents with my mom,¡± Miaomiao explained.


    Yesterday, she sauntered around several streets before finding a gift that she liked very much.


    Looking at her sincere expression, Zhou Yuan¡¯s smile became even more evident.


    As he touched his own gift box, he thought about watching Miaomiao as she cheerfully ate a manifold amount of marvelous chocolates with glee.


    ¡°What¡¯s the gift?¡± Zhou Yuan asked.


    After removing the ligatures and the bow tie, Miaomiao revealed a large green succulent plant ensconced safely within the gift box. It looked cute and healthily verdant.


    It was in a flower pot. The leaves were so cute that they reminded him of Miaomiao¡¯s adorable face.


    Back then, Zhou Yuan wasn¡¯t fond of plants, but now he found them adorable.


    He thought about doing some research about rearing plants on Baidu* when he returned home.


    Jingjing and Deng Feng arrived at this moment.


    Miaomiao put the cover back on quickly and tried to retie the bow.


    However, when she tried to tie the bow, she wasn¡¯t able to.


    Miaomiao was fraught with anxiety. Even though she tried to retie the bow, she didn¡¯t know how to.


    Zhou Yuan finally took the box and tied the bow for her.


    Miaomiao smiled and thanked him. Then, she turned her head and handed the gift to Jingjing. She whispered with embarrassment, ¡°This is for you. I carefully selected it for you after a long time.¡±


    Jingjing was very surprised. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± she asked.


    Then, she unwrapped the box and showed a cute plant inside.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful!¡± she exclaimed.


    Next to them, Zhou Yuan was still dumbfounded.


    This isn¡¯t a gift for me?


    Later, Zhou Yuan realized that Miaomiao was getting along better with Jingjing.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    At this point, Miaomiao was still talking with Jingjing about whether this plant should stay at school or not.


    ¡°Should we name it?¡±


    Jingjing replied, ¡°We¡¯ll call it Little Flower.¡±


    Then, the two girls put the small flower pot with the plant inside on the windowsill near their seats so that they could see it all the time.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan took out the box of chocolates and put it atop his desk, and then he ate a piece of chocolate.


    It seems as if I had bought it for myself. Well, it¡¯s not tasty at all.


    When she returned to her seat, Miaomiao¡¯s eyes zeroed in on the box of chocolates on Zhou Yuan¡¯s table.


    Even though she quickly retracted her gaze, she swallowed unconsciously.


    *Baidu is an internet search engine company in China.

 CH 51

    Miaomiao couldn¡¯t resist throwing furtive glances at Zhou Yuan from time to time.


    But she would quickly withdraw her gaze.


    Mom said that if I wanted something, I would have to buy it for myself. I can¡¯t simply ask others for it.


    Due to this, Miaomiao repeated to herself, ¡®I¡¯m not hungry. I¡¯m not hungry. I can¡¯t ask Zhouzhou to give me the chocolates.¡¯


    Since Miaomiao didn¡¯t want to spend money on snacks, she focused on reading her textbook to divert her attention.


    After some time, Zhou Yuan placed the box of chocolates atop Miaomiao¡¯s desk.


    Miaomiao turned her head to peer at Zhou Yuan who said with a surly voice, ¡°It isn¡¯t tasty at all. You could have the rest.¡±


    Miaomiao was confused.


    Mom had said before that sharing food was a sign of friendship. Then again, mom also told me that I wasn¡¯t supposed to just eat other people¡¯s food.


    Thus, Miaomiao was conflicted.


    Could I eat it?


    She never hesitated to accept people¡¯s gifts before since she always felt that this was a symbol that they were good friends. If she offered some delicacy to another person, she would probably be disappointed if they refused to take it.


    But, however, she hesitated right now. After all, her mother told her not to accept things from other people without a care in the world.


    After noticing Miaomiao¡¯s hesitation, Zhou Yuan felt his heart tightening.


    Back then, Miaomiao would accept any gift he offered to her without hesitation.


    When Jingjing gifted her the sumptuous chocolates, she accepted them jauntily. But when he did the same, she hesitated to take them off his hands.


    This stunned Zhou Yuan for a moment, and then he felt like he was being childish.


    Why am I jealous of their friendship? Why do I concern myself with this? I intentionally placed the chocolates atop the table and ate them in front of Miaomiao, so she would ask me if she could eat some¡­


    Zhou Yuan wondered, ¡®Do I also need to tell her that I don¡¯t want to be friends with her anymore.¡¯


    Zhou Yuan was astounded by this childish vagary that he had just conjured up in his mind.


    He placed the box of chocolates on top of Miaomiao¡¯s desk.


    I don¡¯t need to be childish about this.


    ¡°Zhouzhou, my mother told me that I shouldn¡¯t just take other people¡¯s stuff,¡± Miaomiao whispered to him.


    After digesting her words, Zhou Yuan realized that Mother Hua told Miaomiao not to accept things from other people without a care in the world after she had accepted Jingjing¡¯s opulent chocolates. After all, things of great opulence do have a hefty price tag.


    Zhou Yuan was very pleased. He replied, ¡°You don¡¯t take other people¡¯s things for free. You have to pay for it. It¡¯s like going to a store to buy something. You look for something, you pay for it, and you get something in return.¡±


    This explication astounded Miaomiao for a moment. Her face flushed, and she squeezed her fingers. Then, she muttered, ¡°But¡­I don¡¯t have any money.¡±


    He mused for a while and replied, ¡°Then, you could help me finish the food that I¡¯m not too fond of so that I could get a little red flower. One could consider this as another way of giving me something in return.¡±


    However, Miaomiao still felt that the chocolate was worth much more. This wasn¡¯t an equal exchange; therefore, she responded, ¡°You don¡¯t have to give me the chocolate. I¡¯ll eat your lunch for you anyways.¡±


    When she still refused to accept his gift, he repeated what she had said a few moments ago, ¡°But my mother told me that I shouldn¡¯t just take other people¡¯s stuff.¡±


    He continued in a dejected tone, ¡°If you don¡¯t help me finish my meal, then I won¡¯t obtain the little red flower.¡±


    Miaomiao held his hand and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll get your little red flowers.¡±


    Miaomiao conjectured that the main reason why Zhou Yuan never raised his hand in class to answer some questions was the same as hers; he was afraid to speak in front of so many people. But she also believed that due to Zhou Yuan¡¯s intelligence that he would surely know the answer.


    Since she had experienced this fear of public speaking, she told Zhou Yuan while exuding the aura of someone who had overcome a difficulty, ¡°In fact, you could receive a little red flower if you¡¯re willing to raise your hand to answer some questions in class. After you raise your hand, just stand up, answer the question, then sit down. Since you¡¯re smart, you¡¯ll definitely answer correctly.¡±


    Then, Miaomiao began to indulge in small talk and spoke, ¡°I was frightened at first, but I told myself that I just had to stand up and answer the question. I said it to myself in my heart many times before I finally answered. I was scared, but I was also very happy when I answered the question.¡±


    While she voiced those words, she smiled as her eyebrows arched. The little girl¡¯s small face shone like a newly blooming sunflower. She was so beautiful that one might, at first glance, mistake her for the morning sun when it rose from the horizon and blanketed the world underneath with golden light.


    Zhou Yuan froze for a moment, then he heard her say, ¡°I¡¯ll help you in math class later.¡±


    Zhou Yuan was unsure of how to respond. Although he wanted to tell her that he didn¡¯t have to answer the question, he found it difficult to tell her.


    Zhou Yuan could only change the subject, ¡°Look at these chocolates. They look just like the ones you ate yesterday, right?¡±


    Miaomiao whispered to Zhou Yuan, ¡°Yeah, I saw you eat one just now.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to eat some?¡± Zhou Yuan found it a little strange.


    Doesn¡¯t Miaomiao resemble a little squirrel who stores her food?


    Miaomiao whispered, ¡°I want to give them to my great-grandma. She had no teeth, so she should be able to eat them.¡±


    Zhou Yuan then realized why she didn¡¯t eat them yesterday. She was saving them for her great-grandma who was at her home¡­


    Their math class soon began.


    Miaomiao became very nervous when her math teacher stepped into the classroom.


    When the math teacher asked, ¡°Who wants to answer this question?¡±


    Zhou Yuan felt his hand being raised up by Miaomiao.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    The math teacher usually made it clear that the first person to raise their hand would be the first person to answer the question. But when the students raised their hands, the math teacher usually also chose someone who had never answered any questions before.


    Today, for example.


    ¡°Zhou Yuan. Answer this for me.¡±


    He slowly rose from his seat. When he was in class, he usually never glanced at the blackboard, so he didn¡¯t know the answer before standing up. As he stood up, he glanced at the board and replied, ¡°24.¡±


    The math teacher was a little surprised. He surmised that Zhou Yuan had deliberately answered incorrectly since 36 was the correct answer.


    ¡°Does anyone else know the answer?¡±


    Then, a student raised his hand and answered 36.


    Zhou Yuan looked at the question that the math teacher had just mentioned. Then, he immediately realized that it was the question below and not the one above it.


    Zhou Yuan nonchalantly sat down on his seat. Then, he noticed that Miaomiao, who sat next to him, was restless.


    Miaomiao held his hand and leaned over to his side, then she whispered, ¡°I¡¯m¡­sorry¡­¡±


    It was as if she was the one who answered the wrong question.


    In reality, Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t care about this matter and told her, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I just read the wrong question.¡±


    Zhou Yuan felt bad when he saw her feeling guilty. After all, he was the one who first mentioned that he wanted a red flower. That was why Miaomiao tried to help him get one.


    Zhou Yuan commented, ¡°I can answer the next question.¡±


    Miaomiao vigorously nodded her head and said, ¡°Of course, you can.¡±


    In Miaomiao¡¯s opinion, Zhou Yuan was the most intelligent person in the world.


    Afterwards, Zhou Yuan listened for a while before answering the next question.


    Since he didn¡¯t read the wrong question this time, he answered it correctly.


    The math teacher praised him.


    Zhou Yuan who was praised: ¡°¡­¡±


    After turning his head, he noticed that his little tablemate was much more exuberant than before.


    Well, answering questions correctly is worth it now if I could see her smile.


    Miaomiao ate all the dishes that Zhou Yuan disliked during their lunchtime. Then, she also offered him the food he liked to eat from her plate.


    She thought that they should do it this way so that they would be able to finish their meal.


    After lunchtime, the headteacher came to their class to make an announcement, ¡°Students, tomorrow is an open class. Please wear your school uniforms and come to school. Don¡¯t talk during class and actively raise your hands to answer any questions.¡±


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t understand what the headteacher said but nodded anyway.


    Deng Feng uttered, ¡°Can I¡­not¡­raise my hand?¡±


    The teachers were lenient with this class. Instead of selecting specific students to answer their questions, the teachers allowed the students to take the initiative to answer them.


    Teacher Li pondered for a while before replying. ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s do it this way. The students who wish to answer the questions will raise their left hand, and everyone else will raise their right hand. Then, the teacher will only choose the students who raised their left hand to answer their questions. Is that acceptable?¡±


    The whole class exclaimed, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then, you return home and review thoroughly. If no one raises their left hand, I wouldn¡¯t know who to call. Then, the teacher will be miserable.¡±


    The whole class bursted into laughter.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give two red flowers to the person who answers the questions correctly tomorrow.¡±


    Suddenly, a gleam of excitement appeared in Miaomiao¡¯s eyes.

 CH 52

    Miaomiao was very excited about tomorrow¡¯s open class. She turned to Zhou Yuan and said with excitement in her voice, ¡°We¡¯ll receive two little red roses!¡±


    As her excitement ebbed away, she started to think in her heart, ¡®We need to each answer at least one question.¡¯


    Miaomiao brought back another box of chocolates from school during the afternoon. Mother Hua noticed the chocolates when she checked her schoolbag and asked, ¡°Did Jingjing give you more chocolates again?¡±


    Miaomiao replied in a tone tinctured with embarrassment, ¡°It¡¯s from Zhouzhou.¡±


    Miaomiao then presented the stately chocolates to her great-grandmother.


    The next day, Miaomiao rushed to her textbooks in order to review them as soon as she woke up. Then, she slipped into her school uniform.


    When she arrived at school, she noticed that every student from her class was donning a school uniform. Among this group of people, Zhou Yuan, who chose not to wear his school uniform, looked particularly conspicuous.


    Miaomiao hurried to her seat and asked him, ¡°Zhouzhou, why didn¡¯t you wear your uniform today¡­?¡±


    The teacher announced that everyone must wear their school uniform.


    Zhou Yuan forgot this matter actually. He only remembered after his arrival at school. When he noticed concern for him, Zhou Yuan declared, ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    They heard Jingjing¡¯s voice from behind them, ¡°You should¡¯ve worn your school uniform today. This time, the Education Bureau is carrying out a routine inspection at this school.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Deng Feng commented, ¡°But¡­but¡­it¡¯s too late¡­to go back¡­¡±


    ¡°Agreed. It¡¯s too late now for you to head back home and change your clothes,¡± Jingjing continued. ¡°Or how about I head to the classroom next door and borrow one? I know a girl from the classroom next door.¡±


    The uniform was the same for both boys and girls, blue and white sportswear.


    Zhou Yuan instantly shook his head, ¡°No.¡±


    It was impossible for him to wear someone else¡¯s raiments, especially a girl¡¯s.


    It was at this point that Teacher Li stepped into the classroom to look at everyone. Scanning through the room, Zhou Yuan, who wasn¡¯t wearing his uniform, immediately caught her eye.


    ¡°Zhou Yuan, did you forget to bring your uniform? I¡¯ll go next door to borrow one for you.¡±


    Teacher Li¡¯s words coincided with Jingjing¡¯s.


    Zhou Yuan refused again.


    Teacher Li couldn¡¯t force him to do anything; therefore, she could only helplessly reply, ¡°Alright then.¡±


    When Teacher Li departed from the room, Miaomiao conjectured that Teacher Li had to be very upset. She took the time to remind everybody to bring their uniforms and wear them.


    In Miaomiao¡¯s opinion, Teacher Li was also a very good person.


    After musing for some time, Miaomiao told Zhou Yuan, ¡°How about we go to my house, pick up one of my school uniforms so that you could wear it? My house is near this school. Don¡¯t worry; it¡¯s clean.¡±


    Miaomiao had two sets of uniforms. One was crafted and sewn by Mother Hua, using fabric that she bought herself. While the uniform made by Mother Hua possessed the same color and style as the other one, it was more comfortable to wear. The school provided the other set.


    Miaomiao wore the school uniform that Mother Hua had sewn today, so she still had her other uniform at home.


    Miaomiao peered at him with big, watery eyes. They were filled with anticipation, and Zhou Yuan heard her say, ¡°I think Teacher Li really wants you to wear your school uniform.¡±


    Jingjing replied, ¡°Yes, let¡¯s all go. We haven¡¯t been to Miaomiao¡¯s house before.¡±


    They were still in their morning¡¯s self-study class, so they had plenty of time to visit Miaomiao¡¯s house.


    Zhou Yuan wasn¡¯t able to refuse. In the end, he surrendered and said, ¡°All right.¡±


    The four children ran out of the classroom together as they clasped each other¡¯s hands.


    At this point, there were multitudes of parents who dropped off their children to school. As a result, there were throngs of people on campus.


    The four children ran very quickly; their faces emanated their excitement.


    When they reached the school gates, a security guard halted them. Then, he asked, ¡°Where are you all going?¡±


    After the wall jumping incident, every security guard was cognizant of these four children.


    When the security guard caught sight of them walking outside the school, he felt an immense headache.


    An on-duty teacher asked them in a serious tone, ¡°Where are you going? School will begin in a few minutes. Go back to your classroom.¡±


    A moment later, the principal, who was standing outside the gate, trotted over and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the children?¡±


    All four children were panting due to running too much.


    No one knew whether Miaomiao desperately desired Zhou Yuan to don the uniform or if she liked the principal, and therefore no longer feared him, she boldly said, ¡°We¡¯re going to my house to pick up my spare school uniform for Zhou Yuan. We have an open class today, and everyone must wear their uniform.¡±


    In response, the principal suggested, ¡°How about borrowing a uniform from another student?¡±


    Only a few classrooms were selected for open classes. They could simply borrow a uniform from another student who wasn¡¯t in an open class.


    His words made Miaomiao a little uneasy, ¡°Can¡¯t we go back and change?¡±


    She was too ashamed to admit that Zhou Yuan felt discomfort at the thought of wearing other people¡¯s uniforms. She was afraid of people scolding and reproaching him for that.


    Except for Zhou Yuan who was the main person involved, Miaomiao, Jingjing, and Deng Feng peered at the principal eagerly, hoping that he would agree to their request.


    However, their goals were different. While Miaomiao simply wanted to go home to pick up her spare uniform for Zhou Yuan, Jingjing and Deng Feng wanted to visit Miaomiao¡¯s house.


    The principal mulled on this for a while before finally answering, ¡°Okay, but I¡¯ll accompany you.¡±


    Miaomiao was elated, ¡°Thank you, principal.¡±


    All four children were holding hands as they left their school. Miaomiao was standing on the side, so the principal held her and walked.


    Since the principal agreed to their request, both the security guard and the on-duty teacher allowed them passage.


    ¡°You have an open class today. Are you nervous?¡± the principal asked.


    Miaomiao nodded nervously.


    Jingjing chimed in, ¡°I¡¯m not nervous at all. I don¡¯t care how many people come. I¡¯ll just treat them like radishes.¡±


    Deng Feng said, ¡°I¡¯m¡­a little¡­nervous.¡±


    The principal said with a laugh, ¡°Your teacher must be much more nervous than you.¡±


    The main street was located right outside the entrance to the school. On the side of the street was a traffic signal. The principal waited for the lights to turn green with the children.


    ¡°You can only walk when the light is green,¡± Miaomiao said.


    ¡°Yes, Miaomiao is pretty smart,¡± the principal responded.


    As soon as the light turned green, they all strode forward.


    Miaomiao remembered where her family lived after passing through her community, so they soon reached her home.


    She raised her feet on top of a step and rang the doorbell.


    As soon as she opened the door, her grandmother saw four children and the principal standing in front of the house. When she dropped Miaomiao off to school, she had seen the principal a few times, so she recognized him.


    Grandmother was a little surprised, ¡°Principal. What are you doing here?¡±


    Grandmother allowed everyone into the house, and everyone crossed the threshold.


    Miaomiao had already taken Zhou Yuan to her room to get the uniform. Meanwhile, the principal spoke to Miaomiao¡¯s grandmother about why they had come to visit.

 CH 53

    Miaomiao was a little shorter than Zhou Yuan, but primary school uniforms were normally sewn to be larger, so the uniform still was a perfect fit for Zhou Yuan.


    Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t realize this double standard. Miaomiao recently donned this uniform, but Zhou Yuan thought it was fine to wear it. It was as if he had a lapse in memory and forgot about what he said about not wearing other people¡¯s vestments.


    The principal couldn¡¯t stay for too long since had to take the kids back to school. After Zhou Yuan changed his clothes, they all returned to school.


    Deng Feng was the first person to reach their classroom door after their return to school.


    The Chinese teacher was already ensconced at her desk. The elementary school also had self- study classes. Today¡¯s self-study class was Chinese.


    In an unhappy tone, Teacher Xie said to Deng Feng, who was panting, ¡°You¡¯re late.¡±


    Deng Feng wasn¡¯t actually late, but the teacher¡¯s attitude startled him, so he froze at the door¡¯s threshold.


    The teacher unhappily looked at them. There were three troublemakers who sneaked out of school, which caused all sorts of trouble. And the fourth person was the one she wanted to avoid the most.


    She was naturally unhappy.


    Deng Feng mumbled, ¡°Zhou¡­Zhou Yuan¡­¡±


    He wanted to explain that Zhou Yuan forgot to bring his school uniform, so they had to head outside to change his vestments.


    Teacher Xie got impatient with the speed of his articulation, ¡°Where are the others? Did they jump over the wall again?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The principal held Miaomiao¡¯s hand, traversed through the classroom door, and exuberantly said, ¡°They went out to don their school uniforms. Don¡¯t worry, Teacher Xie, I was with them the entire time.¡±


    He then turned his head and told the four children, ¡°Go back to your seats and study.¡±


    Teacher Xie had nothing more to say.


    All four children returned to their seats. During this time, the bell for the morning¡¯s self-study class sounded.


    In an instant, the classroom was filled with students reading aloud. Miaomiao also read aloud.


    It could¡¯ve been due to Miaomiao¡¯s nervosity since she was going to attend her first open class, but she felt that the morning¡¯s self-study class had passed by quicker than normal.


    When class ended, Jingjing and the others looked very calm, whereas Miaomiao was fraught with nervousness and apprehension. This was her first open class.


    She didn¡¯t know how open classes were taught, but the teacher¡¯s words from yesterday affected her; therefore, Miaomiao carefully reviewed what the teacher was going to teach again today.


    Soon, it was time for their second class to begin. Some strangers entered the classroom one by one, carrying stools, pens, and notebooks.


    So many of them¡­


    Nervousness and consternation began to engulf Miaomiao.


    Grasping her hand to comfort her, Zhou Yuan whispered, ¡°Two little red flowers.¡±


    When he mentioned the two little red flowers, Miaomiao¡¯s eyes instantly lit up and gleamed with exuberance.


    She turned her head to nod at Zhou Yuan, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll get those two little red flowers.¡±


    As soon as the bell rang, the teacher walked in with a big grin on her face. A stranger followed behind her.


    He also clasped a stool in his hand. Upon entering the classroom, he scanned the room and discovered that the back row was full.


    He then directed his gaze to the front row. Suddenly, he walked next to Miaomiao¡¯s side, placed the stool down and sat down.


    Miaomiao¡¯s body became tense the moment he sat down. She dared not look at him.


    Zhou Yuan, who was holding her hand, felt her trepidation instantly. Therefore, he stood up and changed seats with Miaomiao.


    Teacher Li was surprised, but since it was something minor, she paid no further attention to it.


    She then began to talk about their lesson.


    This wasn¡¯t her first open class, but it was the first time she had taught open classes with this particular group of students. Since it wasn¡¯t her first time, she wasn¡¯t nervous.


    There were more questions today than the norm since today¡¯s lessons were focused on student interaction and getting the students to think.


    Since the questions were agreed upon in advance, they weren¡¯t very difficult. Everyone participated actively.


    After sitting in Zhou Yuan¡¯s seat for a while, Miaomiao¡¯s nervosity and disquietude abated.


    Miaomiao followed her teacher¡¯s instructions that she gave them beforehand. She sat in front of the class with a proper sitting posture. Her back was straight, and she looked at either the blackboard or at her textbook, demonstrating the spirit befitting a model student.


    She focused on listening carefully to the teacher so that she could quickly raise her hand when she needed something to be clarified or to avoid missing something important.


    Teacher Li didn¡¯t keep asking the same questions to the same students. Miaomiao only answered one question.


    Zhou Yuan also answered one question. Time passed much more quickly than usual. When the bell sounded, Miaomiao felt as if time was ephemeral in this classroom because time had passed by so quickly for her since its start.


    After the teacher and the people who had visited their class had left, Miaomiao recovered her spirits and uttered to Zhou Yuan in disbelief, ¡°We answered the questions. We¡¯ll get two little red flowers!¡±


    Zhou Yuan replied, ¡°Yes. We answered the questions.¡±


    Their third class was physical education. Miaomiao filled her pink cat water bottle with water and hung it around her neck.


    Jingjing found carrying a water bottle irksome, so she told her, ¡°Miaomiao, we could go to the canteen and purchase a bottle of water later.¡±


    As soon as those words left her mouth, she suddenly realized that their big business schemes and money-making plans were being side-tracked due to the wall jumping incident. After that deed, they never talked about it anymore.


    So, she asked, ¡°Miaomiao, when are we going to start making money?¡±


    Miaomiao calmly answered in the same manner her grandmother talked to her great-grandmother, ¡°We¡¯ll start soon. Haste makes waste.¡±


    She had already started learning¡­


    Jingjing said, ¡°We were distracted by Zhouzhou¡¯s illness last time, which wasted too much time; otherwise, we would have made a lot of money by now.¡±


    Zhou Yuan replied sarcastically, ¡°¡­Yes, it was all my fault that you were all dragged down; otherwise, you would all be millionaires by now.¡±


    Miaomiao¡¯s eyes sparkled when she heard the word ¡®millionaire¡¯.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Suddenly, he sensed that her body was full of energy. It was almost as if she was going to dart off the next second.


    A feeling of exultation enveloped Miaomiao.


    Zhou Yuan is very intelligent. If he said that I could become a millionaire, then that would most likely happen.


    After a while, Zhou Yuan realized that Miaomiao still lacked language skills.


    It doesn¡¯t matter; she¡¯s still young. Her articulation will slowly improve.


    Deng Feng said, ¡°Millions¡­a lot¡­a lot of money¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±

 CH 54

    They were talking about becoming millionaires as they traversed to the playground.


    When their third class began, it was already way past ten o¡¯clock. At this point, it was still early in the afternoon, and the sun shone on the children¡¯s faces, dyeing their cheeks with a rutilant glow.


    They soon reached the playground. Miaomiao placed her water bottle to the side of the playground. The P.E. teacher had already summoned everybody to gather there.


    ¡°Classmates, line up!¡±


    Miaomiao pulled herself together and ran up to him.


    A breeze blew against her, and the weather was warm and pleasant.


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t understand why, but she simply felt a sense of comfort within her heart. She and Zhou Yuan both participated in an open class today and answered some questions. As a reward, they were gifted with two red flowers.


    Even at the end of their class, Zhou Yuan still didn¡¯t take off the school uniform that he donned.


    The P.E. teacher quickly called everyone over and said, ¡°We will only do two sets of exercises today; then, you¡¯re free to play amongst yourselves, but you¡¯re not allowed to leave the playground.¡±


    The students were so excited that they shouted in unison, ¡°Yeah!¡±


    Everyone could play on the playground as long as they didn¡¯t leave the school premises. Frolicking together in such a large place was the best thing for children.


    Since the P.E. teacher was extremely busy today, he didn¡¯t ask anybody to lead the exercises.


    At first, Miaomiao was looking forward to leading the exercises, but she was a little disappointed when she couldn¡¯t.


    Eventually, they finished both sets of exercises, and everyone was free to play.


    One of their classmates ran over to them and asked, ¡°Jingjing, Miaomiao, would you like to play with us. We¡¯re short two people.¡±


    Jingjing dragged Miaomiao away to play with them. They found out that they were playing the blindfold game.


    A person would cover their eyes with a cloth and then head off to find the others.


    Miaomiao shook her head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know how to play.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. I¡¯ll teach you,¡± Jingjing replied.


    Miaomiao followed Jingjing¡¯s lead. She was a little nervous at first since she didn¡¯t know what to do. But children had a certain ability to have fun with others as long as they found the game enjoyable.


    They started playing together. It wasn¡¯t long before Miaomiao was caught, and then it was her turn to be blindfolded.


    Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t like to exercise very much since exercise caused him to sweat, which made him feel uncomfortable.


    Therefore, he relaxed, sat back, and watched the others as they frolicked around the playground.


    The sun¡¯s aurulent rays cascaded down from the skies above and bathed the world below in golden light. Everyone felt the intensity of the sun¡¯s rays and its warmth as it was very hot today, and the students¡¯ uniforms completely sheathed their bodies, so everyone was drenched in sweat as the blistering heat assailed them. Some children had already slipped out of their outer garments, revealing their short-sleeved shirts underneath.


    Miaomiao also took off her outer garments.


    Miaomiao wore a short-sleeved shirt with an image of a lively and beautiful rose on it today.


    When she finished removing her sportswear, the children immediately directed their attention to her arms, which were trellised with scars that resembled centipedes.


    This shocked her classmates, and they gawked at Miaomiao¡¯s marred arms with vacant expressions.


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t know that her wounds looked hideous because no one had ever told her; therefore, she didn¡¯t think much about it.


    But now that her classmates were goggling at her with a sort of indescribable vagueness, a feeling of dread and shame began to engulf her. She very¡­very much¡­wanted to cast her eyes downwards and tread back to class.


    Zhou Yuan shot up instantly when she removed her sweatshirt, and then he raced over to her, ¡°Miaomiao?¡±


    At this moment, Jingjing tried to divert everyone¡¯s attention, ¡°Miaomiao, I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    Her classmates surrounded her and muttered, ¡°Miaomiao¡­you¡­¡±


    Then, Zhou Yuan stepped in front of Little Miaomiao and peered at her helpless face. Looking at her, he felt a pang of pain within his heart. He said, ¡°I¡¯ll also play with you.¡±


    Their actions bewildered Miaomiao.


    One boy, who stood next to her, regained his senses and asked, ¡°Miaomiao, is that a tattoo on your arm?¡±


    Miaomiao was incognizant of tattoos, so she answered with uncertainty, ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be, right?¡±


    ¡°Then¡­this is a scar?¡± The boy had never seen anything as horrifying as this.


    Miaomiao recalled the incident for a moment. Then, she touched her scar and said, ¡°This is a scar I got when I was beaten up by a bad man.¡±


    The children were stunned. They remembered Zhou Yuan telling them about the bad guys who captured Miaomiao.


    However, they all only caught a glimpse of the small scars on the back of her hand. But this scar was so large, so frightening¡­


    Zhou Yuan wanted to stop them from discussing this topic, but he never expected Miaomiao to begin speaking about it.


    ¡°Did it bleed?¡± Children mostly believed that injuries could only lead to bleeding.


    Miaomiao nodded and responded, ¡°A lot¡­I couldn¡¯t hold the bowl to eat from it when I tried¡­¡±


    Imagine Miaomiao trying to hold a bowl, and then¡­


    That scene¡­


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± I¡¯m beginning to feel heartache for the first time. I want to laugh with rueful humor.


    Miaomiao continued, ¡°So when you head out, hold your mother¡¯s hand. If the bad guys catch you, you¡¯ll be injured like this¡­¡±


    The children stopped playing and sat down with Miaomiao. They began to beleaguer her with questions.


    ¡°What do the bad guys look like?¡±


    ¡°Did your mother beat them up?¡±


    Miaomiao pondered for a moment before replying, ¡°The bad guys looked very scary and dangerous¡­When you hear the door creaking, just hide in a corner and don¡¯t move. You won¡¯t be noticed and beaten!¡±


    Suddenly, Miaomiao recalled being beaten even when she remained still, so she changed her statement to ¡°Don¡¯t be separated from your mother.¡±


    Miaomiao¡¯s face flushed in the sun as she spoke solemnly about it.


    When she thought about it, she did not immediately realize that she was now speaking candidly about these grim events, which caused her to tremble with fear, with her classmates.


    ¡°They¡¯re terrible! How did you escape, Miaomiao?¡± asked one of the boys.


    Miaomiao tried to recall how she escaped. All she remembered was that she shed a lot of blood that day. Since her vision was doused with blood, all she saw was red. Then, she heard someone say, ¡°Oh my God, there¡¯s a child here¡­she lost a lot of blood. Hurry and call an ambulance!¡±


    Then, she saw her mother.


    ¡°Mom saved me.¡± Miaomiao believed that her mother had to have rescued her.

 CH 55

    With the exception of Zhou Yuan, the other children in their class truly believed that Miaomiao was taken away by bad people during her youth. The list of believers included Jingjing and Miaomiao herself.


    Therefore, everyone displayed a serious and sober demeanor towards this matter. The children thought that Miaomiao was quite strong and that the bad people were truly dangerous. Most children didn¡¯t know how to comfort victims of violence and abuse.


    They received bruises and would bleed when they bumped into objects. They would feel so much pain just from shedding a little blood. But Miaomiao shed a lot of blood¡­


    They looked at Miaomiao with admiration in their eyes.


    The sun was becoming brighter outside, so everyone moved to sit in the shadow underneath the podium.


    Miaomiao told everyone about her past, and all the children hearkened to her words attentively.


    Zhou Yuan sat next to her. He couldn¡¯t help but hold her hand as he listened to Miaomiao talk about her grisly past. As he stared into her eyes, he said in a sober tone, ¡°Miaomiao, you¡¯re amazing.¡±


    The other children agreed with his assessment. Despite the bad people inflicting so much harm on her, Miaomiao was fine now.


    Miaomiao peered at her scar once more, and she realized that it no longer looked so hideous.


    While they played and discussed the past, time passed quickly, and soon class reached its conclusion. The bell sounded.


    Immediately, everyone stood up and went to the canteen to buy some snacks and water.


    After exercising, running, and talking about her past, Miaomiao¡¯s throat was parched, so she hurried over to the corner to get a water bottle.


    But when she arrived, she found that her water bottle was gone.


    Miaomiao looked around, but found no trace of the bottle.


    When they saw her running around in panic, Jingjing and Zhou Yuan asked, ¡°Where¡¯s your water bottle?¡±


    Miaomiao¡¯s water bottle had a cherry blossom pink color with cat ears, which made it easy to spot on the verdant grass.


    The kids searched around again but still found no vestige of this water bottle.


    Miaomiao was a little worried, ¡°How did it disappear?¡±


    Jingjing said, ¡°Could it have been stolen?¡±


    Miaomiao frowned, ¡°Will I ever find it?¡±


    Zhou Yuan also joined in their search, but he couldn¡¯t find Miaomiao¡¯s water bottle.


    ¡°I¡­I¡­buy you¡­water bottle¡­¡± Deng Feng stammered.


    Producing ten yuan from his bottle, he headed over to the canteen to purchase four bottles of water. Also, he bought some spicy strips. While holding the water bottles and spicy strips, he was afraid that the snacks would slip from his grasp; therefore, he walked very carefully.


    Deng Feng always enjoyed spicy snacks.


    After handing the water to everyone, Deng Feng tore open the package of spicy strips, and a spicy scent immediately wafted into his nose. Then, he said, ¡°Eat¡­eat this!¡±


    Noticing the spicy strips, Jingjing gulped down her saliva and said, ¡°My mother said this is junk food.¡±


    Miaomiao knew this as well since Mother Hua told her not to consume such food.


    Deng Feng ate one despite their reproaches, and then he offered everyone a piece while commenting, ¡°It¡¯s delicious!¡±


    Jingjing took a bite after processing his words.


    It¡¯s spicy¡­and delicious.


    Miaomiao¡¯s thoughts still circled around the missing water bottle while she held the mineral water bottle with one hand and a spicy strip in the other.


    Her mother bought that water bottle for her a long time ago. Miaomiao was sad.


    I can¡¯t believe I lost it¡­I should¡¯ve just hung it around my neck¡­


    In fact, if the P.E. teacher hadn¡¯t told her that the water bottle was too heavy to carry during exercise when he noticed it around her neck for the first time, she would have just hung it around her neck in class.


    ¡°Miaomiao, it¡¯s really delicious! Try it!¡± Jingjing said.


    Miaomiao carefully took a bite of what her mother deemed to be junk food.


    So spicy and hot¡­


    Zhou Yuan took one look at the junk food and had a headache. It wasn¡¯t good to waste food, but it was worse if he ate it.


    Luckily for Zhou Yuan, he didn¡¯t have to eat it. Zhou Yuan calmly said to Deng Feng as he peered at the spicy strip in his hand, ¡°I can¡¯t eat spicy food for a few days.¡±


    ¡°I¡­eat!¡± As Deng Feng spoke, his eyes gleamed.


    This problem has been taken care of.


    Zhou Yuan then eyed Miaomiao nibbling on the spicy strip. She looked like a kitten.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Whenever I see Hua Miaomiao, I¡¯m reminded of how children are adorable.


    Although they indulged in the consumption of spicy strips and the downing of mineral water, they still couldn¡¯t change one thing; Miaomiao¡¯s water bottle was still nowhere to be found.


    Miaomiao returned to the classroom; she sat in her seat and heaved a sigh of disappointment.


    What should I do now¡­


    Miaomiao really liked the water bottle that her mother bought for her. And it could also store both hot and cold water.


    Jingjing declared, ¡°Someone must have stolen Miaomiao¡¯s water bottle. Once we find this person, we will be able to take the water bottle back.¡±


    Miaomiao thought this was a wondrous idea.


    Their classmates were frolicking around on the playground at that time. Everyone was always playing together, so they could say with certainty that it wasn¡¯t one of their classmates.


    They weren¡¯t the only ones who had physical education for their third class. At the time, many students were playing on the large playground.


    But where do we start? How do we know who took the water bottle?


    Three children engrossed themselves in their thoughts and surmises. Shortly after their return, Zhou Yuan left the classroom, so it was just Miaomiao, Jingjing, and Deng Feng.


    Jingjing came up with an idea, ¡°Miaomiao, how about we search every classroom for it during our nap time? Everyone will be asleep and nobody will know.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Miaomiao replied, ¡°The teacher wouldn¡¯t let us go.¡±


    Moreover, Jingjing¡¯s mother told her in secret not to let Jingjing do something bad.


    Miaomiao instinctively knew that it wasn¡¯t a good idea to search every classroom while everyone else was asleep.


    Jingjing rested her head on the table, ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do then¡­Wait, did you remember where you got that bottle?¡±


    Since she was a child, Jingjing has never been short on money, ¡°You head home today. Don¡¯t tell your mother that you lost your water bottle. If she asks, tell her that you left it at school and forgot to bring it back. After school, I¡¯ll buy you the exact same one.¡±


    Jingjing assumed that Miaomiao¡¯s nervosity about the missing water bottle was due to her fear of being scolded by her mother.


    Miaomiao shook her head, ¡°I do not remember.¡±


    In reality, she remembered the shop, but she would not allow Jingjing to buy it. She hearkened back to the words that her mother told her, ¡°Don¡¯t use other people¡¯s money.¡±


    After musing for a while, Deng Fend said, ¡°I will¡­go¡­tell¡­tell¡­the teacher.¡±


    At this moment, Zhou Yuan stepped into the classroom with a sheet of paper.


    Zhou Yuan placed the sheet of paper on his desk and began scribbling with a pen.


    The three children surrounded him, ¡°Zhouzhou, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I am trying to calculate which class the student is from.¡±


    Miaomiao saw Zhou Yuan draw several circles with the class number in them.


    Zhou Yuan expounded that he was in the teacher¡¯s office and found out which classes had P.E. during the morning.


    ¡°But we can¡¯t tell for sure who it is¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan said, ¡°We¡¯ll know in a bit.¡±


    In fact, the three were more curious about how he was going to determine who it was than locating the water bottle.


    But Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t explicate his plan to them in advance.


    Noon soon came. Today¡¯s lunch was very well-prepared, perhaps due to the open class.


    Miaomiao exchanged food with Zhou and ate slowly. Even though she was starving, she chewed very slowly. Her mother told her the importance of chewing each bite of food thirty time. After each bite, she counted how many times she chewed her food. After she had eaten enough, she rubbed her stomach.


    After eating, everyone had to stretch a little before taking a nap at 1:20 P.M.


    Zhou Yuan sauntered out of the classroom, followed by three children.


    Miaomiao whispered, ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    They were not allowed to leave school anymore. Miaomiao knew that they had caused a lot of trouble last time. Within her notebook, Miaomiao wrote in large letters to remind her not to leave school casually.


    It was different this morning since the principal accompanied them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fret. We¡¯re not going outside the school, ¡°Zhou Yuan responded.


    Deng Feng and Jingjing were not actually afraid. If anything, they were a little excited.


    Miaomiao breathed a sigh of relief. The four children quickly made their way to another building. Zhou Yuan said to Miaomiao, ¡°Let¡¯s go inside together.¡±


    Zhou Yuan opened the door to the security room. The security guards went outside for their lunch break during this time.


    Miaomiao was still a little frightened. She didn¡¯t understand why she felt this way.


    Deng Feng and Jingjing quickly sauntered in.


    After Zhou Yuan turned on the computer, he pressed the mouse a few times, and then the security footage of the playground appeared on the screen¡­


    Immediately afterwards, they all saw Miaomiao¡¯s water bottle in the grass. They didn¡¯t know how Zhou Yuan did it, but the images on the screen changed quickly.


    Soon, they saw a girl in a red jacket strolling over. She looked around, most likely to confirm that no one was looking at her, and then she crouched down and took the water bottle.


    Jingjing shouted, ¡°That girl! She stole the bottle!¡±


    He paused the video and took out his sheet to figure out the girl¡¯s classroom. After calculating for some time, he circled fourth-grade class 2.


    Zhou Yuan turned off the computer. The four children made their way towards fourth-grade class 2 in a majestic manner.


    Miaomiao halted and asked, ¡°But¡­how are we going to talk to her¡­¡±


    Jingjing replied, ¡°Well, it probably won¡¯t be as easy as simply ordering the thief to return our belongings.¡±


    Miaomiao was a little puzzled since she had no idea what to do.


    One of the things she wrote in her notebook was, ¡®I can¡¯t steal from others. If I do, mom will be sad¡¯.


    That girl¡¯s mother will definitely be sad and disappointed as well¡­


    Although Miaomiao couldn¡¯t pinpoint the reason in her heart, she felt that this matter brought her nothing but discomfort.


    The girl obviously did something wrong, but Miaomiao also felt a sense of discomfort.


    She was still too young and naive to understand that there were many cruel and unrelenting things, which happened in this world.


    Zhou Yuan said, ¡°Let¡¯s first talk to her.¡±


    Soon, the four little kids arrived at the threshold of fourth-grade class 2. Compared to the first graders, the fourth graders were substantially taller.


    In the security footage, the girl donned a red coat. They soon spotted the girl sitting in the first row.


    Zhou Yuan was well-known in their school, and everyone knew him to be a brilliant student in his class.


    The girl seated in the first row nearest the door asked, ¡°Who are you looking for?¡±


    Zhou Yuan pointed at the girl.


    ¡°Wang Yan, someone is looking for you.¡±


    The girl soon came out.


    ¡°Why are you looking for me?¡± Her eyes were clearly a little shifty, and it was obvious that she was trying to hide her guilt.


    When Miaomiao looked at the girl, her eyes were a little red, and she whispered, ¡°Did you find a pink water bottle with two cat ears¡­my mother bought it¡­while I was in P.E. class¡­I lost it¡­¡±


    Miaomiao was very anxious as she was afraid that the girl wouldn¡¯t hand over the bottle. If she didn¡¯t admit that she took it, then Zhou Yuan would bring her to the teacher¡­


    The girl squeezed her fist; then, she lowered her head and whispered, ¡°Yes, I have it. I¡¯ll give it back to you.¡±


    She returned to her classroom and then came out with her school bag. Then, she took out Miaomiao¡¯s bottle from her school bag and handed it to Miaomiao.


    Realizing that the girl had willingly returned her bottle, Miaomiao breathed a sigh of relief.


    Zhou Yuan grabbed Jingjing¡¯s arm to stop her from interposing.


    A feeling of happiness enveloped Miaomiao as she returned to her classroom with her water bottle. The mission was a success. The girl didn¡¯t deny nor refuse, and she got her precious bottle back.


    After filling up her water bottle, Miaomiao returned to her seat and immediately embraced Zhou Yuan.


    If Zhou Yuan wasn¡¯t so smart; then, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to find the water bottle, then everyone would¡¯ve condemned the girl for being a. It¡¯s a very, very sad thing.


    Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t avoid her embrace; instead, he rubbed Miaomiao¡¯s head.


    Miaomiao really has an incomparably pure heart.


    In reality, he never spoke about this incident to the teacher. What if he had been mistaken? What if the girl had grabbed the bottle impulsively and then realized her error? Everyone at school would know about this if he reported this to the teacher, which would tarnish her records and at such a young age at that.


    He was also surprised that Miaomiao handled it very well.


    Jingjing and Deng Feng, who believed that they had completed an important mission with them, also wanted to join in the hugging.


    Zhou Yuan hurriedly avoided them. The two of them had eaten two packets of spicy strips today, and his last act of kindness was to stay in the same room with them.

 CH 56

    Happiness and joy overtook Miaomiao as she gripped her water bottle that she got back. After retrieving the bottle, Miaomiao thought that the girl¡¯s mother wouldn¡¯t be sad anymore. The girl wouldn¡¯t be sad either.


    This doubled Miaomiao¡¯s happiness.


    When Zhou Yuan noticed the delight on her face due to the retrieval of the water bottle, he produced a marker and scribbled on the bottom, ¡°If you find this, please contact Hua Miaomiao from first grade.¡±


    His penmanship was impeccable, so he could carefully and clearly scrawl a message in such a small space.


    Once he had finished writing, he handed it to Miaomiao and said, ¡°If someone stumbles upon it, they¡¯ll know that it¡¯s yours now.¡±


    After glancing at her name under the water bottle, exhilaration overwhelmed Miaomiao. Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind.


    She looked at her water bottle one more time before placing it on her desk. Then she took out a pencil and tried to scribble something on her wrist. But because she wrote with a pencil, nothing was visible.


    Miaomiao looked at Zhou Yuan and asked, ¡°Zhouzhou, can I borrow your pen?¡±


    Zhou Yuan found her actions a little strange. But he handed her the pen immediately when she asked for it.


    Miaomiao took the pen and wrote on her wrist, ¡°If you find this, please contact Hua Miaomiao¡¯s mother.¡±


    The words were very large and crooked. Miaomiao read it twice and was very pleased with her penmanship.


    A smile spread across her face as she nodded in satisfaction. Then, she stretched out her hand and showed her artwork to Zhou Yuan.


    Miaomiao felt that Zhou Yuan had taught her so many things and that she was becoming more intelligent and sagacious.


    Zhou Yuan wrote those words to ensure that her water bottle wouldn¡¯t be taken by others. Even if it was taken by someone, it would be returned to her.


    Likewise, she wrote those words on her wrist to ensure that she wouldn¡¯t be taken by bad people, and even if she was taken away, they would take her back to her mother.


    Zhou Yuan glanced at these words and only said one sentence, ¡°You must wear this watch no matter what you do in the future.¡±


    Miaomiao nodded. It wasn¡¯t easy for her to remember things. Even though Zhou Yuan taught her how to use it, she always forgot it. But nowadays, Zhou Yuan relied on his phone watch to call her, so she knew how to easily operate it.


    During the afternoon, Mother Hua went to school to pick up Miaomiao. She discovered Miaomiao coming out of the classroom without her jacket, which exposed her arms. The scars on her arms were very conspicuous.


    Mother Hua stood still for a moment before holding Miaomiao¡¯s hand. While trying to hold back any terrible emotions, she announced to Miaomiao, ¡°Grandma said that Miaomiao returned home today with the principal.¡±


    Miaomiao slung her schoolbag on her shoulder and gripped her jacket with one hand. She hummed and answered, ¡°Zhouzhou forgot to wear his school uniform, so I gave him mine.¡±


    ¡°Well done, Miaomiao.¡±


    The mother and daughter strolled out of the school hand-in-hand. All of the other parents stared at them. When one person saw them, they pointed at them so that the others would also notice them, and then they would gawk at them.


    Mother Hua had a heartache, and her eyes turned misty.


    Perhaps they didn¡¯t stare at them out of malice. Perhaps her scars merely surprised them, but sadness still overtook Mother Hua. It made her wonder what Miaomiao thought of those eyes that gawked at her and whether these wounds carried any meaning for her¡­


    The scar removal cream only palliated the scarring to a certain extent. The most effective method to remove her scars completely was to perform surgery, but the surgery had risks to consider. They also had to consider Miaomiao¡¯s ability to endure the pain and recovery process. Additionally, she was dreadfully afraid of hospitals, so this issue was dragged out for a long time.


    Mother Hua had no choice but to squat down and conceal Miaomiao¡¯s scars with a jacket before Miaomiao felt the onlookers¡¯ gaze upon her and became uncomfortable. Even though her voice was a little hoarse, she tried to smile to keep Miaomiao from noticing something:


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit chilly; put your jacket on so that you won¡¯t get sick.¡±


    ¡°Mom, why do your eyes look red?¡± she asked while obediently slipping into her jacket.


    ¡°I have some sand in my eyes.¡± Mother Hua whispered. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine in a moment,¡± she kissed Miaomiao¡¯s forehead.


    Miaomiao wanted to inform Mother Hua about what had happened today in her P.E. class, but she never did.


    Now that Mother Hua was squatting down, she was the same height as Miaomiao. So Miaomiao leaned over and kissed her mother¡¯s cheek and kissed her mother¡¯s cheek, ¡°Muah.¡±


    Then, she said with ineffable pride, ¡°Mom is amazing!¡±


    Mother Hua was surprised. At that moment, the worrying thoughts that filled her heart had surrendered to her happiness and joy. However, she still had to act normally in order to not frighten Miaomiao, so she masked her concerns and pretended to be calm, ¡°How am I amazing?¡± She hugged Miaomiao as she asked.


    Putting her arms around her mother¡¯s neck, Miaomiao replied, ¡°Mom is strong. Mom found me and beat the bad guys up.¡±


    Since Miaomiao¡¯s language skills were poor, she started her sentences without a proper beginning.


    Mother Hua couldn¡¯t comprehend Miaomiao¡¯s words. Then she heard Miaomiao continue, ¡°I won¡¯t get lost in the future.¡±


    Miaomiao rolled up her sleeves, showed her arms to Mother Hua, and said in a tone that sounded like she wanted to be lauded, ¡°I wrote this.¡±


    Miaomiao wrote these words on the inside of her arm, so Mother Hua couldn¡¯t see them earlier.


    Mother Hua read the words.


    Afterwards, Little Miaomiao continued to talk about the water bottle. She also said two sentences about being kidnapped by some bad people when she was a child.


    Only then did Mother Hua connect the dots between both matters.


    Mother Hua realized only then that¡­Miaomiao considered her as her real mother while her biological parents were, in her eyes anyway, just those ¡°bad people¡± who took her away.


    Mother Hua didn¡¯t know how Miaomiao got this idea, but she felt as if her heart was immersed in an ocean of warmth.


    Mother Hua kissed Miaomiao on the forehead. Despite the overwhelming emotions in her heart, she softly but firmly told her, ¡°I won¡¯t let any more bad people take you away.¡±


    Miaomiao was still very young, so she only knew the comfort in her heart. She hummed and chirped, ¡°I¡¯ll only go outside when an adult holds my hand. I¡¯ll also use my phone watch.¡±


    She mused before adding in one extra line, ¡°So that the bad people won¡¯t take me away in the future.¡±


    As she peered at Little Miaomiao, Mother Hua couldn¡¯t help but kiss her again and said, ¡°What would Miaomiao like to eat at night? Mom will take you grocery shopping!¡±


    Miaomiao became excited when she heard that they were going to go vegetable-shopping. She still hadn¡¯t forgotten about how she would make money through her business.

 CH 57

    Since Miaomiao insisted on carrying her schoolbag, they first returned to their community to leave her bag in the office of the security guard.


    The security guard allowed them to keep Miaomiao¡¯s schoolbag in his office out of consideration for them. Mother Hua thanked him, and Miaomiao, who stood next to her, bowed soberly, ¡°Thank you, uncle.¡±


    Her youthful propriety amused the security guard, so he joked with her, ¡°No need to thank me. It¡¯s just one little favor. Uncle promises that no one will take your homework.¡±


    After all, kids don¡¯t like to do homework.


    Miaomiao obviously didn¡¯t understand his sarcasm. She nodded, thinking to herself, ¡®Uncle is a nice person.¡¯


    Mother Hua stifled her laughter and walked to the supermarket while holding Miaomiao¡¯s hand, ¡°What does Miaomiao want to eat for dinner?¡±


    Mother Hua asked her this same, exact question every day, and Miaomiao often replied that she was free to make whatever she desired. But today, she mused about it with great sobriety and replied, ¡°Meatballs¡­¡±


    The meatballs were delicious, and one could buy them individually. She eyed a shop outside the school that sold such mouth-watering meatballs for 50 cents each.


    Miaomiao mused over this for a while before deciding that she and her friends should also make some meatballs and sell them.


    Mother Hua was happy that Miaomiao took the initiative to tell her what she desired to eat.


    It was a big improvement since Miaomiao began showing more and more of her expressiveness.


    Soon, they reached the supermarket. Mother Hua entered the supermarket with Miaomiao. It was only then that Miaomiao realized that she should¡¯ve brought her schoolbag. If she had brought her schoolbag, then they wouldn¡¯t have to buy a grocery bag.


    One bag cost 30 cents, which was more than half the price of a meatball.


    Miaomiao remained silent in consideration in spite of this since they had already strolled into the supermarket, and it would cause trouble for her mother if they returned back to fetch her schoolbag. She carved a mental note into her mind to remember to bring her schoolbag here next time.


    The first thing Mother Hua did after she pulled out a cart was to go to the meat aisle to pick up some meat for Miaomiao since she wanted to eat meatballs.


    Pure lean meat could not be used to make meatballs; instead, Mother Hua selected the 70-80% lean meat, which cost 25 yuan per kilo.


    Seeing the rows of meat neatly lined up in front of her caused Miaomiao to gulp with delight.


    An employee had already weighed the meat and set its price, which was 36 yuan and 50 cents.


    This stunned Miaomiao for a moment when she overheard the employee telling her mother the price. As she suddenly raised her head, she saw her mother picking up some meat¡­


    So less¡­36 yuan and 50 cents¡­


    I need to sell¡­meatballs to earn that much money.


    Miaomiao still hadn¡¯t recovered from the shock of this price when Mother Hua took her to buy green onions, ginger, garlic, chili, and string beans.


    3.20, 5.60 yuan, 9.50 yuan¡­


    Miaomiao¡¯s eyes widened as she heard these prices, ¡°Mom¡­¡±


    Mother Hua placed the string beans, which she had just been charged for, into the shopping cart. Then, she lowered her head and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Why do you have to buy so much?¡± Miaomiao asked.


    Mother Hua replied, ¡°We¡¯ll stuff them all into the meatballs.¡±


    Miaomiao couldn¡¯t comprehend this hefty sum of money.


    So much money¡­


    After purchasing more vegetables, Mother Hua proceeded to the billing counter.


    Mother Hua noticed that Miaomiao looked lost as they approached the counter. The little girl¡¯s head was lowered, which was completely different from when they had entered the supermarket.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Mother Hua asked, carrying the bag, ¡°Did walking around shopping tire you out?¡±


    ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll carry it,¡± Miaomiao said as she shook her head and went to help carry the shopping bag in Mother Hua¡¯s bag.


    After watching them, the aunt at the billing counter couldn¡¯t help but smile and said, ¡°Your daughter is filial.¡±


    Miaomiao, who had just been praised, blushed while lowering her head in embarrassment. With a bag of vegetables in hand, Miaomiao walked quickly, as if she had more strength than she had prior.


    Mother Hua chased after her, ¡°Let¡¯s carry it together.¡±


    Mother Hua never discouraged her daughter from helping, but she held the other handle so that they could carry the bag together.


    Mother Hua sensed that Miaomiao still appeared somewhat dejected, but she had no clue why. She was unaware that this despondency was due to her shattered dreams.


    Miaomiao had this roseate dream that she could simply earn some money by making and selling food, but seeing the price of the meat in the supermarket caused her to succumb to despair¡­


    During dinner, Miaomiao ate the bowl of meatballs slowly to savor their taste. She even drained her soup down to the very last drop. After all, the food was purchased with money.


    As soon as Miaomiao finished eating, she video-called Zhou Yuan, Jingjing, and Deng Feng. ¡°We can¡¯t sell food, the meat is too expensive,¡± she said in frustration.


    Zhou Yuan was astonished that Miaomiao still remembered this. Given the child¡¯s forgetfulness, he thought that Miaomiao would¡¯ve forgotten about it by now.


    I made the right decision in choosing Little Miaomiao to be my partner. I didn¡¯t make a mistake at first glance.


    Zhou Yuan was a person who has studied various money-making methods for a while now, so he comforted her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯re only seven, you¡¯ll think of another way in the future.¡±


    After all, he never knew anyone who became successful at the tender age of seven.


    Of course, a reincarnated person wasn¡¯t included in his categorization of what a successful person is.


    Although Miaomiao hummed in response, she couldn¡¯t help fret over this matter.


    Jingjing then commented, ¡°Pork is expensive. Maybe we should raise pigs. My mother always said that it¡¯s better to raise a pig than me. You could sell pigs during Chinese New Year, but raising me would only force her to spend money.¡±


    Deng Feng asked her, ¡°Raise¡­raise¡­where?¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± After they had just talked about something more mature and adult-like, they immediately decided to succumb to their childish reveries and caprices again.


    Miaomiao froze for a few seconds. In the past, she had seen pigs when she was languishing in the enclosure that the bad people had immured her in. She was afraid of them, but Jingjing¡¯s words inspired her to try and raise pigs. But Miaomiao said, ¡°We can grow vegetables¡­¡±


    It was impossible to raise pigs, but vegetables could be bought and exchanged for money, and supermarket food was extremely expensive as well.


    Miaomiao believed that she could grow the vegetables herself.


    Zhou Yuan listened to her. Growing vegetables wasn¡¯t a very convenient method to earn money, but it was still much more reliable than raising pigs.


    Father Zhou, who hid behind the corner, couldn¡¯t contain his laughter at this point.


    When Zhou Yuan opened his closet door, he found his father sitting on the floor laughing.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The stock is going up, so I¡¯m very happy.¡± Father Zhou explained in an instant.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Now, Zhou Yuan understood why the majority of successful people started their own businesses. It was because part-time workers were often lied to and exploited.


    Since Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t have enough money to open his own account, he was helping his father with trading stocks while collecting commissions.


    Father Zhou felt his surroundings turn ice-cold, so he leaned towards the tablet with a calm expression and declared, ¡°Growing vegetables is a marvelous idea. Uncle will buy you the seeds. When you make a lot of money, you have to think of your uncle.¡±


    ¡°I will pay you back, uncle,¡± Miaomiao responded solemnly.


    In fact, she was already thinking about where to acquire the seeds.


    In her room, Mother Hua was reviewing the houses that her agency had sent her that met her specifications.


    Certainly, Mother Hua wasn¡¯t going to rent a house all the time.


    Mother Hua wasn¡¯t very satisfied after viewing a few houses. She realized that there were still no unread messages or missed calls after she left the homepage.


    She hasn¡¯t heard from that person for a few days.


    Mother Hua sighed.


    Mother Hua pressed her temples. She knew that Father Hua¡¯s family hadn¡¯t valued him since he was a child. He hadn¡¯t received enough parental love. When he grew up, he became more and more promising. In fact, she thought that it was the best for their family. She had no problem with him giving his parents so much money. In her heart, she knew that he couldn¡¯t tear himself away from his childhood past. There was also anger involved here, as in, ¡®See, you didn¡¯t like me before, but now you have to rely on me.¡¯


    She didn¡¯t want to disparage anyone. People only had one life to live. People lived their own lives; no one else could live their life for them.


    Mother Hua sighed, and then she realized that there was a problem. All of their deposit money between the two of them belonged to her, and there was only one house between the two of them. Naturally, Father Hua didn¡¯t carry much money on him either.


    We still haven¡¯t gone through with the divorce. What does he want to do?


    Mother Hua sent him a message after mulling over it for a while, ¡°When will we file for divorce? There are also some problems concerning property, so let¡¯s talk about those.¡±


    Within a few seconds, Father Hua messaged her back, ¡°Wait for a little while.¡±


    Mother Hua assented, then she put down the phone and went back to selecting a house.


    From outside, Miaomiao¡¯s voice drifted to her ears, ¡°Mom, can I go out with grandma and great-grandma? I want to go dancing.¡±

 CH 58

    Mother Hua paused, realizing that she had not drawn anything. She opened the study door and witnessed Miaomiao standing outside holding her grandmother¡¯s hand.


    Seeing her mother coming out, Miaomiao shyly announced, ¡°Mom, I finished all of my homework.¡±


    Mother Hua crouched down and kissed her forehead, ¡°Awesome, I¡¯ll go with you too.¡±


    While Miaomiao didn¡¯t understand much, she was sensitive to people¡¯s emotions. Behind her mother¡¯s smile, she sensed that she was upset.


    After dwelling on it, Miaomiao decided to go with Jingjing¡¯s idea. ¡°I¡¯ll dance for mommy,¡± she announced.


    She got down from her mother¡¯s arms, then she began dancing. It was the secret weapon that Jingjing had taught her.


    She was wearing a pink coat and her back was turned toward Mother Hua. Miaomiao stuck out her left food and placed her left hand on her hips to strike a pose.


    Miaomiao began moving instantly. Jumping around and dancing, she sang an off-tune song, ¡°There is only one mother in the world who is good, and a child with a mother is like treasure. Listen to the mother¡¯s words ~Don¡¯t hurt her~.¡±


    Even though she danced awkwardly, she looked very serious, so the pose at the start of her dance was one of her best.


    It was as if she was dancing like a clumsy penguin who tried very hard to wave her wings little by little.


    This amused Mother Hua so much that she burst into laughter.


    As she watched her mother¡¯s display of effervescence, Miaomiao believed that Jingjing¡¯s idea was very clever. Her knowledge of everything assisted in making her mother laugh.


    Miaomiao had no clue that her mother was laughing at her cuteness, whereas Miaomiao thought that her dance performance was very beautiful, which made her mother laugh at her.


    Mother Hua lifted her up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s hurry to the park. We can¡¯t delay your and your grandmother¡¯s dancing careers.¡±


    Miaomiao enjoyed performing in the square dances since there was music. She relished dancing to music.


    When they reached the park, Mother Hua and great-grandmother sat on a bench, while Miaomiao and grandmother danced with some of the performers.


    Mother Hua paused for a moment before pulling out her cell phone in order to record Miaomiao¡¯s dancing.


    As she tilted her head to the side, she noticed Zhou Yuan and his mother approaching them.


    After they had greeted each other, Mother Zhou looked over to Miaomiao, who was busy square dancing, and she looked very happy.


    Then, she cocked her head to Zhou Yuan and said, ¡°You should also go and dance with your classmates.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Mother Hua nodded in assent, ¡°That¡¯s a wonderful idea.¡±


    She then called Miaomiao back and said, ¡°Miaomiao, your classmate is here.¡±


    Miaomiao turned around and saw Zhou Yuan, who was still wearing her school uniform.


    Miaomiao darted over quickly, ¡°Are you here to dance with me?¡±


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t dance today,¡± Zhou Yuan replied hurriedly.


    Then, Miaomiao kept staring at him with her big, watery eyes since he didn¡¯t want to dance. He wouldn¡¯t agree to participate in this childish dance¡­no, it was actually old people dancing.


    Even though she didn¡¯t understand his reasoning and why he found it inappropriate to partake in this dance today, Miaomiao wouldn¡¯t be embarrassed by his statement. ¡°Watch me dance then,¡± she smiled and replied.


    Afterwards, she returned to her grandmother and continued to dance.


    Mother Zhou had a headache. When they went on their trip last time, out of the four children, her son and Hua family¡¯s daughter were quiet and weren¡¯t as exuberant or energetic as the other two children.


    Their daughter was not cute and vivacious, whereas her son still looked like an adult who masqueraded as a child.


    She also had a headache since he expressed his desire to go directly to college.


    Mother Zhou sighed. It wasn¡¯t because she had never considered allowing him to get a better education. The problem with him attending higher education classes was that he would be separated from his current environment. He would be surrounded by adults. Once that happened, he wouldn¡¯t be able to befriend anyone. They either wouldn¡¯t know how to interact with such a small boy, or they would treat him as a child. He would miss out on so many fun things.


    As Mother Zhou turned her head, she saw her son observing the little girl¡¯s square dance. An exuberant smile bloomed on his face.


    Mother Zhou: ¡°¡­¡±


    Mother Hua watched the square dancing, feeling a bit flustered in her heart.


    She still hasn¡¯t resolved the matter involving Father Hua. Thinking about it made her feel a tinge of anxiety.


    She still didn¡¯t know how to tell Miaomiao about this. She kept telling her that her father was working overtime and hadn¡¯t returned yet¡­but it definitely couldn¡¯t go on like this.


    First, Mother Hua decided to ease Miaomiao into understanding that divorce wasn¡¯t a very serious issue. Aside from her, Miaomiao would also have a grandmother and great-grandmother.


    Zhou Yuan and Mother Zhou had already left when the square dance concluded, but Miaomiao still wanted to dance some more.


    When Miaomiao returned home, she instantly drifted off to her dreams after taking a bath. It was probably due to her exhaustion from dancing today.


    Mother Hua took her daughter, who had fallen asleep, back to her bedroom and rubbed the scar removal cream onto her skin.


    The palliative cream has almost run out. Mother Hua took out her phone and set a reminder for noon tomorrow. She needed to go to the hospital to fetch some more.


    Afterwards, Mother Hua brushed Miaomiao¡¯s hair. By this time, Miaomiao was fast asleep.


    Mother Hua thought that Miaomiao never once mentioned her father.


    What was going through her little head? How does she feel about this?


    It seemed as though it would have very little effect on her, even if she didn¡¯t have a father.


    Father Hua was only able to accompany Miaomiao a few times due to his work obligations.


    Mother Hua fell asleep as she held Miaomiao in her arms. There were still a lot of other problems to think about.


    The next day, Miaomiao noticed three packages on her desk when she arrived at school.


    At first, Miaomiao thought they were snacks, but when she picked them up, she saw a verdant picture. It turned out to be cabbage seeds.


    Zhou Yuan told her, ¡°My dad bought it for you.¡±


    Miaomiao¡¯s eyes lit up, but she still remembered what her mother had said, ¡°How much?¡±


    Zhou Yuan was involved in this business, but he didn¡¯t care for social interactions, so he said, ¡°Five yuan per package.¡±


    ¡°Five yuan per package, then three packages¡­¡±


    Miaomiao quickly produced a pen and calculated, and then she uttered in surprise, ¡°Fifteen yuan. I have that much.¡±


    She was very happy because in comparison to meat, it was so much cheaper.


    She had fifteen yuan with her. Every day, Mother Hua handed her ten yuan. However, Miaomiao would place it back inside the change box. After discovering it, Mother Hua began to put the money in Miaomiao¡¯s schoolbag.

 CH 59

    Miaomiao handed Zhou Yuan fifteen dollars. Zhou Yuan took the money and put it aside. He turned back towards her to see Miaomiao¡¯s eyebrows arching upwards with a smile as she looked at the seeds with delight.


    Zhou Yuan found her gesture very cute and asked her, ¡°Do you have any idea how to grow vegetables?¡±


    Miaomiao knew how to. Last night, she secretly asked her grandmother who explicated everything in detail to her.


    ¡°I have to dig the earth first, then I have to plant the seeds in it. Then, I sprinkle some water onto it to make them grow into vegetables,¡± Miaomiao replied confidently. She had already found a place to plant her vegetables.


    Zhou Yuan was pleased with her confident look. He now had the experience of witnessing her confidence and ardor; therefore, he no longer had the propensity to tear down the children¡¯s dreams. Instead, he believed that they could turn their dreams into reality.


    After all, he didn¡¯t want to tear down their final dream of becoming food merchants.


    Zhou Yuan returned to his book and continued reading.


    Miaomiao stowed the seeds away in her school bag. She couldn¡¯t wait to sow them in her garden when she returned home.


    Afternoon came, and Miaomiao was planning to speak with her mother about the seeds, but her grandmother came to pick her up in the afternoon.


    Occasionally, grandmother would pick Miaomiao up. Miaomiao was already accustomed to it since she knew her mother was probably working overtime to earn some extra money.


    Grandmother¡¯s eyes were swollen, and her voice was hoarse as she asked ¡°What does Miaomiao want to eat for dinner tonight? Do you want meatballs?¡±


    Last night, Miaomiao ate all the meatballs and drained all of her soup, so grandmother asked her if she would like some meatballs again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want meatballs today,¡± Miaomiao shook her head.


    Mom doesn¡¯t like meat, and grandmother doesn¡¯t like it either. And my great-grandmother can¡¯t eat too much meat. Meat is very expensive, so I have to finish most of it after buying it.


    Grandmother pressed again, ¡°Then, what would Miaomiao like to eat?¡±


    Her thoughts circled around her seeds, which were cabbage seeds, and Miaomiao answered, ¡°Stir-fried cabbage.¡±


    To attract more customers to her stall, she desired to learn how to make delicious, stir-fried cabbage from her mother so that she could display it as a sample when she began selling vegetables in the future.


    Miaomiao came up with the idea as if it were natural to her.


    Grandmother replied, ¡°Let¡¯s go grocery-shopping now.¡±


    Grandmother and Miaomiao often went shopping for groceries together. When she returned home, she discovered that her mother had not yet returned. Even if she worked overtime before, she should be back by now.


    Miaomiao helped her grandmother sift through the vegetables in the kitchen today. Although grandmother helped her, she looked a little unhappy.


    Soon, it was time for dinner. ¡°Grandma, when will mom be back?¡± Miaomiao asked carefully.


    When she heard Miaomiao¡¯s question, grandmother, who was lost in her thoughts, snapped back to reality and responded, ¡°Your mother called earlier. She said she might need to work until late in the night today. Would you like to sleep with me and great-grandma tonight?¡±


    Miaomiao lowered her gaze and thought for a moment.


    I haven¡¯t told mom about the seeds. If I sleep with grandma and great-grandma, then mom will have to sleep alone when she returns¡­


    Miaomiao said, ¡°I have a lot of homework today, and I¡¯ll go to bed when my mother gets home.¡±


    Grandmother received a call from Mother Hua not long after.


    Mother Hua, who spoke from the other side of the phone, asked, ¡°Is Miaomiao asleep?¡± She pressed her temple as she asked.


    Grandmother headed to the balcony, ¡°She¡¯s not yet asleep. She is still doing her homework right now. She¡¯s waiting for your return.¡±


    Mother Hua remained silent for some time.


    Grandmother continued, ¡°It¡¯s okay. She¡¯s obedient, so I¡¯ll coax her to sleep once more. She will understand. How are you? Would you like me to visit you? Have you eaten yet?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I had already eaten dinner.¡± Mother Hua paused, ¡°You should also go to bed early.¡±


    While doing her homework, Miaomiao was already feeling very drowsy. She couldn¡¯t hold out until her mother returned to her and fell asleep at around 10 o¡¯clock on the table. Her grandmother saw this and carried her back to her room.


    Grandmother didn¡¯t know how to tell Miaomiao that her mother had been injured in an accident.


    Mother Hua was involved in a traffic accident today on her way to work and fractured a bone.


    Miaomiao loves her mother very much. I can imagine that this would be a big deal for Miaomiao when she finds out.


    Meanwhile, Mother Hua ate some supper that the nursing staff had brought for her. She stayed in a single ward. When she thought of Miaomiao, she couldn¡¯t help but take out her mobile phone and watch the video of Miaomiao partaking in the square dances.


    I have no idea whether Miaomiao is asleep or not.


    At this point, someone knocked on the door, and Mother Hua assumed it was a nurse. She uttered, ¡°Please, come in.¡±


    Then, she saw a man in a white coat entering the room. He walked straight over to her bedside and sat down.


    Mother Hua wasn¡¯t surprised when he arrived. This hospital was the nearest hospital. It was impossible to go to a hospital that was located further away, because of this person.


    Father Hua combed through her medical records. Then he sat over and examined her head.


    Mother Hua had fractured her calf, and her head needed to be examined.


    Neither of them spoke.


    There was an awkward atmosphere in the room. Two people, who were once close, felt strange now.


    ¡°If you want to show sympathy to me, you could do so by dividing up the property,¡± uttered Mother Hua. It would be very awkward if they didn¡¯t divorce due to her injury.


    Over the years, she had accumulated more money for herself. Her mother and grandmother had pensions and insurance; therefore, they didn¡¯t ask for that much money either. Father Hua gave a lot to the Hua family every year, so Mother Hua wasn¡¯t about to divide their properties into equal portions.


    Father Hua then said, ¡°I never intended to divorce.¡±


    The room was plunged into silence as the awkwardness overwhelmed the atmosphere.


    Mother Hua still might have believed Father Hua if he announced his refusal to divorce at the beginning. But Father Hua never sought her out even once, and the house where they used to live in, was bequeathed to his brother and mother.


    Mother Hua never commented anything to him since he was a filial son. But she felt that his statement that he had never intended to divorce held no weight.


    How did we end up in such an awkward and embarrassing situation?


    For a while, dejection overcame Mother Hua.


    Mother Hua replied, ¡°I¡¯m tired. Just let me sleep.¡±


    Father Hua sat there for a while before leaving.


    It¡¯s still too slow, so I have to speed it up.


    His phone began ringing after a while. When he answered it, he heard the caller say, ¡°When will you return, those people will be back¡­¡±


    Father Hua sighed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They only have the guts to give people a fright, but they won¡¯t actually do anything.¡±


    He then continued, ¡°I still have a surgery to attend to. I¡¯ll talk about it later.¡±

 CH 60

    Father Hua hung up the phone and noticed that there was yet another unread text message from the housing agency.


    He  returned the message and sat there for a while.


    It was already past two o¡¯clock in the morning when he returned home. When he arrived at the door, he saw that the front of their house was painted red. He felt as if he was back in the past a few years ago when he watched this.


    The situation was the same at that time. When he encountered a malicious medical problem, the other party also came to the house.


    The other party was his mother who had a slightly ugly expression on her face when she saw him walking in. It appeared as if she didn¡¯t sleep well.


    Father Hua said, ¡°The hospital said that they can¡¯t let this matter escalate, and they want me to handle it myself. I won¡¯t take the money out. This is a society with laws and regulations. I don¡¯t believe that they will really dare to kill someone.¡±


    His sister-in-law nudged Grandmother Hua¡¯s elbow and replied, ¡°Second brother, they keep blocking the door day and night. We can¡¯t live in peace if they keep doing this. Xiaojun is only seven years old. If we refuse to give them any money, then what will happen to the child?¡±


    Father Hua answered in irritation, ¡°No, we can¡¯t give in to their demands.¡±


    ¡°Why not?!¡± his sister-in-law shouted in a sharp and sonorous voice, ¡°I have witnessed a lot of these cases on the Internet! Everyone has been destroyed!¡±


    Grandmother Hua asked with care, ¡°Isn¡¯t your wife a fashion designer who makes over a million yuan a year? She must be rich.¡±


    As Father Hua pressed his temples in irritation, he replied, ¡°We didn¡¯t plan to have any kids, so we don¡¯t have any money deposited in the bank. We both spent our salaries.¡±


    Upon hearing this, the second sister-in-law¡¯s expression was fraught with ire.


    Father Hua raised his head and said, ¡°By the way, I send a lot of money to my family every year, mom¡­¡±


    Out of nowhere, Grandmother Hua erupted in anger, ¡°What do you mean by that? Who paid for your college education? Who raised you with care? You gave us a little money, and you still remember only this? Do you want us to return the money then?¡±


    Father Hua sighed, ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s do that right now.¡±


    After that display of temerity, he quickly left the house, since he couldn¡¯t stay there.


    For a moment, Father Hua didn¡¯t know what he had been aiming for?


    After the university admitted me, I thought that I was destined for greatness. Later, I married someone I loved, and then I lived like this.


    Father Hua realized that the only time when he felt like he was himself was during that period with his wife.


    Mother Hua was lying on her bed. A caregiver was already asleep next to her. She was still awake due to the pain on her calf¡­also, she was musing about many things.


    The issue of accountability surrounding the accident and some issues concerning the company.


    And more importantly, how was she going to inform Miaomiao about this matter. Miaomiao¡¯s grandmother sent a message stating that Miaomiao was already asleep. But, what if she woke up in the middle of the night and found out that she wasn¡¯t home yet? What would they say to her the next day?


    In truth, Mother Hua feared that Miaomiao would be worried. Miaomiao mulled over things very seriously. Now that she was livelier and happier, she wasn¡¯t willing to make her despondent again.


    Mother Hua wasn¡¯t wrong.


    In the middle of the night, Miaomiao woke up in a daze. She felt like someone was next to her.


    It¡¯s grandma.


    For a moment, Miaomiao was stunned.


    Grandma is sleeping next to me. Where is mom then?


    Miaomiao climbed down the bed and discovered that there were no slippers under the bed for her to adorn, since her grandmother simply wiped Miaomiao¡¯s feet and carried her directly to sleep in her own bed.


    The darkling gloom engulfed the room, so Miaomiao had trouble opening the door. As soon as she opened it, she traversed into the next room.


    Mom hasn¡¯t returned yet.


    Dad used to work overtime too. Especially late into the night¡­


    When Miaomiao entered the room, she climbed onto the bed and didn¡¯t return to her grandmother¡¯s room.


    She pulled the quilt over herself and drifted off to sleep.


    When mom comes back, we can snuggle up under a warm blanket.


    Usually, children slept a lot. After tossing and turning, Miaomiao finally drifted off to her dreams.


    The next morning, the ring of a mobile phone woke Grandmother up. When she answered the call, she heard Mother Hua ask, ¡°Mom, have you woken up?¡±


    Grandmother replied, ¡°I¡¯ll get up soon.¡±


    She reached out her hand and touched the side of the bed.


    Where¡¯s Miaomiao?


    Grandma was so shocked that she sprang up immediately. She hurriedly looked down on the floor, but there was no trace of Miaomiao.


    She got out of bed, and she calmly spoke to Mother Hua, ¡°I¡¯ll make breakfast; then, I¡¯ll send Miaomiao off to school soon and visit you at the hospital. Don¡¯t worry, I know how to take care of kids.¡±


    Mother Hua replied, ¡°I was worried, but now I¡¯m even more worried.¡±


    Grandmother quickly ended the call and looked around nervously for Miaomiao in the house.


    Fortunately, she soon found Miaomiao in the room adjacent to hers.


    Grandmother was almost frightened to death. She thought that Miaomiao ran outside by accident¡­


    Miaomiao awoke leisurely, ¡°Mom?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s grandma.¡± Grandmother walked over and hugged Miaomiao.


    Grandmother continued, ¡°Mom came back late last night but left again this morning. She said that there was something wrong with the company.¡±


    As she scrunched her face, Miaomiao looked a little upset.


    Mom is working overtime again to get more money.


    Grandmother took Miaomiao to the bathroom to wash.


    Miaomiao closed her eyes, washed her face, and then asked, ¡°What time does class end? Can I call my mother then?¡±


    Miaomiao had a phone watch. The teacher never confiscated it. But the watch told her that she couldn¡¯t make a phone call during class while she was in school.*


    Miaomiao thought that there was an end or a repose to her mother¡¯s overtime work, just like how Miaomiao¡¯s class ended every day or had break times.


    For a moment, Grandmother was stunned. Then, she miraculously realized that the end of class meant a break.


    Grandmother noticed how much Miaomiao yearned for her mother, so she responded, ¡°You can call her right now.¡±


    Miaomiao was a little surprised. As it turned out, she could call her right now.


    She hurried to call Mother Hua. Mother Hua¡¯s phone number was saved in her phone watch.


    Miaomiao was a little nervous as she heard the beep sound.


    Then, she heard a questioning voice, ¡°Miaomiao?¡±


    ¡°Mom!¡± Miaomiao quickly shouted.


    ¡°Hey, mom is here. Does Miaomiao miss me? I missed you too.¡±


    Miaomiao was morose, and she almost cried. She said, ¡°Well, I miss mom.¡±


    ¡°Mom misses Miaomiao a lot, too. Mom will be working overtime for a few days, and then I¡¯ll come back. Afterwards, I won¡¯t need to work overtime anymore,¡± said Mother Hua.


    A few days¡­


    That¡¯s a long time¡­


    She has to work overtime to make money¡­


    It¡¯s all about the money.


    Miaomiao remembered what Jingjing told her about her tuition fees.


    Miaomiao¡¯s thoughts circled around her vegetable-selling idea that she concocted and said, ¡°Mom, you don¡¯t have to work overtime anymore. I¡¯ll stop studying so that you don¡¯t need to pay for my tuition fees or for my school meals¡­I¡¯ll grow some vegetables and sell¡­Chinese cabbage for two yuan¡­¡±


    Mother Hua listened to her and felt surprised by her statements. She felt like laughing, but her heart was simultaneously filled with saturnine sadness.


    How does this youngster come up with these ideas? Also, growing vegetables and selling them like an adult.


    Mother Hua said, ¡°Mom promises you that I will work for a few more days. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll call you every day. And you must study. How will you know how much to charge someone for two and a half catties when you start your vegetable business?¡±


    Miaomiao was stunned.


    Two and a half catties. A catty costs two yuan and 50 cents; then, two and a half catties would be¡­how much?


    ¡°I¡¯ll let Zhouzhou count,¡± Miaomiao replied.


    ¡°But Zhouzhou has to study. He has to go to university. Jingjing and Deng Feng also have to go to university.¡±


    While Mother Hua was busy conversing with Miaomiao, Grandmother took advantage of this time to quickly make breakfast.


    Grandmother made two cups of soy milk with red bean paste and red dates; then, she served them to Miaomiao, ¡°Miaomiao, eat your breakfast. Grandma will bring you to school later.¡±


    Miaomiao reluctantly ended the call.


    Miaomiao was sitting on the table with a sullen expression. She started at the seeds after her arrival at school. During this transitory moment, she wished that the seeds would quickly sprout and grow so that she could begin her vegetable business.


    When Zhou Yuan arrived, Miaomiao raised her head and asked him, ¡°Zhouzhou, I have a question for you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Zhou Yuan asked, putting his schoolbag on the desk. He noticed that Miaomiao was in a sullen mood today.


    She was like a small sapling, whose leaves were drooping.


    ¡°If one catty cost 2 yuan, how much should someone give me if they want to buy 2 and a half catties?¡± This question was nagging Miaomiao during her entire journey to school; therefore, she asked it very eloquently.


    ¡°Five yuan. What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zhou Yuan asked.


    ¡°Zhou Yuan. Can you help me collect money when I grow vegetables in the future?¡± Miaomiao held her cheek in her hand and peered at Zhou Yuan, awaiting his response.


    She already asked Jingjing, but Jingjing gave no response for a long time.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± How do I answer this?


    He couldn¡¯t help but remember something that he once said, ¡®God didn¡¯t bestow upon me this IQ just to use in kindergarten and first grade¡­¡¯


    Is it possible that I was conferred this IQ to become a greengrocer and to collect money from my vegetable sales?


    Miaomiao continued, ¡°I¡¯ll give you half of the money when the time comes.¡±


    Zhou Yuan wasn¡¯t interested and replied, ¡°You should read more books, and then you¡¯ll forget about it later.¡±


    Like an adult who was crushed by the burdens of life, Miaomiao sighed, ¡°Oh.¡±


    She continued, ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to school anymore. Mom has to earn money to pay for my tuition¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± If I recall correctly, her family doesn¡¯t have any money problems; they aren¡¯t in a state of indigence. Why does Miaomiao always complain about not having enough money at home?


    ¡°Miaomiao, did something happen?¡± questioned Zhou Yuan.


    ¡°My mother has to work overtime again.¡± Miaomiao said, ¡°She came home late last night; then, she left early in the morning. I don¡¯t get to see her at all.¡±


    Miaomiao said as she lapsed into a saturnine mood, ¡°It would be great if I didn¡¯t have to study and work overtime with my mother to earn money.¡±


    As he watched the tears forming in her eyes, Zhou Yuan said, ¡°But companies only recruit college students. You have to finish college before you can find a job and work with your mom.¡±


    Miaomiao hummed, slouched down on the table, and replied, ¡°University. It¡¯s so far away¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan wanted to tell her that if everything goes according to plan, he would be able to attend university next semester.


    Watching Miaomiao long for her mother with inexplicable forlornity caused him to become a little concerned about one little thing.


    If I¡¯m no longer in this class, would she also yearn for my presence?


    Wait, this shouldn¡¯t be something I need to think about.


    Headteacher Li stepped into the classroom and saw Miaomiao lying on the table. She looked very glum.


    Teacher Li also felt sorry for Miaomiao. Earlier today, a classmate told her that Sister Hua was involved in a car accident; therefore, she couldn¡¯t come to her.


    She walked over to Miaomiao and ruffled her hair. ¡°Is Miaomiao alright?¡± she asked.


    Miaomiao was in a sullen mood because she still missed her mother. Her mother said it would be several days before her overtime work concluded. Miaomiao whispered in response, ¡°Miaomiao doesn¡¯t feel so good¡­¡±

 CH 61

    ¡°Miaomiao doesn¡¯t feel so good¡­¡±


    Teacher Li was heartbroken when she heard her little voice. She ran a hand through Miaomiao¡¯s hair and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Your mom will be back soon.¡±


    Miaomiao responded, ¡°Mom said that it would take a few more days.¡±


    Teacher Li thought that this wasn¡¯t a big problem for this instance.


    Then, the class bell sounded, and Teacher Li returned to the blackboard.


    An inexplicable suspicion began to nag Zhou Yuan. Teacher Li and Miaomiao didn¡¯t seem to be talking about the same thing.


    Miaomiao¡¯s mom was supposed to be working overtime, so why did Teacher Li wear such a complicated and crestfallen expression?


    Afternoon came and school had ended. During this time, Miaomiao still sat in her seat and waited for her grandmother to arrive and pick her up.


    Mom has to work overtime, so grandma has to come to pick me up.


    Her classmates left one by one, but grandmother still hasn¡¯t arrived.


    Miamiao stood up from her seat and stood atop her stool. She looked out of the classroom to see if her grandmother had arrived.


    Father Zhou stood in front of the door and was waiting for his own son to come out, but he still hasn¡¯t come out yet.


    What is he up to today? Why hasn¡¯t he come out yet?


    Zhou Yuan peered at Miaomiao and tried to comfort her, ¡°Your grandma is on her way. Because of her age, she walks slowly. Miaomiao, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    After a while, Grandmother reached Miaomiao¡¯s school. She was gasping for air because she rushed to her place of learning in a hurry. Earlier, she paid a visit to Mother Hua at the hospital during the afternoon. After spending some time in the hospital, she left the hospital early in order to pick Miaomiao up from school, but she got stuck in traffic along the way.


    She noticed Miaomiao and another child exiting the classroom hand-in-hand.


    Miaomiao also caught sight of her grandmother and uttered to herself, ¡°Grandma. Please walk slowly¡­Miaomiao isn¡¯t in a hurry.¡±


    Sometimes, Miaomiao liked to refer to herself in the third person when she spoke to herself.


    Grandmother looked at her, ¡°Sorry. Grandma is late.¡±


    When they reached the school¡¯s gates, Father Zhou picked Zhou Yuan up, and then they bid their farewells before separating from Miaomiao and her grandmother.


    As soon as they separated, Father Zhou couldn¡¯t help but utter, ¡°Big brother. I¡¯m starting to believe that your mother was correct. You have to play with other children of the same age to be friends.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Father Zhou continued, ¡°I¡¯m serious. By the way, we¡¯re making money again.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Father Zhou: ¡°I heard that the University of Political Science and Law is accepting students for double-degree minors.¡±


    Zhou Yuan finally commented, ¡°You guys decided to enroll into the University of Political Science and Law?¡±


    Zhou Yuan wasn¡¯t prepared to study law.


    Father Zhou: ¡°I meant that they have their minor courses during the evenings and on weekends.¡±


    Zhou Yuan voiced, ¡°But I¡¯m not planning to study law.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever seen seven or eight year olds decide for themselves what they wanted to learn?¡±


    Father Zhou flashed him a smile, ¡°I recommend studying law first, and then you can decide what you truly wish to study.¡±


    Recently, Zhou Yuan was helping him with stock speculation, and he realized that he needed to learn more about them.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­Would mom allow me?¡±


    Father Zhou revealed another smile, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Didn¡¯t she say that you¡¯ll be given permission to attend some college courses next semester? Then, you could minor in a double degree when the time comes.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Simultaneously, Miaomiao was also musing about whether or not she should go to university since Zhou Yuan told her that she needed to attend university classes if she wanted to work with her mother.


    Miaomiao wanted to stay with her mother.


    During her conversation with Miaomiao, Grandmother touched on Mother Hua¡¯s college entrance exams. After listening to her, Miaomiao realized that it would require many, many years of painstaking and assiduous learning before should could finally attend college.


    Grandmother elucidated that she could go to college in 11 years.


    Miaomiao pondered for a while.


    I¡¯m only seven years old right now. Eleven years is more than the years I¡¯ve been alive.


    Miaomiao thought it would take too long.


    Because of Mother Hua¡¯s ¡°working overtime,¡± they didn¡¯t go square dancing that night. Grandmother had to take care of both Great-grandmother and Miaomiao, which wasn¡¯t an easy task. It was a bit troublesome for her.


    So, after Miaomiao had finished her homework, she immediately went to bed.


    Grandmother was going to ask Miaomiao to sleep with her, but Miaomiao wanted to sleep in her own room because she believed that her mother would eventually come back.


    Miaomiao opined that her mother¡¯s overtime work was exactly the same as her fathers; he would come home late every night before leaving early in the morning.


    Mother Hua would go to sleep in their room when she returned in the middle of the night. Therefore, Miaomiao wanted to sleep in their shared room so that when Mother Hua returned, she would be able to catch a glimpse of Miaomiao and sleep with her.


    Grandmother allowed her to sleep alone, but she made sure to lock the main door from the inside. Then, she shut all the windows tight.


    Immediately afterwards, she sent a text message to Mother Hua, ¡°Miaomiao was very obedient today. She caused no trouble and is already fast asleep.¡±


    Mother Hua perused the message, and it didn¡¯t surprise her. She always knew that Miaomiao was a good child and had never caused her any trouble. Adults are the irksome ones since they caused so much anguish and suffering for Miaomiao.


    When Grandmother left, Miaomiao, who was lying on the bed, immediately sat up. She couldn¡¯t fall asleep and ardently waited for her mother¡¯s return.


    I miss mom very much. I want to see mom.


    A small night light was on in her room, which made people feel drowsy if they espied it for too long.


    Miaomiao sat at the head of the bed and eventually dozed off.


    She eventually fell asleep in a sitting position and fell backwards on the headboard, hitting her head. Her body fell to the side, which woke Miaomiao up by surprise. There was a thick carpet beneath Miaomiao¡¯s bed so that even if she fell down, she wouldn¡¯t injure herself.


    Miaomiao breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she realized. Then she found out that her mother still hadn¡¯t returned.


    Somnolence filled Miaomiao¡¯s heart. She wanted to sleep, but she couldn¡¯t. She pried open her eyelids using her fingers.


    Don¡¯t sleep. Don¡¯t sleep. If I fall asleep, I won¡¯t be there when mother returns¡­


    Miaomiao¡¯s somnolence began to blur her weary eyes, but she could still hear with great acuity. She heard the crowing of roosters in the neighborhood and the barking of dogs¡­


    She had no idea what time it was. Suddenly, someone opened the door. Miaomiao sat up and shouted in surprise, ¡°Mom!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s grandma, Miaomiao. Come out for breakfast. We have to get you to school soon. Mom came back last night, but she had to leave early this morning. Would you like to call her?¡± Grandmother asked.


    Due to the lack of sleep last night, Miaomiao¡¯s head was spinning this morning. Tears began streaming down her face when she heard her white lie, and her voice cracked as she said, ¡°No¡­no¡­¡±


    Grandmother was frightened by her crying. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked hurriedly as she hugged Miaomiao, ¡°Are you injured?¡±


    Miaomiao widened her eyes, and one could see the reddish tincture within them. Tears fell down her face. ¡°Mom¡­.didn¡¯t come back¡­.¡±


    Miaomiao gazed into her eyes and combined with what she had said, she asked, ¡°Miaomiao¡­.didn¡¯t you get any sleep last night?¡±


    For a child, who slept 12 hours a day, it was an incredible feat to stay awake all night long.


    Grandmother was at her wit¡¯s end, and she prioritized getting Miaomiao to sleep.


    Grandmother hugged Miaomiao and said, ¡°Miaomiao, you need to sleep.¡±


    Miaomiao cried, and her eyes hurt a lot, ¡°Miaomiao can¡¯t sleep¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll call your mother.¡± Grandmother didn¡¯t want to tell Mother Hua since she feared that it would cause her concern, but she had to tell her now. She didn¡¯t want the child to endure two whole days without any sleep.


    When she heard this, Mother Hua was so distressed that she wanted to rush back, ¡°Give Miaomiao the phone.¡±


    Grandmother called Mother Hua to inform her that Miaomiao was awake all night long and was awaiting her return. She was right next to Miaomiao when she said this.


    Miaomiao felt that she had committed a wrong. As soon as she received the phone, she felt as if she was wrong and sadly cried, ¡°Mom¡­I didn¡¯t mean to stay awake¡­¡±

 CH 62

    Upon hearing her response, Mother Hua was a little choked up, ¡°Miaomiao. Mom will definitely return in two days. I¡¯ll explain to Teacher Li that you won¡¯t be going to school today. You should stay home and sleep, okay?¡±


    Miaomiao hummed between her sobs.


    Mom has to work overtime and can¡¯t come home¡­


    Miaomiao laid on her bed. She closed her eyes but her eyelashes still trembled. Grandmother could tell from a glance that she wasn¡¯t asleep.


    A hurricane of distress overtook Grandmother. She walked out of the room and called Mother Hua, ¡°Let me take Miaomiao to the hospital. She closed her eyes, but she couldn¡¯t sleep. The worry is gnawing at her.¡±


    An image of a restless Miaomiao who waited for her return began to float within her mind. Her turns began to tear up and become red. She replied, ¡°She¡¯s very scared of the hospital.¡±


    Mother Hua didn¡¯t know if Miaomiao¡¯s traumatic experiences still affected her at this age. But she feared letting Miamiao come into contact with anything related to her gruesome experiences.


    Grandmother then sighed, ¡°Then, are you going to ban her from ever going to a hospital forever? What will you do if she gets a cold or a fever? Anyways, I think that Miaomiao is stronger than you think. At the beginning, you told me that she lacked the courage to even talk to strangers. Anyone who spoke with a loud voice, would frighten her. But now, she has broken out of her shell. She says ¡®thank you¡¯ to people; she follows us to the supermarket to buy food; she goes square dancing; she introduces herself to the old people performing their square dances, and lastly she raises her hand to answer questions at school.¡±


    Mother Hua remained silent for a brief moment before saying, ¡°Well, tell her about my situation but do it in a pleasant way. And don¡¯t make it sound like my predicament is something serious or life-threatening.¡±


    Grandmother heaved a sigh of relief, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll talk to her.¡±


    Grandmother hung up the phone and traversed into Miaomiao¡¯s room, ¡°Miaomiao, get up. Let¡¯s go see your mother.¡±


    Miaomiao immediately sat up, ¡°Can we really go see mom? Then, what about great-grandma?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll stay home, watch TV, and wait for our return.¡±


    Recently, Great-grandmother has been watching a show called ¡°Stepmother¡¯s Spring.¡± There were still a lot of episodes that she hadn¡¯t watched yet.


    Miaomiao quickly wiped her tears, and then she went to fetch her clothes, ¡°Grandma, please turn around. I¡¯m going to change.¡±


    Grandmother smiled and asked, ¡°Do you want me to help you change?¡±


    ¡°Mom told me that I shouldn¡¯t let anyone else change my clothes except for her,¡± Miaomiao replied as she shook her head in refusal.


    Grandmother: ¡°¡­¡± It¡¯s because I wasn¡¯t living here at that time.


    Miaomiao changed her vestments on her own; then, she quickly grabbed her Grandmother¡¯s hand and said to her Grand-mother, who was sitting in the living room, ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    ¡°Grand-grandma. I¡¯m going with Grandma to visit my mother at work. You can wait for us here; we¡¯ll return soon.¡±


    Great-grandma wasn¡¯t cognizant of Mother Hua¡¯s accident, and grandma would ensure that she remained incognizant of it due to her old age and poor bodily disposition; otherwise, knowledge of this incident would greatly perturb and disquiet her.


    Grandmother added, ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll come back early.¡±


    Miaomiao nodded in assent and followed her grandmother outside.


    Grandmother carried Miaomiao into the elevator, ¡°Miaomiao. I just want you to know one thing, but don¡¯t be too agitated.¡±


    ¡®Maybe mom¡¯s teacher* has some requirements¡­I have to be obedient,¡¯ Miaomiao thought to herself.


    Just like at school, teachers had some requirements for the parents, and parents had to sign something when entering the school.


    Since Miaomiao now knew how to write, she could sign these documents as well.


    Grandmother continued, ¡°Great-grandmother is too old, and she¡¯s in poor health, so this matter would greatly alarm her, but Miaomiao is strong and brave. I¡¯m telling you this, but you can¡¯t tell your great-grandma, okay?¡±


    Although Miaomiao had no idea what was happening, she nodded in obedience.


    Grandmother expounded, ¡°When your mother departed for work, a car had accidentally hit her. Although she wasn¡¯t seriously injured, she has to stay in the hospital for a few days.¡±


    Miaomiao was stunned, and then feelings of perturbation and dismay slowly began to seize her. Originally, she assumed that Grandmother would tell her something else such as how she had to sign a document in order to see her or that they wouldn¡¯t take great-grandmother along if they wanted to go square-dancing¡­


    However, she never expected that her mother was recuperating in the hospital¡­


    Miaomiao couldn¡¯t say anything. Pain filled her little heart.


    They eventually reached the hospital. A familiar scent wafted into Miaomiao¡¯s nose, and she recognized the familiar atmosphere. The only difference was that her mother was recovering in one of the beds. This sight caused Miaomiao to fall into a stupor of disbelief.


    ¡°Miaomiao came. Come to mom.¡± Mother Hua said to her.


    Miaomiao snapped out of her stupor and immediately ran over to her. As soon as she climbed into her bed, she embraced her mother.


    Mother Hua had injured her leg and bruised the palm of her left hand, but everything else was fine.


    Mother Hua¡¯s heart was filled with sweetness as she was held very dearly by her daughter, ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just a minor injury. Soon, I¡¯ll completely recover my health. Don¡¯t be afraid, Miaomiao.¡±


    Miaomiao hugged her mother tightly and didn¡¯t let go. While choking, she said, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t be afraid¡­¡±


    Mom will definitely feel pain when she¡¯s injured, and she will definitely be afraid. Just like I was.


    Mother Hua replied, ¡°I¡¯m not afraid. After all, Miaomiao is here with me, so I¡¯m not afraid at all.¡±


    Just before the doctor entered, Mother Hua was trying to lull Miaomiao to sleep. The doctor came in and explicated that she would be fully recovered in two days.


    After hearing this, Miaomiao heaved a sigh of relief, and her disquietude slowly faded away.


    She was just a child who didn¡¯t sleep at all last night, and then she was shocked again today. Since she spent so much time in the hospital and experienced so many emotional ups and downs, she was exhausted and laid down next to her mother and eventually drifted off to sleep.


    Mother Hua stroked the little girl¡¯s cheek, and her face became squishy.


    Grandmother whispered, ¡°I told you. She only remembers you now in her heart.¡±


    Miaomiao only thought about the gravity of her mother¡¯s injury. She feared that she would be alone in the hospital. She couldn¡¯t remember a single thing about her treatment in a different hospital.


    Mother Hua peered down at Miaomiao who was sleeping peacefully. She couldn¡¯t resist kissing her little cheek.


    Mother Hua¡¯s phone began to vibrate, so she grabbed it. It turned out to be a message from Teacher Li.


    Just now, she had said that she would ask for a leave, but after speaking with Miaomiao and Grandmother on the phone, she forgot about it.


    Mother Hua slowly typed on her phone and replied to Teacher Li.


    After reading her message, Teacher Li breathed a sigh of relief.


    Zhou Yuan stared at the empty seat next to him.


    Why is she late?


    Zhou Yuan thought about calling Miaomiao, but unfortunately, his mother confiscated his mobile phone because she discovered the deal between him and his father, and so he had no means of communicating with Miaomiao.


    Zhou Yuan frowned.


    Why didn¡¯t she come to class?


    He recalled Miaomiao¡¯s words from yesterday.


    ¡°Zhou Yuan. Can you help me collect money when I grow vegetables in the future?¡°


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to school anymore. Mom has to earn money to pay for my tuition¡­¡°


    Zhou Yuan looked at the empty seat next to him, and his gaze began to waver.


    It could be said that small children tended to act in fickle ways that would confuse even grown-ups.


    Miaomiao wouldn¡¯t actually skip school and run off to tend to her vegetables, would she?


    Then, Zhou Yuan recalled the incident where the three youngsters secretly escaped from school. He couldn¡¯t entirely dismiss this idea.


    Zhou Yuan decided to ask the head teacher anyway. Usually, the head teacher knew why a student was absent from school.


    If Miaomiao actually did run away in order to grow her vegetables¡­.then, should I consider becoming a greengrocer or something?


    *(T/N: The word ¡®teacher¡¯ used by Miaomiao refers to her mother¡¯s superior.)

 CH 63

    Teacher Li wasn¡¯t surprised about Zhou Yuan¡¯s inquiry involving Miaomiao. After all, they were tablemates, and she could tell that they had a good relationship.


    Teacher Li explained to Zhou Yuan that Miaomiao¡¯s mother was hospitalized, and Miaomiao went to the hospital to pay her a visit.


    Zhou Yuan finally realized that ¡®working overtime¡¯ was merely a cover or euphemism for Mother Hua¡¯s hospitalization.


    When school concluded in the afternoon, Father Zhou came to pick up Zhou Yuan. As soon as Zhou Yuan departed from the classroom, Father Zhou heard him inquire, ¡°Did you bring any money?¡±


    Father Zhou looked at Zhou Yuan warily and said, ¡°What do you want to do? Your mother just reeducated you ideologically yesterday. Don¡¯t let your thoughts drift to useless things today; otherwise, your mother will chastise me again.¡±


    Zhou Yuan sighed, ¡°I want to go to the hospital to visit my classmate. If you have some money on you, we could buy some fruit as gifts.¡± He didn¡¯t have any money today.


    Father Zhou replied, ¡°Your mother took all my pocket money yesterday.¡±


    This meant that these two people had no money on them, which is beyond embarrassing.


    Father Zhou looked at his son, ¡°Maybe you should ask your mother for some money? Then, I could drive you there.¡±


    Zhou Yuan looked at his father, ¡°You ask her.¡±


    Father Zhou: ¡°You are her son for whom she secretly stitches thick clothes before you leave out of fear that you will return later*. You ask her.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°You are her husband, and you two share a deep, affectionate love for each other. You ask her.¡±


    Father Zhou: ¡°I asked her to give me some pocket money today when she was about to leave this morning. Guess what she did. She raised her hand and tried to hit me. There¡¯s no affection or love at all. You¡¯ve been watching ¡®The Peacock Flying Southwest¡¯ again, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°Is there a problem with that?¡±


    ¡°Do you even understand the feelings behind that?¡± Father Zhou rubbed his nose and asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand the feelings, but there are a lot of other insights,¡± replied Zhou Yuan.


    Father Zhou was astounded, ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°So, you won¡¯t ask for pocket money, right?¡± Zhou Yuan asked again.


    ¡°No, but it¡¯s all right. They¡¯re your good friends. You could simply waltz in and visit people that you like. You don¡¯t need to buy any fruit,¡± Father Zhou said.


    Zhou Yuan replied, ¡°I¡¯m a kid. It doesn¡¯t matter if I don¡¯t buy it.¡±


    In the end, Father Zhou drove Zhou Yuan to the hospital. Zhou Yuan went up to the door of the ward, but he didn¡¯t go in yet.


    At the door, Zhou Yuan heard Miaomiao¡¯s cheerful voice, ¡°Mom, mom. Can I call Zhou Zhou?¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± Is our friendship in vain just because I¡¯m not willing to be a greengrocer?


    Zhou Yuan knocked on the door, and they told him that he could come in.


    Zhou Yuan pushed open the door and traversed in. He saw Miaomiao gaping at him with a blank expression.


    ¡°Zhou¡­Zhou Zhou, why are you here?¡± Miaomiao asked.


    Zhou Yuan answered, ¡°I¡¯m here to give you your homework sheets and to explain today¡¯s lesson.¡±


    See, even if a kid didn¡¯t bring any fruits, he still had a valid reason to visit his tablemate at the hospital.


    Mother Hua also froze for a moment and said, ¡°Zhou Zhou, did you come here alone?¡±


    Mother Hua immediately thought of something bad since certain incidents involving some troublemakers tarnished the reputation of Miaomiao¡¯s class. She had to clearly ask him. If he did sneak out by himself, she had to tell his parents as soon as possible; otherwise, they would become fraught with consternation and anxiety.


    ¡°My dad has something to do at the hospital, so I came with him. He¡¯s on the fourth floor right now.¡±


    Mother Hua nodded, realizing that her trepidation and concerns were unfounded.


    Zhou Yuan opened his schoolbag and handed both papers to Miaomiao, ¡°Here¡¯s today¡¯s homework. Take a look at it and if you have any questions, you could ask me to clarify them.¡±


    Since the homework was primarily related to the lessons that were taught in class, Miaomiao didn¡¯t understand anything.


    Mother Hua asked her caregiver, who stood near her, to peel some apples for the two children.


    Just then, Father Hua sauntered in.


    Miaomiao wasn¡¯t surprised by his visit. She was about to call him dad, but she hesitated for a moment and held herself back. After all, her parents did have some issues with each other.


    She wasn¡¯t even sure if her father is still her father anymore. Her grandmother watched a TV series where the father of a little child didn¡¯t always return home. He eventually becomes the father of someone else, and then he never returns. But that little child would pester her mother and ask her to call her father back to sharpen her pencil. Miaomiao watched that scene and felt very angry since the child¡¯s mother must feel egregiously sad¡­


    Adults always assume that children don¡¯t understand anything, but they actually do understand.


    Miaomiao gently held Zhou Yuan¡¯s hand and didn¡¯t even glance back at her father.


    If he isn¡¯t my father anymore; then, I won¡¯t ask him to sharpen my pencil. I¡¯ll sharpen it myself¡­


    Zhou Yuan continued to talk to her. Obviously, he noticed the awkward atmosphere, which was beginning to form in the room.


    Father Hua was shocked, so he walked to Miaomiao¡¯s side, ¡°Miaomiao, do you remember me? I¡¯m your father.¡±


    Miaomiao turned to Father Hua and whispered, ¡°Dad went to work overtime.¡±


    Deep within her heart, Miaomiao thought, ¡®Mom and dad separated because of me.¡¯


    Since she was a child, she had no idea how to deal with her dilemma.


    Mother Hua said, ¡°Miamiao has a bad memory. You never called her for such a long time. It¡¯s normal that she would forget. Don¡¯t mind it.¡±


    Mother Hua knew that he was basically married to his job and that children were an entirely different existence from adults. Furthermore, he didn¡¯t put much effort into helping raise Miaomiao and didn¡¯t cherish her as much as she did.


    In the end, Mother Hua desired to talk to him even less.


    The ward was plunged into even more awkwardness. Zhou Yuan leaned close to Miaomiao¡¯s ear and cooed, ¡°Would you like to step outside and walk around for a bit? My father is alone outside, and I¡¯m afraid he¡¯ll get lost.¡±


    Miaomiao nodded. Losing one¡¯s way was a big deal, and Miaomiao decided it was better to go check up on Zhou Yuan¡¯s father.


    She declared to her mother, ¡°Mom. I¡¯m going with Zhou Zhou to look for his father, okay?¡±


    ¡°Go.¡± Mother Hua said. Then, she addressed the caretaker next to her, ¡°You should also go with them.¡±


    After all, it was a hospital. Many people walked around, and she was concerned about two children walking around alone.


    Miaomiao and Zhou Yuan were led out by the caregiver, leaving the two adults to talk amongst themselves.


    Father Zhou stood in the hospital like a lone wolf since he didn¡¯t bring any fruit or gifts. He welcomed the sight of the two children.


    Father Zhou, who almost lost his way: ¡°¡­¡±


    *This verse is from a poem describing the affection a mother has for her son.

 CH 64

    Miaomiao and Zhou Yuan came out of the ward; they were still clutching the apple that the caregiver had sliced for them. Father Zhou peered at Little Miaomiao; his facial expressions betrayed his abashment.


    Miaomiao approached him. Father Zhou picked up Zhou Yuan almost every day; therefore, Miaomiao, who was his deskmate, was considered to be Father Zhou¡¯s acquaintance.


    Zhou Yuan led Miaomiao to a bench outside of the ward, where they sat down. Father Zhou joined them and also sat down.


    A feeling of embarrassment consumed Father Zhou since she was someone else¡¯s daughter; thus, he was unfamiliar with her. Therefore, he had no idea how to start a conversation with Miaomiao.


    Communication between adults and children was very important, especially with those from other families; however,  adults limited themselves to phrases like ¡°I¡¯ll buy you some candy¡± or ¡°I¡¯ll buy you a toy.¡±


    He didn¡¯t have any money on him, so he couldn¡¯t do these exchanges.


    In the end, they were all sitting on a bench in silence.


    During this time, confusion had consumed Miaomiao, for she was wrestling with the idea of giving an idea to Father Zhou. Miaomiao and Zhou Yuan were each given an apple by the caregiver. Her heart told her that it would be unwise to give the apple to Zhou Yuan¡¯s father, even though she wanted to.


    She actually wished that she could eat the apple. Besides, it was lunchtime, and she had not yet eaten.


    Zhou Yuan then broke the silence, ¡°Miaomiao, are you going to school tomorrow?¡±


    After processing Zhou Yuan¡¯s words, Miaomiao gulped and replied, ¡°I¡¯m going to school tomorrow. I didn¡¯t go to school today since I couldn¡¯t sleep last night. So I came here to sleep.¡±


    After she had finished uttering these words, Miaomiao decided to present the apple to Zhou Yuan¡¯s father.


    For a moment, Father Zhou was taken aback. After all, a child was giving him something. It wasn¡¯t good to refuse her offer, so he asked, ¡°What would you eat if I decided to eat it?¡±


    She turned her head around and caught a glimpse of Zhou Yuan¡¯s apple, and she responded, ¡°I¡¯ll share Zhouzhou¡¯s apple. We¡¯re children, so we don¡¯t eat much.¡±


    She and Jingjing often ate the same apple at school. Jingjing would take a bite, and then Miaomiao would take a bite.


    Father Zhou glanced at Zhou Yuan, who had already bitten down on his apple.


    Zhou Yuan stared at Miaomiao with a befuddled expression on his face. Father Zhou had never seen his son display such bewilderment.


    ¡°It¡¯s really sweet,¡± Father Zhou commented after taking a bite of the apple.


    ¡°You can have the rest,¡± Zhou Yuan told Miaomiao as he tried to hand her the apple that he had just bitten into.


    Father Zhou: ¡°¡­¡± Now I¡¯m starting to feel that my wife was correct. It¡¯s better for him to befriend people of the same age.


    Miaomiao took a bite and then gave it back to Zhou Yuan. Then, Zhou Yuan took it and also took a bite.


    Father Zhou handed his apple that he had already bitten into to Zhou Yuan and said, ¡°Son. You don¡¯t have to starve yourself. I still have one more apple here.¡±


    Zhou Yuan¡¯s face was devoid of expression, and he wasn¡¯t willing to accept it. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re an adult. Eat it yourself.¡±


    Father Zhou: ¡°¡­¡± He¡¯s sizing me up with his little friend. Now, he¡¯s blatantly showing his disgust.


    By the time they had finished eating their apples, the discussion within the ward had concluded. When Father Hua stepped out, a nurse came to look for him, and he left immediately.


    Afterward, Miaomiao followed the caregiver back to the ward.


    Zhou Yuan and Father Zhou were preparing to head home since Mother Zhou had already urged them to do so.


    After Miaomiao returned to the ward, the caregiver decided to head outside to buy dinner.


    The apple¡¯s juices sheathed her hands, so Miaomiao went to the bathroom to wash her hands. After rinsing her hands, she went and laid beside her mother atop the bed.


    Mom was stuck in bed all day today.


    After musing for a bit, Miaomiao decided to massage her mother¡¯s shoulders. Although Miaomiao possessed little strength, she still decided to rub gently, but Mother Hua still appreciated her act, for she felt great comfort.


    Mother Hua was naturally unwilling to allow her own daughter to massage her for too long. She wrapped Miaomiao in her arms and cooed, ¡°Does Miaomiao no longer like her father?¡±


    This question caught Miaomiao off guard; then, a wave of despondency washed over her, and she remained silent.


    Father Hua never came back during this period. Miaomiao was sad, and at the beginning, she blamed herself. She felt that she was the primary reason for their separation.


    When she first noticed her mother struggling so hard to eke out a living, she felt even more despondent. She had watched two episodes of a TV series with her great-grandmother. In that series, the child¡¯s father abandoned them like this as well. Miaomiao believed that she shouldn¡¯t cry. She shouldn¡¯t ask her father to sharpen her pencil when he leaves¡­because it would just make her mother lapse into sadness and despondency.


    The sorrow in her heart struck Miaomiao like a tidal wave when her mother mentioned this matter, and she couldn¡¯t suppress her emotions anymore.


    Seeing her teary, red eyes, Mother Hua realized how much this dilemma had deeply affected her. At first, she thought that Miaomiao wanted nothing to do with her father, as long as she excused his absence by saying that he was working overtime. However, it seemed as if she had overlooked Miaomiao¡¯s grief.


    Mother Hua kissed Miaomiao¡¯s forehead, ¡°Miaomiao¡­¡±


    Miaomiao whispered, ¡°Mom.


    This scenaria from that TV series prompted Miaomiao to ask this question.


    He¡¯ll never return, and I can¡¯t speak to him again.


    Mother Hua was stunned for a moment, ¡°Who said that?¡±


    ¡°The father of that Hua girl was like that. She wanted her father to sharpen her pencil, but her mother told her that he will never come back to her.¡±


    Mother Hua was stunned.


    Hua girl? Wasn¡¯t that the kid from the TV series that grandmother watched?


    Mother Hua quickly replied, ¡°No, no. Your father is just very busy. Many patients require his help, just like the uncle who changed mom¡¯s bandages today. Your father is just like that. Many people require treatment.¡±


    Miaomiao nodded her head as she digested her mother¡¯s words.


    Mother Hua continued, ¡°We don¡¯t live with your father anymore because I think that it¡¯s better for both your father and me to separate. Mom finds it exhausting to live with him. It¡¯s my fault for not asking for your input sooner. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    One had to consider other things after having a child. Some things, which were previously tolerable, would now be considered intolerable.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Miaomiao whispered.


    Mother Hua continued, ¡°Although your father won¡¯t be living with us in the future, he¡¯ll still be your father. He¡¯s very kind and has helped many people. And most importantly, he loves you very much.¡±


    Mother Hua lacked confidence when she said the last statement, but she still decided to say it to assuage Miaomiao¡¯s distress, although she didn¡¯t know what her husband felt for their daughter.


    After digesting her mother¡¯s words, Miaomiao hummed in understanding. Her mood seemed to have changed again, and her sour mood instantly dissipated.


    Father Hua left the ward after standing at the doorway for a while.


    The next morning, Father Hua came over and said, ¡°I¡¯ll bring Miaomiao to school.¡±


    ¡°Miaomiao¡¯s grandmother is going to come over.¡± Mother Hua mused for a while and tidied up Miaomiao¡¯s clothes. She cooed, ¡°Thank you. I will call her to let her know that she doesn¡¯t need to come here anymore.¡±


    Father Hua squatted down in front of Miaomiao and took her schoolbag, ¡°Miaomiao, let¡¯s go to school.¡±


    Miaomiao followed her father obediently, and she immediately grasped her father¡¯s hand as they left the ward.


    I must hold an adult¡¯s hand when going outside. I don¡¯t want to lose my way.


    The hospital elevator thronged with people.


    Miaomiao understood that she had to be carried by an adult when in a large crowd since she was too short and was afraid of being left behind. So, she requested that her father carry her.


    Father Hua stared at Miaomiao who unexpectedly stretched out her arms. After a few seconds of disbelief, he returned to his senses, picked her up, and walked into the elevator.


    People still recognized him even without his white lab coat. Father Hua was from the inpatient department, after all.


    ¡°Dr. Hua, good morning.¡±


    ¡°This must be your daughter. She¡¯s so beautiful.¡±


    Miaomiao recalled her mother¡¯s words from yesterday.


    Dad is busy helping people every day.


    Miaomiao felt an ineffable sense of pride.


    Miaomiao remembered a phrase that Teacher Li often said in class, so she whispered to her father, ¡°Dad, you¡¯re amazing. You¡¯ve helped so many people.¡±


    Father Hua froze for a moment, and then his nose turned sour. He then realized that he was still worried about whether Miaomiao was still afraid of him. That was why he didn¡¯t take the initiative to hold her hand. Subconsciously, he remembered an incident that happened on Miaomiao¡¯s first day of school. He hugged her, which in turn frightened her. As a result, he always avoided doing things that might scare her.


    However, she was now able to hold his hand and allowed him to carry her. She even whispered, ¡®Dad, you¡¯re amazing. You¡¯ve helped so many people.¡¯


    Father Hua thought for a moment about whether or not he had overlooked some important event. He realized once again that the decision he made a few days prior was the correct one.


    He whispered, ¡°Miaomiao is also very good.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not good right now. I¡¯ll be good when I grow some vegetables in the future,¡± Miaomiao said, a little embarrassed.


    Miaomiao¡¯s fear of her father completely ebbed away when her mother told her that her father loved her very much, and that he was busy assisting many people.


    So, she was more than willing to speak with her father, ¡°I will grow some vegetables, and then I¡¯ll sell them.¡±


    ¡°Then, would you like your father to assist you?¡± Father Hua questioned, a little surprised.


    After mulling for a while, Miaomiao replied, ¡°No need. Zhouzhou will help me gather the money. I¡¯ll just grow the vegetables. Dad has to help other people.¡±


    Father Hua set her down into the child safety seat. He never removed that seat from his car.


    Then he said, ¡°Dad wishes that he could change places.¡±


    He barely had any semblance of family life, for he spent many years living like this. He was always tethered to this job. In any case, he had already fulfilled his childhood promise.


    Father Hua received a call from them as soon as he ensconced himself in the driver¡¯s seat.


    His family left. Not only did they leave, but they also took a lot of stuff away, claiming that everything was none of his concern, so he didn¡¯t need to ask for money.


    He felt no joy, nor did he feel a sense of forlornity due to their abrupt abandonment of him.


    He just felt a sense of relaxation.

 CH 65

    When Father Hua returned, he discovered that they took the refrigerator and TV. Despite this turn of events, he still remained calm and impassive.


    He packed his belongings, shut off the electricity in the house, and placed the suitcase into the trunk of his car. Then, he called the agent to hand over the keys.


    Father Hua went back to the hospital after that.


    Mother Hua noticed Father Hua¡¯s odd behavior.


    Today, Father Hua looked very exuberant and energetic because he wasn¡¯t on duty last night. He was supposed to go to work today, but instead, he stayed by Mother Hua¡¯s side in her ward for the entire day.


    At first, she wanted to sketch a design. But when she finished her sketch, she couldn¡¯t help but sneak a glance at him, ¡°Don¡¯t you have to go to work today?¡±


    Father Hua peeled an apple as he replied, ¡°I handed in my resignation letter a month ago.¡±


    ¡°You resigned?¡± Mother Hua asked in shock. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because¡­¡±


    Father Hua pondered, ¡®Why? I probably did it because I wanted to do something of my own volition for once.¡¯


    ¡°I contacted a housing agency, and they put up our house for sale. My mom and family won¡¯t look for me anymore, so could I live with you at your home now?¡±


    Mother Hua was taken aback for a moment, ¡°What did you¡­do?¡±


    Mother Hua grew up wreathed by her parents¡¯ love, and she also held great respect for the elders in her life, so she was worried that Father Hua might have regrets about leaving his family behind if he truly did separate from them.


    But primarily, she was concerned that Father Hua would one day accuse Miaomiao of being responsible for all of this. This was why she believed that they shouldn¡¯t drag things out. They should just divorce and get it over with instead of having to face an insurmountable amount of problems in the future.


    Father Hua said, ¡°Pediatricians are prone to face medical retaliation. This is normal.¡±


    Mother Hua frowned, ¡°You met again?¡±


    Father Hua replied, ¡°Yes. Sort of. I frightened them away, so they shouldn¡¯t be back for a while.¡±


    Mother Hua inquired, ¡°Isn¡¯t this a difficult decision for you?¡±


    Father Hua always desired love and recognition from his family. Whatever one lacked as a child, he tended to pursue those things as an adult. Inevitably, some passions could not be extinguished, but rather they would burn even brighter with time.


    As a result, she had always been very understanding of this matter. She would have surrendered to the Hua family¡¯s whims if not for Miaomiao.


    Father Hua pondered for a while. He answered the question about whether his decision was difficult or not, ¡°It isn¡¯t as difficult as I imagined. Of course, I would feel very uncomfortable if you decided to divorce me anyway.¡±


    Mother Hua: ¡°¡­¡±


    The factors, which influenced Mother Hua¡¯s decision to divorce from him, were manifold, but these problems have now been resolved, and¡­Mother Hua thought of Miaomiao¡¯s well-being. Although she initially believed that they should be fine so long as they had each other. As long as she remained by Miaomiao¡¯s side, it shouldn¡¯t matter whether or not she was devoid of a father figure. But now, she realized that Miaomiao¡¯s lack of a father figure was concerning.


    Mother Hua suddenly laughed, ¡°So. Do you want to be a full-time father?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already found a job.¡±


    Mother Hua: ¡°¡­¡± And I thought Miaomiao would finally have a full-time father.


    Miaomiao was at school today. She was completely unaware that she would still have a father who would sharpen the pencil for her.


    She was engaged in a serious conversation with Jingjing. She turned to Jingjing and said solemnly, ¡°Jingjing, you can¡¯t collect the money for me because your calculations are always incorrect. I¡¯ll ask Zhouzhou to do the calculations since he could easily figure out the costs for two and a half catties.¡±


    Jingjing was unhappy, ¡°Then what will I do?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll sell the vegetables together. Just like those people.¡±


    Those people referred to those street merchants who sold vegetables outside of the supermarkets. These costermongers would sit on the side of the road, display their vegetables in front of them, and then they yelled, ¡°I grew the vegetables myself. I¡¯m selling them for cheap!¡±


    Miaomiao thought that she and Jingjing could be very good street sellers of vegetables.


    When Jingjing digested Miaomiao¡¯s statement, she found it reasonable. Her loud voice would definitely attract many customers.


    Miaomiao suddenly got another idea, so she said to Jingjing enthusiastically, ¡°We could also dance. This will draw in many potential customers.¡±


    There were large crowds who watched them as they performed the square dance in the community park.


    A feeling of excitement enveloped Miaomiao since she felt as if she had concocted a brilliant idea. She wanted to earn some money to assuage some of the pressure that beset her mother. She didn¡¯t want her to hurt herself by going to work.


    Jingjing also agreed that it was a brilliant idea. Deng Feng sat next to Jingjing, but he was rushing through his homework in order to finish it; therefore, he didn¡¯t partake in this colloquy.


    Zhou Yuan buried himself in his book at the time. He probably heard everything, but his face remained impassive.


    Children really do have the wildest imaginations.


    Zhou Yuan conjured up the scene in his mind. He imagined two girls dancing, and one of them was clumsy with her dance moves.


    The idea is certainly catchy.


    As far as selling vegetables is concerned, once the plan is implemented, I believe that they could have a successful business.


    Selling vegetables might work, but the part about growing vegetables definitely won¡¯t work since that¡¯s a whole different matter, unless one could make vegetables come out of thin air.


    Of course, we could rent some land in the suburbs and grow the vegetables in the greenhouses. To do all of this, we must have an adult to accompany us.


    But the adults in their families weren¡¯t short on money or destitute. They definitely wouldn¡¯t partake in these onerous tasks.


    This is also very complicated.


    Zhou Yuan pressed his temple in frustration.


    Wait a minute. Why did I start mulling over growing vegetables? This gaggle of children is seriously indoctrinating me.


    Although Miaomiao had a fun time with her friends at school, Miaomiao still longed for her mother very much.


    Mom is alone in the hospital, so she must want me to come talk to her.


    Fortunately, school will be over soon. Upon exiting the classroom, Miaomiao found Father Hua waiting outside.


    Father Hua stretched out his hand to Miaomiao and said, ¡°Miaomiao, let¡¯s go home.¡±


    Miaomiao approached his uncle and held his hand.


    Dad finally realizes that he must hold the hands of his child when going outside.


    Miaomiao felt very relieved. After all, she was the one who taught him that.


    As they walked, she asked, ¡°Are we going to visit mom today?¡±


    Father Hua questioned, ¡°Do you miss her?¡±


    Miaomiao nodded. Then, she said, ¡°I miss her so much. I want to see her.¡±


    Miaomiao couldn¡¯t suppress her desire to be by her mother¡¯s side at all times.

 CH 66

    Father Hua told her that he would like to go home first; therefore, Miaomiao complied before following her father home. As she entered her bedroom, she found Mother Hua lying on the bed.


    ¡°Miaomiao is back.¡± Mother Hua was awaiting Miaomiao¡¯s return.


    Miaomiao ran over to her side and clutched her mother¡¯s hand, ¡°Mom is back, and Miaomiao is back too.¡±


    Mother Hua kissed her forehead and asked, ¡°Did you get a little red flower today?¡±


    ¡°I got two flowers,¡± Miaomiao presented her mother with the incarnadine flowers.


    ¡°Miaomiao is amazing, ¡°Mother Hua extolled.


    Grandmother had already prepared lunch. She came out and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go and eat together.¡±


    Miaomiao¡¯s grandmother and great-grandmother didn¡¯t have any particular opinion regarding their son-in-law.


    Grandmother also knew that Father Hua had quit his hospital job. She couldn¡¯t help but comment, ¡°It must have been hard to work in a hospital. You¡¯ve been working there for many years now, trying to eke out a living there. It¡¯s better if you change jobs and take care of your health. You might feel fine, but as you get older, you¡¯ll start having some health complications.¡±


    Great-grandmother sat next to her. Since she didn¡¯t don her hearing aid, she only caught the last sentence. She raised her head and unhappily said, ¡°I¡¯m not old yet.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Mom, you¡¯re not old at all!¡± Then, Grandmother peered back at Father Hua.


    A little abashed, Father Hua said, ¡°I¡¯m still a doctor, and I found a job. I¡¯ll start working in two days.¡±


    Mother Hua replied, ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me where he¡¯s working now.¡±


    She surmised that it had to be a private clinic.


    Perhaps this job wouldn¡¯t be fraught with difficulty like his previous job.


    Father Hua peered at Miaomiao, who was eating next to him but commented nothing about this matter.


    Miaomiao was planning to partake in a video chat with Zhou Yuan after eating. She wanted to ask Zhou Yuan to teach her how to do her homework.


    But as soon as she took out her homework sheets, Father Hua offered to help her with her homework.


    Father Hua remembered that he had wanted to assist Miaomiao with her homework when she returned home from her first day at school, but he had to go to the hospital before he could begin.


    Miaomiao was quite pleased that her father was willing to help her with her homework. From her viewpoint, this meant that her father would never abandon her.


    Mom will be very happy if dad doesn¡¯t leave.


    However, they realized that there was a problem when it came time to sleep. The house didn¡¯t have enough rooms.


    Originally, great-grandmother and grandmother slept in one room while Miaomiao and Mother Hua slept in another. Today, they had an extra person to take care of ¨C Father Hua. Also, they had to take into account Mother Hua¡¯s injury.


    As a result, Miaomiao decided to go to sleep with her grandmother.


    Mother Hua was a little worried, but Miaomiao assured her that everything would be fine. In the past, she used to sleep alone.


    At that time, she was very much afraid of anyone who was next to her. She couldn¡¯t fall asleep if there were people next to her. She could drift off peacefully to dreamland alone as long as the room was quiet.


    After moving here with Mother Hua, she naturally slept with her mother.


    Miaomiao also had no problem sleeping with her grandmother and great-grandmother.


    Although she loved her mother the most, she was more than willing to sleep with her grandmother since her mother¡¯s foot had suffered from an injury, and her father needed to tend to it. But the only caveat was that so long as she was awake, she had to go see her mother in the next room.


    Grandmother promised her, ¡°Of course, you could go see her.¡±


    Miaomiao believed her grandmother, so she slept next to her during the night. She soon drifted off to sleep.


    The next morning, Miaomiao awoke from her slumber and found her mother still fast asleep.


    Miaomiao went to school, but she arrived a bit late. Upon her arrival, she discovered that Zhou Yuan hadn¡¯t arrived yet.


    Miaomiao froze for a moment.


    Did he suffer another allergy attack?


    Miaomiao still remembered Zhou Yuan¡¯s absence from school due to his mango allergies.


    This time, Miaomiao decided not to find Teacher Li, as she was adorned with her watch. Because her father helped her with her homework last night, she forgot to give Zhou Yuan a video call.


    When their second class ended, Miaomiao darted out of the classroom like a cannonball. Jingjing and Deng Feng hurried after her.


    While squatting adjacent to the flowerbed outside their classroom, Miaomiao called Zhou Yuan.


    When the call connected, Miaomiao asked, ¡°Zhouzhou, why didn¡¯t you come to school today?¡±


    Zhou Yuan paused for a second before replying, ¡°I stumbled upon a problem at home. It¡¯s a little complicated. I¡¯ll come to school in the afternoon.¡±


    After Zhou Yuan finished talking with Miaomiao, he immediately hung up the phone.


    Then, he turned his attention to the adults from his family who were still in a bad mood.


    Grandma Zhou was still very dissatisfied. ¡°He¡¯s already very intelligent. What¡¯s wrong with sending him to college early?¡±


    Mother Zhou sighed, ¡°That¡¯s because he could go to college at any time, but what about elementary school? It¡¯s easy to enter the world of adults but hard to live out there. So, I want Zhou Yuan to enjoy his life. I want him to have some childhood memories that he could look back on. Some children don¡¯t have that opportunity, you know. He would have some friends that he grew up with. He won¡¯t be surrounded by people who would just treat him like a child. I made the wrong choice before, and I don¡¯t want him to make one himself and then regret it later.¡±


    He sat down, and he felt a headache slowly begin to consume him. Her words meant nothing to him. He knew that would not regret it later. From his viewpoint, he would rather acquire knowledge that he didn¡¯t fully understand yet rather than waste time on things he already knew. He wanted to tread into territories that he never explored before. He wanted to explore the world and see new things.


    Zhou Yuan was very confident that he would not regret his decision.


    Then he glanced at the call log, and a moment of hesitation enfolded him.


    Will I really feel no regret later on in the future?


    Father Zhou could only squeak in a soft voice in front of the two women he feared the most, ¡°How about I send Zhouzhou to a university during the weekends so that he could attend some minor courses? I know a few law professors there, so he could easily attend their lectures. He gets the best of both worlds. He could acquire all the advanced knowledge he wants, while he could still be able to experience his childhood. Why not just let him enjoy his childhood from Monday to Friday, and then he¡¯ll study on Saturday and Sunday?¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°I agree.¡±


    Father Zhou: ¡°You don¡¯t need to state your opinion. The master has agreed.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t worry about anything. Just prepare for the law courses,¡¯ he tacitly sent a message to Zhou Yuan.


    Zhou Yuan gave him this idea, but he didn¡¯t know how Zhou Yuan found out about the double-degree program from this university. It included a major in finance and. When Zhou Yuan told him about the double-degree program, he went to check it out.

 CH 67

    Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t tell Miaomiao that he was going to attend a minor course at a university during the weekends.


    He opined that it wasn¡¯t a big deal; therefore, he decided that there was no need to inform her.


    However, Miaomiao was preoccupied with another issue. Miaomiao was very afraid of needles and injections, but now the school required students, who didn¡¯t get the vaccine, to get them now.


    Of course, Miaomiao wasn¡¯t vaccinated. When she was a child, she never got a lot of vaccines. After Mother Hua adopted her, she couldn¡¯t get all her shots at the same time. She had to take her vaccines in between certain intervals, and she had already received two shots.


    As soon as Mother Hua perused the message, she informed her daughter, ¡°Miaomiao. You have to wear loose clothing tomorrow. Will you be afraid of the needle and injection?¡±


    The school wanted students, who never got their vaccines in the community centers, to go to the infirmary. There, they had to create a record before getting their inoculations.


    Mother Hua had already filled out the form and sent it back, so she asked Miaomiao about it. When Miaomiao received her inoculation last time, she stood beside her to assuage her fears.


    Miaomiao nodded and told her that Jingjing also didn¡¯t get her shots, so Jingjing would accompany her tomorrow.


    Right from the start, Jingjing didn¡¯t want to get her shots, so she cried profusely. However, her parents still forced her to receive her inoculations. Eventually, she found out that there was a loophole. When she pretended that she had a cold or some other illness; then, she could simply skip her vaccinations.


    Thus, when she went for the second time to get her vaccine, Jingjing caught a cold.


    Then, when Jingjing went to get the vaccine a third time, she caught a cold again¡­


    Just from pretending that she was sick, she already missed two inoculations.


    The next day, Miaomiao wore loose clothing with sleeves,which could be rolled up easily. Upon her arrival at school, she found Jingjing lying atop her desk.


    She coughed and said, ¡°Miaomiao, I have a cold.¡±


    Miaomiao ran a hand across her forehead and said a line that she heard a person from TV say, ¡°It¡¯s thirty-nine degrees.¡±


    Jingjing nodded, ¡°If you have a fever, you won¡¯t be able to get a vaccine.¡±


    When Jingjing finished speaking, she leaned towards Miaomiao and said, ¡°I¡¯m pretending to have a fever. All you have to do is tell them that you have a cold, then cough all the time. Also scald your forehead with a water bottle, and then they won¡¯t stick a needle into you.¡±


    After digesting her words, Miaomiao froze for a moment before ensconcing herself into her seat.


    Miaomiao still remembered her first injection¡­


    The needle is very sharp. What if it breaks and gets stuck inside my skin?


    This frightened Miaomiao a lot. For the duration of her next two classes, her nervosity and trepidation completely engulfed her.


    During their half-hour break after the conclusion of their second class, the head teacher stepped in and announced, ¡°I believe your parents already told you about this yesterday. But who wants to get the vaccine? Please come with me right now if you do.¡±


    Jingjing knew how to pave a way for herself at a young age. Jingjing slowly stood up from her seat, and then she coughed and even pretended to blow her nose. Then, she asked, ¡°Teacher. I seem to have a cold. Will this affect my vaccination?¡±


    Although she obviously wouldn¡¯t get inoculated if she had a cold, she specifically asked about it to give credibility to her words.


    Miaomiao¡¯s heart throbbed wildly.


    I¡¯m afraid of that needle. Very, very afraid.


    Miaomiao squeezed her hand.


    I¡¯ll also pretend¡­to have a cold¡­


    Jingjing obviously pulled a clever stunt, but she also underestimated the cleverness of her teacher who replied, ¡°Then, don¡¯t get your vaccine. Just go see a doctor and get some medicine.¡±


    Jingjing: ¡°¡­¡±


    Teacher Li approached Miaomiao after speaking with Jingjing and said, ¡°Miaomiao, let¡¯s go first.¡±


    Miaomiao was still mulling over her dilemma, so she was startled when the teacher called her name. Instantly, her face flushed into an incarnadine red, and she couldn¡¯t help but utter the words, ¡°I¡­I have a cold¡­¡±


    Immediately after she finished her statement, she felt as though her heart was stuck in her throat. ¡°I¡­I¡­¡± An ambivalent feeling of discomfort overtook her.


    Teacher Li noticed that her face was flushed with an erubescent red as if she had caught a cold.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go see the doctor for a checkup. Just take some medicine.¡±


    Jingjing was sitting in the back and immediately said, ¡°Medicine is one-third poison. Teacher, it¡¯s just a cold. I¡¯ll be fine in two days.¡±


    Teacher Li: ¡°¡­¡± Where did this girl pick up these ideas, and from whom did she learn them?


    Miaomiao felt very upset as she sat back down. Ambivalence began to stir in her heart. This was the first time she had lied like this. It was very torturous for her. Then, she got up and went to the school infirmary with the teacher after dwelling over it.


    Along the way, Miaomiao regretted lying that she had a cold¡­


    Mom dressed me up in loose clothing so that I could get my vaccines. What should I say to my mom if she asked me why I hadn¡¯t gotten my vaccinations today when I got home?


    Mom, I lied about getting a cold¡­


    Miaomiao felt as if a huge, oppressive hand was crushing her heart. She felt uncomfortable.


    She was so uncomfortable that it really did look like a cold to the headteacher.


    Miaomiao remained silent when they arrived at the school¡¯s infirmary. So, the headteacher told the doctor, ¡°Miaomiao seems to have a cold today.¡±


    Miaomiao kept her head down and didn¡¯t dare to look up.


    Then, she heard a familiar voice, ¡°I¡¯ll take a look.¡±


    Miaomiao raised her head immediately and saw her father walking over to her side. He donned a white coat and a mask.


    Miaomiao was stunned.


    It¡¯s all over now. Not only did I lie, but my dad will also discover this lie¡­


    Father Hua checked and replied, ¡°It isn¡¯t serious. She just needs to drink more hot water.¡±


    Miaomiao thought to herself, ¡®Dad must have found out that I didn¡¯t have a cold. What should I do?¡®


    Miaomiao returned to the classroom in a daze.


    As soon as she returned, Jingjing noticed something different about her expression, so she rushed over and asked, ¡°Miaomiao, did you get your injection?¡±


    Zhou Yuan also eavesdropped on their colloquy. Zhou Yuan initially thought that it was funny when Miaomiao lied about having a cold.


    Zhou Yuan felt that Miaomiao was acting a little silly since the thought of needles and inoculations terrified her.


    Then, he noticed her terrible state when she returned.


    Miaomiao shook her head, ¡°No.¡±


    It would have been better if I got my shot. Even if the needle broke, it would still have been fine¡­


    What am I going to tell mom when I get home? Is dad going to tell mom that I lied?


    This tormented Miaomiao even more. She wouldn¡¯t have lied about having a cold if she had known earlier¡­


    Zhou Yuan sighed as he noticed her reddening eyes. She fought the urge to cry.


    She is still just a child.


    He gave her a lollipop. When he bought some things at the supermarket, the cashier gave this to him for free, but he didn¡¯t like eating this type of food.


    He suddenly realized that if this continued, he wouldn¡¯t have to go to elementary school next semester.


    If his mother noticed that he was happier studying at a university rather than at an elementary school, his mother should give in to his demands.


    Zhou Yuan peered at this tablemate who was still upset about her failed inoculation.


    It¡¯s a child¡¯s problem¡­

 CH 68

    The more she dwelled on it, the more it saddened Miaomiao.


    Mom praised me for my obedience and integrity. But I repaid her praises with lies, and dad discovered my lies.


    She couldn¡¯t wait to race to the school¡¯s infirmary to get a shot so that her consternation would finally be washed away.


    Miaomiao couldn¡¯t eat her lunch at noon. Noticing her worries and concerns and her lack of appetite, Zhou Yuan heaved a sigh.


    Is there anything I can do?


    Seeing the teacher focusing her attention elsewhere, he quickly took the leftover food from her bowl and placed them into his.


    Miaomiao looked at him in astonishment. When Zhou Yuan slowly started eating, Miaomiao whispered, ¡°Thank you, Zhouzhou.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    When the teacher left the classroom, Miaomiao got up from her heat and walked over to Jingjing¡¯s side. She grabbed Jingjing¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Jingjing. I want to get the vaccine¡­¡±


    As she spoke, her tone was tinged with sadness and her nose turned sour.


    Her declaration stunned Jingjing for a moment, so she replied, ¡°You¡¯re pretty brave to risk being discovered. If they found out that you lied, just say that you¡¯re young and therefore can¡¯t tell whether or not you have a cold. Surely no harm will come to you.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± Why didn¡¯t she ask me to accompany her?


    Miaomiao also knew that Jingjing didn¡¯t get her vaccine either, so the two of them could go together.


    Since Jingjing refused to go with her, she was forced to go alone. Miaomiao was unsure of what to say.


    Miaomiao began walking towards the door. Jingjing sat in her seat for a while. As she was unable to suppress her feelings of loyalty, which stirred within her heart, she stood up and chased after Miaomiao.


    ¡°Miaomiao, wait for me!¡±


    Noticing that Jingjing had also traversed out, a feeling of delight enveloped Miaomiao. She felt much happier now since she wanted to rectify her lie, which caused her discomfort.


    The two children ran over to the infirmary, holding each other¡¯s hands. They saw Father Hua inside, who had just returned after going outside for a bit.


    Father Hua called his daughter, ¡°Miaomiao.¡±


    Miaomiao hummed and stopped with Jingjing in front of him. Father Hua also picked Miaomiao up from school; therefore, Jingjing also knew him.


    ¡°Miaomiao¡¯s dad, are you a doctor in our school?¡± Jingjing was very surprised.


    Father Hua nodded. ¡°Yes, yes. Come in,¡± he said as he pushed open the door of the infirmary.


    For a while, Miaomiao kept her down as she mulled over what to say.


    Jingjing appeared to be much calmer. Originally, she was a very vivacious and outgoing child. Jingjing was very exuberant and cheerful, and thus she modestly sat down on the chair, ¡°Miaomiao¡¯s father. We¡¯re acquaintances, right?¡±


    Seeing his daughter¡¯s friend, Father Hua smiled and asked, ¡°So?¡±


    At this moment, he looked at Miaomiao and understood that her personality change probably had something to do with this child.


    ¡°Since I have such a good relationship with your daughter, let¡¯s talk about vaccines this time, shall we?¡± Jingjing said.


    ¡°Your name is Jingjing, correct? I heard from the teacher that you have a serious cold and fever. Should I give you two doses of an anti-fever medication? I won¡¯t charge you anything since you¡¯re good friends with my daughter.¡± Father Hua said with a smile.


    Suddenly, Jingjing¡¯s small face grew sad, ¡°¡­¡±


    Finally, Miaomiao raised her head without crying. Even though she had practiced her words several times within her mind, she still felt a certain sense of nervosity when speaking with her father. ¡°Dad, I don¡¯t have a cold¡­Could I get the vaccine?¡± she whispered.


    Father Hua nodded and replied, ¡°Of course. I think your teacher was mistaken today.¡±


    Miaomiao¡¯s voice became quieter since the teacher didn¡¯t say anything wrong. She merely repeated what she said.


    Miaomiao felt she had to confess, ¡°I lied in the morning¡­I lied to the teacher that I had a cold.¡±


    Father Hua was surprised. Although he already surmised that she had lied and initially wanted her to confess, he later decided that it wasn¡¯t a big deal. After all, children lied all the time since they feared having a needle puncture their skin.


    Father Hua squatted down, ¡°Are you afraid of needles?¡±


    Miaomiao confessed her error; therefore, she was no longer fraught with guilt. She nodded in reply.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. Dad¡¯s injection doesn¡¯t hurt at all.¡±


    Father Hua then entered a small room within the infirmary, Miaomiao looked at Jingjing, who was next to her. She asked, ¡°Jingjing, do you want a vaccine as well?¡±


    After pondering for a while, Jingjing answered, ¡°Miaomiao, I¡¯ll also get the vaccine, but we¡¯ll both sit at the same table this afternoon.¡±


    Miaomiao found this odd, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to speak with Deng Feng.¡±


    Miaomiao looked at her. Jingjing once said that she would never be friends with Deng Feng again, but it didn¡¯t take long before Deng Feng and Jingjing became friends again.


    Jingjing continued, ¡°He scolded me!¡±


    Miaomiao felt that getting the vaccine was a good idea. If she got it in the first place, then she wouldn¡¯t have had to lie about it. However, something still nagged Miaomiao. She worried that her dad might give Jingjing two shots of medicine if Jingjing was still insistent about her cold and refusal to get the vaccine.


    Therefore, Miaomiao decided with care, ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll sit at the same table this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Miaomiao¡¯s father. I don¡¯t have a cold. I also lied about my cold. I want to get my vaccine!¡± Jingjing shouted.


    When the two children returned to their classroom, Zhou Yuan was nowhere to be seen and was probably in the washroom.


    ¡°Come on, Miaomiao is going to sit here,¡± Jingjing announced to Deng Feng.


    ¡°I¡­I¡­¡± Deng Feng looked confused and stammered a response.


    ¡°Hurry up. Take your schoolbag and move to the front!¡± Jingjing bawled.


    ¡°I¡­I¡­hate¡­,¡± Deng Feng stuttered.


    ¡°I know you still hate me. I¡¯m so mad at you!¡±


    Jingjing patted the table and bellowed, ¡°Quickly get up and leave with your schoolbag!¡±


    Deng Feng was anxious, ¡°You¡­you¡­listen¡­¡±


    Jingjing then placed Deng Feng¡¯s schoolbag on Miaomiao¡¯s table and said, ¡°I will not listen.¡±


    Miaomiao has already packed her belongings into her schoolbag.


    She suddenly felt embarrassed, but since she had already acquiesced to Jingjing¡¯s demand, she said with a whisper, ¡°My seat is perfect since I¡¯m seated next to Zhouzhou.¡±


    Miaomiao felt it would be better to sit at the same table with Zhouzhou.


    Deng Feng didn¡¯t say anything to Miaomiao, but stubbornly told Jingjing, ¡°I did¡­no¡­not¡­deliberately.¡±


    Jingjing didn¡¯t care, ¡°I¡¯m going to sit with Miaomiao anyway.¡±


    Deng didn¡¯t want to sit in Miaomiao¡¯s seat.


    Miaomiao sat with Jingjing, and Jingjing carefully positioned their stools next to each other, side by side.


    Zhou Yuan saw this scene when he returned. For a moment, he was taken aback.


    Why did she change her seat?


    Zhou Yuan returned to his seat, and when he turned around, he saw the two little girls huddled together. They whispered into each other¡¯s ears from time to time, and he didn¡¯t have a clue about what they were talking about.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Jingjing cooed her complaints to Miaomiao. She whispered her grievances about why she didn¡¯t want to sit with Deng Feng. When Jingjing had lied about her cold, Deng Feng said that lying about her cold would cause her nose to grow longer in the future; then, everyone would call her a liar.


    This caused Jingjing to become very upset.


    Miaomiao was still very young; therefore, she wasn¡¯t able to comment on such things.


    At this point, the teacher had entered the classroom, and it was time for everybody to take a nap.


    Jingjing took a nap while holding Miaomiao¡¯s head.


    Zhou Yuan turned around and witnessed this scene.


    Zhou Yuan brought his cell phone. He opened Teacher Li¡¯s WeChat account on his cell phone.


    He realized the petulance of his actions.


    Should I report this to the teacher right now?


    He started to imagine this scene. He was acting like the children who petulantly complained to the teacher, ¡°Teacher. Jingjing made Miaomiao and Deng Feng switch seats!¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± The image that he imagined shattered his impassivity.


    He quickly exited the WeChat application.


    When he slept on the table, he saw Deng Feng weeping right next to him while his head laid on the table.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Then, he suddenly realized that reporting this sort of behavior wasn¡¯t considered to be childish. The person who sat next to him was forced to change his seat. This resulted in his incessant weeping; Zhou Yuan considered his behavior to be childlike.


    Zhou Yuan turned back to Jingjing; it was obvious that she was already asleep.


    Zhou Yuan poked his new tablemate who cried next to him with a book and whispered, ¡°Can you cry with the person behind you after our naptime is over?¡±


    If he cried, it would be wasteful since the person who was supposed to witness his woeful weeping was already asleep.


    Deng Feng cooed back, ¡°I¡­I¡­I¡¯m not crying¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± No, no, little ancestor. I hope you cry at the end of your nap so that you can change your seat again.


    Since he was a child, Deng Feng was still unable to comprehend the boss¡¯s thinking and brain circuit.


    Taking a peaceful nap was impossible for Zhou Yuan.


    After taking a nap, Deng Feng ceased crying and seemed to have adjusted. Not only did he stop crying, but even started to converse with Zhou Yuan.


    Jingjing and Miaomiao went outside to wash their faces.


    When they returned, Miaomiao couldn¡¯t help but stare at Zhou Yuan since he hadn¡¯t spoken to her after changing seats.


    Miaomiao returned to her seat. Zhou Yuan was sitting in front of her. She took out some candy from her schoolbag, which her father had bestowed upon her during her time in the infirmary.


    Despite her hesitation, Miaomiao poked Zhou Yuan from the back with her hand, ¡°Zhouzhou.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zhou Yuan asked.


    Didn¡¯t you desire to sit at the same table as Jingjing? Are you going to change your seat again?


    Miaomiao handed the candy to Zhou Yuan, ¡°Zhouzhou, here¡¯s some candy for you.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­are you going to tell me why you changed places? You didn¡¯t say anything to me, after all.¡±


    ¡°Jingjing said that she would get the vaccine, but she would only get it if I switched places with Deng Feng.¡± Miaomiao whispered.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± It would have been better if you had not explained.


    Zhou Yuan believed that he was Miaomiao¡¯s best friend. After all, she sat at the same table with him since day one. In fact, during her early days at their school, she was so afraid that she didn¡¯t even dare speak with Jingjing. Jingjing even cried with terror after seeing her scars.


    Zhou Yuan was stunned. He had never experienced anything like this before.


    Is this jealousy?


    Zhou Yuan couldn¡¯t believe that he was expressing such an emotion, such an unreasonable emotion.


    But as a big man, as a warrior, after wrestling with the idea for three seconds, he smiled and said to Jingjing, ¡°Jingjing. During our naptime just now, Deng Feng cried the entire time.¡±


    Her gaze drifted to the person in front of her, and she exclaimed, ¡°He¡¯s such a crybaby!¡±


    For a moment, Deng Feng was stunned. He then dropped the book. In an instant, he blushed crimson, and his eyes grew red as he roared, ¡°Yes! Yes! I¡­I¡­In the future¡­no more¡­¡±


    One of the boys in the back couldn¡¯t suppress his laughter since Deng Feng was acting so tough now, but he still stammered while displaying his toughness, so he placed his hands on his stomach and laughed, ¡°Hahahahahahaha¡­.¡±


    All of a sudden, Jingjing¡¯s violent temper flared up, and she took the book and tried to wallop the boy on the head.


    She was quickly pulled back by Miaomiao, ¡°Jingjing. Jingjing. Don¡¯t fight.¡±


    Miaomiao was weak and barely had any strength, so she could only stop her first blow, but she couldn¡¯t the second.


    In the end, a report was made to the teacher. One of their classmates informed the teacher about their scuffle already.


    The teacher witnessed this scene when she came in.


    Zhou Yuan was trying to protect Miaomiao from being implicated, but in the end, Zhou Yuan, Miaomiao, Deng Feng, Jingjing, and the boy were all called to the office.


    With a stern face, the teacher asked, ¡°Who threw the book?¡±


    ¡°Me!¡± Jingjing and Deng Feng replied in unison!


    For the very first time, Miaomiao saw the strict Teacher Li. She usually smiled, but her severe expression slightly frightened Miaomiao. Miaomiao furtively clutched Zhou Yuan¡¯s hand.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    The children had a brief tussle, and a teacher with sufficient experience quickly resolved this problem.


    Before returning to their classroom, Zhou Yuan clutched Miaomiao¡¯s hand and told Jingjing, ¡°Change the seats back; otherwise, the headteacher will feel disrespected.¡±


    As soon as they returned to their classroom, Zhou Yuan moved Miaomiao¡¯s things back to their original location.


    Miaomiao was very happy when she returned to her seat. She still preferred sitting at the same table as Zhou Yuan, although he didn¡¯t speak a lot like Jingjing.


    Still, Miaomiao liked Zhou Yuan very much.


    During their afternoon class, Miaomiao answered questions much more frequently.


    After class, Miaomiao couldn¡¯t suppress her desire to speak with Zhou Yuan, ¡°Zhouzhou, we¡¯ll always sit at the same table from now on.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± Who changed their seat without informing me about it?


    Then, as he was about to nod while peering into her big, expectant eyes, he suddenly realized that he might not attend elementary school next semester.


    For a moment, Zhou Yuan was stunned and didn¡¯t utter a single word.


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t say that to wrest a promise or a response from him. She simply wanted to express her wish to sit at the same table as Zhou Yuan.

 CH 69

    Father Hua also got off work at the same time as Miaomiao, so he came to pick her up that afternoon.


    Mother Hua discovered Father Hua¡¯s new occupation; he was now a doctor at Miaomiao¡¯s school.


    Mother Hua was surprised, but she also believed that it was an excellent choice.


    Father Hua didn¡¯t have any good interpersonal communication skills at the beginning; otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have had to work so hard for so long, but he still hadn¡¯t been promoted. Moreover, his strength had indeed deteriorated over the years. Since he was now a school doctor, he now found time to take care of his own health and his own matters. He now worked from 9 to 5, which gave him time to do things that he had never found the time for.


    Father Hua himself was happy about his decision; therefore, a wave of ebullience washed over the entire family.


    Miaomiao also mentioned that her father vaccinated her.


    She also confessed to their mother that she had lied due to her fear of needles. She admitted that she had committed an error, but she also rectified her mistake.


    Mother Hua sat next to her on top of a cushioned stool. ¡°Is Miaomiao sad?¡± she asked.


    Miaomiao¡¯s nose turned sour, and she was very sad. ¡°I won¡¯t lie in the future.¡±


    Mother Hua kissed her and said, ¡°Miaomiao is a good girl. There¡¯s no need to tell lies like these, which will only make you feel uncomfortable.¡±


    ¡°Miaomiao is going with dad tomorrow to look for a new home, okay? Please take a photo of it and show it to mom.¡± Mother Hua told Miaomiao before going to bed.


    Miaomiao nodded ebulliently.


    Miaomiao used to talk on the phone watch and video chat with Zhou Yuan during her weekends. Somehow, she was going to be very busy this weekend.


    Miaomiao got up in the morning and went to help wash her mom¡¯s face. Miaomiao wrung the water out of the towel and wiped her mother¡¯s face.


    As she was being washed by Miaomiao, Mother Hua flashed her a smile and said, ¡°I thought I would have to wait until my seventies or eighties to get this type of treatment.¡±


    Great-grandmother somehow heard her comment, ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true. I¡¯m in my eighties, and my daughter still hasn¡¯t washed my face for me yet.¡±


    Grandmother poked her head out of the kitchen, ¡°Mom. Wait. I¡¯ll wash your face right now.¡±


    The house was lively.


    After Miaomiao finished wiping her mother¡¯s face, everyone had breakfast together. Father Hua then went out with Miaomiao, who had a cell phone hanging from a strap on her chest.


    Father Hua had bought a new mobile phone for Miaomiao. Initially, she thought it was useless, but isn¡¯t it useful now?


    Father Hua took Miaomiao to survey a house, which suited their needs, that the housing agent had already selected for them.


    Renting a house wasn¡¯t something they wanted to do for a long time. Additionally, since there were elders and children living with them, it inconvenienced them to live in their rental house.


    Father Hua had already contacted the housing agency and listed their old house for sale. And going to school every day would also be inconvenient from there.


    To make it convenient for Miaomiao to go to junior high school and high school, they decided to buy a house near the school district.


    Since Father and Mother Hua lived with elderly relatives and a young child, they decided to purchase a renovated second-hand house.


    Earlier in the day, Mother Hua and Father Hua already had discussed this issue. It would be quite arduous to decorate and furnish the new house due to the laborious nature of this task. Even if they finished furnishing and painting the house, people still couldn¡¯t live there right away. Usually, they had to ventilate the house for about half a year, but since they had elderly occupants and children, the house had to be ventilated for a much longer duration of time.


    As a result, they decided to purchase a second-hand house that was well-furnished, and they would simply replace the parts that they didn¡¯t like.


    Since there were so many people in their family, including great-grandmother, grandmother, and Miaomiao, they decided that a double-story villa was the best choice. Additionally, they needed a study room.


    Father Hua took Miaomiao along to survey the houses with the agent. Miaomiao used her mobile phone to chat with her mother. As a diligent house hunter, she learned the agent¡¯s words and elucidated them to her mother.


    At the same time, Zhou Yuan was perusing a book in his college classroom. Minor classes were held in a small classroom that accommodated more than forty people. Zhou Yuan sat directly in the first row since this was the agreement set up between Father Zhou and the other party.


    As soon as he walked into the classroom, all his classmates immediately noticed his conspicuous presence. ¡°Hey kid. Class will begin in a few minutes. Where are your parents?¡± a girl asked.


    Although they had mistaken him for a child who had lost his way, Zhou Yuan wasn¡¯t embarrassed at all. He just thought that everyone would be better off if they cared more about themselves.


    The class bell sounded, and everyone sat down. The teacher entered the room with a book. He introduced Zhou Yuan to everyone by saying, ¡°We have a new classmate in our class ¨C Zhou Yuan. Don¡¯t bully him just because he¡¯s a child.¡±


    Zhou Yuan wasn¡¯t interested in this ¡°Legal History¡± class. But this wasn¡¯t his first class.


    Zhou Yuan had already missed out on a lot of the class¡¯s previous lessons. But for today¡¯s lesson, the teacher was discussing the harsh punishments that took place during the Qin Dynasty.


    Zhou Yuan read some books last night; therefore, he could understand the content of the lecture.


    His second class had concluded. It was just after ten o¡¯clock in the morning, and he noticed that the morning sun¡¯s gentle rays were pouring through the window. This sight caused him to remember Miaomiao. He didn¡¯t bring his cell phone today.


    Miaomiao should be calling me right about now¡­


    Miaomiao usually called him every week unless something else preoccupied her attention.


    After the conclusion of his second class, there was a half-hour break. The other college students were either napping, playing games on their phone, or indulged in conversation at their tables. The classroom was very noisy.


    From his viewpoint, there wasn¡¯t much difference between college classrooms and elementary school classrooms.


    Except¡­there was a clutch of college students who surrounded him. They bombarded him with questions: ¡°Your name is Zhou Yuan, right? Do you understand anything?¡±


    ¡°Did your parents enroll you here? Shouldn¡¯t you be learning piano or learning how to dance at your age and not learning this?¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± I have nothing in common with these people.


    But this didn¡¯t discourage Zhou Yuan. He still wanted to study at a university. He had no intention of making friends. To him, his goal was the learning of new information.


    The teacher from the classroom adjacent to his was still lecturing. Zhou Yuan had passed by when he overheard his lecture, ¡°According to the length of the borrowing time, the international financial market could be divided into two markets: the currency market and the short-term borrowing market¡­¡±


    This stunned Zhou Yuan for a moment. Silently, he walked in, sat in the last row, and began to listen to the teacher¡¯s lecture.

 CH 70

    Compared to the classroom that he was in just now, this one was a little larger. The two back rows were empty, and Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t attract much attention when he waltzed in because he was too short. Only the teacher saw him enter the classroom.


    Since Zhou Yuan ensconced himself in the back row obediently and didn¡¯t interrupt the class, the teacher allowed him to stay.


    On the other hand, the Legal History teacher was shocked.


    Did that kid suddenly just vanish?


    Some students pointed out that Zhou Yuan had gone next door. This assuaged the Legal History teacher¡¯s fears. He felt that it was fine for Zhou Yuan to attend whichever lectures he liked.


    Therefore, he returned to teaching the class.


    Furthermore, he felt that the history of their legal system wasn¡¯t a pertinent topic for children to learn about. After all, lectures about criminal punishment and laws enacted by ruthless rulers were often too brutal and bloody for children.


    Although he surmised that the international trade class next door would confuse Zhou Yuan.


    Zhou Yuan had no idea that the Legal History teacher was thinking about such things. Zhou Yuan felt that this type of class suited him more.


    He had never reviewed this type of material before, and this was his first exposure to this type of material. He was happy to learn it, but it felt as if he was being thrown directly into a battlefield without any equipment.


    However, being able to expand the ambit of his knowledge was what made him feel very excited.


    Class was about to end. Zhou Yuan quickly stood up and returned as quickly as possible to the classroom next door.


    He sat in his seat and awaited his father¡¯s arrival so that they could eat lunch together.


    In comparison to elementary school, university was a very different experience. There was no teacher to distribute their meals; therefore, they had to buy their own food at the university¡¯s cafeteria.


    Father Zhou worried over letting the child go alone, so he returned at noon.


    Zhou Yuan was sitting in his seat, and he was busy sifting through his notes. When Father Zhou saw this, he was relieved, ¡°How was today¡¯s class?¡±


    Zhou Yuan suddenly remembered what the teacher told him about the Qin Dynasty¡¯s punishment system. ¡°Are you sure you want to listen?¡± he asked his father.


    Father Zhou asked, ¡°Is college life any different from what you expected?¡±


    He wasn¡¯t that little kid anymore.


    ¡°The Qin Dynasty¡¯s life penalty system, which administered the death penalty, included up to two dozen methods of execution, which included¡­¡± Zhou Yuan explicated slowly.


    Father Zhou hurriedly stopped him.


    Why did I forget that the courses concerning our legal history were unsuitable for kids?


    But Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t act like a child anymore.


    ¡°Were you afraid?¡±


    Zhou Yuan glanced at Father Zhou, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t feel anything.¡±


    Father Zhou: ¡°¡­¡± The fact that he didn¡¯t realize that Zhou Yuan was still a child wasn¡¯t his mistake.


    Throngs of people filled the university¡¯s cafeteria during lunchtime. Before they even stepped in there, Zhou Yuan and Father Zhou decided to go home for lunch.


    There were far too many people waiting in line. They didn¡¯t want to wait in line since they found it strenuous. Additionally, it appeared that students had to swipe their cards to get their meals.


    So the two headed home.


    After returning home, the first thing Zhou Yuan did was to check his mobile phone for any missed calls. Then, he discovered that there were no missed calls, no unread text messages, and no unread messages on WeChat.


    Did Miaomiao not contact me at all?


    Zhou Yuan hesitated, but he ultimately decided to call Miaomiao first.


    During this time, Miaomiao was very exuberant since she was busy showing her mother the house that they came to survey with the agent.


    So even if Zhou Yuan had called, Miaomiao hung up after just a few words.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Although Father Hua has already viewed three houses, he still hasn¡¯t found the perfect one, which suited him. Either the house had no ventilation, or the house wasn¡¯t in a quiet neighborhood, or a house had good lighting and was ensconced in a quiet neighborhood, but the decoration was awful and needed renovations, so he was still looking for a house.


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t seem tired at all. If anything, looking for a new house with her parents caused a storm of excitement to stir in her heart.


    Miaomiao enjoyed helping her mother. This feeling made her very exuberant.


    Miaomiao walked a lot during the day. Although she had traversed through several communities, it was still quite a trek for children; therefore, she drifted off to sleep quickly during the night.


    On the other hand, Zhou Yuan¡¯s sleep was unpleasant. That night, he had a bad dream. He dreamt that he was in the Qin Dynasty, and he was witnessing the Emperor of Qin cruelly and mercilessly punishing his subjects. Cries of agony cut through the air. Headless corpses strewed the ground, and pools of blood ensanguined the fields. Some of them had their limbs tied to the rear ends of five horses, which proceeded to tear them apart as they galloped away in different directions¡­some of them had their noses chopped off¡­some were crushed into mincemeat¡­some were even buried alive¡­


    Then, Zhou Yuan suddenly woke up. A night light illumed the room. Using the light¡¯s succor, he looked around the room. A slight feeling of terror still pervaded every fiber of his body.


    Although Zhou Yuan was intelligent and strong, this kind of cruel life under the purview of the Qin Dynasty was too much for someone of his age to fathom.


    He opened the bedroom door, and Zhou Yuan trekked into the kitchen to pour himself a cup of warm water.


    After downing the water, he went back into his bedroom. His heart felt even more irritable this time when he was lying on his bed.


    He buried his head under his quilt and played with his phone for a while, but he still wasn¡¯t able to sleep.


    He didn¡¯t want to go to his parents¡¯ room since something like this had never happened before; therefore, he had idea what to do.


    Zhou Yuan frowned; then, he took out his cell phone to send a message.


    However, there was no reply. Obviously, everyone was sleeping during this time.


    Due to his lack of rest, Zhou Yuan had a fever the next morning and wasn¡¯t able to get up.


    This shocked Father Zhou, so he decided to go to the hospital with Zhou Yuan.


    Zhou Yuan¡¯s phone rang at this moment. Even though his anxiety was consuming him, Father Zhou decided to pick it up.


    Then, Miaomiao also discovered that Zhou Yuan was ill.


    Mother Hua always felt like she owed Zhou Yuan a lot. After all, while Miaomiao was at school, she relied on this child to watch over her daughter.


    Because she couldn¡¯t visit him due to her injury, she requested Father Hua to take Miaomiao to see Zhou Yuan.


    They bought some fruits and asked Zhou Yuan for the address of the hospital he was in. Father Hua and Miaomiao drove over to the hospital.


    While on the road, Miaomiao was very upset, ¡°How did Zhouzhou become sick?¡±


    Father Hua answered, ¡°Children can catch colds and become sick pretty easily, but there shouldn¡¯t be any major complications.¡±


    It was clear from her facial expression that Miaomiao was deeply worried.


    This was the second time Zhouzhou became ill.


    Miaomiao was shocked when she discovered his mango allergies.


    Miaomiao arrived at the hospital. Meanwhile, Zhou Yuan was still on IV drops, and he held a book in his hand.

 CH 71

    Father Hua set the fruits he bought aside. Father Zhou and Mother Zhou greeted Father Hua.


    Miaomiao handed the flower to Zhou Yuan.


    Generally, when someone went to the hospital to visit a patient, they would bring some fruit and flowers. Father Hua was merely going to buy some fruits when he spotted some flowers that were next to the fruit stall, so he bought some flowers for Miaomiao to give to Zhou Yuan.


    A strong, malodorous odor permeated the hospital. Miaomiao remembered this terrible, fetid smell during her last visit to the hospital when her mother was hospitalized.


    Back then, she only focused on her mother, and she didn¡¯t notice anything else, including this acrid smell. But now, she felt very uncomfortable.


    Zhou Yuan coughed at this moment. Miaomiao quickly slipped out of her shoes, climbed onto the hospital bed, and patted his back.


    Then, she spoke to him in a low voice, ¡°Did you cough because this place smells bad?¡±


    Miaomiao sniffed the fetor of the hospital as well, and she coughed a little.


    Zhou Yuan initially wanted to convey that he coughed due to his cold. But after musing over this for a while, he realized that he had to explain how he caught a cold, so he agreed and nodded instead.


    Zhou Yuan was aware that he could¡¯ve made up an excuse and said that he caught a cold due to the cold wind that seeped into his room last night, which caused him to become bereft of sleep.


    Since he didn¡¯t sleep well last night, he was now in a state of lassitude. He felt very sleepy, but he was unable to fall asleep.


    He refused to acknowledge that he was in this state due to a lecture yesterday about the Qin Dynasty¡¯s legal system during his Legal History class.


    If I admit it, wouldn¡¯t that just mean that I¡¯m still a child? Like other children, these types of stories could still frighten me.


    Miaomiao noticed that they were on the same page. He agreed that the hospital¡¯s stench was responsible for his coughing, so she lifted her sleeves to reveal her forearm. Her arm was now adorned with more flesh, but it still remained scarred. Zhou Yuan, who has been her tablemate, was used to seeing this mesh of scars.


    ¡°Fragrant,¡± Miaomiao mused as she reached out her hand to Zhou Yuan¡¯s nose.


    Miaomiao used the palliative cream for her scars every morning and every night. The cream had a good, fruity scent to it, which smelled much better than the hospital¡¯s stench. She exuded the smell of strawberries today.


    Miaomiao drew back her hand, sniffed it herself, and felt that she smelled delectable. She asked Zhou Yuan, ¡°Do I smell like a little strawberry to you?¡±


    She again placed her hand in front of Zhou Yuan¡¯s nose as she spoke.


    The scent of the cream was very reminiscent of that of a small strawberry.


    The adults didn¡¯t want to partake in the two children¡¯s entertaining colloquy, so they excused themselves and allowed them to speak between themselves.


    Father Hua mentioned that he was looking for a new house today.


    Father Zhou then responded, ¡°There¡¯s a house for sale in our community that meets all of your requirements. But it¡¯s a bit far away from school.¡±


    Mother Zhou witnessed the two little friends conversing with each other with their little heads close together, and she said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. When the time comes, we could elaborate more on this issue. We could take turns picking up and dropping off our children. Even if it¡¯s in our community, you still have to check to see if the house meets your standards.¡±


    Father Hua mused over this. It was indeed convenient, so he immediately made his decision. He asked for the family¡¯s phone number and was about to head off to take a look.


    Miaomiao spent most of yesterday surveying the house, so she didn¡¯t have much time to speak with Zhou Yuan. Therefore, she now told him anything and everything about what had happened yesterday.


    ¡°That aunt was very nice, and she also bought me candy to eat.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit sour.¡±


    ¡°The first house has a big yard, but my dad said that their floor was too small and a bit damp¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan, who was next to Miaomiao, had already fallen asleep while smelling the sweet scent of strawberries as she spoke.


    Miaomiao was stunned for a moment, but she stopped talking. She felt pity in her heart, for she still had a ton of things that she hadn¡¯t told Zhou Yuan.


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t wait for Zhou Yuan to wake up. She had to leave, for her mother awaited her return back home so that they could eat.


    In his dream, Zhou Yuan saw a field of strawberries. He didn¡¯t have any nightmares this time.


    Miaomiao had already departed when he woke up. He saw his mother standing next to his bed. She sat down and asked him, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better if you played with people your own age?¡±


    It was said that as people grew older, they would become more and more lonely. There wasn¡¯t anything unreasonable about this statement. Adults paid more attention to themselves and had to carry more responsibilities. People also sometimes grew apart as they grew older. Old friendships disappeared, and new friendships arose; this was a vagary of life. Compared to their days of youth, adults no longer had the time, energy, or patience to maintain any of their friendships.


    Furthermore, Zhou Yuan was still just a child. He couldn¡¯t become good friends with a group of college students.


    Zhou Yuan was stunned for a moment, and then he said, ¡°I think my life in college is pretty good.¡±


    ¡°If you go to college, you won¡¯t be able to play with that kid who visited you right now. There will be no common language between you two at that time,¡± Mother Zhou said.


    ¡°We have no common language between us now.¡± Zhou Yuan retorted.


    Mother Zhou: ¡°¡­¡± They seemed so close just now. Weren¡¯t they talking with each other?


    Meanwhile, Miaomiao was told by her father that she could possibly be living in the same neighborhood as Zhou Yuan in the near future.


    ¡°Baozi Street, No. 222,¡± Miaomiao still recalled Zhou Yuan¡¯s address.


    Father Hua also remembered the address because he chased after Miaomiao during that little fiasco in which she left school to visit Zhou Yuan. He felt that he should discuss this with his wife when he returned. They could move in if the house met his conditions.


    Miaomiao was very happy, although she hadn¡¯t seen the house. The next morning, she told Zhou Yuan when he came to school.


    ¡°Zhouzhou, we will be living in the same community soon.¡±


    Zhou Yuan hummed in response.


    ¡°Then, we could dance with each other,¡± Miaomiao uttered.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± Even now, their houses weren¡¯t too far away from each other. After all, they went to the same elementary school, and he took long promenades in the park after dinner.


    Miaomiao was extremely happy. She has always liked Zhou Yuan. She was delighted to have the opportunity to go to school with him every day and to return from school together every afternoon.


    They would be similar to Jingjing and Deng Feng, who attended school together and left together every day.


    Jingjing and Deng Feng often quarrelled with each other, but Miaomiao had no intention of ever quarrelling with Zhou Yuan.


    She wanted to maintain a good relationship with them.


    Miaomiao was really jubilant. The more she thought about it, the more jubilant she became.


    However, she also recalled that Zhou Yuan was sick; therefore, she also brought a bottle of warm water from home and gave it to Zhou Yuan to drink. Due to his cold, he had to consume more warm water.


    Zhou Yuan inspected Hua Miaomiao¡¯s pink water bottle, which was adorned with cat ears. He saw her looking at him expectantly as if she was sure that drinking two more sips of water would completely remedy his cold.


    Due to his illness, he wore a mask to school. Since he used to wear a mask back then, everyone was already used to this.


    Zhou Yuan removed his mask to take a sip of warm water that Miaomiao had bequeathed him.


    ¡°My father said you would get well soon.¡± Miaomiao said.


    The next day, Zhou Yuan finished convalescing from his cold. Furthermore, he no longer had any more nightmares, but he never told anyone else about how he got his cold in the first place; otherwise, it would greatly sully his stately image.


    He also found a problem, but it was a good problem. He found out that strawberries were very magnificent fruits.


    Father Hua went to survey the house Father Zhou had mentioned, and it met all his requirements. Additionally, there was a sunroom and a courtyard. The previous homeowner mentioned to him that he could grow some vegetables and flowers in this area.


    The reason why the house was for sale was because the owner¡¯s son had to move to another area to take care of an elderly couple, so the owner had to sell this house.


    Father Hua liked this house very much. After a discussion with Mother Hua, he ultimately decided to buy it.


    However, they still had to complete a manifold amount of procedures and redecorations before they could move in.


    The adults told Miaomiao that they should be able to move into their new home after she had returned home.


    The house was in Zhou Yuan¡¯s community, which meant that in the future, she would be able to go to school with Zhou Yuan. They would also be able to come home together.


    Miaomiao was so happy that she consumed an extra bowl of rice for dinner.


    I can go to Zhouzhou¡¯s house to do my homework! I could also invite him to come play in my house.


    Miaomiao called Zhou Yuan to share the good news. Despite seeing Miaomiao¡¯s caller ID, Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t answer the call.


    Outside, Father Zhou and Mother Zhou were arguing. The reason was because his mother had found Zhou Yuan¡¯s law book that he used for his college course. She perused through a few pages, and then she found a page in it about the cruel punishments that the Qin Dynasty¡¯s Emperor had used on his subjects. Zhou Yuan had even scrawled down a few notes on this page, which were about the Emperor¡¯s cruel punishments.


    After perusing it, a sense of dread filled Mother Zhou. She couldn¡¯t help but feel angry since a small child was reading about the brutal punishments that happened during the Qin Dynasty.


    While Father Zhou felt that since Legal History was out of the question, Zhou Yuan could still attend the Civil Law and Commercial Law classes.


    Zhou Yuan then interjected, ¡°Why can¡¯t I choose the course I like?¡±


    In Zhou Yuan¡¯s opinion, he felt that he behaved like a really good kid during all these years. He was completely different from all those other kids who didn¡¯t understand their parents or cried all the time.


    But since he had tasted the sweetness of knowledge, he was quite certain that this was the kind of life he wanted. The thought of obtaining more knowledge was appealing to him as if he had entered into a new world where he could learn all the things he had never learned before.


    He didn¡¯t want to spend time in elementary school. He only had one life, and he didn¡¯t want to waste it with trivial matters.


    Mother Zhou was stunned for a moment. She sat down on a chair and looked at his obdurate expression.


    Maybe I was wrong. Zhouzhou might possibly be different from me.


    She regretted not having a childhood. She regretted not having any friends like the other children who played with each other and not possessing any fond childhood memories.


    Zhouzhou might not care about these things at all.


    Miaomiao was a little surprised when Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t answer the phone.


    Why didn¡¯t he answer the phone?


    Miaomiao dwelled on this for a while, ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯ll meet again tomorrow anyway.¡¯


    Early the next morning, she saw Zhou Yuan ensconced safely in his own seat when she arrived at school.


    A feeling of exultation enveloped Miaomiao as she declared to him, ¡°Zhouzhou, Zhouzhou! Dad said that we will live in the same community soon. We could come to school together! We could leave school together! Isn¡¯t that wonderful?¡±


    She now had changed from being a very shy and timorous little girl to a very outspoken person.


    When he met her for the first time, she still hid behind her mother and refused to look at him.


    Due to her timidity, she didn¡¯t dare look into his eyes when she greeted him.


    Now she was full of vitality; Zhou Yuan could not remember when her personality had changed.


    Zhou Yuan felt a little sad, but he soon suppressed his emotions.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to change schools next week,¡± Zhou Yuan declared to Miaomiao.


    Miaomiao blinked since she didn¡¯t understand his words.


    So, Zhou Yuan repeated. This time, Miaomiao finally understood this time. She mused over it, and she responded, ¡°So, you¡¯ll stop playing with us naive children now?¡±


    Miaomiao always remembered what Zhou Yuan had said that day, about how he was very smart and didn¡¯t feel the need to attend primary school.


    When Zhou Yuan digested Miaomiao¡¯s response, he replied back, ¡°You¡¯re not a naive child; you¡¯re a lovely child.¡±


    ¡°But you still don¡¯t like children.¡± Miaomiao wasn¡¯t complaining. She didn¡¯t express any negative feelings when she said that; she was simply stating the truth.


    Miaomiao mused for a while, and then she smiled and said, ¡°Well, you could play with me when I¡¯m older. When I grow up, we could both go to university together.¡±


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t realize that Zhou Yuan wouldn¡¯t need to go to college if he already went to college now.


    Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t know what to say, but he felt a great deal of discomfort. This feeling was similar to when he had caught a cold.


    While a cold could be treated with some medication, this kind of discomfort cannot.


    When Jingjing learned that Zhou Yuan was leaving, she took Miaomiao and Deng Feng outside their classroom for a discussion.


    Zhou Yuan, who wasn¡¯t asked to go with them: ¡°¡­¡±


    I¡¯m not interested in the children¡¯s discussion, although it mostly likely concerns me and my departure.


    Zhou Yuan surmised correctly.


    Jingjing said, ¡°If Zhouzhou is leaving, then we should get him a gift as a sort of souvenir.¡±


    Miaomiao nodded, ¡°What should we get him?¡±


    Jingjing asked, ¡°Does he have anything he likes?¡±


    ¡°No¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± Deng Feng said.


    Although Miaomiao had no idea about Zhou Yuan¡¯s likes and dislikes, Jingjing still asked her to figure out what Zhou Yuan liked since Miaomiao had a very good relationship with Zhou Yuan. She also told her not to tell Zhou Yuan that were going to buy him gifts. If he found out, then the surprise would be ruined.


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± I don¡¯t think I can.

 CH 72

    Like an older sister, Jingjing explained her mission to Miaomiao once more.


    Miaomiao had figured out what she had to do this time. All she had to do was find out what Zhou Yuan liked without telling him that they were going to buy him a gift.


    ¡°Then, I should just ask him what he likes?¡± Miaomiao asked Jingjing.


    ¡°Of course not. You can¡¯t be that direct; he¡¯ll find out our plan then.¡± Jingjing said.


    ¡°Then, what should I do?¡±


    Jingjing pondered for a while. Since she didn¡¯t know the solution to this dilemma, she completely handed it over to Miaomiao, ¡°Look at him carefully when you speak with him. You two have a very good relationship; therefore, you¡¯ll definitely be able to figure it out.¡±


    Zhou Yuan waited patiently in the classroom for a long time before the three children finally returned.


    Upon their return, they tried to avoid eye contact with him, either intentionally or unintentionally.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Miaomiao particularly wanted to avoid eye contact with him. At first glance, she seemed to have returned to a state resembling the one when they had first met. It was as if she wanted to say something, but she was unsure of how to say it.


    Zhou Yuan found her demeanor a bit bizarre, so he asked her, ¡°Miaomiao, do you have anything you want to tell me?¡±


    Zhou Yuan opined that Miaomiao was unwilling to let him go. After all, their relationship was very good.


    Miaomiao relied on others quite readily, and she naturally depended heavily on that guidance her deskmate provided. However, she felt slightly timorous since she was too embarrassed to ask him about his likes and dislikes.


    Zhou Yuan frowned.


    What should I tell Miaomiao if she told me not to leave and to remain at the same table with her?


    Zhou Yuan still couldn¡¯t bear hurting the child¡¯s heart.


    Zhou Yuan regretted speaking to Miaomiao just now.


    Miaomiao whispered, ¡°I just don¡¯t know how to answer this¡­¡±


    Then, she took out her workbook and showed Zhou Yuan the last question.


    Zhou Yuan then realized that his departure from school signified that nobody would be there to expound the lessons to Miaomiao.


    A slight feeling of entanglement began stirring in Zhou Yuan¡¯s heart. Although it was too late to attend his classes on the weekends, he felt that he should spend more time studying.


    Zhou Yuan affirmed his decision once again, and then he told Miaomiao how to answer the question.


    There were still many clamorous classmates in their classroom who were causing a din. Many children played outside on the playground, and Zhou Yuan silently watched them from the window.


    He sat in a daze for a while after explicating the question.


    It seems like it wasn¡¯t that long ago when I started first grade in elementary school, and it feels like it was just yesterday when I transferred here from kindergarten.


    It feels like it was just yesterday when Miaomiao walked into our classroom, with her head down, carrying her schoolbag, and sat down next to me.


    Time certainly flew by, but it seemed to be moving far too slow for Zhou Yuan. Zhou Yuan¡¯s heart was still touched by their parting.


    Miaomiao was still thinking about what Zhou Yuan liked the most.


    Because she wasn¡¯t allowed to ask him directly, she just kept slipping comments into her conversations with him to wrest a response such as ¡°I like flowers.¡±


    Miaomiao decided that she absolutely adored flowers after going to the flower shop yesterday. Flowers were so lovely, and she also had the surname Hua, which caused her to revere them even more.


    Miaomiao kept mentioning the beauty of the flowers from the flower shop that she visited yesterday, and then she casually asked, ¡°I like flowers the most. What about you, Zhouzhou?¡±


    Miaomiao lacked experience with her speech, so she spoke in a very roundabout manner. Zhou Yuan was still contemplating his departure when Miaomiao asked him what he liked the most.


    What do I like the most?


    For a while, Zhou Yuan could not picture anything he liked. He didn¡¯t like the same things that children liked. Additionally, he found that he had little fondness for the things that adults liked. He probably only liked books and obtaining knowledge.


    Children like Miaomiao would probably find it difficult to understand this kind of answer, so he decided to answer with something that most other little boys liked. But he realized that he didn¡¯t even know what other little boys liked.


    Therefore, Zhou Yuan just casually replied, ¡°I like flowers, too.¡± Same as Miaomiao.


    Upon hearing his answer, Miaomiao was ecstatic. It was no surprise that everyone liked flowers. They were very beautiful, after all.


    At noon, she clandestinely met up with Jingjing and Deng Feng, and she reported his answer to them.


    Afterward, Jingjing uttered, ¡°We¡¯ll buy all sorts of flowers for him.¡±


    Afternoon came, and Father Hua came to pick Miaomiao up from school. ¡°Dad, shall we go to the flower shop?¡± Miaomiao asked Father Hua as she held out two ten yuan bills in her hand.


    ¡°Why do you want to go to the flower shop?¡±


    ¡°Zhou Yuan is going to study at another school. He likes flowers the most, so I want to send him some flowers.¡± Miaomiao replied.


    Miaomiao was no longer afraid of her father. She opined that a father who doesn¡¯t hurt his child during her inoculation is a good father.


    Father Hua nodded, ¡°We¡¯ll buy him some flowers then.¡±


    Father Hua clutched Miaomiao¡¯s hand, and they strolled toward the flower shop.


    He asked her as they sauntered down the street, ¡°Zhou Yuan is going to be attending another school. Do you feel reluctant to let him go?¡±


    Miaomiao flashed him a smile, ¡°Yes, but Zhouzhou will be very happy, so I am also very happy.¡±


    Her response surprised Father Hua. He believed that Miaomiao would certainly be sad due to this event.


    Miaomiao was aware that Zhou Yuan had no desire to attend elementary school and didn¡¯t like listening to the teacher¡¯s lectures.


    They reached the flower shop, and when they entered it, various different kinds of flowers greeted them. Although Miaomiao was nescient of most flower names, she adored them anyway.


    She wanted to select the best-looking ones for Zhou Yuan.


    A florist sister asked Miaomiao what kind of flowers she wanted, and Miaomiao replied, ¡°We want to get the best ones.¡±


    ¡°All of the flowers in our shop are beautiful,¡± the florist sister replied, ¡°it just depends on your tastes.¡±


    Miaomiao scrutinized the flowers again and finally picked two sunflowers. Miaomiao knew about this type of flower from Deng Feng¡¯s joke book. A drawing of a large yellow flower just like this one was drawn on it.


    ¡°Sunflowers face the sun during the day. What do they do at night?¡±


    ¡°Bow their heads and eat melon seeds.¡±


    Miaomiao only understood this joke after Zhou Yuan¡¯s explanation. He explained to her that sunflowers produced a lot of melon seeds when they grew up.


    Therefore, Miaomiao bought two sunflowers, which cost exactly twenty yuan. Miaomiao was particularly happy because she had exactly twenty yuan on her.


    They haven¡¯t moved yet since they had to deal with all of the pertinent procedures. It was also inconvenient since Mother Hua still found it difficult to walk. They could not move until her legs fully convalesced. So, they were still living in their rental house.


    Zhou Yuan was already packing up his belongings. During the weekends, his parents could pick him up to have lunch together, but there wasn¡¯t much time during the rest of the week.


    Father Zhou taught at an engineering school, which was quite a distance away from the university he wanted to attend. It may be too late for him to get to school after class ended.


    Father Zhou rented a house next to the school where Zhou Yuan would transfer to so that when he got up during the morning, he could walk Zhou Yuan to the classroom, and then he could drive back to the school where he taught.


    Zhou Yuan found no problem with this arrangement.


    Because he needed to pack things up in order to move into that new house, Zhou Yuan couldn¡¯t find the time to attend his remaining elementary school classes for the next two days.


    Mother Zhou told him that he wouldn¡¯t have to go to elementary school in the future. She had already informed the headteacher, who asked him whether or not he wanted to go to school tomorrow to bid the children farewell.


    Zhou Yuan looked at the elementary school textbook he put aside, and then he glanced at the university textbook he had purchased.


    This was the life he wanted. There were no more crying children, no more useless exercises between classes, and no more simple, unsophisticated homework problems that he could finish with his eyes closed.


    He had been yearning for his opportunity for a while now.


    Zhou Yuan shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡±


    Mother Zhou nodded, ¡°That¡¯s okay. Check if there is anything else you forgot to bring. You¡¯ll come back here during the weekends.¡±


    Zhou Yuan nodded.


    The next morning, Zhou Yuan awoke at 6:30. This was a habit of his. Thin beams of aurulent light coming from the morning sun were streaming into his room through the gaps in his curtains, which tinged his room with a lambent sheen of gold.


    He was about to get up, but then he realized that there was no need to go to school today. The headteacher would most likely explain his absence to the children, who were formerly his classmates, on his behalf.


    Zhou Yuan¡¯s thoughts drifted to the empty seat next to Miaomiao, and that she would probably have a new tablemate.


    Due to Miaomiao¡¯s good character traits, her new tablemate definitely wouldn¡¯t bully her regardless if the new tablemate was a boy or a girl.


    Miaomiao was the kind of child whose obedient and understanding personality attracted people¡¯s attention.


    Zhou Yuan sat down and mused over everything quietly.


    There¡¯s no real need to worry about Miaomiao anymore. Her family is no longer beset by any conflicts. Her father is the school¡¯s doctor now. He¡¯ll definitely know what¡¯s going on right away.


    And Jingjing and Deng Feng are in the classroom with her as well, and the headteacher is her mother¡¯s college classmate.


    Zhou Yuan felt that he didn¡¯t need to fret over Miaomiao anymore. She would be able to live a very fulfilling and happy life.


    Miaomiao may be a little sad to lose her tablemate at the beginning, but with a child¡¯s forgetful memory, she¡¯ll forget about me soon.


    Since Jingjing had a habit of creating her own little gangs, she would be friends with a lot of children when she grew up.


    It¡¯s just that I won¡¯t be there with her.


    Eventually, they would enter discussions about how they no longer had me to provide guidance to them when they wanted to make some money. And I won¡¯t be there when they want to go out to play.


    They will definitely go to the hot springs with other children and eat roasted whole lamb¡­


    Miaomiao would definitely cling to her new tablemate when she felt that the person was the best person in the entire world, and would definitely talk and play with others¡­


    This is normal.


    Zhou Yuan was stunned.


    These memories¡­are these the childhood memories that mom always talked about?


    Then, when I grow up, what significance would these memories have for me?


    Zhou Yuan remembered what Mother Zhou had told him. While he could go to university whenever he wanted,  the opposite wasn¡¯t possible. He couldn¡¯t just waltz into any kindergarten or elementary school whenever he felt like it. When children grew up, their mentality would change, and this process couldn¡¯t be reversed. As they grew up, children would find it impossible to maintain a pure friendship, for children only befriended each other because they liked each other. When they grew up, they would still remember that attachment to their friends, which might either benefit or hurt them. Additionally, the burden of time would eventually weigh down on them, for they would experience many things, both good and bad.


    Zhou Yuan eventually snapped out of his musings. He didn¡¯t feel that this was the correct way to live. He always felt that his time should be spent on more valuable things and not on little kid¡¯s things.


    Miaomiao brought some sunflowers to school, but Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t come to school.


    The teacher only mentioned Zhou Yuan¡¯s transfer after the end of their class.


    After hearing this, Miaomiao put the sunflower on Zhou Yuan¡¯s side of the table.


    Miaomiao was sitting all by herself in the first row now. Bereft of her tablemate, she looked very lonesome.


    When their first class concluded, Jingjing pulled Miaomiao¡¯s stool towards her so that she could accompany her in her row. She also fetched Miaomiao¡¯s books and schoolbag also. The three stools stood adjacent to each other. Deng Feng sat inside, Jingjing sat in the middle, and Miaomiao was sitting outside. No one sat in the front row anymore.


    Miaomiao wasn¡¯t alone anymore.


    Children didn¡¯t blame their friends when they didn¡¯t show up for school because in the eyes of children, they had no right to choose.


    Jingjing and Deng Feng inferred that Father Zhou and Mother Zhou were taking Zhou Yuan to his new school.


    Therefore, Deng Feng asked Jingjing, ¡°Then we¡­what are we going to do?¡±


    Jingjing sighed in vexation, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Miaomiao looked at the vacant seat in front of her. She couldn¡¯t speak. She lowered her head and focused on her textbook.


    The young Hua Miaomiao felt the pain of parting for the first time.


    However, the emotions of children were fickle, for they would come and go quickly. Jingjing recovered quickly. Not only was she fine, but she also brought Deng Feng and Miaomiao to indulge in playing on the school¡¯s playground with their other classmates.


    Everyone decided to chase each other for fun, and Miaomiao soon realized the fun of it all. So, she also frolicked a lot with the others.


    In the afternoon, Miaomiao slept next to Jingjing during their naptime.


    During her second class, the teacher noticed them huddled together, but she didn¡¯t utter a single word. Miaomiao was bereft of a tablemate. It was indeed a little lonesome to sit by herself, so she decided it would be nice to sit next to Jingjing for a while.


    Noon came, and they slept next to each other without uttering a word. Miaomiao was unable to sleep well since she still missed Zhou Yuan.


    I don¡¯t know if Zhouzhou has entered university yet. He must be very happy.


    But Zhou Yuan was bereft of joy and happiness. He didn¡¯t know why, even though it had been his desire to go to university and leave his so-called childhood behind. He always believed that he was just wasting his childhood with trifling matters.


    However, when the car drove up to the university, he wasn¡¯t as happy as he expected. Seeing the building going backward from the window, he felt an unspeakable loss.

 CH 73

    When Miaomiao returned home, she was still clutching the sunflowers in her hands. Her parents already knew that her smart little tablemate didn¡¯t show up at school today.


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t know what to do with them since the flowers were supposed to be given to Zhou Yuan.


    But anyways, children¡¯s thoughts came and went quickly. The next day, Jingjing and a few other children secretly sowed some vegetable seedlings in their school¡¯s flower bed with Miaomiao.


    Because they didn¡¯t know where else to plant them.


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t think about Zhou Yuan¡¯s departure anymore since she had been busy watering the seedlings every day. She believed that the seedlings would begin sprouting up quickly.


    She had no idea where Father Zhou bought the vegetable seeds. Miaomiao was in sixth grade now, and she had indeed grown taller since her time in first grade. But compared to her, no cabbages had grown from the seeds.


    There was no mention of Zhou Yuan in Miaomiao¡¯s life since Zhou Yuan and his family had moved out before they moved into that community.


    He seemed to have strayed away from Miaomiao¡¯s tiny world. He appeared and left in the blink of an eye. But a lot of other memories slowly filled Miaomiao¡¯s mind. She remembered the first time she wrote an essay and then read it out loud. She recalled when her classmates went outside during an excursion to climb the mountains during the spring. They all went outside to pick wild fruits so that they could eat them together. The fruits¡¯ juices darkened their mouths, and then they pretended that the fruits had poisoned them¡­


    She made more and more happy memories, and slowly she had relegated the image of her little tablemate who wore a mask to the deepest parts of her memory.


    And Miaomiao made more and more friends. She looked beautiful and had baby fat, which made her look cute. She smiled sweetly. She always hearkened to the words of others with solemnity, which made everyone like her regardless if they were a boy or a girl.


    When she was in the first year of middle school, she was voted as the monitor of their class.


    Mother Hua always saw one of two love letters in her schoolbag when she unpacked it. When Miaomiao was in the third grade of elementary school, her phone watch broke, and she never used the phone that her mother bought for her that much.


    Many of the love letters written by little boys were funny, but Mother Hua wasn¡¯t worried about her daughter. Although Miaomiao was young, she still thought for herself.


    When Miaomiao was in her second year of high school, her grandmother passed away.


    She still recalled her passing. When Miaomiao woke up in the morning, she went to call her grandmother, but she found that she was sleeping soundly with her eyes closed, and she never woke up.


    Miaomiao encountered this type of loss for the second time. The first time was when her great-grandmother died. This happened when she was in second grade. At the time, she didn¡¯t understand anything, but she understood now. She now knew that she would never see her grandmother again.


    On the day of her grandmother¡¯s cremation, Miaomiao wept for a long time and clung to her mother. When she went to school the next day, her face was swollen.


    On the day after her cremation, Miaomiao wasn¡¯t able to go back to school on time, and her mother and father were very busy with family matters.


    So, Miaomiao took a taxi to go to school by herself, but the taxi driver dropped her off on the side of the road that was situated opposite to the school.


    Miaomiao heard the sound of a motorcycle as soon as she stepped out of the taxi. Before she even made two strides, a black shadow passed by her, followed by a vigorous tug. Miaomiao leaned forward due to this force, and someone had stolen her schoolbag.


    Because she cried a lot, her eyes became swollen, and she found it difficult to open them, so she could only see a black figure who sat on top of the motorcycle galloping away.


    Miaomiao tried to catch up with the motorcycle, but the driver was already too far away.


    Her mobile phone, wallet, and homework were all in her schoolbag.


    But most importantly¡­the charm that her grandmother had bequeathed her was also in the schoolbag.


    Miaomiao¡¯s heart was in a mess. She didn¡¯t have any money on her, so she raced to the school¡¯s security room.


    ¡°Uncle. Could I borrow your phone? I just got robbed.¡±


    The security guard knew her. Every time he opened the door, she would thank him.


    While offering solace to her, he handed her his mobile phone, ¡°What¡¯s inside the bag? There is surveillance outside.¡±


    Miaomiao knew that. So, she borrowed the phone and called the police. Her hand shook as she made the call. The police station was nearby, so a police officer came quickly, picked her up, and drove her to the police station to record her statement.


    They needed time to complete their investigation. The police asked her teacher to come pick her up and drive her back to school. If there were any new developments, the class teacher would be notified because that person also stole Miaomiao¡¯s mobile phone.


    The headteacher took Miaomiao back to her school. Her whole body was slumping with fatigue.


    Grandma passed away, and the charms that she bequeathed to me are gone. Grandma went to the temple to get them.


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t have time to wipe her tears when her new classmate walked into the classroom with the teacher.


    Her face was swollen because she had cried too much, and there was a faint ache in her eyes.


    The person came next to her, sat down, and slept on the table.


    Miaomiao turned her head away from him and bursted into tears. She couldn¡¯t see what the person next to her looked like. She only knew that he was very tall. If none of this had happened, Miaomiao would have welcomed her new classmate with open arms, but now she was too doleful to do that.


    Two classes had come and gone, and Miaomiao¡¯s eyes improved a little, so she could see the person next to her with more clarity.


    He wore a black coat, and his temperament was nothing like that of a high school student¡¯s, but he was really handsome. It was Miaomiao¡¯s first time meeting such a handsome boy with arched eyebrows and beautiful eyes. He looked like a man from a comic. But the boy hasn¡¯t said a single word since he sat down. This was completely different from the other students in her class.


    But he possessed some really bad habits, and he didn¡¯t like studying at all. His books were neatly stacked, but he never attended class. She wasn¡¯t sure what he was thinking, but he looked morose.


    Miaomiao herself was in a bad mood, so she didn¡¯t speak.


    Miaomiao stayed by her table after her class concluded. She didn¡¯t eat. She donned a short-sleeved shirt, and she dressed like other girls of her age, which revealed her white, flawless arms. Although she still had scars on her body, they were barely noticeable by the time she was in junior high school.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s go to lunch,¡± Jingjing came over and called her. Jingjing and Miaomiao were no longer in the same class.


    Miaomiao hadn¡¯t informed Jingjing about her grandmother, so Jingjing was shocked when she caught a glimpse of Miaomiao¡¯s swollen face, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your face? Is it because of an allergy?¡±


    Miaomiao¡¯s tablemate was probably going to eat outside. It was already noon, and the sun was shining very brightly outside. Her new tablemate then slipped out of his coat.


    Miaomiao was talking with Jingjing when she suddenly caught a glimpse of the bracelet that her tablemate wore. A silvery-white bracelet adorned his right wrist.


    But this wasn¡¯t the main point. Miaomiao also had the exact same bracelet, although she never wore it since it was too big, so she instead kept it in her wallet, which was tucked in her bag, which was stolen.


    Miaomiao peered at her new classmate once more. He donned a black coat; he had a tall figure, but most importantly, he donned the exact same silvery bracelet.


    Miaomiao¡¯s hands trembled, but she tried to calm down and uttered, ¡°Classmate. Could I see your bracelet?¡±


    The boy gave her one look and spat out a single word, ¡°No.¡±


    Traces of hostility and pugnacity could be seen in his eyes.


    Miaomiao could tell that he was very angry! When she saw the same amount of wear and tear on the bracelet, she became extremely ireful as well.

 CH 74

    Black jacket, tall figure, and the same old bracelet! The most important thing is that this bracelet looked like the same one in her purse.


    Miaomiao had never quibbled, quarreled, or gotten angry with anyone since her childhood years, but she was extremely incensed today. At first, her Grandmother died, which was a very big blow to Miaomiao.


    Miaomiao stood up and stared daggers at the boy. Then, she realized that she was too short, and her aura didn¡¯t intimidate him at all. She tried her best to suppress her tears, and calmly asked, ¡°Classmate¡­did you see a red bag today? I¡­I¡­¡± Her voice started to falter.


    She tried her best not to reveal details of her robbery since she wanted him to confess his crimes, ¡°I lost it by accident.¡±


    The boy, Zhou Yuan, froze for a moment. He didn¡¯t understand what the girl was talking about. The girl in front of him was little, but her face was ruddy and round, and her eyes were very swollen. He inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity emanating from her. Normally, he wanted nothing to do with high-schoolers, but the other party desired his bracelet, which he naturally wouldn¡¯t part with. The only party said so many strange things, and after listening to them, he felt a little strange, ¡°Huh?¡±


    Confusion also consumed Jingjing, so she uttered, ¡°Class president, is your school bag missing?¡±


    Miaomiao and Jingjing bought that big incarnadine bag together; therefore, Jingjing understood the hidden meaning behind her statements.


    Miaomiao was the acting class monitor during her middle and high school days, so everybody nicknamed her ¡°class president¡±, whereas Jingjing simply called her Miaomiao just like in primary school.


    Zhou Yuan was morose. His parents had forced him to enroll into a high school to assuage his stress. At first, he was hesitant to come, but it was even worse now since he has encountered two unreasonable people, which worsened his mood even more.


    The girls were merely high school students, and Zhou Yuan had little concern for them. After putting on his coat, he turned around and left.


    When Miaomiao noticed him departing from the room, she stepped forward to grab hold of him. She calmed down and chirruped, ¡°Classmate. The bracelet on your hand greatly resembles mine. It was in my school bag, which I lost today. Do you recall seeing a large red schoolbag?¡±


    That bag contained many things that were precious to Miaomiao, including an amulet of paramount importance.


    A while ago, Grandmother once announced to her family that she had a nightmare in which Miaomiao fell into a dark river. She immediately dived in there and swam around in an attempt to find her, but she was unable to find Miaomiao.


    The dream was so realistic that Grandmother even warned Miaomiao not to enter this river after having this dream.


    In order to ease her disquietude, Miaomiao told her that she wouldn¡¯t even touch a bucket of water.


    One day, she got home from school, and she found out that her Grandmother was still perturbed by all of this; therefore, she went to the temple to ask for an amulet.


    She had received it the night before, and then her Grandmother died the very next day.


    No matter what, Miaomiao had to retrieve this amulet.


    Her tears began to flow, but she couldn¡¯t ask him directly for it since it would just anger the boy. A high school boy was filled with high self-esteem, and she could not tear their faces apart*.


    Jingjing, who stood next to her, heard everything now, so she took a broom from the corner to use as a weapon. She said to Zhou Yuan while uttering, ¡°Class president, don¡¯t cry. I¡¯ll get back your amulet for you!¡±


    Zhou Yuan conjectured that the high school student before him had lost her bag. After realizing that she was his neighboring classmate, who suspected him of her things, he explained in a brusque manner, ¡°I didn¡¯t see your schoolbag.¡±


    She obviously suspected him of taking her bag.


    What would I do with a girl¡¯s bag?


    When he finished, Zhou Yuan glanced at the girl, who was almost about to pounce on him. Jingjing was startled by his abrupt glance and took a step back. Afterwards, Zhou Yuan departed.


    Zhou stepped out of the school, and he noticed a car. After a brief moment of hesitation, he approached the car.


    Mother Zhou asked him immediately after he sat in the car, ¡°High school is different from university, right? Did anything exciting happen today?¡±


    In a cheerful tone, Father Zhou added, ¡°It must be a happy occasion.¡±


    Zhou Yuan sat in the back seat. He didn¡¯t want to spoil his parents¡¯ good mood. He simply replied, ¡°It was okay. I won¡¯t go tomorrow.¡±


    Mother Zhou looked at Father Zhou, her eyes filled with guilt. It would¡¯ve been better if she had been more firm and resolute and forced him to stay in elementary school. At the very least, he would have a happy life filled with friends. At least, his life would be wreathed in smiles, and he wouldn¡¯t be consumed by the morosity that he had now.


    Mother Hua toughened up a bit this time, ¡°It¡¯s better if you take a few more classes. You will get a taste of what high school is like.¡±


    It¡¯s best to make some new friends and play basketball and other games with other boys of his age. It¡¯s also okay for him to fall in love, so long as he could be happy.


    In the end, Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t say anything. His current tablemate came to mind. The more he thought about it, the more familiarity he felt with her. Discomfort would beset him when he noticed her crying.


    This wasn¡¯t the first time he saw someone cry, but this was the first time he saw someone whose face and eyes became swollen after weeping.


    Is it an allergy?


    Meanwhile, Miaomiao was speaking with Jingjing in their classroom; she explained, ¡°It¡¯s not an allergy.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t comfortable discussing her Grandmother¡¯s death as it was a painful memory.


    When Jingjing probed further, Miaomiao decided to tell her. The news shocked Jingjing. Jingjing spent a lot of time at Miaomiao¡¯s house since her childhood years, and she had a special bond with her grandmother. Jingjing also cried with her.


    After crying for a while, neither of them wanted to eat.


    Miaomiao¡¯s only clue concerning her schoolbag was the bracelet she placed inside of it, ¡°Jingjing. Do you remember the bracelet that I gave you when you were a child?¡±


    The reason why Miaomiao held onto the bracelet for so long was because she saved up some money to buy it when she was younger. At that time, she purchased four bracelets and kept one for herself. She wore it all the time during her childhood years. As she started gaining more flesh and weight around her wrists, she altered the chain to make it larger. But eventually, she became thinner again and couldn¡¯t wear it anymore. But she didn¡¯t want to keep altering the bracelet all the time; therefore, she simply stored it within her bag.


    It was quite a coincidence that the bracelet on this person¡¯s hand was also altered to become larger and was fraught with the wear and tear of time.


    It¡¯s obviously mine.


    For a while, Jingjing was unsure about where she threw her bracelet. She often loses her things because she doesn¡¯t take care of them.


    But after digesting Miaomiao¡¯s words, Jingjing was convinced that the boy had taken Miaomiao¡¯s bag.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ve found a suspect now! We¡¯ll definitely get your schoolbag back without any problem. By the way, Miaomiao, how much money was in there? Was your new cell phone also in there as well?¡± Jingjing asked.


    Miaomiao nodded, ¡°My wallet was inside of it. It had about a thousand yuan inside.¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s nearly six thousand yuan if you add them altogether. Did you call the police?¡±


    Miaomiao nodded, ¡°They¡¯re looking for it. I¡¯ll be notified if they find something.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s speak with the police first!¡± Jingjing burbled, pulling Miaomiao to her feet.


    Miaomiao pulled Jingjing back, ¡°Wait a minute. If he found out that we informed the police to arrest him, what do you think he¡¯ll do? He¡¯ll try to exonerate himself by tossing away my bag and my belongings. He¡¯ll try to get rid of the evidence. Then, I¡¯ll never recover them.¡±


    Jingjing thought that this was reasonable, ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t talk to the police for now.¡±


    After eating his lunch, Zhou Yuan went back to school. He went into the classroom and saw his deskmate scrawling something down. Shafts of sunlight poured through the windows and draped around her hair. This sight caused some long forgotten but blurry memory to awaken within him. It was like some abandoned memory, which tickled his senses.


    He had an excellent memory, and even now, he still remembered what had happened when he was merely two or three years old. However, this memory wasn¡¯t formed during his postgraduate years, but rather it was one from another time and place.


    He strode into the room with his long legs. His tablemate raised her head and asked, ¡°Can we talk about it?¡±


    Zhou Yuan was confused when he heard this, ¡°Although I¡¯m your tablemate, you were already in your seat when I got here; therefore, why do you think I took your stuff?¡±


    Miaomiao felt that Zhou Yuan was being unreasonable. She pointed at the bracelet on his wrist and angrily burbled, ¡°This bracelet was the same one in my bag. If you didn¡¯t steal my bag, then where did it come from?¡±


    On the other hand, Zhou Yuan also found her to be unreasonable, ¡°I had worn this bracelet since I was a child. As I grew older, I altered the chain to make it larger.¡±


    How could it be hers?!


    Miaomiao was red with anger as he refused to admit his crime. It was really too much!


    In an instant, Miaomiao grabbed his bracelet and angrily exclaimed, ¡°This is a woman¡¯s bracelet!¡±


    This is clearly mine!


    She had never seen anyone so shameless! Although he had perfect looks on the outside, he was like this on the inside.


    Zhou Yuan was starting to run out of patience, and he replied, ¡°The person who gave this to me doesn¡¯t know that it¡¯s for women. Let go of your hand.¡±


    Miaomiao was fraught with ire and consternation at this point, but he asked her to let go. Instead of letting go of it, she tightened her grip on it and didn¡¯t let go.


    Zhou Yuan attempted to wrest his hand away from her grip, which caused the bracelet to break.


    Miaomiao immediately grabbed it, ¡°If you like this bracelet, I could gift it to you. But you must return my amulet.¡±


    Zhou Yuan looked at the bracelet. Anger gleamed in his eyes, and he coldly said, ¡°Give it back to me!¡±


    Miaomiao¡¯s eyes were red with tears and anger, ¡°Or tell me where you found this bracelet.¡±


    Zhou Yuan was fuming, ¡°I don¡¯t know where your schoolbag is. Give me back that bracelet.¡±


    ¡°How could you not know? This bracelet is mine. It cost me ten dollars to alter it and make it larger.¡± Miaomiao burbled, ¡°I¡¯m not mistaken! Besides, it¡¯s a bracelet that I bought years ago from a street stall. You can¡¯t have the exact same bracelet with a larger chain!¡±


    Zhou Yuan pressed his temples, grabbed his cell phone, and immediately called the police.


    As soon as Miaomiao noticed that he was calling the police, she was seething with anger.


    She was also very worried.


    If he calls the police, will he throw everything away to hide the evidence?


    Miaomiao was fraught with anger and anxiety. The police arrived quickly. Miaomiao visited them earlier this morning. Her eyes were so swollen that only a small slit could be seen, and her face appeared to be affected by allergies. It took the policeman only a single glance to recognize her.


    ¡°Hua Miaomiao?¡±


    ¡°Hello, uncle.¡± Miaomiao bowed politely.


    Next to him, Zhou Yuan turned his head and gazed at the girl he had just judged to be unreasonable.


    Suddenly, he remembered how his parents had repeatedly asked him during noon whether or not he was happy¡­


    He wondered how he could be happy while attending high school.


    Zhou Yuan¡¯s mood was complicated, or so it was said.


    Miaomiao elucidated the whole situation to the police, and she tried not to be influenced by her own personal feelings.


    She looked at her tablemate and wanted to hear what he had to say!


    Then she saw her tablemate smiling at her. He said, ¡°Are you allergic? Why does your face look swollen?¡±


    *Tear their face apart- Have no consideration for someone¡¯s feelings; offend someone openly; shed all pretenses of cordiality.

 CH 75

    Originally, Zhou Yuan¡¯s intention was to use the police intervention as an excuse to leave school. After all, he did not enjoy being forced to go to school by his parents. But he never had imagined that the high school student was Hua Miaomiao.


    He had never imagined how his little deskmate would look like when she grew up. In his subconscious, the little deskmate was still the same timorous little girl with scars on her arms and timid eyes.


    Even if there was some degree of familiarity, he just couldn¡¯t see the connection between the two.


    He just heard her name again, which caused him to wonder why she was insistent that the bracelet was hers, which led her to fervidly argue with him.


    The bracelet, which he adorned, and hers were both ten years old.


    He initially thought that the other person was unreasonable. However, after discovering Miaomiao¡¯s identity, he understood everything all at the same time. This coincidence was just too much for him to comprehend, and he wasn¡¯t foolish; therefore, he knew she shouldn¡¯t be able to locate another person who wore the same women¡¯s style bracelet with an altered chain.


    Because of this coincidence, Miaomiao believed that it was hers, and it wasn¡¯t unusual to suspect him of being the person who took it.


    The more Zhou Yuan mused over it, the more he found this reunion hilarious. Especially when he noticed the other person¡¯s swollen face and eyes. She wasn¡¯t sure how to express anger and indignation when she was a child. It didn¡¯t matter what tribulations she had to go through; she always felt sad for herself. Now she has grown into a brighter person.


    A wave of inexpressible anger filled Miaomiao¡¯s heart when she saw his smile.


    He¡¯s clearly doing it on purpose!


    When the police were called, the teacher also naturally came along.


    As soon as the teacher learned the details of this incident, he immediately defended Zhou Yuan and said, ¡°He would never do that. His family is extremely wealthy, so he would never steal from other students.¡±


    Miaomiao was taken aback, ¡°But¡­this bracelet¡­it¡¯s mine.¡± Miaomiao was certain that it was hers when she held the bracelet in her hands. When she was a child, she was incognizant of the material of the goods that she had purchased, and it was inexpensive as well. She peered at his bracelet and noticed that the silvery veneer was wearing away, revealing the cheap black material inside.


    The teacher had a good impression of Zhou Yuan since he didn¡¯t seem to be an average student. He explained, ¡°Zhou Yuan was already wearing this bracelet when he first arrived.¡±


    Miaomiao went to school before Zhou Yuan, whereas Zhou Yuan came to school afterwards. The timing and the misunderstanding that it wrought made perfect sense.


    The teacher sent them away after explaining everything to the police. Then, he turned his attention to Miaomiao and explained that Zhou Yuan was an extremely intelligent student and was very wealthy; therefore, he wasn¡¯t a thief.


    Zhou Yuan glanced at Miaomiao when the teacher mentioned his name. He assumed that Miaomiao should be able to remember him.


    Miaomiao was disconcerted since the teacher said he believed Zhou Yuan over her words.


    The teacher still believed him even though it¡¯s the same bracelet.


    The teacher finally said, ¡°Please apologize to classmate Zhou Yuan. You broke someone¡¯s bracelet.¡±


    Miaomiao realized the futility of responding, so she clenched her fists and prepared to apologize in reluctance.


    While Zhou Yuan did desire an apology from the other party, he never thought that the other party would be Miaomiao. He quickly said, ¡°No need. It was just a misunderstanding. No one believed that we had the same bracelet.¡±


    Despite Zhou Yuan¡¯s words, Miaomiao still followed the teacher¡¯s orders and bowed, and she hung her head, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve wronged you.¡±


    She seemed to clench each word as she spoke.


    Seeing her clenching her teeth, Zhou Yuan knew then in his heart that she did not recognize him at all, no matter how


    Although he was a little disappointed, he still asked her, ¡°Do you really not remember me?¡±


    Miaomiao raised her head and said, ¡°I will remember you. I will always remember you.¡±


    Miaomiao sat quietly in her seat all afternoon without uttering a word. Her classmates kept approaching her and asked if anything happened to her.


    Zhou Yuan noticed how popular she was in class.


    Miaomiao told them everything was fine, but she refused to speak with Zhou Yuan.


    Zhou Yuan touched his nose and watched Miaomiao drawing something in her sketchbook before declaring, ¡°We met when we were kids. You gave me that bracelet. Do you really not remember me, Miaomiao?¡±


    Miaomiao continued to ignore him.


    I bought several bracelets a long time ago. I gave one to Jingjing, Deng Feng, and someone else¡­


    Wait¡­


    As she mulled over it, Miaomiao froze. Her head was a mess. She slowly remembered that she also gave one to another person. She could only recall a few memories about this person since her other memories took center stage in a disorganized way in her mind, like a pile of clutter. She recalled someone named ¡°congee¡±.


    When they were children, Miaomiao remembered that she had exchanged vows with him to never forget each other¡¯s names. His name was ¡®congee¡¯, which was a foodstuff. Later¡­he went to university!


    Miaomiao turned her head and gazed at the boy standing next to her.


    Why is he smugly smiling at me? And besides, that boy should¡¯ve graduated from college by now. How is he still a high school student?


    She didn¡¯t want to argue with him at all. And his attitude made her feel as if it would be useless to try.


    Zhou Yuan was a little hurt. Despite everything he said, she still could not remember him at all, yet he remembered everything about her.


    He walked out of the room, and when he returned, he placed something atop her desk. It was an ice pack.


    Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t know what had transpired that caused her face to become so swollen, but her face was tinged with shades of crimson, which the ice pack could help alleviate.


    When school ended during the afternoon, Jingjing came to look for Miaomiao, but she wasn¡¯t there.


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t tell her parents that she had been robbed. She was now outside her school, and she was traversing down a street, which bustled with activity.


    With pen and paper in hand, Miaomiao realized that the only person that she could rely on was herself. She had to be the one schoolbag.


    She was incognizant of the difficulty of this task, for she didn¡¯t know how many places she needed to search.


    She suspected that the thief would certainly not hold onto a large red schoolbag; it was far too conspicuous and eye-catching.


    He probably threw it away.


    Miaomiao remembered which direction the motorcycle drove off towards, and she began walking in the same direction. She started to scour the garbage cans at the corner of the street for any clues about the whereabouts of her bag.


    When her grandmother passed away, the thought of never seeing her again made her feel really uncomfortable.


    When she couldn¡¯t find it there, she kept combing the streets by moving from one place to another.


    The physical discomfort, which was caused by this simple yet repetitive movement, made her feel a little relieved, for this discomfort made her feel as if she was making progress.


    While she was searching for her bag, she came across an old lady who was combing through the trash.


    The old lady was dragging a large bag behind her, and Miaomiao caught a glimpse of her red schoolbag within it.


    Miaomiao was overjoyed, and she hurried after her, ¡°Grandma, hello.¡±


    The old lady peered at her and wondered why she had accosted her.


    Miaomiao quickly said, ¡°Grandma, this schoolbag belongs to me. I have something very important in there. Would you allow me to take a look at it?¡±


    The old woman looked at her warily and suspiciously before saying, ¡°I picked this bag out of the trash; it¡¯s mine.¡±


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t want to argue with the old lady. ¡°Grandma, I don¡¯t need the schoolbag. You can keep it. I just want something that¡¯s inside of it.¡±


    The old woman handed the schoolbag to her and burbled, ¡°You threw it away, and I found it. Yet now you¡¯re asking for it back? This schoolbag is still intact and has its use.¡±


    ¡°It was stolen from me actually.¡±


    She rummaged through the bag and found that her textbooks were still in the bag, but her wallet was missing. When she opened one of the inner pockets, she found the amulet inside.


    Miaomiao quickly took it out, looked at the lost amulet, and cried with excitement.


    I got it back, and I swear never to lose it ever again.


    After returning to school, Miaomiao went to wash her hands. When she came back to her classroom, she noticed that everyone was looking at her strangely.


    During this transient moment of silence, Miaomiao didn¡¯t care about what anyone else was thinking or talking about. She returned to her seat and noticed that her tablemate hadn¡¯t arrived yet.


    She sat down, and a girl behind Miaomiao immediately poked her with a finger. Then she uttered, ¡°Class president, this is for you.¡±


    She presented a small pink box before her; Miaomiao looked at it in surprise.


    The girl stood up and hugged her. ¡°Class president. We will always be there for you.¡±


    Another girl handed her a lunch box and chirruped, ¡°Here¡¯s something warm for you to eat. Jingjing told us that you haven¡¯t eaten at all today.¡±


    This group of high school girls had no idea how to comfort their class leader, whose loved one had passed away, but they tried their best and came up with some ideas.


    Moved by their concern, Miaomiao hugged her and wept in her arms.


    Jingjing arrived at Miaomiao¡¯s classroom and found no one inside. Jingjing felt a little strange, but when she departed the classroom, she found that everyone from Miaomiao¡¯s class was running around in circles in the playground.


    The person who ran in front was Hua Miaomiao. Her very essence seemed to be filled with energy, and she ran like a madman possessed.


    Jingjing joined her and ran with her.


    They were followed by many classmates. Several minutes later, the girls were too tired to run anymore, so they reposed on the grass, whereas Miaomiao and the boys continued their run. The boys ran two more laps; then, they stopped and sprawled themselves on the grass.


    Miaomiao continued to run alone as if she was a madman possessed.


    One of her classmates asked, ¡°Did our class president break the record today?¡±


    ¡°She must be sad. I could understand.¡±


    Another classmate added, ¡°When my grandma passed away, I did the same.¡±


    ¡°I met the class president¡¯s grandma. She had a very gentle personality.¡±


    ¡°I also met her.¡±


    The boys felt a little strange, ¡°When did you meet her?¡±


    ¡°When they were renovating the dormitory, we weren¡¯t allowed to live there anymore. You boys all went to the cafe, whereas the class president took the girls to her house.¡±


    ¡°It was during our three-day holiday. The school didn¡¯t want us to live in the dormitory due to the renovation, and our homes were too far away, so the class president allowed us to sojourn in her house. We didn¡¯t even need to pay them for our sojourn.¡±


    ¡°Can you all live there?¡±


    ¡°The class president¡¯s bed was large enough for eight people to sleep on it. The other girls had to sleep on the floor. Her grandmother insisted that we sleep with her in her room, but we wanted to chat at night, so we didn¡¯t.¡±


    Jingjing got up and grabbed Miaomiao as she was passing by. ¡°Take a break,¡± she implored as she hugged her.


    Everyone lounged on the playground, and they refused to get up due to their languor.


    Miaomiao looked up at the sky and noticed that nighttime was approaching, for the evening sun¡¯s aureous luster was beginning to surrender to the dark indigos of the night.


    One of her classmates said, ¡°I remember the last time we ran around like this. We were watching a film in our class, and it interrupted the neighboring class¡¯ study session.¡±


    ¡°Our class should have also gone and reported those people next door when they first saw Sadako in the study hall.¡±


    Miaomiao, who lounged languorously there, couldn¡¯t help but reply, ¡°You¡­you were being disobedient¡­¡± She then coughed thrice before continuing, ¡°¡­At that time, I said that the teacher would definitely come and take a gander at our second class, but you didn¡¯t listen.¡±


    Miaomiao asked again, ¡°How long until class starts?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still going to take a long time. Let¡¯s just lay here for a while and rest.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Anyways, the English teacher will be watching over the first class of the evening¡¯s self-study session. After a while, she will notice that everyone is gone and that there are more than forty empty seats. She¡¯ll probably still stay in the class to watch over the seats.¡±


    ¡°The English teacher is too funny. She always scolds us using the same sentence.¡±


    The male classmate mimicked the English teacher and began speaking, ¡°It¡¯s up to you whether to listen to me or not. The school will still pay me like usual. Even if the classroom is empty and all 42 seats are devoid of students, I¡¯ll still teach.¡±


    ¡°And she also says this. If you haven¡¯t done your homework today, get out of my classroom! Without you sesame seeds, I can¡¯t fry the oil!¡±


    ¡°That one was the funniest, and as a result, the top ten students in class all went out. Someone said in a private group chat that without these ten sesame seeds, the rest of our group of muggles really couldn¡¯t fry the oil.¡±


    Miaomiao listened to her classmates¡¯ rants. After running around too much, her entire body went limp, and she didn¡¯t have the strength to talk, but her heart slowly calmed down.


    ¡°Did you guys already forget her classic line?¡± In a shrill voice, one boy chirruped, ¡°You girls who are wearing skirts to school. Are you here for school, or are you trying to flirt and seduce?¡±


    ¡°Hahahahahaha, don¡¯t talk about that!¡± Jingjing erupted in laughter, ¡°And the very next day, you boys were a sight to behold at school! Your little incident would go down in school history!¡±


    Miaomiao couldn¡¯t resist smiling. The next day, all the boys from their class came to school wearing skirts in an attempt to mock their teacher.


    It was particularly sensational, and it was a popular topic to talk about at school.


    Although both the teacher and the school reproached her, the class president, the English teacher never reprimanded the girls or complained about their attire since that incident.


    Everyone chatted and thought of many funny occurrences.


    ¡°What do you think of the handsome, new student, class president?¡±


    Miaomiao was taken aback and replied, ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°The next class is full of idiots who don¡¯t know that he¡¯s out of their league. Someone should confess to him soon.¡±


    ¡°Class president. You should just confess to him and make him your boyfriend. That¡¯ll piss off that group of girls next door.¡±


    Although the two classes had the same teachers in every subject and were considered to be ¡°brother classes¡±, the relationship between the two was terrible.


    The next door class often reported them to the teachers for their rowdiness, and the two classes competed against each other to attain the best results. Whenever students from the two classes met, they couldn¡¯t wait to roll their eyes up to the sky.


    Miaomiao heard this, ¡°After making him my boyfriend, should I also do some extravagant celebratory act like performing a 360-degree front flip jump, and then turn sideways for three and a half turns, followed by a 720-degree backflip?¡±


    Jingjing teased, ¡°Your class president already has a boyfriend.¡±


    Miaomiao looked at Jingjing and teased back, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me this important detail in advance? I didn¡¯t know that I had a boyfriend.¡±


    Miaomiao then remembered something else, ¡°Jingjing. Do you remember anything from when we were young? We had another classmate who was very smart, and he went to college. What was his name?¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­Zhou Zhou?¡± Jingjing mused for a while, ¡°His name should¡¯ve been Zhou Yuan; I remember his name.¡±


    Jingjing remembered his name because, at that time, she believed that Zhou Yuan¡¯s mother must¡¯ve only given him one yuan a week, so they named him Zhou Yuan.


    Miaomiao was shocked after hearing his name, ¡°Wait, his name was Zhou Yuan? Wasn¡¯t his name congee?¡±


    Jingjing nodded, ¡°It¡¯s Zhou Yuan.¡±


    At this point, the bell rang.


    Everyone sat up languidly, and Miaomiao began trudging back to her classroom.


    When they returned to the classroom, a teacher stood near the gymnasium on the other side and asked, ¡°Which class are you from?¡±


    A boy cried, ¡°Class 5!¡±


    Then, everyone laughed and shouted, ¡°We are in class 5.¡±


    Finally, they helped Miaomiao go back to her classroom before hurrying back to theirs. They were in class four, and the adjoining class was class five.


    Miaomiao couldn¡¯t run back to her classroom because her feet were very sore. Two of the taller girls basically had to drag her back.


    Zhou Yuan returned to the classroom a little later, and he saw the students stumbling.


    Miaomiao dozed off directly on her table. She wanted to wait for Zhou Yuan to return so that she could apologize to him, but she was far too tired to stay awake. Additionally, the English teacher didn¡¯t show up for their evening study session; therefore, she wasn¡¯t able to resist the temptation of sleep.


    A heap of gifts and cards was already piled up on a corner of Zhou Yuan¡¯s table.


    Zhou Yuan sat down and peered at Miaomiao. Her vestments and hair were soused in water, almost as if she was a fish that just came out of the water.


    Zhou Yuan took off his coat and wrapped it around her.


    Then, the gazes of several of his classmates greeted him regally.


    After all, Zhou Yuan was a man of great importance. He sat down. His face was devoid of expression as if he hadn¡¯t done anything of suspicion.


    Miaomiao really didn¡¯t eat anything for the entire day. First, she had to go outside to scour the city for her amulet, and then she went outside to run around wildly, accompanied by her classmates. After sleeping for a while, she woke up hungry.


    After a transitory moment of bemusement, she noticed that she was sheathed in another person¡¯s clothing.


    Miaomiao recognized the coat and returned it to Zhou Yuan. She gazed at him, and a feeling of abashment washed over her. In addition to what Jingjing had told her, Zhou Yuan also said that she had given him that bracelet when they were children.


    That means¡­


    Her gaze embarrassed Zhou Yuan, so he asked in an attempt to break her out of her stare, ¡°Do you want anything to eat?¡±


    He remembered that Miaomiao would become happier if she ate. This helped assuage her discomfort when she was a child.


    Miaomiao pressed her temple and responded, ¡°Um. I¡¯m sorry. I think I misunderstood you.¡±

 CH 76

    A slight feeling of embarrassment besieged Zhou Yuan, as he believed that she should¡¯ve recognized him but after musing over it, he realized why she could not recognize him. When she was a child, Miaomiao was locked up in her house all day and didn¡¯t have much contact with the outside world. In other words, their brief encounter could be likened to the time a young child entered the world for the first time. She encountered new people and new information every day, and his absence had weakened his presence in her life; therefore, she would naturally forget him.


    Zhou Yuan hadn¡¯t experienced any embarrassing incidents for many years, but he was embarrassed today. ¡°Did you remember me?¡±


    Miaomiao nodded, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Neither of them knew what to say next. They were almost like strangers who had some vague notion of familiarity between them.


    Miaomiao had very few strong impressions of her child. She only recalled that she constantly underwent scar removal treatments, endured a lot of pain, and played with her classmates; therefore, she did not remember too much of it.


    Their taciturnity was proof that they were too embarrassed to even utter a word. They had no idea what to say to each other.


    Especially Miaomiao, who was filled with exhaustion and panic. She was physically and mentally fatigued today, which made this incident even more awkward.


    When Miaomiao returned home, the first thing she did was to scour her room for her childhood belongings.


    The last time she moved, she had discovered a lot of things from her elementary school, which were stowed away within a box in her room.


    Mother Hua was a little surprised, ¡°Miaomiao. What are you looking for?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember a classmate named Zhou Yuan? He was there when I was in elementary school.¡±


    Of course, Mother Hua remembered him. Not only did she remember Zhou Yuan, but she also remembered how dejected Miaomiao was when he left.


    When Zhou Yuan departed for college, she comforted Miaomiao by telling her that he would come home during the weekends, and since they lived in the same community, they could play together and phone each other.


    But since his family had moved away, Zhou Yuan¡¯s phone number couldn¡¯t be reached. For a while, Miaomiao was sad, and she eventually stopped mentioning him. A child¡¯s forgetfulness slowly erased all traces of him from her memory.


    Mother Hua didn¡¯t mind talking about this boy, who had left a huge impression on her, now that Miaomiao was all grown up.


    ¡°When you were in elementary school, he was your first tablemate in first grade. He assisted in fixing your tablet and even bought you a phone watch. He was very close to you at that time.¡±


    Miaomiao froze for a moment since she knew that the other person still had remembrances of her, but she had forgotten him. She felt a little guilty when she finally digested her mother¡¯s words.


    ¡°I only remember that there was a person, but I do not remember the rest. He is almost like a blurry shadow who¡¯s been relegated to the back of my mind.¡±


    Mother Hua was taken aback for a transitory moment. Mother Hua realized that she had to be careful with her words since people often didn¡¯t like hearing the truth, for it could cause their worldview to collapse. Therefore, she said nothing about him cutting off all contact with Miaomiao and his friends later on, nor did she mention that his WeChat account didn¡¯t work. This saddened Miaomiao for a long time since she had lost her good friend and felt as if Zhou Yuan cared little for a little child like her. Mother Hua didn¡¯t mention any of these uncomfortable truths, but rather she asked, ¡°Why do you remember all of this all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s currently my deskmate, and I had misunderstood him and imputed malice to him.¡±


    As she rummaged through her childhood items, Miaomiao said, ¡°And he still remembers me.¡±


    She combed through a box that contained everything that she collected. Her toys, puppets, dolls, used hairpins, gifts that her classmates gave her when she graduated from elementary school, and childhood postcards. They were all in this box.


    Memories were very magical things. Her childhood was lost and forgotten, but when she sifted through her memories, those blurry childhood memories began to slowly become clearer and clearer. When she saw these objects, she remembered that her group of elementary school classmates hugged and cried together during their graduation ceremony, saying that they would return to their school frequently to see their teacher. They vowed to contact each other often in the future.


    In fact, she returned several times to their elementary school with Jingjing and Deng Feng. At that time, they waited and frolicked outside their school for many hours, but they never saw their classmates ever again.


    Miaomiao found a small box. She could not recall what was inside.


    When she opened it, she saw three yellow sunflowers painted on a sheet of paper inside.


    When Mother Hua saw it, she said, ¡°While he was getting ready to leave, you scrimped and saved some money so that you could buy him some flowers as a farewell gift. But you never gave him those flowers. After they had moved away, you drew a picture of them.¡±


    Mother Hua then asked, ¡°By the way, I washed some strawberries. Would you like some? You loved strawberries when you were a child, but now you hardly ever eat them.¡±


    Miaomiao scrutinized her childhood paintings, and then she inhaled the strawberries¡¯ scent. Suddenly, dusty memories from her childhood began to flood her mind as if she had gone back in time.


    All of a sudden, Miaomiao stood up as if she had remembered something.


    Miaomiao was stunned. Fragments of long abandoned memories began entering her mind, which caused the corners of her eyes to turn red and teary. The strawberry fragrance was like a thread leading to a long forgotten memory that emitted the same strawberry scent.


    Miaomiao¡¯s eyes were red and teary, and within her heart, there was this familiar yet unfamiliar feeling of returning to that girl who was once weak, lonely, and nescient of the world, but despite her weakness and nescience, she still wanted to wholeheartedly embrace the world and see its wonders.


    This emotion had some indescribable healing quality as if one was drenched in an ocean of warmth and comfort.


    Miaomiao decided to take her old schoolbag to school the next day. Her sunflower painting was also in her schoolbag. She felt as if she carried her entire childhood on her back.


    Miaomiao felt more like she was carrying the happiness that came out of all those years. When she combed through those childhood items, she remembered the euphoria that she felt during that time. She felt as if luck was on her side since she had attended and grown up in such an ebullient school.


    However, Miaomiao recalled that Zhou Yuan was precociously intelligent as a child. Later, he went to college.


    Why did he come back to high school?


    When she arrived at her classroom, she noticed that Zhou Yuan hadn¡¯t arrived yet; she took out her painting.


    Her classmates entered the classroom one after another. They greeted her as they sauntered past her table, ¡°Good morning, class president!¡±


    ¡°Class president, the swelling on your face has finally lessened.¡±


    As she greeted each of them, Miaomiao always felt that Jingjing had the most effect on her since her childhood years.


    It wasn¡¯t until this moment when she realized that Zhou Yuan had affected her the most, at least on a subconscious level.


    She unknowingly adopted the same mannerisms and characteristics of Zhou Yuan when he used to be her classmate in elementary school.


    She scrutinized the painting that she had made as a child, and she sat dazed in her seat. She could feel his embarrassment when she told him that she had finally remembered him. Her apology only served to worsen his abashment.


    But no matter how well their relationship was during their childhood¡­they were but strangers now. It has been ten years since their first meeting, and she had no memory of him. Their first meeting since their separation ended in disaster since she had wronged him, and furthermore, she had no memory of him at all.


    Miaomiao mused for a while and stowed the painting under Zhou Yuan¡¯s table because she recalled that she always stowed things under his desk during her childhood.


    At that time, she eagerly wanted to gift her best friend with something since he was leaving. She wanted him to always remember her.


    Zhou Yuan¡¯s books were neatly stacked up on his table, and none of them had been moved.


    She awaited his arrival all morning long, but he never showed up.


    As class president, she approached her teacher to inquire about Zhou Yuan¡¯s situation and whereabouts.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s coming.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Miaomiao stiffened for a moment when she processed her words. ¡°Is it because I had offended him?¡± she asked.


    The headteacher was incognizant of the reason but said, ¡°It might be.¡±


    When Miaomiao departed the office, panic began to fill her heart. It was true that she had overreacted at that time.


    After a brief moment of reflection, she returned to the headteacher and asked for Zhou Yuan¡¯s address.


    When noon arrived, she took a taxi and went to the address provided by the headteacher.


    She rang the doorbell; her nervosity was gnawing at her. After waiting for a little while, the door opened.


    She peered into the hallway, and Miaomiao noticed that the person opening the door was busy conversing with somebody on his cell phone. He looked at Miaomiao before turning his attention back to his cell phone, and then he coldly uttered to the phone, ¡°You can solve it by yourself. I¡¯m not going to get involved.¡±


    He hung up the phone, and then he turned his gaze back to Miaomiao, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    After learning that this person was her elementary school classmate, whom she had wronged, Miaomiao didn¡¯t know how to face him.


    For a moment, she pondered to herself, ¡®I¡­I should just get right to the point.¡¯


    She was trepidatious.


    ¡°First of all, I want to apologize for wronging you. I take full responsibility for this situation and its consequences. And secondly, I apologize for having forgotten about you.¡±


    A trace of surprise gleamed in his eyes as he heard her uttering those words, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I understand.¡±


    It¡¯s nice to see that she has grown up to be healthy. Surely, she¡¯s surrounded by her loved ones who support her.


    ¡°Come in and sit down. Would you like something to drink?¡±


    When Miaomiao walked in, she discovered that his home was bereft of furniture, but the place still possessed a very clean and tidy ambiance.


    Miaomiao sat down and asked, ¡°Well. Are you coming back to school in the afternoon?¡±


    Miaomiao¡¯s face was no longer swollen. Her big, watery eyes were fixed on him. A feeling of seriousness radiated from her.


    He went to pour her some water. He smiled and said, ¡°So, is the class president here to rebuke this truant for his absence?¡±


    Back then, she wanted to be called ¡°the small class president¡±.


    Miaomiao received the cup of water, and she lowered her eyes in disappointment, ¡°No. I am¡­I feel sorry for the displeasure that I have caused you.¡±


    Zhou Yuan wanted to say that he didn¡¯t want to attend school later, but he found it hard to do so.


    When he was younger, he remembered that whenever Miaomiao asked to do something, he would agree to do it.


    It didn¡¯t matter if she had implored him to provide assistance or not, he would still agree to help if she had asked him.


    After he left, he didn¡¯t dare contact her. His biggest concern was that if he had contacted her, he would revert back to being an elementary school student.


    Miaomiao¡¯s best friend was Jingjing. In a blink of an eye, she went from being a little girl who shyly and timorously blushed whenever she raised her hand to a class president who was able to solve problems on her own. She would scold and reprove any unruly boys in her class, and she would encourage and embolden the girls to speak up for themselves. She underwent a medical procedure to remove the scars on her arms. Both her great-grandmother and her grandmother had passed away¡­


    He was no longer her best friend either, for he had disappeared from her life a long time ago.


    Zhou Yuan furrowed his eyebrows and asked Hua Miaomiao, ¡°Does the class president want to return to school? I¡¯ll give you a ride.¡±


    Miaomiao raised her head in surprise, ¡°Are you coming back to school also?¡±


    Zhou Yuan nodded and took his jacket, ¡°I can¡¯t just let the class president¡¯s journey go to waste, can I?¡±


    Miaomiao breathed a sigh of relief.


    When they entered the elevator, it just so happened that they were the only two people inside. An implicit, unspoken awkwardness filled this confined space.


    Miaomiao wondered how she could break the silence, but she didn¡¯t know what to say.


    After noticing her cautious look, Zhou Yuan recalled their first meeting. Her expression was exactly the same.


    He realized that he had no idea what to say to her. Talking about their childhood was out of the question, and he had no experience with a girl of his age, nor did have any formal business experience.


    He found it very difficult to launch into a conversation.


    Miaomiao finally broke this awkward silence by saying, ¡°Thank you for taking such good care of me when I was a kid.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me for that.¡±


    The two fell into silence once more.


    Fortunately, the elevator reached the basement at this time.


    They both stepped out, and it was no longer embarrassing.


    They returned to school shortly after a short drive. It was still nap time. The students, who attended their daytime classes, went to sleep at home, whereas the residential students slept in the dormitory.


    The classroom was devoid of students. As they walked in, someone called Miaomiao, ¡°Hua Miaomiao.¡±


    Miaomiao turned around to see the class president of Class 5 standing there, not too far away from her.


    On the surface at least, Miaomiao and the fifth-class president acted amicably with each other, even though the two classes were often inimical to each other due to their rivalry. Since the school considered the two classes to be brother classes, they had to do many activities with each other.


    Miaomiao walked over, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    The teacher asked us to tally up the number of poverty subsidies this semester. I have already counted them. I would like to borrow two places from your class.


    Miaomiao responded, ¡°I was about to ask you about that also. We don¡¯t have enough places in our class either. I thought that you have some extra places.¡±


    ¡°Have you counted them already? Didn¡¯t you take leave two days ago?¡±


    ¡°I tallied them up last night.¡± Miaomiao recalled some things about the students and continued, ¡°There are three students in our classroom with low-income guarantee certificates. And there are four students with certificates that proved that they were from poor, indigent households who have established cards. The students on the application form have all been verified by me.¡±


    The class president from Class 5 had nothing more to add and went back to her classroom.


    Miaomiao darted back to her own classroom and turned on the classroom computer. Then, she read the applications, which were handed in to her by her classmates, and she input them into the computer.


    Seeing her solemn demeanor, Zhou Yuan asked, ¡°Do you need any assistance?¡±


    Her gaze was fixed on the material, and her hands continued to glide over the keyboard as she replied, ¡°Thank you for your kindness, but I should be able to finish this on time.¡± She had much more experience doing this sort of stuff. Combined with the fact that there was only one computer, this often inconvenienced others when they offered her their succor.


    The headteacher requested that the forms be sent to him by noon the next day, but the fifth-class president said that he would speak with the class teacher later. Once she submitted the forms, it would mean that their classroom would be devoid of extra spots for additional students.


    She almost couldn¡¯t attend classes during her first year of high school because she didn¡¯t understand how the applications worked. There were only five students in their class who had submitted their applications at that time. There were only ten allocations for each class, according to the teacher. The class president next door cried, declaring that there weren¡¯t enough spaces in their class. Miaomiao thought that the state subsidies were supposed to be given to poor students; therefore, it should¡¯ve been the same for all of the classes.


    She didn¡¯t expect them to privately discuss their problems and split their money privately for those five allocations.


    Miaomiao knews that several of her classmates had financial difficulties, but they didn¡¯t submit their applications on time since their destitution embarrassed them.


    Miaomiao¡¯s father oversaw their orchard during the weekends, and Miaomiao decided to take everybody to their orchard so that these few destitute students could earn some income working there. Miaomiao had already prompted everyone from her class to write and submit their applications on time after her headteacher had mentioned this matter. Now, all those, who possessed proof of their destitute status, were treasured, and they realized that their indigence was nothing to be embarrassed about.


    Miaomiao¡¯s fingers basically flew over the keyboard, which revealed her fingers¡¯ suppleness and flexibility. Her eyes scanned every detail, ensuring that she didn¡¯t input any incorrect information, especially the students¡¯ ID numbers and bank card numbers, as this determined whether the money could be successfully deposited into their accounts.


    Personal info, bank card info, and application forms¡­


    All this information fatigued Miaomiao¡¯s eyes, but she finished with her task anyway.


    After rubbing her eyes, she rechecked everything once more, and then she found out that¡­twelve students had applied this time.


    Miaomiao was stunned for a brief moment, and there were actually two more classmates above their permitted threshold.


    When she filled in the information and perused it, she realized that everyone¡¯s situation wasn¡¯t very good.


    She was in a very prodigious class, so about half of her classmates had good grades in different districts and counties.


    This situation wasn¡¯t unexpected.


    One by one, the students returned to their classroom.


    Miaomiao emailed the complete list of files to their headteacher.


    After organizing the file, she went to find the member of the literature and arts committee who sat in the last row.


    Miaomiao asked, ¡°Wu Lang. Did you bring your cell phone?¡±


    ¡°Yes. What¡¯s wrong?¡± Wu Lang asked while handing the phone to her.


    Miaomiao received it and clarified, ¡°I dropped my phone. May I use your phone?¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    Zhou Yuan watched as Miaomiao borrowed someone else¡¯s phone, and he realized that, in her eyes at least, he was nothing more than some familiar stranger to her.


    Miaomiao took the phone as well as the information about her classmates, and then she trekked towards her teacher¡¯s office.


    Zhou Yuan directed his attention to her and realized that he had truly missed out on a lot.


    The timid little child, who witnessed this world, truly had grown up.


    Her growth was an ephemerality, for it passed by quickly, and he had missed out on this brief event. It was impossible to describe Zhou Yuan¡¯s feelings at that moment, for he felt lost.


    During this transient moment of self-reflection, a feeling of ambivalence began to creep into his heart, for he had no idea whether he had regretted his original decision or not.


    In fact¡­he thought that studying in college would be fun, but it wasn¡¯t.


    In fact¡­he thought that earning money would be exciting, but it wasn¡¯t.


    In fact¡­it was much more rewarding and wonderful to have a silly friend rather than someone who constantly thought about backstabbing you just for some clout and money.


    He remembered his mother¡¯s words from that time.


    ¡®You could go to university whenever you want, but you could only spend your childhood once. Do not regret it later.¡¯


    At that time, he insisted that he would not regret it. He insisted that he despised his elementary school life.


    He finally got what he wished for but at a cost. He left elementary school, and he had entered the world of adults far ahead of time.

 CH 77

    Zhou Yuan recalled that he had ceased all contact with her at that time. He remembered this very clearly. He already knew that, at that point, even contacting her once would cause him to revert back to being an elementary school student. This would force him to surrender the more adult life that he had finally attained.


    He obviously greatly regretted it, but he finally grasped that he no longer had any semblance of a childhood.


    However, Miaomiao didn¡¯t borrow someone else¡¯s phone because she shunned Zhou Yuan or considered him to be an outsider. It was because they were both in the same group and involved in the same projects; she borrowed the mobile phone from the committee member who oversaw arts and literature.


    The group was first created when Miaomiao was in her first year of high school, where had to do her military training, so it was a convenient way for everyone to converse about their tiring military training. They never disbanded this group ever since. Additionally, it was convenient since they could simply disseminate important briefings to everyone within this group. Miaomiao also uploaded and promulgated a large number of group photos of her class to this group.


    Miaomiao carefully perused the information about the twelve students while she was in class.


    There were some copies of low-income guarantee certificates and poor household certificates with established cards. A few student application forms were already stamped and certified by the neighborhood committee.


    The first two types of students didn¡¯t have to return to their hometown to acquire their stamps, but the neighborhood committee still had to stamp the applications to certify them.


    Since there were many private activities in class, Miaomiao was cognizant of everyone¡¯s family situation.


    A few applicants failed to present their certificates that could prove their indigence. These few also didn¡¯t provide their low-income guarantee certificates, but nonetheless their financial situations weren¡¯t promising at all. Miaomiao placed their files on the top of the pile since the school required all students, who applied, to have their low-income guarantee certificates and poor household certificates ready. When these two items, which proved their indigence, were missing; then, they had to review these top application forms over and over again.


    After her arrival in the teacher¡¯s office, Miaomiao discovered that the class president from her neighboring class was already present.


    Miaomiao trotted in and said, ¡°Teacher. I have sent the applications to your mailbox. Here are some application forms from our class.¡±


    The headteacher asked, ¡°Miaomiao, are there some extra seats in your class?¡±


    As Miaomiao shook her head, she said, ¡°We have twelve students who have applied in our class, but we still lack two seats. After perusing their applications, there¡¯s no way we could drop any of them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same for our class as well.¡±


    ¡°There are three students with low-income guarantee certificates, four students with poor household cards, and five students whose applications can¡¯t be rejected.¡±


    Li Jiao, the class president from their adjacent classroom, said, ¡°There are only five students from your class who applied last year. Why has the number increased so dramatically this year?¡±


    Miaomiao sighed and expounded, ¡°Our classmates are under the belief that this money is being distributed by the state to assist with the needs of students who cannot afford to eat. They feel that they¡¯re still able to get a mouthful of food and sit comfortably inside their classrooms to study. They are already being assigned to the best classes at our school. They¡¯re very happy about this. Therefore, they wanted to hand over the places to those who deserved these spots more and who really couldn¡¯t afford anything.¡±


    Obviously, she couldn¡¯t say that because students were just starting school at the time, and when it came to applying for aid, they were already very embarrassed about their financial status and destitution. If she had said that, she would definitely be attacked and disparaged, which meant that they weren¡¯t truly impoverished.


    The head teacher was shocked for a moment and asked, ¡°Why are you saying this?¡±


    Li Jiao turned her head to peer at Miaomiao; she didn¡¯t know what to say. She felt a little flustered when she realized that Miaomiao was probably cognizant of it.


    Miaomiao nodded, ¡°It¡¯s true. Several students in our class spend about 60 yuan a month on living expenses. I know this because I helped them earn some income through farm work.¡±


    Miaomiao refused to allow Li Jiao access to the forms; instead, she showed the teachers the photos of their class. The photos showed several students who were pulling out weeds with turbans on their heads and mud all over their faces.


    Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves at the orchard where the photos were taken.


    ¡°They needed to work a few hours a day to receive 30 yuan,¡± Miaomiao delineated in a serious tone, ¡°After learning about this, I told them that the state would give them money to help them with their studies this semester. If they refused any of this money, then the money would be forwarded to other students, who might not be poor and indigent at all, and these students, who don¡¯t need the money, would just squander it in internet cafes or on video games and not on their studies.¡±


    After Miaomiao finished with her delineation, she looked meaningfully at Li Jiao and asked, ¡°Right?¡±


    Li Jiao was caught off guard by her glance. A feeling of numbness spread over her scalp, and she gulped nervously.


    Miaomiao continued, ¡°Our class is still lacking two more spots. I heard that Class 5 has¡­¡±


    ¡°We can offer two more seats in our class,¡± Li Jiao immediately declared.


    ¡°Your class is amazing,¡± Miaomiao said exuberantly, shaking hands with Li Jiao.


    The headteacher of these two classes was the same person, and the two brother classes often were allowed to borrow seats and spots for students in this manner. The class presidents often adjusted the seats themselves to accomodate for the students; the headteacher never interfered.


    Miaomiao noticed that Li Jiao had stowed away the applications and forms of four students. Miaomiao was in an important class. A large number of students in Miaomiao¡¯s class came from rural areas, whereas the students from the class next door were basically city-dwellers. This often caused some form of conflict since the class next door made fun of them due to their rustic background.


    The two of them departed the office together, and Li Jiao said in a low voice, ¡°You are so ruthless!¡±


    Miaomiao responded cheerfully, ¡°No. It¡¯s just that you¡¯re kind.¡± You¡¯ll definitely continue to be kind-hearted next year, too.


    Miaomiao was about to return Wu Lang¡¯s phone when she returned to the classroom. But then, she remembered something else. She peered at Zhou Yuan who engrossed himself with a book. Miaomiao approached him and asked, ¡°Do you have a QQ* account?¡±


    Zhou Yuan nodded.


    Miaomiao replied, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll add you to our class group.¡±


    Miaomiao then proceeded to use Wu Lang¡¯s phone to log into her QQ account.


    Afterward, she directly added Zhou Yuan¡¯s QQ account to their class group.


    Then, Miaomiao logged out of her QQ account, headed to the last row, and returned Wu Lang¡¯s phone.


    Several girls saw her going to the teacher¡¯s office with the applications. They inquired, ¡°Class president, are there any problems with our class¡¯ applications this time?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. There were no problems this time,¡± Miaomiao said with a smile.


    When she returned to her seat, Miaomiao saw the person next to her scrolling through his phone. It was time for class to begin.


    After musing for a while, Miaomiao said, ¡°Our next class is biology. My biology book is missing. Could you share your book with me?¡±


    Zhou Yuan took the biology textbook that was on his table and handed it to Miaomiao. ¡°You could use it.¡±


    Miaomiao flashed him an effulgent smile, ¡°That¡¯s very kind of you. Let¡¯s read it together.¡± The purpose of doing this wasn¡¯t to borrow his book but to allow him to study with me.


    Miaomiao placed the textbook between them as she spoke.


    Zhou Yuan stowed away his phone and read the textbook with her.


    The biology teacher was an elderly man who had a short, thin figure. When their class began, the teacher requested that everyone self-study on their own for ten minutes.


    Both of them read the same book; therefore, they were sitting closely together. Zhou Yuan could smell a light fragrance exuding from her.


    Her slender, white hand held a pen as she scribbled some notes to herself on a sheet of paper about the chances of developing double eyelids.


    Zhou Yuan remembered the photos he saw in their group album. She carried a how with both hands, picked fruit, and carried a basket of apples with her other classmates. During their springtime excursion, she cleaned some rice, cooked and fished¡­


    No wonder why she had such a good relationship with her classmates. As class president, she had organized so many activities and events for the students to partake in. In addition, they had a common enemy, the class next door.


    Zhou Yuan remembered the first time he had met Hua Miaomiao. During their first meeting, he thought that she would make a great business partner. She would eventually become very talented.


    Zhou Yuan now found out that Miaomiao was actually a very suitable partner.


    Their afternoon class concluded, and Miaomiao packed her stuff and readied herself to go to lunch. Along the way, she also decided to purchase a new cell phone. It inconvenienced her not to have one.


    ¡°Class president. Are you coming to the cafeteria to have lunch? Do you want us to save you a seat?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something outside our school that I have to take care of today. I won¡¯t be able to go to the cafeteria today. You guys go ahead and eat.¡±


    When Miaomiao finished speaking, she departed their classroom. She then noticed Zhou Yuan walking by himself. She was about to accelerate her pace to catch up with him.


    She then saw Li Jiao, the class president from the class next door, approaching Zhou Yuan.


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t approach them and stood a little bit away from them. She could hear Li Jiao saying, ¡°Are you the new student from Class 4? I¡¯m Li Jiao from Class 5. Let¡¯s be friends.¡±


    Miaomiao recalled that her classmates said something about someone from their adjoining class confessing to Zhou Yuan.


    Now it seems as if it isn¡¯t just a rumor; it¡¯s true.


    Miaomiao deliberately slowed down her pace. Since she could listen to their colloquy at such a distance, she would definitely be accused of eavesdropping if someone had discovered her.


    Jingjing recently went to practice her dancing in the afternoon. Miaomiao went to purchase a phone by herself, and when she returned to school, she also decided to buy some food for Jingjing.


    They sat on the playground and indulged in their lunch. Jingjing said to Miaomiao while enjoying her lunch, ¡°I only remember that there was such a person. I do not remember the particulars. We were young back then.¡±


    ¡°I feel a little sorry for him,¡± Miaomiao uttered.


    ¡°What¡¯s the big deal then? It isn¡¯t like you two were married, and then you two forgot about each other. You were only friends. He didn¡¯t even contact you. Why would you want to remember someone who didn¡¯t even attempt to contact you? Wait, are you attracted to him?¡± Jingjing burbled as she recalled the time they went to Zhou Yuan¡¯s house, but his mother had expounded to them that he had moved away.


    When they were young, they had a very close relationship, but it wasn¡¯t guaranteed to last for a lifetime. This memory resonated with Jingjing as she continued musing on this.


    Miaomiao was happy and said with an exuberant smile, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what I had done to him. He was really good to me at that time, but I did not recognize when I saw him again, and I had affronted him. Do you have someone you like? You always keep bringing up this topic.¡±


    Jingjing¡¯s face flushed all of a sudden, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? He grew up from being a little kid to a tall 180 centimeter boy. It was impossible for you to recognize him. OK, don¡¯t worry about it. If you think about it, I actually do think that you were, to a certain extent, attracted to him.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Miaomiao exclaimed as she pulled Jingjing¡¯s cheek, ¡°Do you think a first-grader would think of such things at that age? Are you saying that I was already deeply in love with him after just meeting him for two days? I wonder why you even mention these sorts of things nowadays. What¡¯s the reason behind all this?¡±


    A rubescent red tinged Jingjing¡¯s cheeks as she blushed even more.


    ¡°My surmise was actually correct. Come on, tell me, who is it!¡± Miaomiao pressed her for an answer since she was curious. At this age, an ineffable curiosity about these sorts of things filled her heart.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t confessed to him yet. I¡¯ll tell you if I succeed or not later,¡± Jingjing chirped.


    ¡°I could take a guess if you won¡¯t answer me. It¡¯s Zhao Mu from your class, isn¡¯t it?¡± Miaomiao remembered him because he was a handsome lad who liked playing basketball. Some time ago, Jingjing really liked to bring him up during their conversations.


    Jingjing blushed crimson as she said, ¡°Is it that obvious?¡±


    Miaomiao noticed her shy look and answered, ¡°I surmised it naturally since we¡¯re close friends.¡±


    They chatted in the playground for a while before returning to their classrooms. When Miaomiao returned to her classroom, she caught a glimpse of Zhou Yuan sitting in his seat.


    Miaomiao returned to her seat and remembered something. ¡°We¡¯re going to watch a movie together this week. You should join us.¡±


    They were now in their second year of high school, and they had a break that lasted from Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon. The students, who took day classes, often didn¡¯t head home, so their class had a fun activity every week that was free for all attendees.


    As a result, their class had seen a lot of blockbuster movies from America and Europe.


    Zhou Yuan did not reply; Miaomiao continued, ¡°Remember to come to school!¡±


    When their evening self-study session concluded, Miaomiao was getting ready to depart the classroom when she noticed that Zhou Yuan was acting oddly.


    Their evening self-study session began, and Zhou Yuan engrossed himself in his book, but he later fell asleep on his table. Miaomiao thought that he was overcome with fatigue, and therefore, she shouldn¡¯t disturb him.


    They continued to study as shafts of aurulent light from the evening sun lanced through the windows and illumed the room with a glaze of gold. Eventually, time flew by, and it was late in their evening study session. The aurulent beams of evening sunshine were already beginning to succumb to the dark violescent indigos of the night.


    She was about to get up and leave, but he still didn¡¯t get up.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you feel uncomfortable?¡± she asked unexpectedly. Since she was the class president, she had the responsibility of closing the classroom door, so she was the last to leave.


    As she pushed him, Miaomiao noticed that a layer of perspiration blanketed his forehead.


    Miaomiao was taken aback.


    She touched his forehead quickly; it was burning.


    ¡°Zhou Yuan, Zhou Yuan!¡±


    Zhou Yuan woke up in a daze and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sick,¡± Miaomiao exclaimed as she dialed 120. She then told the operators their school¡¯s address.


    There was no one who was available to help at this point, so Miaomiao kneeled down and tried to carry him on her back.


    Miaomiao said to him, ¡°Zhouzhou. You are so heavy!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll walk by myself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll carry you. You¡¯re in so much pain that you can barely even open your eyes,¡± Miaomiao sighed.


    Miaomiao tried to carry him like a child on her back, but he kept sliding down due to his long arms and legs. He was too heavy and burdensome to carry!


    A feeling of trepidation began to engulf Miaomiao, so she simply let go of his legs. She held both of his arms and hung him on her back to drag him.


    ¡°Student Zhou Yuan. Don¡¯t get into an accident!¡±


    ¡°Hold on tight! There are stairs in front!¡±


    ¡°I remember that one of the managers patrolled this building. How come he isn¡¯t here?¡±


    ¡°Please leave me some room on the stretcher when you get there in a little while¡­¡± As she dragged him downstairs, she said, ¡°I never carried something that was this heavy ever in my life¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize. Your health is the most important thing. Don¡¯t fret about it.¡±


    Miaomiao sweated profusely as she carried the person outside the building. The ambulance had arrived.


    She felt as if she could lie down with him on the stretcher. She was so tired!


    What on earth did he eat as a child?


    Miaomiao also got into the ambulance and called the headteacher and her parents.


    My deskmate¡­needs urgent care.


    Her first impression of him was that he was big and strong. He looked quite smart, but he didn¡¯t like learning or talking. Now, it seemed as if she just couldn¡¯t just focus on his appearance.


    Miaomiao entered Zhou Yuan¡¯s hospital room after his checkup and discovered that he had not woken up yet.


    Miaomiao saw him lying on the hospital bed and unexpectedly remembered something else. During his childhood, he seemed to get sick quite easily.


    *QQ is an instant messaging software service and web portal in China.

 CH 78

    Miaomiao sat there and awaited the arrival of Zhou Yuan¡¯s parents and the headteacher. She felt very unusual.


    It was late in the night, and no sound could be heard. The silence was deafening. Occasionally, the clacking of passing high heels resounded throughout the corridors.


    Miaomiao gulped nervously as she walked silently to the other side of the bed. There were some hospital beds, which were still empty, next to Zhou Yuan¡¯s bed.


    At this time, it was raining heavily outside, and a strong gust of wind blew through the window.


    She closed the window, turned around, and saw Zhou Yuan as he sat up in silence.


    Miaomiao was taken aback, and her heart nearly stopped.


    Zhou Yuan was a little embarrassed, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I scared you.¡±


    Miaomiao felt even more embarrassed, ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m glad you woke up. I heard the doctor explain to you that you¡¯re under too much pressure¡­¡±


    As soon as she finished saying that, Miaomiao felt that it was unbefitting for her to say that since she was merely an elementary school classmate he knew from many years ago. The two of them lacked familiarity with each other, and such an opening statement was incongruous.


    She also felt a little strange. Whenever she faced Zhou Yuan, she was so embarrassed that she didn¡¯t know what to say.


    She couldn¡¯t tell if it was due to their past acquaintanceship or if it was due to their unpleasant reunion.


    ¡°Thank you for bringing me to the hospital,¡± Zhou Yuan, breaking the embarrassing atmosphere in the room.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. I¡¯m the class president; therefore, I¡¯m kind of responsible for my classmates,¡± Miaomiao replied. Not to mention that he was one of her childhood friends.


    Zhou Yuan hummed in assent and said, ¡°Thank you, class president.¡±


    Miaomiao kind of liked it when Zhou Yuan acknowledged her as the class president. The room¡¯s atmosphere was plunged into an air of embarrassment. ¡°I¡¯ll pour you a cup of warm water. Your parents and headteacher should be arriving soon,¡± Miaomiao chirruped as she looked at the empty water container.


    When Miaomiao took the container and went out, she met Father Zhou, who was on his way over.


    ¡°Miaomiao?¡± Father Zhou spoke with uncertainty.


    It has been years since he last saw this little girl before him who had blossomed into a high school student.


    The headteacher phoned him earlier that the class president Hua Miaomiao had sent Zhou Yuan to the hospital. After the on-duty nurse downstairs for the room number, he came up. As soon as he entered the room, he saw Miaomiao and couldn¡¯t help calling her.


    Miaomiao had no memory of this person, but she could still deduce that he was Zhou Yuan¡¯s father.


    ¡°Hello, Uncle Zhou.¡± Miaomiao greeted, ¡°Zhou Yuan is already awake. He is on the IV drip.¡±


    ¡°Miaomiao, thank you for bringing Zhou Yuan to the hospital.¡±


    Father Zhou brought the fruit basket into the room and set it down on the counter. Then he said to his son on the bed, ¡°I still remember you telling me to bring fruit whenever you visit someone in the hospital.¡±


    Zhou Yuan remembered this well. He enunciated those words when Miaomiao¡¯s mother was in the hospital.


    Father Zhou asked as he walked up to take a gander at the medical record sheet in front of his bed, ¡°Have you been up late again?¡±


    Zhou Yuan replied curtly, ¡°No.¡± He was already used to his previous work schedule and rest routine, which made it difficult for him to sleep.


    Father Zhou looked at Zhou Yuan¡¯s expression, which conveyed his indifference. The same as before.


    Father Zhou didn¡¯t know when Zhou Yuan became like this.


    Father Zhou then teased, ¡°By the way, your little wife looks beautiful.¡±


    Zhou Yuan peered up helplessly and responded, ¡°She¡¯s just a little girl; do not say that in front of her.¡±


    Both of them were already dropped into an embarrassing position. This would just serve to aggravate the abashment between them if Miaomiao were to hear those words.


    A joke like this no longer had any meaning.


    Father Zhou spoke, ¡°Alright, no more joking around. Your teacher said that she¡¯s a reassuring class president who takes good care of her fellow classmates.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± The class president is supposed to be responsible for basically everything, every detail, in their class. Isn¡¯t that reassuring?


    Even though Zhou Yuan wasn¡¯t speaking, he was obviously listening and digesting his father¡¯s words. Father Zhou continued, ¡°She acts the same way you did when you were a child. You took care of your classmates back then also. You sometimes got in trouble with the teacher for that.¡±


    Zhou Yuan listened in silence.


    When Miaomiao returned, she was about to open the door when she heard voices resonating from inside.


    ¡°At the time, you kept saying that you disliked them because they were too childish and clingy and wasted their time on playing around¡­¡±


    Hua Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± She suddenly felt her knees aching as she processed those words. She did seem to be very naive and clingy back then¡­and she loved playing around.


    Hua Miaomiao suddenly remembered that she had also invited him to watch a movie over the weekends¡­


    He would definitely believe that I was a naive child who wasted too much time frolicking around for many years.


    Miaomiao conjectured that the father and son had much more to talk about, so she returned to the room, where she boiled the water, with the jug.


    Miaomiao pulled out her cell phone and saw that she had an unread message on her QQ account, which read, ¡°Hua Miaomiao, you have a black heart! Why did you take our class¡¯ quota?!¡±


    The person sent the message through their class group, which their headteacher had created by combining both classes.


    Miaomiao remembered this girl. Last year, she discovered that the adjacent class had borrowed five places from her class. At that time, she had a pdf file and could not transfer it with her mobile phone. The computer in the classroom couldn¡¯t connect to the Internet either. Miaomiao found out about it by chance when she went to an Internet cafe.


    Miaomiao was prepared to speak with the headteacher about this matter, but she realized that there was a problem. She had no evidence to support her claim.


    The classes were equally divided. One class was like a community of people with similar interests. It would have been stupid if someone had admitted to money laundering or the immoral embezzlement of funds that were meant for the impoverished students.


    The money was deposited into the accounts of five classmates. If they confessed, then they would lose the money. Students, who profited from this embezzlement, would never admit to it.


    There were deep-seated grievances between the two classes, and the students of each class would definitely band together if some conflict occurred.


    In other words, if she did something wrong, and the president from their adjacent class pointed it out, then her classmates would just sweep her mistakes under the rug and hide her mistakes under a veil of secrecy.


    Miaomiao had been waiting to apply for scholarship subsidies since last year, but asking for two spots from the adjoining class wasn¡¯t planned beforehand.


    She never expected a response from a student from the adjacent classroom.


    Miaomiao replied, ¡°Firstly, we have twelve students who have applied. Seven of them hold the appropriate certifications, while the application forms of the other five have been reviewed by our headteacher. Your class president just so happened to be in the office when I spoke with our headteacher, so she offered me two spots from your class since she had borrowed five spots from our class last year.¡±


    ¡°I also have the appropriate certificates, so why should I give up my place to you?¡± the girl replied after a while.


    Miaomiao gazed at the darkling sky from the window before replying, ¡°There are seven people in our class with certificates. Are there nine people in your class?¡±


    At that time, Li Jiao took out the application forms of four classmates. Miaomiao did not peruse it scrupulously back then, but at that time, she believed that Li Jiao didn¡¯t have the authority to take out the applications of the students who had low-income guarantees and poor household certificates, right?


    Miaomiao closed her eyes when she realized why the other party was so angry with her.


    Li Jiao had to have told her that she couldn¡¯t apply for a poverty subsidy this year because Miaomiao had taken the girl¡¯s spot.


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t explicitly state that, but she just hinted at it and left the girl to think about it.


    The relationship between the two classes wasn¡¯t good, so it wasn¡¯t a good thing to be too direct. If she directly told her that her class president has lied to her, then the girl would probably fervently reject her claim.


    Miaomiao indirectly hinted at two things. Firstly, she only asked for two spots, but she didn¡¯t specify whose spots she wanted. Secondly, students who possessed the certificates could definitely apply.


    Miaomiao eventually snapped out her musings and thought that Zhou Yuan and his father, who were in the ward, should¡¯ve already sorted through everything by now, so she returned to Zhou Yuan¡¯s room.


    When Miaomiao returned to the room, the doctor had just emerged.


    He should¡¯ve finished conversing with Father Zhou.


    When Miaomiao entered, a wave of embarrassment washed over due to the atmosphere between the two of them.


    Miaomiao poured water into two cups and gave them to Zhou Yuan and his father.


    After downing his cup of water, Father Zhou said, ¡°Miaomiao, it¡¯s been a hard day for you. I¡¯ll bring you home.¡±


    Miaomiao responded, ¡°It¡¯s all right. The hospital isn¡¯t far from the school. I¡¯ll sleep in the school dormitory.¡± She had a bed reserved for her in the dormitory, and she occasionally slept in it.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll send you back to school.¡±


    After all, it was late in the night, and the thought of her going out on her own somewhat frightened him.


    Miaomiao peered at Zhou Yuan. Coincidentally, he just so happened to peer back at her as well. Their gazes met, and Zhou Yuan said, ¡°It¡¯s been a rough day for you, class president.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Then you have a good rest.¡±


    When they reached the ground floor, Father Zhou couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°When you were little, you guys were very close.¡±


    Miaomiao nodded, ¡°I give him my thanks for caring for me at that time.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡± Father Zhou was hesitant with his request, but he still asked, ¡°Could you take care of him from now on?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Miaomiao was confused.


    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. I just think that it would be good if you were to include him in any future activities that you do at school. Also, talk to him when there isn¡¯t anything to do from now on.¡±


    Although Miaomiao hesitated, she still asked, ¡°What happened to him?¡±


    ¡°He has been under a mountain of stress lately, so his mood isn¡¯t very good.¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± He always seemed fine to me.


    Father Zhou continued expounding to Miaomiao,¡±He was in business, and someone, who he trusted, had betrayed and deceived him. He grew up in a very happy, carefree environment and had never experienced deceit like that before. He always dreamt about being the person who would change the world, but he never realized how much corruption and backstabbing goes on in the real world. Furthermore, he did try to tell some people about this, but their indifference and insouciance dismayed him; if a problem didn¡¯t affect them directly, they either didn¡¯t believe it, didn¡¯t care, or ignored it and pretended that it never happened, and then they went about their own happy, carefree lives. He has no one that he could fully trust or rely on.¡±


    His explication stunned Miaomiao.


    No wonder why he speaks so little nowadays.


    Father Zhou continued to explicate, ¡°It¡¯s not that you should take extra care of him. I just want you to play or talk with him. He has always remembered you and still regards you as his best friend. After he left, he was always surrounded by adults, but he was still a child. Despite the maturity of his mind, he has no friends.¡±


    Miaomiao conjured up an image of a child going to college and surrounded by a bunch of adults.


    He must have had a hard time.


    ¡°As the class president, I have to help new classmates adjust to our class life.¡±


    Miaomiao dwelled on it.


    Including him into the lives of his peers and classmates¡­currently, we¡¯re concerned about being successful with our midterms and receiving good grades.


    Her roommate was a little surprised to see Miaomiao returning to her dormitory to sleep, ¡°Class president, you told me that you were heading home to sleep, or was I mistaken?¡±


    ¡°Zhou Yuan is sick. I brought him to the hospital,¡± Miaomiao maundered as she grabbed the cup, which contained her toothbrush, and headed outside to brush her teeth and wash her face.


    In a few minutes, the lights will be turned off.


    Her thoughts still swirled around her new dilemma. She had to find a way to help her newest classmate adjust to his new surroundings.


    The lights were already off when she returned to the room.


    Everyone was still awake, and they conversed with each other. The dormitory was large, and eight people lived there, seven of her classmates in addition to her.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t enjoy speaking much. He¡¯s been here for so long, but he seems to only talk to the class president.¡±


    ¡°And he sleeps in class.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t realized it yet? He sleeps in class all day, and yet he attends the same class as us. Do you know what this means? He has a high IQ!¡±


    Miaomiao already inferred that these girls were talking about Zhou Yuan from those few sentences.


    ¡°Class president. What do you think of Zhou Yuan?¡±


    ¡°Class president. Did you ask Zhou Yuan if he has a girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­don¡¯t know what to say.¡± Miaomiao really didn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°Class president, he looks quite handsome, don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    ¡°Class president would just say ¡®no¡¯ again. She¡¯ll just say that they¡¯re too young to be in a relationship. I went to the same middle school as the class president, and she was very popular back then.¡±


    ¡°Little Three, you have such valuable information, but you never told us this!¡±


    Miaomiao interjected, ¡°The warden is coming. Go to sleep.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guarding the door. The warden hasn¡¯t arrived yet. Come on, continue speaking!¡±


    ¡°The class president also took up the mantle of class president back then. During our first year of middle school, many second-year boys confessed to her. Even the school grass* confessed to her, but the class president rejected them all nonchalantly as if she didn¡¯t have a care in the world.¡±


    ¡°Ohohohoh!¡±


    ¡°Ohohohoh!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we were able to enroll in the same class.¡± Miaomiao then delineated, the caution evident in her voice, ¡°Aren¡¯t you aware that you¡¯re not supposed to fall in love at such an early age?¡±


    Although the school forbade early love, there were a few students who kept their relationships under wraps so that the school wouldn¡¯t find out about them. In Miaomiao¡¯s class alone, there were two pairs of students who hid their relationships behind a shroud of ambiguity and secrecy. Miaomiao also kept this secret from the school. It was better to turn a blind eye to such things.


    ¡°Who¡¯s more handsome? Zhou Yuan or that other boy?¡±


    ¡°Zhou Yuan. I feel that Zhou Yuan is much more mature.¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The warden is here!¡± the girl at the door whispered.


    The bedroom suddenly fell into silence.


    Miaomiao was in her bed, covered in a quilt. She stared up at the ceiling. The question that everyone had asked her just now floated in her mind.


    What kind of person is Zhou Yuan?


    She stared at the ceiling for a little while longer before slowly drifting off to sleep.


    Miaomiao felt as if she was running through a field. The colorful flowers and plants parted before her as she continued her advance. Exhaustion had overtaken Miaomiao, yet it seemed as if she couldn¡¯t stop.


    Suddenly, she espied Zhou Yuan, who stood not too far away. Then, he transformed into a child-like version of himself and said with a cold expression, ¡°You¡¯re so naive, childish, and clingy!¡±


    Miaomiao suddenly jolted awake, only to discover that it was merely a dream. She recalled the phantasmagoria of images that she saw in her dream, and she felt like laughing.


    That¡¯s funny yet unusual. Why did I have this dream all of a sudden?


    The next morning, Miaomiao went to her classroom earlier than usual. She found Zhou Yuan already there.


    Miaomiao greeted him, ¡°Good morning, Zhouzhou.¡±


    After uttering those words, a feeling of surprise overtook Miaomiao.


    I accidentally called him Zhouzhou.


    Those two words rolled off her lips as if those words were entrenched within her due to her saying them so many times.


    Those two words also caused Zhou Yuan to freeze for a moment. Just like Miaomiao, Zhou Yuan also recalled such scenes from their past.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± Zhou Yuan responded.


    Miaomiao sat down and asked, ¡°By the way, did you finish your homework yesterday?¡±


    As Miaomiao took out her exercise book, she said, ¡°my answer differs from the reference answer. The reference answer is the final answer. I don¡¯t know where I went wrong.¡±


    He felt as if he had gone back in time to when he was child as soon as he heard Miaomiao¡¯s enunciation of those phrases. He would go to school and finish his homework during the mornings; then, Miaomiao would come and compare her answers with his.


    As Zhou Yuan leaned over, he looked at her problem-solving methodology and realized that he didn¡¯t know enough about chemistry.


    He began his college education by studying finance straight away. Along with his finance courses, he also took English, linear algebra, probability theory, advanced mathematics, and statistics.


    He immersed himself in some books that were about biochemistry and physics by himself, and therefore he also understood some stuff about those subjects.


    Zhou Yuan perused the question. He took out his chemistry textbook, checked the corresponding chapter, and then he flipped through the front.


    Afterward, he looked at Miaomiao¡¯s exercise book to check how she solved the problems. Then, he pointed out her mistake by delineating, ¡°The divalent element that¡¯s suggested here should be ¡®c¡¯; therefore, the answer is methanol. You should recalculate the result to make sure that it¡¯s correct.¡±


    Miaomiao was already dumbfounded, ¡°How did you do that?¡±


    He just quickly flipped through his book right now, how does he know all this?


    Within his heart, Zhou Yuan felt a tinge of joy as he caught a glimpse of her expression. It was the first time she had shown such an expression since their reunion.


    Miaomiao recalculated her answer, but her answer this time matched the one in the one in the textbook¡¯s reference.


    Miaomiao couldn¡¯t help but peer at Zhou Yuan again, ¡°Big Boss**!¡±


    Zhou Yuan was amused by this nickname. ¡°If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, feel free to ask me.¡±


    ¡°I can tell that you¡¯re going to regret your suggestion later,¡± Miaomiao said.


    Zhou Yuan¡¯s eyebrows twitched, and he teased her, ¡°I¡¯m starting to regret it now.¡±


    ¡°Words spoken are like water spilled***.¡± Miaomiao shrugged as she spoke.


    ¡°Not necessarily. Even if you had purchased insurance, you still have time to reverse your decision.¡±


    ¡°Just like QQ and WeChat, where we can withdraw our messages within two minutes?¡±


    They looked at each other and laughed. It was as if the awkward atmosphere between them had completely vanished.


    Miaomiao realized that Zhou Yuan had begun listening to the lectures in their class.


    As he attended class, he exuded an aura befitting of some big shot who arrived at a meeting.


    This train of thought amused Miaomiao. As Zhou Yuan turned his head, he saw her laughing all by herself.


    ¡°What are you laughing at?¡± Zhou Yuan asked her in a muffled voice.


    Miaomiao handed him a piece of paper. She wrote on it, ¡°Don¡¯t you think the teacher is a little bit too nervous? You play the part of a teacher better than our teacher does.¡±


    The teacher was obviously nervous. Afterall, Zhou Yuan was a doctoral student!


    He didn¡¯t mind it when Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t listen to his lectures. Now that he had his undivided attention, whenever the teacher looked at Zhou Yuan, it felt as if he had said something wrong.


    Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t behave like a high-schooler. He looked like someone who came to assess the teacher¡¯s teaching abilities and prowess.


    Zhou Yuan wrote something on the piece of paper before handing it back to her.


    Miaomiao then saw his eloquent handwriting on it, ¡°If I were to be your teacher, I would definitely reward you with two red flowers.¡±


    Memories were truly magical things. An image of two red flowers suddenly flashed into Miaomiao¡¯s mind.


    Miaomiao blushed and wrote on the piece of paper, ¡°Will you also give little red flowers to your students whenever they pass notes during class time?¡±


    Soon, he wrote back, ¡°If I did, would that mean that I¡¯m an excellent teacher who loves and cares for his students?¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± Uncle, didn¡¯t you say that your son was in a bad mood?


    *School grass ¨C The most handsome boy on the campus.


    ** Big Boss ¨C  It¡¯s an internet term to describe a person who is very good in a certain aspect.


    ***Words spoken are like water spilled ¨C This metaphor means that the once spoken words cannot be taken back as the once spilled water cannot be taken back.

 CH 79

    It was Saturday afternoon. Miaomiao remembered Father Zhou¡¯s request, and since their relationship has improved, Miaomiao glanced at Zhou Yuan who was getting ready to leave, ¡°Are you free? If you are, let¡¯s watch a movie together? If it¡¯s too late, I could take you home.¡±


    Zhou Yuan already had cognizance of Miaomiao¡¯s caring personality, so he just remained ensconced in his seat.


    After their next class ended, Miaomiao closed the classroom door and turned on the computer.


    After logging into her iQiyi* account, she asked, ¡°What type of movie do you want to watch?¡±


    ¡°How about we watch a romantic movie today?¡± one of the girls suggested.


    ¡°No, we won¡¯t watch romance movies. We can watch action, suspense, horror, drama, and superhero films. Save the romance movies for when you¡¯re able to graduate. Currently, high-schoolers aren¡¯t allowed to fall in love.¡± Miaomiao expounded, raising an eyebrow, ¡°Choose something else.¡±


    After watching some horror movies in their class, the students were so frightened that they went back to their dormitories in groups. A few of them wanted to save the world after watching a superhero movie.


    ¡°Let¡¯s watch a romance movie! President! President! We want to watch a romance movie!¡±


    ¡°Class president, romance movie! Class president, romance movie!¡±


    The students began howling as if some madness had possessed them.


    Miaomiao looked at this excited group of students with reluctance before finally saying dotingly, ¡°You really want to watch a romantic movie, right? If you cannot watch it, you¡¯ll just go around and cause a ruckus, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll watch an old movie called ¡°First Love: The Little Thing¡±. It¡¯s a romantic movie.¡±


    She clicked on it after searching for it on the search engine.


    Miaomiao returned to her seat after the movie began playing.


    The students have never seen this film before. After all, everyone was born after the movie was released.


    Miaomiao had already seen it. She watched it with Jingjing a long time ago.


    But she decided to watch it again. She really enjoyed this pure love movie.


    She envied the heroine in the movie who liked someone for so long. She had never experienced love before, that beautiful sensation of a throbbing heart.


    Despite watching it again, the movie still deeply moved Miaomiao.


    She swiveled her head and saw Zhou Yuan, who was fast asleep beside her.


    Miaomiao wanted to rouse him out of his slumber, but then she remembered what Father Zhou had said to her. Zhou Yuan only slept for three hours each day when he was working.


    Did he still not adjust his work and sleep schedule?


    Miaomiao decided not to wake him up. It was the end of the movie, and Zhou Yuan had not woken up yet. Their fellow classmates left the classroom clamorously. They were making quite a din, but it wasn¡¯t enough to rouse Zhou Yuan out of his deep slumber.


    Zhou Yuan woke up after a few minutes. He was in a daze, and he raised his head and asked, ¡°Is it time for the meeting?¡±


    ¡°Boss, the meeting just concluded,¡± Miaomiao said.


    Zhou Yuan realized that he was at his school and not at his company.


    They had just watched a movie, so only the outer rows of lights were on. Their classmates had already left. Miaomiao sat alone with Zhou Yuan there.


    Zhou Yuan got up and said, ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t watch the movie.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Miaomiao said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll take you back.¡±


    They traversed down from the fourth floor. They chatted with each other as they walked.


    Miaomiao suddenly halted her gait and looked at the playground.


    Zhou Yuan followed her gaze and saw a person running in the playground.


    ¡°Sorry, I have to head over to the playground,¡± Miaomiao said as she retracted her gaze.


    A bright, radiant light shone over the playground, and one could see that there was a boy who ran around very quickly inside it. He looked as if he wanted to vent his anger and frustration on someone or something.


    Zhou Yuan was surprised, ¡°Do you need me to come with you?¡±


    ¡°No need. I¡¯ll just go there by myself. I apologize that I¡¯m not able to accompany you home.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have wanted you to bring me home either.¡±


    Miaomiao took a few steps, and then she scuttled to the playground.


    Standing there, Zhou Yuan recalled what he had heard, ¡°I heard that the class president likes Deng Feng.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Deng Feng should be with the class president. He stammers too much.¡±


    He remembered Deng Feng as the little boy who sat behind him when he was a child. He was a very honest young boy.


    When he snapped out of his musings, there were already two people in the playground.


    The two were a good match. After all, they were childhood sweethearts.


    Miaomiao immediately asked Deng Feng, ¡°Deng Feng. What are you doing?¡±


    Deng Feng stopped running and said, his voice tinged with bitterness, ¡°You¡­you¡­don¡¯t care about me!¡±


    Miaomiao really didn¡¯t care, so she stood aside and waited for Deng Feng to finish running. He went to the city to participate in a running competition a few days ago.


    So, he came back today.


    Eventually, Deng Feng felt tired and stopped after a while.


    ¡°Do you feel better?¡± Miaomiao asked as she sat beside him.


    ¡°I feel¡­better.¡± Deng Feng¡¯s entire body was drenched in sweat as if someone had fished him out of the water.


    ¡°Miaomiao¡­we¡­we grew up¡­together¡­¡± Deng Feng said.


    ¡°I know. I also know that you like Jingjing,¡± Miaomiao had cognizance of this since this type of situation had happened too many times before.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Relax. She will definitely like someone else after a while.¡± Miaomiao stated, ¡°You should be aware of her indecisiveness; she can¡¯t even figure out what she wants.¡±


    ¡°No¡­no. She said¡­this time¡­it¡¯s serious.¡± Deng Feng lowered his head.


    ¡°She says that every time,¡± Miaomiao said. The main reason why she was able to deal with the rowdiness, unruliness and bedlam of her fellow classmates was due to her two little friends. She grew up with these two and they were constantly frustrated.


    When Miaomiao was a child, she had hearkened to Jingjing¡¯s words. Jingjing was the leader in their little trio. No matter what Jingjing uttered, Miaomiao had believed it until Jingjing was beaten by her parents for being an unruly troublemaker.


    Eventually, Miaomiao and Jingjing¡¯s roles had reversed, and Miaomiao had become the leader.


    Deng Feng ceased talking and sprawled down on the grass.


    Miaomiao sat with him for a while. Then, she noticed that her mobile screen had lit up.


    She unlocked the phone and read the message, ¡°It¡¯s a message from Jingjing. She wants to have a barbecue tomorrow. Do you want to go?¡±


    Deng Feng said in hesitation, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Miaomiao stood up.


    Miaomiao thought of Zhou Yuan when she mentioned having a rendezvous at the barbecue restaurant. However, since Jingjing and Deng Feng weren¡¯t as familiar with each other as they used to be, she thought it would be best if they got acquainted with each other before going out together.


    *IQiyi ¨C It¡¯s a video streaming website.

 CH 80

    They conversed about their consumption of spicy food at the barbecue restaurant, but they were also aware that they had to shield Deng Feng¡¯s delicate stomach, so they also ordered a healthy soup at the barbecue restaurant.


    Deng Feng and Miaomiao found Jingjing already sitting there when they arrived.


    Jingjing caught sight of Miaomiao and Deng Feng, so she waved excitedly, ¡°Miaomiao, Deng Feng! Here!¡±


    Miaomiao glanced at Deng Feng, who stood next to her. He walked over with a serious expression on his face.


    Deng Feng stuttered. Although he had stuttered since his childhood years, he still talked a lot.


    But one day, Miaomiao discovered that Deng Feng didn¡¯t talk a lot in front of Jingjing, and that was when she had found out that he liked Jingjing.


    He wasn¡¯t his usual chatterbox self when he was before Jingjing¡¯s presence because Jingjing couldn¡¯t make fun of his stuttering if he didn¡¯t speak. Her mockery often aggrieved and angered him greatly.


    Initially, Miaomiao surmised that it was just a normal argument between two people. Since they were young, they liked to cavil at everything and squabble over every single little thing. She didn¡¯t interfere, and after two days of observation, Miaomiao noticed the signs.


    Deng Feng sat opposite Jingjing, whereas Miaomiao sat beside Jingjing.


    As soon as she sat down, they heard Jingjing say, ¡°Is it possible that Zhao Mu likes me?¡±


    Miaomiao raised her head and glanced at Deng Feng, who sat on the opposite side. He looked crestfallen and forlorn.


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    Deng Feng remained taciturn. As he sat silently on the sideline, the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.


    Jingjing found the atmosphere strange, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you two?¡±


    Miaomiao scooped herself a bowl of healthy soup and said, ¡°The midterm exam is coming soon, so I¡¯m nervous.¡±


    The situation between these two gave her a headache. It would alleviate her stress if their situation was as simple to handle as one¡¯s midterm exams.


    One could ace the midterm exams with hard work and preparation, but hard work and preparation would not be able to allay the awkward situation between Jingjing and Deng Feng.


    Miaomiao did consider telling Jingjing about Deng Feng¡¯s feelings for her, but both of them didn¡¯t quite understand the concept of feelings. If she had said that, it wouldn¡¯t change the situation; instead, it would only exacerbate and complicate it.


    Therefore, Miaomiao didn¡¯t say anything at all.


    Jingjing suddenly remembered something else, ¡°Miaomiao. Are you getting along well with Zhou Yuan now?¡±


    ¡°Deng Feng. Do you remember Zhou Yuan? He was the one who helped you when he angrily rebuked and reprimanded the Chinese teacher for making fun of your stuttering when you were a kid.¡±


    Deng Feng recalled that incident and nodded, ¡°He¡­he did¡­didn¡¯t he¡­¡±


    ¡°I know you want to say that he disappeared to college, right? Well, he¡¯s back now, and he¡¯s in the same class as Miaomiao. They even sit at the same table.¡±


    Miaomiao nodded, ¡°He¡¯s quite nice. Maybe I¡¯ll make arrangements so that we can all go out together one day.¡±


    Jingjing nodded.


    After they finished eating their barbecue, Miaomiao returned to her dormitory by herself. After returning, she found a message from Zhou Yuan.


    ¡°Class president. I found a painting in my book. Is it yours?¡±


    Miaomiao had borrowed Zhou Yuan¡¯s book, so he asked her directly. Miaomiao remembered that she had placed the painting in his book, but he forgot to tell him.


    She replied, ¡°Yes, but to be more precise, it was something that I had wanted to give you when I was younger.¡±


    Zhou Yuan mused for a long time before replying, ¡°Hmm.¡±


    It was just a single word.


    Text messaging differed from face-to-face chatting since one couldn¡¯t see the other person¡¯s face, nor could they hear the other person¡¯s tone of voice.


    Miaomiao had no idea how to reply.


    ¡°I apologize for that one time,¡± the other party replied after a while.


    Miaomiao was confused, ¡°Huh?¡±


    Immediately afterward, she realized that he apologized due to the fact that he had once said that she was childish and clingy.


    ¡°I¡¯m very glad to see you doing well.¡±


    As Miaomiao digested his message, a wave of effervescence washed over her. An older person¡¯s tone of appreciation was very evident in his message.


    ¡°Thanks for the compliment, teacher.¡± she replied.


    Zhou Yuan sat in a chair, looking at the messages on his phone. He still felt a little lost.


    Immediately, he felt ashamed about being lost. As long as Miaomiao was able to take care of her own life and face all of life¡¯s challenges alone, then she would be successful without his succor. This should be celebrated.


    While he pressed his temple, he suddenly opined that if he didn¡¯t leave, then Miaomiao would always remain the little girl who told him everything, who trusted him, and who hearkened to every word that came out of his mouth.


    He stood up and lounged on the bed. He held a pillow in his arms as he thought about what Miaomiao had told him. She told him she would bring him home, and then immediately after she said goodbye, she went over to that person who ran around in the playground.


    He buried his head in the pillow and closed his eyes.


    There was nothing left in the room but cold silence and¡­the boredom that began to leak outside his house.


    In his mind, he pondered if this boredom had something to do with losing a good friend, or if it had more to do with the feeling of being abandoned, or with her no longer being the girl who relied on him to communicate with the outside world for her?


    Or is it something else¡­


    Miaomiao also had trouble sleeping.


    Since they didn¡¯t have class tomorrow morning, her roommates were very excited.


    I really shouldn¡¯t have allowed them to watch those romance movies.


    They all ran to Miaomiao¡¯s bed and started chattering about people they liked.


    ¡°President, I can¡¯t believe that you never liked anyone.¡±


    Miaomiao forced herself up and helplessly said, ¡°It¡¯s not like that. I have been class president since my middle school years. I always had the mentality of a caretaker¡­I thought about you first.¡±


    As Miaomiao sprawled on the bed, she was still thinking about Jingjing and Deng Feng. Honestly, Miaomiao thought that Deng Feng shouldn¡¯t secretly fall in love with Jingjing. It would just complicate their lives.


    The two had a good relationship since childhood, and they could be lifelong friends. Before, the two people¡¯s comradeship was so good that they could discuss anything and everything. They were very close. They were not related in any way, but they acted far better than relatives. Due to his feelings for Jingjing, their relationship ended up in shambles.


    Moreover, Miaomiao could sense that Jingjing really considered Deng Feng to be a little brother since they had grown up together. Deng Feng probably was aware of this also, which was why he had never confessed. He feared that it would strain their friendship.


    Miaomiao heaved a sigh.


    Love is way too complicated.


    At that moment, she saw a message from Zhou Yuan. The message was very abrupt.


    ¡°Could we be good friends?¡±


    Miaomiao quickly replied, ¡°Of course.¡±


    Within her heart, she had already considered Zhou Yuan to be a close friend.

 CH 81

    When Miaomiao arrived at school early the next morning, the class president from their neighboring class was weeping near a bookshelf in their classroom, and Zhou Yuan was reading a chemistry textbook in his seat¡­


    Miaomiao thought that this was an unusual event because Li Jiao was crying in their classroom, and Zhou Yuan was the only one present.


    Isn¡¯t this situation a little odd?


    She originally wanted to avoid this type of situation. She felt that she needed to deal with this predicament immediately in order to forestall her classmates from getting into some conflict with Li Jiao or the adjacent class. Then, she strolled into the classroom.


    ¡°Well¡­May I sit here?¡± Li Jiao, the class president from their adjoining class, uttered as soon as Miaomiao traversed into the classroom.


    Li Jiao was referring to Miaomiao¡¯s desk.


    Before Zhou Yuan could speak, Miaomiao said, ¡°No. Because if you sit here, then I won¡¯t have a place to sit.¡±


    Miaomiao sat in her seat before saying to Li Jiao, ¡°What do you want from me?¡±


    Li Jiao looked at Miaomiao. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she said, ¡°Miaomiao, even though our two classes often were at odds with each other, we still had a good relationship¡­You¡­Why are you¡­¡±


    As she spoke, she sobbed profusely and uncontrollably.


    Miaomiao had a feeling that she had to have done something terrible to make a girl cry in such a way.


    ¡°I need more details.¡± After speaking, Miaomiao thought that her roommates should have gotten up by now, so it would take them quite some time before their arrival to class.


    ¡°The headteacher will invite my parents to school¡­my mother¡­my mother will definitely¡­¡± While uttering that, she couldn¡¯t help but cry again.


    Miaomiao expressed her sympathy due to seeing her tears.


    It was because Miaomiao herself often cried when she was at her lowest.


    But she was able to take care of that problem during middle class. At that time, she had just taken up the mantle of class president, and there were many things that she had to handle in class; furthermore, the students were much more unruly and rowdy than the norm. Although she tried to be more strict with them, the headteacher would still deduct points from her due to her performance. Furthermore, the headteacher admonished her by saying that if she displayed any more strict behavior towards her classmates, then she would be harshly reprimanded.


    She wished she could cry every day back then.


    So whenever Li Jiao cried, Miaomiao would tolerate her display of sadness.


    Miaomiao was calm now because Li Jiao really cried too much. Every time the two classes did something together, the two class presidents were forced to cooperate with each other and organize it. For the majority of the time, Li Jiao¡¯s performance was less than stellar, which led to a scolding from the headteacher, and then Li Jiao would burst into tears. Eventually, the headteacher would cease scolding her, and Li Jiao would walk out with a triumphant but smug expression on her face.


    As a result, Miaomiao was used to Li Jiao and her duplicity and tricks, for she often used crying as a means to escape trouble. Miaomiao turned to look at Li Jiao¡¯s target, Zhou Yuan.


    Miaomiao gently patted Li Jiao¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t tell your mother about what had transpired at school.¡±


    Li Jiao was taken aback for a moment. Hearing Miaomiao¡¯s words, she stammered a little and asked, ¡°What did I do at school?¡±


    Miaomiao briefly turned her gaze to Zhou Yuan, who was next to her.


    Li Jiao blushed and felt guilty and chirruped, ¡°Hua Miaomiao, you are too much. I know that you like Zhou Yuan, but we¡¯re just friends. You cannot target me because of this!¡±


    Miaomiao¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief.


    Sure enough, this girl¡¯s thought process will never disappoint me! Her assumptions and conjectures are truly impressive!


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t notice the slight movement from the person next to her.


    ¡°Yes, I know you don¡¯t care for Zhou Yuan. You came to our classroom with tears in your eyes in the morning because you¡¯re in love with me; therefore, you want me to feel sorry for you¡­¡±


    Pulling a tissue from the side, Miaomiao wiped away Li Jiao¡¯s tears, ¡°You are very beautiful, but you look terrible when you cry.¡±


    Li Jiao was taken aback. She then glanced at Zhou Yuan, who hadn¡¯t even glanced at her once from the beginning. She then left angrily.


    Miaomiao poked Zhou Yuan¡¯s arm as she watched her leave, ¡°How long did you let her cry on her own?¡±


    Zhou Yuan looked at her and said, ¡°Did you want me to cry along with her?¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± A man as cold as steel.


    ¡°If you ever get a girlfriend, you should treat her better. The other party isn¡¯t easy to deal with,¡± Miaomiao sighed.


    Zhou Yuan raised his eyes and caught her effervescent, playful gaze, and realized what she just did.


    It seemed that the panic and feeling of loss from yesterday, the feeling of not being needed, had completely disappeared.


    When Miaomiao noticed that his stare was a little bizarre, she asked, ¡°Why do you keep looking at me?¡±


    Zhou Yuan tore his eyes away from her, ¡°I¡¯m happy that you¡¯ve grown up well.¡±


    After all, she became more buoyant and exuberant, but she still handled things in her own unique way.


    ¡°Do you remember Jingjing and Deng Feng?¡± Miaomiao asked, pulling out the exercise book from her schoolbag.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°The four of us should get together sometime. By the way, Deng Feng is an athlete now. He competed in a marathon two days ago.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Jingjing wondered if you would like to go to the hot springs together. Our destination is the same hot springs we journeyed to when we were young. She told me that the roasted whole lamb there was extremely delicious.¡±


    Miaomiao had no memory of eating roasted lamb at the hot springs as a child.


    Zhou Yuan was astounded for a transient moment, and then he remembered their little trip to the hot springs. He remembered holding hands with Miaomiao at the time. He also remembered when she tried to jump into the water ahead of him.


    Even though he had no desire to go, he still nodded unconsciously.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go next weekend.¡± It was obviously too late to go during this week.


    ¡°Jingjing and you have always been in the same school, right?¡± Zhou Yuan wondered.


    ¡°When we were in elementary school, we were always in the same class. In middle school, Deng Feng and I were in the same class, whereas Jingjing was in the class adjacent to ours. Currently, Jingjing is in class 7, whereas Deng Feng is in class 8.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Miaomiao squinted her eyes, ¡°Tell me something about yourself. I¡¯ve rambled on too much about myself.¡±


    ¡°I have nothing to share. After I separated from you, I disappeared to college.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m kind of looking forward to college,¡± Miaomiao froze as she finished her statement. All of a sudden, something had flashed in her mind.


    She felt this feeling clearly.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zhou Yuan asked when he saw her in a daze.


    Miaomiao recovered and shook her head, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    She suddenly remembered that she had always wanted to go to college since her childhood because someone had told her that she had to attend college to work with her mother. In addition, her mother said that she could see Zhou Yuan at college.


    When Miaomiao was young, she always dreamt of attending college with Zhou Yuan.

 CH 82

    Miaomiao was aware that Li Jiao was looking for her for a reason, and not just because she wanted to let Zhou Yuan know that she had bullied her so much that she began to weep bitter tears.


    It was just a secondary matter. Her main reason for coming to seek Miaomiao was to find out whether or not Miaomiao could assist her.


    Miaomiao felt entangled by this. Miaomiao realized that Li Jiao herself was incognizant of the severity of this matter.


    In her opinion, she couldn¡¯t squander her time messing around without finding the apt evidence due to this problem¡¯s severity. At that time, the headteacher would¡¯ve surely protected Li Jiao from any of the consequences due to her crying.


    If the poverty subsidy was divided privately amongst the students who didn¡¯t deserve the money, and even if the matter compounded into a much bigger deal than anticipated, it really didn¡¯t matter since the teacher who was in charge of reviewing their applications couldn¡¯t find it in their heart to punish or reproach any of the students.


    As she thought about it, Miaomiao had a headache.


    She pondered for a moment. Her classmates arrived one by one into the classroom. Today was Sunday, and yet many students came into the classroom to study for their midterms, which were right around the corner.


    ¡°Class president, you¡¯re not the only person in the classroom for once.¡±


    ¡°Zhou Yuan, you¡¯re still not speaking to us.¡±


    Zhou Yuan swept his gaze towards his classmates and asked, ¡°What should I talk about?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a custom in our class where new students have to buy food for everybody. Do you want to adhere to this custom and purchase food for everybody?¡± one of the girls asked.


    Miaomiao also found it a wonderful idea because Zhou Yuan could use this as an opportunity to become familiar with everyone and buying snacks wouldn¡¯t be too expensive.


    Her main intention was to encourage Zhou Yuan to acquaint himself with the other boys in their class. The boys in their class were nice, and Father Zhou always wanted Zhou Yuan to get along with his peers.


    Miaomiao mused for a while and asked, ¡°What about our boys?¡±


    ¡°I think they went to the Internet cafe to play games.¡±


    I forgot about it. They¡¯re only allowed to play games on Sundays.


    ¡°What do you guys want to eat? I¡¯ll go out with Zhou Yuan to buy it.¡± Miaomiao said.


    ¡°Potato chips, spicy strips¡­¡±


    Although everyone said that they wanted a treat, in actuality, what they truly desired were inexpensive snacks.


    Miaomiao scribbled down their orders, ¡°Stay in the classroom and study well. We¡¯ll be back in a while.¡±


    She then dragged Zhou Yuan out with her. ¡°They just want to have fun,¡± Miaomiao said after going outside.


    Zhou Yuan hummed in assent.


    As they sauntered down the street, the two conversed with each other about mundane things. Miaomiao didn¡¯t mind that they had so little in common between the two of them.


    ¡°By the way, do you have a girlfriend?¡± Miaomiao asked. She asked this primarily because of the tension between Jingjing and Deng Feng. It was too much for her to handle alone.


    Miaomiao believed that Zhou Yuan was very intelligent, and if he had relationship experience, then it could alleviate some of her worries.


    Zhou Yuan shook his head, ¡°No.¡±


    Miaomiao was quite surprised.


    Zhou Yuan saw the obvious look of surprise on her face and asked, ¡°Are you surprised?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I thought you already had a girlfriend.¡±  Because he had the air of maturity.


    Of course, many people had already confessed to him. Most of the time, when he told them his age, they would back off. As for anyone else, he found them too boring and dull.


    Miaomiao was happy, ¡°The girls in our class must be very happy.¡±


    Her roommates asked her this question in their dormitory.


    Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t speak.


    They had already traversed outside their school during this time. The two entered the supermarket and began to buy some snacks for everyone in their class.


    ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± Zhou Yuan suddenly turned to Miaomiao and asked.


    While everyone listed their preferred snacks in class, Miaomiao remained silent.


    ¡°I¡¯ll eat the same thing as them,¡± Miaomiao replied, turning her head.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to buy too much. Two bags of potato chips and three packets of spicy strips should be enough.¡± Instead of one packet per person, everyone would share them.


    Not only would this be cheaper, but it would create a fun atmosphere in their classroom.


    Zhou Yuan listened to her.


    ¡°These snacks aren¡¯t very healthy, especially if they ate too much of them.¡±


    The girls surrounded the two as soon as they returned with the snacks.


    While everyone was sharing their snacks, Miaomiao opened the windows to keep the classroom from becoming too hot and sultry.


    When she returned to her seat, she saw Zhou Yuan ensconced in his seat. He didn¡¯t indulge in the consumption of snacks like the others.


    ¡°The snacks will soon be gone, class president. Come and eat some soon.¡±


    Miaomiao approached them and picked up a pack of spicy strips; then, she saw Zhou Yuan sitting alone in his seat. She whispered to the girls, ¡°Why don¡¯t you guys eat with him?¡±


    ¡°He said he didn¡¯t enjoy snacks like these.¡±


    Miaomiao remembered that Zhou Yuan suffered from a bad stomach, and she gave the packet of spicy strips to one of the girls. She then grabbed a bag of potato chips and returned to her seat.


    She opened the bag of potato chips and said, ¡°Let¡¯s eat together.¡±


    She took out a few pieces of chips and crunched on them.


    After peering at her, Zhou Yuan took out a piece of potato chip from the bag and also munched on it.


    Miaomiao asked, ¡°Did you ever share some snacks with anyone?¡±


    It didn¡¯t exactly fit his personality.


    Zhou Yuan recalled everything about his childhood.


    He then said, ¡°I almost did.¡±


    While they talked, they both finished the entire bag of tomato-flavored potato chips.


    Even after consuming it all, Miaomiao still craved some more.


    Just as they were heading out to the washroom to wash their hands together, they bumped into Deng Feng.


    ¡°Miaomiao.¡±


    Deng Feng was more concerned about his image now; therefore, when people were around, he would always address her as Miaomiao.


    Miaomiao used this as an opportunity to introduce the two of them to each other, ¡°Deng Feng, this is Zhou Yuan.¡±


    ¡°Zhou Yuan, this is Deng Feng.¡±


    Deng Feng nodded in acknowledgement at Zhou Yuan. Despite his companionship with Zhou Yuan when they were little, he had no idea how to speak to him now.


    Deng Feng said to Miaomiao, ¡°I have¡­something¡­to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Miaomiao walked towards Deng Feng.


    Zhou Yuan went straight into the washroom to wash his hands.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Miaomiao asked when they reached the corner of the corridor. Now, only the two of them were present.


    ¡°Jingjing¡­wants to¡­confess¡­¡±


    Miaomiao was sick and tired of it all, ¡°So. What are you going to do? I¡¯ll try to talk her out of it again.¡±


    Jingjing didn¡¯t like listening to what she had to say, nor did she enjoy talking about it. Even if Miaomiao stopped her from confessing, she would still attempt it another time.

 CH 83

    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to her. You sit back and relax,¡± Miaomiao suggested to Deng Feng. His head drooped low, and he looked like a sad little puppy. Hua Miaomiao patted him on the shoulder, ¡°Calm down. Her desires are ever-changing and fickle; they¡¯re like unpredictable caprices. During middle school, she constantly changed her mind about the boys that she liked. From celebrities to the school grass, she just admired them all. But you have and always will be her best friend.¡±


    Miaomiao surmised that Jingjing had confounded veneration and admiration with liking.


    Deng Feng remained silent.


    After seeing him like this, Miaomiao was unable to leave him, so she perched down with him on top of the stairs. After a while, Deng Feng suddenly typed a sentence on his phone, and then he showed it to her. ¡°I think she doesn¡¯t like me because I stutter.¡±


    Miaomiao¡¯s nose turned sour, and she shook her head, ¡°Do you think Jingjing cares about that?¡±


    The two had argued since childhood, and Jingjing never minded Deng Feng¡¯s stuttering.


    Jingjing treated Deng Feng as if he was an ordinary person¡­and she always pestered him.


    Deng Feng took back his phone, typed another line, and showed it to her again.


    He typed just two words, ¡°I care.¡±


    As she stared at those two words, Miaomiao suddenly felt a pang of heartache. She understood Deng Feng¡¯s feelings, and she began to feel great discomfort within her heart.


    After Miaomiao returned to the classroom, she searched on her phone for the cause of stuttering.


    Miaomiao thought that a cure for it could help alleviate the gravity of this matter.


    After some time, she was also concerned that she might have to bid goodbye to her budding romance at this age, mainly due to Jingjing and Deng Feng¡¯s problems.


    Then Miaomiao began reading her textbook, and soon it was lunchtime. The girls in Miaomiao¡¯s class wanted to eat outside of their school today since there were no classes. There were no classes on Sundays, and everyone usually ate stir-fried vegetables or went to a buffet. Finally, they agreed to visit a buffet.


    Crowds of people thronged the buffet, but they inferred that it would be cheaper if they decided to split the bill evenly, plus everyone would have a good time.


    Miaomiao also took Zhou Yuan with her.


    The boys waited for them at the school¡¯s gate.


    Although playing games was an important pastime for the boys, they were also very happy to have dinner with the girls at this dinner.


    When they came out, Miaomiao counted the number of people and went to the restaurant in grand style.


    At the restaurant, they occupied three tables. Everyone sat next to whomever they liked.


    Since Zhou Yuan spoke very little, he was assigned to the boys¡¯ table right away.


    At one of the tables, Miaomiao sat down with some girls, whereas the other table had both boys and girls.


    ¡°Class president. I feel¡­¡± A girl next to Miaomiao whispered to her, ¡°Is Zhou Yuan interested in you? He¡¯s always staring at you.¡±


    Teenagers found it impossible not to gossip about such topics when they gathered together.


    Miaomiao looked at Zhou Yuan who was eating and talking with a male classmate next to him.


    Fortunately, he was still able to converse with other people.


    Miaomiao was relieved when she saw that he was still capable of entering into conversations with other people. Miaomiao recalled that Zhou Yuan would only speak with her every day, but he refused to speak with anyone else.


    Based on the current situation, she concluded that he only communicated with those who sat closer to him.


    If that was the case, then it was wise to include him in more group activities. After all, humans were social animals; therefore, they would be more gleeful when they partook in group activities.


    Miaomiao decided to proceed with this plan in her heart.


    After they finished eating, a group of boys, who represented the literary and artistic committee, clamored to the KTV to sing. They said that they would invite the girls and didn¡¯t need to spend any money.


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t object to such activities so long as everyone had assented to it.


    They had reserved a large room with many tables where they could play board games such as Mahjong¡­


    Some of the classmates had already snatched up some seats at the gaming table and said, ¡°You guys sing. We¡¯ll just play some board games and mahjong here.¡±


    Miaomiao wasn¡¯t quick enough to grab a seat at the table; therefore, she could only sing.


    Miaomiao could only sing a few songs, mainly because she sang out of tune, so she doesn¡¯t sing very often.


    Zhou Yuan sat next to her, and he didn¡¯t enjoy singing either.


    Miaomiao asked him, ¡°Would you like to sing? I could buy some songs for you.¡±


    Miaomiao noticed that had little to no interest in today¡¯s activities. Miaomiao and Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t want to sing, but they still participated in the other activities.


    ¡°Class president. Zhou Yuan. What are you two muttering about? Do you wish to sing a song together?¡±


    ¡°Curb your enthusiasm. Our class president sings terribly. We can¡¯t endure listening to her singing a song from beginning to end.¡±


    ¡°Then, Zhou Yuan will sing!¡±


    ¡°Zhou Yuan! Zhou Yuan! Come on! Come on!¡±


    They egged him on, which forced Zhou Yuan to stand up. He went and selected a song.


    Miaomiao immediately noticed that he had selected ¡°Chasing Dreams and Red Hearts¡±.


    Miaomiao knew about this song, but she had never heard it before.


    Zhou Yuan had a nice, deep voice, and when combined with the emotional lyrics, Miaomiao¡¯s nose turned sour, as she listened to him.


    ¡°I never gave up on my ideals, even during the days when I was disheartened¡­¡±


    As Miaomiao listened, she realized a problem. Zhou Yuan¡¯s parents felt that he had experienced failure, which led to an emotional breakdown. In fact, Zhou Yuan was just like the song, as he continued to go on due to his innocent pride¡­


    She wasn¡¯t able to explain it, but a feeling of reverence began to surge in Miaomiao¡¯s heart.


    When will I become this good?


    After returning home, Miaomiao downloaded and listened to the song several times in a loop.


    She believed that Zhou Yuan would return to the world of business before she took her college entrance exam.


    The next day, Miaomiao saw Zhou Yuan chatting with a few men in suits and leather shoes at the school gate. His face radiated an expression of extreme seriousness and solemnity. Miaomiao had never seen him like this before, and the men also appeared to be angry. The situation looked like it could escalate into something worse.


    Miaomiao remembered Father Zhou telling her that Zhou Yuan was betrayed. Based on Zhou Yuan¡¯s demeanor, she deduced that these were his betrayers.


    As class president, Miaomiao naturally would intervene, so she went over after noticing that her classmate and some other people were getting into a tussle.


    ¡°Hello. Why are you looking for Zhou Yuan from our class?¡± Miaomiao politely asked after walking over.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± The man, who appeared to be the leader, asked Miaomiao.


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t fear the leader¡¯s intimidating gaze, ¡°I¡¯m Zhou Yuan¡¯s class president, and we should be heading to class now. Your discussion might be important, but it¡¯s not as important as learning and obtaining knowledge. Uncle looks intelligent. Surely, you would understand, right?¡±


    As soon as Miaomiao finished speaking, she pulled Zhou Yuan into the classroom.


    Zhou Yuan asked, ¡°You¡¯re not going to ask me who they are?¡±


    Miaomiao replied, ¡°Are you going to tell me?¡±


    Zhou Yuan was silent for a while and said nothing. Miaomiao thought for a moment and said, ¡°I remember that you sent me a message, which asked if we could be good friends.¡±


    Taking Zhou Yuan¡¯s hand, Miaomiao began running towards the playground.


    ¡°Since we¡¯re friends, why don¡¯t we discuss things that we have trouble resolving together? Jingjing, Deng Feng, and the other students in our class are way too exuberant. It isn¡¯t a good idea to discuss my current concern with them. I think you¡¯re much more qualified to solve this problem. In exchange, I¡¯ll assist you with your problem. Although I¡¯m not as smart as you, I can present a different perspective, a new approach. I think that it would be helpful if you decided to approach the problem from a different angle.¡± Miaomiao suggested.

 CH 84

    Zhou Yuan acceded to Miaomiao¡¯s proposal after dwelling on it for a while. Then, he asked, ¡°Is there anything bothering you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit complicated.¡± Miaomiao thought about it for a moment and continued, ¡°I have a friend who fell in love with his childhood friend. However, this childhood friend mostly treated him like a normal friend¡­¡±


    Miaomiao felt that Zhou Yuan possessed a little bit more maturity  than her; therefore, he should have a solution to a problem like this.


    She was really worried about this issue during this time. Deng Feng, Jingjing, and Miaomiao had always been really good friends, but she didn¡¯t want this issue to destroy their friendship, which endured many hardships and lasted many years. Their parents had punished them together; they had missed classes together; they ate late night dinners together; they went square dancing together¡­regular people would find it difficult to find such good friends during their lifetime.


    Miaomiao frowned.


    Zhou Yuan stared at her frown, and his heart inexplicably twitched with discomfort.


    ¡°You¡­Does your friend really like that person?¡± Zhou Yuan questioned her.


    Miaomiao nodded, ¡°Yes, my friend really likes that person. He couldn¡¯t sleep for the past two days since it was gnawing at him the entire time.¡±


    Deng Feng couldn¡¯t fall asleep at all. All he talked about was Jingjing; his entire world revolved around her. Miaomiao jokingly believed that she would fall in love with Jingjing as well if he continued to extol her to the skies.


    Zhou Yuan mused over it for a while before replying, ¡°And what advice do you want me to give you?¡±


    ¡°My friend wholeheartedly believes that the other person wouldn¡¯t like him because of his shortcomings. Do you know how to alleviate his mood? He also doesn¡¯t know whether or not he should confess. He¡¯s afraid that if he confesses, then they might no longer be friends.¡±


    Zhou Yuan frowned and said, ¡°Don¡¯t confess.¡±


    Zhou Yuan naturally assumed that the ¡®friend¡¯ was Miaomiao, and the person she liked was Deng Feng.


    He dutifully replied, ¡°Don¡¯t confess. You shouldn¡¯t confess if both parties don¡¯t feel the same way. In fact, you shouldn¡¯t confess at all since the perception and understanding of love at our age is inherently full of ambiguity and is ever-changing. Love at this age is almost like a vagary that comes and goes. It¡¯s very fickle, after all. If you¡­I mean, if your friend really likes that person; then, try dropping him some hints. Let him figure it out for himself. Think of it like a buffer period. This is better for both parties.¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± I¡¯ve never been in love before. Why are there so many rules? Is love always this complicated?


    ¡°I have studied psychology, which included consumer psychology and the psychology of human relationships such as love.¡±


    Miaomiao gave him a thumbs up, ¡°Awesome! I¡¯ll jot it down as a note. Now, it¡¯s your turn. What are you most bothered by?¡±


    Zhou Yuan froze for a moment before replying slowly, ¡°I¡¯m thinking about changing my profession.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing too serious, but I¡¯m just not used to my field,¡± Zhou Yuan mused for a moment, but he still decided not to tell her about the chaos that he had experienced, but he did implicitly state, ¡°It¡¯s completely different from how I imagined it to be, so I wish to change my environment.¡±


    While Miaomiao had little understanding of his problem, she still mused over it with the utmost solemnity and responded, ¡°I surmise that you are left with two choices. On one hand, you could try to switch your profession or field. You¡¯re still very young; therefore, you could just enroll in a college but with a different major. On the other hand, you could find a way to succeed in your original profession, but it could indeed be tricky to change your field from within.¡±


    Zhou Yuan was originally at a crossroads, and he was left with two choices. Either he could change his profession, or he could go back and inure himself to it.


    Miaomiao analyzed the situation and said, ¡°They even came to your school to look for you, which means that you¡¯re well-versed in your industry. But I believe that people, who are well-versed in everything, are also good at everything, so it might be a good idea to simply change your major. It shouldn¡¯t be too difficult a task for you.¡±


    Zhou Yuan was astounded. After his astonishment had ebbed away, he asked, ¡°Do you really think I can change my industry?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re only 18 years old, so everyone is already very much amazed that you already have your Ph.D. and a few years of work experience. No one will truly believe you when you mention your achievements, okay? In fact, I don¡¯t know how changing industries would present a challenge for you. Besides, I have lived so long that I wouldn¡¯t even consider doing this if this were a television show. In TV dramas, it¡¯s common for people to change their industries. If some predicament or chaotic situation was beginning to loom, then it would be wise to change it. I know from a single glance that you¡¯re pretty much the Chosen One.¡±


    Zhou Yuan looked at Miaomiao. Something flashed in his mind suddenly, almost as if a somber, black cloud had been pushed away by the sun¡¯s aureous rays.


    ¡°Do you think my explanation has any merit?¡± Miaomiao raised her eyebrows.


    Zhou Yuan nodded, and then he pulled her up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°To get you something to eat, perhaps?¡± Zhou Yuan replied.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡®Isn¡¯t there a truism that states that girls like to eat snacks when they¡¯re frustrated? Or was I mistaken?¡® Zhou Yuan wondered.


    Zhou Yuan incorrectly assumed that Miaomiao¡¯s story about her friend was really a cover to conceal her crush on Deng Feng.


    Since someone had invited her to eat some savory food, Miaomiao followed without hesitation and said, ¡°By the way, how about we create a long-term agreement that mutually benefits us? You can help me solve this relationship problem. And I¡¯ll help you with your problem.¡±


    Honestly, Miaomiao felt that her suggestions weren¡¯t very constructive or auspicious, but she could still listen to his problems.


    Zhou Yuan paused, ¡°What assistance do you need with your relationship problem?¡±


    Miaomiao hearkened back to Deng Feng¡¯s dejected expression. He was really serious about Jingjing who he liked for a long time.


    Miaomiao said, ¡°I¡¯m not very good with the advice that you gave me earlier. I don¡¯t know how to drop hints to the other person to tell him that I like them.¡±


    Zhou Yuan replied, ¡°I¡¯m not very good either.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. You¡¯re being too modest. I thought your plan was very well thought-out!¡± Miaomiao praised him highly, ¡°How exactly would you drop some hints? They had a very close companionship when they were growing up¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan wasn¡¯t angry, ¡°Did they hold hands?¡±


    ¡°They often held hands. They used to cuddle when they were young, but they stopped after entering high school. They still occasionally hold hands, though.¡±


    Zhou Yuan said awkwardly, ¡°Then, this isn¡¯t a problem that couples are known to have. They¡¯re high school students, so they shouldn¡¯t be holding hands.¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± That seems reasonable. They act too much like relatives or family members. They were very close during their childhood years. So, even if they hold hands, it¡¯s basically the same thing as putting one¡¯s left hand into one¡¯s right hand.

 CH 85

    Miaomiao felt that they had to help each other all the time out of necessity, regardless of the parley¡¯s outcome.


    Surprisingly, Zhou Yuan also concurred and said, ¡°I could only do my best, but I cannot guarantee if any of my methods would be successful.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re able to, at least, concoct a simple method, whereas I¡¯m unable to come up with anything at all.¡± Miaomiao sighed in vexation. She thought to herself, ¡®Zhou Yuan doesn¡¯t know that this quandary had given me so much trouble some time ago.¡¯


    Before their evening study session, there was a class meeting, and Miaomiao was called out before it could begin.


    It turned out that the principal wished to speak with her.


    When Miaomiao arrived at the principal¡¯s office, she saw the headteacher and Li Jiao, the class president of the next class, awaiting her arrival in the office.


    Miaomiao already conjectured what was happening. She entered the office.


    The principal recognized Miaomiao. After all, she was the monitor of one of the school¡¯s key classes.


    ¡°Hua Miaomiao, did you give five poverty grant places from your class to Class 5 last year?¡±


    The headteacher peered at her.


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s because we had too few applicants from our class last year, and there were vacancies. I¡¯m under the impression that the poverty subsidy is meant to help students, who have difficulties, and plus there were no class restrictions. I believe that any student, who needs assistance, should apply. Since their class was short five places, I granted them these five places.¡±


    ¡°Then, do you know what their class did with those five places?¡±


    The headteacher and Li Jiao looked at her, particularly the headteacher.


    The smile on Miaomiao¡¯s face disappeared. She clearly understood that the principal had cognizance of the issue. The headteacher definitely wasn¡¯t the person who filed a complaint with him. Someone from Li Jiao had to have done it.


    The headteacher was actually relieved.


    Hua Miaomiao had a great personality and was very good at what she did. He was sure that she would answer carefully.


    Miaomiao said slowly, ¡°I heard that they split the money in private.¡±


    Although she had known what had transpired, she still feigned ignorance, but she decided that she couldn¡¯t keep this under wraps anymore when the principal questioned her.


    Originally, she advised the headteacher to pay close attention to the students¡¯ applications. But he didn¡¯t do that last year, and he didn¡¯t do it this year either. His insouciance and incompetence led to the students from their adjacent classroom with poverty certificates being unable to apply for assistance.


    She just told the truth.


    Miaomiao delineated everything that she knew, and then she returned to class.


    Currently, she was in a surly mood. Although it was mainly the headteacher and Li Jiao¡¯s problem, she was also concerned. She had no idea what was wrong.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Zhou Yuan asked her.


    Miaomiao had no intention of divulging this matter to Zhou Yuan. After all, it had nothing to do with him.


    Miaomiao shook her head, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Evening arrived, and the headteacher began with his self-study class. After he had entered the classroom, he glanced at Hua Miaomiao, and then he said, ¡°Who¡¯s on duty today, and why didn¡¯t you wipe the blackboard? The classroom is too noisy. What is the class president doing? Are you still disciplined enough to take the college entrance exams?¡±


    All of a sudden, the classroom fell silent. Simultaneously, the bell rang.


    Miaomiao was about to go up and wipe the blackboard, but Zhou Yuan decided to do it himself. He stood up, walked up to the blackboard, and wiped it with a couple of strokes.


    The headteacher handed out some papers, ¡°Students, start studying by yourselves. Hua Miaomiao, come outside for a moment.¡±


    Hua Miaomiao had a feeling that this would happen. She walked outside.


    The headteacher stood near the flowerbeds, which lined the exterior of the building. When he saw Hua Miaomiao coming out, he immediately asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me privately that their class was splitting the money?¡±


    ¡°I had no evidence, and our two classes have a terrible relationship. Their class won¡¯t just waltz outside and confess, you know.¡± They aren¡¯t foolish enough to confess their deeds after taking the money.


    ¡°Then, how come you could talk about it now? Hua Miaomiao, if you go out into society, you¡¯ll be beaten to death. How could you be so vicious? You¡¯re only pretending to be a model citizen, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    The headteacher was fuming, and he grew angrier and angrier. He hissed, ¡°I have never seen a student who¡¯s so insouciant and unreasonable before. I thought that you were a good student in the past, but I never expected you to be such a person. No wonder why so many people hate you! Hua Miaomiao, everyone will consider you to be the scourge of society if you continue like this!¡±


    His tirade suffocated Hua Miaomiao, and she did not retort.


    She had never heard such a diatribe since her childhood years. She knew that the headteacher would be incensed. No matter what she had said during her questioning, the principal had already decided on this matter. Although she could¡¯ve feigned ignorance and said that she was incognizant of the matter, but if she had said that, the girl who reported this problem would be revealed. She would become a target; therefore, Miaomiao reminded herself of this. She also wanted to report this, but her efforts wouldn¡¯t have been successful without the aid of the other party. Therefore, it was only correct that she bore the consequences by herself.


    Poor families needed the poverty subsidies, but it was also equally important that corrupt school officials didn¡¯t embezzle the money for themselves. However, the class next door hated her guts; therefore, it wouldn¡¯t matter if she filed one more report about the school¡¯s corruption to the higher-ups. These higher-ups were most likely also involved in the embezzlement of school funds anyways; after all, cronyism and nepotism were rampant in every society. And most schools were examples of such corruption since they claimed that the subsidy was for poor students, but they still fulfilled the applications of many students who weren¡¯t poor. Many students, who lived opulent lifestyles, applied, and although they shouldn¡¯t qualify, their applications were still fulfilled. Due to this, Miaomiao hoped that the review would be more strict. She spent a lot of time with her classmates, and she knew the difficulties of those who lived a destitute lifestyle.


    She also knew that the headteacher would lose his temper, but she didn¡¯t expect him to harangue her with such acridity.


    It was almost as if someone had sliced her heart open with a blade.


    Hua Miaomiao responded, ¡°Teacher. If you¡¯re done, I¡¯m going to return to class.¡±


    Still angry, she turned around, ¡°You know, launching into a tirade like that makes you look like the unreasonable one and not me.¡±


    When Miaomiao returned to the classroom, she took out her large biology book. She stood the book upright in front of her and hid behind it. Finally, she couldn¡¯t help but cry.


    ¡°Insouciant and unreasonable.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be beaten to death.¡±


    ¡°Only pretending.¡±


    ¡°No wonder why so many people hate you!¡°


    Those words kept replaying in her mind, and her heart ached.


    Did I do something wrong? I just¡­I just hoped that they would be more strict with the review of the poverty allowances.

 CH 86

    When the headteacher returned to the classroom, he sat on the podium and glanced at Hua Miaomiao. He saw that she was using a book to shield up her face. Initially, he was angry, but now he was absolutely livid, ¡°Does the class president have some issue with me? Instead of doing your math homework, why did you take out the biology book?¡±


    Miaomiao set the book back down, but she still didn¡¯t want anyone else to see her crying. She hated when others saw her crying since it gave others an easy opportunity to attack her, to mock her. She especially hated crying when she was at her lowest.


    The headteacher spoke, his voice full of ire, ¡°You¡¯re already crying after two sentences. When you join society later, will you cry and use your tears to garner people¡¯s sympathy?¡±


    Miaomiao despised herself for crying. She also hated this kind of verbal attack.


    The rest of the class was shocked. They had never witnessed such a scene before.


    Zhou Yuan frowned. He peered at the person sitting on the podium and coldly said, ¡°In Article 8 from the Teacher Law of the People¡¯s Republic of China, the fourth section points out the obligations that a teacher must fulfill. It stipulates that teachers should love and care for all students and respect their individuality.¡±


    The headteacher was taken aback.  His attitude towards Zhou Yuan differed entirely from his attitude towards Hua Miaomiao since Hua Miaomiao had affronted Zhou Yuan before, so he didn¡¯t worry at first. But he never expected Zhou Yuan to lecture him on the laws of his nation.


    Zhou Yuan spoke again, but this time, he slowed down his enunciation, ¡°Perhaps my comprehension is terrible, but do you have a completely different way to care for and love your students? I don¡¯t seem to remember our previous teachers possessing this type of attitude towards students who are in tears.¡±


    The headteacher¡¯s face was red from anger because Zhou Yuan had rebuked him in front of so many people.


    The other students had no idea what was going on; therefore, they could only send furtive messages on their mobile devices to Miaomiao.


    But Miaomiao didn¡¯t have the time to worry about them. She tugged the hems of his clothes from under their desk and gestured to him to let go of the matter.


    Zhou Yuan was livid, but he held Miaomiao¡¯s hand in his hand. His eyes were still fixed on the person on the podium, and he didn¡¯t look at Miaomiao.


    Zhou Yuan first discovered that Miaomiao was crying when she returned to the classroom; her eyes were tinged in red and were teary. He immediately became incensed, and he wasn¡¯t able to suppress his ire any more.


    Even though he had entered the world of adults and experienced the disarray and chaos that came along with it, he had never been so angry before.


    These people were bullying the little, who had blossomed into this brave, strong girl, and made her cry rivulets of tears. What did they do to her in order to make her cry?


    Everyone gazed at the headteacher with ambivalence and uncertainty. Since he was the authority figure in the room, it was impossible for him to admit that he had wronged Hua Miaomiao in front of so many students.


    The main reason why he had harangued Hua Miaomiao with such ire and acridity was because he felt that she was challenging his authority. He wanted to save what was left of his reputation by humiliating Hua Miaomiao.


    He angrily stormed out of the classroom.


    The classmates didn¡¯t know what to say, so they could only stare at Miaomiao.


    One classmate gave Miaomiao a note, ¡°Miaomiao, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    When Miaomiao was about to receive the note, she realized that Zhou Yuan was still clutching onto her hand.


    His palms were strong and wide; therefore, she couldn¡¯t pull her hand out.


    Miaomiao tugged at his hand.


    Then, Zhou Yuan let go of her hand and commented, ¡°When you were little, you always held onto my hand whenever you were upset.¡±


    Upon hearing those words, Miaomiao felt a surge of inexplicable warmth in her heart. When she was a child, she often loved close contact. She often asked her mother to hold her hands and to hug her¡­


    Miaomiao hummed in assent and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Zhou Yuan questioned her, ¡°What happened? Could you inform me what had happened?¡±


    Miaomiao was stunned, and the headteacher¡¯s words resounded in her mind once more. But upon seeing Zhou Yuan¡¯s intense stare, she swallowed down the words that were about to slip out of her mouth.


    If I tell him, how will Zhou Yuan see me?


    While Zhou Yuan thought that she was naive and clingy when she was a child, she didn¡¯t want him to think that she was annoying¡­


    She felt as if the world was gazing at her festering wound.


    She felt uncomfortable, so she couldn¡¯t do it.


    Miaomiao shook her head, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    How can it be nothing?


    From her appearance, Zhou Yuan knew that the issue wasn¡¯t just wrong, but it definitely was no trifling matter.


    Miaomiao sat upright, and she started to shift through her papers and solve the math problems, attempting to swerve her attention to something else.


    She wasn¡¯t a renminbi. It was impossible for everybody to like her. Someone would surely take umbrage with her actions, maybe even detest her for them. This happened all the time in the real world.


    The more Miaomiao mused over it, the more she panicked as if there was a dark cloud hanging over her head, and she felt as if her head kept wallowing in this despondency.


    Did I really do something wrong? I¡­


    Zhou Yuan interrupted her thoughts by handing over a note, ¡°Are you going to the Dong Hot Springs this weekend?¡±


    She felt a storm of comfort knowing that Zhou Yuan had taken the initiative to ask her about these things, and she cheerfully responded, ¡°Do you like soaking in the hot springs?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Zhou Yuan scribbled down another line on the piece of paper, ¡°When you were a kid, we traveled to the hot springs together. When you first caught sight of it, you tried to jump in without a care in the world.¡±


    Miaomiao knew that he was bringing up old childhood memories in an attempt to divert her attention. After all, Zhou Yuan had never drawled about old childhood happenings before.


    Miaomiao scribbled, ¡°I caused you a lot of trouble when I was a kid. I really appreciate that you supported and cared for me.¡±


    Zhou Yuan perused the words she wrote down, and then he replied, ¡°Do you know why I didn¡¯t contact you?¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± She instantly became a little dejected. What had just occurred made her feel vulnerable and weak.


    She didn¡¯t show this vulnerability, though. Instead, she replied with a question mark. However, within the recesses of her heart, she surmised that it was because of her naivete and clinginess during her childhood years. At least, that was what her inferences had led her to believe. The two people lived in two different worlds.


    Zhou Yuan began to write with the utmost solemnity on the paper. Miaomiao had no idea what he was writing about. At this moment, fear had seized her; she didn¡¯t want to know the answer.


    When the paper was handed over, Miaomiao saw the handwriting on it. It was neat and clear.


    ¡°I know that contacting you even once would revert me back to being a child. I didn¡¯t enjoy that childish behavior at the time but looking back at it now, perhaps I was wrong.¡±


    He hearkened back to the time he was in the car, and the car was heading in the direction of the university. He kept looking in the rearview mirror. It was the first time he felt hesitation like that.


    When Miaomiao perused his words, a feeling of wistful melancholy began to engulf her; she almost felt like crying, as though something had bounced right off her heart.

 CH 87

    At first, she believed her best friend despised her due to her childishness and clinginess, and the thought of being hated by their best friend would gnaw at anyone¡¯s peace of mind.


    It was a surprise to Miaomiao that Zhou Yuan was readily willing to share this with her.


    With teary eyes, she scribbled down two words, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I thank you for looking after me when I was a child. And again, I thank you for the words that you said to me after I had grown up.


    The headteacher did not return to the classroom until their self-study session had ended.


    In the evening, Miaomiao departed from the classroom after the conclusion of her self-study session; then, Zhou Yuan approached her and asked, ¡°Should we head over to the playground?¡±


    Miaomiao originally wanted to walk alone and relax, but after she had processed Zhou Yuan¡¯s words, she instantly agreed to his suggestion.


    The two walked side by side to the playground. Their self-study session had already ended, and it was late. The aureous rays of the sinking sun had already given way to the dark amethystine hues of the night, so the playground was devoid of students. Additionally, the streetlights shone no longer. Despite the darkness, they could still make out the road¡¯s path.


    ¡°Thank you for the words you have given me,¡± Miaomiao spoke up.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me,¡± Zhou Yuan replied.


    Miaomiao had internalized her mother¡¯s words, so she said back, ¡°I need to confer my thanks on you for so many things. My mother told me that you gifted me a phone watch as a child. You also helped me repair the screen of the tablet.¡±


    ¡°I bought it for you originally,¡± Zhou Yuan suddenly smiled. The way he curled his lips revealed how much he had doted on her.


    During her childhood years, she was someone who needed a lot of protection.


    She doesn¡¯t need any protection now, and she even had a tendency to protect others, but he discovered that his memories towards her were beginning to strengthen. His memories of her were stronger than when he disappeared off to college.


    His adorable smile attracted Miaomiao, for she had never seen anyone smile like¡­Su*.


    Jingjing often prattled on about whether or not this person or that person would make a good Su! Good Su!


    At that time, she couldn¡¯t see it in him at all, but at this moment, she unexpectedly understood the meaning.


    Miaomiao couldn¡¯t help it, so she said, ¡°You smile like Su. You should smile more in the future!¡±


    Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t know what the word ¡®Su¡¯ meant but based on her tone of voice and the context, he understood that it must be something good.


    Zhou Yuan replied, ¡°I¡¯ll smile for you again if you tell me what happened today.¡±


    Zhou Yuan said, pulling his cheeks upwards with his hands to imitate a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll smile with the utmost sincerity.¡±


    It was Miaomiao¡¯s first time seeing him do such a foolish thing.  Miaomiao saw him tugging on his face so much that he no longer seemed to be handsome, so she pulled his hands back down and said, ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll tell you.¡±


    Miaomiao feigned indifference as she replied, ¡°The headteacher launched into a tirade and told me that I was too insouciant and unreasonable.


    Zhou Yuan¡¯s face changed all of a sudden. Miaomiao didn¡¯t notice, so she continued, ¡°Honestly, I felt so uncomfortable. I know it¡¯s wrong, but I still feel very uncomfortable.¡±


    Miaomiao trusted Zhou Yuan a lot. She didn¡¯t want to reveal anything about the incident, and the atmosphere between them had calmed down now. She wanted to ask somebody if she was correct or not since her curiosity wouldn¡¯t fade away.


    Zhou Yuan was smart, precocious, and would examine things with the utmost care, so he was indubitably the best candidate for the task.


    ¡°This whole thing started due to the distribution of last year¡¯s poverty subsidy¡­¡± Miaomiao explained in detail the entire situation. She finally concluded her explanation by saying, ¡°I know I¡¯m right. But I felt so uncomfortable when I listened to his diatribe.¡±


    Zhou Yuan shook her hand, ¡°You¡¯re right. You don¡¯t have to take his words seriously.¡±


    Miaomiao hummed in agreement as she pulled Zhou Yuan down to sit next to her. It wasn¡¯t until she had sat down that she realized that they were holding hands. Miaomiao inexplicably blushed.


    Then the realization had struck her that, even though they were grown up now, Zhou Yuan had this same relationship with her when they were first-graders in elementary school.


    Miaomiao desired to have some confidant who sat next to her and listened to what she had to say. She didn¡¯t want her parents to fret, so she didn¡¯t tell them anything.


    ¡°I just feel sad; I feel as if I shouldn¡¯t apologize to anyone, for I had committed no wrong,¡± As she said this, Miaomiao glanced at Zhou Yuan and said, ¡°Except for you; I must apologize to you.¡±


    Zhou Yuan found it a little odd, ¡°What are you apologizing for?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m apologizing for quite a few things¡­¡± Such as wronging you and forgetting about you.


    ¡°Have you ever considered compensating me?¡± As she stared into Miaomiao¡¯s eyes with interest, Zhou Yuan smiled.


    Miaomiao was surprised that Zhou Yuan wanted compensation.


    ¡°State what you want as compensation. As long as I can do it, I will try my best to fulfill your demands.¡±


    Considering his character, he wouldn¡¯t demand things that are impossible to achieve from her.


    Zhou Yuan thought for a while and said, ¡°Firstly, if you encounter some obstacle that makes you unhappy, resolve it as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah. This isn¡¯t some unreasonable demand. Of course, I have to do something about it,¡± Miaomiao uttered, while also feeling moved, ¡°Are there any other precepts that you consider useful?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything else at the moment. Now that you mention it. Let¡¯s talk about your little problem first. You¡­has that friend of yours acted yet?¡±


    Miaomiao digested his words and asked, ¡°What?¡±


    As soon as she asked that, she remembered what her little problem was. Zhou Yuan was referring to Deng Feng¡¯s crush on Jingjing.


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t taken any action yet. He¡¯ll act when we journey to the hot springs together. By the way, I would really appreciate it if you could give me some more insight for increasing our chances of success.¡±


    ¡°You¡­your friend really likes that person?¡± Zhou Yuan¡¯s voice was a little low.


    ¡°I do not really understand it. They grew up together; therefore, the affection levels between the two of them should be through the roof, shouldn¡¯t it?¡± The three of them were always together; therefore, they were all aware of each other¡¯s desires and flaws.


    In any case, Miaomiao felt that she would never be able to desire someone like Deng Feng. During his childhood years, he cried so much that it left a deep impression on her.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± I also want to know the answer to this.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll accompany you back to the dorm.¡± After glancing at his watch, Zhou Yuan suggested that they returned unless they want the darkness of the night to fully enfold them.


    Miaomiao checked the time, and it was indeed time to leave.


    She stood up, but she didn¡¯t pay attention to her next step; therefore, she lost her balance, leaned forward, and was about to fall. But suddenly, she felt Zhou Yuan pulling her arm from behind her. Afterward, she fell into a warm embrace.


    ¡°Watch your step.¡±


    As he spoke, he released her from his embrace.


    *¡±Su¡± is a popular word on the Internet. It¡¯s a term used to describe a ¡°nice, kind, caring, handsome gentleman who is the protagonist of a romance novel or a love story¡±. The term is the male version of the term ¡°Mary Sue¡±.

 CH 88

    When Miaomiao arrived at school the next day, she heard that the headteacher was being transferred; therefore, he couldn¡¯t continue teaching them.


    ¡°Class president. Do you want to collect some money and then buy some gifts together?¡± A member of the literature and arts committee approached her and asked.


    Miaomiao: ¡°You organize it. When the time comes, you and the others will give the gifts to him.¡±


    She never thought that the headteacher would be transferred to another school. At most, she believed that he simply wouldn¡¯t be their headteacher anymore.


    Miaomiao was not ready to deliver the gift to him. After all, a very unpleasant occurrence happened between the two yesterday. If she approached him, the headteacher would certainly be displeased as well. Her classmate saying their farewells to him should suffice. In this case, she chose not to appear before him.


    The literary and arts committee member also remembered yesterday¡¯s fiasco, so he fully understood her reluctance to appear in front of their teacher.


    Everyone began collecting the money in order to purchase a parting gift. Miaomiao also contributed ten yuan.


    A substitute teacher came in to take over the first class of the teacher. She used to be the headteacher of Class 7, but now, she also had to oversee Miaomiao¡¯s class as well as the adjacent class.


    As class president, Miaomiao naturally had to pass on some things to the new teacher.


    The second class had concluded, so the arts committee leader took the class to bid farewell to the headteacher. Miaomiao saw Zhou Yuan firmly ensconced in his chair when she returned from the office.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t go?¡± he asked curiously as he produced a packet of yogurt from under the desk; then, he asked her, ¡°Do you want it?¡±


    Miaomiao felt a sense of nostalgia when he offered her the yogurt. She observed him as he read his book while sipping the yogurt.


    What happened yesterday has really left a strong impression on her heart. She felt great discomfort yesterday, and this discomfort lasted for a good while, which caused her to doubt herself. But she had eased up today.


    The rest of the day passed by smoothly. Eventually, the day of their trip to the hot springs was coming up. They went in the morning, but Miaomiao forgot to bring a swimsuit. The hot spring sold some swimsuits, but they weren¡¯t cheap. So, she decided to go to the city store to buy one since it didn¡¯t cost an arm and a leg there.


    Miaomiao told Jingjing about her plan. Jingjing also didn¡¯t bring her swimsuit either, which forced both of them to go out to buy swimsuits when noon came.


    ¡°So, how¡¯s Zhou Yuan?¡± Jingjing asked as they walked. Jingjing clung onto Miaomiao¡¯s hand.


    ¡°He¡¯s good,¡± Miaomiao replied. ¡°He¡¯s very smart. No matter how much knowledge he attains, he could immediately draw inferences from it once he learns it.¡±


    Jingjing narrowed her eyes, ¡°You¡¯re boasting a lot. Quickly tell me, do you like Zhou Yuan?¡±


    Miaomiao saw this opportunity and hurriedly chimed in, ¡°I like him? I¡¯m not sure about that. It¡¯s similar to how you feel about Deng Feng.¡±


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t mean to imply that her liking for Zhou Yuan resembled Jingjing¡¯s liking for Deng Feng. She intended to assist Deng Feng with his problem.


    Jingjing nodded, ¡°Well, if you say so. I think you¡¯re way too innocent.¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± Poor Deng Feng. He has to deal with this.


    At this point, they had already reached a lingerie shop, which had quite a few swimsuits on display.


    After browsing through the selection, Miaomiao found a swimsuit that she had seen before.


    Jingjing selected one as well, and they both tried out their respective outfits in the fitting room.


    Miaomiao hasn¡¯t donned a swimsuit in quite a long time, and her adolescent body has completely changed in half a year. Whenever Miaomiao looked at her chest, she always felt a tincture of uneasiness.


    Jingjing came out at this time as well. When she saw Miaomiao, she was shocked, ¡°Miaomiao, you¡­¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°Don¡¯t say anything.¡±


    Jingjing: ¡°I want to grow too¡­¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.


    Miaomiao had a thin waist and no excess fat on the other parts of her body. She looked good in everything she wore due to her thin frame.


    After a while of browsing and trying out the swimsuits, the two decided on their swimsuits.


    Within her mind, Miaomiao pictured the four of them soaking in the hot springs together. While she felt somewhat embarrassed, she comforted herself that it was just like swimming¡­


    Afternoon arrived, and they set out. They sat in the car, and Jingjing began talking about the interesting things that occurred in class.


    However, whenever she discussed the happenings in her class, she also incessantly kept bringing up Zhao Mu.


    ¡°It¡¯s very funny. It was originally a business for only a couple of us, but because of Zhao Mu, it suddenly became a business for him alone.¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°Zhao Mu is funny. By the way, Deng Feng won a championship. He¡¯s awesome!¡±


    Zhou Yuan, who had remained silent, turned his head and stared at Miaomiao. He watched her with his full attention while she was mentioning Deng Feng¡¯s achievements.


    His gaze almost seemed to firmly bore into her, and it didn¡¯t even budge an inch as he kept his eyes on her.


    Miaomiao¡¯s attention was focused on Jingjing and Deng Feng, so she naturally did not notice his piercing gaze.


    After she had uttered that, Miaomiao swerved her head and looked at Zhou Yuan who was next to her, ¡°Zhou Yuan. What do you think?¡±


    Miaomiao met Zhou Yuan¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°Zhou Yuan?¡± Miaomiao sensed that Zhou Yuan¡¯s gaze was unusual, so she called him.


    ¡°I guess so.¡± In reality, he wasn¡¯t paying attention to their colloquy.


    The four people arrived at the lodging place, and they set their luggage into the room. Then, they visited a restaurant to order roasted lamb. Afterwards, they carried their luggage to the open-air hot springs in the mountains.


    The open-air hot springs were much better, but they were more expensive to visit; therefore, not too many people were present in comparison to the larger hot springs at the foot of the mountain.


    Boys and girls had to change their clothing in separate rooms, so they disappeared into their respective changing rooms before finally coming out adorned with their new swimwear. When Miaomiao and Jingjing appeared with their swimsuits, they noticed that the two boys had already begun soaking in the hot spring.


    Miaomiao blushed. She felt a tinge of shame, for she found this very strange that she was going to bask in the hot springs as a grown-up with everyone.


    She also participated in a school swimming contest when she was in middle school. At that time, lattices of scars still covered her body, but she felt no shame at that time.


    Now I feel ashamed because my body¡­has grown?


    Jingjing was much more gleeful. She wore a pale yellow swimsuit and sprang into the water with a plop.


    Caparisoned with a pink floral swimsuit, Miaomiao also sprang into the water. She tried not to look at Zhou Yuan, for the embarrassment would consume her.


    As soon as she was in the water, Jingjing dragged her to the boys¡¯ side.


    ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s race,¡± Jingjing suggested.


    ¡°The pool is too small. It¡¯s not suitable for racing,¡± Miaomiao retorted.


    The open-air hot spring pools were all irregularly shaped and weren¡¯t very big; therefore, it wasn¡¯t suitable for race-swimming.


    ¡°It¡¯s so boring because we can¡¯t play any games,¡± Jingjing chirped.


    Miaomiao was actually okay when she dove into the water since she wasn¡¯t very tall. The water reached up to her shoulders, so she wasn¡¯t particularly embarrassed since the watery coverture concealed her body to a certain extent.


    When she turned her head, she noticed that Zhou Yuan was peering at her.


    The two were facing each other.

 CH 89

    She knew that as soon as she swerved her head, the other person¡¯s gaze would be focused completely on her and not somewhere else. However, rather than feeling a storm of excitement or exuberance, she felt somewhat abashed.


    She didn¡¯t know why she felt this way.


    Groves of lush trees and seas of luxuriant verdure surrounded the hot spring. A thick layer of fog filled the air. This scenery reminded Miaomiao of a fairyland.


    She hurriedly snapped out of her trance.


    She hoped that Zhou Yuan¡¯s presence would alleviate the awkwardness of the situation, but unexpectedly, his presence made the situation even more awkward.


    Jingjing couldn¡¯t sense the awkwardness in the air at all; therefore, she kept talking to Zhou Yuan, ¡°It¡¯s almost like destiny. You were deskmates in elementary school, and now you¡¯re deskmates again. How does it feel to be reunited with your elementary school friends?¡±


    Miaomiao grabbed Jingjing and chirruped, ¡°Jingjing. Look. Deng Feng hasn¡¯t spoken all day.¡±


    The sudden change in topic was deliberate, and even Jingjing, a thick-headed girl, noticed it.


    Zhou Yuan, of course, also noticed it. Zhou Yuan realized that Miaomiao¡¯s gaze kept drifting to Deng Feng, and she kept mentioning him.


    Deng Feng felt a little despondent at the time. Ever since he came out to the hot springs, he had been very unhappy, even though he was the focus of this particular discussion.


    He shrugged his shoulders and said, his voice laced with indifference, ¡°Oh.¡±


    He only gave curt responses, for he did not want to stutter in front of his sweetheart. At least, that idea was what occupied his mind.


    Jingjing froze for a moment and said, ¡°Deng Feng, were you staying silent and trying to act cool this entire time? Come here. Sister will give you a hug. No matter how cool you are, you¡¯ll always be your sister¡¯s favorite stuttering brother.¡±


    Miaomiao had already launched into a discussion about this matter, and Jingjing couldn¡¯t feign incognizance any longer. She didn¡¯t have any choice but to respond to this matter.


    But her sentence was very perfunctory. Deng Feng peered at her with a hurt, mirthless expression; then, he shook his head.


    He exited the hot springs. Afterward, he immediately directed his attention to Miaomiao and said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk.¡±


    Miaomiao hummed. She found it impossible to reject his offer for parley, for who did she grow up together with? She vowed to torment these two to death whenever she had a problem with relationships in the future.


    Miaomiao came out of the warm water of the hot springs, only to meet the cold bite of the mountain air. She shivered as the gelid mountain air blew all around her, soughing through the surrounding foliage. Then, she snapped out of her stupor as she heard Zhou Yuan¡¯s voice from behind, ¡°I brought a bath towel. It¡¯s clean.¡±


    Miaomiao turned her head back and saw his eyes deeply peering at her, as if they bored into her soul. His face was expressionless.


    Miaomiao shook her head, ¡°Thank you. But you will need to use it yourself when you¡¯re done.¡±


    She was in good health, and she only had to endure the gelid air for a moment, so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem for her. However, his body shouldn¡¯t be readily exposed to the elements, for he got sick very easily. She didn¡¯t want him to be exposed to the bite of the frigid wind. She wanted him to linger in the warmth of the hot spring.


    Miaomiao then walked away with Deng Feng with urgency, unaware of the lingering gaze following her every footstep.


    Zhou Yuan observed them departing side by side. Miaomiao didn¡¯t adorn her shoes, for they were only heading to another pool.


    Zhou Yuan could only watch as they journeyed away.


    Jingjing leaned over to him and purposely teased him, ¡°Zhou Yuan, there¡¯s a problem, oh. There¡¯s a problem, oh.¡±


    Zhou Yuan swerved his head and looked at her, but he remained silent.


    After that, Jingjing said, ¡°Zhou Yuan. I¡¯ll tell Miaomiao.¡±


    Zhou Yuan looked at her seriously and replied, ¡°Do you have any evidence?¡±


    ¡°Since when did we need any evidence to spread rumors?¡± Jingjing responded mirthfully.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Meanwhile, Miaomiao and Deng Feng were resting in another hot spring pool.


    She thought that it was her duty to offer solace to the aggrieved heart of a young boy every day, just like how everyone else had to assuage the consternation and concerns of pregnant high school girls.


    The more Miaomiao pondered over it, the more she wondered if Zhou Yuan would one day do the same, where some pressing circumstances would force him to seek her out for comfort¡­


    She imagined Zhou Yuan, who was an arrogant but steadfast individual all her life, suddenly groveling in front of her and seeking her out for solace, crying out in heartache, ¡°Am I unworthy of her affections? Why does she never look at me? I knew her first. She is my childhood friend, and I obeyed and fulfilled every whim of hers¡­¡±


    Deng Feng uttered those words in the past, and Miaomiao felt a twinge of heartache after digesting his words, ¡°Deng Feng, you need to calm down. You haven¡¯t done anything yet. In fact, Jingjing also didn¡¯t do anything. You shouldn¡¯t be upset just because she said some careless words. Why don¡¯t you try talking to her, inform her that you¡¯re not amused by her jokes. Tell her that you don¡¯t like her talking about other boys.¡±


    Miaomiao understood that the aching boy¡¯s heart was stricken with love, which caused him to act irrationally. But the primary concern was how she believed that Deng Feng actually had a shot with Jingjing.


    Deng Feng felt a flicker of sadness and replied, ¡°Forget¡­forget it.¡±


    We grew up together; therefore, we should be able to understand each others¡¯ personalities and idiosyncrasies. Jingjing has always been frivolous and careless with her actions. She cares little for the consequences. You, Deng Feng, are the complete opposite of her, for you always overthink things. You come up with a hundred steps before you even take action¡­


    Miaomiao heaved a sigh, ¡°Do you remember what precept the headteacher bestowed upon us during our graduation ceremony from elementary school?¡±


    Deng Feng shook his head. It occurred years ago; he has already forgotten about it.


    ¡°If you focus on yourself, then the world will follow you.¡±


    Deng Feng still shook his head.


    Miaomiao continued to expound on this saying, ¡°It means that you can¡¯t improve yourself if you remain focused on a single thing. Instead of wallowing in your sorrow like this, you should improve yourself so that you would shine in everyone¡¯s eyes. By then, you¡¯ll also shine in hers.¡±


    Miaomiao had no idea whether or not the pot of rice she cooked* was useful or not. However, she was really concerned about Deng Feng¡¯s intermittent outbreaks of youthful grief, which stemmed from his love-stricken heart¡­


    It appeared as if he was listening; therefore, Miaomiao continued to delineate her thoughts further, ¡°When you head back there, make sure to treat Jingjing like you normally would.¡±


    Originally, they wanted Deng Feng to drop subtle hints to Liao Jingjing, but this idea was completely worthless since Deng Feng lacked the attitude or confidence to do so¡­The more Miaomiao mused over it, the more she felt that Deng Feng should just focus on improving himself. That would be better for him in the long run.


    After the two of them had finished their conversation and strode back, Jingjing lolled on the edge of the hot spring and peered at them. She jokingly teased, ¡°I find that the relationship between you two to be extraordinary during this trip. We used to be a trio; however, you decided to exclude me from whatever it was you were doing¡­¡±


    Miaomiao¡¯s face twitched as she sat by the pool: ¡°¡­¡±


    She really carried a big pot**.


    She also noticed that Zhou Yuan was absent from the hot spring pool, but his large, white bath towel was still lying on the edges of the pool.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Zhou Yuan?¡± Miaomiao asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but he looks unhappy,¡± Jingjing lazily commented, leaning on the edge of the hot spring pool while the warm, comfortable water enveloped her.


    ¡°The hot springs are so relaxing, but sadness seems to engulf everyone one by one. In case my love life doesn¡¯t work out in the future, I¡¯m going to visit the hot springs every day to indulge in their warmth. I want to believe that the world still has a flicker of beauty left.¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    Jingjing then added, ¡°That¡¯s right. He told me that the bath towel was for you to use.¡±


    Miaomiao thought about returning to bask in the warmth of the hot spring pool, but she ultimately decided against it. Instead, she picked up the bath towel and went to look for Zhou Yuan, for she felt a little uneasy about him.


    She just provided some counseling for Deng Feng, and now she had to fret about something else.


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan was easy to find. As Miaomiao swathed the bath towel around herself, she turned a corner to find Zhou Yuan alone in the pool with his eyes closed.


    Since his eyes were closed, Miaomiao surmised that he should be relaxing in the hot springs¡¯ comfortable heat, so she didn¡¯t wish to disturb his relaxation. Instead, she luxuriated in the water on the other side of the hot spring and bathed in its comfort in silence.


    They basked on opposite sides of the pool, and Miaomiao closed her eyes, as well. The soothing heat that the hot springs exuded can allay every problem a person had, replacing their grievances with the gift of relaxation. It has been a very exhausting period for her, both physical and mentally, since a lot has happened during this short timeframe.


    She was already a little overwhelmed.


    Miaomiao exhaled deeply as if to expel the unpleasant feelings within her.


    On the other side, Zhou Yuan peered open his eyes and gazed at Hua Miaomiao, who wasn¡¯t too far away from him.


    While Miaomiao closed her eyes to revel in the hot spring¡¯s warmth, Zhou Yuan involuntarily stared at her.


    As usual, he was attracted to her. He had read a lot of books; therefore, he knew what the rapid throbbing in his chest signified.


    But, for a long time, he felt that this yearning was beyond his reach, as most of the people he had met didn¡¯t interest him.


    But now, he couldn¡¯t help but be attracted to everything about her. At first, he was just curious about how the once timid child would turn out. Later, he discovered that the more he directed his attention towards her, the more her charm had captivated him.


    She organized class events and whenever she took the mantle of class president to talk and laugh, she enchanted the entire class.


    She exuded a charming atmosphere no matter what. She exuded this charm when she assisted her classmates, and she exuded the same charm when her fingers glided over the keyboard to enter all sorts of information into the computer.


    At first, he theorized that this feeling was due to one of two factors. Either it was his human nature at work, which was a weakness that he couldn¡¯t tame, or it was due to a feeling of being unneeded, of being useless, due to how his best friend blossomed into an independent woman who no longer required his guidance or succor.


    He later realized that her independence from him was also equally charming in its own way.


    He couldn¡¯t tear his eyes off of her. When he slept at night, he thought of her before he closed his eyes to drift off into the world of dreams, and when he pried his eyes open in the morning, he still thought of her.


    After learning that she liked the boy she grew up with, he felt some inexplicable sadness within the recesses of his heart.


    He started wondering whether the situation would¡¯ve been different if he had never left in the first place.


    But such a conjecture was devoid of meaning now. At that time, he already chose the life he wanted to follow, so he disappeared to college to fulfill it.


    Eventually, he broke out of his musings. At this moment, he saw Miaomiao leaning on the opposite side of the hot springs. Unexpectedly, she seemed to shrink, and then he saw her abruptly sink into the hot spring.


    After witnessing this surprising yet troubling development, Zhou Yuan dove into the water and swam over to see what had happened to her.


    *This Chinese proverb is the same as the English proverb ¡®what¡¯s done is done¡¯ or ¡®Let bygones be bygones¡¯. In this situation; the rice is cooked. It cannot now be uncooked, therefore this proverb talks about how you must let things be as they cannot be changed after it has happened. Just your attitude and perception of the event can be changed.


    **The meaning of ¡°carrying a pot on one¡¯s back¡±, is bearing the fault for others. It is a metaphor for suffering on behalf of others, and generally refers to being wronged.

 CH 90

    Miaomiao was frightened. She was choking all of a sudden and began drowning in the water. She woke up immediately after this realization had struck her.


    Immediately afterward, she felt as if someone was holding her, embracing her, and she was lifted right out of the water before she knew it. Zhou Yuan asked, ¡°Is he really that important? Even if falling in love with him will hurt you?¡±


    Zhou Yuan had no idea that she was drowning. He was under the assumption that she simply dipped her head under the water to think about Deng Feng.


    Miaomiao was still coughing from the choking. Her eyes and face were tinctured with a reddish tint.


    Zhou Yuan angrily picked up a towel from the side of the pool and wrapped it around her.


    Miaomiao thanked him, ¡°Thank you for the assistance right now.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    Miaomiao had sensed Zhou Yuan¡¯s unhappiness, so she explained, ¡°I was under too much pressure during this time. When I entered the pool, the warm water relaxed me and calmed my mind, so I fell asleep. I usually do not fall asleep that easily.¡±


    Her sudden elucidation had stunned Zhou Yuan, ¡°You fell asleep? So that means that you were drowning?¡±


    ¡°Yes. What else do you think I was doing? I¡¯m not going to choke myself and hold my breath for fun, right?¡± Miaomiao smiled and said, ¡°But thank you anyways.¡±


    Miaomiao said, ¡°How about we soak in the water for a bit longer? This way, we could speak to each other so that I wouldn¡¯t fall asleep so quickly.¡±


    They had already paid for two hours of soaking time, but they had only basked in the hot spring¡¯s warmth for half an hour. The business wasn¡¯t willing to refund them; therefore, they didn¡¯t want to waste and squander their money.


    Miaomiao slipped out of her bath towel and entered the pool again.


    ¡°Zhou Yuan, here.¡± Miaomiao said.


    Zhou Yuan hummed and entered the pool. Both of them basked in a spot that wasn¡¯t too far away from each other, but they weren¡¯t too close either. Zhou Yuan wasn¡¯t an idiot. Miaomiao donned her swimsuit and edged closer to the pool, but Zhou Yuan noticed her slight nervosity.


    Therefore, he chose to distance himself a little from her.


    Miaomiao was soaking in the hot spring. Her voiced was interlaced with laziness and lack of care as she said, ¡°Zhou Yuan. What¡¯s the matter? Why are you so unhappy today? Can I help?¡±


    After giving her a piercing gaze, Zhou Yuan realized that she had no idea about the quandary she had caused.


    Zhou Yuan began uttering, ¡°I¡­¡±


    Miaomiao had a premonition of what he was going to say. She couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°You have someone you like, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Zhou Yuan peered at her, observing her reactions. He became curious and wanted to know what she would do after hearing his answer.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Zhou Yuan nodded.


    Is that love, or is it merely a predilection? Or is it a simple like for someone?


    He wanted to have the other person¡¯s full attention. He even childishly wanted the other person to look at him all the time; her gaze had to be fixed on him at all times.


    He yearned for the two of them to grow closer. It wasn¡¯t the same kind of closeness they had now.


    It¡¯s the other kind of liking.


    Miaomiao pressed her temple. Despite her skepticism, she still wanted to believe that he could handle his own emotional issues independently and nonchalantly since he was a calm and mature individual.


    Miamiao looked at the youngster in front of her and noticed his bad mood. She had a very ominous feeling in her heart.


    ¡°That¡­Does she like you?¡± As she asked, she secretly hoped in her heart that the other party would like him, too.


    When she wasn¡¯t busy at school, she mostly hung out with Jingjing and Deng Feng. As a result, she mostly dealt with their own relationship problems.


    If Zhou Yuan started getting his own relationship problems, then this would only serve to exacerbate her stress.


    Zhou Yuan mused for a while and replied, ¡°She already has someone she likes.¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± Are you following in Deng Feng¡¯s footsteps? It¡¯s the exact, same dilemma. They both have someone they liked, but their feelings aren¡¯t reciprocated.


    Miaomiao produced a pot of rice she had cooked earlier today, reheated it and presented it to Zhou Yuan*.


    ¡°We are still young and insecure at heart. You may just like her for some very superficial reasons, rather than for who she truly is. Almost like an idealization or a romanticization, we usually fall in love with the character that we imagine them to be. Some people do tend to gravitate towards comfortable delusions and lies and delusions rather than uncomfortable truths, after all. So, they would rather fall in love with a false image rather than facing the truth.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Miaomiao expounded further, ¡°I mean, sooner or later, she¡¯ll wake up one day and fall in love with you.¡±


    Zhou Yuan looked at Miaomiao and said, ¡°That makes me feel much happier.¡±


    ¡°By the way, is the person you like a fellow student from our student, or is it simply someone you know?¡± Miaomiao was an adolescent girl who wanted to indulge her curiosity.


    In order to sate her curiosity, she wanted to know what kind of girl could make Zhou Yuan fall madly in love.


    Because Zhou Yuan radiated an aura of intelligence that made it seem as if he was very strong and all-powerful. But she was unable to picture a girl who could make Zhou Yuan fall in love.


    Is it because puberty has arrived? Why does everyone seem to have some sort of relationship problem?


    Zhou Yuan remained silent for a while. When he found that Miaomiao was nonchalant and relaxed, he asked, ¡°You¡­¡±


    At first, he wanted to ask what she liked about Deng Feng, but since she probably would not tell him directly, he tactfully asked instead, ¡°What sort of guy do you like?¡±


    ¡°I like cute boys.¡± The atmosphere between them became very harmonious, so Miaomiao continued, ¡°I cannot resist cute boys. I find them irresistible.¡±


    Zhou Yuan looked at his own reflection in the hot spring¡¯s water, ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I never told anyone this, but there was a boy I liked in my junior high school class. He had good grades, spoke very arrogantly, looked cute, and had the temperament of a puppy.¡±


    Miaomiao¡¯s voice was laced with a hint of joy. Zhou Yuan twinged with discomfort and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Later on, he became my deskmate for half a semester. He was completely different from what I had imagined. Like I had delineated earlier, I fell in love with an idealization of him. I fell in love with a false image that I had conjured up in my mind.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± Honestly speaking, that didn¡¯t improve my sour mood.


    Miaomiao then continued, ¡°Now that I have told you my secret, what about you? What type of person do you like?¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°She¡¯s a very nice person.¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°Your answer is too perfunctory. Please consider answering like I did. My response was much more sincere. However, if you have someone you like, you can¡¯t always keep helping me in the future.¡±


    If Zhou Yuan did, in fact, like someone, then they shouldn¡¯t be too close, or there would be some misunderstandings, which could arouse jealousy in the other person.


    This stunned Zhou Yuan for a moment. He never expected this sort of response from Miaomiao. His first reaction was to ask if she was already aware of something, ¡°You¡­¡±


    Miaomiao said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Zhou Yuan, ¡°¡­Do¡­Do you think I¡¯m cute?¡±


    *This is referring to the advice she gave to Deng Feng in the previous chapter.

 CH 91

    Cute?


    When Miaomiao realized that Zhou Yuan had asked this question with the utmost solemnity and seriousness, she immediately gave a reply full of exuberance,¡± Yes. You are cute. Very cute!¡±


    Zhou Yuan¡¯s heart was in his throat. He saw her frank and unselfish look, ¡°¡­¡±


    Based on the context, it was evident that Miaomiao didn¡¯t love him.


    However, Zhou Yuan wasn¡¯t in a hurry. He knew that Miaomiao was correct. She was still young, and perhaps she was only temporarily blinded by love for a little while, but she will certainly be heads over heels for him later.


    Although he didn¡¯t figure out how much time he would need to make her see him in a different light.


    A feeling of languor enveloped everyone after they had basked in the hot springs. They all took a bath and slipped into their casual clothes. When they returned, they found that the whole roasted lamb was ready.


    The aroma of the whole roasted lamb was so appetizing that the four of them ate the entire thing. Then, after they had consummated their meal, they returned to their hotel rooms.


    Since they had basked in the hot springs for so many hours, Miaomiao felt the softness of her body; therefore, she slept throughout the afternoon. She slept tranquilly and soundly.


    When she woke up, she heard the sound of people playing cards outside.


    Miaomiao felt a twang of surprise. She got up and went outside to find the other three playing cards.


    Deng Feng and Jingjing¡¯s faces were covered with stickers, whereas Zhou Yuan¡¯s face remained pristine with nothing on it.


    After seeing her arrival, Jingjing greeted her, ¡°Miaomiao, come here! Help me get vengeance.¡±


    ¡°Zhou Yuan¡¯s so good, and we had lost every game. There was one round where his biggest card was a king, which resulted in his victory!¡±


    Miaomiao also found it incredible.


    She glanced at him, and her eyes met Zhou Yuan¡¯s.


    During the last two days, Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t say much, but she felt something had changed between them. She was unsure of what exactly was the matter with her, but she felt a vague sense of something being wrong.


    Jingjing pulled Miaomiao and made her sit in her chair. She now sat in front of Zhou Yuan.


    Jingjing yelled, ¡°Miaomiao, you must avenge me!¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°Miss. I think you have the wrong impression of me! We grew up together since we were young. How often have you seen me win at cards?¡±


    Jingjing laughed, but she said nothing in return.


    Nevertheless, Miaomiao still drew the cards. After drawing her cards, Deng Feng then drew his own cards, then Zhou Yuan, then Deng Feng again. Three people drew cards in a very rhythmic manner.


    Miaomiao looked at her cards.


    Zhou Yuan was the lord of this round.


    Miaomiao could not read Zhou Yuan¡¯s facial expression, and therefore she couldn¡¯t determine whether the cards he held were good or not, but she felt that this round would also result in his victory.


    Jingjing watched them from the sidelines.


    These three kept playing, and the card battle raged on. Eventually, Miaomiao ended up with a pair of tens in her hand, and the right to deal them wasn¡¯t hers yet.


    Jingjing hugged Miaomiao, ¡°Miaomiao, soon you¡¯ll also get a sticker on your face. Deng Feng, you¡¯re going to get another sticker on your face.¡±


    Then, they heard Zhou Yuan declare, ¡°I have a pair of sevens.¡±


    Miaomiao was taken aback, ¡°What a coincidence, I have a pair of tens!¡±


    Jingjing sighed in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s over. I¡¯m going to win as a dog from now on.¡±


    Miaomiao looked up and met Zhou Yuan¡¯s gaze, ¡°Come on! Put the sticker on!!!¡±


    Miaomiao swiftly took out the sticker, leaned in front of Zhou Yuan, and put it on his face. Also, she pressed the sticker to ensure that it wouldn¡¯t fall off.


    Jingjing watched this scene and said, ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s continue!¡±


    Miaomiao was extremely exuberant after her first victory. After all, she did win the match against the great Zhou Yuan. So she happily replied, ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s continue!¡±


    Despite losing several matches, which resulted in him getting some stickers on his face, Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t seem unhappy at all. He was actually very happy.


    Currently, the four of them could be considered to be good friends, maybe even confidants.


    Miaomiao was the only one, whose face was bereft of stickers.


    Miaomiao: ¡°Wow. I¡¯m very lucky today¡­I haven¡¯t suffered a defeat yet. I¡¯m going to burst with happiness.¡±


    Jingjing patted Miaomiao on the shoulder, ¡°I want to see you burst also. In fact, let me see it now.¡±


    ¡°Please call me the Goddess of Gambling,¡± Miaomiao said, imitating the tone of someone from a TV show.


    Jingjing: ¡°¡­¡± No,no,no. You sound like a femme fatale now.


    Suddenly, Jingjing said cleverly, ¡°Should we play something bolder?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s also a card game, but the person who loses must fulfill the requests of the winner.¡±


    ¡°There are four of us. It might not be fitting to play this game, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very simple, and there¡¯s no landlord. We each draw the same number of cards. Then, we¡¯ll see which one of us could finish them first. The rules are as follows. The first person finishes, then the second, and then the third person finishes. The last person, who still had cards left, must, without a shadow of a doubt, obey the first¡¯s request.¡±


    Miaomiao looked at Jingjing and Deng Feng and said, ¡°You two have to be careful if I win.¡±


    Jingjing replied, ¡°That¡¯s not true. They have to be careful about me.¡±


    Then, she pretended to throw a casual glance at Zhou Yuan, ¡°¡­¡±


    What she never saw coming was Deng Feng since he remained taciturn and finished his cards first, then Zhou Yuan, then Miaomiao. Jingjing was the last place.


    She originally brought up this suggestion to have fun, but she never expected to lose and find herself on the receiving end of whatever punishment Deng Feng wished for.


    ¡°Deng Feng, Deng Feng. Quickly tell us your request,¡± Miaomiao exhorted.


    Jingjing looked at Deng Feng pitifully, ¡°Since we¡¯re almost like siblings, I beg you for mercy. Be merciful with me. Please do not request something like going outside naked.¡±


    Deng Feng looked at Jingjing. Then he produced a pen and paper from the side and scribbled down, ¡°Call me brother.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to back down from this request?¡± Jingjing said.


    Miaomiao: ¡°Jingjing. You yourself said that we had to agree to anything and everything. This shouldn¡¯t be too difficult to fulfill, right?¡±


    Jingjing, who was wronged, said, ¡°¡­Brother.¡±


    As she watched this scene unfold, Miaomiao felt kind of funny. Then, she raised her head and saw Zhou Yuan looking at her again.


    At this point, Miaomiao began to wonder, ¡®Why is Zhou Yuan staring at me so much today?¡¯


    Miaomiao¡¯s first reaction was to check if there was anything on her face, but her face was devoid of any peculiarity.


    So¡­is Zhou Yuan looking at me because he feels that I¡¯m a very smart person since I beat him so many times at cards?


    Jingjing wanted ice cream, so she dragged Deng Feng away. Miaomiao and Zhou Yuan were all alone now, so they continued playing cards.


    Since there were only two people, they divided the dozen or so pieces of candy that were placed in the middle of the table as a wager.


    Miaomiao drew a card and then waited for Zhou Yuan to draw a card.


    ¡°Call or not?¡± Miaomiao asked.


    Miaomiao now had a temperament similar to those gods of gambling from the old TV series.


    Zhou Yuan looked at his cards and said, ¡°Call.¡± Then he placed two candies in the middle of the table.


    And like that, they had a great time¡­until Miaomiao lost all her candies in the last round.


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± She felt as if someone had destroyed her dignity and dragged it into the mud.


    Obviously, Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t feel the same and asked, ¡°Do you still want to play?¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡±

 CH 92

    When Miaomiao looked at her cards, she thought that perhaps she could win this round. However, she hasn¡¯t placed a bet yet.


    ¡°I have no bets,¡± Miaomiao declared.


    ¡°No bet?¡± Zhou Yuan scrutinized Miaomiao and asked, ¡°if you lose, you must agree to my conditions, and likewise if I lose, I¡¯ll do the same¡­is that alright with you?¡±


    Miaomiao thought it was just a game anyways, and with Zhou Yuan¡¯s personality, he wouldn¡¯t request anything that would make her life difficult, so she nodded.


    She had a straight flush in her hand; therefore, Zhou Yuan¡¯s chances of victory were slim.


    Miaomiao flipped their cards, and then she froze for an ephemeral moment since Zhou Yuan had just barely beaten her.


    Miaomiao: ¡°Well, I¡¯ll accept the bet. What is your request?¡± She surmised that he was just going to ask her something about love and relationships.


    Everyone probably believed that she resembled a psychiatrist; therefore, everyone asked her for advice regarding their relationships.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about it yet. I¡¯ll tell you later.¡± Zhou Yuan finished speaking, and Jingjing and Deng Feng had just returned from outside. There was still some discomfiture between the two, but Miaomiao felt that there was some progress.


    Jingjing was walking behind Deng Feng; she stepped forward and told them, ¡°While we were downstairs just now, we met a very beautiful girl who kept trying to converse with Deng Feng, but he completely ignored her. He was born to live alone forever.¡±


    Miaomiao glanced at Deng Feng and replied, ¡°He doesn¡¯t need to trouble himself over another person. Don¡¯t just trouble yourself over her just because she looks good.¡±


    Zhou Yuan digested what she had said from the sidelines. He raised his eyebrows in response. He already conjectured that the grown-up girl would understand who was most suitable for her. But her defense of Deng Feng had worsened his mood.


    I fall in love, and straight away I experience and feel this pain.


    They planned to sojourn one night here. The four of them went out for a nighttime promenade. The night view here was very nice here since it was a resort area.


    Jingjing and Miaomiao shared a room. They hadn¡¯t slept in the same bed for a long time.


    The two began chatting for a bit after taking a bath.


    ¡°Miaomiao. What do you think of Zhou Yuan?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s very good.¡± Why does Jingjing ask me this question all the time?


    Wait a minute.


    Miaomiao asked Jingjing, her voice interlaced with worry, ¡°You aren¡¯t falling in love with him, are you?¡±


    ¡°What? How could I?¡± Jingjing swiftly denied.


    ¡°I remember that you liked boys who are handsome. And who¡¯s the most handsome boy in our age group? That¡¯s right, Zhou Yuan.¡± Miaomiao said since her surmise wasn¡¯t unfounded.


    The matter needed clarification, so Jingjing quickly responded, ¡°No, I have no interest in this sort of person. I prefer someone I could control. In my mind, people like Zhou Yuan are ruled out. He¡¯s just too complex and cold.¡±


    Miaomiao couldn¡¯t comprehend her thought processes, so she responded, ¡°I think he¡¯s actually very simple. You don¡¯t talk to him that much; therefore, you have this illusion, this conjecture of him.¡±


    Jingjing: ¡°¡­¡± Me? You have this illusion of him.


    Jingjing remembered her childhood. She never played much with Zhou Yuan since Zhou Yuan never became friends with her. In other words, their worlds never truly overlapped.


    Jingjing recalled that Zhou Yuan kept staring at Miaomiao like some crazed animal, possessed by some obsession. The way he stared at her; she knew what this meant.


    Miaomiao was fraught with anxiety over her statements, but fortunately, Miaomiao believed that she had no interest in Zhou Yuan.


    ¡°You and Deng Feng should also speak with Zhou Yuan more as we are also old friends,¡± Miaomiao said.


    Jingjing saw her innocence, so she said, ¡°Miaomiao¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Miaomiao peered at Jingjing, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just sleepy. Let¡¯s hurry up and sleep.¡±


    She originally planned to tell her that Zhou Yuan liked her, but due to Miaomiao¡¯s veneration of Zhou Yuan, she wondered if saying that would aggravate or unsettle Miaomiao.


    Zhou Yuan returned from college. He really wasn¡¯t easy to get along with, and he vanished when he was young; there was no contact at all. Jingjing felt she should look at the big picture¡­or forget it.


    Miaomiao wasn¡¯t somnolent at all since she took a nap today, whereas Jingjing was languorous since she spent a lot of time basking in the hot springs. She also didn¡¯t take a nap at noon. While Jingjing was fast asleep, Miaomiao was still wide awake.


    She played with her phone for a while, but she felt no fun from doing so. She got up and went to get some candy from the living room.


    They sojourned in a suite with three bedrooms and a living room. Miaomiao and Jingjing slept in one room, whereas the two boys sojourned in another.


    Miaomiao came out of the house and saw Zhou Yuan up on the balcony, sitting there in the cold.


    She approached him, ¡°Zhou Yuan?¡±


    Zhou Yuan raised his head and peered back at her, ¡°Yeah?¡±


    Miaomiao sat down beside him, ¡°The scenery here is really beautiful during the night.¡±


    Zhou Yuan turned his head and nodded.


    The two of them remained silent, and they squinted up at the sea of stars swimming up in the night sky. The stars gleamed amidst the night sky like fiery, iridescent gemstones that looked down at them, smiling at their innocence and incognizance of human relations.


    A few moments later, Miaomiao heard his question, ¡°What makes a person cute?¡±


    Zhou Yuan was not ready to turn into a cute boy, but he was curious about how a person became cute.


    Miaomiao answered this question honestly, ¡°He should be lovely, and he should be kind, helpful, humorous, optimistic, and occasionally chatty¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± That¡¯s almost like a non-answer. There¡¯s no true example to illustrate this since it¡¯s so subjective. It¡¯s just too abstract.


    The two conversed on the balcony for a while before realizing that it was getting late, so they went back into their respective bedrooms to partake in their soporific slumber.


    The next morning, Miaomiao woke up to discover that her head felt heavy, and her nose felt congested.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± When she departed her bedroom, she bumped into Zhou Yuan, so she greeted him.


    ¡°Do you have a cold?¡± Zhou Yuan frowned.


    Miaomiao said, ¡°Perhaps I didn¡¯t cover myself up with the quilt last night.¡±

 CH 93

    ¡°A little,¡± Miaomiao nodded as she faced Zhou Yuan¡¯s questioning gaze.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the hospital.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a cold. It¡¯s nothing serious.¡± There was no need to go to the hospital.


    Miaomiao knew that she had a cold, although she hasn¡¯t been stricken with one for such a long time, so she was a little surprised.


    When people have a cold or a fever, they usually thought that it was better to tough it out.


    Zhou Yuan grabbed her arm, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital. We won¡¯t know how long you¡¯ll be sick. We have to cure it.¡±


    Jingjing and Deng Feng walked out of their rooms after detecting traces of a conversation between two people. When they found out that Miaomiao had a cold, they immediately recommended, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital.¡±


    Miaomiao went back into her bedroom to change clothes since she came out in pajamas just now. She felt dizzy and nauseous.


    As soon as she came out, Zhou Yuan assisted her in walking.


    ¡°Deng Feng, pack our stuff. I¡¯ll take Miaomiao first.¡±


    Earlier, he had already reserved a taxi using his mobile phone. When he noticed how uncomfortable Miaomiao was, he carried her directly downstairs on his back.


    Miaomiao knew that Zhou Yuan was carrying her on his back, but he still moved with a swift gait.


    She has always hated being carried since her childhood. She never allowed anyone else to carry her save for her mother.


    The insecurities of not having her feet on the ground frightened her.


    Miaomiao reflexively clung to his neck and whispered, ¡°Zhou Yuan¡­I¡¯m afraid¡­you slow down¡­¡±


    She thought that she was going to fall when he rushed down the stairs. She was very scared, so Zhou Yuan slowed down his pace, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Don¡¯t be afraid. Even if you fall, I¡¯ll be at the bottom to catch you.¡±


    When Miaomiao processed this, she replied, the weakness apparent in her voice, ¡°Zhouzhou, what should I do¡­Your words still don¡¯t comfort me.¡±


    ¡°Then you should say something to comfort me,¡± Zhou Yuan replied, ¡°For example, why do you like more talkative boys? I thought that most girls prefer taciturn, cold boys.¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­most girls prefer taciturn, cold boys¡­so like you?¡±


    Miaomiao¡¯s attention was distracted by their colloquy.


    ¡°But I¡¯m not taciturn; I¡¯m not cold. I¡¯ve always been down to earth.¡± Down to earth. I frolicked around during my youth with some kids; I was jealous of others because the person was attracted to someone else who had different character traits than myself, I want to make myself more appealing. Isn¡¯t this down to earth enough?


    When Miaomiao internalized his words, she couldn¡¯t help but ponder, ¡°Is my cold and fever that big of a concern? Why do I feel you¡¯re¡­acting a little strange?¡±


    ¡°Am I?¡± As they conversed, they finally reached downstairs.


    Zhou Yuan placed Miaomiao down on the ground and remembered to get some breakfast at a restaurant.


    Then, he took Miaomiao outside and got into the car.


    ¡°Would you like some breakfast?¡±


    Miaomiao shook her head. She felt dizzy and didn¡¯t want to eat anything. She wanted to sneeze.


    Zhou Yuan fastened Miaomiao¡¯s seat belt and noticed her discomfort, ¡°Do you want to lean on something?¡±


    Miaomiao leaned over and stated, ¡°It¡¯s not that serious. It¡¯s just a cold. Zhou Yuan, you¡¯re overreacting. I have been very healthy since I was a kid.¡±


    Miaomiao thought Zhou Yuan was overreacting since he was more susceptible to being ill ever since he was a kid. She remembered the last time he became sick, which forced him to become hospitalized.


    ¡°You have been healthy since your childhood, but if you¡¯re sick, you have to visit the hospital.¡± Zhou Yuan suddenly remembered that Miaomiao¡¯s father was a doctor, ¡°Do you want me to inform your father?¡±


    Miaomiao swiftly shook her head, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital for a checkup. If it¡¯s not serious, I¡¯ll just take some medicine. If it¡¯s serious, I need an IV drip.¡±


    If dad finds out about this, then he¡¯ll force me to stay home for a long time.


    In middle school, students were allowed to live in the dormitory. At that time, both Jingjing and Deng Feng dwelled in their school dorms, but Miaomiao spent her middle school years living at home since her parents were not at ease.


    As the high school class president, she had more responsibilities compared to a middle school class president. Her classmates, too, were caught up in a manifold of situations, so she lived at home half the time and stayed at school for the other half.


    She always felt that her father was being unreasonable since he believed that she wasn¡¯t able to take care of herself. But in reality, she was able to care for herself. When the weather was cold, she slipped on more clothing, and when it was hot, she put on sunscreen. When it rained, there were umbrellas in the classroom and dormitory. She only accidentally got a cold this time.


    Zhou Yuan also nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. You shouldn¡¯t have conversed with me on the balcony yesterday. You probably got a cold from then.¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± Something¡¯s weird.


    She then realized, ¡®Why is Zhou Yuan speaking so much today?¡¯


    ¡°No.¡± Miaomiao sat upright and continued, ¡°In fact, it¡¯s not that serious. I am physically fit. Some cold air isn¡¯t enough to cause me to become sick. When I was in elementary school, Jingjing and I went hiking. We ended up having so much fun that we didn¡¯t realize that it was getting dark, so we slept in a pavilion on a mountain at night. I didn¡¯t catch a cold; therefore, how could I get sick from the outside air?¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°So, when you were in elementary school, you climbed the mountain and slept there? Were there any adults with you?¡±


    ¡°No adults.¡± Miaomiao said with a smile, ¡°Although the three of us were beaten.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°If Jingjing gets any more weird ideas, you should tell me first.¡±


    As Zhou Yuan said this, he suddenly froze. Since she has grown up, she should be able to tell which of Jingjing¡¯s ideas were good or bad.


    There¡¯s no need to inform him since he missed out on that period.


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t think about it very much, so she said, ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll tell you about them from now on.¡±


    I thought I would be able to take him along to play with the others, but reality doesn¡¯t work that way. It feels like nobody is having fun.


    Miaomiao mused over this; then, she leaned against Zhou Yuan and fell asleep. It was easy for someone, who had never had an illness in a long time, to fall asleep like a log. Her entire essence was fraught with weakness and febrility.


    The hot spring was on a side of a resort that was on the vertex of the mountain; they needed to head down the mountain in order to reach the hospital.


    Zhou Yuan touched Miaomiao¡¯s forehead; it was very hot.


    Although he was well-aware that it was just a common cold and fever, he was still very concerned.


    It was as if something had gripped his heart. He entered the world of adults before this. The world adult had a topic that he was clueless in, and that topic is love.


    Although the number of equations, that he could easily solve, was manifold, he never understood what this mysterious thing was.


    At that time, he never realized that he would soon understand it one day.


    Zhou Yuan originally wanted to measure the temperature of her forehead, but when he touched it, he couldn¡¯t bear removing his hand.


    He felt a swelling within the recesses of his heart. He could no longer ignore this feeling.


    Zhou Yuan tore his gaze away from her, and he redirected it towards the landscape outside as the environs became filled with the loud din of sirens and the flashing of ambulance lights.

 CH 94

    There wasn¡¯t a throng of people in the hospital; therefore, a doctor saw Miaomiao right away.


    It was just a common cold like she had suspected. She would be fine once she took some medicine.


    When Miaomiao came out, Zhou Yuan continued to support her as she walked.


    Miaomiao was especially embarrassed about this, and she said, ¡°No do you believe me? It¡¯s just a cold. Nothing serious.¡±


    As he walked alongside her, Zhou Yuan said, ¡°It¡¯s good that it¡¯s nothing. Are we going back to school?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s head back to school. I haven¡¯t done my homework yet. The new headteacher is also going to explain some tasks to me.¡±


    They hopped into a taxi and headed back to school. Of course, they had already informed Jingjing and Deng Feng about their return in advance.


    Because of this incident, Jingjing created a WeChat group called ¡°squad of four people in hot springs¡± to make it easier for the four to chat with each other.


    After returning from the hot springs, Miaomiao discovered that this trip wasn¡¯t a failure. It was as if something had fired Deng Feng up, as he didn¡¯t discuss the issues within his heart all the time.


    Zhou Yuan became lively and cheerful as well.


    Although lively and cheerful weren¡¯t suitable words to describe Zhou Yuan, he did undergo a great change that was noticeable to the naked eye.


    The biggest change was that Miaomiao noticed Zhou Yuan sported a light gray tracksuit the next morning. He used to wear only somber, dull-colored clothing, which gave him an austere, strict appearance. And he also started to do gymnastics.


    Miaomiao was the class president, so she counted the students with a member of the sports committee during recess. Zhou Yuan¡¯s sports attire and interest in gymnastics surprised Miaomiao.


    When Miaomiao approached Zhou Yuan, he said, ¡°I only studied gymnastics in elementary school, not in high school.¡±


    Miaomiao pondered for a while, ¡°It¡¯s okay. You can do it with your classmates first. You can do whatever the others do first. After our evening self-study session, you can come out, so I could teach you.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I lost count of how many students there are¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m number 32.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Then, you¡¯re 33¡­¡± Miaomiao continued to count.


    Every class had a student who performed their gymnastics exercises in front of the class to lead them. For this class, Hua Miaomiao was the one who led them.


    Because she had her back to everyone, she had no clue whether Zhou Yuan was doing his gymnastics exercises or not.


    They returned to the classroom after gymnastics. As everyone walked together, Miaomiao followed a several girls who came out of the dormitory and were returning to class.


    After catching a cold, Miaomiao took her medicine on time; therefore, her symptoms have been mitigated.


    However, Miaomiao couldn¡¯t help but scan the crowd for someone when she walked back. Soon, she eventually spotted this familiar figure.


    But he was all alone. Miaomiao felt¡­he should get along with the other boys of his age as well.


    Deng Feng¡­Forget it; they shouldn¡¯t be inflaming each other¡¯s discontent and dissatisfaction for now. If they did, it¡¯s just going to result in the fermentation and the aggravation of each other¡¯s aggrievement.


    As a sophomore, classes weren¡¯t overly strict. As soon as class ended, everyone talked about what they have been up to and laughed.


    ¡°I almost arrived late this morning. The elevator in my building wasn¡¯t working properly, so I had to walk down all the way from the thirteenth floor.¡± Zhou Yuan said to Miaomiao.


    Miaomiao was stunned for a moment, ¡°¡­¡± Is he trying to start a casual conversation?


    In any case, the other party was beginning to converse, which indicated that he was slowly acclimatizing himself into campus life.


    Uncle Zhou had hoped that he would change his lifestyle in the first place.


    They talked about a variety of things. From the elevator to the problem of living alone, and from the problem of living alone to the problem of food. They talked about it all.


    ¡°It¡¯s better to cook your own food,¡± Miaomiao said, ¡°in fact, it doesn¡¯t take up much time.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to cook.¡±


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t seem surprised. She knew that people like Zhou Yuan were busy studying and working.


    ¡°I like to cook my own food. Eating outside is bad for your health.¡± Miaomiao remembered that he was once in the hospital because of stomach problems.


    ¡°I¡¯ll write some easy-to-make recipes for you first. If you find them delicious, you can cook them for yourself.¡±


    Zhou Yuan realized that they had too few interactions with each other, so they knew very little about each other.


    He wanted to understand Miaomiao as well as know himself now.


    Miaomiao started scrawling on a piece of paper, and she swiftly jotted down some recipes.


    ¡°Breakfast: eggs, milk, boiled tender corn. (Eggs and tender corn should only be cooked in plain water)¡±


    ¡°Lunch: stir-fried vegetables, fried meat (buy the vegetables you want to eat; wash them, and put them in a pot, pour the oil and then add ginger and garlic; then,  add the vegetables and stir it. (This method also works with meat.)¡±


    ¡°Dinner: tender corn¡­¡±


    Miaomiao wrote them in great detail. She handed the sheet of paper to Zhou Yuan, ¡°Do you use a natural gas stove or an induction cooker?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Zhou Yuan answered. ¡°But I should be able to figure it out if I simply go back and take a look at it.¡±


    If everyone could understand something as simple as a stove, then he should be able to figure it out too.


    ¡°If you have any questions, you can call me,¡± Miaomiao said.


    Miaomiao felt very happy when she assisted Zhou Yuan because his effervescence and liveliness made her feel vivacious and gleeful.


    Zhou Yuan hummed.


    The next morning, Miaomiao saw something atop her desk when she stepped into the classroom.


    It was a lunch box.


    She opened it to discover steamed tender corn within.


    ¡°When I woke up this morning, I cooked two corn cobs according to your instructions, so I brought you one.¡±


    Miaomiao mentioned tender corn twice in her scribblings yesterday, so he thought that she would enjoy eating this.


    Miaomiao was very surprised, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Miaomiao picked it up and began eating it. Even though it was a little hot, she still indulged in its flavor.


    This kind of corn cob was naturally too tender to peel off the corn kernels one by one, so she just bit into it directly.


    The corn still contained some water within despite having been cooked, which gave it a very special flavor.


    As he watched her gnawing on the cob of corn like a little squirrel, Zhou Yuan felt a sense of satisfaction within his heart.

 CH 95

    Miaomiao ate her meal with gusto and zest, not realizing that she was slowly considering Zhou Yuan to be something that belonged to her.


    Because of Miaomiao¡¯s good looks, she rarely accepted anything from boys, especially compliments.


    As a child, she was greatly influenced by Deng Feng and Jingjing. Of course, Zhou Yuan was also a great influence on her.


    She would gladly accept aid from others. She would also accept their gifts as well. But she never took anything for granted, which was a lesson that her mother had taught her.


    At first, she believed that accepting delicious food from others meant accepting them as good friends.


    As she became older, she started to understand the differences between the genders, and when the boys pursued her several times, Miaomiao became irked by this, so she no longer accepted things from others quite as freely anymore.


    But she never realized her own reluctance to accept gifts when she nibbled on the corn cob and yogurt Zhou Yuan had given her. It was almost like a normal occurrence for her.


    Maybe because these feelings were based on childhood memories, which allowed them to easily regard each other as confidants.


    Miaomiao still had a little corn kernel stuck on the side of her mouth after she had finished eating the corn.


    Zhou Yuan stretched out his hand to help her wipe it off.


    Miaomiao¡¯s heart inexplicably pounded. And then, she was stunned, and Zhou Yuan was also stunned.


    She quickly said to him, ¡°By the way, did you finish your homework?¡±


    Zhou Yuan nodded, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Miaomiao said as a bright rufescent tinge swept across her cheeks.


    During the evening self-study session, Miaomiao was working on some math problems. Suddenly, a violent gale blew outside. The other students in the class seemed to enjoy this strong wind, for they have always enjoyed this type of scenery where an expanse of dark clouds loomed above the city.


    The gale blew through the trees outside, causing their boughs to sway and tremble. Everyone harked to the wind¡¯s eerie susurrus, and then, they suddenly heard a loud crash emanating from outside, ¡°Boom!¡±


    Miaomiao¡¯s class was on the fourth floor, so when they heard this crash, everyone thought that the violent gale had uprooted and downed a tree because a violent snowstorm did the same thing to another tree last winter.


    However, they didn¡¯t expect what came next. The new headteacher ran into their classroom and decreed, ¡°Don¡¯t leave the classroom tonight. Stay in the classroom, and another teacher will come in soon.¡±


    Miaomiao could tell that the headteacher was dancing around some difficult topic, judging from her cautious tone of voice. She decided to walk outside to check on the situation. Suddenly, the entire classroom lost power and went dark.


    Panic erupted in the classroom, and everyone screamed in horror. The more-informed classmates had received some text messages on their mobile phones.


    ¡°A third-year student had just jumped off the building¡­¡±


    Nervosity enfolded the entire class. The power outage certainly didn¡¯t assuage their disquietude.


    Miaomiao heard the headteacher state, ¡°A third-year student jumped from the building. Don¡¯t allow anybody to go outside. Please calm the students down; I don¡¯t want any rumors to spread.¡±


    Miaomiao desired to ask the headteacher a few more questions, but she swiftly left.


    When Miaomiao returned to the room, everyone was talking about what had just happened. There was a power outage; therefore, everyone used their mobile phones¡¯ flashlights to illumine the room.


    The atmosphere was very tense; everyone seemed to wear a mask of interwoven shadows and flickering lights, which irradiated from their phones. Students of their age may have already experienced the passing of an elderly relative, but few have experienced a peer committing suicide.


    Everyone considered this to be taboo.


    Miaomiao approached the podium and slammed the blackboard to get everyone¡¯s attention, ¡°Be quiet. The electricity will return. Please be patient. The wind probably downed the power cables and maybe the pylons too.¡±


    Everyone calmed down after a while. Since some people were acquainted with the seniors, someone soon heard the news.


    A girl had committed suicide. She moved a stool from the classroom and threatened to commit suicide. Someone mocked her by saying, ¡°Those, who will die, will never announce it, but those, who do say it, just want attention.¡±


    The girl was lost for a moment; then, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll turn into a ghost. You won¡¯t be spared from my wrath.¡± And then, she ran away.


    Nobody expected this turn of events where the girl took the stool and went upstairs to jump off the building immediately. When the girl had jumped down, there were people at ground level who had witnessed her act. They watched as her head hit the ground.


    The entire class was plunged into silence.


    Miaomiao noticed the fright one everyone¡¯s faces since these witnesses were very close to the scene.


    Miaomiao interrupted their thoughts, ¡°Stop talking about this. The electricity still has not returned yet. We should recite our lessons while we await its return. Let¡¯s start by memorizing our lessons.¡±


    The entire class began to study their lessons, but their hearts were still troubled. At their age, who hasn¡¯t heard a school horror story or two? There were many stories about apparitions and urban legends at their school, after all. There was at least one scary story that circulated in their school.


    Miaomiao returned to her seat, and she noticed that Jingjing had sent her a message, ¡°Miaomiao. A third-year girl jumped off the building. The people in our class said that our school was built on a gravesite, and that the feng shui* was bad. So every year, there are a multitude of suicides in our school¡­¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± She was also a little afraid.


    However, Miaomiao¡¯s response was terse and forthright, ¡°Don¡¯t think about it. Focus on your studies.¡±


    Outside, the rain had strengthened and pattered against the window with increasing intensity.


    After a while, the school bell sounded, and the girls in the class were too frightened to leave their classrooms. But the boys ran outside to check on the situation, using the excuse that they were just going to use the washroom.


    The school building was built in a courtyard style. There was a large open space where a large group of people gathered around in a circle, but the students didn¡¯t venture to glance at them.


    Miaomiao sat in her seat; complicated feelings began filling her heart. There was pity and incomprehension, but there was also the fear of death.


    She didn¡¯t know the reason why that girl had given up her life, but she was sad.


    Zhou Yuan handed her a piece of chocolate, ¡°Do you want something to eat?¡±


    Miaomiao took it, broke it in half, and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Zhou Yuan also consumed his half. He had never eaten this brand of chocolate before, but when he heard that the girls liked it, he just had to buy it. He also bought it for Miaomiao.


    The headteacher returned and comforted everyone. She revealed that the girl has been taken to the hospital, so they didn¡¯t need to worry.


    The headteacher requested that everyone return to their dorms due to the squall and downpour of rain. Additionally, there was this incident to consider.


    The residential students returned to their dorms in pairs, whereas the day-students returned home in pairs.


    When everyone went downstairs, they smelled a very strong smell of burned paper money. Apparently, some of the school workers were fearful of bad luck, so they burned paper money and incense candles there.


    Now everyone was scared, including Miaomiao. She felt a chill run down her spine when she saw them burning the paper money and red candles.


    Miaomiao could not help but clutch the hand of the person next to her. It was a girl from her dorm who stood next to her.


    After clutching the other person¡¯s hand, she realized the palm¡¯s large size. She turned her head and realized that she wasn¡¯t grasping the girl¡¯s hand but Zhou Yuan¡¯s.


    Zhou Yuan appeared to be fine. He held her hand before releasing it and traversing away.


    The headteacher and the other teachers came over to send the students back to their dorm rooms.


    ¡°Is it okay for you to go back alone today?¡± Miaomiao was a little worried about Zhou Yuan.


    Zhou Yuan said, ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    There were very few day students in their class. Only two day students were among the students, and they had already phoned home to tell their relatives about the incident. Since they weren¡¯t going back today, they all squeezed into the dormitory to sojourn together.


    This incident, coupled with the wind and rain, brought fear to everyone. They hugged each other to bestow courage to each other.


    A for the male day students, all but Zhou Yuan planned to remain at school and sojourn with the other students.


    Miaomiao was uneasy throughout this time. The downpour of rain was beginning to intensify.


    Based on her understanding, this incident shouldn¡¯t have affected Zhou Yuan that much. But she wasn¡¯t sure if her concern for him was due to this sudden happening at school.


    Zhou Yuan successfully returned home and sent her a message, informing her about his safe arrival home.


    Miaomiao breathed a sigh of relief.


    The darkness of the night enswathed the school, and everyone couldn¡¯t help but talk about the girl who had jumped off the roof. They exchanged various pieces of hearsay and rumors with each other.


    ¡°I heard that she stole something from someone, and everyone hated her because of that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it? There has to be more to the story than meets the eye.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about the other rumors, but I heard that her family is poor and destitute.¡±


    Miaomiao felt her phone vibrating and turned it on to check her messages. It was a message from Zhou Yuan,¡± What do you want to eat tomorrow morning? Do you still want corn?¡±


    She had no idea why, but Zhou Yuan had this innate ability to make people feel calm.


    Miaomiao chatted with him for a bit.

 CH 96

    Although the school had informed everyone that the girl was being treated at the hospital, everyone already knew that it was too late; they knew that she had passed away at that point.


    In the wee hours of the morning, before the crack of dawn, Miaomiao was woken up by the ringing of her mobile phone. She took a gander at the caller ID and realized that it was her new headteacher.


    She got out of bed cautiously and headed to the balcony to answer her phone.


    The cold wind whistled all around her. She briefly hearkened to its mournful susurrus before finally answering the phone. The headteacher asked her, ¡°Miaomiao, are you the administrator for the school¡¯s forum?¡±


    Miaomiao was indeed the administrator for the school¡¯s forum. She knew many seniors from their school. When they had graduated, they made her take up this post.


    ¡°Go to the forum and delete a few posts.¡±


    Miaomiao agreed and hung up the phone. Then, she logged into the school forum. In general, there was no news on the forum, but occasionally, there were some posts from middle school students who wanted to apply to their school. There were also some posts from graduates who were leaving messages for their old classmates and friends.


    But today, there were a multitudinous amount of new posts on the homepage today. The top post stated:


    ¡°Senior Tao Ming. It¡¯s your fault. You were the reason why Ji Hao had committed suicide. Don¡¯t walk outside at night!¡±


    Miaomiao remained standing on the balcony, listening to the sorrowful sighing of the frigid wind. It was raining outside, and droplets of rain pattered against her pristine skin. She glimpsed a virescent light in the distance, but it was only the green light of a distant building¡¯s safety exit. She then tore her gaze away from the viridescent light and focused her attention back to her phone.


    Miaomiao clicked on the post and learned that Tao Ming was the class president of his class. His family was rich and powerful. No one knew why he hated the girl named Ji Hao. He often bullied her, insulted her, and accused her of being a prostitute. But he also frequently tried to make advances on her.


    Ji Hao told the teacher about this, but the teacher said that she was immodest and full of impropriety, and therefore, she couldn¡¯t help her with her problems. Somehow, all of the girls from her class found out about this. This led some people to write some indecent things about her on the walls of the men¡¯s washroom; they even posted some photos of her on various dating apps¡­


    Ji Hao¡¯s family wasn¡¯t financially stable, so it was very difficult for her to be accepted into this school. Due to this boy, Ji Hao¡¯s grades dropped year after year, and she wanted to quit school to work, but her mother wouldn¡¯t allow it; she simply made her return to school¡­


    It rained heavily that day, and Ji Hao didn¡¯t have an umbrella. The rain soused her clothes, and even though she was wearing dark clothes, one could still note the curves of her body. Tao Ming insulted her, and all of the boys peered at her with strange, inimical gazes. The girls also whispered to each other¡­


    But what came afterward was the final straw. Their class wanted to announce to everyone that Ji Hao had an off-campus boyfriend who had slept with her, causing her to become pregnant, and then he abandoned her. Ji Hao couldn¡¯t take it anymore, and she jumped off the building.


    Miaomiao perused this piece of information, and she felt a fit of discomfort. Especially when the other party had Ji Hao¡¯s mobile phone with the boy¡¯s message in it. The language used was disgusting. The methods used to abuse her were abhorrent and despicable¡­


    Miaomiao froze for a moment and scrolled down. She noticed a lot of scolding due to the fact that news of this incident had also spread to Weibo.


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t delete the post. Instead, she went onto Weibo and saw the hashtag #Senior girl forced to commit suicide# on the hot search.


    It turned out that a clutch of girls had recorded videos of Ji Hao when she threatened to commit suicide that day. Everyone made fun of her threats.


    Miaomiao felt uncomfortable, and tears began streaming down her cheeks.


    At this time, she had received another message on her phone.


    It was from Jingjing, ¡°Are you asleep, Miaomiao?¡± Although Miaomiao and Jingjing were also girls just like Ji Hao, their parents had shielded them from the cruelties and malevolence of society, which seemed to lurk beneath the glamor of every street and institution. No one dared to bully them.


    That girl¡­was she alone all this time?


    Miaomiao paid close attention to Weibo and the school¡¯s forum in the middle of the night. Some netizens began writing angry messages directed at the boy, Tao Ming, and deluged him with messages of harsh reproach and ire.


    Miaomiao then fell asleep before waking up with swollen eyes and dark circles under her eyes.  When they arrived in the classroom, everyone wore strange, indescribable expressions, especially the third-year students.


    Miaomiao then received some disturbing tidings. A third-year student from Classroom 4 had entered the classroom only to discover three bloody words written on a wall situated at the back of the room: ¡°I am back.¡±


    He instantly fainted.


    The other students went there to check it out, but they saw no such words on the wall. But they said that they didn¡¯t want to go into that classroom anymore.


    The first-year students occupied one building, whereas the second-year students occupied another building. Students, who were in their third-year of high school, were split and occupied the same buildings as the first-year and second-year students of high school due to the fact that the building, which was originally intended for the third-year students, had been rented out.


    Students from that class refused to return to their classroom, and the school couldn¡¯t convince them otherwise, so they allowed them to change classrooms.


    Miaomiao¡¯s class was on the fourth floor, and the classroom across from them was devoid of people. So the entire class from that empty room poured into her classroom, causing the room to become inundated with students.


    Miaomiao heard about this as soon as she arrived at school. They didn¡¯t want to come to school, especially when they found out that the girl was a victim of harassment. And now, they found out about the blood-scrawled words on the wall. But more importantly, in the class¡­


    Zhou Yuan assumed that Miaomiao¡¯s dark circles under her eyes were caused by her fear of ghosts, so he assured her, ¡°We caused her no ill will. Nothing will happen to us.¡±


    She still wore a very solemn expression on her face as she replied, ¡°If things like ghosts, gods, and the supernatural do actually exist in this world, that is.¡±


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t delete the posts, so the school found other administrators to delete the posts.


    Since the school had deleted the posts, this caused everybody to erupt in public outrage since their deletion of the posts implied that the school was suppressing this matter, which revealed the school¡¯s attitude towards this incident. It implied that the school cared more for their reputation than for the death of the poor girl.


    Throughout their morning classes, everyone was distracted by this incident. When they exited their classes at noon, they noticed the shameful looks on the faces of the seniors.


    Miaomiao¡¯s classmates naturally were cognizant of every detail about this girl. Many of the students from her class had families that were not rich, but they were still admitted into the school through their laborious efforts. After finding out that this girl¡¯s family was also indigent, they felt a sense of oppressing forlornity, which led them to reproach that boy.


    Because of this incident and the backlash that it entailed, the boy didn¡¯t even come to school today.


    The headteacher then came in and asked Miaomiao to inform everybody to head to the playground.


    At noon, they had to listen to a speech.

 CH 97

    The students, who had cell phones, were still playing with their phones as they headed downstairs. After all, there was a manifold of information and rumors online, and many people wrote angry execrations and insults directed at the school. The school did delete the post after all, which incurred the ire of angry netizens. The school also didn¡¯t clarify the matter.


    Miaomiao also perused the top post. Some netizens were already threatening to come down there and beat up that boy.


    Real life was a place where people were hesitant to speak up about this incident, but when people were online, they were less hesitant to tolerate such disgusting incidents since the internet shielded them from harm.


    Miaomiao counted the students from her class after their arrival to the school playground. A teacher already stood next to the podium.


    The ceremony today would¡¯ve been the oath-taking ceremony for the third-year students. Normally, students from their first and second years were not required to attend.


    This incident caused them to reevaluate their plans. They changed this oath-taking ceremony into a lecture.


    Miaomiao sat on the lawn in the middle of the playground along with her other classmates. She heard the teachers utter some statements from the podium, ¡°A person has only one life¡±, ¡°Become worthy of your parents¡±, and ¡°Step back and broaden your horizons.¡±


    Miaomiao sat there and endured listening to their trite words of encouragement for a long time, and then she heard them say, ¡°You will understand when you graduate from here. When you enter society, you will face even more problems. Society is harsh and merciless, and you cannot escape from it. Furthermore, you cannot extricate yourselves from any problems that society throws at you. If the problem becomes too difficult, then escape is nigh-impossible. You have lived in the ivory tower for too long¡­¡±


    She could already already hear some students whispering to each other.


    Miaomiao stood up and said nonchalantly but sonorously, ¡°If I understand your words correctly, teacher, you are telling us to actively face our problems and solve our own problems instead of avoiding them if such obstacles revealed themselves to us. But, teacher, you yourself have given us no solutions to these quandaries. What should I do, for instance, if some people decided to, for instance, incessantly humiliate or even slander me for two years straight? To me, it¡¯s much more meaningful to implement some specific steps beforehand to forestall our problems. That would be much more useful than simply stating things like ¡°think positively¡± or other trite, useless statements like that.¡±


    The teacher was shocked and remained speechless for a while. But he had his reputation to consider; he couldn¡¯t just say that he didn¡¯t know the solution in front of so many students; otherwise, he would have no authority over them, so he replied, ¡°You should think about whether or not you had offended the other party. There are so many students. Why do they only target you and not the other students?¡±


    ¡°Okay, the first step is to do some sort of self-evaluation, right? So what if I did that? I grew up working hard to get to where I am. I lived frugally and didn¡¯t squander my money, so I should be fine in this regard. What¡¯s the second step?¡±


    The third-year students were also gathered on the playground. No one spoke, but they still observed this scene in silence.


    When the principal noticed that the conversation had gone awry, he interposed himself into the conversation, took the microphone and said, ¡°Student Miaomiao, you could ask further questions in private.¡±


    Miaomiao clenched her fists. She could hear her heartbeat, but the nervosity within her heart wasn¡¯t as strong as the indignation she felt, ¡°I think today¡¯s educational theme should be about how to deal with one¡¯s frustrations and problems. You should teach everyone how to deal with life¡¯s insurmountable difficulties. I strongly believe that the solutions to life¡¯s challenges can¡¯t be summed up in several words. Mumbo jumbo, such as staying positive and solving our own problems, are completely useless; they only serve to shift the blame onto the victims so that the ones in charge don¡¯t have to deal with the fallout. Perhaps I am stupid, so I hope there are specific steps and solutions.¡±


    Zhou Yuan observed Miaomiao while she stood up and said that. He realized that she had changed. This stunned him for a transient moment; then, he opened his mouth and said, ¡°The teachers already know the solution. They could solve this within minutes. They just don¡¯t want to.¡±


    None of the high school students were stupid. Almost everyone had already read that post by now.


    With the exception of that class who tried to come up with excuses for their incessant bullying of the girl, everyone else agreed with the angry netizens.


    Humans were inherently obedient, especially towards people of lofty statuses such as the rich and powerful.


    Since several rich and powerful people bullied that poor girl in their class, everyone had to follow along and do the same, and if they didn¡¯t follow along, then they would also be considered social outcasts and become additional victims for their bullying and harassment. Everyone did like to brownnose the rich and powerful, and everyone did try desperately to ingratiate themselves with them to win their favor.


    Even the people who merely teased her and didn¡¯t directly bully her felt little to no guilt since they believed that everyone did the same.


    Since the other students in their school perused the post for the first time as well as the netizens¡¯ comments, their emotions naturally gravitated towards aiding the poor girl, perhaps even avenging her.


    As the teacher spoke, the students naturally wanted to hurl ire-filled imprecations at him, but they weren¡¯t brave enough to do so. The teacher tried to defend the reputation of his school by stating that the girl had committed suicide because of her fragility and weakness within her heart, but he didn¡¯t mention the instances of harassment and bullying at all. He didn¡¯t want the outside world to know. However, due to various reasons, it was nigh-impossible to confront the teacher. Perhaps it was because this type of occurrence had never happened, or perhaps they were afraid that the teacher would become vengeful and make life difficult for them.


    The teacher¡¯s speech almost persuaded a different group of students to his side.


    But after Miaomiao had stood up and interposed herself into the teacher¡¯s speech, only several thoughts floated into the minds of the other students.


    Valiant!


    Gallant!


    Brave!


    Miaomiao obdurately peered at the teacher on the podium, ¡°The teacher doesn¡¯t know the solution; therefore, I have to come up with one myself. Should I fight them? Challenge them? I can¡¯t win; there are too many of them. Should I call the police to investigate? Perhaps, I have to speak with a teacher next, but what if that teacher also believes that I¡¯m at fault? What should I do then? I can¡¯t transfer to another school because this is the high school of my dreams, so what should I do?¡±


    Miaomiao¡¯s heart was full of complexities. It was hard for her to imagine the kind of desperation that drove Ji Hao to take her own life.


    Ji Hao probably thought that she only had to endure for a little while longer since it was her senior year. She could immediately leave after her final exams. But she wasn¡¯t able to endure her peers¡¯ constant abuse and harassment.


    In Miaomiao¡¯s opinion, Ji Hao wasn¡¯t a fragile girl, but it has been over two years of constant abuse¡­She probably had enough.


    ¡°Teacher, what should I do next? Can you offer us any advice? Should I just continue reflecting on my own flaws?¡± Miaomiao forced herself to ask.


    At this point, the teacher on the podium handed the microphone to the principal and abruptly ended the speech.


    Everyone else dispersed, but the girls from Miaomiao¡¯s class gathered around her and uttered words of praise, ¡°Class president. You¡¯re so valiant!¡±


    ¡°Class president, you were so gallant just now!¡±


    ¡°Class president, is the class teacher going to talk to you in private?¡±


    This excited group of girls completely jostled Zhou Yuan out of the picture, which forced him to watch from the sidelines.


    Miaomiao replied, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not afraid.¡±


    However, something unexpected happened. Mother Hua came looking for Miaomiao first, not the principal.


    ¡°Class president, your mother is looking for you.¡±


    Mother Hua hugged Miaomiao and uttered, ¡°Today, I was scared.¡±


    Mother Hua was busy, so she didn¡¯t see the news on the Internet. As a result, she was quite surprised when Miaomiao¡¯s teacher called her. ¡°A girl in our school jumped off the building¡­¡± was the preamble in her message.


    Mother Hua was so terrified that her heart almost stopped.


    ¡°Did the headteacher call you?¡± Miaomiao asked when she departed the classroom.


    ¡°Well, she already told me everything.¡±


    Miaomiao dilated her eyes and looked at Mother Hua ruefully, ¡°Mom, I just stated what was in my heart¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. Miaomiao is a good child. I¡¯m here to bring you lunch. You haven¡¯t been home for two weeks, and I miss you as well.¡± Mother Hua ruffled her hair, ¡°I already knew that you had a strong sense of justice. Even during your childhood, you possessed the same qualities. I¡¯m so proud of you.¡±


    Society might not tolerate her sense of justice, but society was a farce anyways. If anything, she had to become even more gallant and just precisely because society frowned upon it.


    Miaomiao heaved a sigh of relief and grabbed her lunch, ¡°Mom. I¡¯ll eat lunch with you!¡±


    When she returned to her classroom after finishing her lunch, Miaomiao realized that Zhou Yuan wasn¡¯t there.


    At first, she thought that he just went outside for something, but she didn¡¯t expect that Zhou Yuan¡¯s absence would continue all the way to their first class in the afternoon.


    Miaomiao found it a little strange.


    Where is he?

 CH 98

    Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t come back for four morning classes. Miaomiao was still a little concerned, especially when she called him, only to find his mobile phone inside his desk.


    Although she knew that Zhou Yuan wouldn¡¯t get into any trouble, and that he was far more experienced and intelligent than she was, the emotional part of her couldn¡¯t help but worry for his safety.


    Zhou Yuan still did not return. Miaomiao was called to the principal¡¯s office.


    The principal had a serious expression, and of course, Hua Miaomiao knew in her heart that they wouldn¡¯t dare do anything to her, due to the incident that took place at school. Her mother also took her side and supported her as well.


    Hua Miaomiao sat down, ¡°Principal?¡±


    The image of her elementary school principal. That old man looked a little intimidating and pugnacious, but he indulged in conversation and frolicked with elementary school students, and he donned the same black shirt every day. Compared to the principal before her, he was a saint.


    The principal mouthed, ¡°Hua Miaomiao. You¡¯re the third-best student in our school. No, you¡¯re the third-best student in the city. You should understand the saying ¡®rumors stop at the wise¡¯. Did you post that rumor in the forum?¡±


    A moment of speechlessness overwhelmed Miaomiao. Clearly, they believed that she was spreading malevolent rumors on the forum to damage the school¡¯s reputation due to her behavior in the playground and the fact that she didn¡¯t delete any posts. However, Miaomiao quickly regained her bearings and responded, ¡°Principal. There¡¯s one thing I agree with from today¡¯s speech. We have to solve the problem with swift alacrity. The school should do the same. Don¡¯t look for the person who brought up this issue. I might look like some naive, childish student who doesn¡¯t know the ways of the world but trust me, most people observing this are just like me. They could clearly feel that something is wrong; no, they know that something is wrong.¡±


    Clearly, the school approached her to fix this issue. Although she wasn¡¯t sure why the school wanted her to start spreading some rumors, she assumed that they probably wanted her to spread some rumors that made their school look good.


    Even though anger festered in Miaomiao¡¯s heart, she had also experienced many things that told her that getting angry wasn¡¯t a wise decision.


    The principal allowed her to leave. He had a sullen face because her refusal to obey his wishes had angered him.


    Miaomiao politely said, ¡°Okay.¡±


    When she traversed out, she noticed some students from ther class awaiting her departure from the principal¡¯s office.


    ¡°Class president, you finally came out!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you aggravated by all of this?¡±


    ¡°We posted on the Internet¡­¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    The principal called Miaomiao to his office, and the others rushed over, fearing that something dreadful would happen to her. While they wouldn¡¯t dare break down the door to the office, they still remained outside, awaiting the principal¡¯s judgment.


    Miaomiao was touched by her classmates and felt that they were kind of adorable. At most, the principal would lecture her and yell at her, but anything more than this was unlikely. If they lectured her too much and if she decided to jump to her death due to the frequent harassment, it would result in some problems for the school¡¯s image.


    When they realized that the principal was talking about their posts on the Internet, they immediately checked their mobile phones.


    The netizens were already labeling the school leaders as reactionaries, plutocrats, or authoritarians who cared more about money and reputation than for people.


    The school¡¯s official Weibo account posted a message, and instead of likes, there were thousands of angry comments, expletives and obscenities being hurled at the school.


    The classmates also chimed in, ¡°If they call the class president again, we¡¯ll expose their wrongdoings with haste.¡±


    ¡°By the way, that stupid class is so shameless. They¡¯re checking who posted, and they turned their entire dormitory upside down attempting to look for the poster.¡±


    ¡°If I were the poster, I wouldn¡¯t allow myself to be discovered so easily. If they found me and started to pester me, it would probably be far too late anyway.¡±


    She surmised that the school leaders suspected her of posting those messages; therefore, the rest of their aggrieved class might suspect her as well.


    Professional backstabbing. But it didn¡¯t matter. She attended a different class from them, so even if they wanted to bully her, they would have little to no success.


    The Education Bureau also didn¡¯t stir or make any comment. Miaomiao walked with her classmates back to the classroom. Youth was a passionate time in one¡¯s life. While walking, a classmate saw a message on the Internet stating that the school offered 600,000 yuan in compensation to the victim¡¯s family members, and the family has agreed not to pursue this matter further.


    Earlier this morning, everyone was still discussing this matter, but now it had slowly ebbed away.


    Miaomiao mouthed, ¡°Let¡¯s go back and read; we can definitely solve this problem.¡±


    Miaomiao had no idea how to solve this problem since she often only dealt with minor problems in class.


    As she contemplated this, she thought of Zhou Yuan once again. In contrast, Zhou Yuan had more experience dealing with people. He had experienced more in his life.


    But she was incognizant of his whereabouts.


    When she returned to the classroom, Zhou Yuan was sitting quietly near the windowsill. He raised his gaze to peer at them. Rain still pattered against the windows. Due to the darkness in the room, they found it hard to see the expression on his face. His gaze slowly roamed about and drifted from the other students before finally landing on Miaomiao.


    Miaomiao let out a sigh of relief and walked to her seat. She sat down and said, ¡± You shocked me. You deserted me without saying a single word. You also didn¡¯t take your phone with you.¡±


    Zhou Yuan took the phone from the desk and said, ¡°I was in a hurry, so I forgot to bring my phone. Next time, I won¡¯t forget to bring it with me.¡±


    They conversed in small talk, but this bit of information surprised Miaomiao. She was a little embarrassed because she received a solemn pledge from him, coupled with an apology.


    ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ll bring my phone with me when I head outside in the future.¡± Miaomiao sat next to him, but she didn¡¯t ask him about where he went, for it was his own private issue.


    Zhou Yuan asked, ¡°Are you still worried about that girl?¡±


    Miaomiao hummed in assent. Honestly, she wasn¡¯t sure how to handle this quandary.


    ¡°I spoke with the principal today. Apparently, they want to cover this up. Is that boy¡¯s family powerful?¡± Miaomiao pondered.


    Zhou Yuan gave a bottle of yogurt to Miaomiao, ¡°It isn¡¯t about whether his family is powerful or not, but rather the school¡¯s leaders don¡¯t want to admit that they¡¯re wrong. They would rather bribe somebody to fix the problem than confess their errors and face the consequences. They probably think they could cover it up like in the old days when they could cover up an incident such as this one with a few words.¡±


    Miaomiao sighed.


    The adults¡¯ problems were so complicated.


    He continued, ¡°Don¡¯t fret. Something will probably happen tomorrow.¡±


    His mother worked for the Education Bureau; therefore, he convinced her to look into this matter. School officials had always used the excuse that the victim was under a lot of stress or that they were too fragile to shift the blame elsewhere, which was why she had committed suicide. However, they never elaborated on what they meant.


    Normally, the school would report such incidents to the Education Bureau. If they did not report it, some consequences would naturally follow.


    Miaomiao thought Zhou Yuan was attempting to comfort her.


    The burnishing rufescent glow of the late evening sun eventually darkened into the glorious violet of the night. Their evening self-study session had concluded, and they headed outside. But someone unexpectedly approached and accosted her.


    Miaomiao walked out of the campus, and she noticed the other person. She recognized that face, but it was much paler than the one in the photograph. It was Tao Ming, the boy who harassed and bullied the poor girl.


    She had seen photos of him on school forums and Weibo posts; therefore, she had some familiarity with him, but his reputation was infamous, and he almost carried a very gruesome and ghastly nimbus that one couldn¡¯t see from the photos.


    Miaomiao remained silent, but Zhou Yuan placed himself in front of her, shielding her from any possible threat.


    The boy looked at Zhou Yuan; then, he asked, his question directed at both of them, ¡°Did one of you post that rumor? Could we have a private conversation about it?¡±


    Like the vast majority of people, Miaomiao¡¯s first reaction to him was to despise him. She wanted to make the boy suffer the same pain as that girl.


    But her curiosity overtook her as she wanted to hear what he had to say, so she agreed to have a private parley with him. Zhou Yuan wouldn¡¯t allow her to go alone, so he accompanied her.


    They walked to the back of the school. They walked to the place where the girl had jumped down from the building.


    Miaomiao wasn¡¯t afraid. She found it strange. She felt somewhat fearful yesterday, but today she didn¡¯t even feel a trifle of fear. Like Zhou Yuan said ¨C the human fear was far more terrifying than ghosts, gods, and other supernatural phenomena.


    ¡°Do you have her mobile phone?¡± Tao Ming asked.


    Actually ¨C Miaomiao didn¡¯t have anything at all. The school officials wanted her to delete the post to keep this incident under wraps, but Miaomiao opposed the teachers and didn¡¯t delete any messages. Because of her defiance, everyone believed that she had posted it.


    As she was following him, Miaomiao felt as if this person had a terrible mental state, so she couldn¡¯t help but hold Zhou Yuan¡¯s hand.


    ¡°So what if I have it with me!¡± Miaomiao shrieked, ¡°I won¡¯t give it to you.¡±


    The boy looked a little restless, and he ruffled his hair in vexation, ¡°She did it on purpose, I  confessed my feelings to her ¡­¡­ I really liked her ¡­¡­ I was ready to go to a university with her ¡­¡­ I really like her ¡­¡­ obviously, she likes me too ¡­¡­¡±


    His words shined a light on something. The post repeated a phrase over and over again. Ji Hao said numerous times that it was enough to last three years of high school. There was only one year left before she could leave.


    Miaomiao believed that Tao Ming¡¯s incessant harassment led to Ji Hao¡¯s extreme despondent, which led her to take her own life.


    She now knew that that wasn¡¯t the main reason. She endured it for so long because she believed that it was enough to survive those past three years; therefore, she persisted in that way.


    But when she heard everyone hurling insults and slanderous statements at her, she just dealt with it. No matter how many execrations and maledictions she had received, she could endure it due to her belief that she would be free when she graduated from this cesspool of a high school and entered university.


    A feeling of sorrow swirled in Miaomiao¡¯s heart. She had suffered so much in his hellhole.


    If she had survived one more day, she could¡¯ve¡­


    Miaomiao¡¯s hands and feet were a trifle softer, and she couldn¡¯t help but lean on Zhou Yuan. She then looked at the boy who claimed to like Ji Hao, but he kept slandering her, belittling her character. She opened her mouth and said, ¡°No, she doesn¡¯t like you. She¡¯s no longer of this world due to little pricks such as yourself. She just wanted to get through three years of high school, but you and your posse took that away from her.¡±


    Miaomiao dragged Zhou Yuan away and deserted the boy, ignoring any and all protests from him.


    Miaomiao found this situation absurd and grotesque. Miaomiao went onto the forum and posted anonymously, ¡°I¡¯ve got new tidings. Tao Ming is trying to cover up his actions by claiming that he was in love with Ji Hao. He¡¯s also trying to claim that he had no idea how to treat his beloved. Don¡¯t believe him.¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter if he was telling the truth or not. Miaomiao had to promulgate this new piece of information.

 CH 99

    Miaomiao¡¯s thoughts were all jumbled up. She uncovered some more clues about this mystery. If Tao Ming had truly uttered those cooing words to her in the past, and if he truly was honest about his feelings and wasn¡¯t just trying to confuse her, then it would explain why she tolerated all of that humiliation in the past. But the abuse became so much of a problem that she could no longer fetter her emotions.


    She saw nothing but darkness in her future; therefore, she felt that it just wasn¡¯t worth fighting for. They had robbed her of her hope. She no longer had any dreams to strive for; therefore, she took this measure.


    Miaomiao posted her findings online on purpose because she knew that many people tolerated such loathsome behavior if it was due to love; although love could be viewed as a form of madness if taken too far. Some might accept and forgive his terrible behavior if it was due to love.


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t want this.


    Although her parents had spoiled her since her childhood and shielded her from the unfairness of the world, she could still empathize with peoples¡¯ emotions such as suffering and despair, happiness and sadness.


    Jingjing couldn¡¯t understand why Ji Hao had taken her own life. She believed that she should¡¯ve gone down swinging, at least that would¡¯ve been better.


    Miaomiao¡¯s musings clouded her mind; she couldn¡¯t fully comprehend Ji Hao¡¯s bloodstained decision.


    Miaomiao¡¯s mood was all over the place; therefore, Zhou Yuan accompanied her to the place beyond the playground. The playground was glazed with moisture due to the heavy downpour of rain today. They couldn¡¯t sit down on a bench there.


    The evening segued into the night, and due to the suicide incident at school; therefore, the playground was bereft of people.


    Miaomiao turned her head and said to Zhou Yuan, ¡°That boy is a twisted pervert.¡±


    That boy bullied the girl he claimed to have loved, suppressing her conation to do what she had desired. He was a real, bonafide pervert who treated his so-called beloved with malevolence.


    Miaomiao mused about this and felt a wave of depression overcome her. That girl labored away to obtain a good life. She managed to land a spot in a good high school, despite her destitute background with nothing but her effort. With her learning capabilities, a good university would¡¯ve definitely accepted her.


    Miaomiao sighed and turned to look at Zhou Yuan.


    ¡°Zhou Yuan.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem very fair to me,¡± Miaomiao whispered. ¡°If there was just one person there to help her. If one person had been there, then maybe she wouldn¡¯t have arrived at such a conclusion.¡±


    Many people condemned Tao Ming, but some people believed that the girl was too fragile, unable to deal with the harshness of real life. But it wasn¡¯t that simple. She wouldn¡¯t have taken her own life if she could speak with someone who understood and didn¡¯t just brush off her concerns as nothing more than trivialities.


    Zhou Yuan patted her head, ¡°I know.¡±


    The two sat in silence. Then Miaomiao said, ¡°Go back. It¡¯ll cause a problem if you¡¯re late.¡±


    The two began walking towards the school¡¯s entrance.


    The school was devoid of students. Miaomiao suddenly questioned him, ¡°Zhou Yuan, would you abuse the girl that you loved? Especially if your love for her becomes an unhealthy obsession?¡±


    She just casually brought this up without any real thought.


    Zhou Yuan turned his head and looked at her. She had grown from being a little girl to a big girl.


    ¡°No,¡± Zhou Yuan replied, ¡°I like¡­¡±


    He paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°If I liked her, I would hold her sacred within my heart. I¡¯ll worry about her every single day, even though both her IQ and EQ are quite high, and she could handle anything herself. But I¡¯ll still worry about her well-being. I¡¯m afraid of seeing her sad. I¡¯m afraid of seeing her miserable.¡±


    When Miaomiao heard Zhou Yuan¡¯s response, she enskied him for his honesty. Within the confines of her heart, she realized that Zhou Yuan must have fallen in love with a very good person, so she replied, ¡°Then, you two are a good match. Since you¡¯re quite experienced in everything, I¡¯m sure that you could handle whatever comes your way.¡±


    As Miaomiao uttered this, a multitude of thoughts inundated her head; therefore, she didn¡¯t notice that some discomforting feelings were beginning to manifest within her heart.


    Although one could not betray their own feelings, they could sometimes be ignored.


    Zhou Yuan¡¯s eyes were wreathed in happiness when he heard her response. ¡°I think we¡¯re a good match, too,¡± he replied.


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± Zhou Yuan¡¯s mentality has recently regressed to that of a child. Am I hallucinating?


    At night, Miaomiao fell asleep amidst the whispers of her roommates.


    She slept restlessly that night. That boy¡¯s response from earlier made her feel a fit of discomfort. It felt as if all the plans that I was looking forward to were shattered. It felt as if her hopes and dreams were all gone; this uncomfortable feeling surged in her heart.


    Miaomiao looked up and saw the sun, which glowed brightly and beautifully. She squatted down, and then she heard the patter of footfalls outside. Fear and consternation smoldered from her eyes. And she subconsciously told herself not to move. Someone was coming¡­


    Although Miaomiao was nescient of the person coming, she recalled it as if she already had a guess who it was.


    Wait for a little while; then, you can go to grandmother¡¯s house¡­


    Then she heard an echoing voice laced with a grotesque eeriness.


    Grandmother is dead¡­


    Mother was stunned; she felt as if the sky had fallen. The world began shrinking, and only she and her inner despair personified as her worst fear remained there¡­


    Suddenly, a wall appeared next to her. It was covered with blood.


    Miaomiao suddenly awoke. She realized that it was just a dream; she sat up gasping for air.


    She realized that it was just a dream. Fortunately for her, it was just a dream.


    She looked at the time on her phone and saw that it was only 2:30 in the morning.


    The dream felt so real. Miaomiao got up from her bed and grabbed a glass of water that was on a desk next to her.


    She was very stressed recently; therefore, she had such a strange dream.


    But¡­it felt so real.


    Miaomiao was incognizant of what had happened during the earlier years of her life. She stayed in the dark until the age of five or six when they finally unfettered her to allow her into the outside world. Information was very limited.


    After the age of seven, a deluge of new information inundated her mind, for she was finally unfettered and allowed to wander the outside world. She knew what others were already aware of. Blissful school memories filled her childhood. She spent her summers vacationing with her mother and father abroad and domestically, which led to some ebullient recollections, which recreated themselves in her mind. She also remembered that a mysterious villainous figure had captured her when she was a child, but her mother found and rescued her. At least, that was what Mother Hua had expounded to her.


    Apparently, she found her via telepathy.


    Miaomiao pressed her temples. Many things had happened recently, and these happenings had affected her greatly.


    Zhou Yuan¡¯s probing bore fruit, for the Education Bureau quickly issued a statement. The school apologized almost immediately for the teacher¡¯s and school management¡¯s dereliction of their duties. But the school didn¡¯t divulge any information about Tao Ming.


    Miaomiao also paid close attention to this matter since the school publicly promulgated their regrets about their situation, which caused the number of people mouthing their execrations and anger to dramatically decrease.


    Most of them just wanted the school to apologize.


    And concerning Tao Ming. There was news on the Internet about him. He was promulgating that he sent those threatening and defamatory messages because he loved her, but since she didn¡¯t love her back, he decided to take a gamble and sent those slanderous messages.


    Apparently, his parents buried themselves in their work, and his nanny had raised him, so he was unable to express his feelings properly.


    His statements were useless though since Miaomiao had revealed some rumors on the Internet yesterday, which began to spread and circulate to every corner of the Web. As a result, everyone believed that Tao Ming was trying to whitewash his past deeds.


    Very few people have fallen for his schemes.


    Zhou Yuan expounded to Miaomiao, ¡°If the police discover the correct evidence, Tao Ming should be charged with slander and defamation.¡±


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t know anything about the law. Of course, she scoured the Internet for some information regarding this. But she found out that Tao Ming could not be held responsible.


    Miaomiao combed through some websites for some information regarding the crime of slander. The more she examined it, the more she started to understand it. When she read the final website, she was stunned, ¡°The only way to prosecute him was if he was reported?¡±


    In other words, if his violation was done privately, he couldn¡¯t be prosecuted? Am I understanding that correctly?


    Zhou Yuan expounded further to Miaomiao, ¡°Since the victim already had taken her own life, you could no longer prosecute him.¡±


    This aggrieved Miaomiao, but she realized that she could at least make the other party pay.


    Tao Ming never attended school again, and the school calmed down again. However, everyone had to use another gate to exit the school since the easternmost gate was now locked and closed.


    After several months, they found out that he was on trial. The judge handed down his judgment. He was sentenced to three years in prison.


    Eventually, the time for them to take their college entrance exams was edging closer and closer.


    Miaomiao cried out in misery when she heard about this. First and second-year high school students had five consecutive days off due to the college exams.


    Miaomiao helped her mother cook at home whenever she was home. Zhou Yuan called her to tell her the judge¡¯s punishment for Tao Ming.


    As the steam from the rice cooker rose out, Miaomiao hung up the phone and sat on the couch.


    After answering the phone and listening to Zhou Yuan¡¯s explication about the trial¡¯s result, a notion popped up in her head, ¡°Three years? That¡¯s it?¡±


    Miaomiao pressed her temples in vexation.


    I¡¯ve never had such an angry expression before, have I?


    She became consumed by her curiosity.


    When I was a child, was it possible that the people who abducted me only served in prison for three years?


    Miaomiao searched on the Internet, ¡®How long do human traffickers have to stay in prison?¡¯


    There are several prison sentences, which have fixed durations, and they are usually more than five years but no more than ten. However, there are some special circumstances, which led to sentences of more than ten years. She saw one website mention a child who was in a similar situation to hers whose kidnappers caused grievous injuries to her.


    There were a lot of scars on her body. She had to undergo a lot of scar removal procedures, and these scars showed how serious her injuries were.


    No matter the situation, these types of kidnappers who purposefully injured, or even maimed, the child usually were handed ten-years behind bars.


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t think much of it, and put the words ¡®human traffickers only have to serve three years in prison¡¯ into the search engine.


    Then, she noticed a related link, which stated that ¡°the girl was abused by her biological parents. She was admitted to the intensive care unit. The parents were only sentenced to three years in prison.¡±


    On a whim, Miaomiao clicked on the link.

 CH 100

    After clicking on the link, Miaomiao peered at a grisly photograph that had some text. As it turned out, the girl was found in a trash can. Her entire body had injuries¡­


    Miaomiao stared at the thin cheekbones of the little girl in the photograph. This broke her heart as she looked at it.


    They grievously injured her so much, but they only had to go behind bars for three years?


    The post had details about the incident from start to finish. Both parents were college students. Soon after graduation, they began to live together. The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a child. However, they both were violent.


    They were fraught with problems at their workplace, and they were paid very low wages, causing them to be on the verge of destitution and squalor. The two frequently left their child at home. However, they soon discovered that the child was terrified of virtually everything, and since their balcony didn¡¯t have any railings, a balustrade, or any other structure to prevent one¡¯s fall, they purchased a cage and forced the little girl inside it. They then placed the cage in a small bathroom.


    The child would cry when she was young, and she would cry when she was hungry. After working for the entire day, they came home famished and fatigued. Listening to the child¡¯s cries caused them to be fraught with discomfort and aggravation, so they beat her.


    They found out that whenever they beat the child, she would cease crying, and they could relieve their stress by using this method as well.


    As a result, the child grew up slower compared to other children, and they slowly became accustomed to his heinousness that they would sometimes even record some videos of their brutality.


    Later, they began to beat her with increasing frequency and force when they found out that she didn¡¯t stay quiet. When she raised a fuss, they would beat her more and more. One day, after hitting her way too hard, they thought the child was dead, so they threw her into the trash. But they later believed that this incident was being reported on by every major news outlet, so they fled back to their hometown and hid.


    Miaomiao was in tears as she read that the child was admitted to the intensive care unit. But it didn¡¯t mention whether or not the child was rescued or had survived¡­


    Miaomiao sighed. She could not read that anymore. Grief began to stir in her heart.


    Mother Hua poked her head from the kitchen at this point, ¡°Miaomiao. It¡¯s time for lunch.¡±


    ¡°Coming, coming,¡± Miaomiao answered as she walked over.


    Zhou Yuan called her again that afternoon, but this time he beseeched her for succor.


    After digesting his request, Miaomiao was a little surprised, ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Class president. Do you have some time to spare today? I¡¯m about to have a breakdown.¡±


    This was the first time Miaomiao learned that Zhou Yuan was on the verge of suffering a breakdown. This was a big deal.


    ¡°Yes. I have time. Where are you right now? I¡¯ll look for you right now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m standing right outside the gate to your community.¡±


    Donning her coat, Miaomiao quickly said goodbye to Mother Hua, and then she headed to the gate of her community.


    As soon as she traversed outside, she spotted Zhou Yuan along with a little child who was pushing him towards the gate.


    ¡°Give me back my tablet!¡±


    ¡°Give me my tablet. I want to play games. I want to play games ¡­¡­¡±


    The little boy appeared to be about four or five years old, and his face still had some baby fat. His facial features, especially his eyebrows, resembled Zhou Yuan¡¯s.


    When Zhou Yuan noticed that Miaomiao was coming, he pushed the little fat boy next to him.


    Then he said to Miaomiao, ¡°This is my little brother Zhou Dun.¡±


    ¡°Let me introduce myself!¡± Zhou Dun looked at Miaomiao before patting his chest, ¡°¡±My name is Zhou Dun. I¡¯ve reached the level of 500 and fifty in an elimination game. When I have time, I will invite you to play with me.¡±


    Miaomiao thought the little fatty was really interesting. He was nothing like Zhou Yuan.


    Zhou Yuan then explained to Miaomiao with a cooing voice, ¡°My parents are out of town, so they sent him to live with me for a few days. I¡¯m not very good at taking care of children, so I came to seek your assistance.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m very good at taking care of kids.¡± Miaomiao understood his situation very well. After all, Zhou Yuan never finished elementary school. Since he never finished it, how could he communicate well with children?


    Little Zhou Dun furtively glanced at Zhou Yuan before turning towards Miaomiao. When he espied Miaomiao, he shook his head in disappointment.


    She¡¯s not my type anymore.


    Little Zhou Dun mused over his stained history. Yesterday, Zhou Dun came across a picture of a very cute little girl with a sweet, effulgent smile while he was rummaging through some things at his brother¡¯s house. Zhou Dun sprinted around the house to look for his older brother, and then he told him that he was going to marry this little girl.


    But now his dream was shattered. The girl had grown up, and her face no longer had the baby fat that made her look cute.


    Miaomiao was a little surprised, ¡°Why does your brother continue to stare at me?¡±


    Zhou Yuan replied, ¡°Kids are like this. He¡¯s going to play some games; therefore, take him outside to frolic around; otherwise, he won¡¯t leave us alone.¡±


    Then, she suddenly remembered something. She clapped her hands and said, ¡°Zhou Yuan. Why are acting so foolish? Your brother is here, and you won¡¯t take care of him. Isn¡¯t this a good opportunity to ask out the girl you like to help you?¡±


    Miaomiao had no idea that the girl Zhou Yuan liked was herself. She always thought it was someone she wasn¡¯t acquainted with.


    This astounded Zhou Yuan for an evanescent moment.


    Teenagers were teenagers at the end of the day, especially when it came to stuff about love and affection, so how could they remain as calm as the waters of a placid lake?


    Zhou Yuan couldn¡¯t help but protest, ¡°I¡¯m not foolish.¡±


    Miaomiao replied perfunctorily, ¡°Yes, yes. You¡¯re the smartest person in the world. You have a super high IQ.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡± Now, who¡¯s foolish?


    Seeing Miaomiao¡¯s reaction, he really didn¡¯t dare to say that to her face.


    Little Zhou Dun: ¡°¡­¡±


    You wanted to bring me here, and yet why are you trying to hide me?


    During the afternoon, they took Zhou Dun to play some games, and then they all went to see a Doraemon movie.


    After returning home, Miaomiao was lying on her bed for many hours, unable to fall asleep. She kept thinking that Zhou Yuan¡¯s weren¡¯t stupid¡­


    She didn¡¯t venture to ask the meaning behind his words.


    Miaomiao tossed and turned all night long, unable to sleep at all. Her mind wandered for a while. She focused on the person Zhou Yuan said that he liked. Her mind roamed and wondered about how two people befriended each other.


    Zhou Yuan was an easy person to get along with.


    While musing over it, Miaomiao couldn¡¯t help but send a message to Deng Feng. After all¡­she was worried about how problems seem to attach themselves to this fellow. Now, she was the one asking him for some advice.


    Deng Feng replied immediately, asking, ¡°Could you clarify what you mean?¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Miaomiao. Could you tell me whether or not the person you like had actually said this? Why did you tell him to go look for the person he likes? Did you tell you that he has someone he likes?¡±


    Miaomiao replied, ¡°He said it several times already.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re basically siblings. Do I need to share some of my insights with you?¡±


    As soon as Deng Feng received her response, Miaomiao understood what the other party was saying since Jingjing always kept bringing up the person whom she liked.


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me a bit about your insights?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sad if I had never experienced it, you know?¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± I aided him for nothing. He¡¯s gloating over my misery.


    Miaomiao was stunned. How could Deng Feng¡¯s situation be tantamount with hers?


    I¡­I don¡¯t like Zhou Yuan.

 CH 101

    Some problems could not be comprehended until it was too late. Once one started to notice them, they often grew to become too big to solve.


    Miaomiao woke up the next day and noted a message from Zhou Yuan, ¡°Are you up?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Just got up right now.¡± Miaomiao quickly replied, ¡°Your brother lives with you now. You¡¯re still not used to it, are you?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not used to it.¡±


    Hua Miaomiao didn¡¯t expect such a direct, honest reply. She expected him to pretend that everything was fine.


    She was on her bed, holding her phone. She wasn¡¯t cognizant of the silly grin plastered on her face, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you used to it? Does your brother pester you all the time?¡±


    ¡°He probably is of a husky breed because he woke me up at 4:30 this morning. Then, he asked me to make three dishes and a soup for breakfast.¡±


    ¡°So, did you wake up to make him the food?¡± Miaomiao pictured the scene in her head and thought it was quite funny.


    ¡°Although I didn¡¯t want to get up, I had to since he was jumping up and down on the bed. I just finished cooking, and he¡¯s eating like a pig.¡±


    Miaomiao replied, ¡°Do you want to go to sleep for a while? I could help you take care of your brother if you¡¯d like.¡±


    Miaomiao has already been to Zhou Yuan¡¯s house, so it would not take long to reach her destination.


    Zhou Yuan sent her a message.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    She changed her clothes and was about to head outside. She bumped into her mother who had just returned home.


    ¡°Are you going to Jingjing¡¯s?¡± Mother Hua asked.


    Miaomiao danced around the question, ¡°I¡¯ll be back by noon.¡±


    When she departed her house, her face became as rubicund as an apple.


    Why didn¡¯t I tell my mom that I was going to Zhou Yuan¡¯s place to help him take care of his younger brother?


    When she reached Zhou Yuan¡¯s house, she noticed Zhou Yuan¡¯s lethargic face. But Zhou Yuan was still very exuberant and full of energy.


    Miaomiao rarely if ever saw Zhou Yuan in such a state. She said to him, ¡°You should go and take a nap for a bit. I¡¯ll watch TV with Zhou Dun in the living room.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Zhou Yuan said.


    Zhou Yuan went to sleep, and Zhou Dun asked, ¡°Are we going to watch TV? What are we going to watch?¡±


    Miaomiao watched Zhou Yuan¡¯s younger brother; she thought they were complete antipodes from each other. She remembered that Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t enjoy speaking that much when he was young.


    Miaomiao picked up Zhou Dun and carried him to the living room, ¡°What show do you want to watch? We¡¯ll watch it together.¡±


    Miaomiao turned on the TV. As soon as it turned on, a TV show that wasn¡¯t appropriate for small children to watch appeared on the screen.


    She quickly switched to the news, which was all related to finance.


    In order to avoid disturbing the sleeping person, Miaomiao lowered the volume.


    ¡°Zhou Dun quickly selected a cartoon to watch. As he watched it, he asked casually, ¡°You were my brother¡¯s elementary school classmate. Now, you¡¯re my brother¡¯s high school classmate. Is he very smart? Does he have any character flaws at all? How about physical or psychological flaws? Or an error with his beliefs? Anything? When he studies, does he make any errors?¡±


    Miaomiao replied, ¡°No. He¡¯s completely perfect. He¡¯s always been very smart. What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. If he¡¯s really that flawless, then he definitely isn¡¯t human at all.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. He¡¯s a genius,¡± Miaomiao confidently stated, boasting that Zhou Yuan could get straight A¡¯s in physics and chemistry with only a few minutes of study.


    He had a learning ability that she didn¡¯t have. She dreamt of having the same ability as him.


    Zhou Dun pursed his lips and was very dissatisfied. ¡°What¡¯s so great about him? He can¡¯t even beat me in video games.¡±


    Miaomiao now understood the reason for his incessant questioning. Since his brother was a genius, and since everyone knew about the fecundity of his abilities, people would inevitably begin comparing the two of them.


    Miaomiao replied, ¡°It¡¯s nothing special. But there¡¯s one thing he can¡¯t match you in.¡±


    Zhou Dun immediately turned his head, ¡°What? What is the one thing he can¡¯t match me in?¡±


    ¡°You have a big brother, but he doesn¡¯t.¡±


    Zhou Dun: ¡°¡­Hua Miaomiao. Are you joking?¡±


    Miaomiao looked at the little fatty, but she didn¡¯t nod. She feared that she would just aggravate him even more.


    As if faced with some insurmountable dilemma, Zhou Dun sighed, ¡°Honestly, he isn¡¯t a very good brother, and he never plays with me.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because humans need to sleep sometimes,¡± Miaomiao said.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t like me.¡±


    This somewhat surprised Miaomiao. She took him to go watch movies and play games, but she was incognizant of the troubles that lurked between these two.


    ¡°Why would he dislike you? You¡¯re his only brother.¡±


    Zhou Dun ceased with his chatter. When Miaomiao saw him pouting his lips, she knew that he was still angry.


    No wonder why Zhou Yuan woke up so early today. Zhou Dun was indignant.


    Miaomiao picked up a kiwi fruit from a nearby coffee table and stood up. She didn¡¯t want to peel it at the coffee table, so she retired to the kitchen to get a knife.


    As she passed by the bedroom, she heard Zhou Yuan talking on a phone inside.


    She heard, ¡°Of course. She¡¯s good at everything.¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    I¡¯ve never heard him use that tone of voice before. First time for everything, I suppose.


    A strange, extrinsic feeling started to surge in heart as she wondered who the other person on the phone was. She was curious about this ¡®she¡¯ Zhou Yuan was referring to.


    Miaomiao swiftly cut the kiwi fruit, and then she returned to the living room. Zhou Dun saw that there was food, so he ceased lancing anger out of his eyes and began eating.


    It was now Miaomiao¡¯s turn to casually ask, ¡°Zhou Dun, does your brother usually talk on the phone when he¡¯s home?¡±


    ¡°Sister Miaomiao. It sounds like you¡¯re trying to find out if my brother has a girlfriend. Is that your goal?¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± Such sagacity; he truly is Zhou Yuan¡¯s brother.


    ¡°My mother mentioned that our family depends on him, so my brother is unlikely to marry in his lifetime.¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhou Dun continued, ¡°However, my brother did say that he liked a girl. My dad also mentioned that he had a childhood sweetheart when he was a child.¡±


    Miaomiao was taken aback, and then she responded, ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    Miaomiao heaved a sigh of relief.


    I can¡¯t let anyone find out about this stupid feeling within my heart. If someone finds out, I¡¯ll never hear the end of it. I¡¯ll be so embarrassed that my cheeks would become ruddier than a tomato.


    Hopefully, Deng Feng doesn¡¯t find out about it. But considering his IQ and EQ, he shouldn¡¯t be able to infer anything.


    Miaomiao looked out the window. She looked at the morning sun, which painted the sky with its aurulent luster; its golden radiance a sight to behold. The sun-kissed sky looked bright and dazzling, almost like a lucent work of art.

 CH 102

    The fact that Zhou Yuan had a childhood sweetheart was an interesting development.


    Miaomiao glanced at Zhou Yuan, who was next to her, and she seemed to partly understand Deng Feng¡¯s dilemma.


    Back then, Deng Feng acted miserably every day. At the time, his suffering and grief had amazed her, for she couldn¡¯t comprehend his suffering. But now she knew what it was like, for she was now in a similar situation like him.


    She still had a very good companionship with Zhou Yuan. Deng Feng, on the other hand, increasingly distanced himself from Jingjing after displaying his temper tantrums.


    For some inexplicable reason, Miaomiao¡¯s vigor had fled from her, and she no longer wanted to frolic with Zhou Dun. But fortunately, Zhou Dun¡¯s attention was focused on the television.


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t feel despondent as she watched the television with Zhou Dun, but her heart felt a great sense of unease.


    As Zhou Yuan came out of his room to watch TV with his brother, Miaomiao didn¡¯t even throw a single glance at him. This was something that he noticed.


    Zhou Yuan asked, ¡°What do you want to eat for lunch?¡±


    Zhou Dun engrossed himself in the television, so he gave no response.


    Miaomiao replied, ¡°I¡¯ll head back for lunch.¡±


    ¡°You aided me with this so much that I want to give you an invitation for lunch. You don¡¯t have to be overly polite to me and head back for lunch.¡± Zhou Yuan naturally sat next to Miaomiao. They sat very close to each other.


    The two were tablemates in school; therefore, they were close, but they sat upon their stools and weren¡¯t closely ensconced together like they were now as they sat on the couch.


    Miaomiao stared intently at the TV as if it was the most beautiful object in the house.


    This slightly surprised Zhou Yuan, as he wondered how the two actors in the show became attracted to each other.


    Zhou Yuan reached out for a piece of fruit when he noticed his brother storming out of the room. He then said, ¡°Brother, brother. Tell me what happened to your childhood sweetheart!¡±


    His brother¡¯s impertinent exhortation irritated Zhou Yuan, ¡°Stop bringing up that nonsense.¡±


    He always adhered to the principle of ¡®if you won¡¯t allow me to say it, I¡¯ll say it anyway¡¯, and he mimicked his father¡¯s tone, ¡°You worry too much, my son. Concerning your current situation, you¡¯ll definitely get along with your tablemate in the near future.¡±


    A faint rufescent tinge crept onto his cheeks as he blushed when he heard his own words escaping his mouth. This was a rare occurrence.


    He believed that Miaomiao¡¯s reluctance to speak to him was due to his father¡¯s joking around when they were younger, so he explained, ¡°My father jokes around a lot. We had a close friendship during our youth, so he made some jokes about it. Don¡¯t take it personally.¡±


    A complicated feeling swept over Miaomiao, so she had no idea how to respond.


    Does that mean that she¡¯s the childhood sweetheart she was talking about?


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t stay for lunch, but she did return home since Mother Hua called and asked her when she was coming home.


    When Miaomiao returned, she saw Jingjing eating some pickled cucumbers on the couch. Jingjing loved pickled cucumbers, so she always ate them when she visited Miaomiao¡¯s house.


    But a problem arose. When Miaomiao headed out, she told her mother that she was going to visit Jingjing. Her lie was now exposed.


    Mother Hua didn¡¯t say anything at all about her lie. Jingjing greeted Miaomiao, ¡°Come eat some pickled cucumbers!¡±


    Miaomiao ensconced herself on the couch, and Jingjing asked, ¡°Where did you go this morning?¡±


    ¡°I went out for a walk.¡± It was better not to tell Jingjing, for she was far too playful and ebullient for her own good. If she found out, Miaomiao wouldn¡¯t hear the end of it. She would divulge this to the entire world.


    Miaomiao smoothly danced around the subject, ¡°I wanted to go find you, but I stumbled upon an event along the way, and I ended up going there to see it. Why did you come alone today?¡±


    Back then, Jingjing always came along with Deng Feng.


    ¡°Deng Feng is entering some competition. Deng Feng has changed a lot. He¡¯s going to participate in some audition or competition, but he made no mention of this to me at all. I found out from a girl from my class. Did you know about this?¡±


    Miaomiao was also incognizant of this.


    Seeing Miaomiao¡¯s expression, Jingjing got her answer. She became even more incensed that he kept such a big secret from her, ¡°We all grew up together. We kept no secrets from each other. I even told you who my favorite teacher was in elementary school. Deng Feng has changed a lot!¡±


    After musing for a while, Miaomiao replied, ¡°He¡¯s a boy. He¡¯ll probably have a girlfriend someday. He¡¯s going to be something that he does with her. Although we¡¯re close friends for now, we won¡¯t remain close forever. Jingjing, Deng Feng will eventually get married, and then his wife will be the only person closest to him.¡±


    Jingjing sighed and nestled her head onto Miaomiao¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I wish that we could remain children forever. It¡¯ll be wonderful if we could go to school together, play with each other after school, do homework together¡­¡±


    Miaomiao ruffled her hair, ¡°We can¡¯t stay little kids forever.¡±


    ¡°Then, how are we going to remain best friends? How about this? Secondary to our parents, we¡¯ll remain best friends forever, okay?¡± Jingjing insistently asked.


    Miaomiao nodded, but her attention still swirled on something else, ¡°What competition is Deng Feng partaking in?¡±


    Since Deng Feng was an athletic student, she guessed that his competition was also related to sports.


    Jingjing responded, ¡°He¡¯s participating in the selection competition for China¡¯s Good Voice. I heard that the winner can also release a single and sign with an entertainment company.¡±


    Miaomiao had never heard Deng Feng sing since her childhood, so she didn¡¯t know whether this competition was suitable for him.


    During the evening, Miaomiao asked Deng Feng about this as well as his decision to not inform them about it.


    Deng Feng responded quickly, ¡°Because I will stammer when I introduce myself on stage. A lot of people will mock me, laugh at me. I don¡¯t want her to see me like that.¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± She inexplicably felt a sense of heartbreak.


    She mused over it and realized that she also wouldn¡¯t want Zhou Yuan to see her being laughed at if she were put in a similar situation.


    ¡°Miaomiao, could you aid me when the time comes? There will be a live voting session; I¡¯m afraid no one will vote for me¡­¡± Deng Feng said, his confidence fleeing from him.


    Miaomiao was certainly willing to go.


    But she wasn¡¯t sure if Jingjing would also go; Jingjing already knew about it, but it didn¡¯t mean that she would be in attendance.


    Suddenly, Miaomiao realized that there was a difficult quandary. Deng Feng had no idea that Jingjing found out. She couldn¡¯t just ask Jingjing not to go see him compete. Deng Feng didn¡¯t want her to be in attendance, but Miaomiao couldn¡¯t persuade him to change his mind either.

 CH 103

    Deng Feng never sang in public and for a very one simple reason. He didn¡¯t want to be seen as an oddball, and he didn¡¯t want to hear comments like, ¡®Ah, you stammer, but you don¡¯t stammer when you sing. When you talk with people, you should just sing instead.¡¯


    That was why he refused to sing in front of people, but his participation in the competition also led to an unlucky situation. A boy in their class found out that Deng Feng was going to partake in the competition. Since this boy had a big mouth, he told another person, and soon everyone in his class knew that Deng Feng was going to take part in a singing competition for the girl he liked.


    When this rumor had reached Zhou Yuan¡¯s ears, it had metastasized and changed from him partaking in a singing competition to him trying to impress Hua Miaomiao.


    He¡¯s going to the competition for Hua Miaomiao.


    He harked carefully to the discussion of the two boys in the back row, and panic began to grip Zhou Yuan¡¯s heart.


    His experience told Zhou Yuan that he needed to be prepared for anything and not to precipitate or rush anything.


    He was, for the most part, a very calm person, except when he was younger where he was fraught with panic. But now, panic once again swept over Zhou Yuan.


    Zhou Yuan inferred that Deng Feng was Hua Miaomiao¡¯s old flame, her old spark, her first love, but they had broken up and were no longer together. But Deng Feng wasn¡¯t able to just give up on her, for it was nigh-impossible for one to just simply forget their first love.


    Miaomiao would be extremely impressed if Deng Feng really participated in the competition for her.


    The more he brooded over it, the more uncomfortable he felt. When Miaomiao came into the room, she edged towards him and noticed his frowning face. She asked with the utmost solemnity, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Zhou Yuan wheeled around to look at Miaomiao, ¡°Are you going to watch Deng Feng¡¯s performance at the competition?¡±


    ¡°How did you find out about this?¡± Miaomiao was slightly surprised.


    Zhou Yuan withdrew his gaze, looked at the table, and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to the competition too.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to take part in the competition? Why?¡± Miaomiao asked, surprised.


    Miaomiao had heard Zhou Yuan sing before. Even though Miaomiao never heard about his shortcomings, Zhou Yuan only had average singing skills. She wondered why he wanted to partake in the competition.


    But Miaomiao couldn¡¯t find it in her heart to tell him that his singing ability was very average. Despite that, he still wanted to participate in the competition. Miaomiao decided to ask him in a very tactful way.


    Zhou Yuan glanced back at her and said, ¡°I just want to see how far I could go.¡±


    He chose to do this at the spur of the moment.


    I¡¯ll regret it soon if I don¡¯t fight for something now. I should at least fight like a real man for once.


    Miaomiao mused for a while before replying, ¡°It¡¯s very fun. Go for it!¡±


    Within her heart, she was hoping that he wouldn¡¯t ask her to vote for him¡­


    However, the more one dreaded something, the more likely it was going to come true.


    ¡°When the time comes, would you vote for me? I might not get any votes,¡± Zhou Yuan¡¯s gaze met her eyes as he asked this.


    Zhou Yuan¡¯s words were far too modest for his own good. With his handsome appearance, his height, and his body, everyone in the audience would vote for him as long as he doesn¡¯t open his mouth to sing.


    Zhou Yuan stared at Miaomiao, his eyes conveying his obdurate attitude¡­


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­Well. There will definitely be a lot of people who will vote for you.¡±


    The competition had both professional judges, and the public was also allowed to vote, so even if the professional judges didn¡¯t like Zhou Yuan¡¯s singing, the young, teenage girls in the audience would still vote for him against their better judgment.


    Zhou Yuan digested her words, and his heart turned as cold as ice.


    She¡¯s going to vote for Deng Feng¡­


    Miaomiao felt helpless. Deng Feng told her about his quandary first, and she agreed to aid him.


    She couldn¡¯t just break a promise with one of her friends for her love¡­


    Miaomiao endured Zhou Yuan¡¯s gaze. She recited in her heart, ¡®Don¡¯t look at him. Don¡¯t look at him. Don¡¯t allow his words to move you. You cannot ignore your friends for love. You agreed to help Deng Feng first...¡¯


    Miaomiao responded to Zhou Yuan, ¡°Well¡­you should get the girl you like to vote for you.¡±


    Zhou Yuan was a little aggrieved and replied, ¡°It¡¯s useless. Even if she went to this event, she¡¯s going to vote for someone else.¡±


    Zhou Yuan spoke as his eyes remained fixed on her. Miaomiao sensed that his uneasy words were directed at her¡­


    She hurriedly averted her eyes and said, ¡°So, so ah¡­¡±


    She stammered and couldn¡¯t speak about it any longer¡­


    Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t want to pressure her, so he handed her a bottle of yogurt and said, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Miaomiao was too abashed to drink it, for she felt a trace of guilt within her heart.


    However, it would be unusual not to drink it since it appeared as if their relationship was beginning to become strained. It could no longer remain as good as in the past.


    During the days following their conversation, the two still sat at the same table, but there was an almost tangible aura of awkwardness between them.


    Although their relationship had become more subtly awkward, no one seemed to notice.


    Outsiders were unable to pick up this sort of subtle awkwardness. Everyone¡¯s attention circled around something else anyways.


    Everyone wanted to see Deng Feng singing at the competition. Deng Feng stuttered when he spoke; everyone knew this, but not many knew that his stutters vanished when he sang. As a result, everyone wanted to see if he would stammer when he sang.


    The day of the competition arrived, and it was already summer vacation; therefore, many students from their school went to watch the competition.


    They arrived to witness the competition; then, they found out that Zhou Yuan was also a participant in the competition.


    Zhou Yuan was also participating in the competition¡­


    Everyone had a very good impression of Zhou Yuan; he was handsome, and he had an amiable personality. He was even revered as being a college god of sorts, so they subconsciously thought that his performance would be out of this world if he was going to compete.


    The audition was held, but it wasn¡¯t open to the public; therefore, Miaomiao and the others couldn¡¯t witness their performance.


    But both Zhou Yuan and Deng Feng passed their respective performances.


    However, the venue was open for the next round, so everyone was allowed in to watch their performances.


    Since everyone at school knew about this competition, Miaomiao went to see this event with Jingjing. They have been friends since their childhood, so Jingjing had to come.


    Deng Feng didn¡¯t say anything when he saw her.


    Zhou Yuan was scheduled to perform before Deng Feng. It was almost as if he were there to judge the competition instead of partaking in it.


    When Miaomiao saw him, she envied him. He lacked any palpable aura of nervosity. If she were up on stage, she would be extremely nervous¡­but nervousness could be seen as both a strength and a weakness.


    When Zhou Yuan took the stage, Miaomiao heard a girl in front of her shout, ¡°This boy is so handsome! I¡¯m going to vote for him!¡±


    Like she had said, he didn¡¯t need to be concerned about not getting any votes.


    Bonus Chapter Challenge 4 (completed)

 CH 104

    Miaomiao didn¡¯t doubt Zhou Yuan, but she had already heard him sing before and knew his capabilities.


    As a result, Miaomiao was surprised when he started to sing. He was singing Eason Chan¡¯s ¡®Ten Years¡¯ with a soft, crooning voice.


    It was unusually sad.


    She stared at the boy on stage. She originally deduced that he would like the song he sang last time, ¡°Chasing Dreams and Red Hearts.¡± She believed that this song befitted him better.


    A wave of astonishment swept over her due to him choosing this song.


    At this moment, Jingjing pulled on Miaomiao¡¯s arm.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Miaomiao whispered.


    Jingjing¡¯s voice was laced with a tincture of panic as she said, ¡°What do I do? I just heard something¡­¡±


    Jingjing wasn¡¯t in good shape. Seeing her state, Miaomiao looked back at the stage with some reluctance. Since they were recording the show to broadcast it later, she decided to leave since she felt uncomfortable conversing there.


    She dragged Jingjing out and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Speak slowly. Don¡¯t worry about anything else.¡±


    Jingjing elucidated, ¡°I heard¡­I heard¡­Deng Feng¡­he¡¯s going to sing a song as a confession to me.¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± You should have some cognizance of his affection for you. You¡¯re just lying to yourself if you can¡¯t even sense it at this point.


    Miaomiao was barred from telling Jingjing about Deng Feng¡¯s feelings at his behest. Deng Feng was already in a bad mood due to this situation; therefore, this trio of friends acted awkwardly with each other for quite some time.


    ¡°It¡¯s good you know about this now. You have two options. You can either tell him that you like him, or you could tell him that you don¡¯t like him. You don¡¯t have to do it right now, of course.¡± Miaomiao mused.


    This unsettled Jingjing and she rebutted, ¡°But there¡¯s a problem. I don¡¯t know if I like him or not. I¡¯ve always treated him like my little brother.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s try a different approach. Let¡¯s say that you rejected him, and then he falls in love with another girl in the future and confesses to her. Are you going to regret not accepting his confession today?¡±


    ¡°I still am uncertain¡­¡± Jingjing pressed her temple, ¡°Miaomiao. Put yourself in my shoes. Would you say yes if Zhou Yuan confesses to you?¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­¡± Miaomiao suddenly realized that she had admitted her feelings. Afterwards, she realized that he liked someone else, which would incur Jingjing¡¯s intervention in the matter, so she rephrased her sentence as, ¡°Of course not¡­¡±


    ¡°See. You do understand my feelings.¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± No, not really.


    Jingjing paced back and forth twice, and then she declared, ¡°Forget about it. I¡¯m going to mull over this slowly. I¡¯m going to head home first.¡±


    After she had finished speaking, she wheeled around on her heels to walk in the opposite direction.


    Miaomiao grabbed her, ¡°Jingjing. Don¡¯t you want to find out the song he¡¯s going to sing?¡±


    Jingjing said, the awkwardness evident in her voice, ¡°No. There¡¯s nothing to find out.¡±


    Miaomiao noted her attitude and thought Deng Feng still had a chance, so she dragged her back.


    When they entered the auditorium, Miaomiao discovered that a wave of ebullience washed over the audience. But the singer had changed.


    Miaomiao looked around but couldn¡¯t see Zhou Yuan.


    The next person up was Deng Feng.


    Deng Feng went on stage, and he stammered as he introduced himself, but his singing was very pleasant. He wrote the lyrics and arranged the music himself.


    The girl, who sat next to Miaomiao, said, ¡°Wow. Is he another handsome guy who¡¯s here to confess?¡±


    Miaomiao felt a little puzzled, ¡°Did someone else utter his confession before him?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The participant was very handsome.¡± The adjacent girl cooed to her, ¡°He sang very well, and he changed many of the lyrics in his choice of song. He sang the last few lines very well- ¡®It wasn¡¯t until I met you that I realized that if my tears wouldn¡¯t fall for you, then they would never flow for anyone else.''¡±


    The girl was still mulling over the boy¡¯s confession.


    Miaomiao felt a little stuffy.


    Then, Miaomiao heard the girl murmur, ¡°However, it appears that the girl, Hua Miaomiao, doesn¡¯t want to be with him.¡±


    Grabbing the girl¡¯s hand, Miaomiao asked, ¡°To whom did he confess?¡±


    ¡°Hua Miaomiao,¡± the girl sighed, ¡°That girl is too coldhearted.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t coldhearted. But now, her heart was throbbing with anticipation, and she couldn¡¯t sit still for even a second.


    Miaomiao took out her phone and texted Zhou Yuan, ¡°Where are you?¡±


    However, she received no reply.


    At this time, Deng Feng had already finished singing, and Miaomiao noticed Jingjing wiping her tears¡­


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    In the end, Jingjing decided to go on stage to hug Deng Feng.


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    Miaomiao called Zhou Yuan again. After a prolonged duration of silence, he finally picked up.


    Miaomiao asked Zhou Yuan with a cheerful and exuberant voice, ¡°Where are you? I want to see you. I want to talk to you.¡±


    Zhou Yuan remained silent for quite a long time before speaking, ¡°I¡¯m outside. I¡¯m near the stairs.¡±


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t care about the two people up on stage. She couldn¡¯t suppress the happy smile on her face, and she ran out quickly.


    She saw Zhou Yuan perched atop the stairs, looking at her with a smile.


    Some inexplicable feeling overwhelmed Miaomiao¡¯s heart, and she stopped with her sprint. She approached him and said abashedly, ¡°Well, you just¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, confessing on stage was part of my idea, but his confession was more innovative. Don¡¯t worry about it; you don¡¯t have to comfort me.¡± Zhou Yuan calmly mused. He had just learned that Deng Feng had succeeded in his confession, so he didn¡¯t want to hear her comfort him.


    Miaomiao was stunned. She felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on her, ¡°Huh?¡±


    Although she couldn¡¯t bear the ups and downs of her dilemma, she still had the determination to fight. She said with a sad tremble in her voice, ¡°I¡¯ll vote for you today, even if you didn¡¯t confess to me. Jingjing had already accepted Deng Feng¡¯s confession. I don¡¯t have to vote for him if he¡¯s already successful. Jingjing pulled me out of the show when you were performing. She wanted my advice to aid her with her relationship problems, which made me miss your performance¡­No¡­it¡¯s actually a good thing that I was pulled away, or we would¡¯ve been fraught with embarrassment.¡±


    Miaomiao turned on her heels and left after she had finished speaking. She left Zhou Yuan behind. Confusion clouded his thinking.


    Wait a minute. Who did Deng Feng confess to?


    Zhou Yuan immediately chased after her, ¡°What did you mean by¡­just now? I¡¯m confused. Didn¡¯t Deng Feng confess to you? Are you going to accept my confession?¡±


    Miaomiao was taken aback, ¡°Why would Deng Feng confess to me? He likes Jingjing from the start!¡±

 CH 105

    Miaomiao asked, ¡°Did you truly believe that Deng Feng was going to confess to me?¡±


    *The mountain was heavy and the water was doubtful, the willow was dark, and the flower was bright.


    This was probably what Zhou Yuan believed within his heart.


    At this exact moment, Miaomiao mouthed, ¡°I still have to thank them both; otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have accepted your confession. The misunderstanding would¡¯ve been too great.¡±


    Miaomiao was already cognizant of Zhou Yuan¡¯s misunderstanding. He now knew that his earlier conjectures and surmises were unproven and false, but she was the one who allowed him to go through such a turmoil. It was almost as if she had taken a dagger and stabbed him in the heart with it.


    Zhou Yuan was fraught with anxiety, ¡°I just¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. Talent shows are like this nowadays. The judges are currently engaged in a colloquy about the contestants. There¡¯s a chance for all of them to advance to the next stage. However, I¡¯m not going to be able to vote for you since I already had promised Deng Feng in advance.¡±


    Actually, the best way to display my anger and ire to the other party was to turn around and leave, but she couldn¡¯t just do that. That would be too heartless.


    As she continued speaking, Zhou Yuan stared at her, the obduracy apparent in his eyes. He felt some tincture of discomfort within the recesses of his heart.


    Zhou Yuan lowered his head and approached Miaomiao. He edged closer and closer, staring at her face.


    He just scrutinized her closely and said and did nothing.


    She felt uncomfortable under his obdurate gaze; she finally spoke up, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m peering at my future girlfriend,¡± Zhou Yuan replied naturally.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. You already have some childhood sweetheart you like, and you never told me your progress with her.¡±


    ¡°Silly. The sweetheart is you.¡± Zhou Yuan said, anger lacing his voice, ¡°Weren¡¯t you there. You did hear me sing the lines ¡®It wasn¡¯t until I met you that I realized that if my tears wouldn¡¯t fall for you, then they would never flow for anyone else¡¯, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    The corners of Miaomiao¡¯s lips kept rising up, but her eyes were focused elsewhere. She muttered, ¡°Sing it for me again.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t sing it again. I already confessed in front of everyone in the audience, and yet the heroine herself didn¡¯t even come watch me sing. It hurts me face** too much; therefore, I won¡¯t sing anymore.¡±


    Although he said that with the utmost obstinacy, his eyes shone with a certain brightness, which rivalled the stars shimmering in the firmament at night, and his tone was lighter than ever before, almost as if his voice could soar in the air.


    It no longer surprised Miaomiao when Zhou Yuan strived to flaunt his big, boyish attitude in front of her. She said, ¡°Sing, sing! I didn¡¯t even listen to the song! I also had a hard time. I thought you liked some amazing girl at your job or something.¡±


    ¡°Wait. I hurled three hints at you, but you still didn¡¯t get them?¡± Zhou Yuan asked.


    ¡°People do say that when you¡¯re in love with someone, you often hallucinate and daydream and they¡¯re in love with you also.¡± Miaomiao mused. ¡°I thought it was merely a figment of my imagination¡­¡±


    Naturally, Zhou Yuan understood the underlying meaning behind that phrase. As he walked next to Miaomiao, a tinge of rubescent scarlet dyed the tips of his ears, indicating his abashment. The two didn¡¯t care about the competition anymore. They only cared about each other, and the air between them was sweet and cheesy.


    ¡°So. Are we together now?¡± Zhou Yuan wondered.


    Miaomiao remained silent, but she held his hand.


    At this moment, they heard Jingjing¡¯s voice coming from behind, ¡°Miaomiao! Wait for me!¡±


    Almost like a cat stepping on its own tail, Miaomiao let go of Zhou Yuan¡¯s hand and stepped back, which left Zhou Yuan dumbfounded.


    Jingjing pulled Deng Feng over and quickly edged towards them, ¡°Why don¡¯t you wait for me if you¡¯re heading back home? By the way, I¡¯m with Deng Feng now!¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    Next to her, Zhou Yuan spoke with an aggrieved tone of voice, ¡°Congratulations.¡±


    He pulled out his mobile phone and sent a message to Miaomiao. She stood by his side; her heart twinged with guilt, ¡°Aren¡¯t you devouring and spewing out nonsense too quickly?¡±


    Urgently, Miaomiao replied, ¡°Zhouzhou, big brother Zhou. When we were outside the venue, Jingjing asked me if you confessed to me. I¡¯m too embarrassed to say yes, so I instantly replied no. I don¡¯t want to change our relationship status too quickly.¡±


    Zhou Yuan raised his head to look at Miaomiao. Then, he sneered. He lowered his head again to type and send a message.


    ¡°So, you were actually coaxing me when you said that you were accepting my confession? That¡¯s fake love, nothing more than a veneer of affection!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t blame you for thinking that. At the time, you said that you had a sweetheart. If I were to announce anything to Jingjing, based on her overenthusiastic temper¡­well, I dare not think of the consequences. When we¡¯re together, we need to slow down; we can¡¯t be too conspicuous and eye-catching. Besides, I¡¯m still the class president, so I can¡¯t take the lead¡­I must remain out of the prying eyes of the public.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­I understand. You don¡¯t want to tell anyone that I¡¯m your boyfriend¡­¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°Be nice. Don¡¯t cause any unreasonable trouble. This isn¡¯t the time. I am the class president. I¡¯m shackled by this position. Even if I fall in love with someone, I will deny it to the end and state that I don¡¯t like anyone. We¡¯ll soon graduate from high school anyway.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°But I already mentioned your name when I confessed today. I think everyone from our class should know about it.¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°I forgot about that. At that moment, Jingjing pulled me outside.¡±


    Jingjing suddenly asked, ¡°Miaomiao, Zhou Yuan. Why are you two on your phones?¡±


    Deng Feng pulled her to the side and whispered something into her ear.


    Amazement swept over Jingjing as she stared at the two people in front of her, the odd atmosphere apparent between them. She thought that Zhou Yuan¡¯s confession was a failure, so the air between them was so odd now.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Miaomiao answered as she sheathed the phone back into her pocket.


    ¡°By the way, you two are too conspicuous this time. Don¡¯t go around causing trouble. If somebody reports you at school, the school will definitely call your parents over for a meeting,¡± Miaomiao said.


    Jingjing wasn¡¯t afraid at all, ¡°If they asked us to bring our parents, we¡¯ll definitely bring them. My mother has a good relationship with Deng Feng¡¯s mother.¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± Is she trying to convey her affection?


    She sneaked a glance at Zhou Yuan who wasn¡¯t far away. She saw him peering at her.


    An erubescent tinge of red suddenly appeared on Miaomiao¡¯s face as she averted her gaze.


    The night enfolded them, and they had to travel home. Luckily, the metro was still operational, so the four of them decided to take the metro back home.


    Along their trek, both Miaomiao and Zhou Yuan constantly looked at each other as they made their way to the metro station.


    When the metro arrived, all of them entered the train. But Zhou Yuan suddenly said, ¡°I forgot something. I have to head back. Class president, would you accompany me?¡±


    Then, he pulled Miaomiao out of the train.


    *¡±The mountain is heavy and the water is doubtful, the willow is dark and the flower is bright¡± appears in the composition of poet Lu You of the Song Dynasty, ¡°Tour of Shanxi Village¡±. It is a metaphor that when you encounter a problem if one solution does not work, you can try an alternative and find the solution.


    **Hurt my face ¨C embarrassed

 CH 106

    Miaomiao was pulled out of the train by Zhou Yuan. The strange atmosphere between the two of them returned. Just a moment ago, they were indubitably talking and joking with each other via text messages.


    Now that they were alone, they were fraught with embarrassment once again.


    Zhou Yuan asked, ¡°Would you like to drink some water? There¡¯s a vending machine over there; I¡¯ll buy you a bottle.¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t the only one who lacked experience with love. She wasn¡¯t the only one who didn¡¯t know what to do when you¡¯re alone with your lover.


    Miaomiao followed alongside Zhou Yuan, ¡°We just made a deal, didn¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Then, could I become your boyfriend who lurks in the shadows? Kind of like an underground boyfriend I guess,¡± Zhou Yuan mused as he turned his head back to look at her.


    Miaomiao tried to wheedle him away from the idea, ¡°We¡¯re high school students now. We should focus on studying, and¡­I¡¯m the class president. The school forbids any sort of love¡­you know this. We must be prudent and judicious about this. If I go ahead and fall in love, the school will definitely call my parents and invite them for a meeting. Everyone would find out, which wouldn¡¯t be good.¡±


    Zhou Yuan looked at her seriously. The gentleness of his eyes was too much for Miaomiao, so she averted her gaze, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that.¡±


    Zhou Yuan replied, ¡°How can I not look at you when you speak?¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°Let¡¯s walk and look at the road while we converse.¡±


    People were coming and going, rushing towards different destinations. They both threaded their way through the crowd.


    They didn¡¯t know whose hand touched the other person¡¯s hand first, but the hands of the two quickly interlocked.


    Neither one of them spoke, but both of their faces were wreathed in identical smiles.


    In reality, Zhou Yuan didn¡¯t forget anything at all. He merely just wanted to find an excuse to be alone.


    They naturally desired to be alone. They had just begun a relationship, and although Zhou Yuan displayed some maturity, he was still, at the end of the day, a teenage boy with his lover.


    He had no idea what to do next. He had never gone through anything like this before. Even in the worst-case scenarios, he had an idea of what to do, but this situation was too unpredictable for him.


    He didn¡¯t know that this tender moment was slowly etching itself into his heart so that he would recollect it forever. A wave of emotion surged through him, which made him understand why love had been celebrated since ancient times. The feeling was just so wonderful.


    It was a very insatiable feeling.


    Miaomiao wasn¡¯t pondering too much about him, as she was thinking about holding Zhou Yuan¡¯s hand. Her heart only thought of one thing. She wanted to travel back to time to listen to that one confession song that he had sung. She wondered if she could find it online somewhere.


    Miaomiao initially deduced that his performance was going to be hard to find, but¡­good-looking people were scarce, and good-looking boys were even rarer.


    As a result, a recording of Zhou Yuan¡¯s singing performance filled the top search results, and Miaomiao¡¯s hands trembled when she clicked on it.


    She missed the live version; therefore, she had to watch the recording, but she still felt her heart racing.


    In the video, there were many noises from the audience because this wasn¡¯t an official recording but one taken by a spectator.


    At the end of the video, Miaomiao saw that he was shocked that she wasn¡¯t present for his performance; then, he left the stage in sadness and despair, for she wasn¡¯t present at that time. She realized this, and guilt overwhelmed her heart.


    Miaomiao was lying on the bed and could not resist the urge to text Zhou Yuan.


    ¡°Are you asleep?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. I can¡¯t sleep.¡±


    Since he wasn¡¯t asleep, Miaomiao decided to cease texting and call him instead.


    There was a beeping sound, and then the call was connected. She heard his pleasant voice streaming out of the phone. He merely said, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    He clearly only said a single word, but he said it with a deep voice.


    Miaomiao¡¯s face turned red all of a sudden, ¡°I just listened to the song you sang.¡±


    ¡°Does it sound good?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say this. I like you; I certainly won¡¯t make you cry in the future,¡± Miaomiao said very carefully.


    There was a line at the end of the song, which stated, ¡°¡¯It wasn¡¯t until I met you that I realized that if my tears wouldn¡¯t fall for you, then they would never flow for anyone else.¡¯¡±


    Miaomiao thought that she would shed tears much more easily. In the past, she would break out in tears over every little thing, but she was much better at controlling her tears now. As a child, every word she said would have led to rills of tears spilling out of her eyes. But now, she felt the urge to cry.


    They met ten years ago. No one would¡¯ve ever imagined that they would be back together ten years later.


    For a long time, the name ¡®Zhou Yuan¡¯ had disappeared from her life.


    Miaomiao listened to Zhou Yuan on the other side of the phone. Listening to his soothing voice, she remembered how he made no mention that he had confessed on stage by himself and had to leave the scene despondent and forlorn¡­


    Suddenly, Miaomiao couldn¡¯t suppress her own tears, for her thoughts still focused on Zhou Yuan vanishing from her life completely. She found out but did nothing to stop him from leaving.


    Mother Hua usually laughed away Miaomiao¡¯s questions about her childhood. She usually said that she was just busy at school. This explanation was different from their reality.


    Miaomiao suddenly realized the importance of Zhou Yuan¡¯s influence on her life from elementary school to high school¡­


    She believed that she had forgotten about her tablemate, but within the recesses of her mind, she had always regarded him as her role model. She had always been learning from him.


    On the other end of the phone, Zhou Yuan felt her voice had sounded strange, ¡°Are you crying?¡±


    Although he used a questioning tone, he soon got his answer.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked again anxiously.


    ¡°Nothing. I just remembered something from the past. I suddenly realized that I had been working very hard just like you did. I now know that you were my role model when I was a kid.¡± Miaomiao said, wiping her tears.


    She wasn¡¯t sad, but it was actually a kind of inexpressible shock.


    ¡°¡­¡± He didn¡¯t understand.


    However, Zhou Yuan was relieved to learn that she wasn¡¯t sad.


    ¡°From role model to your boyfriend, but you¡¯re not willing to give me the position of being your boyfriend yet. Are you sure I¡¯m your role model?¡± Zhou Yuan said with a smile.


    This conversation reconstituted the air between the two.


    The following morning, Miaomiao received a deluge of text messages, which were asking about Zhou Yuan. After all, Zhou Yuan literally mentioned her name on stage.


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± Zhou Yuan really didn¡¯t consider giving her a way out of this predicament, did he?


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°I never considered that. It was at the spur of the moment.¡±

 CH 107

    Zhou Yuan did not think through this problem at all. It was because he was completely focused on one thing that he couldn¡¯t pay attention to anything else.


    He assumed that if Miaomiao rejected him, which would lead to him falling in love with someone else, then she would become upset. But he couldn¡¯t picture, at all, that he could be with someone else if he wasn¡¯t with Miaomiao.


    This half-baked explanation as well as his lack of sagacity and prudence had given Miaomiao a headache the next day.


    When she trekked out of her room, she noticed her mother. She froze on the spot as if she was being rooted to the ground because she realized that she too would be watching the video. She would eventually find out about Zhou Yuan¡¯s confession.


    She came home late last night. Mother Hua and Father Hua weren¡¯t surfing the Internet at the time, but they would eventually go online later. They might be nescient of the news for now.


    Miaomiao was fraught with uncertainty since she had no idea how her parents would react to the news. She was still in her third year of high school¡­


    Father Hua was fiddling with his phone, so he didn¡¯t notice that she had got up. He didn¡¯t wear a good expression on his face. Miaomiao had never seen him look so angry and aggrieved. She gulped nervously and thought, ¡®It¡¯s over. Dad must be watching the video.¡®


    Mother Hua was cooking in the kitchen.


    Miaomiao furtively skulked into the kitchen and chirruped, ¡°Mom. I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    Because of her guilty conscience, Miaomiao asked, ¡°What are we going to have this morning?¡±


    She asked as Mother Hua was washing the vegetables.


    ¡°Porridge and stir-fried vegetables. Why are you up so early today? Who won at yesterday¡¯s competition?¡± Mother Hua was originally hoping to watch the children¡¯s singing competition yesterday, but she busied herself with something else; therefore, she couldn¡¯t go.


    Mother Hua¡¯s back faced Miaomiao as she said this, making Miaomiao feel something was amiss.


    ¡°Mom. Did you catch a cold? Why is your voice hoarse?¡± Miaomiao questioned.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a cold. I¡¯ll take some medicine later.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll fetch it for you,¡± Miaomiao chirruped. She then went to the first aid box to get the medicine.


    Mother Hua took the cold medicine and peered at her daughter, who was almost as tall as she was. From her viewpoint, the timid little girl who followed behind her yesterday was now an excellent, independent girl today¡­


    If she found out about her own past¡­what would she do?


    When Mother Hua thought of this, she shook her head and decided not to tell Miaomiao about her past.


    During breakfast, Miaomiao felt a tincture of guilt, but she did not realize the oddity of her parents¡¯ behavior today.


    After their breakfast, Miaomiao was busy studying at home, whereas Mother Hua and Father Hua went outside for business. Neither of them mentioned anything about what happened last night. It appeared they hadn¡¯t seen the video yet.


    Miaomiao engrossed herself in her homework. Then, all of a sudden, she received a message from Jingjing, ¡°Miaomiao, Miaomiao. I forgot to ask you yesterday. Did Zhou Yuan confess to you?¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    It was these two people that caused her to miss the live performance.


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Jingjing: ¡°Fortunately, I pulled you out; otherwise, you would have been embarrassed on the spot. Like you said, you probably didn¡¯t like him, and you would have rejected his confession.¡±


    Miaomiao couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°But you also treated Deng Feng like a brother.¡±


    Jingjing: ¡°Miaomiao. The way you¡¯re saying it makes it sound like it¡¯s a reference to something. Does that mean that both of you are now a couple? Does that mean that you accepted his confession?¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± Forget it; it¡¯s nearly impossible to keep anything secret from Jingjing.


    Jingjing sent over another message, ¡°Actually¡­I regretted it now¡­I don¡¯t know how to get along with him¡­¡±


    ¡°You liked so many people; do you really have no experience with this?¡± Miaomiao asked Jingjing.


    ¡°No one got this far.¡± Jingjing, too, was helpless.


    Similarly, Miaomiao didn¡¯t know how to get along with Zhou Yuan now. She wanted to send him a text message and hark to his voice. It would be fine to have a normal conversation with him, but she did not regret her choice.


    Miaomiao clutched onto her phone after her chat with Jingjing had ended. She wanted to send a message to Zhou Yuan. But Miaomiao was under the impression that Zhou Yuan had no desire for clingy girls since he was a very independent person; therefore, she believed that she should give him some more space to be himself.


    Miaomiao decided to watch some videos in an attempt to distract herself.


    She watched some funny videos. The algorithm automatically recommended more videos, so she decided to watch a video about the dreams of children. Miaomiao enjoyed this video because it showcased children with different families from different places. Although their economic circumstances varied, they still had some beautiful dreams.


    She saw a good-looking boy who said shyly, ¡°My dream is to find my sister.¡±


    Furthermore, the young boy¡¯s voice was also very pleasant. His eyes were limpid and bright, almost as if they reflected the sun¡¯s lucent rays. He expounded that his sister was born before him, but she had later gone missing. His parents missed his sister dearly, and they wanted to locate her whereabouts so that they could reunite as a family again.


    Miaomiao thought this kid was very cute, so she couldn¡¯t help but leave a comment. As she was typing out her comment, she noticed a comment at the top of the comment area, ¡°At first, I was under the impression that his sister went missing, but that wasn¡¯t the case. His parents were the same stupid parents who had abused their daughter. She was in such a terrible condition that they had to send her to an intensive care unit. They were sentenced to only three years in prison.¡±


    The number of replies under this comment was manifold.


    ¡°I heard about that case as well. I don¡¯t believe that there would be parents who are cruel enough to harm their children in that way. Maybe there¡¯s more to the story than that.¡±


    ¡°I agree. I don¡¯t think any parent would do that. I also checked the verdict. The case was surrounded by doubts.¡±


    ¡°What do you people know? This case was all the buzz back then. When I was in high school back then, our teacher also talked about it. Since then, there have been many incidents of child abuse. We didn¡¯t even dare to go online back then since this frightened us.¡±


    ¡°Please refresh your memory if you doubt the case. Take another look at it. It created such a buzz back then. On one hand, the child was far too pitiful, but on the other hand, the sentence was too light.¡±


    Miaomiao took a look at the case. She had already read up on this case before, and it turned out that they were discussing it. She no longer wanted to leave a comment, but she decided to go back and watch the video carefully, soaking in every detail. The video confirmed that the child had never been abused before, so she decided to turn it off.


    She thought that it was just some minor incident, but it didn¡¯t take long for the news to break that the procedures concerning her adoption were illegal at the time, because her parents were sentenced. Her grandmother became the child¡¯s legal guardian. Apparently, the parents¡¯ egregious work schedule had placed a lot of pressure on them, and their child cried all the time, so they couldn¡¯t help but silence her in some way. They said that they regret it now, and they hoped to make amends.


    When Miaomiao saw the news, she felt the police, the prosecutors, and the judges were being treated like idiots¡­


    Miaomiao wondered what the family wanted.


    It had been seven or years since their release from prison. Why are they causing such a fuss now?


    Her phone suddenly sounded; it was Zhou Yuan calling her.


    The call connected, and Miaomiao heard his voice resounding out of the phone, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Watching some news.¡± Then Miaomiao asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Zhou Yuan was also watching the news. He wasn¡¯t sure whether or not Miaomiao still remembered what had transpired when she was a little child. He was hoping that she had no recollection of it.


    Miaomiao continued, ¡°This is strange news. They¡¯re saying that they are looking for their missing daughter¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan¡¯s heart almost leapt out of his chest.


    She¡¯s actually watching the news¡­


    Fortunately, Miaomiao spoke a little bit more, and Zhou Yuan realized that she didn¡¯t know anything, so this allayed his concerns.


    After Miaomiao and Zhou Yuan had finished their conversation, they scrolled down and found out that the child had been adopted by an attending physician at the time because he and his wife had no children of their own. After the physician quit his job, he worked in his daughter¡¯s school and became the school doctor, but the news made no mention of where they went afterward.


    Miaomiao¡¯s hand was struck by a certain numbness as her phone slipped out of her grasp.


    No. Some bad people abducted me when I was a child. They inflicted those injuries on me¡­


    No, I was abducted by some bad guys.


    She tried to calm herself down.


    I¡¯m pretty sure my mother is my own¡­


    It must be a coincidence.


    Confusion had somewhat clouded Miaomiao¡¯s thinking as if she had remembered something¡­she used to call her mother ¡®aunt¡¯ when she was a child.


    Miaomiao recalled the odd behavior that his parents had displayed when they left this morning.


    Take a deep breath. Don¡¯t panic. It must be a coincidence; it must be a coincidence.


    She was lying on the bed, and the more she thought about it, the more her body felt a fit of discomfort.


    Zhou Yuan attempted to call her two more times, but her heart was in a messy state. She was scared.


    Consternation, panic, and dread had engulfed her. It was the first time in years that she felt this frightened.


    Miaomiao was still on her bed, and she tried to dredge up the truth from her memories.


    Her earliest memory was of her mother. When she was a child, she noticed that a warm, refulgent light enveloped her mother¡­


    Mother was very tall. She squatted down and wiped my hands. Her eyes were gentle and warm¡­


    ¡°Miaomiao smells good today¡­¡±


    Nearby, Father Hua commented, ¡°Hurry up; otherwise, we¡¯ll be late.¡±


    Mother Hua cooked for her; Mother Hua accompanied her to school; Mother Hua came to pick her up every afternoon; An aura of happiness had emanated from her mother when she graduated from elementary school; she was, in fact, happier than Miaomiao during that moment¡­


    Mother Hua cried when she made an error with Jingjing. Her father always comforted her afterwards¡­


    Her mother couldn¡¯t sleep all night and kept gazing at her after her daughter had surgery, as she was afraid she would touch the gauze¡­


    As if everything was flashing before her eyes, her childhood recollections began coming back to her. She began to recall everything.


    Miaomiao¡¯s eyes brimmed with tears. She wasn¡¯t fluster; instead, she felt as if she was soaking in a warm but wistful ocean¡­


    This feeling felt somehow familiar to her. This memory seemed to travel through time and space, finally returning into her mind.


    ¡°She must¡­lost her way, so when she was reincarnated, she tried to find the wrong mother, and her mother brought her back,¡± said a little boy, his voice tinged with earnestness.


    After wiping away her tears, Miaomiao called Zhou Yuan.


    At first, trepidation and disquietude had engulfed Zhou Yuan, but once he received her call, he felt relieved, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I had forgotten all of that. All the scars on my body are gone now, so I¡¯m fine.¡±


    The question wasn¡¯t whether she was okay or not, but rather what these two people wanted to do now.


    The moment Zhou Yuan heard her response, the realization that she had remembered everything struck him, ¡°Are you home? I¡¯m in your neighborhood.¡±


    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll come down to look for you.¡± Miaomiao responded as she wiped her tears. She changed her jacket and hurried out the door.


    Both mom and dad went out today. It must have something to do with this issue.


    Mother Hua and Father Hua certainly did not want Miaomiao to find out, but she did not want them to suffer.


    As she went downstairs, she spotted Zhou Yuan running towards her, ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine; I¡¯m fine; I¡¯m still able to deal with this issue.¡± Her mother, father, grandmother and grand-mother had already showered her with enough familial affection¡­


    They knew about this too, but they had no problem accepting her as their own daughter, as their own granddaughter, as their own great-granddaughter¡­


    Zhou Yuan noticed the reddish tinge within her eyes. She was only crying, but she wasn¡¯t depressed.


    Miaomiao burbled, ¡°I want to know what that family is doing right now¡­¡±


    Miaomiao mulled over many possibilities, including one where someone was egregiously sick and required an organ transplant. Or maybe they just wanted money.


    She couldn¡¯t be blamed for having such deductions and inferences about them. After all, they had never sought her out all these years. But now, they decided to appear out of nowhere to kick up such a fuss. Of course, she mulled over why they were doing this now.


    Therefore, it was best to prepare for the worst.


    Zhou Yuan cooed, ¡°What are you planning to do? Whatever you choose, I¡¯ll support you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also thinking about my next course of action,¡± Miaomiao replied, taking Zhou Yuan¡¯s hand.


    She didn¡¯t want her parents to find out that she already knew about this¡­


    They sat on a bench outside, and Zhou Yuan was checking his phone for quite a long time.


    Miaomiao propped up her chin with her hands.


    ¡°I found their address.¡±


    Miaomiao lifted her head when she processed his words, ¡°You found it?¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡± Zhou Yuan was still a little trepidatious, ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°We have to resolve this.¡±


    Mom¡¯s eyes were red this morning. She seemed so upset.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Zhou Yuan said.


    Miaomiao nodded in assent. Within her heart, she thought that if the other party had a sickly family member, then she was still willing to take a loss and solve this problem. But if they desired money, then it would be a headache to solve¡­


    When they arrived at the address, Miaomiao found out that the couple had opened a supermarket.


    Miaomiao walked over, and the clerk told her that the owner was out for today.


    Miaomiao asked the clerk what was the matter, and the clerk replied, ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    They had no choice but to turn around. Since the other party wasn¡¯t there, they decided to head home.


    When they returned to their neighborhood, Miaomiao spotted her parents conversing with a woman at the gate.


    Miaomiao stood there, taking in the scene from a distance. She espied her mother and noticed that she was suppressing her indignation and ire. For the duration of this conversation, it was Father Hua who spoke with this woman. Mother Hua only chimed in from time to time.


    At first, Miaomiao didn¡¯t want to tell her parents that she already had some cognizance of this matter, for she feared worrying them. Now, she didn¡¯t care anymore. She declared to Zhou Yuan, ¡°You head back first. I have something to take care of over there¡­¡±


    Mom and Dad are over there. It¡¯s unbefitting for Zhou Yuan to head over there¡­


    Temporarily hidden Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Miaomiao strode over, ¡°Mom, Dad, you¡¯re back.¡±


    As Miaomiao approached, she noticed that the edges of Mother Hua¡¯s eye were red. Mother Hua glanced reflexively at the woman who was a little flustered at Miaomiao¡¯s arrival.


    Miaomiao trod over and said naturally, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m hungry¡­¡±


    At this point, the mysterious woman said, ¡°You¡­you¡¯re all grown up¡­¡±


    She had suffered during her three years of imprisonment. Due to her immurement, she calmed down and slowly began to reflect upon her actions. The child¡¯s grandmother said that after the child died, she began having many bad dreams.


    Miaomiao saw her teary-eyed, doleful appearance and suddenly recalled something¡­


    Miaomiao clutched her mother¡¯s hand nervously. At first, she didn¡¯t feel anything and didn¡¯t even recognize the women, but now she remembered a little bit of it. The woman wept and stuffed herself with food¡­


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t hurt you. Little Miaomiao, do you remember me?¡± the woman asked, sensing Miaomiao¡¯s fear and perturbation.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Mother Hua shrieked.


    Miaomiao closely scrutinized this woman¡¯s face, and then a fear-induced pallor began to whiten her own face.


    Then, she opened her mouth to speak, ¡°I remember you; you¡¯re the aunt who immured me in that cage back then. You refused to give me food, and you even waterboarded me and pushed my head in the water, never allowing me to lift my head out. Are you here to apologize?¡± In reality, she had no recollection of most of her torments. She just looked up some particulars about the incident online.


    When she digested Miaomiao¡¯s words, streams of tears began to flow out from the woman¡¯s teary eyes all at the same time. It didn¡¯t matter how much she had wanted to erase that memory. She could no longer deny it now since Miaomiao had listed the tortures inflicted on her body herself.


    Miaomiao¡¯s calm and collected demeanor had astounded Mother Hua and Father Hua.


    Miaomiao smiled awkwardly and continued, ¡°Auntie. Please don¡¯t cry. It makes me feel like I¡¯m bullying you. Didn¡¯t you come here to apologize?¡±


    The woman collapsed and uttered, ¡°I am your mother¡­¡±


    Miaomiao squeezed her mother¡¯s hand and uttered back, ¡°That¡¯s strange. Why do you believe so?¡±


    ¡°I gave birth to you.¡± The woman protested, ¡°I just wanted to see you. Mom was confused at the same. Later, your grandmother told me that they weren¡¯t able to rescue you, so I couldn¡¯t come to you straight away¡­¡±


    ¡°But you, my so-called mother, had never taken care of me at all. I would¡¯ve died. And so, even though you have given me life, and while it¡¯s true that you¡¯re my birth mother, you have, in a way, taken back your daughter¡¯s life.¡± A certain calmness radiated from Miaomiao; she never expected to be this calm in a situation such as this one.


    Seeing her, Miaomiao continued, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t cry, my dear. I think you should cherish your current life and live well. I feel nothing for you. Just like I had said, you may have given birth to your daughter, but you have slain her. That¡¯s all there is to it. Honestly, all children start their lives by looking at their mothers at a glance, and my starting point in life was also looking at my mother at a glance. You have already paid the price of hurting your own daughter, and I¡¯m living my own life now. You don¡¯t have to worry about taking advantage of me. Although I¡¯m speaking to you with this gentle voice, if you wish to go to court to settle this, we¡¯ll come along, but maybe you should start considering your youngest son¡¯s situation.¡±


    Since she took up the mantle of class president, Miaomiao had to deal with a multitude of problems. One such problem was this one, which the entire class discussed one time.


    After Miaomiao finished speaking, she held Father Hua¡¯s hand with one hand and Mother Hua with the other and traversed into the community.


    On the way back, Miaomiao couldn¡¯t help but tease her parents, so she mouthed, ¡°I¡¯ll be involved with this type of situation in the future. You two are really good for teasing.¡±


    Miaomiao said that to help lift the perturbing atmosphere surrounding them. Additionally, this matter directly involved her. Therefore, they were very careful about treading into dangerous waters.


    After that moment of astonishment had ebbed away, Mother Hua burst into tears, ¡°Miaomiao¡­¡±


    ¡°Mom. Don¡¯t you cry.¡± Miaomiao hugged her mother and cooed, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m very stupid. I was born in the wrong place.¡±


    Mother Hua wept even harder, and even Father Hua¡¯s eyes were beginning to fill with tears, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it when we get home. After all, everyone is in the community.¡±


    The family of three returned home. ¡°Stop crying. Stop crying,¡± Miaomiao wiped her mother¡¯s tears with a tissue.


    Mother Hua had a lot to say. She wanted to emphasize that she didn¡¯t intend to lie to Miaomiao when she was a child. She also wondered if Miaomiao felt perturbed¡­


    However, she saw that Miaomiao was wiping away her tears in earnest. She saw that she was trying to prod her up and act solemnly. She said, the solemnity apparent in her voice, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, for you have me. Stop crying.¡±


    Mother Hua didn¡¯t say a word. She understood that her daughter was still her daughter. This incident didn¡¯t affect their relationship in any way. In fact, Miaomiao wasn¡¯t even perturbed by it.


    Night came, and Miaomiao slept with Mother Hua. Miaomiao held onto Mother Hua¡¯s hand nervously and whispered, ¡°I¡¯m going to tell you a secret. Don¡¯t tell Dad.¡±


    Mother Hua brushed her head with her hand and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Miaomiao pulled out her phone and clicked on a video; the same video she had watched numerous times that she had saved in her playlist. Then, she pulled the quilt over their heads and hid under the quilt along with her mother.


    Originally, Mother Hua surmised that she was chasing stars, but as she watched it, she heard the boy¡¯s confession at the end¡­


    Astonished, Mother Hua turned her head, ¡°Miaomiao? Who is he? You didn¡¯t say yes, did you?¡±


    ¡°He is Zhou Yuan, my elementary school classmate. You shouldn¡¯t be angry with me because he sings too well. And the moonlight was so nice and effulgent on that day, and¡­and¡­¡±


    Mother Hua: ¡°He¡¯s Zhou Yuan? Wasn¡¯t he your childhood tablemate?¡­If it¡¯s him, then it¡¯s okay.¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°???¡±


    ¡°As long as he doesn¡¯t become a criminal, then it¡¯s okay. He¡¯s a good boy.¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°He¡¯s not a criminal; he¡¯s a good person.¡±


    Miaomiao held Mother Hua¡¯s hand, ¡°Mom. If you agree to this, then the school might call you for a conference next semester¡­¡±


    Mother Hua found her daughter cute and funny. Then, she ruffled her hair and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay to fall in love, but you have to protect yourself.¡±


    Miaomiao flushed, ¡°Understood¡­¡±

 CH 108

    The woman never appeared after that. Miaomiao was unsure whether or not her speech had any effect on the woman, but it was possible that, according to the woman herself at least, she didn¡¯t harbor any ill will or malevolent intent during their meeting, but Miaomiao didn¡¯t care.


    On the Internet, there were no new tidings on this case; therefore, any uproar or attention concerning this case had slowly faded away.


    Miaomiao¡¯s life at home hadn¡¯t changed much. It was the same as before.


    The incident didn¡¯t cause a rift to form between them, but rather it strengthened their family dynamics.


    Soon, it was time for school to start again, and Miaomiao knew that she had to face the consequences upon her return.


    Sure enough, when she had arrived, everyone¡¯s gaze was on her.


    One of her classmates asked, ¡°Do you want to watch a romance movie tonight?¡±


    Another classmate mimicked Miaomiao¡¯s usual style of speech, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t watch any romance movies, unless you young people want to become infatuated with love. You should focus on your studies. The youths within the movie world have love, but our youth is filled with nothing but mountains of homework.¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± Good thing that Zhou Yuan will be here soon. He¡¯ll finally understand why I can¡¯t make our relationship public.


    ¡°Class president, you¡¯re amazing. You¡¯re going to be inundated with both love and homework.¡±


    ¡°You guys shouldn¡¯t jump to conclusions so quickly. Our class president still didn¡¯t agree to be with Zhou Yuan, okay? Anyways, class president, you¡¯ll still be in charge of our F regiment, correct?¡±


    Miaomiao responded, ¡°That¡¯s for sure. I¡¯ll always be the honorary chief of the Great F Regiment.¡±


    Zhou Yuan walked in just then and interjected, ¡°What¡¯s the Great F Regiment?¡±


    Someone next to him instantly replied to his interjection, ¡°An army of single dogs, and lovers are burned to death.¡±


    As the old saying goes, watching the unfolding excitement wasn¡¯t a problem.


    Zhou Yuan glanced at Miaomiao, ¡°It¡¯s amazing. You have the position of the honorary head.¡±


    Miaomiao patted his shoulder, ¡°Are you ready to join us?¡±


    ¡°Join in by sending my girlfriend? I¡¯ll join when I have a girlfriend.¡± When he said that, he peered at Miaomiao.


    Everyone from their class was present to hear this exclamation.


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t change her expression. In any case, she was also someone who has been the class president for so long. She responded, ¡°It isn¡¯t very popular to fall in love right now.¡±


    The conversation between these two sounded so natural that it made the witnesses look dumbfounded.


    What¡¯s the relationship between these two now?


    Based on their colloquy, the others reasonably believed that Zhou Yuan failed in his confession. He lost such a big face in front of so many people; therefore, it resulted in this interaction between these two. The other students mused over two possibilities for the relationship between the two. The first one was that Zhou Yuan really liked the class president. Even if his confession was unsuccessful, he had to constantly pursue her, but he shouldn¡¯t do it with this kind of attitude. Another possibility was that Zhou Yuan was embarrassed and had become angry, leading to a rift to form between these two. However, this possibility was proven to be false since nothing like that seemed to have happened between them.


    Could it be that they were in an alternate universe?


    These two were far from being natural just like they thought. Upon returning to their seats, Miaomiao pulled out her mobile phone and sent a message to Zhou Yuan, ¡°We did well. Maybe, they¡¯ll only call your parents to school and not mine.¡±


    The school¡¯s policy forbade premature love, and Zhou Yuan¡¯s confession was well-known among the masses. Therefore, the school invited Zhou Yuan¡¯s parents for a conference. But this wasn¡¯t the case for Miaomiao. She didn¡¯t even agree in front of any witnesses; therefore, her parents weren¡¯t invited to discuss the aftermath of his confession.


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°You said we would become a clandestine couple behind the scenes, but you also furtively became the honorary chief of the F Regiment.¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°It¡¯s called infiltrating the enemy¡¯s forces.¡±


    In reality, the school never called Zhou Yuan¡¯s parents for a conference, for he had good academic credentials, so no one could say anything about him.


    However, the students still indulged in their gossip, trying to locate some clues about how these two got along so well.


    They got along quite well with each other, almost like good friends who didn¡¯t want to be a couple.


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡±


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t care about their surmises and conjectures, for she had other things to muse about at the moment.


    On the other hand, Deng Feng and Jingjing had been a couple for a while now. They even had an entourage of supporters and fans at school.


    Immediately after the start of the new school year, their parents were invited to school.


    Of course, their parents would be called to school; after all, these two kept kicking up a fuss, for they had no idea how to keep a low profile at school. They went to the dining hall hand in hand every day.


    Miaomiao thought it would be strange if their parents weren¡¯t invited to school.


    However, the school must¡¯ve become even more enraged after their parents were called.


    Jingjing¡¯s and Deng Feng¡¯s parents knew each other; therefore, their parents felt that, since their children had grown up together, it was good that they knew each other well, and they were thrilled about their relationship.


    As for the impact on their learning, Deng Feng was a sports student, whereas Jingjing was an art student.


    These two good-for-nothings..


    Miaomiao couldn¡¯t help but ruffle Jingjing¡¯s head as she commented, ¡°Jingjing. You two¡­you really really¡­what happened all those years ago?¡±


    They clung to each other so much after being together for so long.


    Jingjing looked at Zhou Yuan, who sat quietly in the corner, and she asked, ¡°What¡¯s the deal between you two? Why are you two so low-key? There¡¯s a girl in our class who wants to pursue Zhou Yuan.


    Zhou Yuan raised his head and looked at Miaomiao, ¡°It has nothing to do with me. I don¡¯t know any of the girls in her class.¡±


    Jingjing: ¡°¡­you two get along for sure.¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± Not as well as you two.


    On their way back, Miaomiao held Zhou Yuan¡¯s hand, ¡°What about telling everyone we¡¯re a couple? My mother has no opinion about you. But I do have an opinion about my early love, but since I¡¯m still studying hard, it¡¯s okay I guess. What about your parents? Have you told them?¡±


    Her abrupt questioning stunned Zhou Yuan for a transitory moment, but then he responded, ¡°I didn¡¯t tell them about us yet.¡±


    Miaomiao hummed in understanding. It was normal for them not to tell their parents since they were still very young.


    Zhou Yuan expounded, ¡°I was busy. And they were also busy, so we haven¡¯t contacted each other recently. I also felt that I could handle almost anything by myself; therefore, I can make my own decisions.¡±


    Miaomiao held Zhou Yuan¡¯s hand, ¡°God forbid my child would inherit your traits in the future.¡±


    Zhou Yuan was quite pleased to hear her say that, ¡°You¡¯re already thinking of children. What do you think their names should be?¡±


    Miaomiao glanced at him, ¡°I¡¯ll leave the decision up to you. So, do you want to call your parents or not? It doesn¡¯t have to be about us. You can chat about anything.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°I have no idea what to talk about, but I¡¯ll try.¡±


    After returning home, Zhou Yuan contacted his father.


    ¡°Do you want to come back home for dinner?¡±


    Zhou Yuan pondered for a while, and then he decided to head back home for dinner.


    After Miaomiao¡¯s arrival at school the next day, she discovered Zhou Yuan¡¯s absence.


    Miaomiao found it strange.


    Why didn¡¯t he come to school?


    After the end of her first class, she called Zhou Yuan, but he had cut her off, and instead sent her a message, which stated, ¡°I might not be able to go to school today, but I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    How could Miaomiao not be worried when he stated that he couldn¡¯t come to school because of something?


    She called Zhou Yuan again, but it was his father who answered, ¡°He had an allergic reaction to mangoes, so he¡¯s recuperating at home.¡±


    Miaomiao¡­mango allergy¡­what a familiar image.


    When school ended in the afternoon, Miaomiao decided to go see Zhou Yuan, but she was a little worried that he wouldn¡¯t be there.


    She had the key to Zhou Yuan¡¯s house. Within a few days of being together, Zhou Yuan gave her the key.


    Miaomiao couldn¡¯t comprehend why he had given her the key. She explicated that it was to affirm their relationship.


    So, Miaomiao accepted it.


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t use the key directly to open the door; it would be awkward if Zhou Yuan¡¯s parents were present when she opened the door with the key.


    She rang the doorbell first, but no one answered.


    Miaomiao was unsure if Zhou Yuan wasn¡¯t at home. By the same token, she wasn¡¯t sure if he was staying at his parents¡¯ house or if he was asleep in a room alone, so he didn¡¯t hear the ring of the doorbell.


    The key squealed into the lock, and she opened the door; then, she pulled out the key. She opened the door and entered; it was quiet inside.


    Miaomiao went to the bedroom and saw Zhou Yuan sleeping. His face¡­was swollen¡­


    His face was still vaguely recognizable. After scrutinizing his face, Miaomiao also came to a realization: fat destroys everything.


    At this time, Zhou Yuan opened his eyes and peered out at Miaomiao.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± he asked with a hoarse voice.


    ¡°Why is the swelling so bad?¡± Miaomiao asked, the distress apparent in her voice, ¡°Did you already take your medicine? Aren¡¯t you aware of your mango allergies?¡±


    Zhou Yuan nodded in assent. When he was eating candy with his brother today, he didn¡¯t notice this until he ate one and realized that it tasted familiar. He also had an allergic reaction to this taste. Even though it was familiar, it was quite savory to his taste buds, so he ignored it.


    He only realized what it was when he swallowed it.


    And this was the result.


    Miaomiao simultaneously found this funny, but distress also found its way into her heart. She was very distressed, so she leaned over and kissed his forehead, ¡°Okay, but remember one thing. If I decide to eat mango in the future, I definitely won¡¯t kiss you.¡±


    Zhou Yuan immediately pulled the quilt over his head. From inside the quilt came a voice, ¡°Then you don¡¯t get to eat any mangoes tomorrow.¡±


    Miaomiao answered, ¡°I didn¡¯t eat any mangoes today either.¡±


    The person under the quilt paused, but he did not remove the quilt from his face. He¡­saw the swelling on his face, so he didn¡¯t want her to see it anymore.


    Miaomiao still had a rufescent tinge of red on her face the next day at school, but considering that they were both at school, they couldn¡¯t allow others to know of what had transpired yesterday.


    Of course, she refused to eat any mangoes. To be more apt, she hasn¡¯t enjoyed mangoes since her childhood years.


    When Miaomiao arrived into the classroom, there were a few girls surrounding Zhou Yuan at his desk. Everyone worked very hard to reach their third year of high school.


    When Miaomiao ensconced herself into her seat, a hand had reached and pulled her, striving to get her attention.


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Class president. I solved the question you had asked yesterday. Would you like to listen to the results?¡± Zhou Yuan exclaimed.


    At school, Zhou Yuan had a habit of calling her class president just like everyone else.


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­Listen.¡±


    Zhou Yuan nonchalantly let go of her hand; then, he took out a notebook and began his explication.


    Miaomiao actually didn¡¯t ask anything of him yesterday, since he wasn¡¯t at school. However, the question that Zhou Yuan was explicating to her was indeed the same one she had difficulty understanding.


    He should have looked through her workbook.


    Miaomiao could never quite understand his ingenuity nor how his train of thinking worked. Zhou Yuan expounded in great detail, and Miaomiao soaked in every detail carefully.


    Miaomiao edged a bit closer to him because his voice was lower, and then as soon as she raised her head, she felt something touching her forehead¡­


    Just then¡­Zhou Yuan kissed her forehead¡­


    A crimson tinge immediately dyed Miaomiao¡¯s face red.


    Zhou Yuan asked her solemnly, ¡°So, did you understand the question?¡±


    Miaomiao nodded casually, and then she glanced at her classmates and found that the two of them buried themselves seriously in their book. They didn¡¯t notice what had transpired.


    Miaomiao breathed a sigh of relief, but a simultaneously sweet feeling was beginning to fill her heart.


    After entering their third year of high school, everyone became very busy. Previously, they could watch movies or indulge in gossiping every week, but now¡­well, they could still watch movies¡­


    Although it made no difference at this stage, Miaomiao now had to be more strict. People still watched some movies in order to relax, but they were limited to watching children¡¯s films.


    Horror, crime, or romance movies weren¡¯t allowed.


    Basically, they had officially entered their senior year of high school.


    Miaomiao busied herself with filling out student information forms and organizing a photo shoot with everyone.


    During their third year of high school, they didn¡¯t take any new courses. All of their class credits were accumulated during their first and second years of high school, whereas the third year of high school was mainly for review.


    Still, Miaomiao was a little too busy. Zhou Yuan took the initiative to help finish some of her tasks, which alleviated some of her stress; after all, he worked quite quickly with his assigned tasks.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you working too hard?¡± It was something she had to complete, and she was a little embarrassed since Zhou Yuan was doing it for her.


    ¡°What do you think your boyfriend is for? Do you think I¡¯m just here for decoration?¡± Zhou Yuan mused, raising his eyebrow.


    ¡°From your point of view, what is your girlfriend for?¡± Miaomiao mouthed, raising her chin and looking at the person next to her.


    ¡°To marry.¡± Zhou Yuan replied.


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± His response doesn¡¯t seem to be incorrect.


    Miaomiao¡¯s senior year of high school flew by extremely quickly. Miaomiao learned not only school knowledge but also about Zhou Yuan.


    After being together with Zhou Yuan for some time, Miaomiao realized that Zhou Yuan was still quite different from what she had envisioned.


    He was occasionally naive. For someone without a childhood, his childishness was terribly aggravating.


    Miaomiao came with him to the playground; she played some games with him, and she also took him outside to play basketball.


    There was nothing that could decelerate the pace of their college entrance exams. But Miaomiao didn¡¯t panic over its coming. Zhou Yuan, of course, didn¡¯t have to take the college entrance examination since he was already a Ph.D. student. His parents intended for him to return to high school so that he could experience a normal high school life and to help assuage his bad mood.


    In fact, his parents wanted him to decide on his own whether or not to stay in that high school for a semester or two.


    Since they could not resist his request to attend university early, he basically made every decision on his own.


    Therefore, Zhou Yuan¡¯s parents originally believed that he would only stay in high school for a single semester, and then he would focus all his efforts on his career.


    What was unexpected was that their son actually finished high school. He was even preparing to take the college entrance exam.


    Father Zhou was very ecstatic, ¡°Big brother, have you heard the old saying that friendship is like hands and feet, and love is like clothing?¡±


    This circumstance was unusual, for even Zhou Yuan couldn¡¯t guess what he was trying to say.


    Father Zhou continued, ¡°Friendship is like the centipede¡¯s hands and feet, and love is like its wintry clothes, right? I think that¡¯s the saying anyways.¡±


    Zhou Yuan finally understood that he was trying to tell a joke. When he was in elementary school, Miaomiao¡¯s friendship could not restrain him, but now Miaomiao¡¯s love has now shackled him down¡­


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­Dad, don¡¯t be so naive. You¡¯ll always remain my father.¡±


    Father Zhou: ¡°I might be your dad, but I¡¯ll always remain naive.¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan finished his test early, so he sat in the exam room, and he had nothing to do. He remembered something that his father had said. He mulled over it and decided that it wasn¡¯t entirely correct.


    I might have chosen that path if I had the chance to choose again.


    Even now, he still thought the same way.


    When he was young, it was more important for him to experience the outside world and to learn new things.


    For now, after experiencing the outside world and expanding the ambit of his knowledge, all he wanted to do was to be by Miaomiao¡¯s side. He wanted to be with her.


    After their final exam, no one checked the answers on the Internet. Instead, they contacted the teachers to inform them of their completion, and then everyone headed outside to have dinner together.


    Miaomiao, the class president, hosted the dinner party, and they ate together at a buffet.


    Her classmates occupied six tables. Although Miaomiao didn¡¯t drink any alcohol at first, several classmates came over to toast, and the emotional toll of their final farewell engulfed everyone.


    Just like the teacher said in their final class, ¡°With this goodbye, some people may never see each other again. At least, not during this lifetime. You high school students are very dear to each other, but you may never see each other again.¡±


    Miaomiao only drank one cup, whereas Zhou Yuan drank the rest. Zhou Yuan¡¯s tolerance for alcohol was very good.


    The other students all responded with ¡®Oh¡¯ for half a day when they heard the two¡¯s answer to their question, ¡°Are you two together?¡±


    Since they had graduated, Miaomiao wasn¡¯t afraid of revealing their relationship, ¡°Yes. We¡¯re together.¡±


    As a result, many toasts were made.


    Miaomiao didn¡¯t allow the girls to drink since their drunken stupor and what they might do when inhibited by alcohol did not relieve her one bit.


    When they were about to part, everyone cried a lot. It was already night, and Zhou Yuan and Miaomiao were driving to Zhou Yuan¡¯s house by car. Zhou Yuan sat very quietly on his seat.


    The moon was lancing its albescent light into the car, which highlighted Zhou Yuan¡¯s face with a lambent sheen of silvery moonlight. When she looked at this scene, Miaomiao realized something; he could possibly be drunk.


    Miaomiao leaned over to tease him, ¡°Are you drunk?¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± He actually said that he¡¯s drunk. So cute.


    Immediately afterward, Zhou Yuan edged over and hugged her waist, ¡°Miaomiao, I¡¯m very happy.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Miaomiao couldn¡¯t help but brush his hair, feeling its softness. He was acting meek like a small child at the moment.


    ¡°Finally, we don¡¯t have to keep our relationship under wraps¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan was very obedient and listened to every vagary and whim she had; therefore, she inexplicably felt indebted to him. She couldn¡¯t help but kiss his forehead, ¡°No more keeping it under wraps. I¡¯ll take you to my house when I have time.¡±


    As Zhou Yuan obediently lied down, he commented, ¡°We have to get a home of our own together.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll get our own home in the future.¡± She knew she was young, and she knew that things were always changing, but at this moment, she really wanted to fulfill his request in some way.


    ¡°But you have to live with my mom and dad in the future, right?¡± Growing up, Miaomiao lived with her great-grandmother and grandmother as well.


    ¡°Our child will also live with their grandmother in the future.¡±


    Zhou Yuan hummed in assent, ¡°I¡¯ll listen to your every request.¡±


    Miaomiao: ¡°¡­¡± Is he truly drunk? Or is he just pretending? Do people with high IQs act differently when they are in a drunken stupor?


    The night treaded onwards. Eventually, the night yielded to the morning, and the morning sun sent golden shafts of light into Zhou Yuan¡¯s room, illuming it with a flavescent sheen of morning sunshine.


    Zhou Yuan woke up with a splitting headache; then, he saw Miaomiao walking in from outside. Then Zhou Yuan realized that¡­he had no clothes on his body¡­


    Miaomiao was amused by his expression, ¡°Why are you blushing and acting shy?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything last night, did I?¡±


    Miaomiao couldn¡¯t help but feel happy, ¡°Your tofu was eaten* by me last night.¡±


    When he returned home last night, he had to slip into his vestments by himself, but he had difficulty putting on his pajamas; therefore, he had to sleep naked. In the end, Miaomiao eventually sweet-talked him into falling asleep¡­


    Miaomiao teased him on purpose, ¡°Not only that, but you kept saying that if I refuse to marry you, you¡¯ll cry and make a scene¡­¡±


    Zhou Yuan: ¡°¡­you little liar.¡±


    Miaomiao leaned over, ¡°I won¡¯t lie to you.¡±


    As soon as she uttered her last word, she looked at Zhou Yuan¡¯s lips, and then she took aim and kissed him.


    *To say that someone is ¡°eating tofu,¡± basically means that they are taking advantage of someone.