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"Well, even when it comes to raising children, Jiawei has not only Mother but also Father! It’s not like if the child turns out well, it’s solely your doing, and if the child turns out poorly, it’s solely my fault, right?" Liu Xiuzhen argued back, her face flushed and her voice raised after being interrupted by Qing Shusheng.
Seeing that the situation was getting tense and worried that Liu Xiuzhen would throw a fit again, Qing Shusheng decided to ignore her and walked straight out of the courtyard.
Once Qing Shusheng left, Grandma also stopped debating with Liu Xiuzhen and went to call Qinglan in her room.
"Lanlan, come out for a moment."
Qinglan was lost in thought, resting her chin on her hand in her room and didn’t hear Grandma calling.
"Lanlan, girl, come out for a moment." Grandma called from the doorway.
Startled, Qinglan jumped off the bed in a hurry, not even having time to put on her shoes properly. She rushed to Grandma and asked anxiously, "Grandma, what’s the matter?"
Seeing that she had frightened Qinglan with her loud call, Grandma smiled apologetically and said, "It’s nothing, nothing at all."
"If it’s nothing, then why did you shout so loudly all of a sudden? You scared me." Qinglan glared at Grandma and turned slightly as if to head back to her room.
Grandma grabbed Qinglan's arm. "Come on, let’s go to the courtyard. I want to teach you how to embroider." Grandma said with a proud smile.
Hearing that Grandma was going to teach her embroidery piqued Qinglan's interest immediately.
Grandma was known for having the best embroidery skills in the village; many had tried to learn from her but none could match her dexterity.
Qinglan helped Grandma carry a bamboo basket, a small dustpan, and a small stool to a spot under an Old Locust Tree in the courtyard.
The trunk of the locust tree was thick enough for one person to wrap their arms around. Its leafy crown almost covered half of the sky above the courtyard, providing ample shade below.
Liu Dezhou lay with his eyes closed on a bamboo recliner beneath the tree, with a bamboo cane beside him.
Since he had broken his leg that time and now that he was older, his health had declined significantly. His movement was mostly limited to wandering around the courtyard and inside the house while relying on a cane.
Grandma was a whole generation younger than Liu Dezhou and still quite healthy. Therefore, she took care of him daily, helping him walk in and out to exercise his legs.
After Qinglan and Grandma sat down under the tree, they took out needles and thread as Grandma began teaching Qinglan how to embroider.
The scene appeared calm and warm, but for Qinglan, her heart was anything but peaceful.
Although she had been accepted into the first high school, she felt anxious. She looked forward to the new life, to the start of school, and to being in the same class as An Shaojie again, seeing him every day. Even if he still wouldn’t talk to her, it would be better than not seeing him at all.
Qinglan secretly vowed to make good use of her summer vacation to review her studies. She was determined to score well enough on the entrance exam to join the Experimental Class and be in the same class as An Shaojie.
On the other hand, Qinglan was also afraid of the new life, worried that things between her and An Shaojie might change. She knew that what An Shaojie hoped for in his new life was different from what she envisioned.
An Shaojie's new life likely included seeing Lin Xi, while Qinglan's dream was simply to be able to see An Shaojie in a new environment every day. She promised herself that she would work even harder; even if her efforts couldn’t improve their relationship, she swore she wouldn’t let it worsen.
However, Qinglan understood that life in the future would not unfold as she wished.
If that were the case, Qinglan would rather not change anything. Even if he never spoke to her again, she preferred to keep her distance while cherishing the peace of watching him remain silent with everyone else.
But time is an entity that does not bend to human will. Whether you wish it would slow down or speed up, it ticks away relentlessly, leaving behind joy, regret, and sorrow.
Summer vacation passed in the blink of an eye, and a new life was about to begin.
At the start of school, aside from students like An Shaojie who were directly admitted into the Experimental Class, others had to take a placement exam. As expected, Qinglan scored excellently and was placed in the Experimental Class alongside An Shaojie.
However, they had yet to see Lin Xi.
On registration day, both An Shaojie and Qinglan searched for Lin Xi's name on the enrollment list posted on the wall. They scanned from top to bottom and then from bottom to top but did not find Lin Xi's name.
"Why isn't Lin Sister's name here?" Qinglan murmured in confusion, glancing at An Shaojie.
An Shaojie stood on the other side, squinting at the list in a daze.
Qinglan knew that An Shaojie must be just as puzzled as she was. Her voice was soft enough that others couldn’t hear it, but she was certain that An Shaojie could catch her words from nearby.
She just wanted to tell him that Lin Xi's name was indeed missing and that he wasn’t the only one concerned about her.
An Shaojie bit his lip tightly and stared blankly at the white papers with black text on the wall for a long time. Suddenly, he turned around without looking at Qinglan and slowly walked toward the classroom with his head down.
Qinglan stood there, watching his lonely figure disappear at the end of the corridor leading to the classroom.
Without seeing Lin Xi's name, Qinglan didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed.
But as she watched An Shaojie's solitary back gradually fade away, Qinglan felt nothing but sorrow for both him and herself, without a trace of joy.
After a while, Qinglan decided to head back to the classroom when she suddenly felt a pair of eyes watching her from the side.
Following the gaze, she saw Xiang Yuanqiu standing alone under a Camphor Tree, staring at her.
Qinglan smiled and walked over to Xiang Yuanqiu, calling out, "Yuanqiu."
There were not many people in their entire town who could come to the county city for school, let alone attend County No. 1 High School. In Qinglan's year, fewer than ten students made it into the key class, so encountering an old classmate was certainly a joyful occasion.
Seeing Qinglan approach and greet her, Xiang Yuanqiu shyly smiled and responded to Qinglan in a lukewarm manner.
Qinglan stood in front of her for a while but noticed that she had no intention of reminiscing, so she waved goodbye and returned to the classroom.
Qinglan and An Shaojie were in Class One of the key class, while Xiang Yuanqiu was in Class Five of the regular class. Initially, during the placement exam at the beginning of the school year, Xiang Yuanqiu had prepared thoroughly and hoped to make it into the key class. However, during the first language exam, she encountered problems; she had diarrhea and spent a lot of time going back and forth to the restroom, which ultimately led to her not finishing her essay.
After the exam, she cried about it and even approached school leaders to submit an explanation of her exam situation along with a request for special consideration due to her circumstances. After all, she was just a few points away from entering the key class. However, her request was ultimately denied by the school leaders. The response stated that "special situations like yours occur frequently during exams; even in college entrance exams, no one has ever requested special consideration for such matters." In the end, she could only give up and regret her bad luck.
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