Chapter 37 – In What Way Did He Perform Better Than Me?!

Shen Mo’er looked up from her book, turned her head toward Fu Mingze, and raised her eyebrows slightly in surprise. Pretending not to know, she asked, “Comrade Fu, is there something you need to apologize to me for about yesterday?”

Fu Mingze was momentarily speechless. He opened his mouth, paused for a while, and finally said, “You went out of your way to buy me a suitcase. I shouldn’t have refused it, and I definitely shouldn’t have said those things. I’m sorry.”

Looking at his handsome, refined features, Shen Mo’er’s lips curled almost imperceptibly. However, her expression remained indifferent as she replied, “Oh, that? It’s fine. My dad really liked the suitcase, so he just kept it and is using it now.”

Fu Mingze: “…”

He was at a complete loss for words.

He couldn’t exactly say that he’d tossed and turned all night, deeply regretting it and now wanting the suitcase back.

After all, she had made it clear that giving him the suitcase wasn’t some attempt to keep her distance or define their relationship. In that case, the suitcase was something she had thoughtfully chosen just for him. Even if he didn’t want her to spend her own money, he could’ve accepted the gift and simply paid her back later.

Who would’ve thought that in just a single day, the suitcase would end up with someone else?

Fu Mingze frowned slightly. Just like when he suddenly heard about her blind date yesterday, he was shocked and unsettled, with a strange sense of restlessness in his heart.

“As for what you said yesterday, I can understand, really. Comrade Fu, you’ve helped my family a lot. Now I’m asking you to tutor me on top of that—it’s normal that you’d feel annoyed,” Shen Mo’er lowered her eyes and spoke in a calm tone.

Fu Mingze was once again rendered speechless, struggling to find a response. For the first time, he felt like no matter how much he tried to explain, he couldn’t get his meaning across. After a moment of lip movement, he squeezed out a sentence: “I really didn’t mean it like that.”

Shen Mo’er gave him a faint glance and replied, “Then maybe I misunderstood.”

Fu Mingze: “…”

Even if he had the worst memory, he could still remember what had just happened yesterday.

This conversation they were having now was almost identical to yesterday’s, only with the roles reversed.

“I apologize,” Fu Mingze said again helplessly, repeating himself. The usually aloof expression in his eyes now carried an unconscious trace of softness.

Shen Mo’er studied him for a moment, then nodded. “It’s fine.” With that, she lowered her head and continued reading her textbook.

Fu Mingze let out a quiet sigh of relief. His gaze instinctively drifted to her refined and lively features. The moment she tilted her head slightly, he quickly looked away.

After carefully reading through a specific question type, Shen Mo’er turned the page and pointed to a section of text and a formula, asking Fu Mingze for help. Fu Mingze organized his thoughts and began explaining using the simplest and clearest language possible.

Ever since Shen Mo’er asked him to tutor her, he had been cramming his high school lessons every night. It had been several days now, so explaining first-year math problems came naturally to him.

Time passed quietly. The two of them no longer thought about anything else—one focused on learning, the other on teaching—until the voice of a cheeky child suddenly rang out beside them: “Whoa! Comrade Fu is really teaching Sister Mo’er!”

Shen Mo’er’s train of thought was interrupted. She looked up and locked eyes with Mao Mao’s big black grape-like eyes. Raising her eyebrows slightly, she asked in return, “What else did you think we were doing?”

Shun’er immediately sold out his friend: “Mao Mao said you two are dating! Hahaha!”

Shen Mo’er: “…”

Blushing and annoyed, she lightly tapped Mao Mao’s head with her book. “Don’t talk nonsense. Did you finish your homework?”

Mao Mao rubbed his head and chuckled, “That didn’t hurt. And I wasn’t talking nonsense! When my aunt was dating, she always brought me along—to the little park, to the stream… and once she married my uncle, she never brought me anywhere again!”

Shen Mo’er felt her face heat up, but she still replied righteously, “That was your aunt. We’re not at the park or by the stream. We’re studying. This is the same as sitting together in a classroom.”

The cheeky kids were quickly convinced. Puffing out his little chest and standing with his feet together, Mao Mao gave a crooked little salute and said proudly, “Reporting to the commander! Soldier Mao Mao has completed his mission! All homework is done!”

Not to be outdone, Shun’er also saluted. “Reporting to the commander! Soldier Shun’er has also completed his mission! All homework done!”

Shen Mo’er: “…”

She told the two little troublemakers to rest and do as they pleased for a bit, then stood up and went to the kitchen. She cut the extra egg pancake she’d made at lunch into three pieces, brought it out, and handed the two smaller pieces to the kids. The large piece she gave to Fu Mingze: “Made too much at lunch. You’re heading to work soon, have a bite to hold you over.”

Fu Mingze accepted it with a smile, not the least bit hesitant.

Even though the egg pancake had gone cold, it was still savory and chewy. The two kids devoured theirs with greasy mouths, and when they finished, they even licked their fingers clean one by one. They solemnly promised Shen Mo’er that they’d definitely come back tomorrow!

If there was good food to be had, not coming would be foolish.

Soon it was almost time for the work shift. Shen Mo’er urged the kids to wash their hands and pack up their textbooks and pencils.

Fu Mingze also went to wash his hands. While the two kids were tidying up, he took a three-jin grain coupon out of his pocket and handed it to Shen Mo’er. “I can’t keep freeloading.”

Before Shen Mo’er could refuse, he added, “Your family’s house construction owed the brigade a lot of labor points. Uncle Shen’s grain coupons for the past two months probably all went toward that. I usually eat at the educated youth spot, so I don’t need these.”

After a pause, he added, “I don’t have more than this anyway.”

Shen Mo’er’s refusal caught in her throat and she had no choice but to swallow it.

If you just looked at the official income, after building a house—especially with that costly indoor bathroom—they really should’ve been strapped for cash and barely getting by.

She definitely wouldn’t be able to keep offering him food all the time under such circumstances.

She accepted the grain coupon, glanced at Fu Mingze’s slightly thin face, and thought to herself that she’d find a way to return the value to him somehow.

Who knew how long it had taken him to save up those three jin?

Seeing that she accepted it, Fu Mingze secretly let out a breath of relief. Of course, he had wanted to give her thirty jin at once. But a poor educated youth who didn’t even have a decent set of clothes suddenly producing thirty jin worth of grain coupons? The girl might’ve thought he’d gotten them through dishonest means.

Glancing at her slightly pointed chin, Fu Mingze frowned. He thought to himself: during the house construction period, their meals had been pretty decent. So why hadn’t she gained any weight?

Both lost in thought, they stepped outside. They hadn’t walked far when the sound of a bicycle bell rang out. Shen Mo’er turned around and saw her father pedaling toward them at full speed on a big 28-inch bicycle. She stopped in her tracks, eyes wide in surprise, and quickly walked over to meet him.

“Dad! When did you learn to ride a bike? Where did this bike come from? And why are you home at noon?”

Shen Shaoyuan squeezed the brake and clumsily got off the bicycle. He first greeted Fu Mingze, then patiently answered the questions one by one: “I borrowed Xu Weiguo’s bike before to learn how to ride. This bike is his. I came back to talk to you about the competition registration. The commune elementary school said registration ends today. You need to quickly put together a list and submit it.”

As soon as she heard it was about that, Shen Mo’er immediately said, “I’ve more or less decided on the candidates. Let’s go talk it over with the brigade leader together, shall we?”

Then she turned to Fu Mingze and said, “Comrade Fu, could I trouble you to escort Maomao and Shun’er? I have something to discuss with the brigade leader.”

Fu Mingze nodded. “No problem. Go on ahead.”

This was Shen Shaoyuan’s first time properly riding a bicycle, and he wasn’t confident enough to carry anyone. Afraid of accidentally hurting his precious daughter, the two of them pushed the bike and quickly walked toward the brigade leader’s house, leaving behind one adult and two children standing in place, watching their backs.

Maomao and Shun’er whispered to each other.

“What kind of competition do you think it is? It’s the commune elementary school—we’re not talking about a kids’ competition, right?”

“But didn’t Sister Mo’er say she already picked the candidates? Even if it’s a children’s competition, it’s probably not one that everyone joins. My grades are terrible, there’s no way I’d be chosen.”

“Well, my grades are just average too, so I definitely won’t be picked either. That’s fine then, nothing to do with us.”

Fu Mingze, having listened to the whole conversation between the two little rascals, wordlessly patted their heads. “Alright, let’s get you into the village.”

They were at the village entrance, and not far ahead was a stream. Kids running off to play in the water or leaving the village could easily get into danger. Once they were inside and surrounded by more people, it would be safer.

Fu Mingze walked them to a fork in the road not far from their homes, then stopped. He fished out a few fruit candies from the patched-up pocket of his coat—four pieces for Maomao, and two for Shun’er.

Elementary school kids had already learned arithmetic, and even if they hadn’t, the difference between four and two candies was obvious.

Shun’er, not the type to suffer silently, immediately protested, “I got two less than Maomao!”

Fu Mingze nodded, entirely unbothered by the complaint. “He behaved well today. The extra two pieces are a reward.”

Maomao immediately puffed up with pride. “I got a reward because I behaved well? Oh yeah! I did well today and got a reward!”

Shun’er’s little face was full of question marks. He shot a soul-piercing question at Fu Mingze: “How did he behave better than me?!”

They started their homework together, finished together, ate together, washed their hands together—he didn’t even salute any worse than Maomao.

Shun’er couldn’t understand it. He felt wronged and baffled.

Fu Mingze thought to himself, “Because he has better eyes and a sweet mouth.”

On the other side, when Shen Mo’er and Shen Shaoyuan arrived at Zhou Mancang’s home, he was just about to head out. Hearing that they had something to discuss, he quickly invited them in.

Once Shen Mo’er and Shen Shaoyuan explained the situation, Zhou Mancang was immediately thrilled, rubbing his hands together in excitement like a fly: “Our brigade’s elementary school can register for a provincial competition? And if we win at the provincial level, there’ll be rewards from the city, county, and commune? And the county’s encouraging participation—if five or more students are registered, we get an organizational award from the county?”

Zhou Mancang felt he had truly made a wise decision. He had pushed hard to secure a teaching quota from the commune to start an art class at the brigade school. And now, so soon after, the benefits of having an art class were already showing!

At the very least, they were guaranteed an organizational award at the county level. In the entire Liuqiao Commune, aside from the commune school itself, only their Yangliu Brigade’s elementary school could participate. By that logic, their school ranked second in the whole commune!

Zhou Mancang was so excited that he kept saying, “Good, good, good!”

Shen Mo’er then listed the names of the students she’d selected based on her “pop quiz,” and shared her concerns: “I picked six kids—three boys and three girls. Before the competition, they’ll have to use their spare time for extra lessons, and they’ll also need to practice at home. I looked into the three boys—they’re all pampered at home, so their families will probably be supportive. But two of the girls have to help with chores as soon as they get home from school, and another one sometimes even has to take leave to work. I’m worried their families won’t agree to let them learn.”

This was also why she had come to Zhou Mancang right away.

Zhou Mancang frowned tightly and asked, “Do they have to be those three girls?”

He wanted to ask if she couldn’t just pick all boys, but when he saw the calm yet determined look in Shen Mo’er’s eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

After a brief silence, Zhou Mancang waved his hand. “It’s fine. Just submit the names—I’ll take care of the rest.”

Shen Mo’er let out a sigh of relief and immediately filled out the registration form Shen Shaoyuan had brought back. Then she and Zhou Mancang went together to the brigade office to stamp the form with the official seal. Shen Shaoyuan took the completed form and rode the heavy bike back to the commune.

It happened to be time for afternoon classes and labor. Shen Mo’er left the brigade office and hurried to the school. Once there, she explained the matter of registering for the provincial competition to Cheng Tao.

Cheng Tao was stunned at first, then suddenly understood. “No wonder you gave the kids a pop quiz. It was to screen for talent, wasn’t it? Impressive, Teacher Shen.” He gave her a thumbs-up.

Shen Mo’er smiled. “From now on, these students will skip PE and self-study periods. I’ll cram some last-minute lessons with them.”

Cheng Tao laughed. “That’s how it should be. I hope you guys win and bring glory to our Yangliu Brigade Elementary School.”

Shen Mo’er replied, “I’ll do everything I can.”

As they were speaking, Shen Lingling suddenly snorted from who knows when she entered the room. With a sarcastic tone, she sneered, “Ha, what a big boast for a toad yawning. They’ve only taken a few art classes—can they even draw squares or circles properly? And you’re already organizing them for a provincial competition? Don’t end up embarrassing yourselves at the provincial level.”

Shen Mo’er turned to look at Shen Lingling.

She actually found it odd—Shen Lingling used to have a decent reputation in the village and cared a lot about appearances. She used to put on a good front. But now, whether it was because her family’s reputation had tanked or she’d been provoked somehow, she no longer even bothered to pretend.

Shen Mo’er glanced at Cheng Tao and noticed his expression hadn’t changed at all, as if he wasn’t the least bit surprised by Shen Lingling’s sharp and bitter side.

Alright. Shen Mo’er understood.

Clearly, Cheng Tao had already seen through what kind of person Shen Lingling was. And Shen Lingling probably knew it too—so she didn’t even bother faking it in front of him anymore.

In that case—

Shen Mo’er asked coldly, “Teacher Shen Lingling has such rich teaching experience. I wonder what competitions you’ve led your students in? During the yearly exams, I assume your students rank at the top of the commune? Oh right, I remember you applied to work at the commune’s textile factory. What happened—did you choose not to go?”

Direct face-slap mode activated.

Shen Lingling was nearly livid, especially when Shen Mo’er brought up the textile factory application. Shen Lingling had no idea how Shen Mo’er even knew about that. She had always kept it a secret—she, a high school graduate, had failed the exam to enter the textile factory and had to return to the village to become a teacher in shame.

She always claimed she was passionate about education and willingly dedicated her youth to grassroots teaching.

Now she didn’t even dare look at Cheng Tao’s face. Grabbing her textbook, she ran off.

Cheng Tao, who had witnessed everything, had an expression full of gossip. He genuinely hadn’t heard about Shen Lingling trying to apply to the textile factory before.

He glanced at her retreating figure, then snuck a glance at Shen Mo’er, who was already seated at her desk again, and quietly sighed in his heart—when women get fierce, they’re really something. Comrade Shen Mo’er looked so mild-tempered, but when she got tough, she really didn’t hold back.

Shen Mo’er didn’t care what Cheng Tao thought. After tidying up her things, she went straight to class.

After class, during the break, she called the six children from the list to gather under the camphor tree next to the playground.

She didn’t go to the office—she was afraid Shen Lingling might go crazy again and say something inappropriate in front of the students.

When they heard about the upcoming drawing competition, the three boys looked excited and carefree, while the three girls lowered their heads in silence.

Shen Mo’er bent down to look at them and said, “As long as you work hard to learn what the teacher teaches, that’s enough. As for the rest, including talking to your parents, the teacher and the team leader will handle it.”

The girls immediately let out a breath of relief. The round-faced girl named Meimei was more outgoing and exaggeratedly let out a big sigh. “Teacher, you and the team leader must talk to my mom properly. Otherwise, if I don’t go collect firewood after school, she’ll beat me to death.”

Another girl named Little Leaf smiled shyly. “Yeah, I have to collect firewood after school too.”

Shen Mo’er gently patted their heads. “Don’t worry, the teacher and the team leader will talk to the adults.”

A thin and dark-skinned girl named Zhaodi hesitated for a long time before asking, “Teacher, can I not participate?”

She kept her head down, her skinny dark hands unconsciously rubbing the frayed white-washed edge of her shirt, and mumbled, “My mom won’t agree.”

Shen Mo’er looked at her in silence for a moment, then gently patted her head and said, “The teacher and the team leader will talk to your mom first, alright?”

Zhaodi nodded and said no more.

Shen Mo’er said, “Alright, go back to class now. The tutoring will start tomorrow. I’ll let you know the time and place then.”

The children scattered and ran off.

Among the six, the only one Shen Mo’er was somewhat familiar with was Maomao. He didn’t run off immediately. After the others had left, he stood there like a little adult and said, “Sister Mo’er, Zhou Zhaodi’s mom won’t agree. Her mom is her stepmother. At home, she has to do a lot of work, and sometimes she doesn’t even have food to eat. Her stomach’s always growling in class. We can all hear it.”

Maomao was nearly a head taller than Zhou Zhaodi, though they were the same age and in the same class.

Shen Mo’er thought back and realized there was no memory of Zhou Zhaodi in the original host’s mind. But that wasn’t surprising—the original Shen Mo’er had been introverted and rarely interacted with the villagers. She probably hadn’t interacted with Zhou Zhaodi’s family either.

She asked curiously, “What about her birth mother?”

Maomao shook his head dramatically. “Her mom wanted to give her a younger brother, but couldn’t have one, so she disappeared. Then the stepmom came.”

The precocious child looked up at Shen Mo’er curiously. “Sister Mo’er, is having a baby really hard? Harder than doing homework?”

Shen Mo’er patted his head. “Sometimes, yes, it’s very hard.”

No one knew how the team leader managed to persuade the parents, but when the tutoring officially started the next day, all six children showed up.

Shen Mo’er didn’t worry about the details. She even stopped her own extra studies and focused entirely on giving these six kids intensive training.

Fortunately, the cultural propaganda of this era was very simple and straightforward. The themes were clear and unified, which made Shen Mo’er confident enough to organize crash training sessions for the kids to prepare for the competition.

It was like preparing for an exam when you already knew the scope of the test. All they had to do was practice the relevant content, which made things much easier.

Besides, whether or not they won a prize, this was still a rare opportunity for the kids in the brigade.

While Shen Mo’er was busy with all of this, Fu Mingze suddenly found himself with free time. He stopped reading during his idle hours and often went to the vegetable garden alone to pull weeds.

Zheng Jiamin observed him for a few days and began to suspect that Fu Mingze wasn’t really weeding but instead using the vegetable garden to contemplate life. After all, despite several days of effort, the weeds in the garden didn’t seem to decrease.

Finally, one day, Zheng Jiamin couldn’t hold back and went over to ask him, “Is it because that friend of yours hasn’t resolved his issue yet? That girl already has a pretty good match, right? It’s been quite a while. Maybe they’ve already settled things. Your friend shouldn’t still be so troubled, right?”

Fu Mingze looked up at him with a cold, slightly chilling gaze that made Zheng Jiamin’s scalp tingle. After a moment of silence, Fu Mingze asked an entirely unrelated question: “Have you ever watched a movie at the county theater?”

Zheng Jiamin blinked in confusion and shook his head. “No. Doesn’t the commune show outdoor movies every few days? It’s always the same few films. There’s really no need to waste money going all the way to the county theater, right?”

At this time, there were only a handful of films that were shown repeatedly. Everyone knew them by heart and had seen them more than three times.

Fu Mingze nodded in agreement. “Exactly. What’s the point?”

So anyone who coaxes a girl to watch a movie at the county theater… can’t be up to any good, right?

Zheng Jiamin had already forgotten that Shen Mo’er might be going to watch a movie with her blind date. But Fu Mingze, who had only overheard it in passing, had been on edge these past few days.

Tomorrow was Sunday.