Quick Transmigration: The Control Group in Sweet Novels

The noise in the mud-brick courtyard gradually subsided. Qi Yang sat in her small bedroom, where Qi An and Qi Jing were both asleep. Only a faint light from a kerosene lamp remained in the room.

She spread out a crumpled piece of paper by the bedside, her eyes lowered in thought.

There are at least several dozen children in the village who truly cannot afford to go to school. Qi Yang checked the names several times to make sure no one was missed before putting down his pen.

Just then, a ray of light flashed past the window, followed by a muffled clap of thunder, and the sound of rain poured in through the window cracks.

Qi Yang lay back on the bed, pulled the thin blanket around herself, and listened to the noisy thunder and rain outside. She thought to herself that it looked like it was going to rain heavily tonight, and the road would be difficult to travel tomorrow.

She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, lost in thought.

...

The rain drizzled all night, and the next day, the rain gradually subsided in the afternoon. The autumn rain made the air in the mountains somewhat damp and cold.

When Qi Yang woke up, she was choked by the smell of smoke in the room.

Qi Rongguang returned home after playing cards all night and was now sitting in the living room smoking. His expression was very unpleasant, and it seemed that he had lost quite a bit again.

He's become completely addicted to gambling lately. His family doesn't have much money, so he squanders the dowry money that others gave to Qi Jing. He's lost quite a bit this time, and he's furious.

Qi Yang glanced at his expression, then nonchalantly picked at the rice in her bowl.

Let him lose, let him lose. It's better if he loses completely, because he'll be the one who has to pay the money.

Early in the morning, seeing Qi Rongguang's expression, no one at the table spoke.

Qi Rongguang exhaled a puff of smoke and, seeing his expressionless second daughter beside him, didn't give her a friendly look either. He muttered to himself, "All she does is freeload all day long."

Qi Yang took a sip of rice.

Qi Rongguang seemed determined not to let her off the hook today. He raised his hand and pointed at Qi Yang with his chopsticks, "It's been so long, why haven't we seen any progress between you and that Zhou family boy? When are you going to propose?"

Qi Yang ate her food in silence. "When did I ever say he was coming to propose?"

"If I don't propose marriage, am I just going to give my daughter away for nothing? There's no such thing as a free lunch!"

"I'm not getting married anyway."

"You're the one who's being picky?" Qi Rongguang sneered. "Erni, listen to my advice. You're not at an advantage at your age. If you don't settle down soon, he'll run away sooner or later, and then you'll have nowhere to cry."

He spoke with such conviction that Qi Yang put down her bowl and said, "Since you like him so much, why don't you marry him?"

Upon hearing this, everyone at the table gasped. Dong Yuehua patted Qi Yang on the shoulder and said, "Silly girl, what nonsense are you talking about? Quickly admit your mistake to your father."

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

Qi Rongguang threw his chopsticks on the table, and Qi Yang muttered, "What did I say wrong?"

As soon as she finished speaking, regardless of how others reacted, Qi Yang quickly ran outside, not giving him a chance to catch her, and ran straight out of the yard.

"If you've got the guts, don't run away!" Qi Rongguang's voice rang out from behind.

Qi Yang thought to herself, "It would be stupid not to run away. Do you think I'd just let you point at me and curse me?"

She carried the list with her and walked towards the school.

It was the weekend, and she thought Lin Huaixu wouldn't be busy. She had intended to hand over the list to him as soon as possible, but after walking more than halfway, the sky, which had been clear, suddenly turned cloudy again, and a fine rain began to fall without warning.

The rain intensified, and Qi Yang's heart tightened. Not daring to linger, she quickly ran towards the school.

But before she had run far, a tall and familiar figure suddenly appeared in the misty rain.

The man, holding an umbrella, hurried towards her and her direction. His figure gradually became clear in the rain. When Qi Yang saw who it was, she stopped abruptly.

Lin Huaixu quickly reached her and covered her completely with his umbrella. Seeing her soaked to the bone, his anxiety intensified.

"Teacher Lin, what brings you here?" Qi Yang looked up with a surprised expression, her face still wet from crying.

Lin Huaixu stood firmly in front of her, his shoulders mostly exposed to the rain. His eyes softened. "I thought you would come today."

So he came first, and as he expected, if he hadn't come, Qi Yang would have had to walk there in the rain.

He turned slightly to shield the person, and said, "Follow me, be careful not to slip."

Qi Yang looked at his soaked shoulders, pursed her lips, and obediently followed him. "Teacher Lin, did you run all the way here?"

The man's arm remained protectively in front of her, yet he kept a respectful distance and didn't actually touch her. He gave a soft "hmm," and said, "If you're afraid of falling, you can hold onto my arm."

But after he finished speaking, the other party did not respond.

Lin Huaixu glanced at her sideways; Qi Yang was carefully avoiding the puddles under her feet.

He felt a sudden sense of disappointment.

The two hurried back to the school before the rain intensified. The small room blocked out the rain, but the sound of the rain pouring down outside filled the room.

Qi Yang's clothes were already soaked through by the rain, the thin fabric clinging tightly to her body, outlining her slender figure, and water droplets were constantly dripping from the ends of her hair.

Lin Huaixu didn't say much, but found a clean coat and handed it to him, subtly avoiding his gaze. "Wear this for now."

Qi Yang thanked her, took the bag, and wrapped it tightly around her entire body.

His coat carried a clean, crisp scent, a unique, refreshing fragrance that instantly dispelled the chill emanating from Qi Yang.

She pulled out the list, unfolded it, and carefully laid it on the table, thankfully without getting it wet.

Lin Huaixu returned with a clean towel and heard the girl say in a muffled voice, "Teacher Lin, I've finished compiling the list..."

She turned her head, and the young man placed a towel on the top of her hair. "Dry it first."

The girl's two braids were half-undone, and her long, soft, black hair clung damply to her shoulders.

"Let me take it." Qi Yang raised her hand to take it, but Lin Huaixu gently avoided her hand.

"I'll do it."

Lin Huaixu moved very gently, wiping her damp hair through a soft towel, afraid of hurting her.

The distance between them was so close, yet so ambiguous and quiet.

Qi Yang remained frozen in place. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the man's shirt, which was mostly soaked by the rain. He seemed oblivious, his nose filled with the clean scent of her. The girl's long eyelashes trembled slightly, and her heart was gradually filled with warm emotions.

Lin Huaixu carefully wrung out the water droplets from her hair, and when he saw that her shoes were also wet, his heartache deepened.

The rain was pouring down, and she had run all the way here; she must be freezing.

The sound of rain pattering against the eaves outside the window continued. Lin Huaixu closed the window and fastened the wooden bolt to keep out the cold wind.

He turned around, and there was a girl wrapped in his large coat, curled up in a small ball. Her cheeks, which had been pale from the cold rain, had finally warmed up a bit.