Evening self-study at Yizhong was not mandatory for every student.
If one felt more efficient studying at home, they could go home, but they needed to inform the homeroom teacher first, and whether permission would be granted was uncertain.
Shi Niannian had good grades, so when she spoke to Cai Yucai in the evening, he approved.
“Daughters are indeed better. The saying that daughters are like warm little cotton jackets is certainly true,” her aunt said with a smile while stir-frying vegetables.
Shi Niannian tore the vegetables in the sink leaf by leaf, washing them with her sleeves rolled up.
“Where’s the… cook… ing aunt?”
“Her daughter came to see her, so I gave her a day off.” Her aunt asked, “Are you adapting well after the arts and science division?”
Shi Niannian nodded, making an “mm” sound.
“I heard that your homeroom teacher is Teacher Cai, right? He used to be Xu Ningqing’s homeroom teacher, too. He’s quite good, especially considerate of students,” her aunt said.
A person appeared in Shi Niannian’s mind.
Her brother and Jiang Wang seemed to have a good relationship. From what Jiang Ling had said, Jiang Wang was previously in the same grade as her brother. Were they classmates?
“Our class got a, trans… transfer student today,” Shi Niannian said with some difficulty. “He might have been, class… classmates with his brother before.”
Her aunt stopped cooking, turned around with surprise, and asked: “Is his name Jiang Wang?”
Shi Niannian hadn’t expected her aunt to know his name.
She nodded: “Mm.”
“Ah, that child.” Her aunt sighed. “He’s quite pitiful. That incident was such a big deal, resulting in him going to prison, which will greatly affect his future.”
She poured the vegetables onto a plate and sighed a second time. “He was close to your brother. No one knows what exactly happened that time, but fortunately, that person’s life wasn’t in danger. Otherwise, with him carrying two lives on his shoulders at such a young age, his future would be even more difficult.”
Shi Niannian was startled: “…Two?”
Her aunt waved her hand: “I’m not very clear either. I heard Xu Ningqing mention it, but he wouldn’t tell me the details.”
Shi Niannian took the vegetables from the basin. Lost in thought, which was rare for her, the flat side of the knife pressed against her index finger as she cut down.
She quickly let go, making a soft “hiss” sound, instinctively sucking on the wound.
It wasn’t serious, just a small trickle of blood that quickly stopped.
She didn’t tell her aunt, standing on the other side and rinsing it with water for a while. Soon, she was sent to rest. Monday’s homework wasn’t much, and she had mostly finished it during self-study.
By the time her aunt called for dinner, she had completed everything.
She put the pen cap back on, sat and stretched, then left her bedroom.
“Is brother… not com… coming back?”
Her aunt made a “hmph” sound: “He called earlier saying he’s going out with friends tonight. As if he has that many friends.” She pointed at her uncle with chopsticks. “It’s all because of how you spoil him.”
Her uncle smiled good-naturedly.
After dinner, Shi Niannian took out her biology book to preview tomorrow’s content.
After a while, her aunt knocked on her door and came in with a plate of fruit: “Is your study load heavy?”
“It’s pre… view.”
“How is our Niannian so well-behaved?” Her aunt smiled, rubbing her head.
The desk lamp cast a soft and gentle light on the woman’s face. Shi Niannian’s soft hair was ruffled twice, a strange feeling she had never experienced when living with her parents before high school.
“Make sure to balance work and rest. Don’t get too tired. Go to bed early. Aunt won’t disturb your studies anymore.” After saying this, she left the bedroom, gently closing the door.
Shi Niannian stared blankly at the pictures in the biology book for two minutes.
She raised her hand to rub her eyes, her eyelashes tickling her palm as they blinked.
Then she put a piece of fruit in her mouth.
After finishing the plate of fruit, Shi Niannian had completed previewing the next day’s content.
She walked out of her bedroom. The living room was empty. Her uncle and aunt’s bedroom was in the inner section, with the sound of a television coming from it.
She washed the fruit plate and put it in the cabinet.
Shi Niannian changed her shoes, took her keys, and quietly left.
“Hello, sixteen yuan. Cash or scan?”
Shi Niannian took out her phone to pay.
She bought a Magnum ice cream, walked out of the convenience store, tore open the wrapper, and bit into the crispy chocolate exterior.
So sweet.
The girl stood straight and quiet at the convenience store entrance, the summer night breeze blowing through her loose black hair.
Cicada sounds circled overhead.
After finishing the ice cream, she lightly bit the stick between her teeth.
She took out the band-aids she had just bought from her pocket, with Rilakkuma patterns.
She took one and put it on the finger she had cut in the afternoon, then found a trash can and threw away both the stick and the band-aid packaging.