Chapter 43.1

After Zhou Yao and the others left, life returned to normal, and soon it was time for school to start again. In the second semester of senior year, the most crucial period, both teachers and students began to feel the pressure.

Evening study sessions extended later and later, and during the ten-minute breaks, everyone hurriedly reviewed their notes in the classroom.

Wen Yue and Li Nianqiu felt confident about the college entrance exam but didn’t do anything special. Aside from going for walks during breaks, they spent their time like other students, staying in the classroom to read extracurricular books and occasionally discussing the developments in Shen City.

Even Wen Xiaoyu became much more subdued, possibly because no one in the class wanted to play with her anymore.

[After the New Year, they had a big fight and separated. Now they’re eyeing mine and Xiangdong’s rooms. I plan to move to the county town with Xiangdong and say I’m going to live with you.] Li Nianqiu passed a note to Wen Yue.

Wen Yue glanced at it and replied, “Sounds good. They won’t come looking for trouble, will they?”

[No, based on their temperament, I doubt they’ll have resolved anything by the time the college entrance exam is over.] Li Nianqiu replied.

Although they had separated, their conflicts had not ended. There were small fights every three days and big ones every five days. Sometimes when Li Nianqiu returned home on weekends, the fallout would affect her and her sister. Such an environment could easily affect one’s mood.

Seeing the note, Wen Yue smiled.

Every weekend, Wen Yue would go to a small shop outside the alley in the evening to call Zhou Yao and chat. At other times, she would tutor students with Li Nianqiu, covering grades from elementary to sophomore high school, and they weren’t even doing it for free.

Previously, Wen Yue had given all the money she earned to Zhou Yao. Although Zhou Yao kept nearly ten thousand yuan, Wen Yue couldn’t spend much of it, so she returned the money to him. They were in the startup phase, and they needed money for various things.

Tutoring with Li Nianqiu allowed them to earn a decent amount.

It had to be said that Nianqiu was truly good at making money.

As time passed, everyone changed out of their thick winter clothing and into lighter clothes. It was the weekend again, and Wen Yue and Li Nianqiu arrived at the home of the student they were tutoring. The family was quite wealthy, with parents working in a factory in the city and grandparents who had previously worked in government logistics.

The family had two sons. The elder son had no talent for studying and was now 21, working in a factory in the county town. The younger son was currently in junior high school, doing fairly well, and his parents had high hopes for him.

Once they learned that there were tutors available, they specifically hired Li Nianqiu and Wen Yue.

They earned five yuan for an hour of tutoring, and with four hours a week, that made twenty yuan. This family was willing to spend money.

Wen Yue and Li Nianqiu arrived at the employer’s home in the afternoon and encountered the eldest son.

“This is my eldest grandson. He’s resting today,” the employer’s grandmother said with a smile, giving a brief introduction before adding, “Xiao Xiang is waiting in the room. He had an exam yesterday, and his grades improved a lot, thanks to you two little teachers.”

Wen Yue smiled and said, “It’s mainly because Xiao Xiang is working hard. He’s quite smart.”

Elders love to hear praise about their children, and when Xiao Xiang’s grandmother heard this, she smiled so widely her eyes nearly turned into slits: “Xiao Xiang’s mother brought back some snacks a couple of days ago; you two little teachers should try them. They’re quite good.”

Wen Yue gently said thank you.

Her soft voice, combined with her beauty and good grades, made her the type elders loved. Xiao Xiang’s grandmother grew fond of her and glanced at her elder grandson, thinking about matchmaking.

Her eldest grandson was just about the right age for marriage…

Wen Yue and Li Nianqiu had already entered the room.

“Zhiyuan, what do you think of those two girls?” Xiao Xiang’s grandmother asked her grandson, who was sitting on the sofa.

Gao Zhiyuan glanced at his grandmother, realizing what she was getting at, and replied, “They’re okay.” Both girls were indeed very pretty.

“They’re both seniors and have great grades. They might even get into college. Zhiyuan, you’re not a kid anymore…”

Gao Zhiyuan muttered, “Let’s talk about it later; I’m not in a rush right now.”

Grandma Gao grew anxious: “You’re already over twenty. How long are you going to wait?”

Gao Zhiyuan impatiently replied, “Let’s talk later. I have plans this afternoon. I’m heading out now and will be back tonight.” He stood up and walked toward the door, opening it to leave.

Grandma Gao sighed.

After tutoring, Li Nianqiu and Wen Yue strolled back through the alley, passing by a newly opened skating rink that was doing quite well.

Wen Yue was saying she would bring Xiangdong and Lulu over to play tomorrow when she glanced inside and saw a familiar figure, surprised: “Nianqiu, look! Isn’t that Wen Xiaoyu?”

“Huh? Let me see.” Li Nianqiu followed Wen Yue’s gaze. “It is her! She’s with a guy. That’s Gao Zhiyuan, Grandma Gao’s eldest grandson.”

Wen Yue was surprised for a moment, then squinted her eyes to take a closer look. Sure enough, she saw Wen Xiaoyu and Gao Zhiyuan holding hands while skating together.

The two seemed quite close, leaning in to each other with occasional physical contact.

Wen Yue pondered, “Are they dating?”

Li Nianqiu replied, “It looks that way, most likely.”

“With the college entrance exam coming up, she still has the time to date.” Wen Yue averted her gaze, thinking about Wen Xiaoyu’s recent exam scores, shaking her head. If she didn’t put in the effort, she wouldn’t get into college, but in this era, high school graduates were still quite sought after.

She wouldn’t fall too far behind.

Wen Yue and Li Nianqiu didn’t watch for long. Hand in hand, they returned to the courtyard and resumed tutoring Xiangdong.

Xiangdong’s grades were decent, but they still lagged behind her sister, especially in English, which was her worst subject. Fortunately, Wen Yue was excellent in that subject, helping her improve gradually.

Life continued to pass by in an uneventful manner.

It was the weekend again, and Wen Yue and Li Nianqiu went to the Gao family to tutor. Grandma Gao’s enthusiasm for Wen Yue grew stronger, and she kept probing about Wen Yue’s family situation while occasionally mentioning her eldest grandson.

Wen Yue quickly caught on and smiled, replying, “My parents have passed away. I live with my husband over on South Street.”

Grandma Gao’s expression immediately fell. “Married so early…”

Wen Yue smiled but didn’t say anything.