“What about me? What about me?” Zhang Shaofeng was the first to pop his head in and asked animatedly when he heard that both the girls were going to represent their school on a study trip.
“You can forget about it! Haha. Your English results are lousy, not like your speaking helps. You’ve got to sit this one out!” Chen Xinyi waved the form in her hand and teased Zhang Shaofeng.
Yet again the cousins began to banter.
Yun Jian was already used to this commonality and smiled at them.
If her elder brother was going, of course she would be going too.
Disregarding any other reason, Qin Yirou would be very happy if she knew that both of them were joining an exclusive activity like this as their school representatives, right?
Truth was, Qin Yirou covered her face with tears streaming down it when she heard the news. These were tears of joy as a mother, having gone through so much hardship, hearing this made her immensely proud of her children.
Actually, Yun Jian knew that Yun Yi would definitely be one of the candidates when she heard Chen Xinyi announce “the top students of Di Yi Senior High School will be sent to a college abroad as exchange students for a week”.
This was because her elder brother, Yun Yi, was the crème de la crème among the top students of Di Yi Senior High School.
As the activity was related to the school and even the nation’s pride, all the students attending the course would be waived from the basic expenses. This meant that the student representatives did not have to spend their own money, unless they wanted to buy gifts and souvenirs overseas.
This allowed Qin Yirou to breathe in relief when she found out.
She had no money, but if that fact were to cost her children the opportunity, she would blame herself.
“Xiao Jian, Xiao Yi, you’re both mommy’s pride!” Qin Yirou wiped her tears and took one hundred Chinese yuan worth of wrinkled change that she had kept for a long time, being reluctant to spend, to give fifty yuan each to Yun Jian and Yun Yi.
“Hold on to the money. You still need to spend on what you should in another country! Don’t let others laugh at you two!” Qin Yirou pushed the cash to her children.
“Mom, we don’t have to spend on anything. The school provides us meals and accommodation!” Yun Yi quickly stuffed the cash back to Qin Yirou, knowing that it was her salary that she had been saving for a long time.
Yun Jian felt warmth enveloping her heart as she held the money, not in a hurry to return it to Qin Yirou.
The wealth that she possessed could not even be expended by ordinary people for many generations, but the affluence was not even near as heartwarming as the fifty yuan that Qin Yirou had given her.
After some time, Yun Jian put the cash on the table and pushed it to the woman. “Mom, I don’t want this either. You know that I know Mayor Gu and we work together. I’m not in need of allowance.”
Yun Jian’s words were ambiguous but her intention was clear. She could only drag Mayor Gu into her lie anyway.
“Xiao Jian, you…” Qin Yirou was stunned but she was cut off by Yun Jian as the latter took out two one-hundred Chinese yuan notes and placed them softly on the table, telling her, “It’s true, mom. Believe me. And the money I earn is legitimate too.”
If she had shown Qin Yirou all her wealth, the woman would probably faint from the shock. She could only show her in baby steps so that Qin Yirou could digest it slowly.
Qin Yirou’s mouth opened but she swallowed her words ultimately. Comforted, she looked at Yun Jian and said holding back her tears, “My good children, you guys have suffered because of my incompetence…”
…
Going abroad required a few procedures to be done, while teenagers going abroad additionally required their parent’s signature and other complicated prerequisites.
Qin Yirou did not go to work on this day. She had taken a leave specifically to complete these procedures for her children.
The student exchange program was scheduled for a month later. There was a lot of time for the students to prepare and pack their luggage.
When Yun Jian returned to school this week, she was summoned to the office for an unknown reason. When she got there, she saw a middle-aged man whom she did not know standing in front.
The man sat upright. He wore normal clothing but he had the righteous air of a militant. It was the leader of the special forces who had utilized the police to previously investigate Yun Jian’s whereabouts, Ge Junjian.