"Auntie, I just knew you loved me the most," Zhou Siyu hugged Zhou Lanfang’s arm, touched beyond words.
"I raised you like my own daughter, who else would I dote on if not you?" Zhou Lanfang stroked her hair, "Are you happy now?"
Zhou Siyu, her tears turning into laughter, replied, "Happy."
"Just focus on your studies and don’t worry about anything else," Zhou Lanfang advised.
That wild seed wants to go to university?
The news that Shen Mianmian had come first in three subjects spread throughout the village, thanks to Aunt Fatty’s big mouth. Some even doubted and questioned Shen Mianmian, to which she humbly admitted every time.
She truly did come first in three subjects, but she wouldn’t boast about it like Zhou Siyu did.
Upon hearing the news, Li Chunhua was delighted. She returned home cheerfully and shared the good news with Zhao Xianlai.
"Initially, I was worried she was all hard work with no talent, but I wasn’t expecting the child to be so smart. In judging people, I really am no match for you."
Zhao Xianlai, also surprised when he first heard, then praised, "The child is good, ambitious, and hasn’t let me or He Nan down."
Speaking of He Nan, Li Chunhua expressed her concern, "He Nan has been in Beijing for a while now, why hasn’t he come back yet?"
"Not having been home for a long while, he’s likely to stay for some time," Zhao Xianlai said. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⟡𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚⟡𝘯𝘦𝘵
He Nan, being from Beijing, couldn’t possibly stay in Licheng forever. Sooner or later, he would return, and they had to get used to it.
"True," Li Chunhua nodded, then casually asked, "Why do you think He Nan is so good to Mianmian?"
If it’s because he feels sorry for Shen Mianmian,
actually, when you think about it, it doesn’t seem quite right. There are many more pitiable than Mianmian, but He Nan isn’t as kind to them!
And if it’s for some other reason, that seems unlikely as well.
Mianmian is only sixteen, and He Nan isn’t that kind of person.
"He has his reasons for what he does, let’s not speculate wildly," Zhao Xianlai didn’t indulge in gossip like women often do.
If he misspoke, and it spread, it might not be good for Mianmian, a young girl.
Thinking of this, he reminded his wife, "Don’t you go spreading this around, either."
"Look who’s talking," Li Chunhua gave him a glare, "Don’t you know what kind of person I am? Am I the type to spout nonsense?"
She was discussing it with him only because Zhao Xianlai was her husband; she wouldn’t have spoken about it with anyone else.
Time flew by quickly, Shen Mianmian attended school and sold vegetables without missing a beat. In just the short two months since school started, combined with the money saved during the New Year, she had already saved up thirteen hundred yuan.
The Horlicks tins were filled to the brim with two full cans.
During this time, He Nan hadn’t made an appearance. Shen Mianmian guessed that he might still be in Licheng and hadn’t returned, but in the meantime, Li Yue had delivered Horlicks to her once, also reminding her to take care of her health.
Of course, he recounted the tale of saving her with great animation and even performed the moves he used on Gouzi when he got excited.
Shen Mianmian laughed until she nearly fell over and finally inquired about He Nan, to which Li Yue simply said he might be back after a while. She tactfully did not press further.
That day, Shen Mianmian was heading home with Lu Siyuan as usual, when unexpectedly, she ran into Shen Jianhua, who had just finished his work and was returning home.
It had been agreed that he would return home once every twenty days, but Shen Jianhua thought that running back and forth was a waste of travel expenses, so he combined his rest days to spend a few more days at home.