Chapter 113: Are You Mentally Prepared? (1/2)

The next day was Sunday, and the third mock exam was scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

The third mock exam, also known as the confidence test, had relatively simple questions, with results coming out by Friday.

After the third mock exam, there would only be two more days of classes the following week before a three-day break for full rest in preparation for the official university entrance exam.

The weather at the end of June was exceptionally hot.

Zhao Qingfeng got up early and looked out the window to see the steaming heat rising from the land in the distant suburbs.

July was approaching, and the so-called “Black July” was no joke.

Heatstroke incidents during the university entrance exam were common, so his mother prepared everything that might be needed, such as cooling oil and Huoxiang Zhengqi water, early in the morning.

“How’s your studying going these last few days?”

During breakfast, his mother gently asked. She usually dared not inquire too much, fearing she would add to her son’s burden.

Zhao Qingfeng had his own thoughts.

He didn’t want to do too well on the third mock exam, considering he had spent so much time playing with Zhao Ming, and it was appropriate to act a bit.

After pouring a glass of water for his mother and waiting for her to drink it, he softly said, “Mom, I’m thinking of controlling my score on the third mock exam. You know, those three women are dead set on seeing me fail. If I score too high, they might come to trouble us earlier, and I really don’t want you to suffer their bullying for even a day.”

His mother understood, her eyes moistening.

This was something she, as an adult, should be dealing with. Yet now, her eighteen-year-old son was facing it all, making her feel somewhat sad and even guilty towards Zhao Qingfeng.

Zhao Qingfeng understood his mother’s feelings.

He grabbed her hand, squeezed it firmly, and looked at his father’s photo on the wall, saying solemnly and tenderly, “Mom, what I’m doing is not just for you but also for my dad’s last wish. I’m your son, and I’m also his son, so you should at least relieve half of your burden. Leave the rest to me!”

His mother smiled and nodded lightly, but tears uncontrollably flowed down her cheeks.

She looked at the old photo on the wall.

In the photo, Zhao Changyong was still young.

For a moment, she seemed to confuse the person in the photo.

Her deceased husband and her son in front of her looked so alike, these two people she loved most in her life seemed to merge into one at that moment.

While they were talking,

Feng Biao and Huang Hao came to borrow the barbecue grill.

Business had been booming these days. Huang Hao had innovatively bought a shaved ice machine with the money they earned, allowing Chin Gentsai and Bashin to sell shaved ice next to it, doubling their daily earnings.

“Auntie, have some fruit. Here are some fresh oranges we just bought!”

During these days of interacting with Qingfeng’s mother, Huang Hao felt the warmth of family for the first time in more than twenty years.

Every evening when he returned, Qingfeng’s mother would cook a bowl of noodles for the three kids or fry a couple of dishes, sometimes even buying them beer to drink.

This deeply touched Huang Hao’s heart.

Although there was a semblance of familial warmth in the orphanage, it was a completely different feeling.

He increasingly felt guilty for his earlier behavior towards Qingfeng’s mother at the school gate.

So, every time he made money, he would buy some food and drinks, bringing them over full of remorse.

“Brother Hao.”

After greeting Huang Hao, Zhao Qingfeng stared at him for several moments.

Indeed, there was a change.

A person’s transformation cannot be hidden.

The former Huang Hao had an indescribable fierceness and rebelliousness about him.

But now,

His eyes were much purer, and his smile was much more sincere. Comparing him now to three weeks ago, the difference was like night and day.

Feng Biao was also happy.

Having lived in the village for so many years, he only had Sun Wenqiang as a playmate, and even that was a false friendship.

In these past few days of interacting with Huang Hao, they had become like brothers, discussing everything under the sun.

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