Zhang Mingtao took the mesh bag Song Ning handed him, feeling rather overwhelmed by her kindness.
He really had rushed over without eating breakfast.
And he really had been worried about Song Ning.
He had thought her parents would drag her home and marry her off, and he would never see her again.
After all, that sort of thing was fairly common around here.
To his surprise, not only was Song Ning home,
she had even let him inside.
Today wasn't one of their scheduled study days.
And now she had given him the breakfast her cousin had bought for her...
He thanked her over and over.
Then he happily polished off every bit of breakfast in the mesh bag!
After eating, he cautiously asked Song Ning,
"Could I study with you today?"
Song Ning glanced at the schedule posted on the wall. She had already finished reviewing the basics.
She was ahead of schedule across the board.
After some thought, she said, "Let's meet every other day! We can check each other's weak spots!"
Although Zhang Mingtao wasn't as strong academically as she was overall, he understood the rules and strategies for answering exam questions in this era.
She could still learn plenty of test-taking techniques from him.
Zhang Mingtao happily agreed. They had previously arranged to study together once every three days, but now it would be every other day.
That gave him far more chances to spend time with Song Ning.
Did this mean Song Ning did like him a little...?
"I'll go get my schoolbag in a bit, then. Let's start today."
In the days that followed,
Song Ning barely left home except to buy necessities.
Gu Zheng and Han Xiao came to see her several times, but neither even made it through her door.
She