Step by step, a gentle breeze leads to a smooth path

Chapter 199 Junior High School Graduation

Who was that man? A deserter? A deserter! Song Tingnan suddenly thought of Zheng Yueqiang, her older brother and sister's father. Was he also afraid to go home because of this situation?

Could this man be him?

Thinking of this, Ting Nan felt her heart race. Judging from his cough earlier, he must be quite ill, especially living in that kind of environment. Yi Xingzi went out to buy meat, probably to give him some extra nutrition.

Song Tingnan wanted to turn back and find out, but it was already late, and the man wouldn't let anyone into the house. Could it be an infectious disease? Tingnan suppressed her questions and thought she should go home first, otherwise her godmother would worry.

"Godfather, Godmother, are there still Japanese people in our county?" Ting Nan asked Mu Xudong and the others after dinner.

"There seems to be a Japanese woman on the outskirts of that city. Ting Nan, why are you asking about this?" Mu Xudong replied.

“I ran into her today. A group of people were hitting her. She was quite pitiful. I pulled her away.” Ting Nan didn’t hide anything.

Mu Xudong sighed: "Why are you meddling in that? Don't get yourself into trouble."

“That woman is a human being too, why did she come to China to suffer?” Jiang Qianqian sighed as well. As a woman herself, she had more empathy.

"Godfather, do you know there's another man with her?" Ting Nan repeated what Yi Xingzi had said.

"I don't know, I've never heard of him!" Mu Xudong and the others didn't know either. "Tingnan, do you know that man?"

"I don't know him, I didn't see him, he wouldn't let people in, he might be sick."

Jiang Qianqian said, "Ting Nan, don't worry about so much. This is a crucial time for you. Focus on your studies."

"Okay, godmother, I'll go do my homework now." Tingnan obediently went into the room.

Since things have already come to this, there's no rush. She thought that perhaps she could go to her master and ask him to investigate.

Gao Haoran heard about it and naturally agreed, just like Jiang Qianqian, to let Tingnan focus on studying and preparing for the exam. He would investigate the matter.

Under the soft lamplight, Song Tingnan held a pen, meticulously marking and calculating on the pages of the book, earnestly reciting, understanding, and memorizing it again and again...

She knew she wasn't a genius, and that the only way to get ahead was through hard work. For ordinary families, studying might be the fairest shortcut to success.

With the high school entrance exam just around the corner, everyone around Song Tingnan is trying their best not to disturb her.

Over the past three years, Tingnan has absorbed so much 'motherly love' from Jiang Qianqian. She has been so meticulous in her care for him in both his studies and daily life. She carefully prepares three meals a day, taking into account Tingnan's preferences, with meat and vegetables in each meal. On the contrary, her own son is often overlooked.

Watching Jiang Qianqian intently preparing a late-night snack in the kitchen, Ting Nan felt a surge of warmth in her heart. Perhaps her life had started unfortunately, but a hug, a greeting, a waiting figure—each a touch of emotion—the beauty of life had returned unexpectedly in another way.

The laughter and noise in the classroom were filtered out. Song Tingnan was lucky enough to be assigned to take the exam at her own school.

Her eldest uncle, eldest aunt, and youngest aunt, along with Mingcheng and Yali (who weren't in school yet), came to see her off to the exam, watching as Tingnan walked into the examination hall. Mu Xudong and Grandpa Mu also came; neither of them wanted to go back, so they waited outside the school gate.

Song Tingnan knew her uncle was stubborn. They had made an agreement last night to wait until this morning. It would take three days to finish all the exams, so they couldn't let them get too stressed.

After having lunch together, they went about their own business. Tingnan entered the examination room full of confidence. The questions weren't difficult; she had done most of them before. The Chinese composition required reading materials and creating your own title, and Tingnan felt she performed quite well.

With the high school entrance exams successfully completed, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Tao Huahua suggested that they first have a meal at her family's restaurant, and then invite some friends out for some fun.

After graduating from junior high school, everyone will go their separate ways and follow their own paths. There weren't many girls in the class to begin with, and even fewer will continue their studies; perhaps soon they'll be settling down to be wives and mothers.

Everyone agreed that Tingnan would go to the dinner party as a farewell. She wouldn't go because of the age difference and they didn't interact much.

After they had eaten their fill, Ting Nan said goodbye. As soon as she came downstairs, Zhong Shengli called out, "Song Ting Nan, wait for me!"