Xu Xiuwen called out to the surrounding crowd of onlookers, "Alright, alright, everything's over. Please disperse now."
Amidst the laughter, the crowd dispersed.
Once the onlookers had left, Gu Pandi said to Xu Xiuwen, "Thank you, Xiao Xu. If it weren't for you, Auntie wouldn't know what to do."
"Auntie Gu, you're too polite. There's no need to be so formal."
"No, it's necessary to express gratitude properly."
Xu Xiuwen smiled.
He walked over and propped up the fallen electric scooter, inspecting it.
Aside from a few scratches, the scooter didn't have any structural damage.
"Auntie Gu, the scooter should be fine."
"That's good. Thank you, Xiao Xu."
"No problem."
Gu Pandi then said, "Xiao Xu, since you're here, tell me what you'd like to eat, and Auntie will cook it for you at noon."
Xu Xiuwen smiled, "I'll just eat at home."
However, Gu Pandi shook her head, "That won't do. You not only accompanied Xiao Yu to the exam but also helped Auntie out. Auntie can't let you eat alone at home."
"I'm not alone; my mom should be back for lunch."
"Silly child, how can things be resolved in just one day? It'll take at least two or three days. Wanqiu definitely won't be back today."
Xu Xiuwen thought about it and agreed.
"Alright then, I'll come to Auntie's place for lunch."
"What do you like to eat? Tell me now, and I'll go buy it."
Xu Xiuwen wasn't shy and was about to mention a dish when a car horn suddenly blared behind him.
Turning around, Xu Xiuwen saw a car stopped in the middle of the road, honking to urge him to move.
Although Xu Xiuwen wasn't parked in a designated spot, he was very close to the roadside and hadn't completely blocked the road; a little room for the car to pass through was enough.
But the driver of this car was quite stubborn and insisted that he move his car completely before they would leave.
Gu Pandi also saw this and said, "Xiao Xu, move your car a bit. Don't block the road for others."
"Okay, Auntie Gu, wait for me."
Xu Xiuwen then went back to his car, drove it to a parking space by the roadside, and parked it.
After parking, he returned to Auntie Gu.
Before he could speak, Gu Pandi said, "Xiao Xu, do you have time?"
"Yes."
"Great, then come with me to buy vegetables. Just point out what you want, and if Auntie knows how to cook it, she'll make it for you."
Xu Xiuwen hesitated but eventually agreed.
So, Xu Xiuwen accompanied Gu Pandi to the parking area for electric scooters outside the market.
Then, they walked into the market together.
Xu Xiuwen wasn't sure what to say, so he stayed silent.
It was Gu Pandi who broke the silence.
Gu Pandi said, "That couple just now was really unreasonable. Not only did they not apologize after hitting someone, but they also blamed others. Fortunately, you were there to help Auntie out. I'm really grateful."
Xu Xiuwen smiled faintly without responding.
Then they started shopping for vegetables.
Interestingly, Xu Xiuwen had always felt that Aunt Zhang and Aunt Gu were completely different kinds of women.
Aunt Zhang seemed delicate and refined, while Aunt Gu appeared traditional and homey.
Take buying vegetables as an example.
Xu Xiuwen knew that Aunt Zhang preferred shopping at supermarkets; she might not like the noisy and chaotic environment of the market.
Aunt Gu preferred the market and liked to compare prices, even if it was just a difference of one or two cents. She always chose the cheaper option.
Aunt Gu also enjoyed haggling.
As Xu Xiuwen accompanied Gu Pandi shopping, he could see she was very familiar with the market.
It wasn't just about knowing what each stall sold but a more detailed understanding of it.
For example, which vendor has the freshest vegetables, which vendor doesn't shortchange, and which one doesn't use substandard goods as substitutes.
Xu Xiuwen naturally witnessed the process of Gu Pandi buying vegetables.
He had always thought of Aunt Gu as a virtuous woman, but now he thought even more highly of her.
In no time, Gu Pandi had bought a lot of vegetables.
She was carrying several plastic bags and was unable to hold more.
Xu Xiuwen quickly said, "Auntie Gu, let me carry these."
"Thank you, Xiao Xu," Gu Pandi said warmly.
"You're welcome," Xu Xiuwen responded politely.
At that moment, Gu Pandi suddenly sighed deeply.
"Auntie Gu, why the sigh?" Xu Xiuwen asked, puzzled.
Gu Pandi glanced at him and sighed again. "Why am I so unfortunate? Other people's husbands accompany them to the market and support them when issues arise. Your Uncle Jiang is always working, with no thought for me or Xiao Yu. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have known who to turn to just now."
As the saying goes, it's hard for a judge to settle domestic disputes.
Even if Xu Xiuwen agreed with her complaints, it was awkward for him to echo them.
He looked a bit uncomfortable and didn't know what to say.
Noticing Xu Xiuwen's reaction, Gu Pandi quickly apologized, "Sorry, Xiao Xu. I shouldn't be complaining to you."
"It's okay, Auntie Gu."
"That's good."
Seeing that Aunt Gu was feeling down, Xu Xiuwen couldn't help but say, "Actually, Uncle Jiang has his own difficulties. His job is like that."
It would have been better if Xu Xiuwen had remained silent, as Gu Pandi's frustration would have faded on its own.
By responding, Xu Xiuwen only stirred up more of her grievances.
Gu Pandi huffed lightly, "You're mistaken. Other police officers manage to be at home more often. Uncle Jiang has been away on a business trip for nearly a month. It's one thing if he doesn't come back for our daughter's important college entrance exam, but he hasn't even called to check in. Is this how a father should act?"
Xu Xiuwen forced a smile, realizing this did seem excessive.
He couldn't find any way to defend Uncle Jiang.
"Forget it, forget him. Xiao Xu, is there any other dish you'd like?"
"No, that's enough. There's no way we can finish all this."
Gu Pandi looked at the vegetables in her hands and agreed, so she stopped buying more.
Then they both left the market separately.
Gu Pandi rode her electric scooter home to prepare lunch, while Xu Xiuwen went to pick up Jiang Ruoyu from the second middle school.
Soon it was time for the exam to end.
After picking up Jiang Ruoyu, Xu Xiuwen asked, "How was the exam? Was it difficult?"
Jiang Ruoyu confidently replied, "Not at all. It went well."
As she spoke, she naturally walked up to Xu Xiuwen and, equally naturally, took his arm.
"Xiao Xu, did you wait outside for me all this time?"
Xu Xiuwen glanced at the girl's hand and wanted to ask her to let go, but considering there was another exam in the afternoon, he said nothing.
Back at home, Aunt Gu had already prepared a fine lunch.
Xu Xiuwen had lunch with the mother and daughter, then Jiang Ruoyu went to her room for a nap.
In the afternoon, Xu Xiuwen took Jiang Ruoyu to the exam venue once more.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
On the afternoon of June 8th, Xu Xiuwen dropped Jiang Ruoyu off at the exam venue.
This time, unlike before, he didn't wait outside for her to finish and then take her home.
Instead, he drove directly back to Jinling.
His return to Jinling wasn't for company business or school matters.
He was going back to give Li Ke additional tutoring.
Li Haimei had already pressed him several times, asking why he wasn't continuing the tutoring sessions for Li Ke.
Li Ke had called a few times, asking why he wasn't coming for tutoring, wondering if he disliked her and didn't want to be her tutor.
Previously, Xu Xiuwen could use the excuse of accompanying his "cousin" to the college entrance exam to deflect.
But tonight's lesson was unavoidable.
Xu Xiuwen had no choice but to agree to continue tutoring tonight.
He was now in a difficult position.
The idea of tutoring Li Ke had initially been a spur-of-the-moment decision, but it had now turned into a job or task.
He couldn't continue as a tutor indefinitely, so he planned to find an opportunity to explain things clearly to Li Haimei.
Back to the main point.
The tutoring session was set to start at 6 PM and end at 9 PM.
On his way to Li Ke's house, Xu Xiuwen received two phone calls.
One was from Jiang Ruoyu.
The girl didn't understand why he left without saying goodbye.
She even suspected he had changed his mind.
Xu Xiuwen was worried she might speak indiscreetly to Aunt Zhang, so he reassured her he hadn't changed his mind, just that he had some matters to handle in Jinling, and he brushed her off.
The other call was from his actual "cousin," Ning Jiali.
It had been a while since he heard from his cousin, so he was both surprised and pleased to receive her call.
However, Ning Jiali wasn't pleased.
She scolded him on the phone for ignoring her, not even sending her good luck wishes for the college entrance exam, calling him an unfeeling, ungrateful scoundrel.
Xu Xiuwen realized he had indeed been excessive.
He had completely overlooked that his cousin was also facing the college entrance exam and had focused all his attention on a neighborhood younger sister.
If Ning Jiali found out about this, she would definitely be upset.
Fortunately, Xu Xiuwen wasn't foolish enough to mention this to Ning Jiali.
He came up with an excuse, saying he had been very busy recently and apologized.
After hearing his apology, Ning Jiali quickly calmed down.
Xu Xiuwen drove to the neighborhood where Li Ke lived.
Arriving on the eighth floor, he was about to knock when Li Ke opened the door.
"How did you know I was coming?" Xu Xiuwen asked, puzzled.
Li Ke chuckled, "That's a secret."
Xu Xiuwen didn't ask further. As he entered the house and changed his shoes, he asked, "Is your mom at home?"
"She's not. She's still out socializing."
"Got it."
Li Ke looked unhappy. "Teacher Xu, why are you only concerned about my mom? Can't you show some concern for me?"
"Don't be silly."
"Hmph, Teacher Xu, do you think my outfit today looks good?"
Xu Xiuwen took a look at Li Ke.
He had been so focused on other things that he had overlooked her outfit today.
Li Ke was wearing a pale green long dress that looked quite artistic.
Xu Xiuwen was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered.
Noticing Li Ke's nervous expression, Xu Xiuwen couldn't help but smile.
Li Ke was puzzled. "Teacher Xu, what's with the smile?"
"I'm smiling because you're trying to mimic Cheng Lu's style and ending up looking more like a dog than a tiger."
Li Ke didn't expect Xu Xiuwen to recognize that her outfit was imitating Cheng Lu's style.
"I thought you might like it."
"I'm here to tutor you, not to critique your fashion. Does it really matter whether I like it?"
"It matters," Li Ke mumbled.
"What did you say?"
Li Ke waved her hand. "Nothing."
"You'd better change into something else."
"Do I really need to change?"
"Yes, or I won't be able to stay here with you dressed like this."
Li Ke was quite frustrated.
She had spent a lot of time running around to buy this outfit, only for Teacher Xu to dismiss it with just one look and tell her to change.
But she was afraid of upsetting Xu Xiuwen and him leaving outright.
After hesitating for a moment, she agreed to change her clothes.
Li Ke went back to her room to change, and Xu Xiuwen sat down on the sofa.
Li Ke's home was still as cold and empty as it had been the first time he visited, lacking any sense of liveliness.
This reminded Xu Xiuwen of his own home.
With no father or siblings, and only his often-busy relative Ning Wanqiu, his childhood home had always been cold and unwelcoming.
He hated that feeling, which made him lose the desire to return home.
Soon, Li Ke returned with a new outfit.
She was now wearing a JK skirt, revealing her long, fair legs.
"Teacher Xu, do you like this?" Li Ke asked.
Xu Xiuwen didn't answer directly. Instead, he said, "Alright, it's getting late. Let's start the lesson."
"Oh."
So, Xu Xiuwen began tutoring Li Ke.
The tutoring session was more about supervising Li Ke as she worked through problems.
With the college entrance exam break, there were no assigned homework, so they worked on additional exercises.
Li Ke's grades were excellent, and most of the time, her problem-solving approach was clear.
She only stopped to think when she encountered particularly difficult questions.
Whenever she faced a tough problem, Xu Xiuwen would use the excuse of needing the restroom to seek outside help.
Thus, the tutoring session went smoothly.
Before long, it was 9 PM.
Time for the session to end.
Xu Xiuwen casually gave a few reminders and was about to leave.
Li Ke suddenly called out to him.
"Teacher Xu, is 'He He Bu Ke' really sung by you?"
"You know that song?"
Li Ke grinned, "I heard about it."
Xu Xiuwen frowned. "Li Ke, have you been investigating me again? Didn't I tell you last time? Do you think I wouldn't be upset?"
Seeing Xu Xiuwen's serious expression, Li Ke was startled.
She quickly waved her hands in explanation. "No, Teacher Xu, I haven't investigated you."
"Then how do you know about this song?" Xu Xiuwen remained stern.
"My deskmate's older sister is a student at Jiaotong University. It was my deskmate who told me."
"Really?"
"Yes, yes," Li Ke nodded vigorously.
Xu Xiuwen's expression softened.
"It is indeed sung by me."
After Xu Xiuwen said this, he noticed Li Ke's eyes sparkling.
He had seen that look many times before, and it made him a bit uneasy.
Li Ke suddenly asked in a small voice, "Teacher Xu, could you sing it for me? I'd like to hear you sing 'He He Bu Ke'."
Xu Xiuwen wanted to refuse, but when he saw the girl's pleading eyes.
He thought that singing one song wouldn't take too long, so he agreed.