Chapter Fifty: What Is the Relationship Between Li Bufan and the Country Girl

Afternoon arrived, and it was time for class.

Chinese class! Wu Wenbin moved with a spring in his step, a sweet smile on his face as he entered the classroom.

He glanced at the students before him, noticing several of them smiling back at him, and his own smile grew wider.

"The results for the model student competition are out," he began, "I believe you may already have seen them! Our class's performance has surpassed all my expectations, and I suspect yours as well. We've ranked at the very top of the entire junior third grade, and both of the top two positions in the grade belong to our class. This is the best result I've ever seen since I started teaching at Liangzhi Middle School!"

He paused briefly, then continued, "I want to thank you all. Such excellent results are inseparable from your diligence and collective effort. I must especially thank Wei Xiaofan, Zhang Liying, and Wei Xiaoping—your outstanding scores in the model student competition have made us all proud. There are eight classes in the entire grade, twenty-four students participated, and all six top spots include students from our class. The two highest scorers are both from our class.

"Especially Wei Xiaofan, your five essays were exceptionally well written, full of creativity, and received high praise from every language teacher at Liangzhi Middle School. I am proud of your ability to produce these five remarkable essays. To be honest, I never taught the methods you used, nor had I ever thought of such creative approaches myself. So, this inventive method is entirely your own discovery! I greatly admire your creative spirit, Wei Xiaofan.

"I suggest everyone should learn from Wei Xiaofan's creativity!"

"As for the awards ceremony, it was originally scheduled for Friday, but the General Academic Office has just issued a notice to change it to Saturday morning. So you’ll need to come to school on Saturday. The ceremony will begin at half past eight and continue until lunchtime, after which you’ll be dismissed for vacation. Judging by our current achievements, unless something unexpected occurs, our class will likely sweep all the junior third grade awards. But let’s wait until Saturday to see the final results," Wu Wenbin concluded.

After class, the students reacted to the change in the award ceremony date with a mix of complaints, indifference, and anticipation.

Wei Xiaofan and Wei Xiaoping felt a bit disappointed upon learning the ceremony had been moved to Saturday.

Originally, this Saturday, Wei Xiaoping and his parents had planned to visit Wei Xiaofan’s home in the countryside, intending to discuss with his parents the matter of Wei Xiaoping and Wei Xiaofan becoming sworn brothers. But with the ceremony now on Saturday, their trip had to be postponed.

Despite the delay, neither Wei Xiaoping nor Wei Xiaofan minded much. With such scores and rankings, Wei Xiaofan believed he would surely win an award, and Wei Xiaoping agreed—another day’s wait was inconsequential.

Of course, if the ceremony had remained on Friday, Wei Xiaofan would have received his prize, and when Wei Xiaoping and his parents visited his home on Saturday, his father would likely be even more pleased. Discussing the possibility of Wei Xiaofan attending high school, as well as the two children becoming sworn brothers, would probably go more smoothly.

Since seeing her and Wei Xiaofan’s scores at the top of the junior division bulletin board, Zhang Liying thought to herself, "Wei Xiaofan is truly remarkable. In regular exams, he always scored below me and Wei Xiaoping, but for this competition, with more difficult questions, he performed even better! His progress has been astonishing! Such a bright student—if he were to give up on high school or college due to family financial difficulties, it would be a real shame."

Fortunately, this time he achieved excellent results. With scores like his, he was sure to become the model student for the junior third grade, and receive a thousand yuan prize—enough to start his summer business venture.

"If I win second place, I’ll give my prize to Wei Xiaofan," she thought. "I don’t really need the money, and perhaps it might help with his school expenses next term."

With these thoughts, Zhang Liying approached Wei Xiaoping and Wei Xiaofan’s desks.

"Xiaofan," she said, "hearing the language teacher praise you just now made me truly happy for you! Our teacher is very straightforward—rarely does he speak so highly of a student! This time, the model student title is undoubtedly yours. In two days, you’ll have your prize—make good use of it, and you’ll be one step closer to your goal! Keep it up!"

"Thank you, Class Leader! Let’s all keep working hard," Wei Xiaofan replied.

Since the award ceremony was now on Saturday and they couldn’t go home Friday, Wei Xiaoping worried his parents might misunderstand. He decided to go to the convenience store outside the school gate to call home and explain, and also share the news of Wei Xiaofan’s high scores with Wei Yongqiang and Wei Ni Ping.

He left the classroom and headed toward the school gate.

Stepping outside, Wei Xiaoping had to cross the road, so he looked both ways for oncoming cars. As he glanced right, he spotted a somewhat familiar man conversing with a woman not far away.

Looking closely, he realized the man was Li Bufan.

He then looked at the woman—she appeared to be around thirty, with pale yellow, rough skin, resembling a countrywoman.

After a brief exchange, Li Bufan took something from his pocket and handed it to the woman. She opened it, said something more to Li Bufan, and then walked away.

Once she left, Li Bufan headed in another direction, and Wei Xiaoping entered the store to make his call.

On the other end, his father, Wei Yongqiang, answered.

Hearing about Wei Xiaofan’s high scores, Wei Yongqiang exclaimed, "Oh, why isn’t Wei Xiaofan my own son? He’s so smart! Xiaoping, no matter what, you must make sure to become sworn brothers with him. If you don’t, you can stop calling me ‘Dad’ and start calling me Wei Yongqiang!"

Wei Xiaoping had turned on the speakerphone, and the shopkeeper overheard Wei Yongqiang’s words, laughing out loud.

Wei Xiaoping chuckled, replying, "Dad, honestly, I’d rather call you Wei Yongqiang—then we’d be even closer! Calling you ‘Dad’ feels too formal!" He laughed again.

"You rascal! I was joking, and you take it seriously? Are you saying I’m too lenient with you?" Wei Yongqiang laughed over the phone.

The shopkeeper laughed once more.

Wei Xiaoping ended the call with a smile, paid for the call, and walked toward the school gate, thinking about his father’s words. He couldn’t help but smile again, feeling happy and blessed to have such a father.