In the classroom, the children’s spirits were all very low.
After all, having to part with classmates after six years of friendship, even Wei Rong found it hard to muster a smile.
Recalling the first day of school, though there was initially a divide between the kids from rural and urban backgrounds, as time passed, those prejudices had long since faded.
Sentimental Qu Ruorui’s tears flowed freely, leaning on Yue Qingqing’s shoulder.
Jun Feifei pouted and poked her in the back, "What are you crying for? Your grades are almost as good as Wei Rong’s, you’ll surely be accepted into First Middle School. I’m the real miserable one here, going to be nagged at again when I get home."
Upon hearing this, Qu Ruorui suddenly felt somewhat comforted and nodded her head.
"That’s true, and I can stay with Qingqing, maybe even become desk mates."
Jun Feifei, without a word, lay down listlessly and sighed.
Bracing herself to face the storm that awaited her at home.
Yue Qingqing’s performance in this exam was as stable as ever.
Except for losing a point on the essay, she scored perfect in every other subject, securing the position of top scholar in the city.
It was said that after viewing her papers, teachers from both First and Second Middle School had rushed over, eager to recruit this promising student early on.
But Yue Qingqing ultimately chose First Middle School.
After all, a teacher from First Middle School had offered a discount on housing.
One mustn’t forget the ones who’ve dug the well when drinking from it.
Zhuang Lan came over solemnly and placed the report card on Yue Qingqing’s desk.
Yue Qingqing was startled, "Huh?"
"I’m ten points behind you, but this gap will shrink over time, and one day I will surpass you."
Yue Qingqing, "...Keep it up."
After saying this, Zhuang Lan contentedly returned to his seat.
Wei Rong also regained his energy, "So, where are you guys going during this vacation?"
Qu Ruorui, covering her mouth with a smile, said, "Mom said she’ll take me to the amusement park in Lingguang City."
Ever since Liu Pingxiu started working with Yue Xiaofang, she no longer had to worry about making a living.
And as a skilled backbone of the workforce, her purse had grown thicker over the years, often taking Qu Ruorui out during holidays.
After all, realizing that she had brought up her daughter to be somewhat timid, she could only try to make amends in any way possible.
It was heard that her former man’s days were not going well.
When they divorced, the man agreed quite readily.
On one hand, Liu Pingxiu was resolute, willing to give up everything except the custody of Qu Ruorui.
On the other hand, the old lady, having awakened from her coma, utterly detested Liu Pingxiu and was solely focused on having a grandson.
It wasn’t just that Liu Pingxiu had initiated the divorce, even if she hadn’t, the old lady would have forced Liu Pingxiu and her son Qu Gaoxuan to separate.
The old lady originally had a good plan; her son was a permanent employee at a factory, and the family’s home, though in an old quarter, was reasonably spacious.
Even if he had a child with his ex-wife, it wouldn’t interfere with future matters.
She was certain there would be unmarried women willing to marry into the family.
Her calculations were precise, and her standards were picky.
Matchmakers introduced two or three prospects, but she either criticized their small buttocks, fearing they couldn’t give birth to a son, or she was picky about their maternal families.
The young women had their pride too, arguing that marrying a twice-married man was already lowering their standards, yet his family still demanded a male heir.
Well, might as well save it for a dream in the night, where you can have everything!
Thus, the old lady continued to pick partners for her son for two years until Qu Gaoxuan was utterly exhausted.
He felt like a boar that was brought out to mate over and over again.
Just then, the factory’s profitability started to decline as well.
Formerly, the workers had jobs for life, and although the salaries weren’t high, the benefits were good, with positions handed down from parents to children.
The factory even provided housing and schools; the staff quarters were equipped with almost every amenity.
Going to school only required a five-minute walk.
However, as the factory’s profitability waned, the state began to implement labor contract reforms.
A worker’s position was no longer a guaranteed lifelong job.
Although most old employees felt they didn’t need to worry, they couldn’t ignore one fact.
As the factory’s profitability declined, so did the benefits they could enjoy.
Quite a few old-timers who used to coast along were called in by the upper management, who wanted to clear these people out.
Qu Ruorui’s father was also among those listed.