jdhmnovel Chapter 271 You reap what you sow
Chapter 271 You reap what you sow
When Zhuang Chaoying came home from get off work, she saw Huang Ling looking at a piece of paper repeatedly. She glanced at it casually and asked, "When did you go to take pictures?"
Huang Ling glanced sideways at Zhuang Chaoying, "Take a closer look!"
Zhuang Chaoying pushed up her glasses and looked at it carefully. "Ah, a painting? Who painted this? The skill level is quite high!"
“It was painted by Dong Zhe next door,” Huang Ling said, pointing to the partition wall between the two houses.
Zhuang Chaoying was surprised. "Lin Dongzhe? Is this child so talented in art? With his painting talent alone, he will never go hungry."
Huang Ling nodded, "Indeed, look how well it's painted, it's like a photograph. What's that saying again, 'Like a lifelike feather'?"
"Lifelike!" Zhuang Chaoying habitually corrected the mistake.
Although Zhuang Xiaoting liked drawing, she didn't have any talent for it. After studying with Lin Dong for three weeks, she didn't want to learn anymore.
Lin Dongzhe didn't force her; she could learn if she wanted, and she could leave it at that if she didn't.
However, these three weeks haven't been wasted; at least Zhuang Xiaoting's paintings have improved a lot.
Although the college entrance examination results haven't been released yet, Li Yiming's college admission notice is still nowhere to be found. He knows he's not a good student, and he only took the college entrance examination at the end of last year to try his luck. He wasn't admitted, so Li Yiming wants to try again this year.
So he often visited Zhuang Chaoying's home to ask her questions.
By April, Li Yiming had even brought a friend to study together.
Huang Ling could have tolerated it, but when several people came to her house together, and not just for a day or two, but for a long time before the college entrance examination, she felt a little uncomfortable.
At first, the timing was normal; each visit involved only a few questions. But things changed later. Li Yiming and the others increasingly felt their foundation was too weak, and they spent more and more time at Zhuang Chaoying's house.
The house in the courtyard was already small, and when Zhuang Chaoying was explaining problems to Li Yiming and the others, it greatly disturbed Zhuang Tunan. Huang Ling kept complaining about it at home.
Zhuang Chaoying retorted, "Then what do you suggest? If you don't let them come, people will say you're cold-hearted, and they'll spit on you to death."
Huang Ling couldn't refute it, so she remained silent. When Zhuang Tunan and Zhuang Xiaoting finished school and started doing their homework, she told them to do it in the kitchen.
Lin Dongzhe strolled leisurely to Zhuang Chaoying's house.
When Li Yiming saw Lin Dongzhe, he smiled and shooed him away, "Dongzhe, we're in class, go play with Shanshan and the others!"
Lin Dongzhe didn't leave. "Are you having class? But it's so crowded here, how are you having class?"
"If you want to learn, anywhere can be a classroom." The friend Li Yiming brought along really enjoyed debating.
Lin Dongzhe, facing the epitome of a contrarian, said, "In that case, it's fine at your house too, right?"
The nitpicker disagreed, "Of course we can, but we came here because Teacher Zhuang is here."
"Why don't you just invite Uncle Zhuang to your home?"
"Then how..."
Zhuang Chaoying suddenly became quick-witted and interrupted the nitpicker, "Great idea! Yiming, if you still have questions tomorrow, we can do it at your house! I'll come over after lunch and answer them for you."
Li Yiming didn't think too much about it. "Okay, Teacher Zhuang."
The next day, the students gathered in Li Yiming's courtyard. However, Li Yiming's parents complained that there were too many people and it was too noisy. Their implication was that the students should take turns and not mess around with one family at a time.
However, regardless of the situation, the students preparing for their exams stopped making noise, and the courtyard suddenly became quiet. Zhuang Tunan and Zhuang Xiaoting no longer needed to go to the kitchen to do their homework.
While chatting with Song Ying, Huang Ling praised Lin Dongzhe, saying, "It's all thanks to your family. Last time, when Grandpa and Grandma didn't want to leave, they had to borrow your house to leave. This time, it was thanks to Lin Dongzhe that they were able to keep these people out."
Song Ying was quite pleased with herself, but she was belittling Lin Dongzhe, saying, "What can a little kid like him know? It's all thanks to Teacher Zhuang's quick thinking. But Yiming is really clueless. He was getting tutoring at your house last year, but he didn't even come to say hello during the New Year."
Huang Ling smiled generously, "Kids are just kids, it's normal for them to be ignorant. I heard that the city is going to carry out a public works project to bring water pipes and sewers into the yard."
"You're only just hearing about it? Construction is about to start, and I reckon it'll be our little courtyard's turn in a few days."
Just as Song Ying had said, the project started construction very quickly, and at a very fast pace. It was completed just as the rainy season began.
The water pipes were installed to the left side of the courtyard wall, splitting into two taps, each with its own water meter for easy calculation of each household's water bill. A small bathroom was also built behind the kitchen, connected to the sewer system for direct flushing.
Now, Huang Ling's previous concerns about the toilet being too far away and the inconvenience of getting water are no longer problems.
Zhuang Tunan's appetite has increased again. Huang Ling asked around and found out that snake gourds are suitable for planting in the yard and are particularly high-yielding, requiring only a trellis.
After discussing it with Song Ying, we realized it was edible and would save money, so both families agreed to plant it! These days, everyone is short of food and money, so having a way to save money is the best thing ever.
Lin Wufeng and Zhuang Chaoying worked together to erect a small shed in the southwest corner of the courtyard. Because it was the rainy season, they had to wear raincoats while working. It might take three to five days for the rain to completely stop.
Lin Dongzhe knew how long he would have to wait, but he didn't say.
The snake gourd grows very quickly, covering the entire trellis in just a few days. Its vines and leaves are lush, making it very cool to sit under. However, the fruit hangs downwards, which is a downside.
Early in the morning, Song Ying took a broom and swept the ground. She originally wanted to open the courtyard gate and sweep the path outside the courtyard. Usually, only she and Wang Yong would walk on this path, so they would sweep the ground occasionally.
Last night, a strong wind blew, scattering leaves and trash everywhere. However, the area in front of my own yard was spotless. Just a few steps away, I saw Li Yiming and his friends cleaning up.
"Why aren't you all going to study? Come help Teacher Zhuang sweep the floor after the exam. I'm talking to you, Yiming's classmate."
Li Yiming explained to Song Ying, "This isn't my classmate, he's my cousin."
On Monday, during class, the teacher habitually put her lesson plan into the lectern. Her face turned pale instantly, and as if by reflex, she pulled her hand out, along with the lesson plan and the long, blue object that had been scooped up by the lesson plan.
Zhuang Xiaoting looked at the long object and stood up abruptly. "That's a snake gourd, not a snake!" she said, walking forward to pick it up and prove to everyone that it was a plant.