âHow is it possible?â Chen Qing asked and ran into the living room. After looking at the little girl carefully, he slapped Chen Xiaopang, âStupid boy, look carefully, who is that?â
Chen Xiaopang was confused.
âYou are silly. This is Ying!â Wang Cailian came in with Zhao Ying.
âShe⦠Is she the ugly one?â Chen Xiaopang blurted out.
Chen Qingâs face turned black and he said, âYou are ugly. Are you qualified to say that others are ugly? Besides, how pretty Ying is!â
Chen Xiaopang looked at Zhao Ying. She was really pretty.
âAfter dressing up, Ying is very beautiful!â Wang Cailian pushed Ying out happily, âAfter changing her hair style and putting on lovely clothes, Ying looks much better than those child stars on TV.â
Zhao Ying looked at Chen Xiaopang. Her big eyes were shining under the crystal light. Chen Xiaopang pretended to be angry and shouted, âShe is beautiful but she has to live in my home!â
âHow can you say that?â Chen Qing grabbed Chen Xiaopangâs ear and beat him.
Wang Cailian took Zhao Yingâs hand and went upstairs, âYing, donât listen to him. He is shy. In fact, he thinks you are pretty.â
Zhao Ying smiled, âI know, Auntie. Xiaopang just said it.â
âWell, so leave him alone. Iâll help you hang up the clothes we bought todayâ¦â
Chen Xiaopang disliked Zhao Ying even more. Although Zhao Ying was pretty, he decided to hate her.
So the next day when they went to school by car, Zhao Ying found that Chen Xiaopang ignored her again.
âIâm not angry with you for saying Iâm ugly.â
Chen Xiaopang pursed and didnât look at her.
Zhao Ying said, âIf you are so mean, your father will beat you again.â
âItâs all because of you.â Chen Xiaopang couldnât help shouting, âI have been beaten several times because of you!â
âYou are a liar.â Zhao Ying said seriously, âAuntie said that you were beaten every day when I didnât come. But Uncle didnât beat you very often after I came.â
Chen Xiaopang opened his mouth. It seemed like this.
âThen⦠Then I donât want to play with you.â He turned to look out the window angrily, âDonât talk to me at school later.â
Zhao Ying looked at him for a while. When Chen Xiaopang could not bear to turn his head, he heard Zhao Ying say.
âWell, then we wonât talk.â
Chen Xiaopang planned to do so. But when he arrived at the school, he found that many of his classmates talked to Zhao Ying on their own initiative. Even Kang Liyang asked Zhao Ying whether to read his beloved comic book or not.
âDidnât you hate her before?â After class, they got together and muttered. Chen Xiaopang asked Kang Liyang, âHow could you let her read your book?â
Kang Liyang blushed, âI⦠I didnât hate her. Zhao Ying is our classmate. We should get along well with her.â
Before Chen Xiaopang could get angry, he heard another boy say, âDo you think Zhao Ying looks like the princess of the universe after cutting her hair?â
Last time they said she was like a monster!
Zhao Ying had no reaction to the sudden increase of many classmates talking to her. She thought itâs normal! She used to be the darling of the class in the former school. Everyone liked her.
At Caesar, she was ignored at first. She thought it might be that they didnât know her. Now they had been together for several days. They all knew each other! They would like to play with her.
Just now a girl asked her where she had her hair cut. It looked good. Zhao Ying thought she was very cute when she looked in the mirror yesterday. This year, her mother was busy and didnât have time to cut her hair.
She was a sensible child, so she never said that. Anyway, her hair didnât cover her eyes. Thinking this, Zhao Ying sighed again and frowned.
âHum!â Chen Xiaopang beside her hummed again.
Zhao Ying counted that he had already hummed five times this morning.
âAre you thirsty?â She asked.
âHum!â
He hummed for the sixth time.
âWater for you!â Zhao Ying handed over her bottle.
Chen Xiaopang pushed away. He endured for a long time. Finally, he took up his pencil and wrote a line of words on the paper.
âI will not talk to you.â
Zhao Ying agreed, took up her pencil and wrote a word on the paper.
âThatâs how itâs written.â
Chen Xiaopang stared at her and opened his mouth. Then he covered his mouth and wrote again.
âWhy are you so annoying?â
Zhao Ying lowered her head and said nothing. Chen Xiaopang looked at the little girlâs side face. A few hairs were streaming on her white and tender face. He was itching to move them away.
But before he could reach out, he heard Zhao Ying say in a low voice, âBut I donât hate you. Donât hate me, okay?â
Chen Xiaopang felt that his face was suddenly very hot. He didnât know that his face was red. He stammered, âYou⦠What are you talking about? I⦠I didnât say I hate you. Iâ¦â
His eyes suddenly fell on his book. He saw what he had just written.
Chen Xiaopang quickly tore the page off and then angrily said to Zhao Ying, âYou are wrong. I didnât write anything!â
âWell!â Zhao Ying smiled sweetly with two small dimples, âI knew you didnât hate me.â
Chen Xiaopang felt his hand itch againâ¦
âXiaopang!â When he went to pee after class, Kang Liyang came next to him, âIf you donât like sitting with Zhao Ying, shall I change with you?â
Chen Xiaopangâs legs shook and he peed on his handsâ¦
âNo.â He glared at Kang Liyang and put his arm around Kang Liyangâs shoulder, âMy mother said I must sit at the same table with her and take good care of her, or my pocket money would be less.â
He took the opportunity to rub his hand on Kang Liyangâs clothes, âIf you become her deskmate, you canât secretly read comics in class. She will tell the teacher.â
As soon as Kang Liyang heard that he could not read comics, he immediately shook his head, âWell, then youâd better bear to sit with her!â
âZhao Ying, can you read all the sentences you learned today?â A chubby girl asked carefully with an English textbook.
Zhao Ying thought and nodded, âYes, I can.â
âThen⦠Can you teach me to read? I⦠I canât.â The little girl looked so nervous that she tore a corner off the book.
âYes!â Zhao Ying reached out her hand, âWhich one?â
The girl immediately cheered up and opened her book, âThis sentence⦠And this one!â
âLook at Zhao Yingâ¦â Two girls nearby whispered, âShe is even teaching Shao Sijia!â
The little girl called Shao Sijia suddenly got nervous again. Zhao Ying had finished reading the sentence.
âCan you read it?â Zhao Ying asked her.
Shao Sijia blushed, âNo⦠I canât.â
âThen Iâll read it to you again.â Zhao Ying read it again.
Then Shao Sijia stammered and read only half of it right.
âZhao Ying, donât teach her.â The two little girls next to her lie on the table, âShao Sijia is stupid. She canât learn well. She comes last in every exam.â
Shao Sijiaâs chubby face was twisted and she was already crying.
âNo one is stupid.â Zhao Ying said seriously, âShe can certainly read well.â
The two little girls were not convinced, âShe just canât read well. She canât read well every time!â
âLetâs make a bet!â Zhao Ying narrowed her eyes and showed two sweet dimples, âIâm sure I can teach her these days.â
âThen⦠What if you canât?â One of them asked.
Zhao Ying thought for a moment and said, âThen Iâll write you a chapter of the written book?â
âOkay!â The two girls were very happy. Zhao Yingâs handwriting was very good. The teacher always praised her.
Zhao Ying nodded and asked, âWhat if I can?â
âWhat do you want?â
She thought for a moment and said, âWell! Then if she can read it, we will be in one group for the next PE class.â
The two little girls looked at each other and looked at Shao Sijia, who was holding back her tears and biting her lips. Then they agreed.
âZhao Yingâ¦â When they left, Shao Sijia began to cry quietly, âYou⦠You shouldnât bet against them. Iâm sure I canât read well⦠Then you⦠What are you going to doâ¦?â
Zhao Ying took out the fragrant and beautiful pink tissue that Wang Cailian had brought to her, âWipe your tears. You havenât read it yet!â
âThey⦠They are right. I⦠Iâm stupid.â Shao Sijia took the tissue and wiped casually, âI canât learn anything well.â
âMy mother said that you can learn well as long as you find the right way!â Seeing that she was still crying, Zhao Ying took a lollipop from her pocket and said, âHere you are.â
Shao Sijia stopped crying, took it over and licked it. Then she said, âZhao Ying, you are so nice. You⦠Are you willing to be friends with me?â
âOf course!â Zhao Ying returned the textbook to her, âWe are classmates. Of course, we can be friends. I will teach you to read after lunch.â
Chen Xiaopang soon heard about Zhao Yingâs bet with her classmates because of Shao Sijia. He came back from the playground sweating and sat down.
âWhy do you want to teach Shao Sijia? She is more stupid than me. You will lose!â
Zhao Ying handed over the pink bottle, âAre you thirsty?â
Chen Xiaopang drank the water. The honey pear water made by his mother in the morning was so sweet!
But itâs not the time to drink the pear water.
âDidnât you hear what I said?â
Zhao Ying took the bottle back and covered it well, âI heard that. She works so hard. She can read it well.â
Many years later, when the child becomes a graceful girl, she realizes that peopleâs efforts may not achieve the corresponding harvest.
Sometimes no matter how hard she tries, some things canât be completed. No matter how sad she is or how regretful she is, what time takes away cannot be turned backâ¦
At noon, Zhao Ying continued to teach Shao Sijia in the classroom. Chen Xiaopang and a few boys read comics in the last row. At ordinary times, he felt that he would suffer losses if he read less. But this time, he couldnât read it like before. He kept looking ahead.
After listening to Shao Sijia, he wanted to read it for her.
âI can even read it but she canât. Sheâs more stupid than a pig!â