DLSRWAR Chapter 21 Study hard and aim for Tsinghua-Peking University.

Elderly people often had trouble sleeping, so Grandpa Qin had risen early to go for his morning exercises.

Rarely staying in, Qin Xian stayed home today, and Qin Yumian took the opportunity to have him help with cleaning and laundry.

Uncle Zhao brought breakfast for them: “Little Xian, I’m heading to the city to deliver something. Would you like to come along?”

Qin Xian was hanging up clothes and responded, “Sure, Uncle, just give me a few minutes.”

The clothesline was too high for Qin Yumian to reach without standing on a stool, so she usually washed the clothes, and Qin Xian took care of hanging them. Their division of labor were clearly defined.

After finishing with the laundry, Qin Xian changed his clothes and, still chewing on a bun, followed Uncle Zhao out.

Ye Hancheng arrived at ten o’clock.

Not needing to go to school today, he had dressed casually in a white sweatshirt and black pants, looking particularly handsome and sunny.

When Qin Yumian opened the door, the young man greeted her with a radiant smile, “Sports rep, good morning.”

“Morning,” Qin Yumian replied with a slight nod, glancing behind him, “Where’s your backpack?”

Ye Hancheng responded, “In the car.”

“Just give me a moment.” Qin Yumian turned back inside to gather her textbooks, grabbed her backpack, and locked the door before heading downstairs with Ye Hancheng.

The black sedan was parked at the curb. Upon seeing Ye Hancheng, a well-dressed man in a suit and tie bent slightly at the waist in respect and said, “Second Young Master.”

“This is my brother’s assistant, surnamed Du,” Ye Hancheng introduced. “Our sports rep, Qin Yumian.”

Assistant Du maintained his demeanor as he looked at Qin Yumian and said, “Miss Qin, thank you for taking care of the Second Young Master.”

A hint of doubt flashed in Qin Yumian’s eyes as she smiled and replied, “I haven’t done much. In fact, I should thank classmate Ye Hancheng for his help.”

“Assistant Du, the sports rep and I are heading to our tutoring session now. You can go back first.” Ye Hancheng opened the car door and took out a backpack and a small, delicate box from the seat.

“Certainly, Second Young Master.” Assistant Du glanced at Qin Yumian, “Goodbye, Miss Qin.”

Once the car had driven away, Ye Hancheng slung the backpack over his shoulder and opened the small box. Inside was a delicate jar of skincare cream.

“I had Assistant Du bring this from the capital,” Ye Hancheng said as he opened the jar, dipped his finger into the light green cream, and applied it naturally to Qin Yumian’s wrist. “Try it out and see if you like it.”

This was the brand of skincare his wife used, and it was custom-made.

Qin Yumian glanced at the young man as he spread the cream evenly on her skin, its faint fragrance drifting into her senses.

Ye Hancheng added, “Next time, try the milky fragrance.”

His wife should still use the one with a milky fragrance—it suits her best.

Qin Yumian: “…”

Qin Yumian didn’t respond to the young man, simply lightly stating, “Let’s go. Grandpa Lu should be done with his morning exercises by now.”

…

At the Lu residence.

Aunt He was in the garden weeding, preparing a plot of land for planting tomatoes.

Hearing the door open, she turned around with a cheerful smile, “Mianmian, you’re here?”

Qin Yumian nodded and returned the smile, asking, “Is Grandpa Lu at home?”

Aunt He washed her hands and wiped them on her apron. “Yes, he’s at home. Professor Lu wasn’t sure when you’d arrive, so he didn’t go for his morning exercises. He’s currently practicing calligraphy in his study.”

Noticing the handsome young man following Qin Yumian, Aunt He secretly nodded in approval: he was quite a good-looking young man.

She ushered them inside, “Come in, and I’ll prepare some fruit for you.”

“Thank you, Aunt He,” Qin Yumian replied.

Ye Hancheng’s backpack hung casually on his left shoulder as he wandered through the Lu residence, his eyes taking in every detail.

Grandpa Lu was a retired professor, so the decor in his home reflected the refined elegance of a scholarly family at every turn.

However, Ye Hancheng found it curious that the living room walls displayed only one painting—a large oil painting with a signature in the lower left corner written with a brush.

As Ye Hancheng moved closer, he saw that the signature read “Sheng Yan”.

“This was painted by my mother.” Qin Yumian had somehow moved to the young man’s side, looking up at the richly colored oil painting.

His mother-in-law painted it?

Ye Hancheng said, “It’s very beautiful.”

His wife’s talent for painting must have been inherited from his mother-in-law.

Qin Yumian didn’t respond but her eyes reflected a hint of nostalgia.

After a moment, Qin Yumian turned her gaze back and said, “Let’s go find Grandpa Lu in the study.”

The study was on the second floor.

When Qin Yumian and Ye Hancheng pushed open the door, Grandpa Lu had just set down his brush and was drying the ink on a piece of paper.

“Grandpa Lu, sorry to disturb you,” Qin Yumian said.

Ye Hancheng followed, “Hello, Grandpa Lu. I’m Ye Hancheng. Thank you for your trouble.”

Grandpa Lu looked up and fixed his gaze on the young man beside Qin Yumian. Upon hearing the introduction, his brows furrowed slightly. “Surname Ye? You don’t sound like a local.”

After all, this was someone his wife respected, so Ye Hancheng answered readily, “I’m from the capital.”

“From the capital, and your surname is Ye?” Grandpa Lu pondered for a moment. “Who is Ye Jingyuan to you?”

“He is my dad.” Ye Hancheng was surprised that Grandpa Lu knew his unreliable father and tentatively asked, “Do you know my father, Grandpa Lu?”

“Your father was one of my former students.” Grandpa Lu walked over from his desk and took a seat on the sofa, appraising Ye Hancheng. “You do resemble Ye Jingyuan somewhat.”

Ye Hancheng replied, “My big brother says I look more like my mom.”

Both of the brothers took after their mother in appearance, which vexed Ye Jingyuan immensely. How could both of his sons only resemble him to a minor extent?

“Your mother was that girl from the Cheng family, right?” Grandpa Lu inquired. “When your parents got married, I received an invitation too and met your mother a few times. Your looks do indeed favor her more.”

Grandpa Lu then looked puzzled. “It’s strange. The Ye family is prominent in the capital. How come you are here alone in Sangcheng?”

Ye Hancheng repeated what he had told his big brother earlier, “Because I want to work hard and get into Tsinghua-Peking University.”

“Ambitious, indeed. Alright, you and Mianmian can start on your homework. If you need anything, just come and ask me.”

Qin Yumian had already taken out her homework and placed it on the table, preparing to start on a math test paper.

She had often done her homework at Grandpa Lu’s place when not in class, so she was quite familiar with the setup.

Ye Hancheng sat next to Qin Yumian, also pulling out a stack of test papers from his backpack.

“Sports rep, I’ll start with the English test paper. Once I’m done, let’s swap and copy each other’s work.”

Qin Yumian glanced at him. “Aren’t you aiming for Tsinghua-Peking University?”

Copying homework—can that get you into Tsinghua-Peking University?

Ye Hancheng: “…”

Ye Hancheng’s enthusiasm waned instantly. “Alright, I’ll do it on my own.”

He spread out the English test paper but realized he had forgotten his pen.

He poked Qin Yumian’s arm. “Sports rep, I forgot to bring a pen. Could you lend me one?”

Qin Yumian: “…”

Does the other person really want to get into Tsinghua-Peking University?

Qin Yumian, feeling resigned, handed over her pen to the young man and used a pencil herself.

Not all of the homework assigned by the teacher needed to be submitted for review; some were only checked by the subject representative. The math homework was one such assignment.

The study gradually fell into silence, with only the faint sound of pen tips scratching across paper.

——