Chapter 46: Call Brother Instead?

On the Saturday when the students were off to relax, all the teachers of the second-year high school were working overtime, sorting papers and compiling statistics. Seven or eight hundred exam papers were counted by 10 a.m.

Each teacher received a printed ranking of the grades.

Cao Jun took a couple of sips of cold water to calm his nerves, worried that he might be so shocked by the 8th class’s results that he might faint.

Every exam, it wasn’t just the students who felt like they were on a roller coaster; the teachers did too.

Ahem…

He was thinking about being recognized as an outstanding teacher.

He looked at the rankings, and his eyes were immediately drawn to the name “Wen Xia.” For a moment, he couldn’t believe it, his heartbeat quickened.

Second in the grade!

Wen Xia scored 126 in Chinese, 102 in Math, 150 in English, 92 in Biology, 88 in Physics, and 95 in Chemistry, totaling 653 points.

She was only ten points behind the top scorer.

He pressed his hand to his chest and suddenly laughed, showing off to the other teachers, “Our Wen Xia came second in the grade.”

The office fell silent for a moment, and the other teachers turned to look at the ranking sheet.

Shock.

Had she taken a rocket to get here?

If she scored over 500, they might have suspected cheating, but with more than 600 points, who could she have copied from, especially with a perfect score in English?

Ahem… to be blunt, even if she had cheated her way to 600 points, that would still be impressive.

The head teacher from the neighboring class said, “Let’s find Wen Xia’s paper and take a look.”

Today was Wen Hua’s 60th birthday. Wen De and Wen Xia had driven to the Wen family’s home the night before. The Wen family didn’t live in Jia County, but in a small village nearby. The drive took two and a half hours.

Wen Hua had many friends in his younger years, and he still kept in touch with quite a few of them. Many people had come to the celebration, and four or five cars were parked by the dam.

The visitors were mostly elderly, around fifty or sixty years old. Wen Xia couldn’t be of much help and, feeling bored, squatted by the dam, playing with a dog.

She reached for her phone with her right hand, noticing that Qin Mo hadn’t responded to her in the past two or three hours.

“Xia Xia!” Suddenly, someone called her.

Wen Xia looked up to see the person from the house next door. His name was Li Shang, a boy around the same age as her. He had an average appearance, and his black cotton jacket was a bit short, revealing a portion of his wrist. When they were younger, during summer vacation, the two of them often played together.

Catching crabs, picking lobsters.

“Brother Li.”

Li Shang squatted down beside her, giving her a pure smile. He awkwardly scratched his head, a little shy. “Xia Xia, have you finished your midterms?”

“I have.”

Wen Xia nodded. “How many points did you score, Brother Li?”

Li Shang studied at No.1 Middle School, and his grades were decent. He had always been the exemplary child when they were little.

No.1 Middle School had already held their midterms ahead of the No.2 Middle School, and the results were out. Qin Mo had scored one more point than last time, with a total of 744 points.

“628.”

“Brother Li, that’s a good score.”

Li Shang scratched his head again at her praise. “It’s okay. The top student in our school scored 744 points.”

Wen Xia became intrigued. She grinned, “Hehe, Brother Li, is your school’s top student very popular? I heard he’s very handsome?”

“I’ve seen him a few times. He is handsome. I’ve heard a lot of girls in school like him,” Li Shang said, his gaze drifting to Wen Xia’s pretty face, and his cheeks turned a little red.

At that moment, a white Audi stopped in front of them. Qin Mo rolled down the window and saw his wife wearing an old-fashioned floral cotton jacket, talking to a boy.

The boy’s face turned red, occasionally sneaking glances at Wen Xia.

Qin Mo raised an eyebrow and honked the horn.

The two of them didn’t look up. They both stepped back a little, thinking they were blocking the way.

“Xia Xia.”

A familiar voice. Wen Xia looked up to see the handsome face of the young man in the car window. His gaze was sharp, as if accusing her of something.

She was surprised. “What are you doing here?”

Then she leaned her head over, looking like a thief. “Go back quickly, it won’t be good if Dad sees you.”

So silly.

Qin Mo suddenly laughed. “Grandpa and Grandma are in the back.”

Wen Xia froze for a few seconds, then looked toward the back seat. She stiffly greeted, “Grandpa, Grandma.”

Qin Mo’s grandparents knew Wen Xia’s grandparents, but they didn’t know until they got married.

She had completely forgotten about that.

Qin Mo’s grandmother, with her head of half-white, curly hair, looked at the young girl outside the car window and said kindly, “Xia Xia, don’t be nervous. Your grandpa and I are very easygoing.”

Early this morning, Qin Mo had returned and said he was coming to the Wen family with them. She had curiously asked why.

He had replied that he was meeting his girlfriend.

Seeing his wife standing there awkwardly, not knowing what to say, Qin Mo, being perceptive, spoke up. “Where should I park?”

“In the yard.”

Wen Xia pointed. After the car had driven off, she turned to Li Shang and said, “Brother Li, I’m heading home now. We’ll talk more when we have dinner later.”

‘Brother Li?’

Qin Mo glanced at Li Shang through the rearview mirror before returning his gaze to the road, turning the steering wheel to park in the yard.

As soon as the car was parked, Wen Hua came out to greet them.

Wen Xia ran into the bedroom, took off her floral cotton jacket, and checked herself in the mirror. She picked up a small pearl hairpin and placed it above her ear.

Once she felt ready, she left the bedroom and ran into Wen De, who had just come out of the kitchen. He furrowed his brow. “Why did you take off your clothes?”

“Dad, it was too hot.”

Wen Xia lied with her eyes wide open, glancing toward the living room.

Grandpa was chatting with Qin Mo’s grandparents, and Qin Mo stood obediently beside them. He wore a gray hoodie with a denim jacket on top, light blue loose jeans, and black-and-white striped shoes.

He immediately caught everyone’s attention.

Wen De grunted in response. “If you’re bored, go watch TV in your room. I’ll call you when it’s time to eat.”

“Dad, I’m not bored,” Wen Xia said with a smile, shaking her head.

Wen De gave a faint smile, but it quickly faded.

His daughter’s early relationship was right in front of him.

He looked at Wen Xia again, who innocently scratched her nose.

At that moment, Wen Hua waved to the two of them. “Dezi, this is Uncle Qin and Aunt Qin. They used to carry you when you were little.”

“Uncle Qin, Aunt Qin,” Wen De said.

Qin Mo’s grandparents responded with a nod, and Qin Mo politely greeted, “Uncle Wen.”

“Mm.” Wen De replied coolly.

After the greetings, Qin Mo looked at his wife, who had just been wearing a floral cotton jacket, now dressed in a red cotton jacket, with a pearl hairpin in her hair, looking a little playful.

She looked quite pretty.

When their eyes met, Wen Xia stuck out her tongue.

Wen Hua continued, “Xia Xia, this is Grandma Qin’s grandson. You’re about the same age, so you should have a lot to talk about.”

She smiled and added, “Mo Mo is doing really well in school. Xia Xia, you can learn from him.”

Qin Mo’s grandmother smiled and waved her hand, complimenting, “Xia Xia, you’re really beautiful.”

“Compared to Mo Mo, she’s still a bit behind. Your Mo Mo is not only good at his studies but also handsome,” Wen Hua politely praised.

Wen De pressed his lips together, glanced at Wen Hua, seemed like he wanted to say something, but held it back. He then turned to Wen Xia, “Xia Xia, go buy a bottle of vinegar from Aunt Li. We’re out in the kitchen.”

There had been a large bottle of vinegar at breakfast, and Wen Xia knew he was just trying to get rid of her.

She obediently nodded.

“Xia Xia, take Mo Mo with you. Mo Mo, if you want anything, let Xia Xia buy it for you,” Wen Hua added, unaware of his son’s “intentions.”

“Thank you, Grandpa Wen.” Qin Mo stood up before Wen De could say anything.

Wen Xia and Qin Mo walked side by side, with a dog following behind them.

It was colder in the village than in the county town. “Achoo!” Wen Xia sneezed and rubbed her nose.

“Didn’t you wear a sweater?” Qin Mo took off his denim jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

Wen Xia gave a sheepish smile, and Qin Mo tapped the top of her head, his tone a bit stern. “How many times have I told you? You need to wear a sweater.”

He then changed the subject. “Brother Li? You called him quite affectionately,” his voice laced with a strong hint of jealousy.

Wen Xia: “…”

“We were just having a normal conversation.”

Qin Mo raised an eyebrow. “Normal conversation and calling him ‘Brother’?”

“Should I call you ‘Brother’ instead? Not ‘Husband’?” Wen Xia looked at him innocently.

“Try calling me that and see what happens.” Qin Mo chuckled, then added, “If you keep going against me, I’ll kiss you.”

Wen Xia immediately fell silent.

<< _ >>

**TN

Brother Li or Li-gege – the ‘Brother/Gege’ here is like ‘Oppa’.  

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