nownovels Chapter 69 The Arrival of Aunt Lu
Chapter 69 The Arrival of Aunt Lu
After class, Ye Yixian packed up his books and then made an appointment with Wang Qingyu to go to the cafeteria for lunch together.
Just as the two reached the stairwell of the teaching building, a tall figure suddenly blocked their way; it was none other than Lu Yuan.
During this period, Ye Yixian seemed to have completely changed. She changed to a refreshing and neat hairstyle, shed her previous dullness and hostility, and became more composed and generous in her actions. What was even more surprising was that her grades had improved significantly.
The girls who used to be distant and indifferent to her have gradually let go of their prejudices and often take the initiative to come over and chat with her during their free time.
The teachers noticed this and became much gentler in their attitude towards her, no longer ignoring her as before.
Class 22 was originally the lowest-performing class in the entire grade, with the vast majority of students failing to reach the 400-point mark. However, Ye Yixian achieved a score of over 500 points in this mock exam, firmly placing her among the top students in the class.
Every homeroom teacher hopes that their class can produce more undergraduate students, and the homeroom teacher of Class 22 is no exception. Even though this attention came a little late, it made Ye Yixian feel a long-lost sense of recognition.
These changes gradually dispelled the gloom that had been building up in her heart for so long. The dullness in her eyes faded, replaced by a rare sunny and cheerful look, and her whole demeanor became gentler and brighter.
Meanwhile, rumors about Lu Yuan and Ye Yixian dating had already spread like wildfire on campus.
Moreover, Lu Yuan's progress in this exam was truly amazing. He even surpassed the top student Xia Anqi and won first place in the grade for English. For a time, he was the center of attention throughout the school.
Many girls secretly flirted with Lu Yuan, but he ignored them all. This contrast made more and more people envious of Ye Yixian.
Privately, people discussed that if the two really got together, Ye Yixian would have met a good man.
At that moment, Lu Yuan blocked Ye Yixian's way at the stairwell, a scene that instantly attracted the attention of passing classmates.
Not only was Ye Yixian puzzled, but the students who had gathered around were also full of curiosity, stopping to watch and glancing back and forth between the two.
Ye Yixian's cheeks flushed slightly, a strange shyness rising in her heart. She looked up at Lu Yuan, her voice trembling slightly, "Lu Yuan, what happened?"
Lu Yuan shook his head gently, a warm smile on his lips, and said, "Oh, it's nothing. My mom brought me lunch at school and specifically asked me to invite you to eat with her."
"Huh? Me too?" Ye Yixian subconsciously pointed to herself, her eyes widening slightly, her face full of disbelief, and she didn't react for a moment.
Upon hearing this, the surrounding classmates immediately erupted in a noisy commotion, their gazes towards the two becoming increasingly ambiguous. The previous rumors seemed to be completely confirmed at this moment, with some even whispering that the two had reached the point of meeting each other's parents.
The clamor and shouts made Ye Yixian blush with embarrassment, wishing she could disappear into the ground.
She frantically grabbed Lu Yuan's arm, quickly walked through the crowd of onlookers, and hurriedly left the teaching building, finally escaping those burning and gossipy gazes.
Reaching a secluded spot, Ye Yixian was still in shock. She looked up at Lu Yuan, her voice filled with disbelief: "Auntie really wants me to come eat with her?"
"Of course it's true. Let's go. After we eat, we can go back and rest for a while. We have evening self-study tonight."
Lu Yuan smiled and gestured for her to follow, his gaze sweeping over Wang Qingyu, who had fallen behind.
Knowing that the two of them were always inseparable, he naturally couldn't leave her alone. He then turned to Wang Qingyu and warmly invited her, "Qingyu, come on over! My mom brought a lot of food, enough for all of us."
"Can I...can I go too?" Wang Qingyu was stunned for a moment. It wasn't that she was greedy for food, but she always ate with Ye Yixian. If she went to the cafeteria alone, she would inevitably feel lonely and awkward.
"Of course, let's go together." Lu Yuan didn't bother with formalities and immediately led the group toward the school gate.
Parents bring their children meals to the open-air stone benches and tables near the school gate. The area is bustling with activity as many parents eat with their children, and the aroma of food fills the air.
Lu Yuan led Ye Yixian, Wang Qingyu, and Gao Zhe to scan the crowd and soon spotted Lu's mother looking in their direction from not far away.
"Mom!" Lu Yuan's eyes lit up, and a rare look of excitement appeared on his face. He quickened his pace and walked towards his mother.
Following behind Lu Yuan, Ye Yixian's heart gradually tightened, and her steps became increasingly heavy.
She felt uneasy and couldn't help but speculate inwardly:
Why did Lu Yuan's mother suddenly invite me to dinner? Could it be that she heard those rumors and disliked my previous bad reputation, and wanted to use dinner as an opportunity to keep me away from Lu Yuan?
In the short distance of just a few dozen meters, she imagined countless bad outcomes in her mind. The more she thought about it, the more panicked she became, and she even had the idea of turning around and leaving. However, out of consideration for her feelings, she could only grit her teeth and keep walking.
Before long, the group walked up to Aunt Lu and sat down around the stone table.
As Lu's mother opened the stacks of lunchboxes with a smile on her face, she looked at Lu Yuan, her tone full of undisguised satisfaction:
"Ah Yuan, you child, you got such good grades on the exam, why didn't you tell the family? If your uncle hadn't specifically told us, your father and I would still be in the dark."
"Hey, it's just a mock exam result, nothing special." Lu Yuan waved his hand with a smile, stepped forward to help his mother open the lunchbox, and said in a calm tone, "One improvement doesn't prove anything. I was planning to wait until the second mock exam next month, and if I could stabilize my results, I would share the good news with you."
"That won't do. Any progress deserves a reward, even if it's just a small one. Come on, eat your food. These are all your favorite dishes." Mrs. Lu smiled, her eyes crinkling, her tone full of doting affection.
As the lunchboxes were opened one by one, an enticing aroma immediately wafted out, revealing four dishes and a soup laid out neatly:
Stir-fried beef, braised prawns, garlic pork ribs, stir-fried vegetables with eggs, and a pot of delicious scallop soup.
If it weren't for the inconvenience of packing, Lu's mother would have loved to prepare a Manchu Han Imperial Feast for Lu Yuan.
Seeing her son so motivated, the mother is filled with pride and happiness. No parent in the world can help but feel happy when they see their child striving for excellence and achieving academic success.
Looking at the genuine smile in his mother's eyes, Lu Yuan felt that all the fatigue and effort he had put in during these days of studying hard had been worthwhile.
Ye Yixian sat to the side, looking at the sumptuous home-cooked dishes on the table, and felt a surge of amazement.
For her, the bland soup in the school cafeteria was already a good meal. She never dared to hope that she could eat such fragrant and delicious home-style food at school. She was at a loss for what to do.
At this moment, Gao Zhe, who was standing to the side, said to Aunt Lu with a grin, "Auntie, I improved in this exam too, by more than a hundred points!"
"Gao Zhe is such a good boy, so wonderful!" Upon hearing this, Lu's mother was overjoyed and immediately ladled out a bowl of steaming rice and handed it to Gao Zhe. "Here, this is the first bowl of rice for you, eat it quickly."
"Hehe, thank you, Auntie!" Gao Zhe accepted the rice generously without hesitation and started eating. He also praised Lu Ma's excellent cooking skills, which made everyone present laugh and the atmosphere became more relaxed.
Lu Yuan helped his mother serve rice to Ye Yixian and Wang Qingyu, and then introduced them to each other.
Aunt Lu's gaze lingered on Ye Yixian for a moment longer. The girl in front of her had changed her hairstyle, had delicate features, and looked sweet and charming. She immediately nodded in satisfaction and praised her gently, "What a lovely and pretty girl."
Ye Yixian's heart remained heavy; his hands trembled slightly as he accepted the bowl of rice, repeatedly expressing his gratitude, his anxiety undiminished.
Everyone sat together, chatting and laughing as they started eating. While serving soup to everyone, Lu's mother looked at Lu Yuan, her voice filled with expectation: "Yuan, your uncle told me you have a good chance of getting into a top university. Is that true?"
"Based on my current score, I'm still a little short, so it's not entirely secure. But if I work harder and improve my score further, getting into a top-tier university shouldn't be a problem," Lu Yuan put down his chopsticks and answered honestly and seriously.
Upon hearing this, Lu's mother smiled even more with satisfaction and quickly instructed, "That's wonderful, but don't put too much pressure on yourself. No matter the outcome, as long as you've done your best, that's all that matters."
"I understand, Mom." Lu Yuan nodded in agreement and picked up his chopsticks again.
I've been burying myself in my studies at school and eating cafeteria food every day. I've been craving my mom's cooking for a long time. Now that I can finally taste that familiar flavor, I can't help but eat it heartily.
Looking at her son wolfing down his food, Lu's mother turned to look at Ye Yixian, then suddenly remembered something and asked again:
"Ah Yuan, your dad and I have always been puzzled. Your grades used to be so bad, how come they've suddenly improved so much?"
As soon as he asked the question, Lu Yuan abruptly stopped picking up food with his chopsticks.
The once lively dinner table quieted down a bit.
Gao Zhe, Ye Yixian, and Wang Qingyu, who were standing nearby, also subconsciously stopped what they were doing and turned their gazes to Lu Yuan, clearly curious about the answer to this question.