October is the golden autumn with clear and cool weather.
Yang Xia, who had experienced the baptism of housework, felt much more refreshed. She came to the high school of her dreams, and she transferred there based on her real ability. No. 10 Middle School is the best in the province, and the annual independent enrollment alone is privately called the "small college entrance examination". Every year, the independent enrollment is so spectacular. Not only are the hotels and private inns near No. 10 Middle School overcrowded, but also those who stay in relatives' and friends' homes waiting for the exam are crowded. Generally, staying in relatives' and friends' homes will bring many inconveniences to others. However, it is different for those waiting to take the exam. They are so enthusiastic that they seem to want the prospective No. 10 Middle School students to live at their doorstep and never leave. Everyone likes children who are sensible, have good grades and have a bright future, and they also want their own home to have a bit of literary atmosphere.
Being able to pass the transfer exam and be admitted to No. 10 Middle School means that one is an outstanding person. At least, the honor of being recognized by No. 10 Middle School for cultivating a seedling for a top university outweighs the cost of education.
It was also because the things with the big family were sorted out, especially the request of Luo Zhixian's family. In the past, I thought it was a safety lock, I couldn't go to a good school and had no good future. No matter whether I was aware of this in my youth, now at this stage, I can understand that this is the most important thing for a student. Yang Xia also had such concerns. Luo Zhixian's family gave her a path to a worry-free future without too much hardship, but taking this path, there are gains and losses.
What you gain may be a future, but what you lose is freedom.
However, now that I have mustered up the courage to say no, I feel relieved. It turns out that relying on myself is such a confident thing.
All of this is naturally based on her ability. If she hadn't been able to get into No. 10 Middle School with her own hard work, and hadn't been able to make the key universities that she had previously thought were unsafe much more secure, if she herself was only at a level that was difficult to get into a second-tier university, would she have been able to so calmly reject Luo Zhixian's family's arrangement for a prestigious foreign university? She was calm, but could she pass the test of her own family? At least she didn't have that much confidence.
Only when you are strong can you have the power to make choices. The so-called backbone without bones is no different from a bluff with a strong appearance but a weak heart.
Of course, what made Yang Xia feel even more comfortable was the easing of the relationship between her and Cheng Ran. In the past, the family affair that would have made her feel ashamed if revealed in front of any friend, but after it was revealed in front of Cheng Ran, she, who was very concerned about her reputation, felt as if a veil had been torn off. At one point she was embarrassed, but at another point it seemed as if she and Cheng Ran had experienced something. The distance from Shanhai to Rongcheng and the barriers brought about by time and space had all been reduced a lot.
So on the way to school, if she met Cheng Ran getting off the bus, she would walk up to him and say hello, walk with him, and talk about recent things. As for the envious or surprised looks from irrelevant people along the way, she would not care so much.
But there are exceptions. One day she greeted Cheng Ran, and Cheng Ran responded by saying that he had not had breakfast yet and that he was going to the shop next door to buy something. Yang Xia nodded and said that he would leave first.
But the next time they met, neither of them had eaten breakfast, so they went to buy breakfast together. Cheng Ran originally wanted to eat soy milk and fried dough sticks, but when he was about to eat the fried dough sticks, Yang Xia stopped him, saying that fried dough sticks contained lead and long-term consumption would damage the brain. In short, it was bad for the body. When I didn't see you before, I must not know how much you ate, but now you are right in front of me, I will definitely make you control your mouth. The steamed bun shop next door is pretty good.
Cheng Ran thought to himself that Yang Xia was being nagging again, but the meat from the steamed bun shop was quite oily and tasted fresh, and he thought that this time-honored shop would not use meat of unknown origin these days, so he nodded.
The two bought two baskets, each containing seven fish, for a total of eight yuan. Yang Xia had no change except three yuan, so Cheng Ran said, "Let me do it."
He had put his change in his trouser pockets, and there were still a few five-yuan bills. Yang Xia looked at the three yuan in his hand and put them back in his pocket. He took out three steamed dumplings from the food bag and put them into Cheng Ran's pocket. "I'll eat four at most. The rest are yours."
As early as when the two of them bought dumplings together, it was enough to attract attention. Needless to say, Cheng Ran was in No. 10 Middle School. All the senior students knew him, and even those in other grades were more or less familiar with him. Yang Xia was new, but that didn't stop them from looking at her face. Yang Xia was youthful and beautiful in her sports shirt and jacket. This scene made people sigh that No. 10 Middle School was really full of beauties.
This scene is something that many people will take root in their minds once they see it, even if they have never thought about it deliberately. This is probably a scene memory from the green years that is hard to forget.
As a result, the two people who were eating dumplings happened to run into Jiang Hongshao who was passing by.
Yang Xia greeted her and asked, "Have you had breakfast? Let's go together."
Jiang Hongshao paused and smiled slightly. She had already eaten, but she could try it.
Then she came over, took one out of Cheng Ran's pocket and put it in her mouth to eat. The three of them walked towards the school while eating the buns side by side, but their positions were quite subtle. Cheng Ran was on the far left, Yang Xia was on the right, and Jiang Hongshao was also walking on the right side of Yang Xia. The two girls seemed to have more common topics, but Cheng Ran, although walking with the two girls, seemed more lonely.
If the scene of Cheng Ran and Yang Xia standing alone under the eaves of the snack shop eating buns was a pleasant one, then the sight of them walking side by side with Jiang Hongshao and Yang Xia, who were very famous in their grade and even in the whole school, made people secretly feel that it was unfair.
But Cheng Ran, who was in this scenery seen by others, knew that it was not as comfortable as outsiders thought. On the contrary, he felt uneasy.
As they were walking, Yang Xia suddenly said, "Actually, a few days ago, we met Cheng Ran when we were having dinner outside. Did he tell you about this?"
Cheng Ran glanced at Jiang Hongshao, who didn't look at him but nodded to Yang Xia, "He revealed a little bit, but he thought you were very courageous. This is what we discussed. Don't think that I am just watching and observing. I don't mean that at all... Everyone will encounter various problems. If they are true friends, they will want to share them with you. Even if they can't actually do anything, expressing their attitude to support you is also doing their best."
Yang Xia smiled slightly, "Hongshao, you are still the same... still so cute. You are still very sincere to others. I feel very proud to be your friend. How could I think that you thought so? When Cheng Ran came to No. 10 Middle School and was unfamiliar with the place, you were probably the best to him. I was surprised that he didn't tell you. I don't know how he was so lucky to have dealings with you. Did he take advantage of you with ill intentions?"
Cheng Ran turned his head violently. He was eating buns when a pot of them flew over without him saying anything.
Jiang Hongshao smiled and looked at Cheng Ran, "Not really. Even if he wanted to do it, he wouldn't have the guts to do it."
Yang Xia looked at Cheng Ran with an expression that said, "That's exactly what happened." He nodded, "That's true."
"But you'll have me as your ally in the future. Don't worry, I've taken care of him since he was a child. If he dares to overstep his boundaries and bully you, I promise to be the first to stand up..." Yang Xia stretched out his fist and showed off his power to Cheng Ran. However, seeing that Cheng Ran, who was now taller than him, was no longer the skinny and small childhood friend who she could kick and chase down the street, he still said fiercely, "If it doesn't work, I can sue his father. His father is very powerful now!"
Cheng Ran was so angry. Did these two people think of themselves as a vulnerable group? They were so bold and treacherous. Could they be more tactful and take into account the feelings of passerby A while the person involved was in front of them
Yang Xia pointed at Cheng Ran and said, "But there is one thing I want to clarify. Although this guy and I grew up together, he used to take us to climb over other people's courtyard walls, fight with other courtyards, watch zombie movies, and even take us to catch ghosts... But in fact, after we separated, we haven't seen each other for a long time. In Rongcheng, you and him have the most contact. I transferred here, I won't disturb you, right?"
Jiang Hongshao raised the corner of her mouth and said gently, "How could that be?"
Yang Xia looked at Cheng Ran again, "Hong Shao is smart and has good grades, but I can't let you have her for free. I sometimes borrow her to help me with my homework. You're not afraid that I'll catch up, are you?"
Cheng Ran also laughed, "You think too much."
"Then I officially join." Yang Xia glared at him and took Jiang Hongshao's arm. The scene of the two leaning on each other made people want to go over and drag Cheng Ran, who was an eyesore next to them, away.
This harmonious scene lasted until Yang Xia went to his own class and separated from Jiang Hongshao.
Watching Yang Xia waving goodbye, Jiang Hongshao recalled the scene of the two of them sharing the dumplings before. It was indeed as Yang Xia said, and just like the conversation she had with Cheng Ran under the ginkgo forest after returning to Chengdu from Beijing. It was indeed true that the days that Cheng Ran and Yang Xia had spent together from childhood to adulthood were indeed missing for her.
Just like the scene at the school gate, the two of them must have gone to school together and eaten breakfast at the breakfast shop countless times, so it has become a habit.
When Jiang Hongshao and he returned to their seats in the classroom, Jiang Hongshao glanced at Cheng Ran, and Cheng Ran felt a sharp chill as if from a knife.
Jiang Hongshao turned around and started taking out the textbooks.
"Dang!" and it was placed on the table.
It was as if the extended reading book weighed more than a mountain.
Couldn't you have come to steal loquats a few years earlier