Chapter 33

“Are you crazy? Your dad finally got your job made official—only one procedure left to handle—and now you actually say you want to go back to school? With those grades of yours that fail every single subject, what strength can you study out of studying back and forth?”

Liu Lizhen was so angry she slammed the table. The bowls and chopsticks on the table shook in a wave and almost fell to the ground.

Her sharp voice made Ye Mingzhu’s eardrums ache. She sat bitterly on the sofa, looking at Liu Lizhen with an innocent face, yet her expression was stubborn and not the least bit yielding.

Liu Lizhen truly could not understand how good it was to have an official job at the bus station. How many high school graduates and university students might not even be able to get in! Put in front of anyone—who wouldn’t be happy to death?

Now Ye Mingzhu had entered the bus station as an official worker. Although she was only a route attendant, every month she still had forty or fifty yuan in wages. The real benefits held in the hand were the true benefits!

It was not that she wanted to pour cold water on her own biological daughter. With Ye Mingzhu’s grades—if she could study anything out it would be seeing a ghost!

Most importantly, how much effort the Ye family had spent to get the job succession handled. Not only did they have to put in quite a bit of favors—they also pulled connections to change Ye Mingzhu’s household registration booklet age older by two years. Even more for this they made Ye Wanqing grow distant from the family…… Now Ye Mingzhu said she didn’t want the job and simply didn’t want the job. She simply could not understand!

“But I just want to study!” Ye Mingzhu’s eyes moistened. She wiped tears with the back of her hand. “Whoever wants this job can take it. Anyway I just don’t want to work anymore. I want to study! I want to study together with Older Sister and go to university together with her!”

“How do you know your older sister can test into one?” Liu Lizhen asked in return. “With those grades of your older sister that are not much better than yours, being able to graduate smoothly is already not bad. Still university…… I spit!”

Speaking of this Ye Mingzhu felt a bit resentful and held it until her whole face turned red.

Yet she also did not dare speak out the things she had done previously…… Because her own grades were not good she had cried and begged Older Sister not to score so well. Speaking it out—how embarrassing?

“Anyway I just want to study! If you don’t let me study I’ll go find my older sister. My older sister definitely won’t ignore me! She even handled enrollment procedures for Wei Jun and Wei Hong. Am I still inferior to the Wei family people?” Thinking of this Ye Mingzhu felt miserable.

Previously she had clearly been Ye Wanqing’s only little sister, spoiled from childhood. Yet now she seemed only a grain of dust that simply could not fall into Ye Wanqing’s eyes.

“If it weren’t that you treated Older Sister badly, forbade her from working and still wanted to confiscate all her income, Older Sister also wouldn’t treat me like this!” Thinking back and forth Ye Mingzhu felt everything was the family’s fault.

Before making this job-succession matter the family relationship was so good!

Yet for a broken job the family made a huge scene. Older Sister even moved out and no longer liked paying attention to her. Their family became the laughingstock of the bus station!

Liu Lizhen was furious. “You little bastard! This old mother treating Ye Wanqing badly—wasn’t it all for you? Previously when letting you take over the job you also didn’t say no. Now you actually blame this old mother?”

Ye Mingzhu pouted and snorted once. Wasn’t it just that whatever the family arranged she listened? She also couldn’t be bothered to waste effort thinking more. Who knew the matter would become like this.

Mother and daughter argued without end. Ye Xiangdang sitting to the side finally could not listen anymore.

He put down the teacup in his hand, put on a cold face and heavily shouted, “Enough! Mingzhu, don’t act on every whim. Going to study now—in only two months it’s summer vacation. What can you learn? Your older sister going now is also muddled, thinking she can test into a university in two months? That’s dreaming!”

Ye Mingzhu felt these words had reason, yet still was not convinced. “I just want to study. I’ll study seriously.”

“If you really want to study then go next semester. Before next semester starts you must properly do the job well. Otherwise I will not agree for you to go study!”

“Old Ye!” Liu Lizhen became anxious. “If she goes to study what about the job? We ran around so hard for this job—how not easy it was!”

Ye Xiangdang was also helpless. “The daughter you spoiled—you ask me what to do? If she had half the obedience of the big girl we would burn high incense!”

Hearing this Liu Lizhen somewhat disdainfully curled her lips. She did not feel that dead girl Ye Wanqing was good at all. If she were truly good how could she be so stingy toward them the parents—white-eyed wolf!

Yet Ye Mingzhu’s smiling face gradually opened.

She also knew that giving up the bus station job to go study was a bit willful. Yet now that the family agreed her mood became especially good.

Once her mood was good her mouth became sweet. Just now she had still made Liu Lizhen and Ye Xiangdang’s faces turn green. Now pinching shoulders and pounding backs she immediately coaxed them one after another into revealing smiling faces.

—

Evening.

Ye Xiangdang half-leaned on the bed reading a book. Liu Lizhen lightly and carefully climbed onto the bed and poked him with her elbow.

“Old Ye, are you truly going to agree to Mingzhu? This girl has a stubborn temperament. If you agree to her do you believe that in a few months she will truly throw away the job and pester us to go study?”

“Not agreeing—what can we do? You also said her temperament is stubborn.” Ye Xiangdang took off his glasses and wearily rubbed his eyes. “If the big girl can’t test into university and stops studying, maybe Mingzhu also won’t make trouble anymore.”

Liu Lizhen laughed contemptuously. “Liu Lixiu from childhood was never as smart as me. If her seed can truly test into university then the Literary Star in the sky has gone blind!”

Ye Xiangdang had a different opinion. “Don’t say it like that. If the big girl can truly test in it is also the Ye family’s glory. In front of my army comrades I will also have face. When the time comes don’t go in front of the big girl and say sour words, making the relationship even stiffer.”

“That can wait until she first tests in before talking!” After finishing her complaints Liu Lizhen could not help asking again, “If the big girl tests in what about Mingzhu?”

“If she tests in do you think Mingzhu will still go to school to study? She’s just a child’s temper, acting on every whim, wanting to stick to her older sister. But if she truly wants to study I’ll support her!”

What was bad about studying? Ye Xiangdang’s vision was much stronger than ordinary people. He knew that after testing into university the employment choices were more. Better than being a conductor in a small county town for a lifetime. Speaking it out was also more face-giving.

Therefore he supported it.

Hearing Ye Xiangdang’s attitude Liu Lizhen secretly curled her lips.

—

Ye Wanqing simply did not know the Ye family had still stirred up such a storm.

She was truly too busy.

Apart from eating and sleeping, even when riding the bicycle to school she was reciting books. Every day the time used for studying still felt insufficient—where was there free time to care about the Ye family’s matters?

If she truly had that leisure it would be better to pull her own tall man for a couple more kisses, so he would not become aggrieved like a dog, every day looking at her with the eyes of a meat bone being snatched away.

Ever since she began studying Ge Yuan refused to let her intervene in any household chores at home again and only let her concentrate wholeheartedly on reading books.

The others were the same.

Wei Jun and Wei Hong had not yet reached senior year. The coursework was not that tense. Wei Jun every day carried water and split firewood. Wei Hong directly took over the kitchen at home. Ordinarily she would also take Ge Yue to play and arranged the home matters in perfect order.

Thinking of these Ye Wanqing’s lips could not help blooming a smear of smiling meaning.

Walking to her seat and sitting down Ye Wanqing had just hung the schoolbag on the chair back when she was poked by Jiang Lili beside her.

A pair of eyes of hers smiled like a little fox, full of interest. “Quickly look in your desk hole—quickly look!”

Ye Wanqing: “……”

What else could it be?

Wasn’t it just a love letter!

Ye Wanqing speechlessly fumbled in the desk hole and indeed fumbled out two love letters. One love letter was relatively normal. The other pink envelope actually had a bit of perfume sprayed on it and was sealed with a red heart.

Ye Wanqing: “……”

Under Jiang Lili’s interested gaze she opened the love letters and looked. She discovered these were again two love letters with very period characteristics. The word choice and sentence construction were extremely romantic and graceful.

“You are like the bright moon among the mountains, quietly shining on my heart…… I want to scoop up a handful of clear water and hold you in my palm, carefully protecting……”

“Your smile is so sweet, like the April wind blowing open the haze in my heart. You are like that slowly rising sun, the gentle morning light enveloping me……”

Jiang Lili put her head over and glanced at the signature of one of the letters. Instantly she exaggeratedly lowly shouted, “Heavens—it’s the talented scholar of the science class, Chen Yuming!”

Chen Yuming?

Ye Wanqing looked down and indeed—the signature under that normal love letter was Chen Yuming. This person…… speaking of it was still an acquaintance.

“This time will you agree? Wanqing, Wanqing, a talented scholar has written you a love letter—what feelings do you have?” Jiang Lili chattered like a little sparrow.

Ye Wanqing helplessly put the love letters into the desk hole. “I have no other particular feelings. I just feel that in their eyes I’m not even human.”

Jiang Lili: “……”

Okay—one moment bright moon among the mountains, one moment April wind—wasn’t that all not human!

“Then agree to Chen Yuming! He’s a prominent figure of our school. Unexpectedly he even likes you!” Jiang Lili’s face was full of envy.

“No. At school I want to concentrate on studying.” Ye Wanqing shook her head. “Besides I already have a partner.”

No matter how good other men were—were they as good as her family’s Brother Yuan? Absolutely not.

Jiang Lili still wanted to ask when Ye Wanqing got a partner and what the partner did. Unfortunately Ye Wanqing had already taken out the textbook to be recited in morning reading. Recalling her usual serious energy Jiang Lili also did not dare disturb her.

She sighed toward her own textbook. Ai—why was there not a single person who liked her? Clearly she was also very cute!

Ye Wanqing glanced at her once and extended two fingers to knock her desk. “Study.”

“Okay. Hee hee.”

—

Receiving love letters every day for an eighteen-year-old girl perhaps was a matter both happy and troublesome. Yet Ye Wanqing’s heart was like still water.

First she already had a person she liked in her heart and only liked teasing her own family’s tall man.

Second among those love letters she received every single one actually had wrong characters! As a teacher who had taught for more than twenty years, although she was a mathematics teacher, her occupational disease still made her simply unable to pay attention to the green emotions between the lines. When looking at love letters she only cared about finding wrong characters.

If she had red ink in her hand perhaps she would even want to annotate a bit……

After receiving the love letters, for the sake of the young children’s feelings Ye Wanqing also did not discard them immediately after receiving them. Instead she considerately carried them out of the school gate before tearing them into pieces and throwing them away.

She felt that as long as she did not reply to the love letters then her attitude was already expressed very clearly.

Unfortunately she was still blocked.

And it was still an acquaintance…… Chen Yuming.

“Classmate Ye, can I talk with you a bit?” The lean and tall boy pushed a bicycle over and blocked in front of Ye Wanqing and the Wei siblings. His expression was a bit nervous yet he stood in front of them with a face full of flushed red.

Ye Wanqing raised her brows a little. “Chen Yuming?”

Chen Yuming’s eyes instantly lit up. His figure even stood much straighter. He agitatedly asked, “You know me?”

“……” Ye Wanqing nodded. “My deskmate said you’re the talented scholar of the science class.”

“Then can you talk with me a bit?”

“No need.” Ye Wanqing lightly smiled and spoke relatively obscurely. “Thank you for your feelings, but I feel right now the most important is still studying.”

Chen Yuming’s face completely flushed red. “Even if…… even if…… it also won’t delay studying. We can progress together and work hard to enter the same university! We first make friends—okay?”

Speaking to this point Wei Jun and Wei Hong both knew what was going on. Embarrassed to continue listening the two pushed the bicycles and walked forward a stretch, leaving space for Ye Wanqing.

Although Ye Wanqing felt they simply had no need to be this considerate.

“Sorry. At school I only want to concentrate on studying and don’t want to be distracted by other matters. Besides I already have a fiancé.” Ye Wanqing mildly said. “You’re a very outstanding boy. In the future you’ll have your own life and meet better girls.”

Chen Yuming: “……”

The first time confessing to a girl and as a result being rejected—and still being rejected so gently—he felt both heartache and…… an indescribable full chest of tender feelings.

Even rejecting him was so gentle. Classmate Ye was truly too good!

After Ye Wanqing pushed the bicycle and caught up with the Wei siblings’ footsteps Chen Yuming still dazedly stood in place looking at her. His eyes were full of gentleness, even more poetic than the boys of the arts class.

Ye Wanqing was also emotional about Chen Yuming’s matter.

In the previous life before she married into the Wang family, when going to the bookstore to look at books she unintentionally recognized Chen Yuming who was still studying senior year. At that time she purely yearned for school while Chen Yuming secretly developed feelings for her and even persuaded his family people to go to the Ye family to propose marriage.

Of course this marriage was refused in one breath by Ye Xiangdang.

The reason Ye Xiangdang gave at the time was that Ye Wanqing’s age was still small. Discussing marriage too early would also delay Chen Yuming’s college entrance examination…… yet actually it was just not wanting Ye Wanqing to marry in Qingshui County, not wanting her to live by their side and constantly remind them that in the job-succession matter they had not acted honorably.

At that time Ye Wanqing felt a bit of regret, feeling marrying into the Chen family was quite good. After all the Chen family’s economic conditions were very good and Chen Yuming looked like someone with prospects. Yet truly unable to marry she also did not take it as a serious matter.

Chen Yuming perhaps was also the same as her—toward this portion of feelings he did not have very deep obsession. Seeing the Ye family did not agree and Ye Wanqing herself was also indifferent he did not make more entanglement.

Later when Ye Wanqing was a substitute teacher she still heard of Chen Yuming’s matters and knew that in university he recognized an elegant and polite, pretty and generous female classmate. In university they married. After graduating from university they had a child. The family of three lived very happily.

In this life if it still developed according to the previous life Chen Yuming would still meet his true destined goddess in university and live very happily. As for her—just continuing to be a passerby was fine.

—

Chen Yuming’s matter still had a few points of influence on Ye Wanqing.

After returning home she did not directly drill into the room to study. Instead she spent more than ten extra minutes chatting with Ge Yuan and was a few points gentler toward her own tall man.

Chen Yuming had Chen Yuming’s destiny while she also had her own belonging…… Her happiness was never inferior to others’. She would properly cherish her family’s tall man!

Her change in attitude Ge Yuan sensed in one moment.

“Why did you think of me today?” In the room Ge Yuan held Ye Wanqing in his embrace. Both hands circled her slender waist. His chin rested on her shoulder and randomly rubbed. His voice carried a few points of grievance as he took the opportunity to ask for benefits.

“Isn’t it just afraid of neglecting you too much?” Ye Wanqing actively kissed him once. “This time for the college entrance examination I want to test the waters so I’ll prepare with heart. Just wrong our family’s Brother Yuan a bit first.”

“I’m not wronged.”

Although the words were like this Ge Yuan still took the opportunity to ask for a few more kisses, only kissing Ye Wanqing until she almost could not breathe—not the least bit vague.

Apart from this he also did not dare advance an inch further.

Warm fragrance and soft jade in his embrace yet his hands always properly stayed at Ye Wanqing’s waist. Although he very much wanted to probe upward that softness he firmly suppressed the impulse in his heart and was unwilling to be abrupt with the person……

He secretly calculated in his heart that perhaps after the college entrance examination he would have the opportunity to take one step closer?

After Ye Wanqing began studying Ge Yuan closed the door and went out.

He did not like usual go find Houzi and them. Instead he found Wei Jun.

Lighting a cigarette he smiled and asked, “Still used to living here? Is there anything lacking—just tell me.”

Wei Jun quickly nodded. “Used to it—very used to it. Here the conditions are even better than at home. Every day only needing to study is fine. Everywhere is good.”

“Then that’s good.” Ge Yuan nodded and asked again, “At school also still okay?”

This time Wei Jun revealed a tiny bit of depressed expression. “The county town’s teaching quality is better than the countryside. Wei Hong and I are both working hard to catch up on progress right now, wanting to catch up the study grades.”

In the countryside they still counted as top students. Every exam they were in the top few ranks. Yet at No. 3 Middle School they discovered the gap between themselves and the classmates around them. If they did not work harder then when the end-of-term exam came the scores were afraid would look very ugly.

“Mm……” Ge Yuan seemingly unintentionally asked, “Then what about your older sister? Did she run into any troublesome matters at school?”

“No, no!” Wei Jun continuously shook his head. “My older sister is also pretty good at school. She didn’t run into any troublesome matters. It’s just that quite a few male classmates write her love letters, yet she also doesn’t take it as a matter—not troublesome.”

Ge Yuan: “……”

The cigarette even dropped from fright!

This still didn’t count as troublesome matters? The trouble was huge!

Ahhhhhh!

—

The next day the moment Ye Wanqing came out of school she saw a tall and big figure far away waiting outside the school gate.

The tall and handsome man had one hand resting on the bicycle handlebar. Between the fingers of the other hand was a cigarette that he smoked with some strokes and some without. Because of his handsome exterior and unrestrained temperament he from time to time attracted No. 3 Middle School students to secretly look at him.

Yet he casually looked toward the school gate, completely not caring about these examining gazes.

Ye Wanqing: “……”

This scene made her recall every early morning when she came out of the Ye family to set up the stall. This person was just like this waiting at the entrance of the waiting hall, making her feel at ease the moment she saw him.

She could not help blooming a smile. Riding the bicycle she charged in front of Ge Yuan. A pair of clean almond eyes held brilliant smiling meaning. “Why did you come over? Today you just happened to have nothing to do and came to pick me up?”

“Mm……” Ge Yuan vaguely responded once. “If seen by your classmates would it be not good?”

“What’s not good about it? Quite a few people know I have a fiancé. Even if seen no one will say anything.” Ye Wanqing could not help laughing. “However outside still need to pay attention a bit. Don’t be too intimate. After returning home then…… cough cough…… you remember!”

“Mm!” Ge Yuan calmly agreed yet in his heart blossomed with joy.

Quite a few people know she has a fiancé?

What did this explain? It explained that his position was unbreakable! He had obtained recognition!

His gaze circled once and discovered many examining lines of sight looking toward him and Ye Wanqing. He could not help straightening his waist even more, working hard to make himself look very mild…… at least not letting people associate with the three words “local boss.”

“In the future when I have free time I’ll come pick you up.”

“Okay.” Ye Wanqing smiled and nodded.

She did not know a certain someone’s little calculations in his heart. She called Wei Jun and Wei Hong and together walked toward home.

Ge Yuan coming to pick her up—the two of them could just chat a bit on the road and make up for the recent time of less communication. It was also pretty good.

—

With Ge Yuan picking up and dropping off the quantity of love letters Ye Wanqing received dropped in a straight line.

There were still some unwilling classmates who when writing love letters again carried a bit of critical nature. Most felt her eyesight was not good and she actually took a fancy to a hooligan leader like Ge Yuan.

Ye Wanqing knew Ge Yuan’s reputation was not good and had long anticipated this situation. Yet she had no plan of paying attention.

Even if she stepped out to defend Ge Yuan what benefit could she get? Some people with different three views simply could not be persuaded by speech. She only needed to live her own days well. Other people’s gazes she couldn’t be bothered to care about.

Yet what Ye Wanqing did not expect was that this life’s Chen Yuming for some reason actually persisted much more than the previous life. Not only did he write love letters every day as usual and from time to time send some small gifts into her desk hole—he would also come block her when school ended.

Blocked by Chen Yuming once again Ye Wanqing was full of helplessness.

“Classmate Chen, I remember I spoke to you very clearly. Right now I only want to properly study and improve every day. Moreover I already have a fiancé. Even if wanting to talk love and romance I already have a partner. You have no opportunity.”

“I feel he is not suitable for you……” Chen Yuming’s face was red yet he was very persistent. “Right now you might not understand, but later…… after you test into university while he still remains in the county town you…… you still cannot walk far.”

Ye Wanqing: “……”

“I’m not cursing you two. I just…… sorry. Actually this problem is very practical. You should learn to face it.”

“Thank you for the reminder, but I believe in my fiancé. I know he will definitely become a very outstanding person.”

Saying this Ye Wanqing wanted to leave yet Chen Yuming tugged the bicycle handlebar. “How do you know he will?”

Under the residual glow of the setting sun the girl was bright and pretty. The man in a white shirt was delicate and scholarly…… looking like a heaven-made pair.

Ge Yuan stood outside the school gate looking from afar and suddenly felt his heart was stuffy.