“…” Shen Mo was tempted for a moment, but looking at the sky, he said:
“Some other time, it’s too late today.”
“Then goodbye, get some sleep early.” She stood at the door, watching him push his bike to the alley’s entrance.
The young man didn’t respond, just got on his bike and left.
“See you tomorrow~” she called out again.
“Got it.” He dropped that response and then disappeared around the corner of the alley.
Hua Jie immediately leaned her bike against the front door and scurried to the entrance of the alley, peeking out stealthily.
The streetlights were dim, but the moonlight was bright, reflecting off the snow on the ground and clearly illuminating the young man’s silhouette.
The youth’s back wasn’t particularly broad, even in a padded jacket, he still appeared lanky and in the midst of growing taller.
But his shoulders were wide, stretching the fabric of his clothes, making him look stylish and handsome.
His short hair had grown a bit longer, fluttering towards his ears in the wind. From a distance, the contours of his exposed ears and jawline looked rugged and perfect.
His bike seat was set rather high, and as he rode, his body leaned slightly forward as if he were riding a large motorcycle.
His long arms supported his body, his long legs pedaling smoothly and deliberately. Gradually, he moved farther away, his figure blurring into a handsome, indistinct silhouette.
She watched him until he was completely out of sight, then, with a smile on her lips, she lightly stepped back home.
Today, although she had been startled by Bian Ying’s cousin, fortunately, no conflict erupted, and Shen Mo had even flipped her over.
And…
Shen Mo had escorted her all the way to her front door.
She really had an eye for whom to idolize—she had chosen the right person!
Shen Mo was indeed a star full of human warmth and tenderness, protecting and cherishing his fans without any reservation, truly a good person.
She bounced up to the gate, pushed her bike inside, and bounced into the house to see Huan Huan wagging its tail and chirping as it pounced on her. She bent down to pick it up, kicked the door shut with her foot, and immediately shouted at the top of her lungs:
“Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad!”
“Are you summoning spirits? What are you yelling for?” Her father was sitting in the living room watching TV. Hearing Hua Jie shouting, he poked his head out and scolded her, almost throwing the remote control at her.
“You’re about to make a fortune, and you’re still watching TV!”
Hua Jie rushed into her room, dropped the dog, flopped onto the sofa next to her dad, and with a loud slap, placed 200 yuan on her father’s lap. Under his gaze, which seemed ready to disown her, she exclaimed:
“Someone ordered a set of furniture from me, and they’ve already paid the deposit!”
“Old Hua, stop watching and let’s go chop wood!”
“…” Her father, stunned by his daughter’s irreverent attitude, began to contemplate whether to start spanking her left cheek or right cheek first, when his eyes landed on the small stack of bills on his thigh.
After a moment, he looked at his daughter, then back at the TV, which was playing “Blue Temptress.”
Her father had been on a three-day train ride back home, and he had planned to spend these three days catching up on “Blue Temptress.”
But…
He picked up the small stack of money, counted it, and confirmed it was 200, not a cent less.
Sigh, perhaps he was just not meant to finish that TV show.
…
When Shen Mo returned home in the evening, he found biscuits and oranges left by the nanny in the kitchen. Tearing open the bag, he crunched on the biscuits and peeled the oranges, when suddenly the door to his father’s studio opened.
Shen Jiaru, carrying a thermos, walked out, nodded at him, and poured some hot water into the thermos in the kitchen.
Then, turning as if nothing was amiss, he asked his son:
“Back from school?”
“Obviously.” Shen Mo swallowed his biscuit, leaning against the kitchen counter, his words slightly muffled.
“…” Shen Jiaru raised an eyebrow at his son, who was asking for a scolding, and then asked, “Aren’t your midterms coming up?”
“Yeah, they start on November 1st, and last for three days,” Shen Mo replied.
“What’s today’s date?” Shen Jiaru asked.
“October 24,” Shen Mo raised his eyes, continuing to peel the orange as he turned to head upstairs, replying as he went.
His dad really only cared about painting, oblivious to the seasons and dates.
“24, 25… 30, 31… only 7 days left…” Shen Jiaru muttered to himself.
“There’s no 31st this month,” Shen Mo suddenly turned back to correct.
“Ah, then it’s only 6 days left.” Shen’s father frowned, cup in hand as he walked back to the studio. Just as he touched the studio door handle, he suddenly stopped and looked up angrily:
“Little rascal, there’s no October 31st?”
“Oh, is there?” Shen Mo shrugged and turned the corner up the stairs into the third-floor corridor.
Well, at least his dad remembered whether or not October had a 31st.
“…” Downstairs, Shen Jiaru, watching his son disappear around the stairwell, gritted his teeth in irritation.
He used to think his son was quite honest, but after spending more time with him these past few days, he realized how much of a handful he could be!
…
Half an hour later, Shen Jiaru knocked on his son’s door.
Again.
Shen Mo was almost unaccustomed to it.
Truly, a bit unusual!
“Give this bag to Hua Jie tomorrow.” Shen Jiaru handed his son an A4 kraft paper bag, adding a caution:
“Don’t fold it.”
“…What is it?” He shook the bag as he took it.
Sure enough, his father sought him out not for his own sake but for Hua Jie.
Was the only connection between him and his father now just Little Potato? Indeed, in their family, blood relations seemed to mean nothing.
“Just give it to her and go study,” Shen Jiaru said, patting his son on the shoulder before strolling downstairs.
“Someone tried to rob your little apprentice on the road today.” Shen Mo leaned against the door, suddenly speaking lightly.
The man, who had already descended two steps, paused and turned around, frowning:
“What happened?”
Shen Mo shrugged, “Probably some classmates who couldn’t stand her or were jealous. They got some girl from another school to block her way, wanting to slap her around, kick her, scratch her face, pull her hair, things like that.”
“…” Shen Jiaru.
Could he describe it so precisely because he was experienced in such matters?
“What’s the name of the one bullying Hua Jie?”
“Bian Ying, I think? Something like that.” Shen Mo had completely forgotten what the few people who blocked the road looked like, but he had an exceptional memory for textual information, and it was probably that name.
“How can kids these days be so lawless? Daring to bully classmates and resort to fighting? Only simple-minded fools solve problems with violence! It’s unacceptable!” Shen Jiaru furrowed his brows, grumbling as he continued down the stairs.
“…” Listening to this, why did Shen Mo feel a pain in his knees? Was his dad not subtly criticizing him?
He had originally just wanted to stir things up with his dad, to frighten him a bit and see his reaction.
He had expected an immediate thunderous response, but why was it only a few verbal rebukes?
Feeling a bit miffed that his attempt to provoke a reaction had failed, Shen Mo was somewhat vexed.
He was just about to close the door and continue reading his “Sports Anatomy” when he suddenly heard the sound of his father forcefully pressing the phone buttons.
Huh?
Shen Mo paused, his hand on the door, then walked to the stair’s edge and peered down.
He saw his father standing by the phone in the living room, waiting for the call to connect.
“Hello? Principal Li?”
“Yes, it’s me, Shen Jiaru.”
“No, no, no, Shen Mo is fine, it’s not about him.”
“It’s like this—I heard there’s been a case of school violence at our No. 1 High School.”
“How can it not be possible? Shen Mo saw it with his own eyes and told me himself.”
“No mistake, it’s No. 1 High School.”
“Not school violence by Shen Mo, it’s his classmate, a child named Hua Jie, the one who painted the school walls… yes… right.”
“Nowadays kids are so jealous! What exactly happened still needs to be thoroughly investigated by the school.”
“…Yes, but anyway, resorting to violence, and even involving outsiders, that’s quite serious.”
“It reflects very poorly.”
“…Yes, that’s right.”
“No, no, there’s no need, I’ve already taken her as my apprentice—don’t get agitated, yes, just last week I officially took her under my wing, planning to properly teach her.”
“Yes, yes, she has a lot of potential.”
“Correct, a very well-behaved child, very sensible. I’m very pleased.”
“…Hmm. Wait, Principal Wang, the main point isn’t this… it’s that students at No. 1 High School are bullying Hua Jie… Yes, yes, I certainly trust the school… Uh-huh, okay, that’s fine.”
“…Yes, alright, goodbye.”
After hanging up the phone, Shen Jiaru held the receiver in place for a while, seemingly pondering whether this approach would solve the problem.
A minute later, he seemed to have figured it out, feeling somewhat satisfied, finally hung up the phone, and turned back to his studio.
“…” Standing upstairs, Shen Mo remained silent for a long time.
The way adults handle things really is different from teenagers.
He always thought of solving the problem himself, but his dad simply made a phone call to the principal…
Pressing his lips together, he stood a while longer, then went back to the study. He pushed “Sports Anatomy” aside, picked up “Developmental Stages and Social Relationships” from the bookshelf, and began reading.
…
After hanging up the phone, Principal Wang paced around his living room, occasionally shaking his head and chuckling, and at times, he hummed thoughtfully.
After carefully considering the situation, he turned back, picked up the phone, and called the head of discipline, detailing everything that needed to be done, and then laughed again after hanging up.
Ah, Hua Jie really is capable, actually managing to impress Shen Jiaru.
During the three years of high school, there would always be opportunities to leverage Teacher Shen’s value.
How to leverage it?
This way, or that way…
…
In the residential area on the northern hillside of Jinsong City, as the evening progressed, the lights in each household’s small yard went out.
Some of the early-to-bed elderly even turned off their indoor lights, leaving everything pitch black.
However, the yard at Hua Jie’s house at the end of Second Street’s alley was brightly lit.
Her father brought the wood leftover from furniture-making that had been stored in the warehouse to the yard, counted everything, and made a record on a piece of paper, then measured the dimensions with a metal ruler.
After measuring and recording everything, he checked the paper filled with details about the furniture set his daughter had designed—how much wood was needed, the dimensions of each piece, and other necessary hardware components, even planning the approximate time needed.
Comparing it like this, they had nearly everything required at home, only needing a few small items the next day.
He placed the wood on the sawhorses, marked the edges with chalk, and started planing.
The little dog Huan Huan ran around him, occasionally snapping at the wood shavings that fell to the ground, and at other times playing with its ball, exceedingly lively.
Hua Jie, tired from studying, came out with a kettle to check on her dad’s progress.
“Dad, have some water.”
Her father pulled off his thick gloves, took the kettle, and gulped down a few sips before continuing his work.
“Why not continue tomorrow?” Hua Jie looked at the sky, feeling a bit sorry for her dad.
“I’m idle anyway, and the light isn’t good. I’ll just plane the wood for now. If it were carving work, I’d definitely do it during the day,” her father said, unfazed.
Hua Jie picked up a broom and swept the wood shavings into a pile.
Although her family wasn’t wealthy, her parents were incredibly diligent.
From childhood, their home, though not filled with luxurious furniture or decor, was always clean and tidy.
Their house wasn’t grand, but her dad did everything he could to redecorate and create furniture.
It wasn’t until she grew up and saw many irresponsible parents, understanding her friends’ less fortunate childhoods, that she realized how lucky she was.
Even her happiest friends didn’t have parents who cooked as well as her mom—
Hua Jie had little interest in junk food her whole life, had great teeth, and was quite healthy, thanks to her mom’s meals that left her satisfied and uninterested in snacks.
Only with an open mind and broader perspective can one truly appreciate the life they live.
And truly learn to cherish it.
Her parents were hardworking, wonderful people.
“Don’t just stand there and end up catching a cold, humming and hawing all day,” her father glanced back at her and saw her daydreaming, shooing her away.
“I’m just taking a break to get some air,” Hua Jie chuckled, then after a pause asked:
“Dad, what should I do if someone at school wants to have their older siblings beat me up?”
“!” Her father suddenly froze, gripping the planer tightly, and turned to glare fiercely at her:
“People at school want to beat you up?”
“No, no, I mean, what if? I’ve never faced such a thing, just curious,” Hua Jie startled by his reaction, quickly waved her hands in denial.
“…” Her father stared at her skeptically for a while, seeing no change in her statement, then slapped the wood forcefully and said with ferocity:
“If someone insults you once, you insult them ten times.”
“If someone dares to hit you, you hit them back ten times.”
“The most important thing is not to be afraid!”
“If you can’t handle it, come tell your dad, and I’ll handle them!”
“Did you get that?”
“If I find out you’ve been bullied at school and didn’t tell me, you’ll see if I don’t give you a whooping!”
Her father, gripping the planer, stared intensely at his daughter.
He was ready to face a few years in prison if that’s what it took to protect his daughter from being bullied!
“No, no, Dad, don’t get worked up,” Hua Jie quickly patted her father’s back to calm him down.
Oh dear, that’s just like her dad.
Indeed, he was the same man who used to fight the schoolyard pigs, kick every stray cat and dog in the neighborhood, lead local kids to mischief like climbing roofs and hiking down rivers, and even dared to run away from home.
Although he got a good thrashing from Grandpa when he returned from running away, her dad really was notorious for getting into fights as a kid, a well-known troublemaker.
Luckily, he grew up to take over as a carpenter, otherwise, the once troublesome kid might have turned into a troublesome old man.
Her father ‘hmphed’ and grabbed her, checking her face and neck like a horse at market, looking for any bruises, swellings, or scrapes, then pulled up her sleeves to check her wrists, making sure everything was fine before finally letting go of her hand.
“If you’re bullied, come straight to me, got it?” he reiterated.
“I got it, I got it, I definitely wasn’t bullied,” Hua Jie quickly raised her hand as if taking an oath, then, clutching the thermos, sheepishly went back inside.
In her previous life, she was afraid of her dad and couldn’t bring herself to tell him anything, but there was a reason for that.
Comrade Hua was indeed too fierce.
If Bian Ying ever fell into her dad’s hands, he would probably give her a spanking with the sole of his shoe in no time, making sure she learned her lesson.