Can't Possibly Fall for My Wife Again After Rebirth, Right? - Chapter 48

Hu Mei and her husband had just been discussing what kind of chef they should hire and how much salary to offer when they saw Fu Qiao standing before the sofa with an extremely serious expression.

They had never seen their daughter look so solemn; Fu Jun even forgot to finish his handful of peanuts.

“What is it?” Hu Mei was the first to react, asking in confusion. “What do you want to tell us?”

Fu Qiao looked at her parents. Because they spent every day exposed to the wind and sun, they looked significantly older than others their age. Even though Xu Yingran’s parents were about the same age, Uncle Xu and Auntie Zhao looked much younger.

Besides their faces, there were their hands.

The hands of those who run street stalls are very hard, feeling like old tree bark with thick calluses. This allowed them to handle scorching skewers or plates without feeling much pain. These calluses were the result of over ten years of hard labor—a detail Fu Qiao held close to her heart.

She watched her parents, clutching the hem of her school uniform. After a long silence, she finally spoke: “I want to transfer schools.”

The words instantly unsettled the couple. Hu Mei’s eyes widened in surprise. “Why transfer all of a sudden? You’re doing fine where you are.”

Fu Qiao replied, “The new house is very far from the school. If I don’t transfer, I’ll waste too much time on the road.”

“Who said you were moving to the new house with us?” Hu Mei said to her. “The new place was just finished; nothing has been furnished yet. Your father and I have to go there just to buy a bed. Why would you follow us?”

Hu Mei added, “Moreover, you’re already a senior. How could you transfer now?”

Fu Jun also frowned. “Your mother is right.”

“I know you’re worried it will affect my studies, but I can review the material anywhere,” Fu Qiao told them. “I visited the new school during my middle school entrance exams. It’s a provincial key high school; it’s no worse than my current one.”

Hu Mei wavered slightly upon hearing this. She looked at Fu Qiao and asked, “That provincial key high school… can you really transfer in?”

“I should be able to,” Fu Qiao said. “I’ll go there this weekend to take an entrance test. If all goes well, I can get in directly.”

Hu Mei frowned. “Have you really thought this through?”

Fu Qiao nodded firmly.

In truth, her current high school wasn’t bad. Being in the old city district, it had a decent foundation of educational resources. While the teaching staff wasn’t top-tier, the school still held a respectable rank in the city. Since the school was so close to home—only a ten-minute walk—Fu Qiao’s parents had originally encouraged her to enroll there.

Now that their daughter wanted to attend a provincial key high school, as parents, they couldn’t bring themselves to refuse.

Hu Mei and Fu Jun were honest people who had come from the countryside to build a life. Unlike Xu Yingran’s parents—one a hospital accountant and the other a factory engineer—while they weren’t wealthy, the Xu family was still a step above the Fu family. Having struggled in the city for so many years, Hu Mei knew the importance of education. Though she and her husband lacked formal education and only knew how to run a BBQ stall, they were extremely dedicated to their daughter’s schooling.

“If you’ve made up your mind, we won’t stop you,” Hu Mei said to Fu Qiao. “If you can go to a better high school, it will be good for you.”

Fu Qiao nodded, then added, “There’s one more thing I haven’t told you.”

Hu Mei and Fu Jun exchanged a look, wondering how many more secrets their daughter was hiding.

Fu Qiao then explained her plan to study broadcasting. The couple listened in a daze; because Fu Qiao had always been a top student, the family had never considered the path of an arts examinee. Hearing her sudden desire to go into broadcasting and hosting left them unable to react for a moment.

However, they understood the part about the 10,000-yuan training fee.

“Where did you get that much money?” Hu Mei was startled, nearly jumping out of her seat. “You’re so young—don’t tell me you’ve done something bad?!”

“I haven’t done anything bad,” Fu Qiao quickly soothed her mother. “Do you remember the classmate who got drunk at our stall? Her family is very wealthy, and she lent it to me.”

Fu Jun asked, “Why would she lend you so much money out of the blue?”

Fu Qiao explained, “Actually, she didn’t lend it to me directly. She lent it to Xu Yingran, and Xu Yingran helped me pay the tuition.”

“What a mess.” Hu Mei felt dizzy just listening. She said to Fu Qiao, “Regardless of who lent the money, it was used for your classes, right? I doubt we can get a refund. This money… your father and I will find a way to scrape it together.”

Fu Qiao knew that her words today had placed a sudden, heavy pressure on her parents. They worked from dawn till dusk and had just used years of savings to buy a house and a shop. Now, they had to fill the hole left by her tutoring fees. She felt she was being incredibly inconsiderate.

“I’m sorry.” Fu Qiao lowered her head. “I signed up without discussing it with you first. Regardless of whether I pass the exams or not, I will work to earn money and pay you back in the future.”

Hu Mei sighed. She reached out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind Fu Qiao’s ear, looking at her daughter with emotion. “Don’t talk nonsense. Do we need our own child to work and pay us back for raising her? Every family sends their kids to tutoring. Back when you were doing so well, we couldn’t even find a class to put you in. Since you like it, go ahead and attend.”

“Mom…”

“But I heard that arts exams require preparation starting in the second year of high school. The first half of your senior year is almost over. Between transferring schools and the arts exams, can you really manage?”

Fu Qiao nodded seriously. “I can do it, Mom. I’ve thought it through. If I don’t pass the arts exams, I still have half a year to participate in the regular college entrance exams. My grades are good; even if I fall behind a bit, I can make it up in the final six months.”

Hu Mei was out of ideas. She looked at her husband, signaling for him to share his thoughts.

“Since our daughter says so, let’s do it,” Fu Jun said to Fu Qiao with a smile. “Qiaoqiao is the smartest person in our family. If she says she can do it, she can.”

The family sat together, discussing what “Broadcasting and Hosting” actually entailed, wondering why they had never known Fu Qiao liked it. They talked for a long time until it was late. Only then did Hu Mei tell Fu Qiao to wash up and rest, as she still had school tomorrow.

Once the house fell silent, Fu Jun leaned against the headboard, lost in thought.

“What are you thinking about?” Hu Mei asked as she got into bed. Seeing her husband’s troubled expression, she assumed he was worried about the money. “It’s over 10,000 yuan. It’s not like our family doesn’t have it. Wake up early tomorrow and go to the bank to withdraw it so Qiaoqiao can give it to her wealthy classmate.”

It just meant they probably couldn’t buy that solid wood bed for the new house. Fortunately, the old furniture still worked; they could replace it slowly later.

“I’m not thinking about the money,” Fu Jun said, stroking his chin. “Haven’t you noticed? When Qiaoqiao talked about transferring, she didn’t mention Xu Yingran once.”

Hu Mei finally realized. “You’re right, she didn’t.”

Under normal circumstances, given how close the two girls were, Fu Qiao’s transfer would be a huge deal. Xu Yingran wouldn’t be indifferent; she’d be sad for days. Yet, they hadn’t heard anything about the Xu girl being in a bad mood lately.

Fu Jun thought for a moment and said to Hu Mei, “Do you think… our Qiaoqiao has been treated unfairly or bullied?”

Hu Mei gave him a puzzled look.

Early the next morning, before leaving for school, Fu Qiao received over 10,000 yuan that Fu Jun had withdrawn from the ATM. He had to ride his electric scooter to two different ATMs just to get it all out.

Fu Qiao was a young girl who hadn’t seen much of the world. It was her first time seeing such a thick stack of cash. When Yao Jin had paid, she only knew the number; seeing the 10,000 yuan neatly stacked before her, she truly realized the weight of that sum.

12,000 yuan. Based on the Fu family’s modest monthly living expenses of 3,000 yuan, this stack represented four months of their lives. Even when business was good at the BBQ stall, they didn’t necessarily earn that much in a month.

Looking at Fu Qiao staring blankly at the money, Hu Mei said, “What are you looking at? Hurry up and give the money to Xu Yingran. I’m not comfortable with you kids carrying this much cash around.”

Fu Qiao snapped out of it. With a stinging nose, she looked at her mother and whispered, “It’s okay. I’ll give the money to Xu Yingran right now.”

“Alright, go on then. Go and come back quickly, you still have school today.”

“Okay.”

Fu Qiao clutched the stack of money and went to knock on the Xu family’s door. Zhao Yu opened the door and was surprised to see her. “Qiaoqiao? You’re here for Ranran? It’s so early; she hasn’t even brushed her teeth yet.”

Inside, the newly awakened Xu Yingran heard the voice and came running out, toothbrush in mouth. Her eyes lit up. “Fu Qiao?”

“Yes.” Looking at Xu Yingran in her cartoon pajamas with a toothbrush in her mouth, Fu Qiao found her inexplicably cute. However, remembering the serious task at hand, she said, “I have something to tell you.”

After the events of yesterday, Xu Yingran had completely come to her senses.

So what if she had to be home by 9:00 PM and in bed by 11:00 PM? So what if her allowance was strictly controlled every month? It wasn’t the end of the world! Why be so petty? Besides, looking back, it was only because she had been too reckless that Fu Qiao had been so strict. Compared to those who didn’t have a wife to look after them, Xu Yingran considered herself lucky.

Having reached this realization, Xu Yingran gave Fu Qiao a radiant smile. “Wait for me, I’ll be ready in a second.”

Zhao Yu and her husband looked at the two girls and knew they had secrets to discuss. “You two talk, then. Your uncle and I are going downstairs to buy breakfast,” Zhao Yu said with a smile.

Fu Qiao nodded and stepped aside. After Zhao Yu and her husband left, Fu Qiao entered the apartment.

Xu Yingran finished brushing her teeth and wiped her face quickly. When she came out, her face was still damp, and the tips of her hair near her forehead were wet, making her look a bit silly.

But Xu Yingran was oblivious, still smiling brightly. “Why are you here so early today? I just got up. Do you want to sit and wait a bit?”

“I haven’t had breakfast either. I’ll go back after giving this to you,” Fu Qiao said, handing over the tote bag.

“What’s this?” Xu Yingran took it and looked inside.

Fu Qiao told her, “It’s the money for the training course registration. I talked to my parents yesterday. I feel our family should pay for this ourselves. So, please return this to Yao Jin.”