People in the alley: A woman dressed as a man shouldn't be foolishly filial, Zhuang Chaoying

Chapter 240 "Imported" Fruits

The three of them went into the room and sat down on the bed.

Huang Ling took a handkerchief out of her pocket and wiped away Shan Shan's tears.

To everyone's surprise, this act of wiping seemed to unleash a floodgate of emotions in Shan Shan, causing her to cry even harder.

Her shoulders were trembling violently, as if she were about to cry out all the grievances that had been building up in her heart for so many years.

Huang Ling felt extremely distressed, knowing all too well what kind of life Shan Shan had endured over the years.

She didn't say anything, but just hugged Shanshan tightly, her hands constantly stroking her back.

Shanshan leaned against Aunt Huang's warm embrace; the familiar warmth made her feel as if she had returned to her childhood.

Her mother's image involuntarily appeared in her mind. If her mother were still alive, would she be able to be cherished and loved by her mother like other children?

Will my mother hug me like Aunt Huang does?

When her mother first left, she could only hide under the covers and cry secretly every night, not daring to make a sound, because Xiaojun was still young, and she dared not cry if he cried, for fear that if she cried, Xiaojun would cry even harder.

Only a year after her mother passed away, her father remarried. From then on, she dared not cry anymore and could only hide all her grievances and sadness in her heart.

After a good cry, Shan Shan felt much lighter, as if the gloom that had weighed on her heart for years had flowed away with her tears.

Song Ying gently stroked Shan Shan's hair. "Shan Shan, congratulations on getting into university! You're the first female university student in our neighborhood. Your dad will be overjoyed when he finds out."

Shanshan clutched Aunt Huang's handkerchief tightly in her hand, nodded vigorously, her voice still a little choked up. "Yes, Aunt Song, Aunt Huang, thank you for taking care of me."

As she spoke, she stood up and bowed respectfully to them, a bow filled with her gratitude to the two aunts over the years.

Huang Ling quickly grabbed Shan Shan's hand and pulled her back to sit down on the bed. "Shan Shan, don't cry. Today is a joyous occasion, so be happy. Your Uncle Zhuang is cooking in the kitchen. Let's eat here before going home."

As Shanshan spoke, she got up and walked towards the kitchen. "I'm going to check on Teacher Zhuang."

Shanshan walked to the kitchen door and softly called out, "Teacher Zhuang."

Zhuang Chaoying turned around and saw that it was Shanshan. Her face immediately lit up with a smile: "Shanshan, how did the exam go?"

“Teacher Zhuang, I scored 596! I did it! Teacher Zhuang, you said that you have to fight for what you want, and I did it!” He bowed to Zhuang Chaoying again as he spoke.

Zhuang Chaoying's hands were covered in chicken feathers, and he quickly gestured with his arm. "Shanshan, this is all thanks to your hard work. Hard work pays off, and results don't lie. Congratulations, Teacher Zhuang. Eat here for a while."

Shanshan laughed and waved her hand. "No, I'm going home. Aunt Song, Aunt Huang, I'm going home. Although I don't know how many people at home will be genuinely happy for me, I still want to go back and tell them."

After Shanshan left, Song Ying leaned on Huang Ling's shoulder, her eyes reddening again, her voice choked with sobs. "Sister Ling, Shanshan is so sensible, it breaks my heart. If Shanshan's mother were alive, she would be heartbroken to see Lao Wu and Amei treating her like this."

Huang Ling gave a soft "Mmm". "Shanshan, this girl is very independent, she will definitely do well in the future. I plan to give Shanshan a red envelope. There will be many expenses when she goes to university. Now that we are better off, we should help her as much as we can."

Song Ying, holding Huang Ling's arm, nodded vigorously. "I'll give some too, then let's make it fifty yuan!"

The two exchanged a glance, then nodded firmly again: "Fifty yuan!"

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On the other side, in the Wu family's courtyard.

Wu Jianguo was off work today. He was wearing a set of old clothes that had faded a bit from washing, and he was squatting next to the chicken coop, busy weaving a chicken coop out of straw.

Hearing the sound of the gate, he instinctively turned his head and saw Shanshan standing at the gate.

Wu Jianguo squatted on the ground. "Shanshan, how did you do on the test? What was your score?"

Actually, Old Wu was conflicted.

He hoped that Shanshan could get into university. If she did, others would praise him for raising a college student, and he would feel proud. He also understood that getting into university meant that Shanshan would have a wider and brighter future.

On the other hand, he was also vaguely worried that once Shanshan went to the outside world, she would never come back.

He was calculating these little schemes in his mind, making a rapid and detailed plan.

"596, Fudan University's Chinese Department should have no problem."

Shanshan took a deep breath, trying to calm her excitement, and shared the good news.

Upon hearing his score, Wu Jianguo jumped up in excitement. In his haste, his elbow accidentally bumped into the basket on the chicken rack, and the basket fell to the ground with a clatter.

He didn't care about anything else and quickly bent down to pick it up. No matter what, Shanshan was his daughter, and he was happy that she had been admitted to such a good university.

But the thought of his sister made his smile freeze instantly. He started to worry. If his sister knew about this, she would definitely be unhappy again, and he probably wouldn't have a peaceful day for a while.

Xiaomin doesn't have a job yet. If Amei finds out that Shanshan got into university, she'll probably give her a hard time.

He reached out and patted Shan Shan's shoulder, forcing a smile. "Okay, okay, Dad will kill the chicken now! Let's have a good celebration."

As he spoke, he walked toward the chicken coop, looking at the plump old hen, while still pondering how to tell his sister about it.

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In Xiaoting's room, the curtains were drawn tightly, and the lights were on. It was obvious that Xiaoting was reading a novel, something she wouldn't normally be allowed to do. Now that it was a holiday, she was being allowed to relax.

Zhuang Chaoying and Huang Ling sat in chairs, leisurely watching TV. The TV was playing a lively program, but their minds were still on what had just happened.

Huang Ling took the apple slices from Zhuang Chaoying, opened her mouth, and began to eat the apple.

She sighed softly and said, “Chaoying, Shanshan cried so hard today, it really made my heart ache. It reminded me of when we bought meat. It was freezing cold, and my sister made Shanshan go out early in the morning to queue up, and she waited for more than an hour to buy meat, while Xiaomin stayed home comfortably lying around.”

Zhuang Chaoying offered Huang Ling a small piece of pear to her lips with a natural gesture, as if it were a tacit understanding developed over many years.

"That's all we can do. Children without mothers are bound to be more sensible."

Huang Ling turned to Zhuang Chaoying. "Song Ying and I are thinking of giving Shanshan a red envelope with fifty yuan. What do you think, Chaoying?"

Zhuang Chaoying handed over the fruit plate, a slight smile playing on her lips. "You manage the money at home, so you're in charge. I'm only responsible for earning money; I don't manage spending it."

Huang Ling held a fruit plate, picked up a piece of apple with a toothpick, and gently put it into Zhuang Chaoying's mouth. "You're so good at talking, aren't you?"

Zhuang Chaoying swallowed the apple in his mouth. Suddenly, as if he remembered something, he leaned close to Huang Ling's ear and whispered, "Ling, imported apples would definitely taste better."

Huang Ling didn't realize it at first. She was still wondering if Chao Ying's taste had become more sophisticated and he wanted to eat foreign apples.

But when I saw his wicked grin, I immediately understood.

Seeing her puzzled expression, Zhuang Chaoying pointed to her mouth and then to her own mouth, the implication being all too clear.

Huang Ling blushed instantly. Although the two had been married for many years, such direct teasing still made her a little embarrassed.

She wasn't some naive young woman or a naive married woman, but such intimate jokes still made her heart beat a little faster.

She reached out and pinched Zhuang Chaoying's inner arm hard—that was the most sensitive soft flesh—and whispered, "Zhuang Chaoying, you've only been behaving yourself for a few days, and you're doing this again!"

Zhuang Chaoying gasped as she was pinched, but dared not cry out, only whispering, "Ah Ling, it hurts! Ah, feed me!"

Looking at Zhuang Chaoying, Huang Ling's gaze involuntarily fell on his bobbing Adam's apple. He was wearing a simple tank top, and his collarbone and firm chest muscles were faintly visible, making Huang Ling's heart beat even faster.

She didn't know how she had been bewitched by his appearance and done such a shameful thing...

A peculiar atmosphere enveloped them in the room.

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