Rebirth begins with an arranged marriage

Chapter 23 Male and Female Classmates

"It's sold..."

Tang Huaiyi said, "However, we plan to change the food rations in a couple of days."

Guan Xiaolin knew that he was struggling financially and would probably have to be very careful with his ten yuan, so she didn't press him for more details.

After Tang Huaiyi and Li Xiujuan left with the steamed buns, she put the basket of steamed buns back in its original place, frowned slightly in distress, and finally shook her ponytail before walking back to the classroom.

After dinner, seeing that Li Xiujuan was no longer in so much pain that she was pale and sweating, Tang Huaiyi stopped giving her Analgin. The medicine was quite effective in relieving fever and pain, but there was no need to take more of it as a preventative measure.

"Go and make some more brown sugar water."

Tang Huaiyi gave Li Xiujuan a reminder.

With all the students in the classroom, Li Xiujuan didn't want Tang Huaiyi to make her more brown sugar water, so she got up and made herself a teacup and drank it slowly. Her stomach warmed up and the pain subsided.

When the bell rang for evening self-study, after two sessions, Guan Xiaolin said goodbye to Tang Huaiyi and Li Xiujuan and went home with the boy and girl.

Tang Huaiyi and Li Xiujuan kept their heads down and studied the time when the school worker would turn off the power. They turned off the lights, closed the doors and windows, and then left the classroom.

They hadn't gone far when they sensed the crows had arrived, so Tang Huaiyi told Li Xiujuan to go back first.

Then they walked to a poplar tree in front of them, and two crows slowly landed on the tree.

The two crows clearly possessed some intelligence, but not much.

Today they brought back some round things: one was an old bottle cap, and the other was some kind of round metal piece—probably a slightly larger screw washer.

Tang Huaiyi was somewhat disappointed, but secretly glad that he hadn't used all his money to improve his life.

If the crows keep bringing back these things all day long, Tang Huaiyi really can't afford to spend money blindly.

Let's wait and see in a couple more days. If the crows can't find anything like Long Yang, Tang Huaiyi will have to find a job in the county town.

I preened the crows' feathers and waved them away.

Tang Huaiyi walked towards the boys' dormitory.

He had only taken two steps when he frowned slightly.

A pungent smell of alcohol wafted from not far away. A man staggered over, staring blankly at Tang Huaiyi, and slurred, "What...do you do...?"

When Tang Huaiyi saw that it was his political science teacher, Teacher Hou, he knew that his old habits had resurfaced.

Ignoring him, she headed straight for the dormitory.

Teacher Hou, nicknamed "Monkey Butt," tilted his head, stared at Tang Huaiyi's back for a while, and then, his numb mind couldn't process what was going on, he walked straight towards the girls' dormitory and stood at the entrance of the girls' dormitory.

A female student was washing her things at the tap outside the girls' dormitory when she saw a male teacher standing there, staring straight into the room. Startled, she quickly picked up her basin and went inside.

But this time, Teacher Hou realized what was happening: "No...don't go!"

"Bring Liu Fangfang out... I need to talk to her..."

The girl didn't dare to utter a sound and silently fled into the dormitory.

Teacher Hou was muttering something, and no one could understand what he was saying.

The dormitory supervisor peeked in: "Teacher Hou, is something the matter?"

"I'll find a student... I have something to tell her..." Teacher Hou muttered to himself.

The dormitory supervisor didn't say anything, didn't respond, and shrank back.

A short while later, he shouted loudly, "Everyone's asleep! Everyone's asleep! I'm pulling the power!"

After shouting, the woman pulled the power switch and slammed the gate to the girls' dormitory courtyard shut.

This drew complaints from many unsuspecting female students.

"Not even a few minutes..."

"I haven't even washed my T-shirt yet..."

Mr. Hou was very disgruntled, and walked home, shaking his head and reeking of alcohol.

After Tang Huaiyi returned to his dormitory, the power was turned off in the boys' dormitory shortly afterward.

In the darkness, Song Siyuan asked softly, "Tang Huaiyi, why haven't you eaten in class these past two days? I was hoping to talk to you while we ate together."

"I'm used to eating a little later, so you don't have to wait for me," Tang Huaiyi said.

"Oh, is that so... How about I wait for you tomorrow? The pickled cucumbers and peppers at home are quite delicious," Song Siyuan asked.

Tang Huaiyi was a little surprised: "Isn't that unnecessary?"

"Don't mention it. My dad said we should study together. If I don't know you well, I'm afraid I'll get a beating when I go back on Saturday," Song Siyuan said softly. "Also, I'm waiting for you to help me with my studies. My grades are just average, and getting into university isn't easy. You're much better at studying than me..."

Tang Huaiyi seemed to realize something: "It's alright, you can ask me anytime you want, and I'll explain it to you as long as I know the answer; it's good that we're studying together."

"You don't need to wait for me to eat; I'm used to eating last."

"Okay, I'll give you some pickled vegetables to try tomorrow."

As Song Siyuan spoke, a voice came from somewhere in the dormitory: "Time to sleep!"

When Song Siyuan and Tang Huaiyi heard that their roommates were dissatisfied, they stopped talking.

…………

"Dad, you're still awake?"

When Guan Xiaolin got home, she saw her father still reading documents under the lamp and asked him a question.

"Um."

Her father smiled, looked up, and said, "You're back."

He looked down again and continued reading the documents.

After glancing at it a few times, he asked again, "Did Zhao Weimin come back with you again?"

"Yes," Guan Xiaolin said. "I told him it wasn't necessary, that he could just come back with Wang Man after school, but he said it wasn't safe, and today he came along again."

"Let him come if he wants."

Guan Xiaolin's father didn't look up: "I feel a little relieved. Some unemployed drifters are indeed a big public security problem. Some time ago, the city's case was still unsolved, and the investigators didn't know where to find the murderer."

"As for the rest, you know what Zhao Weimin's family is thinking, so I'm not worried about anything."

"Um."

Guan Xiaolin nodded, but instead of going to her room, she stood there, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopped.

Guan Xiaolin's father asked, somewhat puzzled, "Is there something else?"

"There's something I'm having some reservations about."

Guan Xiaolin said.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling like you can't balance studying and being class monitor, and you're planning to focus solely on your studies? Whether you become class monitor or not, I support your decision," Guan Xiaolin's father said with a smile. "Being class monitor will be a good opportunity to hone your skills. A good class monitor can satisfy both teachers and classmates, and be seen as a caring person. If you can achieve that, then you've achieved the goal of training yourself."

"However, your senior year of high school is also very important, as your exam scores will determine which university you attend."

"If I do poorly on the test, I won't be able to talk to anyone."

"So, I support you whether you become class monitor or not."

"It's not about that... I've been doing well as class monitor, trying my best to integrate with the students," Guan Xiaolin said. "It's like this, there's a student in the class..."

Her father immediately put down his Hero fountain pen and straightened up.

"Male or female classmate?"