Chapter 282 brings the story to a perfect close.

Outside on the street, the sky slowly darkened, and night shrouded Zhennan County.

The two turned into a clay pot soup shop with a strong homely atmosphere, steam rising from its entrance.

Inside, the lights were bright, with over a dozen tables and chairs, and many people dining in.

“What would you like to eat?” The proprietress looked up at the young couple in front of her. “The shop is having a promotion; spend over thirty and get a free snack.”

What a local clay pot soup shop sold, and whether it tasted good, depended entirely on the owner’s skill. Some shops’ soups tasted like dishwater, while others were incredibly delicious.

This shop had been open for over ten years, and the walls were blackened with smoke. However, the interior was meticulously clean, and from a distance, one could see the kitchen layout behind the glass.

This shop sold stir-fries and clay pot soups, as well as noodles.

Jiang Nian glanced at the menu posted on the wall, then turned and quietly asked Zhang Ningzhi for her opinion.

“What do you want to eat?”

Zhang Ningzhi looked at the menu on the wall, appearing slightly hesitant.

“Anything is fine.”

Jiang Nian shot her a glance, feeling quite helpless.

“Then I’ll ask the proprietress if she has a dish called ‘Zhizhi’.”

Hearing this, Zhang Ningzhi gently pushed him.

“Why are you so annoying!”

“It’s probably genetic; my mom is like that too.” Jiang Nian shamelessly blamed Li Hongmei, a filial son and Li Hongmei’s number one hater.

“But she’s only like that with me; she prefers young girls.”

Hearing this, Zhang Ningzhi quietly breathed a sigh of relief. She had thought Jiang Nian’s mother might be difficult to get along with, but then she reconsidered, perhaps it was quite the opposite.

After all, anyone who could tolerate Jiang Nian for so long must have an incredibly good temper.

What if she had a son like Jiang Nian?

Hiss ~ terrifying.

The proprietress stood there with her paper and pen, smiling as she watched the couple bicker.

They looked like big customers, one order equivalent to two.

And it was true; they ordered two relatively expensive stir-fries, plus two soups. The total exceeded sixty, and the boy paid.

Rice was free, and they received a complimentary smashed cucumber and a small plate of peanuts.

After they sat down, Jiang Nian asked, “Have you eaten here before?”

Zhang Ningzhi shook her head, slowly and methodically saying,

“Either I eat at home, or I eat the shredded cucumber noodles from the school gate, or…”

Jiang Nian froze, recalling the braised meat wrap and milk tea he bought for Li Qingrong at the school gate last Sunday during the holiday, and he couldn’t help but crack a smile.

“Your mom doesn’t let you eat out?”

“It’s not that, it’s just that I rarely eat out,” Zhang Ningzhi honestly said. “Because school is out for such a short time, and it’s convenient to go home.”

“Oh, I see,” Jiang Nian understood.

First, you need a house close to the school, then someone at home to cook. And if the home-cooked meals are better than what’s sold outside, naturally you wouldn’t eat out.

Jiang Nian’s home was quite close, but he had to cook for himself when he went home. Both his parents had to work, earning money to save up for his betrothal gifts.

A family of three—no, plus Xu Qianqian from next door. The five people from both families took their lunch breaks outside; during weekdays, the house was usually empty during the day.

The shop was noisy, and the two chatted softly at a corner table.

Zhang Ningzhi looked at the vibrant streetscape outside, the constant flow of traffic, the students passing by, and suddenly began to quietly talk about her family matters.

“Mom and Dad had a fight two days ago, because…”

The stir-fries and clay pot soups were brought out. Jiang Nian listened intently to her speak while breaking apart disposable chopsticks and handing them to her.

At the same time, he scalded the spoon with hot tea, wiped it clean with a paper napkin, then poured hot tea over it again, scalding it once more before placing it in her bowl.

“Eat first, it’ll get cold.”

“Oh.”

Zhang Ningzhi lowered her head to drink soup, perhaps afraid of gaining weight, she rarely picked up dishes and only ate a little rice.

Perhaps feeling that Jiang Nian was a good listener, she spoke again after eating for a while. She talked about her parents and some of her own worries.

“Sigh, I don’t know what to do in the future.”

Zhizhi’s parents’ conflict was just a “conflict,” and it didn’t affect the family’s stability.

In Jiang Nian’s view, nothing was a big deal except for separation by death. So he didn’t offer a lengthy pep talk, just a generic, all-purpose platitude.

“Go to college, then.” Jiang Nian stopped his chopsticks, looked at her, “We’ll worry about the future later; you’ll be free once you’re in college.”

“Alright.” Zhang Ningzhi spoke her mind, and a large part of her worries dissipated.

As the two walked out of the shop, lights illuminated everywhere outside. With their hunger satisfied, only one task remained.

That was to pick up a package from the express delivery store next to the school gate.

So, the two began to walk back.

Zhang Ningzhi had treated this meal as a date, so she had been trying to talk more in the soup shop, aiming for a “Perfection” of the process.

Now, her initial nervousness had slowly disappeared.

The night breeze brushed her face, and she suddenly smiled.

Suddenly, as they passed a boutique, Jiang Nian stopped.

“Let’s go in and look.”

“Ah?”

Zhang Ningzhi obediently followed him in. Before she could even look around, a hair tie was presented before her. He didn’t give it to her directly, but rather held it up to her hair to gauge the effect, then handed it to her.

“Do you like this color?”

Zhang Ningzhi glanced at it and nodded.

“Mm.”

Hearing this, Jiang Nian took the hair tie in his hand, looked around, and bought two. Then he asked the owner for the price, scanned the code to pay, and handed them to her.

“For you, they really suit you.”

“Thank you.” Zhang Ningzhi suppressed the impending smile at the corners of her mouth, deliberately maintaining her composure, unilaterally declaring the date a perfect conclusion.

Her heart was kneaded with emotion, a sourness rising from her chest.

If no one else were around, she would probably be unable to resist covering her eyes, which were welling up with physiological tears.

At this moment, she could only blink by turning her head, gently concealing the emotions that had surged a second ago, and instantly, nothing seemed to have happened.

“Thank you, Zhizhi.” Yao Beibei received the friendship cushion gifted by Zhang Ningzhi.

“Mhm.”

Sixth group.

Huang Fang hadn’t expected Zhang Ningzhi to include her in the gift and was immediately flattered.

“Thank you.”

Ma Guojun also followed suit in thanking her. He had never bought a cushion himself, occasionally sneaking a use of Li Hua’s 28-yuan, somewhat useless cushion. Now he had received a much better one.

“Damn, the Young Miss’s gifts are really the best. What kind of trash is Li Hua’s cushion? It’s not good at all.”

Li Hua, who was initially ecstatic, was suddenly splashed by the criticism and expressed his displeasure.

“What kind of talk is that?”

“The truth.”

“red stone, you dog who loves the rich and despises the poor.”

“Stop talking so much, where’s today’s drink?” Ma Guojun extended his chubby hand.

“I’m buying drinks for our group, what does that have to do with you, an outsider?” Li Hua was a little red stone, pointing his finger, ready to erupt.

Ma Guojun said, “Jiang Nian said his share is for me to inherit.”

Li Hua: “Damn it.”

Only Wu Jun Gu and Zeng You in the group didn’t receive cushions, but this wasn’t originally a group benefit, so they didn’t pay much attention.

Wu Jun Gu had his own cushion but didn’t use it much. Zeng You claimed his butt was the best cushion, comfortable no matter where he sat.

One could only say, Emperor Zeng You was incredibly impressive.

Evening reading.

Jiang Nian carried the mop to clean the floor outside the classroom, his mind on taking leave tomorrow at noon for driving practice.

He wondered if he should tell Old Liu now.

Just as he was thinking, a figure furtively slipped out from behind the classroom.

Wang Yuhe, right in front of Jiang Nian, stepped a few times on the freshly mopped corridor. Then he gave him the middle finger and quickly ran into the classroom.

Jiang Nian was dumbfounded, thinking, what is this person doing?

I just mopped the floor!

If you have a problem with me, step on me, but why step on the floor?

Suddenly, a voice drifted over.

“Mopping the floor?”

Hearing this, Jiang Nian looked up and saw Yu Ziyi smiling at him. She had most likely just arrived, gracefully stepping across the floor he had just mopped.

“Hehe, sorry about that.”

“You motherfucker!”

Jiang Nian rolled up his sleeves and mopped for a while, then stood in the corridor resting. Soon, just as he was about to play on his phone, he turned his head.

Damn, the floor had been stepped on again.

Qianbao looked at the floor, then at Jiang Nian leaning on the mop.

“The floor is well-mopped.”

After saying that, she pretended nothing happened and entered the classroom, walked around, and then came out the back door. Tap, tap, tap, she walked all over the corridor.

Finally, she patted Jiang Nian’s shoulder and made a gesture of encouragement.

“Keep up the good work, alright.”

Jiang Nian: “…”

After Qianbao left Class Three, she glanced at tomorrow’s timetable.

She found that she had two consecutive morning classes in Class Three, and an afternoon class in Class Two, which meant she had two hours of free time in the morning.

She thought for a moment and contacted her driving instructor.

“Can I practice driving tomorrow at 10 AM?”

The other side was typing for a minute or two, and finally replied.

“A VIP student also made an appointment. Let me ask him first.”

“Never mind then.” Qianbao didn’t care too much.

After a while, Tian Yongsheng from the driving school replied with a message.

“The other party said it’s fine, he just needs to get familiar with the car, it won’t take much time. He’s rushing to eat lunch, so you can practice together.”

Qianbao glanced at the message, thought for a moment, and replied,

“Alright.”

During evening self-study, Tao Ran collected the corrected comprehensive science test papers.

Below.

Zeng You still went his own way, huddled in the corner reading a novel.

Wu Jun Gu reminded him, “Math homework is due in a bit.”

Zeng You didn’t even look up, “I’ll copy it later.”

Hearing this, Jiang Nian thought, ‘Damn it, he’s here in his third year of high school to relax.’ Just as he was lamenting, he turned his head and saw a homeroom teacher standing at the back door, almost having a heart attack.

“Holy crap!”

Li Hua was digging a hole in his desk, and hearing this, he turned his head and immediately made three feints in one second.

“red stone.”

Old Liu’s target was clear; he directly locked onto Zeng You, who was sitting by the wall. His expression was serious, his eyes unblinking, as he walked straight to the second-to-last row.

“Take it out!”

Zeng You looked up blankly, meeting Old Liu’s gaze.

“What?”

“Your phone!” Old Liu didn’t want to waste words with him. “Don’t say so much, just come out first.”

Zeng You complied, rising and saying awkwardly,

“Teacher, I really don’t have…”

“No more nonsense!” Old Liu said sharply.

After Zeng You came out, he was first frisked, from his sleeves down to his shirt pockets and both pant pockets. But no phone was found, so Old Liu went into his seat to search.

He searched high and low, but still didn’t find the phone, only a fifty-cent ‘Explosive Campus’ comic, which he confiscated in the end.

After Old Liu left, the sixth group was dumbfounded.

“Zeng You, where’s your phone?”

“I don’t have one, who brought a phone?” Zeng You sat back in his seat, pointing at Jiang Nian, “I hate people who slander, don’t become like that.”

Saying that, he pulled his phone out from his crotch.

Jiang Nian: “You…”

“Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, do not bully a young man for being poor.” Li Hua immediately began to chant, “The supreme prestige of the Great Emperor; those who praise my true name shall live forever.”

“Damn it, Zeng You, you’re truly invincible.”

Wu Jun Gu hesitated for a moment, then asked,

“Aren’t you going to wipe it?”

Zeng You gave a charming smile and continued to use it.

“I don’t mind.”

Soon, three evening self-study periods passed.

Jiang Nian looked up and stretched his neck; he usually finished his homework by the third evening self-study session, leaving no extra time for other things.

However, he had already laid some groundwork, so the pressure wasn’t too great.

The only thing he wasn’t used to, perhaps, was the class monitor’s seat being moved to the first row of the second large group, beneath the podium, a hundred thousand miles away.

It wasn’t like the previous two weeks, when they were in front and back rows, making it convenient to occasionally chat.

Li Qingrong had just finished a test paper and habitually looked up.

Seeing the multimedia podium in front of her, she couldn’t help but be stunned for a moment.

Last Sunday at noon, when the whole class was moving desks, she only then realized she had to move to the first row, and she felt somewhat unaccustomed to it.