Chapter 26

The day before school started, Pei Zheng had to report to school to collect his textbooks and dormitory bed assignment. He rolled up his bedding and was about to head out when Lu Nong called out to him, her expression serious.

“Other kids have their parents accompany them when they go to register at school. Your dad isn’t home today, so don’t worry, I’ll reluctantly bring Xiao Huai with me to accompany you. I won’t let anyone look down on you.”

At first, Pei Zheng wanted to refuse, but when he heard that Lu Nong was going to bring Huaihuai along, he changed his mind. His little brother was so adorable—he was sure his future classmates would be envious when they saw him.

Though he was secretly pleased, Pei Zheng still pretended to be reluctant and said haughtily, “Alright then.”

Lu Nong didn’t expose his true thoughts. At this moment, Aunt Wu came over, carrying a large nylon bag. Lu Nong gestured for her to give it to Pei Zheng. “I need to bring some things to school, so you might as well carry them for me.”

Aunt Wu hesitated and glanced at Lu Nong, who nodded at her. Aunt Wu then smiled and handed the nylon bag to Pei Zheng. “I’ll trouble you with this, Xiao Zheng. Grandma is too old to accompany you.”

After Lu Nong’s correction, all the younger ones in the family now called Aunt Wu “Grandma Wu.”

Pei Zheng shook the tightly tied nylon bag. It was not heavy, and was about the same weight as his bedding. It was nothing for Pei Zheng, who ran with weights all day, but he felt that the texture of the things in the nylon bag was very much like a quilt.

“Is this bedding? For me?” Pei Zheng was surprised.

Pei Zheng was a bit touched, thinking that Lu Nong had specially prepared a new quilt for him to use in the dormitory. Growing up, having a mother or not made little difference for him. The older women in the family, thinking he had Aunt Sun to take care of him, never bothered with these small matters.

So, this was what it felt like to be cared for—warm, like a splash of hot water melting the ice within his heart.

Lu Nong let out a dry laugh, thinking, Am I really that kind of person? She only wanted Pei Zheng to act as free labor, nothing more.

But in this moment, she did feel a bit sorry for Pei Zheng. Although she often called him a child, in her heart, she treated him as someone her own age, never interfering in his affairs. However, not interfering also meant not caring.

After all, Pei Zheng was only sixteen years old. He was still immature, liked to show off, loved sweets, adored cute and fluffy animals, and enjoyed being around kids. He wasn’t yet the domineering male lead from the novel who could shake the world.

Lu Nong thought quietly, Since we’re already family, maybe some appropriate care wouldn’t hurt.

“Yes, I prepared a new quilt for you,” Lu Nong said gently.

In truth, her godmother was worried that the bedding provided by the school wouldn’t be comfortable, so she had prepared two quilts for Lu Nong—one to cover herself with and one to lay on. Both quilts were newly made, soft and comfortable. Either one would be good enough for Pei Zheng.

A joyful expression appeared on Pei Zheng’s face as he raised Xiao Gu Huai’s hand and announced, “Comrades, let’s march toward the highest institution!”

As soon as they stepped out the door, Pei Zheng’s childhood friends were already waiting at the gate.

Other than Pei Zheng, Shen Jiming and Jiang Yu also passed their university entrance exams. One was admitted to a foreign language school, while the other got into an agricultural college. However, Zhang Kaiping failed his exam. He wanted to join the army, but unfortunately, his physical condition didn’t meet the standards. Lately, he’s been working hard on exercising and losing weight.

Pei Zheng gave them a look, “Aren’t you going to greet her?”

Zhang Kaiping and Jiang Yu still felt a bit awkward in front of Lu Nong. Last time, they misunderstood her, thinking she was bullying Pei Zheng, and when Ye Huihui overheard and tattled to Aunt Pei, it indirectly led to Aunt Pei causing trouble for Lu Nong.

Afterward, Pei Zheng sternly warned them not to talk recklessly again. Seeing how seriously Pei Zheng was defending his stepmother, Zhang Kaiping and Jiang Yu began to treat Lu Nong with more respect. But they still struggled with how to address her.

Calling her “aunt” felt too awkward since Lu Nong looked about the same age as their classmates. Calling her by name didn’t seem right either, as she was technically a senior.

Especially Zhang Kaiping, whose mother had been getting close to Lu Nong recently. He had been avoiding them, fearing his mother would force him to call Lu Nong “aunt.”

Only Shen Jiming seemed unbothered, but he wasn’t the first to speak, simply watching Lu Nong silently.

Lu Nong noticed their discomfort. She didn’t want to be called “aunt” by a group of teenage boys either, so she said, “My name is Lu Nong. Just call me by my name.”

Zhang Kaiping and Jiang Yu exchanged glances, opened their mouths, but couldn’t quite say it.

“How about calling her Sister Lu Nong,” Shen Jiming, who had been quiet, finally spoke up, his tone polite and much more pleasant than his sarcastic attitude from a few days ago. “She’s only a few years older than us. Calling her sister seems more appropriate.”

Lu Nong couldn’t quite figure Shen Jiming out. He seemed to have some animosity toward her, yet never acted on it. However, his suggestion was acceptable—calling her “sister” certainly sounded better than “aunt,” so she nodded in agreement.

“Hello, Sister Lu Nong.”

“Sister Lu Nong.”

“… Hello, sister.”

Zhang Kaiping and Jiang Yu greeted her obediently, but Shen Jiming’s greeting stood out. Lu Nong gave him a curious glance, and he looked back at her with an innocent expression.

Lu Nong: “…”

With the greeting issue resolved, Zhang Kaiping scratched his head and grinned at Pei Zheng, “Zhengzi, we’re here to take you to school.”

Pei Zheng didn’t hold back, handing a nylon bag to Zhang Kaiping and tossing his bedding to Shen Jiming. Then, in a smooth motion, he took Xiao Gu Huai from Lu Nong’s arms without a hint of embarrassment.

Shen Jiming glanced at the bedding in his hands and then at Pei Zheng, who now carried nothing. He was speechless but decided to let it slide for today.

He thought Lu Nong and Gu Huai would only see Pei Zheng off to the door, but Lu Nong followed them to the bus stop and even boarded the bus with them.

“Zhengzi, your stepmother is really good to you. Even your dad has never accompanied you to school,” Shen Jiming said in a low voice, standing behind Pei Zheng.

Pei Zheng responded with a grunt, holding the overhead handrail and shielding Lu Nong, who was seated with Gu Huai on her lap.

He didn’t believe anyone would dare to approach his stepmother now.

Indeed, no one did. Surrounded by four handsome young men, with a beautiful woman in the middle, passersby couldn’t help but be envious.

When they arrived at the school, Pei Zheng made a point of greeting the security guards. The guards remembered Pei Zheng and Lu Nong from before and, seeing the group of them carrying luggage, couldn’t resist asking, “Did your friend get into Peking University?”

Pei Zheng grinned, pointing to the school badge on his chest, “It’s not my friend—it’s me. Pei Zheng, law department, Peking University.”

The security guards were stunned. A troublemaker like him got into Peking University?

Seeing people around starting to stare, Lu Nong lightly patted Pei Zheng, “Stop showing off and go register.”

Being too flashy wasn’t a good thing. It was better to finish his studies quietly and leave this place quickly.

Last time, when Lu Nong came to handle her re-enrollment, she realized that the situation with her leave of absence wasn’t as simple as it seemed. After thinking about it, she remembered some important details.

Her mother’s pressure and harassment were part of the reason, but more crucially, that year was turbulent for the school. Many students and professors were sent to do labor work, especially those in the history department. Lu Nong had been quite prominent that year, and many people resent her. She feared that staying any longer would lead to trouble, so she went along with her mother’s wishes and took a leave of absence.

After recalling all this, Lu Nong made up her mind to only study for one year. In that year, she planned to finish the remaining two years of coursework and graduate early. She would also push Pei Zheng to study hard alongside her. If they could survive the intense workload, they would. The sooner they graduated, the sooner they could avoid the coming chaos at the school.

She glanced at Pei Zheng, who seemed completely unaware of what was to come. In the novel, although Pei Zheng was forced to end his studies early, his powerful family background kept him from facing any real harm. The psychological impact, however, was profound.

Almost overnight, the people around him changed. They began beating and humiliating the professors they once respected, committing acts that even animals wouldn’t do.

People died—students, professors—some in unclear circumstances, others driven to suicide by shame. This catastrophe originated at the school, unfolding right before Pei Zheng’s eyes every day, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

For someone with such a strong sense of justice like Pei Zheng, the pain must have been unbearable.

Even Lu Nong herself couldn’t remain indifferent. But she couldn’t save anyone, so the best option was to leave before it all happened. Maybe not seeing it would lessen the pain.

For some reason, Pei Zheng was in an especially good mood today. Even after Lu Nong lightly hit him, he didn’t get upset. He patted Xiao Gu Huai’s head and, full of energy, led his stepmother and friends toward the registration office.

On the way, they attracted many glances. Everyone in the group was good-looking, but the most attention-grabbing scene was Pei Zheng, the cool guy, holding an adorable little Huaihuai—an irresistibly cute contrast.

At the registration point, Pei Zheng presented his registration certificate, collected his meal tickets and allowance, and they all headed to the male dormitory.

Generally, women weren’t allowed in the male dormitories, but since it was the last day of registration and there were many mothers around, it wasn’t particularly unusual for women to enter and exit the dorm—though Lu Nong did seem much younger than most of them.

Pei Zheng’s dorm was on the third floor, an eight-person room. By the time they arrived, only one bed was left, a bottom bunk near the door and a trash can, with some random items and luggage piled on it.

A crooked name tag with “Pei Zheng” written on it was stuck to the bed’s headboard. The edges were torn, indicating that someone had ripped it off and reattached it.

There were only three people in the dorm when they arrived, quietly sizing up Pei Zheng’s group. Seeing that they were all tall and imposing, the dorm mates couldn’t help but feel a bit intimidated.

Pei Zheng didn’t move right away. Zhang Kaiping wanted to help clear the items off the bed, but Lu Nong stopped him with a hand. “No rush.”

Sure enough, Pei Zheng leisurely walked around the dorm, checking the name tags on the other beds. As he passed by the three dorm mates, they all avoided eye contact, looking somewhat guilty.

After inspecting the room, Pei Zheng calmly said, “Go ahead and clean up.”

Only then did Lu Nong signal to Zhang Kaiping to start clearing the bed. She understood that Pei Zheng had compared his original bed to the one that had been swapped and concluded that the current bed wasn’t worth making a fuss over.

But from her understanding of Pei Zheng, he had definitely remembered who switched his bed.

The three dorm mates relaxed visibly, relieved that Pei Zheng didn’t cause any trouble.

Lu Nong gave them a friendly smile. She had noticed that although the three seemed tense, they didn’t appear guilty. They probably weren’t the ones who swapped Pei Zheng’s bed, but they definitely knew who did.

“From now on, you all will be roommates with Pei Zheng. He’s still young, so I hope you can take care of him,” Lu Nong said, stepping in as Pei Zheng’s stepmother and offering some polite words.

Hearing her soft and gentle tone, the three dorm mates blushed like ripe tomatoes and quickly promised that they would get along well with Pei Zheng.

Pei Zheng pressed his lips together, his expression complicated as he looked at Lu Nong.

Lu Nong didn’t notice his expression and instead directed Zhang Kaiping to clear the bed of the miscellaneous items and asked Shen Jiming and Jiang Yu to help make the bed.

Holding Xiao Huaihuai in her arms, Lu Nong couldn’t lend a hand. Noticing that Pei Zheng only had a thin blanket, she told him, “Open up the nylon bag and grab one of the thicker quilts. It’s autumn now, so you’ll need a warmer one.”

Pei Zheng was surprised. “Aren’t all the quilts mine?”

Lu Nong chuckled, “Of course not.”

“Alright, everything here is settled. Now, I have to go register as well.”

Pei Zheng: “…” Register for what?

Shen Jiming: “…”!?

Jiang Yu & Zhang Kaiping: “…”!!??

The three dorm mates: “…” She’s not just his sister? She’s also a fellow student!?