"You should have finished your summer homework, right?" Xia Jinshu asked Song Yunshen as she sat back down on the stone bench in the pavilion.
"You're done? What's up?"
"Then we won't have to attend evening self-study sessions during the first week of school," Xia Jinshu said. "Let's go grocery shopping together after school?"
"Ah?"
"We can have dinner together at your place, and then I'll tutor you." Xia Jinshu turned her head to look at the bamboo grove outside the pavilion, trying to keep her tone calm. "We already agreed that I'd tutor you until the end of the first week of school. I can just cook dinner while I'm at it."
"Oh, that's great." Song Yunshen nodded with a smile. "I didn't expect to get to eat your cooking again. I thought I wouldn't be able to after school started."
Xia Jinshu gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her gaze still fixed on the bamboo grove, and said softly, "If you really want to eat it, just tell me."
Just then, a gust of wind blew by, rustling the bamboo leaves and drowning out Xia Jinshu's voice.
Song Yunshen turned his head in confusion, exclaimed "Ah!", and didn't hear what she had just said.
Seeing this, Xia Jinshu didn't repeat herself. Her cheeks slightly flushed, she stood up, holding the letter Song Yunshen had given her earlier, and walked straight towards the teaching building. "That's all for now, see you after school."
"Should I come to your classroom to find you then?" Song Yunshen asked, standing up as well.
"No need." Xia Jinshu shook her head, then thought for a moment, "I'll wait for you at the first intersection on the way home, or if you get there first, just wait for me." "Okay." Song Yunshen nodded in agreement, still clutching the letter Xia Jinshu had written for him in his hand. He watched her figure return to the senior high school building, and only after she entered the classroom of Class 4 did Song Yunshen turn away and return to Class 5 of the junior high school.
It was already past 4 p. m., not long after school ended.
Xia Yunuo, who had been waiting for Song Yunshen to return since he left, immediately saw him Song Yunshen back through the back door.
Before she could even say hello, she heard Song Yunshen's inner thoughts.
I wonder what the senior wrote in that letter.
Xia Yunuo narrowed her eyes and glanced at Song Yunshen's hand, and sure enough, she found that he was holding a letter.
Was it written by my sister to Song Yunshen?
At noon, Song Yunshen also wrote a letter; unexpectedly, his sister had written one as well.
Exchanging handwritten letters...
Xia Yunuo pursed her lips at the thought, feeling a pang of unease.
What kind of era is this? There are still people who write letters.
Is WeChat not working properly? Song Yunshen had already come to Xia Yunuo's side, reached out and patted her shoulder, gesturing for her to give up her seat.
Although Xia Yunuo complained inwardly, she still obediently moved her chair to make room for Song Yunshen to squeeze in.
After Song Yunshen sat down again, Xia Yunuo secretly glanced at him, eager to know what was in the letter her sister had written to him.
However, Song Yunshen clearly wouldn't let anyone else see the contents of the letter. He slightly covered it with his arm before opening it.
Seeing this, Xia Yunuo pouted slightly in dissatisfaction, but didn't say anything more.
After all, if she were writing a letter to Song Yunshen, she certainly wouldn't want others to see it.
[It was just about the tutoring at my house that evening; we already talked about that earlier.]
[But she didn't mention coming to my house to cook. Did she just think of it on the spur of the moment?]
"I didn't peek, you told me yourself..." Xia Yunuo muttered to herself as she heard Song Yunshen's thoughts again.
But then she became depressed.
Xia Yunuo had originally thought that since she and Song Yunshen had finished their summer homework, they wouldn't have to attend evening self-study sessions. They could walk home together after school, and maybe even go to her house to watch a movie together.
It turned out that Song Yunshen had already made arrangements with his sister beforehand, and she would even tutor him at Song Yunshen's house that evening. Thinking about this, Xia Yunuo suddenly felt a little unhappy.
but...
Ningning started school today, right?
"Are you going to have evening self-study at school tonight?" Song Yunshen asked Xia Yunuo in a low voice after reading the letter.
Xia Yunuo, who was pondering something in her mind, was immediately pulled back to reality by Song Yunshen's question.
She thought for a moment, then said, "I'm planning to stay and prepare for the entrance exams. Do you want to come with me?"
"I won't go," Song Yunshen said, shaking his head immediately. "I'll go home after school. Good luck."
He had originally planned to come up with a reason to refuse Xia Yunuo if she wanted to walk home from school with him.
Now it's much better, it saves us trouble.
Xia Yunuo only glanced at him before saying, "But I don't plan to study for too long, maybe just one or two evening self-study sessions."
"That's good too." Song Yunshen nodded. "Going home earlier means getting some rest earlier."
"Can I come to your house for a while later?" Xia Yunuo tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, blushing slightly as she turned her head away, too embarrassed to look at Song Yunshen. Song Yunshen was clearly taken aback for a moment. After he came to his senses, he calculated the time in his mind, thinking that Xia Jinshu shouldn't stay too long. After dinner and an hour of class, Xia Jinshu should go home.
So he nodded and agreed, "Sure, just remember to let me know when you come."
"Mmm." Xia Yunuo nodded gently.
Since his older sister was Song Yunshen's tutor and was doing legitimate work, he reluctantly decided not to bother her.
But now that Ningning has gone to school, the playtime that originally belonged to her younger sister naturally belongs to her.
Anyway, her sister's time as a tutor was only for a few more days, so Xia Yunuo decided not to hold it against her for the time being.
In any case, after the start of the semester, I will be sitting next to Song Yunshen, and we will have a lot of time to spend together in the future.
Having figured these things out, Xia Yunuo's mood brightened again. She stopped thinking about it, took out a draft notebook, silently drew the squares, and then handed it between the two of them. She turned her head and winked at Song Yunshen.
Song Yunshen receiving Xia Yunuo's challenge to a major battle, Song Yunshen chuckled and immediately drew an X on it.
A fierce battle of Gomoku (Five in a Row) was about to erupt. The two players fought fiercely until the school bell rang at 5 p. m.
"Holy crap, you're leaving already?" Xu Zhuoyue, sitting in the back row, exclaimed as he saw him sling his backpack over his shoulder.
"I don't talk to people who haven't finished their summer homework." Song Yunshen chuckled and waved at him with a nonchalant air.
"Isn't Xia Yunuo coming with you?" Xu Zhuoyue clicked his tongue, then noticed that Xia Yunuo hadn't packed her schoolbag, and asked with a puzzled look.
"She has to stay for evening self-study."
"Look at this, look at this!" Xu Zhuoyue shouted loudly upon hearing this, "This is the difference, don't you understand? Unlike some people who are so lazy."
"Stop your whining." Song Yunshen chuckled coldly. "After this entrance exam, you'll see what the real difference is."
"Come on," Xu Zhuoyue scoffed. "You're lucky if your grades don't drop, let alone fall behind."
After all, in Xu Zhuoyue's opinion, Song Yunshen was having such a comfortable summer vacation, always surrounded by beautiful women, his schedule packed from morning till night, how could he have time to study?
With that, what difference is there between us?
But Song Yunshen laughed, "Mortals cannot understand the realm of gods. Just you wait and see."
Xu Zhuoyue didn't believe such nonsense at all. "If you're so capable, let's make a bet. If you can get into the top 200, I'll treat you to a meal; if you don't, you treat me to three meals."
"Why do I have to eat three meals a day if I lose?" "It's because you seem pretty confident."
"Then I won't ask you for a meal. If you get into the top 200, you can call me 'Dad'."
"Get lost!" Xu Zhuoyue said irritably. "If you're so capable, then call me 'Dad' even if you lose. Otherwise, I might consider it."
"That won't do." Song Yunshen rolled his eyes and refused outright, employing a strategy of feigned indifference.
Seeing his decisive refusal, Xu Zhuoyue's eyes lit up, and he laughed loudly, "Scared? You coward! Come and gamble if you dare!"
"Fine! You said it!" Song Yunshen gritted his teeth, looking like he'd been provoked. "It's a bet, and nobody's allowed to go back on their word!"
At this point, Xu Zhuoyue finally realized what was happening, and his face immediately stiffened. "Are you sure?"
"Isn't that what you said?" Song Yunshen chuckled, then ignored him and patted Xia Yunuo's shoulder. "Then I'll be going now."
Xia Yunuo slightly and waved to him, not worried about the bet between Song Yunshen and Xu Zhuoyue.
After all, she knew that her sister had been tutoring Song Yunshen in English all summer, and even called Song Yunshen from the rooftop every night at 9 o'clock to watch him memorize words.
In any case, just by memorizing vocabulary, you should be able to improve your English score a little over the summer.
Previously, Song Yunshen had been hovering around 250th in the entire grade, and occasionally, with a good performance, he had a chance to break into the top 200. If he can get a few more points in English this time, and does better in science subjects, getting into the top 200 is not out of the question.
If you can improve your English score by 10 points, that's practically guaranteed.
However, in Xu Zhuoyue's view, this was something that could never happen.
Although he knew that Xia Jinshu was tutoring Song Yunshen in English, how could Song Yunshen possibly concentrate on learning with such a beautiful tutor?
If you were truly dedicated to learning, how could you possibly end up teaching someone to ride on the back of an electric scooter?
They were hugging each other so tightly!
This doesn't look like a proper class!
Song Yunshen had no idea that Xu Zhuoyue had so many thoughts running through his mind. After saying goodbye and leaving, he carried his schoolbag all the way to the school gate.
Not many students have finished their summer homework, but there are still quite a few.
At this time, students were leaving school in small groups and heading home. Song Yunshen mingled with the crowd, turned left after leaving the school gate, and soon arrived at the first intersection.
As soon as the bell rang, Xia Jinshu immediately slung her backpack over her shoulder and left the classroom, where she was already waiting.
Seeing Song Yunshen's figure in the distance, she smiled and waved gently at him before stepping forward to stand in front of him. "I didn't bring my electric scooter today, let's go to my place to drop off my schoolbag first," Song Yunshen Song Yunshen suggested. "Then I'll ride my scooter and we can go grocery shopping together."
"Okay." Xia Jinshu nodded in agreement and walked alongside him toward the Tangning New Residence.
In the past, Xia Jinshu always walked home alone after school. Today was the first time she walked home with someone else, and that person was a boy.
This stirred a strange feeling in her heart, and as she walked down the street, she couldn't help but steal glances at him from time to time.
I used to sit on the back of his electric scooter every day during summer vacation, but now, just walking home from school side by side feels completely different.
Ningjiang Middle School is not far from Tangning New Residence; it's just two intersections away.
Song Yunshen led Xia Jinshu upstairs, put down her schoolbag, picked up the electric scooter key, and then led her downstairs to the bike shed.
Xia Jinshu naturally straddled the back seat of the electric scooter, and after Song Yunshen sat down, she stretched out her hands and hugged him tightly.
But after Song Yunshen started riding his electric bike, Xia Jinshu suddenly realized a problem.
They both seem to still be wearing their school uniforms...
If I were on the street and a teacher at school saw me, how would I explain it?
As Xia Jinshu pondered this question, her excitement only intensified. Despite knowing the risk, her hand wouldn't obey her commands and wouldn't retract. If the teacher caught her, she could simply say it was a relative...
Thinking this to herself, Xia Jinshu tightened her grip even more as the electric scooter went over the speed bump.
"By the way, will Uncle Song be home for dinner tonight?" Xia Jinshu suddenly thought of this question, so she leaned Song Yunshen's ear and asked, "Should we buy a little extra groceries later?"
Song Yunshen felt a tingling sensation from her soft whispers, his heart fluttering. He then replied, "Don't worry about him. He's been working lately and doesn't get back until after 9 pm every night. We'll just take care of ourselves."
That's what she said, but when she got to the market, just in case, Xia Jinshu bought a little more vegetables than usual.
Since we'll be coming back in the next few days anyway, buying a little more won't hurt.
After the two finished shopping for groceries, Song Yunshen drove her home.
The two arrived at the elevator lobby, pressed the elevator button, and waited for the elevator to come up from the basement.
When the elevator doors opened, everyone— Song Yunshen and Xia Jinshu standing outside, as well as Song Mingyuan inside—was stunned.
"Dad? Why are you back?" Song Yunshen was the first to come to his senses and immediately asked in surprise.
"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" Song Mingyuan squinted at his son, then glanced at Xia Jinshu, his tone somewhat helpless.
He had been looking forward to finally being able to go home early after his son started school, and even play some games on his son's computer to relax. But good heavens, before he even got home, the elevator doors opened and he saw Song Yunshen with Xia Jinshu, carrying large bags and small packages, clearly just back from the market.
"Hello, Uncle Song." Xia Jinshu lowered her head a little shyly and greeted him softly, then asked, "Uncle Song, have you had dinner yet? We just came back from grocery shopping, would you like to eat together?"
"Hmm... then thank you for your trouble." Song Mingyuan recalled the taste of Xia Jinshu's cooking, and felt his mouth watering.
Since things have come to this, let's eat first.