Chapter 216: Rural Absurd Past Events Chapter 216: Meeting a Former Classmate on the Bus

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

"Hey, Yunxia, no need to come to work this afternoon."

After Li Xiulan left, Wang Zhanggen sat alone on the sofa in the living room, smoking one cigarette after another while calling the workers one by one to tell them they didn't need to come to work this afternoon.

Actually it was already past four in the afternoon, long past the start time, and Li Yunxia and the others had gone to the construction site without seeing the couple arrive, so they probably already knew they didn't need to work.

But Wang Zhanggen still called them.

He also said:

"Also, take tomorrow off too."

Wave after wave of pain came to his face, like whips lashing Wang Zhanggen's nerves, making him feel he had to rest one more day; he was afraid that going to work with a face full of injuries would make him a laughingstock among his coworkers.

He hoped that by the day after tomorrow, the bruises on his face would fade a bit.

Wang Zhanggen prayed so in his heart.

"Huh? Take tomorrow off too? What's going on?"

Li Yunxia was straightforward, so she blurted out:

"I heard you and Yang Xiaocai had another conflict, and you fought at the entrance of the police station. What happened this time?"

Wang Zhanggen could only give a dry, awkward laugh:

"Nothing, just some small conflict."

Then he casually found an excuse:

"I have to visit relatives tomorrow, so I'm taking the day off."

Li Yunxia said "oh," and then didn't ask anything else.

But she knew in her heart that this definitely had something to do with Yang Xiaocai.

After hanging up Li Yunxia's call, Wang Zhanggen sat on the sofa smoking, one cigarette after another, and he thought of his youngest son Wang Xiaohua, feeling some guilt in his heart.

Although Wang Xiaohua was short, and although his uneven teeth made his appearance ugly, he did look somewhat like him.

How could he lose his mind over just a few words from Yang Xiaocai?

But spilled water can never be gathered back.

And he couldn't possibly go apologize to Wang Xiaohua.

In his view, there was no principle of a father apologizing to his son.

If anyone should apologize, it should be Wang Xiaohua apologizing to him—this unfilial son, actually daring to ride on him and smash his face with fists, it was simply outrageous!

Thinking of this, Wang Zhanggen's heart turned from guilt to anger again.

He gritted his teeth in rage.

He was just like this: appearing emotionally stable on the surface, but actually not stable at all.

Incompetent and inferior, sensitive and irritable.

A failed life dominated his character, and his weak, irritable character in turn shaped his failed life.

On the other side, Wang Xiaohua had already taken a small four-wheeler to the town.

He waited a while at the town street entrance, then boarded the bus from the town to the county town.

There were many high school students on the bus like him going to school, everyone wearing school uniforms, and a few were Wang Xiaohua's former junior high classmates.

"Xiao Hua, what happened to your face?"

One of his former junior high classmates, Li Yixue, came to sit in the seat next to Wang Xiaohua and asked concernedly.

Li Yixue had been in the same class as Wang Xiaohua in junior high; Li Yixue often used to ask Wang Xiaohua math questions, but after entering high school, Wang Xiaohua applied to No. 1 High School while Li Yixue applied to Erzhong, so they had little interaction anymore.

"It's nothing, I just accidentally fell at home..."

Wang Xiaohua kept his head down, covering up guiltily.

He couldn't tell outsiders that he was going to school with half his face red and swollen, all courtesy of his biological father.

"So careless? I have some medicinal wine here—I sprained my ankle going down the stairs half a month ago, my dad bought it for me, and it works great for reducing swelling. Let me find it for you."

Li Yixue quickly put her schoolbag on her chest, unzipped it, and rummaged inside.

She pulled out a small bottle of trauma medicinal wine.

"No, no..."

Wang Xiaohua quickly declined, "How could I be so embarrassed?"

But Li Yixue was very generous:

"It's fine, take it. My ankle is already healed, so keeping it would be useless."

Wang Xiaohua was never good at refusing others, so he could only feel grateful:

"Thank you, Li Yixue. I'll return it to you at your school next week."

But Li Yixue said:

"No need to return it, it's a gift for you."

But Wang Xiaohua said:

"I want it, I really want it. Which class are you in? I'll come to your school to find you next Sunday."

Li Yixue then said:

"Why don't you add my QQ? Then it'll be easier to contact me when you come to my school."

But Wang Xiaohua revealed an embarrassed, awkward smile:

"I don't have QQ, and I don't have a mobile phone."

Li Yixue could only give an embarrassed laugh:

"Oh, oh, I see. Your No. 1 High School manages strictly, not letting students bring mobile phones, not as free as our Erzhong... I'm in Class 3, Senior Year 2. When you come next time, if you can't find me, just place this bottle of medicine on my desk. My desk is at the left side against the wall in the second row."

"Okay, okay..." Wang Xiaohua silently noted down Li Yixue's class information in his heart; next Sunday he would definitely go deliver this bottle of medicine back to Li Yixue.

Li Yixue spoke up again at this time:

"I heard that in your high school, you often rank in the top five of the whole school. Last time in the city-wide mock exam you even ranked second in the whole school! Wang Xiaohua, you're really amazing. Back in junior high I never saw you rank in the top five of the whole school, but once you entered high school you actually improved this much! Unlike me, after entering high school, I found math so difficult, my grades plummeted. Back in junior high I could rank in the top twenty of the whole grade, but now I can't even rank in the top two hundred of the whole school."

When saying these words, Li Yixue, besides feeling moved, had eyes full of admiration and envy for Wang Xiaohua.

Although Wang Xiaohua was short in stature and ordinary in appearance, his studies were indeed very formidable.

And some girls in high school are quite simple; they won't dislike a male classmate because of looks and money, but instead can admire a male classmate because of a certain merit.

Of course, it is merely simple admiration, without mixing in any impure thoughts.

"Work hard, and your grades will definitely be able to come up..."

Wang Xiaohua wasn't good at comforting people, so he only dryly said this one sentence.

The two people in the car chatted a lot; it was all Li Yixue taking the initiative to open topics, and Wang Xiaohua awkwardly echoed along.

A journey of forty-odd minutes, finally arrived at the County Town.

The whole process Wang Xiaohua felt both flattered and tormented.

Many years of silence and inferiority had long since made him lose the ability to interact and communicate with girls.

He would even involuntarily feel that Li Yixue taking the initiative to strike up a conversation with him meant she had other thoughts about him, but after reasoning he realized that was merely his groundless fantasy.

She was just kind-hearted, simply sympathizing with him.

In this world, which girl would like a boy like him who has no height to speak of, no looks to speak of?

Absolutely impossible.

If there really were, that would absolutely be a liar.

"Wang Xiaohua, you must study hard. Studying is your only way out. Don't go thinking about things that exist or don't."

Wang Xiaohua admonished himself so in his heart.

To cut off all impractical thoughts.