You Must Be Good 11

Chapter 11

◎She’s really smart, don’t you think?◎

That gentle “You must be good” seemed to carry some kind of magic, making Qiao Xiaoxiao retract the hand that was about to push it away. She frantically raised the back of her hand and wiped away the tears on her face.

Chu Xinrou considerately pretended not to see and asked softly, “Weren’t you going to cook? I suddenly feel like having some century egg and lean pork congee. Let’s search for how to make it.”

After Xiaoxiao had meat that day, she had diarrhea. Chu Xinrou had specifically asked a friend about it. It was probably because her stomach had been used to plain food for too long and couldn’t handle the sudden greasiness. She needed to take it slow.

Qiao Xiaoxiao nodded. She picked up the phone and slowly searched for the recipe. Her slender fingertips moved cautiously across the screen. Because she was unfamiliar with it, she would nervously glance at Chu Xinrou’s expression whenever she fumbled.

Chu Xinrou was very patient. “You don’t have to use so much force. The search bar is over here.”

When the search results finally leaped into view, Qiao Xiaoxiao’s moist eyelashes were still beaded with tears, but her eyes were already shimmering with a joyful light.

Chu Xinrou praised her softly, “So clever.”

Qiao Xiaoxiao couldn’t hide the curve of her lips.

This was the first time Qiao Xiaoxiao had used a phone to look something up. Chu Xinrou read the steps softly, and Qiao Xiaoxiao executed them precisely. The two of them cooperated seamlessly. While the congee was simmering, Chu Xinrou was surprised to find that no matter how complicated the steps were, Qiao Xiaoxiao could repeat them perfectly after hearing them just once.

Chu Xinrou couldn’t help but ask softly, “Do you have a photographic memory?”

Qiao Xiaoxiao’s hand, which was about to put the lid on the pot, suddenly stopped. She turned her head in confusion. Photographic memory? She had never thought of it as any special ability. In her memory, her father and aunt had always only told her how to do things once. If she couldn’t remember, it would be a scolding. Gradually, remembering every instruction became a survival instinct, just like remembering which alley’s streetlamp was the dimmest, which restaurant’s back door would have leftovers, and which construction site’s foreman was the fiercest.

Chu Xinrou ate the bowl of century egg and lean pork congee until her stomach felt warm and full. Qiao Xiaoxiao licked her bowl clean, the sweet fragrance of the rice lingering on her tongue for a long time.

It was late at night. The desk lamp cast a circle of dim yellow light in the living room.

Chu Xinrou was watching a painting tutorial on her tablet, while Qiao Xiaoxiao was buried in a sea of practice problems. The results of the placement test were like a heavy blow, completely disrupting her original plan of “work first, study second.”

Chu Xinrou glanced at the clock, which pointed to eleven, and asked, “Are you tired?”

Qiao Xiaoxiao immediately shook her head. For her, the time she could study without distractions was too precious. Tired? Compared to the peeling shoulders from carrying cement in the summer and the chapped hands from washing dishes in the cold winter, her fingers holding a pen now felt like they were soaking in warm water. It was just that there was always a thorn in her heart. With less time to work, how long could the money in the milk powder can last?

Chu Xinrou knew she was strong-willed and said softly, “I’ll go to bed first then. Don’t stay up too late.”

Qiao Xiaoxiao nodded vigorously, afraid that Chu Xinrou wouldn’t let her continue studying.

It wasn’t until the sky was just beginning to lighten that Chu Xinrou was awakened by the morning light. Pushing open the living room door, she saw Qiao Xiaoxiao asleep, slumped over the desk, her cheek pressed against a draft paper filled with formulas. She had sponsored many poor students over the years, but this was the first time she had seen one work so hard.

“Xiaoxiao—” She gently pushed the girl’s thin shoulder. “Go sleep in bed.”

Qiao Xiaoxiao shot up from the desk, her muddled brain exploding. “What time is it? I have to make breakfast!!!”

This reaction was like a conditioned reflex carved into her bones. In the past, every time she stayed up late to read, her aunt would kick open the door and scream at her for wasting electricity, cursing at her and asking if reading could fill her stomach. Over time, waking up at the crack of dawn became her biological alarm clock.

Chu Xinrou looked at her sallow little face from staying up late, her heart aching a little. “We’ll have instant noodles today. I’ll cook, with ham.”

How could Qiao Xiaoxiao go to sleep with a clear conscience? She hastily splashed her face with cold water and then dove into the kitchen.

In the morning light, following the tutorial she had searched for last night, she seriously made a sandwich for Chu Xinrou. The bread was toasted to a golden crisp, the edges of the fried egg were slightly browned, and the lettuce leaves were still dotted with crystal-clear water droplets.

Chu Xinrou sipped her coffee in small mouthfuls, but her gaze kept following the busy figure in the kitchen. She was surprised to find that Qiao Xiaoxiao, who had been listless just a moment ago, seemed to have transformed into a different person as soon as she started cooking, full of energy.

“I have to go out today.” While clearing the dishes, Chu Xinrou buttoned up her coat and instructed, “You’re on your own for dinner.” She was at the door when she suddenly turned back and added, “You’re not allowed to skip it.”

Qiao Xiaoxiao nodded obediently.

Perhaps because she had already hit rock bottom yesterday, or perhaps because Chu Xinrou’s “give yourself some time” had really worked, Qiao Xiaoxiao felt much more relaxed sitting in the classroom today.

She joined the class group chat with her newly registered QQ account, carefully read through the study materials posted in the group announcements, and even took the initiative to apply for a campus network account. Although it was slow, it was progressing smoothly. The boy who had asked for her contact information yesterday, Wang Fulu, scratched his head in confusion. “Didn’t you say you didn’t have QQ yesterday?”

Qiao Xiaoxiao shook the phone in her hand, not hiding anything. “My sister gave me her old phone.”

Wang Fulu stared at the Samsung phone, which was clearly this year’s new model, his mouth twitching. He managed to swallow back the retort, “What kind of old phone is this?” He then asked, “So can I add you now?”

Qiao Xiaoxiao nodded, picked up the phone, and squinted as she opened QQ. “Wait a minute, let me see. Friend groups, no, add friend here. Yes, it’s this ‘+’ sign. Hey, wait, why did an ad pop up?”

Wang Fulu: …

The way Qiao Xiaoxiao muttered to herself like an old person using a phone made him believe that she hadn’t been using one for long.

For Xiaoxiao, being a student in Class 10 had an unexpected benefit. The teacher’s pace was noticeably slower, and each concept was explained several times. She heard that in the neighboring advanced classes, the pace was already flying from the first lesson. Unfortunately, most of the students in her class were not very interested. After only two classes, half the classroom was already slumped over their desks. Only Qiao Xiaoxiao sat with her back straight, her eyes wide, afraid of missing a single word on the blackboard.

The cafeteria at noon was bustling. Students walked in twos and threes. After only one day of school, many had already become familiar with each other. Qiao Xiaoxiao walked alone in the crowd, her head down, her fingers unconsciously clutching the hem of her clothes. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to make friends, but she didn’t know how to start a conversation. When others took the initiative to talk to her, she always seemed awkward and cold.

The aroma of food wafted from the cafeteria windows. Qiao Xiaoxiao stood on her tiptoes to look at the menu. A plate of green pepper and pork over rice was priced at 8 yuan. Her heart sank. In the end, she only got two steamed buns and a bowl of free seaweed and egg drop soup, and found a seat in the most remote corner.

The steamed buns were dry. She nibbled on them in small bites, occasionally dipping them in the soup. She could vaguely feel a few gazes on her, mixed with whispers.

“That’s her, the one on the financial aid list…”

“Look at her shoes, they’re all worn out.”

“She takes notes so seriously in class, like her life depends on it.”

Qiao Xiaoxiao lowered her lashes, pretending not to hear. Over the years, she had gotten used to being pointed at and talked about, but her chest still felt tight, as if a stone were pressing on it. She picked up her bowl and moved to an even more remote corner.

For some reason, at that moment, she suddenly missed Chu Xinrou very much. They had only known each other for a short time, but that person’s gentleness seemed to be carved into her bones. Just thinking about it made her eyes burn.

She finished her meal quickly and fled the cafeteria, sitting alone on a bench by the sports field, forcing herself to focus on “making money.” Today, during the breaks between classes, she had searched through all the trash cans in the first-year area and had collected 26 soda cans and 11 water bottles. She had secretly hidden them in the storage room of the girls’ bathroom and would take them to sell after school.

“A soda can is 5 cents, a water bottle is 2 cents… I can probably sell them for about two yuan.” She counted on her fingers, her eyes shining slightly. “If I can collect from the second and third-year areas in the future, then—”

As she was calculating, a strong scent of mint suddenly wafted over. Qiao Xiaoxiao looked up and met a pair of charming, smiling eyes.

The woman before her had hair like a waterfall, and a red dress that outlined her graceful figure. A slender mint cigarette was held between her fingers as she looked down at her.

“Classmate,” the woman’s red lips parted, her voice lazy. “I’m the owner of the ‘Feitang Music Store’ at the school gate. I’m looking to hire a student part-timer to clean the practice rooms and wipe the pianos. Are you interested?”

Qiao Xiaoxiao was stunned. Although she didn’t understand what was happening, her “money-oriented” brain processed it first. “How much per hour?”

Yang Feitang’s eyebrow arched, amused by her directness. “One hour at noon, one hour after school, 20 yuan/hour.” She leaned closer, the scent of her perfume wrapping around her. “If you do well, you can also take home free fruit.”

20 yuan an hour! Not to mention Qiao Xiaoxiao, a poor student like her, even students from well-off families would fight for this hourly wage.

Yang Feitang’s red lips curved slightly, the mint cigarette between her fingers glinting in the sunlight. She proudly waited for the thin girl before her to show an ecstatic expression.

But Qiao Xiaoxiao suddenly looked up, her clear gaze looking straight into Yang Feitang’s eyes. “Jiejie,” her voice was very soft, but unusually firm. “You’re so beautiful, do you really need to resort to scams?”

After saying this, she turned and walked away decisively, her back straight, without a trace of hesitation.

“What?!” Yang Feitang’s painted nails fiercely extinguished the cigarette, her delicate features contorting with anger. “Who are you calling a scammer?!”

The wind swirled the fallen leaves. Chu Xinrou walked out slowly from behind a parasol tree, her gaze following Qiao Xiaoxiao’s retreating figure.

“Chu! Xin! Rou!” Yang Feitang stomped over to her in her seven-centimeter high heels, each word seemingly squeezed from between her teeth. “Is this the ‘simple and obedient’ good child you were talking about?” She pointed to the empty end of the sports field. “That look in her eyes, that tone, she’s a seasoned veteran who’s seen it all!”

Where is she simple? Where is she obedient?!

The corners of Chu Xinrou’s lips lifted slightly, a gentle smile rippling in her eyes.

“A scam?!” Yang Feitang stomped her foot in anger, the thin heel tapping crisply on the ground. “If it weren’t for you coming to beg me to come out of retirement this morning, would I have to condescend to come here and do some direct recruiting?” Seeing the smile in Chu Xinrou’s eyes made her even angrier. “What are you smiling at?! Say something!”

Finally, Chu Xinrou spoke as she wished, her tone filled with undisguised pride and doting.

“She’s really smart, don’t you think?”

Yang Feitang: …???!!!

【Author’s Note】

Yang Feitang: “I’ve known Chu Xinrou for many years. She’s always been very cold, with a kind of detached, dead-inside vibe, not caring about anything. But after Qiao Xiaoxiao came along…”

She gritted her teeth. “She started showing off their relationship, going on and on about ‘our Xiaoxiao is so good,’ ‘our Xiaoxiao is so sensible.’ It’s so annoying!”