Rebirth begins with an arranged marriage

Chapter 85 Rice and Braised Pork

Some of the students saw He Genbao's disheveled appearance, while others did not.

Those who saw it mostly remained silent.

After a while, Guan Xiaolin returned from outside the classroom, her forehead still damp with sweat. She sat down and used a notebook as a fan to cool herself down a bit. She didn't notice He Genbao, who was looking down.

After dinner, I went to evening self-study.

After the first simple diagnostic test, Tang Huaiyi became quite noticeable to the teachers. Although he didn't ask many questions, when he occasionally made eye contact with the teachers of each subject, he could feel that they looked at him differently from ordinary students. Not to mention those students with poor grades or who were more mischievous, they would look at him with a different kind of scrutinizing gaze.

Tang Huaiyi's good grades probably gave the teachers a basis to believe that he would study hard, while the students with worse grades had a shallower or even non-existent basis for this trust.

After evening self-study, Tang Huaiyi and Li Xiujuan studied in the classroom again.

As Wang Man and Guan Xiaolin walked away, she couldn't help but glance back into the classroom: "He really studies hard..."

Guan Xiaolin asked in confusion, "Who is it?"

"Who else could it be but that stingy Tang Huaiyi?"

As Wang Man spoke, she looked back again and could still see Tang Huaiyi writing diligently under the incandescent light inside the window.

The incandescent light wasn't actually white enough; instead, it was rather dim and yellow, making Tang Huaiyi's face seem to be bathed in a warm, yellow halo, much like a peeled orange.

Guan Xiaolin found it somewhat amusing: "Why are you still bringing this up?"

"Tang Huaiyi hasn't mentioned it to me again, so I don't know which of you two is being petty."

"Hmph, of course he's stingy." Wang Man couldn't help but grit her teeth as she thought about it. "You can imagine how awful the nicknames he gave me were: 'Piglet Monster,' 'Brainless,' 'Brainless'..."

"If you don't provoke him, he won't provoke you either." Guan Xiaolin said, then asked with a smile, "Speaking of which, with his grades, he really has the right to say you're clueless... You didn't do well on your test this time, did you?"

"It's alright..." Wang Man said awkwardly, "The total score is almost four hundred, which is quite a lot."

"These grades won't get you into a good university, even a regular one will be difficult," Guan Xiaolin warned. "Are you going to go to a vocational college?"

Wang Man replied, "A junior college diploma is enough."

"My dad said that if all else fails, I should go to college first and then work. I can take correspondence courses while I work, which will also help me complete my education."

"That's one way to do it..."

Guan Xiaolin nodded, and the two of them pushed their bicycles home.

Right next to the bicycle shed, Zhao Weimin's voice suddenly rang out: "Guan Xiaolin, Wang Man, want to watch the video? It's a new Hong Kong film, it's quite interesting."

Guan Xiaolin responded coldly, "Not interested."

"What about you, Wang Man? Are you going? There are big stars from Hong Kong and Taiwan in the cast!" Zhao Weimin said again.

Before, Wang Man felt he wasn't too bad, and might have hesitated, not wanting to refuse him directly. But ever since she found out he forced his classmates to smoke and drink, slapped them, and lied to her about Tang Huaiyi, she no longer thought he was a good person.

"I'm not going," Wang Man replied, and she and Guan Xiaolin pushed their bicycles and prepared to leave.

Guan Xiaolin took two steps, then turned back and said, "Zhao Weimin, you haven't been bullying any of our classmates these past two days, have you?"

"No, no, of course not!"

Zhao Weimin answered with a grin.

After Guan Xiaolin and Wang Man left, Zhao Weimin moved his foot and asked He Genbao, who was standing on him, "Right, good brother, I didn't bully you, did I?"

They reached out and helped He Genbao up, patted him on the shoulder, and then, along with two other friends, chuckled and helped He Genbao up.

He Genbao lowered his head: "I need to go find Teacher Tian... Teacher Tian told me to go to his office..."

"I know. I also know that it's actually okay if you don't go. Teacher Tian contacted you because you complained, right?" Zhao Weimin said with a smile. "Come on, let's go to the video arcade? You've never seen a naked person before, have you? I'll take you to see one today."

He Genbao shook his head: "I'm not going, I'm going to find Teacher Tian."

"Are you fucking going or not?"

Zhao Weimin and two friends surrounded him.

He Genbao suddenly felt that tonight was exceptionally dark.

………………

After the classroom lights were turned off, Li Xiujuan accompanied Tang Huaiyi for a walk on campus before returning to the dormitory. Tang Huaiyi once again received two silver dollars from the crow and the owl.

When asked, the crows said there were still some left.

Tang Huaiyi made up his mind that when he returned to Tangmaji Village the next night, he would definitely prepare some good food for the crows and owls. The birds had helped him improve his life and solve his current problems, and they had really done a great service.

As Tang Huaiyi approached the dormitory entrance, he was about to go in when someone else, head down and wiping away tears, went in first.

He Genbao?

There was no smell of smoke or alcohol. Had he been bullied again? Or had Teacher Tian scolded him again?

Tang Huaiyi and He Genbao entered the dormitory one after the other.

He Genbao entered the dormitory first, and the laughter and chatter inside immediately stopped; after Tang Huaiyi entered the dormitory, Song Siyuan greeted him with a smile, and then everyone started talking again.

Soon after, the dormitory lights were turned off, and everyone went to rest.

The next day, Saturday, after attending half a day of classes, Tang Huaiyi prepared to go home with Li Xiujuan after school.

Song Siyuan invited them to ride in the carriage together, but Tang Huaiyi had not yet agreed.

Teacher Chen Dahe called him over.

"Tang Huaiyi, let's go."

"Take your bedding and come over for dinner. Everything's ready for you!"

Tang Huaiyi immediately felt embarrassed: "Teacher, that's too much trouble."

"What's bothering you? We agreed on this a few days ago, but you just wouldn't go, so I had to come and treat you." Chen Dahe said with a stern face, "What, you're not going today? You didn't even bring your bedding over so your teacher's wife can air it out for you."

Hearing this, Tang Huaiyi couldn't refuse any longer: "Okay, okay, Teacher Chen, I'll go right away, alright?"

He said to Song Siyuan, "You guys go ahead, I have to go to Teacher Chen's house."

Song Siyuan nodded, waved, and left.

Chen Dahe smiled and, seeing Li Xiujuan with Tang Huaiyi, let her come along too.

Tang Huaiyi brought his bedding from the dormitory and hung it on the clothesline at Teacher Chen's house.

The master's wife had already prepared a pot of fragrant braised pork and steamed a pot of rice.

"You eat less rice here and more steamed buns. How about I treat you to rice today?" the teacher's wife said with a smile.

Tang Huaiyi quickly thanked his teacher and teacher's wife, and Li Xiujuan also whispered her thanks.

The four of them sat down to eat together. The white rice was topped with a fragrant braised sauce, and they also had a piece of braised pork. It tasted much better than what they had in the cafeteria.

After dinner, Chen Dahe asked, "You two just took your first exam of your senior year, right? How did it go?"