Chapter 71: Chapter 71

Wang Ping nodded in agreement from the side. During the New Year at the company, he noticed that Zhao Guodong treated Ye Ling differently. A girl from the same village, he had observed carefully but didn’t find anything different about her compared to the girls in the courtyard.

"Dongzi, I think Lining is right. You’re definitely afraid of her sister because you like Ye Qian," Wang Ping added.

Zhao Guodong glared over, "You’re always full of it."

Wang Ping muttered, "Lining said the same thing."

Zhang Linong chuckled from the side, "Alright, alright, don’t you see Dongzi is embarrassed?"

Wang Ping said discontentedly, "What’s wrong with that? Everyone in the courtyard likes Ye Qian; she’s good-looking and gentle."

Seeing Zhao Guodong glare over, Wang Ping finally stopped talking.

Zhao Guodong’s feelings were exposed by his two good buddies, making him feel embarrassed, so he shouted loudly, "Alright, alright, let’s hurry up and go. Let’s eat dinner and then head to the Ye Family."

Wang Ping was already hungry and shouted with excitement as he ran ahead. Zhao Guodong followed suit, and Zhang Linong shook his head from behind as he strode forward. Some things are clearer from the outside; it’s better to let Zhao Guodong figure them out slowly by himself.

That night, Bai Xue opened the door to see the three of them standing outside, initially surprised but then smiling amiably, "What brings you guys here? Come in and sit; it’s rare to see you visiting our home over the years."

The three greeted her as "Auntie" and entered the house. Zhao Guodong directly expressed his intention, "Auntie, we’re here to find Ye Ling to discuss some questions. She’s home, right?"

The sky outside was already dark, where else would she be but at home?

Even if Bai Xue wanted to find an excuse, she wouldn’t use this reason. Despite her displeasure inside, her face remained more amiable, "She’s home, in the East Room; you can go in."

Ye He Ping also came back and was in the East Room fixing the bed. Turning around, he saw Zhao Guodong and the others coming in, and for once since his mother’s death, there was a smile on his face, "Even you young kids know to study now, that’s good. If you don’t understand anything, just come and ask Ye Ling."

Picking up the extra wooden boards, "You guys study, I’ve finished my work."

As it turned out, Ye He Ping had found some wooden boards outside to make a study desk. The back of the desk had high-standing boards, with small shelves fixed in the middle, perfectly wedged between two beds, forming a half curtain, creating two small spaces.

Ye Ling wasn’t surprised to see the three of them come by. She let them sit on the bed, and after closing the East Room’s door, she queried, "You guys have looked at the exercises I wrote on the paper, right? Did you make notes on any parts you didn’t understand?"

"Couldn’t solve them at all, no need to make notes," Wang Ping quickly replied.

Zhao Guodong cast a sideways glance at him, and Wang Ping retorted, "I wasn’t wrong."

Seeing them going silent, unsure how long they would argue, Ye Ling interrupted, "Come on, if you don’t understand, you don’t need to keep up appearances."

Zhao Guodong flushed but didn’t speak.

Wang Ping stayed honest, not feeling embarrassed at all, so what Ye Ling said mustn’t apply to him. Only Zhang Linong had stayed quiet since entering the room.

Ye Ling took the paper she had written for Zhao Guodong earlier in the day, pulled up a chair, and started explaining from the first question, "... the formula remains unchanged. No matter how the numbers on this change, this type of question stays the same. If it shows up in the middle school exam, just solve it this way."

Seeing Zhao Guodong and Wang Ping looking at her with puzzled faces, Ye Ling took a deep breath and patiently explained again, "Got it this time?"

"If you don’t understand something, ask when I’m explaining. If I finish explaining and you still don’t get it, not asking during the explanation means you’ll never understand no matter how many times I explain," she said.

"Zhao Guodong, you go first." Faced with two seemingly dense people, Ye Ling felt the urge to smack her head.

Zhao Guodong nodded seriously, "I understood this time; I just didn’t realize your explanation was clearer than the teacher’s. I used to be stuck with such questions, but now with your explanation, I get it."

"Good," Ye Ling restrained herself and nodded, realizing he understood yet stayed silent, making her feel foolish for explaining again.

Turning to Wang Ping, "You understood as well?"

Wang Ping replied, bewildered, "I understood the first time."

Ye Ling twitched her mouth, "Alright, let’s move on to the next question."

As for Zhang Linong, Ye Ling never worried. She could tell he was the shrewdest among the three. Since Zhao Guodong and Wang Ping, who were both dense, understood, he surely had too.

While they were discussing questions inside, Ye Qian hesitated to join them in the living room, sitting at the table doing exercises. She had already reviewed, but the leftover exercise sheets only piled up. Ye Qian always worked until late at night to finish them, whereas Ye Ling already had completed several sheets before Zhao Guodong and their arrival after dinner, leaving Ye Qian with three sheets undone.

Bai Xue sat across from her daughter, sewing clothes, and sighed inwardly. Her younger daughter was great everywhere but struggled with studying. The same sheets that Ye Ling finished early, she started explaining to others, while her younger daughter still had three to complete.

Ye He Ping walked in from outside, washed his hands in the bathroom, looked toward the East Room, heard the elder daughter’s voice, and smiled, sitting next to his wife. Seeing the younger daughter doing her sheets, he suggested, "Xiaoqian, if there’s anything you don’t understand, ask your sister."

Ye Qian’s face paled, her hand gripping the pen tighter, and she quietly replied, "I know."

Bai Xue felt sorry for her daughter, "It’s noisy here; I’ll take Ye Qian to the West Room to write, and she’ll sleep there tonight. The East Room’s bed is ready anyway, you can sleep in there."

Putting away the clothes in her hand, Bai Xue helped her daughter pick up the worksheets and took her to the West Room.

Ye He Ping shook his head, knowing that his wife’s dislike for their elder daughter persisted. He hoped time would change her attitude toward the elder daughter.

Late at night, after nine, Zhao Guodong and the others left. Ye Ling followed them out, seeing her father sitting in the living room, then glanced at the tightly shut door of the West Room, and understood, "Dad, let’s sleep."

Even though she kept telling herself not to feel soft, seeing her father upset because of her still made Ye Ling feel uncomfortable. Sometimes she wished her father would stay indifferent and aloof toward her as before, instead of constantly siding with her, which made her heart ache even more.

"Oh, you’re done studying?" Although Ye He Ping held a book in his hand, he had evidently been dozing off, unaware that people had left.

Ye Ling nodded, "Dad, tomorrow I’ll go to the Zhao Family to help them with extra lessons." (To be continued. If you work, you’re welcome to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com), with recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)