The day and night cycle tirelessly, and the autumn air grows denser each day.
Tang's mother, propped on the table with one hand supporting her cheek, stared at the variety of skewers spread across the entire table. In her heart, she was silently calculating how much more inventory she needed to buy to ensure enough stock and prevent leftovers when the temperature drops significantly.
After pondering for a while, Tang's mother looked at the empty chairs by the grill, only accompanied by the bleak autumn wind. She pursed her red lips, momentarily unsure of what to do.
She decided to discuss it with Manting once she got home.
Manting was a smart girl; she would probably come up with a good idea.
Thinking of Tang Manting, Tang's mother's beautiful peach blossom eyes squinted into a smile, her gaze full of happiness.
She didn't know what good deeds she had done in her past life to have such a sensible and capable daughter in this life.
Recalling the days three years ago when she was suffocated by debts and Qin Qin's illness, Tang's mother still felt somewhat oppressed.
Fortunately, Manting excelled academically and received a large scholarship from No.3 Middle School, which not only paid off the debt left by her father but also left some surplus, allowing Qin Qin to continue treatment without being driven out of the hospital.
What was even more gratifying was that Manting did not get spoiled by those bad kids at No.3 Middle School. She still focused on her studies, and her test scores were almost always in the top ten in the school.
"Huh."
Tang's mother exhaled lightly. Thinking about her beloved daughter's excellence, the image of other parents gritting their teeth in envy when discussing their children's academic achievements in front of her naturally surfaced in her mind. The corners of her lips curled up slightly, and she felt her face glowing.
But something seemed to be off with this child recently.
She always seemed absent-minded.
And she wouldn't say why.
Tang's mother sighed softly with some worry, then quickly let it go.
Manting was already an adult now.
She should have some of her own worries and secrets.
After a long sigh, Tang's mother stretched lazily, feeling relaxed all over.
Qin Qin's condition had stabilized, and after a period of observation, if there were no problems, she could be discharged from the hospital early.
Once she was discharged, the family could start saving some money.
When Manting gets into university, she will buy her the best phone!
She heard that you also need a computer and an iPad for university, so she will also buy the best ones for Manting when the time comes!
Whatever others have, Manting should no longer lack.
Tang's mother gently rubbed her standard melon-seed face. Although there was a noticeable fatigue in her soft eyebrows and eyes, there was more happiness.
The days ahead seemed to be getting better.
As it approached evening, the cold autumn wind became even colder.
Since there had been no business, Tang's mother had been sitting on the plastic stool.
Another gust of cold wind blew over, creeping into her slightly dirty cotton gloves and unknowingly scraping some temperature from her slender hands.
Feeling a bit cold, Tang's mother took off her gloves, cupped her hands to her mouth, and exhaled a breath of warm air. Then, she rubbed her hands together quickly.
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With some warmth returning to her fair hands, Tang's mother was about to put her hands into her pockets to preserve this weak warmth when her movements abruptly stopped. She turned her head as if sensing something.
Ah!
Her precious daughter! (o(￣▽￣)o)
...
?
Why is she crying? (Σ(っ °Д °;)っ)
Seeing her daughter in tears, Tang's mother anxiously stood up and quickly ran towards Tang Manting, who was a few steps away.
Coming closer, Tang's mother gently wiped away the tears that were rapidly falling on her face and asked with concern:
"What's wrong, Manting?"
"Did someone bully you?"
"If someone bullied you, tell mom, mom will find him!"
As she spoke, Tang's mother's eyes reddened.
Ever since her husband died, she had regarded these two children as her everything.
Especially the obedient and sensible Tang Manting, apart from being proud and gratified by her excellence, Tang Yun had always felt somewhat sorry for her.
Such an excellent and sensible child like her, if she were born in someone else's family, she would definitely be a treasure held in the palm of everyone's hand.
But she happened to be her own daughter, and she had to suffer so much with her.
In Tang Yun's soft voice of concern, Tang Manting's tight lips pressed down even more. She sobbed once, lowered her head and said:
"I'm sorry, mom, I did very poorly on this test."
Hearing that her daughter's grades had dropped, Tang Yun wasn't angry, but rather felt a sense of relief.
So it was because she flunked the test.
That really scared her.
Seeing her daughter crying like this, she thought something big had happened.
Knowing that her daughter wasn't bullied, Tang Yun breathed a sigh of relief. She gently stroked Tang Manting's head and asked softly:
"Did you fall out of the top ten in the whole school?"
"It's okay."
"Don't cry."
"We'll work harder next time."
Tang Manting bit her lip tightly, shook her head, sobbed once, and almost cried out when she spoke again:
"I'm sorry, Mom, I fell out of the top twenty in the whole school, and I lost this test's scholarship."
"I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry..."
The sun completely hid its plump body behind the western mountains, returning the sky to darkness.
Tang Yun blinked her textbook-like beautiful peach blossom eyes in the dark, as if she couldn't believe her ears.
Fell out of the top twenty?
How could this happen?
This has never happened before!
Compared to the scholarship that could greatly ease her life, what Tang Yun was more worried about was her daughter's current state.
Why did her grades drop so much all of a sudden?
Recalling her absent-minded appearance during this period, Tang Yun felt more and more that something was wrong. Her eyebrows furrowed, and the words of questioning almost slipped out of her mouth.
Her gaze refocused, and under the bright street lamp, Tang Yun looked at her daughter's self-blaming appearance while sobbing and choking. Her lips moved slightly, but she didn't utter a single syllable for a long time.
After a while, Tang Yun's expression softened. She opened her arms and gently hugged the still sobbing Tang Manting, comforting her softly:
"It's okay."
"We made a mistake this time, and we'll work harder to make it up next time."
"You don't have to worry about things at home. Qin Qin is about to be discharged from the hospital, and the pressure on the family has been greatly reduced. Mom can handle it on her own."
"You just need to focus on your studies in the future."
"Don't worry about the rest."
Under Tang Yun's gentle comfort, Tang Manting finally stopped crying. She raised her arm to wipe the tears on her face that had been chilled by the wind, sniffed her nose, and said:
"Mom, I'm going to go home and review first."
"There's no hurry."
Tang Yun spoke softly. She looked at the charcoal stove next to the barbecue grill and smiled at Tang Manting:
"You just finished the exam, take a good rest tonight. There are no customers today, what do you want to eat?"
"Mom will grill it for you."
Tang Manting turned her head to look at the grill, and after a moment, she nodded lightly...
...
"Manting, have anything interesting happened at school recently?"
Tang Yun handed a skewer of beef to Tang Manting, who was sitting beside her, and asked in a seemingly casual manner.
"Nothing."
Tang Manting took the skewer of beef, eating it quietly as she shook her head and replied softly.
Tang Yun responded with a simple "oh," and the conversation ended.
After a while, as she was seasoning the sausage, she asked again:
"How about you?"
"How's life at school recently?"
"Is there anything you're not used to, or anything that makes you uncomfortable?"
"Nothing."
Tang Manting's answer was still those two words, her voice so faint that it was almost swept away by the autumn wind.
"Really?"
"But I've noticed that you've been absent-minded lately."
Tang Yun handed the grilled sausage to Tang Manting, looking into her eyes as she spoke seriously.
Tang Manting's hand, holding the sausage skewer, froze in mid-air. Under Tang Yun's scrutinizing gaze, a hint of panic flashed in her reddened eyes. She quickly turned her body away, not daring to look into Tang Yun's eyes again.
"Manting, no matter what happens, you can always talk to mom."
"Mom won't blame you."
"Because mom and you are on the same side."
Tang Yun's eyebrows furrowed slightly, her tone as gentle as possible.
"It's... it's really nothing."
Sitting on the plastic chair with her head slightly lowered, Tang Manting spoke softly after a moment of silence.
"You..."
Tang Yun wanted to say something more, but Tang Manting didn't give her the chance. She put the still hot sausage on the plate, stood up and said:
"I'm full now, I'm going home to review my homework."
"Mom, you should also go home early."
After speaking, Tang Manting didn't even wipe her mouth, she turned around and quickly walked away as if escaping.
Watching her daughter's retreating figure, Tang Yun clenched her fist tightly.
She must be hiding something from me!
I have to figure it out!