Chapter 291: 284: She Acts Low-Key

Upon hearing this, Lin Yile’ expression grew serious as well.

Her head bobbed just like a little chick pecking at grain, with one hand covering her mouth, and her round eyes, which resembled a rabbit’s, rolled around restlessly. No matter how you looked at her, she seemed just like a rabbit.

Seeing this, Lin’s mother couldn’t help but pinch her cheek and remark that despite her growing up, she still seemed as tiny as when she was small. Nothing has changed.

“Mom…” Lin Yile then tugged at her mother’s arm again, “How did Yuxin and the others fare in their exams? They all passed, didn’t they?”

“Rest assured,” Lin’s mother, fixing her daughter’s hair, replied, “They all scored better than you. You barely passed whereas they scored significantly higher. Also…” Lin’s mother paused mysteriously with a smile before continuing, “Your sister Tang Yuxin was this year’s provincial humanities topper.” She sighed thoughtfully after saying this, “The best decision I’ve made this lifetime was sending you to study with them, letting you grow and learn about life together. Seeing you now, all grown up and with such good grades, I’m glad. It’s essential to choose friends wisely. Some people you should avoid, some you shouldn’t trust. Do remember that, don’t be as naive as you once were.”

Lin’s mother advised her daughter again. She really felt that her daughter was too trusting, having been deceived multiple times throughout her childhood. After starting junior high, she was deceived again. Those manipulative people simply saw her as a tool to exploit. They nearly led her down the wrong path. Luckily, she caught it early. That incident was a great life lesson for her daughter.

As Lin Yile remembered the past, she turned her face away. She registered her mother’s words, realizing that indeed, not all people were worthy of trust, but some could be friends for life.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Like Tang Yuxin and Xu Miaomiao. They genuinely treated her as a friend, not looking to gain anything from her.

People are complicated,

and their complexity can only be understood when people grow up, fall down, get hurt, and experience pain.

The human mind is complex beyond their expectations.

Lately, Lin’s mother didn’t let Lin Yile leave the house, in case she accidentally let the news slip out. This could potentially lead to unintended consequences if overheard by any with ill intentions.

Lin Yile understood her mother’s concerns and cooperated with her. She spent a few days at home, passing the time with TV and books, catching up on all the TV dramas she’d missed over the years. The days didn’t seem to pass slowly.

During this time, Lin’s mother relayed the news to Xu family and Chen family, only mentioning that the children performed well and were admitted on merit into college. She didn’t reveal the details of the scores, but the families, being insightful people, might have guessed.

Only the Chen and Xu families were aware of these details and said nothing about it. Their hearts, however, were surely filled with joy.

As for Tang Zhinian, Lin’s mother disclosed the fact that Tang Yuxin had topped the provincial humanities exam. Tang Zhinian was dumbstruck, gawking at this revelation.

A provincial topper, the first rank – had it been the ancient times, she would have been a gifted scholar. The Tang family now had a top scholar – this indeed was a matter of great pride. The number of university students from their village could be counted on one hand, and to have a top scholar was unimaginable, let alone in their own family.

“Do you want this news about Yuxin to be public?” asked Lin’s mother to Tang Zhinian. “If it’s revealed, not to mention Yuxin, even your home’s doorway might be trampled by the crowd. We’ve taken a lot of pains on this girl.”

“Well…” Tang Zhinian was at a loss for words – whether to make it public and accept an interview from a TV station was indeed a notable decision. Creating such a buzz was impossible for him in his lifetime, but if his daughter appeared on TV, it would be a moment of great honor.

“What’s wrong?” Upon seeing Tang Zhinian’s conflicting emotions, Ren Li joined the conversation.

Tang Zhinian quickly relayed the news about Tang Yuxin’s high scores to Ren Li, seeking her advice on whether or not they should accept interview requests.

Ren Li was taken aback – she had always known that Yuxin was a good student, but she hadn’t expected her to perform this well, actually getting the top provincial scores in humanities.

“Hand me the phone,” Ren Li told Tang Zhinian. Taking the phone from him, she pressed it onto her ear to continue the conversation with Lin’s mother.

“You disagree?” Lin’s mother asked once more, “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” Ren Li immediately rebutted the idea. She understood Yuxin’s character well. Yuxin liked to give people unexpected surprises, but she didn’t like being the center of attention, and the thing she hated the most was when her family was disturbed. So there was no need to consider accepting the TV station interview. Even if Yuxin wanted to, she wouldn’t agree. A girl didn’t require such purposeful display. Also, before they had the necessary capabilities, it was best not to be too ostentatious. There were so many more capable people in this world, and also so many people who couldn’t stand them.

When Tang Yuxin returned from the mountains, Ren Li told her about it.

Picking up her herbs, Tang Yuxin didn’t even look up. It was as if she knew she had topped the province.

“Do you want to be on TV?” Ren Li asked Tang Yuxin, “I have already refused them, but if you still want to, you can contact them.”

“No,” Tang Yuxin grabbed a handful of medicinal herbs and placed them in a small jar. She then used a small stone mortar to grind the herbs into powder. Her actions never stopped, her thoughts crystal clear.

Well, that settles it, Ren Li chuckled. As expected, her thoughts were not too far from the truth.

“By the way,” Ren Li turned back as she was about to leave, “Yuxin, can you prepare more syrup for Chengcheng before you go to college? Whenever the child has a cold or fever, he needs to have syrup. He has gotten used to the taste now. Whenever he feels uncomfortable, he only wants the syrup prepared by his sister. After drinking it, he feels better and stops crying.”

“I understand,” Tang Yuxin replied, her head bowed as she continued to prepare the herbs. She knew she was preparing syrup for her beloved younger brother. Once she started college, she would have to go to Beijing and wouldn’t be able to come back frequently to see her brother grow up. The technology at that time hadn’t advanced to video calls; otherwise, she could still see her brother every day.

Initially, her father was supposed to go to Beijing to study with her, but the current situation made that impossible.