After a busy day, Shuishui was really grateful to Mu Ziyu. He had been busy ever since he got off the plane. It was all because they needed a lot of things for their new home.
She was also very grateful to Mu Zilin. He had been helping her with so many things. Shuishui didn't know why he seemed so dedicated in helping her. Anyway, the high school she would be attending would not be hers to choose. Uncle Jiang said that he would arrange it. Qian Anzhi's school would depend on his middle school examination results.
A few days later, Qian Anzhi's middle school examination results came out. He got 621 points, which was still acceptable. However, because Qian Anzhi's score was not very high, he could not really get into a key school. For the sake of convenience, Shuishui requested that she and Anzhi attend the same school.
Jiang Yuan had no choice but to enroll them in the same school. Jiang Li's score was about the same as Anzhi's, so he decided to have them all in the same school. He chose Lingcheng High School, which was located near an ancient mausoleum. That was how it got its name. This area was also a treasure land of Feng Shui. In the capital, it was considered as one of the top three most beautiful universities. It had a good learning environment, although the teachers were not as competent as those in the key schools and universities.
Jiang Yuan helped facilitate their enrollment so they could spend the last few weeks of the summer vacation in peace.
Since they were going to the same school, Qian Anzhi and Jiang Li were excited that they would get to hang out. As the days went by, they became more inseparable.
Mu Zilin was unhappy because he was forced to go to a key high school. The school had very strict regulations. He also had to attend remedial classes on weekends, so he had less time to spend with Shuishui.
"You stupid idiot," Mu Zilin said resentfully as he stood behind Shuishui. In a few days, he would go back to school to attend remedial classes. Seeing that they were eating happily, he became unhappier.
Shuishui pushed Mu Zilin's head away. "You don't have to act like a resentful woman. I can't do anything about it. My guardian faciliatated it. Besides, I don't want to trouble him too much. How many connections would I need? It would be too troublesome. After all, it's good enough that I'm also here at the capital, right?"
"It's so annoying. If you studied here, I wouldn't have to be so tired." Mu Zilin knew that he would do better in school if he spent more time with Shuishui. Since they were no longer in the same schools, he had to rely on himself. Also, he was still adjusting to the curriculum in the capital, and he was doing his best to catch up. After exams, he would often end up with a low or average score.
Shuishui shook her head. "I can't help you all the time. In the end, you still have to rely on yourself. Anyway, I'm here. When I'm free, we can have dinner and hang out together."
Mu Zilin conceded. "That's true. It's much more convenient to meet now that you're here in the capital, especially because you have your own place."
"But how are you and my brother doing now?" Mu Zilin asked secretly. He took the chance to ask Shuishui since Ziyu was not around.
Shuishui picked up a big apple and began to eat it. "Who knows?"
"Why do you say that? I feel like my brother is very interested in you. Anyway, I don't know if he has had a girlfriend in the past, because I've never heard of or seen one before. You're the only girlfriend with whom he has been very affectionate. He is proud to be with you in public and especially cares about you. But if he decides to abandon you, I'll side with you." Mu Zilin felt that his brother and Shuishui were actually a good pair. He noticed that Shuishui had become gentler. She was simply not the kind of girl who would put on an act.
Zilin disliked girls who pretended to be what they're not. There were girls who made cute and sweet sounds to lure men. He found it really disgusting. There were many girls who would want to be with a man only because of their money.
Shuishui looked at Mu Zilin and said, "If you meet someone you like one day, and if that person is not suitable for you, do you think I should intervene?"
"Eh, my taste shouldn't be that bad, right?" Mu Zilin believed that he could see through people's intentions very clearly.
"Even if that were true, I'm sure you would still be fooled by such girls. As a good friend, I would definitely intervene and take them away." Shuishui smiled faintly. In fact, she was just joking.
Mu Zilin was a little embarrassed. He nodded and said, "All right. I'll wait for that day."
He knew that Shuishui was joking. He smiled and let it go.
Shuishui then walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge. She had not stocked her refrigerator yet. She did not know what she could cook with just a few ingredients. It was noon. She did not want to cook. She could just order takeout. She looked around, but she did not forget to call Mu Ziyu. "Ziyu, are you coming over at noon?"
"Yes, I'll be there soon." Ziyu was in a store and was about to buy something for Shuishui.
"Please order takeout for five people." Shuishui went online to check out a few nearby restaurants.
"Okay. I'll be there soon. I'll bring you to the city center this afternoon. You can see if there's anything else you need." Ziyu felt that there was still something missing in the villa.
Shuishui was naturally happy. "Okay. Let's go this afternoon. I also want to buy something and take a look around."
She had been to the capital before, but she did not have a deep impression of it. She had been busy tidying up the villa for the past few days and did not care about anything else. She wanted to buy a book, but because she was being very cautious with her expenses, she had been keeping herself from buying what she wanted. She had to consider making money. She browsed through the Internet and found a website that sold handmade products. She thought of her own handmade products and wondered if she could sell them online. She changed her mind quickly. It would be too troublesome. She remembered that she could continue writing thesis drafts, but she changed her mind again. To be honest, she had no idea what to do. She could no longer remember how she made money in the past. She decided to calm down and take things slowly.
She ordered a lot of food. It was delivered to them for free by the time Mu Ziyu arrived. Mu Ziyu put down the things he bought. "I bought these for your study room. Haven't you been practicing calligraphy and Chinese painting? I remember that you didn't bring any tools. I asked for help from the staff, and they told me these were the things you would need. You have been practicing for a while, so you're not really a beginner. These tools are for advanced learners."
"I'm sorry to trouble you so much every time." Shuishui was a little embarrassed because the things Mu Ziyu bought for her were expensive.
She didn't want Mu Ziyu to think she was taking advantage of him. She said, "Don't buy such expensive stuff for me next time. If I need them, I'll buy them myself. They're not exactly cheap." She felt like she owed Ziyu too much. How could she pay him back in the future?
Mu Ziyu's expression slightly changed. "Why do you care so much? When we're together, you don't have to think too much. I just want you to be happy," he said.
Shuishui didn't respond. She felt that her words had hurt Mu Ziyu.
Everyone sat down and ate their food. Qian Anzhi and the others were planning to explore around the area that afternoon. They all loved to play and coincidentally, they loved going out together. Shuishui and Mu Ziyu went out for a drive. Shuishui bought a few books and didn't buy anything else. She looked around. Actually, she didn't feel like she was lacking anything at that moment.
Mu Ziyu had bought bags of snacks. "In the future, if you're hungry, you can eat some of these, but you can't eat these foods often."
"All right. Let's go back. Since I'm already here in the capital, it'll be convenient for us to meet in the future. You can come to my house to eat. I'll cook for you." She looked at Mu Ziyu with a smile.
Mu Ziyu nodded. "All right. I'll come over often to eat and drink. I hope you don't find it troublesome."
Thinking about their future together made Shuishui happy. She could see him anytime she wanted to, so she didn't have to worry. She worried that he had forgotten about her.
Shuishui nodded. Ziyu was always a welcome guest for her. "Let's go home for dinner. We can order packed stewed meat and roast duck. We can have that as a side dish."
"All right," Ziyu said as he started the car and drove to the restaurant.
It was very quiet in the car. Shuishui was looking at her phone. She was browsing through the Internet when she saw something interesting. "Ziyu, are there prizes for competitions?"
"Yes. Writing short stories for magazines is pretty good too." Ziyu turned his head to look at Shuishui. "Why?"
"Magazines? That's not bad." Shuishui started to search for more earning opportunities. She browsed through foreign advertisements. She could write short stories and work as a part-time contributor. She could write small stories about her country. She liked to write essays, and she thought she could give it a try.
Mu Ziyu looked at Shuishui's smiling face and said, "If you're having financial concerns, will you let me know?"
"No problem. Actually, I just want to earn some extra money. I might not be able to make it. I could just try." Shuishui was not confident whether she would be accepted, but she was willing to try it just to earn extra money.
She did not like to use other people's money. She wanted to be independent. She was simply not the type who would take advantage of other people's generosity and good intentions.
Mu Ziyu sighed inwardly. Anyway, Shuishui didn't tell him anything, nor did she want him to share the burden. What should he do?
When they returned home, Shuishui went to the kitchen to get busy.
Jiang Li stayed behind to eat. He was already used to it. Anyway, he didn't want to go home when he was playing with Sister Qian. Most importantly, he wanted to go to the same high school as Anzhi and Shuishui in the future.
The food Shuishui cooked was okay. Shuishui would easily get tired cooking more complex dishes because she had been used to eating convenient and easy-to-prepare food for a long time.
That evening, everyone sat together, chatting and laughing. Shuishui picked up some food for Ziyu. "You eat more. You've been busy these few days," she said.
She placed her chin on her hands and looked at Mu Ziyu, who was also eating in big mouthfuls. "Come, eat stewed meat. It's really delicious. Maybe I'll buy more of this in the future," Shuishui said as she watched Mu Ziyu.
"Sis, it's really delicious. Let's buy more of this in the future." Qian Anzhi ate happily. He loved to eat such dishes.
Shuishui smiled faintly and pondered on the cost of food and other expenses. Both she and Anzhi loved to eat meat, but she was often too lazy to cook and preferred to order takeaway food. That would cost them more money. They would need more than just a hundred thousand yuan. They would probably be all right for about a year, but they had also bought a lot of things since they moved into the new house. Their expenses had increased, and they also had to pay for the water and electricity bills. Shuishui guessed that with the money they had, they would last only half a year. She also had one more concern. She wanted to buy books. There were so many books she wanted to buy, and they were quite expensive.
Jiang Li said, "Qian Anzhi, on the first day of school, you can come with me. Sister Qian is going to go by herself. The first day of second year students is one day ahead of ours."
"I see. Sister, do you want me to accompany you?" Qian Anzhi asked Shuishui, who was sitting on the sofa.
Shuishui shook her head. "No need. I will manage. Your accompanying me won't change anything. On the contrary, it will be more troublesome if I bring you along."
"Uh. All right." Qian Anzhi thought that his sister had a really strong and independent personality. She did not like troubling others and would do whatever she wanted to. Anzhi realized she wasn't very feminine. She rarely acted like a young girl. He wondered how she expressed her affection for Mu Ziyu. He felt like she was simply not the type to be outspoken about such things.
Anzhi's impression of Mu Ziyu also changed. He seemed more gentle. He had always been very considerate towards Shuishui and the others around him. He was also a very good-looking young man. He understood why Shuishui would be attracted to him. He used to think that Mu Ziyu was too old for Shuishui, but he realized that they were actually quite compatible.
Shuishui casually used a clip to keep her bangs in place. Anzhi had seen her coquettishly look at Mu Ziyu and gaze at him with her chin in her hands. She was obviously infatuated with him. The others noticed their faint gestures of affection, but they chose to not say anything about it. They were simply a couple that wasn't very openly affectionate. However, Mu Zilin obviously couldn't read signs, so he said, "Shuishui, you seem infatuated. Don't tell me that you've only just realized how handsome my brother is?"
Shuishui was embarrassed and turned away from Mu Zilin. She said, "Unfortunately, you're too childish. I'm not infatuated."
Mu Ziyu pinched Shuishui's nose. "Come, you eat too. You've recently lost weight."
Shuishui thought that many girls those days regarded being thin as beautiful. "Isn't it fashionable to be skinny and beautiful now? What do you think?" In truth, she was not the type who thought so. For her, health was a top priority. She was simply able to maintain a good figure because she exercised regularly. She also wouldn't easily get fat. She was already very satisfied with how she looked.
Mu Ziyu grabbed Shuishui's hand. "Don't think about losing weight. I don't think that skinny girls are beautiful. They are just too skinny. On the contrary, they are ugly."
"I didn't say that I wanted to lose weight." Shuishui picked up a piece of meat and put it into her mouth. She saw that Ziyu was nervous.
"It's good that you didn't. You are a little skinny now. Why don't you get fat even when you eat a lot?" He sized up Shuishui. He thought she had grown taller.
Mu Zilin ridiculed her again. "I've never seen Shuishui eat less. She eats more than me."
"So what if I eat more than you? That proves that you're too weak," Shuishui replied sarcastically.
Mu Zilin snorted. "That doesn't mean anything."
Ever since Shuishui arrived, she had been spending most of her time with Mu Ziyu. They were surprised that they actually didn't get tired of being together.
Shuishui had already submitted a few articles to the magazine. She was told that she would receive news after a week. Meanwhile, school was about to start. Classes of second year high school students were to start a day earlier than first year students. She put on her uniform, and Uncle Jiang arrived to send her off to school. She had originally told him that he didn't need to accompany her, but he had insisted on sending her.
They arrived in school at around nine o'clock. Jiang Yuan brought Shuishui to the freshmen's office and met with the discipline teacher. "Hello. Please facilitate the admission procedures of my niece, and please advise us where to collect her new books."
Shuishui would be asked to choose between arts or science.
The teacher looked at Shuishui and asked, "Is it Qian Shuishui? Arts or science?"
"Science," Shuishui replied calmly.
"Then you will be admitted to Science Class 11 as a transfer student. This is your student ID and meal card. You have to pay for your meal card credits before you can use it. In this school, the evening self-study session ends early. However, you are not allowed to enter and leave the school as you wish, so you have to pay attention. The school conducts an exam once or twice a month. If you get a low score in that exam, you will be required to attend remedial classes during the weekends, so you have to work hard," the discipline teacher said to Shuishui as he pushed up his glasses and casually gazed at her. He was unsure how such a pretty girl could perform well academically, let alone in science subjects.
Jiang Yuan chose the school for Shuishui because he had no papers or information about her previous school. He directly used his connections to get her in. As a result, the discipline teacher thought that Shuishui was simply an average student. He only noted that she was very good-looking. He did not know why she chose science subjects because it was a notoriously difficult field.
Jiang Yuan patted Shuishui's shoulder. "If you have any problems, just call me. Go and find your classroom. After noon, I will come to pick you up."
Jiang Yuan had to go back to the office. He promised to pick Shuishui up at noon. The next day, her classes would formally start.