CHAPTER 178: 177: TENSE (1ST UPDATE) REQUESTING MONTHLY TICKETS

Ye Qian didn’t want to be embarrassed for not getting into high school. She thought about how Zhao Guodong and the others had gotten in. Now, if she wanted to get into high school, she could only focus on Ye Ling again. She believed that as long as Ye Ling was willing to help her, she would definitely get in. But today, her mother was only angry and forgot about her upcoming entrance exam.

At the moment, she was still talking to Bai Hehua and didn’t remember Ye Qian’s issues at all. Although Ye Qian always appeared to be nice to Bai Hehua, she actually felt repulsed inside. On one hand, she was jealous that Bai Hehua’s delicate looks had shifted everyone’s attention from her to Bai Hehua. On the other hand, her mother initially only cared about her, and now even her attention was divided because of Bai Hehua.

Ye Qian thought about doing something, but the incident with Ye Ling was a lesson, teaching her not to act rashly. When she decides to act, it has to be a decisive blow.

After lunch, it was already past two in the afternoon. It was unnecessary to do anything in the evening as it got dark earlier in winter. After finishing her conversation with her niece, Bai Xue returned to the West Room. Seeing her daughter still lying on the bed doing exercises, she felt both heartache and helplessness. Her youngest daughter wasn’t doing well academically, and Bai Xue had realized this long ago, but there was no other way.

"Qianqian, you’ve been studying all day. Don’t study anymore today, rest early and don’t strain your eyes." Bai Xue sat back on the bed, advising her daughter.

Ye Qian put down the pen in her hand, sat up, and rubbed her wrist, "Mom, I don’t know if my sister will come back. If she does, please talk to her about tutoring me, and also help me estimate the questions. With just a few months to the entrance exam, I wish I had two brains. I feel there’s so much I need to study and memorize, but I don’t know which ones will be tested."

"We can’t talk about this today. After all, we’re here to introduce your cousin to someone. If I mention it to that girl, she might make a fuss, and the good atmosphere would be ruined." Bai Xue didn’t forget about her daughter’s tutoring, "When the school opens, I’ll go to school with you and ask her to come back every weekend to tutor you. Don’t worry."

Ye Qian couldn’t help but express her worry, "Mom, I’m afraid my sister won’t listen to you. Why not talk to Dad about it? My sister will definitely listen to him."

Bai Xue, naturally aware of this, felt increasingly displeased with her eldest daughter, "Alright, when I get the chance, I’ll send word to your dad and have him talk to her. You should tidy up, wash, and go to sleep."

Ye Qian finally smiled.

In the East Room, after Ye Ling moved out, Bai Hehua lived alone. Having a job meant she received a salary; even though she mailed ten yuan home every month and gave five yuan to her aunt, she still had five yuan left for herself. Despite needing to buy things, she managed to save over twenty yuan. Bai Hehua had never had money of her own from childhood to now. Finally having so much money made her feel she could hold her head up high, but then her aunt introduced her to a divorced man from the countryside.

She was still a temporary worker, and her family’s condition wasn’t good. Shen Bin came from the countryside too, so naturally, his family’s condition wouldn’t be better. Unless they lived in the company’s allocated housing, they wouldn’t even have a place to marry.

Thinking about these things made Bai Hehua feel sorrowful. She thought she could start her new life well, but it was like jumping from one pit of fire to another. There was some resentment, but since her parents were incapable and she currently relied on her aunt’s house, she couldn’t not listen to her aunt for the sake of gratitude.

The three people in Ye’s house each had different thoughts, while Ye Ling had already finished making the down comforter at the sewing shop. It was actually quite simple: sew a quilt the size of a single bed, with all sides sewn up, leaving a small opening to stuff in the down and sew it shut.

Although Ye Ling brought back a lot of duck feathers, when making a comforter as long as herself, it had to be very thin, so she saved on the length, making it half the normal size. Thus, the down comforter could be thicker, covering up to her knees when laid out, so she wouldn’t feel cold.

Ye Ling returned to school with the down comforter. Only Wan Li and Shao Guangli had returned to the dormitory. They were quite surprised to see Ye Ling back. With the others not around, Wan Li could talk freely with Ye Ling without worrying about anything, and this time Shao Guangli didn’t stop her.

"Ye Ling, we’ll be second-year students next semester. I see you’ve finished reading all the books, truly enviable. I’m still muddling through first-year." Wan Li actually wanted to ask to study together with Ye Ling, which was a decision she and Shao Guangli had discussed after returning home, but she was suddenly too shy to speak up.

After all, they hadn’t been close to Ye Ling for the past half-semester, and suddenly making such a request felt too awkward.

Ye Ling was very modest, "It’s not like I can understand just by reading. I just look ahead but still need to wait for the teacher’s lecture. If one really understood it all on their own, there wouldn’t be any need to go to school, just take the adult entrance exam directly, and why spend money to study here? None of us come from wealthy families."

Wan Li’s thoughts were simple, and hearing Ye Ling’s words, she believed them too, "You’re right. I thought seeing you work so hard each day meant you already understood everything."

That made it even harder to bring up the idea of studying together with Ye Ling.

Ye Ling smiled faintly, saying nothing more, and turned to make her bed. She hadn’t returned for an entire winter break, the dormitory was cold, and unable to afford a foam mattress, she had to endure half a semester before making her own. Thinking she won’t wake up cold anymore after tonight, Ye Ling breathed a sigh of relief.

Wan Li glanced at Shao Guangli, shook her head, indicating this idea wouldn’t work, and Shao Guangli nodded, taking another look at Ye Ling without saying anything. Wan Li was straightforward, but Shao Guangli didn’t really believe Ye Ling didn’t understand. Seeing Ye Ling continually writing and working on exercises, she found Ye Ling’s words unconvincing.

But now that Ye Ling directly said she didn’t understand, they weren’t her, and even knowing she lied, they had no evidence to prove it, except to see when the exam results came out.

School hadn’t officially started yet, so the cafeteria wasn’t open. To eat, they had to go outside. Ye Ling had bought some steamed buns when returning, so after making her bed, she heard Wan Li calling to eat together. She shook her bun at Wan Li, who smiled and walked away with Shao Guangli.

Outside, far enough from the dormitory, Wan Li asked, "Why didn’t you say anything? If you had spoken, I might have had the courage to speak up. But after waiting a long time, you stayed silent, and so did I."

"Ye Ling has quite a bias against me, so it was even harder for me to say anything," Shao Guangli replied nonchalantly, "Since we didn’t say anything, just let it be. We’re all studying together, no matter how good she is, she can’t be that much better than us." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) and vote for recommendations, monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)