Chapter 27: Teacher Liang

In a blink of an eye, it was the last day of the May Day holiday, also the day Liang Zhirou was supposed to start her first lesson.

Chen Lu had to return to school at six o’clock, so he discussed with her and moved the lesson to the afternoon.

Liang Zhirou had listened to Chen Lu’s advice and didn’t go out to hand out flyers, so she agreed without hesitation.

Afternoon.

Chen Lu’s family sat on the sofa, ready to see what kind of person this classmate of Chen Lu’s was.

As for who it was, Wang Xiaoxia had already guessed, but she wasn’t sure yet.

Chen Guanglin and Wang Xiaoxia chatted about their neighbors while Chen Mo, who was about to face a teacher, didn’t seem nervous at all. Her eyes were full of anticipation.

Obviously, she was more concerned about who this girl was than about the lesson.

“Let me give you a heads-up, she’s very, very introverted and doesn’t like to talk. Try to ask her as few questions as possible.”

Chen Lu rarely spoke so seriously. The couple understood their son’s personality and nodded together.

“You didn’t even go to pick her up.” Wang Xiaoxia gave him a reproachful look. How could he be such a friend?

“I offered, but she wouldn’t let me.” Chen Lu took a bite of watermelon. “She’s stubborn like an ox.”

That’s why your son had to go through so much trouble to trick her into being a tutor.

She muttered to herself, only able to vent her anger on the watermelon.

This was only a loss for her own little piggy bank. It cost her a lot of money to persuade Chen Mo to agree to this. The salary she would pay Liang Zhirou would also be deducted from her account.

Well… but compared to this, it was even more heartbreaking to spend money on a necklace for Chen Mo.

After a while.

“Is it the girl who answered my call?” Wang Xiaoxia couldn’t help but ask.

“Yes, it was her I called about this.” Chen Lu admitted frankly. There was nothing to hide anymore.

He was actually curious why his mother waited until now to ask.

Wang Xiaoxia nodded knowingly, then suddenly said, “I thought you were interested in Yuqing. You’ve been following her since you were little.”

“…”

Chen Lu stared angrily at Chen Mo, who was sitting on the side, and she quickly shook her head.

It wasn’t her who leaked the information.

Seeing his sister’s expression, he was sure that she hadn’t told anyone.

Good heavens, everyone in the family knew he liked Mo Yuqing.

He thought he had hidden it well.

He was careless.

Chen Mo thought about it and wondered whether she should send a message to Mo Yuqing to find out what was going on between the two of them.

As a child, she really thought that Mo Yuqing would be her future sister-in-law.

After all, Mo Yuqing was not only very beautiful, making even her, a girl, drool, but she was also generous with her money, buying her things worth hundreds of yuan without batting an eyelid.

Chen Mo liked her very much. She felt that if she became her sister-in-law, she would be very happy.

But now, her family was about to be robbed, and there was no news from Mo Yuqing.

After much deliberation, she decided to send her brother a message first. She couldn’t wait to gossip.

The two of them used their phones to have an encrypted conversation in front of their parents.

Chen Mo: What happened between you and Yuqing? Why did you stop chasing her?

Chen Lu: Simple. She doesn’t like me. I confessed to her and she rejected me. Why would I chase her?

Chen Mo was stunned, then slowly put away her phone and quietly looked at her expressionless brother.

She hadn’t thought about it that way. She always thought that Mo Yuqing was just being coy with her brother. After all, she had seen his dedication over the years.

She hadn’t had a boyfriend because she hadn’t seen a boy who was more devoted than her brother. The casual ones didn’t catch her eye.

But Mo Yuqing didn’t like him?

This was no joke!

……

Knock, knock.

A very soft knock on the door sounded.

Chen Lu was about to get up when Chen Mo dashed to the door.

She startled Liang Zhirou, who wasn’t ready.

“Hello!” Chen Mo waved and greeted her, pulling Liang Zhirou’s arm and pulling her in.

Liang Zhirou’s hair was loose, and she seemed to have put on a clean outfit. Her unpainted face was particularly attractive.

Chen Lu was speechless at his sister’s actions. His prepared routine was completely useless. He could only introduce her, “Dad, Mom, this is the friend I told you about, Liang Zhirou.”

After speaking, he turned to look at the girl who was so nervous that she was lowering her head, waiting for her to speak.

Chen Lu had rehearsed with her what to say beforehand, lest this silly girl be too nervous to say anything.

For example, she should greet them first, then introduce herself, then mention her excellent college entrance exam results, and finally say that she only charges two hundred yuan an hour, a direct knockout.

So even if Chen Mo messed up his plan, as long as Liang Zhirou played her part well, there would be no problem.

“Come in and sit down.” Seeing the girl’s timid reluctance to speak, Wang Xiaoxia took her hand and pulled her to the sofa to sit down.

“This child has a beautiful name and looks pretty.” Wang Xiaoxia said to Chen Guanglin.

Hearing this, Liang Zhirou became even more nervous. She kept her hands on her lap, her head lowered deeply, then suddenly met eyes with Chen Lu.

Seeing his gentle smile, she lifted her head with great effort.

Like a small grass that had straightened up after being watered.

Chen Lu saw her reaction and his smile became a little brighter.

Then he suddenly remembered something and kept winking at Liang Zhirou, urging her to follow the plan.

The girl nodded, understanding, and said, “Hello, Auntie, Uncle, my name is Liang Zhirou.”

She seemed to have forgotten that Chen Lu had already introduced her name because she was so nervous. She simply recited her prepared lines.

Chen Lu was stunned. Chen Mo, who had just finished drinking water, almost choked on her own saliva.

Wang Xiaoxia was taken aback, then smiled and touched Liang Zhirou’s head, her eyes full of affection, “I know.”

No one would dislike a sweet and sensible girl, and Wang Xiaoxia was no exception.

After that phone call, she already had a rough idea of what Liang Zhirou was like. Now that she saw her in person, she was even more certain.

This sweet and innocent girl was so pure that she was almost like a rare treasure. In Wang Xiaoxia’s childhood, there might have been some girls like this, but in today’s world, they were rare.

Most importantly, she could feel it. Liang Zhirou’s hands were not as delicate as Chen Mo’s. It was obvious that she had done a lot of work…

Even though it was their first meeting, she already felt a little sorry for this girl.

“Zhirou, are you thirsty?”

“Here, have some watermelon. If you don’t like it, there’s something else.”

“Do you want to stay for dinner tonight? What do you want to eat? I’ll ask Xiao Lu to go buy it for you. Auntie’s cooking is quite good, you know.”

“…”

Wang Xiaoxia was very enthusiastic. Chen Mo and Chen Guanglin found it amusing.

Only Chen Lu watched in a daze.

Liang Zhirou seemed to have broken into the “enemy” camp in an unprecedented way.

But wasn’t this scene a bit strange? It was like she was meeting her parents-in-law.

Soon, Liang Zhirou couldn’t take it anymore and looked at Chen Lu pitifully.

This silly girl had learned to ask for help.

Chen Lu quickly changed the subject, “Mom, she’s here to be a tutor. You’re chatting with her, so that counts as time. You have to pay her.”

“No… no need.” Liang Zhirou quickly waved her hands in refusal.

“You talk too much! Chen Guanglin, look at your son!”

Wang Xiaoxia scolded softly, her opinion of Liang Zhirou rising even higher.

“Your son.” Chen Guanglin tried to shirk responsibility.

“Your son!”

Seeing Chen Lu being pushed back and forth like a hot potato, Chen Mo giggled on the side.

Although she was usually treated the same way, at least it wasn’t her turn yet. She had to enjoy it.

Liang Zhirou listened to the laughter and felt a pang of sadness in her heart.

She had been too long without experiencing this kind of warmth since her father passed away.

Chen Lu immediately sensed her feelings, picked up a piece of watermelon with a toothpick and handed it to her, diverting her attention.

Liang Zhirou sniffed and reached out to take it.

He then said, “Mom, if you keep nagging, Chen Mo will have to go to school.”

Wang Xiaoxia pointed at Chen Mo, “Xiao Mo, take Zhirou to your room.”

“Okay.”

……

Looking at the closed door of his sister’s room, Chen Lu lazily lay down on the sofa.

The most difficult part was over. Chen Mo was usually unreliable, but she wouldn’t bully Liang Zhirou.

Liang Zhirou’s tutoring job was already in the bag.

“Is this child’s family not well-off?” Wang Xiaoxia asked softly, feeling a little sorry for her.

Girls her age who had calluses on their hands… were really rare.

At least in Hangzhou, they were rare.

“Yeah.” Chen Lu didn’t hide it, then slowly explained Liang Zhirou’s family situation.

Hearing that Liang Zhirou worked part-time jobs everywhere and only dared to order the cheapest dishes for lunch, Wang Xiaoxia’s eyes welled up.

It was because of this kind of upbringing that Chen Lu had stepped forward that night.

The living room was quiet for a while. Chen Guanglin still didn’t say anything.

Wang Xiaoxia wiped away her tears and said, “Chen Lu.”

Chen Lu turned his head, curious about what his mother wanted to say with such a serious expression.

“If you dare to bully her, I’ll pretend I don’t have a son.”

?????

……

During the entire lesson, everyone sat in the living room chatting, and no one disturbed them.

The two hours passed quickly, and the door to the room opened on time.

Chen Lu looked up and saw Chen Mo shamelessly holding Liang Zhirou’s arm.

“Sister! Your English is so good!”

“If I had met you earlier, I would have learned English a long time ago!”

She spoke loudly, so that everyone in the living room could hear her.

Seeing Chen Guanglin and Wang Xiaoxia’s satisfied smiles, Chen Lu also smiled secretly.

Although he didn’t know how well Liang Zhirou taught, just looking at Chen Mo’s performance,

the necklace was worth it.

Seeing Liang Zhirou repeatedly refusing, Wang Xiaoxia didn’t keep her for dinner. She waved her hand and told Chen Lu to send her home.

“I was going to send her anyway.” Chen Lu got up and walked towards the entrance.

“Take your dad’s car!”

“Got it!”

Chen Lu took his car keys and saw Chen Mo still clinging to Liang Zhirou. He couldn’t help but ask,

“What’s going on? When did you two become so close?”

Chen Mo rolled her eyes at him, “None of your business.”

Then she hugged Liang Zhirou reluctantly, “Sister, if my brother threatens you, just blink, and I’ll definitely save you!”