A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1429 The Sports Team Arrives! (Please Subscribe!)
From that day at the teahouse, although Wu Shanshan still lived at home, she felt like an outsider to the Wu family.

The next day she got up early and, as usual, picked up a broom to sweep the house, but just then, Wu Jianguo called out:
"Shanshan, put down the broom. You don't need to do these things anymore!"

Zhang Amei glanced at her husband with displeasure, her lips moved, but she ultimately remained silent.

During meals, there are boiled eggs on the table. These are from chickens raised by the Wu family. They usually give some to the children, and sell the rest at the supply and marketing cooperative. Some that have been stored for a long time are given to the neighbors.

As usual, Wu Shanshan drank a bowl of porridge and ate a boiled egg before heading to school with her younger siblings.

Just then, Zhang Amei called out, "Shanshan, let Xiaojun and Xiaomin go first, I have something to tell you!"

Wu Shanshan was a little confused, but she still came back.

Zhang Amei watched Wu Jun and her daughter walk away before giving an awkward smile:
"That Shanshan, didn't Pengfei say yesterday that he'll take care of all your food, clothing, and other expenses from now on?"

Wu Shanshan then realized: "You're complaining that I eat breakfast at home?"

She turned to look at her father, her face full of grievance.

Old Wu was smoking silently, but perhaps sensing his daughter's gaze, he felt uneasy and finally spoke to Zhang Amei:
"Sister, what are you doing? It's just a meal."

Facing Old Wu, Zhang Amei showed no weakness whatsoever, and her voice immediately rose:

"What's wrong with him? I didn't force him to say those words. He can't just go back on his word. Oh, he said he'd provide for all our needs, and then we have to pay for it. Why should we?"

Turning back to face Wu Shanshan, whose pretty face was frosty, Zhang Amei returned a smile:
"Shanshan, don't hold a grudge against me. Xiaojun and Xiaomin will both be working and getting married in the future. With our family's situation, how can I manage if I don't plan our finances? You know what I mean. Talk to Pengfei about this later. I don't mean anything by it."

Just then, there was a knock on the open door, and Hua Shier walked in carrying a paper bag, smiling as she waved it at Wu Shanshan, whose eyes were already red:

"Have you eaten? I've prepared all the big meat buns from Yichangfu for you!"

Wu Shanshan wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, then burst into laughter. She reached out and took the paper bag, shoving it into Zhang Amei's arms.
"Here you go, okay?"

After saying that, he grabbed Hua Shier and left.

Zhang Amei looked embarrassed: "Hey, this child, I was just trying to reason with her!"

As he spoke, he opened the paper bag and saw three steaming hot meat buns, their aroma filling the air.

Zhang Amei picked one up and took a bite, instantly filling her mouth with the aroma of meat.

Wu Jianguo swallowed hard, reaching out to grab one too: "Give me one to try!"

Zhang Amei raised her hand and slapped her husband's hand: "Look at you, so useless! There are only two left. Save them for Xiaomin and Xiaojun to eat when they come back!"

Hua Shier and Wu Shanshan hadn't even left the alley yet when Hua Shier, with his amazing hearing, overheard the conversation between the Wu couple. He couldn't help but shake his head with amusement. Given Wu Jianguo's family status, he didn't know what he was after marrying a divorced woman and being so obedient to her.

He rode his bicycle with Wu Shanshan on the back towards the No. 1 Middle School. Without even turning around, he could sense the girl's low spirits, and immediately smiled and said:

"Actually, before I went into your house, I heard what your stepmother said. I think it's good to make things clear like this, so as to avoid future entanglements!"

Hua Shier knew perfectly well that when the Wu family's fortunes declined and Wu Shanshan's situation improved, Zhang Amei, with her scheming nature and shamelessness, would definitely still try to get close to her.

Hua Shier said all this to Wu Shanshan to make a deeper impression on her and to make her remember everything that was happening, so that she wouldn't be soft-hearted later, otherwise it wouldn't be meaningful.

Wu Shanshan nodded, but she was still in low spirits. Hua Shier said again, "Don't worry, after the high school entrance exam, I'll teach your stepmother a lesson. Think about what to do, how about blowing up the toilet?"

Wu Shanshan remembered what happened last time and immediately laughed: "No way, that's too disgusting!"

"Anyway, it's not like I'm disgusted!"

"That won't work either. Last time my house smelled terrible, and it took several days to get rid of it!"

The two chatted and laughed as they arrived at school. Wu Shanshan went into the classroom first, while Hua Shier went to the bike shed to store his bike. They walked separately, one after the other.

But before he could even enter the classroom, he was stopped by the head of discipline who was patrolling the floor.

"Xiang Pengfei, the principal wants you to go to his office after you arrive!"

Hua Shier responded, went into the classroom, put his schoolbag away, and then went to the principal's office.

Upon entering the office, he saw the principal talking to two people. The principal greeted him warmly as he entered.

"Xiang Pengfei, you've come at the perfect time! Let me introduce you!"

The principal pointed to a middle-aged man and introduced him, "This is Coach Wu from the provincial sports team!"

Then he introduced another young man: "This is Officer Liu from the Municipal Sports Bureau!"

"They came here specifically to observe you after hearing about your performance at the school sports meet!"

Coach Wu looked Hua Shier up and down, and nodded in satisfaction after the principal finished speaking:

"You have a good physique and are a promising athlete. Come on, let's run a lap on the track. They say you can run under ten seconds and break the world record, but I don't believe it. So I'm here to see for myself. If you can run under ten seconds, I'll send you to the Guo family team!"

Hua Shier didn't move at all, but simply greeted him with a smile:

"Hello, you two. Let's skip the running stuff. I don't like sports, and I have no interest in joining the Guo family team. That's not my goal. You guys continue chatting, I'm going back to class!"

Coach Wu frowned, and Officer Liu immediately criticized him:

"Young man, how can you be so lacking in honor? Joining the Guo family team is such an honorable thing. Others wouldn't even dare to dream of it because they don't have the ability. Now the opportunity is right in front of you. If you have the ability, you should seize it!"

Hua Shier laughed and said, "This has nothing to do with a sense of honor. I want to go to university. When I get the top score in the province, won't I have honor too? Don't you think so?"

Officer Liu laughed in exasperation: "You, number one in the province? You'd be the top scholar!"

In his mind, people involved in sports were all simple-minded and physically strong, and none of them were good at studying.

When he looked at the principal, he saw the principal nod at him:

"Xiang Pengfei has been ranked first in his grade since entering school. If he can maintain this, he definitely has the ability to win the top score. So I'm also having a headache about whether he should pursue a career in sports!"

Coach Wu then spoke up:

“Pengfei, it’s true that getting the top score in the exam is an honor, but that’s a personal honor. If you get into the provincial sports team and then represent the country in international competitions, that’s bringing glory to the country. That’s a real honor. You need to understand that!”

Hua Shier waved his hand: "Forget it, I appreciate your kindness, but I'll study hard and contribute to the country's development, which is a great honor. I won't get involved in the sports world; it feels like I'm bullying people!"

The last sentence was something he blurted out unconsciously, but it made Officer Liu laugh in exasperation:
"Look how arrogant you are! We simply don't believe your 100-meter time. If Coach Wu hadn't insisted on coming to see for himself, there are countless talented athletes in our city, and you wouldn't have had a chance!"

Hua Shier, too lazy to say anything more, said to the principal:
"Principal, if there's nothing else, I'll go back to class. I usually need to take a nap during morning self-study, and you're disturbing my schedule!" He was just as outstanding in the honors class. Because of his excellent grades, as long as he didn't disturb others' studies, the teachers would basically turn a blind eye to whatever he did in class. After all, he could get full marks even if he didn't pay attention in class.

The principal had already heard the teachers' complaints, and upon hearing this, he was both amused and exasperated.

Just then, Coach Wu said:
"Don't rush me, little one. I won't force you to join the sports team. How about you run a lap? You know, no one in Asia has ever run the 100-meter dash in under ten seconds. Just let me see what you've got!"

Hua Shier is the kind of person who responds better to gentle persuasion than force. Hearing Coach Wu's polite words, he pondered for a moment and then nodded, saying:
"Okay, then I have one request. You guys can see for yourselves after I finish running. Don't go around telling anyone, otherwise people will keep bothering me. Isn't that annoying!"

The principal reminded them, "Be mindful of your manners!"

Coach Wu wasn't angry at all: "Fine, fine, I'll just open my eyes for myself!"

The group immediately went to the playground, where Coach Wu took out a stopwatch and personally timed them.

Once Hua Shier was in position, Coach Wu waved at the finish line, and he dashed off like an arrow.

"it is good!"

The moment Hua Shier crossed the finish line, Coach Wu simultaneously pressed the stopwatch: 9.99 seconds!
Hua Shier walked over without blushing or panting: "Didn't you say you'd never seen anyone run under ten seconds? Now you've seen it, haven't you? Alright, I'm going to class. Remember not to talk about it outside!"

Officer Liu was stunned: "He really broke ten seconds!"

But thinking of the student's attitude towards him earlier, he suddenly felt a pang of jealousy:

"But it's not as amazing as they say. A world record? This is far from being a world record!"

Coach Wu gave him a disapproving look:
"What do you know? This result alone would cause a sensation in Asia. And he did it on purpose. I said I'd never seen anyone run under ten seconds, and this kid timed it perfectly and ran 9.99 seconds!"

Officer Liu looked completely bewildered: "How is that possible? Can you calculate the time in your head down to the decimal point?"

Coach Wu explained, "Didn't you hear what the principal said? People who don't pay attention in class can still get first place. What is a genius? A genius is someone you can't understand!"

The principal nodded with a smile:

"Geniuses are indeed beyond the comprehension of ordinary people like us. Besides, I think Coach Wu is right. Xiang Pengfei did do it on purpose. And I'm not lying. He can definitely run faster. Didn't you notice? He was running in his school uniform, and his shoes were just ordinary canvas shoes. And after he finished running, he didn't even break a sweat!"

Officer Liu was indeed thinking the same thing, and was immediately shocked. He turned to Coach Wu and said:
"Should we just leave such talented people unattended?"

Coach Wu said confidently, "Of course not. Geniuses often have eccentric personalities, are arrogant, and can't be reasoned with normally. We have to work on them slowly. This kid is about to take the high school entrance exam, so don't bother him during this time. Let's talk about it when he goes to high school!"

The principal nodded in agreement: "That would be perfect!"

As the days went by, several children in the alley were facing the prospect of entering higher grades, and both the Zhuang and Lin families, as parents, felt the pressure.

That evening after dinner, Song Ying and Lin Wufeng sat at the entrance of the alley. Song Ying looked irritable, her brows furrowed, and she kept fanning herself with a palm leaf fan, but it seemed that she could not dispel the anxiety in her heart.

Just then, Zhuang Chaoying and Huang Ling, a married couple, came out to cool off with their small stools after dinner. Seeing Song Ying's expression, they guessed it was probably related to the child. The former chuckled and said:

"What's wrong with Dongzhe again?"

Before Song Ying could speak, Wu Jianguo and Zhang Amei returned with groceries. They also noticed Song Ying's unusual expression, and she asked with a smile:
"What's wrong? You look so miserable!"

Huang Ling chuckled: "What else could it be? The child upset him!"

Seeing that there was something to eat, Zhang Amei didn't go home. She took two small stools from the Li family's house and pulled Wu Jianguo to sit down so they could eat the melon up close.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?"

Song Ying gave Zhang Amei a disapproving look before saying:

"The teacher said that Dongzhe is too undisciplined and doesn't understand the harsh reality of college entrance exams. They told us to give him a good talking to!"

Zhuang Chaoying nodded: "That's right. The process of getting into a good school is cruel, just like the college entrance exam, where thousands of people are trying to cross a single-plank bridge. But in fact, this cruelty starts as early as middle school!"

Although Huang Ling did not have as high an educational background as Zhuang Chaoying, she also had her own opinions:
"If you ask me, it started from the moment they divided the classes into advanced and less advanced ones. They pay the same amount of money, but the kids who do well in school get the education from the best teachers, while the kids who don't do well are put into those so-called 'slow' classes, where the teachers don't really care about them!"

The parents present all deeply understood this sentiment and nodded in agreement.

Song Ying continued, "I told Lin Dongzhe everything, but he just grinned and laughed, singing and dancing every day, as if I hadn't told him anything. No, it's more like after I told him, this little rascal became even more lively!"

Hearing Lin Dongzhe's reaction, everyone couldn't help but laugh.

Song Ying continued with a sigh, "Some children are born to repay their parents' kindness, while others are born to help their parents overcome tribulations!"

After everyone offered a few words of advice, Song Ying's anxious mood finally calmed down a bit, which gave her a sudden inspiration, and she came up with a solution:

"Last time I went to burn incense with Sister Ling, I saw that the merit book was full of people fulfilling their vows. It was very effective. I have to go again. Tomorrow is a holiday, Sister Ling, can you come with me to Xiyuan Temple to burn incense? I want to make a wish to the Bodhisattva to bless Dongzhe and Xiaoting so that they can continue to be classmates!"

Huang Ling's face turned green: "Song Ying, you must make sure you explain clearly to the Bodhisattva that it's to bless Dongzhe so he can get into No. 1 Middle School and continue to be classmates with Xiaoting. If you omit a few words and it drags down Xiaoting's grades, that would be terrible!"

Song Ying realized she had said something wrong and laughed out loud: "Right, right, right, it should be that you bless Dongzhe to get into No. 1 High School and continue to be classmates with Xiaoting!"

Zhang Amei, who was standing to the side, also said:
"I'll go with you too. May the Buddha bless my Xiaomin so that she can get a good job in a factory after graduation!"

When Song Ying heard her only mention Xiao Min, she asked curiously, "What about Shan Shan? Aren't you going to pray to Buddha to bless Shan Shan?"

Zhang Amei immediately felt a surge of envy: "Shanshan is such a lucky girl, she doesn't need us to pray to Buddha, she has Peng."

Seeing that she was about to let something slip, Wu Jianguo quickly coughed loudly to interrupt her, and then explained with a smile:
"Shanshan wants to go to high school, so we won't object to her going. She has a bright future ahead of her!"

Everyone suddenly realized, and Zhuang Chaoying, as a teacher, strongly agreed: "Great! Going to high school and then going to university is the right way out!"

The next day, Huang Ling, Song Ying, and Zhang Amei went to Xiyuan Temple to offer incense.

Tu Nan, Xiao Ting, and Lin Dongzhe were all studying at home, while Hua Shier took Wu Shanshan to another place.

Since the teahouse 'buyout agreement', Hua Shier could sense that Wu Shanshan's emotions were unstable, and he knew that this was due to uncertainty and worry about the future.

Today he wanted to reassure Wu Shanshan that the garden he bought had been renovated and that this was their home in Suzhou, a small demonstration of his wealth.

Wu Shanshan keeps everything to herself and is prone to overthinking. Hua Shier wants to reassure her and tell her not to feel burdened. She should just focus on growing up and being beautiful, and refuse to turn evil.

Another thing is that the mission from the last world hasn't been completed yet, and there hasn't been a suitable place for it. Now that the garden has been renovated, there's a place to set up an incense table to satisfy his sense of ritual, so he can draw the prize first.

　Thank you to 08a and Little Tiger of the Demon Realm for the donations, and thank you to all the brothers who voted with monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Thank you so much!

　　(End of this chapter)