Earliest possible in four years

It is so bright...

No, it turns out there are two suns right in front of her.

Teacher Huang confirmed she hadn't misheard and was already on cloud nine.

I didn't disgrace the school (crying), I taught two prodigies destined for Tsinghua and Peking University (almost stumbling).

Running into students from the previous graduating class during a night walk and finding out they scored 710—what teacher could keep their composure?

In a town middle school with such limited educational resources, a student getting into a Project 211 university is already considered incredibly impressive. Now, suddenly, two Tsinghua-Peking University prodigies have emerged, and both were taught by the same teacher.

Teacher Huang felt she would have so much face when she talked about this.

Colleague: Have you eaten tonight?

Teacher Huang: How did you know the students I taught scored 700?

Ahem, she was losing her composure. Teacher Huang reined in her surprise and smile. In front of her students, she had to maintain the dignified image of a teacher and an elder.

"Since you both scored so high, are you planning to go to Jingdu together?"

Xia Yanchun tilted her head. "We don't plan to go to Jingdu. We don't want to go too far, so we're planning to study within the province."

"?"

If you don't go to Jingdu, how am I supposed to brag to others that I taught two Tsinghua-Peking geniuses? Scoring so high but not going to Tsinghua or Peking University—I don't want that!

Teacher Huang lost her smile. Although some other universities were also very good, bragging about them just didn't hit the same spot as Tsinghua and Peking University.

However, she couldn't say anything and could only feel regret inwardly. From now on, she could only brag about teaching two students who scored 700 to make herself look good.

Students had their own choices; she was just a junior high homeroom teacher.

"Staying within the province is nice too." Teacher Huang pushed up her glasses, chatted a bit more, and then left.

"Let's go visit the middle school tomorrow?" Shen Nian chatted with Xia Yanchun, his hands in his pockets.

"Sure... let's go in the afternoon. Shiyan is coming in the afternoon, so we can all go take a look together."

"She's coming in the afternoon?"

"Mhm, she's coming over to hang out anyway. The day after tomorrow we'll go for a picnic, and she'll probably stay at my place for another two days after that."

Shen Nian was unhappy and grumbled, "Can't she just go sleep under a bridge?"

"What are you thinking? We already agreed she'd stay at my place."

"What about me?"

"Go back to your room and sleep. Do you want to sleep under a bridge?"

"The audacity!"

There were hotels in town. Shen Nian had checked before; it was actually just eighty yuan a night, though he didn't know about the amenities. Since Li Shiyan was coming, she could totally spend some money to stay in a hotel by herself.

He was shaking with anger. Coming over to play was one thing, but she even had to sleep with his Haki-Chun. This little loli already had a death wish.

After walking around for a while, Xia Yanchun's hair had dried. She stroked her not-so-smooth hair, her fingers running down like a comb, pulling out an unknown number of broken strands.

Shen Nian had been depressed the whole way. The thought of not being able to be intimate with Chunbao for the next few days made him feel like he had contracted the corn disease.

Forget it.

The three of them getting along well was more important than anything else, as long as the little loli was happy every day.

Passing by the middle school entrance, Shen Nian spotted a small convenience store nearby where a middle-aged man was selling roasted corn. He hurriedly bought two to cure his corn disease.

Shen Nian found it hard to resist roasted corn in the winter, especially the slightly charred kind. It was so good it left him speechless. It wasn't very expensive either, generally three yuan an ear, and the smaller ones were only two and a half yuan.

Xia Yanchun loved eating corn on the cob. She would occasionally buy one for breakfast, and she liked roasted corn even more.

"What time is the little loli coming?"

"She said two in the afternoon. She's taking a taxi here."

Shen Nian raised an eyebrow and used his phone to check the price of a taxi from their school to the town. The flat rate was over two hundred and fifty yuan.

He didn't know where Li Shiyan lived, but the cost shouldn't be much different.

He and Xia Yanchun had taken the subway and then a bus, which only cost a fraction of that. Having money sure was different.

A round trip would cost as much as his living expenses for a whole month.

Although Li Shiyan's family was wealthy, she was actually quite low-key at school. If he hadn't chatted with the girls, he wouldn't have known that she was a little rich lady.

Well, that worked out perfectly—he'd make her buy the ingredients for the picnic.

When they reached his house, several people were gathered at the door chatting. Not only were there parents from both families, but also a few relatives from the neighborhood. The women chatted among themselves, and the men did the same. The loud voices from the men's side could be heard from far away.

The town wasn't like the city where neighbors minded their own business. Here, neighbors lived in harmony. Usually, if someone had extra cassava, fruit, or the like, they would bring some over to their neighbors. A scene like this, with a group of people sitting outside chatting at night, was a common sight.

They were deep in conversation, so when Shen Nian and Xia Yanchun returned together, no one paid them any mind.

"The bottom part isn't even cooked through; it's rock hard..." Xia Yanchun tossed the clean-eaten corn cob into the trash can at Shen Nian's door, unable to resist complaining.

"Why did you follow me here?"

"To hang out at your house."

"Oh ho, how rare." Shen Nian smiled.

Being out in public, Xia Yanchun felt a bit shy and didn't dare to speak too loudly.

She strode into Shen Nian's house. Instead of rushing upstairs, she sat on the sofa on the first floor for a while.

There was still hot water on the coffee table. Xia Yanchun took out a small disposable plastic cup meant for tea, poured a little, and took a sip. The cold air she had inhaled outside was instantly dispelled.

So refreshing!

She glanced at the crowd outside. Zero people were paying attention to them, so she poured another cup for Shen Nian using her own cup.

"Drink it."

"An indirect kiss?"

"Whatever you say." Xia Yanchun crossed her legs, her shoe tip bobbing up and down as she rested her face on her hand, looking at him.

Shen Nian downed it in one gulp, his expression freezing as he looked at Xia Yanchun in disbelief.

"So... so hot! What on earth did you give me to drink?"

"Hot water."

"Oh, never mind then." Shen Nian scratched his cheek. "No wonder it's so hot."

"..."

Stupid Shen Nian. From now on, she would ask him every day if he would still love her if she turned into a caterpillar.

After lingering on the first floor for a while, Xia Yanchun followed Shen Nian up to the third floor.

The first floor still didn't feel safe enough, but the third floor was Shen Nian's exclusive domain. Even his parents wouldn't come up here.

The third floor actually only had Shen Nian's room renovated. The living area only had a sofa and a coffee table. The coffee table didn't even have a kettle on it; it was completely bare. If Shen Nian wanted to drink water, he had to go down to the second floor to find the water dispenser.

This was also why Xia Yanchun liked to boss Shen Nian around to fetch water for her when she hung out at his house.

In the town, there was a saying: "Wait until marriage to renovate." Whenever Shen Nian got married, his family would allocate funds to fully renovate the entire third floor. Things like a TV, wall cabinets, and all sorts of miscellaneous stuff would be installed right before the wedding.

Xia Yanchun's family didn't have this concern; their third floor was already fully renovated.

"What are you looking at?"

Shen Nian hugged her from behind, resting his chin on the top of the girl's fluffy head. Holding her hands in his, he steered her like two little penguins waddling in circles around the empty third floor.

"This floor of yours is so empty."

"It's not empty. It has a bathroom, a water heater, and a sofa."

"Are you satisfied with just that? You really are more suited to sleeping under a bridge."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"I'm not telling you."

Xia Yanchun had already made up her mind just now.

When the time comes, she could just decorate Shen Nian's third floor to look exactly like her own home. She could put the TV here, the TV stand there, set up a floor-standing air conditioner here, and hang a cross-stitch reading "Family Harmony Brings Success" over there...

If she decorated it following the layout of the third floor at her own house, she could definitely transform this empty third floor into a cozy little nest.

However, something like decorating Shen Nian's home wouldn't happen for at least another four years at the very earliest.