After handing out homework and report cards, the time was approaching noon. The class teacher left the whole class behind and did a simple cleaning together before letting everyone go home.
In order to avoid being criticized, Hong Xiqi rushed to the bus stop with her heavy schoolbag when the class teacher told her to go home, hoping to admit her crime as soon as possible and receive a lighter punishment.
Gu Yi, who wanted to be the escort on the way home, bumped into the competition class teacher who was coming towards him with a stack of test papers just half a step out of the classroom.
Damn, I forgot about training today. These people didn't even remind him.
He cursed secretly in his mind, quickly retracted his feet and turned around, pulled the slipped schoolbag onto his shoulder, and shuffled back to his seat with a sad face.
"Clear the table, row one, three, two or four, change seats. After writing, I'm going to eat." The teacher of the competition class put his cell phone on silent, waited for everyone to change seats skillfully, drooled, and started handing out papers.
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Tao You and Song Yimian followed the crowd and walked outside the school. They were still debating whether they should go home first and put away their schoolbags to rest before going to eat, or go directly, and whether they should invite Song Xiaoan to come with them...
"Tao You!"
Just outside the campus gate, within two steps, I saw Tao's father standing by the car door and waving to Tao You on the opposite side of the road with dense traffic.
Opening the car window, I saw Tao's mother sitting in the passenger seat, applying lipstick.
"Why are my parents here?" Tao You paused as he walked to the bus stop, then unconsciously took a step to the side, leaving half a space between him and Song Yimian.
When he looked into Dad Tao's eyes, he had obviously done nothing, but he always felt guilty.
The next second, the phone rang. It was a call from Tao's mother.
"Xiaoyou, wait at the third tree on the right side of the school gate. We will drive over to pick you up."
"Why are you here?" Tao You waved to Song Yimian and walked to the place designated by Tao's mother.
The horn on Tao's mother's side kept ringing, and she said as loudly as she could, "Your grandma's house was renovated two days ago. This year we are going there to celebrate the New Year. I'll pick you up and come over."
"So anxious?"
"The renovation has just been completed, and there are a lot of things that need to be washed and put away. Let's go over and help. Is there anything else you can do here?"
"We're here and we see you."
Before Tao You could speak, the call was hung up.
Song Yimian's fingers stopped as he was about to reply to Song Xiaoan's message, "What's wrong?"
"I may not be able to eat today. My parents will pick me up and go back to my grandma's house now." Tao You said apologetically, with a trace of reluctance still in his heart. "Otherwise, I can go there by myself after dinner. .”
Song Yimian smiled and shook his phone, "What a coincidence, Song Xiao'an said that my uncle's family is coming for lunch today, and asked me to buy some fruits, jam, etc. when I go back."
"We owe it now. When you come back after the New Year, we will find time to eat." The screen of Song Yimian's phone went dark and Song Xiaoan called.
"What's the matter with you? I've been typing a message back." Have you memorized everything your mother asked you to bring back? She's in a hurry to use it. Song Xiaoan's voice crackled into Tao You's ears through the mobile phone, "Bring me a cup of milk tea on the way back when you come back. When you go to the supermarket, buy some potato chips or something, the original flavor! I owe the money first, wait. I will give it to you at the end of the month..."
"I know." Song Yimian selectively listened to the first half of the words, agreed casually, and hung up the phone.
The car stopped steadily in front of the two people.
Tao's mother opened the car window and said with a smile, "Is Xiao Song here too?"
"Hello, aunt, hello, uncle." Song Yimian bent down and greeted through the window.
Father Tao tilted his body, looked at Tao You and Song Yimian for a few times without any expression, and nodded thoughtfully, "Okay."
"How was Xiao Song's final exam this time? Was he number one in grade again?"
or
Maybe it's because Tao You has made great progress in this exam. When Tao's mother smiles, her eyebrows are completely stretched and her eyes are bent when she smiles. Her good mood is visible to the naked eye.
"Yes." Song Yimian nodded lightly, "Auntie, I'll leave first. My mother asked me to go shopping."
"Okay, okay, goodbye." Tao's mother waved goodbye.
"Goodbye, uncle and aunt."
Song Yimian straightened up and smiled tenderly at Tao You when he turned around, "See you later."
The car had passed two traffic lights, and Tao You could still recall Song Yimian's smile.
He didn't know what was wrong with him during this period. He seemed to be possessed by a ghost and kept smiling at her. She couldn't get used to it.
Did you suddenly find yourself matching his smile?
But it's still pretty good-looking...
She huddled in the corner of the back seat and giggled twice in a daze...
One of them didn't notice and laughed out loud.
Afraid that her parents would find out that she was a nymphomaniac, she pretended to pick up her phone and pretended to see some funny video.
However, because Tao You did well in the exam this time, Tao's mother responded to her requests on the way back to her hometown. She bought a lot of healthy snacks for her, and even made an exception to buy a whole roast chicken and a small bottle of Coke.
She also stated that she can continue to participate in the training of the tennis team next semester. As for things after the summer vacation, it will not be too late to decide later.
Tao You originally wanted to say that there would be no important competitions next semester, but in the autumn of her senior year of high school, there was still a league to participate in, but Tao's mother blocked her back with her last words.
She was even more worried that Mrs. Tao was only saying this now because she was still excited about getting good grades. If the mood passed after a while, she might have to take back what she said now.
After all, it's not like she hasn't experienced Tao's mother's roller coaster emotions before.
Thinking of this, she quickly agreed to what Mama Tao said now.
The rest...just tell Tao's mother, let's talk about it later.
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Towards evening that day, I finally entered the house.
After dinner, Tao's mother took off her makeup without stopping, changed into clothes that were convenient for work, and put on gloves. I also brought a set of tattered and old sweaters to Dad Tao, trying to squeeze out the last bit of use value from it.
In order for Tao You to study well in her hometown, Tao's mother took great pains. First, she moved the old desk in their room to the small balcony outside Tao You's room, and then specially installed a wireless network outside her room to facilitate her online search for information.
In addition to these, Tao's mother also practices it personally. She calls Tao You to get up at seven o'clock every morning, and unplugs the Internet cable on time at ten o'clock in the evening to urge her to go to bed. Life is more regular than ever.
Such a healthy routine has not appeared in Tao You's life for a long time. The compact life on campus suddenly relaxed, which gave her the illusion that the college entrance examination was over.
Because of this regular life, the number of contacts between her and Hong Xiqi has been reduced a lot. After all, their life after the holidays basically consists of not waking up in the morning and staying up at night.
Every time she sent a message, she had to wait until the afternoon or even evening to get a reply. Before the conversation lasted long, it was time for her to go to bed.
Although we are in the same country, we are living a life with a time difference of eight or nine hours.
It was also from the time-lagged chat that she found out that Hong Xiqi had been locked up at home for three days and trained for three days because she failed in the exam. She was supposed to be sent to a cram school for "further studies" in three days. Fortunately, she was smart and received the test every day. I called my grandma and grandpa on my mobile phone and said that I missed her. Now that I was locked up at home every day, I wanted to go there early to celebrate the New Year.
Grandma and grandpa, who were far away in other provinces, were very happy. After hanging up the phone with Hong Xiqi, they called Mother Hong and asked them to go there early. The chickens, ducks and pigs were all ready and waiting for them to go back.
Two calls on time at three o'clock every afternoon.
Facts have proved that Hong Xiqi's method is quite effective. Her parents were so pushed that they couldn't do it anymore, so they thought it would only take a few days to finish the last thing.
In love, I closed the studio and took Hong Xiqi on the road. I originally planned to take a walk around her grandma's house, but she was no longer on the list, and it became a world tour for my parents.
She did not escape the cram school. After the third year of the new year, she had to go home by herself and go to the cram school next to the school every day.
Gu Yi passed the school exam within three days after the holiday. He needs to go to school every day for training to prepare for the math competition after the year. From what he said, he was busier than when he was in school.
Except Song Yimian.
He took advantage of the last moment of the year and went to Tong Lin's company as scheduled. After several days of thinking and discussion, he decided to go to that competition and give it a try.
However, he has not told anyone about this decision yet.
But no matter how busy he is, he will always be the first in the group to reply to Tao You's message, and he is also the only one in the group who lives with the same time difference as Tao You.
Because of this, Tao You and Song Yimian were in contact more frequently than when they were in school. Sending messages to each other every day seems to have become a habit.
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Two days before New Year's Eve, more and more people began to return to their hometown. More and more relatives came to visit Grandpa Tao and Grandma Tao with large and small bags every day.
The utility room at home is gradually filled with all kinds of milk, nuts, drinks, biscuits... The elders in the family don't like to eat these, and Grandpa Tao and Grandma Tao are even more reluctant to eat them themselves, which makes Tao You cheaper. people.
In addition to studying and going to the fields to help pick vegetables, Tao You also had to go to town with his parents to replenish New Year's goods when he found time. When Hong Xiqi called her, he had to check her schedule in advance to see if there was time.
On the morning of New Year's Eve, Tao You got up early and went to town with Tao's father to eat meat and side dishes for lunch and dinner.
"Tao You, come here." Tao's father stood at the door of the fireworks shop carrying a large bag of ingredients, waving to Tao You who was not far away with his head lowered and news coming.
He was almost dazzled by the fireworks in front of the fireworks store.
Tao You lifted up the heavy fruits packed in small sacks with both hands and said as he walked over, "Didn't you just buy fireworks two days ago? Are you going to buy them again?"
Dad Tao walked into the store first and picked up two bundles of fairy sticks. "I bought big fireworks the day before yesterday. Today I bought some small ones for you to play with. How about this? You were so cute when you were a kid." As he said that, Dad Tao picked up the fireworks again. The sky cannon on the side said, "This is not bad. I remember when you were a kid, you would ask your cousin to put them at the back door during the Chinese New Year. You can put several at a time and take them. You can see which one you like and buy them all today."
"You said it was a child." Tao You reluctantly took the fireworks handed over by Tao's father. The slightly raised eyebrows and the uncontrollably raised corners of her mouth betrayed the excitement in her heart.
