Chapter 138: Guessed

Sun Ergou’s life at home was far from easy, struggling to even have enough food to eat, feeling neglected and unimportant to his family.

While Jiang Mixia had only heard about Sun Ergou’s previous hardships with food and mistreatment at home, she witnessed it firsthand once he began working at the workshop.

No one from Sun Ergou’s family had ever come to see him, nor had they provided him with any new clothing. It seemed as though he had no connection with his family at all.

Spending the Lunar New Year in such a household, Sun Ergou was likely feeling quite reluctant.

After some thought, Jiang Mixia waved at Sun Ergou, “What are you standing there for? We’re getting ready to cook dumplings. Come over and join us for the meal.”

It was evident that she was inviting him to celebrate the New Year together.

Sun Ergou’s eyes welled up with emotion, but he scratched his head, “Sister Xia, I…”

He still had some desire to go back home and check on things.

In the end, that’s home. Even though it’s a stepmother, his father is his real father, and it’s the place he grew up since childhood.

Today is New Year’s Eve, and he felt he should go back and take a look.

Observing Sun Ergou, who was usually decisive but now seemed hesitant in his speech, Jiang Mixia could roughly guess his thoughts.

“Go ahead. If there are dumplings at home, have them there. If not, we have plenty of dumplings here,” Jiang Mixia said.

The impact of one’s original family is profound and far-reaching, capable of evoking deep-seated feelings of repulsion and hatred.

Nevertheless, humans are emotional beings, and deep down, there is often a certain fantasy and nostalgia for the original family.

Sun Ergou was likely no exception.

Jiang Mixia understood and found his decision reasonable.

Upon hearing Jiang Mixia’s understanding words, Sun Ergou seemed to find his resolve, casting aside his previous hesitation. He nodded enthusiastically, “I understand, Sister Xia.”

With that, Sun Ergou vanished from Jiang Mixia’s sight like a gust of wind.

That child always seems so restless.

Jiang Mixia closed and locked the workshop door, ensuring it was secure, and opened a door that had been partially closed.

Doors must be kept in good condition.

After tidying up, Jiang Mixia went to the courtyard to fetch wheat straw.

On this New Year’s Eve, it was bitterly cold, being at the peak of winter.

Although the north wind was not strong, the cold was biting. Even a gentle breeze felt like tiny knives cutting against the skin.

Sun Ergou was running back home, dressed warmly and running fast, feeling quite hot despite the cold, with beads of sweat forming on his forehead, keeping him from feeling the chill.

Snowflakes began to fall.

Initially sparse, the snowflakes gradually increased in density.

By the time Sun Ergou reached the entrance of Sun Family Village, a layer of white snow had already accumulated on the ground.

Breathless from his run, Sun Ergou shifted to a brisk walk as he entered the village. On this New Year’s Eve, every household had red lanterns hanging outside, including Sun Ergou’s home.

As he gazed at his long-unvisited home, Sun Ergou felt a strange sensation. After a brief pause, he resumed his steps.

When he was just a dozen or so steps away from his home’s entrance, the half-open door suddenly slammed shut with a loud bang, followed by the sound of the door bolt sliding into place.

“Dad, has my brother not returned yet?”

“Ignore him,” came his father’s voice.

“He’s climbing up the social ladder, living it up outside with good food and drink, better clothes than ours. I heard he even gets a good monthly salary now. He hasn’t sent any money home in months, showing no filial piety to his parents. He has no heart for this family anymore, so why bother about him?”

Seemingly dissatisfied, the stepmother spat and continued, “I told you before, this ungrateful brat is a lost cause. Now you believe me, don’t you?”

“We’ve wasted our effort raising this kind of person, we’ll just act like he doesn’t exist from now on!”

The voices from across the courtyard were gradually drowned out by the gentle sound of snowflakes falling.

Sun Ergou raised his head, feeling a cold snowflake land on his face, chilling him to the bone.

He wiped his face with his hand, finding no tears in his eyes.

Having already anticipated the outcome, there was probably not much to be saddened about.

Sun Ergou stamped his feet to shake off the excess snow, brushing off the snowflakes. He exhaled warm air onto his hands, which had stiffened from the cold exposure.

With time running short, he needed to hurry back home to not miss out on eating dumplings.

Lifting his feet, Sun Ergou walked faster than when he had arrived.

The New Year was lively and bustling.

From the first day of the Lunar New Year to the sixth, the festivities continued, finally quieting down by the seventh.

On the eighth day, businesses reopened, and by the fifteenth, the New Year celebrations came to an end.

The school resumed classes on the seventeenth day of the Lunar New Year.

On the first day of school, the teacher first reviewed each student’s progress in their studies.

After a day of checking, Meng Ziting’s frown deepened even more than a ravine.

Indeed, one shouldn’t have too high expectations.

Given that students couldn’t remember their lessons on a regular basis, there wasn’t much to hope for during the break. At best, they might have forgotten slightly less than he anticipated, but not much more.

It wasn’t until Meng Ziting saw the essays and exam papers submitted by Song Jingyun that his expression suddenly brightened.

While Song Jingyun’s poetry was decent but not outstanding, his exam performance was more than adequate. What truly impressed Meng Ziting was Song Jingyun’s recitation and annotations of the Four Books and Five Classics, done with skillful fluency, neat handwriting, and no signs of corrections.

That was sufficient!

While everyone else had disappointed him, Song Jingyun would never let him down.

Seeing Meng Ziting’s joyous reaction to Song Jingyun’s work, all the gloom that had clouded his mind dispersed, and he became jubilant.

Observing Meng Ziting standing with his hands behind his back, chin raised, eyes almost popping out of his head, and pausing with his pen, Zhang Wenbin glanced at the frustrating assignments in his hands, his brow furrowed in deep thought.

Maybe he should have tried to bring Song Jingyun over as his student back then? Having someone reliable could have been a great comfort.

The county office issued a notice for the county examination, requiring all eligible candidates to register at the county office’s registration hall within ten days.

Meng Ziting and Zhang Wenbin took the students from Hongle Academy who needed to participate in the county examination to complete the registration process. They prepared the necessary documents for verification and assessment by the county office.

Once the formalities were completed and the list of examinees was approved and published by the county office, Meng Ziting and Zhang Wenbin devoted themselves to assisting the students in their exam preparations.

Song Jingyun had become much more diligent than before, which Jiang Mixia noticed. His daily study time had increased from a mere quarter of an hour to half an hour upon returning home.

Furthermore, before bed, Song Jingyun would lie down and remain lost in thought for almost half an hour, sometimes even failing to hear Jiang Mixia calling his name.

Jiang Mixia found this behavior of her husband quite intriguing.

(End of chapter)