Seeing that the class hadn't ended, Mu Jingzhe was about to leave quietly. However, before she could turn around, Xiao Wu noticed her.
"Mommy!" Xiao Wu was overjoyed to see Mu Jingzhe. He bounced over to her and hugged her legs. "Mommy, you're finally back. I missed you so much."
"I missed you too." Mu Jingzhe picked him up and asked if he was obedient.
"I'm very obedient." Xiao Wu rubbed his face against Mu Jingzhe's. "I just missed Mommy a lot."
Mu Jingzhe put him down and squatted to stroke his head. "I missed you too. What a good boy."
Ji Buwang was also very surprised to see Mu Jingzhe. When he saw Xiao Wu like this, he couldn't help but feel envious. He also wanted to go over and hug her; he wanted to be cared for.
However, he knew that it was impossible, so he stepped back and squatted beside Xiao Wu. When Mu Jingzhe greeted him, he asked, "Jingzhe, can you stroke my head too?"
Mu Jingzhe: "…"
What kind of a strange request was this?
"Why should I stroke your head?"
"When I saw you stroking Xiao Wu's head, it looked like it felt really good. I remembered that my mother used to stroke my head like that too."
After saying that, Ji Buwang felt that something was amiss, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Mu Jingzhe: "???"
Her expression was indescribable. Was she giving off a maternal glow or something?
Although Ji Buwang's head looked very nice to stroke, she still shook her head and refused. After all, the action of stroking one's head was too intimate.
Ji Buwang couldn't help but feel disappointed. Xiao Wu looked at him and quickly said, "Teacher Ji, I'll help you stroke your head."
After saying that, he stretched out his little hand and patted Ji Buwang's head.
Mu Jingzhe looked at the way Xiao Wu was doing it and saw that it wasn't much different from the way he petted the puppies in the village.
Ji Buwang was extremely touched and lifted Xiao Wu up. "Xiao Wu, you're wonderful. You're a little angel!"
The little angel had given Ji Buwang strength. "Xiao Wu's music is very warm and gives people strength. If he creates a new tune in the future, you can record it," he suggested to Mu Jingzhe.
Mu Jingzhe nodded. "Got it."
After picking up Xiao Wu and meeting up with Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan, Mu Jingzhe took over the job of taking care of the children.
As the dried fruits had been successfully made, she began negotiating with the villagers. She would accept their fruit as long as they met the requirements and helped to sell them.
Mu Jingzhe was now a capable person in the village. Everyone trusted her when they heard that. When she said she would accept the dried fruit, the villagers didn't even ask how much she would be paying them and just went ahead and made the dried fruit.
The main reason was that they couldn't fetch any money to begin with. Any money they managed to get from this would be a bonus.
Li Fang pulled herself together and continued selling hair ornaments. When she heard about the dried fruit, she said that she could get some supplies from Mu Jingzhe in bulk. Mu Jingzhe agreed.
Great Eastern Village started to get busy. Seeing that Mu Jingzhe was busy, Shao Dong even suggested an idea to her.
"We can first sell dried fruit this year, and next year, we can try making fruit cans. There are actually quite a lot of fruits in our county. There are also many varieties."
Mu Jingzhe nodded. "Yes, we can actually open a canned fruit factory. We can also produce fruit soda, walnut juice… We can make them all."
It was a good idea, but she needed technology and money. "Let's see if it will work out next year."
Shao Dong nodded. "Definitely. When the time comes, I'll help you, Mommy. I actually thought of a business that will earn money, but I might need your support."
While Mu Jingzhe took Little Bei to film, Shao Dong did something big.
Now that Shao Dong had learned Chinese chess, he had truly entered the inner circle of the grandpas at the cultural center. While playing Chinese chess with the old grandpas, he'd also bring Shao Xi and Shao Nan so they could learn another foreign language for free. He had even gained the favor of the old grandmas and become their little friend.
Then, he learned about the profit of picking up garbage.
These five kids were the kind who could soar with just one opportunity.
Shao Dong was really talented, so he quickly discovered the business opportunity that garbage offered.
Before the King of Rubbish had come out, he had relied on his natural sensitivity to detect this business opportunity.
Shao Dong told Mu Jingzhe about his discovery, the places he had gone to, how the operation worked, and so on.
Whenever he was speaking about it, Shao Dong's eyes lit up, and he no longer cared about his stutter.
Now that Shao Dong was increasingly unafraid of speaking in front of Mu Jingzhe, he no longer minded even though he was stuttering more than usual due to his excitement.
His face was clearly still young, and his voice sounded tender, but his thoughts were not at all naive. He truly displayed his business talent.
Mu Jingzhe sighed with emotion. In their previous life, Shao Dong and his siblings had been forced to pick up garbage. Later on, he had relied on picking up garbage to treat his younger sister and earn his first bucket of gold.
This time, he didn't have to pick up rubbish. However, that first bucket of gold was still fated, and it was showing up in advance in such a way.
Mu Jingzhe was very glad. "Sure, I think your plan is promising. I'll give you the money you need, and you can go ahead with the operation."
Mu Jingzhe trusted him.
Shao Dong hadn't expected Mu Jingzhe to agree. He had previously told his uncle, Shao Qiyang, and the latter had said he was dreaming.
"Thank you… Mommy. Mommy, I'll definitely earn money. I won't let you down!" Shao Dong was thrilled.
"I know." Mu Jingzhe nodded.
During this summer vacation, Shao Dong and Little Bei had their own gains and embarked on a new journey.
Even as Shao Dong started working with a stiff face, he still didn't stop learning.
The more Mu Jingzhe looked at them, the more emotional she felt. What she didn't know was that another person was also observing the children.
It was none other than Ji Buwang.
Apart from observing them, he also wanted to build a good relationship with the children. Alas, he'd deliberately approached them a few times, but he hadn't gotten any good results.
When he bumped into a parent of five children by chance, Ji Buwang couldn't help but approach him.
"Brother, is raising a child difficult?"
The parent was wary. "Who are you?"
"Oh, I'm a piano teacher here. I want to understand more about the changes in the mentality of children and parents."
Only then did the parent relax. "Of course it's difficult to raise children, especially since my family has five. It requires a lot of effort. The main issue is that we need money for everything. Look, money is tight enough at home, yet they have to learn things like the piano. Teacher, you have to teach them well."
"I will, but Brother, I also want to ask if it would still be very difficult to raise five children if money was not an issue. Would it be better?"
"If money was not an issue?" The parent looked suspicious. "Are you mocking me? I feel like you're talking about me."
"No, no, Brother. I was just asking. I didn't mean anything by it."
"Well, if money wasn't an issue, of course it wouldn't be so difficult." Seeing the delighted look on Ji Buwang's face, the parent said, "Wait a minute, why are you asking this when you don't have five children?"
"I'm just asking. In case it ever comes up."
The parent left in confusion. Then, Ji Buwang asked another parent who was close to his child.
It was the same question—would it be difficult to raise five children if money wasn't an issue?
"Of course, that would not be easy either. Although well-to-do families don't feel as much pressure, having money doesn't mean that there will be no problems. Money isn't omnipotent. What's important is patience, but having money is always better. After all, it's my child. Everything can be discussed."
Ji Buwang nodded. "Then… what if it's not your biological child?"
Not your biological child?" When the parent heard that, he sized Ji Buwang up with a strange gaze. Was he a cuckold?
Ji Buwang sensed that something was amiss and quickly explained, "No, Brother, it's not what you think. I'm talking about being a stepfather."
"Stepfather? Are you going to be a stepfather? And the stepfather of five children to boot?" The parent's gaze became even stranger, as though he was staring at a pretty-looking gigolo.
Ji Buwang looked around and hurriedly reassured this agitated parent. He couldn't let the children hear this.
"Brother, I was just asking. Don't take it seriously. Sorry to trouble you."
The parent couldn't not take it seriously. Even as he left the school, he continued grumbling. 'What is that young man thinking?' Later on, he went on to mumble about how the moral degeneration of the world was getting worse day by day.
After sending that parent away, Ji Buwang felt that he had been too rash. He shouldn't have asked questions so aimlessly. He had to be more cautious.
Maybe he could try interacting with those children again.
Ji Buwang felt that he could try interacting with Little Bei first, as the little girl had a good personality and had the best relationship with Mu Jingzhe.
However, he didn't have the chance because Little Bei had some good news again.
True to his word, that director had really recommended Little Bei to his friend. That friend was a movie director whose surname was Lu.
Due to the high praise of his old friend and the fact that he had seen Little Bei perform and cry, Director Lu had decided to come and see Little Bei himself.
He didn't inform the school. He came straight over to look for Little Bei.
How could Little Bei know that this was the director? She saw that he kept staring at her. At first, she asked if something was wrong, but later on, she realized that he seemed abnormal. One moment, he asked her to cry, and the next moment, he asked her to laugh. She thought she had met a lunatic.
Thus, she found an opportunity to look for the teacher, who in turn brought a few male teachers over warily. Only then did Director Lu realize what Little Bei thought of him.
He laughed out loud and said that Little Bei was smart before he revealed his identity. Then, he asked Little Bei to audition.
After taking a look, Director Lu immediately decided on Little Bei. "It's you. You are the Xiao Jiu I've been looking for!"
Just like that, Little Bei was chosen as the female lead.
When Mu Jingzhe came to pick up Little Bei and found out about this, her first reaction was to think that the man was a fraud. After all, the audition process was weird.
Facing Mu Jingzhe's wary gaze, Director Lu gave her a simple, innocent smile.
"Hello, Little Bei's mother. I'm Lu Chenglin. I'm a director…"
After Director Lu's introduction, Mu Jingzhe became less vigilant, but there was a hint of confusion.
From the sound of it, she suspected that this Director Lu was the one with the discerning eye in Little Bei's previous life who had poached Little Bei to make her the main lead. In the end, this role had allowed Little Bei to become the youngest movie queen.
But wasn't this something that would happen three or four years later? Why was he looking for her now?
It was only after hearing Director Lu's explanation that she understood what was going on.
Lu Chenglin hadn't started out as a director. He actually used to be a writer in the past. Later on, he changed careers and became a screenwriter. He also learned by himself how to be a cameraman. Later on, he worked as a cameraman and also wrote a script.
Recently, he had written a script, but the director he worked with wasn't willing to film it. Thus, he wanted to pull in investments and film it himself.
He had been lucky enough to get some funding. Although it wasn't a lot, he would be able to produce the movie if he persisted and kept an eye on the budget. However, the casting was a problem.
This was because his script was relatively special. The female lead was a young child, and the supporting role was also a young child. The female lead was a patient with a hearing disorder. There were high expectations for the young actress, as she had to portray someone who couldn't hear or speak. She even had to know how to cry.
This was because the little actress was a pitiful girl. Her ears couldn't hear due to a high fever, and the cause of that fever was her stepmother and negligent biological father.
In the end, she bravely embarked on an adventure to find her father. This was a story about her finally finding her father after going through a lot with the help of many people.
Based on the storyline, it seemed like it was completely tailored to Little Bei's previous life.
"I'm telling you the general story because I want to reassure the parents about what kind of work we're doing. I was worried we wouldn't be able to find an actress, but it's fine now."
Mu Jingzhe guessed that in his previous life, the director hadn't managed to find a suitable actor. In the end, by the time he'd finally found Little Bei and cast her in the movie, she had gotten older, so the director had to change the age of the main character. Now that Little Bei had been found ahead of time, there was no need to change it, right?
Little Bei was very willing to act, and Director Lu was very sincere. The teacher also said that there was nothing wrong with his identity, so they quickly signed the contract.
At six years old, she was chosen to be the female lead in this movie. Little Bei had been discovered ahead of time.
Unlike Little Nezha's part, although Little Bei had been chosen, a lot of preparations were needed to start filming. Director Lu went to prepare in high spirits and said that he would be waiting for Little Bei to join the production team.
During this period, Little Bei could also try to grasp the state and feel of a deaf and mute person. Little Bei nodded seriously. She did just that and changed her talking habits. Later on, she even wanted to learn sign language.
It was uncertain if they would need sign language in the movie. Director Lu hadn't said so either, but Little Bei wanted to learn it. Besides, learning sign language was pretty good, so Mu Jingzhe supported it.
They hadn't found anyone who knew sign language yet, but after Ji Buwang learned this, he gave Mu Jingzhe the latest edition of a sign language book.
"This was created after a discussion and the formulation of more than 600 new words and gestures. It's considered the latest book in the country. If nothing goes wrong, it will become the standard in the future. You can rest assured and have her learn from it."
"Okay, that's great. Thank you so much."
Little Bei was as serious as if she had found a precious treasure. Mu Jingzhe also learned a little alongside her. The boys weren't picky and learned whatever they came across.
Within two days, since Little Bei was unwilling to speak and only communicated in sign language with them, they replied back in sign language. Even Xiao Wu seemed to be doing a fine job conversing in it. The only exception was Mu Jingzhe, who was a poor student in comparison to the kids.
Her learning ability was average, and she couldn't learn that quickly. Besides, she was also busy.
Mu Jingzhe: "You won't use this opportunity to badmouth me in front of me, right?"
Little Bei laughed. "No way, Mommy. We love you the most."
Actually, Mu Jingzhe had also learned some sign language in her previous life. This was because it was inevitable that some children in the orphanage would have physical disabilities. There were also some who couldn't speak or hear, but she had only learned it for a short time and hadn't mastered it. She was still a dabbler now.
"I'll learn it when I have the time." Mu Jingzhe made up her mind.
In the end, she didn't get to learn it properly because the capable children kept creating surprises for her.
Shao Xi also gave her one.
A few days after she took Little Bei to film, Shao Xi saw a notice at the county cultural center. It was about a literature competition for young children in the city.
This was the third time they were holding the competition, and it was open to all elementary, middle, and high school students in the entire city. Shao Xi had submitted his entry before the deadline. He hadn't expected to receive a notice to attend the award ceremony.
The invitation didn't say what award Shao Xi had won, but according to tradition, anyone who was invited would usually receive an award.
"I'll definitely get the award. I wrote the most words, a total of 5,000."
The competition was mainly for short- to medium-length essays, with a word count requirement between 2,000 words to no more than 30,000 words. The number of words Shao Xi had written fell within that range.
He had previously written relatively short essays, so 5,000 words were indeed a lot.
There's also prize money involved. The first place gets 100 yuan, the second place gets 80 yuan, and the third place gets 60 yuan. There are a few spots for the Outstanding Prize, but the prize money is only 10 yuan. I hope to get 100 yuan!"
A hundred yuan was considered very respectable in that day and age.
"The second and third place are also good." Though Mu Jingzhe believed in Shao Xi, when she heard that elementary school, middle school, and high school students weren't separated into different categories, she was afraid that they wouldn't give the first place to an elementary school student. That was why she said that it would be good to get second or third place too.
"Yes, it's not bad, but first place is even better." Shao Xi still aimed for first place. "Are we going to the award ceremony then, Mommy?"
"Of course."
When Ji Buwang heard that they were going, he said that he was going too and that he could use this chance to go home.
The last time Mu Jingzhe had taken Little Bei to shoot an advertisement, Ji Buwang had also said that he wanted to go. However, he hadn't managed to do so later on. This time, it was true.
He said that he wanted to go home, but when they arrived in the city, he didn't go home at all. Instead, he followed Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi around and lived with them in the guesthouse.
The award ceremony was being held at the city cultural center. The students who had been invited to the ceremony were those who had performed very well. Of course, other participants were also welcome to participate.
The participants and their parents sat separately. According to the organizer, this was meant to increase their children's independence.
Based on the seating arrangement, there were exactly ten people sitting in the first row, including those who would receive the Outstanding Prize.
Even an Outstanding Prize was only given to those in the city who performed well. Everyone was quite happy, except for Shao Xi, who didn't fit in.
This was because he was the youngest.
Everyone looked at him suspiciously. However, because they had never seen him before, no one spoke to him, unlike the others, who mostly knew each other.
Because they were outstanding in this circle in the city at their age, many of them were groomed by their families.
There was a bespectacled girl and a chubby boy who were the focus of everyone's attention.
This was because the two of them had both published their work in a magazine and newspaper. They were also popular candidates for the first prize. Compared to them, Shao Xi didn't stand out in that group.
In the past, Shao Xi would probably have felt inferior and thought that it would be impossible for him to win.
However, after being showered with Mu Jingzhe's constant praise and receiving royalties previously, he had gained a bit of confidence. He quietly listened to them and obtained more information.
Shao Xi didn't say anything, but because he had an outstanding appearance and looked like a little prince, the girls were attracted to him.
The bespectacled girl also glanced at Shao Xi a few more times and asked him for his name curiously.
"My name is Shao Xi."
Shao Xi got acquainted with the little girl, but when he turned around, he saw the chubby boy, who was also a popular contender for the first prize, glaring at him.
"Why would you bother befriending a country bumpkin?" Chubby Boy's face was filled with disdain, and he spoke very unkindly.
Shao Xi frowned. "Who are you calling a country bumpkin?"
"You, of course. Who else here is one besides you? You're wearing smelly sandals, and they're even green. Ugh… You must be broadening your horizons by coming from the countryside to the city, huh? But this isn't something a country bumpkin like you can participate in. The judging panel must have given you an Outstanding Prize only because they took pity on you. If it were me, I'd be too embarrassed to come!"
The only person who had caught arrogant Chubby Boy's eyes was the bespectacled girl. Therefore, he had been annoyed to see her talking to Shao Xi.
Back in the county, those children had been despised because they didn't have plastic sandals. Now, in the city, Shao Xi was despised because of his plastic sandals. This was because many children in the city were proud of wearing leather sandals. Plastic sandals were considered cheap goods by them.
Ever since Shao Xi had gotten his sandals, he'd liked wearing them and had treasured them very much. He hadn't expected to be despised for it.
Shao Xi scoffed. "I like to compete using my true abilities. The winner and loser will be revealed soon. If you want to bark, you can wait and see."
"You're the one barking. You're the dog." Chubby Boy snorted in disdain. "Those who don't know any better might think you'll win, but you are overestimating yourself. Don't cry when you lose!"
"Counterattack. You don't cry if you lose!"
Shao Xi could easily anger someone to death with his words. Chubby Boy's agitated reaction attracted the attention of the parents behind him.
Mu Jingzhe was sitting in the back. She had noticed that there were parents around with cameras and whole families that had come together. She was the only one without a camera.
She thought for a moment and asked the old man beside her if he could also help her take a photo of her child. She wanted to develop the photo and keep it.
The old man understood Mu Jingzhe's feelings and agreed readily. "Sure, leave me your address. I'll send it to you after I develop it."
"Thank you, thank you so much. How much is the photograph? I'll pay you in advance."
"No need. It doesn't cost much. You don't have to pay me."
Mu Jingzhe had just finished writing down her name and address when she heard some noise ahead. Worried, she went forward to take a look. Shao Xi looked at her and smiled, saying that he was fine.
Since the award ceremony had officially started, Mu Jingzhe didn't ask any more questions.
Although it wasn't a big affair, the award ceremony was organized quite well. There was even a performance at the start.
Soon, it was time for the official award ceremony. First was the Outstanding Prize, but Shao Xi wasn't among those who received it.
Chubby Boy's expression was a little sulky. He thought that Shao Xi had won the third prize, so he whispered to him, "Even if you get third place, you'll still be someone I defeated."
In the end, when the third place was called out, it turned out to be the bespectacled little girl. The remaining two candidates were Chubby Boy and Shao Xi.
Chubby Boy's countenance was awful. "I didn't expect you to get second place, but you'll never be as good as me…"
Before he could finish, his name was heard. He'd gotten second place and Second Prize.
Shao Xi had won first place and First Prize.
On the stage, Chubby Boy's expression was so ugly that it didn't look like he was going up to receive an award. Instead, he looked like he was attending a funeral, and there was even a hint of panic on his face.
Holding the trophy, Shao Xi didn't pay attention to Chubby Boy. He didn't want to pay attention to him, nor did he want to add insult to injury. He only looked at Mu Jingzhe, who stood up and clapped excitedly, and waved his hand.
Mu Jingzhe was ecstatic. She had thought that he wouldn't get first place. Indeed, a bigshot was a bigshot.
After the old man took a photo, Mu Jingzhe ran over excitedly and hugged Shao Xi. "Little Xi, you're awesome! You're amazing! How can you be so amazing?"
When he saw how worked up Mu Jingzhe was, Shao Xi's ears turned red. He coughed and handed the trophy to her. "Since you're so happy and you like it so much, I'll give it to you."
"That's great!" Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Xi. Without even thinking it through, when she saw his handsome, cool, and tender appearance, she couldn't help but kiss his forehead.
Shao Xi was stunned.
He had seen Mu Jingzhe kiss Little Bei and Xiao Wu's foreheads, but he had never thought that he would be kissed too. His face instantly turned red.
Mu Jingzhe felt a little embarrassed when she realized what she had done. However, she quickly became thick-skinned. "I'm your mother, so don't be stingy. Let me give you a kiss. You're all grown up now. I won't have a chance in the future."
When a child of the opposite sex grew up, a parent ought to keep a certain distance from them, for the child's good. Right now, she was grasping at her last opportunities to do so before it was too late.
Next year, at the latest, she wouldn't have this chance. Upon thinking about it, she felt quite regretful. "When I go back and see your older brother, I'm going to kiss him too. Otherwise, I won't have a chance in this lifetime."
She even wanted to go back and kiss his big brother?
Shao Xi snorted and couldn't help but say, "You were praising me just now, and now you're thinking of my big brother."
Mu Jingzhe clicked her tongue. "What kind of words are those?"
She boldly touched Shao Xi's head, very much cherishing this opportunity. There wouldn't be many more opportunities to stroke his head. When he grew up, she wouldn't have a chance to do so anymore.
"Alright, let's stop fooling around. When can I see your work? I don't even know what you wrote this time. You said you would let me see it as soon as you finished writing."
"You'll see it tomorrow. From now on, the winners' works will take turns being published in the children's newspaper. The first-place winner's essay will be published tomorrow."
"So your work will be published in the newspaper? Our Little Xi is really impressive. Wait till I buy a hundred… no, a thousand copies!"
The corners of Shao Xi's mouth kept curling up, but he cautioned her. "1,000 copies is too much. If you buy so many, other people won't be able to buy and read it. Also, it'll be hard to carry so many copies home."
"But we have to give some away and keep some for our collection. We have to buy more. When school reopens, the school will surely publicize it and keep a few copies for future students to see." Mu Jingzhe pondered it for a moment. "But you're right. Let's buy a hundred copies then."
In the future, Shao Xi would definitely have more work.
They were talking happily, so they didn't notice the hostile, envious gaze of Chubby Boy while his mother dragged him out.
Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi were about to leave when they happened to meet the old man with the camera. The old man was the bespectacled little girl's grandfather. When he saw them, he greeted them and even asked if the mother-and-son duo wanted to take a photo together.
Mu Jingzhe thanked him profusely. She hugged Shao Xi and raised the trophy for the camera.
"Little Xi, smile!" Their smiles were captured by the camera.
The bespectacled little girl congratulated Shao Xi. Mu Jingzhe was so grateful for their help that she took a bunch of hair ornaments out of her bag and gave them to her. "Take them and wear them."
This was a beautiful encounter.
Before leaving, Shao Xi and Mu Jingzhe went to the washroom and saw Chubby Boy at the top of the stairs again.
Chubby Boy was being scolded by his equally chubby mother, who was twisting his ear, calling him a disgrace, and asking him why he hadn't won first place. "Why didn't you get first place? Didn't I tell you that other than first place, everything else is meaningless? It's useless for you to get second place. No one looks at the second-place winner."
Shao Xi and Mu Jingzhe looked at each other and felt that he was a tad pitiful. Then, they heard Chubby Boy shout, "I'll win next time! I'll definitely beat that country bumpkin."
When Mu Jingzhe heard this form of address, she felt that she had pitied him for nothing. She frowned and ignored them.
She had wanted to tell the parent not to twist his ear like that, for it was bad for the child and she might accidentally damage his ear.
However, when she heard him call Shao Xi a country bumpkin, she was displeased. Parents and children like them probably wouldn't heed her words, and she would only attract trouble by meddling.
"Let's go, Little Xi. Don't mind the people who slander you. They're only slandering you because they're inferior to you."
Who would care about the person who lost to them if they won?
Shao Xi was at first a little unhappy. After all, that boy had called him a country bumpkin. The clothes he wore and everything he used had been given to him by Mu Jingzhe, and he was already very satisfied. However, when he heard Mu Jingzhe's comforting words, he cheered up. "Alright, I'll beat him every time in the future!"
"It doesn't matter if you win or not. It's good to have an opponent, but one's greatest opponent is oneself."
Shao Xi listened to Mu Jingzhe and saw that she was holding his shoulders as if she was protecting him, as though they were truly mother and son. He nodded obediently.
"Mm, I'll listen to you, Mommy."
Only then did he realize that this was how his younger sister, Little Bei, had felt when she had gone out alone with Mommy.
Shao Xi felt a little ashamed. Although he was a little selfish, it felt good to have his mother all to himself because it felt like his mother's heart was with him when they were alone. It was completely different from when they were at home, where Mu Jingzhe had to split her attention between the five of them.
No wonder Little Bei was becoming clingier and clingier and liked her more and more every day. He felt the same way.
Besides, Little Bei was a girl. She might be even closer to Mommy when she went out with her alone.
Shao Xi's hunch was right. Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei were indeed more intimate. Little Bei was young, and mothers tended to be more intimate with daughters, so there was no lack of hugging, piggybacking, and kissing.
Mu Jingzhe would kiss Little Bei every day, and Little Bei had also kissed her cheek before.
It wasn't that Mu Jingzhe's relationship with Shao Dong and Shao Xi wasn't good, but it was impossible for them to be that intimate.
At this thought, Mu Jingzhe happened to let go of his shoulder. He tilted his head and secretly glanced at Mu Jingzhe. Seeing the mother-and-son duo walking in front of them, he couldn't help but secretly want to hold Mu Jingzhe's hand.
Before he could reach out, Mu Jingzhe raised her head and called out, "Ji Buwang!"
Shao Xi found himself grasping air. He pursed his lips and retracted his hand, then followed Mu Jingzhe as she went up to Ji Buwang.
He was a little annoyed. Why was Teacher Ji here again? Didn't he have to go home or do anything to keep busy?
Ji Buwang was waiting for them at the door. Mu Jingzhe was puzzled. "Are you done? Did you go home?"
Ji Buwang nodded vaguely. "I'm done. Let's go. I'll treat you to a meal and do my part as a host. I know a private restaurant that serves excellent food, but the location is a little remote. Many foreigners don't know about it. Only locals go there to eat."
"Alright, sorry to trouble you then."
"It's no trouble." Ji Buwang led the way and didn't ignore Shao Xi. "Shao Xi, did you win a prize?"
Shao Xi replied disinterestedly, "Mm."
Mu Jingzhe quickly added, "Shao Xi won the first prize and was the only elementary school student to receive a prize. The other prize winners were older than him."
Her tone was unconsciously flaunting, just like the way other mothers bragged about their children.
Shao Xi could tell, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. His mood finally improved a little.
Then, he heard Ji Buwang say, "You're so impressive. Congratulations."
The corners of Shao Xi's mouth arched slightly. Although his compliments were quite nice, he still didn't feel very good.
Shao Xi felt like Ji Buwang was totally the third wheel his mother spoke of.
He was always sandwiched between him and Mommy. This rare trip for two had, due to his insistence to tag along, turned into a trip for three.
Third-wheel Ji Buwang was constantly around and kept staring at Mu Jingzhe and talking to her, attracting her attention. After a while, Shao Xi looked listless and couldn't muster up any energy.
Even Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang sensed it. They thought that Shao Xi was hungry. "We'll be there soon."
When they arrived, Ji Buwang skillfully ordered several dishes and sighed with emotion. "I haven't been here in four years."
Four years had passed, and many things were now very different. However, the flavor of the food this restaurant served hadn't changed.
It had been decades, but the taste had remained the same.
The food tasted really good. Mu Jingzhe was quite surprised and even told Shao Xi, "Let's note down the address. We can bring Little Bei and the rest to eat here next time."
"Mm."
After they were done eating, Ji Buwang said that it was still too early to go back and suggested they walk around since they were already there.
Mu Jingzhe nodded. "Let's go shopping then."
She wanted to see what was popular in the city. If there was something suitable, she would buy it for the kids so that they wouldn't be called country bumpkins again.
Although this city was still far from comparable to modern-age big cities, there were indeed quite a lot of people on the pedestrian streets in the city center.
Mu Jingzhe took Shao Xi's hand. "Don't let go, okay?"
Although Shao Xi wasn't a toddler anymore, it would be bad if they got separated due to bad luck.
Shao Xi looked at his hand, which was being held, then at Ji Buwang beside him, and finally smiled. "Okay."
Mommy only held his hand, not the third wheel's!
If Ji Buwang could see Shao Xi's face, he would probably guess what was on his mind.
However, even though he couldn't see Shao Xi's expression, he could sense that Shao Xi wasn't in high spirits. Gazing at Shao Xi, he urged himself and smiled.
Children still needed some coaxing. When Ji Buwang saw that there was someone selling popsicles not far away, he quickly told Mu Jingzhe, "I'll go buy a popsicle. Wait for me here."
Popsicles were really rare in this era. Eating one on a hot summer day would make one feel cool all over. Coincidentally, it was noon and the weather was hot.
Shao Xi salivated a little when he heard that. Then, he became even more confident upon recalling that he had received 100 yuan as a prize today! He could buy a lot of popsicles now. It was just that he wanted to save up to buy a car.
After Ji Buwang paid, he glanced at the popsicles wrapped in a cotton blanket inside the boss's wooden box and quickly chose three.
When he turned around and saw the dense crowd, his face stiffened.
Where was Mu Jingzhe? Where was she?
Ji Buwang actually didn't like going out in the streets because it was too crowded with people. All he could see was a sea of blurry faces.
At a time like this, it was very difficult for him to use his own memory method. Once he got separated from someone, that was it for him.
When he was young, Ji Buwang's parents had taken him out to shop once. Because he had accidentally let go of his mother's hand, he hadn't been able to find his mother when he'd looked up again.
Although his mother had found him very quickly, the incident had left a trauma in his young heart and made him averse to crowds.
He was afraid that the people he went out with would be completely drowned in the crowd. That helpless feeling left him with an overwhelming sense of despair.
Ji Buwang looked at the crowd in front of him, his breathing becoming a little rapid. At that moment, he suddenly saw Mu Jingzhe.
It turned out that Mu Jingzhe had temporarily turned her head with her back facing him to say something to Shao Xi. Then, she quickly turned around.
Among the sea of thousands of people, Ji Buwang saw her at first glance.
Amidst the blurriness, a clear and bright face appeared.
Mu Jingzhe, who also saw Ji Buwang, raised her hand and waved. She remembered that Ji Buwang had face blindness, and that was why she waved at him.
That smile and the wave of her hand were forever engraved in Ji Buwang's memory.
After searching for her hundreds and thousands of times in the crowd, he suddenly turned back, and there she was by the dim light.
Ji Buwang suddenly thought of an extract from a Southern Song dynasty poem. He smiled and walked toward Mu Jingzhe.
From now on, he no longer had to be afraid of crowds. No matter how many people there were, he would always be able to see her at a glance.
Ji Buwang handed the popsicles to them. "Eat them."
"Thank you." Mu Jingzhe thanked him as she took the popsicle, which was giving off cold air.
"You're welcome." Ji Buwang smiled.
His heart was thumping wildly, and he felt unprecedented peace.
Standing in the middle, Shao Xi looked at Ji Buwang and then at Mu Jingzhe and couldn't help but frown.
For some reason, he felt that Teacher Ji Buwang's eyes looked like lightbulbs, and they seemed to have become even brighter.
Shao Xi didn't like the look in Teacher Ji's eyes. It was as if he would snatch his mother away at any moment.
Shao Xi tugged at Mu Jingzhe's hand to distract her. "Mommy, that building is so tall."
"That building is the tallest in the city. There's even a tower up there," Ji Buwang added. "Let's go and take a look."
Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi took a bite of the popsicles and let them slowly melt in their mouths as they walked over.
While walking slowly to the tall building, Ji Buwang was about to speak when he suddenly heard a short shriek.
A second later, something fell from high above and landed with a loud bang less than two meters in front of them.
Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi, who were startled, looked over instinctively.
He merely took one look, and the popsicle in his hand fell to the ground. Due to the hot weather, after the popsicle fell to the ground, it instantly melted a little.
The white popsicle created a sharp contrast with the red color beside it. Mu Jingzhe saw the face she had just seen not too long ago.
Round, chubby, fair…
However, at that moment, his appearance had changed. His face had become grotesque and deformed, as though it had been dyed with remaining grievances.
Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi knew that they shouldn't look, but they couldn't react at all at that moment. Their minds were blank.
Then, a pair of hands blocked their eyes.
"Stop looking."
"Don't be scared."
Ji Buwang covered their eyes and pulled them into his arms.
Ji Buwang had naturally seen everything. This was also the first time he had encountered such a thing.
However, it wasn't nearly as bad for him because he couldn't see the person's face. He just saw the fear on Mu Jingzhe's face.
Ji Buwang covered Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi's eyes without giving it much thought.
Mu Jingzhe's vision darkened, and she finally regained the ability to think.
She felt Shao Xi's hand tremble and heard his voice quivering. "Mommy…"
When Mu Jingzhe heard Shao Xi's voice, she was certain that it was Chubby Boy, the boy who had insulted Shao Xi by calling him a 'country bumpkin'.
Perhaps because the sun was too hot, Mu Jingzhe felt dizzy.
She tried her best to calm down and grabbed Shao Xi's hand tightly. "Don't be afraid, Little Xi. Don't be afraid."
She tried to comfort Shao Xi, but her voice was shaking, and she couldn't quite control her hands. "We have to call an ambulance…"
Mu Jingzhe momentarily forgot that they weren't in the modern era. In a daze, she started looking for her cell phone, wanting to use it to call an ambulance.
Ji Buwang didn't know what Mu Jingzhe was looking for, so he grabbed her hand. "Jingzhe, what are you looking for?"
Only then did Mu Jingzhe remember that she didn't have a cell phone.
All Shao Xi could feel in his heart was iciness. It took him a long time to find the strength to grasp Mu Jingzhe's hand tightly.
"Teacher Ji… can you save him?"
Ji Buwang furrowed his brows and looked at the pool of blood in front of him, feeling that it was too late for that.
When everyone heard about the accident, they gathered around. A man boldly stepped forward and shook his head. "He's not breathing."
He… had died.
Shao Xi's heart sank when he heard this.
He had just won the competition and he had been feeling happy about winning the prize, but that very afternoon, he had seen his competitor jump to his death right in front of him.
Because they had quarreled previously and Chubby Boy had said mean things about him and scorned him, Shao Xi had found him really annoying. He had even been happy that he had beaten him, but a second later, he had died in front of him.
Why? Why had he died? Had he jumped because he had lost?
Was it because Shao Xi had won?
Shao Xi couldn't help but wonder if this wouldn't have happened if he hadn't come to the competition and won.
Shao Xi unconsciously exerted strength with his hand, and Mu Jingzhe, whose mind was still a mess, was suddenly woken up by Shao Xi's forceful grip.
This wasn't the time to be afraid. The most important person now was Shao Xi. Shao Xi was the one who had suffered the biggest blow.
Mu Jingzhe bit the tip of her tongue to calm herself down and hugged Shao Xi.
"It's alright, Little Xi. Don't be scared."
Shao Xi let out a harsh breath when Mu Jingzhe hugged him. "Mommy, is it because of me…"
"No, definitely not. It had nothing to do with you," Mu Jingzhe immediately replied firmly. "We just met him today. It had nothing to do with us."