You Must Be Good 8

Chapter 8

◎Chu Xinrou stood at the entrance of the hallway, draped in a beige knitted shawl, her sleepy appearance looking exceptionally soft under the moonlight.◎

Qiao Xiaoxiao chewed on the braised pork in small bites. The rich, savory flavor melted on her tongue, and the fatty but not greasy texture made her so happy she felt like she could float. She tried to press her lips together to suppress the rising corners of her mouth, but her sparkling eyes had already betrayed her immense joy.

Chu Xinrou took in her expression completely. While washing the dishes, she leaned against the kitchen doorway and asked warmly, “School should be starting soon, right?”

“Not yet,” Qiao Xiaoxiao shook her head, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the corner of her English textbook. Her voice became lighter without her realizing it. “But I heard there’s a placement test before school starts.”

At this, a trace of imperceptible worry flashed in her eyes. Back in the village, her grades had always been her greatest pride. Even the villagers who treated her like the plague had to begrudgingly admit, “That girl’s got a sharp mind,” when they spoke of her.

But now, standing in this massive city, she felt a waver in her confidence for the first time. She had heard that the students here not only had excellent grades but were also talented in various fields. Grade ten in piano, English speech competition champion, Math Olympiad gold medalist… these dazzling titles were things she didn’t even dare to dream of.

Chu Xinrou keenly caught her fleeting anxiety and said gently, “It’s just a placement test. Don’t be too nervous.”

Qiao Xiaoxiao pressed her lips together and nodded, her palms feeling a little cold.

For her now, studying was everything. It was her only hope for changing her future.

Chu Xinrou looked at her and asked casually, “By the way, are you free these next few days? My art studio is looking for a part-timer to help organize tools. I had originally asked a classmate I know, but she went on a trip at the last minute.”

Qiao Xiaoxiao’s hand, which was wiping a bowl, suddenly paused. She lifted her eyes, her dark pupils looking at Chu Xinrou.

She was not a simple, naive child. On the contrary, she had experienced too many vicissitudes of life.

Such “casual” kindness felt too unreal to her. She was already living in Chu Xinrou’s house and had eaten such a delicious meal. She couldn’t bear to accept any more.

“Thank you, Jiejie,” Qiao Xiaoxiao lowered her eyes, her voice almost inaudible. “These next few days… I have some other things to take care of.”

In reality, it was just rummaging for scraps in the crowded streets. But this secret, which was so hard to speak of, she couldn’t bring herself to say.

Fortunately, Chu Xinrou didn’t press further. She just nodded lightly and put the washed bowl into the cupboard. “I’ll be out tomorrow. I’ve prepared ingredients in the fridge. Remember to cook for yourself when you get back.”

Qiao Xiaoxiao clutched the dishcloth in her hand, a wave of unease rising in her heart. If I refuse Chu Xinrou’s kindness, will she be angry? I’m really not ungrateful, it’s just…

“Don’t overthink it,” Chu Xinrou’s gaze was so gentle it seemed to see through all her worries. “How about you come help me some other time when you have the chance? You can even be my little model then.”

Qiao Xiaoxiao’s nose tingled, and she nodded heavily. The moonlight streamed in from the window, condensing into fine silver specks on her eyelashes. “Okay, I’ll definitely come.”

That night, Qiao Xiaoxiao tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Her stomach, which hadn’t had oil for so long, was protesting against the sudden rich dinner. Waves of sharp pain forced her to rush to the bathroom again and again.

At three in the morning, she simply curled up on the bay window in the living room with her English textbook. The city’s night was beautiful, brightly lit with the glow of neon lights filtering through the glass, casting mottled colored shadows on the pages of her book. It wasn’t like the village, which was pitch black. Even with moonlight, her eyes would hurt after reading for a while.

In the past few days, Qiao Xiaoxiao had already gone through more than twenty pages of the first-year high school English textbook. She had memorized every word until she knew it by heart, but what Sister Wang Ning had said still lingered in her mind—the exams in the city included not only a written test but also an oral one. Thinking of her English pronunciation with its heavy rural accent, Qiao Xiaoxiao unconsciously bit her lip.

“Why don’t you turn on the light?”

The sudden voice startled Qiao Xiaoxiao so much she almost jumped. Chu Xinrou stood at the entrance of the hallway, draped in a beige knitted shawl, her sleepy appearance looking exceptionally soft under the moonlight.

“I’m sorry, Jiejie!” Qiao Xiaoxiao hurriedly closed the book. “I… I just wanted to read a little…”

With a click, the living room was instantly as bright as day.

When Chu Xinrou approached, the ends of her hair still carried the fragrance of her pillow. She asked softly, “What are you reading?” Her voice still held a trace of laziness.

Under the warm yellow light, Qiao Xiaoxiao looked up at Chu Xinrou, forgetting to answer for a moment.

She leaned down to look at Qiao Xiaoxiao’s English book, her slender eyebrows slightly furrowed. “Starting to study so early?”

Only then did Qiao Xiaoxiao notice that the pages were densely covered with words she had annotated with pinyin. She was instantly so embarrassed her ears burned. She hurriedly closed the book, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz. “I’m sorry, did I wake you? I just… my stomach is a little upset…”

“I was going to get up anyway,” Chu Xinrou squatted in front of the coffee table, rummaging through the medicine box. The beige shawl draped onto the carpet like a soft cloud. She handed over a box of stomach medicine, her fingertips glowing like pearls in the light. “Take the medicine first. Studying can wait.”

Chu Xinrou sensed Qiao Xiaoxiao’s awkwardness due to her presence. After watching her take the medicine, she said softly, “You can study. I’ll go back to sleep. Just leave the light on, it won’t bother me.”

After she left, Qiao Xiaoxiao let out a sigh of relief. She didn’t know why, but even though Chu Xinrou was gentle, considerate, and pleasant, she was still nervous in front of her, even unconsciously holding her breath. The deep-seated sense of inferiority made her lack the courage to even look her in the eye.

Qiao Xiaoxiao got up on tiptoe. She turned off the main light and only switched on a small orange lamp on the sofa.

Qiao Xiaoxiao stroked the smooth surface of the medicine box. The discomfort in her stomach seemed to have mostly subsided.

This little bit of light was just right for her, like the warmth Chu Xinrou gave, not too much, not too little, just enough to illuminate the darkest corner of her heart.

In the last few days before school started, Qiao Xiaoxiao had visited almost all the shops around the school. The owner of a small restaurant took pity on her and reluctantly agreed to let her wash dishes in the back kitchen, but the wages offered were dishearteningly low. A full eight-hour day earned her less than what she made from collecting scraps for half a day.

So she continued to drag that large woven plastic bag through the streets and alleys of the city. In two days, she had thoroughly familiarized herself with the area around the school. She silently noted where the foot traffic was heavy and which trash cans often held surprises. Sometimes, when she worked until dark, she would stand at a busy intersection, staring blankly at the brightly lit tall buildings around her. The city lights were too bright, so bright they reminded her of the pitch-black nights back home. Has Uncle finished smoking his pipe by now? Is my sister already curled up asleep on the earthen kang?

These days, Chu Xinrou always left early and came back late. One time, Qiao Xiaoxiao returned late and found that the food in the refrigerator was untouched. The next day, she heard Chu Xinrou ask with a smile, “Was the food I made not to your liking?”

That gentle tone made it impossible for her to refuse again.

What surprised Qiao Xiaoxiao the most was one late night when she tiptoed in, she found Chu Xinrou still waiting in the living room.

“Tired?” Just this simple greeting made Qiao Xiaoxiao stand there in a daze for a long time. Tired? Compared to planting rice seedlings under the scorching sun or moving bricks at a construction site, her current life was like a dream. To have a place to shelter from the wind and rain, to be able to eat hot meals—she didn’t even dare to dream of such a life. It was like falling into a honey pot.

But the good days had only lasted for two days.

On the day the placement test results were posted, Qiao Xiaoxiao stood in front of the red announcement board and counted three full times.

Out of 442 students in the entire grade, she ranked 402nd and was placed in the lowest-level class, Class 10.

For Qiao Xiaoxiao, who had nothing to her name but her grades to be proud of, her world shattered into pieces at that moment.