Chapter 40: Maturity and Age
Yu Xin looked up and met the pretty face of Yu Yuan.
One of Yu Yuan’s hands was half-covering her mouth, but through the gaps between her fingers, Yu Xin could still see the curve of a smirk.
So cute… yet so infuriating.
Her forehead was still throbbing faintly, but Yu Xin forced herself to lower her hand and slowly stood up. She spoke each word clearly:
“It’s true, I wasn’t watching where I was going and bumped into the door. But is this your idea of manners? Your first reaction isn’t to check if your sister’s hurt, but to mock my carelessness?”
Yu Yuan’s expression changed. “What did you say!”
Yu Xin didn’t want to talk to her anymore and headed straight downstairs.
She used to feel nervous and unsure about table manners and proper etiquette, thinking that was why her family looked down on her.
But no — that wasn’t it.
If it came down to wealth alone, the Jiang family had more money than the Yu family, yet Jiang Chuchu had never once looked down on her.
Even when Jiang Chuchu first said her handwriting was ugly, there’d been no malice — later she’d even apologized and offered to teach her how to improve.
Yu Xin took a deep breath. She wasn’t strong enough yet — for now, she only dared to talk back to Yu Yuan.
In truth, the ones who truly oppressed her were Yu Jinxin, Cui Wanning, and Yu Wenli.
Cui Wanning hardly even mattered — after all, she relied on Yu Wenli’s attitude.
Going downstairs, Yu Xin glanced at the salad, toast, oatmeal, and bacon on the table. She had no appetite, so she poured herself half a glass of warm water, drank it, and left the house.
Since she’d returned from the Jiang family last week, Yu Wenli had assigned her a personal driver and car — though not as nice as Yu Yuan’s.
Yu Xin didn’t care. She couldn’t tell the difference between one car and another, nor did she care whether others thought she was less favored than Yu Yuan.
That kind of “favor” was something she no longer wanted.
She opened the car door, got in, and told the driver, “To school.”
She was just wondering whether to have breakfast at Mingde High’s cafeteria when her phone buzzed.
In the small group chat of three, Gu Qinghuan had sent a message:
[Gu Qinghuan]: [Image]
[Gu Qinghuan]: Soft-crust egg pancakes are the best!
[Jiang Chuchu]: Get me one — sweet sauce, add a hot dog, no fried dough stick, no shredded potatoes or kelp.
[Gu Qinghuan]: So you just want an egg pancake and a hot dog? Oh, plus vegetables.
[Jiang Chuchu]: I’m already eating breakfast, but it looks so good. I’ll just have a little.
Yu Xin thought for a moment, then replied: I want an egg pancake too.
[Gu Qinghuan]: [Photo of the stall] What do you want on it? Sweet sauce or chili sauce?
Yu Xin had been about to say just the basic version, but paused, deleted it, and changed to: Chili sauce. And all the optional toppings.
[Gu Qinghuan]: [Thumbs up] Now that’s the spirit.
[Jiang Chuchu]: The kitchen made banana milkshakes this morning. Do you guys want some?
[Gu Qinghuan]: Yes!
[Yu Xin]: Yes!
[Jiang Chuchu]: I’ll bring a jug for you.
She sent a picture — a jug that looked like it held about two liters.
[Gu Qinghuan]: ???
[Gu Qinghuan]: I bet there’ll be leftovers even if the whole class has a cup.
After some teasing, Gu Qinghuan reported the price of two egg pancakes, and Jiang Chuchu and Yu Xin sent her red envelopes.
Gu Qinghuan accepted them, and later sent a picture of three egg pancakes — now on the bus.
[Gu Qinghuan]: Get here quick, they won’t taste as good cold.
The three of them ended up sitting together on a bench in the little garden outside the classroom, eating their pancakes. Jiang Chuchu had brought portable cups and poured each of them some banana milkshake.
“Class rep, what are you guys eating that smells so good?” Xu Xinghe, the next to arrive, came over.
“Breakfast — egg pancakes,” Gu Qinghuan said, waving hers.
“Oh,” Xu Xinghe said. “And drinks too?”
“Banana milkshake,” Jiang Chuchu said, holding up the jug. “There’s plenty. Want some?”
Xu Xinghe smacked his lips. “Yeah.”
He wasn’t thirsty — just tempted by how good it looked. Jiang Chuchu poured him a cup.
Holding it, Xu Xinghe stood nearby and made small talk. “Class rep, do you know what the other classes are giving as gifts?”
“No idea,” Gu Qinghuan replied without looking up.
Xu Xinghe pulled a face. “I heard Class Seven decorated their classroom last night, and I saw several people carrying big gift bags into school this morning…”
“Hold it,” Gu Qinghuan said, swallowing her milkshake. “If I hadn’t reminded everyone last night, none of you would’ve even remembered Teacher’s Day, right?”
Xu Xinghe: …guilty.
Gu Qinghuan wiped her hands with a wet wipe from Jiang Chuchu, then patted his shoulder. “We’ve already decided on flowers. Worrying now is too late — and unnecessary.
Figure out whether your unease is because you haven’t properly shown respect to the teachers, or just because our display won’t match theirs.”
She withdrew her hand. “If it’s the latter, think about how to celebrate next year instead.”
Xu Xinghe thought it over and suddenly understood. “You’re right. I’ll focus on what to say when I give the flowers.”
He was in charge of giving them to the Chinese teacher — he had the best Chinese grades in class and had won several first prizes in essay competitions in junior high.
Jiang Chuchu burped quietly before saying, “Sometimes I really think you’re mature like an adult, Qinghuan.”
Gu Qinghuan shrugged. “Maturity has nothing to do with age. For all we know, some adults we think are mature actually aren’t.”
“Then why are you so mature?” Jiang Chuchu asked.
“Because I’m a genius!” Gu Qinghuan said proudly.
Jiang Chuchu and Yu Xin exchanged looks and laughed together.
“I’m serious! My mom’s been saying I’m smart since I was little!” Gu Qinghuan argued.
“Yes, yes, genius girl. Now let’s go inside. During morning reading, we’ll write ‘Happy Teacher’s Day’ on the back blackboard,” Jiang Chuchu said, pushing her forward.
Following behind, Yu Xin smiled to herself. In truth, Gu Qinghuan wasn’t “mature” — she was just sincere and kind.
Yu Xin liked her best that way.
Since Ming Xiaolan and Lian Fenghe had made arrangements last night, Class Three’s bouquets arrived during morning reading.
When it ended, Gu Qinghuan led the students responsible for delivering them to the teachers’ office, where they handed over the flowers in a lively scene.
Xu Xinghe even recited a poem with deep feeling, drawing in other teachers from nearby.
When no one was paying attention, Gu Qinghuan slipped over to homeroom teacher Chen Zelin and whispered, “Mr. Chen, what do you think?”
“Not bad,” Chen Zelin whispered back.
Relieved, Gu Qinghuan said, “It was a class decision. By the way, I’m surprised all the teachers are here — I thought some only came in the afternoon.”
Chen Zelin’s expression shifted slightly. “Do you know why we’re all here?”
“Huh?” Gu Qinghuan looked blank.
“Because there’s an 8 a.m. morning meeting — to talk about Teacher’s Day and remind everyone to be very cautious when receiving gifts from students.”
“Oh… then… that must be… hard work for you…” Gu Qinghuan said awkwardly.
School might be exhausting — but work didn’t seem much better.
