Chapter 200: Chapter 200

As Zhao Gang gave the command, the ox cart slowly came to a halt, "Alright, we’ve arrived at school."

Zhao Gang lifted the door curtain of the cart and indicated to Gong Ruini and the others that they had reached their destination and could get off.

Gong Ruini, after sitting on the swaying ox cart for such a long time, felt a bit dizzy herself. Hearing that she could get off, she rubbed her eyes and prepared to disembark.

Listening to the lively sounds coming from outside, Gong Ruini thought their timing was quite lucky, at least it was during recess.

When Gong Ruini got off the cart, she was surprised to find that there was no one wandering outside, what was this situation?

It didn’t seem like it was recess; otherwise, everyone would have come out by now.

But if it was clearly class time, why was it so noisy? Was this still a school?

Gong Ruwen was also stunned; he had attended school in their hometown and knew the rules of class. How was it that here, rules were ignored, and people were allowed to be so noisy?

Gong Ruwen’s mouth was wide open; he finally understood why Zhao Xuran was taking classes at home and why Uncle Zhao thought it better for them to study at home—the reason was evident here.

Zhao Guangran was also dumbfounded; he hadn’t expected the school to be , so noisy, how could one study?

Though Zhao Guangran was quite playful, due to Zhao Xuran’s influence, he had no choice but to love studying and was always thinking about striving for progress.

"It’s getting worse," Zhao Gang was quite pleased to see the unhappy expressions on the kids’ faces, including his own mischievous younger son Zhao Guangran.

Getting worse? No way, Gong Ruini’s mouth opened wide again; could this be the reason the village chief wanted to establish an elementary school in the village?

Zhao Xuran stood by, reminding Gong Ruini and the others one by one, as for Guang Ran’s thoughts, he paid them no mind. To him, this was just the place he came a few times each semester to take exams.

Once Zhao Gang saw the kids were ready, he led them, familiar with the way, into a certain office, "Principal Wang, I’m here to trouble you again."

A middle-aged man writing in the office heard Zhao Gang’s voice and enthusiastically raised his head, "Zhao Gang, you’re here, I was wondering why you hadn’t come at this time."

Zhao Gang glanced around to ensure nobody was nearby, then approached the principal and, pretending to converse, pulled something out of his pocket for him.

Though Gong Ruini was short, her vantage point was such that she saw Zhao Gang gifting the principal?

Gong Ruini was a bit surprised; could their allowance of studying at home be due to Zhao Gang frequently bribing the principal?

Gong Ruini quickly averted her gaze and saw Zhao Xuran also observing Zhao Gang and Principal Wang. It seemed Zhao Xuran spotted it too; who knew what he was thinking?

As Gong Ruini pondered various scenarios, Zhao Xuran reached out to tousle Gong Ruini’s hair, predictably turning it into a disheveled mess.

Too much, really too much; how could he treat a lady ? Gong Ruini was quite displeased, although currently sporting a bob that was easy to manage.

This being her first appearance at school, couldn’t she keep a bit of grace in front of the principal and teachers?

Gong Ruini, pouting, looked at Zhao Xuran, "Why do you keep messing up my hair?" She didn’t see what was so great about her hair.

He had his own hair; why not mess with that? Or at least his younger brother Zhao Guangran’s hair, picking on a girl, was it entertaining?

Zhao Xuran knew Gong Ruini’s eyes expressed displeasure, but he thought the texture of her hair felt just nice.

It used to be hard to handle with her pigtails, and even if he tried helping comb them, he didn’t have Aunt Cai’s skills to do the style Ni Zi wanted.

Now it was better; Gong Ruini had short hair, and his fingers could easily manage it.

No matter her dissatisfaction, if the person involved didn’t acknowledge her anger, and even worse, Zhao Guangran beside them was eager to try touching Gong Ruini’s hair.

This really angered Gong Ruini; how could they all be so excessive?

Regretful, truly regretful, Gong Ruini thought she shouldn’t have listened about cutting her hair into a bob to improve its health; now it was . Humph, once her hair grew long, she’d never again heed their advice about short hair looking good—they all had their own motives.

Just as Zhao Guangran reached out intending to touch Gong Ruini’s hair, knowing his brother stood before him, Gong Ruini wouldn’t target him alone.

No sooner than Gong Ruini showed concern, Zhao Xuran stepped in, signaling to Zhao Guangran that it wasn’t allowed.

Zhao Guangran pouted at Zhao Xuran, questioning why not.

Unfortunately, Zhao Xuran only shook his head with no reasoning to explain, leaving Zhao Guangran fuming. For origınal chapters go to Novᴇl_Fire(.)net

He contemplated a sneak attempt, but was stymied by his brother ahead, Gong Ruini’s vigilance, not to mention Gong Ruwen watching, leaving him no choice but to give up begrudgingly.

After receiving the item, Principal Wang chatted briefly with Zhao Gang then began distributing the test papers, "Finish them and submit."

During distribution, Principal Wang noticed Gong Ruini, "How old is this girl? Isn’t she a bit young?"

Gong Ruini raised six fingers, "Principal Uncle, I’m already six."

Though Gong Ruini had been working to improve herself these past six months, and her diet was better, she still looked more like a four or five-year-old due to earlier deficiencies.

Six years old? Was she really six? Despite his good relationship with Zhao Gang, Principal Wang wasn’t enthusiastic about accepting such a young student.

"Ni Zi has learned quite a bit from her brothers at home; she only looks small," Zhao Gang vouched for her, asserting her age was fine.

Well, if someone wanted to waste money, why object? Whether one student or two, they were still students, especially since they only came for exams, posing little issue.

With this thought, Principal Wang proceeded to hand out the papers.

Receiving the test, Zhao Guangran and Gong Ruwen felt nervous, fearing it might be challenging, but upon seeing it, their spirits lifted immensely, with smiles appearing on their faces.

They eagerly took up their pens and began writing, leaving Principal Wang astonished; he’d heard from Zhao Gang about the children’s home studies but hadn’t imagined them excelling beyond expectations.

Preferring to handle his own affairs initially, Principal Wang now observed the kids completing their papers.

Admiring their penmanship, Principal Wang repeatedly praised them—all even the youngest girl had such handwriting, clearly indicating home practice, surely hailing from a significant place to perform so well.

Gong Ruini and the others were unaware that their handwriting had already impressed Principal Wang; to them, letter quality was secondary—their results mattered most.

Despite agreeing the test wasn’t difficult, certain of achieving excellent scores to fulfill family expectations, until grades were released, they couldn’t celebrate, lest facing repercussions.