Chapter 6 Chapter 1

Qiao Bailu was stunned for a moment. To be honest, she didn't expect that her brother didn't want to go to school for this reason. She didn't even ask him in her previous life. She just thought that her brother was useless and didn't know how to work hard. She scolded him several times, but seeing that he refused to repent, she simply ignored him.

Only now do I realize that my younger brother actually has this kind of inferiority complex.

"Silly boy! Why are you embarrassing yourself? I'm such an excellent sister, you should be proud of me. When someone mentions me, you should think, oh, that's my sister, none of you have a sister like her!" Qiao Bailu said with a smile. Qiao Zhenting was evasive at first, not daring to look at Qiao Bailu, but after hearing what Qiao Bailu said, he couldn't help but roll his eyes: "Stop it, you've become so narcissistic."

"Okay, no more jokes. Let me tell you the truth. I, your sister, have big goals. What industry do you think is the most profitable?" Qiao Bailu asked with a smile. Qiao Zhenting thought for a moment before replying, "Lawyer? Doctor?"

"Well, these two things do make money, but being a lawyer is too tiring. Look at those lawyers on TV, they are so busy looking for evidence every day. As for being a doctor, your sister is too timid and afraid of seeing blood."

This is true, she is such a loser. In her previous life, she recalled that her brother's wife went to the hospital to give birth. When she started screaming, she fainted before her brother could respond. Also, when her mother had surgery, she came back in great pain at night. Before her mother could say anything, she fell headfirst, almost making her father die of anxiety.

"So what are you going to do?" Qiao Zhenting asked unhappily. What is not tiring? Even if you go out to work as a laborer, it is also very tiring. You have to work for twelve hours a day to earn money.

"As for me, I'm going to be a top screenwriter! Do you know how much it costs to write a TV episode?" Qiao Bailu asked proudly. Qiao Zhenting definitely didn't know and shook his head stupidly. Qiao Bailu pointed with her finger: "This amount!"

"Two hundred?" Qiao Zhenting was puzzled. Qiao Bailu slapped him on the back of his head and said, "Twenty thousand!" In fact, she herself didn't understand the situation. This was gossip she read on the forum when she was a writer. However, it was okay to use it to fool her brother now.

Sure enough, Qiao Zhenting's eyes widened bigger than copper bells: "Sister, you made this up, right?"

"When has your sister ever lied?" Qiao Bailu said earnestly, "Look, your sister wants to be a screenwriter. If I do well, I can make a celebrity famous. Didn't you always say you wanted to be a celebrity when you were a kid? If you don't go to school, do you have to tell everyone that you didn't even go to junior high school when you become a celebrity? Then the whole country will know about it. Wouldn't you be embarrassed? Tell me, which is more embarrassing, or not being admitted to No. 1 Middle School?"

Qiao Zhenting is good-looking, and sometimes Qiao Bailu is jealous. In terms of genetics, Qiao Bailu inherited more from He Xiaoxiang, and gets fatter when she eats a little. Qiao Zhenting, on the other hand, inherited from Qiao Jianjun, and never gets fat no matter how much he eats. Sometimes Qiao Bailu wants to beat him up.

"Sister, please stop kidding me. I don't believe you can be a screenwriter." Qiao Zhenting was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed out loud: "I know you want to persuade me not to drop out of school, but I really don't want to go. School is too tiring. It's so cold, I don't even want to get up. The teachers are so strict, I can't stand it. I don't want to be a star anymore!"

"I'll beat you to death, you little brat!" Qiao Bailu sneered, clenched her fists and punched hard. Qiao Zhenting didn't dodge, and even bent down slightly to make it easier for Qiao Bailu to punch him. He also kept talking: "Sister, I'm not a child anymore. You don't have to try to trick me into going to school. Two days ago, my uncle came and made me kneel for more than an hour, but I didn't change my mind. You can't fool me with your stories."

When Qiao Bailu heard that her uncle had no other options, she frowned even harder. On her mother's side, her uncle was the oldest brother, and had disciplined his younger siblings since they were young. Even after his younger siblings got married, his uncle never let go of this responsibility, and he always paid great attention to his nephews and nieces.

Qiao Zhenting doesn't go to school. This is a big deal. My uncle will definitely come.

"How about this, don't you think I'm lying to you? Don't drop out of school yet. When the Chinese New Year comes, I'll publish a novel to show you what I can do." Qiao Bailu gritted her teeth, and Qiao Zhenting's eyes widened: "Hey, sister, don't force yourself. The Chinese New Year is only two months away. Isn't it the same whether there are these two months or not?"

"Stinky, I'm serious!" Qiao Bailu said seriously, trying to show a stronger aura. Isn't it written in the novel? With a strong aura, one look can make people believe and admire. Today, Qiao Zhenting must be convinced. Otherwise, if he really moves back from school and becomes wild, it will be difficult to turn back.

Although their family was poor, she and her brother had never suffered from hardship since childhood. She did not have the toughness of children from poor families who had to grow up early, and her brother was even worse. Even if he was beaten a few times, he would still play as usual after he recovered.

If you really get out of control, it will be like a wild horse that has broken free from its reins, and you may not be able to get it back.

Qiao Bailu felt that she was very powerful now, but in Qiao Zhenting's eyes, this sister who was almost as tall as herself was really too funny. However, isn't it just two months? Anyway, no one is hiring for labor during the Chinese New Year, so she might as well comfort her sister.

Thinking about it, she nodded seriously: "Okay, I'll wait. If you can publish a novel this year, I believe you can definitely become a gold medal screenwriter in the future, and I will study hard in the future."

"It's a deal, whoever goes back on his word is a puppy." Qiao Bailu smiled and pinched Qiao Zhenting's cheek. Qiao Zhenting bared his teeth and said, "Sister, I'm already so old, please don't pinch my face. It's so embarrassing if people see it."

"No matter how old you are, you are still my brother." Qiao Bailu said unhappily, let go of her hand and went back to the house. It was so cold outside at night, if she wasn't embarrassed to say it in front of her parents, would she have to suffer the cold outside?

Qiao Jianjun was a man who did what he thought. It just so happened that the autumn harvest was over and the wheat was almost planted. There was not much work to do in the fields and he was free. So, early the next morning, he went out to the town to inquire about the situation.

In the past, he said that he didn't have many connections, but if you don't think about it, you naturally don't have any. If you start to think about it, Uncle Tian is a capable person. Although he is a bit boastful, you can't say that he has no ability. Qiao Bailu has three uncles and two aunts, one uncle and one aunt. The uncle's family has brothers and sisters, and the aunt's family is not alone. There are relatives and friends. With such a network, you can find out almost everything in the surrounding area.

After two days of eating and drinking, they had almost figured out the whole story. However, Qiao Bailu didn't have time to listen. After two days, she had to go back to school.

Passing by the classroom, she peeked inside. Xie Jiayuan was there. The young man had a calm expression on his face. When he saw her, he smiled and said, "You're back?"

"Well, are you reading again? It's time for dinner soon, aren't you going to eat?" Qiao Bailu asked, and then she went in and took out a bag with a few buns in it: "Here, my mom made them for you."

Xie Jiayuan didn't hesitate to take it, nodded and said, "I'll go eat in a while, will you come to study in the evening?"

"Come on, I haven't done my homework yet." Qiao Bailu sighed, "There are so many homework assignments every week. Otherwise, you can just let me copy them. I don't want to do them anymore."

Xie Jiayuan shook his head: "No, I will explain it to you if you don't understand. You can't copy homework. Okay, go back and put your things away quickly. Come over later. I'll go buy some soup. You can come over and drink it later. Where's your lunch box?"

Qiao Bailu pulled out a lunch box from her desk hole. The dormitory was a little far away, and the students in her class put their lunch boxes in drawers, windowsills, or on radiators. Handing the lunch box to Xie Jiayuan, Qiao Bailu waved her hand: "Then I'll go back first. I want to drink eight-treasure porridge."

Xie Jiayuan responded, and after watching her walk away, he slowly stood up and went to the cafeteria with two lunch boxes.

After putting her things in the dormitory, Qiao Bailu went directly to the classroom. After waiting for a while, Xie Jiayuan came back with two lunch boxes. There was porridge at the bottom and vegetables at the top. Although the taste was average, it was not inedible.

Xie Jiayuan was quiet while eating. His hands were big, but his fingers were long and slender. His nails were trimmed very cleanly, close to his flesh, and his skin was white. Just these hands looked so beautiful that Qiao Bailu wanted to rub them. But when she thought that the two of them were only said to be together, but not actually together, she didn't dare to take the initiative.

How could I be so blind as to fall in love with my instructor and give up such a gentle and devoted academic master?

Alas, it’s all because of my lack of experience back then. Long-distance relationships are hard enough, and I happened to meet a handsome instructor in my sophomore year. He showed me concern and care, and he also took a little care of me during military training. I immediately felt dizzy.

"I'll go wash the dishes!" Seeing that Xie Jiayuan had finished eating, Qiao Bailu hurriedly grabbed the lunch box and said with a smile. Without waiting for Xie Jiayuan's reaction, she hurriedly ran out of the classroom. The school meals were not very oily, so detergent was not needed. Just rinse them twice with hot water and they would be clean.

Back in the classroom, Xie Jiayuan started reading again. Qiao Bailu didn't bother him, she took out her homework and started writing seriously. She lowered her head and wrote seriously, and she didn't even notice Xie Jiayuan's gaze. If she wanted to catch up with the top student, she couldn't relax at all, even if she changed to liberal arts.

Besides, liberal arts don’t mean you don’t need to use your brain. Memorizing books is not enough. When she was in high school, even if she was not good at physics, she could still get a passing score. But in her previous life, she made a big mistake in geography and failed the first time. It was a shame for her since she went to school, so she gritted her teeth and studied science.

It’s so embarrassing to think about it. We were defeated without even fighting. Why were I so cowardly back then?

Chapter 7 Chapter 1

Qiao Bailu had thought about continuing to study science. After all, she had taken the science exam once before, so she knew that if she continued to study science, she was sure that she could get better grades than the first time. Although her physics grades were not very good, she never failed.

The arts were different. She had never been exposed to them before. If she chose the arts, it would be like experiencing a new high-tech exam, rather than taking the college entrance exam again. In terms of study, she failed geography. She was confident that she could learn it well, but she didn't know if she had the talent.

The most important thing is that if I don’t know how to do physics, there are top students to guide me and I can be divided into different classes. But top students don’t study geography, so who should I ask when I encounter questions that I don’t know how to answer?

"What are you daydreaming about? Have you finished your homework?" Just as he was feeling embarrassed, he heard Xie Jiayuan next to him ask. Qiao Bailu turned to look at him and said, "Xie Jiayuan, are you really planning to study science?"

Xie Jiayuan raised his eyebrows: "Yeah, you haven't decided yet? If you ask me, you should study science. Arts seem easy, but who failed geography last time? With your brain, are you sure you can learn it?"

The corners of Qiao Bailu's mouth twitched. It was the first time she noticed that this person could be so impolite in his words.

"But I plan to study literature." After hesitating for a while, Qiao Bailu lay on the table and looked sideways at Xie Jiayuan. From this angle, the young man looked even more handsome, with lips of moderate thickness and slightly red, a straight nose, and long eyelashes. Tsk tsk, why does a grown man have such long eyelashes?

"Literature major? What have you decided on doing in the future?" Xie Jiayuan asked. Qiao Bailu nodded: "I have decided, I want to study literature."

"It's not easy to make money." Xie Jiayuan touched his chin and sighed: "Look at the rich list, who is engaged in literature?"

"Why should I make so much money? Isn't it enough for me to marry someone who can make money in the future?" Qiao Bailu rolled her eyes. What rich list? Her dream is simple. In the future, she will buy a small villa in a big city, a small villa by the sea, or in the desert. Well, the desert is not necessary. Just two or three villas. She can do it without being a rich man, right?

Xie Jiayuan was silent for a while, then suddenly nodded: "That's true, you don't have to work too hard, I just need to work harder."

Qiao Bailu opened her mouth, then closed it again, and reached out to pinch her ears. What did she hear just now? Wasn't she hysterical just now? Wasn't that sentence said by Xie Jiayuan and not something she thought up herself? In her previous life, she had been with Xie Jiayuan for two years, but she had never heard Xie Jiayuan say anything similar to confession. She thought that Xie Jiayuan was born not good at speaking.

Xie Jiayuan felt a little embarrassed when being looked at by Qiao Bailu. He turned his eyes away and lowered his head slightly to look at the textbook: "If you study liberal arts, we won't be in the same class next year when we are divided into different classes."

"I know, but even if we are not in the same class, can't I still come to you? Or, since you are not in the same class with me, I am not allowed to come to you to ask questions in the future?" Qiao Bailu was in a good mood and smiled even more brightly. Xie Jiayuan glanced at her, his face slightly red, but he didn't say anything.

"Although geography is not easy to learn, I can ask the teacher." Qiao Bailu felt at ease. Since she had already decided which path to take, it was too late to hesitate now. How many times can a person withstand hesitation in life?

Xie Jiayuan nodded: "If you want to study literature, I won't force you. It's up to you to decide."

Qiao Bailu nodded with a smile. Just like in her previous life, Qiao Bailu said she didn't want to go to City B, so Xie Jiayuan didn't force her. In fact, at that time, Qiao Bailu always felt that Xie Jiayuan was a little cold and didn't force anything. Did he not care about her that much?

In the next life, Xie Jiayuan still didn't force it, but Qiao Bailu could sense indulgence from it this time.

"But, since you have made up your mind, you can't give up halfway." Xie Jiayuan continued, "Even if you are not in the same class in the future, you still have to study hard and keep your grades in the top few. I know you only like to read miscellaneous books and don't like to read textbooks. On weekdays, I see you slacking off. If you slack off again without me watching over you, your grades will drop."

"If your grades fall..." Xie Jiayuan tapped her with a pen. Without saying anything else, Qiao Bailu nodded quickly: "Don't worry, your grades won't fall."

After deciding on the division of arts and science, Qiao Bailu picked out the key points when she read the book. When Xie Jiayuan explained the questions to her, he also picked out the key points. In the past, he could explain the formulas on the first page to the last page of a physics question, but now, he would just pick out the most important ones. In the past, he would break it down and explain it slowly, and you had to understand the essence of it. You had to change the conditions and numbers, but now, he only taught how to apply the formulas.

In this way, Qiao Bailu felt that studying became a little easier.

No way! Physics doesn't have to be that complicated, but there is geography. Who knows what time it is in which country after crossing a line? Is the first thing to do after getting off the plane is to adjust the meter? Can't you just ask passers-by?

But no matter how difficult it is, Qiao Bailu will not give up. Not only can she not give up, she must strive to become a top student, otherwise she will not be able to keep up with Xie Jiayuan.

She focused on her studies and paid less attention to other things. If Wang Lin hadn't asked her, Qiao Bailu would have almost forgotten that she had submitted her manuscript. She hasn't received a reply until now!

"Maybe the magazine didn't like it?" Qiao Bailu was a little frustrated. Wang Lin hurriedly comforted her, "Maybe they haven't seen it yet. Mail travels slowly. It must take four or five days for it to get from here to there. After receiving the letter, you have to read it and then reply. It will take at least half a month, right?"

Qiao Bailu was speechless: "It's exactly half a month now."

"But the editors don't necessarily read the letters right away." Wang Lin said with eyes wide open, "Just think about it. People from all over the country who want to write novels send letters there. There must be thousands of letters, right? Even if they read each letter every ten minutes, they can't read a thousand letters a day."

Although Qiao Bailu didn't quite believe it, she could only use this to comfort herself for now. In fact, she was a little disappointed. Could it be that it was not well written?

"Do you have any magazines? Lend them to me." Qiao Bailu asked with a smile. Wang Lin waved her hand generously: "Take them, take them. Take them all. By the way, have you really decided to study literature?"

"How could it be false?" Qiao Bailu consciously took out a few books from Wang Lin's desk. Wang Lin leaned on the table and sighed, "I also want to study liberal arts, but my parents don't want me to study science."

"What did your parents say?" Qiao Bailu asked curiously. Wang Lin said angrily, "It's the same old saying. If you learn math, physics and chemistry, you won't be afraid of traveling around the world. What era is this? Even if doctors and scientists are more popular, it doesn't mean there are no other options."

"So what do you want to do after graduation?" Qiao Bailu asked again. Wang Lin didn't say anything, and Qiao Bailu didn't urge her. She just continued her own words: "I want to write novels, so I chose to study liberal arts. Yang Na wants to be a doctor, so she has to study science. What do you want to do? If you haven't decided yet, it doesn't matter. There are many majors that are both liberal arts and science, just like lawyers and teachers. It's okay if you just have a general direction."

Wang Lin leaned on his arm and blinked: "You think so much, what does Xie Jiayuan want to learn?"

"Studying theory." Qiao Bailu said as a matter of course. Wang Lin blinked: "Then won't the two of you be separated?"

"What? It's not like you're transferring schools or anything. Aren't we still in the same school?" Qiao Bailu couldn't help laughing. After a pause, she also lay down: "Are you hiding something from me? Tell me the truth, otherwise, when I find out, you'll be in trouble!"

Wang Lin waved her hands quickly: "No, no, I'm just asking casually."

"No wonder I don't know you. We were in the same class in junior high school!" Qiao Bailu pouted disdainfully and pinched the flesh on Wang Lin's waist: "If you don't tell the truth, I won't let you copy homework anymore!"

This threat was not small, and Wang Lin really couldn't hold it back. Her face turned red, and she couldn't hold it back: "Well, I'm telling you, you can't tell anyone else."

"Then don't worry, I'm the most tight-lipped, just tell me." Qiao Bailu said with a smile. Wang Lin pinched her fingers and said embarrassedly: "Well, what do you think of Li Chao?"

"You like Li Chao?" Qiao Bailu was a little surprised. Li Chao was considered a handsome boy in their class. He was fair-skinned and gentle. His academic performance was average, neither outstanding nor lagging behind. He didn't talk much. Qiao Bailu had been in the same class with him for more than half a year, and they had never spoken more than ten sentences.

Wang Lin hurriedly covered up: "No, who likes him? I just want to ask, what do you think of this person? Is he good?"

"I think it's neither good nor bad. After all, we are not familiar with each other." Qiao Bailu was a little hesitant. To be honest, premature love is not good, but she can't use this to persuade Wang Lin, because she herself is a "premature lover", but she doesn't remember any connection between Wang Lin and Li Chao. Li Chao is also the kind of person who can't even remember his appearance when he thinks carefully about the past when he grows up.

Wang Lin was speechless and rolled her eyes at Qiao Bailu. Qiao Bailu quickly comforted him, "You like him? I think you'd better wait and decide whether you want to study liberal arts or science first. Are you going to give up liberal arts and switch to science just for a premature love that may happen in the future?"

"Then didn't you and Xie Jiayuan choose different subjects?" Wang Lin said unhappily. Qiao Bailu shook her head and said, "We didn't interfere with each other's choices. I chose liberal arts and he chose science. We both chose what we like and are good at. You like liberal arts now and your grades in liberal arts are better, but your family asked you to choose science and you are a little hesitant. If Li Chao also chooses science, the chips on the science side will increase, and you will most likely choose science."

"It has nothing to do with him. Don't worry, I can tell the difference between the important and the unimportant." Wang Lin was a little unhappy: "Why do we have to distinguish between arts and science?"

"National policy." Qiao Bailu shrugged. The two were talking when the monitor came in with a smile. He stood on the podium and tapped the blackboard with an eraser: "Quiet, quiet, quiet, do you want to hear the good news?"

Chapter 8 Chapter 1

"Yes!" Li Jie shouted first, and the students in the class also focused their attention on the podium. The class monitor said with a smile: "Today is Wednesday. The school organizes a movie watching party. There are four classes every day. Our class three is on the first day, which is tonight. Are you happy?"

It was Li Jie who supported him again: "Squad leader, tell me first, what movie are we going to watch? What time is it in the evening? How do we get there? Which cinema? It won't be shown on TV again, will it?"

"No, we are really going to the cinema this time. At 5:30 in the evening, everyone will gather in the classroom, and then our class teacher will take us to the cinema. It's on the main street, not far away, so we can walk there. If you don't want to go as a group, then go to the cinema entrance and wait, and I will give you the movie tickets first."

The monitor smiled and took out a stack of movie tickets, eight in a row, and counted them and handed them to the group leaders: "If you don't have any, tell me. You all have to go. We have Chinese class tomorrow. The teacher will ask questions in Chinese class, and we have to write essays, so you can't not go."

The class was noisy. Li Jie jumped up and down and asked, "What's the name of the movie? There's not even a name on it."

"I don't know either. I haven't watched it." The monitor said with a smile. She was a pretty girl with two canine teeth when she smiled. She was very generous. After the movie tickets were distributed, she stood on the podium and patted the blackboard: "Everyone be quiet. I haven't finished yet. After the movie, we will have to call the roll and then go back to school together. No one is allowed to slip away halfway. If you are found absent during the roll call, you will be deducted points. For those who live off campus, just wait for the roll call to be completed and go back as usual. For those who live in the school, you will have to be called again after you come back. Remember everything?"

"Remember!" A group of people shouted in unison. An anxious Li Jie had just rushed out with the movie ticket. A moment ago, he came back waving the movie ticket: "Extra, Extra, tonight's movie has been found out. Do you want to know what we're going to watch?"

Qiao Bailu tried to recall it in her mind, but she was a little unsure. Their school had organized several movies to watch, but they only went to the cinema for this one. The later ones were all played on the TV in the classroom.

At this moment, the TV hanging on the left side of the blackboard is just a decoration and you can only watch it after the New Year.

"Master, stop keeping us in suspense and tell us what we are looking at." Wang Jun shouted from below. Li Jie laughed, "I asked the sophomores in high school and they said it was either my mother loving me again or the day I left Lei Feng."

"Oh, the name sounds so tacky." Wang Lin leaned over the table and poke Qiao Bailu: "Do you want to go and see it?"

"Of course I have to go, otherwise how can I write the composition?" Qiao Bailu turned her head. The seats were rearranged this Monday. Wang Lin sat behind Qiao Bailu to the right. Xie Jiayuan was originally two rows away from Qiao Bailu, but now she is one row away. Qiao Bailu is still in the second row, while Xie Jiayuan is in the fourth row, with Yang Na between them, just behind Wang Lin to the left.

Wang Lin frowned: "I don't really want to go. The movie is not good. It will be past eight o'clock when the movie is over. My home is a bit far away. My parents don't plan to pick me up tonight. I want to go home alone."

"What's so difficult about this? At most, you can just find someone to sleep with in school." Yang Na said with a smile, and then waved her hand: "Don't look for someone in our dormitory. Our dormitories are already allocated. Two people share a bed. Even if you go there, you won't have a quilt to cover yourself, unless you are willing to use a blanket."

Wang Lin looked at Qiao Bailu, who spread her hands and said, "She and I share a dormitory."

"Okay, you can't be relied on at the critical moment, so I'll go ask Wang Wenwen." Wang Lin pouted, turned around and shouted, "Wang Wen, do you sleep alone at night?"

Li Jie pretended to be shocked: "Isn't she sleeping alone?" The boys laughed. Wang Lin blinked, not quite understanding: "I don't know, what are you laughing at?"

Wang Wen turned around and glared at Li Jie, then looked at Wang Lin: "I'm alone, what's wrong?"

"I don't want to go home at night, so I want to live with you?" Wang Lin said with a smile, and Wang Wen nodded in response: "Okay, but you have to treat me to dinner at night."

"Of course, what do you want to eat?" The two ignored the boy over there, discussed it among themselves, said hello to Qiao Bailu, and went to the cafeteria hand in hand. Qiao Bailu took her textbook and went to Xie Jiayuan: "Which row are you in?"

Xie Jiayuan took out the movie ticket and handed it to Qiao Bailu. Li Jie came over again and said, "Xie Jiayuan's seats are next to mine. How about you treat me to a meal and I switch seats with you?"

Before Qiao Bailu could speak, Xie Jiayuan glared at him, then turned to Qiao Bailu and said, "Don't believe him. There's an aisle in the middle. Don't rush to change your tickets. Go to the cinema and see for sure. You may not know how the seats are arranged."

Qiao Bailu transferred to Experimental Junior High School in her third year of junior high school. At that time, the school was very strict and she had few opportunities to leave the school, let alone go to the movies. Therefore, she really didn't understand the seating arrangement in the cinema. After so many years, she only remembered that in her previous life, it seemed that she didn't sit with Xie Jiayuan.

Li Jie shook his head and sighed: "Ah, nothing has happened yet and they're already protecting each other. Poor us, all alone." As he spoke, he imitated Guan Fei stroking his beard in the opera, making people around him laugh.

Qiao Bailu turned around and glared at him, then slapped him with her textbook: “What nonsense are you talking about!”

After saying that, he turned around and left. Li Jie chuckled twice and went back to chatting with the people around him.

After dinner, everyone gathered in the class. After the monitor called the roll, the class teacher and the physics teacher came over. There were two teachers, one leading the way and one watching from behind. There were more than 50 students, so no one had the chance to escape. This was the same for all three classes, with two teachers in each class.

Their school was relatively close to Fanjie Street, and it only took half an hour to walk there. The movie theater in the small county town was just average, with only one hall. When the people at the door saw that it was a teacher bringing students in, they didn't even check their tickets, and just waved them in.

After finding a seat according to the row number on the ticket, Qiao Bailu turned around and looked around. She saw Xie Jiayuan sitting two seats away from the aisle. It happened that Xie Jiayuan was probably looking for her as well. When he saw her looking at him, he leaned back in his chair helplessly and nodded to his right.

Qiao Bailu looked in the direction of his gesture, and the corner of her mouth twitched - the old class teacher was on the right side of Xie Jiayuan. If Xie Jiayuan dared to ask someone to change seats at this moment, the old class teacher would be able to find out everything about the two of them.

I sat down speechlessly, and Liu Wenjing next to me came over with a smile: "Xie Jiayuan can't come? That's perfect. You value women over friends. You actually want to abandon me just to sit with Xie Jiayuan. Fortunately, God has eyes."

Bella Qiao reached out and pinched her cheek: “Who took the initiative to ask to change seats?”

"Isn't this for your own good? I'm afraid you'll end up like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl." Liu Wenjing said with a smile, opening the bag he brought with him: "Do you want some melon seeds?"

"Yes, how much did you buy?" Qiao Bailu grabbed a handful and gave some to Yang Na on the other side. Liu Wenjing took an empty bag to put the melon seed shells in while talking: "I bought five yuan, which is definitely enough. Did you bring water?"

"I brought it. I bought two bottles, one for each person." Qiao Bailu shook her bag. As she was talking, her vision suddenly went dark, and then the big screen in front of her lit up. The teacher stood up and shouted, "It's started. Stop talking and watch carefully. You have to write your composition when you go back."

When the teacher sat down, a voice sounded on the big screen and the title of the movie appeared, "Mom, Love Me Again". Qiao Bailu calmed down and stared at the movie screen to watch it carefully. A good movie will never go out of style.

Halfway through, Qiao Bailu's eyes felt sore. Fortunately, she guessed that it might be this one, so she prepared a few packs of tissues. As soon as she drew a sheet, Liu Wenjing next to her pulled it away, so Qiao Bailu had to draw another one.

When the big screen above dimmed and the lights in the hall came on, Qiao Bailu looked around and saw that quite a few people had red eyes.

The monitors of each class stood at the front holding the roster and nodded. Class 3 was at the end. The old class teacher put his hands in his trouser pockets and spoke slowly: "Those who want to go home, please be careful and walk together. Boys can see off girls. You can only see off girls. Don't do anything else."

The audience burst into laughter, and the physics teacher also laughed: "At your age, you are all very smart. Remember, you are still young, and it is not good to fall in love too early. It will affect your studies. When you grow up and go to college, you can date as many people as you want. No one will mind."

"How many girls has Teacher Zhou dated?" someone asked in a pinched voice from behind. The physics teacher reached out and pointed, "Don't hide. Do you really think I can't see you? I can't tell you how many girls I've dated, but I can tell you that they were all beautiful girls chasing after me..."

Before he could finish, Teacher Song punched him in the face: "Stop talking nonsense." Then he turned around and continued to talk to the group of students: "Anyway, be careful and go home to sleep early. I will call each family in half an hour to ask. If anyone is not home, you can report to your parents. Those who live on campus, follow the class monitor. No one is allowed to fall behind. We will take roll call again when we get to school. If anyone leaves halfway, don't go to class tomorrow. Go to my office and report first."

After saying that, he clapped his hands and said, "Okay, let's go."

The group of people immediately dispersed. Those who lived close together quickly gathered in groups of three or five and walked along the same road for safety. Those who lived on campus definitely had no choice but to follow the group.

Qiao Bailu and Xie Jiayuan both lived on campus, but their class teacher and physics teacher were watching them along the way, so the two of them didn't talk to each other.

Back in the dormitory, several people were discussing while washing their feet: "It's so touching. I couldn't help crying when I saw the rain. The movie is quite good. It would be great if our school could hold more of it in the future."

"I guess we won't be allowed to go to the cinema anymore. The safety issue is hard to resolve." Yang Na sighed, "But, should we be able to play TV in class? Didn't we play Water Lily in our last music class?"

Qiao Bailu looked at Yang Na in surprise. She didn't expect that she could even guess this. No wonder Yang Na was able to go so far in her previous life. She had a very sharp vision.

Chapter 9 Chapter 1

"Student Yang, you said our school is going to show a movie in class. Is there any inside information?" Qiao Bailu asked with a smile. Yang Na reached out and pushed her head away: "What inside information? I'm just guessing. I just thought that our school organized us to watch a movie this time. From the name, you can tell that it's a family movie or a political movie. They should want to educate us from this aspect. Isn't it the same old thing?"

As she spoke, Yang Na coughed lightly and imitated her teacher in a rough voice: "Is it a waste of food for your parents to pay for you to come to school? If you don't study hard, can you be worthy of your parents at home?"

After that, he laughed: "Let's talk about the movie we watched tonight. It was so touching. Mother's love was so great. So for our parents, we must study hard. This kind of political education is definitely not enough once. It should be at least once a month. In addition, there must be some other political education. It is not realistic to go to the cinema every time. First of all, our school will definitely not be willing to spend that money. Think about it, even if the movie ticket is reduced for us, it must be three or five yuan per ticket, right? If each class turns on the TV, the electricity cost is only a few cents per kilowatt-hour?"

Yang Na clicked her tongue twice: "The most important thing is safety. Even with street lights, it's still not that safe. More importantly, a dark movie theater is the best breeding ground for that kind of thing. The school won't be so kind as to provide this opportunity."

Qiao Bailu gave a thumbs up: "Master, with your analysis, it would be unreasonable for our school not to have a TV."

"Of course, there is a reason." Yang Na said with a smile, and even Miao Xiaoli, who was not very talkative, was attracted: "What's the reason?"

"Aren't we going to be divided into classes soon? The liberal arts class has to have politics. If you don't watch the news, how can you learn about current political affairs?" Yang Na smiled and spread her hands: "This is the most important reason. I heard from the seniors that once the classes are divided, the TV can be turned on and we can watch the news every night."

Liu Wenjing had finished washing up early and was lying on the bed. He now looked down and said, "You had heard that the TV was going to be turned on, so you came up with so many excuses, right?"

Yang Na looked at Liu Wenjing with a profound expression: "Being able to get information is also a kind of strength. Come and fight if you don't agree!"

Liu Wenjing pulled his neck back and said, "If we don't fight, with your weight, you can crush me to death in one go. I'm a hero and I know when to act." Then he called Qiao Bailu, "Bailu, hurry up, it's time to go to bed."

Qiao Bailu responded, quickly washed up and got into bed.

By Friday, Qiao Bailu finally received a letter from the magazine. It was a thick letter, and when she received it, her heart sank. After opening it, she found that the manuscript was rejected. However, she felt a little comforted that the editor also wrote a letter saying that the idea of the novel sounded clever, but the writing style was not mature enough.

Qiao Bailu stared at that paragraph for almost half an hour. After all, she was also a little pink in her previous life, okay? It turned out that the writing was poor? But even if she stared through the letter, the four words "poor writing" still lingered in her head.

Qiao Bailu has always been someone who never admits defeat. When she was writing online articles before, she was also very disappointed at the beginning, but she persisted and succeeded anyway, didn't she? She didn't believe that she could fail because of her writing skills!

There happened to be no classes on Saturday and Sunday, so she simply went to Wang Lin's house and brought back all the magazines such as Yilin and Mengya. She immersed herself in the magazines, reading them while eating and going to the toilet, and then compared them with her own magazines after reading them.

After reading it for two days, I finally had to admit that what the editor said made sense. Her writing style was indeed a far cry from that of Mengya. In fact, it wasn't that Qiao Bailu didn't know how to choose words and construct sentences, but that Qiao Bailu was used to writing online articles, and what she wrote was a little different from the requirements of the magazine.

Online articles need to be written in a more popular and fluent style, so that people can read it in one breath and feel very refreshed. Magazines, on the other hand, require more conciseness and more ornate words, especially magazines like Mengya, because most of their readers are high school students, which is naturally different from the requirements of online articles.

Therefore, Qiao Bailu was in a dilemma. Her writing style was not suitable for the magazine, so should she find another publisher or revise her writing style?

This decision is not easy to make. Relatively speaking, magazines are easier to publish, but novels are not easy to publish. However, it is impossible to produce results in a short period of time if the writing style is revised. She also promised her brother that she would bring him the published novel to read during the Chinese New Year.

"What's the matter?" Just as she was in a daze, someone patted her on the head. When Qiao Bailu looked up, she saw Xie Jiayuan standing next to her with a bag. When he saw her come back to her senses, he handed the bag to her: "Since you didn't go out to eat, I brought it back for you."

When the bag was opened, the aroma of the buns came out immediately. Qiao Bailu smiled and thanked him: "Thank you, I'll treat you to dinner next time."

"No need to thank me. You've been absent-minded these past two days. What happened?" Xie Jiayuan sat down in front of her and prepared to have a long chat while no one was in the class.

Qiao Bailu felt a little embarrassed, but after thinking about it, she felt that there was nothing to hide, so she put her difficult problem in front of Xie Jiayuan: "Tell me, which one should I choose?"

"How can you be sure that the publishing house will think your writing is good?" Xie Jiayuan took Qiao Bailu's manuscript, flipped through it, raised his eyebrows and asked, "Although magazines and publishing houses are different, they are both publishing books. I think their requirements for writing should be similar, right?"

"So, you mean, I should practice my writing skills first?" Qiao Bailu's eyes widened. Xie Jiayuan nodded with a smile. "If you want to do your work well, you must first sharpen your tools. It's hard to explain the writing skills. You may think it's good, but he may think it's not. Everyone has different opinions. Some like concise, some like gorgeous, and some like popular. It's like ancient poetry and vernacular poetry. Each has its own advantages..."

"Stop, stop, stop. You're saying this as if you want me to try other publishing houses?" Qiao Bailu asked. Xie Jiayuan shook his head: "Look, you don't even have confidence. What do you think of the novel you wrote?"

"I think it's great." Qiao Bailu held her head high and chest out. She wasn't bragging. She put a lot of thought into conceiving this idea, and the content was guaranteed to be novel. How could she not be confident?

"Since you are confident, why don't you invest in two more companies and try?" Xie Jiayuan raised his eyebrows and asked. Qiao Bailu nodded happily. After nodding a few times, she couldn't help but wonder: "Didn't you tell me before that you wanted me to practice my writing skills?"

"Yes, but the two are not contradictory. Just treat this as a sign of progress." Xie Jiayuan waved the manuscript and said, "The writing style does have some flaws. Magazines are not as good as publications, but you can't say that the writing style required by magazines is not good. They are both paper products, and they have some things in common."

Xie Jiayuan's words were vague, but Qiao Bailu understood a little.

"Okay, then I'll revise it first, and then submit it to a few more companies to try." Taking a deep breath, Qiao Bailu took out another dozen manuscript papers, and without paying attention to Xie Jiayuan who was still sitting in front of her, she began to write seriously.

In terms of writing style, she decided to keep it as concise as possible. Although she hadn't mastered it yet, she couldn't be too straightforward.

Another week passed, and this time, she selected three publishing houses and rushed to the post office to send them out as soon as she left the school gate. Then she went to wait for the bus. She didn't go home last week, so this week was a good time to go home and visit.

This time it was Qiao Zhenting who came to pick her up, riding a bicycle. Qiao Bailu was a little surprised: "Why is it you? Our dad is not at home?"

"Didn't you ask our dad to get a construction team last time you came back? Dad found a few people last week, and they are now building the site in town." Qiao Zhenting said with a smile, taking Qiao Bailu home: "Dad said that we can make about 4,000 to 5,000 yuan on this trip, so we will have enough money for the New Year."

"Really? You can make 4,000 or 5,000 just by building a shopping mall? How long does it take?" Qiao Bailu asked hurriedly. Qiao Zhenting shook his head and answered, "It will be almost until the Chinese New Year, about two months. By the way, sister, didn't you say last time that you wrote a novel? How is it going?"

"It's not done yet. How are your grades? I'm telling you, don't be hypocritical. If you say you won't drop out but don't study, you'll get beaten if I find out your test scores have dropped during the New Year." Qiao Bailu hit Qiao Zhenting hard. Qiao Zhenting turned around and made a face. His bicycle immediately twisted and rushed to the side of the road. Qiao Bailu screamed, "Watch the road!"

"Look how timid you are." Qiao Zhenting turned back with a smile: "Can I make you fall?"

"That's hard to say! I don't know which idiot stabbed his own stomach with the handlebars when he was riding a bicycle as a kid!" Qiao Bailu said unhappily, "Also, I don't know which idiot jumped off the bicycle and landed on a rake and pierced his ankle. Luckily, that idiot survived!"

He was really lucky. Although the handlebar pierced his stomach, it fortunately didn’t pierce his internal organs. Although the rake pierced his ankle, it fortunately didn’t pierce his bones and tendons.

Qiao Zhenting quickly begged for mercy: "Sister, it's been so many years, please don't mention it anymore, okay?"

"Okay, as long as you don't do stupid things next time." Qiao Bailu said unhappily. The two siblings bickered all the way home, and it was dark when they got home. Not long after they entered the house, Qiao Jianjun also came back from town. As soon as he entered the door, he smiled and put a bag on the chopping board: "Knowing that Bailu will be back today, I bought a roast chicken in town. It smells good. Chop it up quickly and have roast chicken for dinner."

Qiao Zhenting quickly came over and took away a chicken leg. He Xiaoxiang then took another one and gave it to Qiao Bailu, and then chopped up the rest. While doing so, she asked Qiao Jianjun, "How was the work today?"

"What can I do? It's the same as always." Qiao Jianjun washed his hands and face with hot water and said with a smile, "After this is done, I have to find someone who knows carpentry and a bricklayer. A construction team needs all kinds of people. Otherwise, if they can only move bricks, what's the point? Ask around in the village and see who can do this. I'll recruit them for you later."

Chapter 10 Chapter 1

He Xiaoxiang responded, thought for a moment and asked again: "The mall is quite big, do they need glass?"

Qiao Bailu's second uncle sells glass. The glass for Qiao's new house was made by his second uncle. It was half the price of the market price. In fact, it was a subsidy from his second uncle to his third sister. However, if the mall wanted it, it would definitely not be this price.

Qiao Jianjun also understood what He Xiaoxiang meant. He sat down at the table and ate half of a scallion pancake. "Of course I want it, but don't be in a hurry. We should do it step by step. I will ask about it later. Don't say anything about Guohong either."

"Of course. I won't tell you unless you ask for sure." He Xiaoxiang said with a smile. The Qiao family is not very large. Qiao Jianjun has only one older brother and one older sister. In comparison, the He family has more people. He Xiaoxiang has two older brothers and two older sisters, and she is the youngest.

After saying a few more words, He Xiaoxiang turned to look at Qiao Bailu: "I've laid out an electric blanket for you today. Turn it on later and turn it off when you go to bed."

"It's laid out so early." Qiao Bailu was a little surprised. He Xiaoxiang said while eating, "How early? It's cold today. The yams should be scraped. By the way, how long do you have left for the holiday?"

"There's still more than a month left. The holiday will probably be on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, or maybe earlier." Qiao Bailu recalled for a moment before saying this. He Xiaoxiang nodded, "It's almost time. Bring more money this time and don't come back before the holiday. Next week we'll start peeling the yam, and you won't be able to help if you come back. There's no one to cook for you yet, so just study hard at school."

"I can help." Qiao Bailu said hurriedly. She used to dislike scraping the yam skin because if she accidentally scratched the back of her hand, it would itch for a whole day! Moreover, the peeled yam was slippery and difficult to hold. If she was not careful, it would break. The broken yam was not easy to sell. Yam slices were not as valuable as yam sticks, so He Xiaoxiang always scolded her. So, if it was really in her previous life, she would definitely not come back.

But she has matured in this life and knows that she has to share the burden for her parents. She feels bad for staying at school even though she knows that her parents are busy at home. What's more, Qiao Jianjun has to work in the town, so He Xiaoxiang will have to do the yam peeling work alone. There are two acres of yam at home, and she has to work all winter by herself.

"No, seriously, don't come back. I've asked your aunt and your aunt Cuihua next door to help. Even if you come back, they won't be able to help." He Xiaoxiang put down the bowl and chopsticks and said, "Besides, the water for washing yam is too cold. It won't be worth it if your hands get frozen. My hands are rough and not afraid of freezing, but your hands are tender. If they get frozen, it will be a lifetime problem."

Qiao Bailu's hands are indeed beautiful. Since she was three years old, He Xiaoxiang would boil a basin of water on the fire every winter. She would use a special iron basin and soak her hands from the warm water until the water was very hot. After soaking, she would apply ointment. Qiao Bailu forgot what the ointment was called. It was white and oily. She would apply a thick layer of ointment, bake it on the fire for a long time, and go to bed after it was dried. Her hands would be warm all night.

This continued until she was in junior high school. From childhood to adulthood, no matter how cold the winter was, her hands had never been frozen.

"Do you want to pay?" Qiao Bailu asked. He Xiaoxiang nodded, "Of course I will. Ten dollars a day. We can get together and talk. The work will be done faster. Don't come and join in the fun."

"What about your meal? Everyone go back to their own homes?" Qiao Bailu asked again. He Xiaoxiang looked at Qiao Jianjun with a smile and said, "Your grandma is really kind this time. She told me to go over there to eat."

Grandma has always been a little partial, probably because she wants to live in the eldest son's home in the future, so she always protects the eldest son and only gives the good things to the eldest son. But everyone has different fingers, so it's normal for a mother to be a little partial, anyway, it's not particularly unusual, she likes to take advantage of small things, but she is not vague about big things.

However, I don’t know if it’s because the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are born to be incompatible. He Xiaoxiang is very generous to others, but she is a little narrow-minded towards Grandma He. Qiao Bailu is already in high school, but she still brings up the things that happened when she got married, almost once a year. Now, when it comes to Grandma He, it starts again.

"When we divided the family property, we gave your father a jar of wheat! It's winter, what would you eat without food?"

Qiao Jianjun was helpless: "Don't you still have a house and land? Besides, how can you celebrate the New Year without food? Also, who took care of you when you gave birth? How many eggs a day, why didn't you tell me about this?"

He Xiaoxiang felt a little guilty: "Isn't that giving birth to a child for your Qiao family? Why do you think Bai Lu and Zhen Ting have the surname Qiao? Why don't they have the surname He?"

Qiao Jianjun quickly waved his hands: "Okay, okay, you are right. Whatever you say is right."

He Xiaoxiang grumbled a few more times, then stood up to clean up the dishes. Qiao Bailu tried to persuade her again, but He Xiaoxiang had made up her mind: "Don't come back. No one will pick you up if you come back. Your dad is busy. Your brother needs to study hard. If he loses his rank in the exam, let your dad beat him with a belt! He'll rebel if he's not beaten for a day! The teacher came to visit us last time and said that his test scores were falling behind again! Give him extra lessons tomorrow!"

The weather was too cold, and Qiao Bailu didn't feel like reading, so she just curled up on the sofa and watched TV. Qiao Jianjun lit a cigarette, "I went to the business hall to inquire today. It costs more than 200 yuan to install a phone. There are two ways to pay, one is a yearly package, and the other is a monthly package. The annual package is 240 yuan a year, and you can make calls as much as you want. The monthly package is 12 yuan a month, and each month is 200 minutes. If you exceed one minute, you will have to pay 22 cents. Answering calls is free. There is also a tietong, which is cheaper. It doesn't cost money if you don't make calls, but it costs 22 cents a minute when you do make calls. Bailu, calculate, which one is more cost-effective?"

"Do we need to install a telephone at home?" Qiao Bailu was a little surprised. In her previous life, her family had a lot of debts due to building a house, so they didn't use the telephone much, so they simply didn't install one. It wasn't until she graduated from high school and was about to go to college that her parents felt it would be inconvenient to contact each other in the future, so they quickly installed a telephone.

As for mobile phones, that was even later. Qiao Bailu was about to graduate from university, but Qiao Jianjun had just started using a mobile phone.

"Well, it's not convenient to go to your uncle's house all the time and have to run across a street." Qiao Jianjun said with a smile. Qiao Bailu asked with a smile: "Dad has made money, so he is willing to install a telephone? That's a good thing, but, Dad, will you make more phone calls in the future?"

"It's hard to say. Not much now, but I can't say for sure in the future." Qiao Jianjun hesitated for a moment before saying, "Let's contact the people in town now, and some of the people I work with. There's not much to do. I calculated that I can play for dozens of minutes a month."

"This annual or monthly package can be changed, right?" Qiao Bailu asked again. Qiao Jianjun nodded: "That's right, but you have to use it for a year before you can change it."

"Then let's get a monthly subscription first." Qiao Bailu calculated and said, maybe when dad needs to make phone calls more often, he should change his phone. Now he should save as much as possible, since few people call anyway.

"Okay, let's install the monthly package first." Qiao Jianjun made the decision immediately. Qiao Bailu originally thought that it was a deal and that the system would be installed by the Chinese New Year, but she didn't expect that the next day a bunch of telephone wires and a telephone would come to the China Unicom business hall.

In less than an hour, I pulled the phone pole at the door and dragged it towards my home. After it was installed, I dialed the number again and called back to listen to see if the voice was clear. That was it.

Qiao Jianjun was still at the construction site in the town. The man said that the money had been paid and he would leave after the phone was installed.

He Xiaoxiang sat in front of the phone all morning and wondered: "Hey, Bailu, come and see, how is this time set?"

"Hey, Bailu, come and have a look. This manual also says that you can set a ringtone. Come and see how to do it."

"Bai Lu, Bai Lu, come here and write all the phone numbers on this piece of paper. The size of the notebook is too small and you have to flip back and forth. If you write on the paper, stick it on the wall so I can see it more clearly."

"Bai Lu..."

Qiao Bailu rolled her eyes and pulled Qiao Zhenting's ear: "Go and have a look."

"I'm not going. Mom is just here to have a look. Can't you just keep quiet?" Qiao Zhenting didn't even move. Qiao Bailu waited for a while, and sure enough, she didn't hear He Xiaoxiang shouting again. So she didn't take it seriously and continued to torment Qiao Zhenting: "Read it carefully! What does the question require? If you make a mistake again, I'll beat you up!"

"Sister, please forgive me, I really can't do it." Qiao Zhenting wanted to cry. In the past, he looked forward to his elder sister coming home the most, because her return meant that the family could have better meals. But today, he thought that he should let his elder sister go back to her school as soon as possible. He really couldn't stand it anymore.

"Didn't I just explain it once? Did you listen carefully?" Qiao Bailu frowned, pulled the draft paper, and pointed at the formula she had just written: "Come, I'll say it again, you listen carefully, if you still can't write it out, don't eat lunch!"

Qiao Zhenting listened with a sad face on the table. Fortunately, he was not particularly stupid, and after two explanations, he finally had some clue. Seeing Qiao Zhenting lowering his head and doing the questions seriously, Qiao Bailu couldn't help laughing while flipping through the book.

When Xie Jiayuan explained the questions to him, he would sometimes repeat them three or five times. Look at Qiao Zhenting, she would get impatient if he asked her twice more. But Xie Jiayuan never got impatient even if he asked her five times, and he was still gentle.

Good temper, good personality, good character, good looks, Xie Jiayuan, I have no intention of letting you go in this life.