When school ended, Feng Sisi asked Tang Huan whether she wanted to go home together. The two of them could take the same bus since they lived along the same route.
Tang Huan refused. She had come directly to the classroom with the teacher and still had not paid her tuition or bought meal tickets.
Besides, Meng Zeyan was still waiting in the principal’s office.
“Then I’ll at least take you to the teacher who collects tuition before I leave. Otherwise, you definitely won’t be able to find the place!” Feng Sisi sounded rather regretful that they could not go home together, but after hearing that Tang Huan needed to pay tuition, she enthusiastically offered to lead the way instead.
“Okay, thank you, classmate Feng Sisi.”
Tang Huan’s memories of school were not especially pleasant. Facing someone’s sincere warmth and kindness for the first time, she did not know how to repay it and could only thank her over and over again.
Feng Sisi slung her schoolbag diagonally over her shoulder, grabbed Tang Huan’s hand, and linked arms with her as they walked outside.
“What do you mean ‘classmate Feng Sisi’? Just call me Sisi. From now on, we’re good sisters fighting in the same trench together!”
Tang Huan’s wrist stiffened, and even her steps became unnatural, but she did not pull her arm away.
She really liked Feng Sisi’s personality. It was the kind of openness and brightness she herself could never achieve.
When Feng Sisi said “good sisters,” Tang Huan admitted that her heart had been moved, and she did not want to reject it.
“Okay!”
In her previous life, aside from her older brother, she had no other family and no friends. The people she knew best were doctors.
The original owner had once had several friends, but they had not contacted each other for a very long time.
The teacher collecting tuition had not left yet. Feng Sisi brought Tang Huan over just in time to catch the teacher inside the office.
This teacher was not only responsible for collecting tuition but also for exchanging meal tickets.
The bus was almost impossible to catch in time now, so after telling the teacher that Tang Huan was there to pay tuition, Feng Sisi jogged toward the exit.
The teacher collecting tuition was surnamed Zhao, an older female teacher with a rather kind temperament. Smiling, she asked Tang Huan, “Student, what’s your name? Which class are you in? First year or second year?”
There were often students at the school who delayed paying tuition. Sometimes an entire semester would nearly end before all the fees were finally collected.
“Teacher, my name is Tang Huan. Second year, Class Two.” As long as she was not suddenly facing a crowd of people or someone difficult to get along with, Tang Huan could still manage social interactions. “May I ask how much the tuition is?”
The name sounded familiar.
Teacher Zhao pulled out the tuition receipt book and flipped through several pages. Sure enough, she found another student named Tang Huan from second-year Class Two whose tuition had already been paid that afternoon.
“Student Tang Huan, did someone come pay your tuition this afternoon? Or is there another student in your class named Tang Huan?”
Paid that afternoon, and also named Tang Huan?
Aside from herself, there probably could not be anyone else.
Tang Huan immediately suspected that Meng Zeyan had paid for her. Feeling embarrassed, she asked softly, “Teacher, was it a tall man wearing a black short-sleeved shirt?”
“That’s right! One glance and you could tell he was a soldier. Very handsome too!” The man had left a deep impression on Teacher Zhao, so she remembered him clearly. No matter the age, people could not help sneaking extra glances at handsome men. “Not only did he pay your tuition, he also exchanged five yuan worth of meal tickets.”
So it really had been Meng Zeyan.
An indescribable heaviness settled in Tang Huan’s heart.
She could get along naturally with her father-in-law and mother-in-law, but when facing Meng Zeyan, she always instinctively wanted to avoid him.
It was not that Meng Zeyan was a bad person.
On the contrary, he seemed very kind.
He gave her red envelopes, helped her ask about school, and personally brought her here…
Even Tang Huan herself could not explain why she kept avoiding him for no reason.
Perhaps it was the stern dignity unique to soldiers that made her afraid to approach him.
“Teacher, how much tuition did he pay?” Tang Huan had brought money with her and planned to repay Meng Zeyan later.
She could not keep relying on the Meng family for everything. The Meng family did not owe her anything. Once she earned money in the future, she would buy herself a house and move out to live alone.
“He paid seven yuan for tuition and exchanged another five yuan for meal tickets.” Exchanging five whole yuan worth of meal tickets at once was already considered quite generous.
“Okay, thank you, Teacher. I’ll be leaving first.” Tang Huan bowed slightly to Teacher Zhao before turning and walking out of the office.
Seven plus five made twelve yuan altogether.
Tang Huan had only brought ten yuan with her, so it was not enough to repay him.
Meng Zeyan was still in the principal’s office, holding a book in his hand and reading it.
It was entirely in English.
At first, Principal Xu thought he was merely pretending, but later the principal could not stand watching him anymore and left first.
When the dismissal bell rang, Meng Zeyan closed the book and stood up, returning it to the bookshelf nearby.
The office door was open, and from where he stood beside the bookshelf, he could clearly see outside.
Many students were either walking or running toward the school gates. As time passed second by second, Meng Zeyan began wondering how likely it was that Tang Huan had forgotten he was still waiting for her.
There were not many students at the school. After the crowd gradually thinned out, fewer and fewer people headed toward the gate.
Meng Zeyan walked out of the office, preparing to go find her in the classroom.
Comrade Xing Cui had specifically instructed him that he absolutely had to bring her home the same way he had brought her out.
After walking only a short distance, Meng Zeyan suddenly stopped.
Someone was approaching from the opposite direction with her head lowered. Thin and petite, she kicked a small stone along the ground with her foot.
The little stone rolled this way and that as Tang Huan stared downward at it, silently thinking about how she should bring up repaying Meng Zeyan.
Her father-in-law and mother-in-law were one thing, but what right did she have to spend Meng Zeyan’s money?
Seeing that she had not noticed him standing directly ahead at all, Meng Zeyan lightly coughed.
Startled, Tang Huan quickly raised her head and only then realized he was standing just a few steps away. For a moment, she did not know what to say.
“Come on, let’s go home.” Meng Zeyan spoke first, then smiled and asked her, “How were your classes? Are you getting used to things?”
Tang Huan nodded. Her body unconsciously tensed up, and she stood as straight as a rod. “Pretty good.”
Watching her nearly stand at military attention while reporting to him, Meng Zeyan could not help laughing as he turned around.
He walked ahead while Tang Huan followed two steps behind him.
As for the little stone, it had long since been forgotten.
The two of them walked one after another out of the school gate. Not far away, a bus had just stopped at the station, and passengers were boarding.
Meng Zeyan quickly estimated the distance.
He could definitely reach the station before the bus started moving and stop the driver long enough for Tang Huan to catch up.
The person in front suddenly broke into a run, moving astonishingly fast. In the blink of an eye, Tang Huan saw Meng Zeyan already reach the bus stop…
She hurriedly sped up too, afraid the bus would leave.
The sandals on her feet rubbed painfully against her skin, especially while running.
In her previous life, Tang Huan had spent most of her time in a wheelchair and had rarely walked much. She was not familiar with running at all.
She even started moving her arms and legs awkwardly in sync!
No matter how strange her running looked, when Tang Huan finally reached the bus stop, the bus had not left yet, and the doors were still open.
Meng Zeyan stood just inside the bus doors waiting for her.
As for the way she had been running earlier, he had already seen it clearly through the rearview mirror beside the bus.
Tang Huan climbed onto the bus.
This time, she had experience.
As soon as she boarded, one hand grabbed the nearby rail while the other reached for money to buy a ticket.
“There’s no need. I already bought the tickets.”
Hearing that, Tang Huan lifted her head to look at him.
Just like when they came earlier, he had already bought her ticket again.
Meng Zeyan was smiling at her.
Tang Huan had seen him smile before, but this was the first time she felt that his smile looked genuinely real.
His previous smiles had probably been polite smiles.
This one, however, seemed to come sincerely from the heart.
Had catching the bus really made him that happy?