Chapter 30: Tingting 28

Yang Kun never expected that before he could even take action, he would be stunned by the combined "one-two punch" from his own parents.

"Wait, I'm your biological son, right? You really have that little faith in me?" Yang Kun grew agitated. Humans naturally possess a rebellious streak; the more someone dismisses you, the more you feel the urge to prove them wrong.

Factory Director Yang: "I truly don't have much faith. Look at you—you can't match her in hard work, you can't match her in diligence, and even now, you don't have a clear direction. If I were to push you along, wouldn't I just be pushing her into a fire pit?"

"She is already going through enough."

Yang Kun hadn't spent these past few days at the factory for nothing; he had clearly investigated the situation regarding Han Tingting's family. He felt quite distressed in his heart—how could parents be like this? To give birth to a child but refuse to raise them?

Cui He: "I like that girl too. If you truly have feelings for her, then do not disturb her lightly. Do not become a stumbling block during her period of growth; instead, work hard to grow yourself so that one day, you can be the one to shield her from the wind and rain."

Yang Kun remained silent. Who would want to shoulder such responsibility? In the past, his parents had always nagged him about being diligent and upwardly mobile, but he never took it to heart. Now, thinking about it, if he couldn't present himself as a capable man, why should a good girl look at him differently?

Naturally, Tan You was unaware of the conversation taking place in the Yang household. As for why Yang Kun hadn't shown up at the factory for a few days, Tan You didn't pay it much mind. In her eyes, Yang Kun was merely a model, not a man.

In early August, Tan You finally finished preparing the gifts for her teachers. She specifically requested a day off and, following the addresses provided by the principal, went door-to-door to deliver them.

After walking all day, Tan You received a mountain of praise. However, she felt a bit of regret; when she went to look for Teacher Shi, Teacher Shi wasn't home, having gone out to visit relatives and friends.

Pushing that slight disappointment to the back of her mind, Tan You encouraged herself: she would see Teacher Shi again once school started.

Tan You's summer job lasted until the day before school commenced. Through these two months of summer employment, she had learned a great deal. Of course, her greatest gain was becoming Master Hu's student, from whom she learned many techniques regarding pattern making and garment construction.

Factory Director Yang had promised to reward Tan You well, and he was not stingy at all. In the end, Tan You returned home with a massive sum of twenty thousand yuan. To be honest, compared to the factory's total sales, this amount wasn't much, but Tan You was already very satisfied.

Han Cunming was also happy: "That's already quite a lot. You're still a student, and they provided you with a space to learn. If you hadn't gone to work at the garment factory, would you have ever met Master Hu?"

Tan You nodded. "I know. One shouldn't be too greedy."

These were words Cheng Wenhui had always taught her. Even though she lived in a different world from her parents, the imprint Cheng Wenhui had left on Tan You remained firmly etched in her memory.

Satisfied that his granddaughter was not greedy, Han Cunming lifted his chin. "You start school tomorrow. I went to town yesterday and bought you a suitcase. Don't worry, I picked a black one; I didn't choose anything flashy."

Tan You pursed her lips. "Mm, Grandpa, I think other colors look quite nice now, too."

Han Cunming laughed. "As long as it looks good. A young girl shouldn't wear nothing but black, white, and gray all day; wear some brighter colors once in a while."

Tan You understood his meaning. "When I come back for my monthly break, I'll go to the factory to buy some fabric in other colors."

This was one of the perks of working at a garment factory. Tan You had purchased a lot of fabric at cost price. She had even specially set up a rack on one side of her room to hold various types of cloth.

Aside from the classic black, white, and gray, there were now many other colors on the rack: pink, purple, pale yellow, wine red, and so on. To Tan You's eyes now, all these colors were beautiful.

Because the school provided room and board, Tan You could no longer stay at the off-campus lodging. Therefore, before reporting for registration, Tan You made a special trip to the landlord's house to deliver some small gifts.

Because she had now mastered the skill of sewing, Tan You had become obsessed with making clothes for people. The gifts she brought were clothes—one outfit each for the landlady and her husband.

Upon hearing that Tan You had made them by hand, the landlady beamed. "Tingting has such great skill! This dress is truly beautiful."

Tan You also liked this landlady, who appeared stern but was actually soft-hearted. "I washed and ironed the clothes at home. Would you like to try them on?"

"Then I shall go try them. I've never seen such a beautiful dress before."

While Han Tingting spoke with the landlady and her husband, Han Cunming sat to the side watching, with Tan You's suitcase at his feet. He enjoyed watching Tan You interact with others, knowing she would always learn something from it.

After chatting with the landlady for a while, it was time to report for school, and Tan You left reluctantly.

The landlady held her hand. "You'll be at school, so we can still see each other in the future. What's there to be sad about? If you miss me, come sit here; Auntie is always home."

"Spend more time with your teachers and classmates at school. You're good at everything, you're just a bit too solitary."

As the landlady nagged, Tan You didn't find it annoying at all. Why wouldn't someone advise you like this? It was nothing more than kindness. And when faced with the kindness of others, one should cherish it.

Tan You's registration went very smoothly. As soon as she and Han Cunming entered the school gates, they were led away by the Dean of the High School Department. The subsequent enrollment process was incredibly seamless; because she didn't have to pay any fees, Tan You was actually the first student to complete the series of procedures.

By this time, Han Cunming had to head back. He tried to stuff some money into Tan You's hands, and she did not refuse. She had a sense of propriety and wouldn't spend it recklessly, which was why Han Cunming felt confident giving her pocket money.

Sitting down in the classroom, Tan You scanned the room. Looking around, she seemed to recognize a few familiar faces. However, they were all in different classes; it seemed Yang Shun was the only one in her class?

She hadn't expected to be in the same class as Yang Shun. Speaking of which, would Yang Shun's mother spend every day nagging him to study hard in the future?

Wait, what score did Yang Shun get on the high school entrance exam? Only then did Tan You realize she hadn't paid attention to the entrance exam results of the other students in the village.

The system, which had been silent for a long time, appeared: "Yang Shun 589, Han Wei 620 attending No. 4 High School, Han Peng 633 also attending No. 4 High School."

Tan You nodded. "Oh, you know these things? You're quite impressive."

System: "Of course! The system is the most impressive!"

Tan You smiled, feeling as though this system was like a small child. Unfortunately, she herself was also just a sixteen-year-old child, with very little understanding of the world.

She was in a very good mood right now. She had seen Teacher Shi in the office, and Teacher Shi was wearing the dress she had made for her. That alone made Tan You's eyes curve into crescents with her smile.

First-year high school students started school one week early for military training. Tan You, who had tanned a shade darker, didn't mind at all. She didn't place much importance on her appearance or physique; right now, her primary focus was her studies.