Is what you're learning correct?

Chapter 21 A Mother Within Reach, A Home Beyond Reach

Just before evening classes ended, Old Yang suddenly appeared at the back door and pointed at Shan Heman to Lu Chi, who was keeping a close eye on everything. Lu Chi then picked up his pen and tapped Shan Heman on the shoulder.

When Lao Yang gestured for Shan Heman to come out, another very distinctive face, which made her turn pale, peeked out from outside the door.

Dan Heman slowly followed the other person to the stairwell: "Mom...you're out of money again? Dad hasn't given me any money this month..."

"What are you saying! Baby! This is your Uncle Qi, greet him quickly!" Man Baoying was just going through the motions; she didn't really care whether Shan Heman greeted him or not. The man in the down jacket simply smiled at Shan Heman, nodded, and walked to the other side. Man Baoying then said, "Baby, Mom came to see you. How are you staying? Are you eating well?"

Dan Heman listened with her head down, when suddenly her eyes caught sight of several wrapped gift boxes at the bottom of the stairs: "Why did you bring these things to school?"

"Baby, Mom was just thinking of giving this to your teacher, hoping they'd take good care of you. Tch, and not only did she not appreciate it, she even gave me a lecture." As Man Baoying spoke, her lips, painted with overly bright lip gloss, habitually curled up and down with large, frequent movements, displaying a cool yet self-assured beauty. She counted out a wad of cash from her wallet, then thought for a moment and pulled a few bills back: "Baby, Mom has some business to do these days and needs the money. Take this for now—"

Dan Heman mustered his courage: "Man Baoying, if you keep doing this, someone will be providing you with food and lodging!"

Man Baoying's expression changed, then she seemed very anxious as she stuffed the money into Shan Heman's hand: "Haha, oh baby, Mom knows what she's doing. It's just some health supplements and stuff, all corn porridge, enough to fool the old folks, nothing serious! Mom still has business to discuss, it's very busy these days during the New Year, you can make a lot of money! Mom's leaving now! I'll come see you again in a few days. By the way, you don't get a holiday on the 15th, right? Mom might have to go on a business trip those days, the key is still in the usual place!"

As Dan Heman watched Man Baoying carrying those extravagant and ornate boxes, clattering in her high heels, and walking downstairs with that man, a tremendous sense of shame swept over her, draining all the strength from her body. She rubbed her face, silently lowered her head, and walked back to the classroom.

Old Yang was still standing at the back door of the classroom, with the smile typical of a seasoned scholar on his face, until Shan Heman walked into the classroom. His smile faded, and he frowned and couldn't help but sigh.

"Full Moon, Full Moon! No more bastards to fetch water tonight... just make do with yesterday's water... Huh?" Liu Lan stopped waving: "Ha! It's on me! The dorm cafeteria! I want crispy sausages! Two grilled!"

"You'll be drooling!" Ran Qingfeng looked up and noticed Shan Heman's face: "Wow, so many red bills! The boss is generous, the boss is getting rich! A whole bottle of Coke, let's drink until we drop!"

Dan Heman pursed her lips tightly, grunted through her nose, and said, "They were saying last night that the dorm cafeteria has braised pork casserole with red rice noodles..."

"You can't eat that! Who knows what they use to make the rice noodles? They won't care if you get a stomachache!"

"what?"

Lu Chi, who had already started packing his things, immediately chimed in, "Hey you guys, what the hell is this dorm cafeteria? Are you cooking for yourselves? Where's your conscience? Where's our unity? I need to grab some crispy sausages before I leave!"

After school, Lu Chi, Zhou Zijin, and Zhu Gaizhi, each with two crispy sausages in hand, swam through the large group of parents—whose faces were obscured by their steaming breaths—under the dim yellow light in front of the gate, along with the schools of electric bikes and motorcycles, and the strangely shaped vehicles with their glaring lights.

"Hey, where's your little lamb?" Zhou Zijin asked, munching on a grilled sausage. "Did the drain go around the bend?"

"I forgot to refuel in my haste."

"Are there no beds left in your dorm? Why don't you come stay at my place for the night?"

"Can you record a video?"

"Get lost, you idiot!" Zhou Zijin gave him the middle finger and turned towards the direction of Yanda University. "Going now! Be careful on the road! Don't mess around!"

Lu Chihui gave the middle finger and walked in the opposite direction, his feet barely touching the ground. The asphalt road had been cleared of snow several times, and under the streetlights, it was dark and gleamed like ice crystals, even a little dazzling and angular.

After passing through the parents' parking area, it was as if we had entered another world. The only sound in the air was the faint sound of the wind tearing at the bare branches of the trees, occasionally stirring up a handful of snow, like the groans of a dying person.

Lu Chi quite liked this unusual quiet; there wasn't a single ghost in sight, which was much more reassuring than the occasional strange creature that might pop out of the mountains.

The road didn't turn into a narrow path at the end; instead, it widened further. One side of the road was blocked by snow, forming a hard slide, while the other side was a steep cliff nearly ten centimeters high, eroded by wind and water. If you stepped into empty space, you wouldn't even be able to curse your mother. You walked until you felt warm all over and saw the village. Then, the road suddenly became even wider, and lights appeared on both sides again, illuminating the various trees that were as thick as two people could hug.

Lihuashan New Village.

The old lady's house had lights on in front of it. The three-story building, which was originally quite impressive and stood out in the northern village, had an ugly, slanted scar on the second floor that marked the boundary between the upper and lower floors. The bright-colored tiles had also been twisted into an incongruous gray-black insulation layer.

The curtains were drawn, and only the lights in the two bedrooms of the entire building were off, indicating that Zhu Huiqing and Zhu Shulan had already come down from the mountain to sleep. Otherwise, according to the custom of Yanchuan, the lights would be left on until the fifteenth if no one was in the room.

He took out his phone, dialed a short number, went into his own yard next door, picked up a plastic, flat, boat-shaped thing about the length of a person, and left. He waited for a short while at the edge of the village, and then saw Deep Blue, Gray Wolf, and Happy Sheep rushing down the mountain with their respective baby carriers in their mouths.

"Good heavens, thank goodness the little genius still has electricity!"

"I'm leaving~"

Dogs pulling sleds can be considered riding the waves.

The old village was dilapidated, with only a single candle burning on the watchtower. But it was far from quiet; occasionally, a few fat cats or other animals would sneak across the snow, their bodies pitch black except for their bright eyes.

"I've been giving you all the heating in your cat house for nothing, all you do is wander around all day. The squirrels have been hibernating for months!" Lu Chi complained, then untied the harnesses from the three vicious dogs and took off their collars to charge them. "Go back to your own beds. You'll get extra food tomorrow!"

After Zhu Huiqing and Zhu Shulan came down the mountain, it was obvious that Eighth Master had come again. There was a row of haystacks in the woods opposite the house, grain on the ground, and even the fireplace still had embers. Looking at the time, it was exactly 12:30.

He tossed a few pieces of wood into the fireplace, opened a bag of leftover food, filled a pot with rice and vegetables, hung it on a chain to keep it warm, and then turned on his phone screen to see which of his sons was still awake.