Green Tea Top Student Falls in Love with Me - Chapter 25

Wen Youren still taught Shi Wangui how to cook when she returned late. With so few ingredients at home, she could only teach her how to make a simple egg fried rice. The eggs were given by the neighbor, the rice was freshly cooked, and the scallions were picked from the neighbor’s field. However, there was no cilantro perhaps Wen Youren didn’t know that Shi Wangui actually disliked cilantro and had only blurted it out on a whim that day.

The process of making egg fried rice was relatively simple, but as soon as the oil was added to the pan, Shi Wangui grew fearful. Would it burst into flames again? Would the oil splatter?

“Don’t be afraid,” Wen Youren said, taking hold of Shi Wangui’s hand. As the oil gradually heated up, she seized the right moment and said, “Add the eggs.”

“You’re holding my hand, I can’t crack the eggs,” Shi Wangui said, looking up.

Wen Youren slowly released her hand, her fingertips lingering on the back of Shi Wangui’s hand, sending a tingling sensation through her. “Now, add them.”

The rest of the steps were taught by Wen Youren one by one, and Shi Wangui followed along. It seemed that having someone guide her through the process made cooking feel less daunting. For small details like adding salt, Wen Youren even measured it out hand in hand. She was slightly taller, and as she instructed the person in her arms, it felt like raising an adorable little kitten in the cold of winter, a kitten that sometimes had a bad temper, baring its claws with a hint of menace, but would become even more endearing once you petted it.

The egg fried rice was done, but it didn’t look as appealing as the ones Wen Youren had made before. Even though she had taught every step, there was still a noticeable difference. Nevertheless, Shi Wangui was satisfied. Who could achieve perfection on their first try? Being edible was already good enough.

She took a bite. Hmm~

As long as it was edible, it was fine.

“How did you learn to cook?” Shi Wangui asked.

Wen Youren’s hand, holding the spoon, paused. After a moment of silence, she slowly replied, “When I was little, my dad was always busy and away from home. Wen Yiyue, on the other hand, disliked me and my dad. As soon as my dad left, she would toss me some money and go out. No one knew where she went. To avoid starving, I had no choice but to ask the neighbors grandpas, grandmas, uncles and aunties to teach me how to cook.”

Though she had endured a long period of darkness, she summarized it all in just a minute. Her calm tone belied the turbulence of her life, leaving others with nothing but profound sorrow.

“Well, at least you know how to cook now, so you won’t go hungry in the future,” Shi Wangui said, unsure how else to respond.

“So why do you want to learn how to cook?”

Shi Wangui also fell silent for a moment, but instead of speaking calmly, she replied with intense anger, “Because I want to escape Shi Qin. What kind of trash is he? Someone like him doesn’t deserve to enjoy the resources of this Earth. Even letting him breathe feels like polluting the air. I used to often dream of perishing together with him…”

“Shi Wangui,” Wen Youren suddenly interrupted.

Shi Wangui looked at her, confused.

“You need to understand that we all have people we hate, but you also need to remember that in reality, your life is more important.”

“I despise her deeply, but you must know, we can die legally, but we absolutely cannot live unlawfully.”

Wen Youren had once entertained dark thoughts, but she later realized she shouldn’t punish herself for others’ mistakes or let someone else’s wrongdoing ruin her entire life.

“I was just venting. Why are you so worked up?”

“Never mind, let’s eat.”

Wen Youren didn’t explain further. She had indeed been overly emotional earlier this household already had one of her, there couldn’t be another.

Seeing Wen Youren’s sudden shift in mood, Shi Wangui found it baffling, but she didn’t ask. After all, even she had her own moments of irrationality sometimes. Who didn’t have their off days?

After the meal, Wen Youren didn’t tutor Shi Wangui. Instead, she picked out fifty English words for her to memorize. When Shi Wangui refused, Wen Youren let her do whatever she wanted nearby as long as she didn’t use her phone, even sleeping was allowed.

Under those conditions, Shi Wangui agreed.

Truthfully, English vocabulary was easy for Shi Wangui. She simply didn’t want to score high again, but that didn’t mean she was incapable academically. Studying might no longer be her best option as long as she remained in school, she would never break free from Shi Qin’s control. She needed independence.

“Your grades aren’t actually bad. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have gotten into No. 8 High School. It’s only your first year of high school, and you’ve only missed two months of classes. Besides, for some subjects, you just don’t write the answers, it’s not that you don’t know them.”

“Stop bothering about me.” Shi Wangui turned her face away, refusing to look at Wen Youren. She had no idea, no idea how desperately Shi Wangui wanted to leave this place, how much she longed to live on her own. A life dependent on others was too bitter; she didn’t want it, nor was she willing to accept it.

Wen Youren didn’t say more. The child was still young, right in the middle of her rebellious phase. One remark for the night was enough, any more would only stir up trouble, and then she’d be hard to soothe later.

The nights in the countryside were truly quiet, with hardly anyone outside. When the weather turned cold, everyone huddled in the living room, happily watching TV together. In the summer, they enjoyed the cool evening breeze, gathering in an open space, the children playing joyfully among themselves, while the adults found their own pleasures.

Wen Youren’s study area was right by the window. Perhaps every parent placed their child’s desk near the window, so they could gaze at the tranquil night scenery when tired from studying. Whether it was psychological or not, Shi Wangui felt the stars here were exceptionally bright, twinkling even brighter than her own heart.

Staring at the shimmering stars, Shi Wangui recalled the days when she used to dance under the stage lights. At first, her movements weren’t graceful, but she wore a little skirt, twirling around, reveling in her own reflection under the lights and the applause of her family in the audience.

Sadly, those days would never return.

Lost in her own world, Shi Wangui was startled by a sudden bark outside. Birds fluttered in alarm, their wings beating as they landed on branches, shattering the earlier calm. The sound made her instinctively flinch and pull her arms in.

“There are many dogs around here, but most are domesticated and won’t attack people on their own. Still, don’t provoke them, just in case they bite you,” Wen Youren remarked casually.

Shi Wangui tapped her pen against the notebook. The once-clean paper was instantly dotted with black marks, the contrast in colors reminiscent of the night sky. “Open the window. It’s stuffy.”

Wen Youren opened the window directly. A cool breeze swept in, lifting the weightless papers to cover Shi Wangui’s face and tousling her hair.

Shi Wangui, her vision blocked by the papers: “…”

“Close it. It’s cold.”

The window was closed again, and the room fell back into silence. Wen Youren thoughtfully removed the paper from her face and gently pressed down the stray bangs that had floated up.

Shi Wangui muttered, “This is seriously weird.”

Wen Youren chuckled softly, then continued writing her homework without looking up. In the first week, she hadn’t expected Shi Wangui to study at all. The best outcome would be if, after a month, they could sleep in the same bed, and Shi Wangui would start listening to her a little, beginning to reveal her own charm.

Her academic performance wouldn’t be poor Wen Youren had already looked into Shi Wangui’s middle school records. A clever mind had simply run into the foolishness of Shi Qin.

“Kids are so naive,” Wen Youren remarked calmly.

“We’re the same age. What makes you any different?” Shi Wangui tilted her head and asked. Seeing Wen Youren still working on math problems, which gave her a headache, she said, “I’m going to sleep.”

“Alright,” Wen Youren replied without bothering to stop her. Shi Wangui wouldn’t be able to fall asleep, she’d slept all afternoon, so how could she possibly sleep this early at night? It was only 8:30 p.m., and evening self-study had just started. Old habits wouldn’t change that quickly.

Sure enough, when Wen Youren entered the room at 10:30, it was dark inside, but Shi Wangui’s face was illuminated by her phone screen.

“Weren’t you going to sleep?” Wen Youren asked deliberately.

Shi Wangui immediately turned off her screen, plunging the room into complete darkness. “I just woke up because of the noise from your shower.”

She refused to admit she couldn’t sleep.

Wen Youren sighed helplessly, “Well, sorry about that.”

Shi Wangui said smugly, “As long as you know.”

Wen Youren felt her way to the makeshift bed on the floor beside her. The blanket was thin, and the temperature seemed to have dropped during the night, starting when the wind rushed in through the open window.

Shi Wangui lay in bed under a relatively thick quilt, but she still felt chilly, as if drafts were seeping in from somewhere. She tugged the blankets tighter.

It wasn’t until she did this that she remembered Wen Youren was only covered by a thin blanket. This was supposed to be her home, and the reason they were here was because of an illness her illness. Yet here she was, sleeping in the warm spot while the sick person lay on the floor.

That didn’t seem quite right.

But then again, she’s the one who set up the floor bed. It’s not like I held a knife to her throat and forced her.

Just then, her phone vibrated again. She had been chatting with Sun Yi earlier, who kept sharing the latest school gossip: how the class monitor and study committee member had argued, the discipline committee member got scolded, and who from the next class was dating… basically, everything Sun Yi knew, she told Shi Wangui.

Now, though, their conversation had shifted to Wen Youren.

[Seventh Year: After you two left, a girl came to school looking for Wen Youren. She even stopped us after school today to ask where she went.]

Shi Wangui wondered if it was one of the girls, they had followed last time. She was curious but didn’t want to pry, everyone had their secrets.

[Shi Wangui: What did you tell her?]

[Sun Yi: We said she transferred schools. You should’ve seen that girl’s face shocked or disbelieving, I can’t really describe it.]

[Shi Wangui: Hearing you say that, I’m starting to think this suddenly acquired sister of mine is a bit mysterious.]

Shi Wangui shone the faint light of her phone downward, noticing Wen Youren had already closed her eyes. The blanket looked rather thin wouldn’t she be cold? If she got sick, wouldn’t it fall on Shi Wangui to take care of her again? Those few days at the hospital had already been exhausting enough she didn’t need a repeat.

“Hey,” Shi Wangui raised her voice, waking Wen Youren. “Do you want to come up and sleep?”

In the pitch-black room, she couldn’t see Wen Youren’s expression, but she heard a soft reply: “Okay.”

It seemed the plan had been moved up, no need to wait a month.

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