Step by step, a gentle breeze leads to a smooth path

Chapter 54 The hidden corner

"Sow a seed in spring, reap ten thousand in autumn." The autumn harvest arrived quickly, and the school gave students a few days off to harvest the grain while the weather was good.

After the harvested rice straw is dried, parents will voluntarily send some to the school. The teachers' kitchen is at the far west end of the corridor, with a wood-burning stove inside, and a lot of thoroughly dried rice straw piled up in the stove room.

Song Wenhua, a fifth-grader from the same village, said that their teacher, Ms. Zhou, used the kitchen a lot, always keeping the door closed, and would even stay inside with female classmates for half a day without coming out, acting all mysterious.

According to her, this Mr. Zhou, who was in his fifties, wore thin-rimmed glasses and always had a smile on his face. Many female students would surround him. He would occasionally pat their heads, squeeze their hands, or pat their shoulders or backs.

"Brother Nan, do you know? Teacher Zhou really likes a tall girl in sixth grade, I think her name is Liu Yali. He always takes her to the kitchen. She's very tall, has fair skin, her parents both work away from home, her family is rich, and she dresses very beautifully."

Ting Nan noticed that Song Wenhua seemed quite envious. Wenhua was of average appearance and a little shorter than Ting Nan. She was the second child in her family, with an older sister and a younger brother. She wasn't very popular at home, mainly because her parents were busy and didn't have much time or energy for their children.

Her uncle paid for her schooling. He was an outstanding student, and after the county leaders found out, they funded her education for many years. Later, she got a job in a big city and became quite wealthy. He supported her sister's three children's education, and the children in Songjia Village all looked up to her uncle as a role model.

Song Tingnan didn't know if Song Wenhua envied Liu Yali for being pretty or for being rich. She didn't understand; she just wanted to focus on her studies at school.

Anyway, Ting Nan doesn't like being touched by others, especially after she started practicing martial arts. Strangers only trigger her conditioned reflex of self-defense.

Song Tingnan didn't care about any of that. Ever since she met her mother and came back, she had become much more cheerful, both in class and in general.

In one class, Teacher Zuo asked everyone to make a sentence using "due to". Ting Nan immediately replied, "The 'fish' in the pond have blossomed."

"Hahaha……"

The students burst into laughter, and Zuo Jinyue couldn't help but laugh too. "Song Tingnan has a lively mind and described it very vividly."

The midterm exam results were out, and Ting Nan was still first, except she got a very simple question wrong in Chinese. Zuo Jinyue asked her what happened. "Oh! It's just that 'Xin Xin' went to sleep behind my back." This answer was just too speechless.

Back home, Zuo Jinyue told Qian Shuzhen and Song Wanli what she had said, and they were both amused and exasperated. This girl was becoming more and more like a child.

After the exam, the school gave out certificates and notebooks as rewards. Tingnan was very happy to receive a certificate for the first time.

Zuo Jinyue watched Ting Nan and Song Wenhua laughing and chatting all the way home, feeling both happy and sad. Her parents sent a telegram saying they would come over at the end of the semester, firstly to visit Gao Haoran, and secondly to take Zuo Jinyue back home.

So, she only had less than two months left to spend with Tingnan. She was really reluctant to part with the diligent and studious Song Tingnan, as well as his family, including the mischievous Song Mingfu. She didn't want to tell Tingnan and the others this news.

"Brother Nan, I'm so happy today." Song Wenhua suddenly blushed and whispered in Ting Nan's ear.

"Huh? You received an award certificate?" Ting Nan glanced at Song Wenhua, whose hands were empty. Did he put the certificate in his schoolbag? Impossible. Everyone rolls up their certificates into tubes and holds them carefully in their hands, both to show off and to avoid worrying about them getting crushed in their schoolbags.

Song Wenhua's face turned even redder. She glanced around, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "No, today Teacher Zhou hugged me, and he even let me sit on his lap, and then... and then..."