Chapter 57

Chapter 57

In the early morning, the door of the east room opened from the inside, and A Li, wearing a lotus flower pavilion robe, walked out.

Usually, she is the earliest one to wake up in this house, but not today.

On the threshing ground, Run Sheng and Tan Wenbin sat opposite each other, bowing their heads and sharpening the sickles in their hands.

When A Li walked past, Run Sheng lifted his head and smiled at the girl: "Good morning."

The girl stopped, then walked into the house and went upstairs.

Although she didn't speak, that pause was the biggest response.

She pushed open the room door and walked in. The boy was still asleep. The girl began to appreciate the paintings hanging on the boy's wall by herself.

There were three completed paintings. The first one was a little yellow oriole.

The woman in the painting didn't have a green face or fangs. Instead, she appeared restrained and subtle, her body swaying as she walked, her lips and teeth seemingly pouring out words as if telling a story. It seemed as if she could walk out of the painting scroll and offer song and dance.

The second one was a kind-hearted white-haired old woman, sitting in the yard basking in the sun, with a black cat sleeping on her knee.

The third one was a middle-aged man. His image seemed deliberately blurred, with only his back painted. However, the ancient copper coin hanging on his waist was depicted with great detail, its structure extremely clear.

A lot of thought was put into the background processing of the three paintings.

The first one had an illusory foggy feel, the second was warm with desolation, and the surroundings in the third were very oppressive.

While A Li was looking intently, Li Zhuiyuan woke up.

The boy walked to the girl's side and accompanied her in looking for a while.

After washing up, they played chess as usual with the girl. Now they played three games simultaneously, greatly improving Li Zhuiyuan's chess-losing efficiency.

"Eat breakfast!"

It was Liu Aunt's shout every day, announcing the start of the day.

Run Sheng and Tan Wenbin came back from the fields together. During the autumn harvest, they had been busy in the fields these past few days, and Tan Wenbin had gotten up particularly early to help.

He hadn't experienced hardship, and doing this had even given him blisters on his hands. But he didn't mind and pricked them himself with a needle.

Even Li Sanjiang told him to stop, but Tan Wenbin just smiled and said:

"It's okay, it's good for strengthening."

When self-study in the morning ended, Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin walked into the classroom.

A pot of flowers was placed on Zheng Haiyang's desk.

His family's case was defined as burglary and murder. Tan Yunlong didn't directly tell Li Zhuiyuan whether people from above had come or not, nor did he continue to follow up with Li Zhuiyuan on the subsequent investigation details. But sometimes, no news is also a kind of news.

This meant that the three of them were considered to be extracted from this matter.

Although he and the others had been there and left many traces, a careful investigation would definitely uncover them. But there are specializations in professions. Li Zhuiyuan didn't know if Yu Shu had come back or if someone else had taken over, but they were not professional criminal investigators after all, and their perspective would instinctively ignore the existence and role of 'ordinary people' in it.

During this period, Tan Wenbin studied very seriously. During breaks, except for accompanying Li Zhuiyuan to the toilet, he was always doing problems.

"Zhuiyuan Secret Volume" was now being printed and sold by the school, saving Tan Wenbin a lot of trivial matters. However, his current exercise book was specially made, designed by Li Zhuiyuan based on his personal learning progress and situation.

After high school, Li Zhuiyuan didn't study much of the textbook knowledge. If his memory wasn't much better than ordinary people, his 'learning scores' might have declined.

But his ability to teach others improved greatly, as if he wasn't attending high school, but a normal school.

Binbin was still cheerful, joking, bantering, and even creating atmosphere with Li Sanjiang at home during meal times.

But in his own time, he would be more silent, because his hands seemed to always have things to do.

He attended classes and did problems at school, and at home, he followed Run Sheng to learn the basics. Every so often, he would bring his summarized learning problems and dead ends to Li Zhuiyuan to seek solutions.

Li Zhuiyuan could feel that these problems were all genuinely difficult for Tan Wenbin to understand, and he had definitely done rounds of screening and attacking them himself.

Slow growth is not a loss of happiness.

And overnight maturity often doesn't make people envious.

Before, Tan Wenbin also shouted about wanting to go to 'Haihe University', which was more of a wish. Now, he was truly achieving it step by step. He became very focused.

A retired philosophy professor in the family courtyard once told Li Zhuiyuan a passage. He said that the world is divided into two kinds of smart people: one kind is like Li Zhuiyuan, who is brain-smart, and the other kind is cognitively clear smart people.

The former just have really good brains and learn everything quickly. Outsiders can be envious, but they cannot imitate it. This is innate, carried in their genes.

But the latter are also not worse than the former. It's just that at a certain age segment of life's growth, they know what to do in the next stage and can formulate a plan and diligently implement it.

The pressure of social and life competition is great, but the vast majority of people are confused and helpless, being pushed into the next stage of life to participate in the competition. But what if you can start planning and preparing two or three years ahead?

At that time, there will actually be few competitors around you.

Xue Liangliang is a genius among the latter, because his gaze can see not only two or three years ahead, but even twenty or thirty years ahead.

Even Li Zhuiyuan would often unconsciously take Liangliang bro's words as a kind of future prediction. This is not fortune-telling or prophecy, but some people truly have the ability to see the main contradictions and explore objective laws.

Although they had phones, making calls was not that convenient after all, and there was indeed nothing particularly good to talk about directly. Therefore, the two still habitually exchanged letters.

Last time, Li Zhuiyuan mentioned the exercise collection matter in his letter and also conveniently told Xue Liangliang about Tan Wenbin's thoughts.

Xue Liangliang's reply letter said that Tan Wenbin was a business genius, and he was certain that this industry would absolutely be a big blue ocean in the future, with broad business prospects, because the emphasis of the countrymen on education is a cultural instinct. The vast majority of families, no matter how frugal, are not stingy with educational investment.

Xue Liangliang also said that if Tan Wenbin wanted to continue doing this in the future, he could invest a sum of money and suggested not to limit it to personal brand influence. It would be best to borrow the label of Nantong education exams, talk to those several famous middle schools about cooperation, and then build it as a big brand name for the entire city.

Li Zhuiyuan told Tan Wenbin about Xue Liangliang's words. Tan Wenbin was stunned for a while after listening, then slapped his thigh:

"Damn, this is a formidable person!"

But when Li Zhuiyuan asked Tan Wenbin if he was willing to do this business, Tan Wenbin shook his head. He was not willing.

He wanted to go to university, he wanted to continue learning things.

Since he was already on this ship, he just wanted to sail far, truly see the distant scenery, and then reach that destination.

For this, he even excitedly added a sentence: "My parents are both in public units, I don't need to worry about retirement."

That's right. People who have seen the great terror of life and death and can still maintain an optimistic and positive attitude are indeed very difficult to dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to making money.

For lunch, Li Zhuiyuan did not go to eat with Tan Wenbin. He sat on a bus stopped on campus, with various food and drinks prepared on the car.

It was still Principal Wu leading the team, with Teacher Yan as the assistant. The bus departed and drove towards Jinling to compete in the provincial math competition.

The other six classmates on the car ate and drank non-stop along the way, very happy.

Li Zhuiyuan just ate a little to fill his stomach, then leaned against the car window, looking at the scenery outside.

Wu Xinhan noticed and specially sat over to ask if the preparations were not to his taste.

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head and said very straightforwardly that it was because his living conditions were not bad before.

This answer surprised Principal Wu a bit, and immediately a smile appeared on his face. Outsiders who heard this might think he was boasting, but those familiar with him could hear the sincerity.

Being a principal, his way of dealing with people was not bad. The difference was in seeing who was worth his effort.

Therefore, he quite liked this simple and straightforward boy. Being with him, there was no need to pretend, and it wasn't tiring.

Wu Xinhan helped Li Zhuiyuan put down the back seat of the car so he could lie down and rest.

The school renting a bus to send the examinees also considered this point, to minimize the fatigue of the journey for the examinees.

They arrived in Jinling and checked into a hotel.

The others were all in standard rooms, but Li Zhuiyuan was in a single room.

No one felt this was unfair. The six classmates were also clear that their selection through the city competition was also thanks to the boy's help.

At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan was lying on the bed, holding "Wei Zhengdao".

There was a knock on the room door.

Li Zhuiyuan got out of bed and prepared to open the door. He heard Principal Wu's voice inquiring from outside first: "Who are you?"

"I am Xiao Yuan's brother."

"Brother?"

Wu Xinhan and Teacher Yan's standard room was just opposite Li Zhuiyuan's door.

At this moment, Teacher Yan was in another room, leading the six classmates in doing math problems. The exam would start tomorrow. Doing problems today was not to check for gaps or temporarily cram, but just to keep everyone's hand in.

Wu Xinhan's room door was always open, making it convenient to notice Li Zhuiyuan's situation there. He was like the giant snake guarding a treasure in a mythology story.

Li Zhuiyuan opened the door and saw the person. He smiled.

The person was Xue Liangliang.

Haihe University was just in Jinling.

Only after Xue Liangliang handed his student ID to Principal Wu for verification did he pass the giant snake's security check and was allowed to meet his baby.

Closing the door, Xue Liangliang laughed: "Xiao Yuan, your principal really treasures you tightly."

Saying that, Xue Liangliang bent down and reached out to pinch the boy's face.

"Come, let me suck the aura of the child prodigy to help me cultivate and reach the immortal class early."

"Then Liangliang bro, you shouldn't suck mine."

Xue Liangliang: "......"

"Liangliang bro, what are you carrying in your hand?"

"Some Jinling specialties. I know you're too lazy to carry big and small bags back home. I prepared some snacks, and we can taste them together."

He took out quite a few snacks from his bag, including a portion of salted duck.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up chopsticks and took a bite.

"How is it?"

"Delicious."

"I'm not used to eating this," Xue Liangliang shrugged, "But whether it's public or private enterprises here, they all like to send salted duck during New Year festivals."

"Different personal tastes. I like to eat light."

This duck, besides being salty, was basically plain.

"Hey, you know what, the first time I saw your letter saying you were in your third year of high school, I still thought I read the character wrong. Then I thought maybe you wrote the character wrong. Why didn't you tell me earlier that you were in a juvenile class before?"

"I told you."

"Did you?" Xue Liangliang thought for a bit, "Then I must have been distracted at that time. So you're taking the college entrance exam next year?"

"Um."

"Then, how about being alumni?"

"Good."

"Really?"

"Um, really."

Xue Liangliang's face showed joy, then he took out a letter from his pocket: "This makes me, this lobbyist, feel no sense of achievement; here, this is a letter Luo Gong entrusted me to give you. You see, he wants me to advise you in advance to apply to our school."

The college entrance exam was still early, but the competition had already begun.

Although the provincial exam was tomorrow, when the results of the city level were out, the wolves had already smelled blood.

This mainly depended on the gold content of the small competition area, plus Li Zhuiyuan's exaggerated age.

Principal Wu had just mentioned to Li Zhuiyuan that quite a few universities had already sent greetings recently. Only after the provincial exam would they start the real hunting action.

Wu Xinhan was quite happy, because his middle school still did not have recommendation qualifications.

Although teaching quality work is a whole thing, in a specific circle or even industry, the effect of a lead horse is also very considerable and can bring more attention and resources to the school.

"Okay," Li Zhuiyuan received the letter, "When can I get admitted in advance?"

"Pfft..." Xue Liangliang had just raised his cup to drink water and almost spat out half. He wiped the corner of his mouth, "So eager?"

"Yeah."

"Your attitude makes me feel like our school is not hiding treasure below."

"No need for treasure, a dead end is good enough."

"Don't, don't, don't, I'm most afraid of Xiao Yuan's ghost stories."

"Huh?"

"Campus ghost stories."

"Oh, really. I don't believe in them."

"I am very timid."

Li Zhuiyuan just looked at him, his eyes not turning.

Xue Liangliang shrank his neck: "That one is different. She may not be a ghost, and not a dead end. She is hot."

Li Zhuiyuan doubted and asked: "Below the river, is there still something hot?"

"After the provincial exam results are out, we can go through the procedures. I think you can get full marks in the city exam, and it's definitely not a problem to get an award in the provincial exam, which will certainly meet the conditions for advance admission."

Actually, what Xue Liangliang said wasn't accurate. The conditions weren't calculated that way, but the conditions were originally set to save screening costs. When someone's ability and talent are enough to break the constraints, the conditions can also be flexibly changed.

"Then, I've taken leave. When you all go back, I'll be thick-skinned and follow you all in the same car."

"Ah?"

"My internship employment has already been arranged. I'll be going to Mountain City at the beginning of next month."

"Oh, you want to go see sister-in-law before you leave."

"You call her sister-in-law quite smoothly. I still thought you would be afraid of and dislike them."

"I really hate the Bai family, but she can make the entire Bai family go back underwater. I think it's not bad, that's originally where they should stay."

Xue Liangliang took a deep breath, then suddenly exhaled, and softly muttered: "That wasn't still my doing."

"Then should we write Liangliang bro into the local chronicles? After all, you also made great contributions to protecting the border and the people."

"Hahaha, that's too embarrassing. Later people will probably scold me and the person who recorded this matter as little fools."

"Then you still want to go see her?" "After going to Mountain City, I don't know when I can come back. Let's go see her first. This is a fixed task after all."

"Like my grandfather and great-grandfather handing in public grain?"

"Hey, you kid, don't think I can't tell, you're pretending to be a child saying whatever comes to mind!"

Xue Liangliang pounced directly on Li Zhuiyuan on the bed and started scratching him to make him itch.

Only after Li Zhuiyuan begged for mercy non-stop did he let go of the boy.

After chatting for a while longer, Xue Liangliang prepared to leave:

"Work hard. Have a good exam tomorrow. I'll wait for you all outside the exam venue."

"Um."

At this moment, the sound of knocking on the door rang again.

"Who are you?" Principal Wu from the opposite door stuck out his tongue again.

"I'm looking for Xiao Yuan. I'm his brother."

"Another brother, does Xiao Yuan have so many brothers in Jinling?"

Li Zhuiyuan opened the room door and saw the person.

The person was around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. Although he was wearing casual clothes, standing there, he was like a sharp knife.

"Principal grandpa, he is my brother."

"Oh, good. You brothers meet up."

Wu Xinhan waved his hand and swam back to his own room.

The person stood at the door and didn't come in, saying very straightforwardly:

"Grandma wants you to come back to Beijing."

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "Not going back."

"Your mom used that kind of application report to the higher ups to make the request. Grandpa didn't allow the family to intervene, but you can make your own choice about your life."

"This is my choice."

"Although your parents are divorced, you are still our family member."

"My surname is Li now."

"No room?"

"No."

"Um."

The person simply turned around and left.

Xue Liangliang asked somewhat surprised: "Who is he?"

"My dad's eldest brother's son."

It wasn't that Li Zhuiyuan deliberately called him that coldly, but for a moment, he was also a bit unclear about the family tree.

"Do your dad's relatives usually get along like this?"

"Not really. It should be that North grandpa gave the family orders."

"Gave orders? Don't say, that person indeed looks like a soldier."

"He is one."

"But, even if parents are divorced, how can you get along like this? It's not like your mom gave you a change of surname, right?"

"Um, she did do that."

"Oh, no wonder."

"But that's not the main reason."

Li Zhuiyuan knew that his North grandpa was a very principled person. Li Lan used a special application to arrange for her son, and North grandpa could only acknowledge this choice and did not allow family members to intervene or influence this arrangement.

The boy was now very suspicious that what Li Lan was doing was the same as what Zhu Changyong was doing, although not in the sea.

And that person being able to come here to find him actually counted as going against grandpa's wishes. This was very hard to imagine in the North side of the family. If grandpa knew, his legs would truly be broken.

Therefore, the other side's cold attitude was just because he was used to being like this, and his own similar coldness was because he didn't want to transmit any misunderstanding, afraid that they would feel there was room for operation.

Otherwise, if he gave North grandma the wrong report, and they operated on that side, North grandpa would be angry.

In North grandpa's eyes, Li Lan's arrangement for him was just like 'comrade's wish'.

"Oh, right, if you get admitted in advance, will you still go to school for classes?"

"I will take the college entrance exam."

"Then do you want to go to Mountain City to play with me?"

"Well..."

Li Zhuiyuan didn't really want to go far, at least not now.

"Forget it, there's nothing much to play anyway. My workplace is definitely not in the city, but in those mountain ditches. Besides mountains, it's just water."

"Okay."

"Huh?"

"I can go play."

Mainly recently, the dead ends on the old home side have appeared much less frequently.

At first, they would appear every few days, but now, one or two months without seeing one. Theory seriously deviates from practice, which will also cause problems.

"Okay, then I'll arrange it."

"Can I bring a friend?"

"Is that still a question?"

"Thank you, Liangliang bro."

"Then you have a good exam. I'm leaving."

"Goodbye, Liangliang bro."

In the evening, Li Zhuiyuan went to bed early.

When he woke up in the morning, Wu Xinhan and Teacher Yan brought everyone to the exam venue.

Coincidentally, Li Zhuiyuan's exam seat was still in the row by the window. When he looked out, he could still see a ginkgo tree.

However, this time, after the exam bell rang, he didn't continue to stare blankly at the scenery. Instead, he lowered his head and answered the questions first.

The questions were much more difficult compared to the city competition. The intention of the question setter was purely to make things difficult. You could even see their sinister smiles within the numbers and symbols.

Li Zhuiyuan empathized with them, just like the feeling he had when he designed challenging problems for Tan Wenbin.

After finishing the questions, Li Zhuiyuan handed in his paper early. He then walked under the ginkgo tree again, looking at the yellow leaves above.

He really wanted to suggest that Principal grandpa also plant some in the school, but then he thought again that there wasn't much necessity. He probably wouldn't have many opportunities to see them.

Walking out of the exam venue, Wu Xinhan and Teacher Yan immediately ran over, one with a towel and the other with water.

"How was it, Xiao Yuan?"

"Were the questions difficult?"

"I finished them all."

Hearing these words, the stones that were originally in their hearts were pressed down much more firmly.

The day after the exam back, it was the midterm exam.

Originally, Wu Xinhan thought Xiao Yuan would be like he was in the last monthly exam, coming to his office to rest after the first paper. For this, he even brought a thermos bucket with chicken soup stewed by his wife inside.

But he waited and waited, and the boy didn't come.

He was a bit restless, not worried that the chicken soup would be wasted, but afraid that the boy would go somewhere else to rest and catch a cold from the wind.

He went to Sun Qing's office first.

Sun Qing had just finished proctoring a paper and was dividing persimmon cakes with the teachers in the office.

Sun Qing now was much more confident and composed than when he was initially a head teacher. After all, only people with no results would be trapped in the vortex of seniority, tormenting and struggling with each other.

Even if you gain seniority from the sky, it's still seniority.

Later, when mentioning it, people will only say that they previously taught 'so-and-so', and who will actually delve deep and care about what exactly you taught him.

You can even cover your mouth and say: "Actually, he was very smart, basically didn't need us as head teachers to do anything, free development was good enough."

What he said was true, but the listeners would only feel that he was truly modest.

And just like Principal Wu's sardonic remarks during meetings, everyone has an inner spiritual demand. What Sun Qing likes to do most now is lie in bed before sleeping, close his eyes, and fantasize about this kind of scene in the future.

"Teacher Sun, come out for a bit."

"Okay, Principal."

Sun Qing walked out and handed Wu Xinhan a piece of persimmon cake.

Wu Xinhan took a bite and asked: "Where's Xiao Yuan?"

"He's taking the exam."

"Ah, he's not finished yet? Didn't they print the papers early? Didn't any of you take them to him?"

"No, Xiao Yuan said this time he wants to take the exam according to the normal procedure to get familiar with the college entrance exam process."

The midterm exam was different from the monthly exam. There wasn't that extreme compression of time, but it was divided into two days to simulate the frequency of the college entrance exam as much as possible.

"Truly a good child."

"Teacher Su is quite happy."

"Hehe."

Teacher Su taught English. Language and math could be inverted as the first subject, but she had never seen any school that had English as the first subject. She also didn't want to have 'regrets' in her glorious resume later, making it seem like she had no level and couldn't even teach a child prodigy well.

After each exam, Tan Wenbin would not go to check the answers, but would sit in his seat, either doing problems or warming up for the next exam.

During this morning, some snacks would appear under his drawer.

They were sent by the monitor, Zhou Yunyun.

Even if Tan Wenbin was a bit slow, he knew what the monitor meant. He would return the favor by buying some small snacks and sending them back.

But except for exchanging problems during breaks, he didn't have more contact with Zhou Yunyun. As soon as school was over, he would ride his bicycle back home following Run Sheng's tricycle.

Zhou Yunyun also didn't take the initiative to continue. The two of them just occasionally sent small gifts to each other, and neither of them crossed the line.

Perhaps, this was just the most beautiful palpitation of youth, and it was also a feeling that would still bring a warm smile to their lips when flipping through memories in the future.

During the rice harvest, he told this matter to Run Sheng.

Run Sheng turned his head and asked: "When do you want a child?"

If it wasn't for seeing the sickle in Run Sheng's hand, Tan Wenbin would have wanted to duel with him.

Along with the midterm exam scores, the math competition scores were also released. Although the grades were still based on ranking, universities had their own channels to know the real scores.

Wu Xinhan's happiest thing at this moment was sitting in the office and answering the phone.

"Hello, I am Wu Xinhan, Principal of Shipgang Middle School."

Then he quietly waited for the self-introduction below.

Wasn't this more fulfilling than reviewing military training?

It was a pity that Xiao Yuan had told him his target university early, which made him lose the space for more superficial pleasantries and open happiness.

On the evening the midterm exam rankings were released, Tan Wenbin returned to his own home.

After handing the score sheet to his mother, his mother wept with joy.

When Tan Yunlong came back, his wife excitedly shared the joy with him, which made Tan Yunlong himself feel a bit in a trance, feeling unreal.

He walked to his son's room door and originally wanted to push the door directly in, but he still knocked.

His son also didn't say "please come in" loudly, but walked over and opened the door.

"Go to the balcony, let's chat."

"Um."

Father and son came to the balcony.

Tan Yunlong: "You did well in the exam this time."

"Still lacking some, need to continue working hard."

Tan Yunlong wanted to touch his son's head, but after lifting his hand, he changed to patting his son's shoulder.

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself either."

"Um, I understand."

Tan Yunlong took out a cigarette box, pulled out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, hesitated for a bit, and still pulled out another one and handed it to his son.

Tan Wenbin suddenly felt his eye sockets were a bit moist and instinctively lowered his head to avoid his father's gaze.

It was very ridiculous that when the scene he once dreamed of actually appeared, what he thought in his heart was hoping that time could reverse and run back.

He reached out and pushed away the cigarette in his father's hand, saying:

"Dad, I quit."

——

I'm not feeling too well today, in a bad state, just wrote one chapter, sorry.

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