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Gently brushing her hair aside, Wang Lijuan looked down at the emerald necklace glistening on her pale pink neck, secretly wondering if he had stolen money from home to buy it. How could this be? What should she do now?
Wang Lijuan was at a loss, her mind in chaos, and her face flushed with embarrassment.
"Gaoming, do you really not know?" Ma Teacher asked Gaoming in a softer tone.
"I really don't know!" Gaoming replied firmly.
"Oh! Wen Sheng, tell us the truth! What exactly happened? I can't believe you lost money playing cards. Did someone trick you? Speak honestly with the teacher," Ma Teacher turned to Wen Sheng, who had his head bowed in silence.
"I didn't play cards, and the money wasn't stolen. That's all there is to it! I don't want to say anything else," Wen Sheng's voice was low. He kept his head down, his face red.
Wang Lijuan felt a weight lift from her heart upon hearing Wen Sheng's words. However, she couldn't shake the feeling of guilt towards him. Did she actually like him? Wang Lijuan asked herself carefully. Her mind was a muddle; she knew she liked him, but...
The reality was that Wen Sheng's family situation was quite chaotic. What could one expect given the current circumstances? Who could foresee what would happen in the coming decades? Perhaps what she felt for him was not love but sympathy.
"You all can leave for now! I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed!" Ma Teacher said, brushing back a strand of hair that had fallen by her ear.
"What’s going on?" Once outside the office and on their way through the school grounds, Gaoming quietly asked, glancing back at Wang Lijuan following behind.
"Forget it! That money should be mine; I earned it through hard work! Why shouldn't I spend it?" Wen Sheng felt wronged.
"You earned that money? What did you buy?" Gaoming still didn't understand.
"Today is Wen Xin's birthday; I wanted to buy her a gift!" Wen Sheng changed the subject.
"Oh! Is that so? Since it's Wen Xin's birthday and I'm her older brother, let me handle the gift! You shouldn't be spending your money recklessly!" Gaoming put an arm around Wen Sheng's shoulder.
"Frustrating! It's just so frustrating!" Wen Sheng muttered to himself softly.
Gaoming had no response.
"Wen Sheng!" Wang Lijuan called out as she caught up, noticing the expression on Wen Sheng's face, which made her hesitate to approach.
"Mm!" Wen Sheng replied softly.
"Let's go grab a bite to eat!" Wang Lijuan suggested with a forced smile.
"Brother!" Just then, they ran into Wen Ling and Qin, who were coming back from the market with a few baked buns swinging in their bag.
"Let's all go eat! Is Gao Ming treating us again?" Wen Ling laughed. "I've always thought Gao Ming is both handsome and generous!"
"Really? Let's go then; it's on my brother. Is that even a question?" Gao Ming puffed out his chest proudly.
"I was just joking! We already bought food. Hehe!" Wen Ling chuckled.
"Just two buns? You’ll choke on that! Come on, let’s eat something more substantial!" Gao Ming said generously.
"Brother, what's wrong with you?" Wen Ling asked, looking at Wen Sheng.
"Nothing! I'm fine," Wen Sheng forced a smile in response.
Qin stood by quietly, feeling shy as she glanced at Wen Sheng. She wanted to offer him some comforting words when they were alone.
"Let’s go! We’ll eat together; today, Sister is treating us without spending those men’s dirty money!" Wang Lijuan laughed as she pulled Wen Ling along.
She stole a glance at Wen Sheng and felt her cheeks flush.
The group arrived at Uncle Heng's restaurant, where Wang Lijuan ordered two dishes and some noodles. They all sat down to eat together.
"Uncle Heng! Today is Wen Xin's birthday, and we were discussing what to get her," Gao Ming said loudly on purpose.
“Oh! You kids just buy what you want! Do you have money? If not, take some from me!” Uncle Heng said with a hearty smile.
“Uncle Heng, it’s just that money is tight! Hehe, let’s consider it a loan! We’ll pay you back when we have it,” Gao Ming replied with a mischievous grin.
“You little rascal! Are you here to mock me? How much do you want?” Uncle Heng laughed heartily.
“Let’s start with a thousand! Buy more stuff! Haha!” Gao Ming grinned widely, going for broke.
“Are you buying her a dowry? You little brat!” Uncle Heng playfully smacked Gao Ming on the head.
“Just kidding! We have money!” Gao Ming chuckled, rubbing his head.
Uncle Heng turned around and pulled out fifty yuan from his pocket, handing it to Gao Ming. “Make sure to buy her something nice. This girl, Wen Xin, has been through a lot. If it can make her happy, then do it! Just don’t let your aunt find out, or she’ll make a fuss again!” He glanced back at Wen Sheng. “What happened to you? Did you get into a fight?”
“My dad hit me!” Wen Sheng suddenly chuckled softly. “Uncle, forget it. You work hard for your money. It’s just her birthday; just buy her some toys to cheer her up! No need for you to spend so much!”
“No way! Gao Ming, take this quickly!” Uncle Heng insisted, shoving the money into Gao Ming's hands before turning back. Seeing that Aunt Heng hadn’t come out yet, he calmed down. “Have you all eaten?”
“We’ve eaten! Time to settle the bill!” Gao Ming said deliberately, standing up but showing no intention of paying.
Wang Lijuan immediately understood.
“You jerk!” Wang Lijuan lightly scolded Gao Ming. “I’ll handle the bill; the eldest sister is left with nothing but money!”
“Hehe! We all love living off others!” Gao Ming said as he put his arm around Wen Sheng’s shoulders.
Wen Sheng said nothing, just lowered her head and smiled faintly.
“Haha!” Wen Ling nearby burst into laughter. “Gao Ming, oh Gao Ming! You’re all talk and no cash! And you don’t even have any money to begin with! On behalf of all the girls, I’ll give you a gift!”
“What's the gift for me?” Gao Ming asked foolishly.
“It’s disdain! You idiot!” Qin Xu smiled, covering her lips.
Wang Lijuan took out some money, and Gao Ming didn’t stop her. Wen Sheng was about to speak when Gao Ming interrupted him, “We brothers have had our share of soft meals; it’s quite delightful! Haha!” Gao Ming tilted his head back, putting his arm around Wen Sheng's shoulder, laughing heartily as they left the restaurant.
Wen Sheng couldn’t help but laugh back. The sun hung high in the sky, making the day seem very blue.
Wang Lijuan settled the bill. Despite Uncle Heng repeatedly refusing to accept it, everyone knew it was just politeness. He didn’t need to take it, but if they really didn’t give him anything, it would make him uncomfortable. People from the countryside were like that; when familiar with someone, they would insist on not taking money when buying or selling: “No need for money!” When buying things, they would say: “No change needed.” These were all just formalities and shouldn’t be taken literally.
“Men! If only they had no shame, they could be invincible!” Wang Lijuan stood tall, flicking her long hair, feeling quite proud of herself!
Wen Ling and Qin Ze were secretly laughing behind them.
What should she buy for Wen Xin? When she saw Lin Lin's Toy Cat, it was like seeing meat. But that would cost several dozen yuan. Wen Sheng pondered.
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