Chapter 41 Part 1

The narrow alley of the Hutong, at the ancient entrance were piled a few dilapidated tricycles, clattering and rattling, falling apart at a touch, unable to fully express the comings and goings, the partings and reunions, and the romantic entanglements within these multifaceted Hutongs.

In the corner of the wall, someone had planted a proud horned begonia, standing alone in the cold wind, swaying precariously, withering away.

Solemn, tranquil.

"Meow—"

Suddenly, a white cat darted through the alley. In a few leaps, using the dilapidated tricycle at the entrance for leverage, it jumped onto the top of the wall, making a loud clanking sound. Its green-glowing eyes stared down at them. Ding Xian snapped back to reality, let out a sound, and in the cat's meows, quietly said, "Congratulations, Zhou Siyue."

The young man had a smile playing on his lips, but said nothing.

The cat on the wall, however, meowed a few times as if to make its presence known, "Meow-ow-ow, meow-ow-ow, meow-ow-ow—" Its front legs stretched straight, it strutted along the wall, clearly recognizing Zhou Siyue, and was asking him for food.

It was Mute Zhang's cat.

Underneath the flowerpot was a bag of cat food. Usually, when Zhou Siyue and Jiang Chen passed by, they would help feed it if they had time.

"Duo, come down."

The young man's clear voice echoed through the alley. Ding Xian watched him crouch down, place the cat food into the cat bowl, gently tap his long fingers on the ground, then look up and whistle.

The small calico cat leaped down from the wall at lightning speed, creating another series of clattering noises. The fluffy white little creature was already lying in front of Zhou Siyue.

Dusk deepened slightly, and occasionally familiar neighbors passing by would greet Zhou Siyue.

"School's out?"

Zhou Siyue squatted on the ground, looked up, stroking the cat with one hand, and politely replied, "Are you exercising again?"

"Indeed."

The person, holding a Tai Chi sword, walked with light steps and disappeared at the Hutong's entrance.

After eating, the kitten rubbed its head against Zhou Siyue's embrace again, stretched its paw coquettishly, and let out a sweet, charming meow.

Ding Xian glared at it from behind, quite hostilely.

'Hey! Spring hasn't even arrived yet, what are you doing being in heat here?!'

The small calico cat, as if triumphant, extended its paw at her again, making Ding Xian roll her eyes in anger.

...

That day, Liu Jiang had just entered the office with a cup when Yang Weitao called him over and offered him a cigarette, "Teacher Liu..."

Liu Jiang was planning for a second child recently and was trying to quit smoking. He quickly blocked it with his cup, "Please don't tempt me. I've finally quit for a few days; if I start smoking now, my wife will make a fuss at home."

Yang Weitao smiled, put the cigarette back into its pack, and chuckled, "Alright, your wife is indeed impressive."

Liu Jiang: "That's right, she's an old mother hen."

Yang Weitao casually said, "Oh, by the way, that student in your class..."

Liu Jiang shivered, quickly asking, "Did she get into trouble?"

"No, it's just that one student's grades have dropped quite a bit. I wonder if something happened." Saying this, Yang Weitao placed a test paper on Liu Jiang's desk, "Take a look, this won't do if it continues."

Liu Jiang lowered his head skeptically and saw Ding Xian's full name, his eyes also full of regret, "This child was quite good when she first arrived. I wonder if she's been affected by something."

Yang Weitao said, "What influence? I remember she used to sit with Zhou Siyue, right? Her math was quite good then. She should sit with Zhou Siyue again, let Siyue, this future university student, help her out."

Liu Jiang was doubtful: "Will that work?"

Yang Weitao raised an eyebrow, "Give it a try. Anyway, Zhou Siyue has already secured his guaranteed admission, so he's just sitting idle. They're both good kids, don't guard against them like they're wolves."

So, that afternoon, Ding Xian was assigned by Liu Jiang to sit next to Zhou Siyue. To cover up this small change, Liu Jiang even subtly adjusted the other seats.

The change came too fast for Ding Xian to process. She looked at the young man beside her, a little shocked, finding it somewhat unreal. Instead, it was Zhou Siyue, holding a book, who leisurely spoke first, "Hope you've been well."

Just as they finished changing seats, school was dismissed. The previous math mock test paper was handed back, lying conspicuously on the desk.

Zhou Siyue casually glanced at it, but Ding Xian, quick-witted, swiftly covered it up, then quietly pulled it out.

"What are you hiding? Now you know it's embarrassing? What were you doing earlier? During your exams, were you and Kong Shadi traveling the world? Do people have to whip you with a rope from behind to make you move? Are you a spinning top?"

With her grades not improving, Zhou Siyue was even more anxious than she was, his tone genuinely fierce. This immediately brought out the grievances in the young girl's heart. 'Who doesn't want good grades? But I'm just stupid, I can't find the right method, I keep getting the same questions wrong even after doing them several times, what can I do?'

On the way home, Zhou Siyue seemed to have picked up some strange mood and didn't say a word to her. Ding Xian, in turn, didn't want to talk to him either.

They walked the entire way in awkward silence.

Until they reached the corner of the Hutong, Ding Xian suddenly walked in the opposite direction, "I'm going back to my own home today!"

Zhou Siyue grabbed her by the back of her collar and pulled her back.

"You're still throwing a tantrum when you're wrong?"

In Zhou Siyue's eyes, he always felt she wasn't diligent or serious enough, laughing and chatting with Kong Shadi during breaks, or having a quick word with classmates. He overlooked the moments when she was seriously doing problems, taking notes, and working through test papers. The more anxious he got, the less he could see it.

It was like an elder, who, despite her studying for three hours, only saw the three minutes she took to rest.

'If effort was all that mattered, what would we need you geniuses for!'

After shouting, Ding Xian couldn't help but cry. She wiped away her tears with her wrist and turned, determined to walk towards her own home.

Zhou Siyue held her back, pulled her against the wall and held her, then lowered his head slightly, helplessly raising his hands in surrender: "Alright, I apologize."

'If apologies worked, what would we need the police for?!'

"So what do you want?"

As soon as he finished speaking, his neck was hooked, and suddenly a small, bundled-up thing pressed against him. The girl buried her face in his shoulder, retaliatorily wiping her tears and snot onto him, making him wet and sticky all over.

"Who told you to be mean to me?" Ding Xian grumbled.

Zhou Siyue's anger instantly vanished.

Everything felt just right.

At the base of the wall, frost and snow had receded, and the crimson begonia in the corner bloomed quietly.

The girl leaned gently against the wall, her hands hooked around the young man's neck opposite her, her head slightly tilted back, breaking into a smile through her tears.

The young man lowered his head, chuckled softly, and no longer argued.

So be it, her laughter or anger, it was all at her will.

Within these dark gray city walls and old tiles, how many countless and indescribable romantic entanglements and thwarted ambitions were buried.

Afterwards, when going over test papers, Zhou Siyue was much more patient, but there were also times when he lost his temper, because he truly felt this girl was too stupid. Questions he had taught hundreds of times, she would still get wrong in the same way. What an elm wood head.