Chapter 178: Chapter 180: Second Place

“Xinxin, is it true what they’re saying about you winning first place in the essay competition?”

Indeed it was. Tang Yuxin took a sip of water from her cup, her small face obscured behind it, her eyebrows lightly twitching with a sense of warmth.

“The teacher submitted my essay. I didn’t expect it to win a national gold award. The school gave me a scholarship of five hundred yuan, and the education bureau, as well as the city and province, gave me another one thousand and five hundred. So I had two thousand yuan, my own money, which I used to buy watches for dad and Uncle Two, gold jewellery for Auntie Two, and some toys and learning materials for Sisi.”

“Then…” She spread her hands out.

“Spent it all.”

“You child,” Zhang Xiangcao didn’t know what to say. Two thousand yuan gone in a day, that was enough to provide for a family for several years.

“It doesn’t matter, it’s good that it’s spent,” Tang Zhijun felt the money had been well spent.

“It’s Yuxin’s own money that she earned, of course she has the right to spend it. When she’s out, I’ll tell people, this is what my Yuxin bought, my Yuxin who won a national award, is that right, big brother?”

Tang Zhinian and Tang Zhijun really were like two peas in a pod, whatever Zhinian wanted to say, Zhijun had already said it for him.

The money was earned by his daughter, he wouldn’t object however she chose to spend it. What pleased him the most wasn’t the two thousand yuan, which in the grand scheme of things was trivial, but the fact that Yuxin had won this award and her win had spread throughout the village. It felt like nothing short of winning a prestigious scholarship.

Even those from the village who made it to university weren’t as brilliant as their Yuxin.

He touched the watch on his wrist, a wide grin spreading across his face that barely faded.

“Mommy, mommy…” Sisi ran over, cradling a big doll in her arms. “Mommy, look, the doll sister bought for Sisi, it’s so big and it even has clothes on.”

Indeed, it was a large clothed doll, one that cost tens of yuan. Not only was it a rare commodity for children in rural areas, but even in the city, not many people could afford one. Dolls were cute and attractive, but so was money.

Sisi clung to her doll, chatting non-stop. Except for the noise from the television, the only sounds were the harmonious and happy conversation of this warm family.

Tang Yuxin got up, walked into her room, fetched her books and notebooks from her bag, placed them on the desk, and began to do her homework.

One stroke at a time, her mind somewhat blank. A faint glow appeared on her slightly dark face, eliciting an illusion of her skin becoming noticeably fairer.

Early in the morning, Tang Yuxin had already woken up. Her alarm clock showed seven o’clock. This was the usual time when she opened her eyes, not too early, not too late, just right.

After washing her face, brushing her teeth, and combing her hair she picked up a pill from a jar on the table and put it in her mouth. The familiar taste had become a habit over the years.

She looked at her hand in front of her, it did seem to be whiter. Could it be that these pills were finally having an effect? It took eight years for her skin to start becoming fair.

It’s just a pity that she had taken the medicine for eight years without ever asking Chen Zhong when her skin would turn fair again. Now she had a lot of questions to ask, but Chen Zhong was no longer there.

As for the books that Chen Zhong left behind, she had memorized them back to front. They mostly contained medical knowledge, but did not mention when the Cold Fragrance Pills would work. Could it be that they were to be consumed for several decades before the skin would regain its fairness?

The news of Tang Yuxin winning the essay gold award spread very quickly. Not only was it known throughout Li Tang Village, but even people from other villages knew about it. When Tang Zhinian went out, everyone looked at him with envy. At one point, people ridiculed Zhinian, saying that raising a daughter was futile as she would eventually join another family.

But now, look at their family. Their conditions were getting better, with a watch around his wrist worth thousands of yuan. Even Tang Zhijun had one, and every chance he got, he would tell people that it was bought by his grand-niece using the prize money from her national award. The watch was top-quality, a Seagull brand to boot.

So what if she’s a girl? Look at those who have a bunch of sons, which one is more promising than their child? At such a young age, she could afford to buy watches for her family.

Of course, there were also those who were sour grapes, saying that she was outstanding now, but who knows what would happen in the future. For instance, while she was considered a beautiful child in the village back then, now she was dark and thin. They crowed that while she had talent now, she might turn out to be mediocre in the future.

Regardless of the rumors, Tang Yuxin attended school as though she had never won an award. She was her usual reserved self and didn’t have many friends, but the class had a good opinion of her. Her grades were always average, and she would patiently explain any questions her classmates had in any subject. As a result, she had received much love and appreciation from her peers.

After middle school exams, it was finally time for the parent-teacher meeting.

Tang Yuxin pulled out her test paper, which was impeccably neat without a trace of correction. And her calligraphy truly added points to her score.

This time, her grades were excellent, ranking second in the class. The first place was a boy in the class who was third in the entire grade.

Excellent in character and learning, he was by all accounts a bookworm. It seemed like apart from studying, he was good at nothing else, highly intelligent but a fool in life. Despite this, Tang Yuxin greatly admired him.

Despite two lifetimes of effort, she still couldn’t surpass him. At times, she wondered who was actually the one who had been reborn, her or the boy who ranked first.

But, securing the second place, she was already very satisfied.

She wouldn’t let her father be embarrassed at this parent-teacher meeting.

She wanted her father to be proud of her, and for other parents to admire her father for raising such a good daughter.

The parent-teacher meeting of Class 5 was mandatory. If parents didn’t attend, their child wouldn’t be allowed to attend class. Parents’ meetings were not a common practice in primary school. It was something city dwellers were accustomed to but was quite a novelty in the countryside.