Chapter 203 - Too Outstanding; Can’t Be Ordinary
Chapter 203: Too Outstanding; Can’t Be Ordinary
“Are you alright? You didn’t get scalded, did you?” Mu Jingzhe was startled.
“No, the soup is cold. It’s just that my clothes are dirty.” Little Bei quickly shook her head. In order not to get scalded, she had specifically let the soup cool before spilling it. She always remembered Mu Jingzhe’s words about not letting herself get hurt.
Mu Jingzhe took Little Bei to change her clothes. When she returned, she found that the other four kids’ clothes were all dirty as well.
There was a big patch of oil on Xiao Wu’s chest. Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan had also acquired stains on their clothes somehow, from chili to the black ash found at the bottom of pots.
The pot ash that had been burned on firewood was no joke. It was black and very troublesome to wipe off. Mu Jingzhe stared at them in shock. “What’s going on?”
This would never happen normally!
“Big Brother wanted to scoop out soup for us, but things went wrong.” Shao Xi looked at Shao Dong with eyes full of admiration.
Indeed, Big Brother was Big Brother. Little Bei had just thought of a solution when he’d immediately done it without anyone knowing.
“Don’t touch it anymore. What if you get scalded? You just changed into new clothes today.” Mu Jingzhe’s head hurt.
“I’m sorry, Mommy.” Shao Dong lowered his head and apologized.
Shao Qihai quickly said, “It’s all my fault. I didn’t see them. They weren’t hurt. It’s just that their clothes are dirty. I’ll go wash them.”
Shao Dong gave Shao Qihai an apologetic smile.
The kids changed clothes and went to school. Shao Qihai picked up the clothes they had changed out of and prepared to wash them.
In the end, although he had said that he would go, he hadn’t left. Mu Jingzhe was puzzled. “What’s wrong? No washing powder?”
“No, um… do you have anything to wash?” Shao Qihai was dawdling because of this.
“No need to do mine. I can wash it myself.” Mu Jingzhe refused without thinking.
Shao Qihai hesitated for a moment before saying, “Little Nan said that it’s not good for girls to touch too much cold water. The river water is quite cold. Just give them to me.”
It was already March, but the river was still very cold. One could imagine how cold it had been in the winter.
Mu Jingzhe laughed when she heard what Little Nan had said, but she still shook her head and refused. “There’s really no need.”
Since she wasn’t going to continue living with him as husband and wife, she shouldn’t let him wash her clothes.
Seeing that she was determined, Shao Qihai walked to the riverside in disappointment.
There were more people washing clothes in the village in the afternoon. Shao Qihai, who was sandwiched between the aunties and young ladies, instantly became the center of attention.
Although he washed his clothes with his head lowered, he still had to answer their questions and be teased by them. His face turned red, perhaps from the sun or the teasing.
He wanted to wash up and leave as soon as possible, but the black pot ash was very difficult to wash off. He could only rub it, and as he did so, the aunties pricked his heart with their words.
“Now that Jingzhe and the children know how to earn money, it’s only right for Qihai to do housework and wash clothes. One can’t delay earning money.”
“It’s just that he doesn’t know how to wash well. The clothes are about to tear due to the way he is washing them.”
Shao Qihai’s hands froze. They were making it sound like he was a freeloader at home. He wanted to say something when he heard snickers and hushed voices in the distance.
“If he refuses to wash the clothes, Jingzhe will abandon him soon. That Uncle Ji is so good-looking and rich. If I were Jingzhe, I’d want Uncle Ji.”
“Me too. Shao Qihai is not bad, but he has a mother like Zhao Lan, and his older brother and younger sister are worrisome too.”
Their voices were very low, but Shao Qihai’s ears were sharp, so he accidentally heard them.
Shao Qihai thought to himself that he wasn’t washing the clothes in order to please Jingzhe. He was washing them because he felt that he should, because he loved his children.
The five children, who were deeply loved by Shao Qihai, had no idea that Shao Qihai was enduring humiliation for them and listening to people gossip about him while washing clothes.
They were still thinking of ways to make Shao Qihai hate them.
Since he didn’t succeed in the morning, Shao Xi felt that he should go a little overboard. If it still didn’t work, then he would learn to be bad. He should be a little more rebellious. With these thoughts in mind, Shao Xi came up with a plan. When it was time for class again, he deliberately lay down on his desk and slept.
He even proudly told Shao Dong that he would definitely succeed this time, as teachers hated students sleeping in class the most. They would definitely throw chalk at him, and if he still didn’t wake up, the chalkboard eraser would be thrown over as well.
Then, the teacher would scold the student and call their parents. Shao Qihai would be invited over, and he would see their hopelessly mischievous behavior.
Shao Xi closed his eyes and quietly braced himself for the flying chalk.
Soon, the teacher realized that Shao Xi had fallen asleep on the desk. It was very obvious from the podium.
The class was quiet for a few seconds, but for some reason, the chalk didn’t come flying at him. Instead, the teacher came down to take a look and stopped beside Shao Xi.
Shao Xi’s breathing slowed. He had thought that his teacher would personally smack his head and ask him to wake up, but his teacher left again.
Not only did she leave, but she also lowered her voice. In the end, she even said, “Everyone, please write an essay for this class. I’ll write the question on the blackboard. You guys focus on writing and don’t speak so you don’t disturb Shao Xi.”
Shao Xi: “???”
What? She was afraid of waking him up? He had already gone overboard by sleeping in class. Why was the teacher afraid of waking him up?
Was the teacher crazy or stupid today? Was she still the same teacher who threw chalk at other students?
Shao Xi couldn’t fathom why, and neither could the other students. Seeing their puzzled expressions, the teacher explained in a low voice.
“You all know what happened at Shao Xi’s house yesterday, right? He must have suffered a huge blow and be very upset, but he should feel happy. After all, his father isn’t dead and has now come back. He definitely didn’t sleep last night. Let him sleep for a while.”
In the end, she even lectured the two students she had thrown the chalk at previously. “Don’t feel indignant. If you become as promising as Shao Xi, I’ll let you sleep too.”
The two students lowered their heads. They couldn’t compare to him.
This class then became an essay-writing class. The teacher sat on the podium and stopped teaching.
Shao Xi lay on the desk. After this helpless sensation passed, his mood suddenly became complicated. He even felt like crying over this kindness.
In the past, because of Zhang Fei, he’d hated teachers and felt that they were all bad people. Now, he had met a very good teacher.
Shao Xi secretly glanced at the blackboard and saw the random topic ‘My teacher’. He smiled and thought for a moment before leaning over the table and scribbling.
After class, Shao Xi watched as Shao Dong took his workbook with a faint smile and helped him submit his homework.
When the teacher saw that he was awake, she told him “This will all pass” before leaving.
“I told you it wouldn’t work, but you refused to listen.” Shao Dong shook his head.
“Then think of a good idea,” Shao Xi couldn’t help telling his older brother.
During the break between classes, Shao Nan, Little Bei, and even Xiao Wu came over to discuss their plan to become bad children. Shao Nan had also thought of Shao Xi’s method, but he had been stopped by Shao Xi as soon as he’d suggested it.
“It’s useless. Stop using that method.”
With a sorrowful heart, Shao Xi looked at the sky and sighed with emotion. “Now, we can’t be ordinary just because we want to. We’re too outstanding. It can’t be helped.”
Shao Dong: “…”