(1)
For An Jing, the most interesting part of a journey wasn’t the fun after arriving at the destination, but the process of the journey itself.
Watching the scenery outside the window slowly recede, listening to the idle chatter of others in the car, and occasionally chiming in herself—this was the most enjoyable thing in the world.
Wen Ye drove fast, but unlike Minghui Yu, she drove both fast and steadily. She would brake early where needed, not always pushing things to the limit like Minghui Yu did.
That red double-decker minibus had already been left far behind. When they had first boarded it, the scene had been truly lively. Everyone found that bus particularly novel—double-decker buses simply didn’t exist in a small city, let alone this kind of double-decker minibus.
In small cities, the most common buses were minibuses, though the ones running within the city had special paint jobs, printed advertisements, and electronic number signs. The minibuses heading to the suburbs were usually the original, very inconspicuous brown color.
In the eyes of the students, a double-decker bus was a luxurious product only found in big cities. After all, there weren’t that many people taking buses in a small city, so naturally, there was no need for that kind of high-capacity bus.
As for Wen Ye’s husband—that ordinary-looking young man who would be impossible to find in a crowd—he had been particularly proud at that moment. He had very patiently introduced the history of the bus and even took the other students on a tour of every corner of the vehicle. If they hadn’t needed to leave to avoid traffic, he probably would have kept talking for another hour.
“See, that’s what Qiu Yi is like~” Wen Ye in the car glanced in the rearview mirror at the red double-decker minibus that was almost out of sight and chuckled softly.
“He’s a nostalgic person too.” An Jing could understand that. “He probably doesn’t get to talk about this stuff to so many people normally. Actually, we guys all really like these old cars; they have a lot of character—of course, we like cool-looking new cars too.”
[VIP] Chapter 110: The Car is on the Road
“Pfft…”
“Huh… what’s so funny?”
“Nothing, I just couldn’t help it when I heard you say ‘we guys’.”
“Hey, what do you mean by that, Teacher Wen Ye!” An Jing protested unhappily. “Even if… even if I look like this, I’m still a guy inside!”
“Which ‘inside’?”
“Uh…”
“Alright, alright. It’s probably a necessary path everyone goes through.”
“What?”
“You might understand in the future.” Wen Ye smiled, picking up a can of xylitol chewing gum from the groove next to the gear shift. “Wang Xinru, could you please open this for me?”
“Okay, Teacher…”
“Mhm, just put it in my palm. I want two pieces. Anyone else who wants some, help yourselves.” “Give me three pieces. Chewing gum helps with motion sickness…” “Xiao Jing sure isn’t shy at all.”
“Why be shy about this?” Wen Ye said, holding the steering wheel with one hand and slowly rolling down the window. “By the way, don’t keep calling me Teacher Wen Ye or Teacher Ye. It sounds so distant.” “Then what should we call you?” An Jing blurted out.
“Wenwen Teacher?” Zhu Ying asked, tilting her head.
“No need for ‘Teacher’. Ah Wen or Wenwen is fine, whatever you like. Actually, it’s been a long time since I’ve taught students—I really hate goodbyes.”
Wang Xinru seemed to sense something keenly: “Teacher Wen… Wenwen, did you teach third-year students before?”
“Not third-year junior high, third-year senior high. Goodbyes are the saddest thing. Even though three years isn’t long…” Wen Ye sighed lightly, forcing a slight smile onto her face. “I just wish those happy times when everyone is together could last a bit longer.” “You’d get used to it after teaching a few classes, right? Our school has teachers who specifically teach third-year junior high students.” An Jing crunched the gum she had just popped into her mouth and asked curiously.
“I know I’d get used to it, but I don’t want to—I don’t want to become numb, and I don’t want to lose the feeling of cherishing memories.” Wen Ye let the wind from the window tousle her long hair. The beautiful face in the rearview mirror made it hard to tell her current age. “More importantly, you can’t have too many beautiful memories. If you have too many, you stop cherishing them.”
“Teacher Wenwen should have taught Chinese.” Zhu Ying leaned against An Jing and said with a tilted head and a smile.
“I used to teach Chinese. But junior high English isn’t that hard, so I can teach that too.” Wen Ye fished a pair of red sunglasses from the drawer in the center console and put them on. “If you want to travel abroad during summer vacation, I might even be able to take you.”
“Huh?”
“Of course, I’d cover all the expenses. But, your passports and visas might not be processed in time. There are opportunities like this from time to time… for interesting little ones like you.” “Traveling abroad… feels like you wouldn’t know the place or the people, might not be that fun.” “I don’t like going abroad.” Wang Xinru shook her head gently.
“Xiao Jing, if you could go abroad, where would you choose to go?”
“Um… Africa?”
“Why Africa??”
“Because I feel like I’ve never seen documentaries about there. How the people in those countries actually live, I have no idea. So I think it would be very different and interesting.”
“It’s the first time I’ve heard someone say they want to go to Africa for fun. It’s very chaotic there, you know. Although there are a few safe countries, it’s only relative.” Wen Ye spoke with an air of experience.
“That’s exactly why I want to go see it. After all, you can see life in developed countries anytime in movies and TV shows.” An Jing said earnestly. “Compared to that affluent life, I want to know more about how people in poor countries live. There must be a lot that’s different from us.”
“You’re an interesting little one.” Wen Ye couldn’t help but laugh. “Africa… I’m sure you’ll have a lot in common with that person when the time comes.”
“Who?”
“Hmm—maybe you’ll meet them in the future?” “What Teacher Wenwen says always feels a bit strange.”
“Hehe, I can predict the future, you know! I’m a fortune teller!” “How do you predict the future?”
“Observing the night sky—” “Wasn’t that just tricking people in feudal society…”
“How else do you expect to predict the future?”
“Then, Teacher Wenwen, why don’t you predict whether I’ll grow taller in the future?”
“Pfft, how would I know something like that?” “What about predicting the future?”
“I can only predict the future that is already known.”
“That sounds contradictory no matter how you hear it…”
(2)
The distance from the small city to the seaside forest in the suburbs wasn’t too far, but the road wasn’t wide. Coupled with the slight traffic jam that started later, their speed slowed down accordingly.
However, An Jing quite enjoyed the feeling of moving along slowly.
“The others in the minibus are completely out of sight now.” An Jing leaned over the back seat, looking out the rear window.
The Beidouxing that Wen Ye drove was a bit like a small van. It didn’t have a sealed trunk, just some space behind the back seats to put things. And in this space, there wasn’t anything particularly serious, just a large plush teddy bear over a meter tall, which looked more like a decoration.
“We might have to wait for them for another half hour after we arrive.” Zhu Ying also leaned over the back seat like An Jing. “Huh… no, looking outside like this makes me dizzy.”
“Hmm…” Wang Xinru, sitting in the passenger seat, let out a long sigh. Wen Ye, sitting next to her, glanced over and noticed her cheeks were as red as if she had a fever.
“Wang Xinru, what’s wrong?”
“Sorry… I’m a bit carsick…”
“Huh, am I driving too fast?”
“No… it’s just… it’s been a while since…” Wang Xinru took a deep breath. “…since I’ve been in a car.” “Should I roll the window down for you to get some fresh air?” Wen Ye said half-jokingly. “Just don’t throw up in the car, okay?”
“Mhm…”
“Wangwang, have you been eating properly lately?”
“…Huh?”
“If you don’t eat properly, your health will suffer.” An Jing scratched her head. “You have to eat well, no matter what.”
“Sometimes… I might not have much of an appetite…”
“You have to eat no matter what. When I was little, even if I got beaten and cried, I still ate. Eating is the most important thing!” “Pfft, Xiao Jing, you’re really something.”
“Yeah, being able to eat even after being beaten and crying, how do you do that?”
“Like, if I did something wrong and got hit, then I’d think, if I don’t eat, I’d get hit and have nothing to eat, wouldn’t that be a huge loss? So I have to eat no matter what. When I’m in a bad mood, I should eat even more.” “Oh…”
“Even if it’s just some rice mixed with soy sauce, it’s better than nothing.” “Exactly. Xiao Ru looks like she’s lost a lot of weight.” “I-I’m actually dieting…” “You’re not fat at all, what are you dieting for?”
“Right, I’m the one who needs to diet.”
“Xiao Ying, where are you fat?”
“My stomach… a little?”
“It must be from eating too many sweets, right?”
“Absolutely not!”
“I think you should quit things like soda and candy…”
“It’s actually fine in junior high. You can start paying attention to managing your figure when you get to high school.” Wen Ye spoke with the tone of someone who had been through it. “If you gain weight in high school, it’s really hard to lose. Right now, you’re still growing—and with the high school entrance exam approaching, it’s normal to eat more sweets. You’re using your brain a lot more.” “Xiao Jing seems like she never gains weight. I’m so jealous!”
“That’s not true… I don’t eat snacks that often, and I exercise more than you, right? I’m often out running errands and stuff.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, like if Huijie says we’re out of soy sauce, I have to go buy some. If she tells me to buy some vegetables, I have to run down and get them.”
“Ew—doesn’t that mean it’s pretty troublesome when you’re at home?” “It’s okay. If she sees I’m busy, she’ll go buy it herself.” “Does playing games count as being busy?”
“That counts too.” An Jing lazily sat back in her seat. “Actually, before Fei Jie started working, she was the one who always went shopping. She runs much faster than me.”
“Oh~ Feifei Jie seems to have gained weight, right?”
“Really?”
“Last time I saw her, her face looked a lot rounder.”
“Probably… no time to exercise because of work? But, she’s actually pretty busy with work.”
“Sometimes being busy with work can make you gain weight instead.” Wen Ye slowly turned the steering wheel, trying to make the ride as smooth as possible. “But it also depends on your body type. Some people are just more prone to gaining weight.”
“Then I must be the type that gains weight easily?”
“I told you, Xiao Ying, you’re not fat at all…”
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