Chapter 76: Don't make enemies with others.
Chapter 76: Don’t make enemies with others.
Countdown 17:00:00.
In the morning, the chirping of birds came from outside the window. Qing Chen turned over and also heard the sound of cooking in the kitchen.
He got up, the bedroom door was still closed, and Jiang Xue had gotten up early to cook for them.
Seeing him, Jiang Xue smiled and said, “It seems like you often cook at home too, you have all kinds of seasonings.”
“Yeah, eating out is too expensive,” Qing Chen explained.
Jiang Xue said, “Your parents really, just leaving you alone without care. Don’t worry, from now on Auntie will cook for you, you won’t have to do it yourself. Just focus on your studies. By the way, do you attend any tutoring classes? Maybe I can recommend one to you.”
Qing Chen was somewhat amused. Was she already starting to arrange tutoring classes for him?
No wonder Li Tongyun had started planning the “escape” early…
But he really didn’t need any tutoring classes.
Last year, when Qing Chen was in his first year of high school, he used to go out and do part-time work at night, and he was always so tired during the day that he would rest his head on the desk.
Back then, when the math teacher Tian Hailong was lecturing, if Qing Chen suddenly looked up, Tian Hailong would subconsciously reflect on whether he had explained something incorrectly.
Jiang Xue, smiling, asked Qing Chen, “Xiao Yun told me you agreed to go to Laojun Mountain with her, did you?”
“Yes,” Qing Chen nodded.
“You really spoil her too much. She said she wanted to go, and I didn’t agree, but now that you have, she insists on going,” Jiang Xue said, though without a blaming tone.
Thinking it over, Qing Chen said, “After all, having just gone through two dangers, it’s a good idea to go out and clear our minds. Children her age haven’t experienced such things; we shouldn’t let it leave a psychological scar.”
“Alright,” Jiang Xue nodded, “then this afternoon, after your school ends, we’ll take a coach bus there. It takes just over two hours. We’ll stay there overnight and climb up to the summit the next day to watch the sunrise, then head back. I checked the ratings on Meituan, and a few inns have good reviews, and their meals are especially tasty.”
Qing Chen glanced at her; she clearly seemed to have already made all the plans.
He asked, “If it’s just for two days and one night, won’t it be too rushed?”
Jiang Xue thought for a moment, “I thought we’d go early and return early, so Xiao Yun can make it back for her tutoring classes. But if you think we should stay a few more days, then let’s give Xiao Yun a proper holiday.”
…
Qing Chen arrived at class early to find that Nan Gengchen and Wang Yun were already whispering together early in the morning, while Bai Waner hadn’t arrived at school yet.
Yesterday, none of these four had been seriously injured; they’d just been knocked out and sacked.
After being rescued, they were symbolically given some saline in the hospital and then sent home.
At this moment, Wang Yun was talking with red eyes to Nan Gengchen about everything that had happened last night, and occasionally, Nan Gengchen would comfort her.
This scene looked more like a date…
Suddenly, Qing Chen felt like he had missed a lot because of skipping class.
It was like going to the movies and wanting to use the restroom, leaving when the male and female leads were still embracing and dreaming of the future, and returning to find that the male lead had become the female lead’s second uncle.
Magical.
You don’t know if there’s something wrong with the movie or with that pee of yours.
Then Nan Gengchen asked, “Qing Chen, have you decided yet? Are we going to Laojun Mountain?”
Before Qing Chen could respond, Wang Yun whispered a reminder, “Xiao Nan, we already have enough people. The bus Hu Xiaoniu rented can only hold 47 people. Both classes have filled up their reservations, and there are still four or five people who want to go but can’t.”
Qing Chen smiled and said to Nan Gengchen, “You guys go ahead. It so happens I have other plans for the National Day holiday.”
“Oh,” Nan Gengchen nodded, “then I won’t go either. What are your plans for the National Day? Can you include me?”
Wang Yun’s expression changed slightly, but she saw Qing Chen pat Nan Gengchen on the shoulder, “Why miss out on a treat from someone? I indeed have things to do, otherwise, I would have agreed last night. By the way, when are you going?”
“Tomorrow,” Wang Yun, seeing that Nan Gengchen didn’t insist further, breathed a sigh of relief and said, “We’re gathering at the school gate at 7 AM tomorrow. It’s regrettable that you can’t join us this time, Qing Chen. We’ll definitely invite you in advance next time.”
Qing Chen didn’t bother with the polite gestures. When he heard that their schedules didn’t coincide, he breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.
After all, Laojun Mountain has only one spot for watching the sunrise. If everyone had left tonight, they might well have encountered each other at the highest point’s Jinding observation deck tomorrow morning…
After the violent incident last night, Liu Dezhu’s status seemed to have risen again.
As soon as it was break time, he saw Hu Xiaoniu, Zhang Tianzhen, Bai Waner, and others whispering excitedly around him.
However, Liu Dezhu seemed somewhat distracted, looking around from time to time as if he were searching for someone.
Hu Xiaoniu was the first to notice this and asked curiously, “Brother Liu, who are you looking for?”
This call of ‘Brother Liu’ had quite the social ring to it.
Yet Hu Xiaoniu pondered for a long time over what to call him, mainly because the name was so distinctive.
Calling him by his full name, Liu Dezhu, seemed impersonal.
Calling him Dezhu seemed to imply he was a bit dim-witted.
Calling him Zhu (pillar) felt like they were about to go pick corn in the field together.
“Huh?” Liu Dezhu came to his senses, “Don’t overthink it, I’m not looking for anyone.”
Only Liu Dezhu himself knew that the mysterious boss might be watching him from somewhere.
The feeling of walking on eggshells wasn’t pleasant, but he had already tasted the sweet fruits of cooperation. Collaborating with the big boss had satisfied his vanity and brought him tangible gold bars, which could improve his life if he returned to prison.
His hopeful future relied on clinging to this big boss’s coattails.
At that moment, as if he had remembered something, Liu Dezhu seriously warned Hu Xiaoniu, “There’s one thing you need to pay attention to, um, at this school, never make enemies with anyone!”
Hu Xiaoniu looked puzzled, “Brother Liu, why suddenly bring this up?”
“It’s nothing,” Liu Dezhu sighed inwardly. He was just afraid you’d provoke someone you shouldn’t and ruin the business.
…
At this moment, He Jinqiu, dressed in a gray suit, was walking in the yard at 4 Xingshu Road.
He suddenly stopped on the sidewalk, looked up at the French plane tree above him.
In autumn, the entire plane tree’s leaves had turned yellow, and with any breeze, leaves would swirl down.
He Jinqiu suddenly became lost in thought, standing there for over an hour as if admiring the scenery was his most pressing task, with everything else unimportant.
Not knowing how much time had passed, someone suddenly asked behind him, “Why aren’t you staying in Jingcheng? Why waste time in such a small place?”
He Jinqiu came back to his senses and, looking back at Zheng Yuandong in his neatly pressed Zhongshan suit, laughed and said, “Isn’t Mr. Zheng here as well? It seems we’ve come to the same conclusion.”