Chapter 789: I Deserved the Beating
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Jiang Ping’s mother said, “Alright, I’ll give it a try. Su Bing’s mother, you’re a good person. Let’s have our families interact more often in the future. I’d like to befriend you.”
After hearing this, Gu Zi felt that Jiang Ping’s mother wasn’t a problematic person. Besides, their children attended the same school, and it would be beneficial to maintain a good relationship. She extended her hand and said, “Let’s interact more often in the future!”
While the adults were making acquaintances, Jiang Ping had also taken the initiative to approach Su Bing in the courtyard. He had overheard the conversation between their mothers, and he realized that with proper care, he could become as handsome as the Su brothers. At that moment, he no longer wanted to oppose Su Bing. After all, he had to admit that his resentment towards Su Bing was partly due to jealousy of his good looks.
“Su Bing, how about I become your follower and you become the leader of the fourth grade?” he proposed.
Su Bing wasn’t keen on being a leader, so he declined the offer. He glanced at Jiang Ping’s bandaged hand and said, “I’m not interested. But I am sorry about your hand.”
Jiang Ping felt a bit disappointed, but upon hearing Su Bing’s apology, he quickly waved his hand and said, “I deserved the beating. You did nothing wrong, Su Bing. You looked really cool when you were hitting me!”
Su Bing was speechless. Was this a compliment? He didn’t want to engage in pointless chatter with Jiang Ping, so he sat down under a flower stand to read a book.
At this point, Su Li patted Jiang Ping’s arm and volunteered, “Jiang Ping, I love being a leader. Why don’t you become my follower? That would make me feel powerful.”
Jiang Ping glanced at Su Li and rolled his eyes. This kid was dreaming. “Su Li, I’m talking to Brother Su Bing. Go play somewhere else.”
Su Li was angry and put his hands on his hips, threatening, “Humph, don’t underestimate me. More than half of my class are my followers. Hey, Jiang Ping, I’m talking to you. Don’t walk away.”
Jiang Ping didn’t bother with the younger boy and planned to go find Su Bing again. But he was stopped by Jiang Nuan who had just come out. Jiang Nuan said to him, “Jiang Ping, Su Bing likes to read books. Moreover, he skipped grades directly to the fourth grade when he entered school. If you want to acknowledge Su Bing as your leader, you need to improve your academic performance. So, do you know what you should do now?”
Jiang Ping looked at the scene by the flower stand. The young boy was sitting straight with his back against the stand, his eyes slightly lowered, focusing on the book. He was indeed a cool and handsome guy.
Jiang Ping understood her meaning and said, “I get it. Starting from tomorrow, I will study hard and learn well!”
Jiang Ping was very excited and wanted to decision with his beloved mother. So, he went inside first. Seeing this, Jiang Nuan couldn’t help but laugh. She picked up the things in her hand and walked towards the flower stand. When she reached Su Bing, she said, “Su Bing, we’re leaving now. This is for you.”
After Jiang Nuan handed over the items to Su Bing, she turned to leave. As she did, Jiang Ping’s mother happened to be leading Jiang Ping out, bidding farewell to Gu Zi and the others. Jiang Nuan joined them, and the trio departed from the Su residence.
Upon opening the package, Su Bing discovered a dartboard and several darts. Was this a gift from Jiang Nuan? But why would Jiang Nuan give him a gift? Should he reciprocate?
Regardless, Su Bing was quite pleased with the toy set. He took it to his room, hung the dartboard on the back of his door, and began to play with a couple of darts. He had never played with dart toys before, but he used to whittle bamboo into arrows in the village, shooting them at distant flowers for fun.
Su Bing aimed at the bullseye, and one after another, the darts flew out, hitting the mark perfectly. However, Su Bing furrowed his brows, rubbed his eyes, and aimed at the bullseye again. He realized that he couldn’t see the small numbers in the center clearly. This was unusual; he used to be able to see distant objects very clearly. Could there be something wrong with his eyes?
Not daring to hide his concerns, Su Bing hurried downstairs to find his mother. He knew she was worldly and might be able to help him. Unbeknownst to him, he had already developed a sense of reliance on his stepmother.
“Mom,” he said, “I can’t see as clearly as before. Could there be something wrong with my eyes?”
Gu Zi was quite pleased that Su Bing would come to her when he had a problem. She looked at Su Bing and figured out the issue. “Have you noticed that you’ve grown taller recently?” she asked. “Congratulations, you’ve entered a rapid growth phase.”
Su Bing was confused. “Mom, I know I’ve grown taller, but what does that have to do with my vision becoming less clear?”