CHAPTER 481: CHAPTER 481: THE REASON FOR BEING SERIOUS

Gong Ruini lay in the truck bed, feeling dizzy. Sigh, she initially thought that taking a car would be better than taking a train.

For instance, at least she could lie down, maybe even sleep comfortably, but she didn’t expect the situation to be worse than on the train.

There are all sorts of downsides on trains, but at least one thing is better than being in a car, and that’s that there’s no draft.

Previously, Gong Ruini used to feel that the train compartments were stuffy, and the smell was unpleasant. No doubt, the air was better sitting in the truck bed, but the wind kept blowing in.

"Cold?" Zhao Xuran saw Gong Ruini shiver and knew she must be cold.

But there was nothing they could do; they had already used quilts to enclose the area where they were sitting, but the wind in the dead of winter was fierce, and when the car was moving, the wind poured into the truck bed as if it cost nothing.

Gong Ruini nodded, really unwilling to speak, afraid that if she opened her mouth, all the warmth in her stomach would dissipate.

"I’ll get you some hot water." They had already filled the hot water bottle before departure, but it probably wasn’t very warm by then.

Zhao Xuran felt the cold wind blowing past his ears,

and he saw that Gong Ruini’s little face was much thinner than when they first set out, which made him feel all kinds of reluctant, "When we get to Beijing, we’ll have a good meal."

A good meal usually means meat. Although they’ve had some meat along the way, it wasn’t as enjoyable as at home. Zhao Guangran felt excited hearing Zhao Xuran talk about having a nice meal once they reached Beijing.

No, that shouldn’t involve eating meat, "I don’t eat meat." They only brought a bit of quail along and hadn’t brought much to avoid any mishaps along the way.

Zhao Guangran was truly worried if his older brother started eating, the future source of income could get eaten up, and he absolutely couldn’t bear that.

If it weren’t for being on the road and for not being able to take care of things himself, he would’ve already taken good care of those quails.

No eating meat? Since when did his own brother become this good, not even eating meat? Zhao Xuran was a bit surprised, knowing that back home, he was an advocate for eating meat in all forms.

"Yeah, no eating meat, eating meat is like eating money." Gong Ruini also feared Zhao Xuran might impulsively eat the quail, which was literally money.

"By the way, are all the notes ready for the picture books?" Gong Ruini had it all planned out that once they arrived, they’d start their business immediately.

For this, Gong Ruini had spent her New Year’s money acquiring a batch of quail eggs, as they couldn’t wait to start business only after the quails laid eggs.

"The notes are ready." Zhao Xuran was about to lose it. He couldn’t count how many times Gong Ruini had asked along the way, "They’re right next to us, and Uncle Gong has already made a simple bookshelf."

Gong Ruini pretended she didn’t see Zhao Xuran’s about-to-collapse expression, wriggling deeper into the quilt.

Cai Meina couldn’t hold back anymore, watching Gong Ruini move around, "You’re not just pushing the warmth out of the blanket."

"Look at how Ban Xia and the others aren’t as fidgety as you." Cai Meina lightly patted Gong Ruini on the butt, signaling her to stay still and stop moving around so much.

Sigh, wasn’t she just trying to get a little warmth by moving a bit? She didn’t expect her own mom to be this harsh on her.

Sigh, kids just don’t have any rights, Gong Ruini thought and crawled out of the quilt, "I can’t sleep, or I won’t want to sleep at night."

"Not sleeping is fine too." Cai Meina had no words for her daughter’s change of mind, this kid was indeed mercurial, "Then read a book, otherwise how will you keep up with your classmates when you get to Beijing."

Cai Meina knew her child was smart, but that was in the Northeast, and who knew how she would do in Beijing.

In Cai Meina’s mind, the educational quality of Beijing Primary School was way better than that of the Northeastern Rural area.

She wasn’t someone who demanded her child to achieve outstanding academic results; she merely thought her child was competitive. What if once in Beijing, she found herself lagging behind her peers?

Back in the Northeast, she would always push herself in sports because Zhao Guangran said Ni Zi was bad at it, expecting even more effort once in Beijing.

And then, look at how focused Zhao Guangran had been throughout the journey, always with a book, reading and reading. Cai Meina couldn’t help but be moved.

But seeing her daughter sitting in the car, shivering every day, what could she say really?

Really, reading? Please, it’s just elementary school work. It’s no pressure at all; is it necessary to read?

"Let’s read together." Throughout the trip, Zhao Guangran had been genuinely focused. Before they left, his dad had a long talk with him, saying he could do business in Beijing but had to maintain good grades, definitely not dropping out of the top ten in class.

Zhao Guangran truly felt that his dad’s demand was unreasonably high, knowing this was the top ten in the entire Beijing school, not just the top ten in a rural elementary class.

He wanted to protest, but seeing his dad’s unwavering face, wouldn’t even entertain a discussion otherwise, Zhao Guangran, feeling vulnerable, could only reluctantly agree; he honestly had no other ideas.

Humph, just the top ten? As long as Gong Ruini was watching him closely and his brother gave him special training, the top ten wouldn’t be a problem at all, Zhao Guangran assured.

"Ni Zi, you must work hard on your exams, or I won’t do well." Although saying this wasn’t very face-saving, Zhao Guangran really had no choice.

In front of this group, Zhao Guangran didn’t feel he had any pride left anyway. Without pride, he might as well lower himself and get Gong Ruini’s help.

Work hard on exams? Isn’t this saying she should perform at her true level, without holding back? This felt off to her. Previously, to avoid overshadowing him, Zhao Guangran treated her with yummy snacks and constantly pleased her to ensure she didn’t regret it and try to break into the top ten.

Gong Ruini looked astonished, as did Gong Ruwen, "Guangran, why are you?"

"Sigh, no choice." What’s going on these days? He had already told Gong Ruini not to hold back on getting good grades because of him, and now they were asking his reasons—didn’t they know it was embarrassing?

Zhao Guangran stammered, unsure how to explain. The more he hesitated, the more curious Gong Ruini and the others became.

The fact that this prideful Zhao Guangran could let go of his pride was a big deal, making Gong Ruini wait patiently for his answer; after all, they had time.

Gong Ruini’s non-cooperation forced Zhao Guangran to spill the beans about his agreement with Zhao Gang.

Not surprising given it’s Zhao Gang, Gong Ruini understood. It made sense that Zhao Gang was worried that Zhao Guangran, busying himself with making money, would neglect his studies, thus proposing such a suggestion. Indeed, it hit right where Zhao Guangran was most vulnerable.

"What do you think?" Zhao Guangran didn’t care what everyone thought; he just wanted to know Gong Ruini’s thoughts. To him, any opportunity to stand out was something Gong Ruini would agree to.

"Of course, not!" Gong Ruini proudly declared, "I just want to be a decent student at school."

Suddenly rushing into the top ten wasn’t something she wanted, it went widely against her plan.